An easy double...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been nuts about baseball statistics.  From my earliest days collecting cards to the point where I could afford to purchase the Baseball Encyclopedia, I have studied the hitting stats of the stars in an effort to determine, position by position, which was the best.   
Last night, Holly and I went to see ‘Moneyball’, which is a movie based on the premise that baseball players should be selected utilizing specific and non-traditional hitting statistics rather than the traditional method of evaluating their talent by how many runs they drove in, their batting average and the bases they’d stolen.  In 2002 following the loss of three superstars, Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland A’s, rebuilt that team using this kind of system.  He met with great resistance from his scouting and coaching staff who were more traditionalist, and revolutionized the baseball world when, after signing unheralded players for relatively little dollars, built a team that, at one point in the season, won an American League record of 20 straight games.  Beane was offered $12.5 million to take the helm of the Boston Red Sox the next season and though he refused the offer, the Red Sox adopted his system and two years later won the World Series…their first since 1918.  Anyway, I thought it was a good movie and one that even a non-baseball person…like Holly…could enjoy.

We followed the movie with a trip to Aladdin’s where I had a lamb pita and lentil soup…not completely Paleo…but not fat-laden either.  I’d done a 35-minute run earlier in the day and had no pain in my left calf…instead it shifted to my right…though it wasn’t bad enough to stop me.  I returned home and adjusted the bike to a harder gear before climbing aboard for a 45-minute ride.  I managed to get my heart rate closer to 120 with this adjustment, which is closer to the kind of effort I put in when riding outdoors.

Finally, I can report that I’ve gone three days without a dizzy spell.  Surely it is too early to think that I’m cured, but a very positive development.  I must admit that I’m having a difficult time trying to find an ear, nose and throat doc that can see me anytime in this decade, though.  If the ER thought it was so important that I see someone in the week following my incident, why did they recommend a practice that won’t be taking new appointments for two months? 

Run Duration:  35 minutes.  Bike Duration:  45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running and 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running and 625.

Another outside ride...

Monday, December 26, 2011
I’d like to say I was feeling great all morning…but that would be a lie.  I wasn’t dizzy, but was a little light-headed as I worked around the house and played outside with Dakota.  It was cold…in the low 30’s…but the temperature was riding and I was thinking…ride.

My plan was…ride to the park and do repeats there…that way I wouldn’t be that far from home if I should get dizzy.  I’ve been going through this enough to know when an episode is coming and know that I can slow and dismount the bike before it becomes full blown.  Knowing this, I felt reasonably safe and felt the plan would work.  Besides…vertigo as I’ve been diagnosed could last six weeks…and doing nothing for six weeks was NOT an option.

I dressed in layers…three on top…gloves, hat, tights, and booties and headed out in temperatures that had risen near 40 and with perfect sunshine.  I was cold at first…a good sign that I had on the right amount of clothing.  I was also sporting my heart rate monitor and it was telling me in the early going that I needed to ride harder.

Cycling is a sport very specific to the large muscles of the upper thigh and generating heart rates as high as when running are difficult, if not impossible, for non-conditioned cyclist.  Should you take your heart rate to a comparable running rate, you are likely to go beyond your aerobic threshold quickly, form large amounts of lactic acid in your legs, and be forced to reduce your speed significantly…or stop altogether.  I have been in great cycling shape over my years of triathloning, but have found that my training heart rate to be about 10 beats less per minute on the bike as compared to running.  Today was no exception.  In fact, I was struggling with getting it within 20 beats of my running heart rate…when I took it closer, my quads would start to cramp and fatigue.    I know this is a result of irregular riding outside (weather) and that riding on a trainer for me is just not as intense.  In a word…I’ve ‘deconditioned’. 

I managed a ride of a little over 90 minutes with no dizziness…all while staying perfectly warm.  I know I’m riding in temperatures that a year ago I wouldn’t have considered, but the real bottom line here is…it’s a mild winter.  I’m hoping it stays that way, though I would miss some opportunities to burn calories shoveling the driveway…and I’m alright with that.

The battle with my waistline continued.  I passed on the peanut covered brownies, cookies and left over pie to have a lunch that consisted of chicken breasts, green beans and corn.  I made a smoothie that included a pear, which turned out to be an excellent addition to what is already the best smoothie ever.  Two days and no dizzy spells…I’m very happy about that.
Bike Duration:  One hour and 35 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1300.

I got a heart rate monitor!

Sunday, December 25, 2011
I’d gone to bed about midnight, but had been awoken around 3 a.m. to the sound of my son returning from his birthday night out.  Jason was born on Christmas Eve 27 years ago and we’d struggled for years to try and keep some separation from the holidays to celebrate his birthday.  He’d never complained…and by the sounds of things…wasn’t complaining now.  His three siblings were helping him get to a safe sleeping place…I think he was experiencing a little vertigo of his own…and then they returned to putting the finishing touches on the tree and having a little late night/early morning breakfast while Holly prepared dumplings for Christmas dinner and wrapped the last of the presents.  And yes…this was all going on at 3 a.m. Christmas morning.

Needless to say, I was the first one up later Christmas morning.  I was feeling pretty good…certainly rested…and had my Kashi cereal and a banana…and passing up all the wonderful cookies.  I knew it would be some time before any other humans were moving…it was only 8 a.m.  I did some kitchen cleaning, wrapped a couple of gifts I’d forgotten, made sure the camera was charged and ready and got out the trash bags.  Still…no action from the rest of the house.  When someone finally did rise, it was Jason.

“Wow…I was really, really tired when I got home last night,” he said.  “I was so tired that I was walking kind of funny and Jack had to help me take my shoes off.”

“That IS tired.  I’m guessing you were so tired that you had to have someone drive you home?”

“Oh yeah…I was THAT tired.  Matt drove…and he was wide awake,” he replied.  I’ll give him credit for that.  When he’s going out, there is always a designated…and completely sober…driver.  He had breakfast, which managed to wake Holly, but his three siblings were having none of it.  Once he’d finished eating, he climbed the stairs and got them moving…the way only and oldest brother can do.

I received some excellent workout gear and a Timex heart-rate monitor watch.  I put a lot of faith in basing training on one’s heart rate and was very pleased to have my first.  I’ll normally just do the 10-second check, which is more than adequate and after 40 years of this, pretty much know my heart rate to within a couple of beats based on the effort I’m expending.  Still…I know having the monitor on can turn my current workouts into death marches if I’m not careful.  I will push myself harder than normal to stay at a certain level…particularly on the bike where I tend to have mental lapses and ride easier than I should.  Anyway…once the dust settled from present opening, I knew I had to try it out.

I knew better than to go out on a ride though the weather was SO inviting.  At 45 degrees and with plenty of sunshine, I would have gone three hours if not for the vertigo…and dinner guests due in two hours…and a wife who might throw me out permanently.  Anyway…I could test it out on the trainer…so I did.

I proved quickly what I’d suspected already…that I was riding too easily inside.  The bike I have on the trainer no longer has gear adjustments…the cables have rusted frozen and I haven’t bothered to replace them…so I’m riding easier than when I’m on the road.  I couldn’t get my heart rate much above 110…and that’s unacceptable for me and will have me working to fix the gears before I ride again.  The good news is I rode for close to two hours and felt great the entire time. 

Dinner was chicken and dumplings…and I had one helping with my green beans and corn…but for dessert I passed on the banana cream pie and had a pear.  You read right…a pear!  I was actually too full to eat dessert at the time and figured I’d eat the pear to be sociable…and have pie later.  It never happened and I’m glad it didn’t.  My pants were getting tight and starting half a day early was an excellent idea.  I don’t know what tomorrow will bring with the vertigo…but if I’m feeling good in the morning and it’s nice again…I’m riding outside.

Bike Duration:  One hour and 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 110 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1250.

A dizzy, dizzy day...

Saturday, December 24, 2011
I drove to pick up Kim for our workout, but only made it half way to the park before I had to pull over and let a dizzy spell pass.  Once I thought it had, I drove a little further but quickly found it wasn’t done…and this time it came with the sweats and nausea.  I waited about 5 minutes, steaming up the windows from my sweat and apologizing to Kim while trying to make some small talk to minimize what I was feeling so she wouldn’t think I couldn’t do the workout.  Once it passed, I started driving again, but with that awful nauseous feeling in my gut.   We arrived at the park and I tried my push-ups, managing only 70 and feeling less than perfect.  I skipped my dips and log lift, but had Kim do them.  We did our high hops to the rock station where I managed the overhead, but was again feeling light-headed.  “Probably should have taken my medication this morning,” I said. 

I did manage some dips at the next station, but watched Kim do picnic table hops.  I sprinted up the hill while she climbed with the crossover steps, but again succumbed to dizziness on the descent and had to sit down before I fell.  At that point I decided I would be a spectator for the rest of the workout.  I had her do some Indian sprints in the woods, another set on the picnic table and the pole climb.  It killed me to have to watch, but the vertigo and nausea was far and away the worst I’d experienced…and maybe this whole vertigo thing is a little more serious than I’ve been willing to acknowledge.  I like to be the tough guy and work through everything, but this time I can see I’m going to lose.

I took the anti-dizzy medication when I returned along with a couple of Advil and lay down.  We were due at my sister’s place for a family Christmas Eve gathering in a couple of hours…something I enjoy immensely…and I didn’t want to miss it.  Holly drove us there, but it wasn’t too long before I began to have more episodes.  Over the next two hours, I had about four more before finally deciding I just needed to go home. 

In all, I’d probably had eight episodes for the day…and they’d kicked my ass.  There was nothing left to do but take it easy and see the specialist next week.  I got to the point where I was dreading each passing moment…waiting for the spinning to begin again.  I’m whining…but it sucks.  I did manage to eat more bad stuff, though.  Plenty of cookies and nog of course, and other unhealthy choices.  I know this will continue for two more days, but on December 26^th…I’m done.  I’ll regain my focus and just start saying ‘no’.  I have no doubt I can do it and I’ll still be about 20 pounds ahead of where I was a year ago.  2012 is going to be the year that I surpass any level of fitness I have achieved in my past and that includes a couple of go arounds with Iron Man training.  So…I’ll live a little for a couple more days.

The world's strongest man...

Friday, December 23, 2011

I needed to go to my nephew’s place in Madison to pick up the Jeep I’d stored there over two years ago.  I was doubtful about starting it, but I need it and had to find out just what it would take.  More importantly, I wanted to see his workout set-up he has put together to train for the World’s Strongest Man competition.  I’ve seen some of these events on TV over the years and know that it’s more than just brute strength.  Events vary from year to year, but include measurements of strength, power, endurance and coordination.  He took me into his garage…more of a barn…to show me his stations. 

“This is the tire for the tire flip.  Weighs about 800 pounds,” he said.  He has conserved words all his life and says very little.  Actually…there are only so many uses of words in the universe each day and if I’m going to be using as many as I do, someone gets fewer.  Anyway…the object is to pick up this tire from the ground to an upright position and then…push it over.  This is done until the tire has moved about 40 yards down a field.

“Seriously?  Jon…how in God’s name can ANYBODY do this?” I asked.  He just shrugged.  But seriously…how can they?  He showed me the Atlas balls next.  Solid concrete balls weighing between 225 and 380 pounds which are to be lifted onto platforms ranging in height from about three to five feet off the ground.  I don’t think I could have rolled them, but the idea of picking up that kind of weight…with nothing to grip…and then lifting it up five feet?

He had a steel sled that could hold weight for dragging to train for the truck pull (though in years past it could be a plane, train, fire engine or other contraptions that could weigh between 20-40 tons) and a steel bar with two tires on each end with more space to add weight to practice the log lift.  The tires were there not for weight, but so it could be dropped once lifted overhead.  The log lift is done with a log weighing in around 250 pounds and has to be lifted, returned to the ground and then lifted again…as many times as possible in a set time, usually 75 seconds.

He had a couple of kegs filled with cement and handles attached to the tops and weighing about 350 pounds each for the Farmer’s Carry.  In this event, the contestants have to carry one in each hand for a distance of 50 yards and in a time of 75 seconds…though like all of the events, they can change the weight carried, time and distance each year.  In fact, no two competitions are ever alike and may or may not include events like the squat, keg toss over a wall, and the dead lift to go along with the events already mentioned and with varying weights, distances and other criteria.  In all, it appears like a very difficult competition for which to prepare since you never know exactly what to expect…except that you will need super-human strength, power and muscular endurance.  Needless to say, my nephew is quite literally ‘a beast’.

I was feeling about 70% throughout the day…still feeling the after effects of the previous day’s vertigo.  I elected to take another ‘no exercise’ day and did the Christmas things that had to be done…like get a tree, drink egg nog and eat more cookies…things at which I excel.  I managed to get the lights on the tree, though was unsatisfied with its placement in the stand.  It was big and heavy…and leaning a little.

I wanted to make sure I at least tried a workout the next day, so I sent messages to Kim and Nathan to meet me in the park at 9 a.m. to give it a go.  No doc told me I shouldn’t…and that was good enough for me.

A visit to the ER...

Thursday, December 22, 2011
I was with a client sitting in a library and trying to find some information on the computer when the room started to spin.  I grabbed both sides of the table to keep from falling on the floor while explaining to the client what was happening to me.  I would have liked to lay down, but didn’t think it was the place, so I sat for the next five minutes, sweating through my shirt and trying to control the nausea.  When the symptoms subsided, I excused myself and headed for the car where I made a quick call to Holly.  “I’m driving home but was hoping you’d take me up to the emergency room.  This has gone on too long and I know I have to go in.” I said.  She wanted to say I should have gone to a doctor two weeks ago...but there would be time for ‘I told you so’s’ later.

I was feeling better and walked into the ER at Hillcrest, but they quickly swept me into pre-examining room to take my vitals.  The nurse’s first concern was my resting heart rate...in the 40’s.  “I’m an amazing physical specimen and what I’m going through would kill most people.  I train like a maniac and that’s why I have that low heart rate,” I said.  He looked to Holly...who confirmed with a facial twitch that I was serious.  He described what he felt the doctor would be doing and they moved me to a small room with a bed and a TV where I donned a gown that exposed my backside.  I was in the bed for no more than 5 minutes when another nurse came in and began taking the same vitals over, but hooking up an EKG to monitor the electrical activity of my heart, as well.  When the monitor started beeping because of my low heart rate, she called the doctor.  He entered...watched the screen that was showing a graph of my heart waves and spoke as he did. 

“You’re heart rate is around 33 beats a minute and it’s missing one every now and again,” he said.  “Do you work out at all?”

“Well...kinda every day.  And the heart thing has been going on my whole life,” I said.  I’d first noticed the skipped beat in my early 20’s, and an Executive Physical with the Cleveland Clinic had confirmed it was there and that it was perfectly functional.  He told me they’d be taking blood, doing a CAT scan and then figure out what the problem was...if he could. 

I have to admit that I’d been a little concerned during recent weeks.  Some nights the pain in my head and neck had been so bad that I couldn’t sleep.  I kept thinking of the little kid in the movie ‘Kindergarten Cop’ saying to Arnold “maybe it’s a tumor.”  Well...I’d know soon enough.

It took about 45 minutes for the testing and the doctor to return.  “It’ not a too...mah,” he said.  Okay...he didn’t say THAT...but he did say what I had was vertigo and sinusitis...which, after his fancy doctor words I interpreted to mean I was dizzy and had a stuffy nose.  I suppose it’s a little more than that, though.  He strongly suggested I get my butt to an ear, nose and throat guy to confirm what he thinks.  My particular vertigo is called ‘benign positional vertigo’...because I’m special that way.  My instruction sheet from the hospital says it could last up to six weeks and that I’m not to operate a motor vehicle or other complicated equipment and to be careful on stairs.  It didn’t say not to work out or ride a bike.

I came home and spent the rest of the day relaxing...which I actually do quite well.  I honestly didn’t feel like doing anything...the nausea lasted the rest of the evening...but it didn’t keep me from eating cake and other holiday treats.  Thankfully, I’m not working next week and can get this all under control...it’s really cramping my lifestyle.

Just when you think you've heard it all...Feederism.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011
It’s truly a wacky world out there and I shouldn’t be surprised at anything I read...but this time I was.  The PD reported on a woman who is paid by folks who want to watch her eat.  A man from Germany sent her a credit card so she could buy pizzas and Chinese food because he was excited to know that he had helped feed a 600-pound woman.  Seriously?  This excited him?

The Akron native is a 44-year old mother of two and had a web site where men could pay $19 a month to watch her eat.  She was part of a group that calls its addiction ‘feederism’.  Wikipedia describes it as sexual relationships where both members obtain gratification from the gaining of body fat. Feederism refers to the acts of feeding, encouraging eating, or being served large quantities of food. Sexual pleasure is derived from the act of eating itself, and/or from the process of becoming fatter.

One client in California sent her $200 a week for about 6 weeks and would call her to hear what foods she had purchased and eaten.  He became angry when she told him she was done with this fantasy world and was stopping, though. 

I’m trying to decide who’s sicker...her or the people paying her.   I suppose it doesn’t really matter.  They’re both whacked and I’ve learned that there is absolutely nothing that people won’t do for money...or kicks.

I decided to try running again since I had limited time before a dinner date.  I started out hoping to match the 21-minute run I’d done two days earlier, but moved past that without pain and decided to shoot for 30.  It went well, though my feet were soggy and covered in mud as the season of record rain continued.  I understand we’re now around 64 inches, crushing the previous best of 53...oh happy day.

I was standing, wrapping a present when I was hit by my worst dizzy spell.  I suppose I’ve been in a bit of denial.  I’ve been suffering from extreme neck and should pain to go along with the dizziness over the past two weeks constantly thinking that it would just go away.  I sat down feeling nauseous and when it didn’t pass and I was sure I was about to black out, I laid down on the floor.  I began to sweat like I’d just run 5 miles and the nausea and spinning were getting worse.  Guests were arriving in 10 minutes and we were going out to dinner...something Holly was looking forward to and I didn’t want to blow...but I knew this was serious.  I laid there for 5 minutes...Holly was upstairs changing and had no idea...when the nausea began to subside and the spinning subsided.  I decided to skip the emergency room for now and try to get through the night, but determined that if it happened again...I’d go.

Run Duration: 31 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned:  550.

Running coach wants to incorporate Survival Workout for his runners

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Though a misty, cold rain was falling, Nathan joined me for our Survival Workout.  I’d been experiencing some more mild dizziness and was interested in determining whether I was losing any strength or if it was unbalanced to one side or the other.  A visit to the doctor’s was imminent and I wanted to give them as much useful information as I could.  To date, I’d been having extreme pain in the back of my head which radiated down the neck and into the shoulders.  Holly was of the opinion I already had reason enough for the visit...but I’m slow to take action for my own benefit.

I knocked out 80 push-ups for my first set and completed as many log lifts and dips as I would normally.  No problems here.  We headed down the trail to the first rock lift station where I again met or exceeded previous efforts.  The rest of the workout progressed in this fashion.  In fact, I managed a three set total of 236 push-ups, my second best effort ever.

Holly and I celebrated our 36^th anniversary at a Chinese restaurant where I ordered two egg rolls and pork fried rice.  There is very little Paleo in a Chinese restaurant though I didn’t have any dessert or drink any calories.  We celebrated with a couple also married on the same day 36 years ago.  Dennis is the head track and cross country coach at Wickliffe High School and so we were off talking in our running world while the ladies were talking lady stuff.  I told Dennis about the Survival Workout and he immediately asked about bringing the team to the park to meet me for a workout.  “Absolutely.  I think you ought to come and try it first so you can see the emphasis...but I can tell you it’s designed more to improve speed and power than it is for cardiovascular improvement,” I told him.  He knows me well and understands the premium I place on off-season training as it relates to a runner’s ability to succeed during their competitive season and wants whatever advantage I can offer his runners.  What good coach wouldn’t?  We agreed to meet on Thursday so he could go through the paces.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.

A short, pain-free run.

Monday, December 19, 2011
Running has been a struggle for me since I tried my different foot strike and ended up with a sore left calf.  It is the same injury that kept me for running for almost 10 years and keeps me reluctant to push it.  Still...I knew I had to get out and try something, so I thought a short run followed by a bout with the trainer back home would do.

I started gingerly, expecting the sharp pain with each step.  On my previous two runs, it had struck around the 10-minute mark so as I approached this point, I began to cringe.  Once there...it was like ‘okay – I’m going to be fine’.  I don’t know why I know...maybe it’s just reading the signs for so many years, but I made it to 21 minutes and called it a day.  It was a little tight as I cooled down, but no pain.

Once home, I quickly switched to riding gear and loaded a DVD in the computer to distract me for the two-hour ride I was planning.  Before I began though, I checked with Holly to confirm our Christmas shopping trip.  “Aren’t you taking a shower so we can go now?” she asked.

You don’t stay married for 36 years without understanding chain of command, what are requests and what should be treated as orders.  “Yeah...that’s just what I was doing...only I wanted to make sure that’s what you wanted to do, too,” I said smoothly.

So...I showered and the ride was off.  At least I’d run.  The holidays are such a crunch for time.  I should know that if I don’t do all my exercise before I get home, I’m not likely to get it done.  I’m off the week between Christmas and the New Year and I’m thinking I’ll do some great doubles and burn lots of calories.  Until then, I’ll continue to try and keep my nose above the nog.

Run Duration: 21 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned:  350.

New meat on the Survival Workout

Sunday, December 18, 2011
My nephew Nathan was home for the holidays and again hoping to do the Survival Workout.   He arrived at the park...late...and said he had a friend on the way that wanted to try out the workout.  “He’s out of shape and wants to get his ass kicked by an old man,” he said.

“I don’t know anything about any ‘old man’ but I know a lot about kicking young ass,” I replied and ordered him to the ground to do push-ups and try and catch up with me.  He was struggling around 20...so to encourage him I said, “just did 80 myself.”  With that, he collapsed to the ground.

His friend, Matt, arrived 5 minutes later.  “If you’re out of shape, don’t push yourself to the limit on every set.  I don’t want you messing up the park with your puke,” I said.  He looked at me and assured me he would not be puking.  “Don’t make is sound like a challenge, Matt...I like challenges,” I said.

Matt did about 20 push-ups and began to whine while doing the dips.  “There’s a lot of things I’ll tolerate from a rookie, Matt, but whining is not one of them.  Man up...or I’ll have Kim come and show you how to really work out,” I said.  Nathan had heard stories about Kim and was already dreading ‘the beast’ since I’d warned him she would be joining us for a work out before the holidays were over.

Matt was actually a good sport from that point.  He attempted every lift and pushed himself to get the most from each set.  By the end, both were dragging and struggled to knock out those final push-ups.  Nathan would be returning for our Tuesday night workout.  Matt…I’m not so sure.

I returned home for one of the season’s most fattening dinners…beef and dumplings with banana cream pie for dessert.  There was no doubt in my mind about the math for this day…I ate a lot more calories than I burned.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  600.

McQueary testifies about child abuse case against Penn State officials

Saturday, December 17, 2011
It’s hard not to know what has been happening in State College, Pa., the home of Penn State University and Joe Paterno, their head football coach for…well…forever…since accusations emerged a month ago about former Assistant Coach, Jerry Sandusky.  He has been accused of abusing at least 10 children already and I’m sure more will emerge before the smoke finally clears.  Already, the University has fired the legendary head coach and longtime president, Graham Spanier, for not taking more aggressive action when the first accusations came to light almost 10 years ago. 

The linchpin in the case is Mike McQueary, Assistant Football Coach, who testified that he saw what he believed to be intercourse or at the very least, inappropriate sexual contact between Jerry Sandusky and a 10-year old boy in the football shower room in 2002.  He first brought what he saw to Joe Paterno and 10 days later to Tim Curley, Athletic Director, and Gary Schultz, another college official, but never to the police.  He expected appropriate action to be taken by the people he’d notified.  They did little...and now they’re all gone...but in the ensuing years, if the charges are true, Sandusky continued to molest young boys.

McQueary described exactly what he had seen 10 years ago to a Pennsylvania court in a preliminary hearing as it applies to Schultz and Curley.  I won’t go into all the details of the hearing...you can read that easily enough if you google Sandusky, but he does say that he saw Sandusky with his arms wrapped around a naked 10-year old in the shower and that Sandusky, also naked, was pressed up against the boy’s back who was facing the shower wall.  He didn’t claim to actually see Sandusky’s genitals and so on, but was pretty sure what was happening...from the three looks that he took.  He passed this information along first to Joe Paterno...without some of the details to save the sensitivity of the aging patriarch, and later to Schultz and Curley.  He did know that nothing much happened following his report.

Here’s my big question on the whole issue...and it’s directed at Mr. McQueary.  If you saw what you’re saying you saw...why did you walk away?  Though I’ve never been in a similar situation, I...like most guys I know...believe I would have walked into that shower room, grabbed Jerry Sandusky by the hair and dragged him away from the 10-year old I believed he was sodomizing.  If there were steps nearby, I’d have dragged him down those, too, until I’d mashed him up pretty good...then I’d have dialed ‘911’ and told the dispatcher to send some peace officers...with cattle prods...to deal with him.  I’m not a violent man...but I don’t see how I could have witnessed what this man says he saw...and walked away leaving him with the child.  Am I missing something?  Hopefully.

I managed a long ride on the trainer after shoveling my first 4 inches of snow for the year.  The snow was heavy, but the effort was pretty easy.  Later that night, I attended a Christmas party with Holly and in the food line was a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.  I can’t resist the stuff and had two pieces.  We returned home to meet some relatives in town for a couple of days...and I had some more to eat.  In all, I’d say I broke even on the calorie in/calorie out scale.

Bike Duration:  One hour and 40 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1350.

They never stop moving...

Thursday, December 15, 2011
I suppose it’s no mystery that I love the game of baseball.  I’ve played it since the age of 5 and followed the pros for about as long.  I grew up in Bristol, Connecticut...now home of ESPN but then a home to a minor league team for the Boston Red Sox.  Like most folks there, I loved the Red Sox.  They weren’t on TV and I didn’t have a radio, so I learned everything from reading the paper and buying baseball cards.  To me, it was the only game.

Some years ago, Ken Burns filmed a documentary on the history of the Baseball and it aired in 9 separate 2-hour shows which were appropriately called ‘innings’.  I watched every episode, enthralled by the way he weaved the tale and how much I related to it.  It was as if he’d been with me in my childhood and knew just how baseball had been a part of my life.  Anyway, Don easily likes baseball as much as me and grew up in the same fashion.  His family knew this and many years ago, they bought him the complete Baseball documentary.  Funny thing is...he’s never seen it.  I called him the other day with an idea...

“Let’s get together over the winter and watch the episodes one at a time.  Then...the night before the opener...we’ll watch the final inning and go to the game the next day,” I said.  He loved the idea...they’re always good...and we saw the first episode last night at his place.  He provided me with a dinner of bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and Frito’s.  Nothing Paleo about it...but we were watching baseball, after all.

The Alexanders are an unusual family.  They’re all runners...extremely so.  Colby is now running for the University of Oregon...two years from being an Ohio state champ and one of the five fastest milers in the country.  Aubrey was there too and she was no slouch...taking sixth in the state in the mile.  They had a friend over and the entire time we were sitting and watching the documentary, they were in some dancing competition using their Wi.  I can’t say this is unusual behavior...the night I was there to watch the final game of the World Series, Don had insisted we play darts while we watched.  They just can’t sit still...and there isn’t a pound of fat on any human...or animal (the dog and cats are lean, too) in the house. 

Don loved the show...not that I was surprised...and wanted to know how soon we could look at the second inning.  It was late and so I started gathering my stuff to leave.  He stopped me and said, “got time for a game of darts?”  He weighs about 125 pounds.  Maybe I just need to get a little more active...

Heidi finishes at Kent...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Heidi finished her last college class and so we decided we should take her out to dinner to celebrate.  She wanted to get something different, which took us to Siamones Thai Restaurant in downtown Akron.  It’s a huge, modern place with none of the nationalist trappings I expect to see when I go into an ethnic restaurant.  We sat in the back of the place under low lights and when I picked up the menu and looked at the size of the print, I dropped it quickly.  “I’m not eating unless somebody reads me the menu,” I said.

Heidi slid her chair closer and treated me like an old man...reading slowly and explaining what things meant...like chicken and broccoli.  “I’m not stupid...I just can’t read stuff in low light with my contacts in,” I reminded her.  She kept speaking slowly and watching my mouth to see if I was drooling or if I had food smeared on my face.  I didn’t since we hadn’t gotten any food yet. 

I continued to feel poorly...hacking and coughing and a head and neck ache that wouldn’t quit.  I made a conscious decision to take a day or two off and try to get a little better.  It’s killing me more than usual because it is the one time of year when I simply can’t say no to desserts and other things I know will add pounds faster than I can say ‘fat boy’.  I’m taking Advil and going at it one day at a time.  I know I should see the doctor, but that’s advice I give to others but never follow myself.

Calf pain returns...

Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I went to the Metropark planning to run and follow it up with the Survival Workout.  The pain I’d had in my calf on my last run...the result of my new running style I assumed...was not bothering me.  I put on my old shoes and decided to just try run as I had for the previous 40 years...heal/toe.  I made it a little over 10 minutes and almost to the exact spot I’d had trouble on the previous run when my calf pain flared.  I stopped running and moved quickly into my Survival Workout concluding that I would need a couple of weeks without running to let the calf heal.

I’d done 86 push-ups before starting the run, so I dropped to the ground and did a second set.  I was not on my normal course for the Survival Workout and was missing some key rocks and such, but the value of the Survival Workout is that it doesn’t need to be done on any particular course or with any particular rock.  I found substitutes...including swing set poles, logs, and picnic tables in other places in the park.  Oh joy.

The cold turned into bronchitis that Holly has been going through for the past two weeks crossed over to me.  I was feeling light-headed and suffering with terrible headaches the previous evening and was even considering a trip to the ER at 4 a.m.  I popped some Advil instead and finally fell asleep, but still felt horrible as I made my way through the day.  In fact, I was considering a ride on the bike but didn’t want to risk a dizzy spell while riding.  Wiser folks would recommend a day off...me included...if I was advising anyone but me.  I don’t always understand my compulsion to exercise...but it’s there.  The entire workout went well and I didn’t feel any of the effects of the sickness while working out...I never seem to...but it will likely whack me around some more tomorrow.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Run duration: 10 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 140 for run.
Calories burned:  600 for SW, 150 for run.

Another icon follows the money...Albert Pujols no longer a Cardinal

Monday, December 12, 2011
I mounted the bike in the late afternoon to try and squeeze some riding in the dwindling light...and warmth...of day.  It was a good plan and I was reasonably comfortable until I got down in the valley...and the shade...and found the temperature to be about 10 degrees colder.  I’d dressed as I had the day before and found that I was comfortable except for my hands.  The gloves are too tight and the cold air on the descents it getting through.  I can remedy this...and will.

Another professional athletic icon disappointed me...and anyone who cheers for the St. Louis Cardinals...when he elected to jump teams and move to California.  Albert Pujols is arguably the best hitter in baseball today.  At age 31, he is at the top of his game and as a free agent, commanded top dollar with whomever he would sign.  He had spent his first 11 seasons with St. Louis, where he was loved and admired by an adoring baseball public.  Last February, he turned down a $198 million 9-year deal to stay in St. Louis.  Negotiations started in earnest again after St. Louis won the World Series in October with the California Angels winning the bidding war with a $254 million 10-year deal.  St. Louis was a distant second in the bidding.  Pujols wife was quoted as saying at one point that St. Louis had “insulted him” with a 5-year deal for only $130 million.  Insulted?  $30 million a year?  What rock are some people living under?

I grew up in a sports era where the shoe was on the other foot and sports teams owned the players and they couldn’t move and get top dollar for their services.  I didn’t know that...what I knew was that if I started cheering for a player on my team, he would be there forever...and that was good.  The pendulum swung too far the other way and now players control the purse strings to the extent that it is seldom, if ever, that a marquee player spends his entire career in one place.  I’m sorry to repeat myself but I’ll say again...would anyone notice the difference in the way they lived if they were earning $22 versus $25 million a year over 10 years?  Personally...I can’t seeing it making any difference in decisions I’d be making.  Either amount is more than I could possibly find time to spend if I lived 50 years after taking my last swing at a pitch.  Good luck in California with all that dough, Mr. Pujols.  I hope you can buy enough stuff to make it seem worth the move.

Bike Duration:  One hour and 30 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1350.

Almost too cold to ride...almost.

Sunday, December 11, 2011
Today would be a test of my fortitude.  I’d been telling myself...and John...that we should continue riding through the winter as long as the roads permitted and I had done a couple of chilly rides, but it was in the high 30’s and my confidence was wavering.  When I considered the option of another session on the trainer watching DVD’s on my laptop though, it didn’t seem quite so cold.

I dressed for the occasion trying to follow my own winter advice...if you’re comfortable when you start, you’re overdressed.  I had a short-sleeved polyester t-shirt closet to my skin which I covered with a heavier, long-sleeved cotton t-shirt.  Normally, I wouldn’t wear cotton because once it’s wet, it loses all insulating properties, but as cold as it was I didn’t figure to do too much sweating.  For my final layer, I pulled on my short-sleeved riding jersey...with no insulating qualities...but it looked cool.  To this, I added riding tights, my cycling shorts, a stocking cap under my helmet, two pairs of socks, by booties over my shoes and heavy pair of gloves.  I was ready to ride.

I headed out on my Waite Hill/Mulberry Road route and things were swell for the first hour.  My hands and feet were a little cold as I approached Wilson Mills hill, but it was nothing like the bone-chilling cold I felt in both places as I raced down that hill at 50 mph creating a chill factor in the negative digits.  At least I felt completely alive.  The ride up ‘Road Closed’ in the park following that descent was a welcoming, warming trend and I actually had a slight sweat going when I crested the hill with only 15 minutes left to ride.  I took those final minutes slowly, trying not to create any more of a chill factor than was absolutely necessary.  Once off the bike, I noticed just how cold my feet had gotten...they weren’t walking too well...and went in and verified the temperature at 37 degrees.

I think the ride was at the edge of what I can do for around two hours and it was important that the sun was shining.  I can’t do much more to keep my feet warm and they seem to be the only issue.  I suppose there are better/warmer booties on the market, but I don’t feel like investing too heavily as I’m not going to ride if there is ice or slop on the road. 

I’d spent some time earlier in the day with Jack in the church day care where he is the sitter.  He had three young boys with him and there was a lot of bickering...one in particular who wouldn’t play nice.  He didn’t know what to do exactly...so I sat down and started playing with them and the problems melted away.  On the ride home later, he paid me the ultimate compliment from a teen.  “Man...you sure are good with kids, dad.  How did you get so good at it...and how come we were never brats like that?”

I thanked him for his comment and told him what I felt was always the key.  “Jack...’no’ never means ‘maybe’.  When you're kids figure that out, they know you mean business.”

Bike Duration:  One hour and 55 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1750.

Helping young runners achieve their dreams...

Saturday, December 10, 2011

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."  Steve Prefontaine.

I met with a young woman yesterday afternoon to help her with her off-season preparations for the upcoming track season.  She is a talented runner with limited direction.  She had some sense of what she wanted to do in the coming season, but had never sat and written or articulated it before nor did she have any solid ideas about what she should be doing during the winter months to be prepared for a run at the state meet.
“Make no mistake about why you’re here,” I said.  “I’m all about getting you to run as fast as you can and have a place on the podium next June.”  I could tell from the expressions on her face as we talked that she believed she could achieve the goals we were discussing.  She knew I had done it many times before with other runners, but she had been afraid to approach me since her coaching staff at the school had told her to “stay away from that guy.”

I’ve heard this before from other runners I’ve assisted.  It started after I’d volunteered to assist the distance running program for the school only to be rejected by the coach with the excuse that parents weren’t allowed to coach their kids in the Mayfield schools.  When I asked him how it was that the head football coach was able to have his son on the team, he looked at me blankly.  “If you don’t want my help...just tell me.  Don’t make up some bullshit lie,” I replied.  We haven’t had much to say to each other since that day. 

So I went ahead helping kids anyway.  If they’re not going to do something to help these talented runners...I will.  I don’t care if they don’t like it...or me...because I’m only interested in helping these young runners achieve their goals and nothing else.  It drives me crazy that they have received so much negative reinforcement and have never had a coach sit down with them to ask what they hope to achieve with their running and then map out a program to take them there.  Why?  I can only speculate.  It takes time, knowledge and most importantly...an interest.  They’re missing one...or maybe all three...I don’t know, but I do know that many runners have approached me over the years for help and if they take the initiative, I’ll do anything I can to help them win...school coaches be damned.

