Tuesday, May 25, 2010
I just had the pleasure of watching one of baseball’s most difficult plays to execute – the suicide squeeze – worked to perfection by the Indians. I won’t waste time trying to explain it. Those who know baseball know and those who don’t…couldn’t give a rat’s…Now it’s the 9th inning and they’ve brought Kerry Wood in to close. My blood pressure just went up 30 points.
Well…I finally had a tough run. As you know, it’s been hot and humid over the last three days and I’ve been dropping huge amounts of water. I know I stink at getting it back in and so the cumulative effect is…I dehydrate and run like crap. You have to get those water levels back because once the run starts…it’s too late. On a hot, humid day when I’m sweating at the maximum rate, even if I had access to water at regular intervals, I lose water at about twice the rate that what I’m drinking can empty from my stomach and get back into the system. And I’m not alone. Anyone training at this time of year should consider the optimum ways to stay hydrated and what’s most important – which is water.
The best you can do is drink between 12-20 oz. of cold water every 10-15 minutes. The stomach empties cold fluids faster than warm and water 40% faster than a drink with sugar added. The stomach also empties quicker when it is partially filled, so drinking regularly makes a difference.
Problem is…where do you get it? I start with a cup while changing, but for me, that’s usually it. I have one place in the park where I can get a drink, so I have to deal with it. The fact that I’m running in the shade on hot summer days offsets my inability to get water regularly, so for those running in the sun, the issue is more important. I’ve tried running with a camel back (essentially, a mini backpack that’s filled with water and a sipping hose that runs from the pack to a place where you can easily access it while running), but didn’t care too much for the sloshing on my back. Yet, this is an excellent way of dealing with the hydration issue. I’m thinking of trying it on a long ride since I always seem to run out of water on rides over three hours.
So…my legs felt very heavy throughout the run and more than once, I tried to figure ways to shorten the run. I happy to report that I fought off the urges and managed to slog through a 45-minute effort. When I did get home, I made a concerted effort to drink water. I know that the thirst mechanism does not alert me to keep drinking and so I just go by the old adage…drink until your pee is clear. It’s a pretty good rule of thumb.
Well…Kerry gave up only one hit, which was wiped out on a game ending double play, so…Indians win and I’m happy.
Run duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 765.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Go Tribe.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cavs? Browns? Sure…I like it when they win, but it’s just basketball and football…and they’re just games.
Baseball…the Tribe…well…they’re the fabric of my life…so to speak. And I’m watching them tonight and wondering…did the 90’s really happen? Like so many Tribe fans, I’d suffered through one of the longest spells of bad baseball in professional sports. I’ve been an avid fan since the 60’s and if you know Cleveland baseball, you know what that means. Yet…I waited patiently…and like so many others…was rewarded by the product John Hart and Dick Jacobs brought to the Jake in 1995 and 1997. My cousin Donnie and I were in Florida for that fateful World Series Game Seven and the Jose Mesa meltdown. What I’m saying here…is we were fans.
My daughter Savannah and I were even sitting in the Jake watching another meltdown on the scoreboard – the game being telecast from Fenway Park in 2007. The Indians succumbed to the Red Sox that day, failing to reach the Series. So close to our dream…and three years later…we’ve traded away two Cy Young pitchers (seriously – how f’d up is the ownership?) and a host of other terrific players and here I am watching…what? Well…I think I’m back in the 60’s, but I’m an Indians fan.
Yeah…I digress…but sometimes you just need to vent a little.
I didn’t pick up any new tubes for the bike yet…not that I would have skipped my run. It was pretty hot and humid again. I’d say probably about the worst of the year to date, but not close to how bad it can get. I’m so lucky to be so close to the Metroparks with summer coming. I mean what a difference it can make to run in the shade on hot, humid days. No matter how hot it gets, it seems that, in the woods, you can still manage.
I had to do another long one because Holly had sabotaged me yesterday. She’d made Gramma Paula chocolate chip cookies with peanuts again and I’d eaten about…well…all of them. I did drink skim milk with them, at least.
So…to run them off I figured I should run…oh…to Columbus?
Anyway, I hit the trails thinking I’d do at least an hour. I decided on my park perimeter run, which is more like 70 minutes. I have done it in 66, but that was under ideal conditions, cool and comfortable, and not on the heels of a one-hour run the previous day. I did want it to be a good effort though, and I took off with that in mind. I hit my first check point about a minute slower than my pr for the course…not too bad with these conditions. I forced myself to keep moving…ignoring the sweat pouring into my eyes from a saturated sweat band until I reached the 43-minute mark. A quick wring-out and I was back on the trail.
I descended back into the valley around Squires Castle and was feeling frisky so I actually picked up the pace. A quick stop at the drinking fountain and then… the final 12 minutes to the car. Those were a long 12 minutes as I discovered what the heat, humidity, and aggressive running had been doing to my body for the last hour. I slowed noticeably, but still made it to the car in 67 minutes – about 30 seconds off my pr for the course.
So…it was a good run…again. Sorry, John. And sorry about that whining about the Indians stuff though I can’t say it won’t happen again. Oh…and they lost to Chicago, 7 to 2. Rebuilding year or some such nonsense…
Run duration: 67 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1140.
Cavs? Browns? Sure…I like it when they win, but it’s just basketball and football…and they’re just games.
Baseball…the Tribe…well…they’re the fabric of my life…so to speak. And I’m watching them tonight and wondering…did the 90’s really happen? Like so many Tribe fans, I’d suffered through one of the longest spells of bad baseball in professional sports. I’ve been an avid fan since the 60’s and if you know Cleveland baseball, you know what that means. Yet…I waited patiently…and like so many others…was rewarded by the product John Hart and Dick Jacobs brought to the Jake in 1995 and 1997. My cousin Donnie and I were in Florida for that fateful World Series Game Seven and the Jose Mesa meltdown. What I’m saying here…is we were fans.
My daughter Savannah and I were even sitting in the Jake watching another meltdown on the scoreboard – the game being telecast from Fenway Park in 2007. The Indians succumbed to the Red Sox that day, failing to reach the Series. So close to our dream…and three years later…we’ve traded away two Cy Young pitchers (seriously – how f’d up is the ownership?) and a host of other terrific players and here I am watching…what? Well…I think I’m back in the 60’s, but I’m an Indians fan.
Yeah…I digress…but sometimes you just need to vent a little.
I didn’t pick up any new tubes for the bike yet…not that I would have skipped my run. It was pretty hot and humid again. I’d say probably about the worst of the year to date, but not close to how bad it can get. I’m so lucky to be so close to the Metroparks with summer coming. I mean what a difference it can make to run in the shade on hot, humid days. No matter how hot it gets, it seems that, in the woods, you can still manage.
I had to do another long one because Holly had sabotaged me yesterday. She’d made Gramma Paula chocolate chip cookies with peanuts again and I’d eaten about…well…all of them. I did drink skim milk with them, at least.
So…to run them off I figured I should run…oh…to Columbus?
Anyway, I hit the trails thinking I’d do at least an hour. I decided on my park perimeter run, which is more like 70 minutes. I have done it in 66, but that was under ideal conditions, cool and comfortable, and not on the heels of a one-hour run the previous day. I did want it to be a good effort though, and I took off with that in mind. I hit my first check point about a minute slower than my pr for the course…not too bad with these conditions. I forced myself to keep moving…ignoring the sweat pouring into my eyes from a saturated sweat band until I reached the 43-minute mark. A quick wring-out and I was back on the trail.
I descended back into the valley around Squires Castle and was feeling frisky so I actually picked up the pace. A quick stop at the drinking fountain and then… the final 12 minutes to the car. Those were a long 12 minutes as I discovered what the heat, humidity, and aggressive running had been doing to my body for the last hour. I slowed noticeably, but still made it to the car in 67 minutes – about 30 seconds off my pr for the course.
So…it was a good run…again. Sorry, John. And sorry about that whining about the Indians stuff though I can’t say it won’t happen again. Oh…and they lost to Chicago, 7 to 2. Rebuilding year or some such nonsense…
Run duration: 67 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1140.
Bike ride? Curses...foiled again.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
This was scheduled to be a busy day. I had to get Heidi to work, drive to Lordstown to pick up some furniture from John, drive it back and unload it, get in a bike ride with John, move some mulch from the neighbors yard when they weren’t looking (they had some left over and didn’t need it) and be ready to help with family dinner preparations by 5 p.m.
Oh…and of course I HAD to run. In fact, it was long day.
Something had to give and with the way I was feeling about my eternal soul, I decided that thing was church. I did at least pull into the parking lot to drop Jack off for his baby sitting job there…and return to get him afterwards. I also planned to have biblical type thoughts while running. I had that going for me.
It was warm and very muggy. I knew I’d be dropping big amounts of body fluids and slipped a stick of gum in the pocket in my running shorts for the cotton mouth I figured I’d be getting. I had an hour – that was it – because I needed to return to church to pick Jack up. I popped out of the car and into a jog with little hesitation. I was on the trails about two minutes when I knew I’d be making a stop at the port-a-john at the bottom of the hill where the parking for the horse trailers was located. Coming up that same hill were 10 riders on horses. I slowed to a walk to keep from spooking them and said my friendly hello – strained by the need to poop.
I reached the bottom of the hill and quickly completed my mission, but losing valuable running time. I didn’t spend much time in that sauna – those things can really heat up in the sun – and was quickly out the door and back on the trail. By the 20-minute mark, I needed to stop and wring out my sweat band – it was that muggy. The human body has around 3 million sweat glands and I was pouring sweat from every one of them. I…was…soaked…and I’d forgotten to apply the Vasoline so I’d likely be chafing before this was over.
I was stopping every 15 minutes to wring out the sweat band, but was quickly getting back into the run because I was feeling great. John had told me people are getting sick of reading that I’m feeling great during exercise, but…well…I am. Normally, hot, humid weather would be kicking my ass, but I must be well acclimatized because – no problems. I returned to the car in 60 minutes and began the process of wringing out all my clothes so that I could get into the car without totally soaking the seat. I had three towels with me to help in this pursuit and used them all.
I made it back to the church with a few minutes to spare and drove Jack home. I was in the car for Lordstown in 30 minutes and there in a little over an hour. It takes me longer to get there because I refuse to get on the turnpike and pay the $1.25 they charge for the short ride on the toll road – taking I76 instead. John and I loaded quickly and headed back to my house for our bike ride. It was beautiful out and it appeared that I would finally be getting in a ride, though short.
We arrived back at the house and with only an hour to ride, hurried into our gear. I hadn’t been on the bike since my exhausting ride to see Dan and pick up the jeep three weeks ago and the bike was still in the jeep. I reached in to pull it out. Nothing could stop me know.
And then I noticed the flat tire. I can get flats anywhere. I’d gotten one on my trainer in the family room earlier this year and now I had somehow managed to get one while riding the bike around in the back of the jeep. Well…no big deal. I’d just reach into my bag on the back of the bike and pull out the…shit…no spare tube.
So…no bike ride…again. It’s been over four weeks and I’ve been thwarted on every attempt. Maybe there’s a message coming in and I’m too dense to decipher. I suggested we go for a run, but John would have none of it. He was going home to ride and to hell with me.
Well…this isn’t over. I am GOING to ride again. For now though, I’m just a runner.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 975.
This was scheduled to be a busy day. I had to get Heidi to work, drive to Lordstown to pick up some furniture from John, drive it back and unload it, get in a bike ride with John, move some mulch from the neighbors yard when they weren’t looking (they had some left over and didn’t need it) and be ready to help with family dinner preparations by 5 p.m.
Oh…and of course I HAD to run. In fact, it was long day.
Something had to give and with the way I was feeling about my eternal soul, I decided that thing was church. I did at least pull into the parking lot to drop Jack off for his baby sitting job there…and return to get him afterwards. I also planned to have biblical type thoughts while running. I had that going for me.
It was warm and very muggy. I knew I’d be dropping big amounts of body fluids and slipped a stick of gum in the pocket in my running shorts for the cotton mouth I figured I’d be getting. I had an hour – that was it – because I needed to return to church to pick Jack up. I popped out of the car and into a jog with little hesitation. I was on the trails about two minutes when I knew I’d be making a stop at the port-a-john at the bottom of the hill where the parking for the horse trailers was located. Coming up that same hill were 10 riders on horses. I slowed to a walk to keep from spooking them and said my friendly hello – strained by the need to poop.
I reached the bottom of the hill and quickly completed my mission, but losing valuable running time. I didn’t spend much time in that sauna – those things can really heat up in the sun – and was quickly out the door and back on the trail. By the 20-minute mark, I needed to stop and wring out my sweat band – it was that muggy. The human body has around 3 million sweat glands and I was pouring sweat from every one of them. I…was…soaked…and I’d forgotten to apply the Vasoline so I’d likely be chafing before this was over.
I was stopping every 15 minutes to wring out the sweat band, but was quickly getting back into the run because I was feeling great. John had told me people are getting sick of reading that I’m feeling great during exercise, but…well…I am. Normally, hot, humid weather would be kicking my ass, but I must be well acclimatized because – no problems. I returned to the car in 60 minutes and began the process of wringing out all my clothes so that I could get into the car without totally soaking the seat. I had three towels with me to help in this pursuit and used them all.
I made it back to the church with a few minutes to spare and drove Jack home. I was in the car for Lordstown in 30 minutes and there in a little over an hour. It takes me longer to get there because I refuse to get on the turnpike and pay the $1.25 they charge for the short ride on the toll road – taking I76 instead. John and I loaded quickly and headed back to my house for our bike ride. It was beautiful out and it appeared that I would finally be getting in a ride, though short.
We arrived back at the house and with only an hour to ride, hurried into our gear. I hadn’t been on the bike since my exhausting ride to see Dan and pick up the jeep three weeks ago and the bike was still in the jeep. I reached in to pull it out. Nothing could stop me know.
And then I noticed the flat tire. I can get flats anywhere. I’d gotten one on my trainer in the family room earlier this year and now I had somehow managed to get one while riding the bike around in the back of the jeep. Well…no big deal. I’d just reach into my bag on the back of the bike and pull out the…shit…no spare tube.
So…no bike ride…again. It’s been over four weeks and I’ve been thwarted on every attempt. Maybe there’s a message coming in and I’m too dense to decipher. I suggested we go for a run, but John would have none of it. He was going home to ride and to hell with me.
Well…this isn’t over. I am GOING to ride again. For now though, I’m just a runner.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 975.
Plumber? I don't need no stinking plumber!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Today is a ride day so…count on rain. I did and it did.
I thought about heading for the park to do a run, but I knew that I should take a day off from running. In fact, a day of complete rest wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I’ve gotten to the point where I always want to do something. I was not sore from the six days of running and so…maybe I should?
Then I remembered we had a little issue in the kitchen. Water had begun leaking from the garbage disposal on Thursday evening and so I’d put a call in to the plumber. He never returned the call on Friday, so it was go through the weekend emptying the bucket underneath the drain or…do it myself.
I’m an okay plumber…at least I was. I’d gotten in the habit of calling the guy after I’d seen how he could do something that took me half the day in half an hour. But now, well, I went out into the garage because I seemed to remember someone giving us a garbage disposal they’d picked up at a garage sale some years ago. Sure enough, I had a brand new ¾ hp Kenmore sitting in the box, still sealed, buried on a shelf. I pulled it out, looked it over, looked under the sink and concluded…how tough can it be? Normally…when my brain works this way…I pull a fubar (f’d up beyond all recognition). I mean…I’d have to wire on a plug to this thing and I NEVER touch electricity. Over the years, I’ve gotten better with it. I’m to the point where I can safely turn on a switch and plug things in. Beyond that – I call an electrician. I looked at the directions, looked at the three wires in the garbage disposal and again thought…how tough can it be?
