Thursday, July 28, 2011
I’d heard from Holly that Heidi needed to put a coat of paint on her walls at her Kent apartment before moving. She’d had me paint it when she’d moved in and chosen some darker colors that could not be covered in one coat…which meant the apartment complex would charge her $50 a wall to paint unless she put something lighter on it before she left. Now…Heidi hadn’t asked me to do it. I think she felt I’d done too much already and wanted to do it herself. I appreciated the sentiment, but she’d never painted in her life (yeah…she’s an artist) and I used to do it to make a living. When she did call to ask me for help, I gladly agreed but quickly figured it would become the work out for the day. And it was. I started at 6:30 p.m. and quickly prepped the two rooms. She began to roll for me…but we needed to get it done before October…so I took over. We were done around 10 p.m….needed two coats to cover…and by the time I drove her to Akron and she made me a smoothie which I chugged, it was 11 and I still had to drive to Highland Heights.
So…forced day off but at least I ate well…which is to say I didn’t have time for meals all day and stuck to the apples and banana I’d brought and the Cliff Bar I swiped from Jason’s place when I was picking up an extra roller. Tomorrow should be a lot better as I’m planning a long ride and then some time on Lake Erie monitoring boaters and life jacket wear. I’ll probably fit a swim in there somewhere…
Friday, July 29, 2011
Not a peak performance...
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
I’d hoped to pull a double after the inspirational speech I’d given to my team members at lunch that day…but after arriving home from the Survival Workout, I noticed the yard was getting out of control and that Holly had specifically requested I go to war with the weeds. So…instead of the bike, I grabbed the edger and began what turned out to be two hours of lawn work. As for the weeds…it was a minor skirmish…which I think I won. The larger battles are coming…
I’m a team leader for a Wellness Initiative at my place of employment. I have 9 members on my team and I’m the designated work force expert on health and fitness…so I want to be a good example. I told them all about my blog site and how I do work outs in the woods that they could join. After describing the work out, I noticed no one was writing down the blog site or taking my phone number. I guess it sounds a little nutty…but maybe it’s the forest and the trees thing for me.
Anyway…I was a little ragged during the workout and not hitting my pre-determined quotas as I exercised. I started out feeling strong…in my head…but it didn’t transfer to my muscles. Still…I pushed every set and got the most I could out of myself. I’ve been very consistent over the last four weeks and it may be time for a short break from the workout…that our change it up some more. I’m still reluctant to put back in all the jumping and running moves, fearing I’ll trigger the meniscus tear too close to the Adirondacks. It could just be a flat day…I’ll find out on Saturday morning when I meet my nutritionist, Bob, and put him through the workout again.
I had my first Rainbow Trout in a long time, though it was kind of plain. I suppose that had something to do with my preparation…I pretty much threw it on a baking sheet and stuck it in the toaster oven for 25 minutes and then ate it. Seasoning, reading recipes, and trying to make things taste good is a little more trouble than I’m willing to go through…so…plain food. It was filling though and goes well with a smoothie.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
I’d hoped to pull a double after the inspirational speech I’d given to my team members at lunch that day…but after arriving home from the Survival Workout, I noticed the yard was getting out of control and that Holly had specifically requested I go to war with the weeds. So…instead of the bike, I grabbed the edger and began what turned out to be two hours of lawn work. As for the weeds…it was a minor skirmish…which I think I won. The larger battles are coming…
I’m a team leader for a Wellness Initiative at my place of employment. I have 9 members on my team and I’m the designated work force expert on health and fitness…so I want to be a good example. I told them all about my blog site and how I do work outs in the woods that they could join. After describing the work out, I noticed no one was writing down the blog site or taking my phone number. I guess it sounds a little nutty…but maybe it’s the forest and the trees thing for me.
Anyway…I was a little ragged during the workout and not hitting my pre-determined quotas as I exercised. I started out feeling strong…in my head…but it didn’t transfer to my muscles. Still…I pushed every set and got the most I could out of myself. I’ve been very consistent over the last four weeks and it may be time for a short break from the workout…that our change it up some more. I’m still reluctant to put back in all the jumping and running moves, fearing I’ll trigger the meniscus tear too close to the Adirondacks. It could just be a flat day…I’ll find out on Saturday morning when I meet my nutritionist, Bob, and put him through the workout again.
I had my first Rainbow Trout in a long time, though it was kind of plain. I suppose that had something to do with my preparation…I pretty much threw it on a baking sheet and stuck it in the toaster oven for 25 minutes and then ate it. Seasoning, reading recipes, and trying to make things taste good is a little more trouble than I’m willing to go through…so…plain food. It was filling though and goes well with a smoothie.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Back on the bike...
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I came home yesterday with every intention of doing something…what, I didn’t yet know…but something. I was thinking I should finally get my procrastinating butt on my bicycle and ride it up to Performance Bike’s and see if they had the part I needed to get my derailleur working so I could access all of my bike’s gears. I don’t now why I put these things off…maybe genetics…maybe just a gift…but I do and my training is suffering. I was preparing to ride up when I started to get a sharp and severe pain in my right ear. It had been happening off and on throughout the day, but now it was more persistent. I elected to take some Advil and lay down for a few minutes. The few minutes turned out to be an hour and suddenly I found that I was almost out of time to get to Performance. I quickly changed into my riding gear and rode the bike…it’s still rideable…to the store. I arrived there at just before seven…which, it turns out, is not when they close as I had thought. I walked the bike in the store and to the service counter and showed the problem to the tech.
“Nope…can’t help you. We don’t have those kinds of shifters anymore. You’ll have to go to a mom and pop store where they have older bikes,” he said. He made me feel like I’d brought him something from when the world was still black and white. “Seriously…you don’t work on any bikes like this? Its not THAT old,” I said. Of course he was thinking I was old…and so my bike was old…and neither of us realized it yet. Well…maybe my bike did. I asked him for a tool from his bench and went to work on it right there. In two minutes I had it fixed and ready to ride. He was kind of sheepish for not seeing the solution…of course I’d had it sitting in my garage for two weeks and hadn’t tried to fix it. Anyway, I asked him to pump up my tires since I was too old to read the pressure gauge on the pump…and I was off.
It was getting late and I knew Holly had chicken in the oven. I had told her I was going to the bike store…10 minutes away…and not that I was going to ride afterwards if they’d gotten it fixed. Okay…easily the sin of omission, but I continue to operate on the principle that it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. At least I called and left a voicemail that I was going for a ‘short’ ride.
Since I was already at Golden Gate, I took the back roads to Old Mill Road and headed down at speeds approaching 50 mph. Not quite as fast as Wilson Mills…but not bad. I reached the bottom in Gates Mills to find the bridge across the Chagrin River closed…to cars…so I passed through the barricade to the other side and then up Old Mill Road to County Line. For not having ridden in a week, the climb seemed rather easy. I’m discovering again why the best climbers in bike racing are the little guys. Now that I’ve lost over 20 pounds, I kind of like climbing again. In my old triathloning days, I was always a good climber…helped by the fact that my body fat was 7 percent, no doubt.
I made it home in about 90 minutes to find Holly still working in the yard. She hadn’t missed me and the chicken was still baking. I’d covered again. I had a couple of thighs without the skins, some raw broccoli and a smoothie. A good Paleo dinner…a good ride…and I hadn’t gotten busted for riding too long…so…a pretty good night.
Bike workout: 80 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1,200.
I came home yesterday with every intention of doing something…what, I didn’t yet know…but something. I was thinking I should finally get my procrastinating butt on my bicycle and ride it up to Performance Bike’s and see if they had the part I needed to get my derailleur working so I could access all of my bike’s gears. I don’t now why I put these things off…maybe genetics…maybe just a gift…but I do and my training is suffering. I was preparing to ride up when I started to get a sharp and severe pain in my right ear. It had been happening off and on throughout the day, but now it was more persistent. I elected to take some Advil and lay down for a few minutes. The few minutes turned out to be an hour and suddenly I found that I was almost out of time to get to Performance. I quickly changed into my riding gear and rode the bike…it’s still rideable…to the store. I arrived there at just before seven…which, it turns out, is not when they close as I had thought. I walked the bike in the store and to the service counter and showed the problem to the tech.
“Nope…can’t help you. We don’t have those kinds of shifters anymore. You’ll have to go to a mom and pop store where they have older bikes,” he said. He made me feel like I’d brought him something from when the world was still black and white. “Seriously…you don’t work on any bikes like this? Its not THAT old,” I said. Of course he was thinking I was old…and so my bike was old…and neither of us realized it yet. Well…maybe my bike did. I asked him for a tool from his bench and went to work on it right there. In two minutes I had it fixed and ready to ride. He was kind of sheepish for not seeing the solution…of course I’d had it sitting in my garage for two weeks and hadn’t tried to fix it. Anyway, I asked him to pump up my tires since I was too old to read the pressure gauge on the pump…and I was off.
It was getting late and I knew Holly had chicken in the oven. I had told her I was going to the bike store…10 minutes away…and not that I was going to ride afterwards if they’d gotten it fixed. Okay…easily the sin of omission, but I continue to operate on the principle that it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. At least I called and left a voicemail that I was going for a ‘short’ ride.
Since I was already at Golden Gate, I took the back roads to Old Mill Road and headed down at speeds approaching 50 mph. Not quite as fast as Wilson Mills…but not bad. I reached the bottom in Gates Mills to find the bridge across the Chagrin River closed…to cars…so I passed through the barricade to the other side and then up Old Mill Road to County Line. For not having ridden in a week, the climb seemed rather easy. I’m discovering again why the best climbers in bike racing are the little guys. Now that I’ve lost over 20 pounds, I kind of like climbing again. In my old triathloning days, I was always a good climber…helped by the fact that my body fat was 7 percent, no doubt.
I made it home in about 90 minutes to find Holly still working in the yard. She hadn’t missed me and the chicken was still baking. I’d covered again. I had a couple of thighs without the skins, some raw broccoli and a smoothie. A good Paleo dinner…a good ride…and I hadn’t gotten busted for riding too long…so…a pretty good night.
Bike workout: 80 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1,200.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The Paleo Diet is a slippery slope...
Monday, July 25, 2011
Jimmy was supposed to join me for a Survival Workout after blowing me off Saturday, but since he hadn’t answered his phone or a text I’d left him, I suspected it was happening again. I had to face that fact that Jimmy was afraid of the workout. He’d done it with me two summer’s ago and had blasted through the first few routines…and gassed himself. I’d had to sling him over my shoulder that day and carry him back to the car…which was alright by me since it was a good leg workout. I don’t care what kind of program you’re following or how good your conditioning is, when you do something as drastically different as the Survival Workout the first time, you need to pace yourself. I’d warned him to slow down that day…but you can’t tell Jimmy much. He’s like me…only younger.
Since I still didn’t have the bike up and running, I decided I needed a little extra from the workout and added a couple of extra hill climbs. My knee is actually feeling pretty good and I’m considering running again soon…just not yet. The climbing is always good since September and the Adirondacks are approaching rapidly. I’m hoping to fit in a couple of peaks with the girls and then John and I are planning on tackling another four. I want to go in lean and with a healthy knee.
I heard from Kim over the weekend. She had made it to Salida, Colorado and was only a couple of days from Crested Butte…home of the research institute she’d worked last summer and her primary destination for the bike ride. She’s now covered 2,100 miles in 29 days of riding…an excellent daily average when the weather conditions and the weight of a fully packed bike are taken into consideration. “We’re going over a pass tomorrow that’s 11,600 feet high. The good new is…there’s a forty mile descent on the other side,” she said. Her riding partner was suffering from some altitude sickness…not too surprising since they’re already at 7,000 feet and have had little time to acclimatize…something that takes some people over a week to do. Kim spent last summer running 40 miles a week over 10,000 feet…she knows something about it.
I must confess to some back sliding on the diet lately. I had a little bowl of ice cream last night and had eaten Jack’s ice cream cake the previous night. I also had some bread when I made a tomato sandwich. The Paleo diet takes planning to keep the right foods in the house. Regular trips to the grocery store for fresh produce are essential…and sometimes I’m just plain too lazy. I’ll remedy that tomorrow. I’ve come too far to allow and weight back on.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Jimmy was supposed to join me for a Survival Workout after blowing me off Saturday, but since he hadn’t answered his phone or a text I’d left him, I suspected it was happening again. I had to face that fact that Jimmy was afraid of the workout. He’d done it with me two summer’s ago and had blasted through the first few routines…and gassed himself. I’d had to sling him over my shoulder that day and carry him back to the car…which was alright by me since it was a good leg workout. I don’t care what kind of program you’re following or how good your conditioning is, when you do something as drastically different as the Survival Workout the first time, you need to pace yourself. I’d warned him to slow down that day…but you can’t tell Jimmy much. He’s like me…only younger.
Since I still didn’t have the bike up and running, I decided I needed a little extra from the workout and added a couple of extra hill climbs. My knee is actually feeling pretty good and I’m considering running again soon…just not yet. The climbing is always good since September and the Adirondacks are approaching rapidly. I’m hoping to fit in a couple of peaks with the girls and then John and I are planning on tackling another four. I want to go in lean and with a healthy knee.
