Overview: I've been in Japan for 15 years. I used to update this blog regularly, but not so often now. Instead, you'll find me posting on Facebook, Twitter and whatnot. Find me by following the links in the sidebar.

Fitness — 3 comments
17
Sep 11

Running Mad

After a full year of lifting weights and drinking gallons of milk, I eventually hurt my back. Nothing too serious, but bad enough to keep me from squatting for a while.

Since then, I’ve got back into running. Last year I ran in the Kakamigahara 10km and finished in a respectable 48 minutes. Now, I’ve ramped up my training, lost 5 of my hard-earned 20kgs, and am in the mood to race.

My goal this season is a sub-45 minute 10km. That will will take a lot of work so I’ve taken some steps to help me reach that goal:

Learning How to Run

This time around, I’ve armed myself with knowledge.

The first book I got was Run Faster. I was hoping it would teach me how to run, but instead it lays out how to make a training plan, including strides, hill-sprints, fartlek runs, progression runs, etc. etc. I’ve adapted a sample 10km plan from the book which I’m working through now.

Since I still didn’t know the proper technique for running, the second book I got was the Pose Method of Running. This has been brilliant. I’ve changed my running style completely because of it, which has enabled me to run over 20 times a month without injury!

A Portable Running Coach

As an iPhone owner, I can choose from a number of excellent running apps. My current app of choice is iSmoothRun. As I run, my location, speed, pace, cadence, distance, etc. is spoken to me through the phone’s earphones. I can customize workouts and even run against my previous runs. It’s more than awesome, it’s revolutionary! “Faster, steady, slower, 10 seconds behind… 5 seconds ahead…” – brilliant!

Running Accessories

I’ve got my ladies running cap*, my five-toed running socks, a belt bag to carry a water bottle and a sports armband to hold my phone. I’ve even got a reflective sash for my runs in the dark.

* I didn’t realize it was a ladies cap until after I bought it. It fit my head perfectly!

Great for preventing blisters between the toes

I’m still not sure whether to splash out on some Vibram FiveFingers, or just go with some of the newer, super lightweight running shoes. My current shoes are alright, but a lighter pair might help me shave another minute off my time. If I stick with laces, this trick my wife showed me is great!

My wife's trick for long laces

Motivation

Currently, I’m really motivated by my running stats on RunKeeper, and the running community on Daily Mile. There’s nothing lonely about running when you’ve got a team of people watching and cheering on your progress, even if it’s on the Internet. Of course, I don’t have to manually type in the results of each run on those sites, that’s done automatically by iSmoothRun.

Finally, I’m motivated to run more races. I’ll definitely do Kakamigahara again, but will probably add runs at Showa-mura, Inuyama and Seki. I might stretch to a half-marathon this season, and then maybe apply for one or more full marathons next time round.

I’ve only been running for a year. Before that I didn’t do any exercise for over a decade. I hope, with posts like this, I can motivate others to find as much enjoyment in sport as I have.

Can you see me? I'm holding up my hand

Miscellaneous — 5 comments
10
Apr 11

Ramsay Ramblings 2011-04-10

It’s been seven months since I last updated this blog, and a lot has happened since then.

2011 has so far been the year for personal development. I’ve pretty much abandoned JapanSoc and Hotaru CMS since those pet projects are so time-consuming, and instead I’m very focused on other things.

First off, I’ve continued with my workouts. I go to the gym three times a week and continually push myself to lift more weight. I’ve made good progress so far, and am motivated to keep going.

I also kept on running. In March, I entered my first 10km race and finished 276th out of 1,042 people. I was 84th out of 222 men in the 30-39 age bracket. Summer will be here soon so the running may have to be put on hold, but I definitely want to beat my time of 48:08 next year!

Another big change was starting an English school here in my home last October. It’s already grown to over 50 students, mostly children, and is providing a welcome break from three years glued to a computer screen.

As well as all that, I’m studying how to make iPhone apps. We shall see how far I get later in the year.

On the family front, Riku starts kindergarten tomorrow. I have to wait outside for the little bus to come and pick him up. He’s also taking one of my English classes at home. And speaking of English, we’ve just got satellite TV so he can immerse himself in such animated rubbish as Ben 10 and Kim Possible.