In keeping with my expectations for myself, I spent half a day putting it in, wiring the plug, reconnecting the plumbing and cleaning up. I turned on the water and…no leaks! That part didn’t surprise me too much, but now it was time to plug in the disposal and flip the switch – both things I’m certified and trained to perform. I plugged it in…flipped the switch…and the disposal began to hum and whir the way they do when there’s nothing inside them! Totally cool.
Then the power to the entire block went out…
Garbage disposal installation duration: 4 Hours.
Training Heart Rate: Peaked at 190 during cursing after whacking my head on cabinet.
Calories burned during workout: Not worth calculating.
Today is a ride day so…count on rain. I did and it did.
I thought about heading for the park to do a run, but I knew that I should take a day off from running. In fact, a day of complete rest wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but I’ve gotten to the point where I always want to do something. I was not sore from the six days of running and so…maybe I should?
Then I remembered we had a little issue in the kitchen. Water had begun leaking from the garbage disposal on Thursday evening and so I’d put a call in to the plumber. He never returned the call on Friday, so it was go through the weekend emptying the bucket underneath the drain or…do it myself.
I’m an okay plumber…at least I was. I’d gotten in the habit of calling the guy after I’d seen how he could do something that took me half the day in half an hour. But now, well, I went out into the garage because I seemed to remember someone giving us a garbage disposal they’d picked up at a garage sale some years ago. Sure enough, I had a brand new ¾ hp Kenmore sitting in the box, still sealed, buried on a shelf. I pulled it out, looked it over, looked under the sink and concluded…how tough can it be? Normally…when my brain works this way…I pull a fubar (f’d up beyond all recognition). I mean…I’d have to wire on a plug to this thing and I NEVER touch electricity. Over the years, I’ve gotten better with it. I’m to the point where I can safely turn on a switch and plug things in. Beyond that – I call an electrician. I looked at the directions, looked at the three wires in the garbage disposal and again thought…how tough can it be?
In keeping with my expectations for myself, I spent half a day putting it in, wiring the plug, reconnecting the plumbing and cleaning up. I turned on the water and…no leaks! That part didn’t surprise me too much, but now it was time to plug in the disposal and flip the switch – both things I’m certified and trained to perform. I plugged it in…flipped the switch…and the disposal began to hum and whir the way they do when there’s nothing inside them! Totally cool.
Then the power to the entire block went out…
Garbage disposal installation duration: 4 Hours.
Training Heart Rate: Peaked at 190 during cursing after whacking my head on cabinet.
Calories burned during workout: Not worth calculating.
Expect to win.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Most of my professional adult life has been spent in the pursuit of helping others recognize what it is they hope to achieve, mapping a strategy to achieve it and then encouraging their efforts – making adjustments in the strategy, as needed. As a high school runner, I believe I lacked the one ingredient that could have made me a decent runner – good coaching. I didn’t realize what I’d been missing until I had my first course in the psychology of sports when pursuing my Master’s degree in exercise physiology. I came to realized that helping the athlete to believe in themselves and the program they were following was even more important than the technical aspects of the program itself. I understood, in retrospect, that if any coach had taken the time to pull me aside and show a little interest in why I was running and what it would take to be really competitive, I would have succeeded. I know this now because I became that coach for myself when I was 36 years old and ran times I had not achieved previously, winning one race, setting all my pr’s and always placing in my age group.
I was also inspired to help others set and achieve their goals – anyone from the overweight, completely out-of-shape never, having ever exercised individual to the highly conditioned athlete trying to tweak their program to get to the next level. My true soft spot, though, was for the high school distance runner who, like me, was not getting the most from themselves and only needed the individual attention to give themselves the confidence and the edge to move on to levels necessary to compete as one of the best in the state.
“Expect to win,” is my mantra. No one does it by accident. Toe the line and look around you. Know that everyone else in the race is saying to themselves “well – I guess I’m running for second now” and when you can put that idea in their head – well – they will be running for second. This feeling cannot be achieved unless the runner has done the base training required during the off-season and then followed a rigorous in-season program with the goal of peaking the runner correctly and at the right time. If these things are done though, I assure you anyone can be a really competitive high school runner – or a hell of a lot better at whatever they’re trying to achieve athletically, regardless of age, sport or activity. It is simply a formula that works. I know because I’ve done it with thousands of people for the last 20 years – including me and right now.
I’m bringing this up now – for those of you who know me well – because of my frustration with coaching and programs that fail their runners and do not allow them to reach the levels they should attain. I hate to watch talent squandered – as I did at the District Track Championships in Mentor today. I hate to see kids that, with a little more coaching and an understanding of what it takes, would be running just that little bit faster it takes to reach the state meet.
I didn’t have much time for my own run before the meet and I didn’t want to wait until after since it would likely run late and then I’d blow it off. I had about a half hour and made the most of it. It was muggy and warmer – summer’s almost here, but I felt good on my second straight week of 6 days of running. The legs felt good throughout and if I’d had more time, I know I could have had another hour run. Tomorrow – the bike I hoped, but the forecast says rain. Maybe another rest day.
Run duration: 33 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 550.
Most of my professional adult life has been spent in the pursuit of helping others recognize what it is they hope to achieve, mapping a strategy to achieve it and then encouraging their efforts – making adjustments in the strategy, as needed. As a high school runner, I believe I lacked the one ingredient that could have made me a decent runner – good coaching. I didn’t realize what I’d been missing until I had my first course in the psychology of sports when pursuing my Master’s degree in exercise physiology. I came to realized that helping the athlete to believe in themselves and the program they were following was even more important than the technical aspects of the program itself. I understood, in retrospect, that if any coach had taken the time to pull me aside and show a little interest in why I was running and what it would take to be really competitive, I would have succeeded. I know this now because I became that coach for myself when I was 36 years old and ran times I had not achieved previously, winning one race, setting all my pr’s and always placing in my age group.
I was also inspired to help others set and achieve their goals – anyone from the overweight, completely out-of-shape never, having ever exercised individual to the highly conditioned athlete trying to tweak their program to get to the next level. My true soft spot, though, was for the high school distance runner who, like me, was not getting the most from themselves and only needed the individual attention to give themselves the confidence and the edge to move on to levels necessary to compete as one of the best in the state.
“Expect to win,” is my mantra. No one does it by accident. Toe the line and look around you. Know that everyone else in the race is saying to themselves “well – I guess I’m running for second now” and when you can put that idea in their head – well – they will be running for second. This feeling cannot be achieved unless the runner has done the base training required during the off-season and then followed a rigorous in-season program with the goal of peaking the runner correctly and at the right time. If these things are done though, I assure you anyone can be a really competitive high school runner – or a hell of a lot better at whatever they’re trying to achieve athletically, regardless of age, sport or activity. It is simply a formula that works. I know because I’ve done it with thousands of people for the last 20 years – including me and right now.
I’m bringing this up now – for those of you who know me well – because of my frustration with coaching and programs that fail their runners and do not allow them to reach the levels they should attain. I hate to watch talent squandered – as I did at the District Track Championships in Mentor today. I hate to see kids that, with a little more coaching and an understanding of what it takes, would be running just that little bit faster it takes to reach the state meet.
I didn’t have much time for my own run before the meet and I didn’t want to wait until after since it would likely run late and then I’d blow it off. I had about a half hour and made the most of it. It was muggy and warmer – summer’s almost here, but I felt good on my second straight week of 6 days of running. The legs felt good throughout and if I’d had more time, I know I could have had another hour run. Tomorrow – the bike I hoped, but the forecast says rain. Maybe another rest day.
Run duration: 33 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 550.
Friday, May 21, 2010
"Liar...liar...pants on fire..."
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Lance Armstrong had retired from competitive cycling in 2005 as the only 7-time winner of one of the most grueling endurance event in sports – the Tour de France. He was the undisputed king of his sport and one of the most recognizable athletes of all time. As a huge fan of his and cycling advocate, I wondered who could possibly fill his shoes in American cycling and how long it would be before another America emerged to challenge in the Tour de France.
Then – one year later in one of the most dramatic stages in Tour history, Floyd Landis, former teammate of Armstrong’s, recaptured the lead after losing it the day before and looking totally out of it, by beating all comers on one of the most grueling mountain stages of the Tour. He did it alone – without the help of teammates or other competitors, making the feat that much more incredible. He never relinquished that lead and won the Tour.
Only he got busted shortly after the completion of the Tour when his urine sample following Stage 17’s amazing accomplishment was found to have traces of synthetic testosterone. He lost his appeal and was stripped of his title. Pretty much par for the sport of cycling.
Landis has been proclaiming his innocence for the last four years…until yesterday. I suppose in this age of suspected/busted cheaters who have used steroids, it’s refreshing for one to say ‘I did it. I’m sorry.’ But Landis went further. He accused Armstrong of using, as well.
I have problems with this on many levels. I want to believe that Lance always raced clean. I don’t know how many tests he passed successfully, but I imagine it’s in the hundreds. The cloud has always hung over him, regardless. How can anyone be that good and not be using drugs? I guess my answer is that someone always has to be the best – there is a winner – and why can’t they be one without using drugs? I mean – Babe Ruth was the best hitter of his era, Rocky Marciano was an undefeated heavy weight champion, and Jesse Owens was an untouchable Olympic sprinter. They beat everyone. Did they use steroids?
I hate that we even have to ask the question of all today’s greats. For most in baseball…and probably track and cycling…it’s almost guilty until proven innocent. It must suck to be clean and yet have people wondering if you’re a cheater, too.
Anyway, I have trouble believing a guy who has been a bald-faced liar for four years and now wants me to believe him as he tries to drag down one of my heroes. Well…I won’t. For what it’s worth Lance, you’re still my man.
Okay…the workout. I had the notion it would be a difficult run because I was still feeling sluggish just walking around and it was very humid and warm. I know you can talk yourself into performing poorly by negative thoughts, but I had them none-the-less. I started out slowly, but quickly came to the realization that I felt pretty good. I picked up the pace and for 30 minutes, ran pretty well. Then the wheels started to come off. I was dropping buckets of sweat so I just slowed for the last ten minutes and satisfied myself with a 40-minute run.
I should be tired. I’d run about 30 miles for the week – all on the trails – and I haven’t gotten any younger during that time. It’s been years since I’ve run weeks of 30+ miles back-to-back, so…no big mystery. I’ll get better and I’ll run more. I determined…and I’m clean. Go ahead…check my urine.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
Lance Armstrong had retired from competitive cycling in 2005 as the only 7-time winner of one of the most grueling endurance event in sports – the Tour de France. He was the undisputed king of his sport and one of the most recognizable athletes of all time. As a huge fan of his and cycling advocate, I wondered who could possibly fill his shoes in American cycling and how long it would be before another America emerged to challenge in the Tour de France.
Then – one year later in one of the most dramatic stages in Tour history, Floyd Landis, former teammate of Armstrong’s, recaptured the lead after losing it the day before and looking totally out of it, by beating all comers on one of the most grueling mountain stages of the Tour. He did it alone – without the help of teammates or other competitors, making the feat that much more incredible. He never relinquished that lead and won the Tour.
Only he got busted shortly after the completion of the Tour when his urine sample following Stage 17’s amazing accomplishment was found to have traces of synthetic testosterone. He lost his appeal and was stripped of his title. Pretty much par for the sport of cycling.
Landis has been proclaiming his innocence for the last four years…until yesterday. I suppose in this age of suspected/busted cheaters who have used steroids, it’s refreshing for one to say ‘I did it. I’m sorry.’ But Landis went further. He accused Armstrong of using, as well.
I have problems with this on many levels. I want to believe that Lance always raced clean. I don’t know how many tests he passed successfully, but I imagine it’s in the hundreds. The cloud has always hung over him, regardless. How can anyone be that good and not be using drugs? I guess my answer is that someone always has to be the best – there is a winner – and why can’t they be one without using drugs? I mean – Babe Ruth was the best hitter of his era, Rocky Marciano was an undefeated heavy weight champion, and Jesse Owens was an untouchable Olympic sprinter. They beat everyone. Did they use steroids?
I hate that we even have to ask the question of all today’s greats. For most in baseball…and probably track and cycling…it’s almost guilty until proven innocent. It must suck to be clean and yet have people wondering if you’re a cheater, too.
Anyway, I have trouble believing a guy who has been a bald-faced liar for four years and now wants me to believe him as he tries to drag down one of my heroes. Well…I won’t. For what it’s worth Lance, you’re still my man.
Okay…the workout. I had the notion it would be a difficult run because I was still feeling sluggish just walking around and it was very humid and warm. I know you can talk yourself into performing poorly by negative thoughts, but I had them none-the-less. I started out slowly, but quickly came to the realization that I felt pretty good. I picked up the pace and for 30 minutes, ran pretty well. Then the wheels started to come off. I was dropping buckets of sweat so I just slowed for the last ten minutes and satisfied myself with a 40-minute run.
I should be tired. I’d run about 30 miles for the week – all on the trails – and I haven’t gotten any younger during that time. It’s been years since I’ve run weeks of 30+ miles back-to-back, so…no big mystery. I’ll get better and I’ll run more. I determined…and I’m clean. Go ahead…check my urine.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
"We're not afraid of no stinking uranium"
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Another great project for cyclist, runners, walkers and hikers is near completion and could be a huge benefit to people working and living downtown. The Plain Dealer reported in a story on Wednesday that the Towpath Trail’s final hurdle in connecting downtown Cleveland to Akron is a contaminated parcel of land near Harvard Avenue and Jennings Road.
The site in question is the former Harshaw Chemical plant where work was done during WWII to refine uranium for the atomic bomb. The Army Corps of Engineers says the site won’t be fully cleaned until 2016, but trail planners want to open a lot sooner. The ideal plan for the Towpath Trail would be to skirt the property with just the trail. It looks good for approval with out the four years of site cleaning, which is fantastic for those using it.
Having ridden the streets from the suburbs downtown, I know how dangerous it can be and how much better and safer for those with access to the Towpath to ride to work. It doesn’t help everyone, but it runs along the Cuyahoga river following the historic Ohio & Erie Canal from Cleveland south to New Philadelphia. It’s over 88 miles long! It would also be such an asset to downtown Cleveland residents as a way to get their recreation. It takes you directly into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and if you could do this without having to get onto any city streets, well, too cool.
Don’t get me wrong…I’m all for clean-up of sites that are potential hazards to humans, but if all people are doing is passing through on the edge of this site and not stopping to ingest the soil…shouldn’t they be okay? I hope so. It would be a shame to hold this up for another four years.
It was a little warmer and sunny as I started the run. My legs were telling me not to expect much and I started slowly with that in mind. I was thinking I’d go over an hour again, which was aggressive, but what the hell. By the 40-minute mark though, I was questioning my judgment. It was too late to change anything though, because I was almost a half an hour from the car…so I kept going. I did make one stop to try and find the wood thrush I could hear singing in the woods. I love the flute-like call, but I never seem to see them. As soon as I entered the woods, he stopped singing.
The last 15 minutes were a real drag, but I finished them standing. I’d managed another run over an hour – my third in four days. The rest of the night was very fatiguing, though. Holly and I went to Holden Arboretum for a walk and I was suffering from that little exertion.
I’ll go for a run tomorrow, but probably shorter. Tired legs are okay and, in fact, are part of the process of getting faster – training with and through the fatigue, but it’s the shits while you’re doing it.
