not sure where to start - currently injured again or should I say still ...haven't quite been back to par since the Pikes Peak climb last August followed by the three back to back half marathons in Sept (along w/ all the other activities I had going like Karate & biking)

I'd picked up an elliptical machine for my home a few weeks ago and was enjoying the progress I was making on that and getting in some easy, basic lifting workouts at the gym along w/ regular stretching and cardio with every workout but when I bent over to load my dishwasher this past Sunday I threw my back out (again). It's the kind of thing where simply walking and standing become an issue.

I chatted w/ my brother today (both he and his finace are chiropractors) and he talked about the accumulation of stresses , said not to push myself too hard and mentioned holistically improving many of the non-physical aspects of training such as diet, sleep & rest.

My main goal for this year is just to complete that Pikes Peak Ascent in under 6.5 hours. I just need to heal up and stay injury free in order to get in adequate amounts of training to make that happen.

I guess I'm sort of back to the drawing board as far as an overall routine. Here's what I thought of so far
1. kick stretching routine up to a daily event instead of just after my lifting workouts to improve flexibility
2. stability ball exercises ...I hadn't been doing these specifically and was told I could do them daily so maybe that would work in with a daily type stretching routine. I also think I'm going to buy a 2nd stability ball today and use it at work as my chair while sitting at my computer.
3. perhaps concluding my lifting workouts w/ some time in the hot tub in order to help relax the muscles
4. go grocery shopping ---this is huge because i rarely ever go shopping but I know i'm not eating regularly throughout the day. i know the few times I've had the regular meals and especially when I've gotten in the carbs and proteins together as Julia recommends that I have felt fantastic.
5. gain some kind of control over how much I smoke. a minimum of 2-3 packs a day is just insane (and quite costly)
6. maybe eliminate soda & coffee consumption ...both of which are free where i work. a half a dozen Diet Cokes in a day isn't unusual for me and even though it's diet there's still the caffeine and other chemicals which probably do me no good

I'm also half wondering if I need to lighten up on the weights I use at the gym. Generally speaking, after a month or so of solid lifting I'll tend to toss 405 on the bar for bench just to hit it but doing that probably isn't for any long term training strategy as much as for the ego boost and self satisfaction. Maybe I should commit to doing no more than working out with 225 for an entire month and lighten up the rest of my workout as well.
I'm thinking I need to be concerned w/ training and conditioning my whole body to get used to the lifting phases of training again.

For lifting then I'll probably stick with a 3 day/week schedule where I hit each bodypart once a week (again, with the overall thought being to reduce stress and to ensure adequate recovery)

I'll still keep the cardio (and stretching) after each lifting workout and can easily add a 4th cardio during the week.

Have to check the doc's recommendations today for starting everything. I did have a pretty extensive workup on Jan 11 and was most pleased with my lung capacity. In spite of all the smoking I still came up with 5.05 liters on that test which was over 1/2 liter better than my non-smoking, cardio crazed brother! :)
Yet - that result led me to think of that saying by Pre ..."to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift"
maybe i should update my tagline to reflect that sentiment