As for Mami, she’s still working at the hospital, but has reduced her hours to help with our school’s admin duties.

Fitness — 2 comments
30
Sep 10

Gaining Weight – Six Weeks of GOMAD

I’ve always been skinny, and I’ve always been bothered about it. At various stages of my life I’ve embarked on some kind of program to gain weight, none of which has ever lasted beyond three months, and all of which failed to add any noticeable pounds to my 6ft frame. My mother always said I’d fill out when I reached 30, just like Grandad Jack! Funny now that I’m 35 she says I’ll fill out when I reach 40, just like Grandad Jack!

Six weeks ago, I decided to embark on the GOMAD program (Gallon of Milk A Day) in another attempt to break out of my lanky self. This post is intended for others like me who would like to gain some extra pounds.

At my wedding in 2005, I weighed 56kgs and was 183cm tall. Five years of home-cooked Japanese meals later and self-employment that had me sitting in front of a computer all day grew me to 63kgs. And that’s where I started GOMAD, with a goal of reaching an ambitious 80kgs.

How I’m gaining weight

I typically drink 3-4 liters of milk a day, with Weider Weight Up in it at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I’ve been going to the gym twice a week, focusing mostly on compound exercises: squats, deadlifts, bench press and bent-over rows. I’ve been running a lot. I realize this burns off some calories, but it’s good for my overall fitness and I enjoy it. Besides the milk, my diet hasn’t really changed, except that I snack on peanuts and raisins a lot.

After six weeks, I’ve gained 9 kilos, but it hasn’t come easily.

Side-effects of GOMAD

At the beginning, the milk made me feel bloated and spoiled my appetite. It’s really hard to eat a proper meal when your stomach is full of milk. Of course, when you’re always full of liquid, you tend to go to the toilet a lot, too. I had diarrhea for a while there, if you can call it that. It was more like weeing out of your bum (apologies to those of you offended by my frankness… it gets worse).

The next issue was an itchy bum. It turns out that my body couldn’t digest all the extra lactose in the milk, resulting in a very uncomfortable itch that had me showering below three or four times a day with cold water. After a week of that I went to the pharmacy to find some medicine to stick in my rear – quite a challenge in a Japanese drug store. Eventually one of the shop staff came over and asked what I was looking for. I explained I had an itchy bum and she asked if it was internal or external to which I replied it was internal. She then gave me a choice of cream or pellets, and I picked the latter. I had bottom infection back in 2000 which ended in a doctor sticking a knife in my butt while I bit on a wooden stick. After that experience, sticking some anti-itch pellets in one’s rear is a walk in the park.

Another problem is spots. I’m used to spots and they’re used to me, but I’ve never had so many on my arms before, especially on the inside of the upper arms. I blame the milk for that and expect it to clear up when I finish GOMAD.

The most recent issue has been body odor. I smell of ammonia, and my wife isn’t too happy about it. This is apparently caused by the body burning excess protein because it doesn’t have anything else to burn. To combat this, I’m trying to eat more carbohydrates to balance out my diet a bit, and drink more water so the ammonia gets flushed down the loo instead of me sweating it out.

The results so far…

During the first few weeks, I gained weight rapidly (for a skinny guy anyway), though most of it was and still is around my midriff. Apparently, while women store fat in their buttocks, men store it in their bellies. I also learned that my kind of fat is visceral, which means it’s packed around my internal organs as opposed to being under the skin. Doesn’t sound too healthy, eh? More recently, I’ve noticed my weight gain slowing down with each new kilo taking longer to manifest. On the bright side, I’m definitely more muscular than before, which is a great feeling. I feel like I could crush skulls between my pecs!

Continuing on from here…

I think it would be sensible to stop the excessive milk intake after two months. That seems to be the recommended limit for anyone doing GOMAD. That gives me just two more weeks before I face a new and probably more difficult challenge: retaining the weight. Though saying that, I’m hopeful that my body will have grown used to the extra calories and demand I eat more than I would have done pre-GOMAD. If that’s the case, then 80kgs is still on the cards…

UPDATE: I stopped GOMAD after two months, weighing 74kgs naked (!) with 18% body fat. So I gained a total of 11kgs – very successful!

UPDATE 2: I eventually reached 76kg.

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