Run duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
Another great project for cyclist, runners, walkers and hikers is near completion and could be a huge benefit to people working and living downtown. The Plain Dealer reported in a story on Wednesday that the Towpath Trail’s final hurdle in connecting downtown Cleveland to Akron is a contaminated parcel of land near Harvard Avenue and Jennings Road.
The site in question is the former Harshaw Chemical plant where work was done during WWII to refine uranium for the atomic bomb. The Army Corps of Engineers says the site won’t be fully cleaned until 2016, but trail planners want to open a lot sooner. The ideal plan for the Towpath Trail would be to skirt the property with just the trail. It looks good for approval with out the four years of site cleaning, which is fantastic for those using it.
Having ridden the streets from the suburbs downtown, I know how dangerous it can be and how much better and safer for those with access to the Towpath to ride to work. It doesn’t help everyone, but it runs along the Cuyahoga river following the historic Ohio & Erie Canal from Cleveland south to New Philadelphia. It’s over 88 miles long! It would also be such an asset to downtown Cleveland residents as a way to get their recreation. It takes you directly into the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and if you could do this without having to get onto any city streets, well, too cool.
Don’t get me wrong…I’m all for clean-up of sites that are potential hazards to humans, but if all people are doing is passing through on the edge of this site and not stopping to ingest the soil…shouldn’t they be okay? I hope so. It would be a shame to hold this up for another four years.
It was a little warmer and sunny as I started the run. My legs were telling me not to expect much and I started slowly with that in mind. I was thinking I’d go over an hour again, which was aggressive, but what the hell. By the 40-minute mark though, I was questioning my judgment. It was too late to change anything though, because I was almost a half an hour from the car…so I kept going. I did make one stop to try and find the wood thrush I could hear singing in the woods. I love the flute-like call, but I never seem to see them. As soon as I entered the woods, he stopped singing.
The last 15 minutes were a real drag, but I finished them standing. I’d managed another run over an hour – my third in four days. The rest of the night was very fatiguing, though. Holly and I went to Holden Arboretum for a walk and I was suffering from that little exertion.
I’ll go for a run tomorrow, but probably shorter. Tired legs are okay and, in fact, are part of the process of getting faster – training with and through the fatigue, but it’s the shits while you’re doing it.
Run duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Let's ride to work...
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I read about an exciting development for people working downtown in the Sunday’s Plain Dealer. Apparently, many parking lots and garages will have secure bike racks available for cyclists to store their bikes during the work day and at no charge. That’s nice, but wouldn’t do someone who sweats like me a bit of good unless they had a way to shower after the ride in. Enter ‘The Bike Rack’, which will be located on the ground floor of the city-owned Gateway North Garage, north of Quicken Loans Arena.
This operation will be managed by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and offer indoor storage for up to 50 bikes with overflow outdoors, men’s and women’s shower and locker rooms and basic bike repair for as little as $25 per month. It will be a year-round operation and staffed from 6:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., but renters will have key-card access to bikes any time. It is scheduled to be open in late-August.
When I worked at the Cleveland Athletic Club, I tried to ride to work as much as the weather permitted. It was a perfect way to get in the workout for the day and I always felt good about not having to add to emissions count for that day. I saved gas money, too. Fortunately, I had a place to store clothes for the week – I don’t know how well I’d have done with carrying a pressed dress shirt in a back pack or panniers. Anyway, this is a fantastic start and I applaud City Planning Director Robert Brown and any others responsible for this development.
The workout: After a second straight day of running more than an hour, I was feeling some pain in the lower leg. It had been pouring all day and so riding was out of the question, so I headed to the park with the intention of testing the leg with a 30-mintue run. Again, I was worried about the straw that breaks the calf muscles back, but I wanted to keep pushing the envelope.
It was still raining as I started and I pretty much had the park to myself. I splashed along the bridle trails, moving very slowly – more of the survivor’s shuffle than a jog – for ten minutes. I can be careful with the best of them. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but at some point I began running normally and without pain. Streams were so swollen from the last 24 hours of rain that I found myself taking longer detours and when I hit 30 minutes and was no where near the car, figured I may as well go for 40. I climbed up out of the valley for the extra time and ended up back at the car in 43 minutes – again feeling like I could go much further.
I must admit I’ve been sliding a little in the evenings. The more I run, the more I seem to crave sweets. I’ve been mixing some chocolate syrup in a glass of skim milk and downing that after dinner some nights. I’ve probably had ice cream about twice a week for the last three weeks, too. I haven’t been on the scale, but the clothes are still fitting loose and based on the way I’m running, I’d say it hasn’t hurt me at all. I know the cravings will get worse when, over the summer, I start doing the ride/run doubles and burn even larger amounts of calories. It’s under control…for now.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 725.
I read about an exciting development for people working downtown in the Sunday’s Plain Dealer. Apparently, many parking lots and garages will have secure bike racks available for cyclists to store their bikes during the work day and at no charge. That’s nice, but wouldn’t do someone who sweats like me a bit of good unless they had a way to shower after the ride in. Enter ‘The Bike Rack’, which will be located on the ground floor of the city-owned Gateway North Garage, north of Quicken Loans Arena.
This operation will be managed by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and offer indoor storage for up to 50 bikes with overflow outdoors, men’s and women’s shower and locker rooms and basic bike repair for as little as $25 per month. It will be a year-round operation and staffed from 6:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., but renters will have key-card access to bikes any time. It is scheduled to be open in late-August.
When I worked at the Cleveland Athletic Club, I tried to ride to work as much as the weather permitted. It was a perfect way to get in the workout for the day and I always felt good about not having to add to emissions count for that day. I saved gas money, too. Fortunately, I had a place to store clothes for the week – I don’t know how well I’d have done with carrying a pressed dress shirt in a back pack or panniers. Anyway, this is a fantastic start and I applaud City Planning Director Robert Brown and any others responsible for this development.
The workout: After a second straight day of running more than an hour, I was feeling some pain in the lower leg. It had been pouring all day and so riding was out of the question, so I headed to the park with the intention of testing the leg with a 30-mintue run. Again, I was worried about the straw that breaks the calf muscles back, but I wanted to keep pushing the envelope.
It was still raining as I started and I pretty much had the park to myself. I splashed along the bridle trails, moving very slowly – more of the survivor’s shuffle than a jog – for ten minutes. I can be careful with the best of them. It wasn’t a conscious decision, but at some point I began running normally and without pain. Streams were so swollen from the last 24 hours of rain that I found myself taking longer detours and when I hit 30 minutes and was no where near the car, figured I may as well go for 40. I climbed up out of the valley for the extra time and ended up back at the car in 43 minutes – again feeling like I could go much further.
I must admit I’ve been sliding a little in the evenings. The more I run, the more I seem to crave sweets. I’ve been mixing some chocolate syrup in a glass of skim milk and downing that after dinner some nights. I’ve probably had ice cream about twice a week for the last three weeks, too. I haven’t been on the scale, but the clothes are still fitting loose and based on the way I’m running, I’d say it hasn’t hurt me at all. I know the cravings will get worse when, over the summer, I start doing the ride/run doubles and burn even larger amounts of calories. It’s under control…for now.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135.
Calories burned during workout: 725.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Enjoy the journey.
Monday, May 17, 2010
I woke up expecting to be sore from yesterday’s long run and Saturday’s yard work. I had been moving slowly all night and what I’d been feeling usually gets worse before it gets better. I wasn’t disappointed. The only concern I had was an impact pain in the bottom of my left foot. It felt like a bruised bone and could have easily been the result of the long run. I was starting to think that it might not be a bad night to get back to the bike. I should know not to have such thoughts…rain began to fall.
And so I headed for the park to run. That’s what the schedule called for and that’s what I was going to do. I took the side roads from work in hopes that the rain would dissipate before realizing that I like to run in the rain. I’d kind of forgotten that.
My daughter is in Portland, Oregon for her Spring break. She called me earlier in the day to tell me how she had just walked 45 minutes from the Japanese Gardens to the Zoo on a trail identified by an attendant at the Gardens. She was telling me how pretty and serene it was and how much she thought I would like it, but was mumbling about how it had been all uphill. I reminded her of something I have to tell myself at times when running or on a particularly difficult climb in the Adirondacks.
“Enjoy the journey, Heidi. There must be something good about every step you’re taking,” I said.
“Up yours, papa,” she replied.
Actually, she said she was enjoying it and did remember my saying that and it helped. Some. It’s something I’m telling myself on my runs lately and it’s working. I have to admit that when running years ago, it was all about getting it done. I was doing it for reasons other than to just do it. I wanted to race faster, look better, keep the weight down…those kinds of things. I began each run thinking about how good it would feel to have it behind me for another day. Something has changed and maybe that’s why I’m doing so well with it recently. It could be the influence of the book ‘Born to Run’ too. I don’t know, but I’m flowing with it.
So…I started running in the rain with the intent of seeing how the foot felt, but going for about 40 minutes. There was absolutely no pain in the foot by the 10-minute mark and I concluded that all was well. As the run progressed, it occurred to me that I was feeling amazingly well for the day after a run of 92 minutes. I began thinking about a 50-minute run and climbed out of the valley to add to the time. As I neared 50 minutes and was still feeling like I’d just started, I decided to make it an hour…which I did easily.
So what the heck is going on? I swear I’m not taking roids. I’ve never done back to back runs of over an hour. Three months ago, I could hardly run. Yes…my attitude is different and yes, I think to some degree I’ve revised my form to comply more with what the barefoot runner would do. I’m floating over instead of pounding into the trails…if that makes any sense. Still, I know I have to be smart about this. I could just push until I find the straw…so to speak and I don’t want to do that and have to start all over again. Whenever developing running programs for anyone else, I always follow the time-tested law to never add more than 10% per week.
I’ve blown that law all to hell for myself – ‘do as I say...not as I do’ I suppose.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
I woke up expecting to be sore from yesterday’s long run and Saturday’s yard work. I had been moving slowly all night and what I’d been feeling usually gets worse before it gets better. I wasn’t disappointed. The only concern I had was an impact pain in the bottom of my left foot. It felt like a bruised bone and could have easily been the result of the long run. I was starting to think that it might not be a bad night to get back to the bike. I should know not to have such thoughts…rain began to fall.
And so I headed for the park to run. That’s what the schedule called for and that’s what I was going to do. I took the side roads from work in hopes that the rain would dissipate before realizing that I like to run in the rain. I’d kind of forgotten that.
My daughter is in Portland, Oregon for her Spring break. She called me earlier in the day to tell me how she had just walked 45 minutes from the Japanese Gardens to the Zoo on a trail identified by an attendant at the Gardens. She was telling me how pretty and serene it was and how much she thought I would like it, but was mumbling about how it had been all uphill. I reminded her of something I have to tell myself at times when running or on a particularly difficult climb in the Adirondacks.
“Enjoy the journey, Heidi. There must be something good about every step you’re taking,” I said.
“Up yours, papa,” she replied.
Actually, she said she was enjoying it and did remember my saying that and it helped. Some. It’s something I’m telling myself on my runs lately and it’s working. I have to admit that when running years ago, it was all about getting it done. I was doing it for reasons other than to just do it. I wanted to race faster, look better, keep the weight down…those kinds of things. I began each run thinking about how good it would feel to have it behind me for another day. Something has changed and maybe that’s why I’m doing so well with it recently. It could be the influence of the book ‘Born to Run’ too. I don’t know, but I’m flowing with it.
So…I started running in the rain with the intent of seeing how the foot felt, but going for about 40 minutes. There was absolutely no pain in the foot by the 10-minute mark and I concluded that all was well. As the run progressed, it occurred to me that I was feeling amazingly well for the day after a run of 92 minutes. I began thinking about a 50-minute run and climbed out of the valley to add to the time. As I neared 50 minutes and was still feeling like I’d just started, I decided to make it an hour…which I did easily.
So what the heck is going on? I swear I’m not taking roids. I’ve never done back to back runs of over an hour. Three months ago, I could hardly run. Yes…my attitude is different and yes, I think to some degree I’ve revised my form to comply more with what the barefoot runner would do. I’m floating over instead of pounding into the trails…if that makes any sense. Still, I know I have to be smart about this. I could just push until I find the straw…so to speak and I don’t want to do that and have to start all over again. Whenever developing running programs for anyone else, I always follow the time-tested law to never add more than 10% per week.
I’ve blown that law all to hell for myself – ‘do as I say...not as I do’ I suppose.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The longest run.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Our church, St. Bartholomew’s in Mayfield Village, backs up to the North Chagrin Reservation. I plant myself in a pew next to the windows that look out towards the park and can see the runners, hikers, bikers, and bladers as they cruise down the all-purpose trail. Of course…I’m thinking heavenly thoughts as I’m doing this, but I do notice them. I’d driven separately to church with the intention of running as soon as service was over. I was going over different courses I could run and was getting it into my head that I’d do something really long – like maybe a 90-minute job. I was inspired.
Today was the 33rd running of the Cleveland Rite-Aid (was Revco) Marathon and there were a record 17,000 people registered to run – the largest participation ever. Apparently, marathoning in this country is up 10% over a year ago and all road racing is on the increase. Research into the reason for this has uncovered an interesting fact, as noted by the Chairman of the Institute of Weird Running Trends and Fitness Related Stuff in a recent CNN interview with Walter Cronkite.
“It would appear that the blogging efforts of John Rolf, one of this nation’s leaders for fitness innovations, is responsible for this exciting new trend. He has inspired a nation, nay, a world… to get up off it’s collective duffs and head out the door for the running trails. We owe him more than can be easily put into words…”
Holy machinoly. Let me tell you that I was overwhelmed by this revelation and pleased with the acknowledgement. Anyway, it was the Revco that got me back to running in 1978. I had been a high school runner of average ability, but had given it up after school. The running craze had taken hold in America by then and when I heard of the Revco Marathon, decided it was the thing for me and began running in earnest. I’d put on about 20 pounds since my high school running days, but thought that, if I ran 8 miles a day every day, I would quickly shed it. I purchased some fancy Brooks running shoes and headed out the door. In two weeks, I was suffering from plantar fasciitis and knee pain. I ended up running the 10K instead, but would eventually got to the marathon.
I figured I’d run long to honor the racers in the marathon. Actually, as I ran along the trails, I was feeling sorry for the marathoners. They were pounding the pavement on the streets of Cleveland while I was enjoying the serenity of the woods. I was so glad I was here and they were there. The day off and the cool, dry weather was having the perfect effect. I was cruising effortlessly and the first time I looked at my watch, 33 minutes had passed. As I neared an hour, I marveled at how easily it was going. I’ve been over an hour on around 10 occasions since March, but this was by far the best I had ever felt. I was heading down a heavily rooted trail, where foot placement to prevent twisted ankles and falls is critical, when I noticed a hiker with a canine on a leash coming towards me. In the moment it took to look at them, I found myself sprawled on the trail. My hands were neatly sliced and I had a nice cut on my right knee. The hiker asked if I was alright, which I really was and I told her so. I started off again with a slight limp, but in no time I was moving comfortably along.
I stopped in a creek to clean up and assess the damage before heading off again. When I reached 75 minutes, I was starting to slow and feeling the accumulated minutes. I was in the valley and the car was on top, so I had to do some climbing over the last couple of miles. As I got to the last mile, I decided to pick it up – if I could. I managed to do the last mile under 8 minutes…not too shabby for the end of the longest run I’d done in 15 years.