I heard from Kim over the weekend. She had made it to Salida, Colorado and was only a couple of days from Crested Butte…home of the research institute she’d worked last summer and her primary destination for the bike ride. She’s now covered 2,100 miles in 29 days of riding…an excellent daily average when the weather conditions and the weight of a fully packed bike are taken into consideration. “We’re going over a pass tomorrow that’s 11,600 feet high. The good new is…there’s a forty mile descent on the other side,” she said. Her riding partner was suffering from some altitude sickness…not too surprising since they’re already at 7,000 feet and have had little time to acclimatize…something that takes some people over a week to do. Kim spent last summer running 40 miles a week over 10,000 feet…she knows something about it.
I must confess to some back sliding on the diet lately. I had a little bowl of ice cream last night and had eaten Jack’s ice cream cake the previous night. I also had some bread when I made a tomato sandwich. The Paleo diet takes planning to keep the right foods in the house. Regular trips to the grocery store for fresh produce are essential…and sometimes I’m just plain too lazy. I’ll remedy that tomorrow. I’ve come too far to allow and weight back on.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Monday, July 25, 2011
Moving, running, sweating...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
I had a bad feeling about moving Heidi. She lives on the third floor of an apartment in Kent and is moving to the third floor of an apartment in Akron. She was supposed to have gotten some young, strong studs to make the multiple trips up and down the stairs with couches, dressers and tables, but now it looked as if it would be me and Jason. I guess I should just consider it another workout opportunity, but I had run in the morning and my knee was bothersome to the point that I didn’t want to carry heavy things up and down three flights of stairs.
Help arrived in time and so I ended up making only 30 trips or so. It may as well have been raining inside…I was that wet. I kept leaving water slicks on the doors as I backed into them while carrying furniture. I had to be careful that I maintained good balance since the natural tendency was to slide once my wet butt hit the glass door. Pretty gross.
The morning run had gone well. I’d known it was going to be another hectic day and that I’d never have time for a ride…even if I could get the bike fixed. Running was the only option and I was a little reluctant because I wanted to be able to help with the move later in the day. I took to my favorite hiking trail and was joined immediately by a swarm of hungry deer flies…I hate those bastards. I was sweating so heavily that I think they were finding it difficult to get a solid enough perch to bite me…had that going for me at least. I saw some horses behind me on the trail, moving at a cantor…which gave me the additional inspiration to run harder since I didn’t want to be overtaken. They never caught up. I did stop to tie my shoe at one point and must have had 30 mosquitoes light on me in the time it took to complete the task. These guys are really, really hungry.
My knee hurt a little for the entire run…but it hurt a little when I started and never seemed to get any worse…so I kept going. I finished the run with shoes thoroughly soaked and even after cooling down for ten minutes…continued to sweat profusely as I climbed back into the car. I needed all four towels to protect my seats from my sweat.
So…it was another hot, humid, sweaty day. Heidi is moved and if she stays there for ten years, that would be alright with me. I keep dropping 10 pounds and drinking it back in. I’m getting sick of water…except the stuff in the Wilson’s pool…but I need it if I’m to keep the training going during this heat wave.
Run workout: 32 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
I’d be okay with a day or two in the 80’s though.
I had a bad feeling about moving Heidi. She lives on the third floor of an apartment in Kent and is moving to the third floor of an apartment in Akron. She was supposed to have gotten some young, strong studs to make the multiple trips up and down the stairs with couches, dressers and tables, but now it looked as if it would be me and Jason. I guess I should just consider it another workout opportunity, but I had run in the morning and my knee was bothersome to the point that I didn’t want to carry heavy things up and down three flights of stairs.
Help arrived in time and so I ended up making only 30 trips or so. It may as well have been raining inside…I was that wet. I kept leaving water slicks on the doors as I backed into them while carrying furniture. I had to be careful that I maintained good balance since the natural tendency was to slide once my wet butt hit the glass door. Pretty gross.
The morning run had gone well. I’d known it was going to be another hectic day and that I’d never have time for a ride…even if I could get the bike fixed. Running was the only option and I was a little reluctant because I wanted to be able to help with the move later in the day. I took to my favorite hiking trail and was joined immediately by a swarm of hungry deer flies…I hate those bastards. I was sweating so heavily that I think they were finding it difficult to get a solid enough perch to bite me…had that going for me at least. I saw some horses behind me on the trail, moving at a cantor…which gave me the additional inspiration to run harder since I didn’t want to be overtaken. They never caught up. I did stop to tie my shoe at one point and must have had 30 mosquitoes light on me in the time it took to complete the task. These guys are really, really hungry.
My knee hurt a little for the entire run…but it hurt a little when I started and never seemed to get any worse…so I kept going. I finished the run with shoes thoroughly soaked and even after cooling down for ten minutes…continued to sweat profusely as I climbed back into the car. I needed all four towels to protect my seats from my sweat.
So…it was another hot, humid, sweaty day. Heidi is moved and if she stays there for ten years, that would be alright with me. I keep dropping 10 pounds and drinking it back in. I’m getting sick of water…except the stuff in the Wilson’s pool…but I need it if I’m to keep the training going during this heat wave.
Run workout: 32 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
I’d be okay with a day or two in the 80’s though.
"I've got a pool. I've got a pond. Pond is good for you..."
Saturday, July 23, 2011
"I've got a pool. I've got a pond. Pond's good for you..." Chevy Chase to Bill Murray in the movie 'Caddy Shack' when Bill asks about swimming at Chevy's place.
Mimi had told me she finally had enough of a list to keep me busy for a while, but was concerned about the heat and working outdoors. “I don’t think its ever again going below 90, so I’ll just start early…and sweat a lot,” I said. So I arrived at her place at 8 a.m. and after a cup of coffee…the only civilized way to begin a work day…I began digging out weeds, cutting new edges around the property, pruning trees, dumping wheelbarrows, and climbing on the roof to unblock the gutters. I like to keep moving once I start and for the next four hours, managed to drop about 10 pounds of sweat and cover myself in five pounds of muddy dirt. Mimi went out to get some lunch, but there was no way I could go inside the way I was looking. I’d planned ahead though – packing an extra set of clothes, knowing I had inside work to do before the day was over. I told her I was going to hose off, which she probably found a little weird. “You could use the shower, you know,” she said, but I knew that the hose was good for me.
Jimmy was supposed to join me for a Survival Workout in the early evening and called around 4 p.m. “So…when we working out?” It was still hot as hell and I really wanted to wait a couple of more hours, but he’d gone a scheduled some social thing. We agreed he was a wimp and that I’d take him through the paces on Monday evening instead. “I want to take you to Slyman’s for lunch before I go back to school,” he said. Now…that’s an offer that’s hard to refuse. “I’ll go with you if you promise not to embarrass me by putting catsup on your corned beef sandwich this time,” I replied…though if he was buying a Slyman’s sandwich, I’d probably let him squirt catsup all over his head without taking much notice.
I went to the park and did the workout as planned. I was still a little fatigued from working in the yard for half a day, but it didn’t seem to hinder my ability to move heavy stuff…as I began by doing 54 push-ups. Dakota had joined me for the workout, but the heat slowed her considerably and she spent some extra time in Clear Creek drinking and cooling herself. I thought about joining her, but I had the Wilson’s pool when I got home and that kept me moving.
I was drained by the end of the workout and easily downed a 32-ounce bottle of water on the ride home. I suppose I’d shed 10 pounds of water through the day and would have to make a concerted effort to replace it all before heading back out into the heat tomorrow. I’m really getting sick of this humidity and heat.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
"I've got a pool. I've got a pond. Pond's good for you..." Chevy Chase to Bill Murray in the movie 'Caddy Shack' when Bill asks about swimming at Chevy's place.
Mimi had told me she finally had enough of a list to keep me busy for a while, but was concerned about the heat and working outdoors. “I don’t think its ever again going below 90, so I’ll just start early…and sweat a lot,” I said. So I arrived at her place at 8 a.m. and after a cup of coffee…the only civilized way to begin a work day…I began digging out weeds, cutting new edges around the property, pruning trees, dumping wheelbarrows, and climbing on the roof to unblock the gutters. I like to keep moving once I start and for the next four hours, managed to drop about 10 pounds of sweat and cover myself in five pounds of muddy dirt. Mimi went out to get some lunch, but there was no way I could go inside the way I was looking. I’d planned ahead though – packing an extra set of clothes, knowing I had inside work to do before the day was over. I told her I was going to hose off, which she probably found a little weird. “You could use the shower, you know,” she said, but I knew that the hose was good for me.
Jimmy was supposed to join me for a Survival Workout in the early evening and called around 4 p.m. “So…when we working out?” It was still hot as hell and I really wanted to wait a couple of more hours, but he’d gone a scheduled some social thing. We agreed he was a wimp and that I’d take him through the paces on Monday evening instead. “I want to take you to Slyman’s for lunch before I go back to school,” he said. Now…that’s an offer that’s hard to refuse. “I’ll go with you if you promise not to embarrass me by putting catsup on your corned beef sandwich this time,” I replied…though if he was buying a Slyman’s sandwich, I’d probably let him squirt catsup all over his head without taking much notice.
I went to the park and did the workout as planned. I was still a little fatigued from working in the yard for half a day, but it didn’t seem to hinder my ability to move heavy stuff…as I began by doing 54 push-ups. Dakota had joined me for the workout, but the heat slowed her considerably and she spent some extra time in Clear Creek drinking and cooling herself. I thought about joining her, but I had the Wilson’s pool when I got home and that kept me moving.
I was drained by the end of the workout and easily downed a 32-ounce bottle of water on the ride home. I suppose I’d shed 10 pounds of water through the day and would have to make a concerted effort to replace it all before heading back out into the heat tomorrow. I’m really getting sick of this humidity and heat.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Jack's seventeen...
Friday, July 22, 2011
It had been a solid two weeks since I’d last taken a day off from working out and this was shaping up to be another. It was Jack’s birthday and we were having family over for dinner right after work…which meant I should go straight home instead of heading for the park…to help with the preparations. I was also responsible for picking up Jack’s new bike. He’d been riding his sister’s mountain bike since he was 10 and at 6’4”, it no longer fit him well. He doesn’t ride much and had little interest in a road bike so when Kim had shown me a bike she was selling on Craig’s List for $100…an excellent hybrid she’d hardly ridden and big enough to fit Jack…I told her I’d take it if he wanted it. “For Jack? You can have it for fifty bucks,” she said. I showed him the bike and he showed all the enthusiasm a 16-year old teenager can muster for something that isn’t a video game. “Sure…looks okay to me,” he’d said
Anyway, I picked it up and brought it home. We had also bought him an office chair for his room…a nice one with arms and a back. I’d left it in the box so he could learn how to assemble such things and when he opened the box, was surprised to see it needed assembling. Now…the box was narrow and rectangular…kind of the way you’d expect a box to look with a disassembled chair inside. I don’t know why he thought he would open the box and find a chair in the proportions chairs come in…inside that box. I figured right there I would be assembling the chair…and I did.
Jack’s favorite meal is noodles, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy on everything. There is nothing Paleolithic about the meal…except the chicken…which I ate in abundance. The ice cream cake that followed was un-Paleo as well, but I had a piece…to be sociable.
I never did work out. I could have made my way to the track and done some bleacher work, but the knee is still sore and that seemed not to make sense. Instead, Holly and I got in the neighbors’ pool after dark and just enjoyed the cooling night air after another scorching day. I’ve got a big day of calorie-burning scheduled for tomorrow anyways.
It had been a solid two weeks since I’d last taken a day off from working out and this was shaping up to be another. It was Jack’s birthday and we were having family over for dinner right after work…which meant I should go straight home instead of heading for the park…to help with the preparations. I was also responsible for picking up Jack’s new bike. He’d been riding his sister’s mountain bike since he was 10 and at 6’4”, it no longer fit him well. He doesn’t ride much and had little interest in a road bike so when Kim had shown me a bike she was selling on Craig’s List for $100…an excellent hybrid she’d hardly ridden and big enough to fit Jack…I told her I’d take it if he wanted it. “For Jack? You can have it for fifty bucks,” she said. I showed him the bike and he showed all the enthusiasm a 16-year old teenager can muster for something that isn’t a video game. “Sure…looks okay to me,” he’d said
Anyway, I picked it up and brought it home. We had also bought him an office chair for his room…a nice one with arms and a back. I’d left it in the box so he could learn how to assemble such things and when he opened the box, was surprised to see it needed assembling. Now…the box was narrow and rectangular…kind of the way you’d expect a box to look with a disassembled chair inside. I don’t know why he thought he would open the box and find a chair in the proportions chairs come in…inside that box. I figured right there I would be assembling the chair…and I did.
Jack’s favorite meal is noodles, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy on everything. There is nothing Paleolithic about the meal…except the chicken…which I ate in abundance. The ice cream cake that followed was un-Paleo as well, but I had a piece…to be sociable.
