The Recomp Chronicles

  • Release the Dogs of Chaos

    Or, why Daylight Savings sucks balls.

    This week was rough, like wearing sandpaper underwear under a wool suit while rolling through a cactus patch.

    For whatever reason, the “fall back” time change always hits me like a truck, but this year Ivy made sure it came with extra turbulence. Dogs don’t care about clocks, they care about routines, and when you have to poop, you have to poop. So this week their routine involved waking me up at 2:30 or 3 a.m. every. single. morning.

    So instead of training sessions, I’ve been running on caffeine, minimal sleep, and pure survival instinct. The gym? Nope. Runs? Also nope. I thought I hit a wall a few weeks back, but that was just a cute little cardboard wall. I got through that one and tripped over my own cockiness, and plowed headfirst into the brick wall. So now I’m tired, and my head (and pride) hurts, and it’s time to switch things up a bit.

    I’m not throwing in the towel by any means, just adjusting. I’m going to switch over to some home based workouts, since I have plenty of general equipment, so it will be more calisthenic type work and getting back into running. This will let me set the alarm for 45-60 minutes later, so if the dogs wake me up at 2:30, I can still go back to sleep for an hour and a half or so. Not a perfect solution, but hopefully a good workaround while everyone adjusts to the new time.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • The Week Where Nothing Stood Out

    The time change is throwing me off. Ivy woke me up at what would be my usual time of 4ish in the morning, but this morning, that’s 3 in the morning. Physically no different, but mentally…why the fuck am I up now?! Oh yeah, because the dogs don’t know we’re supposed to sleep later, they just know “I gotta go, so you gotta get up and take me” So now I’m sitting here after finishing my first cup of coffee and getting food prep done for the week ahead, and I sat down to reflect on the last week, and I’m coming up blank. Nothing really stands out. I guess not every week is a highlight reel. Some are just…fine. Steady. Unremarkable. And honestly? I guess I can live with that.

    This week I missed leg day because of an appointment, but then I got my runs in Tuesday and Thursday, and the calves are feeling a bit of alright, so that’ll be my win for the week.

    A few months ago, a “meh” week would’ve derailed me. I wanted the weekly PRs, whether lifting or running, but now, it’s just part of the plan. No drama, no meltdown, just stacking days. Lifting, running, sleeping (mostly), recovering, repeating.

    The work is starting to feel normal. Not always easy, especially when it’s cooling off a lot in the morning, so the desire to just curl up in an already warm bed sounds WAY better than going outside, but normal. And with the major “stuff your face” holidays coming up, I think normal is what I’ll need to keep from blowing myself up like an overstuffed turkey. (Is there such a thing as too much stuffing?!)

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • The Rise of Recomp

    A long time ago (2015) in a gym far, far away… I started a blog for accountability. And stopped writing the blog. And started again. And stopped again. You probably get where this is going. Each time was supposed to be the One, the version of me that would finally stick. Spoiler: they didn’t.

    Fast-forward a decade and here we are again, same guy, different decade, different town, different blog, same goal; to be the best and fittest version of me that I can be. This time it’s The Recomp Chronicles. A little older, possibly a little wiser, but finally honest enough to admit that maybe the journey doesn’t need to be cinematic (I was really dramatic before, oh woah is me). It just needs to keep going. Some weeks rock and I hit PRs and feel unstoppable, other weeks I hit walls and eat Krispy Kreme and want to just get fat and invent a suspension chair.

    This past week was a de-load; lighter weights, slower pace, more thinking than doing. And that’s fitting, because it’s hard not to look back at all the other “Day Ones.” The Michigan posts, the false starts, the posts that never made it past the first week. Turns out I’ve been the main character in the longest prequel series ever written.

    But things feel different now. Time will tell if it really is, but so far, I’m feeling good. As I found when I quit smoking back in the day, after dozens and dozens of starts and stops (stops and starts?), I only have to succeed once. So I keep moving forward on this journey, through the good (Yay 320 leg press) and the bad (I swear I didn’t eat the entire box of cereal…), the recovery and the sleepless nights.

    And by “succeed once, I don’t mean that I will never screw up and over indulge in ice cream, or pasta, and don’t get me started on holiday cookies and Thanksgiving food coma. What I mean is this time I fully understand that I will make mistakes as I go, but this time I will not quit on myself because of it. I’ll be like one of those old sticky wall toys, the kind that’s lost its shine, covered in dust, a little crusty, hanging there by one arm but refusing to let go. I’m faded, stretched, but still holding on.

    That’s the voice I want to bring to stage. I’m not the reboot, just the continuation.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • Pivot! Pivot!

    This last week definitely didn’t turn out how I’d hoped.