So…there. I did a long run. It’s been a really long time and I’m feeling pretty good about it. I’m sore now, but everything feels completely healthy. Tomorrow could be miserable, but we’ll deal with that with some serious whining then…
Run duration: 92 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1550.
Our church, St. Bartholomew’s in Mayfield Village, backs up to the North Chagrin Reservation. I plant myself in a pew next to the windows that look out towards the park and can see the runners, hikers, bikers, and bladers as they cruise down the all-purpose trail. Of course…I’m thinking heavenly thoughts as I’m doing this, but I do notice them. I’d driven separately to church with the intention of running as soon as service was over. I was going over different courses I could run and was getting it into my head that I’d do something really long – like maybe a 90-minute job. I was inspired.
Today was the 33rd running of the Cleveland Rite-Aid (was Revco) Marathon and there were a record 17,000 people registered to run – the largest participation ever. Apparently, marathoning in this country is up 10% over a year ago and all road racing is on the increase. Research into the reason for this has uncovered an interesting fact, as noted by the Chairman of the Institute of Weird Running Trends and Fitness Related Stuff in a recent CNN interview with Walter Cronkite.
“It would appear that the blogging efforts of John Rolf, one of this nation’s leaders for fitness innovations, is responsible for this exciting new trend. He has inspired a nation, nay, a world… to get up off it’s collective duffs and head out the door for the running trails. We owe him more than can be easily put into words…”
Holy machinoly. Let me tell you that I was overwhelmed by this revelation and pleased with the acknowledgement. Anyway, it was the Revco that got me back to running in 1978. I had been a high school runner of average ability, but had given it up after school. The running craze had taken hold in America by then and when I heard of the Revco Marathon, decided it was the thing for me and began running in earnest. I’d put on about 20 pounds since my high school running days, but thought that, if I ran 8 miles a day every day, I would quickly shed it. I purchased some fancy Brooks running shoes and headed out the door. In two weeks, I was suffering from plantar fasciitis and knee pain. I ended up running the 10K instead, but would eventually got to the marathon.
I figured I’d run long to honor the racers in the marathon. Actually, as I ran along the trails, I was feeling sorry for the marathoners. They were pounding the pavement on the streets of Cleveland while I was enjoying the serenity of the woods. I was so glad I was here and they were there. The day off and the cool, dry weather was having the perfect effect. I was cruising effortlessly and the first time I looked at my watch, 33 minutes had passed. As I neared an hour, I marveled at how easily it was going. I’ve been over an hour on around 10 occasions since March, but this was by far the best I had ever felt. I was heading down a heavily rooted trail, where foot placement to prevent twisted ankles and falls is critical, when I noticed a hiker with a canine on a leash coming towards me. In the moment it took to look at them, I found myself sprawled on the trail. My hands were neatly sliced and I had a nice cut on my right knee. The hiker asked if I was alright, which I really was and I told her so. I started off again with a slight limp, but in no time I was moving comfortably along.
I stopped in a creek to clean up and assess the damage before heading off again. When I reached 75 minutes, I was starting to slow and feeling the accumulated minutes. I was in the valley and the car was on top, so I had to do some climbing over the last couple of miles. As I got to the last mile, I decided to pick it up – if I could. I managed to do the last mile under 8 minutes…not too shabby for the end of the longest run I’d done in 15 years.
So…there. I did a long run. It’s been a really long time and I’m feeling pretty good about it. I’m sore now, but everything feels completely healthy. Tomorrow could be miserable, but we’ll deal with that with some serious whining then…
Run duration: 92 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1550.
Day of rest
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Today would be an off-day from running. I knew enough to take one and I had decided that I’d go with running six days a week and one day off for as long as my body allowed. I love running and what it does for me and wanted to stick with it for now. I’d been watching runners for the last 10 years and been jealous that they could be out there running and I couldn’t. So…I’ll just keep it up for now.
Anyway, it was Saturday and I headed for my weekend job of landscaping and home maintenance. I put in four hours before heading for home and more of the same. I found myself on my hands and knees pulling weeds and trimming around all the rock gardens in our yard. After bending, trimming, pulling, cutting and other such lawn care necessities, I found myself shooting hoops in the front yard. My ankles and feet were sore from all the running and I had absolutely no lift in my knees. Sprinting to grab an errant shot before it reached the road was painful at best, and ugly to see if anyone had been looking. I was feeling very, very old.
I had hoped to get out for a ride, but Holly had assured me we would go to Holden Arboretum for a walk later and so I kept working around the house. When, at around 6:30 p.m., I realized we were running out of daylight, I asked her about our hike.
“Um…I’m making dinner and don’t think we can go?”
Okay…now I was in trouble. Not enough time for a ride and I had to do something. For a brief moment I considered putting on the running gear and heading for the park. I felt fine, after all, and did my body know I’d done 6 in a row? I thought a little more and decided against it. What with all the work I’d done outside all day, I’d easily burned more calories than I would have in a hour run. ‘Take the day off from working out and go hard tomorrow’ was my final thought on the subject.
Oh yeah…and my butt muscles were screaming from all of the bending I’d been doing. Running would have been a real pain.
Today would be an off-day from running. I knew enough to take one and I had decided that I’d go with running six days a week and one day off for as long as my body allowed. I love running and what it does for me and wanted to stick with it for now. I’d been watching runners for the last 10 years and been jealous that they could be out there running and I couldn’t. So…I’ll just keep it up for now.
Anyway, it was Saturday and I headed for my weekend job of landscaping and home maintenance. I put in four hours before heading for home and more of the same. I found myself on my hands and knees pulling weeds and trimming around all the rock gardens in our yard. After bending, trimming, pulling, cutting and other such lawn care necessities, I found myself shooting hoops in the front yard. My ankles and feet were sore from all the running and I had absolutely no lift in my knees. Sprinting to grab an errant shot before it reached the road was painful at best, and ugly to see if anyone had been looking. I was feeling very, very old.
I had hoped to get out for a ride, but Holly had assured me we would go to Holden Arboretum for a walk later and so I kept working around the house. When, at around 6:30 p.m., I realized we were running out of daylight, I asked her about our hike.
“Um…I’m making dinner and don’t think we can go?”
Okay…now I was in trouble. Not enough time for a ride and I had to do something. For a brief moment I considered putting on the running gear and heading for the park. I felt fine, after all, and did my body know I’d done 6 in a row? I thought a little more and decided against it. What with all the work I’d done outside all day, I’d easily burned more calories than I would have in a hour run. ‘Take the day off from working out and go hard tomorrow’ was my final thought on the subject.
Oh yeah…and my butt muscles were screaming from all of the bending I’d been doing. Running would have been a real pain.
Six in a row...
Friday, May 14, 2010
I pulled off the road in the park at the point I intended to begin my run. I was changed and ready to go, but was feeling so exhausted and the sounds from the woods coming through my open window were so relaxing, that I thought I’d put my seat back and close my eyes for a couple of minutes. When I reopened my eyes, it was an hour later. Damn.
This was one of those days when I really had to make myself run. If not for the blog and the fact that this would be my 6th day of running in a row, I’d have blown it off for sure. I was just…not…into…it.
I dragged myself from the car, did a little mild stretching and tried to psyche myself up for an easy 30-minute run. That’s all – 30 minutes. What was the big deal? Well…if it was only going to be 30 minutes…why bother? I could go home now and head out later for a hike or a bike ride. Sure. Rest now…exercise later. That would happen. Or not.
I walked slowly to the trail and, once reaching it, broke into a slow jog. I hadn’t gone twenty steps when I noticed that the trail ahead was completely under water for about 30 feet. I’d managed to sleep through what was apparently a terrible storm the night before and had no idea that the trails would be in this condition. I managed to get through this first obstacle, but was getting quickly discouraged. I just wasn’t mentally prepared for a mud run and this was the worst I’d ever seen the trails. Really…quit…head home and do something else. This mud was a message that I was not meant to run this evening.
Still…I slogged on for 10 minutes. I decided I’d jog to the bridle trails, which were never as muddy, and do the rest of the run on them. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other…playing mind games to keep myself from stopping. It worked and I found myself passing the 30-minute mark and on my way to 40. I finished up with a 41-minute effort, which is just what it was – a real effort.
I’ve said it before…I’m like most of you in that there are plenty of times I don’t want to do anything. But I made myself do it and was so pleased afterwards. I’d run 6 consecutive days without a physical hitch – something that hadn’t happened in probably 15 years. I am amazed that something as simple as writing and sharing my workouts with others has been the difference in getting me completely dedicated. I may keep doing this even after I’ve achieved my fitness goals. It sure works for me.
Run duration: 41 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 700 running.
I pulled off the road in the park at the point I intended to begin my run. I was changed and ready to go, but was feeling so exhausted and the sounds from the woods coming through my open window were so relaxing, that I thought I’d put my seat back and close my eyes for a couple of minutes. When I reopened my eyes, it was an hour later. Damn.
This was one of those days when I really had to make myself run. If not for the blog and the fact that this would be my 6th day of running in a row, I’d have blown it off for sure. I was just…not…into…it.
I dragged myself from the car, did a little mild stretching and tried to psyche myself up for an easy 30-minute run. That’s all – 30 minutes. What was the big deal? Well…if it was only going to be 30 minutes…why bother? I could go home now and head out later for a hike or a bike ride. Sure. Rest now…exercise later. That would happen. Or not.
I walked slowly to the trail and, once reaching it, broke into a slow jog. I hadn’t gone twenty steps when I noticed that the trail ahead was completely under water for about 30 feet. I’d managed to sleep through what was apparently a terrible storm the night before and had no idea that the trails would be in this condition. I managed to get through this first obstacle, but was getting quickly discouraged. I just wasn’t mentally prepared for a mud run and this was the worst I’d ever seen the trails. Really…quit…head home and do something else. This mud was a message that I was not meant to run this evening.
Still…I slogged on for 10 minutes. I decided I’d jog to the bridle trails, which were never as muddy, and do the rest of the run on them. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other…playing mind games to keep myself from stopping. It worked and I found myself passing the 30-minute mark and on my way to 40. I finished up with a 41-minute effort, which is just what it was – a real effort.
I’ve said it before…I’m like most of you in that there are plenty of times I don’t want to do anything. But I made myself do it and was so pleased afterwards. I’d run 6 consecutive days without a physical hitch – something that hadn’t happened in probably 15 years. I am amazed that something as simple as writing and sharing my workouts with others has been the difference in getting me completely dedicated. I may keep doing this even after I’ve achieved my fitness goals. It sure works for me.
Run duration: 41 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 700 running.
Forever on the trails...
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I had arrived early at the Brecksville Station of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to meet a group of dedicated, over-achieving runners. I had determined ahead that I would not run with these whack-jobs, but would go on a picture taking hike while they ran. There were some nesting eagles nearby and I just had to see them. I’d join them afterwards for refreshments, conversation and the opportunity to watch the Cavs and talk running.
I headed out to try and locate the nests, which was not too difficult since the Park had restricted the area to keep photographers like me at a distance. Eagles do not particularly appreciate picture taking visitors when their raising young and may leave the nest with the young in it to starve or not return there the next year. Neither is a good scenario and so spectators are kept to a distance of about a quarter mile. I had good binoculars and a telephoto lens though, and was prepared to see what I could see. Which turned out to be nothing but an empty nest. Oh well.
I returned to the parking lot as the runners were gathering. Eric was there with another high school standout and old friend, Jim Harris. We were planning to do a trip together to the Adirondacks in late summer or early fall and would be discussing things later at the bar. Another couple of lean, older guys were there to run, as well. Don Alexander was running late. Don was always running late. The group took off without him, but since I wasn’t running – I waited before heading back into the park for more pictures. I gave him a call to see when he’d be arriving.
“Be there in twenty minutes,” he said.
An hour later he was pulling into the parking lot as the group was returning from their fartlek workout. Don started telling us why he was late, but I tuned him out. He always had some interesting story about lateness – it was his modus operandi – and I’d heard it all before. They left to grab a shower at Eric’s before the bar, but I decided to stay with Don, who was going to do a 30-minute run. While he stretched, we talked about my running, blogging and weight loss. Don and I have known each other for many years, having worked together in the world of fitness as business partners. He knew my fitness history like no one else.
“Maybe you should start running some quality stuff and then enter a couple of races,” he suggested.
I think I surprised him with my answer. “I have absolutely no interest in running the roads ever again. I’ve done that and unless I lose another 20 pounds, I’d be nowhere near the times I used to run. That – and I’d probably re-injure the calf from the hard surfaces and the pounding of interval workouts.”
“You’ve become a trail runner. You won’t go back to the roads because you love the trails,” he said.
He was a trail runner, too, but as a former all-American collegiate half miler and a member of the Team Ohio running club and one of the top road racers in Ohio in his prime, he knew the roads and racing and would never give them up. But I really didn’t miss that scene. I mean, I’d like to be in prime shape again. When last I’d raced – about 20 years ago, I’d actually won a race and taken home hardware in my age group every time I entered. It was fun, but I’ve found something better now. I’m healthy and running every day on scenic park trails. No cars or busy intersections to worry about. Beautiful surroundings, running water, birds singing, mud to splash through, and shade on a hot, summer day. Man…I’m staying on those trails.
Later that night, we gathered in a bar in Broadview Heights to watch the Cavs bow out of the playoffs again. I sipped my diet Coke and took my mind off the disaster unfolding in Boston by talking about hiking and climbing in the Adirondacks –something that I had some control over and didn’t upset me. Tomorrow, if things went right, I would run my 6th day in a row – on the trails. Forever on the trails.
Run duration: 42 minutes. Hike duration: 75 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 70 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 715 running. 375 hiking.
I had arrived early at the Brecksville Station of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to meet a group of dedicated, over-achieving runners. I had determined ahead that I would not run with these whack-jobs, but would go on a picture taking hike while they ran. There were some nesting eagles nearby and I just had to see them. I’d join them afterwards for refreshments, conversation and the opportunity to watch the Cavs and talk running.
I headed out to try and locate the nests, which was not too difficult since the Park had restricted the area to keep photographers like me at a distance. Eagles do not particularly appreciate picture taking visitors when their raising young and may leave the nest with the young in it to starve or not return there the next year. Neither is a good scenario and so spectators are kept to a distance of about a quarter mile. I had good binoculars and a telephoto lens though, and was prepared to see what I could see. Which turned out to be nothing but an empty nest. Oh well.
I returned to the parking lot as the runners were gathering. Eric was there with another high school standout and old friend, Jim Harris. We were planning to do a trip together to the Adirondacks in late summer or early fall and would be discussing things later at the bar. Another couple of lean, older guys were there to run, as well. Don Alexander was running late. Don was always running late. The group took off without him, but since I wasn’t running – I waited before heading back into the park for more pictures. I gave him a call to see when he’d be arriving.
“Be there in twenty minutes,” he said.
An hour later he was pulling into the parking lot as the group was returning from their fartlek workout. Don started telling us why he was late, but I tuned him out. He always had some interesting story about lateness – it was his modus operandi – and I’d heard it all before. They left to grab a shower at Eric’s before the bar, but I decided to stay with Don, who was going to do a 30-minute run. While he stretched, we talked about my running, blogging and weight loss. Don and I have known each other for many years, having worked together in the world of fitness as business partners. He knew my fitness history like no one else.
“Maybe you should start running some quality stuff and then enter a couple of races,” he suggested.
I think I surprised him with my answer. “I have absolutely no interest in running the roads ever again. I’ve done that and unless I lose another 20 pounds, I’d be nowhere near the times I used to run. That – and I’d probably re-injure the calf from the hard surfaces and the pounding of interval workouts.”
“You’ve become a trail runner. You won’t go back to the roads because you love the trails,” he said.
He was a trail runner, too, but as a former all-American collegiate half miler and a member of the Team Ohio running club and one of the top road racers in Ohio in his prime, he knew the roads and racing and would never give them up. But I really didn’t miss that scene. I mean, I’d like to be in prime shape again. When last I’d raced – about 20 years ago, I’d actually won a race and taken home hardware in my age group every time I entered. It was fun, but I’ve found something better now. I’m healthy and running every day on scenic park trails. No cars or busy intersections to worry about. Beautiful surroundings, running water, birds singing, mud to splash through, and shade on a hot, summer day. Man…I’m staying on those trails.
Later that night, we gathered in a bar in Broadview Heights to watch the Cavs bow out of the playoffs again. I sipped my diet Coke and took my mind off the disaster unfolding in Boston by talking about hiking and climbing in the Adirondacks –something that I had some control over and didn’t upset me. Tomorrow, if things went right, I would run my 6th day in a row – on the trails. Forever on the trails.
Run duration: 42 minutes. Hike duration: 75 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 70 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 715 running. 375 hiking.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Childhood obesity and what overweight adults are doing about it.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
This morning’s Plain Dealer had a story detailing Michelle Obama’s program to fight childhood obesity in this country. Personally, I applaud the First ladies efforts. Statistically, one third of America’s children are considered overweight, which is a staggering amount. I don’t have the numbers at my fingertips – or know if they were even measured, but I was a child in the early to mid-60’s and feel comfortable saying that no more than one in ten of my classmates was overweight to the point we’d tease them (yeah – we were cruel, but it was certainly an indicator of who was heavy). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we were thinner not because we had gym class (in fact we didn’t in parochial schools) or spent a lot of time in organized sports (there was only little league baseball in my town), it was because we were outside playing until it was too dark to see.
The article details some of the strategies under consideration including things like replacing junk food and high sugar drinks in school cafeterias with more fruits and vegetables, ending the practice of charging kids to play school sports and reintroducing more physical education into the school curriculums. All worth doing, but really not the issue.
I’ve said this before, too. I had junk food available to me in the 60’s. We all did. Potato chips and soda (that’s what we called pop in New England) were already in existance and fully loaded with fat calories and sugar. None of that diet crap - saccharin hadn't been invented yet. My high school offered chocolate milk, Fritos and nutty buttys – I know because I had them every day for lunch. For the first 10 years or so of my school career though, I was packing a lunch from home so, if I was going to eat healthy, I had whatever mom and dad chose to stock in the pantry and refrigerator. Is it so different today? Can’t we, as parents, make the biggest difference in what our kids eat and how they spend their leisure time? Mrs. Obama says “we have the tools at our disposal to reverse it (childhood obesity). All we need is the motivation, the opportunity and the willpower to do what needs to be done.” She ain’t wrong about that
If I’m not motivated to get myself in shape and eat smarter, what message am I sending to my kids? I find it inconsistent to tell Jack to get off the video games if I’m going to camp out in front of the boob tube all night. The schools can help and support our efforts, but the real solution and the rock solid foundation for a lifetime of health and fitness needs to start at home.
Okay…off the soap box. I went to the park for a planned long run. I’m trying to hit at least one hour of running every other day for the next couple of weeks as summer approaches. My plan is to get back to bike riding as the weather warms and the days get longer. I want to do some doubles – short runs and rides in the evenings. I also plan to get more time with the kayak and then add in some backpack time as climbing trips to the Adirondacks approach.
Anyway, I headed onto the bridle trails, avoiding the hiking paths, which were still under water. The run was easy and I actually noticed how I wasn’t as sore as I had been over the last couple of weeks. In fact, it stayed easy for 50 minutes, which is about the time that I found myself running on the road. I’ve been avoiding this like the Indians avoid having Cy Young pitchers on their staff because I think the hard pavement has led to the problems with my calf. I was only on it for about 8 minutes when I felt a twinge – in my achilles tendon! I backed off the pace and finished without incident with a total run of 62 minutes. Tomorrow…run with the studs. Yuk.
Run duration: 62 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
This morning’s Plain Dealer had a story detailing Michelle Obama’s program to fight childhood obesity in this country. Personally, I applaud the First ladies efforts. Statistically, one third of America’s children are considered overweight, which is a staggering amount. I don’t have the numbers at my fingertips – or know if they were even measured, but I was a child in the early to mid-60’s and feel comfortable saying that no more than one in ten of my classmates was overweight to the point we’d tease them (yeah – we were cruel, but it was certainly an indicator of who was heavy). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we were thinner not because we had gym class (in fact we didn’t in parochial schools) or spent a lot of time in organized sports (there was only little league baseball in my town), it was because we were outside playing until it was too dark to see.
The article details some of the strategies under consideration including things like replacing junk food and high sugar drinks in school cafeterias with more fruits and vegetables, ending the practice of charging kids to play school sports and reintroducing more physical education into the school curriculums. All worth doing, but really not the issue.
I’ve said this before, too. I had junk food available to me in the 60’s. We all did. Potato chips and soda (that’s what we called pop in New England) were already in existance and fully loaded with fat calories and sugar. None of that diet crap - saccharin hadn't been invented yet. My high school offered chocolate milk, Fritos and nutty buttys – I know because I had them every day for lunch. For the first 10 years or so of my school career though, I was packing a lunch from home so, if I was going to eat healthy, I had whatever mom and dad chose to stock in the pantry and refrigerator. Is it so different today? Can’t we, as parents, make the biggest difference in what our kids eat and how they spend their leisure time? Mrs. Obama says “we have the tools at our disposal to reverse it (childhood obesity). All we need is the motivation, the opportunity and the willpower to do what needs to be done.” She ain’t wrong about that
If I’m not motivated to get myself in shape and eat smarter, what message am I sending to my kids? I find it inconsistent to tell Jack to get off the video games if I’m going to camp out in front of the boob tube all night. The schools can help and support our efforts, but the real solution and the rock solid foundation for a lifetime of health and fitness needs to start at home.
Okay…off the soap box. I went to the park for a planned long run. I’m trying to hit at least one hour of running every other day for the next couple of weeks as summer approaches. My plan is to get back to bike riding as the weather warms and the days get longer. I want to do some doubles – short runs and rides in the evenings. I also plan to get more time with the kayak and then add in some backpack time as climbing trips to the Adirondacks approach.
Anyway, I headed onto the bridle trails, avoiding the hiking paths, which were still under water. The run was easy and I actually noticed how I wasn’t as sore as I had been over the last couple of weeks. In fact, it stayed easy for 50 minutes, which is about the time that I found myself running on the road. I’ve been avoiding this like the Indians avoid having Cy Young pitchers on their staff because I think the hard pavement has led to the problems with my calf. I was only on it for about 8 minutes when I felt a twinge – in my achilles tendon! I backed off the pace and finished without incident with a total run of 62 minutes. Tomorrow…run with the studs. Yuk.
Run duration: 62 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
The Sugar Meister
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
“Would you like some coffee while you’re waiting?” Teri, the receptionist, offered.
“You know – I think I will have a cup,” I responded, but telling her I would have to make it myself since she could never sweeten it to my specifications, which is around 5 sugar packets I told her.
“Oh…my…God! Dr. Roizen says that much sugar is just horrrrrrrible!”
Dr. Roizen, with Dr. Oz is one of the two ‘You’ docs from the Cleveland Clinic and quite famous for the ‘You on a Diet’ book and the many ‘You’ books that followed. Their stuff is great, readable, and doable.
Dr. Roizen wasn’t there though when I was 4 years old and had my first cup of coffee with my grandpa. I always wanted to do what he was doing and if drinking coffee with breakfast was what he did, well…then I would too. Only thing…there was no way I was getting it down without 5 teaspoons of sugar…which grandpa was happy to let me have. And that’s the way I learned to drink my jo.
Well…I didn’t tell Teri this whole story, but I did tell her Doc Roizen was right and that I only drank about a cup a week. I went to get my cup and, noticing the options available, chose the Nutrisweet stuff instead of table sugar. When I returned, I told Teri about my choice.
“Ohhhhh…nnnnnoooo – that’s even wwwwwwoooooorrrrsssse,” she said, dragging out the 'worse' long enough for everyone within the tri-county area to think that I may have dropped a puppy out the window of her 19th floor office. She explained to me how the fake sweeteners were so sweet that they made you want to have more stuff with regular sugar. At least that’s what I think her point was…I was so freaked out that I wasn’t taking it in too well.
I couldn’t win with Teri. Or coffee. But I do love puppies.
Anyway, I really don’t drink much coffee and I have almost eliminated refined sugar from my diet. I have gone to substitutes to get a little sugar fix now and again and I think that’s okay. I preach, practice and believe in moderation. If you can totally eliminate refined and artificial sweeteners, God bless you – it surely won’t hurt you, but if you’re human (not that you’re not – Teri) and crave a little, moderation works.
Oh yeah…the workout. It had been raining all day and I couldn’t help thinking about how miserable it is to run in a cold drizzle. By late afternoon it had stopped, but it was still pretty cool and the trails were going to be mud soup. I drove to the park to change and looked through the trunk searching for cold weather gear. I found a long-sleeved t-shirt and grabbed my scull cap to protect my bald head. I was even considering socks for the hands until it dawned on me that I was being a total wimp. I mean really…it was 50 degrees! Had I gotten so soft since winter? I left the hand socks in the car.
I stuck to the bridle trails, which actually weren’t too bad. I mean I don’t mind a little mud and on some days, I like it quite a lot. I ended up with an enjoyable 40-minute run on a day that I had thought earlier was going to be a miserable experience. Sometimes you just have to make yourself get out there and take the first step. After that…it’s pretty easy.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
“Would you like some coffee while you’re waiting?” Teri, the receptionist, offered.
“You know – I think I will have a cup,” I responded, but telling her I would have to make it myself since she could never sweeten it to my specifications, which is around 5 sugar packets I told her.
“Oh…my…God! Dr. Roizen says that much sugar is just horrrrrrrible!”
Dr. Roizen, with Dr. Oz is one of the two ‘You’ docs from the Cleveland Clinic and quite famous for the ‘You on a Diet’ book and the many ‘You’ books that followed. Their stuff is great, readable, and doable.
Dr. Roizen wasn’t there though when I was 4 years old and had my first cup of coffee with my grandpa. I always wanted to do what he was doing and if drinking coffee with breakfast was what he did, well…then I would too. Only thing…there was no way I was getting it down without 5 teaspoons of sugar…which grandpa was happy to let me have. And that’s the way I learned to drink my jo.
Well…I didn’t tell Teri this whole story, but I did tell her Doc Roizen was right and that I only drank about a cup a week. I went to get my cup and, noticing the options available, chose the Nutrisweet stuff instead of table sugar. When I returned, I told Teri about my choice.
“Ohhhhh…nnnnnoooo – that’s even wwwwwwoooooorrrrsssse,” she said, dragging out the 'worse' long enough for everyone within the tri-county area to think that I may have dropped a puppy out the window of her 19th floor office. She explained to me how the fake sweeteners were so sweet that they made you want to have more stuff with regular sugar. At least that’s what I think her point was…I was so freaked out that I wasn’t taking it in too well.
I couldn’t win with Teri. Or coffee. But I do love puppies.
Anyway, I really don’t drink much coffee and I have almost eliminated refined sugar from my diet. I have gone to substitutes to get a little sugar fix now and again and I think that’s okay. I preach, practice and believe in moderation. If you can totally eliminate refined and artificial sweeteners, God bless you – it surely won’t hurt you, but if you’re human (not that you’re not – Teri) and crave a little, moderation works.
Oh yeah…the workout. It had been raining all day and I couldn’t help thinking about how miserable it is to run in a cold drizzle. By late afternoon it had stopped, but it was still pretty cool and the trails were going to be mud soup. I drove to the park to change and looked through the trunk searching for cold weather gear. I found a long-sleeved t-shirt and grabbed my scull cap to protect my bald head. I was even considering socks for the hands until it dawned on me that I was being a total wimp. I mean really…it was 50 degrees! Had I gotten so soft since winter? I left the hand socks in the car.
I stuck to the bridle trails, which actually weren’t too bad. I mean I don’t mind a little mud and on some days, I like it quite a lot. I ended up with an enjoyable 40-minute run on a day that I had thought earlier was going to be a miserable experience. Sometimes you just have to make yourself get out there and take the first step. After that…it’s pretty easy.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
Eagles? I definitely be there...
Monday, May 10, 2010
It was a cool, sunny day and again…the kind of day for running pr’s. I had told myself it would be a long day and so I planned my park circumnavigation course – the one I had done a week ago on a hot day and turned in a time of 73 minutes. I knew I could beat that because of the conditions, but by how much?
Earlier in the day, Eric of Yoga fame and running prowess (he was a state champ at 1600 meters in 1988 and went on to run for Indiana University as their second man – second to the best distance runner in America and future Olympian, Bob Kennedy) had called to invite me to a group run on Thursday. Now…I’m a lot of things, but I’m not stupid when it comes to picking the company I keep on a run. Eric’s crowd is not for me. They meet down on the Towpath on Thursday nights and, like the running studs they are, pound each other into the earth to see who will scream ‘uncle’ first. Sound like fun? Fuhget about it!
Later I spoke with another old friend who would also be running with the group – Don Alexander. Don and I were business partners for years in the fitness testing business and were still close friends. He knows me pretty well and when I said I didn’t want to run with these guys and have my head handed to me, he was prepared.
“We meet in the park right where those eagle’s nests are roped off by the rangers. You can still get close enough for some good pictures, though,” he said.
“I’ll be there,” I replied. Eagles? Damn – I’m a sucker for eagles.
Anyway, I was thinking I wanted to push myself pretty hard because if I wanted to have any chance of keeping the slowest of these guys in binocular range on Thursday, I’d have to be running my fastest. I started into my run with this in mind and moved out pretty aggressively. I had only one timed check point about three miles into the run and reached that 3 minutes faster than I had last week. Perfect.
I was feeling good and was sure I was running much faster than a week ago right through to the 50-minute mark. Then the legs started to come off. Pushing the pace for an hour will do that and that’s what I was up to. If I hadn’t run the day before, maybe things would have been different, but I had. Still…I figured just try to hold a half way decent pace for the remainder of the run and at least I’d have a pr.
I struggled over the last mile, but was determined not to slow. I hit the car in 65:42, which was a full 7 minutes faster for the course. Not too shabby. That and an ATV and I’ll stay right with those guys on Thursday…
Run duration: 66 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1115.
It was a cool, sunny day and again…the kind of day for running pr’s. I had told myself it would be a long day and so I planned my park circumnavigation course – the one I had done a week ago on a hot day and turned in a time of 73 minutes. I knew I could beat that because of the conditions, but by how much?
Earlier in the day, Eric of Yoga fame and running prowess (he was a state champ at 1600 meters in 1988 and went on to run for Indiana University as their second man – second to the best distance runner in America and future Olympian, Bob Kennedy) had called to invite me to a group run on Thursday. Now…I’m a lot of things, but I’m not stupid when it comes to picking the company I keep on a run. Eric’s crowd is not for me. They meet down on the Towpath on Thursday nights and, like the running studs they are, pound each other into the earth to see who will scream ‘uncle’ first. Sound like fun? Fuhget about it!
Later I spoke with another old friend who would also be running with the group – Don Alexander. Don and I were business partners for years in the fitness testing business and were still close friends. He knows me pretty well and when I said I didn’t want to run with these guys and have my head handed to me, he was prepared.
“We meet in the park right where those eagle’s nests are roped off by the rangers. You can still get close enough for some good pictures, though,” he said.
“I’ll be there,” I replied. Eagles? Damn – I’m a sucker for eagles.
Anyway, I was thinking I wanted to push myself pretty hard because if I wanted to have any chance of keeping the slowest of these guys in binocular range on Thursday, I’d have to be running my fastest. I started into my run with this in mind and moved out pretty aggressively. I had only one timed check point about three miles into the run and reached that 3 minutes faster than I had last week. Perfect.
I was feeling good and was sure I was running much faster than a week ago right through to the 50-minute mark. Then the legs started to come off. Pushing the pace for an hour will do that and that’s what I was up to. If I hadn’t run the day before, maybe things would have been different, but I had. Still…I figured just try to hold a half way decent pace for the remainder of the run and at least I’d have a pr.
I struggled over the last mile, but was determined not to slow. I hit the car in 65:42, which was a full 7 minutes faster for the course. Not too shabby. That and an ATV and I’ll stay right with those guys on Thursday…
Run duration: 66 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1115.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Finally...back at it
Sunday, May 9, 2010
I had now been off for two solid days and it was making me nuts. It was Mother’s Day and fitting in a run would be tricky, at best. Couldn’t do it in the morning – that was church time. Family was arriving right after church to begin the day’s activities and I kind of had to be there for that. I was thinking if I could get them out of the house by 6 p.m. or so, I’d have enough day light remaining for a long run. It wasn’t much, but that was the plan.
I did get in some activity before they arrived – washing the floor, washing windows, sweeping the front and back porch – that kind of stuff, but again – it ain’t running. I knew I’d be piling on some major calories in short order and I just had to get that run in later.
My father-in-law was making chicken paprikash, which is basically a food that closes your arteries if you’re in the same room with it. And…I love it. I had a couple of helpings and three chicken thighs. I was done eating by 4 p.m., having skipped the chocolate cake, but the way it was sitting in my gut, I knew I had at least a 3-hour wait to run. I was still feeling pretty full when everyone did leave about 6:30 p.m., but daylight was burning so I changed into the running gear and headed for the park.
I knew the first mile would be painful with a digestive system lodged with fat that sloshed around with every step…and it was. This was perfect running weather, too. Cool and sunny and I was coming off two days rest…pr weather. I’d puke for sure if I did something as foolish as trying to run fast – so I kept it easy for 20 minutes. I had resigned myself to a 30-minute run with the promise that I’d go long tomorrow, for sure. As the gut started to settle though, I stretched it to 40 minutes with ease and finished feeling fresh and wishing I had time for another hour of running.
Life gets in the way of the workout from time to time and my weekend was all about that. Before beginning this blog, it would have totally thrown me for a loop and I would never have run on Sunday, figuring I’d already missed a couple of days so what’s the harm in one more?
That’s the difference. I’m in the groove and I have people to whom I’m responsible – whoever you are that are reading. Thanks, by the way. Keep me going because I really am loving the way that I feel.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
I had now been off for two solid days and it was making me nuts. It was Mother’s Day and fitting in a run would be tricky, at best. Couldn’t do it in the morning – that was church time. Family was arriving right after church to begin the day’s activities and I kind of had to be there for that. I was thinking if I could get them out of the house by 6 p.m. or so, I’d have enough day light remaining for a long run. It wasn’t much, but that was the plan.
I did get in some activity before they arrived – washing the floor, washing windows, sweeping the front and back porch – that kind of stuff, but again – it ain’t running. I knew I’d be piling on some major calories in short order and I just had to get that run in later.
My father-in-law was making chicken paprikash, which is basically a food that closes your arteries if you’re in the same room with it. And…I love it. I had a couple of helpings and three chicken thighs. I was done eating by 4 p.m., having skipped the chocolate cake, but the way it was sitting in my gut, I knew I had at least a 3-hour wait to run. I was still feeling pretty full when everyone did leave about 6:30 p.m., but daylight was burning so I changed into the running gear and headed for the park.
I knew the first mile would be painful with a digestive system lodged with fat that sloshed around with every step…and it was. This was perfect running weather, too. Cool and sunny and I was coming off two days rest…pr weather. I’d puke for sure if I did something as foolish as trying to run fast – so I kept it easy for 20 minutes. I had resigned myself to a 30-minute run with the promise that I’d go long tomorrow, for sure. As the gut started to settle though, I stretched it to 40 minutes with ease and finished feeling fresh and wishing I had time for another hour of running.
Life gets in the way of the workout from time to time and my weekend was all about that. Before beginning this blog, it would have totally thrown me for a loop and I would never have run on Sunday, figuring I’d already missed a couple of days so what’s the harm in one more?
That’s the difference. I’m in the groove and I have people to whom I’m responsible – whoever you are that are reading. Thanks, by the way. Keep me going because I really am loving the way that I feel.
Run duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 675.
"Good answer"
Saturday, May 8, 2010
I was back at my landscaping assignment for another 6-hour stint. I had a twinge in my lower back – something I think I picked up from Yoga the other night, but I had to work through it. I spent the morning hauling around outdoor furniture, washing it, washing walls and floors and good stuff like that. I think these folks hate seeing me work so hard and try to slow me down by feeding me a huge lunch. It makes them feel good – so who am I to say no? I ate two ham sandwiches, chips, pickles and a couple of cookies.
After lunch, I emptied the garage and washed down the floor. By 2:30 p.m. I was done, but my stomach was a ways from being ready to run so I headed for home and my chores.
I completed the lawn stuff and started on the windows. It was Mother’s Day tomorrow and I wanted to wash the windows so that Holly could look out and see all the hard work I was doing in the yard. I hate doing the windows since as soon as it rains you can’t even tell I’ve done anything. About the time I got the screens out and completed my first window, it was raining again. Damn.
Okay…now the day was getting away from me. I had to pick up Heidi in Kent at 8 p.m., which meant I needed to get to the park now for my run. I changed quickly and went to tell Holly I was heading out.
“I didn’t know you were going running. I was just coming to talk to you since we haven’t seen each other all day. Then I was going to make dinner before you went to get Heidi,” she said.
Now…this is one of those defining moments in a relationship. I’ve been married for 35 years and there’s a reason for that. I know what to do at such moments…
“Okay. Sure. Let’s go talk. I can…um…skip the run,” I replied.
She gave me that ‘good answer’ look and I now had two days off in a row. Well…I’d worked pretty hard all day long and burned up some major calories, though it ain’t running. Still…I like being married and stuck with that decision. Maybe I’d have better luck tomorrow.
I was back at my landscaping assignment for another 6-hour stint. I had a twinge in my lower back – something I think I picked up from Yoga the other night, but I had to work through it. I spent the morning hauling around outdoor furniture, washing it, washing walls and floors and good stuff like that. I think these folks hate seeing me work so hard and try to slow me down by feeding me a huge lunch. It makes them feel good – so who am I to say no? I ate two ham sandwiches, chips, pickles and a couple of cookies.
After lunch, I emptied the garage and washed down the floor. By 2:30 p.m. I was done, but my stomach was a ways from being ready to run so I headed for home and my chores.
I completed the lawn stuff and started on the windows. It was Mother’s Day tomorrow and I wanted to wash the windows so that Holly could look out and see all the hard work I was doing in the yard. I hate doing the windows since as soon as it rains you can’t even tell I’ve done anything. About the time I got the screens out and completed my first window, it was raining again. Damn.
Okay…now the day was getting away from me. I had to pick up Heidi in Kent at 8 p.m., which meant I needed to get to the park now for my run. I changed quickly and went to tell Holly I was heading out.
“I didn’t know you were going running. I was just coming to talk to you since we haven’t seen each other all day. Then I was going to make dinner before you went to get Heidi,” she said.
Now…this is one of those defining moments in a relationship. I’ve been married for 35 years and there’s a reason for that. I know what to do at such moments…
“Okay. Sure. Let’s go talk. I can…um…skip the run,” I replied.
She gave me that ‘good answer’ look and I now had two days off in a row. Well…I’d worked pretty hard all day long and burned up some major calories, though it ain’t running. Still…I like being married and stuck with that decision. Maybe I’d have better luck tomorrow.
Rained out...
Friday, May 7, 2010
I had volunteered to work the Mayfield Track Invitational Friday evening and knew it would be late before I’d get to run. I was going for my 6th day in a row and looking forward to the challenge. I was feeling really good all day – no aches or pains and figured there would be no problems.
I was the clerk of the meet, which means I’m in the bullpen all night checking in the runners and telling them their lane assignments. I discovered quickly that distance runners pay attention better than sprinters.
“Sir…what lane am I in again?”
“Didn’t I just give you that assignment 10 seconds ago?”
“I…um…forgot,” the young lady replied.
“No big deal. Got a buck and I’ll tell you,” I said.
She looked at me trying to decide if she would have to cough up her money for a concession she was planning to buy right after running. I looked serious and kept my hand out. I waited until she started to reach for her back pack before telling her if she forgot again it would be 5 bucks, but I’d let it slide this time. I overheard her talking to some other runners.
“Look out for that guy that looks like John Locke. He charges if you forget your lane assignment.”
No one else forgot.
The clerk controls the pace of the meet. You have to have the next group of runners ready to run as soon as the current event is completed. Waste time checking them in and you fall behind forever. I was doing this for the first time, but I was a task master and they were slipping through liked a greased pig. No waiting…no muss…no fuss.
And it went that way until the second last event of the evening when lightning began showing up in the skies about 5 miles away. Some of the kids were getting nervous and asking me what I was going to do.
“I’m going over to the concession stand and getting out of harm’s way. You check in the next bunch of kids. I’ve got kids to put through college – you don’t so you’re expendable,” I said as I handed a runner my clipboard.
She looked at me trying to decide what to do next. Suddenly, the decision was taken out of our hands as the meet director announced the meet was cancelled and everyone should head for the buses.
By the time I made it to the car, the sky was lit up like Jacob’s Field (I refuse to call it by that other name) after an Indian’s home run (which may not happen this year with the team we’re fielding – don’t get me started…). I really wanted to head for the park, but once the hail stones started smashing into my car, I figured the prudent thing to do was drive home and wait it out.
I was still waiting Saturday morning.
So…maybe a day off is a good thing and now I’ve got to start that streak over again. We’ll get there.
Track meet duration: 3 hours.
Training heart rate: Lower than the kids I was signing in.
Calories burned while harassing forgetful high school runners: Probably a couple of hundred.
I had volunteered to work the Mayfield Track Invitational Friday evening and knew it would be late before I’d get to run. I was going for my 6th day in a row and looking forward to the challenge. I was feeling really good all day – no aches or pains and figured there would be no problems.
I was the clerk of the meet, which means I’m in the bullpen all night checking in the runners and telling them their lane assignments. I discovered quickly that distance runners pay attention better than sprinters.
“Sir…what lane am I in again?”
“Didn’t I just give you that assignment 10 seconds ago?”
“I…um…forgot,” the young lady replied.
“No big deal. Got a buck and I’ll tell you,” I said.
She looked at me trying to decide if she would have to cough up her money for a concession she was planning to buy right after running. I looked serious and kept my hand out. I waited until she started to reach for her back pack before telling her if she forgot again it would be 5 bucks, but I’d let it slide this time. I overheard her talking to some other runners.
“Look out for that guy that looks like John Locke. He charges if you forget your lane assignment.”
No one else forgot.
The clerk controls the pace of the meet. You have to have the next group of runners ready to run as soon as the current event is completed. Waste time checking them in and you fall behind forever. I was doing this for the first time, but I was a task master and they were slipping through liked a greased pig. No waiting…no muss…no fuss.
And it went that way until the second last event of the evening when lightning began showing up in the skies about 5 miles away. Some of the kids were getting nervous and asking me what I was going to do.
“I’m going over to the concession stand and getting out of harm’s way. You check in the next bunch of kids. I’ve got kids to put through college – you don’t so you’re expendable,” I said as I handed a runner my clipboard.
She looked at me trying to decide what to do next. Suddenly, the decision was taken out of our hands as the meet director announced the meet was cancelled and everyone should head for the buses.
By the time I made it to the car, the sky was lit up like Jacob’s Field (I refuse to call it by that other name) after an Indian’s home run (which may not happen this year with the team we’re fielding – don’t get me started…). I really wanted to head for the park, but once the hail stones started smashing into my car, I figured the prudent thing to do was drive home and wait it out.
I was still waiting Saturday morning.
So…maybe a day off is a good thing and now I’ve got to start that streak over again. We’ll get there.
Track meet duration: 3 hours.
Training heart rate: Lower than the kids I was signing in.
Calories burned while harassing forgetful high school runners: Probably a couple of hundred.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The 'Yoga' experiment
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Eric, an old friend and tremendous runner I had the pleasure of coaching during his high school years, had been talking about experiencing new things. He was encouraging me to try a yoga class, which I’ve never done, and I was looking forward to the opportunity. I mean…I’m not too old to learn new things.
We met at Nirvana Yoga in Richfield for the 5:15 p.m. class for people with no coordination or shame. Right…designed with me in mind. Eric had prepped me somewhat…I knew he was worried I’d embarrass him or get him banned or something, so I had decided to actually be on good behavior…and maybe not speak. I was going to wear my ‘Jane Fonda’ leg warmers, but couldn’t find them so I settled for a t-shirt and running shorts.
The practice of yoga began in India over 6,000 years ago and means ‘union’. It works to connect the mind and the body through breathing and moving. Our daily lives are filled with events that cause the body to tense and stay that way, something that can manifest itself in physical ailments and diseases – at least that’s the tag line. Me? I was in it to get an awareness of what it was all about.
We started by gathering the tools of the session - a yoga matt, two foam blocks, a horse blanket, and a long strap. There was soft music playing – sounded like a mandolin, the lights were low, there was some air movement from the overhead fans, and a candle was lit on the table behind Melissa, our instructor and owner of the business. There was just one other guy doing the class with me and Eric, so not too many people in front of whom I could demonstrate my total ineptness in fitness class situations.
We began on the floor and in a cross-legged pose (they’re called asana) and began doing some breathing exercises while becoming aware of the stresses and tensions present throughout our bodies. I’ve done some mental relaxation with runners over the years and had familiarity with the technique. I’d forgotten how powerful and beneficial they can be. When I took stock of the aches and tightness I was feeling in my shoulders, for instance, I was acutely aware of how bad they were. As soon as Melissa suggested concentrating on another part of the body, the tension and pain fell away from the shoulders. It was there, but I could control it with my mind and breathing. Pretty cool.
Things started to heat up from there. I found myself getting into poses that were not that difficult to initiate, but a bitch to hold. First, there was stretching…or the lack thereof…which kind of hurt and felt good simultaneously. The problem for me was balance. Though I do workouts that require a good deal of it, the transfer was coming slowly and I was toppling over pretty regularly at first. Once I got it going though, I was okay. I could feel the core muscles struggling to hold the poses and was aware of the sweat forming all over. I was working muscles long dormant and they were pushing back, displeased with my efforts.
I won’t try to describe the entire class. You just have to do one. What I can say is that I’ve never felt so limber and relaxed at the conclusion of a workout. I particularly liked the last 5 minutes of final relaxation (savasana) when I could really concentrate on my breathing and the feeling of letting go of the stresses throughout my body. Breathing throughout the session is key, but something I had screwed up mostly because I was too busy trying to figure out whether I was in the correct position or not. I think it would take two or three sessions – if you’re not a slow learner – to get good enough to handle the poses without checking.
I didn’t skip the regular workout, though. I headed for the park to put in my 5th running day in a row. The cooler weather made it a breeze and I found myself wanting to run further and faster. If dark wasn’t closing in, I likely would have. Tomorrow I’m going for 6 in a row and feeling like the calf will be no problem. I’m feeling loose and limber as I write this and attributing that feeling to the yoga session. Make it part of the regular routine? I suppose I would find it too inconvenient to do regularly and I hate to pay for workouts, but I could see the value.
Run duration: 32 minutes. Yoga session: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75-90 during yoga.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running. 400 for yoga.
Eric, an old friend and tremendous runner I had the pleasure of coaching during his high school years, had been talking about experiencing new things. He was encouraging me to try a yoga class, which I’ve never done, and I was looking forward to the opportunity. I mean…I’m not too old to learn new things.
We met at Nirvana Yoga in Richfield for the 5:15 p.m. class for people with no coordination or shame. Right…designed with me in mind. Eric had prepped me somewhat…I knew he was worried I’d embarrass him or get him banned or something, so I had decided to actually be on good behavior…and maybe not speak. I was going to wear my ‘Jane Fonda’ leg warmers, but couldn’t find them so I settled for a t-shirt and running shorts.
The practice of yoga began in India over 6,000 years ago and means ‘union’. It works to connect the mind and the body through breathing and moving. Our daily lives are filled with events that cause the body to tense and stay that way, something that can manifest itself in physical ailments and diseases – at least that’s the tag line. Me? I was in it to get an awareness of what it was all about.
We started by gathering the tools of the session - a yoga matt, two foam blocks, a horse blanket, and a long strap. There was soft music playing – sounded like a mandolin, the lights were low, there was some air movement from the overhead fans, and a candle was lit on the table behind Melissa, our instructor and owner of the business. There was just one other guy doing the class with me and Eric, so not too many people in front of whom I could demonstrate my total ineptness in fitness class situations.
We began on the floor and in a cross-legged pose (they’re called asana) and began doing some breathing exercises while becoming aware of the stresses and tensions present throughout our bodies. I’ve done some mental relaxation with runners over the years and had familiarity with the technique. I’d forgotten how powerful and beneficial they can be. When I took stock of the aches and tightness I was feeling in my shoulders, for instance, I was acutely aware of how bad they were. As soon as Melissa suggested concentrating on another part of the body, the tension and pain fell away from the shoulders. It was there, but I could control it with my mind and breathing. Pretty cool.
Things started to heat up from there. I found myself getting into poses that were not that difficult to initiate, but a bitch to hold. First, there was stretching…or the lack thereof…which kind of hurt and felt good simultaneously. The problem for me was balance. Though I do workouts that require a good deal of it, the transfer was coming slowly and I was toppling over pretty regularly at first. Once I got it going though, I was okay. I could feel the core muscles struggling to hold the poses and was aware of the sweat forming all over. I was working muscles long dormant and they were pushing back, displeased with my efforts.
I won’t try to describe the entire class. You just have to do one. What I can say is that I’ve never felt so limber and relaxed at the conclusion of a workout. I particularly liked the last 5 minutes of final relaxation (savasana) when I could really concentrate on my breathing and the feeling of letting go of the stresses throughout my body. Breathing throughout the session is key, but something I had screwed up mostly because I was too busy trying to figure out whether I was in the correct position or not. I think it would take two or three sessions – if you’re not a slow learner – to get good enough to handle the poses without checking.
I didn’t skip the regular workout, though. I headed for the park to put in my 5th running day in a row. The cooler weather made it a breeze and I found myself wanting to run further and faster. If dark wasn’t closing in, I likely would have. Tomorrow I’m going for 6 in a row and feeling like the calf will be no problem. I’m feeling loose and limber as I write this and attributing that feeling to the yoga session. Make it part of the regular routine? I suppose I would find it too inconvenient to do regularly and I hate to pay for workouts, but I could see the value.
Run duration: 32 minutes. Yoga session: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75-90 during yoga.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running. 400 for yoga.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
I really need to drink more...
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
I started the run expecting to feel the normal aches and pains I have every day…but they weren’t there! My ankle has been quite sore though it loosens up after 10 minutes, but today…nothing. Good.
It was hot and muggy again and I didn’t have any water in the car. I’d been drinking extra the night before, but hadn’t made any effort through the day to hyper-hydrate. I stuck a piece of gum in my mouth and figured I’d be chewing like a mad dog later to keep some saliva moving.
The run was going well for the first 30 minutes and I started thinking maybe I’d make it another 75-minute plus day. By 40 minutes…things were happening that weren’t so good.
I tend to stop every 20-25 minutes to wring the sweat from my sweat band. This keeps my shoes from getting too squishy and stinky. When you sweat like I do – it actually makes sense. Today though, I couldn’t seem to go 10 minutes without needing to wring it out again. That’s a bad sign.
I was beginning to struggle around 50 minutes – slowing and starting to feel a little tingle. I tend to get goose bumps when I’m getting low on fluids and that’s what I was feeling. The cotton mouth was getting bad – I couldn’t hardly swallow – and I was still a 15-minute run from the car. I wanted to complete the run, but when I reached one hour, I figured I was good and decided to walk the last half mile. Good decision. I was still sweating, but couldn’t manage to swallow without a gag. I was feeling woozy and glad that the car was in sight. When I reached the car, I just sat there for about 10 minutes cooling down and getting my head straight.
Keep an eye out for heat illness. It comes on quickly and can be deadly. I have been running the last four days, sweating out more than I’ve been replacing. Sure, I sweat more than usual, but you still can’t let your thirst be the only indicator. Weighing in before and after a workout isn’t a bad idea. Whatever you’ve lost during the workout is fluid and needs to be replaced before the next workout. I should practice what I preach and I’ll do that in the summer, but we’ve had an unusually hot Spring and I should be doing it now.
Run duration: 62 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
I started the run expecting to feel the normal aches and pains I have every day…but they weren’t there! My ankle has been quite sore though it loosens up after 10 minutes, but today…nothing. Good.
It was hot and muggy again and I didn’t have any water in the car. I’d been drinking extra the night before, but hadn’t made any effort through the day to hyper-hydrate. I stuck a piece of gum in my mouth and figured I’d be chewing like a mad dog later to keep some saliva moving.
The run was going well for the first 30 minutes and I started thinking maybe I’d make it another 75-minute plus day. By 40 minutes…things were happening that weren’t so good.
I tend to stop every 20-25 minutes to wring the sweat from my sweat band. This keeps my shoes from getting too squishy and stinky. When you sweat like I do – it actually makes sense. Today though, I couldn’t seem to go 10 minutes without needing to wring it out again. That’s a bad sign.
I was beginning to struggle around 50 minutes – slowing and starting to feel a little tingle. I tend to get goose bumps when I’m getting low on fluids and that’s what I was feeling. The cotton mouth was getting bad – I couldn’t hardly swallow – and I was still a 15-minute run from the car. I wanted to complete the run, but when I reached one hour, I figured I was good and decided to walk the last half mile. Good decision. I was still sweating, but couldn’t manage to swallow without a gag. I was feeling woozy and glad that the car was in sight. When I reached the car, I just sat there for about 10 minutes cooling down and getting my head straight.
Keep an eye out for heat illness. It comes on quickly and can be deadly. I have been running the last four days, sweating out more than I’ve been replacing. Sure, I sweat more than usual, but you still can’t let your thirst be the only indicator. Weighing in before and after a workout isn’t a bad idea. Whatever you’ve lost during the workout is fluid and needs to be replaced before the next workout. I should practice what I preach and I’ll do that in the summer, but we’ve had an unusually hot Spring and I should be doing it now.
Run duration: 62 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"Four dead in O...hi...o"
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Is this one of those days you can always remember where you were or what you were doing when you heard that the Ohio National Guard had opened fire on demonstrators at Kent State University and killed four students?
Not quite for me. It’s the day after that I will never forget. I know that my dad, a navy man from WWII and Korea, had no tolerance for anti-Vietnam anything. He was not particularly upset that a bunch of draft-dodging hippies who were throwing bricks, stones and bottles at the police and the National Guard at Kent State, had been shot. I remember arguing with him that although what the demonstrators did was wrong, I was sure it did not warrant the death penalty in the state of Ohio. He didn’t like that.
I think there were many Americans with views that mirrored my father’s. When I arrived in American Citizenship class on the 5th, our teacher – Mr. Hace, opened the floor for a discussion on the events of the previous day. We were in 9th grade and our national and world views was somewhat limited by our ages and the things that really interested 15-year olds. Many of us had brothers in Viet Nam or on a college campus though, and so may have been more strongly influenced. Still – we were 15.
Mr. Hace let the discussion go for a while, but then told us of a conversation he’d had with his father the previous evening. As with many of my teachers, I knew nothing about this man, but I learned a lot that day. He was a recent graduate of Kent State and, as such, had extremely strong and emotional feelings on the event. In speaking with his father, he related, he heard the prevailing opinion that military dads seemed to be sharing – maybe they should have shot a few more.
“Dad…that could have been me they shot to death,” Mr. Hace said.
There was a long pause at the other end of the line and then his father replied, “I never really thought about it that way.”
Somehow for me, that personalized the event in a way nothing ever had to that point. These national events were things happening somewhere else, to someone else and thankfully, not to me. So what? Now – it was here – in my face and happening close to home. Kids that could have been my older brother were now in a drawer somewhere in Kent waiting for whatever it is they do with a college kid who just got shot dead.
I was on the track team and we had a meet after school. I running the mile and was in last place with a lap to go, but with a 65-second last quarter, passed the entire field and won my first race. Seemed like the right thing to do – set aside the little suffering I was going through and give it my best effort after what I’d heard in my American Citizenship class that day.
Yeah…I’ll never forget May 5th.
Run duration: 47 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 800.
Is this one of those days you can always remember where you were or what you were doing when you heard that the Ohio National Guard had opened fire on demonstrators at Kent State University and killed four students?
Not quite for me. It’s the day after that I will never forget. I know that my dad, a navy man from WWII and Korea, had no tolerance for anti-Vietnam anything. He was not particularly upset that a bunch of draft-dodging hippies who were throwing bricks, stones and bottles at the police and the National Guard at Kent State, had been shot. I remember arguing with him that although what the demonstrators did was wrong, I was sure it did not warrant the death penalty in the state of Ohio. He didn’t like that.
I think there were many Americans with views that mirrored my father’s. When I arrived in American Citizenship class on the 5th, our teacher – Mr. Hace, opened the floor for a discussion on the events of the previous day. We were in 9th grade and our national and world views was somewhat limited by our ages and the things that really interested 15-year olds. Many of us had brothers in Viet Nam or on a college campus though, and so may have been more strongly influenced. Still – we were 15.
Mr. Hace let the discussion go for a while, but then told us of a conversation he’d had with his father the previous evening. As with many of my teachers, I knew nothing about this man, but I learned a lot that day. He was a recent graduate of Kent State and, as such, had extremely strong and emotional feelings on the event. In speaking with his father, he related, he heard the prevailing opinion that military dads seemed to be sharing – maybe they should have shot a few more.
“Dad…that could have been me they shot to death,” Mr. Hace said.
There was a long pause at the other end of the line and then his father replied, “I never really thought about it that way.”
Somehow for me, that personalized the event in a way nothing ever had to that point. These national events were things happening somewhere else, to someone else and thankfully, not to me. So what? Now – it was here – in my face and happening close to home. Kids that could have been my older brother were now in a drawer somewhere in Kent waiting for whatever it is they do with a college kid who just got shot dead.
I was on the track team and we had a meet after school. I running the mile and was in last place with a lap to go, but with a 65-second last quarter, passed the entire field and won my first race. Seemed like the right thing to do – set aside the little suffering I was going through and give it my best effort after what I’d heard in my American Citizenship class that day.
Yeah…I’ll never forget May 5th.
Run duration: 47 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 800.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
It's all about the fluids...
Monday, May 03, 2010
I was working in my office and having no luck getting on-line. We’d had some work done on the server over the weekend and I was sure this was the after-affect. Just as I was ready to use profanity in my efforts, the programmer stuck his head in my office. He stared at me for a second and I knew what was coming.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you look…”
“…like John Locke?” I finished.
“Yeah! And you sound like him, too.”
I’d been working on my ‘Locke’ voice and was pleased he’d noticed.
“Yeah…heard that a couple of times,” I said.
“Mind if I take a picture? My wife is totally going to believe that I met John Locke when I show her this.”
I hit him up for $20 and let him take the picture. And I got my computer fixed without having to call Sayid. Finally it pays to look like someone other than me. Holly keeps wishing I favored Richard Gere, but you have to take what you get.
I felt like the walking wounded all day. If you’ve never run a marathon (…and I’m not recommending it), I had that wonderful muscle soreness from the waist down the reminds you with every step that you’d done something really foolish and were now paying the price. Actually, I’ve had this feeling a lot over the past couple of months, but understand it is the price for my own intensity...and age. Still…I don’t want to take a rest. Probably because I keep eating too much.
Anyway, I walked around some trying to loosen up the joints and muscles before beginning my run. I was in the South Chagrin Reservation again, but was planning to run on trails I’d never seen and didn’t know where they went (my grandpa would have said “they don’t go anywhere, John – they just stay there”). I like to tell myself I have a great sense of direction and it’s no matter that I don’t know the way. I can’t get ‘Lost’ in the Metroparks…right?
So…I follow this bridle trail thinking I’m heading south to an area I know when, after about 15 minutes of running I come to a road that isn’t supposed to be in the park. Somebody screwed up.
I was thinking of looking in the mailbox across the street to see if there was any mail which would help me identify the misplaced road, but the mailman was coming and I’m pretty sure it’s a federal offense to look at someone else’s mail.
So…I hopped back on the trail and eventually ran into a couple of hikers. I stopped to ask them where the hell they were…which would pretty much tell me where the hell I was.
“Hey…you look like…”
“Yeah…I’m him and we’re doing a promotional shoot here in Cleveland, but I’m kinda ‘Lost’.”
“Wow…how cool…how does it…”
“C’mon – you don’t want me to tell you that…now, do you?”
They told me where I was and I didn't tell them how the season ended. By now, the soreness was gone…I love endorphins…and I headed for an area I knew well along the Chagrin River. I did elect to follow more closely to the river on the unofficial trails made by hikers and runners who, like me, prefer a little more solitude and the beauty and sound of the river close at hand for every stride. It was a perfect run.
I returned to the car soaked and with squishy shoes again. I really needed to drink more and made a mental note to do it that evening. Dehydration is cumulative and I’ve suffered its affects before. You can’t keep losing 5-8 pounds of water a day without getting into serious trouble if you don’t put it back. I had a plan.
Jack had set a pr in the 800 last week and I hadn’t taken him for his East Coast Custard reward yet. After dinner, I reminded him of this oversight and since I was there and didn’t want him to have to…you know…eat alone…I ordered a Raspberry Slurry. You see…I all about re-hydrating…
Run duration: 48 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 815.
I was working in my office and having no luck getting on-line. We’d had some work done on the server over the weekend and I was sure this was the after-affect. Just as I was ready to use profanity in my efforts, the programmer stuck his head in my office. He stared at me for a second and I knew what was coming.
“Did anyone ever tell you that you look…”
“…like John Locke?” I finished.
“Yeah! And you sound like him, too.”
I’d been working on my ‘Locke’ voice and was pleased he’d noticed.
“Yeah…heard that a couple of times,” I said.
“Mind if I take a picture? My wife is totally going to believe that I met John Locke when I show her this.”
