A FEW UPDATES, NEW GOAL GRIPPER

RUNNING
Running is going well and I’ve set a few 5k PRs recently. Next run on the treadmill should be under 25:00 for sure. Overall I would say my conditioning is that of a mediocre runner. It feels great, but if I’m being realistic, the pace is not really that impressive. I am really happy with the progress, which I guess is what matters most. On top of that, I’m pushing myself pretty hard to improve so possibly in the coming months the times will get more impressive.

GOAL GRIPPER
Borrowed a 164# Quad Band from Adam Glass. Not only do I need to bridge the gap between my 155 BBGM and my 167 BBE, this will help prepare me for another run at MM2. The sweep on this Quad Band is wicked nasty. First real workout will be this weekend, and I’ll get a baseline video. I predict about a ¼” miss initially, which is an approachable gap. The sweep is going to “eff” with me.

BODY FAT GOALS
My weight has settled in at 148-149 every day. I have not been out of that range for quite a few weeks. Strength training is still going well in theory, although I lost about 2 weeks recently where nothing was gained or lost. First week was a bout of “neuritis”. The bullcrap diagnosis for some of the nerve pain I’ve been getting in my arms. I only say bullcrap because I’ve never heard of this before and neither has anyone else. Something else is going on, I’m just not sure what. So I mainly focused on running that week. The week after that I got horribly ill. Probably an influenza virus. I’m still on antibiotics and strength is back. Stamina might be taxed a little, but that is coming back too. I am pretty sure I still saw an improvement in abs definition during this time. Maybe from being dehydrated…ha! I know body fat is still creeping downward slowing because I’m getting more vascularity in my abs, legs, arms, all the time. There is still a pesky small amount right at my belly button. I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get that. Maybe just more time?

2HP
I think I’m closing in on the optimal width. I recently performed the exact same workout twice in a row, once at 52mm and then again at 54mm. The workouts were identical. No tearing and I could not lift any more or less at either width. I still did not pull a PR on my plates however. That is really the ultimate goal. To pull 160# on my plates and not tear. This time of year still sucks for friction lifts. I might just have to wait until this summer when it’s a little more humid. I’m not ruling that out as a variable, but would like to pull a PR no matter the time of year. Next workout is at 56mm. I will probably do it once at 58mm as well just to make sure what I’ve learned about hand position won’t eliminate tears at that width, which has historically been my strongest.


Now, GO OUTSIDE!