The Workouts of Yore

I recently stumbled across some old race results (those running numbers you get for each race, on which I'd record my times).  Minimizing my stuff, it's time to part with them, but not before I reflect on fitness and how I've changed over the years.

Childhood
Growing up, I played intramural soccer consistently (fall & spring), and pickup games of baseball, basketball, and football with neighborhood friends.  That, plus occasional bike rides, was as far as it went for physical activity.  I hated jogging and most other forms of working out.  I loathed gym when it was wresting or gymnastics.  Things started to change between junior and senior years of high school.

High School
By the summer of '97, I had a decent gut (probably attributed, in no small way, to my daily habit of munching on cool ranch Doritos after dinner) and little strength- I recall being able to do only 4-5 push-ups.  But on a whim, and friend and I decided to try out for the football team.  So began a transformation.

I don't remember how much I worked out before tryouts; I think I did daily push-ups.  But once football started, oh boy.  Twice- or thrice-daily summer camps whipped me into some semblance of shape.  Circuit training (working to exhaustion at rotating exercise stations) was an amazing experience- I'd have trouble holding my arms up afterwards.  I took to standard weight training, and my initial bench of 95 lbs went up slowly but surely.

Surprisingly, I was announced as the starting placekicker for the team (the day before our season opener), a position I would hold all season despite being mediocre at best.  But success there encouraged me to continue training in all facets.  It would come in handy when I applied to the Air Force Academy.

Receiving a nomination to the Academy, I had one final hurdle: the physical test.  I did fine in push-ups and shuttle run, but fell one short of the 4 pull-up requirement.  I could have re-tested, but my enthusiasm waned, and having an offer from Penn State, I accepted without further thought to a military career.  I'd remember the pull-up failure, though.

College
I decided to try out for the Penn State football team.*  An elite unit, I knew it would take the utmost dedication to even have a shot.  That's when things really got started.  I was a machine freshman year, and for most of undergrad.  Every day (except for Sunday), I'd do 4-5 sets of push-ups throughout the day and an evening high-rep dumbbell routine with extensive stretching.  On specific days, I'd do the following:

M: Run 3 miles
T: Lift
W: Run 3 miles
R: Lift, run 1 mile
F: Lift
S: Jog 1 hour
S: Rest

The above, combined with miles of daily walking to/from class, had me in amazing shape.  I could do 12 pull-ups, bench 200lbs, and run 3 miles easily.  I put on 20-30 lbs of muscle between freshman and sophomore years, now weighing in at 180 lbs; it felt good.  Best of all, my metabolism increased as the week progressed, and on Fridays, I could eat anything I wanted.  In an all-you-can-eat dining hall, it was paradise.

It's funny how things change.  Once loathing the sport, I now loved running, and my runs were not jogs.  For the 3 mile intervals, I'd run hard but stop 3 times, at specified intervals, during the run.  My 1 mile was as fast as I could do it (PR is 5:30, achieved during this time).  After two years of this, I'd start running in 5Ks.

My best time in a 5K was my first: 19:55 on 3/26/2000.  I remember that race well; I ran the first two miles in 12:00 even (still my PR for that distance).  I came in 21/377 (overall) and 5/90 (M18-22 age group).  Subsequent 5Ks in following years would be 21:22 (2001), 20:00 (2002), 21:50 (2004).  I've run more but lost those records.

Senior year of college, an unusually large course load saw me taper off, and when I tried to start back up again, my body rebelled.  (I still remember stretching, feeling a gut, and think "where'd that come from?")  I'd continue working out regularly, but never again achieve that level of proficiency.

Ever Since
I left college in good shape.  That's varied over the years- I hit a low (or high?) point of 215 lbs in 2004- but in general, I'm in reasonable condition.  I shoot for 6 work outs per week, generally making 4 (since children).  My weight oscillates between 185-195 lbs.  I run 1 mile in 6:15 (as of last year) and 5Ks in 22:30 (pushing it) to 24:00.  I can bench my body weight and have reasonable strength.  For a time, I'd end each workout with those 4 pull-ups I couldn't do back in high school, helping me remember where I was and be thankful for progress.  Today, the back isn't what it used to be, my arthritic knees aren't getting better, a shoulder is getting problematic, and my children are intent on my destruction, but I can't complain overall.

If I could go back and do anything differently, it would be working out more in middle/high school, and getting into that routine earlier.  Life is better when you're in good shape; I need to remember that, especially as these goals get harder to achieve.


*didn't make the team, but it was a worthwhile endeavor