Today the count is 13

Pierini Fitness is within striking distance of the Wharf to Wharf, an upcoming 6-mile fun run and his day of performance reckoning is closing in on him.  Fun run race day is in 13 days on the last Sunday of July.  So, as might be expected, his training heretofore will concentrate on running and fun run preparation.

With a previously established goal of completing the 6 miles at a 9-minute mile pace, Pierini Fitness believes he’s in good shape.  Yet, all it takes is one hiccup – uncooperating legs, belly ache, weak mind, or a stubborn cardiovascular-respiratory system – on race day and he could miss his goal by running at a much slower pace.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter.  It’s all about showing up, taking a trip down memory lane, enjoying the running atmosphere and nice scenery along the way and, whatever it takes, finishing the course.  If necessary, walking counts.

The countdown preparation, starting today, consists of about a half-dozen running workouts.  His approach is getting in a combination of slower-paced and longer-distance running along with faster stuff like 800 meters, 400 meters and 200 meters repeats, and some 30 second acceleration strides for multiple rounds.  It’s all about building running pace familiarity and running efficiency. 

For example, if today’s workout goes according to plan, Pierini Fitness will run 4 miles at a slower pace (maybe 80 percent of the fun run race pace) and then conclude with a Sprint 8 speed workout which is 8 rounds of 30 seconds running fast with 90 seconds of a slow run recovery.  The fast run stuff should be at a mile pace of between 7:00 and 7:30. 

But a planned workout doesn’t always go according to plan so we shall see.  It’s supposed to be a July hot day in the low 90F degree range, so Pierini Fitness better get his running workout done early.

Blessed to be able to run with his 64-year-old “wheels, Pierini Fitness is counting down and today the count is 13.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Middle-aged man chatter and white smoke

Pierini Fitness is an analytical fitness dude and likes objective measures to validate what he has accomplished or failed to accomplish.  This requires fitness, health and wellness goals that are expressed using a measurement of some type and a way of subsequently measuring results.  Anything else, the way he sees it, is middle-aged man chatter and white smoke.

Earlier this year, around the beginning of Spring, he set the following goals to achieve by the first day of Summer 2019 which is a few days around the corner:

(1)  Complete 100 pull-ups in 20 minutes.

(2)  Complete 100 bar dips in 15 minutes.

(3)  Complete a kettlebell (KB) complex using a 24kg KB consisting of 4 rounds of 8 reps each of swing, clean and push jerk with each arm, followed by 100 burpees in 20 minutes.

(4)  Enter and complete a 10k fun run and run it at a 9-minute mile pace.

(5)  Achieve a body weight of 172 lbs. with a body fat of 18 percent.

Since summer begins next week on June 17^th, Pierini Fitness has decided it’s time to report his results.

Complete 100 pull-ups in 20 minutes

Pierini Fitness chose to do this alternating between pull-ups and chin-ups for a better upper body workout.  While it’s true that chin-ups are generally easier than pull-ups, tweaking this goal, in his opinion, didn’t diminish the challenge. 

His best time thus far completing 100 reps is 20:40 on June 3^rd.  He may, or may not, complete another 100-rep workout by the first day of summer so the 20:40 is his final best result.  Therefore, he got close but failed to achieve the 20-minute goal.

Complete 100 bar dips in 15 minutes

This goal was achieved twice with the latest being 100 bar dips completed in 13:46 on June 4^th.  Goal accomplished.

Complete a kettlebell complex (described above) in 20 minutes

This goal got “parked” as the demands of running started to take more of his time.  It’s a tough goal and one that Pierini Fitness hopes to eventually tackle.  Bottom line, goal abandoned and not accomplished.

Enter and complete a 10k fun run and run it at a 9-minute mile pace

As previously reported here at Pierini Fitness, the fun run will be the Wharf to Wharf 6-mile run taking place the last Sunday of July.  It’s a run beginning at the Santa Cruz Wharf and ending at the nearby Capitola Wharf.  Pierini Fitness is currently training diligently for it with every intention of achieving his goal. 

He’ll give a report on how he did by early August.

Achieve a body weight of 172 lbs. with a body fat of 18 percent

Pierini Fitness has weighed in at 172 lbs. or less 31 days since the first time he did so on April 17^th, including yesterday when this was written.  He has since better defined his goal weight as between 172 and 177 lbs.

He had a DXA body scan done earlier this week to accurately measure his lean muscle, fat, bone density and visceral fat.  It’s a great value service provided by BODYMAP360 and one that he highly recommends.  The price he paid of $49 is far less than the valuable information provided. 

Pierini Fitness measured at 18.8 percent body fat, slightly over the 18 percent goal, but he’s nonetheless pleased with the results.  Since the last test done on April 10^th, his body weight was 0.8 lbs. less but the good news is that he lost 4.1 lbs. of fat while gaining 3.4 lbs. of lean muscle (0.1 lbs. variance due to rounding.)

So, while the goal was not achieved by 0.8 percent, it’s close enough to say that it was. 

Working with his cyberspace fitness training partner, Pierini Fitness will be defining the next round of his fitness, health and wellness goals to chase during the summer with a measurement date by the first day of fall in September. 

And, he’ll have objective measures to validate what he hopes to accomplish because anything else is middle-aged man chatter and white smoke.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum