Another good idea:

After getting done officiating at 9:30/10pm instead of grabbing a couple beers and burger at the local meeting spot, go home, get in bed early then wake up early and do a light work-out.

Heresy.

Heresy, I tell ya!

Of course, I don't drink beer, so in my case it's L.I.T's or Cap'n&Cokes. :)

If you haven't eaten since lunch or even midafternoon, skipping a meal isn't healthy. It will slow down your metabolism for one thing.

There's nothing wrong with eating after a game. Just eat smart. And save the beer and pizza for one day during the weekend.

I try to make sure I eat before my games. I've become devoted to pre-game hot dogs. Then a small bowl of cereal when I get home.

Cereal...
 

Ah, there's nothing like a good bowl of cereal at night.

Thanks... where's my Honey Nut Cheerios?

This is from a guy that thinks Grape Nuts is a venereal disease.:rolleyes:

Hey Socalreff, you gotta PM from me.

Just wanted to bump this topic and see how everyone is progressing. I worked some spring league games last night, and though I'm a little bit out of basketball season condition (legs were sore due to sprint-stop-sprint type running), my current running and conditioning program paid dividends in that my achilles tendinitis didn't affect me and that chronic groin issue (no wise cracks, JR) I've had wasn't a problem last night and especially this morning.

I WAS tired, but after 2 hours of essentially streetball following a full work day, who wouldn't be?

I went to the spiece camp in ft wayne this weekend and worked 8 games between 730p friday and 2p sunday. I felt great the whole time, never out of breath, never tired. I did a work out routine for 6 weeks to get in shape for it. I did the same interval training as often as possible. If my legs got sore or I played softball or worked some rec games, I'd take the following day off to rest. For the first 4.5 weeks or so, I would get on the treadmill walk a quarter mile and then run a quarter mile and so on for a total of 3 miles. That would take about 42 minutes or so and then I'd walk at a good pace until I got to an hour and I'd wind up around 4 miles by the end. For the last 1.5 weeks I wanted to increase my stamina to I would walk .25 miles and run .5 miles and so on until I hit the 3 miles. I'd mix in some stationary bike work if I got bored. I'm a big fan of interval training b/c I hate running and it's boring. Hope this helps.

And I included this with a reduced calorie diet. I dropped about 17 pounds in that amount of time before camp.

Happy to report I'm still going strong - down about 45 lbs. since Thanksgiving, and 37 lbs. since Jan 2 when I really started tracking weight. In the last 6 weeks I've incorporated a pretty solid, but simple, weight training routine 3 times a week, and combine that with some steady-state cardio (3-4 mile runs), interval work of different types, and biking.

I haven't had any games to work lately, but when I hit camp season starting next month, I'll have 3 camps in 4 weeks and look forward to being more well-conditioned than I have been since I was playing...

I am starting to get in a pretty good groove with jogging/running. I haven't really dropped much weight, a few pounds here and there, but my running endurance is getting stronger. I have my first camp and games coming up next month, so I have been stepping things up a bit too.

I usually work out 3 times a week before the season and do a lot of running. I lift weights, just to build upper body strength.....

I'm the poster boy for hating running. I never liked it growing up. I hated doing it in all sports, and I've resisted getting into a solid running program my entire adult life even though I've started one perhaps 15-20 times. Each time I quit, probably due to either starting too fast or not seeing results fast enough -- usually a combination of both. 3 years ago in June, I decided to not only research running programs but do a critical self analysis: why did I quit in the past and what can I do to not quit now? While I've gone on and off that program since 2005, I can say the program itself works for me and when I return, I stay with it. Now, I actually LIKE running. In some ways, my morning run is now the highlight of my day -- its certainly a big priority. As far as seeing results fast enough, well, how fast am I going to see results by sitting on the couch?

The bottom line is that if you do it right (and right for you may be different than it is for me), I think in the long run (no pun intended) you will enjoy running. That thing called runner's high really does exist -- even for those that do a walk/run with light running.

Boredom? No problem. Go get a $79 Apple iPod shuffle and load it up. Rap, classical, metal, whatever. I'm fixing to load mine up with audio Bible chapters. However, I've gotten to where I don't even take it with me, as running in the morning is so peaceful, even in the city. I often find myself thinking about officiating. Play situations, handling coaches and players, etc. I think back on past situations that went wrong and replay them in my mind with me doing the right thing. Before I know it, I'm done.