Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Maybe it’s all in my head. I kind of told myself yesterday’s run was going to be slow and hard…and it was. I always tend to run poorly on days of high heat and humidity, which yesterday was, and so my expectations were low going in. In fact, I ran my Clear Creek course in about 64 minutes – the same one I ran in a pr of 58:16 three days earlier.
So…today it’s cool and the humidity is almost non-existent…as Cleveland humidity goes. Now, if I’m right about how weather affects me, I should be able to rip one and since it was my tempo run day, I decided to take it out hard and see where it went.
I hit my first check point almost 90 seconds ahead of my pr pace and continued to feel strong until I hit 40 minutes. I worked hard to hold on and when I was nearing Clear Creek, I peeked at the watch. I was way ahead and finished strong in 55:36 – 2:40 faster than ever before! It was actually cool enough that I didn’t feel like jumping in, but I sure was happy with the effort. I like to think the course is around 7 miles, so my times are starting to get respectable for a 55-year old, still over-weight, runner.
In fact, this is more the way I measure weight loss and improvement. I haven’t been on a scale in some time, but know enough about body fat to see that mine is on the decline. I wouldn’t be dropping times on runs like I am if I wasn’t losing, either, although conditioning is playing some part.
When I got home, I found a couple of pairs of pants Holly had gotten me about 8 years ago setting on my dresser. I’d never been able to fit into them and the tags were still on. I tried them both on and found that they were about a half an inch from feeling comfortable. I’d decided to hang onto them because I just couldn’t admit to myself that I was never again going to lose the weight I’d gained. The feeling I got from knowing I was close was almost as good as crushing my Clear Creek pr. Almost.
Run duration: 55 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 145.
Calories burned during workout: 950.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Maddox Man
Monday, June 28, 2010
I finally made it back to the park after 48 hours off. Doesn’t sound so bad when I put it that way. It was soooo muggy, though, that I almost turned the car around to go home for a ride, instead. Then I started thinking about taking a dunk in Clear Creek at the completion of what would surely be a very sweaty run, which was enough to get me going. Besides…one hour of running and I feel great about my routine, but I feel like I have to go at least a couple of hours on the bike and since I had a lawn to cut, time was limited.
I started slowly, hoping the abdominal pain would have miraculously disappeared after only two days without running. Wrong. It was there, but as usual, the first ten minutes warmed it to the point that I could live with it for the rest of the run. The deer flies were particularly annoying… they seem to increase in ferocity directly proportional with higher percentages of humidity. Lovely. I killed a couple and left their pieces parts smeared on my head and back to discourage other members of the species…with little success. In fact, I felt a particularly painful bite on my arm and when I looked, was staring at a horsefly the size of a robin. I smashed him good, but not before he took his pound of flesh.
My body conceded to the heat and humidity. The run took a full four minutes longer than it had on the previous Friday, but I made it to the creek and plunged in. The water was running faster, cooler and higher as a result of last night’s storm, so I just floated and enjoyed it until my body had completely cooled. I climbed out and decided I’d done enough running and just walked the half mile back to the car, enjoying the rays of the evening sun filtering through the pines.
I returned home, cut the grass and walked next door to take a look at a couple of stumps my neighbor was trying to get uprooted. I grabbed my maddox and shovel and attacked the first one. It was out in less than four minutes. The second one had me going for the next hour, digging, chopping, pulling out dirt, moving gutters and just plain sweating. We called it quits around 9 p.m., the stump intact, but at least I’d gotten in a great upper body workout…and I can go back tomorrow for more. Life is good.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1025.
I finally made it back to the park after 48 hours off. Doesn’t sound so bad when I put it that way. It was soooo muggy, though, that I almost turned the car around to go home for a ride, instead. Then I started thinking about taking a dunk in Clear Creek at the completion of what would surely be a very sweaty run, which was enough to get me going. Besides…one hour of running and I feel great about my routine, but I feel like I have to go at least a couple of hours on the bike and since I had a lawn to cut, time was limited.
I started slowly, hoping the abdominal pain would have miraculously disappeared after only two days without running. Wrong. It was there, but as usual, the first ten minutes warmed it to the point that I could live with it for the rest of the run. The deer flies were particularly annoying… they seem to increase in ferocity directly proportional with higher percentages of humidity. Lovely. I killed a couple and left their pieces parts smeared on my head and back to discourage other members of the species…with little success. In fact, I felt a particularly painful bite on my arm and when I looked, was staring at a horsefly the size of a robin. I smashed him good, but not before he took his pound of flesh.
My body conceded to the heat and humidity. The run took a full four minutes longer than it had on the previous Friday, but I made it to the creek and plunged in. The water was running faster, cooler and higher as a result of last night’s storm, so I just floated and enjoyed it until my body had completely cooled. I climbed out and decided I’d done enough running and just walked the half mile back to the car, enjoying the rays of the evening sun filtering through the pines.
I returned home, cut the grass and walked next door to take a look at a couple of stumps my neighbor was trying to get uprooted. I grabbed my maddox and shovel and attacked the first one. It was out in less than four minutes. The second one had me going for the next hour, digging, chopping, pulling out dirt, moving gutters and just plain sweating. We called it quits around 9 p.m., the stump intact, but at least I’d gotten in a great upper body workout…and I can go back tomorrow for more. Life is good.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1025.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Jason's going back in time, too.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
It was going to be a bike ride, but Mother Nature had other ideas. It pretty much stormed a good portion of the afternoon in Highland Heights and that kept my bike in the garage. In fact, it kind of kept me from thinking too much about running, as well. If this was going to be two days off in a row…so be it. The abs could use the time off, though it will probably take a solid week of no running and then a gradual buildup to eliminate the pain…something I’m not going to be doing.
My son Jason was over for Sunday dinner and, at the ripe old age of 25, is planning a track comeback. He ran for Mayfield in high school, was a decent 800 meter man, and now wants to go out for the Kent State track team. He didn’t want to go to college after high school, but recently changed his mind and enrolled.
“Dad…I was looking at the times for the 800 meter guys and I think if I could get down to 1:55, I could make the team. Do you think that’s possible?”
“How much time do you have and how hard are you willing to work?” I asked.
He’s very motivated, but he’s also very busy. Working and going to school full time can be a load. I told him I could design the program and do the coaching, but he’d have to carve out 6-7 hours a week through the fall and winter to get it done. We are both looking forward to what should prove to be an interesting challenge.
“Be ready for your teammates to be calling you ‘grandpa’, though,” I said. I don’t think it will matter if he can make the grade.
Again, it’s the goal setting that leads to the dedication and commitment…in my opinion. My sister dialed me last night to ask more about my plans for kayaking across Lake Erie because she’s been telling friends from her ‘Spirit of America’ group (boating safety organization) and has kayaker’s that want to join me. Look for or create an opportunity to challenge yourself, pick a day, share the goal with friends and family, and then design and follow a sensible training program to accomplish the deed. It’s actually that simple…and it WILL keep you focused.
I’ll work out tomorrow. I promise.
It was going to be a bike ride, but Mother Nature had other ideas. It pretty much stormed a good portion of the afternoon in Highland Heights and that kept my bike in the garage. In fact, it kind of kept me from thinking too much about running, as well. If this was going to be two days off in a row…so be it. The abs could use the time off, though it will probably take a solid week of no running and then a gradual buildup to eliminate the pain…something I’m not going to be doing.
My son Jason was over for Sunday dinner and, at the ripe old age of 25, is planning a track comeback. He ran for Mayfield in high school, was a decent 800 meter man, and now wants to go out for the Kent State track team. He didn’t want to go to college after high school, but recently changed his mind and enrolled.
“Dad…I was looking at the times for the 800 meter guys and I think if I could get down to 1:55, I could make the team. Do you think that’s possible?”
“How much time do you have and how hard are you willing to work?” I asked.
He’s very motivated, but he’s also very busy. Working and going to school full time can be a load. I told him I could design the program and do the coaching, but he’d have to carve out 6-7 hours a week through the fall and winter to get it done. We are both looking forward to what should prove to be an interesting challenge.
“Be ready for your teammates to be calling you ‘grandpa’, though,” I said. I don’t think it will matter if he can make the grade.
Again, it’s the goal setting that leads to the dedication and commitment…in my opinion. My sister dialed me last night to ask more about my plans for kayaking across Lake Erie because she’s been telling friends from her ‘Spirit of America’ group (boating safety organization) and has kayaker’s that want to join me. Look for or create an opportunity to challenge yourself, pick a day, share the goal with friends and family, and then design and follow a sensible training program to accomplish the deed. It’s actually that simple…and it WILL keep you focused.
I’ll work out tomorrow. I promise.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
A Cherokee Legend
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
This fight goes on within me all the time. Regarding my fitness regimen, the wolf I fed all too often convinced me that I didn’t need to work out and that I’d be able to turn it back on and get in shape whenever I wanted. Last February, after years of feeding that wolf, I determined he was wrong and began feeding the one that said don’t put it off until tomorrow. He is healthy and strong now and dominates my thinking and actions.
I was pretty sure though, that today would be an off-day. I hadn’t taken one in two weeks and certainly needed it. My abdominals have been sore for three weeks and though I’d run strong yesterday, I’ve been sluggish all week.
I went to my landscaping job at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 1:30 p.m. It was hot and humid and I dropped a couple of buckets of sweat. I was decently exhausted when I finished there and bypassed the park, opting for a rest and maybe a ride later in the afternoon. It never happened…and I’m fine with that because it truly was the plan. The running wolf lives in me again…and he knew I needed a break.
A Cherokee Legend
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
This fight goes on within me all the time. Regarding my fitness regimen, the wolf I fed all too often convinced me that I didn’t need to work out and that I’d be able to turn it back on and get in shape whenever I wanted. Last February, after years of feeding that wolf, I determined he was wrong and began feeding the one that said don’t put it off until tomorrow. He is healthy and strong now and dominates my thinking and actions.
I was pretty sure though, that today would be an off-day. I hadn’t taken one in two weeks and certainly needed it. My abdominals have been sore for three weeks and though I’d run strong yesterday, I’ve been sluggish all week.
I went to my landscaping job at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 1:30 p.m. It was hot and humid and I dropped a couple of buckets of sweat. I was decently exhausted when I finished there and bypassed the park, opting for a rest and maybe a ride later in the afternoon. It never happened…and I’m fine with that because it truly was the plan. The running wolf lives in me again…and he knew I needed a break.
"Where's my desk?"
Friday, June 25, 2010
I had a very unnerving experience today. I work for an agency that has me in two locations, with offices in both. I went to my secondary location today, headed to my office, unlocked the door and walked in. I stopped just inside the door because the office was all wrong. My first impression was that I was in the wrong place…but no…it was right. I’d had an L-shaped desk, but it was gone. In its place was a simple, wooden desk, scratched, dirty and missing laminated edges. Files of clients I had left out on my desk were, I hoped, in a pile in a box on top of a filing cabinet. As for the things I’d had inside the desk…well…there was no way of telling. The computer was sitting on the window sill and, in a nutshell, it looked like the place had been ransacked.
I don’t work directly for the agency in which I had this office and I didn’t really know where to start to find out what had happened. I was feeling shock and anger. I felt violated…like someone had broken into my house and gone through personal things. This place was mine, I thought, but clearly someone else did not. I knew the CFO of the company from my home office since until recently, he had worked there, as well. I went to his office and explained the situation. I think he was angrier than I and embarrassed for the agency he represented. He came with me to my office to witness the situation and, I think, this made him angrier, still. We went together to the head administrator of the organization and she fumbled. She knew what had happened though hadn’t been personally responsible and was also embarrassed to have to face me, the victim. We returned to the office where I tried to determine if all of my files and paperwork was there. I really couldn’t be sure and since the door had been left unlocked (I discovered) there would never be any way of knowing.
Another employee of the agency came by and admitted to knowing who had done the desk switch and why. It was needed by someone else because they had new equipment coming that needed such a desk and so the person who orchestrates office equipment throughout the building determined that taking my desk would be a logical answer. Calling, emailing, or leaving me a note as to what had happened…or was about to happen…was not something that occurred to her and so I was left to walk into an office a day later and discover the situation and have only questions.
What goes through the brains of some people? What would ever make anyone think that such an action, without explanation, could possibly be acceptable? How does she even begin to hold a job of responsibility? She is so far beyond the Peter Principle that it’s laughable…except for people trying to work with her or the agency she represents. Oh well…when I get this frustrated…
I run.
I decided an hour was appropriate and if it had to be slow…so be it. I started with short, choppy steps hoping this would make the early going on my still-sore abs feel better. I noticed after 10 minutes I was feeling pretty good and moving reasonably fast. I hit the normal 26-minute point in 24 minutes and though it was quite muggy, I felt good throughout and arrived at the stream in 58 minutes – 2 minutes faster than ever before. There was a hiker with five dogs utilizing the cooling effects of the water. They were a friendly bunch and didn’t seem to mind sharing the stream with me. Once I plunged in though, they stopped lapping the water so much. They knew what my sweat would do to it.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1025.
I had a very unnerving experience today. I work for an agency that has me in two locations, with offices in both. I went to my secondary location today, headed to my office, unlocked the door and walked in. I stopped just inside the door because the office was all wrong. My first impression was that I was in the wrong place…but no…it was right. I’d had an L-shaped desk, but it was gone. In its place was a simple, wooden desk, scratched, dirty and missing laminated edges. Files of clients I had left out on my desk were, I hoped, in a pile in a box on top of a filing cabinet. As for the things I’d had inside the desk…well…there was no way of telling. The computer was sitting on the window sill and, in a nutshell, it looked like the place had been ransacked.
I don’t work directly for the agency in which I had this office and I didn’t really know where to start to find out what had happened. I was feeling shock and anger. I felt violated…like someone had broken into my house and gone through personal things. This place was mine, I thought, but clearly someone else did not. I knew the CFO of the company from my home office since until recently, he had worked there, as well. I went to his office and explained the situation. I think he was angrier than I and embarrassed for the agency he represented. He came with me to my office to witness the situation and, I think, this made him angrier, still. We went together to the head administrator of the organization and she fumbled. She knew what had happened though hadn’t been personally responsible and was also embarrassed to have to face me, the victim. We returned to the office where I tried to determine if all of my files and paperwork was there. I really couldn’t be sure and since the door had been left unlocked (I discovered) there would never be any way of knowing.
Another employee of the agency came by and admitted to knowing who had done the desk switch and why. It was needed by someone else because they had new equipment coming that needed such a desk and so the person who orchestrates office equipment throughout the building determined that taking my desk would be a logical answer. Calling, emailing, or leaving me a note as to what had happened…or was about to happen…was not something that occurred to her and so I was left to walk into an office a day later and discover the situation and have only questions.
What goes through the brains of some people? What would ever make anyone think that such an action, without explanation, could possibly be acceptable? How does she even begin to hold a job of responsibility? She is so far beyond the Peter Principle that it’s laughable…except for people trying to work with her or the agency she represents. Oh well…when I get this frustrated…
I run.
I decided an hour was appropriate and if it had to be slow…so be it. I started with short, choppy steps hoping this would make the early going on my still-sore abs feel better. I noticed after 10 minutes I was feeling pretty good and moving reasonably fast. I hit the normal 26-minute point in 24 minutes and though it was quite muggy, I felt good throughout and arrived at the stream in 58 minutes – 2 minutes faster than ever before. There was a hiker with five dogs utilizing the cooling effects of the water. They were a friendly bunch and didn’t seem to mind sharing the stream with me. Once I plunged in though, they stopped lapping the water so much. They knew what my sweat would do to it.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1025.
Friday, June 25, 2010
"Something's watching me..."
Thursday, June 24, 2010
I’ve been following Kim’s blog from the Rocky Mountain Research Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado since she arrived there earlier this summer. I’m very envious of her setting, the views and the wildlife she is experiencing. Yesterday, she talked about having an overactive imagination on late night trips to the outdoor privy. It’s easy to imagine that the cracking twig or rustling undergrowth is a mountain lion, bear or wolf waiting…watching. I’ve been there.
I think one of the best parts of going into the wilderness where such animals do live is the added thrill I get from each breath I take. Yes…I’ve had bears in my campsite and…yes, I’ve had animals crawling over me as I slept under skies clustered with more stars than I ever thought existed. Yes…I’ve gotten up in the night to use the facilities and peered into the darkness looking for the eyes of the black bears watching my every movement…and felt my pulse beating harder and faster during the whole experience.
Many backcountry adventurers have had experiences that make mine seem like a visit to the zoo. The point is though, that mine and Kim’s experiences make life so much more exciting – if only for a few nights a year. I wonder if this isn’t the real reason I go in the first place…to have a little danger in my life by getting out of my comfort zone. I love the feeling and by bringing people out to experience the backcountry, I feel I will have more allies for the protection of these habitats as challenges to their existence continue to arise.
It really is time to get ready for a backcountry trip. I spoke to about 10 different people looking to go to the Adirondacks with me as their guide this summer and fall and need to start planning the dates. I need to do more with a pack on my shoulders and start checking the condition of all my gear. Once there, if something doesn’t perform up to expectations, you’re pretty much screwed. So…if you’re one of the 10 different people…let’s make the plans, get in shape, and check out the gear.
I went to the park with a very definite plan to run short and easy. I’m getting tired of feeling lousy, as I have for the last 5 workouts, so I decided to cut back for the remainder of the week. That meant 30 minute run and done.
And then I felt good. It was cooler and the humidity was down. I went through the first 20 minutes easily and, of course, started thinking of ways to lengthen the run. I did decide that 45 minutes would be the max, though. I passed the car and headed up a steep hill – something I almost never do when it wasn’t in the original plan. I looped back to the car with a 43 minute run and still feeling fresh and ready for more. It’s been almost a week since I’ve had that feeling and it was a welcome return. In fact, I felt so good that I returned with Dakota later for another one-hour trek. Hope the feeling holds for tomorrow.
Run duration: 43 minutes. Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 730 running. 480 hiking.
I’ve been following Kim’s blog from the Rocky Mountain Research Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado since she arrived there earlier this summer. I’m very envious of her setting, the views and the wildlife she is experiencing. Yesterday, she talked about having an overactive imagination on late night trips to the outdoor privy. It’s easy to imagine that the cracking twig or rustling undergrowth is a mountain lion, bear or wolf waiting…watching. I’ve been there.
