Cuyahogo County removes 8-year old from home because of weight...

Monday, November 28,2011
About a month ago in Cleveland Heights, the Department of Child and Family Services of Cuyahoga County removed a 218- pound 8-year old third grader from his mother and placed him in a foster home because of the imminent danger to the child’s long-term health.  The child appeared on the County’s radar screen in early 2010 when his mother took him to the hospital when he was having difficulties breathing at night.  He was diagnosed with sleep apnea, which can be weight related, and outfitted with breathing equipment to help with the situation.  The agency said that the mother was not following doctor’s orders to control the child’s weight gain and took him from school on October 19^th.  The mother has visitation rights that amount to one meeting a week for two hours.

Wow.  I’ve worked with abused children and I understand fully the health issues related of obesity...though I’ve never thought to put them together in the same sentence.  The PD article reports that children are normally only removed from their homes when there is evidence of physical abuse, neglect or under nourishment.  It also pointed out that the State Health Department estimates that 12% of Ohio’s third-graders are severely obese...which would put the number in Cuyahoga County at a little over 1,400 kids.  So you have to ask yourself...is the County really in the best position to begin this invasive government trend?  Can we afford to take apart that many families?  Are there that many willing foster homes?  Bear in mind that the thinking of the current U.S. Congress is that pizza and fries should be reclassified as vegetables so they can be kept on school menus every day of the week throughout the land...take THAT childhood obesity!  AND...I could have kept them in my Paleo Diet...and I could still be 30 pounds overweight!  Government intervention?  Well...you can never get too much of a good thing.

As I read further, I found that the child was on the honor roll, participated in school activities, and had no health issues other than the sleep apnea.  Again...I believe that the obesity is a huge health issue but what about the psychological impact on an 8-year old removed from his home, family, friends and school?  Naturally, the mother has an attorney and will be fighting this action.  The child, in the meantime, is in a foster home where they are having difficulties getting him to all his appointments so he may be moved again...to a home with a personal trainer!!  I don’t have the answer...which I guess makes me part of the problem...but I recognize crap when I see it...and this is crap.

I hopped on the trainer and watched the last two episodes of Season Two of the Soprano’s...which is another way of saying I rode that crazy sweat machine for two hours.  My knee was a little sore early in the ride, but the lubrication of over 1,000 pedal revolutions seemed to loosen it up.

Bike workout:  Two hours.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1700.

"Those deer are creeping me out"

Sunday, November 27, 2011
It was scheduled to be another high calorie day...taking Holly out to lunch for her birthday and more leftovers that evening...so I planned a double.  I started with time on the trainer since there was a steady rain falling that didn’t look like it would be quitting.  I managed and hour before heading out to lunch at Appleby’s where I had a Paleo lunch of Caesar’s salad with grilled chicken breast...and the rest of Jack’s bacon cheese burger.

I swung by Kim’s place and picked her up for another Survival Workout.  She complained of muscle soreness in the shoulders and abs from our Friday workout.  “I really didn’t expect my abs to hurt.  I do quite a bit for them and we only did the one set,” she said.

“That’s the Survival Workout.  You’re constantly using core like doing the picnic table hop, high skips, pole climb, rock lifts and even maintaining balance climbing and descending those slippery hills.  Your body is making constant adjustments when you do this kind of work...and the core is involved in all of it,” I reminded her.

She started with 20 push-ups while I was knocking out my second highest total ever at 74...a good start to challenging my 3-set pr.  Once on the trail, I noticed the unusual way she was holding her arms, cocked and away from her body, as we walked.  “You trying to show off your pump?  Too big to let them dangle now?” I asked.  There is something unusual going on when you’re using the muscles of the upper body in this fashion.  The extra blood flow necessary to do the moves swells the muscles and makes you ‘huge’ for awhile afterwards.  Kim’s arms were swollen to the size of my wrist...pretty slender but pumped for her.

I had her do a set on the picnic table, which taxes her heavily, before side stepping up the steepest trail in the park.  I managed to run it just behind her...the first running I’ve done since the knee trouble began two weeks ago.  She was exhausted when we hit the top...and exhausting her aerobically is no easy task.  We recovered quickly and were soon moving through the woods and down a root-covered trail and back to the main bridle path.  I like this particular trail because the roots require agile feet when moving at a slow running pace.  I had her bounding side to side over a fallen log and then lifting more heavy rocks as we wound our way to the cabins and more push-ups.  I managed another 72 and would now need 71 on my final set to break my pr.

I was reminded of the need to have someone of similar strength levels when doing certain team moves...like the rock pass.  Standing back to back and holding a heavy rock, I swiveled at the waist to my left to hand her the rock.  She took it...sort of...and because of the weight and the mud on it from my throwing it...dropped it to the ground.  She moved her feet quickly, showing cave-man like agility.