I never did work out. I could have made my way to the track and done some bleacher work, but the knee is still sore and that seemed not to make sense. Instead, Holly and I got in the neighbors’ pool after dark and just enjoyed the cooling night air after another scorching day. I’ve got a big day of calorie-burning scheduled for tomorrow anyways.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Staying cool...good luck with that.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Okay…the heat is getting into the danger zone now. Holly and John have both cautioned me against working out…and they’re right…but with certain precautions which I do take pretty seriously, I’ll be okay. Here are some definite things to consider for regular exercisers…those just getting started should take the day off.
• Exercise in the shade when you can. The air is cooler, but equally important is the ground beneath your feet and the things around you that transmit heat to you are cooler, as well. On the bike, you’re picking up big heat from the asphalt, buildings you pass and direct sunlight…none of which are a factor in the woods. Between the actual cooler temperatures in the woods and the lack of radiant heat, it can seem 15-20 degrees cooler to your body.
• Hydrate along the way. I carry a bottle of water, utilize a camelback, or have places I know I can stop and get some water during my workout.
• Drink early and often. Thirst lags behind the need to rehydrate on hot, humid days.
• Don’t exercise during the hottest part of the day. Do I have to say when that is?
• Wear light colors…they reflect sunlight better.
• Douse your head in cold water on a run.
• Do less. If you’re going to be out in the worst conditions…cut back a little. Even I’m smart enough for that.
• After workouts, drink until your urine is clear.
I did the Survival Workout yesterday…in the woods and later…but was still feeling the effects of the heat. I carried a water bottle and doused my head and bandana in cold water at the Pavilion near the Girl Scout Cabins. It helped, but I could feel the heat overtaking me and cut out a couple of sets to compensate. I saw a couple of die hard runners on the trails, but traffic has been down in the park during the past week of 90+ temperatures. When I returned home, I wasted little time in getting to the neighbors’ pool. The water temperature had climbed to 90 degrees, but it still felt better than not swimming. Thank God for air conditioning though, I don’t think I’d be sleeping without it.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Okay…the heat is getting into the danger zone now. Holly and John have both cautioned me against working out…and they’re right…but with certain precautions which I do take pretty seriously, I’ll be okay. Here are some definite things to consider for regular exercisers…those just getting started should take the day off.
• Exercise in the shade when you can. The air is cooler, but equally important is the ground beneath your feet and the things around you that transmit heat to you are cooler, as well. On the bike, you’re picking up big heat from the asphalt, buildings you pass and direct sunlight…none of which are a factor in the woods. Between the actual cooler temperatures in the woods and the lack of radiant heat, it can seem 15-20 degrees cooler to your body.
• Hydrate along the way. I carry a bottle of water, utilize a camelback, or have places I know I can stop and get some water during my workout.
• Drink early and often. Thirst lags behind the need to rehydrate on hot, humid days.
• Don’t exercise during the hottest part of the day. Do I have to say when that is?
• Wear light colors…they reflect sunlight better.
• Douse your head in cold water on a run.
• Do less. If you’re going to be out in the worst conditions…cut back a little. Even I’m smart enough for that.
• After workouts, drink until your urine is clear.
I did the Survival Workout yesterday…in the woods and later…but was still feeling the effects of the heat. I carried a water bottle and doused my head and bandana in cold water at the Pavilion near the Girl Scout Cabins. It helped, but I could feel the heat overtaking me and cut out a couple of sets to compensate. I saw a couple of die hard runners on the trails, but traffic has been down in the park during the past week of 90+ temperatures. When I returned home, I wasted little time in getting to the neighbors’ pool. The water temperature had climbed to 90 degrees, but it still felt better than not swimming. Thank God for air conditioning though, I don’t think I’d be sleeping without it.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Fitness for life...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
I met with an employment fitness committee to offer my services as their fitness expert as they moved forward with a workplace initiative to help 40 employees gaining a new awareness about their own fitness levels and what they could do to improve them. “Whatever these employees do for the next six weeks, it is all for nothing if they don’t maintain it for the rest of their lives. It’s our responsibility to help them achieve that end,” I said. I think I surprised the committee with my position…something they weren’t really considering. They were there to implement and administer a 6-week competition…trying to motivate participants throughout that period…but only that period. I talked to them about baseline information…”how can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are” stuff, setting achievable goals and having sensible plans to achieve those goals. They weren’t ready for me and my approach, but by the meeting’s end, agreed to retain me as a resource any participant could access to help them with their individual efforts to improve…which had me jazzed.
I went to the park for a workout because I hadn’t had a chance to do anything about fixing the bike. It was somewhere in the 90’s and quite steamy as I strapped my daypack stuffed with 30 pounds of salt to my back. I hit a hilly trail and incorporated 200 step-ups at 7 different stations along the way. My knee ached as I walked…still sore from the bleacher workout this past Saturday…but not enough to make me want to quit…or get surgery. Climbing on top of objects was not nearly as bothersome as climbing back down from them. This makes sense since it is in stepping down that the greatest impact to the knee occurs. I just can’t figure any way to climb peaks in the Adirondacks…and not have to come back down. I should probably not run another step until after the September trips to the mountains…but I’ll feel good at some point and run again…I know myself.
Even walking in the woods and completely in shade, I sweat as heavily as I have this summer. My shoes were saturated with sweat by the conclusion of the hike and my shoulders ached from the 30 pounds pulling on them for over an hour. Still…I managed a good workout without access to a bike. There is always something I can do and the heat…well…what can I do?
Hike workout: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 90 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
I met with an employment fitness committee to offer my services as their fitness expert as they moved forward with a workplace initiative to help 40 employees gaining a new awareness about their own fitness levels and what they could do to improve them. “Whatever these employees do for the next six weeks, it is all for nothing if they don’t maintain it for the rest of their lives. It’s our responsibility to help them achieve that end,” I said. I think I surprised the committee with my position…something they weren’t really considering. They were there to implement and administer a 6-week competition…trying to motivate participants throughout that period…but only that period. I talked to them about baseline information…”how can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are” stuff, setting achievable goals and having sensible plans to achieve those goals. They weren’t ready for me and my approach, but by the meeting’s end, agreed to retain me as a resource any participant could access to help them with their individual efforts to improve…which had me jazzed.
I went to the park for a workout because I hadn’t had a chance to do anything about fixing the bike. It was somewhere in the 90’s and quite steamy as I strapped my daypack stuffed with 30 pounds of salt to my back. I hit a hilly trail and incorporated 200 step-ups at 7 different stations along the way. My knee ached as I walked…still sore from the bleacher workout this past Saturday…but not enough to make me want to quit…or get surgery. Climbing on top of objects was not nearly as bothersome as climbing back down from them. This makes sense since it is in stepping down that the greatest impact to the knee occurs. I just can’t figure any way to climb peaks in the Adirondacks…and not have to come back down. I should probably not run another step until after the September trips to the mountains…but I’ll feel good at some point and run again…I know myself.
Even walking in the woods and completely in shade, I sweat as heavily as I have this summer. My shoes were saturated with sweat by the conclusion of the hike and my shoulders ached from the 30 pounds pulling on them for over an hour. Still…I managed a good workout without access to a bike. There is always something I can do and the heat…well…what can I do?
Hike workout: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 90 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
Heidi needs lighter furniture...
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I love my daughter Heidi, but when she moves…like now…I dread the artsy, really heavy stuff she owns and the fact that she has to live on the top floor of wherever she goes and in places without elevators. She found two work benches at an industrial warehouse in Cleveland and paid $10 for the pair. They’re worth little more and weigh about 200 pounds a piece. She’ll make them functional and cute and use them as…well…something. I was charged with getting them from the van and up three flights of stairs. I enlisted the help of Dave, her most outstanding and fitness minded landlord, to accomplish the task. He is so particular about his building that I think he was more than happy to lend his muscle to assure that door jams and hallway walls weren’t bumped by the metal legs of the bench. I took the front…walking up backwards and by the time we worked the second table to her apartment, I had sweat through my clothes and was dripping profusely on his beautiful, hard wood floors. Additionally, Heidi had purchased a bed frame which came in two boxes weighing seventy pounds apiece. I had to bring those up…and assemble them. I stripped to my shorts and went about the project, losing 10 pounds in the process.
Dave pitched in with some advice and we when we got on the subject of bikes, I quickly learned he was training for a major triathlon and was also looking to perform an Iron Man triathlon in Lake Placid, NY. “Do you know anything about triathloning or upstate New York?” Dave must live in a cave. “I own upstate New York and I invented the triathlon,” I replied humbly. He was impressed to learn that I’d done the Iron Man twice and very interested in joining us for a tour of the Adirondack back country at some future date. He described his carbon-fiber, high-priced triathlon bicycle and I decided to hate him.
I had put in a hard Survival Workout before leaving for Akron to help Heidi and in combination with the move, found myself dragging by the end of the evening. Again…the heat made the difference, causing me to fatigue more quickly than I would have otherwise. I continued my efforts to rehydrate, drinking meals of smoothies in addition to the extra water. With no time to fix the bike, I may have to come up with something different for tomorrow’s workout.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
I love my daughter Heidi, but when she moves…like now…I dread the artsy, really heavy stuff she owns and the fact that she has to live on the top floor of wherever she goes and in places without elevators. She found two work benches at an industrial warehouse in Cleveland and paid $10 for the pair. They’re worth little more and weigh about 200 pounds a piece. She’ll make them functional and cute and use them as…well…something. I was charged with getting them from the van and up three flights of stairs. I enlisted the help of Dave, her most outstanding and fitness minded landlord, to accomplish the task. He is so particular about his building that I think he was more than happy to lend his muscle to assure that door jams and hallway walls weren’t bumped by the metal legs of the bench. I took the front…walking up backwards and by the time we worked the second table to her apartment, I had sweat through my clothes and was dripping profusely on his beautiful, hard wood floors. Additionally, Heidi had purchased a bed frame which came in two boxes weighing seventy pounds apiece. I had to bring those up…and assemble them. I stripped to my shorts and went about the project, losing 10 pounds in the process.
Dave pitched in with some advice and we when we got on the subject of bikes, I quickly learned he was training for a major triathlon and was also looking to perform an Iron Man triathlon in Lake Placid, NY. “Do you know anything about triathloning or upstate New York?” Dave must live in a cave. “I own upstate New York and I invented the triathlon,” I replied humbly. He was impressed to learn that I’d done the Iron Man twice and very interested in joining us for a tour of the Adirondack back country at some future date. He described his carbon-fiber, high-priced triathlon bicycle and I decided to hate him.
I had put in a hard Survival Workout before leaving for Akron to help Heidi and in combination with the move, found myself dragging by the end of the evening. Again…the heat made the difference, causing me to fatigue more quickly than I would have otherwise. I continued my efforts to rehydrate, drinking meals of smoothies in addition to the extra water. With no time to fix the bike, I may have to come up with something different for tomorrow’s workout.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Cycling issues...
Monday, July 18, 2011
I’m beginning to get a sense of what Kim and her friends are experiencing in their ride to California and 100 degree-plus heat. The temperature hovered around 90 as I mounted the bike for a two-plus hour ride. I had two-twenty ounce water bottles on the bike, but by the time I’d ridden 30 minutes, I’d exhausted one and the other was too warm to be refreshing. Fortunately, I had a place to stop and refill the bottles and since it was later, I could ride in shade part of the time. I can’t imagine doing this in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees with limited water and no shade.
The pain in the balls of my feet returned after 90 minutes of riding and a bike malfunction forced me to ride in the small chain ring for the last half of the ride…taking away my large gears and slowing me considerably. I suppose that’s better than being stuck in big gears with hills facing me, but I wanted to get off the bike as quickly as possible and this was hampering me…and forcing me to the bike store for repairs when riding was my major form of cardiovascular exercise.
Drenched with sweat, I pulled into my driveway after two hours of riding and quickly plunged into the neighbors’ pool. A smoothie and pizza from Jack’s new place of employment revived me, but there is no question that the heat saps so much more from me following workouts. I know I need to make a concerted effort to replace the fluids this week…the forecast is for 90-plus heat through the weekend.
Bike workout: Two hours and 20 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2000.
I’m beginning to get a sense of what Kim and her friends are experiencing in their ride to California and 100 degree-plus heat. The temperature hovered around 90 as I mounted the bike for a two-plus hour ride. I had two-twenty ounce water bottles on the bike, but by the time I’d ridden 30 minutes, I’d exhausted one and the other was too warm to be refreshing. Fortunately, I had a place to stop and refill the bottles and since it was later, I could ride in shade part of the time. I can’t imagine doing this in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees with limited water and no shade.
The pain in the balls of my feet returned after 90 minutes of riding and a bike malfunction forced me to ride in the small chain ring for the last half of the ride…taking away my large gears and slowing me considerably. I suppose that’s better than being stuck in big gears with hills facing me, but I wanted to get off the bike as quickly as possible and this was hampering me…and forcing me to the bike store for repairs when riding was my major form of cardiovascular exercise.
Drenched with sweat, I pulled into my driveway after two hours of riding and quickly plunged into the neighbors’ pool. A smoothie and pizza from Jack’s new place of employment revived me, but there is no question that the heat saps so much more from me following workouts. I know I need to make a concerted effort to replace the fluids this week…the forecast is for 90-plus heat through the weekend.