I think one of the best parts of going into the wilderness where such animals do live is the added thrill I get from each breath I take. Yes…I’ve had bears in my campsite and…yes, I’ve had animals crawling over me as I slept under skies clustered with more stars than I ever thought existed. Yes…I’ve gotten up in the night to use the facilities and peered into the darkness looking for the eyes of the black bears watching my every movement…and felt my pulse beating harder and faster during the whole experience.
Many backcountry adventurers have had experiences that make mine seem like a visit to the zoo. The point is though, that mine and Kim’s experiences make life so much more exciting – if only for a few nights a year. I wonder if this isn’t the real reason I go in the first place…to have a little danger in my life by getting out of my comfort zone. I love the feeling and by bringing people out to experience the backcountry, I feel I will have more allies for the protection of these habitats as challenges to their existence continue to arise.
It really is time to get ready for a backcountry trip. I spoke to about 10 different people looking to go to the Adirondacks with me as their guide this summer and fall and need to start planning the dates. I need to do more with a pack on my shoulders and start checking the condition of all my gear. Once there, if something doesn’t perform up to expectations, you’re pretty much screwed. So…if you’re one of the 10 different people…let’s make the plans, get in shape, and check out the gear.
I went to the park with a very definite plan to run short and easy. I’m getting tired of feeling lousy, as I have for the last 5 workouts, so I decided to cut back for the remainder of the week. That meant 30 minute run and done.
And then I felt good. It was cooler and the humidity was down. I went through the first 20 minutes easily and, of course, started thinking of ways to lengthen the run. I did decide that 45 minutes would be the max, though. I passed the car and headed up a steep hill – something I almost never do when it wasn’t in the original plan. I looped back to the car with a 43 minute run and still feeling fresh and ready for more. It’s been almost a week since I’ve had that feeling and it was a welcome return. In fact, I felt so good that I returned with Dakota later for another one-hour trek. Hope the feeling holds for tomorrow.
Run duration: 43 minutes. Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 75 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 730 running. 480 hiking.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Gotta love nature.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
I checked the humidity before heading for the Metropark. 102%. I pretty much saturated my clothes with sweat tying on my shoes. Yeah it was muggy. It was also looking like a good thunderstorm on the way, which pretty much eliminated biking, kayaking and walking with a metal thing strapped to my back. Running was all that was left.
Yet, I love to run in the rain and hoped that it would start before I finished. I only had 45 minutes for a run because I had an evening appointment. So…get going.
I was only 5 minutes into the run when a whoosh went over my head. Landing lightly on a tree just off the trail was a beautiful barred owl. They hunt in dense woods and during the day and so I was lucky enough to see him at work. He watched as I approached, then did a 360 with his head to see if I’d still be there. I was and he took flight, but this was another pleasant reminder as to why I love to run the trails.
I was expecting to feel a little crisper on the run following the speed workout yesterday and I did…for about 15 minutes. Then that same sluggish feeling set in and I just struggled for the rest of the run. The good news was that, with that ugly feeling came the rains. I’d like to say they cooled me off, but it just seemed to make it steamier. No matters…I was slopping through the puddles, shoes getting heavier with every step, but enjoying the rain pounding in on me. I know you’re not supposed to be under trees with lightning flashing above, but there were so many trees…I kind of thought the odds were in my favor, though getting struck would have fit for the day…
I was sitting in an office working with a client at a table, when the table started doing a weird, vibrating thing. The person I was with had his hands on the table and I was sure he’d felt the movement, but when I asked him, he said he hadn’t felt a thing.
“I might have bumped it with my leg,” he said.
“Yeah? Did you bump my chair and rattle the floor too? I felt everything moving,” I said, rising from my chair and headed out of the office to see if anyone else had felt it. I looked around and saw one guy sitting calmly in a chair, reading a magazine. The receptionist was answering a call, unconcerned and nothing else was moving…except me. I don’t know, but I was pretty sure I’d just felt the earth moving. Later in the evening, my daughter asked me if I’d heard about the earthquake in Canada.
“Well…I didn’t hear about it, but I sure as hell felt it,” I said, pleased with the confirmation that I hadn’t (or had) been feeling things.
The lightning never bothered me and I finished my run saturated from head to toe with a combination of my salty sweat and a cleansing rain. I may have run poorly, but a bad day running is better than a good day of sitting on my duff doing nothing.
Run duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 765.
I checked the humidity before heading for the Metropark. 102%. I pretty much saturated my clothes with sweat tying on my shoes. Yeah it was muggy. It was also looking like a good thunderstorm on the way, which pretty much eliminated biking, kayaking and walking with a metal thing strapped to my back. Running was all that was left.
Yet, I love to run in the rain and hoped that it would start before I finished. I only had 45 minutes for a run because I had an evening appointment. So…get going.
I was only 5 minutes into the run when a whoosh went over my head. Landing lightly on a tree just off the trail was a beautiful barred owl. They hunt in dense woods and during the day and so I was lucky enough to see him at work. He watched as I approached, then did a 360 with his head to see if I’d still be there. I was and he took flight, but this was another pleasant reminder as to why I love to run the trails.
I was expecting to feel a little crisper on the run following the speed workout yesterday and I did…for about 15 minutes. Then that same sluggish feeling set in and I just struggled for the rest of the run. The good news was that, with that ugly feeling came the rains. I’d like to say they cooled me off, but it just seemed to make it steamier. No matters…I was slopping through the puddles, shoes getting heavier with every step, but enjoying the rain pounding in on me. I know you’re not supposed to be under trees with lightning flashing above, but there were so many trees…I kind of thought the odds were in my favor, though getting struck would have fit for the day…
I was sitting in an office working with a client at a table, when the table started doing a weird, vibrating thing. The person I was with had his hands on the table and I was sure he’d felt the movement, but when I asked him, he said he hadn’t felt a thing.
“I might have bumped it with my leg,” he said.
“Yeah? Did you bump my chair and rattle the floor too? I felt everything moving,” I said, rising from my chair and headed out of the office to see if anyone else had felt it. I looked around and saw one guy sitting calmly in a chair, reading a magazine. The receptionist was answering a call, unconcerned and nothing else was moving…except me. I don’t know, but I was pretty sure I’d just felt the earth moving. Later in the evening, my daughter asked me if I’d heard about the earthquake in Canada.
“Well…I didn’t hear about it, but I sure as hell felt it,” I said, pleased with the confirmation that I hadn’t (or had) been feeling things.
The lightning never bothered me and I finished my run saturated from head to toe with a combination of my salty sweat and a cleansing rain. I may have run poorly, but a bad day running is better than a good day of sitting on my duff doing nothing.
Run duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 765.
Cruising in the Metroparks
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I was driving to the park for a run having made the decision to shake it up. I’d been feeling horrible during (and after) workouts for the last three days, and with the thermometer hovering around 90, things weren’t looking too promising this evening either.
Tuesday is typically speed day for the runners I coach, so if they can do it, why can’t I? I decided I would run five 1,000’s (1000 meters) at cruise pace.
Jack Daniels, PhD., is the originator of the cruise/threshold training terminology. I have been reading his stuff since the early ‘80’s and always found it made a great deal of sense for runners ranging from recreational to elite. I had met with Don Alexander recently to talk about his son Colby’s training regimen (Colby won the Ohio Division I 1600 meter race a couple of weeks ago and finished 4th in the nation at the same distance this past weekend). Don and Rae (his wife) are two of the most successful distance coaches in the history of Ohio high school running. He feels that the key to Colby’s season was the once per week cruise workout and blasters (more on that another time). They go by the Daniels’ cruise chart for determining pace during the workout (all based on your pr).
I really don’t have a mile pr anymore – I haven’t run for time in almost 20 years – but I decided to use 6 minutes for mine. That meant I’d be running around 4 and a half minutes at per 1,000. Now, I ran these on the trails and I know effort pretty well. I determined that I’d run at my threshold pace (I can’t talk and if I went any faster, I couldn’t hold the pace) for a little over 4 minutes. I would do this 5 times with 1.5 to 2 minutes walk/jog recovery. I suppose it was as much a fartlek as a cruise, but it would be faster than normal and that was my objective.
When you do speed workouts like this, you build lactic acid in your muscles. The more often you do this, the better you tolerate running with it and the faster you can run. It’s a tried and true method of improving speed – interval workouts – and something I thought I’d never do again. My last time was age 36 when I was the Athletic Director for the Cleveland Athletic Club and set all my running pr’s. Then I became the manager, let my training intensity slip, and I’ve never been the same. That’s what this blog is all about…returning to that time.
Anyway, I did the workout. The first pick-up was the worst. I needed more of a warm-up before rolling into it, but didn’t want too much running at a slow pace in the heat. By the third pick-up, I was enjoying running fast (a relative term) and knowing the workout would be over soon. I did my fifth and jogged easily to the car…the entire workout taking only 30 minutes, but easily as hard as any one-hour run I had done. I know my body got more from it, too.
I’ll probably keep doing some version of speed workouts: cruise intervals, hills, fartleks, and threshold runs to mix up the training. I have no plans for racing now – the reason one would normally do these things, but I need the change of pace and if I lose all the weight and decide to race, well, I’ll be ready.
For more information on cruising, google Jack Daniels cruise control.
Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 150.
Calories burned during workout: 550.
I was driving to the park for a run having made the decision to shake it up. I’d been feeling horrible during (and after) workouts for the last three days, and with the thermometer hovering around 90, things weren’t looking too promising this evening either.
Tuesday is typically speed day for the runners I coach, so if they can do it, why can’t I? I decided I would run five 1,000’s (1000 meters) at cruise pace.
Jack Daniels, PhD., is the originator of the cruise/threshold training terminology. I have been reading his stuff since the early ‘80’s and always found it made a great deal of sense for runners ranging from recreational to elite. I had met with Don Alexander recently to talk about his son Colby’s training regimen (Colby won the Ohio Division I 1600 meter race a couple of weeks ago and finished 4th in the nation at the same distance this past weekend). Don and Rae (his wife) are two of the most successful distance coaches in the history of Ohio high school running. He feels that the key to Colby’s season was the once per week cruise workout and blasters (more on that another time). They go by the Daniels’ cruise chart for determining pace during the workout (all based on your pr).
I really don’t have a mile pr anymore – I haven’t run for time in almost 20 years – but I decided to use 6 minutes for mine. That meant I’d be running around 4 and a half minutes at per 1,000. Now, I ran these on the trails and I know effort pretty well. I determined that I’d run at my threshold pace (I can’t talk and if I went any faster, I couldn’t hold the pace) for a little over 4 minutes. I would do this 5 times with 1.5 to 2 minutes walk/jog recovery. I suppose it was as much a fartlek as a cruise, but it would be faster than normal and that was my objective.
When you do speed workouts like this, you build lactic acid in your muscles. The more often you do this, the better you tolerate running with it and the faster you can run. It’s a tried and true method of improving speed – interval workouts – and something I thought I’d never do again. My last time was age 36 when I was the Athletic Director for the Cleveland Athletic Club and set all my running pr’s. Then I became the manager, let my training intensity slip, and I’ve never been the same. That’s what this blog is all about…returning to that time.
Anyway, I did the workout. The first pick-up was the worst. I needed more of a warm-up before rolling into it, but didn’t want too much running at a slow pace in the heat. By the third pick-up, I was enjoying running fast (a relative term) and knowing the workout would be over soon. I did my fifth and jogged easily to the car…the entire workout taking only 30 minutes, but easily as hard as any one-hour run I had done. I know my body got more from it, too.
I’ll probably keep doing some version of speed workouts: cruise intervals, hills, fartleks, and threshold runs to mix up the training. I have no plans for racing now – the reason one would normally do these things, but I need the change of pace and if I lose all the weight and decide to race, well, I’ll be ready.
For more information on cruising, google Jack Daniels cruise control.
Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 150.
Calories burned during workout: 550.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I just want to STOP RUNNING!
Monday, June 21, 2010
I celebrated the longest day of the year with the slowest and worst run of the year.
I started slowly on a hot, humid evening and managed to ratchet it down from there. I had no energy from the get-go and I could tell it was coming. I think it may have been the draining workouts over the weekend and that I didn’t take a day off. I had planned on a one-hour run with a dip in my stream, but by 20 minutes in, I was looking for a way to end it. I was passing the car at 25 minutes, but thought I’d go to 30 minutes. Somewhere during that next 5 minutes, I began to ask myself what the big deal was. Why was I being such a baby? I ask the kids I train to put in tough miles and complete rugged workouts so they can achieve their goals of running faster. Why should I do anything less? So what if I’m not competing…should I really let a little discomfort get me to quit?
Hell yeah! I mean…no. Toughen up a little, at least. I kept running.
At 40 minutes I was moving so slowly that I had to verify I was actually moving by watching the trees next to me to see if they ended up behind me. They did…so I was okay. I took a side trail that I knew would shorten my run by 10 minutes, but again asked myself ‘what are you doing? What’s another 10 minutes going to hurt?” I returned to my original course and kept plodding.
I ran past a drinking fountain and took a long pull. This revived me…for about a hundred yards, but now I was within shouting distance of the creek and 60 minutes of running. I reached the creek and fell in. I could feel the heat leaving my body and just laid there letting the cool stream water pass over my sweat crusted body. After 5 minutes of this refreshing break, I climbed from the stream and ran the last 5 minutes to the car.
This was easily the most I have wanted to quit a run in quite some time, which makes me even happier with myself that I fought the urges to stop and finished the run. I’ve been dragging in a big way lately and I suspect it will be more of the same tomorrow. I’ve been thinking of changing things up – maybe planning a shorter, faster run – something I know I can accomplish without the discouragement. I might put the kayak in the water and just recreate. I know it is important to plan for success…so I will.
By the way…had another couple of hunks of pie late at night. Where’s the will power?
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
I celebrated the longest day of the year with the slowest and worst run of the year.
I started slowly on a hot, humid evening and managed to ratchet it down from there. I had no energy from the get-go and I could tell it was coming. I think it may have been the draining workouts over the weekend and that I didn’t take a day off. I had planned on a one-hour run with a dip in my stream, but by 20 minutes in, I was looking for a way to end it. I was passing the car at 25 minutes, but thought I’d go to 30 minutes. Somewhere during that next 5 minutes, I began to ask myself what the big deal was. Why was I being such a baby? I ask the kids I train to put in tough miles and complete rugged workouts so they can achieve their goals of running faster. Why should I do anything less? So what if I’m not competing…should I really let a little discomfort get me to quit?
Hell yeah! I mean…no. Toughen up a little, at least. I kept running.
At 40 minutes I was moving so slowly that I had to verify I was actually moving by watching the trees next to me to see if they ended up behind me. They did…so I was okay. I took a side trail that I knew would shorten my run by 10 minutes, but again asked myself ‘what are you doing? What’s another 10 minutes going to hurt?” I returned to my original course and kept plodding.
I ran past a drinking fountain and took a long pull. This revived me…for about a hundred yards, but now I was within shouting distance of the creek and 60 minutes of running. I reached the creek and fell in. I could feel the heat leaving my body and just laid there letting the cool stream water pass over my sweat crusted body. After 5 minutes of this refreshing break, I climbed from the stream and ran the last 5 minutes to the car.
This was easily the most I have wanted to quit a run in quite some time, which makes me even happier with myself that I fought the urges to stop and finished the run. I’ve been dragging in a big way lately and I suspect it will be more of the same tomorrow. I’ve been thinking of changing things up – maybe planning a shorter, faster run – something I know I can accomplish without the discouragement. I might put the kayak in the water and just recreate. I know it is important to plan for success…so I will.
By the way…had another couple of hunks of pie late at night. Where’s the will power?
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Long ride for Father's Day
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I find Father’s Day to be a day of reflection. Reflection on the father I think I’ve been, my own father and his father, my grandpa. I tend to look at the things I haven’t done as well as I should and re-commit to being a better dad in the coming year.
I planned for an afternoon ride…the time between church and checking my pulse and the time when the family comes over for dinner. I had decided a day run-free would be a good thing and if I did a long run, I wouldn’t have the energy for anything else. I also wanted to see if I could make it two days in a row without a flat.
I started the ride around 1 p.m. to very pleasant riding weather. It was sunny, but hovering around 80 degrees and not overly humid. I had two 20-ounce drinking bottles filled to the brim and headed for the country roads via the ‘Iron Lung’. I had also convinced myself that, if I was to survive a long ride, I’d have to take it easy. I still tend to want to push everything, but after the day I’d had yesterday, it would be wise to go easy.
I felt fine over the first hour, but things started catching up to me after that. I could tell it was going to be a struggle and I still had another hour and a half, so I tried to dial it back some more. I could feel the hamstrings cramping whenever I got out of the saddle on a climb and I had that bonking feeling (low blood sugar) that can accompany long, hard efforts on the bike when you’re not eating. I knew it was just a conditioning thing and didn’t let it bother me too much. I kept reminding myself ‘it’ll be over soon.’
I ended up riding about 40 miles in around 2.5 hours. Slow for me, but I am a bit out of shape for riding. All the running in the world does not maintain the cycling conditioning I’d built up earlier in the spring. Still, it was fun. I received a text from Marie that her arms and shoulders were not functioning…day after affect of her first Survival workout. I warned her that it would get worse before it got better and that it takes three or four workouts before you really get used to it.
Later that night, Holly and I went on a 25-minute walk in the neighborhood. Not a bad idea since I’d eaten her famous, fatty beef and dumpling dinner and finished it with a piece of butterscotch crème pie.
Oh…and Reza…the ninja deer story is completely true. Why would you have any doubts? I always write the truth.
Bike duration: 150 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 2250.
I find Father’s Day to be a day of reflection. Reflection on the father I think I’ve been, my own father and his father, my grandpa. I tend to look at the things I haven’t done as well as I should and re-commit to being a better dad in the coming year.
I planned for an afternoon ride…the time between church and checking my pulse and the time when the family comes over for dinner. I had decided a day run-free would be a good thing and if I did a long run, I wouldn’t have the energy for anything else. I also wanted to see if I could make it two days in a row without a flat.
I started the ride around 1 p.m. to very pleasant riding weather. It was sunny, but hovering around 80 degrees and not overly humid. I had two 20-ounce drinking bottles filled to the brim and headed for the country roads via the ‘Iron Lung’. I had also convinced myself that, if I was to survive a long ride, I’d have to take it easy. I still tend to want to push everything, but after the day I’d had yesterday, it would be wise to go easy.
I felt fine over the first hour, but things started catching up to me after that. I could tell it was going to be a struggle and I still had another hour and a half, so I tried to dial it back some more. I could feel the hamstrings cramping whenever I got out of the saddle on a climb and I had that bonking feeling (low blood sugar) that can accompany long, hard efforts on the bike when you’re not eating. I knew it was just a conditioning thing and didn’t let it bother me too much. I kept reminding myself ‘it’ll be over soon.’
I ended up riding about 40 miles in around 2.5 hours. Slow for me, but I am a bit out of shape for riding. All the running in the world does not maintain the cycling conditioning I’d built up earlier in the spring. Still, it was fun. I received a text from Marie that her arms and shoulders were not functioning…day after affect of her first Survival workout. I warned her that it would get worse before it got better and that it takes three or four workouts before you really get used to it.
Later that night, Holly and I went on a 25-minute walk in the neighborhood. Not a bad idea since I’d eaten her famous, fatty beef and dumpling dinner and finished it with a piece of butterscotch crème pie.
Oh…and Reza…the ninja deer story is completely true. Why would you have any doubts? I always write the truth.
Bike duration: 150 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 2250.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
A nice double.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
I had planned to meet Marie at 10 a.m. at the park to do a Survival workout. We will be doing a lot of specialty training all season. I want her to have the necessary upper body and core strength as well as the explosive power necessary to run really fast this fall. I also knew that I could not do the workout with all the stress it places on the abdominals with the pain I was feeling. I elected to get to the park early and do a run.
It was supposed to be up around 90 today, so running at 9 a.m. made all kinds of sense. I had about 75 minutes before Marie would arrive and I decided to use most of them running. I didn’t know how I would feel so I ran a course that could loop past the car half way through in case I needed to cut it short. I didn’t. I made it through the first 45 minutes with little effort, but then the loss of water began to take its toll. I was thinking about a refreshing dunk in the stream, but when I got there a family was wading around looking for things in the water. I didn’t want to freak them out so I kept going. I got to the car minutes before Marie arrived, having run 73 minutes. It was the longest run in three weeks and put me over 6 hours of running and 40 miles for the week.
I sent her on a warm-up jog while I made my way back to the creek. The family was still there, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I was as wet going in as I would be coming out…I just sweat too much. The kids gathered round to watch a full-grown, old man, clothed and with his shoes on, floating in water only knee deep. I’m guessing they don’t see things like me all that often.
Marie returned from her warm-up and was jealous. “That looks soooo good.”
“It is and right after the workout…you can take a plunge.”
She attacked the workout. She made the picnic table hop look so easy…she has very explosive power in her legs. By the time she’d done her bear and crab crawls, blasters, high skips, the hill climb and the picnic table hops though, she was starting to feel it.
“I’m out of shape and 10 pounds heavy,” she lamented.
She isn’t 10 pounds heavy, but she isn’t quite ready for this kind of workout. We went to the upper body stuff and some balance work before I sent her on another hill climb. She returned for the rock carry, press and toss and was pretty much toast. She educated me on poison ivy as we headed for more balancing and climbing the dam wall. After 45 minutes of intensity, we called it a day and headed for the creek where, with very little hesitation, she plunged in.
“Ahhhhh…” was about all she had to say.
I went home and cut the grass, which pretty well shot me. Later in the afternoon though, I began to get a riding itch and around 7:30 p.m. headed out for a short one. I managed to get in and hour and a half without a flat tire, but developed a killer appetite and at 10 p.m. was grilling hot dogs, burgers, and buffalo steak. To that, I added a thick, Breyer’s chocolate milk shake. It didn’t hit the spot, so I had a tall glass of chocolate milk and some diet iced tea, as well.
Burn 3,000 calories in four hours of hard exercise…consume 3,000 calories in 15 minutes of easy eating. Doesn’t seem fair, somehow.
Run duration: 73 minutes. Bike duration: 86 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 120 biking
Calories burned during workout: 1240 running. 1275 riding.
I had planned to meet Marie at 10 a.m. at the park to do a Survival workout. We will be doing a lot of specialty training all season. I want her to have the necessary upper body and core strength as well as the explosive power necessary to run really fast this fall. I also knew that I could not do the workout with all the stress it places on the abdominals with the pain I was feeling. I elected to get to the park early and do a run.
It was supposed to be up around 90 today, so running at 9 a.m. made all kinds of sense. I had about 75 minutes before Marie would arrive and I decided to use most of them running. I didn’t know how I would feel so I ran a course that could loop past the car half way through in case I needed to cut it short. I didn’t. I made it through the first 45 minutes with little effort, but then the loss of water began to take its toll. I was thinking about a refreshing dunk in the stream, but when I got there a family was wading around looking for things in the water. I didn’t want to freak them out so I kept going. I got to the car minutes before Marie arrived, having run 73 minutes. It was the longest run in three weeks and put me over 6 hours of running and 40 miles for the week.
I sent her on a warm-up jog while I made my way back to the creek. The family was still there, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I was as wet going in as I would be coming out…I just sweat too much. The kids gathered round to watch a full-grown, old man, clothed and with his shoes on, floating in water only knee deep. I’m guessing they don’t see things like me all that often.
Marie returned from her warm-up and was jealous. “That looks soooo good.”
“It is and right after the workout…you can take a plunge.”
She attacked the workout. She made the picnic table hop look so easy…she has very explosive power in her legs. By the time she’d done her bear and crab crawls, blasters, high skips, the hill climb and the picnic table hops though, she was starting to feel it.
“I’m out of shape and 10 pounds heavy,” she lamented.
She isn’t 10 pounds heavy, but she isn’t quite ready for this kind of workout. We went to the upper body stuff and some balance work before I sent her on another hill climb. She returned for the rock carry, press and toss and was pretty much toast. She educated me on poison ivy as we headed for more balancing and climbing the dam wall. After 45 minutes of intensity, we called it a day and headed for the creek where, with very little hesitation, she plunged in.
“Ahhhhh…” was about all she had to say.
I went home and cut the grass, which pretty well shot me. Later in the afternoon though, I began to get a riding itch and around 7:30 p.m. headed out for a short one. I managed to get in and hour and a half without a flat tire, but developed a killer appetite and at 10 p.m. was grilling hot dogs, burgers, and buffalo steak. To that, I added a thick, Breyer’s chocolate milk shake. It didn’t hit the spot, so I had a tall glass of chocolate milk and some diet iced tea, as well.
Burn 3,000 calories in four hours of hard exercise…consume 3,000 calories in 15 minutes of easy eating. Doesn’t seem fair, somehow.
Run duration: 73 minutes. Bike duration: 86 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 120 biking
Calories burned during workout: 1240 running. 1275 riding.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
"Let's show some hustle out there..."
Friday, June 18, 2010
I was sitting in my most excellent seats (behind the Indians dugout about 20 rows back – thanks Sharon) when, for the second time that night, I watched a hitter from the Mets fail to run to first base after a called third strike that the catcher failed to catch. When this happens, even though the batter has struck out, he can run to first base. Should he beat the throw from the catcher, he would be safe and the catcher would be charged with an error for not catching the ball. All outs must end with someone catching the ball. The odds of getting to first before the catcher picks up the ball and throws to first are almost none. Almost. If I were the manager, each of those players would have had hefty fines for not hustling. C’mon…you’re pros…play the game the way it was meant to be played…hustle!
I called John to complain. He’s as in to baseball as I am.
“John…I just saw this play…” I started, but noticed a bunch of white noise in the background.
“Can hardly hear you. I’m at the game,” he said.
“Me, too. Where are you sitting?”
“Behind the Mets dugout,” he said.
“I’m behind the Indians. I’m wearing my yellow cap,” I said.
“Yeah…I see you. I’m waving.”
I looked and even with Savannah saying, “he’s…right…there…in that nerdy, striped shirt waving like a dork,” I still couldn’t see him. Until I did. He was illegally located – his tickets were in another section, further from the action. But he cheats, so he moved closer (I do too, but didn’t need to tonight). He was also getting the boot from the usher and moved over by us. When he arrived, we discussed the sorry state of professional baseball as it is played today.
“…and another thing…did you notice how no one watches the field between innings? They’re all watching that goofy shit that’s happening on the scoreboard,” I said.
“Yeah. I know. People have to be watching a video. Savannah…when we used to come, there was no jumbo-tron scoreboard, no people running across the dugouts and throwing shirts into the crowd, no stupid people in hot dog suits racing around the infield…you just watched the players warming up between innings and talked about the game…or went to pee,” John said.
“Nice story, grandpa,” she said…watching the hotdogs and texting three friends.
The Indians lost, but at least I got to watch Trevor Crowe, after striking out but noticing that the catcher had dropped the ball, hustle down the line towards first base. He was out, but not by much. Way to hustle, Tribe. They’re going to be alright.
I’d done my workout before the game. Since the abs were still hurting, I’d thrown the backpack in the car, loaded with 60 pounds, and planned a long hike. Besides, it’s time to start getting ready for some trips to the Adirondacks and that means time with a pack on my back. I was thinking I’d also do a 30-minute run after the hike…beautiful plan for an inflamed lower abdominal wall.
I started with 20 step-ups on a boulder 12 inches high at the trailhead. These strengthen the quads, something I’ll need for climbing in the Adirondacks. I noticed that the left side of my abs were more painful than the right. Oh well. I walked for 70 minutes doing only one more set of step-ups, but taking a reasonably hilly, off-trail course. It was hot and muggy and I was pretty beat up by the time I returned to the car. My shoulders and hips were feeling the weight of the pack – it’s been over two months since I last did this – so I decided to bag the run. No sense pushing my luck and I had a run and survival workout scheduled for tomorrow morning. Though it wasn’t an aerobic day…my heart rate was around 100 bpm, it certainly burnt some calories.
Hike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100.
Calories burned during workout: 700.
I was sitting in my most excellent seats (behind the Indians dugout about 20 rows back – thanks Sharon) when, for the second time that night, I watched a hitter from the Mets fail to run to first base after a called third strike that the catcher failed to catch. When this happens, even though the batter has struck out, he can run to first base. Should he beat the throw from the catcher, he would be safe and the catcher would be charged with an error for not catching the ball. All outs must end with someone catching the ball. The odds of getting to first before the catcher picks up the ball and throws to first are almost none. Almost. If I were the manager, each of those players would have had hefty fines for not hustling. C’mon…you’re pros…play the game the way it was meant to be played…hustle!
I called John to complain. He’s as in to baseball as I am.
“John…I just saw this play…” I started, but noticed a bunch of white noise in the background.
“Can hardly hear you. I’m at the game,” he said.
“Me, too. Where are you sitting?”
“Behind the Mets dugout,” he said.
“I’m behind the Indians. I’m wearing my yellow cap,” I said.
“Yeah…I see you. I’m waving.”
I looked and even with Savannah saying, “he’s…right…there…in that nerdy, striped shirt waving like a dork,” I still couldn’t see him. Until I did. He was illegally located – his tickets were in another section, further from the action. But he cheats, so he moved closer (I do too, but didn’t need to tonight). He was also getting the boot from the usher and moved over by us. When he arrived, we discussed the sorry state of professional baseball as it is played today.
“…and another thing…did you notice how no one watches the field between innings? They’re all watching that goofy shit that’s happening on the scoreboard,” I said.
“Yeah. I know. People have to be watching a video. Savannah…when we used to come, there was no jumbo-tron scoreboard, no people running across the dugouts and throwing shirts into the crowd, no stupid people in hot dog suits racing around the infield…you just watched the players warming up between innings and talked about the game…or went to pee,” John said.
“Nice story, grandpa,” she said…watching the hotdogs and texting three friends.
The Indians lost, but at least I got to watch Trevor Crowe, after striking out but noticing that the catcher had dropped the ball, hustle down the line towards first base. He was out, but not by much. Way to hustle, Tribe. They’re going to be alright.
I’d done my workout before the game. Since the abs were still hurting, I’d thrown the backpack in the car, loaded with 60 pounds, and planned a long hike. Besides, it’s time to start getting ready for some trips to the Adirondacks and that means time with a pack on my back. I was thinking I’d also do a 30-minute run after the hike…beautiful plan for an inflamed lower abdominal wall.
I started with 20 step-ups on a boulder 12 inches high at the trailhead. These strengthen the quads, something I’ll need for climbing in the Adirondacks. I noticed that the left side of my abs were more painful than the right. Oh well. I walked for 70 minutes doing only one more set of step-ups, but taking a reasonably hilly, off-trail course. It was hot and muggy and I was pretty beat up by the time I returned to the car. My shoulders and hips were feeling the weight of the pack – it’s been over two months since I last did this – so I decided to bag the run. No sense pushing my luck and I had a run and survival workout scheduled for tomorrow morning. Though it wasn’t an aerobic day…my heart rate was around 100 bpm, it certainly burnt some calories.
Hike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100.
Calories burned during workout: 700.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Looking thin? Time to overeat.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What does it take to keep you going? Well…nothing succeeds like success…and a well-timed compliment.
“Dude…you’re really starting to look thin again,” Eric said.
I had stopped to pick up Heidi and both he and his partner, Will, expressed the same sentiment.
“Hey, thanks. Yeah…the clothes are really getting loose, but I’m still no where near my old triathlon days,” I replied.
Eric has known me that long and knew my goals, but his words of encouragement are part of what made me search for a place to run later that evening and helped to keep me going…making another one-hour run.
I followed that up with some binge eating, though. Heidi had made me a cheeseburger, which wasn’t too bad, but then I finished hers. She also made some cookies so I had to have some to make her feel good, though she’d have probably felt fine if I’d stopped after five. I didn’t.
Last night, Savannah and I went to ‘The Jake’ only to see the Indians lose their fourth in a row. I ate nothing there, but had two hard-boiled eggs and some soup before leaving. I was hungry again when we returned home at 10 p.m., watching the Indians lose…or win…has that effect on me…and since I hadn’t had any dogs at ‘The Jake’, figured I owed myself a couple. I warmed up some baked beans to go with the dogs because watching the Indians lose makes me want to pass gas, as well.
And I was still hungry…but I did stop.
I’d managed a run earlier in the day. My lower abdominals are getting quite sore, something that has happened in the past when I’m logging a lot of running miles. I had considered taking the day off, but it was cool and the forecast showed a heat wave for the weekend, so I kind of had to run.
I started gingerly…the pain was there with every step, but began to lesson as the run progressed. Then I hit a root with my toe, stumbled, and felt knife-like pain in my lower abs. Not good, but the only solution…in my messed up mind…was to stop stumbling. I completed the run…another one-hour effort…without stumbling and manageable pain. I’m a man after all…I can handle it.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
What does it take to keep you going? Well…nothing succeeds like success…and a well-timed compliment.
“Dude…you’re really starting to look thin again,” Eric said.
I had stopped to pick up Heidi and both he and his partner, Will, expressed the same sentiment.
“Hey, thanks. Yeah…the clothes are really getting loose, but I’m still no where near my old triathlon days,” I replied.
Eric has known me that long and knew my goals, but his words of encouragement are part of what made me search for a place to run later that evening and helped to keep me going…making another one-hour run.
I followed that up with some binge eating, though. Heidi had made me a cheeseburger, which wasn’t too bad, but then I finished hers. She also made some cookies so I had to have some to make her feel good, though she’d have probably felt fine if I’d stopped after five. I didn’t.
Last night, Savannah and I went to ‘The Jake’ only to see the Indians lose their fourth in a row. I ate nothing there, but had two hard-boiled eggs and some soup before leaving. I was hungry again when we returned home at 10 p.m., watching the Indians lose…or win…has that effect on me…and since I hadn’t had any dogs at ‘The Jake’, figured I owed myself a couple. I warmed up some baked beans to go with the dogs because watching the Indians lose makes me want to pass gas, as well.
And I was still hungry…but I did stop.
I’d managed a run earlier in the day. My lower abdominals are getting quite sore, something that has happened in the past when I’m logging a lot of running miles. I had considered taking the day off, but it was cool and the forecast showed a heat wave for the weekend, so I kind of had to run.
I started gingerly…the pain was there with every step, but began to lesson as the run progressed. Then I hit a root with my toe, stumbled, and felt knife-like pain in my lower abs. Not good, but the only solution…in my messed up mind…was to stop stumbling. I completed the run…another one-hour effort…without stumbling and manageable pain. I’m a man after all…I can handle it.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hey Kent...you've got a trail to run.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
My daughter Heidi, like me, loves to ride her bike. This is partially motivated by the fact that she has never gotten her driver’s license. She’s 21. Anyway, she has the same ability to have tires constantly going flat…or something else going wrong mechanically. Today…it was the seat.
“Dad…can you bring an allen wrench when you come to pick me up tonight? Eric says you can fix the seat with one of those…whatever they are,” she said.
She is doing a summer intern with her Godfather – the same Eric I’ve noted for his running prowess. She takes a bus from Kent to Akron, then rides her bike from Akron to his office on Rt. 18, about 11 miles, on the days she needs to be there. I had a meeting with Eric and would be taking her home that evening…saving her about 2 hours of travel time. For that, I was getting dinner and an evening with my daughter. Good deal for me.
The seat was an easy fix…I’m so mechanical. I had been thinking that I would be trying a run in the dark later that evening, but decided there might be a better way.
“Want to go for a run with me before dinner?”
Heidi never hesitated. “Nah. I just want to take it easy. I did ride to Eric’s this morning, you know.”
She didn’t mind my going though, but had no idea where I might find trails on which to run. I’m pretty paranoid about running on pavement since I’ve been healthy and can run whenever I want now. We did some google searching and I noticed the Mogadore Reservoir just south of Kent. No trails were showing, but it was a big body of water and part of the Akron water system, which I knew meant the grounds around the water would be restricted use and nothing would be there. Maybe I’d find an access road, I thought, or at least run country roads instead of the streets around Kent.
“You don’t realize just how good you have it with the Cleveland Metroparks until you get away from Cleveland and try to find something like our trails on which to run,” I said.
Heidi has done some traveling and couldn’t agree more. We are truly blessed with them. I would suppose that you could live anywhere in Greater Cleveland and never be more than 15 minutes from one of the parks and outstanding trails to run. I’m spoiled.
I found the Reservoir and it looked promising. There was an access road for fishing off of Rt. 43 and once I parked and started running it, discovered that it became more of a hiking trail. I had been thinking I would be happy with a 30-minute run, but as I ran along the water’s edge and saw that the trail appeared to be staying with the water, felt that I should keep going so as to be able to accurately report on its length, topography, and serenity. Purely a selfless, exploratory expedition.
I found myself running across the top of an earthen dam about a quarter mile long. From this perch, I could run and look over the Reservoir, appreciating its size (huge – technical term for really, really big) and beauty. I spooked up a couple of Great Blue Herron as I ran and noted that it would make an excellent kayak destination.
I ran the trail for an hour and in that time passed only a half dozen people. There was some residential property abutting the trail, but sparse. I did stop a fellow runner and was informed that the trail, though not encircling the entire reservoir, did go for an 8-mile stretch, or so.
“I didn’t see any signs indicating it was here,” I said.
“Yeah…they don’t seem to promote it much,” she said.
What a shame. It’s only 8 miles south of Kent – a no-brainer for a dedicated trail runner or hiker, and it really is serene. So…running friends from Kent…you do have a place to go.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
My daughter Heidi, like me, loves to ride her bike. This is partially motivated by the fact that she has never gotten her driver’s license. She’s 21. Anyway, she has the same ability to have tires constantly going flat…or something else going wrong mechanically. Today…it was the seat.
“Dad…can you bring an allen wrench when you come to pick me up tonight? Eric says you can fix the seat with one of those…whatever they are,” she said.
She is doing a summer intern with her Godfather – the same Eric I’ve noted for his running prowess. She takes a bus from Kent to Akron, then rides her bike from Akron to his office on Rt. 18, about 11 miles, on the days she needs to be there. I had a meeting with Eric and would be taking her home that evening…saving her about 2 hours of travel time. For that, I was getting dinner and an evening with my daughter. Good deal for me.
The seat was an easy fix…I’m so mechanical. I had been thinking that I would be trying a run in the dark later that evening, but decided there might be a better way.
“Want to go for a run with me before dinner?”
Heidi never hesitated. “Nah. I just want to take it easy. I did ride to Eric’s this morning, you know.”
She didn’t mind my going though, but had no idea where I might find trails on which to run. I’m pretty paranoid about running on pavement since I’ve been healthy and can run whenever I want now. We did some google searching and I noticed the Mogadore Reservoir just south of Kent. No trails were showing, but it was a big body of water and part of the Akron water system, which I knew meant the grounds around the water would be restricted use and nothing would be there. Maybe I’d find an access road, I thought, or at least run country roads instead of the streets around Kent.
“You don’t realize just how good you have it with the Cleveland Metroparks until you get away from Cleveland and try to find something like our trails on which to run,” I said.
Heidi has done some traveling and couldn’t agree more. We are truly blessed with them. I would suppose that you could live anywhere in Greater Cleveland and never be more than 15 minutes from one of the parks and outstanding trails to run. I’m spoiled.
I found the Reservoir and it looked promising. There was an access road for fishing off of Rt. 43 and once I parked and started running it, discovered that it became more of a hiking trail. I had been thinking I would be happy with a 30-minute run, but as I ran along the water’s edge and saw that the trail appeared to be staying with the water, felt that I should keep going so as to be able to accurately report on its length, topography, and serenity. Purely a selfless, exploratory expedition.
I found myself running across the top of an earthen dam about a quarter mile long. From this perch, I could run and look over the Reservoir, appreciating its size (huge – technical term for really, really big) and beauty. I spooked up a couple of Great Blue Herron as I ran and noted that it would make an excellent kayak destination.
I ran the trail for an hour and in that time passed only a half dozen people. There was some residential property abutting the trail, but sparse. I did stop a fellow runner and was informed that the trail, though not encircling the entire reservoir, did go for an 8-mile stretch, or so.
“I didn’t see any signs indicating it was here,” I said.
“Yeah…they don’t seem to promote it much,” she said.
What a shame. It’s only 8 miles south of Kent – a no-brainer for a dedicated trail runner or hiker, and it really is serene. So…running friends from Kent…you do have a place to go.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
We're being watched...
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Savannah and I were watching the movie ‘Shutter Island’ last night, which is pretty good, but kind of creepy when I had the sense that someone was watching me from outside our family room window. It was dark, but there is enough light coming from the neighbor’s to see the silhouette of a creature pressing its nose to the screen of the window.
“Savannah…look out the right side of the window. It’s ninja deer stalking Dakota,” I said.
She turned to look and it gave her a start since the it’s head was only about 6 feet from where she was sitting on the couch. “Holy cow…that’s kind of creepy.”
“Pause the movie…I’m going to go have a talk with it,” I said.
She did and I headed for the door. When I flipped on the light out back, it beat a retreat to the neighbor’s. Kind of wondering about the behavior of this critter. Ever since it attacked Dakota, it’s been hanging around and getting closer and more comfortable. Some of the neighbors are feeding it, but I think it’s looking for Dakota. I mean, the damned thing had its nose on the screen of my back window!
I still haven’t had a chance to fix my flat tire so I had to run again today. I’m really trying to mix it up, but the running thing is so convenient and I never blow out a shoe or anything. Running is so addictive, though. I’ve gotten to the point…and I’ve been here before…that no matter what I do or how long or hard I do it…if I haven’t run I feel like I haven’t worked out. It’s a head thing…a runner thing.
I was changing at the Ranger Station when another runner, just completing his night, walked slowly past my car. He was looking pretty toasted.
“It’s really, really hot,” he said.
“Yeah…I’m headed for the trees,” I responded.
“That’s where I was. It’s really, really hot…”
So…I’m thinking…it’s hot. Really hot. Of course, that poor sucker doesn’t know about taking a dip in a stream in the middle of a run as a way to combat ‘really, really hot’. Nope. He’s not as smart as me…but then…well…you know.
I began the run knowing I’d go slower and not as long. Very good decision since it was hot…and muggy. I sweat like I always do…grossly. I also decided I wasn’t going down the hill for that dip because that was my one-hour course and it also meant I’d have to come back up. I plodded along for 50 minutes and decided that was enough sweating for one day. I was completely soaked and not feeling like driving home in that state so I stopped back at the Ranger Station and went into the bathroom to rinse out my shirt, shorts, socks and cap. I toweled off and headed for home, happy to have survived a really, really hot run.
Run duration: 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 850.
Savannah and I were watching the movie ‘Shutter Island’ last night, which is pretty good, but kind of creepy when I had the sense that someone was watching me from outside our family room window. It was dark, but there is enough light coming from the neighbor’s to see the silhouette of a creature pressing its nose to the screen of the window.
“Savannah…look out the right side of the window. It’s ninja deer stalking Dakota,” I said.
She turned to look and it gave her a start since the it’s head was only about 6 feet from where she was sitting on the couch. “Holy cow…that’s kind of creepy.”
“Pause the movie…I’m going to go have a talk with it,” I said.
She did and I headed for the door. When I flipped on the light out back, it beat a retreat to the neighbor’s. Kind of wondering about the behavior of this critter. Ever since it attacked Dakota, it’s been hanging around and getting closer and more comfortable. Some of the neighbors are feeding it, but I think it’s looking for Dakota. I mean, the damned thing had its nose on the screen of my back window!
I still haven’t had a chance to fix my flat tire so I had to run again today. I’m really trying to mix it up, but the running thing is so convenient and I never blow out a shoe or anything. Running is so addictive, though. I’ve gotten to the point…and I’ve been here before…that no matter what I do or how long or hard I do it…if I haven’t run I feel like I haven’t worked out. It’s a head thing…a runner thing.
I was changing at the Ranger Station when another runner, just completing his night, walked slowly past my car. He was looking pretty toasted.
“It’s really, really hot,” he said.
“Yeah…I’m headed for the trees,” I responded.
“That’s where I was. It’s really, really hot…”
So…I’m thinking…it’s hot. Really hot. Of course, that poor sucker doesn’t know about taking a dip in a stream in the middle of a run as a way to combat ‘really, really hot’. Nope. He’s not as smart as me…but then…well…you know.
I began the run knowing I’d go slower and not as long. Very good decision since it was hot…and muggy. I sweat like I always do…grossly. I also decided I wasn’t going down the hill for that dip because that was my one-hour course and it also meant I’d have to come back up. I plodded along for 50 minutes and decided that was enough sweating for one day. I was completely soaked and not feeling like driving home in that state so I stopped back at the Ranger Station and went into the bathroom to rinse out my shirt, shorts, socks and cap. I toweled off and headed for home, happy to have survived a really, really hot run.
Run duration: 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 850.
Monday, June 14, 2010
You really might want to re-think drinking that water...
Monday, June 14, 2010
As a coach, I often worry about the kind of running day I had yesterday. How do you ensure that, when the big day…the important race…is at hand, that you don’t have the kind of day I had… the one where your legs feel like logs and running fast is just a distant memory?
I believe the answer is in preparing correctly, physically and mentally, and then willing yourself to have the kind of day you need to have to succeed. Yesterday didn’t really matter and so I was allowed to feel like shit. So what?
Today, well, would it be more of the same? It was muggy again, though not as bad as yesterday. I started to think back…had I rehydrated enough? I mean, in the last three days I’d probably lost about 15 pounds of fluids. If I was smart…and I’m not when it comes to me…I’d have been checking my weight every morning and I’d know if I’d put it back. I suppose it really doesn’t matter too much. I’m not going to run a marathon in the sun. What I am going to do is run another hour in the shade of the Metropark trails and go slow if I feel like crap again. I’m also going to reward myself with a luxurious dunk in my favorite stream at the conclusion.
I started the run thinking these things. I was going to run the same course I’d attempted the day before and could check my splits at different points to see how I was doing, in comparison to yesterday’s disaster. Truly? I don’t need no stinking splits to know if I’m faster or slower. I just know after 40 years of running…and after 15 minutes…I was feeling good.
I made it to my first check point…about 26 minutes into the run yesterday… in 24 minutes. I was running well, but I knew I was dropping major sweat again and decided to just take it easy and enjoy the run. At my next checkpoint, about 42 minutes in…I was almost 4 minutes ahead of yesterday. That’s only a testament to how slow I can run when I’m feeling crummy. I suppose it really wouldn’t qualify as running.
By the time I reached the creek, I’d logged almost 60 minutes. Anyone that would have seen me before I’d plunged in would have sworn I had just come out of the water…I was that completely saturated. I stepped in to the cool, refreshing stream and let the water fill my shoes. Just that quickly I was feeling rejuvenated…and my shoes, which had smelled so badly I’d kept them in the trunk…were washing clean…healing themselves.
I climbed into the shallow pool that formed just past the massive blocks of rock that served as a bridge of sorts and created this bathing hole. It is so perfect because the bottom is solid slate and perfect for sitting, which is what I did. I pointed my feet upstream and slowly laid back in the flow, letting the water wash over me and floating just below the surface. I put my head into the water…it floats…air…fat?...it floats, though…and with the water covering my ears, felt like I was in some kind of sensory deprivation chamber. I could hear the water rushing over the rocks around me, but little else. I imagined the heat leaving my body and my strength returning. As cold as the water was, I wasn’t imagining the heat leaving, though.
I laid there for about five minutes then sat up and assessed myself. My legs were getting kind of numb from the chill of the water, which is a pretty good feeling when you’ve been running for an hour and lost 6 pounds of sweat. Fortunately, I was quite alone in this part of the park. I suppose I could have alarmed any hikers…or deer looking to get a drink. Actually, they like salt…the deer…and the water downstream should be tasting pretty good to them about now. Anyway, I decided it was time to get out and conclude the run.
I stood on the trail just beyond the stream and watched the excess water exiting my shoes, which were looking much cleaner, by the way…and I’ll bet my socks were smelling better, too (forgot about them…poor deer drinking water downstream). Though my legs were rather leaden, I started a slow jog the remaining five minutes to my car. It was a very pleasant jog. What a great way to finish a run. I’m really starting to like hot, muggy weather.
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
As a coach, I often worry about the kind of running day I had yesterday. How do you ensure that, when the big day…the important race…is at hand, that you don’t have the kind of day I had… the one where your legs feel like logs and running fast is just a distant memory?
I believe the answer is in preparing correctly, physically and mentally, and then willing yourself to have the kind of day you need to have to succeed. Yesterday didn’t really matter and so I was allowed to feel like shit. So what?
Today, well, would it be more of the same? It was muggy again, though not as bad as yesterday. I started to think back…had I rehydrated enough? I mean, in the last three days I’d probably lost about 15 pounds of fluids. If I was smart…and I’m not when it comes to me…I’d have been checking my weight every morning and I’d know if I’d put it back. I suppose it really doesn’t matter too much. I’m not going to run a marathon in the sun. What I am going to do is run another hour in the shade of the Metropark trails and go slow if I feel like crap again. I’m also going to reward myself with a luxurious dunk in my favorite stream at the conclusion.
I started the run thinking these things. I was going to run the same course I’d attempted the day before and could check my splits at different points to see how I was doing, in comparison to yesterday’s disaster. Truly? I don’t need no stinking splits to know if I’m faster or slower. I just know after 40 years of running…and after 15 minutes…I was feeling good.
I made it to my first check point…about 26 minutes into the run yesterday… in 24 minutes. I was running well, but I knew I was dropping major sweat again and decided to just take it easy and enjoy the run. At my next checkpoint, about 42 minutes in…I was almost 4 minutes ahead of yesterday. That’s only a testament to how slow I can run when I’m feeling crummy. I suppose it really wouldn’t qualify as running.
By the time I reached the creek, I’d logged almost 60 minutes. Anyone that would have seen me before I’d plunged in would have sworn I had just come out of the water…I was that completely saturated. I stepped in to the cool, refreshing stream and let the water fill my shoes. Just that quickly I was feeling rejuvenated…and my shoes, which had smelled so badly I’d kept them in the trunk…were washing clean…healing themselves.
I climbed into the shallow pool that formed just past the massive blocks of rock that served as a bridge of sorts and created this bathing hole. It is so perfect because the bottom is solid slate and perfect for sitting, which is what I did. I pointed my feet upstream and slowly laid back in the flow, letting the water wash over me and floating just below the surface. I put my head into the water…it floats…air…fat?...it floats, though…and with the water covering my ears, felt like I was in some kind of sensory deprivation chamber. I could hear the water rushing over the rocks around me, but little else. I imagined the heat leaving my body and my strength returning. As cold as the water was, I wasn’t imagining the heat leaving, though.
I laid there for about five minutes then sat up and assessed myself. My legs were getting kind of numb from the chill of the water, which is a pretty good feeling when you’ve been running for an hour and lost 6 pounds of sweat. Fortunately, I was quite alone in this part of the park. I suppose I could have alarmed any hikers…or deer looking to get a drink. Actually, they like salt…the deer…and the water downstream should be tasting pretty good to them about now. Anyway, I decided it was time to get out and conclude the run.
I stood on the trail just beyond the stream and watched the excess water exiting my shoes, which were looking much cleaner, by the way…and I’ll bet my socks were smelling better, too (forgot about them…poor deer drinking water downstream). Though my legs were rather leaden, I started a slow jog the remaining five minutes to my car. It was a very pleasant jog. What a great way to finish a run. I’m really starting to like hot, muggy weather.
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
A crappy run.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
It’s been a bad eating weekend. Saturday night I decided that a couple of cheeseburgers on the grill would go well with a thick, chocolate milkshake. I make both pretty well. For lunch on Sunday, I had pop tarts and a large glass of chocolate milk. I have always found that when I’m training hard in the summer months, I tend to crave certain things. Certainly sugar. Sometimes fat. Sometimes both. I also find that when I’m training hard I can eat almost anything without gaining any weight. Those days are probably gone, but I don’t want to find out. Though I will have these kinds of meals on occasion, I continue to drink the diet stuff instead of calories and am working at staying away from refined sugar as a regular part of my diet.
I had a terrible run on Sunday, too. I went to the park around 10:30 a.m. when it was relatively cool. There was no question about the humidity level, though. I’d put it at somewhere between 98 and 102%. I started the run telling myself it would be an hour, but maybe a little longer. Normally, it takes about 8-10 minutes for me to get comfortable and up to speed. Not today. I never seemed to get going or to feel comfortable. By 20 minutes, I was starting to think about how I’d shorten the course and go with 45 minutes. I had it in my head I would be working in the yard for a couple of hours and that I might supplement with a bike ride after repairing the tire.
But I hate to wuss out. I was sweating even more profusely than normal, with shoes squishing from sweat after 35 minutes. I reached a stretch of trail where I told myself I would take a slight break before continuing. That break – 4 minutes – was a God send. Though I only plodded along after the rest, I managed to run long enough to complete another one hour run.
Why do these days happen? I could have been recovering from consecutive days of very humid, fluid draining days. Maybe it was the two-hour ride and the evening walk the day before – both things I had not done in some time. Possibly it was just the day itself. I’m sure I dropped more water during that run than any other one-hour effort to date. We have off days and have to figure ways to get through, over, around them. I conceded and took a little break. Throw out the stop watch and try to enjoy some aspect of the workout. I’m prouder of myself on these days than the ones when I run p.r.’s. It’s pleasing to know that, no matter how crappy I felt, I didn’t quit.
Tomorrow will definitely be better.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
It’s been a bad eating weekend. Saturday night I decided that a couple of cheeseburgers on the grill would go well with a thick, chocolate milkshake. I make both pretty well. For lunch on Sunday, I had pop tarts and a large glass of chocolate milk. I have always found that when I’m training hard in the summer months, I tend to crave certain things. Certainly sugar. Sometimes fat. Sometimes both. I also find that when I’m training hard I can eat almost anything without gaining any weight. Those days are probably gone, but I don’t want to find out. Though I will have these kinds of meals on occasion, I continue to drink the diet stuff instead of calories and am working at staying away from refined sugar as a regular part of my diet.
I had a terrible run on Sunday, too. I went to the park around 10:30 a.m. when it was relatively cool. There was no question about the humidity level, though. I’d put it at somewhere between 98 and 102%. I started the run telling myself it would be an hour, but maybe a little longer. Normally, it takes about 8-10 minutes for me to get comfortable and up to speed. Not today. I never seemed to get going or to feel comfortable. By 20 minutes, I was starting to think about how I’d shorten the course and go with 45 minutes. I had it in my head I would be working in the yard for a couple of hours and that I might supplement with a bike ride after repairing the tire.
But I hate to wuss out. I was sweating even more profusely than normal, with shoes squishing from sweat after 35 minutes. I reached a stretch of trail where I told myself I would take a slight break before continuing. That break – 4 minutes – was a God send. Though I only plodded along after the rest, I managed to run long enough to complete another one hour run.
Why do these days happen? I could have been recovering from consecutive days of very humid, fluid draining days. Maybe it was the two-hour ride and the evening walk the day before – both things I had not done in some time. Possibly it was just the day itself. I’m sure I dropped more water during that run than any other one-hour effort to date. We have off days and have to figure ways to get through, over, around them. I conceded and took a little break. Throw out the stop watch and try to enjoy some aspect of the workout. I’m prouder of myself on these days than the ones when I run p.r.’s. It’s pleasing to know that, no matter how crappy I felt, I didn’t quit.
Tomorrow will definitely be better.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
The Plan
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Marie called late Saturday morning. It was time to put together her season long training program, or 'The Plan'. She knew that I’d visited with the Alexander’s and spoken to Colby about the things that had made him one of the best high school milers in the country. He’d had two tips in particular and we would be using them throughout her training and into the season. She wanted a state championship, as well. And so do I.
She rode over on her mountain bike because we were going for a workout ride after finishing the program. It was aggressive. I would have her running six days a week over the summer and working in swimming, biking and the survival workouts, as well. She knew how much hard work and dedication it would take and how unpleasant it would be at times, but was excited to get started.
But first, the bike ride.
Now…Marie is a fierce competitor and in outstanding shape. I’m a couple of years older, not nearly as well conditioned, but I had a definite equipment edge. She was riding a mountain bike she’d gotten when she was 9, knobby tires and all, and I was on my sleek road bike. It was the only thing saving me. We headed out on my favorite course, which meant down the Iron Lung and up the other side. I rode a pace she could hack with her 50-pound tank, but I had to remember not to go too easy since I outweighed her by about 90 pounds, which despite the differences in bikes, I would be lugging against gravity up all those wonderful hills.
I was also riding against time and fate. I figured every minute without a flat was borrowed time. We made it to the turn-around a little early since road construction had taken out a bridge on my favorite riding road. This was probably a good thing since I think Marie was starting to struggle with that thing she called a bike. We were almost home when, rounding a turn, I noticed my back tire wasn’t tracking too well. I pulled to the curb and checked the pressure. Sure enough, it was going flat.
I pumped it up for the final five minutes to home, but a clear message was again being sent. When would I listen? Marie was happy when I suggested we’d throw her bike in the van and I’d drive her the remaining 4 miles to her house. Anyway, I didn’t want her bragging how she’d ridden me into the ground, dropped me off and continued on her ride.
No…wait a minute…that’s something only I would do.
Bike duration: 2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120.
Calories burned during workout: 1200.
Marie called late Saturday morning. It was time to put together her season long training program, or 'The Plan'. She knew that I’d visited with the Alexander’s and spoken to Colby about the things that had made him one of the best high school milers in the country. He’d had two tips in particular and we would be using them throughout her training and into the season. She wanted a state championship, as well. And so do I.
She rode over on her mountain bike because we were going for a workout ride after finishing the program. It was aggressive. I would have her running six days a week over the summer and working in swimming, biking and the survival workouts, as well. She knew how much hard work and dedication it would take and how unpleasant it would be at times, but was excited to get started.
But first, the bike ride.
Now…Marie is a fierce competitor and in outstanding shape. I’m a couple of years older, not nearly as well conditioned, but I had a definite equipment edge. She was riding a mountain bike she’d gotten when she was 9, knobby tires and all, and I was on my sleek road bike. It was the only thing saving me. We headed out on my favorite course, which meant down the Iron Lung and up the other side. I rode a pace she could hack with her 50-pound tank, but I had to remember not to go too easy since I outweighed her by about 90 pounds, which despite the differences in bikes, I would be lugging against gravity up all those wonderful hills.
I was also riding against time and fate. I figured every minute without a flat was borrowed time. We made it to the turn-around a little early since road construction had taken out a bridge on my favorite riding road. This was probably a good thing since I think Marie was starting to struggle with that thing she called a bike. We were almost home when, rounding a turn, I noticed my back tire wasn’t tracking too well. I pulled to the curb and checked the pressure. Sure enough, it was going flat.
I pumped it up for the final five minutes to home, but a clear message was again being sent. When would I listen? Marie was happy when I suggested we’d throw her bike in the van and I’d drive her the remaining 4 miles to her house. Anyway, I didn’t want her bragging how she’d ridden me into the ground, dropped me off and continued on her ride.
No…wait a minute…that’s something only I would do.
Bike duration: 2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120.
Calories burned during workout: 1200.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
"You mean you're not riding?"
Friday, June 11, 2010
I received a call this morning from Teri, John’s wife. She said he was at Hillcrest in ICU.
“He’s bleeding internally from somewhere. He was throwing up blood early this morning,” she said.
“That doesn’t sound too good. Do you suppose he’ll be ready for our ride tonight?” I asked.
Okay…I didn’t say that. I would have if he’d called. I did go to see him and he was doing well – all vitals were good, but they were taking him to a room where they’re going to run one of those things down his throat to look around inside and determine the source of the bleeding. Not as good as a colonoscopy, though.
“So…I’ll be back tonight and I’ll bring the ‘Adirondack News’ to read to you,” I said.
“Umm…you don’t…umm…need to…”
“Hey…it’s okay. You’d do the same for me,” I said.
So, once again the ride was off. I mean I could have done it myself, but that wasn’t the plan and now the plan was messed up. Actually, I prefer to ride on Saturdays anyway…in case I really want to take a long one when I’ll have more time. For today, I decided on a run, of course.
It was in the 80’s and muggy. Pretty normal for a June night in Cleveland. I was thinking it would be an hour run and that I would end up near a creek for a dunk. Just thinking about it made the run easier to do. Once again, it felt rather easy. The worst thing going was the attack of the deer flies, but I put about four of them out of their misery…smearing their bodies all over me as a warning to their brethren to stay away. A little gross, but it seems to work.
I managed to keep a good pace throughout and when I reached the creek, about 8 minutes from the car, was quite happy to plop in. I finished the run refreshed and reasonably clean and after having run a sweaty hour that was quite an accomplishment.
After heading home and cleaning up, I returned with Holly to the hospital. John was sleeping off his anesthesia, but told me to wake him up when I arrived, so I obliged him. Turns out he had four bleeding ulcers, though they had healed themselves for now and he would be going home tomorrow.
“Maybe a ride on Sunday, then?” I asked.
Teri, his wife, didn’t seem to think so.
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
I received a call this morning from Teri, John’s wife. She said he was at Hillcrest in ICU.
“He’s bleeding internally from somewhere. He was throwing up blood early this morning,” she said.
“That doesn’t sound too good. Do you suppose he’ll be ready for our ride tonight?” I asked.
Okay…I didn’t say that. I would have if he’d called. I did go to see him and he was doing well – all vitals were good, but they were taking him to a room where they’re going to run one of those things down his throat to look around inside and determine the source of the bleeding. Not as good as a colonoscopy, though.
“So…I’ll be back tonight and I’ll bring the ‘Adirondack News’ to read to you,” I said.
“Umm…you don’t…umm…need to…”
“Hey…it’s okay. You’d do the same for me,” I said.
So, once again the ride was off. I mean I could have done it myself, but that wasn’t the plan and now the plan was messed up. Actually, I prefer to ride on Saturdays anyway…in case I really want to take a long one when I’ll have more time. For today, I decided on a run, of course.
It was in the 80’s and muggy. Pretty normal for a June night in Cleveland. I was thinking it would be an hour run and that I would end up near a creek for a dunk. Just thinking about it made the run easier to do. Once again, it felt rather easy. The worst thing going was the attack of the deer flies, but I put about four of them out of their misery…smearing their bodies all over me as a warning to their brethren to stay away. A little gross, but it seems to work.
I managed to keep a good pace throughout and when I reached the creek, about 8 minutes from the car, was quite happy to plop in. I finished the run refreshed and reasonably clean and after having run a sweaty hour that was quite an accomplishment.
After heading home and cleaning up, I returned with Holly to the hospital. John was sleeping off his anesthesia, but told me to wake him up when I arrived, so I obliged him. Turns out he had four bleeding ulcers, though they had healed themselves for now and he would be going home tomorrow.
“Maybe a ride on Sunday, then?” I asked.
Teri, his wife, didn’t seem to think so.
Run duration: 63 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1075.
Friday, June 11, 2010
An amazing night at 'The Jake'
Thursday, June 10, 2010
I was pretty sure I would not be getting in a workout today. I had a normal work schedule, but then would be climbing in the van for a trip to Columbus to pick up Savannah from OSU. She would be done with finals around 5:30 p.m. and then we would load the van and head for Jacob’s Field. Savannah has always loved Victor Martinez and, like so many Tribe fans, was extremely disappointed when he was traded to the Red Sox two seasons ago. The Red Sox were in town and this would be the last game they would play here this year. My belated birthday present was tickets to the game – and we had to make it.
After some sad ‘goodbyes’ we were on the road. We made decent time and found ourselves in our seats by the top of the 4th inning. We’d been down 5 to 1 when we’d tuned in on the ride north, but fought our way back and it was now 5 to 3. Maybe this would be a good game, though I was worried about our bullpen against one of the better hitting teams in baseball.
Things went our way and with the Tribe scoring 3 in the 6th, we took the lead. Savannah seemed to think it was ‘dollar dog night’ – hot dogs for only one dollar (I will NOT pay those normal, crazy concession prices). I tapped the shoulder of the lady in front of us and she confirmed this to be the case.
“I’ll spring for dogs for only a dollar,” I said. I’d eaten two bananas for the day and I was feeling the grumbling.
We headed for the concession stand when we figured out that Victor would not be coming to bat. There was quite a line, but once I’d made up my mind to have a dog, I could think of little else.
“I think I could actually eat two, but I’m not sure,” Savannah said.
“Not a problem. I’ll eat any part of anything that you don’t eat,” I replied and ordered 5 dogs when it was my turn.
They’re really pretty little so…yeah…I ate three. I did not order a drink, though. They wanted $4 for a small pop. FOUR DOLLARS FOR A SMALL GLASS OF POP? Anyway, I gagged them down without fluids.
Things were going well until the 9th. That’s ‘Kerry Wood Time’ – our $10 million closer. Closers are pitchers paid lots and lots of money to keep their team in the lead in the last inning of the game. No one explained that to Kerry. He thinks his job is to give me heartburn.
He managed to get the first two batters out easily, and was one strike from ending the game, when he decided to go away from the pitch he’d used to get things to that point and threw a breaking ball in the dirt, which bounced and hit the batter in the foot. I put my head in my hands and muttered “here we go again.”
Adrian Beltre stepped to the plate and promptly planted a grooved Kerry fastball in the bleachers for a 2-run homer and a Red Sox lead. He managed to retire the next batter, but the damage was done and I was searching my pockets for my Tums.
Why does the performance of a bunch of overgrown, overpaid kids playing a game have the ability to affect me so deeply? And not just me, I’m sure. But they do and here I was…fuming over a blown opportunity…again. Savannah tried to calm me with “we can get it back.”
“Are you new?” I wanted to shout, but didn’t. Stay positive. It’s baseball and it ain’t over til it’s over.
Sure enough…the Red Sox closer had been working from the same set of instructions as Kerry. He walked Austin Kearns, which was followed by a double off the bat of Shin-Sin Choo. Another walk and the bases were loaded with no one out. Hafner and Peralta took care of that – striking out and popping up respectively, but with one out left and Russell Branyan at the plate, I said to Savannah, “I have a good feeling about this.”
Russell delivered a single to right, knocking in two runs and winning the game. I went from needing Tums to jubilation in one powerful swing of a bat.
So…no workout, though the stress of the last inning caused some excess calorie burn. I felt so good walking to the car that I considered going home and doing a run – at midnight. I decided against it because I did not want to run the roads and the trails would probably be dark. John and I are scheduled for a ride tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what happens to screw that up.
I was pretty sure I would not be getting in a workout today. I had a normal work schedule, but then would be climbing in the van for a trip to Columbus to pick up Savannah from OSU. She would be done with finals around 5:30 p.m. and then we would load the van and head for Jacob’s Field. Savannah has always loved Victor Martinez and, like so many Tribe fans, was extremely disappointed when he was traded to the Red Sox two seasons ago. The Red Sox were in town and this would be the last game they would play here this year. My belated birthday present was tickets to the game – and we had to make it.
After some sad ‘goodbyes’ we were on the road. We made decent time and found ourselves in our seats by the top of the 4th inning. We’d been down 5 to 1 when we’d tuned in on the ride north, but fought our way back and it was now 5 to 3. Maybe this would be a good game, though I was worried about our bullpen against one of the better hitting teams in baseball.
Things went our way and with the Tribe scoring 3 in the 6th, we took the lead. Savannah seemed to think it was ‘dollar dog night’ – hot dogs for only one dollar (I will NOT pay those normal, crazy concession prices). I tapped the shoulder of the lady in front of us and she confirmed this to be the case.
“I’ll spring for dogs for only a dollar,” I said. I’d eaten two bananas for the day and I was feeling the grumbling.
We headed for the concession stand when we figured out that Victor would not be coming to bat. There was quite a line, but once I’d made up my mind to have a dog, I could think of little else.
“I think I could actually eat two, but I’m not sure,” Savannah said.
“Not a problem. I’ll eat any part of anything that you don’t eat,” I replied and ordered 5 dogs when it was my turn.
They’re really pretty little so…yeah…I ate three. I did not order a drink, though. They wanted $4 for a small pop. FOUR DOLLARS FOR A SMALL GLASS OF POP? Anyway, I gagged them down without fluids.
Things were going well until the 9th. That’s ‘Kerry Wood Time’ – our $10 million closer. Closers are pitchers paid lots and lots of money to keep their team in the lead in the last inning of the game. No one explained that to Kerry. He thinks his job is to give me heartburn.
He managed to get the first two batters out easily, and was one strike from ending the game, when he decided to go away from the pitch he’d used to get things to that point and threw a breaking ball in the dirt, which bounced and hit the batter in the foot. I put my head in my hands and muttered “here we go again.”
Adrian Beltre stepped to the plate and promptly planted a grooved Kerry fastball in the bleachers for a 2-run homer and a Red Sox lead. He managed to retire the next batter, but the damage was done and I was searching my pockets for my Tums.
Why does the performance of a bunch of overgrown, overpaid kids playing a game have the ability to affect me so deeply? And not just me, I’m sure. But they do and here I was…fuming over a blown opportunity…again. Savannah tried to calm me with “we can get it back.”
“Are you new?” I wanted to shout, but didn’t. Stay positive. It’s baseball and it ain’t over til it’s over.
Sure enough…the Red Sox closer had been working from the same set of instructions as Kerry. He walked Austin Kearns, which was followed by a double off the bat of Shin-Sin Choo. Another walk and the bases were loaded with no one out. Hafner and Peralta took care of that – striking out and popping up respectively, but with one out left and Russell Branyan at the plate, I said to Savannah, “I have a good feeling about this.”
Russell delivered a single to right, knocking in two runs and winning the game. I went from needing Tums to jubilation in one powerful swing of a bat.
So…no workout, though the stress of the last inning caused some excess calorie burn. I felt so good walking to the car that I considered going home and doing a run – at midnight. I decided against it because I did not want to run the roads and the trails would probably be dark. John and I are scheduled for a ride tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what happens to screw that up.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Where the wild things are...
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Kim, a young lady I coached during her high school career, is quite a runner. She competes with the big dawgs in Division One for the University of Akron and her team’s lead runner. She really doesn’t know what it’s like to run slow…until now.
She’s spending the summer working at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, which is somewhere around 10,000 feet above sea level. We talked a little about acclimatization before she left and she’s been at elevation before, but never to run. She went on her first run yesterday and wrote this about the experience in her blog: “I went for my first high altitude run today. It was 20 minutes, but I was gasping for air and breathing like a fat kid…while running 9 minute pace.”
You know…I’m happy that she’s going through a living hell. I mean I’m 55 now and every run is at 9-minute pace – so too freakin’ bad for you. I was fortunate enough to run and ride at altitude on a business trip to Denver, but that was only a mile high. It truly does suck, but she’ll likely acclimatize over the next 10 days and will be a better runner upon her return to sea level. I, on the other hand, will remain mediocre.
She also brought up something that anyone who enjoys the wilderness finds disturbing. Apparently, the black bear population in that part of the country has had their way with human trash for a number of years and has completely forgotten how to forage for food in the wild. A recent attempt by the state to remedy this situation – requiring residents to use only bear proofed garbage containers – has left the bears malnourished and looking for human food. They can be very persistent and are extremely clever. Unfortunately, they also become very bold and a danger to humans. One such bear was euthanized and there will be more before the animals re-learn the art of finding food in their natural environment.
I see the issue all the time in the back country of the Adirondacks. Campers come in under the mistaken impression that they can hang their food in trees, as they were able to do in years past, and it will be safe from bears. They can’t. The bears have caught up and the only way to keep food from them is by carrying everything in a bear canister. They are a little pricy and somewhat bulky – but they’re the law now and with good reason. Still, morons insist on not using them and the bears continue to invade camp sites looking for their, and my, food.
I only bring this up because I continue to encourage people to head into the back country as part of their fitness routine. I will be taking some first-timers out at the end of this summer and I insist upon complete compliance to the food rules. Though I kind of like having the bears around – it makes it much more interesting – I am aware that bad things can happen with too much interaction. We’re the visitors. It’s their habitat. More on this as I get closer to taking a trip.
I was quite tired heading into tonight’s run. I had been planning on doing a ride with John, but the rain changed that plan. I only had time for about a 40-minute run…and that was fine. Once again though, I got going and it felt pretty easy. By the time I was finishing up, I wished I’d have had more time so I could have done another one-hour effort.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 725.
Kim, a young lady I coached during her high school career, is quite a runner. She competes with the big dawgs in Division One for the University of Akron and her team’s lead runner. She really doesn’t know what it’s like to run slow…until now.
She’s spending the summer working at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic, Colorado, which is somewhere around 10,000 feet above sea level. We talked a little about acclimatization before she left and she’s been at elevation before, but never to run. She went on her first run yesterday and wrote this about the experience in her blog: “I went for my first high altitude run today. It was 20 minutes, but I was gasping for air and breathing like a fat kid…while running 9 minute pace.”
You know…I’m happy that she’s going through a living hell. I mean I’m 55 now and every run is at 9-minute pace – so too freakin’ bad for you. I was fortunate enough to run and ride at altitude on a business trip to Denver, but that was only a mile high. It truly does suck, but she’ll likely acclimatize over the next 10 days and will be a better runner upon her return to sea level. I, on the other hand, will remain mediocre.
She also brought up something that anyone who enjoys the wilderness finds disturbing. Apparently, the black bear population in that part of the country has had their way with human trash for a number of years and has completely forgotten how to forage for food in the wild. A recent attempt by the state to remedy this situation – requiring residents to use only bear proofed garbage containers – has left the bears malnourished and looking for human food. They can be very persistent and are extremely clever. Unfortunately, they also become very bold and a danger to humans. One such bear was euthanized and there will be more before the animals re-learn the art of finding food in their natural environment.
I see the issue all the time in the back country of the Adirondacks. Campers come in under the mistaken impression that they can hang their food in trees, as they were able to do in years past, and it will be safe from bears. They can’t. The bears have caught up and the only way to keep food from them is by carrying everything in a bear canister. They are a little pricy and somewhat bulky – but they’re the law now and with good reason. Still, morons insist on not using them and the bears continue to invade camp sites looking for their, and my, food.
I only bring this up because I continue to encourage people to head into the back country as part of their fitness routine. I will be taking some first-timers out at the end of this summer and I insist upon complete compliance to the food rules. Though I kind of like having the bears around – it makes it much more interesting – I am aware that bad things can happen with too much interaction. We’re the visitors. It’s their habitat. More on this as I get closer to taking a trip.
I was quite tired heading into tonight’s run. I had been planning on doing a ride with John, but the rain changed that plan. I only had time for about a 40-minute run…and that was fine. Once again though, I got going and it felt pretty easy. By the time I was finishing up, I wished I’d have had more time so I could have done another one-hour effort.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 725.
It's a jungle out there
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I arrived at the park and changed outside the ranger station bathroom (someone was inside and taking too long). I was walking back to my car when I heard someone calling to me and turned to see Justine, a Park Ranger.
Justine and I met several years ago on my most bizarre Metropark experience. I had been doing a run and come across a man attacking a sapling. He was doing a Ninja Turtle routine on it and when he spotted me, said he needed to release some anger. I was back at my car at the conclusion of my run when I heard a gunshot. I’m not a member of the NRA, but I’ve been around guns enough to know when I’ve heard one. I thought of the tree whacker and ran in the direction of the gunshot. Not recommended.
I never found him, but reported the incident at the Ranger Station. A couple of days later, I was there for another run and again, heard a gunshot. This time I was sure I knew its location…and headed that way. If you’re wondering why, it’s because both of my daughters were on the cross country team at that time and ran, with the team, throughout the park every day. If someone was randomly discharging firearms, I was going to locate them. I did.
I was walking along the river when I noticed a man laying on the bank under a tree and pointing a handgun towards the sky. He didn’t see me and I slowly backed away. Once clear of him, I jogged back to my car and returned to the Ranger Station. Justine was there and quickly took charge of the situation, making calls for backup while driving me to the location so I could show her exactly where I had spotted the man. She and another Ranger, guns drawn, approached the man still lying on his back, and convinced him to drop the gun.
I discovered later that he had been trying to muster the courage to kill himself, but he was not the man I’d seen attacking the tree. Some time after that, I was questioned in greater detail about the tree incident and came to find that his body had been discovered – a suicide victim.
What are the odds? I’d managed to prevent one and seen the other just before he’d killed himself. The odds of my seeing them both were very low, but suicide in the Metroparks is not such an uncommon occurrence. I run alone all the time and will continue to do so for the sheer convenience. I suppose it’s okay almost all of the time, but I think we all need to be aware that things are happening in those magnificent settings that could endanger us. If you can get a training partner…do it. They could come in handy.
Almost forgot. I managed another one-hour plus run, which went smoothly. I’m getting tired, sore though, so John and I have planned a ride. Grab your umbrellas.
Run duration: 64 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
I arrived at the park and changed outside the ranger station bathroom (someone was inside and taking too long). I was walking back to my car when I heard someone calling to me and turned to see Justine, a Park Ranger.
Justine and I met several years ago on my most bizarre Metropark experience. I had been doing a run and come across a man attacking a sapling. He was doing a Ninja Turtle routine on it and when he spotted me, said he needed to release some anger. I was back at my car at the conclusion of my run when I heard a gunshot. I’m not a member of the NRA, but I’ve been around guns enough to know when I’ve heard one. I thought of the tree whacker and ran in the direction of the gunshot. Not recommended.
I never found him, but reported the incident at the Ranger Station. A couple of days later, I was there for another run and again, heard a gunshot. This time I was sure I knew its location…and headed that way. If you’re wondering why, it’s because both of my daughters were on the cross country team at that time and ran, with the team, throughout the park every day. If someone was randomly discharging firearms, I was going to locate them. I did.
I was walking along the river when I noticed a man laying on the bank under a tree and pointing a handgun towards the sky. He didn’t see me and I slowly backed away. Once clear of him, I jogged back to my car and returned to the Ranger Station. Justine was there and quickly took charge of the situation, making calls for backup while driving me to the location so I could show her exactly where I had spotted the man. She and another Ranger, guns drawn, approached the man still lying on his back, and convinced him to drop the gun.
I discovered later that he had been trying to muster the courage to kill himself, but he was not the man I’d seen attacking the tree. Some time after that, I was questioned in greater detail about the tree incident and came to find that his body had been discovered – a suicide victim.
What are the odds? I’d managed to prevent one and seen the other just before he’d killed himself. The odds of my seeing them both were very low, but suicide in the Metroparks is not such an uncommon occurrence. I run alone all the time and will continue to do so for the sheer convenience. I suppose it’s okay almost all of the time, but I think we all need to be aware that things are happening in those magnificent settings that could endanger us. If you can get a training partner…do it. They could come in handy.
Almost forgot. I managed another one-hour plus run, which went smoothly. I’m getting tired, sore though, so John and I have planned a ride. Grab your umbrellas.
Run duration: 64 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Battle of the Bulge has nothing to do with waist lines
Monday, June 7, 2010
We were driving to the state meet in Columbus Friday and Jimmy had brought along a trivial pursuit game. I guess he was worried about uncomfortable silences since I don’t allow the radio to be on in the car. I don’t like the competition when I want to speak. Anyway, he asked the question “what percentage of American college students correctly answered the question ‘in what war was the battle of the bulge fought?’” The answer was 20%, which means four out of five didn’t know the answer.
I had three college students sitting around the dinner table on Sunday and repeated the question. They came back with two civil wars and a ‘huh?’ If you add Holly’s ‘you must be kidding if you think I’ll know’, then the table was 0 for 4. Holly’s dad, a WWII vet ended the mystery for them. I’m a history nut and so I guess I don’t count. Besides – I’d seen ‘Patton’ about 10 times and of course the movie ‘Battle of the Bulge’ when I was a wee tot.
I know…I know…there ought to be a point. Too bad…there isn’t. I was just thinking and started writing. I should never do that and I’ll try to get back to just writing without thinking.
Either I’m getting faster or the rest of the running community is getting really slow, but I passed a couple of runners on the trail today. In fact, I passed them three different times and this got them to wondering just where the hell I was going that they weren’t.
“I’m a stalker. I run off into the woods and circle around behind people. Just to see if I can,” I said.
They looked at me like I was strange – more than just running strange and said “oh”.
As I completed my sentence, I was turning off again on some unmarked trail. I was running the stretch of trail between the Polo Fields and Miles Road in the South Chagrin Reservation. There are cool, seldom-used hiking paths that are right on the river and so much more interesting to run than the bridle trails, which are full of horses and horse shit…lot’s more than the North Chagrin Reservation. I’ll run there once in awhile for a change of pace and I like to explore these trails. I’m think Rick and Dawn (the two runners I was stalking) never get off the bridle trails and don’t know about them. They’re missing some really good running.
I ended up with another 1-hour run. It’s amazing to me that I can do these things back to back to back now and I’m loving it. The problem is…I’m becoming too one dimensional. All I do is run. I could have easily done a bike last night, but I didn’t want to miss my run. Maybe tonight? Maybe both?
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
We were driving to the state meet in Columbus Friday and Jimmy had brought along a trivial pursuit game. I guess he was worried about uncomfortable silences since I don’t allow the radio to be on in the car. I don’t like the competition when I want to speak. Anyway, he asked the question “what percentage of American college students correctly answered the question ‘in what war was the battle of the bulge fought?’” The answer was 20%, which means four out of five didn’t know the answer.
I had three college students sitting around the dinner table on Sunday and repeated the question. They came back with two civil wars and a ‘huh?’ If you add Holly’s ‘you must be kidding if you think I’ll know’, then the table was 0 for 4. Holly’s dad, a WWII vet ended the mystery for them. I’m a history nut and so I guess I don’t count. Besides – I’d seen ‘Patton’ about 10 times and of course the movie ‘Battle of the Bulge’ when I was a wee tot.
I know…I know…there ought to be a point. Too bad…there isn’t. I was just thinking and started writing. I should never do that and I’ll try to get back to just writing without thinking.
Either I’m getting faster or the rest of the running community is getting really slow, but I passed a couple of runners on the trail today. In fact, I passed them three different times and this got them to wondering just where the hell I was going that they weren’t.
“I’m a stalker. I run off into the woods and circle around behind people. Just to see if I can,” I said.
They looked at me like I was strange – more than just running strange and said “oh”.
As I completed my sentence, I was turning off again on some unmarked trail. I was running the stretch of trail between the Polo Fields and Miles Road in the South Chagrin Reservation. There are cool, seldom-used hiking paths that are right on the river and so much more interesting to run than the bridle trails, which are full of horses and horse shit…lot’s more than the North Chagrin Reservation. I’ll run there once in awhile for a change of pace and I like to explore these trails. I’m think Rick and Dawn (the two runners I was stalking) never get off the bridle trails and don’t know about them. They’re missing some really good running.
I ended up with another 1-hour run. It’s amazing to me that I can do these things back to back to back now and I’m loving it. The problem is…I’m becoming too one dimensional. All I do is run. I could have easily done a bike last night, but I didn’t want to miss my run. Maybe tonight? Maybe both?
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Coaching high school runners.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Life is like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you eat the whole thing and need to really do some extra workouts. Sometimes it sets in the sun too long and you get it all over your clothes...and sometimes you just take one and don’t know what you’re going to get.
We were returning from the state meet and Jimmy and I were discussing how, what can seem like an insignificant thing at the time, will have such an impact on the rest of our lives. He credits me with his going out with Kim – I’m not sure why – and they’ve been together for a bunch of years now. I took him to the Adirondacks for the first time – a place he’d never heard of and he’s now committed to backpacking and more trips to the wilderness.
I met him, Kim, Marie and a host of other runners because many years ago someone I’d given a fitness test and for whom I’d designed an exercise program asked me to speak with his son, Eric, about his high school running goals.
I met Eric in 1985 after his freshman cross country season, which had not gone as well as he would have liked. He was looking for guidance on how to maximize his running potential and hoping I would have some answers. At our first meeting, I asked him about his goals.
“I want to win the mile at the state meet,” he replied without hesitation.
He was only 15 years old, but he knew what he wanted and would dedicate the next 4 years to achieving that goal. He forced me, an exercise physiologist with a running background, but limited knowledge of coaching, to bone up on what it would take for him to achieve that objective and how I could best help. I became obsessed with training young athletes at this level for the remainder of his high school career and beyond – meeting with and becoming close to so many athletes and their families along the way. He won that state meet in 1988, one of the more thrilling events in my lifetime and the impact that achieving that goal had for him and for me has been life changing for us both. He is the Godfather of my daughter and we are still a large part of each others’ lives.
Oh...workout? Yeah…finally. I was planning a ride while sitting in church and checking my pulse. And listening to the sermon. We were socializing after the service – I was drinking some coffee and loading up on cookies and thinking that I had a new tire on the bike which was not going to go flat and that I’d finally get in a decent ride.
Then we walked outside. Of course…it was raining. And I DON’T ride in the rain. No big deal. Tomorrow. I’d go for a run after doing the lawn and before Sunday family dinner.
The yard was so wet from yesterday’s and today’s showers that I decided to cut it with the hand mower. Besides, I’d burn a few more calories…something I needed after two days without exercise. As I completed the lawn and put away all the camping gear that had been drying in the sun, which was now out, I considered riding the bike. I really like to have at least two hours for a ride and I didn’t so I headed for a one hour run in the park.
It went well – except for the second fall in as many runs. I tend to go with a very small foot lift with each stride and this has been getting me into trouble lately. I’m finding the roots on the hiking trails with my toe as I bring my foot forward and, when tired from running close to an hour, I don’t have much luck keeping my balance and down I go. Nothing too serious and it’s the price I’m willing to pay to run trails, but I might have to consider wearing my riding gloves and biking helmet if the trend continues.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Life is like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you eat the whole thing and need to really do some extra workouts. Sometimes it sets in the sun too long and you get it all over your clothes...and sometimes you just take one and don’t know what you’re going to get.
We were returning from the state meet and Jimmy and I were discussing how, what can seem like an insignificant thing at the time, will have such an impact on the rest of our lives. He credits me with his going out with Kim – I’m not sure why – and they’ve been together for a bunch of years now. I took him to the Adirondacks for the first time – a place he’d never heard of and he’s now committed to backpacking and more trips to the wilderness.
I met him, Kim, Marie and a host of other runners because many years ago someone I’d given a fitness test and for whom I’d designed an exercise program asked me to speak with his son, Eric, about his high school running goals.
I met Eric in 1985 after his freshman cross country season, which had not gone as well as he would have liked. He was looking for guidance on how to maximize his running potential and hoping I would have some answers. At our first meeting, I asked him about his goals.
“I want to win the mile at the state meet,” he replied without hesitation.
He was only 15 years old, but he knew what he wanted and would dedicate the next 4 years to achieving that goal. He forced me, an exercise physiologist with a running background, but limited knowledge of coaching, to bone up on what it would take for him to achieve that objective and how I could best help. I became obsessed with training young athletes at this level for the remainder of his high school career and beyond – meeting with and becoming close to so many athletes and their families along the way. He won that state meet in 1988, one of the more thrilling events in my lifetime and the impact that achieving that goal had for him and for me has been life changing for us both. He is the Godfather of my daughter and we are still a large part of each others’ lives.
Oh...workout? Yeah…finally. I was planning a ride while sitting in church and checking my pulse. And listening to the sermon. We were socializing after the service – I was drinking some coffee and loading up on cookies and thinking that I had a new tire on the bike which was not going to go flat and that I’d finally get in a decent ride.
Then we walked outside. Of course…it was raining. And I DON’T ride in the rain. No big deal. Tomorrow. I’d go for a run after doing the lawn and before Sunday family dinner.
The yard was so wet from yesterday’s and today’s showers that I decided to cut it with the hand mower. Besides, I’d burn a few more calories…something I needed after two days without exercise. As I completed the lawn and put away all the camping gear that had been drying in the sun, which was now out, I considered riding the bike. I really like to have at least two hours for a ride and I didn’t so I headed for a one hour run in the park.
It went well – except for the second fall in as many runs. I tend to go with a very small foot lift with each stride and this has been getting me into trouble lately. I’m finding the roots on the hiking trails with my toe as I bring my foot forward and, when tired from running close to an hour, I don’t have much luck keeping my balance and down I go. Nothing too serious and it’s the price I’m willing to pay to run trails, but I might have to consider wearing my riding gloves and biking helmet if the trend continues.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Lovin' life at the State Meet
Saturday, June 5, 2010
I was up at 6 a.m., not having slept particularly well. I love camping out, but I tend to need a night of poor sleeping to get exhausted to sleep the second night. My back, at 55, misses the comfort of my regular bed.
Anyway, lightning was flashing…thunder was rumbling and I was thinking it’s a damn sight better to take tents down when it’s not pouring. I started waking up my fellow campers.
Jimmy, to my surprise, was all over it. Normally, he thinks he’s brought his mom with him (me) and expects that I’ll do everything. Not this morning. He was calling to Marie and Kim to get moving, but neither seemed to get it.
“John said I could sleep until 7 a.m. I’ve got another 10 minutes,” Kim whined.
We started taking the tent down with her in it. She got the message, but instead of helping us, headed with Marie to the rest rooms. As Jimmy and I were putting the last tent in the van, the rains began to fall…hard.
So now there would be no morning run. We headed back to Bob Evans and this time it was a ham and cheese omelet. I only eat them at Bob Evans…which is twice a year, or so. The rain continued to fall as we headed for the stadium. I had rain gear and an umbrella, but lightning would put the meet on hold and so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
We were there at 9:30 a.m. with the intention of watching all three divisions throughout the day. I was particularly interested in seeing Colby Alexander, my partner’s son and close friend, run the 1,600 meter race in Division One. That wouldn’t be happening until about 5 p.m., but I truly love this sport and knew the time would fly by.
A little rain began to fall, but we’d figured on that and had sat in the last row at the top of the visiting stands so that we could put up umbrella’s without obstructing anyone’s view…not that it mattered with the stands only one-third full. I was sitting under the umbrella watching the action when I realized someone was calling to me from the walkway in front of the stands.
“You can’t have up an umbrella. It’s against stadium policy,” the facility staff person was yelling.
I looked at him thinking he must be kidding.
“I’m in the last row. There’s no one behind me,” I yelled back, figuring he’d see the sense in that statement. He didn’t.
“Can’t have it up. Stadium policy,” he repeated.
Some people should never be given authority. It destroys their common sense.
I called back “let’s use common sense. There…is…no…one…behind…me...so let’s ignore a stupid rule.”
He looked at me and could see I was not going to give in. Weighing his options, which I think would have been getting someone with a gun to throw me out, decided I probably was right and walked away. Good for him. Common sense had returned.
Since I wasn’t getting in any exercise, I decided to go with minimum food for the day. We went to Wendy’s for lunch where I got a small frostie. No fries…no burger…just a frostie. I suppose I could have gotten something green and water, but I needed something that would stick to the gut through the afternoon.
I have coached athletes running in the state meet with the expectations of winning the whole thing. I develop close bonds to these athletes and my nerves, like theirs or those of a parent, ratchet up as the beginning of the race draws nearer. I work with them on relaxation techniques to cope, but never use them myself. I knew what Don and Rae, Colby’s parents and coaches, were going through. Don would probably throw up from nerves before the gun went off.
I watched Colby warming up on the track’s backstretch, which was right in front of me. I always watch and coach from the backstretch – that’s where races are won and lost. He look completely relaxed. He would be. His mom and coach had prepared over 100 all-Americans and he had total faith in her program. He knew what he was doing, and was extremely confident, which became evident shortly after the gun sounded to start the race.
Colby had been challenged the week before at the regional meet by a very talented runner. He let the runner take the lead now and moved just off his right should and they ran together, stride for stride, for most of the first three laps. Suddenly, Colby surged ahead. His opponent attempted to match the move, but could not get on Colby’s shoulder. With 500 meters to go, Colby’s running style was ‘catch me if you can’. No one could.
He slowly pulled away, opening a 2-second gap by the time he reached the finish line – fulfilling a life-time dream of being a state champion. I couldn’t have been happier for him and his family. Hard work, dedication, talent, and the attitude that no one could beat him had paid big dividends. He’d run the race in 4:09, which was the 7th fastest time ever run in state history at that distance. He will be going to New York next weekend to meet the top 10 high school milers in the country to see if one of them could break the 4-minute mile, something done only four times by an American high school runner.
So…no workout two days in a row. It’s okay when it’s part of the plan. I knew the state meet weekend would make working out difficult and so did plenty leading up to it and would get right back the next day. That’s life. It’s full of interruptions and they don’t need to sidetrack you if you have a plan. Run long tomorrow was mine.
I was up at 6 a.m., not having slept particularly well. I love camping out, but I tend to need a night of poor sleeping to get exhausted to sleep the second night. My back, at 55, misses the comfort of my regular bed.
Anyway, lightning was flashing…thunder was rumbling and I was thinking it’s a damn sight better to take tents down when it’s not pouring. I started waking up my fellow campers.
Jimmy, to my surprise, was all over it. Normally, he thinks he’s brought his mom with him (me) and expects that I’ll do everything. Not this morning. He was calling to Marie and Kim to get moving, but neither seemed to get it.
“John said I could sleep until 7 a.m. I’ve got another 10 minutes,” Kim whined.
We started taking the tent down with her in it. She got the message, but instead of helping us, headed with Marie to the rest rooms. As Jimmy and I were putting the last tent in the van, the rains began to fall…hard.
So now there would be no morning run. We headed back to Bob Evans and this time it was a ham and cheese omelet. I only eat them at Bob Evans…which is twice a year, or so. The rain continued to fall as we headed for the stadium. I had rain gear and an umbrella, but lightning would put the meet on hold and so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.
We were there at 9:30 a.m. with the intention of watching all three divisions throughout the day. I was particularly interested in seeing Colby Alexander, my partner’s son and close friend, run the 1,600 meter race in Division One. That wouldn’t be happening until about 5 p.m., but I truly love this sport and knew the time would fly by.
A little rain began to fall, but we’d figured on that and had sat in the last row at the top of the visiting stands so that we could put up umbrella’s without obstructing anyone’s view…not that it mattered with the stands only one-third full. I was sitting under the umbrella watching the action when I realized someone was calling to me from the walkway in front of the stands.
“You can’t have up an umbrella. It’s against stadium policy,” the facility staff person was yelling.
I looked at him thinking he must be kidding.
“I’m in the last row. There’s no one behind me,” I yelled back, figuring he’d see the sense in that statement. He didn’t.
“Can’t have it up. Stadium policy,” he repeated.
Some people should never be given authority. It destroys their common sense.
I called back “let’s use common sense. There…is…no…one…behind…me...so let’s ignore a stupid rule.”
He looked at me and could see I was not going to give in. Weighing his options, which I think would have been getting someone with a gun to throw me out, decided I probably was right and walked away. Good for him. Common sense had returned.
Since I wasn’t getting in any exercise, I decided to go with minimum food for the day. We went to Wendy’s for lunch where I got a small frostie. No fries…no burger…just a frostie. I suppose I could have gotten something green and water, but I needed something that would stick to the gut through the afternoon.
I have coached athletes running in the state meet with the expectations of winning the whole thing. I develop close bonds to these athletes and my nerves, like theirs or those of a parent, ratchet up as the beginning of the race draws nearer. I work with them on relaxation techniques to cope, but never use them myself. I knew what Don and Rae, Colby’s parents and coaches, were going through. Don would probably throw up from nerves before the gun went off.
I watched Colby warming up on the track’s backstretch, which was right in front of me. I always watch and coach from the backstretch – that’s where races are won and lost. He look completely relaxed. He would be. His mom and coach had prepared over 100 all-Americans and he had total faith in her program. He knew what he was doing, and was extremely confident, which became evident shortly after the gun sounded to start the race.
Colby had been challenged the week before at the regional meet by a very talented runner. He let the runner take the lead now and moved just off his right should and they ran together, stride for stride, for most of the first three laps. Suddenly, Colby surged ahead. His opponent attempted to match the move, but could not get on Colby’s shoulder. With 500 meters to go, Colby’s running style was ‘catch me if you can’. No one could.
He slowly pulled away, opening a 2-second gap by the time he reached the finish line – fulfilling a life-time dream of being a state champion. I couldn’t have been happier for him and his family. Hard work, dedication, talent, and the attitude that no one could beat him had paid big dividends. He’d run the race in 4:09, which was the 7th fastest time ever run in state history at that distance. He will be going to New York next weekend to meet the top 10 high school milers in the country to see if one of them could break the 4-minute mile, something done only four times by an American high school runner.
So…no workout two days in a row. It’s okay when it’s part of the plan. I knew the state meet weekend would make working out difficult and so did plenty leading up to it and would get right back the next day. That’s life. It’s full of interruptions and they don’t need to sidetrack you if you have a plan. Run long tomorrow was mine.
Do something...
Friday, June 4, 2010
I was speaking at a graduation ceremony and I wanted to leave them with one of my favorite quotes, so I hit them with “the problem with doing nothing is knowing when you’re finished – do something.”
Exercise is like that. You start doing nothing and before you know it, you don’t know how to stop. I was going to have trouble doing something on this day. I was packed and after picking up my fellow running fanatics - Kim, Jimmy, and Kim’s sister Marie, was cruising down I71 for Columbus and Jesse Owens Track Stadium. We were hoping to get there in time for the finals of the 4x800 meter race. It was going to be tight. We parked about a mile from the stadium…because it’s free…and started jogging to the stadium. We managed to arrive with ten minutes to spare.
“Can I count the run over here as my workout?” I asked.
“I’m going to,” Kim responded. She could only run 10 minutes at a time right now since she was recovering from an injury. We were fortunate enough to see a fabulous race with the boys team from Wadsworth setting a new state record in a time of 7:39 and some change.
We headed back north to Alum Creek State Park where we would camp for the evening. We stopped at Bob Evans at exit 131 for the traditional dinner the night before the state meet and by the time I consumed my strawberry, cream cheese filled crepes and they settled hard in my gut, I realized running that evening was a fantasy.
We pitched the tents in the fading light and built a camp fire for s’mores and running talk. Marie, a high school standout distance runner had had a disappointing Junior season and was lamenting the situation and wishing she could change history. I write off-season training programs for distance runners looking for an edge and work with them on goal setting and the positive mental imagery necessary to win at the state level.
“You can’t change history, Marie, but you can learn from it. You now know what doesn’t work. The big question is…are you ready to do everything it takes to win at this level?” I asked.
There is trepidation in this kind of commitment. She knew what I was talking about and what would be expected of her. She knew we would be inviting the pain of very difficult workouts (we call it ‘the beast’) into her life on a regular basis if she said ‘yes’ to my inquiry…which she did without hesitation.
There’s the same fear for me. I know I will have to let it all hang out for her, too. Running at this level is no part-time commitment and I will turn over every stone to make her the best she can be. I don’t want to let her down.
And it’s also that way with any fitness regimen. Fear of failure can keep us from starting. It had me for some time before this past February, but I’ve overcome that and continue to progress.
Do something…it’s way better than doing nothing.
I was speaking at a graduation ceremony and I wanted to leave them with one of my favorite quotes, so I hit them with “the problem with doing nothing is knowing when you’re finished – do something.”
Exercise is like that. You start doing nothing and before you know it, you don’t know how to stop. I was going to have trouble doing something on this day. I was packed and after picking up my fellow running fanatics - Kim, Jimmy, and Kim’s sister Marie, was cruising down I71 for Columbus and Jesse Owens Track Stadium. We were hoping to get there in time for the finals of the 4x800 meter race. It was going to be tight. We parked about a mile from the stadium…because it’s free…and started jogging to the stadium. We managed to arrive with ten minutes to spare.
“Can I count the run over here as my workout?” I asked.
“I’m going to,” Kim responded. She could only run 10 minutes at a time right now since she was recovering from an injury. We were fortunate enough to see a fabulous race with the boys team from Wadsworth setting a new state record in a time of 7:39 and some change.
We headed back north to Alum Creek State Park where we would camp for the evening. We stopped at Bob Evans at exit 131 for the traditional dinner the night before the state meet and by the time I consumed my strawberry, cream cheese filled crepes and they settled hard in my gut, I realized running that evening was a fantasy.
We pitched the tents in the fading light and built a camp fire for s’mores and running talk. Marie, a high school standout distance runner had had a disappointing Junior season and was lamenting the situation and wishing she could change history. I write off-season training programs for distance runners looking for an edge and work with them on goal setting and the positive mental imagery necessary to win at the state level.
“You can’t change history, Marie, but you can learn from it. You now know what doesn’t work. The big question is…are you ready to do everything it takes to win at this level?” I asked.
There is trepidation in this kind of commitment. She knew what I was talking about and what would be expected of her. She knew we would be inviting the pain of very difficult workouts (we call it ‘the beast’) into her life on a regular basis if she said ‘yes’ to my inquiry…which she did without hesitation.
There’s the same fear for me. I know I will have to let it all hang out for her, too. Running at this level is no part-time commitment and I will turn over every stone to make her the best she can be. I don’t want to let her down.
And it’s also that way with any fitness regimen. Fear of failure can keep us from starting. It had me for some time before this past February, but I’ve overcome that and continue to progress.
Do something…it’s way better than doing nothing.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Almost perfect.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
In the history of major league baseball, there have only been 20 perfect games. For non-baseball folks, that’s a game where no runner reaches base. No hits…no walks. 27 batters up…27 batters down.
Last night, the first 26 Indians that came to the plate were put down by Detroit’s Armando Galarraga. Jason Donald was the Indians last chance and the only man standing between Galarraga and baseball immortality.
Donald slapped a grounder to the second baseman and raced for first. It was a close play, but the announcer and 15,000 cheering fans called Donald ‘out’, but the first base umpire saw it differently and called Donald ‘safe’ and folks, that’s all that matters in baseball.
Donald’s hands went to his head. He knew that he hadn’t beaten the throw – runners know these things – and a huge argument ensued between the umpire and members of the Detroit Tigers. They all had seen him safe and needed to convince the umpire – but umpires don’t change their minds – they don’t make mistakes. Except this time…he had…as instant replay showed quite clearly. Baseball doesn’t use instant replay though, except for balls that may or may not have cleared the fence for a home run or whether they were fair or foul.
Later that night, the umpire apologized, admitting after seeing the play on instant replay, that he’d blown the call. Good for him…bad for Armando. Odds are…he will never come close to a perfect game again in his career. Remember…there’s only been 20 of these things in over 50,000 major league games, to date.
So I guess you’re thinking that I’m for instant replay for any situation in baseball – like the NFL. I’m not, though. I love baseball and one of the things I love about it is the simplicity of the sport. Arguing about whether a call was blown or a rule applied is part of the game. Guys getting passionate…screaming, kicking dirt, throwing helmets, bats, gloves…it is the game.
I’m sorry, Armando (yeah…he’s reading my blog), but I think you’ve accepted it, as well. You play the game. You know the drill. It’s baseball.
Today’s run sucked. It was hot and humid again…you know…Cleveland. I was planning on maybe 45 minutes, but maybe longer if I dropped into a stream along the way. By time I reached 30 minutes though, I was thinking about three days in a row of one hour plus. I was also slowing down noticeably as the heat took its toll.
I managed to struggle through the last 15 minutes to make my hour run, but was completely spent. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Columbus for the State Track and Field Championships, which will make getting in a run problematic and was another motivating factor in pushing myself.
So, no, I didn’t hit the creek because I ran the entire run on top of the ridge. I still want to test my theory of multiple dips during a run. I think it will make a big difference.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1035.
In the history of major league baseball, there have only been 20 perfect games. For non-baseball folks, that’s a game where no runner reaches base. No hits…no walks. 27 batters up…27 batters down.
Last night, the first 26 Indians that came to the plate were put down by Detroit’s Armando Galarraga. Jason Donald was the Indians last chance and the only man standing between Galarraga and baseball immortality.
Donald slapped a grounder to the second baseman and raced for first. It was a close play, but the announcer and 15,000 cheering fans called Donald ‘out’, but the first base umpire saw it differently and called Donald ‘safe’ and folks, that’s all that matters in baseball.
Donald’s hands went to his head. He knew that he hadn’t beaten the throw – runners know these things – and a huge argument ensued between the umpire and members of the Detroit Tigers. They all had seen him safe and needed to convince the umpire – but umpires don’t change their minds – they don’t make mistakes. Except this time…he had…as instant replay showed quite clearly. Baseball doesn’t use instant replay though, except for balls that may or may not have cleared the fence for a home run or whether they were fair or foul.
Later that night, the umpire apologized, admitting after seeing the play on instant replay, that he’d blown the call. Good for him…bad for Armando. Odds are…he will never come close to a perfect game again in his career. Remember…there’s only been 20 of these things in over 50,000 major league games, to date.
So I guess you’re thinking that I’m for instant replay for any situation in baseball – like the NFL. I’m not, though. I love baseball and one of the things I love about it is the simplicity of the sport. Arguing about whether a call was blown or a rule applied is part of the game. Guys getting passionate…screaming, kicking dirt, throwing helmets, bats, gloves…it is the game.
I’m sorry, Armando (yeah…he’s reading my blog), but I think you’ve accepted it, as well. You play the game. You know the drill. It’s baseball.
Today’s run sucked. It was hot and humid again…you know…Cleveland. I was planning on maybe 45 minutes, but maybe longer if I dropped into a stream along the way. By time I reached 30 minutes though, I was thinking about three days in a row of one hour plus. I was also slowing down noticeably as the heat took its toll.
I managed to struggle through the last 15 minutes to make my hour run, but was completely spent. Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Columbus for the State Track and Field Championships, which will make getting in a run problematic and was another motivating factor in pushing myself.
So, no, I didn’t hit the creek because I ran the entire run on top of the ridge. I still want to test my theory of multiple dips during a run. I think it will make a big difference.
Run duration: 61 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1035.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Cooling down in the creek
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
I was driving home from a particularly sweaty workout and had decided that I’d leave my drenched t-shirt in the trunk for the ride. Ahead, I noticed a van with a pushed-in tail gait – loser in a contest with a mailbox, and which I recognized as Holly. I passed her and she pulled in behind me at which point I called her on her cell phone…only after coming to a safe stop at a street light, of course.
“You stalking me?” I asked. She began looking in her rearview mirror for me and then noticed me in front. We gabbed until the light changed, but she pulled along side to turn at the next intersection. Since our windows were down, we conversed without cells.
“Hey…John Locke…are you naked in that car? Because it sure looks like it from up here,” she yelled.
“We don’t need no clothes on the island,” I replied from my low perch in my Honda.
She got the green arrow to go and pulled away, but when I looked to my right – it’s four lanes at this intersection – the woman in the car next to me smiled and said, “so are you naked, John Locke?”
Well…no…of course I was not naked. I suppose though, this was the most humid day of the year. If it can go beyond 100% humidity…it was. I had started the run thinking maybe an hour, but figured I’d play it by how I felt. I’d done a double yesterday…the 65-minute run followed by the ‘survival workout’ with Kim and was feeling both. I was soaked through by the 20-minute mark and the shoes were squishy at 40 minutes. Still, I felt pretty good and decided to take an hour run.
There is a particularly deep creek running through the park to the Chagrin River near the conclusion of my run and the water has been running high from all of the recent rain. I had decided yesterday to take a dip…clothes and shoes on…to cool off and rinse the sweat from my shoes. I’d come out of the creek and jogged easily to the car the day before and it seemed like a good idea again today. In fact, unlike what I’d expected, the shoes, though completely saturated, were actually easy to run in and I was starting to think there were other places throughout the park where I could take dips in the middle of runs. Hmmm.
Seriously, though, there is no better way to combat rising body temperatures that immersion in cold water and I like doing unusual things so why not multiple dips during hot, humid runs. I think I’m on to something…again.
Anyway, I reached the creek and climbed in. There is a lot of shale in this particular portion, which makes for good perches from which to lay back and just let the cool water wash over your entire body. I floated for a couple of minutes, letting the water bring my body temperature down before climbing out and finishing the run. As I was approaching the car – only 5 minutes from the creek – I was thinking that I could easily run another half hour. If nothing else, it deludes me into thinking I can run forever on hot days.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
I was driving home from a particularly sweaty workout and had decided that I’d leave my drenched t-shirt in the trunk for the ride. Ahead, I noticed a van with a pushed-in tail gait – loser in a contest with a mailbox, and which I recognized as Holly. I passed her and she pulled in behind me at which point I called her on her cell phone…only after coming to a safe stop at a street light, of course.
“You stalking me?” I asked. She began looking in her rearview mirror for me and then noticed me in front. We gabbed until the light changed, but she pulled along side to turn at the next intersection. Since our windows were down, we conversed without cells.
“Hey…John Locke…are you naked in that car? Because it sure looks like it from up here,” she yelled.