    Monday’s gym session just felt off, like I could move the weights, but nothing felt right. I chalked it up to “Monday being Monday” and just moved on. With my calf still feeling off I didn’t try to run Tuesday, but by Tuesday late afternoon I could feel it: Itchy eyes, scratchy throat, cotton-headed. The sudden weather change to much cooler and rain had hit me good, so I made the one call I used to hate making: I hit pause. I took some OTC meds, ate my soup, drank my water and tea, and tried to get as much sleep as I could through the week. I didn’t try to force anything by going to the gym or trying to run or even walk, just let my body do what it needed.

    So the 6th week of Phase 2 turned into “Sick Week”, and instead of just picking up where I left off and pushing through what was scheduled to be the 7th week this coming week, I’m going to pivot and do my de-load next week. Lighter weights, fewer sets, and more mobility and stretching at home. Then, Phase 3 starts the first week of November, hopefully with a much healthier and more prepared me at the helm.

    So yeah, normally I would have tried to push through, but I’m learning that sometimes you have to use a little bit of strategery when life tries to knock you down. Pivot when you need and let your body guide you, it generally knows what it needs.

    Lessons from this week

    • Sometimes showing up means backing off.
    • Recovery is still work, just not as flashy.
    • A pivot isn’t failure; it’s adjustment. Long-term success builds on being able to adjust to the needs of the moment.
    • There will be times to push through; long runs, soreness, mental fatigue, but when you’re sick, or on the brink, pushing through just makes it worse and can lay you up longer. Take the break, eat the soup, drink the tea, get the sleep. Be good to yourself.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • The Wall Strikes Back

    Last week was supposed to be about getting back into the routine. Instead, food fatigue, logging fatigue, certification work, and side projects all teamed up on me, and somewhere in there I decided I’d earned a break from the constant watchfulness. After all, I’ve been pretty damned disciplined for like 3 months, so I figured a couple of loose days wouldn’t hurt. The problem is, a little slide can quickly turn into a bigger one.

    What started as “I’ll loosen up for a day or two” became a full week of “Fuck it.” Protein, hydration, and discipline went out the window, and anything within reach went into my pie hole. Except, of course, enough water.

    Gym and run days stayed fine through Thursday, but by Friday I woke up feeling off; maybe a cold brewing, maybe just worn down. I skipped the gym, played it safe, and planned to reset Saturday with my long run. Instead, my left calf, which had been feeling amazing, cramped up a kilometer in. I stopped right away. Run over.

    That was my wall hitting back.

    The frustrating part? I saw it coming. I could feel the discipline slipping and just let it happen anyway. I knew where it would lead, and still watched it unfold in slow motion. Now I’m paying for it — sluggish, foggy, and feeling like twelve kinds of ass.

    But today’s a new day, and the start of a new week.
    I’ve done my food prep, refilled the water jug, and I’m ready to rock again. The wall wins only if I stay down. Time to suck it up, move on, and do better; one meal, one rep, one run at a time.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • Fueling the Machine (Badly, Sometimes)

    This week was all about consistency, and about slamming face-first into the infamous wall. Four weeks into Phase 2, and shockingly, I haven’t fallen off the wagon yet. I’m not saying I’m a model of discipline, more like a slightly dented shopping cart that still manages to roll in the right direction despite one wheel wobbling worse than my legs after leg day.

    The training is steady, the runs are steady, and even my sleep is finally leveling out. Which, apparently, is the body’s cue to stop giving out “easy” wins. The scale? Mocking me. The mirror? Playing hard to get. My effort-to-result ratio right now feels about as rewarding as shouting into a hurricane.

    I’m guessing it’s normal, every program must hit this stretch (I haven’t been this far into a program in, possibly ever), but it still sucks. I’m doing the things, eating the stuff, logging everything, and the only thing dropping quickly is my patience.

    Now that the novelty’s worn off, I’m down to the nuts and bolts: food timing and recovery. It turns out you can’t just lob protein and carbs at your body whenever and expect superhero regeneration. Some days I nail the timing and feel unstoppable. Other days I mistime a meal and end up running on fumes, wondering if “hitting the wall” was supposed to be metaphorical or if I actually just blacked out mid-lift.

    Fear not, faithful blog reader, I’m still here. Every lift, every run, every recovery session completed. My sleep is improving. My food habits are messy but I’m working on that daily. The wall is here, the wall is painful, but I’m still moving forward.

    Small wins. Consistency over fireworks. Progress that hides under frustration until one day it doesn’t.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • The Farthest I’ve Ever Been

    “If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.” — Samwise Gamgee, The Fellowship of the Ring

    That line has been rattling around in my head this week, because I’m in uncharted territory. Not geographically, but with consistency. I’ve never strung together this much gym and running work without burning out. Usually by week four or five I’ve hit a wall, either physically from under-recovery, or from cutting food too hard, or mentally by not trusting the process. But this time? I’m still here, still going, and still moving forward.