Bike workout: Two hours and 20 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2000.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Still 'enoying the journey'...
Sunday, July 17, 2011
I was walking through the park Sunday morning, hitting the various workout stations I’ve created for myself to do the Survival Workout and making mental notes about what I was experiencing. Yes…I’ve had a series of setbacks over the past year and a half since beginning the blog and upping my workout intensity, but overall I have to say it has been a wonderful experience. I actually had a goal when I began writing…to see if I could achieve the level of fitness I’d had when I was in my mid-thirties and in prime condition…but that I knew could take a couple of years. Along the way of course, I’ve set shorter, achievable goals to keep the focus and it has worked quite well. More importantly though, I try to remind myself regularly to ‘enjoy the journey’. It’s something I’ve been known to preach to athletes I coach, but it bears repeating…to me.
The ‘journey’ should be each and every day or workout. I’m looking harder as I’m going along and thanking God and my lucky stars that I can do what I’m doing at my age. Again…pretty much without serious injury…I’m able to do almost every thing I want to…much as I did as a younger man. This is a good thing, but not quite all that I’m talking about. As I walk through the woods, ride the bike, or even while climbing the bleachers at 11 p.m., I try to find something special or memorable about each workout…even if I can only remember it for a short time. The other night when I saw that beautiful, full moon rising above the trees as I perched atop the bleachers, I had one of those moments. Walking the trail the other day, I heard a bird I was sure was a robin and as I was trying to spot it in the dense foliage off the trail, I spotted a huge raptor…probably a Red Tail but possibly an owl…winging through the trees at a speed that, for its size, seemed like a formula for a head-on with a large tree. I look for and find something special in each workout…whether its something I actually see or just the way the experience make me feel. I think it helps as I’m getting ready to go through another workout…because I will admit they can be drudgery at times…to keep me going day in and day out. I simply remind myself…”something good will happen if you look for it – so get going.”
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
I was walking through the park Sunday morning, hitting the various workout stations I’ve created for myself to do the Survival Workout and making mental notes about what I was experiencing. Yes…I’ve had a series of setbacks over the past year and a half since beginning the blog and upping my workout intensity, but overall I have to say it has been a wonderful experience. I actually had a goal when I began writing…to see if I could achieve the level of fitness I’d had when I was in my mid-thirties and in prime condition…but that I knew could take a couple of years. Along the way of course, I’ve set shorter, achievable goals to keep the focus and it has worked quite well. More importantly though, I try to remind myself regularly to ‘enjoy the journey’. It’s something I’ve been known to preach to athletes I coach, but it bears repeating…to me.
The ‘journey’ should be each and every day or workout. I’m looking harder as I’m going along and thanking God and my lucky stars that I can do what I’m doing at my age. Again…pretty much without serious injury…I’m able to do almost every thing I want to…much as I did as a younger man. This is a good thing, but not quite all that I’m talking about. As I walk through the woods, ride the bike, or even while climbing the bleachers at 11 p.m., I try to find something special or memorable about each workout…even if I can only remember it for a short time. The other night when I saw that beautiful, full moon rising above the trees as I perched atop the bleachers, I had one of those moments. Walking the trail the other day, I heard a bird I was sure was a robin and as I was trying to spot it in the dense foliage off the trail, I spotted a huge raptor…probably a Red Tail but possibly an owl…winging through the trees at a speed that, for its size, seemed like a formula for a head-on with a large tree. I look for and find something special in each workout…whether its something I actually see or just the way the experience make me feel. I think it helps as I’m getting ready to go through another workout…because I will admit they can be drudgery at times…to keep me going day in and day out. I simply remind myself…”something good will happen if you look for it – so get going.”
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Moonlight workout in the bleachers...
Saturday, July 16, 2011
You take some things for granted…things you just think everyone knows or that common sense would tell them the answers to without having to go through any formal education…but its never good to assume anything.
I was on site at the Beaver Marsh in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park this past Saturday where I volunteer as a Wildlife Watcher. It’s a busy station right on the towpath with many cyclist stopping to observe the marsh and the wildlife thriving there. Two older gentlemen…my age or more…got off their bikes to have a look. I pointed out the snapping turtles and the great blue heron when one asked me what he could feed the turtles. “Actually…it’s against the law to feed any animals inside a national park…but even if it wasn’t, it’s a bad idea,” I began…going into my ‘Leave No Trace’ training. He looked puzzled. “If people don’t feed them…how do they eat?” I could see he was dead serious and so I explained that they find food naturally in the environment without our help and when we do try to help, we tend to really mess the balance of nature up. He seemed to understand, but I suppose it contradicts a possible upbringing that may have included feeding bread to ducks and fish (I did that at a pond near my grandparents home in New York), back yard bird and deer feeders, or maybe even a house pet…I didn’t have time to delve that deeply. And he was one of three separate people who asked the question in the two hours I was there.
I had a late lunch that included two burgers and a smoothie. Later that night, Holly and I attended my next door neighbors’ retirement party at the Winking Lizard. I hadn’t done a workout yet, but my plan was to get home from the party and head to the track for a bleacher/run workout. With this in mind, I ate a huge salad and a chicken breast with a couple of diet cokes…so…easy on the calories.
I made it to the track around 10 p.m. The moon was almost full, but just below the trees so lighting wasn’t the best. Still, I managed 10 repeats up the 46 steps of the bleachers with 30 pounds on my back. I found that taking two steps at a time was a little hard on my knee, so I switched back to hitting every step. I stripped off the pack and ran a mile after the first set, but the knee just didn’t feel right, so I stopped after one. I really needed to use the bathroom and there was restroom next to the track, but I figured it would be locked. It wasn’t…but there were no lights. I could see well enough to get things done that needed to get done, but when I emerged from the bathroom, it seemed as though someone had turned on the flood lights. I suppose it was a combination of adjusting to the almost pitch dark of the bathroom and the moon having gotten above the trees…but I had no trouble seeing in the bleachers as I completed another 20 repetitions.
I staggered back to the car after 40 minutes, drenched and ready for a dip in the pool. Pat was still at his party when I pulled back in the drive so I knew I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone as I slipped into his beautifully maintained water…and completely screwed up the pH balance again. Ah yes…I love having a neighbor with a pool…
Track/Bleacher workout duration: 40 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
You take some things for granted…things you just think everyone knows or that common sense would tell them the answers to without having to go through any formal education…but its never good to assume anything.
I was on site at the Beaver Marsh in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park this past Saturday where I volunteer as a Wildlife Watcher. It’s a busy station right on the towpath with many cyclist stopping to observe the marsh and the wildlife thriving there. Two older gentlemen…my age or more…got off their bikes to have a look. I pointed out the snapping turtles and the great blue heron when one asked me what he could feed the turtles. “Actually…it’s against the law to feed any animals inside a national park…but even if it wasn’t, it’s a bad idea,” I began…going into my ‘Leave No Trace’ training. He looked puzzled. “If people don’t feed them…how do they eat?” I could see he was dead serious and so I explained that they find food naturally in the environment without our help and when we do try to help, we tend to really mess the balance of nature up. He seemed to understand, but I suppose it contradicts a possible upbringing that may have included feeding bread to ducks and fish (I did that at a pond near my grandparents home in New York), back yard bird and deer feeders, or maybe even a house pet…I didn’t have time to delve that deeply. And he was one of three separate people who asked the question in the two hours I was there.
I had a late lunch that included two burgers and a smoothie. Later that night, Holly and I attended my next door neighbors’ retirement party at the Winking Lizard. I hadn’t done a workout yet, but my plan was to get home from the party and head to the track for a bleacher/run workout. With this in mind, I ate a huge salad and a chicken breast with a couple of diet cokes…so…easy on the calories.
I made it to the track around 10 p.m. The moon was almost full, but just below the trees so lighting wasn’t the best. Still, I managed 10 repeats up the 46 steps of the bleachers with 30 pounds on my back. I found that taking two steps at a time was a little hard on my knee, so I switched back to hitting every step. I stripped off the pack and ran a mile after the first set, but the knee just didn’t feel right, so I stopped after one. I really needed to use the bathroom and there was restroom next to the track, but I figured it would be locked. It wasn’t…but there were no lights. I could see well enough to get things done that needed to get done, but when I emerged from the bathroom, it seemed as though someone had turned on the flood lights. I suppose it was a combination of adjusting to the almost pitch dark of the bathroom and the moon having gotten above the trees…but I had no trouble seeing in the bleachers as I completed another 20 repetitions.
I staggered back to the car after 40 minutes, drenched and ready for a dip in the pool. Pat was still at his party when I pulled back in the drive so I knew I wouldn’t be disturbing anyone as I slipped into his beautifully maintained water…and completely screwed up the pH balance again. Ah yes…I love having a neighbor with a pool…
Track/Bleacher workout duration: 40 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
An easy double...
Friday, July 15, 2011
I hit the park after work for the Survival Workout all the time with the thought that I could get in a ride as well. I wanted to prove to myself that last night’s pain-free ride wasn’t a fluke. I’d read the forecast for the coming of 90-degree heat and it would also be nice to get in one more ride before it came.
I rode my Waite Hill course which is quickly becoming my favorite. I like it because I can get in a reasonably hilly ride without facing heavy traffic. There are a lot of possible spinoffs I can ride to get longer courses that vary the scenery, too. As much as I like riding Pekin Road, once I’m on it…I’m on it for a long time. Anyway, I just rode around Waite Hill and then up Hobart to Chardon Road before circling back towards home via River Road. I didn’t even try to ride hard…there is no need. I just tried to enjoy the workout and the scenery…and I did since my feet didn’t hurt at all.
The ride took 1:26 to complete, which is only 3 minutes slower than my pr on the course so I must have been riding a decent pace. I had a smoothie and a couple of Holly’s peanut butter cookies for dinner (these cookies are unbelievable and the only way I can resist them is to eat them all so there aren’t any more) after showering in the neighbors’ pool. I hope they never move.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: 83 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm for workout, 130 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 1250 biking.
I hit the park after work for the Survival Workout all the time with the thought that I could get in a ride as well. I wanted to prove to myself that last night’s pain-free ride wasn’t a fluke. I’d read the forecast for the coming of 90-degree heat and it would also be nice to get in one more ride before it came.
I rode my Waite Hill course which is quickly becoming my favorite. I like it because I can get in a reasonably hilly ride without facing heavy traffic. There are a lot of possible spinoffs I can ride to get longer courses that vary the scenery, too. As much as I like riding Pekin Road, once I’m on it…I’m on it for a long time. Anyway, I just rode around Waite Hill and then up Hobart to Chardon Road before circling back towards home via River Road. I didn’t even try to ride hard…there is no need. I just tried to enjoy the workout and the scenery…and I did since my feet didn’t hurt at all.
The ride took 1:26 to complete, which is only 3 minutes slower than my pr on the course so I must have been riding a decent pace. I had a smoothie and a couple of Holly’s peanut butter cookies for dinner (these cookies are unbelievable and the only way I can resist them is to eat them all so there aren’t any more) after showering in the neighbors’ pool. I hope they never move.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: 83 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm for workout, 130 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 1250 biking.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Solving the foot ache...
Thursday, July 14. 2011
I had to ride and I had to beat the sore feet thing. The balls of my feet were still a little tender from the ride on Tuesday and I hadn’t gotten any gel inserts for my riding shoes yet. I was headed for the drugstore to make the purchase when it occurred to me that I might be able to fashion something myself from some squishy household item. Maybe cut up one of the sponge, scrubby thing we use on the dishes? I went to the garage and started snooping around and landed on some inserts from a pair of hiking boots no one wore. They had inserts with a heavy heal cushion…something I could chop all to hell and insert in my riding shoe. I went to the riding shoe and pulled out its insert to see how I’d fashion the new one only to discover the gel insert I’d placed there about five years ago. It was squeezed into the toe of the shoe…no where near the ball of my foot where it could do some good…so I pulled it out and duct-taped it to the bottom of the bike shoe insert in the appropriate position. I tried the shoes on and felt the squishy cushion under the ball of my feet and figured I had it licked. Now for a long test ride.
It was perfect riding weather. Some breeze in my face on my way out…which meant a push coming home, cool and sunny. I felt particularly strong and was able to push hard on the pedals without pain during the early phases of the ride. The true test would come in the hills when I had to stand on the pedals and had been out for over an hour. I rode through Waite Hill and out east on Eagle Road to Sperry…pretty much all uphill. When I hit the halfway point without pain, I decided to put the hammer down and ride hard all the way home. I did…without pain…and thrilled that I hadn’t gone out and bought something I already was carrying around in my shoe every time I rode.
There was a house full of kids when I returned from the ride. Heidi and Savannah were hosting a little party of ‘Harry Potter’ people. They were watching the last movie before heading to the midnight showing of the final episode of the series of eight. What a phenomenon! I can’t think of anything from my formative years that had half the impact…with the possible exception of Beatle mania in 1964 when they made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show (yeah…I’m that old). Anyway, I made one of my special smoothies and the ones who partook loved it. Holly…now totally on board with the Paleo diet…made a dinner of sautéed onions, zucchini, strips of beef and some left over salmon. She doesn’t like the way I’m eating but knows she can’t argue with the results.