“Okay...too heavy,” I said.  She tried picking it up...got it about waist high...tried to throw it like she’d seen me do earlier...and let go.  It traveled out about three inches away...and then down.

“Yep.  Too heavy,” she said.

We crossed Clear Creek twice, soaking our feet in the water running high from yesterday’s rains.  We were working with rocks at one of the final stations when I noticed three deer peering at us from the protection of the woods.  I pointed them out to Kim, who shuddered.  “They’re soooo creepy,” she said.  I’d forgotten how deer frighten her like I worry about grizzly’s.  When we hit our final station it was practically dark and when a buck snorted its displeasure at our presence, I thought she was going to run the remaining distance to the car...which would have been a nice addition to the workout.

We reached the car and I encouraged her to knock out another 15 push-ups.  I told her what I needed to do to break my pr.  I was less than optimistic as I passed 30 and could feel the burn beginning.  By 50 I was beginning to think I could make it and at 60 I was sure.  I hit 72 and kept going until a final collapse at 80.  I was shocked that I managed a single set pr on my last set and that I’d crushed my previous 3-set total by 11.  There’s something to be said for having someone along to push you.

Reza...if you’re reading this...Kim is challenging you to a Survival Workout showdown on her return visit for the Christmas holidays.  Good luck...she is a beast.

Survival Workout: 75 minutes.  Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned:  700 for SW, 800 for bike.

Black (and blue) Friday. Is it really that important?

Saturday, November 26, 2011
Gunshots.  Pepper spray.  Riots breaking out.  And John Lennon singing “ ...and so this is Christmas” over the P.A. 

I normally stay away from commentary on current events...normally...but the ‘Black Friday brings riot in Strongsville’ story in the PD really had me scratching my hairless head.  Police were called to Victoria’s Secret to quell a riot at 4 a.m.  Apparently shoppers were banging on the store’s gate to open at 4:05 a.m. and when they were, rushed inside toppling displays, knocking people down, throwing merchandise and generally acting like barnyard animals.  There was another report of a customer using pepper spray in a Walmart in LA to keep fellow shoppers from the merchandise she wanted.  These were bad, but for me the most disturbing account I read was of a teenage girl going to stand outside a store at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and staying there until the store opened...foregoing a Thanksgiving Dinner gathering of any sort (apparently mom was standing in line at another location...something she’s done for the past 25 years so maybe there wasn’t one to go to) to get to whatever ‘thing’ it was she needed so badly that she was willing to put herself through such an ordeal.

I know there are some crazy good deals out there for shoppers willing to make the trek and fight the good fight on Black Friday.  Personally, I just can’t get my head around spending the kind of time people do in these maniacal shopping situations to save any amount of money simply to get ‘stuff’.  I won’t get on any soapbox and start talking about the true meaning of Christmas...like I know what it is and have any right to pontificate.  It’s different for everyone and I don’t know that there is any ‘right’ way.  I just think I know a ‘wrong’ way when I see it and the hype of Black Friday is just that...the ‘wrong’ way.

It was a gorgeous day to ride, but we were celebrating Holly’s birthday at 2 p.m. and there was really no time to do it.  But as people were leaving just before 5 p.m., I got it in my head that I could ride for a short time in the fading daylight, and if I stuck to the side streets, could finish up in the dark, if necessary.  I suited up and rode down the driveway a hair after 5 and found myself in the North Chagrin Reservation as it was getting really dark.  There was little traffic though, so I powered down the road for the next twenty minutes with little trouble.  It was completely dark as I left the park though, and I had to pick my route home wisely to avoid vehicular traffic.  I was mostly successful, finding that the only time I had cars passing me was when I had a shoulder of over three feet on which to ride.  I was wearing limited reflective gear and it wasn’t the wisest move I’ve made...but I did not want to let two beautiful November days pass without taking the opportunity to get out on my bike.  Good logic...no.  But it’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Bike workout:  70 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1000.

Driver horrified as young woman laughs over the body of stricken man...

Friday, November 25, 2011
It was going to be a day of leftovers and another heavy dinner at my sister’s, so I knew I had to take serious preemptive action if I was to have any chance of not going to bed with terrible guilt.

I started by calling Kim and inviting her along for a Survival Workout because I always work harder when someone is along.  Naturally, she was game. 

Kim is an aerobic animal, but her current activity level does not include workouts to assure muscular strength or endurance.  “I can’t do a push-up!” she complained as we exited the car and I told her what the first exercise would be.

She is super competitive though and particularly against some of her old high school running chums.  “Reza did 15 when he joined me over the summer,” I said...and it was all I had to say.  She dropped to the turf and began pushing and counting.  I managed 70 for my first set...way off my pr of 78...but not shabby. 

