“28 days that set records for snowfall across Ohio” Cleveland Plain Dealer

Monday, March 01, 2010

“Take this month and shovel it” was the first line of an article published in the PD this morning detailing the record snowfall all over Ohio during the month of February. “The highest recording of snow was found in Highland Heights on Millridge Road and particularly in the driveway of long-time resident John Rolf. Officials are at a loss to explain why over 9 feet of snow accumulated in the bottom of his driveway during the month.”

An unnamed source from the service department was quoted as saying “the drivers have a bet going about that guy. He’s always out there in his t-shirt in the dead of winter with his stupid shovel and trying to keep up with our plows. There was a pool guessing the day he’d drop dead or throw a shovel at them. They’re hoping for a couple of more heavy snowfalls in March. They think he’s close to the breaking point. I’ve got twenty bucks on March 10th,” he concluded.

I pointed this out to Holly and said “see – I told you they were out to get me.”
And though I’ve been enjoying the calories burned and the additional conditioning from the snow shoveling, I was quite relieved to find no new snow in the driveway the morning the story hit. I’ve got a sore back and blisters on my hands. But no one cares, so I should quit whining.

I’ve been trying to watch the eating and found that a hell of a lot harder over the weekend. Once the work week begins, I can control urges a little better. I did my usual morning ritual, the new one that is, and grabbed a hand full of baby carrots and three apples before heading for the car and the drive in. I eat one of the apples and the carrots for breakfast and have the other two apples for lunch and the ride home. It’s not the ideal way to eat and I’m working on improving it, but for now it’s what I do. I should eat something a little more substantial for breakfast like a good bowl of Quaker Oat Squares cold or hot Oat Bran. Fact is, I’m too lazy to do it. I like to sleep until just before it’s time to leave. I think I’ll change that tomorrow.

I picked up Dakota after work and grabbed my daypack and a thirty pound bag of salt. I’m getting to the point where I want to generate higher heart rates and thus more calories burned on every walk. While training for backpacking and climbing trips to the Adirondacks, I keep a sixty pound pack in the trunk for my training hikes. I don’t use it in the snow. I figured thirty pounds would be plenty, especially with all the recent snow and the fact that I would be hiking off-trail. I was totally right.

There was 18 inches unpacked in the woods and my heart rate jumped from around 90 to about 110 as soon as I left the trail. Dakota was struggling behind me and I was purposely dragging my legs through the snow instead of pulling them out with each step so as to blaze a trail for her. Still, she was jumping from imprint to imprint and seemed to love it. I was wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt over a short-sleeved one, gloves and a head band and found that the perspiration was running down my nose shortly after hitting the deep snow. There was no sound but that of my heavy breathing and the crunch of each step I took. Totally beautiful, serene and punishing.
Even the 400 foot descent to the marsh had me breathing hard. Sure, the extra weight of the pack was part of it, but balancing the load while sliding/walking down the steep hillside was adding to the work, as well.

We looped back to the all-purpose trail where the going was easier and I ran into a fellow hiker. He noticed the pack and asked me why I was carrying it in this deep snow.

“Got thirty pounds of salt in it. Adds to the workout. I was really struggling back there in the woods – sweating my ass off,” I said.

“Yeah? Shrewd,” he replied and moved on quickly, ending my chance to tell him more and, you know, fill him in on the blog.

We reached the car in 55 minutes and I was relieved to pull the pack from my shoulders, which were starting to ache as it always does the first time I carry it. There are a lot of ways to fill up a pack, but I recommend salt and rice since both seem to fit nicely in the pack and stay flush to your back instead of banging against it as you walk. By salt, I’m talking the softener stuff or rock salt. Rice comes in 20-25 pound bulk bags from places like BJ’s.

I had the trainer set up for some riding when I arrived home. I plugged ‘Frost/Nixon’ into the DVD player and climbed aboard for my least favorite workout. I can’t wait for the weather to break and to be able to start putting in serious mileage outside. Until then – well – another 60 minutes crawled by as a couple of pounds of sweat accumulated in the towel underneath the bike. Good movie, by the way, and I hope to finish it tomorrow night with another hour of riding.

Hike duration: 55 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 bpm for hike. 125 bpm for bike.

Calories burned during workout: 600 hiking. 900 biking.