I am the 1%

I've been keeping up with my workouts for the past couple months aside from a bit of time off for Christmas and taking a week off to get over the flu. I've moved into the top 5000 on Fitocracy with just under 300,000 points, which puts me in the top 1% of accounts. It doesn't mean too much since 90% of accounts are probably inactive and points values are arbitrary but it's still fun to feel like I'm part of a semi-exclusive group.


My lifting has been coming along pretty well since my last post. My deadlift max has increased to 415lbs and my overhead press is up to 137.6. I haven't been upping my squats and bench press weight due to lack of proper equipment and spotting; I've been benching 225 for 5 reps and squatting 225 to 265 for 5 to 8 reps. I feel fairly comfortable that I can remain safe keeping my lifts at those weights and adjusting reps ad necessary to get a good workout. I am not planning to move weight up on those lifts unless I get a proper squat rack or have happen to have a spotting available for bench.


I've been doing more weighted bodyweight exercises lately as well. I can do about 5 parallel grip pull ups and 8 dips with 90 lbs. It's remarkable how light you feel doing bodyweight-only lifts after working with a weight belt.


I still try to run at least 2 days a week, once on the weekend and once on Tuesday. I usually run 3 to 4 miles at around 7mph. My Thursday cardio session has kind of crumbled away because I started doing deadlifts on Thursdays to keep my Wednesday workouts from lasting too long. I'd like to figure out a way to do cardio and deadlifts in the same workout, but I'm not sure that is possible, since cardio leads to sweat which makes the bar difficult to grip. It's hard enough keeping a solid grip on the bar without sweaty hands. Hand chalk can only do so much.


My toe is feeling pretty good these days. I usually only notice it if I try running too fast or wear the wrong types of shoes. I may do another marathon someday if I can keep it feeling good with higher mileage.

Time Flies

Wow. I can't believe it’s been almost three years since I made a post! Time for a recap.



I finished the 2010 twin cities marathon with a not-that-great time somewhere around 4:40. I continued running and trained harder for the 2011 marathon, but I ran out of body salts about 2/3 of the way through and ended up walking 6-7 miles to avoid a total cramp up situation. My toe was and continues to be a nagging issue and some other concerns, mainly creaky knees, have crept up a bit. I decided to skip the 2012 marathon and have yet to sign up for or train for 2013. At the moment I run about once, maybe twice a week at the most and do other supplement my cardio with other things that aren't quite as hard on my foot like biking, swimming, miscellaneous aerobics and using a heavy bag.



My old Teva sandals have just about hit the end of their useful life. I still refuse to get rid of them, even after 2500+ miles and a right heel that is worn down into the soft padding. They have served me well, and I still slip them on for yard work sometimes, like mowing the lawn. I have since replaced them with a pair of modern Tevas that are somewhat looser and less comfortable overall, but they have, at least, allowed me to walk and run to some extent without the same discomfort produced by normal shoes.



I continue to lift 3 days a week, focusing on body-weight exercises. My typical regimen is a two sets each of 30 pull ups, 30 parallel chin ups, rotator cuff exercises, 15 handstand pushups and then some miscellaneous ab exercises, one set of 30 dips and a set of 65-75 elevated foot pushups. At the moment I'm doing lat pull downs with a resistance band instead of my normal pull ups due a bicep injury in my right arm, but I'm still able to do parallel bar chins. I've been doing this same work out consistently with a few variations here and there for last 3.5 years or so. It’s been effective at keeping me in good overall shape, although I've not been progressing at all.



The reason I decided to post again after so long is that I'd like to begin running a bit more and getting in better shape and there's nothing like an imaginary Internet readership to keep you motivated! If I can even boost my exercises by 5 reps or get one more cardio workout in a week, that would be a victory.




Let's turn up the heat!

The Beginning of my Quest to Run a Four Hour Marathon

Greetings travelers of the great blogosphere. You have accidentally (and perhaps unfortunately) stumbled upon the first ever blog of a 25 year old human male, named Hugo Rutten, whose goal in blogging is primarily a selfish one: to learn more about blogging, and use it as a motivational tool to work toward my goal of running a marathon in under four hours. I would like to think of this as a place where other average runners can come to receive or give encouragement and work together toward their goals.

The focus of this blog will be mainly on running related issues, my training, and ramblings. I will attempt not to stray far from this topic, and not to let the blog delve too deeply into other aspects of my life. (I know everyone has much better things to do with their time)

My running life started in high school, where I wasn't a runner but a wrestler. My running consisted of single laps around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, which is about 2.75 miles, and various sprinting activities. Running was never something I enjoyed: it was a necessary part of my cardiovascular training. At best I was indifferent toward running, at worst, it was boring, painful, and slow, sometimes maddeningly so. I was a muscular 175lbs, which lent it self well to the bench press, and not as well to longer distance running. This sentiment continued into college where I lifted heavy weights and bulked up, even though I wasn't in sports; lifting was something I had grown used to in the wrestling off season, so I carried on. I still ran on occasion, but I had never run further than 4 or 5 miles once when I was hyped up on caffeine and had just gotten in a fight with my brother in London. (Which I highly recommend trying, though without the caffeine and fighting.)

By my senior year I was 210lbs with a lot of muscle, and some extra fat too. I was running less often, but I was still in pretty good shape--or so I thought. My girlfriend who was in a fitness class decided to start running, and one day when we were back near my old stomping grounds we went for a run around the lake I used to run around in high school. It was the middle of the winter--probably 30 degrees out (which actually pretty warm for Minnesota)--and after I got around the lake I was feeling chilled from my own sweat. I hadn't dressed for the weather, and hadn't run that far in months. As I went to leave the lake and finish the run, my girlfriend said she was going to do a second lap...

I just checked my watch... I've been writing a bit longer than I planned. I've got to get out for a run before its too dark! I'll post the rest of the story soon.