Turning back the clock 20 years...

Sunday, April 6, 2010


Take out the s…e…r from Easter and what have you got? That’s right…EAT.

And that is what I would have normally done all day…but not this time. Holly was preparing chicken and flat dumplings, a traditional family, ethnic dish that everyone in the family loves, but which has more fat calories than China has rice. Followed, of course, by some wicked dessert. Oh…and for appetizers…home-made peanut clusters.

Not so long ago, I’d have eaten until my belt needed loosening. Sweat pants would be a better choice…but I don’t own any. I just don’t feel like doing that anymore. I try to eat slower and I can actually say ‘no’ to the peanut clusters. Nothing succeeds like success and I love the way my pants have become way too loose and the weight is beginning to melt away. Exercise is getting easier and I feel like I have more energy. The ‘more you do…the more you can do’ may not make sense, but it’s true.

I was also reveling in the Plain Dealer’s notice to the world that ‘John Rolf, a 54-year old Highland Heights man is trying to turn back the clock 20 years’. I’ve already had two old friends comment on the blog I’ve started for them, which can be seen at www.cleveland.com/fighting-fat. You should see my link to the right with a fantastic head shot of me. Holly took the picture so I didn’t notice the sun’s reflection off of my forehead. I surprised it didn’t blind her and completely wash out the picture.

About that ‘turn back the clock 20 years thing’. I have to admit that I’ve become more and more optimistic over the last two weeks. I suppose it’s the increased ability to run that has me feeling this way, but I’m gaining confidence. I’ve never felt so committed and again, I know a big part is writing this blog. There are too many people who know that I feel I would disappoint if I faltered. I won’t.

The family had gathered at our place for the holiday. I had dwindling hopes of a long bike ride as the day progressed and began to wonder what else I could do. I’d run the last two days, so that was out. I was considering a longer hike with the pack in the woods or hitting the bleachers at the high school with the same pack strapped to my back. Neither choice was very appealing, but I HAD to do something before total darkness set in.

Why not a run? Maybe a short one – no more than 30 minutes? I had been telling myself that the day was coming to do a third day in a row and I’d felt so healthy on yesterday’s run…so…

I suited up and headed for the park. Darkness was falling quickly and the temperature was refreshingly cool. I began the run with some residual dumplings bouncing around somewhere in the digestional sewer lines, but the legs felt good. I chose a course with no hills – one of my ‘quick’ loops – and by the end of the run I had dropped my time to around an 8-minute mile pace and was feeling too good.

I could have gone further easily, but was back at the car in just over 31 minutes and decided against pushing my luck. No pain after three in a row. Hot damn. I was actually thinking over the last part of the run about entering a road race again. I hadn’t had a serious thought about that in a long, long time. Good things happen when you push yourself physically and I’m going to keep pushing.

Run duration: 31 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140

Calories burned during workout: 525