The first day of 2011...

Saturday, January 01, 2011


You know…in all of my philosophizing yesterday, I forgot something very important…to thank those who have read along during the past 10 months. So many of you have told me that you enjoy the writing, others of you do it because I bug you to, and some even write notes, which always inspires me. I’ve truly enjoyed it and hope that, in some small measure, I’ve added some value to those who have read.

Now…what will I do in the coming year? It was my intention to complete a self-designed triathlon which would include kayaking across Lake Erie, riding around the same body of water, and running/hiking the Towpath and the Emerald Necklace. I was targeting this not only for my own health and wellness, but as an opportunity to bring my message of fitness to a wider audience through media coverage. I still have this as an ambition, but the timing is important and this may or may not be the summer I tackle the undertaking. Those of you who know me personally may understand this better.

Still…it might happen and there is no way to be ready unless I begin preparations now. It means a lot of two-a-days…there is no other way to be ready…and so I am breaking down my commitments to a month by month scenario. January…I’m looking at no less than forty workouts. By picking this number, I know I’ll have to do something every day and, at least ten times, do a double. Should I miss a day, I’ll be forced into more doubles. I take these commitments with myself pretty seriously and sharing them with others…like I just have…helps to keep me honest and on track.

I suppose that’s my single most important message to share. Decide what you want to do…what’s the goal…and break it down into its smaller increments. Weekly and monthly goals give you more ample opportunities to gauge the progress and stay focused. By the way…many of you know that I do fitness testing and program design…so don’t hesitate to request help in this all-important step to achieving you goals.

So my first day of the rest of my life started with a 60-minute ride. I was hoping to get in something outside, but the rain was falling into the early afternoon and it wasn’t looking too good. We were planning a trip to my sister’s for a dinner party and I knew that the calories would be everywhere. Finally…a break in the rain, so I headed outside to do dog clean-up. I figured with all the snow gone, I needed to attack this job before it began to snow again. It took about 45 minutes…Dakota is a prolific shitter…but I got every bit and made the yard safe for tossing the football again.

I changed into my running outfit and headed for the Mayfield track. I wanted to see if I could do any running and figured the forgiving track surface was the best place to try out the achilles. I began though with bleacher work and a 30-pound pack strapped to my back. After ten sets, I shed the pack and jogged an easy mile. After three-quarters though, I was noticing some discomfort in my right calf, but finished anyway. I put the pack on and headed into the bleachers for 10 more repeats and finished with a walking cool down of half a mile. The entire workout lasted 40 minutes and was a perfect start to a year that would require multiple double workouts.

Bike duration: 60 minutes. Track/bleacher duration: 40 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130 biking. 140 track/bleacher.
Calories burned during workout: 900 biking. 750 track/bleacher.