Road to 50k Week 17 - Road to 50k Pulls Into Its Final Stop

Week 17. Wait what? Has it really been 4 months of training? Are we really pulling into the final stop on this Road to 50k? Am I seriously about to join the world of UltraMarathon Runner? Am I going to earn the right to wear the Ultra Ballcap from The North Face?
Through all the anxiety, nightmares, stressors and such, I'm also beyond excited and confident that I have this. I didn't come this far to NOT finish. Lake Hodges 50k, I'm coming for ya.

Week 17. What did Week 17 hold for me? I mean besides taper tantrums and such. I kicked off my week with Yoga for Athletes at The Movement Space SD and as I had a Rest Day on Monday, went out with Tim, Jess & Grant to watch Venom - cos Tom Hardy... duh.

Tuesday, I got lost on my 10 Mile Run. Turned wrong and ended up in a deserted Trailer Park which added 2 miles to my run, totaling 12 miles. Between running through the trailer park, over the memorial bridge back into Pacific Beach and along the coast, it was such a beautiful run and a great day to be running. I love living in Pacific Beach.

Wednesday, we did November Project SD, and Sam Lee was back in town. Sam, Jess, Antonette & myself had matching Run Like Marinello tank-tops made, because c'mon Marinello is like the example of proper running form. Also, it was the first time that John Thomas decided to #JustShowUp to NPSD. Great workout, great time, great fun.

Thursday, I met up with Alex for some photos and promo shoots at Tecolote Canyon to document my journey at this point through the Road to 50k journey. We got some great footage and photos and I loved the experience of getting my inner fitness model on display. Afterward, I drove up to Los Angeles where I met with a large group at Rose Bowl in Pasadena to run the Lululemon x Strava Ghost Race 8k. It was amazing and beautiful & I'm so glad I was able to cross off Rose Bowl from my must run courses. Afterwards I met up with Adam from NPLAX who I stayed with for the night, so that I could make Piertober.

Friday, I woke up and joined November Project LAX & November Project West LA at Santa Monica Pier for their Beachtober / Piertober Workout. As tired as I was, I had promised Jesse I would be there, plus the workout was amazing, beautiful views and so much fun to see my LA area peoples before my race. The amount of support and cheers I received and well wishes for the 50k before leaving was such an awesome feeling.

I drove straight home after the workout & went to watch Halloween. Ended my weekend on Saturday with a Chiropractor Adjustment with Jared at Fix Body Group, before meeting up with Audrey to watch Free Solo.

NEXT WEEK IS THE RACE! Oh shite, NEXT WEEK IS THE RACE!
Like the next Blog Post I post will be as Joalby, UltraRunner.

Trail Running Tecolote Canyon. Photo by Alex Pardus

NP LAX / NP West LA Piertober at Santa Monica Pier

November Project SD - Run Like Marinello

Road to 50k Week 16 - Tapering & (My Oppinion on) Danger of Encouraging Complacency vs Action

4 Months in. Dear Lord, we are now two weeks from Race Day. I began tapering this week and had a little too much time to think about other things than training, but more on that in a bit.
Monday found me getting lost during a 5k along the Port of San Diego & Marina with November Project. I ended up doing an extra half mile. Tuesday, my Long Run ended up being a Half Marathon from Pacific Beach into Ocean Beach through the Tidepools over to Sunset Cliffs and looping back around with Hill Street run & running the OB Pier before ending back in Ocean Beach Business District.
Wednesday, we celebrated November Project San Diego's 5th Birthday with an awesome Circus Themed Workout and I doubled up with Deadlift Day PSC at Performance 360 Ocean Beach. Thursday, I was back at Elevation Culture for a 4 Mile Run through Rose Canyon and Friday I doubled up with my DownTown Friday Convention Center Stairs group in a great workout led by my girl Deveney and I followed it up with a 2 Mile Run over Ingraham Street Bridge out and back, which ended in me getting a PR on the North Bridge by 30 seconds, South Bridge by 25 seconds and Vacation Island by over 2 minutes. Woot woot.