Bike workout: One hour and 48 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1600.
I had to ride and I had to beat the sore feet thing. The balls of my feet were still a little tender from the ride on Tuesday and I hadn’t gotten any gel inserts for my riding shoes yet. I was headed for the drugstore to make the purchase when it occurred to me that I might be able to fashion something myself from some squishy household item. Maybe cut up one of the sponge, scrubby thing we use on the dishes? I went to the garage and started snooping around and landed on some inserts from a pair of hiking boots no one wore. They had inserts with a heavy heal cushion…something I could chop all to hell and insert in my riding shoe. I went to the riding shoe and pulled out its insert to see how I’d fashion the new one only to discover the gel insert I’d placed there about five years ago. It was squeezed into the toe of the shoe…no where near the ball of my foot where it could do some good…so I pulled it out and duct-taped it to the bottom of the bike shoe insert in the appropriate position. I tried the shoes on and felt the squishy cushion under the ball of my feet and figured I had it licked. Now for a long test ride.
It was perfect riding weather. Some breeze in my face on my way out…which meant a push coming home, cool and sunny. I felt particularly strong and was able to push hard on the pedals without pain during the early phases of the ride. The true test would come in the hills when I had to stand on the pedals and had been out for over an hour. I rode through Waite Hill and out east on Eagle Road to Sperry…pretty much all uphill. When I hit the halfway point without pain, I decided to put the hammer down and ride hard all the way home. I did…without pain…and thrilled that I hadn’t gone out and bought something I already was carrying around in my shoe every time I rode.
There was a house full of kids when I returned from the ride. Heidi and Savannah were hosting a little party of ‘Harry Potter’ people. They were watching the last movie before heading to the midnight showing of the final episode of the series of eight. What a phenomenon! I can’t think of anything from my formative years that had half the impact…with the possible exception of Beatle mania in 1964 when they made their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show (yeah…I’m that old). Anyway, I made one of my special smoothies and the ones who partook loved it. Holly…now totally on board with the Paleo diet…made a dinner of sautéed onions, zucchini, strips of beef and some left over salmon. She doesn’t like the way I’m eating but knows she can’t argue with the results.
Bike workout: One hour and 48 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1600.
To be twenty again...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Savannah was 20 today and because her boyfriend was in town from Columbus and she wanted him to meet her grandparents and Jason...at their home and work respectively, so she didn't have time for us to hang out and do anything special for her. I found this disconcerting...I'd never gone through one of the kids birthdays without doing something with them…but what could I do?
I hit the Metropark after work with the goal of crunching a hard workout. I didn't think there would be a chance to ride, so this would be it. I dropped to the earth for my first set of push-ups, as I always do, and managed to squeeze out 57 reps...the first time I've ever done more than my age since I began the blog. Now I was psyched for the rest of the workout. I reached my next station, a pile of rocks I’ve assembled for different exercises, in a few minutes and managed to squeeze out more reps of each of the three exercises before moving on. I was feeling good enough to run, but elected to wait a couple of more days and instead climbed up a steep bridle trail. A couple of runners passed me at the bottom, but the steepness of the grade makes it almost as fast to walk as run. The runners reached the top first, but I wasn't far behind.
At my second push-up stop, I managed to do another 43 taking me to 100 for the first two sets. My record of 125 for three sets...two days old...was about to fall. I put two heavy rocks on top of each other, bent at the waist over the top of them, and began pulling them up to my chest in a rowing motion. A woman was running by, noticed me, and quickened her pace. I keep thinking someone is going to see me working out and ask what I was doing and if they could join me. Hasn't happened yet…go figure.
I reached the cabins, managed 7 pull-ups towards the end of my sets, and headed back to the car. I detoured up the same hill again, thinking it was time to start putting in more climbing since September is coming and I want to climb 5 peaks on the next trip to the Adirondacks. In fact what I really need is some time with a loaded pack on my back and some step-ups. When I reached the car, I dropped for the final set of push-ups. My arms were throbbing from the increased amount of dips and biceps curls I'd done, but there was no doubt in my mind that I'd crush my former push-up pr. I blasted past the necessary 25 on my way to 40...totaling 140 for the three sets. I did a nose plant in the turf on the last one and figured I was about done for the day.
I have to be careful. The Survival Workout is making me feel invincible…like there is nothing I can’t lift, throw or do. That’s when you get injured…something I could write a…well…blog…about. Since I’m going to be teaching a class in starting a fitness program, I need to remember how long it took me to get where I am…and figure in age…so that students don’t hurt themselves. I know anyone can do what I’m doing, but there are certainly precautions to take, particularly with regards to current level of fitness…which I’ll access with a fitness test.
Well…happy 20th birthday, Savannah. I remember being 20 and I’m happy to say I’m in better shape 36 years later than I was then.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Savannah was 20 today and because her boyfriend was in town from Columbus and she wanted him to meet her grandparents and Jason...at their home and work respectively, so she didn't have time for us to hang out and do anything special for her. I found this disconcerting...I'd never gone through one of the kids birthdays without doing something with them…but what could I do?
I hit the Metropark after work with the goal of crunching a hard workout. I didn't think there would be a chance to ride, so this would be it. I dropped to the earth for my first set of push-ups, as I always do, and managed to squeeze out 57 reps...the first time I've ever done more than my age since I began the blog. Now I was psyched for the rest of the workout. I reached my next station, a pile of rocks I’ve assembled for different exercises, in a few minutes and managed to squeeze out more reps of each of the three exercises before moving on. I was feeling good enough to run, but elected to wait a couple of more days and instead climbed up a steep bridle trail. A couple of runners passed me at the bottom, but the steepness of the grade makes it almost as fast to walk as run. The runners reached the top first, but I wasn't far behind.
At my second push-up stop, I managed to do another 43 taking me to 100 for the first two sets. My record of 125 for three sets...two days old...was about to fall. I put two heavy rocks on top of each other, bent at the waist over the top of them, and began pulling them up to my chest in a rowing motion. A woman was running by, noticed me, and quickened her pace. I keep thinking someone is going to see me working out and ask what I was doing and if they could join me. Hasn't happened yet…go figure.
I reached the cabins, managed 7 pull-ups towards the end of my sets, and headed back to the car. I detoured up the same hill again, thinking it was time to start putting in more climbing since September is coming and I want to climb 5 peaks on the next trip to the Adirondacks. In fact what I really need is some time with a loaded pack on my back and some step-ups. When I reached the car, I dropped for the final set of push-ups. My arms were throbbing from the increased amount of dips and biceps curls I'd done, but there was no doubt in my mind that I'd crush my former push-up pr. I blasted past the necessary 25 on my way to 40...totaling 140 for the three sets. I did a nose plant in the turf on the last one and figured I was about done for the day.
I have to be careful. The Survival Workout is making me feel invincible…like there is nothing I can’t lift, throw or do. That’s when you get injured…something I could write a…well…blog…about. Since I’m going to be teaching a class in starting a fitness program, I need to remember how long it took me to get where I am…and figure in age…so that students don’t hurt themselves. I know anyone can do what I’m doing, but there are certainly precautions to take, particularly with regards to current level of fitness…which I’ll access with a fitness test.
Well…happy 20th birthday, Savannah. I remember being 20 and I’m happy to say I’m in better shape 36 years later than I was then.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
My feet are killing me...
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
It was a ride day and not a bad day to ride. I was hoping that the balls of my feet, which had been aching for over half of my last ride, would not bother me this day. I’d had problems over 10 years ago, but had bought some padded shoe inserts…Dr. Scholl’s or something…and that had alleviated the problem. I’d used them for a couple of years and eventually the problem had gone away on its own…until my last ride. When I finally got off the bike, I could hardly stand up.
I rode the Waite Hill loop and headed out Eagle Road to Kirtland/Chardon Road, which I followed south to Route 6. As I crested that long, steep hill to Rt. 6, my feet began to throb again. The worst part about the pain is that the harder you push on the pedals…in an effort to go faster and get the ride over with…the more your feet hurt.
So I decided to cut the ride a little short, making back home after a little more than two hours of riding. Clearly, I need to return to the drug store and find some more inserts for my riding shoes. I can’t believe what a baby I can be when I hear about Tour de France riders getting hit by cars and knocked off their bikes into barbed wire fences…and getting back on their bikes to complete the day’s ride…and another 1,000 miles after that! I am what I am…a whiner.
I’d like to share a new recipe I’m using to make smoothies. I know that the Paleo diet recommends staying away from fruit juices because of the added sugar and I know the best smoothies are made with fruit juices, so I went to Patterson’s Fruit Farm and grabbed a gallon of apple cider and started using that instead of milk. I’ve also been putting apples…golden delicious with skin on to be exact…into the mix with a banana and some yogurt. The skin doesn’t liquefy, but I don’t mind chewing a little when I’m drinking since it makes me feel like I’m having a meal and not just a drink. Anyway, the cider makes a big difference…much sweeter…and that’s what I’m going for.
Bike workout: Two hours and 20 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2100.
It was a ride day and not a bad day to ride. I was hoping that the balls of my feet, which had been aching for over half of my last ride, would not bother me this day. I’d had problems over 10 years ago, but had bought some padded shoe inserts…Dr. Scholl’s or something…and that had alleviated the problem. I’d used them for a couple of years and eventually the problem had gone away on its own…until my last ride. When I finally got off the bike, I could hardly stand up.
I rode the Waite Hill loop and headed out Eagle Road to Kirtland/Chardon Road, which I followed south to Route 6. As I crested that long, steep hill to Rt. 6, my feet began to throb again. The worst part about the pain is that the harder you push on the pedals…in an effort to go faster and get the ride over with…the more your feet hurt.
So I decided to cut the ride a little short, making back home after a little more than two hours of riding. Clearly, I need to return to the drug store and find some more inserts for my riding shoes. I can’t believe what a baby I can be when I hear about Tour de France riders getting hit by cars and knocked off their bikes into barbed wire fences…and getting back on their bikes to complete the day’s ride…and another 1,000 miles after that! I am what I am…a whiner.
I’d like to share a new recipe I’m using to make smoothies. I know that the Paleo diet recommends staying away from fruit juices because of the added sugar and I know the best smoothies are made with fruit juices, so I went to Patterson’s Fruit Farm and grabbed a gallon of apple cider and started using that instead of milk. I’ve also been putting apples…golden delicious with skin on to be exact…into the mix with a banana and some yogurt. The skin doesn’t liquefy, but I don’t mind chewing a little when I’m drinking since it makes me feel like I’m having a meal and not just a drink. Anyway, the cider makes a big difference…much sweeter…and that’s what I’m going for.
Bike workout: Two hours and 20 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2100.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Riding in temperatures over 110 degrees...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Kim called from Kansas…about 1,400 miles from her jump off point in Akron…to give me an update on the bike across America. She is in the town of Eureka and, on the advice of cyclist she encountered traveling in the other direction, looked up Betsy for a place to stay the night. Turns out Betsy is just this wonderful person on the Trans America Trail for Cyclists that likes to help travelers when she can. She opens her house to cyclists and allows them a respite from camping on the ground in the City Parks and an opportunity to enjoy some air conditioning for a night. Kim’s group needed the air conditioning. “It was over 110 degrees yesterday and I ran out of water,” she told me. Towns are few and far between in Kansas on the Trail and she hadn’t filled her auxiliary one-gallon container when leaving her previous stop. “I was caked in salt and starting to get a chill when we finally reached Eureka. I’ve never been so thirsty in m life and I was getting worried,” she said. She should have been worried. Overheating is a serious issue and it comes on fast in the conditions to which she was exposed. I’d warned her when she left that, like me, she sweats a ton and needed to constantly replace fluids and sodium. She won’t make the mistake again.
The group she’s traveling with is averaging 75 miles a day and still heading for San Francisco. There is no danger of obesity in any members of the party…or any of the people they’re seeing on the road. Riding is such a tremendous way to stay in shape and you don’t have to take overnight trips to accomplish your fitness goals…though it sure can make it fun and interesting. I was surprised to learn how most of the towns along the Trans America Trail through Missouri and Kansas offer cyclists a place to camp and clean up. Apparently the City Parks are there for them and often include a pool and shower facilities…all at no charge. Kim told me they’ve only paid for one camp site since beginning the trip and that was in Ohio and Betsy wasn’t the first person to invite them into their homes for a night in a bed instead of sleeping on the ground. There are amazingly cool people all over this country.
