Saturday, March 19, 2016

Warrior Dash

Today a group of NerdStrongers and I did something that I didn't think I'd ever do my entire life.. I did a Warrior Dash. Warrior Dash is a 5K Mud Run with 12 obstacles in Prado Regional Park, Chino. If you told me I'd be doing this a few years ago I would have laughed but with the encouragement of friends and the hard work I've put in at NerdStrong I felt comfortable and capable of completing this.

I carpooled with several friends Rob and Pooja. And met up with more when we got there... Anne, Micah, Brian, Lindsey and Josh, also Naomi, Josh's girlfriend, Rob's sister and her boyfriend come out for moral support.

We took to the starting line and the gun went off.. or I should say flame throwers shot Fire into the air. We ran for almost a mile before hitting out first obstacle, "Mud Mounds". These are exactly what you think they are.. large piles of dirt. There are three sets and in between each set is a pool of muddy water. As I was going over the first one I noticed that lot of people were going to the left side which didn't have much water. I thought to myself.. hey it's a mud run I'm going to jump into the middle of the water.. what I didn't know is that under the water was about a foot of mud that I sunk down into and when I went to pull my foot out my poor shoe almost came off. It took some effort but I managed to get out of the bog and over the other two mud mounds. My shoes were completely covered in this thick layer of mud that we fling all over the place as I ran. It also added a few extra pounds to my shoes.

We then ran a short distance to the next obstacle called "Under the Wire". Here we had to get on our hands and knees and crawl under barbed wire. It was probably about 20 feet we had to crawl to get to the other side. It wasn't that bad.. just had to keep your butt down.

After Under the Wire we reached second obstacle and it's not listed on their web site so I don't have a name but we had to walk across 2x4 over pools of water while ice cold water poured down on us. This took great balance as you didn't want to fall into the cold water but you also didn't want to hold up your team and take forever.

Next was "Diesel Dome", which was this large monkey bar type structure made out of wood. This wasn't to difficult.. you just had to take your time and make sure you had a good hold of the wood. I think the trickiest part was when you got to the top and having to then turn around and make your way down the structure.

We then had to run a good distance to get to the next obstacle, "Chaotic Cargo". This took patience and you had to go fairly slow so you didn't fall through or get tangled in the cargo net.

I'm sensing a pattern here.. all these obstacle require you to go slow.

Next obstacle was called "Giant Cliffhanger", this one took some arm strength as you had to climb up this vertical incline with the help of a rope and then back down the other side. I didn't do to bad with this one. I think the hardest part was waiting for someone to finish a head of you before you could make your attempt.

We ran for a bit before hitting the "Trenches". These are exactly what you think they are. At first when you get on your hands and knees the outside area looked dry but as soon as you go under the tarps it's a muddy mess and at points your just pulling your body across the mud. I had a great time getting muddy in this one. I think most people were trying to keep themselves out of the mud.. I was trying to get as muddy as possible.. I mean it is called a mud run.

Next we went through the "Pipelines" this was a rope type thing. As you wait for your turn you are watching people do it several different ways.. just crawl through on hands and knees, or scoot on your back or go head first and use your arms to pull yourself across. I choose the last one and it was tough. Might have been better to have just crawled across.

We then came across the "Shocktop Unfiltered", which is just a sponsored obstacle. We had to climb over, under, over, under, over under and over various obstacles. This wasn't too difficult.. I think the worse part was crawling over grass that had some sticky things in them.

Next as "Fisherman's Catch", you had to walk across a cargo net while ice cold water as sprayed on you. They had rings and handles you could hold to help steady yourself but being only 5'3" I couldn't reach them so I have to get down on my hands and knees and crawl across the cargo net.

We then came upon "Goliath", this was a huge slide that dropped you into a muddy pool of water. You had to climb to the top and then slide down. What you don't know is that the pool is pretty deep and the water is ice cold, so as soon as you hit it you want to get out of it.