“We don’t need no clothes on the island,” I replied from my low perch in my Honda.
She got the green arrow to go and pulled away, but when I looked to my right – it’s four lanes at this intersection – the woman in the car next to me smiled and said, “so are you naked, John Locke?”
Well…no…of course I was not naked. I suppose though, this was the most humid day of the year. If it can go beyond 100% humidity…it was. I had started the run thinking maybe an hour, but figured I’d play it by how I felt. I’d done a double yesterday…the 65-minute run followed by the ‘survival workout’ with Kim and was feeling both. I was soaked through by the 20-minute mark and the shoes were squishy at 40 minutes. Still, I felt pretty good and decided to take an hour run.
There is a particularly deep creek running through the park to the Chagrin River near the conclusion of my run and the water has been running high from all of the recent rain. I had decided yesterday to take a dip…clothes and shoes on…to cool off and rinse the sweat from my shoes. I’d come out of the creek and jogged easily to the car the day before and it seemed like a good idea again today. In fact, unlike what I’d expected, the shoes, though completely saturated, were actually easy to run in and I was starting to think there were other places throughout the park where I could take dips in the middle of runs. Hmmm.
Seriously, though, there is no better way to combat rising body temperatures that immersion in cold water and I like doing unusual things so why not multiple dips during hot, humid runs. I think I’m on to something…again.
Anyway, I reached the creek and climbed in. There is a lot of shale in this particular portion, which makes for good perches from which to lay back and just let the cool water wash over your entire body. I floated for a couple of minutes, letting the water bring my body temperature down before climbing out and finishing the run. As I was approaching the car – only 5 minutes from the creek – I was thinking that I could easily run another half hour. If nothing else, it deludes me into thinking I can run forever on hot days.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Back to Basics Survival Workout
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Kim and I had been planning a ‘Back to Basics Survival Workout’ and she called me to see if we were on. I’d run earlier in the day and told her I’d do some of the workout, but she was going to get the full treatment. She was excited, but nervous that she might re-injure the heel she’d been off of since the end of track season three weeks earlier.
Kim is a scholarship runner for the Akron Zips, which is another way of saying…she’s a running stud. When she can’t run, she spends countless hours on the bike and elliptical trainer, but can’t wait to get back to running. She should be in base training for her upcoming cross country season right now and so the frustration is building. Still…you have to treat the injuries with care. The workout we would be doing would purposefully be devoid of running, though would include some explosive moves that I had concerns might cause her trouble. We’d see.
We headed to the park and after a 10-minute walk into my special training area, I went over all of the activities we would be doing. We figured ways to do everything without having her run or impact her heel. I started her with the TRX training bands for her push-ups and quickly moved to the picnic table hop. This exhausting move requires you to jump on the bench, to the top of the table and down the other side. Turn around and come back up and over and continue this for 60 seconds. From that, she headed for the steep, 200 meter hill behind the bench. I expected her to climb and return in under 3 minutes, which would be very difficult because of the mud.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Nah. It’s muddy, slippery, the mosquito’s are thick and I’ve run an hour already. Enjoy,” I answered.
I did do some ab work while she climbed, but when she returned…covered in mud…I had her do the ab’s, too. Then it was on to the bear and crab crawls followed by 50 yards of high skips. I sent her for another trip up the hill and when she returned, we headed for the swing set and I climbing the posts, without legs, to the top. She didn’t quite have the upper body for the climb without legs, but didn’t use them on the descent, which is still tough. More TRX bands for the upper body and then ‘walk the line’ for balance and power.
She really liked going under the fallen tree, which offered about 12” of clearance.
“You need to go under it…but don’t let your belly touch the ground,” I said.
“There’s poison ivy! I’m allergic,” she said.
“C’mon. You afraid of a little itching? Let’s get this thing done,” I said, without sympathy.
She crawled under and managed to stay elevated enough to keep her belly off the ground. This move requires great core strength and a willingness to get dirty. She has both in abundance. Finally, we grabbed our rocks…hers went around 20 pounds…and walked with them for about 20 yards, pressing them overhead as we went. At the end of the walk, we threw them as far as we could – about 8 feet.
“Pick it up. We’ve got 5 more trips with it,” I told her.
Once you’ve learned all the moves and can put them back-to-back smoothly, the workout takes about 30 minutes and works the core, muscular endurance, balance, power, speed, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. It is the complete workout in the woods where you get to get dirty like a kid, enjoy the serenity, and use creativity to keep it interesting and challenging. Everyone that has done it, likes it and Kim was no exception. I did about half. I’ll move into it slowly over the next three weeks eventually making it a regular part of the routine. I have found that it helps me with my climbing trips to the Adirondacks, which will happen in August and September. I like it and am willing to do anything to stay out of the gym and in the great outdoors.
Run duration: 65 minutes. Survival workout: 30 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 150-160 during survival.
Calories burned during workout: 1105 running. 400 for survival.
Kim and I had been planning a ‘Back to Basics Survival Workout’ and she called me to see if we were on. I’d run earlier in the day and told her I’d do some of the workout, but she was going to get the full treatment. She was excited, but nervous that she might re-injure the heel she’d been off of since the end of track season three weeks earlier.
Kim is a scholarship runner for the Akron Zips, which is another way of saying…she’s a running stud. When she can’t run, she spends countless hours on the bike and elliptical trainer, but can’t wait to get back to running. She should be in base training for her upcoming cross country season right now and so the frustration is building. Still…you have to treat the injuries with care. The workout we would be doing would purposefully be devoid of running, though would include some explosive moves that I had concerns might cause her trouble. We’d see.
We headed to the park and after a 10-minute walk into my special training area, I went over all of the activities we would be doing. We figured ways to do everything without having her run or impact her heel. I started her with the TRX training bands for her push-ups and quickly moved to the picnic table hop. This exhausting move requires you to jump on the bench, to the top of the table and down the other side. Turn around and come back up and over and continue this for 60 seconds. From that, she headed for the steep, 200 meter hill behind the bench. I expected her to climb and return in under 3 minutes, which would be very difficult because of the mud.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Nah. It’s muddy, slippery, the mosquito’s are thick and I’ve run an hour already. Enjoy,” I answered.
I did do some ab work while she climbed, but when she returned…covered in mud…I had her do the ab’s, too. Then it was on to the bear and crab crawls followed by 50 yards of high skips. I sent her for another trip up the hill and when she returned, we headed for the swing set and I climbing the posts, without legs, to the top. She didn’t quite have the upper body for the climb without legs, but didn’t use them on the descent, which is still tough. More TRX bands for the upper body and then ‘walk the line’ for balance and power.
She really liked going under the fallen tree, which offered about 12” of clearance.
“You need to go under it…but don’t let your belly touch the ground,” I said.
“There’s poison ivy! I’m allergic,” she said.
“C’mon. You afraid of a little itching? Let’s get this thing done,” I said, without sympathy.
She crawled under and managed to stay elevated enough to keep her belly off the ground. This move requires great core strength and a willingness to get dirty. She has both in abundance. Finally, we grabbed our rocks…hers went around 20 pounds…and walked with them for about 20 yards, pressing them overhead as we went. At the end of the walk, we threw them as far as we could – about 8 feet.
“Pick it up. We’ve got 5 more trips with it,” I told her.
Once you’ve learned all the moves and can put them back-to-back smoothly, the workout takes about 30 minutes and works the core, muscular endurance, balance, power, speed, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. It is the complete workout in the woods where you get to get dirty like a kid, enjoy the serenity, and use creativity to keep it interesting and challenging. Everyone that has done it, likes it and Kim was no exception. I did about half. I’ll move into it slowly over the next three weeks eventually making it a regular part of the routine. I have found that it helps me with my climbing trips to the Adirondacks, which will happen in August and September. I like it and am willing to do anything to stay out of the gym and in the great outdoors.
Run duration: 65 minutes. Survival workout: 30 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 150-160 during survival.
Calories burned during workout: 1105 running. 400 for survival.
Finally...out for a bike ride.
Monday, May 31st, 2010
This was to be the day. The weather was perfect, though there was a chance of a thunderstorm later. My bike had no flats and waiting patiently in the garage. John was on his way over for a ride and I was going to get it done. I’d been trying for the last 6 weeks and something always seemed to happen. Not anymore.
John arrived right on time and very excited about his new riding shoes.
“See this hole here in the bottom?” He was pointing to a spot just under where his big toe would be on the shoe.
“Yeah – I see it. So what?”
“SO WHAT? Well…the air comes in through that hole and cools my toes while I’m riding. That’s so what,” he said with a smirk.
I suppose he’d forgotten the way that I sweat. I don’t think air holes for my toes are going to matter too much to me, but for him…okay. He was also bragging on his insulated water bottles, which kept his water cooler throughout the ride. Actually, that is pretty cool, but I refuse to pay $10 a bottle for such a feature. I just drink it warm. Man up, Johnnie Boy.
We headed out our favorite route…up Old Mill to County Line and then east on Dines/Pekin. I was feeling the heat and lack of riding, but we set a gentle, let’s just talk and ride kind of pace. I figured a two-hour ride for my first time back in the saddle in 6 weeks and so one hour in, we turned and headed back. Ten minutes later came the explosion.
“Oh damn!” I exclaimed as the tire exploded and I came to a quick halt. And I mean exploded. There would be no patching, but I did have a spare. No pump to fill it with, but I definitely had a spare.
“I’ve got one of these air cartridges for pumping up at least one tire,” John offered.
I decided instead to call Holly and offer her the opportunity to drop whatever she was doing and come and pick me up. I’d had four flats now and was starting to think that it was pointless to put another good tube on this rim. Something was wrong and I needed to run it in to the bike shop for closer scrutiny. At least I’d ridden 70 minutes before the blowout.
Holly was thrilled to get my call and immediately came to my rescue. John finished the ride back to my house and we ran the rim and tire up to Performance Bikes in Mayfield. Brandon looked it over and seeing no indicators on the rim, surmised that the problem was the crappy Specialized tire I was using. He thought the tube was squeezing through some hole in the tire and blowing when I hit a bump. He encouraged me to try another tire, which I purchased and will try.
So…kind of a ride. I’ll put on the new tire and if I continue to have trouble, maybe I’ll give up riding for awhile. Powers bigger than me…pissed that I’m taking my pulse while sitting in church…are probably telling me not to bike. I need to listen.
Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
This was to be the day. The weather was perfect, though there was a chance of a thunderstorm later. My bike had no flats and waiting patiently in the garage. John was on his way over for a ride and I was going to get it done. I’d been trying for the last 6 weeks and something always seemed to happen. Not anymore.
John arrived right on time and very excited about his new riding shoes.
“See this hole here in the bottom?” He was pointing to a spot just under where his big toe would be on the shoe.
“Yeah – I see it. So what?”
“SO WHAT? Well…the air comes in through that hole and cools my toes while I’m riding. That’s so what,” he said with a smirk.
I suppose he’d forgotten the way that I sweat. I don’t think air holes for my toes are going to matter too much to me, but for him…okay. He was also bragging on his insulated water bottles, which kept his water cooler throughout the ride. Actually, that is pretty cool, but I refuse to pay $10 a bottle for such a feature. I just drink it warm. Man up, Johnnie Boy.
We headed out our favorite route…up Old Mill to County Line and then east on Dines/Pekin. I was feeling the heat and lack of riding, but we set a gentle, let’s just talk and ride kind of pace. I figured a two-hour ride for my first time back in the saddle in 6 weeks and so one hour in, we turned and headed back. Ten minutes later came the explosion.
“Oh damn!” I exclaimed as the tire exploded and I came to a quick halt. And I mean exploded. There would be no patching, but I did have a spare. No pump to fill it with, but I definitely had a spare.
“I’ve got one of these air cartridges for pumping up at least one tire,” John offered.
I decided instead to call Holly and offer her the opportunity to drop whatever she was doing and come and pick me up. I’d had four flats now and was starting to think that it was pointless to put another good tube on this rim. Something was wrong and I needed to run it in to the bike shop for closer scrutiny. At least I’d ridden 70 minutes before the blowout.
Holly was thrilled to get my call and immediately came to my rescue. John finished the ride back to my house and we ran the rim and tire up to Performance Bikes in Mayfield. Brandon looked it over and seeing no indicators on the rim, surmised that the problem was the crappy Specialized tire I was using. He thought the tube was squeezing through some hole in the tire and blowing when I hit a bump. He encouraged me to try another tire, which I purchased and will try.
So…kind of a ride. I’ll put on the new tire and if I continue to have trouble, maybe I’ll give up riding for awhile. Powers bigger than me…pissed that I’m taking my pulse while sitting in church…are probably telling me not to bike. I need to listen.
Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
Ninja Deer attacks helpless dog
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
I got up Sunday morning thinking ‘there is no way I’m going to be putting on pants and going to church with this rash’, but it actually didn’t hurt too much, so I went. After all, it’s a great opportunity to check my resting heart rate, which was down to 45 bpm. Actually, I like the service. Our minister is in a wheel chair and I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be able to head to the park, which I can see through the windows, for a run later in the day. God has been very good to me.
Maybe not a run, though. I was starting to think a nice kayak might be better for the rash. No rubbing, no scrubbing. I loaded it on the roof and headed for the East Branch Reservoir, which is the headwater of the Cuyahoga River. I brought my running gear…just in case I got the urge.
I put on some sun block, grabbed the camera, and climbed into the kayak. I paddled out of the cove to the larger reservoir only to find horses splashing through the shallow waters to my right. And there were perfectly good people on them, too. This is a site I’ve never seen. Must have been 10 riders and all were circling into the water and then back up onto the beach. I don’t know if it was to cool the horses or just getting them used to it for reasons I can only imagine. I took some pictures of them and headed north for the wildlife preserve and the eagle’s nest.
It takes about 30 minutes to paddle the length of the reservoir and there is a wildlife reserve at the northern end, which is off limits to boaters. In the middle of the marshy reserve is a pole about 50 feet high upon which is a huge eagle’s nest. Through my telephoto lens, I can see that there are eaglets in the nest, but can’t really get a good shot of them. I’ll sit there and wait in hopes that mom or pop will go for a spin and I can take their picture. Not today, though. They just sat and watched me.
By the time I returned to the take-out, the horses were gone. I’d only kayaked an hour and had decided that a 30-minute run would be a good idea. I put on plenty of vasoline and took off along the shaded trail that borders the reservoir. It really is the perfect place to paddle and run. Interestingly, they now have tent sites and lean-to’s for camping. Very primitive, though the water can be pumped nearby for drinking and cooking, and they provide fire wood.
I returned home to discover that Dakota had had a deer encounter of the strangest kind. She’d noticed a young deer and momma wandering in our neighbor’s yard and gone to say hello and see if they wanted to play. They didn’t and mom was not too happy with her even asking. Apparently, she chased Dakota, who, not really know what to do, kind of got caught under the deer. Jason was on the back patio watching the whole thing and thinks the deer may have stepped on Dakota. Dakota knew to head for home and protection, but the deer was unimpressed by Jason’s presence and followed Dakota on to the patio. Jason decided the shovel nearby may be necessary to discourage mom from extracting any more retribution. Apparently, this was enough for her to decide on a retreat.
She was still hanging around when I returned, but wasn’t too keen on hanging when I approached with my camera and a determination to let her know the alpha was home. I know my neighbors are feeding the babies and maybe that’s why they’re so tame, but I don’t think Dakota has quite figured it out. Really added to her excitement and workout, though.
Kayak duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 kayaking. 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 500 kayaking. 475 running.
I got up Sunday morning thinking ‘there is no way I’m going to be putting on pants and going to church with this rash’, but it actually didn’t hurt too much, so I went. After all, it’s a great opportunity to check my resting heart rate, which was down to 45 bpm. Actually, I like the service. Our minister is in a wheel chair and I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be able to head to the park, which I can see through the windows, for a run later in the day. God has been very good to me.
Maybe not a run, though. I was starting to think a nice kayak might be better for the rash. No rubbing, no scrubbing. I loaded it on the roof and headed for the East Branch Reservoir, which is the headwater of the Cuyahoga River. I brought my running gear…just in case I got the urge.
I put on some sun block, grabbed the camera, and climbed into the kayak. I paddled out of the cove to the larger reservoir only to find horses splashing through the shallow waters to my right. And there were perfectly good people on them, too. This is a site I’ve never seen. Must have been 10 riders and all were circling into the water and then back up onto the beach. I don’t know if it was to cool the horses or just getting them used to it for reasons I can only imagine. I took some pictures of them and headed north for the wildlife preserve and the eagle’s nest.
It takes about 30 minutes to paddle the length of the reservoir and there is a wildlife reserve at the northern end, which is off limits to boaters. In the middle of the marshy reserve is a pole about 50 feet high upon which is a huge eagle’s nest. Through my telephoto lens, I can see that there are eaglets in the nest, but can’t really get a good shot of them. I’ll sit there and wait in hopes that mom or pop will go for a spin and I can take their picture. Not today, though. They just sat and watched me.
By the time I returned to the take-out, the horses were gone. I’d only kayaked an hour and had decided that a 30-minute run would be a good idea. I put on plenty of vasoline and took off along the shaded trail that borders the reservoir. It really is the perfect place to paddle and run. Interestingly, they now have tent sites and lean-to’s for camping. Very primitive, though the water can be pumped nearby for drinking and cooking, and they provide fire wood.
I returned home to discover that Dakota had had a deer encounter of the strangest kind. She’d noticed a young deer and momma wandering in our neighbor’s yard and gone to say hello and see if they wanted to play. They didn’t and mom was not too happy with her even asking. Apparently, she chased Dakota, who, not really know what to do, kind of got caught under the deer. Jason was on the back patio watching the whole thing and thinks the deer may have stepped on Dakota. Dakota knew to head for home and protection, but the deer was unimpressed by Jason’s presence and followed Dakota on to the patio. Jason decided the shovel nearby may be necessary to discourage mom from extracting any more retribution. Apparently, this was enough for her to decide on a retreat.
She was still hanging around when I returned, but wasn’t too keen on hanging when I approached with my camera and a determination to let her know the alpha was home. I know my neighbors are feeding the babies and maybe that’s why they’re so tame, but I don’t think Dakota has quite figured it out. Really added to her excitement and workout, though.
Kayak duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 kayaking. 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 500 kayaking. 475 running.
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