I did the Survival Workout again, but managed a couple of new records. I break my push-ups into three sets, completing 125 which broke my old record of 118. The last set is done as I reach the car and is the last thing I do before leaving. I managed to squeeze out 40, which is quite an accomplishment for me since I’ve done so many other things with my arms by that point. I also managed 6 pull-ups while hanging from an uneven branch on a Maple tree near the old Girl Scout cabins. The pull-up is such a great measure of strength to weight since all of your weight needs to be moved by the muscles of your upper body. I could barely do one when I began the blog and I think I could hit ten if I was fresh and using a pull-up bar. I’ll test that theory soon as I’m outfitting the garage with some things I need to augment the workout.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Kim called from Kansas…about 1,400 miles from her jump off point in Akron…to give me an update on the bike across America. She is in the town of Eureka and, on the advice of cyclist she encountered traveling in the other direction, looked up Betsy for a place to stay the night. Turns out Betsy is just this wonderful person on the Trans America Trail for Cyclists that likes to help travelers when she can. She opens her house to cyclists and allows them a respite from camping on the ground in the City Parks and an opportunity to enjoy some air conditioning for a night. Kim’s group needed the air conditioning. “It was over 110 degrees yesterday and I ran out of water,” she told me. Towns are few and far between in Kansas on the Trail and she hadn’t filled her auxiliary one-gallon container when leaving her previous stop. “I was caked in salt and starting to get a chill when we finally reached Eureka. I’ve never been so thirsty in m life and I was getting worried,” she said. She should have been worried. Overheating is a serious issue and it comes on fast in the conditions to which she was exposed. I’d warned her when she left that, like me, she sweats a ton and needed to constantly replace fluids and sodium. She won’t make the mistake again.
The group she’s traveling with is averaging 75 miles a day and still heading for San Francisco. There is no danger of obesity in any members of the party…or any of the people they’re seeing on the road. Riding is such a tremendous way to stay in shape and you don’t have to take overnight trips to accomplish your fitness goals…though it sure can make it fun and interesting. I was surprised to learn how most of the towns along the Trans America Trail through Missouri and Kansas offer cyclists a place to camp and clean up. Apparently the City Parks are there for them and often include a pool and shower facilities…all at no charge. Kim told me they’ve only paid for one camp site since beginning the trip and that was in Ohio and Betsy wasn’t the first person to invite them into their homes for a night in a bed instead of sleeping on the ground. There are amazingly cool people all over this country.
I did the Survival Workout again, but managed a couple of new records. I break my push-ups into three sets, completing 125 which broke my old record of 118. The last set is done as I reach the car and is the last thing I do before leaving. I managed to squeeze out 40, which is quite an accomplishment for me since I’ve done so many other things with my arms by that point. I also managed 6 pull-ups while hanging from an uneven branch on a Maple tree near the old Girl Scout cabins. The pull-up is such a great measure of strength to weight since all of your weight needs to be moved by the muscles of your upper body. I could barely do one when I began the blog and I think I could hit ten if I was fresh and using a pull-up bar. I’ll test that theory soon as I’m outfitting the garage with some things I need to augment the workout.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Monday, July 11, 2011
Campfires and running
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Good things happen when you build campfires. I’d put on the first one Friday night after spending an hour cleaning up the yard and piling twigs and wood into burn piles. I went to the neighbors house and found Mike…the dad…playing video games with his 10-year old daughter. “I’ve got a fire going in the back yard so drop the controls and come on over,” I said. He was more than willing and was soon in an easy chair in front of the fire…with two ‘Mike’s Hard Lemonade’ and his kids in tow. Some other neighbors joined us and we were soon talking, laughing and throwing combustibles onto the fire. Somehow the conversation got around to the book “Last Child in the Woods” and I got on my soapbox about letting kids go outside and play…even in places where we can’t see them. “They’re in greater danger of developing Type II diabetes and becoming obese and suffering from all of the maladies that entails than they are from being abducted,” I said. Mike agreed, but his wife Jen was not in attendance. The kids were nodding along like that made sense, but when Mike said I could tell Jen when we built a fire at his place the following night, no one suspected it would go well.
We had the fire the next night and it never came up, but it was good to see all the kids just enjoying the fire and the conversation instead of being glued to the video games where they would have been otherwise. I don’t know why I think it’s better for them...and for the adults. Any time you’re talking to your kids around a campfire is a good thing.
I ran 30 minutes on my favorite hiking trail first thing in the morning. I monitored the time I was running at the various checkpoints I have on the course and found that, without really trying, I was running as fast as I had ever run the course. Now…this is with very little running over the last three months. All my conditioning has been coming from the Survival Workout and the bike. I wasn’t pushing either, but instead was running comfortably with the only intention to get through it without the knee hurting. I know I’m faster because I feel like I should be faster…which comes from the knowledge that I’ve lost so much weight. I keep telling myself everything should be easier…and it is. Partially because of the weight loss and the rest because of my attitude shift. I expect to do better…and I do. It’s a rather refreshing change and one I intend to continue.
Run workout: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
Good things happen when you build campfires. I’d put on the first one Friday night after spending an hour cleaning up the yard and piling twigs and wood into burn piles. I went to the neighbors house and found Mike…the dad…playing video games with his 10-year old daughter. “I’ve got a fire going in the back yard so drop the controls and come on over,” I said. He was more than willing and was soon in an easy chair in front of the fire…with two ‘Mike’s Hard Lemonade’ and his kids in tow. Some other neighbors joined us and we were soon talking, laughing and throwing combustibles onto the fire. Somehow the conversation got around to the book “Last Child in the Woods” and I got on my soapbox about letting kids go outside and play…even in places where we can’t see them. “They’re in greater danger of developing Type II diabetes and becoming obese and suffering from all of the maladies that entails than they are from being abducted,” I said. Mike agreed, but his wife Jen was not in attendance. The kids were nodding along like that made sense, but when Mike said I could tell Jen when we built a fire at his place the following night, no one suspected it would go well.
We had the fire the next night and it never came up, but it was good to see all the kids just enjoying the fire and the conversation instead of being glued to the video games where they would have been otherwise. I don’t know why I think it’s better for them...and for the adults. Any time you’re talking to your kids around a campfire is a good thing.
I ran 30 minutes on my favorite hiking trail first thing in the morning. I monitored the time I was running at the various checkpoints I have on the course and found that, without really trying, I was running as fast as I had ever run the course. Now…this is with very little running over the last three months. All my conditioning has been coming from the Survival Workout and the bike. I wasn’t pushing either, but instead was running comfortably with the only intention to get through it without the knee hurting. I know I’m faster because I feel like I should be faster…which comes from the knowledge that I’ve lost so much weight. I keep telling myself everything should be easier…and it is. Partially because of the weight loss and the rest because of my attitude shift. I expect to do better…and I do. It’s a rather refreshing change and one I intend to continue.
Run workout: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 500.
Working out before 7 a.m.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
I finally did something I’ve been trying to get myself to do for some time…get up early and work out. I love to sleep in on Saturday morning, but I had a busy schedule starting with a two-hour stint as a Wildlife Interpreter for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I was scheduled to be at the Beaver Marsh as an observer, learning the tricks of interacting with the visitors and offering them any assistance I could to make their visit a more memorable one. I don’t think the Park knows me well…but they’ll soon find out that people meeting me and getting my brand of nature will surely have a memorable visit. I’ll try to keep to the Park shtick…but that could be tough.
Anyway…I had to go from there to see Jason playing rugby in Mentor, which could keep me occupied through most of the rest of the day. It was work out early or run the risk of missing it altogether.
I made it to North Chagrin for the Survival Workout before 7 a.m. and went through the paces half awake. My knee has been feeling so good that I decided to mix in some short runs between lifting stations, which worked out well. In fact, it started me thinking that I’d come back tomorrow morning and try a straight 30-minute jog. It’s been exactly a week since the 15-mile trek in the Adirondacks and it actually feels better than it did when I started that climb. Maybe…just maybe…it will get better and I can avoid surgery.
I returned home elated about getting the workout in early and leaving time for everything else…and maybe a bike ride later. I’d like to say the pattern…a good one…will continue, but I won’t lie. At least I’ll do it again tomorrow.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
I finally did something I’ve been trying to get myself to do for some time…get up early and work out. I love to sleep in on Saturday morning, but I had a busy schedule starting with a two-hour stint as a Wildlife Interpreter for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I was scheduled to be at the Beaver Marsh as an observer, learning the tricks of interacting with the visitors and offering them any assistance I could to make their visit a more memorable one. I don’t think the Park knows me well…but they’ll soon find out that people meeting me and getting my brand of nature will surely have a memorable visit. I’ll try to keep to the Park shtick…but that could be tough.
Anyway…I had to go from there to see Jason playing rugby in Mentor, which could keep me occupied through most of the rest of the day. It was work out early or run the risk of missing it altogether.
I made it to North Chagrin for the Survival Workout before 7 a.m. and went through the paces half awake. My knee has been feeling so good that I decided to mix in some short runs between lifting stations, which worked out well. In fact, it started me thinking that I’d come back tomorrow morning and try a straight 30-minute jog. It’s been exactly a week since the 15-mile trek in the Adirondacks and it actually feels better than it did when I started that climb. Maybe…just maybe…it will get better and I can avoid surgery.
I returned home elated about getting the workout in early and leaving time for everything else…and maybe a bike ride later. I’d like to say the pattern…a good one…will continue, but I won’t lie. At least I’ll do it again tomorrow.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Friday, July 8, 2011
Back in the saddle...
Thursday, July 07, 2011
I arrived at the park ready to push myself. I intended to do the Survival Workout and a long ride and I wanted to hit them both hard…then go home and weigh in. Things started well as I ripped off a push-up pr with 54! Two more and I hit my age…something I didn’t think I’d be able to approach once…but not anymore. I charged through the remainder of the workout, returned to the car and headed home for the bike ride.
I needed something long to jump-start the engine and access the progress of the knee. I decided to ride out Pekin and beyond…turning around eventually in Amish country 27 miles away. I was hauling down Gates Mills Blvd. for Old Mill Road when a motorist yelled something out his window. These things are usually confrontational…and I’m always up for a good confrontation…but something about the voice sounded familiar. I looked through the back window and from the bald head knew it was Dan. He pulled over on a side street and waited for me to catch up.
I’ve been bugging Dan every time I go to his place for work on a vehicle to get out his bike and start riding again. He did triathlons with me about 30 years ago, but his bike has been in his garage attic for a long time and he’s been reluctant to get it down. When I rode up to his window he said “seeing you riding has me thinking. How long do you suppose it would take me to ride to work? Maybe an hour?” Dan lives in Chardon and works in Beachwood…about a 20-mile hitch…and hilly. “Maybe an hour…to the halfway point! C’mon Dan…you got old and fat and you haven’t ridden since Moby Dick was a minnow. I think I’d allow an hour-forty-five. You can work it down from there sure…but figure long at first.”
The good news is…he’ll get the bike down, dusted and lubed and start riding. He does work out with weights and hits the stationary cardio equipment at the Geauga YMCA, but nothing gets you ready for the roads…except the roads. He sped off and I continued the ride, racing down Old Mill at 50 mph only to discover the bridge over the Chagrin River was closed, forcing me to alter my course. It was no big deal and in an hour, I was passing buggies in Amish country and hitting my turn-around.
I managed the return trip at about a 19 mph average pace…which is good for me on hilly courses with lots of turns. My feet and butt were extremely sore when I made it back to the house…I sometimes find the balls of my feet aching from the constant pressure on the pedals…but after a dip in the neighbor’s pool, I was feeling better. I checked the weight when I went in to change, expecting something in the high 180’s so I was thrilled when it registered 183.5.
So…I got away with missing some workouts and not eating Paleo. I think I’m continuing to lose because even when I’m not eating Paleo, I’m watching every calorie and keeping junk and sugar out. I’m closing in on needing a new wardrobe though…a good problem to have.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: Three hours and 15 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm for workout, 130 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 2,800 biking.
I arrived at the park ready to push myself. I intended to do the Survival Workout and a long ride and I wanted to hit them both hard…then go home and weigh in. Things started well as I ripped off a push-up pr with 54! Two more and I hit my age…something I didn’t think I’d be able to approach once…but not anymore. I charged through the remainder of the workout, returned to the car and headed home for the bike ride.
I needed something long to jump-start the engine and access the progress of the knee. I decided to ride out Pekin and beyond…turning around eventually in Amish country 27 miles away. I was hauling down Gates Mills Blvd. for Old Mill Road when a motorist yelled something out his window. These things are usually confrontational…and I’m always up for a good confrontation…but something about the voice sounded familiar. I looked through the back window and from the bald head knew it was Dan. He pulled over on a side street and waited for me to catch up.
I’ve been bugging Dan every time I go to his place for work on a vehicle to get out his bike and start riding again. He did triathlons with me about 30 years ago, but his bike has been in his garage attic for a long time and he’s been reluctant to get it down. When I rode up to his window he said “seeing you riding has me thinking. How long do you suppose it would take me to ride to work? Maybe an hour?” Dan lives in Chardon and works in Beachwood…about a 20-mile hitch…and hilly. “Maybe an hour…to the halfway point! C’mon Dan…you got old and fat and you haven’t ridden since Moby Dick was a minnow. I think I’d allow an hour-forty-five. You can work it down from there sure…but figure long at first.”
The good news is…he’ll get the bike down, dusted and lubed and start riding. He does work out with weights and hits the stationary cardio equipment at the Geauga YMCA, but nothing gets you ready for the roads…except the roads. He sped off and I continued the ride, racing down Old Mill at 50 mph only to discover the bridge over the Chagrin River was closed, forcing me to alter my course. It was no big deal and in an hour, I was passing buggies in Amish country and hitting my turn-around.