The final obstacle was the best but also the hardest... it's called 'Muddy Mayham" and this is just a big pit of very deep mud. It was like trying to get out of quicksand. There are so many people in it that you have feet in your face and other's behind your trying to drag themselves closer by using your legs. Don't get me wrong.. it was pretty awesome but extremely trying. I remember looking over at Lindsey and the look of exhaustion we exchanged was priceless. I don't know how but I manged to claw my way to the other side and once Lindsey was out my NerdStrong companions all clasped hands and walked across the finish line together.

We stood in line to take a picture with the official DASH WARRIOR sign and then headed to the showers, which was really just a power hose. You can't really get that clean, you just hope to get off the big chunks. Luckily I had brought a change of clothing so I wouldn't dirty up my car.

Overall the experience was amazing. The running wasn't bad and all of the obstacles were a blast.. if not cold. I do wish they had more water stations, especially towards the end, and I was really looking forward to the final obstacle which was us jumping over fire, but for whatever reason they didn't have that obstacle..  and on last thing.. the shower situation wasn't great but other then those minor issues I had a blast and I can't wait to do my next one.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Ahsoka/Anakin Video & Firefly Fluxx

Lucasfilms released this amazing video in anticipation of the March 30 season 2 finale of Star Wars Rebels, they've cut this refresher video explaining the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano leading up to their ultimate showdown. I'm a HUGE Ahsoka Tano fan, I've loved her since they first introduced her on The Clone Wars many years ago. I was so happy they brought her over to Star Wars Rebels but knew this showdown was bound to happen and all I can do is hope she survives somehow. Can't wait to watch the finale at the end of March.


So I'm a huge fan of the card game Fluxx and I love, love, love Firefly so I was excited to hear when they announced that they were making a Firefly themed Fluxx game.. but then the news got even better.

My buddy Adam Levermore announced that he was the one doing all the art for the cards. He's an amazing artist so this is gonna be good. It was just released so I'll have to keep my eyes open for it or head over to Ebay or Amazon to pick it up.. also when Adam is down in SoCal visiting I'll have to get him to autograph my set. I truly have some amazingly talented friends.

So everyone pick up a Firefly version of Fluxx.. let's make this the #1 Fluxx game out there. Firefly may be gone but it will continue to live on in our hearts.

Back Squatting 315lbs

I went to open gym day at NerdStrong Gym. I missed a few days this week because I wasn't feeling so hot so I wanted to make up some of the missed workouts. Once I was there I teamed up with my friend Leo and we attempted One Rep Max for our Back Squats. My last attempt (about six months ago) I hit 295lbs, so I was really looking forward to moving pass 300lbs.

So I stared at 295lbs and slowly made my way up.. 300lbs was attained with ease (as expected) but I wanted to push myself a bit more. I squatted 305lbs, then 310lbs but I wanted to join the 3 wheel club (which is three 45lbs weights and each side, with a 45lb bar), which totaled 315lbs. I was tired but I wanted to try this weight one last time. As you can see from the video it wasn't pretty but I did it without much of a struggle. Don't get me wrong it was heavy but I'm sure I could have done another 5 maybe 10 more pounds. But I stopped at 315lbs. I'll try again in six months and hopefully will go up a few more pounds. My end goal is to back squat 400lbs.

NerdStrong Gym - This Past Week

I was pretty sick this past week and only managed to get to the gym twice. Tuesday's DEX and Wednesday's CON. I had to miss Thursday for a Doctors appointment but I did Friday's Open Gym which I will blog about after this one.

For Tuesday's workout it was titled The Ides of March. We started with a pretty tough warm up (of as they called it "Candidates For the Senate" which was 460 meter Shuttle Run then 2 rounds of 10x Hip Openers (love these), 10x Air Squats, 10x Lateral Monkeys (not a fan of these) and 10x Scapula Push Ups. We then moved on to the main workout (The Senate Plots) of 3 rounds of 1:30 minutes of work / :30 seconds of rest for Sandbag Clean to Shoulder, Planks, Jumping Pull Ups, Wall Sits and Kettlebell Halo's. And finally to the finisher (aka Let's Get Stabby!!) in which we had to do 23 Mace Jousts while a partner held a weight plate overhead. The length of time you held that plate overhead was determined by how long it took your partner to do the 23 Mace Jousts.