I hit him up for $20 and let him take the picture. And I got my computer fixed without having to call Sayid. Finally it pays to look like someone other than me. Holly keeps wishing I favored Richard Gere, but you have to take what you get.
I felt like the walking wounded all day. If you’ve never run a marathon (…and I’m not recommending it), I had that wonderful muscle soreness from the waist down the reminds you with every step that you’d done something really foolish and were now paying the price. Actually, I’ve had this feeling a lot over the past couple of months, but understand it is the price for my own intensity...and age. Still…I don’t want to take a rest. Probably because I keep eating too much.
Anyway, I walked around some trying to loosen up the joints and muscles before beginning my run. I was in the South Chagrin Reservation again, but was planning to run on trails I’d never seen and didn’t know where they went (my grandpa would have said “they don’t go anywhere, John – they just stay there”). I like to tell myself I have a great sense of direction and it’s no matter that I don’t know the way. I can’t get ‘Lost’ in the Metroparks…right?
So…I follow this bridle trail thinking I’m heading south to an area I know when, after about 15 minutes of running I come to a road that isn’t supposed to be in the park. Somebody screwed up.
I was thinking of looking in the mailbox across the street to see if there was any mail which would help me identify the misplaced road, but the mailman was coming and I’m pretty sure it’s a federal offense to look at someone else’s mail.
So…I hopped back on the trail and eventually ran into a couple of hikers. I stopped to ask them where the hell they were…which would pretty much tell me where the hell I was.
“Hey…you look like…”
“Yeah…I’m him and we’re doing a promotional shoot here in Cleveland, but I’m kinda ‘Lost’.”
“Wow…how cool…how does it…”
“C’mon – you don’t want me to tell you that…now, do you?”
They told me where I was and I didn't tell them how the season ended. By now, the soreness was gone…I love endorphins…and I headed for an area I knew well along the Chagrin River. I did elect to follow more closely to the river on the unofficial trails made by hikers and runners who, like me, prefer a little more solitude and the beauty and sound of the river close at hand for every stride. It was a perfect run.
I returned to the car soaked and with squishy shoes again. I really needed to drink more and made a mental note to do it that evening. Dehydration is cumulative and I’ve suffered its affects before. You can’t keep losing 5-8 pounds of water a day without getting into serious trouble if you don’t put it back. I had a plan.
Jack had set a pr in the 800 last week and I hadn’t taken him for his East Coast Custard reward yet. After dinner, I reminded him of this oversight and since I was there and didn’t want him to have to…you know…eat alone…I ordered a Raspberry Slurry. You see…I all about re-hydrating…
Run duration: 48 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 815.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Playing to stay in shape
Sunday, May 2, 2010
I was sitting in my front yard watching the kids across the street. Their dad had brought home a kite shaped like an airplane, put it together and shown his daughter and son the basics of flying it. Then he left them to their own devices.
The girl is probably six and her brother is around four. Soon they were joined by four more children in the same age range. The six-year old never let go of the kite and was running around the yard pulling it behind her. She’d never let out more than 5’ of string and so it wasn’t going too high and every time she turned to run with the wind, the kite came crashing to the ground.
Now…what she needed was a little adult coaching. I could have shown her how, if she kept going into the wind and let out a little more string, she could keep the kite flying and not had to run. It was windy and I’m sure we could have gotten it hundreds of feet into the air and then all of the kids could have watched it and…been bored to tears.
Instead…without any help from adults…all six kids were tearing around the yard chasing the kite, laughing, falling, yelling for a turn and generally having a ball. They were playing…and burning up a ton of calories.
I suppose I note this because it’s something I seldom see today, but remember how much I did that at that age. Just went out and played…and never worried about childhood obesity. How could you get fat if you were running for hours, falling, getting dirty, playing make-believe games, and traipsing all over the neighborhood in search of the next adventure? You couldn’t and we didn’t.
Nice story, grandpa…
Okay…they didn’t want me to play so I headed for the Metropark for what I planned to be my new longest run ever. It was in the 80’s and very humid, but I’d run 5 days in a row last week and was feeling invincible. I had a course in mind that should take me further than I’d ever gone before, but if not, I’d tack on the extra minutes at the end.
It took me a while to get started because my Vaseline jar was no longer in the car and there was no way I was trying this run without greasy protection from chafing. I have no clue why it had escaped my car, but I headed home for another jar.
By the time I returned, it was getting late and I’d be pushing up against family dinner time if I ran more than 80 minutes. I started out slowly, as always, and thought I’d just see what the weather would let me do. I hate the humidity and was sweating buckets in no time.
Normally, I can make it about 20 minutes before I need to wring out the sweat band, but now it was happening every 10. If I don’t do this, the sweat just drops on my shoes and then they stink like hell. By the 40-minute mark, my shorts and shirt were completely saturated and the shoes were squishing anyway. I needed a drink pretty badly and finally found a fountain at the 50-minute mark. It helped, but not much.
I was dragging badly now. I’d probably lost 8 pounds of fluid and my hamstrings were starting to cramp. Did I mention it was humid?
I finally reached the car in 73 minutes. I was one minute over my previous long run, but I wasn’t taking another running step. I covered the seat with towels to absorb my wetness and flopped in the car.
I tried all night to re-hydrate…I really needed to get that water back in me for tomorrow’s workout when it occurred to me that Breyer’s Vanilla with Natural Bean Specks in loaded with life-giving water. I read that somewhere, I’m sure, so I went and loaded a bowl and savored every bite. Now…that’s two nights in a row, but no big deal. It will be gone tomorrow and we just won’t buy any for a couple of weeks. Grab the gusto while you can…
Run duration: 73 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1,240.
I was sitting in my front yard watching the kids across the street. Their dad had brought home a kite shaped like an airplane, put it together and shown his daughter and son the basics of flying it. Then he left them to their own devices.
The girl is probably six and her brother is around four. Soon they were joined by four more children in the same age range. The six-year old never let go of the kite and was running around the yard pulling it behind her. She’d never let out more than 5’ of string and so it wasn’t going too high and every time she turned to run with the wind, the kite came crashing to the ground.
Now…what she needed was a little adult coaching. I could have shown her how, if she kept going into the wind and let out a little more string, she could keep the kite flying and not had to run. It was windy and I’m sure we could have gotten it hundreds of feet into the air and then all of the kids could have watched it and…been bored to tears.
Instead…without any help from adults…all six kids were tearing around the yard chasing the kite, laughing, falling, yelling for a turn and generally having a ball. They were playing…and burning up a ton of calories.
I suppose I note this because it’s something I seldom see today, but remember how much I did that at that age. Just went out and played…and never worried about childhood obesity. How could you get fat if you were running for hours, falling, getting dirty, playing make-believe games, and traipsing all over the neighborhood in search of the next adventure? You couldn’t and we didn’t.
Nice story, grandpa…
Okay…they didn’t want me to play so I headed for the Metropark for what I planned to be my new longest run ever. It was in the 80’s and very humid, but I’d run 5 days in a row last week and was feeling invincible. I had a course in mind that should take me further than I’d ever gone before, but if not, I’d tack on the extra minutes at the end.
It took me a while to get started because my Vaseline jar was no longer in the car and there was no way I was trying this run without greasy protection from chafing. I have no clue why it had escaped my car, but I headed home for another jar.
By the time I returned, it was getting late and I’d be pushing up against family dinner time if I ran more than 80 minutes. I started out slowly, as always, and thought I’d just see what the weather would let me do. I hate the humidity and was sweating buckets in no time.
Normally, I can make it about 20 minutes before I need to wring out the sweat band, but now it was happening every 10. If I don’t do this, the sweat just drops on my shoes and then they stink like hell. By the 40-minute mark, my shorts and shirt were completely saturated and the shoes were squishing anyway. I needed a drink pretty badly and finally found a fountain at the 50-minute mark. It helped, but not much.
I was dragging badly now. I’d probably lost 8 pounds of fluid and my hamstrings were starting to cramp. Did I mention it was humid?
I finally reached the car in 73 minutes. I was one minute over my previous long run, but I wasn’t taking another running step. I covered the seat with towels to absorb my wetness and flopped in the car.
I tried all night to re-hydrate…I really needed to get that water back in me for tomorrow’s workout when it occurred to me that Breyer’s Vanilla with Natural Bean Specks in loaded with life-giving water. I read that somewhere, I’m sure, so I went and loaded a bowl and savored every bite. Now…that’s two nights in a row, but no big deal. It will be gone tomorrow and we just won’t buy any for a couple of weeks. Grab the gusto while you can…
Run duration: 73 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1,240.
The Yard Work Meister...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
I had been dragging all night Friday – the double had really kicked my butt and then I’d come home and done all the yard work for an hour.
Now it was time to go to my part-time landscaping job I did for an old friend who needed help around the house. I work like a dog (not mine – she lays around for a living) when I go there and this would be no exception. I spent almost six hours cutting new edges around all of his trees and gardens, hauling mulch and top soil and moving yard waste into the woods. I sweat buckets, drank diet Snapple all day and was crawling back to my car when I finished around 3 p.m.
I drove past the park on the way home and thought…for a fleeting second…about running. Bag it. I headed for home.
Yet…I couldn’t relax there. I was feeling the guilt. I was just tired…what’s the big deal? I did want a day off of running, but there were other things I could do. I checked with Dakota – she was up for a trip to the park – grabbed the camera and binoculars and we were off.
It was nothing strenuous, but I was burning more calories and loving the scenery. Shortly after going off-trail, I spooked up 5 white tails who really didn’t seem to mind sharing the woods with Dakota and me. I shot a couple of pictures and moved on. We worked our way down to and around the marsh, making it a 70-minute walk. I was actually sweating by the time I returned to the car and hungry as hell.
I’d burned more calories during the day than I had on the double from the day before and was feeling like there was Breyer’s in my future. I managed to wait until after our low-calorie, completely healthy and totally unfulfilling dinner salad to hit the freezer for the ice cream. Breyer’s Vanilla with Natural Bean Specks is the ice cream of choice, though I am not too particular on this food source. I slathered it in chocolate syrup and threw on some healthy peanuts before sitting down to savor the fat and calories.
Some times you just gotta do whatcha gotta do…
Yard work duration: 6 freaking hours. Hike duration: 70 minutes
Training Heart Rate: Up and down for yard work. 65 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 1,250 yard working. 425 hiking.
I had been dragging all night Friday – the double had really kicked my butt and then I’d come home and done all the yard work for an hour.
Now it was time to go to my part-time landscaping job I did for an old friend who needed help around the house. I work like a dog (not mine – she lays around for a living) when I go there and this would be no exception. I spent almost six hours cutting new edges around all of his trees and gardens, hauling mulch and top soil and moving yard waste into the woods. I sweat buckets, drank diet Snapple all day and was crawling back to my car when I finished around 3 p.m.
I drove past the park on the way home and thought…for a fleeting second…about running. Bag it. I headed for home.
Yet…I couldn’t relax there. I was feeling the guilt. I was just tired…what’s the big deal? I did want a day off of running, but there were other things I could do. I checked with Dakota – she was up for a trip to the park – grabbed the camera and binoculars and we were off.
It was nothing strenuous, but I was burning more calories and loving the scenery. Shortly after going off-trail, I spooked up 5 white tails who really didn’t seem to mind sharing the woods with Dakota and me. I shot a couple of pictures and moved on. We worked our way down to and around the marsh, making it a 70-minute walk. I was actually sweating by the time I returned to the car and hungry as hell.
I’d burned more calories during the day than I had on the double from the day before and was feeling like there was Breyer’s in my future. I managed to wait until after our low-calorie, completely healthy and totally unfulfilling dinner salad to hit the freezer for the ice cream. Breyer’s Vanilla with Natural Bean Specks is the ice cream of choice, though I am not too particular on this food source. I slathered it in chocolate syrup and threw on some healthy peanuts before sitting down to savor the fat and calories.
Some times you just gotta do whatcha gotta do…
Yard work duration: 6 freaking hours. Hike duration: 70 minutes
Training Heart Rate: Up and down for yard work. 65 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 1,250 yard working. 425 hiking.
Wiped out after a double
Friday, April 30, 2010
Well…if I could run 4 days in a row without the calf hurting, why not 5?
I was still planning on riding to Chardon to pick up the Jeep, but I didn’t want to ride out there until after the going-home traffic was home. I stopped in the park, threw on the running gear and jumped on the trails for a run. I was feeling so good after yesterday’s that I figured ‘push until it hurts’. I used to run 6 days a week and really wanted to know if that was a possibility again.
This time though, I was committed to going only 30 minutes. I started slowly and ran easily the whole time. There was never anything close to a twinge and I finished the course in 32 minutes feeling like I could have gone further easily and that running tomorrow would be a breeze – though I hadn’t committed to that mentally yet.
I got home and put on the biking gear and jumped on the road for the uphill ride to Chardon. It wasn’t raining…but I was just starting. It had been two weeks since I’d been on the bike and I noticed it right away. That and the fact that I’d run 5 days in a row could have been the reason my legs were so flat, but climbing Wilson Mills Road from River was beastly. Essentially, it’s the same hill as ‘The Lung’ and by the time I was three quarters up, I wanted to puke.
Why does anyone voluntarily move to Chardon? Dan used to live in Chesterland and that was a reasonable ride with about half the snow. You got to love snow to live in Chardon. And there’s not 100 yards of flat road between my house and his. Wah…wah…wah. I was tired though, and riding 18 miles uphill just plain sucks. Oh…and did I mention the wind was in my face? Where else would it be?
It took me 70 minutes, but I finally arrived at Dan’s place. I was feeling a little low on energy (bonking) and he was feeling sorry for me so he brought me a glass of grape juice. I had just reached the conclusion that tomorrow was going to be an off-day.
Run duration: 32 minutes. Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135 running. 125 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 545 running. 1050 biking.
Well…if I could run 4 days in a row without the calf hurting, why not 5?
I was still planning on riding to Chardon to pick up the Jeep, but I didn’t want to ride out there until after the going-home traffic was home. I stopped in the park, threw on the running gear and jumped on the trails for a run. I was feeling so good after yesterday’s that I figured ‘push until it hurts’. I used to run 6 days a week and really wanted to know if that was a possibility again.
This time though, I was committed to going only 30 minutes. I started slowly and ran easily the whole time. There was never anything close to a twinge and I finished the course in 32 minutes feeling like I could have gone further easily and that running tomorrow would be a breeze – though I hadn’t committed to that mentally yet.
I got home and put on the biking gear and jumped on the road for the uphill ride to Chardon. It wasn’t raining…but I was just starting. It had been two weeks since I’d been on the bike and I noticed it right away. That and the fact that I’d run 5 days in a row could have been the reason my legs were so flat, but climbing Wilson Mills Road from River was beastly. Essentially, it’s the same hill as ‘The Lung’ and by the time I was three quarters up, I wanted to puke.
Why does anyone voluntarily move to Chardon? Dan used to live in Chesterland and that was a reasonable ride with about half the snow. You got to love snow to live in Chardon. And there’s not 100 yards of flat road between my house and his. Wah…wah…wah. I was tired though, and riding 18 miles uphill just plain sucks. Oh…and did I mention the wind was in my face? Where else would it be?
It took me 70 minutes, but I finally arrived at Dan’s place. I was feeling a little low on energy (bonking) and he was feeling sorry for me so he brought me a glass of grape juice. I had just reached the conclusion that tomorrow was going to be an off-day.
Run duration: 32 minutes. Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 135 running. 125 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 545 running. 1050 biking.
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