I pulled another double in preparation for a second Christmas party in two nights.  The Survival Workout was less than scintillating as I seem to be on a plateau.  I pushed myself through it though and added a couple of short sprints into the woods off the trails.  This kind of running...high speeds through woods with no trails...is good for so many things.  Agility and coordination come into play quickly if you want to keep from tripping over downed logs and sticks or smacking your face against a tree.  Bending, weaving, ducking and jumping are part of almost every step and I do this for between 30 to 60 seconds before looping back to the bridle trail.  Once there, I slow to a walk, trying to catch my breath while my heaving sides return to normal.  I call it Indian running since it is the way I imagined Native Americans may have pursued prey when dense forests covered the continent.

Once back in the car, I headed home and climbed on the trainer for more calorie burning.  I managed only 40 minutes...I’m really getting sick of this already and it’s only December...before having to stop and get ready for our night out...which ended up not happening.  Holly has been sick for a week and moving towards bronchitis.  Her lung hacking coughs were enough to convince us both that she needed a night at home. 

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Bike duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned:  600 for SW, 550 for bike.

One party down...one to go

Friday, December 9, 2011
I arrived at the Metropark with the intention of getting in a short run.  A light snow was falling, a condition in which I love to run.  I put on my minimalist shoes with the intention of going another 30 minutes landing on the forefront of my foot as I’d done during the previous run.  My calves were still a little sore from doing this kind of running two days earlier, but I assumed that once I got started the pain would dissipate.  Wrong again.  I made it about 10 minutes when I felt an acute pain in my left calf...the same one that has given me grief over the last 10 years...and immediately stopped running.  I figured I was done for the day and would have to ride longer when I got home, but after walking a couple of minutes, I started up at a slower jog and managed to get back to the car without further damage.  I think I need about four days between runs and may have to alternate running styles until I build up the calves for the stress of running on the front part of my foot.

Once home, I hopped back on the trainer and returned to the movie ‘Secretariat’.  Disney did a wonderful job telling the story of what many feel is the greatest race horse in American history.  Certainly what he did in winning the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown...a 30 length victory in the Belmont Stakes...stands as the most astounding race since horses have run the oval track.  It was like watching the Green Bay Packers play Mayfield High School...absolutely no contest.

Holly and I found ourselves at Kirtland Country Club for a Christmas party later that night and the menu was loaded with calories.  I’d burned plenty during my workout and before coming, had made a huge smoothie to take the edge off my appetite.  I didn’t have any appetizers and drank only diet Pepsi during the cocktail hour.  For dinner, I had the Caesar’s salad, steak and lobster...but skipped the butter on the lobster and left the potatoes on my plate.  I did have a small piece of banana cream pie for dessert, but compared to Holly’s, it was minor league.  I believe I made it the first step of Christmas party weekend burning more calories than I ate.  Tomorrow is another day...live in the moment.

Run duration: 20 minutes.  Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running, 130 for the bike.
Calories burned:  350 for the run, 850 for the bike.

'Secretariat'...what a horse.

Thursday, December 08, 2011
The Survival Workout was less than my best effort today.  I started pretty well...83 push-ups and lifted my log more times than I ever had before...but that was about it.  I added a new lift...10 clean and jerks with a 50-pound rock.  Its great core work...and really total body, including cardio if you put 10 together in quick succession.  I was able to climb the swing set post again since the pole was dry...but very cold.  I kept bumping up against deer wherever I went, too.  At one point, I had eight watching me lifting my rock. 

I returned home, plugged in the movie ‘Secretariat’ and began to ride.  It’s a great movie and if Holly hadn’t come home, I’d have ridden until the end.  Instead, I made it 95 minutes before quitting. 

Holly suggested we go someplace good for dinner and I threw out Pizzazz and calzones.  It’s not exactly Paleolithic, but I love their Sicilian calzone.  I had a diet Pepsi to wash it down and nothing else...so not too heavy on the calories.  Tomorrow...Kirtland Country Club for a Christmas party and more temptation.  I’ll do my best not to be ‘worthless and weak’.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Bike duration: 95 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned:  600 for SW, 1330 for bike.

Learning how to run...again.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011
I’d been watching the video of my interview with the running shoe doc, playing it over and over and concluding that I really hadn’t listened to his advice about breaking the minimalist shoes...or my feet...in slowly.  More importantly, I hadn’t changed my foot strike at all and that was surely where my heal pain had come from.  I went to Google and began searching for the Tarahumara runners and found everything I needed about foot strike, barefoot running and running in minimalist shoes.  I could see what they were doing...striking primarily on the outside of the forefront of the foot.  Since I was again ready to do some light running, I’d decided it was time to make a conscious effort to make that change.

I laced on my old running shoes figuring I should work on one thing at a time...the first being the foot strike and only after I’d perfected it would I try out the shoes again.  I started slowly down the trail, purposefully landing on the front of my foot as I’d observed in the videos.  I felt like I did playing the outfield in baseball...up on my toes.  My first impression was that I was running faster than usual and when I reached a checkpoint...I was.

I probably should have run about 10 minutes and called it a day, but once I’ve started anything there is little chance I’m going to stop soon...or sensibly.  I ran for 30 minutes and towards the end of the run, I could feel the stress I was placing on my calves by running so differently.  This was good and bad.  Good...because it told me I was running correctly.  Placing the front of the foot down first increased the stress on the calf muscles and was to be expected.  Bad...because I knew I was going to be sore tomorrow...and the next day.

This was a work in progress and would take continued concentration as it was an unnatural way for me to run.  I headed home knowing I needed some time on the trainer...and something to watch to deal with the boredom.  I chose a disc with the episodes of the Andy Griffith show from the first season.  It’s my favorite sitcom of all time, but only while Don Knotts in the show.  I watched three episodes and managed a 75 minute ride to go with the run.

I had another decent dinner eating vegetable soup into which I put about 6 ounces of chicken breast.  To that,  I added a great smoothie with two bananas, an orange, a cup of blueberries, yogurt and apple cider.  I suppose my discipline is being aided by the simple fact that Holly hasn’t yet made any Christmas cookies.  I do have two holiday parties to attend this weekend so I think I’ll keep doing doubles until then.

Run duration: 31 minutes.  Bike duration: 76 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running, 130 for the bike.
Calories burned:  535 for the run, 1125 for the bike.

Another great double.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Though the rains had been falling for 48 hours, I had to go to the park for a Survival Workout.  I had packed my boots that morning figuring the trails would be extremely sloppy...and I was not disappointed.  I pulled on my water-proofed gloves and dropped to the ground for my first set of push-ups...which became my new pr with an 88-count.  I tried for 89 and made it three-quarters of the way up before collapsing back into the mud.