This was a tough workout but not horrible and not bad for my return to the gym. I hate missing days but I'd prefer to stay home and rest then be out even more days because my sickness had gotten worse. Though I will admit I wasn't 100% yet so I worked out at about 80% which wasn't bad.

Wednesday's CON class we climbed the Alps. But we first started with a good warm up, 10x Air Squats, 10x Jumping Jacks, 5x Tempo Push Ups (3 down and 1 up),  10x Mountain Climbers, 10x Stryders, 10x Iron Cross and finally 10x Scorpions.

Next was the main workout which consisted of Squats, Step Ups and Sit Ups. The first mountain was 15x, 20x, 25x and back down, 20x and 15x. So that meant we did 15x Squats, 15x Step Ups and 15x Sit Ups, then 20x Squats, 20x Step Ups and 20x Sit Ups and so on.. all the way up the mountain and then back down. Then we moved on to the smaller mountain 10x, 15x and 20x then back down 15x and 10x before moving on to the smallest mountain of 5x, 10x and 15x and back down 10x and 5x.

I'm happy to say that I made it to the small mountain and made it to top but wasn't able to go back down before time ran out. It was a tough workout and though the actual movements aren't tough it's the fact that you are constantly doing them for 40 minutes straight with no breaks.. now that's rough.

We finished with a max hang.. I lasted all of a minute and a half before I couldn't hold on any more. I think the max for the class was just over 2 minutes. It was a good workout and I'm happy to say that I'm feeling better.. not 100% but 85%.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

NerdStrong Pix Minus Kenny, New X-Men & Midnight Special Trailers

I couldn't make it to NerdStrong today because of my doctors appointment but that didn't mean my 7am class (that's my usual workout time) couldn't take their own "Kenny" pix. But as you can see without me they are lost. BTW is this is the best Kenny pix that doesn't include Kenny. And yes it's weird talking about myself in third person.

Two new trailers that I wanted to share with you guys.. first one is another X-Men: Apocalypse trailer. I've enjoyed this recent incarnation of the X-Men series and this one looks like it's going to be pretty fantastic as well. Bryan Singer has been doing an amazing job with this series.


The other trailer is for a movie that I had heard nothing about but it does star some familiar faces. From the trailer it looks be some some sort of science fiction story but I'm not 100% sure. The title makes no sense but it definitely caught my eye and I hope to see it in the theater when it comes out.

St Patty's Day Luncheon

There are many upsides to working with my current company, one of them being they like to party. Any excuse to throw a party they will take it. I mean this company use to have an annual F#@K Off Day, where everyone from the company would blow off a work day and go to the beach to party. Well today is Saint Patrick's Day today so of course they must have a kick ass celebration.

They set up everything out in the parking lot, we got some amazing food to eat, beer to drink (though I opted for diet soda) and even at live Irish music (I think that was my favorite part). The entire company shuts down for about three hours to celebrate. It's always alot of fun.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!

Latest Doctors Visit

No NerdStrong this morning as I have my yearly doctor visit. I booked an 8am appointment as I didn't want to be late for work. I could have tried to do the 6am workout before my appointment but I couldn't bring myself to getting up at 5am.

I got to the doctors office at 7:45 and filled out some paperwork. I was bummed because I was told that my doctor had left and that I would be assigned a new doctor. And this current doctor I just got last year and really liked her. So I was surprised when she walked into my room all smiles. Neither of us could figure out why they told me she was gone, but she did inform me that she will be leaving later this year as her residence is finally over.

