I have given this a lot of thought, a daily update just isn’t for me. This is week 17. I suffered a setback this week, injuring my Achilles. I am not exactly sure what I did, but I can tell you that it hurts. STFU! does not mean be stupid. Training for NJ Ultra Beast, I hurt my knee and was unable to run for a couple of weeks. That did a number on my endurance. The elliptical didn’t cut it and I should have hit the stair master instead. This time around, I am going to take advantage of my experience and lean on my brain instead of my brawn.

Ultra Beast Articles Joe’s Blog

Monday 5/16

Having not trained since the week before the NJ UB, it is difficult to get back into the groove. The week after was a recovery week in preparation for Ohio Sprint and Beast. Last week was again a recovery week. That is 3 weeks without training! I hit the gym the other day and had a hard time finding the motivation to work out. Today’s run was a bit of a chore, but I powered through it the best I could.

Training: Running

Tuesday 5/17

Today isn’t one of my best days so far. Having given this journal too much thought, I found myself unable to sleep. I had grand plans of waking early to get some sprints in this morning. Instead, I crawled into bed around midnight and woke 10 minutes before work. Today will be an average day for me.

It is probably a good thing that I didn’t run this morning; my knees are hating me right now. I find that any distance running does a number on this old man’s body. I just power through it on race day, STFU right? Today’s plan? Going to get my normal walking activities in during the day… Fitbit challenge (I destroy all my friends), then shoulders and some legs tonight. Afterward, TaeKwonDo.

Additionally, I have to get my diet back in check. I had been eating a TON of calories prior to and after the NJ Ultra Beast. Yesterday I stuffed my face with a massive pork roll (+ egg and cheese on a bagel) sandwich for breakfast and a cheeseburger with pork roll for lunch. Topped all that off with a quart of Chicken and Broccoli and a quart of Wonton soup for dinner. There was the occasional bag of Cheetos puffs mixed in and a protein shake after my run. Currently sitting around 169lbs and 17% body fat, according to the Fitbit aria. My ideal weight, for TKD, is around 163, that is when I feel my quickest.

My diet change went well today. I hate when people hear the word diet, they automatically think no food… nope, just good food. I need to balance calories and nutrition so I don’t lose strength. After the final tallies are in, too much sodium for the day and not enough fiber. I don’t track water.

Training: Weights & Cardio

Military Press	10 Reps	8 Reps	6 Reps	4 Reps
	100 lbs.	113 lbs.	125 lbs.	138 lbs.
SuperSet
Calf Raises	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps
	150 lbs.	150 lbs.	225 lbs.	225 lbs.
Front Raise (dumbell)	10 Reps	8 Reps	6 Reps	4 Reps
	15 lbs.	20 lbs.	25 lbs.	30 lbs.
SuperSet
Leg Extensions	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps
	150 lbs.	150 lbs.	150 lbs.	150 lbs.
Lateral Raises (dumbell)	10 Reps	8 Reps	6 Reps	4 Reps
	15 lbs.	20 lbs.	25 lbs.	30 lbs.
SuperSet
Rope Sissy Squats	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps
	150 lbs.	150 lbs.	150 lbs.	150 lbs.
Cuban Press (dumbell)	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps
	15 lbs.	15 lbs.	15 lbs.	15 lbs.
Shrugs (dumbell)	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps	10 Reps
	55 lbs.	55 lbs.	55 lbs.	55 lbs.
Upright Row	10 Reps	8 Reps	6 Reps	4 Reps
	120 lbs.	130 lbs.	140 lbs.	150 lbs.

Having noticed a bit of pain in my left Achilles, I thought I should take it easy. I guess my body wasn’t ready for yesterday’s run. What I didn’t know was that the pain would be so great that I could not finish my TaeKwonDo class. TKD class is normally an hour, I made it through 35 minutes before I had to stop.

Wednesday 5/18

Waking up this morning was hard. Again, I wanted to hit the track and do some sprints, but the pain in my Achilles is too much. I am going to give it another day or so if it doesn’t feel better, I am going to go see the doctor. He already thinks I am nuts, I really don’t want to give him more reason.

Thursday 5/19

Well, RICE is all I can say. This has really put a damper on my mood and slowed down my expected pace. Walking hurts. This weekend is going to be difficult. The Achilles is really painful. Without running, I have been walking a lot, I cannot sit still.

Friday 5/20

My students hate me. Friday nights are my night to really work out with my students in my TaeKwonDo class. I do everything I make them do, except for today. I cranked it up a notch and gave them a killer workout. There strange mix of satisfaction and disappointment for me. Satisfied, because it is the workout I would have wanted to do today. Disappointed because it’s the workout I would have wanted to do today and didn’t.

Saturday 5/21

Another day of rest. Instead of hitting the gym, I am working on home projects. Don’t get me wrong, I am still carrying heavy things up stairs… A sink, a vanity, 5 gallons of paint, a new toilet, spackle. Little victories. Mobility is starting to return, but I am not going to push it. I would rather catch up on training than do further damage.

Sunday 5/22

Today is Spartan OS at Vita Athletics. Today was a good day. While there is still a lot of tenderness and a bit of pain, I seem to have nearly full mobility. I cannot sprint, I cannot jump hard, but I can move. I am able to tackle obstacles with only slight discomfort. More on Spartan OS later… Monday will bring me to the stair climber. Then, things can start heating up again.