I had a chance to discuss my journey and vision for my Fitness Journey and what's next after the 50k with a few people this week and last, and what resulted is a need to change the mindset of people with regards to fitness. This may ruffle some feathers, but before reading on, please know I'm not telling you not to love your body where you're at. I'm simply saying don't settle for an unhealthy life & love yourself enough to want better for yourself.


Ok so here it goes, the minute we stop seeing everything I've done with my weight loss as impressive will be a very necessary & amazing moment in my life.
We live in a time where we preach loving ourselves where we are, we cheer and champion for body acceptance, we have made it to where it is socially acceptable to be unhealthy and we support it. And to me that is dangerous. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying not to love yourself or to not be happy with your body. What I'm saying is don't become complacent, don't become comfortable, don't love your body so much that you forget to love yourself enough to want to become healthier and the best possible version of yourself.
People tell me my story, my journey, my determination inspires them. Thank you but no..no.. No, thank you. You see because the minute we separate what I've done, what so many others have done from this idea of it being impressive, is the moment others will see it's really not impressive at all. All I did was START.
And if we let people keep viewing that as impressive, we actually do them a disservice in saying I did something they can't do. I want my "impressive" to not be impressive but to cause a shift where it's not impressive, rather where its the new norm.
Love yourself where you are by all means, but for God's sake, please don't grow comfortable and stay there.

DownTown Fridays 10.12.2018 - Convention Center Stairs & Core Circuit

Happy 5th Birthday NPSD!!!

DownTown Fridays 10.12.2018

Road to 50k Week 15 - Peaks, PRs & My First Marathon

Peak Week came. Peak Week left. Thinking back on it, I realize so much more now than I ever thought myself capable of. This process has taught me so much about my own will, about my ability to focus my efforts on an end goal & my ability to put my mind to something and stick with it.

This week was amazing. I RAN MY FIRST FULL MARATHON!!! But before I get to that, let's talk about the whole week. I started off on Sunday with joining Fit Societe & Lululemon Fashion Valley for their Free Monthly Fitness Event. It was awesome & I had more Trident Coffee with MCT Oil than I probably should have. Afterwards I ended up doing a 5 Mile East Run through Crown Point & Ingraham around the outer vicinity of Sea World, because the Fit Societe wasn't in my programming so adding it meant I STILL had to get my miles in.

Sunday night, I somehow ended up in Oceanside for a night of acoustic performances by members of the SD Metal Scene : Silence Betrayed, Psychothermia, Eken Is Dead & A Hero Within. Many of these people who have been my friends I have not seen due to my own anxiety & PTSD, so it was great seeing my friends and being around them this evening.

On Monday, I knew I wanted to end the Marathon at Elevation Culture, where I was told a year ago that one day I would do an Ultra, where I laughed and said no way, where I learned to love trail running to overcome PTSD & fear of running around the streets where people knew me. It was very important for me to end my first Marathon there so the previous week I worked and worked plotting a route that would help me do that.
I ended up leaving my house and running from Crown Point / Pacific Beach through Midway, Middletown, Waterfront Park. I continued along Harbor Drive; running along Star of India, Broadway Pier, USS Midway, Seaport Village, Embarcadero Marina, SD Convention Center, Gaslamp, Little Italy and into Old Town. The last leg of the run took me into Linda Vista, Bay Park, Clairemont & ended with me running into Rose Canyon for a few miles before running into Elevation Culture as soon as I hit 26.21miles. I was so excited for this & I had me a nice cold beer waiting to celebrate my First Full Marathon.
I wrapped up my Monday night with my best friend Jon & SDAFFL friends for dinner at Amarin Thai.

Tuesday was pretty much rest day with & I took it seriously falling asleep for hours under a tree in Balboa Park before coming home for lunch then falling asleep under a tree at Crown Point Shores Park before my Recover Well class at The Movement Space, SD.

Wednesday, we had an awesome November Project SD workout consisting of EMOM movements mixed in with running loops. I'll let you gauge how sore I was by the photo below during our 5 Minute Burpee EMOM. Lol, in my defense I had also ran 4.5 miles BEFORE the workout and after the workout ran another mile to reach my 7 mile daily need.