As for my appointment I found out that all my numbers are good and that my cholesterol has even gone down. I figured that was all good since I'm on medicine to help control my cholesterol and blood pressure. I was worried about my A1C levels. A1C is your blood sugar levels. If you recall October of 2014 I got word that my A1C was at 6.4 which is .1 one away from clinically diagnosed as diabetic. That got me started on my fitness/health journey this past year and a half. I went back three months later and my A1C numbers dropped to 6.0 and then three more months it was down to 5.8. I hadn't had it checked since so it's been almost a year and I continue to struggle with my diet and particularly the past few months it's been okay but not as good as I should so I was worried about that number. I asked what the number was and she said it was 5.8. Part of me was happy that it hadn't gone up as expected but then part of me was disappointed that I'm still considered pre-diabetic. I need to get my numbers below 5.7 to be considered "normal". Though I was disappointed my doctor was anything but. She said it was a big deal to be able to drop your A1C like I did over a year and a half with out any medication. She said if I continue doing what I'm doing it will be below 5.7 in no time. So it was a good visit.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

LeakyCon - Harry Potter Convention

I friend of mine posted that this years LeakyCon will be held in Burbank. If you don't know what LeakyCon is.. here's a quick description: LeakyCon is a conference originally hosted by the Harry Potter fan site, The Leaky Cauldron.

LeakyCon has a variety of programming, ranging from author and actor panels to attendee-submitted meetups and discussions. Team Starkid has played a large role in their programming, most notably in 2012 with their production of A Very Potter 3D: A Very Potter Senior Year. Author John Granger, known as "the Hogwarts Professor", has given lectures about real-world themes and ideas within the Harry Potter books. In previous years, John and Hank Green have hosted various panels and meetups at the conference. LeakyCon features three different types of programming. The Lit Track is for all the authors, wanna-be published authors, and enthusiasts. Lit Track is run by Maureen Johnson and features panels, meetups and signings for anyone who enjoys a good book. Mainstage Programming indicates all the programming that happens on the mainstage of LeakyCon and usually features special guests, Wrock (Wizard rock) concerts, special panels, and performances. General Programming is anything from yoga with Evanna Lynch to panels about Severus Snape. LeakyCon opens up a programming call months before LeakyCon, which allows anyone to submit programming they would like to have at the conference.

I've always wanted to attend but until this year they have never been close enough. The general tickets are a bit pricey going for $250 but the con runs from Wed Oct 19 - Sun Oct 23. It's a pretty long con. They usually sell out so I'll have to decide if I want to go or not fairly soon. Maybe if I can find some friends to join me I might consider it.. actually that would be the only way I would go. I wouldn't want to go solo. Anyways.. you can check out their site HERE. Let me know if you're interested in going with me.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

New MASH Podcast, More Indy & Miss Peregine's Trailer

Geekyfanboy Productions released a new episode of the MASH 4077 Podcast. This is episode 125, covering Season 6, Episode 3 - Fallen Idol

Radar has always looked up to Hawkeye and admired him as his hero. But after suffering a Jeep accident en route to R&R at Hawkeye's request. Radarquestions his own hero worship. Particularly when he and his hero have afalling out.

You can Download from itunes tinyurl.com/MASH4077itunes , listen on Stitcher Radio ow.ly/iZJIz or listen and get direct download from our main website MASH4077Podcast.com

I came across this very cool video. I love these kinds of videos that narrow down statistics to understand them better. This is a good one.


In other news it was officially announced that Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg will be returning for a fifth Indiana Jones movie. You can read more about the announcement HERE. I'm super excited for this news.. I have enjoyed all the of Indiana Jones movies.. some more then others but I love the character and fun adventures. What makes me said is only a few minutes after this was announced the internet hate started up. It's crazy to me that people can hate something from just an announcement... people really do need to get lives. Stop spewing the hate, I mean when the movie comes out and you actually watch is and not like it then by all means you have ever right to complain or "hate" it but please don't hate something before it's even made.. that's just stupid.