I managed the return trip at about a 19 mph average pace…which is good for me on hilly courses with lots of turns. My feet and butt were extremely sore when I made it back to the house…I sometimes find the balls of my feet aching from the constant pressure on the pedals…but after a dip in the neighbor’s pool, I was feeling better. I checked the weight when I went in to change, expecting something in the high 180’s so I was thrilled when it registered 183.5.
So…I got away with missing some workouts and not eating Paleo. I think I’m continuing to lose because even when I’m not eating Paleo, I’m watching every calorie and keeping junk and sugar out. I’m closing in on needing a new wardrobe though…a good problem to have.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: Three hours and 15 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm for workout, 130 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 2,800 biking.
At least the flower beds look good...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Holly has put a lot of energy into creating mini flower gardens throughout the yard. As almost anyone knows who does this, they tend to grow more weeds than flowers. One of my jobs is to put an edge around these different sites and make sure my grass doesn’t cross the border into the flowers. I suck at this. Holly reminded me a couple of nights ago about this failing and so I jumped on it last night. I was going to ride, but really got into it and for over two hours, edged and weeded and cleaned up the crap I pulled from the gardens. I was proud, dirty and tired when I finished and decided a dip in the neighbors’ pool was in order. After all…I needed to wash the dirt and sweat from my body and what better place?
So…another day without a cardio workout…and its Holly’s fault. I mean…I’m human. I can’t work in the yard AND workout…that would be like…a double? Okay…I could have ridden. There was time and the knee seems strong but I just didn’t. I see how easily you can let a program slide and I won’t…but I see it. Tomorrow I will do a double. Tomorrow…for sure.
Holly has put a lot of energy into creating mini flower gardens throughout the yard. As almost anyone knows who does this, they tend to grow more weeds than flowers. One of my jobs is to put an edge around these different sites and make sure my grass doesn’t cross the border into the flowers. I suck at this. Holly reminded me a couple of nights ago about this failing and so I jumped on it last night. I was going to ride, but really got into it and for over two hours, edged and weeded and cleaned up the crap I pulled from the gardens. I was proud, dirty and tired when I finished and decided a dip in the neighbors’ pool was in order. After all…I needed to wash the dirt and sweat from my body and what better place?
So…another day without a cardio workout…and its Holly’s fault. I mean…I’m human. I can’t work in the yard AND workout…that would be like…a double? Okay…I could have ridden. There was time and the knee seems strong but I just didn’t. I see how easily you can let a program slide and I won’t…but I see it. Tomorrow I will do a double. Tomorrow…for sure.
Back to working out
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Though my legs were still feeling the strain of Saturday’s hike, I did the Survival Workout, walking from station. I’m going to give the knee until the end of the week…or how ever long it needs to feel normal again…and then contact Nilesh with the results so we can make a determination about the surgery.
The workout seemed difficult. Maybe the time off…I haven’t worked out for three of the last four days…or maybe just an off day. They happen. I pushed myself through regardless, but came home afraid again to check the weight. I don’t want bad news and will gladly wait to get it. I don’t feel heavier; I think I actually ate sensibly for the past four days but I think I’ll wait until I actually do a good cardio day again. Which should be tomorrow. Kim sent me a text on Monday saying they had made it across the Mississippi River and were taking a day off to celebrate the fourth. They’ve now covered almost 1,000 miles…but so many more to ride.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
Though my legs were still feeling the strain of Saturday’s hike, I did the Survival Workout, walking from station. I’m going to give the knee until the end of the week…or how ever long it needs to feel normal again…and then contact Nilesh with the results so we can make a determination about the surgery.
The workout seemed difficult. Maybe the time off…I haven’t worked out for three of the last four days…or maybe just an off day. They happen. I pushed myself through regardless, but came home afraid again to check the weight. I don’t want bad news and will gladly wait to get it. I don’t feel heavier; I think I actually ate sensibly for the past four days but I think I’ll wait until I actually do a good cardio day again. Which should be tomorrow. Kim sent me a text on Monday saying they had made it across the Mississippi River and were taking a day off to celebrate the fourth. They’ve now covered almost 1,000 miles…but so many more to ride.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
The fourth of July...
Monday, July 4, 2011
Independence Day. I woke from a restful sleep in my cousin’s back yard at 6 a.m. We’d tried to spend the evening around a fire, but the mosquitoes…worse than I’d ever experienced…chased us inside where we swapped stories of our childhoods growing up together until well past 1 a.m. I was in charge of breakfast…I specialize in French Toast when I come north…and whipped up a large batch. I’d pretty much tossed Paleo out for the trip and had 6 pieces…enough to sustain my on the 8-hour trip home. We said our ‘goodbye’s’ after another couple of hours of shooting the bull. I reminded Donnie I’d be back in the Adirondacks in September and that he needed to be ready to climb a peak…without the ATV.
I drove home in discomfort…still sore from Saturday’s effort. I’m glad I didn’t push myself to climb yesterday…I think I did what I had to do and I’ll know in a couple of days just how bad the knee is. I’m starting to worry about putting pounds back on…missing my second day in a row and eating poorly…but maybe Saturday was enough to keep it steady.
And speaking of that…I think it’s safe to say that anyone who would endeavor to do that hike…many do…would be in good shape. There’s no fancy, painful training required really. Very little of the Adirondack peaks require technical climbing skills…just solid conditioning. I know this and will continue to try and get folks I train and encourage to use a trip like this to help them in achieving their fitness goals. I know the camping aspect isn’t for everyone, but there are so many ways to enjoy these mountains without sleeping on the ground, bathing in a clear mountain stream or doing your business in a privy…all pluses in my book.
I made it home around 6 p.m. and just in time for a dinner of chicken goulash. I was whipped but managed to stay on my feet to do the dishes. Jason had brought the movie ‘Independence Day’ to watch instead of going to the fireworks at Willoughby South. I’d seen it before but forgotten how corny it was. Ah well…it was restful, at least. Three days off in a row now and I’m feeling like a slug. Tomorrow…the Survival Workout.
Independence Day. I woke from a restful sleep in my cousin’s back yard at 6 a.m. We’d tried to spend the evening around a fire, but the mosquitoes…worse than I’d ever experienced…chased us inside where we swapped stories of our childhoods growing up together until well past 1 a.m. I was in charge of breakfast…I specialize in French Toast when I come north…and whipped up a large batch. I’d pretty much tossed Paleo out for the trip and had 6 pieces…enough to sustain my on the 8-hour trip home. We said our ‘goodbye’s’ after another couple of hours of shooting the bull. I reminded Donnie I’d be back in the Adirondacks in September and that he needed to be ready to climb a peak…without the ATV.
I drove home in discomfort…still sore from Saturday’s effort. I’m glad I didn’t push myself to climb yesterday…I think I did what I had to do and I’ll know in a couple of days just how bad the knee is. I’m starting to worry about putting pounds back on…missing my second day in a row and eating poorly…but maybe Saturday was enough to keep it steady.
And speaking of that…I think it’s safe to say that anyone who would endeavor to do that hike…many do…would be in good shape. There’s no fancy, painful training required really. Very little of the Adirondack peaks require technical climbing skills…just solid conditioning. I know this and will continue to try and get folks I train and encourage to use a trip like this to help them in achieving their fitness goals. I know the camping aspect isn’t for everyone, but there are so many ways to enjoy these mountains without sleeping on the ground, bathing in a clear mountain stream or doing your business in a privy…all pluses in my book.
I made it home around 6 p.m. and just in time for a dinner of chicken goulash. I was whipped but managed to stay on my feet to do the dishes. Jason had brought the movie ‘Independence Day’ to watch instead of going to the fireworks at Willoughby South. I’d seen it before but forgotten how corny it was. Ah well…it was restful, at least. Three days off in a row now and I’m feeling like a slug. Tomorrow…the Survival Workout.
Eliminating childhood obesity with the help of a mountain...
Sunday, July 3, 2011
‘Off’ was having little impact on the mosquitoes in the north country. I had doused myself before laying on my sleeping bag in my Uncle’s back yard, but I could actually hear them laughing as they buzzed my ears and lighted on my face. I gave up and pitched the tent. I prefer to view the stars without the interference of the bug screen, but what could I do?
I had been moving slowly towards the end of the previous day…stiff with the effort of an all-day hike, but it paled in comparison to how I was moving as I got up Sunday morning. Though I could not detect any visible swelling, my knee was quite sore. My calves and hamstrings felt like I’d done the Iron Man triathlon, so it was hard to distinguish the source of the pain. It was pretty much everywhere…and would have killed a normal human being (Holly loves it when I say that).
The most lasting impression I had from the hike the previous day was not about the beauty of the views or the difficulty of the hike…though both were off the chart. Instead, it was an experience I’d had on the summit of Nippletop with two father/son teams that arrived there shortly after me. I was seated; eating an apple with my back to them as they approached, but I could hear the bubbling excitement as they approached the opening to the panoramic views of the range beyond. “Oh…my…gosh” one of the boys exclaimed as he climbed the rock next to me. His father, with a stern reprimand, admonished him to “stay 5 feet from the edge. I don’t want to have to explain to your mom about any accidents.” Good idea. The drop was over 200 feet to the rocks below and survival rates for such plunges were low. We introduced ourselves and talked hiking for some time. This was the first trip to a peak for these two youngsters – ages 9 and 10 – and they were awed by the sights, but not by the effort to get there. “Dad…why do you guys walk so slow climbing up here?” I told him to ask that question again in forty years…it would have more meaning then.
I’m constantly reading about childhood obesity in America, but I’m guessing these young boys will never experience that phenomenon…nor will their dads…or their kids when it gets to that. They’re in love with the mountains and will likely stay that way throughout their lives as people tend to do. I applaud their parents for introducing them to an activity they can do their entire lives that will keep them in shape and always be fun…the key to adherence. Not that it needed confirmation…but I know getting people out and doing things that are good for them in the woods…things that resemble exercise but are really just fun…will continue to be my mission. It works.
‘Off’ was having little impact on the mosquitoes in the north country. I had doused myself before laying on my sleeping bag in my Uncle’s back yard, but I could actually hear them laughing as they buzzed my ears and lighted on my face. I gave up and pitched the tent. I prefer to view the stars without the interference of the bug screen, but what could I do?
I had been moving slowly towards the end of the previous day…stiff with the effort of an all-day hike, but it paled in comparison to how I was moving as I got up Sunday morning. Though I could not detect any visible swelling, my knee was quite sore. My calves and hamstrings felt like I’d done the Iron Man triathlon, so it was hard to distinguish the source of the pain. It was pretty much everywhere…and would have killed a normal human being (Holly loves it when I say that).
The most lasting impression I had from the hike the previous day was not about the beauty of the views or the difficulty of the hike…though both were off the chart. Instead, it was an experience I’d had on the summit of Nippletop with two father/son teams that arrived there shortly after me. I was seated; eating an apple with my back to them as they approached, but I could hear the bubbling excitement as they approached the opening to the panoramic views of the range beyond. “Oh…my…gosh” one of the boys exclaimed as he climbed the rock next to me. His father, with a stern reprimand, admonished him to “stay 5 feet from the edge. I don’t want to have to explain to your mom about any accidents.” Good idea. The drop was over 200 feet to the rocks below and survival rates for such plunges were low. We introduced ourselves and talked hiking for some time. This was the first trip to a peak for these two youngsters – ages 9 and 10 – and they were awed by the sights, but not by the effort to get there. “Dad…why do you guys walk so slow climbing up here?” I told him to ask that question again in forty years…it would have more meaning then.
I’m constantly reading about childhood obesity in America, but I’m guessing these young boys will never experience that phenomenon…nor will their dads…or their kids when it gets to that. They’re in love with the mountains and will likely stay that way throughout their lives as people tend to do. I applaud their parents for introducing them to an activity they can do their entire lives that will keep them in shape and always be fun…the key to adherence. Not that it needed confirmation…but I know getting people out and doing things that are good for them in the woods…things that resemble exercise but are really just fun…will continue to be my mission. It works.
Knee verses Mountains...
I tend to forget just how early the sun rises as you travel east. The sky was showing signs of a new day dawning a little after 4 a.m. and by 5, it was daylight. I was up by 6 a.m., preparing my pack and having my Kashi cereal for breakfast. I’m never hungry in the morning when I’m camping, but knew that I’d be using over 4,000 calories on the hike and needed to put some in before burning them up. I packed some food…an apple, banana, and three kashi bars, put in a Nalgene filled with my Crystal Lite, rain gear, first aid stuff, maps, guide book and camera and was ready for the trail. The pack probably weighed around 20 pounds, which is not that much…except when you’re going to have it on your back for nine hours over 15 miles of trails which climb and descend some 5,000 feet.
Parking for the trailhead is on the fringe of the property owned by the Ausable Club, which has made arrangements with the state of New York to allow hikers access through the property via their roadways to the actual trailhead and hiking trails just beyond. The Club has been in existence since 1886, when it purchased 25,000 acres of pristine mountain wilderness surrounding what at the time was a private hotel catering to the wealthy vacationers up from New York City. It offers its members a 9-hole golf course, tennis, swimming and all the amenities normally associated with an upscale, private country club…but with magnificent views of the surround high peaks of the Adirondacks as a back drop. I passed quickly through at 6:45 a.m., but stopped to take some pictures of this magnificent place and the views of the mountains just beyond.
