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Get the Sand Out
Posted on August 27th, 2009 in Life and Family by Fred McKinnon
Hey Everybody,
First, I apologize for the lack of content lately. Some say blogging is dead, and you should just “follow me on Twitter“. Well, there is definitely some value to Twitter … I update it frequently and those updates sometimes (but not always) update my Facebook Status as well.
But the truth is – I’ve got some pretty substantial things to write about – I just haven’t had the chance. I still want to tell you about my experience at IHOP in Kansas City. I want to share a simple, yet profound “word” that I got from God while I was out there, and the subsequent steps I’m taking to walk it out. I want to express my thoughts on our last “online worship” night that we had where we were attacked by pervert spammers. I want to do a series on my “toolbox” – tech toys that I can’t seem to live without. And … I’m prayerfully considering not if … but WHEN and HOW to incorporate a blog/twitter/social media sabbatical that I need … minimum of one week. Pray for me on that one.
Today I will keep it simple … you may way “where have you been” … and I’ll say “I’ve trying to get the sand out”. Out of my eyes. Out of my pants. Out of my underwear. Out of my shirt. Off my skin. Off my face.
Our “island regimen” training program moved to East Beach on St. Simons a while back and it’s been getting more and more intense. Tuesday we literally pulled ourselves through the thick beach sand by our forearms. Today was equally insane. We had to DRAG our partners on their backs, by their arms, 30 feet through the sand, and then allow them the privilege of dragging us back 30 feet to where we started. That’s just the mobile part of a set where we did “burpees” and “situps”. The week before we had the wonderful Chris Moncus out there taking photos of us at 6:00 AM. He snapped this one of me doing what we call a “bear crawl” through the surf. Try it – you’ll be gassed, I promise.
Finally – here’s a snapshot of what my Garmin Forerunner 50 says happened today at regimen. (click photo for full-size)
The best I can tell – I interpret the various speed and heart rate spikes as:
*around 8:00 mark: karaoke side steps (speed up to 11 mph)
*around 10:00 mark: two laps around Coast Guard station parking lot (8 mph, heart rate between 180-190)
*the big dip you see at the 14: minute mark is around 6:15-6:20 while we grabbed water after our “dynamic warmups” and walked down to the beach and got our instructions for the workout.
*the heart rate spike at 22:00 or so was probably my first experience DRAGGING my partner, Edward by the arms, 30 feet through the thick beach sand. I felt sorry for Ed … he’s a regimen veteran. He’s in the 190 range, while I was kicking 220 probably.
Oddly enough, the shock of the routine was hard, and my heart rate actually leveled off.
So … now do you get the title? “Get the Sand Out”.
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10 Responses to “Get the Sand Out”
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I thought the title was in reference to the rain, because if it keeps falling, I may need to get the Sandbags out, for sure!
yeah, it rained on us off and on this AM … during warmups – by the time we were done and at the beach, the rain had stopped, then came a pouring about the time I got home.
You forgot about the 2 laps around the parking lot.
Actually, you missed it at the bottom of the heart rate chart … that’s where I was hitting 190 on the HRM … and 10-11 mph, which quickly fell to a 7.5 mph … but that’s still nearly 2 mph faster than I do on the treadmill! (usually around 5.8) I thought I was just normal jogging, and wondered why I was so gassed, now I see my speed and and understand it a bit better.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences at IHOP
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Keep up the good work. This has been one of the toughest weeks for me personally in our bootcamp over here. Whew!
Russ, our next 12-week block starts Sept 15 … I need to pickup a gig somewhere fast to pay for it, but we’d LOVE to have you, since you’ll be here by then!
Definitely interested. Not sure I can swing it though. Looks like for now (maybe even up until October we might be in Jesup getting a place nailed down in Brunswick or on the Island). I’ll keep ya posted.
“Git ‘er done”, O mighty man of valor! I’m proud of you.
New blog post: Get the Sand Out http://bit.ly/GaqA3