And one last thing.. I hadn't heard a thing about this movie but came across this trailer and I have to say it looks pretty fantastic. It's looks bizarre and fanciful and the face that Tim Burton is directing it you know it's going to be off the wall. It's based off of a book series.

Monday, March 14, 2016

Not A Good Start To Monday

Not how you want to start your Monday. I was coming into work and when I pulled into the parking lot I turned to sharp and went up the curb. I hit it so hard that I actually blew up my front right tire.  Thankfully I was in my work parking lot so I packed, got out and went to work. The tire was flat, I knew that but I didn't know if I bent the rim or even worse broke the axle.  On my lunch break I headed back to the parking lot to check the damage out. I first had to dig out my spare tire and then with some muscle I took off the nuts and pulled off the damaged tire. I inspected the axle and everything looked okay and from what I could tell the rim of the tire looked okay as well. Even the actual tire looked okay and I didn't see any tears or anything. So I put on the spare and drove it to a local tire place that had amazing reviews. The guy came out and looked at the blown tire and couldn't find any holes in it but he did say that the tread was wearing thin and I took a closer look and he was correct. It's been over three years and I haven't changed the tires yet on this car. He also mentioned that the left tired also looked tread worn as well and should be replaced. I've been around cars long enough to know that if you change one tired it's best to change both so I got two brand new front tires for a decent price. The guy mentioned that my car of front wheel driven so those front tires will be more worn then the back (which would explain why the back tires looked fine). Though it was my stupidity that cased the tire to go flat, in the end it was worth it as both front tires were going bald and would need to be replaced fairly soon anyways.. so all in all a good thing.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Binge Watching Fuller House

I spent the majority of the day lying on my couch trying not to die (I'm sick). I wanted to watch something fun, something that I really didn't have to pay much attention to just in case I fell asleep. I came across Fuller House. Now I wouldn't consider myself a diehard fan of Full House back in the day but I did watch quite a bit of it.. mostly the early season. But I figured I'd give it a shot and watch the first episode. Okay that was cute and very nostalgic so why not watch episode two.. then three, then four and so on until I had watched the entire season (13 episodes) of Fuller House.

There was something very comforting about the series. It was charming yet extremely cheesy at times but that didn't bother me. It was great seeing the characters older and living their own lives. I didn't realize that it's really only about the two older daughters (D.J. and Stephanie) and their friend Kimmy Gibbler along with their kids. Yes the other characters (Jesse, Rebecca, Joey and Danny) from Full House are in a few episodes but it really does revolve around just the kids and their families. They did a great job getting back into those roles so many years later. I think my favorite was D.J.'s middle son, Max. He is the biggest ham on screen but so dang adorable and endearing. He chewed up ever scene he was in and I loved it. I enjoyed the storylines and I like how they brought back some of the originals casts from time to time.

I'm super excited to know that they have renewed the series for a season two.. I'll be checking it out and for that matter I'm really looking forward to rewatching this series again. I really don't know what it is about this series but I really really enjoyed it... it's just fun.

My New Companions

Got up early and headed to a park where I was to meeting up with a person who ran a local Rattery. I was picking up my pet rats today. I had intended to get at least two (Frodo and Sam) but there was a possibility that I'd be getting four (Pippin and Merry). She brought five rats with her and I got to hang out with them for a few minutes. The first one I grabbed was the only dark one and he just sat in my arms very content and happy. This was my Frodo. The next one I grabbed was an all white one, he was a bit more active but like Frodo he didn't mind being held.. this was my Sam. So I had two but then there were these light brown and white ones (three of them). I picked up one and he quickly jumped from my hands onto the ground and was a bit wild, the other two were a bit more squeamish but not horrible. As I held the other two.. I figured why not get all four. The handler brought up the point that if you get two there is a bigger chance of one being dominated over the other, but with three or four there is less of a chance of that. So I got my four rats, they are all Dumbo Rats... Frodo is Agouti, Samwise is Siamese and Merry and Pippin are Fawns. All are brothers and they are just over a 5 weeks old and pretty adorable.