Sunday, January 22, 2017

OrangeTheory Fitness Weight Loss Challenge Week 1


Straight up the central focus of 2017 is to transform my body from where it is to where I want it to be: 100 miles ready. Last year brought about the following accomplishments:
  • completing my first 100,
  • completed my first Vertical Kilometer,
  • marathon PR at the Berlin Marathon,
  • half marathon PR at the Humboldt Redwoods Half, and
  • summited Mt. Humphrey (12,633 ft).

Let's face it. Strength training is an important element. So is motivation and finding something that you are willing to do and make sacrifices to do.

Thus, the water-based rower, squat jumps, plyo-step ups, ultimate burpees, TRX exercises like bridge pull ups, single legged, body-weight, and muscle confusion templates (breathe)... Will help my body become fitter, stronger, and leaner. Setting up the table to become a fitter, faster, and stronger road, trail, and mountain runner.

Recap of Week 1

The weigh in took my by surprise.  I figured I'd be around 152 lbs not 159! Then the body fat.
Maybe I was dehydrated and not been drinking enough water, in general, but yo it was an eye opener! Oh and yes I do
now that are perfect ways to measure body fat.  The point was proven.  I have room to improve. 

Monday Power Day with Coach Victoria: 45 splat points, 920 calories burned.

I came into the day low on energy.  Understandable since I ran 19 miles in 3 hours on Sunday after Coach Dubs Endurance day class on Saturday. Power day to me means using my running muscles in a different fashion and activating other muscles. I got a little excited with the beats and it showed as time I spent in the red zone was high. Key movements: row to squat jumps w/10 lb wgt, Plyo-step ups, hop overs, plank punches


Wednesday: Endurance Day with Coach Dan aka Dubs: 31 splat points, 859 calories burned.

I had the major wobbles today.  Walked into the studio as if I had been riding a Burro for 24 hours with no saddle. On Saturday Coach Dubs helped me with my row technique.  The 1 count pause at the end of the pull.  Given how sore I felt I knew I needed a few days off of OTF to recover.  In class I focused on good form.  TRX exercises that stuck out were the split fly/split arm/aligator and the bridge row.  Time spent in the green zone (zone 3) is a metric I am going to keep an eye on. 
Today 19 minutes in the green.


Sunday: Endurance Day with Coach Amber: 33 splat points, 915 calories burned.

Felt much better soreness-wise stepping into class despite yesterday's long run of just under 3 hours and 50 minutes covering 24.3 miles with the last 30 minutes fast finish style aka running harder than I've been for the previous 3hrs.  The 7:30am class was a in 3 group (3G) format which meant quality time with the rower.  So, I started there for the row squat jump combo. We went 800m/14sj- 600m/16sj- 400m/18sj- 200m/20sj and if you got to the bottom before time you climb the ladder back up!  The floor had a bunch of upper body based exercises which is perfect 'cause I need that upper body to scramble up summits!


The Weight Loss Challenge


The challenge lasts six weeks from January 16th thru February 27th 2017.
Rules of the game:

  • Weigh in three times: Pre-challenge, Mid-way, & at completion.
  • Commit to three 1-hour workouts per each week of the challenge (18 total).
  • Only one workout per day will count towards the challenge.
  • Complete the majority of the workouts at your home OTF (varies by studio).
  • Optional: Front, Side, and Back photo (varies by studio).
  • There might be another one but the ones above are the ones I remember.


Pre-Challenge Stats

Saturday January 14th
Weight: 159 lbs
Body Fat: 19%

Tuesday January 17th (Yearly Physical)
158.8 lbs


Thursday, January 19, 2017

Coding while Latino: 14 days later...



November 21, 2016 

I logged into to Code Cademy to start a journey into learning to code. In December I got the email titled "Congrats on one month of code!" The only problem I had not returned to site in a month. Well things were about to change. 

I turned to YouTube and started searching everything about learning to code:
  • Best websites to learn code, 
  • Methods: CS degree vs. bootcamp vs. self-taught, 
  • Top 5 things, 
  • The three most important to do's, and
  • Being a digital nomad, etc.
Let's peel the onion back a little bit.  For some of you reading this post you know I've attended open houses at Coding Dojo, started an application with Learner's Guild (felt intimidated), logged into a webinar with Bloc (gained hope), and looked in Galvanize, Dev Camp, and blah, blah, blah give me money <insert name here/> coding bootcamp site.

The biggest obstacles that I started to reason out were:
1) funding ($4k-$14K), 2) giving up 3 months of seeing daylight, 3) not having a sugar mama or sugar daddy <see obstacle #1/>, and 4) let's face it I run and it's my life's anchor.

The main video on YouTube that spoke to me differently after watching it the second time and accepting the obstacles identified was the following:

1) code everyday.
2) hang out with other people who code.
3) tools really don't matter.

The first day of the year I summited Mt. Diablo with the Beer Bucket Run crew.  The second day during an uber driving break at whole foods-dogpatch I popped open the laptop and started reviewing what I learned on November 21st.  My brain hurt but I was back on the horse.

Day 3: I logged onto Free Code Camp and was totally impressed by the depth of resources: chat forums, facebook groups in seemingly every city, blog, and industry news. It was in the blog that I learned about the 100 days of code challenge.

Day 5: The First Stump
The began quite swiftly as I turned on the uber app and started taking people from point A to point B.  Main goal was to get to Berkley and continue learning how to code at one of my main eastbay coffee shops Sacks on College near UCB!

FreeCodeCamp.com sets you up with a challenges that navigate you over a curriculum. I the challenge wall hardcore.  So I did some google searching. I finally asked the forum on FreeCodeCamp and asked for help. The person that decided to "help" could not have been more condescending! It ticked me off but I was cordial and asked that the help not "put me down" in the process. Response: "I should run on to my next helper." OHH! Now I am livid, but focused.

My interpretation was the following: "You can't do this." Those of ya'll that have been around me know that even implying "You Can't!" Fires me Up! Why? Because Yes, I Can! Yes, I will! Watch Me!  How many Latin@s stop there? Where are the Raza that have made it? Where is their journey? I know they are out there.

Let's that this Ethnic-Macro...How many Latin@s stop there? Seriously, whether the negativity comes at school, in the home, online it can have the effect of discouraging progress.
Thus I ask, Where are the Raza that have made it? Where is their journey documented? Where are the career changer Latin@s? I know they are out there. There is tons of 411 on high school programs, college programs like google summer of code, but what about the 30+ that have game, skill, and drive that want to blow sh!t up and go beyond the stereotype and bring some swagger and vegan tamales to the industry.

Ok. Enough ranting. I'm fired up. You get it.
The next few days I plowed through the content while figuring out what my learning best practices are in respect to learning how to code.

Day 13: At the conclusion of the day I had put in roughly 15 hours of learning. Next up my first projects on FreeCodeCamp.  Quickly I realized that I needed to take a step back and supplement the learning with more substance. This is where CodeCademy comes into the mix.









Moving forward the plan is document the journey.  The learning curve might be greater coming form a non Computer Science background but what I have in favor is that I have a science background.
I come from a solution finding career as a former political operative. Where will the journey lead me? Unclear.  All I have to do is keep moving forward and focus on what I can control.