The workout continued at that pace...high numbers at every station.  I tried some picnic table hops in the boots, but by the second trip over, I felt a twinge in the groin and aborted immediately.  I also elected to walk up the hill instead of trying to sprint.  When I reached Clear Creek and found it swollen to impassable, I decided to find and alternative route.  I hiked upstream and found heavy logs on the bank and wrestled them into the water as a makeshift bridge.  It took an extreme effort to lift and roll water-soaked logs in this fashion...making for yet another interesting addition to the Survival Workout routine.

Once over the creek I added another 83 push-ups.  I was now in a position to break my three-set pr if I could manage 70 for my last set.  I continued to do extra lifts along the trail knowing I was hurting my chances to finish with more than 70 push-ups but also acknowledging that I was behind in my workouts and wanting to get the most from this one for every muscle group.

I returned to the car with arms swollen and exhausted with the effort of the workout.  Ignoring this, I dropped in the mud and started counting.  I moved past 70 on wobbly arms and finished with 73 and a 3-set record of 244.  I’m sure I can make it to 100 by the new year now, but I’d like to get a 3-set record of 300 as well.

Once home, I hopped on the trainer and plugged in the movie ‘A River Runs Through It’ for a one hour ride.  I love this movie about two brothers growing up together in Missoula, Montana and fly fishing the Blackfoot River.  The cinematography is amazing with shots of the river with the mountains of Montana in the background.  Makes me want to head west every time I see it.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Bike duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned:  600 for SW, 850 for bike.

Interviewing Mark Mendeszoon

Monday, December 5, 2011
As so many of you know, I’m the new ‘In the Long Run’ columnist for Ohio Sports and Fitness Magazine.  The December edition is an on-line magazine and my first assignment included visiting with and interviewing Mark Mendeszoon, owner of the ‘Achilles Running Shop’ in Mentor.  My biggest interest was in finding out more about the minimalist running shoe movement...the pros and cons of barefoot running.  As you may also know, I received a pair of those somewhat minimalist shoes that day and ran in them for a week before experiencing severe heel pain and putting them aside.  My own fault, naturally.  I ignored the doctor’s advice and did too much too soon in a pair of shoes designed for more of a forefoot strike while still running heel/toe.  Anyway...check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=afrJE8jCkLA

It was another day without activity.  I was trying for a Survival Workout, but the unrelenting rains pushed me to the sidelines.  I cooked a Paleo dinner for Holly and me, at least.  I scrambled some eggs and mixed in chicken breast, onions, mushrooms and spinach.  I’m trying hard between parties to control the calories.  If I can make it through the holidays gaining only a few pounds, I will consider it a huge success.

Injured in my sleep...again.

Sunday, December 4, 2011
I don’t know what I’m doing while I sleep, but for the second time in a couple of months I woke up and couldn’t walk.  This time it was the right groin and the pain was so severe, that my leg gave way when I stepped from the bed a 4 a.m. to make a bathroom visit.  I caught myself on the dresser and forced myself to make it to the toilet…peeing on the floor was not an option.  I limped back to bed and rolled to my back…the only position in which I could find any comfort but from which I snore loud enough to shake the pictures from the wall…which pleases Holly not at all.

I don’t know what did it.  I went to bed feeling fine.  I had ridden hard and felt some twinging as I pulled up on the pedals during some rapid ascents.  I spent the day sitting as much as possible and was forced to cancel a planned Survival Workout with Paul.  I did get to catch up on football, though watching the Browns was no treat.  By the end of the day, I was beginning to feel better…and lazy…and concluded that I could at least do some push-ups.  I did one set in the family room which felt entirely wrong.  I’ve been doing everything outside…usually on cold, wet earth with twigs and pebbles poking in my palms…and the carpeting was just…foreign.  I only managed 72 reps, which I attributed to my unnatural environment, so I took it outside next to a dog turd I’d yet to clean up…and popped 82 for my second set.  The sweet smells of nature give me strength.

By the time I went to bed, I was about 80 percent and really wondering why something that made it almost impossible to stand could come and go without my knowing why.  Sometimes fitness hurts…and that’s all I have to say about that.

A perfect December riding day...

Saturday, December 3, 2011
I started the morning by picking up Alaska Paul and driving to Kleifeld’s in downtown Willoughby for a ham and cheese omelet, coffee and conversation.  We needed to go visit John so Paul could see all the wonderful painting I’d done.  Paul brought up how he would like to have a vacation property in the Carolina’s for getaway trips.

“Forget those Carolina’s.  We could find a fishing cabin in some remote part of the Adirondacks for practically nothing and then we’d have our jump-off point for all of our serenity trips to the mountains.  I could take folks up that were trying to get in shape for some great hikes and climbs to cap their conditioning,” I said. 

He liked the way I was thinking.  I would like to get up there for some winter activity…snow shoeing, skiing and maybe getting up some of those peaks and taking the beautiful winter pictures I’ve seen from these mountains. 

Afterwards, I made my way to Mimi’s for some simple tasks that didn’t really burn any calories.  I was busy trying to fix an outdoor lamp that had been ruined in a wind storm, but after an hour of trying, figured the 40+ year old light was not going back together.  Mimi hurried me because she knew I wanted to get in a ride on what was a perfect day…for December.

I was on my bike by 2:30 and looking forward to a 2-hour ride without too many layers of clothing.  It was somewhere in the low 50’s and sunny…in December…as I headed for Waite Hill and my favorite course.  It began to cloud over and the temperature dropped a few degrees during the ride, but even flying down Wilson Mills at 50mph didn’t have me shivering.  I pulled hard throughout the ride, but was noticing some discomfort in my right knee and thigh, and backed off a little over the final miles.  I managed a little more than two hours and felt I’d done enough to combat the Christmas party calories I’d be getting later that evening.

And it was close.  I worked my way around the hors’ devours table, nibbling on things I didn’t recognize in the hope that I’d like something.  There were no vegetables or lean meats and I was hungry so I ate about anything that would fit on my little, plastic plate.  After consuming bunches of hollow calories, I had a couple of peanut clusters to finish off the night.  My commitment to make it through the holidays with a modicum of sensible eating was off to a horrible start.

Bike Duration:  Two hours and ten minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1900.