I had her doing the things I can’t because of my bum knee...picnic table hops, high skips and side steps up steep hills.  We also climbed an extra hill to check on my rogue camper...his/her gear was still on the ridge – so much for notifying the Park Rangers.

Kim managed to do everything I threw her way, including climbing the swing set pole three times, pull-ups, lifting dirty rocks and logs and descending down trail-less hills on slippery forest floors.  I managed a strong second set of 71 push-ups and when I dropped at the car to do the third and final set...pushed hard for my 3-set pr of 215 but came up short at 211.  I collapsed to the turf after the final rep just as a van was approaching.  The driver slowed and stopped opposite me, rolling down his window.  He as looking at Kim in disgust since she was standing over me and offering no assistance to a fellow human clearly in distress.  “Are you okay?” he called.

Gasping, I replied over her giggling, “...yeah.  Did...push...ups.  O...kay...”.  Satisfied, he rolled up his window, but looked disapprovingly at Kim...a kind of ‘you should be helping not laughing at that old man on the ground’ glare.

I returned home, showered, and headed out to the yard where Holly had decided we should put in some time.  I raked the remaining leaves, cut down all the ornamental grasses and bamboo, bundled it and dragged it to the tree lawn, and put away all the miscellaneous flower pots Holly had throughout our property.  After two hours of this, we headed back to the park for an hour hike.

I managed to steer clear of the worst food at my sister’s place, but the damage had been done before I left as I grazed through the desserts at our place.  I suspect by day’s end I was close to balanced on calories and for the most part seem to be holding my own for now.  It’s a long, long holiday season though and I hope I’m up for a good fight.

Survival Workout: 75 minutes.  Hike duration: 60 minutes.  Yard work duration:  2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 75 bpm for hike and yard work.
Calories burned:  700 for SW, 250 hiking and 450 on domestic chores.

A little too much eating...

Thursday, November 24, 2011
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and this one was shaping up to be perfect.  It was sunny and getting warmer as I drove to photograph Jason’s annual Turkey Bowl football game for him.  The boys play tackle, which can be a little risky when you do it once a year and without pads...but it’s Thanksgiving and there are some things you just have to do.  Someone went down in a pile and caught a knee to the nose and ended up in the emergency room for surgery to fix the break.  I looked at him as he was getting into the car and assured him he looked horribly rugged with blood spilling and his nose as crooked as an ‘S’ but reminded him that “chicks will dig it.”  He seemed consoled.

Once back home, I decided I needed to get some winterizing work done while the weather permitted.  My knee was feeling better, so I grabbed the ladder and climbed onto the roof to empty gutters and pound nails back into the gutter where it had worked its way loose.  I also raked the yard, washed the kitchen floor and cleaned out the garage before convincing Savannah a hike in the Metropark with Dakota would be a great way to prepare for dinner.  We went off trail, climbing down to the marsh and slipping in the mud and on leaves saturated from recent rains...adding to the challenge of the hike.

It was a good hike and the domestic activities were better than nothing, but I was feeling under-exercised as I took the turkey out of the oven and began pulling off dark meat.  I ate almost a pound before we sat down, but then went almost Paleo taking only meat, beans, corn and sweet potatoes while passing on the dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy.  Dessert...well...that was another story.  I had four different kinds...none Paleo...not even trying to restrain myself. 

All the guys went outside to throw baseballs, frisbees and footballs, but my knee was making the twisting associated with a good throw quite painful.  Still...it was better than sitting in front of TV and watching football.  After the guests had left, I suited up for a ride on the trainer but never quite started as my knee was aching.  I’d done a little too much I supposed, and was thinking that I didn’t want to jeopardize a chance to ride outside tomorrow for a couple of hours...so I bagged it and had some more cheesecake instead.  Ah well...it happens once a year and tomorrow is the day that I’ll work it all off again.

Hike duration: 60 minutes.  Yard work duration:  2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm.
Calories burned:  250 hiking and 450 on domestic chores.

Naming all 50 states in 6 minutes...

Wednesday, November 22, 2011
The knee was no better as I began the Survival Workout with 72 push-ups.  I hobbled down the trail wondering how long I’d be able to keep it up and was ready to turn back at my third station when I asked myself again ‘what would Lance do?”  I kept going.  When I hit Clear Creek and found the water up about 3 feet it was my signal that I should turn around.  I would normally do some sets beyond the creek, so I worked them in on the now shortened return trip, meaning I had less recovery time and found that I wasn’t doing as many reps...to be expected.   When I reached the car, my knee was extremely sore and I was glad the creek had been high and forced me to shorten the course.   With a big calorie day on the horizon, I hated cutting anything from the workout, but it was out of my hands.

Savannah, Holly and I sat down for a Thanksgiving episode of ‘Friends’ later that evening.  They were sitting in the apartment and doing the ‘write all 50 states in 6 minutes’ challenge, so Savannah went and got some paper so we could do it, too.  We all achieved 48 and struggled on until I picked up my 49^th and called the game.  It’s an interesting challenge.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.