    Consistency = Uncharted Territory

    Old me would hammer workouts, under-eat, then flame out. This version of me is pacing things: lifting three times a week, hitting every Runna workout, logging supportive cardio with the dogs or on the walking pad, and actually recovering and “trying” to eat the way my body needs. It feels strange, but in a good way. I’m no longer waiting for the crash, I’m watching the habits start to stick.

    The Wins Beyond the Scale

    The scale has been bouncing within a two-pound window. Old me would be losing my mind over that. But here’s the truth: It is still driving me a bit bonkers, but I also realize that my waist is continuing to trend down from Phase 1, my lifts are climbing, and my runs are getting longer, and somewhat easier. I’m fitter now than when I started, even if the number on the scale doesn’t scream it yet.

    Runna & Recovery = The Secret Sauce

    Letting Runna handle my progression has been a game-changer. Intervals and long runs bump up gradually, keeping my calves from revolting like they did when I tried to push too far, too fast. On top of that, I’m eating enough to recover. It feels weird not to be starving and sore all the time, but that’s exactly why I’m still here in Week 3 of Phase 2 instead of sidelined.

    Looking Ahead

    This isn’t about arriving anywhere, it’s about seeing how far this road really goes. Like Sam, I’ve stepped beyond the point I’ve ever been before. The question now is: how much farther can I go? The answer is coming one rep, one run, and one week at a time.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.

  • Running Again, sometimes from egg whites

    This week was a milestone week. After months of calf issues and false starts, I finally strung together my first continuous 5K. It wasn’t flashy — a couple of pauses for photos and to pet some dogs — but it was real, it was consistent, and it was mine. Then on Saturday I followed it up with a 6K long run, my longest continuous run yet. Even better, it came in faster than my 5K earlier in the week. That’s proof the engine is building, even if every step still feels harder than I’d like.

    On the flip side, food, and food tracking, got… boooooooring. The same proteins and carb combos that felt easy the last few months have turned into a wall of “ugh, not this again.” I’m branching out a bit, trying to add some variety without blowing away my macro split. Consistency matters, but sustainability matters more. Variety keeps me from burning out, even if it means a couple of imperfect days along the way.

    I also started hitting some good quality sleep a few nights this week. Ivy still likes to boop me awake a bit early, but we started putting a shirt on Bane at night and that has helped to keep him from waking up all up itching through the night.

    Big picture: I showed up, I pushed through, and I logged my longest runs since starting Fit by 50. The weight might be holding steady, but the habits and milestones are stacking.

    Waist is down a smidge, as is my weight and body fat%, so while the progress was slow this week, I am still trending in the right direction.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually with scrambled egg whites.

  • Finally 5K

    So not 5k followers or anything like that, something even better. One of my goals has been to run a 5k again without walking. Tuesday was that day! I’ve done 5k before, but it has been a hot minute. And while this one was slow, it was done without any calf issues.

    Still running. Still hitting milestones. Still showing up. Usually.

  • Phase 2, Week 1: Back at it!

    I’m a day late; I try to do these weekly recaps on Sunday, but I ended up working from 6-2, so my day got all kerfuffled. It was a great week though all in all.

    The week’s biggest win? Consistency. I actually got all my workouts in. For me, consistency has always been my biggest issue, and for once I didn’t fuck it up halfway through the week. Three gym sessions down, plus the walks and mobility — it feels good to say I showed up every day I said I would.

    Biggest frustrations? Two-fold:

    1. The park where I walk the dogs did their annual pesticide maintenance, so I decided to keep them away from the park. Bane would have been good, but Ivy loves to eat the grass. Each day I did my walk I checked, but even Saturday the signs were still up, but hopefully Tuesday morning they’ll be gone and we can get our walk on.
    2. The lower ab strain. The light bulb moment came when I was going over some notes, and realized that the lower ab strain kicked in a little after I started doing the GMB drills. A lot of them are very core centric, so I pulled back after Monday and swapped in other mobility work. The soreness dropped off almost immediately. Sometimes progress isn’t about adding — it’s about knowing what to remove. I’ll give it a couple of weeks, then start adding things back in.

    On the upside, weight was down a couple of pounds, and my waist and body fat continue to go down.

    Week 2’s focus: Start the running plan. My calves have been solid through the walking volume the last couple of weeks, and I’m ready to lace up and reintroduce running without pulling myself back into strain city. That’s the test for this week: keep the momentum, keep the joints happy, and get the dogs back out and walking again.

    Still lifting. Still losing. Still showing up. Usually.