Thursday was a day I had looked forward to for awhile. My best friend Blaise was back in town and that means I get to spend time being 100% me with my best friend. We had lunch and watched a scary movie together. Funny enough Babadook was his choice and we were both scared the whole time. As always, it involved music, playing new music, listening to each others new songs, singing together.
I ended up leaving to join Elevation Culture for what was meant to be a 6 mile Trail Run, but after it got dark and I saw a snake on the course - we stuck with 5.5 miles.

Brings me to Saturday, Performance 360 Community Workout at P360 OB with Grant. The workout programming was great and I even DB Snatched 50lbs for the first time. After PSC, we had breakfast (bomb Carnitas Benedict at OB Surf Lodge) followed by Lighthouse Ice Cream and OB Pier watching.

All around a great week for my Peak Week, surrounded by crushing goals and the best friends a guy could ever hope for. I'm grateful for the moments in my life & I'm grateful I get to share them with the people who form part of them... Next week, we TAPER. Ugh

November Project SD Burpee EMOM - Why do I look like I'm between death & trying to lower onto a squatty potty? Lol

Joalby's FIRST Marathon - Monday, October 1st, 2018

Fit Societe x Lululemon San Diego Monthly Fitness Event

When you slam your head getting ready for a picture & just have to chalk it up to karma

October Free Community Workout at Performance 360 OB

Road to 50k Week 14 - Something Smells In Here. Oh My Bad, It's Me

14 Weeks into training. 14 weeks of dedication. 14 weeks of seeing something that I once formed an opinion of, something that I never saw possible for me. 14 weeks since I saw this possibility as something achievable.
This week was pretty awesome. For starters, my buddy Damien surprised me with a ticket to Florence & The Machine. Needless to say the show was an experience and every bit the amazingness I would expect from this woman.

My long run this Monday was 24 miles long & took me on my loop from Solana Beach into Carlsbad & back for a 24 mile run, followed by Yoga for Athletes at The Movement Space with Lauren Padula that evening. I'd like to apologize for everyone in that Yoga Class, as I'm sure my feet were something offensive. Haha, and then I went from there to meet up with Grant & Dave for dinner. Again, I apologize for my runner scent at dinner. Haha. Also, I am now in love with Hammer Nutrition gels since using them at North Face Endurance Marathon Relay Wisconsin. Great energy, great taste, doesn't cause me any GI distress.  

Tuesday, I took my boy Greg's 6:30am Class at Crossfit PB. Here's the thing about me, when people align themselves and in some way form part of my journey, I like to support them as well especially if it's fitness related. Great workout & was smart enough to modify what needed to be modified per my long run. Afterward I returned to see Jared at Fix Body Group for one of my most intense adjustments yet. I'm pretty sure that he worked every single muscle in my body after not having seen him in a few weeks. Left feeling energized and put back together, and ended my day with Recover Well at The Movement Space. Many people don't foam roll enough or address myofascial release and such, so I'm glad this class exists for people like that, like me.

Wednesday was November Project San Diego PR Day & I gotta say I love the new approach to PR Day. Maybe now I'll stop traverbaling to other cities on PR Day. Haha.

Thursday!!! He's back. Rejoined Elevation Culture for Thursday Night ECTR Trail Run Thursdays. Had a blast knocking out 6 miles on the trails and ending at Bitter Brothers for a beer with my ECTR peeps, where I first realized how much I like trails.

Friday, I was up early at Convention Center for DownTown Fridays followed by a 3 Mile Run around Kate Sessions and the Soledad Road neighbourhood. There's one house I pass all the time and their basketball court out front is branded by Perfect Bar. I'm convinced, I'm gonna meet the people who live there and become friends so I can get free Perfect Bars, cos I mean they're bomb.

Next week it's on. PEAK WEEK & my long run is a Full Marathon! Do I got this. I think I gots this.
In other news can we just reflect on what a difference taking action makes? 6 years separate those first two photos, 6 years but enough to fill 3 lifetimes. Stay tuned for next week's blog, cos.... PEAK WEEK!!!

Monday September 24th = 24 Mile Long Run 

6 Years Separate these two photos. 2012 to 2018. 140+ pounds and a world of possibility

Crossfit PB Dropin with my boy, Coach Greg Kuchan