Reporter Paul Tenorio's workout written out by vacationing coach Jeff King had to be protected from the water in a ziploc baggie. (Photo by Paul Tenorio/The Washington Post)
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Okay, okay, I know it’s 5 p.m. and my daily blog should be up way before right now. But it’s been another long day out at Redskins Park and I just now have a few minutes free to let you guys in on how things went today.
Actually, before we get to today’s workouts, let’s focus instead on my weekend. And the fact that I cheated on my diet. A lot.
To this point, I’ve been impressed with how well I’ve stuck to it. I like to eat things that aren’t necessarily good for me. Lots of veggies and no carbs has been tough. So, after two weeks of being pretty much 100-percent cheat-free (minus the one allowed cheat meal), I fell apart this weekend.
The following things happened: mashed potatoes at The Majestic in Old Town Alexandria, spicy chicken sandwich at Kings Dominion, beer (a guy can enjoy himself every once in a while, right?), buffalo wings…and a chicken sandwich at FedEx Field. I felt very guilty afterwards. Well, a little guilty. I liked the food, I’m not going to lie.
Did the cheating contribute to my slimmest weight loss yet? (I’m down just one pound this week, to 184.) Probably. So, I’ve promised myself to be extra good this week and next — even if I REALLY want chinese food. And I do.
As for today’s workout, it was my first day of training on my own without Jeff King, who is on vacation this week. He wrote out a workout for me, which you can see in the picture, and I headed over to Washington-Lee pool to train.
Wow, what a difference. There were lots of people in the pool, and for the first time, I had two other people in a lane with me.
Needless to say, that made things a little more difficult. As I tried to complete a warm-up of 100 swim, 200 swim (w/ fins), 300 swim, 400 swim (w/ fins) — and yes, I did feel like dying — I had to pause every once in a while so as to not run into one guy in front of me who was going at a slower pace than even I preferred.
It would end up being a constant challenge the whole day, and with just an hour in the pool and these distractions I only got through half the workout. I’ll be getting there extra early tomorrow — 5:30 a.m. — and I hope to avoid the crowd, but you never know.
I realize now how hard it is to push yourself to keep going when you don’t have a coach over your shoulder. There were times I wanted to stop and that was the only thought going through my head as I approached a wall. Instead I flipped. I guess I kinda got saved by the pauses to let the slower guy get out in front of me more, but for the most part I won the battle not to cheat. (In the pool, at least.)
Even if it’s just two guys in the lane tomorrow, that would make it a lot easier to get the things done that need to get done.
This week I’m also planning on starting my own two-a-days to try to accelerate an increase in strength and maybe even a little more weight loss. The plan is to do my swim workout in the morning and some dry-land in the evening. Tonight, I’ll go for a short jog and try to hit up some jump rope and resistance cord training.
Not sure yet where I’m going to buy the jump rope. That’ll happen somewhere between Ashburn and home.
July 20: Weight- 193, Waistline- 36, BMI- 27.6, Body Fat Percentage- 17.7
July 27: Weight- 189, Waistline- 36, BMI- 27.1, Body Fat Percentage- 16.6
Aug. 03: Weight- 185, Waistline- 36, BMI- 26.5, Body Fat Percentage- 15.6
Aug. 10: Weight- 184, Waistline-36, BMI- 26.4, Body Fat Percentage- TBD…
Washington Post reporter Paul Tenorio will train with a swim club over the next few months and chronicle his journey as he attempts to transform from regular guy/sports reporter to competitive swimmer — everything from his waistline to his best times.
yep many practices i’ve done myself and only about 60% of them are done like I plan on doing them ahead of time.
Just a quick note to say keep it up it is worth it and I am proud of you see you in the pool next week