The trail I was taking rose quickly as it headed for Bear Mt. at around 2,500 feet. I would be going over Bear, dropping back down into a col and rising up and over the 4,000 foot Dial Mt. before descending in and out of a couple more cols before reaching the summit of Nippletop Mt. at a little over 4,600 feet.
The first hour of hiking was a continuous, steep ascent and left me sweating profusely and struggling to keep moving. I was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of this undertaking…I had done almost no training with a pack or climbing because of the knee…as I went. My thighs were beginning to tremble and I was wondering just how bad my condition was when I realized I was overtaking a younger hiker who appeared to be in good shape. We stopped and spoke for a few minutes, but he allowed me to go ahead. “You’re moving a lot faster than me,” he said as I started again. And I was as he quickly fell out of sight. I caught and passed another and then a couple of 20-year olds who were in excellent shape. I wasn’t trying to out-distance any of them, but I’d made up my mind that I would just keep moving.
I’d been in my training zone for over two hours when I crested Dial Mt., but the views were limited from the peak, so I kept moving. I didn’t stop again until I reached Nippletop…four hours after leaving the trailhead and 7.5 miles of the most rigorous climbing I’ve ever done. I collapsed on an open rock face with a magnificent 360 degree view of the peaks of the Adirondacks and even the Green Mountains of Vermont can be seen in the distance. I was exhausted and quickly got into my food to try and replenish the lost calories and fluids. I was joined by other hikers after about 15 minutes of serenity, but its still great to have fellow-hikers sharing a peak and stories of other climbs.
I headed down after 45 minutes. I managed to fall three times on the descent without hurting myself too badly, but on two occasions, the knee twisted under me more than it wanted to and the pain was pretty severe. It took almost four hours to reach the car and I was spent when I finally arrived. The salt from 9 hours on the trail was caked on my skin, but with a clear stream running by and towel in hand, I remedied that situation.
I stumbled on an aching knee as I emerged from the water and knew that I would not be climbing the next day. I’d gotten up and down on a very difficult day, but how I recovered would be the true barometer of what would happen in the near future. Bearing that in mind, I drove north to Potsdam to visit with my Aunt and Uncle, Cousin Donnie and my 105-year old grandmother. I did stop in Tupper Lake at a McDonald’s where I had the best tasting smoothie I’ve ever had.
Hike duration: 8 hours.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 4,000.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Travel day...
Friday, July 1, 2011
I had packed all my gear in the car the night before and left from work and headed straight to the Adirondacks. Though I miss some of the beauty of the drive through the mountains, this plan allows me to be at the trailhead first thing in the morning, thus not losing any hiking time.
I arrived in Keene Valley late, but with enough time to visit Noonmark Café and have the lasagna dinner…with garlic bread. I’d decided ahead that Paleo would be a struggle on the trip, but I’d still monitor the calories and keep the junk out. After dinner, I drove to the public parking lot in the town, designed for hikers, pulled to the back and put my car right next to the grass so I could throw my bag on the ground and sleep without anyone knowing I was there. Since I was the only car in the lot, this really didn’t matter much. After spraying on some ‘Off’ to keep the mosquito’s at bay, I laid down and began to enjoy a sky twinkling with more stars than I can ever see back in Highland Heights. Clear, star-filled skies are one of the highlights of these trips and I work to stay awake for a period to enjoy them. Tomorrow would be an extremely strenuous hiking day and I needed my rest, so I took the glasses off and promptly passed out.
I had packed all my gear in the car the night before and left from work and headed straight to the Adirondacks. Though I miss some of the beauty of the drive through the mountains, this plan allows me to be at the trailhead first thing in the morning, thus not losing any hiking time.
I arrived in Keene Valley late, but with enough time to visit Noonmark Café and have the lasagna dinner…with garlic bread. I’d decided ahead that Paleo would be a struggle on the trip, but I’d still monitor the calories and keep the junk out. After dinner, I drove to the public parking lot in the town, designed for hikers, pulled to the back and put my car right next to the grass so I could throw my bag on the ground and sleep without anyone knowing I was there. Since I was the only car in the lot, this really didn’t matter much. After spraying on some ‘Off’ to keep the mosquito’s at bay, I laid down and began to enjoy a sky twinkling with more stars than I can ever see back in Highland Heights. Clear, star-filled skies are one of the highlights of these trips and I work to stay awake for a period to enjoy them. Tomorrow would be an extremely strenuous hiking day and I needed my rest, so I took the glasses off and promptly passed out.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Okay...I'm going...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Holly and I talked Adirondacks and I’ve decided to go. I’ll arrive there late Friday night, fall out of my car and sleep at the trailhead so I can get an early start on an all-day trek up Mts. Dial and Nippletop. It’s a rough, long trail but an excellent test for a torn meniscus.
I did the Survival Workout with added vigor, knowing it was all I would be doing until I began the climb on Saturday. I like to give the muscles some rest before a difficult climb and as much as I would have liked to ride a couple of hours, held off. We had ribs for dinner which I washed down with a smoothie. Holly baked me a pan of chicken thighs for the trip so I could try to stay Paleo throughout the weekend. I’m very anxious about the trip and testing the knee. Climbing in the Adirondacks is very important to me and I want to be able to handle the trip this September with John, Heidi, and Savannah. I figure if I need the surgery, I’ll know soon and I can get it done and be mended for September’s trip. It will be a couple of days before I do another posting. By the way, Kim has made it across Indiana, having ridden 738 miles in just ten days. Her last two days were 96 and 88…tough doubles when you’re bike is loaded with traveling gear. She’ll be crossing into Illinois tomorrow.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Holly and I talked Adirondacks and I’ve decided to go. I’ll arrive there late Friday night, fall out of my car and sleep at the trailhead so I can get an early start on an all-day trek up Mts. Dial and Nippletop. It’s a rough, long trail but an excellent test for a torn meniscus.
I did the Survival Workout with added vigor, knowing it was all I would be doing until I began the climb on Saturday. I like to give the muscles some rest before a difficult climb and as much as I would have liked to ride a couple of hours, held off. We had ribs for dinner which I washed down with a smoothie. Holly baked me a pan of chicken thighs for the trip so I could try to stay Paleo throughout the weekend. I’m very anxious about the trip and testing the knee. Climbing in the Adirondacks is very important to me and I want to be able to handle the trip this September with John, Heidi, and Savannah. I figure if I need the surgery, I’ll know soon and I can get it done and be mended for September’s trip. It will be a couple of days before I do another posting. By the way, Kim has made it across Indiana, having ridden 738 miles in just ten days. Her last two days were 96 and 88…tough doubles when you’re bike is loaded with traveling gear. She’ll be crossing into Illinois tomorrow.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600
Great pork chops...
Wednesday, June 29, 2001
I was meeting Val at what was quickly becoming my favorite place to eat out…Texas Roadhouse. I really, really like pork chops and they’ve got these plump, juicy ones that I could eat every night. I kind of like the pail of peanuts on the table for an appetizer, as well. Though they aren’t Paleo, I had my share while waiting for the chops and discussing diets, exercise and what we’re each doing about it. When her meal arrived, I pointed out the Paleo verses the non-Paleo items in both our meals. She had the sweet potato…which I love and gave up. I mentioned the article in the PD about potatoes and wondered why she hadn’t read my blog the following day for the enlightening information. She had no good answer.
I made it home around 8 p.m. and realized that, with dark coming after 9, I could probably manage a quick ride. I had been planning a trip to the track and some bleacher work, but the ride was more appealing. I quickly changed, filled the water bottles and pedaled out the driveway. I pushed hard for over an hour with an average speed close to 21mph…nothing special for a cyclist but good for me. I typically ride closer to 18mph, so it took considerable effort and concentration to maintain this pace. It’s easy to lose focus on the bike and find yourself riding casually instead of working out, though casual riding is better than no riding. Still…when you want a good bike workout, you need to pay attention to your effort for the entire ride.
I beat the dark by a little and was exhausted at the finish. I still haven’t made up my mind on the trip to the Adirondacks…I’m still pushing the knee to see what it can do. I really don’t want to be half way up a peak and find that the knee doesn’t hold. I’m thinking about a trail that will probably have other hikers on it, but they are typically few and far between. I need to be able to get myself back or just not go. I’ll figure it out tomorrow…
Bike workout: 73 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
I was meeting Val at what was quickly becoming my favorite place to eat out…Texas Roadhouse. I really, really like pork chops and they’ve got these plump, juicy ones that I could eat every night. I kind of like the pail of peanuts on the table for an appetizer, as well. Though they aren’t Paleo, I had my share while waiting for the chops and discussing diets, exercise and what we’re each doing about it. When her meal arrived, I pointed out the Paleo verses the non-Paleo items in both our meals. She had the sweet potato…which I love and gave up. I mentioned the article in the PD about potatoes and wondered why she hadn’t read my blog the following day for the enlightening information. She had no good answer.
I made it home around 8 p.m. and realized that, with dark coming after 9, I could probably manage a quick ride. I had been planning a trip to the track and some bleacher work, but the ride was more appealing. I quickly changed, filled the water bottles and pedaled out the driveway. I pushed hard for over an hour with an average speed close to 21mph…nothing special for a cyclist but good for me. I typically ride closer to 18mph, so it took considerable effort and concentration to maintain this pace. It’s easy to lose focus on the bike and find yourself riding casually instead of working out, though casual riding is better than no riding. Still…when you want a good bike workout, you need to pay attention to your effort for the entire ride.
I beat the dark by a little and was exhausted at the finish. I still haven’t made up my mind on the trip to the Adirondacks…I’m still pushing the knee to see what it can do. I really don’t want to be half way up a peak and find that the knee doesn’t hold. I’m thinking about a trail that will probably have other hikers on it, but they are typically few and far between. I need to be able to get myself back or just not go. I’ll figure it out tomorrow…
Bike workout: 73 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1100.
Maybe a trip to the mountains?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
There was a holiday weekend coming and my brain was whirring. I’ve gone to the Adirondacks on the weekend of the 4th in the past and found it to be rather quiet…much to my surprise. I was now thinking I should make a dash up there and test the knee on a very tough trail that went over two of the 4,000 foot peaks during a 15-mile loop hike. Nilesh had suggested I test the knee in this fashion to determine if climbing had an impact and I wanted to know. If I could do the loop without serious pain, maybe I wouldn’t need the surgery. If it did hurt…get it done and over with. Anyway…
I did the Survival Workout without the running at the end. I didn’t want to risk a trip to the Adirondacks this weekend with some short, meaningless sprints that could enflame the knee. I did push the workout hard and found a low-hanging branch where I was able to perform some pull-ups…something I’ve wanted to add to the program but knew would be fruitless if I didn’t lose weight.
I returned home with dark around the corner, but enough time left for an hour ride…so I went. I like to get back out the day after a bad ride and I was still thinking I needed to do as much as possible to prepare myself for a 15-mile, 10-hour hike this Saturday. Actually, there is little that prepares you for ascending and descending 5,000 of rough, rocky terrain other than doing something like it. I could have hit the bleachers with a pack, but I was still thinking “don’t hurt it or you won’t go.” I deal with the discomfort on the trail. It’s only a day and I’m tough…right?
I returned from the ride just as headlights were being turned on by drivers. It’s the worst time of the day for riding…visibility for drivers is poor…so I was glad to be finishing. I do feel quite confident in my conditioning for a trip to the Adirondacks. Now to see if Holly minds my going…
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 1000 biking.
There was a holiday weekend coming and my brain was whirring. I’ve gone to the Adirondacks on the weekend of the 4th in the past and found it to be rather quiet…much to my surprise. I was now thinking I should make a dash up there and test the knee on a very tough trail that went over two of the 4,000 foot peaks during a 15-mile loop hike. Nilesh had suggested I test the knee in this fashion to determine if climbing had an impact and I wanted to know. If I could do the loop without serious pain, maybe I wouldn’t need the surgery. If it did hurt…get it done and over with. Anyway…
I did the Survival Workout without the running at the end. I didn’t want to risk a trip to the Adirondacks this weekend with some short, meaningless sprints that could enflame the knee. I did push the workout hard and found a low-hanging branch where I was able to perform some pull-ups…something I’ve wanted to add to the program but knew would be fruitless if I didn’t lose weight.
I returned home with dark around the corner, but enough time left for an hour ride…so I went. I like to get back out the day after a bad ride and I was still thinking I needed to do as much as possible to prepare myself for a 15-mile, 10-hour hike this Saturday. Actually, there is little that prepares you for ascending and descending 5,000 of rough, rocky terrain other than doing something like it. I could have hit the bleachers with a pack, but I was still thinking “don’t hurt it or you won’t go.” I deal with the discomfort on the trail. It’s only a day and I’m tough…right?
I returned from the ride just as headlights were being turned on by drivers. It’s the worst time of the day for riding…visibility for drivers is poor…so I was glad to be finishing. I do feel quite confident in my conditioning for a trip to the Adirondacks. Now to see if Holly minds my going…
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes. Bike workout: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for survival workout. 1000 biking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