Zero activity

Tuesday, November 21, 2011
I couldn’t find a comfortable position for most of the night as the pain in my left knee kept me awake.  I went to work in the morning dismayed.  A week ago I’d been thinking that the torn meniscus was manageable and I’d not need surgery.   Today...it seemed inevitable.   I limped throughout the day and returned home with a plan to keep it elevated and resting for the evening...though I really don’t think it matters much at this point.  I don’t want to have surgery, but if I’m going to be so limited in what I can do...climbing around on my knees and using a step ladder for a day shouldn’t cripple me...I may as well get it done.  I’m planning on doing some final painting on Wednesday and then giving it some time to calm down.  If that works, I’ll put it off again.  If not...I’ll call Nilesh and schedule the surgery.

New push-up records and worsening knee issue...

Monday, November 20,2011
My knee ached as I drove to the Metropark for my Survival Workout.  I knew I could at least walk to the different stations and do the lifting moves without making it any worse...or so I reasoned.

I started as I always do, dropping to the ground next to the car for the first set of push-ups.  When I hit 50 with no slacking in my pace, I knew I had a shot at my pr of 74.  I hit that number and continued to squeeze them out, finishing with 78 and beginning to think that I might hit 100 some day.  As I hiked between stations, it became apparent that walking was going to be very painful...but doable.  In fact, I made through the entire routine hitting excellent numbers and crushing my three set push-up pr with a new total of 216.  It continues to motivate me to track these records and have something measurable telling me ‘you’re still making progress’.

I headed to my painting assignment and put in another 4 hours.  I was up and down the stairs a number of times and on the ladder quite a bit.  Neither was having a positive impact on my knee and by the time I got home, I could hardly walk.  Maybe a good night’s rest would help, though I doubted it.  I could see sunshine and a warming trend in the forecast and was hoping to get some rides in over the holidays, so it was imperative that I nurse my knee back to health...quickly.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.  Painting duration: 4 hours

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for Survival Workout and 800 painting.

Running marathons is safer than sitting in an easy chair...

Sunday, November 19, 2011
With two deaths in the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday, the question again is being asked “is it safe to run?”

I’ve got a pat answer, but turned to the ‘Sports Doc’ for ‘Runner’s World’ magazine to see what he had to say on the subject.  William Roberts, M.D. is the Medical Director of the Twin Cities Marathon and a regular contributor to Runner’s World.  He points out that over 1.5 million runners a year are participating in half marathons (13.1 miles) and marathons (26.2 miles) which are very stressful events that can and sometimes do trigger issues in people with a susceptible heart.  He has been specifically tracking two major marathons for the past 30 years and during that time, has recorded the death rate at one in 87,000 finishers with events occurring mostly in older men.

Yes...running long distances is stressful to the cardiovascular system and race day can be the hardest of all since those that have trained push themselves to finish what they have started...and may ignore signs that a heart attack is imminent.  Should we stop running or not even get started?  It’s an individual question, but when you consider the rate of cardiovascular disease and heart attack amongst the sedentary population, you’ll quickly see that you have a greater risk of having a heart attack while heading from the easy chair to the frig to reload during a TV commercial than you do while exercising.  Should you check with your primary physician to determine if you are ‘at risk’ for heart disease before beginning an exercise program?  Quite possibly...if you’re over 35, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels, are overweight, smoke or have a family history of heart disease.  But again...you’re at a higher risk to do nothing about your fitness levels than to participate.

I think the torn meniscus dislikes painting.  I’m constantly climbing up and down a step ladder and crawling on my knees to cut in along the baseboards.  By the end of the day, I was struggling to climb the stairs and knew that whether I wanted to exercise or not...I was on the sidelines.  I did manage to get in another 7 hours of painting and with a couple of more evenings available, we should be able to get the majority of the house painted before next Saturday’s move-in.

Painting duration: 7 hours

Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1400.

North Chagrin fire...

Saturday, November 18, 2011
I was up early and in my painting outfit downing my breakfast when Holly asked if I’d like to go for a hike in the park before going to paint.  Well…I’d love to hike or ride the bike for a couple of hours since it was a perfect morning…but when I’m in ‘paint mode’, I have trouble switching gears.  Once I get started, I find it difficult to stop…even to eat…and have been known to go for 14 hours before succumbing to exhaustion.  Still, I’d been ignoring Holly and really wanted to spend some time walking and talking so I said yes.

We went to the North Chagrin Reservation and parked at the bottom of Ox Lane, picking up the bridle trail there and heading up towards the ridge.  We’d walked a short distance when I smelled smoke and noticed unusual patterns of leaf colors across the forest floor. 

“There’s been a fire here,” I said to Holly.

She looked at me…and the woods…and replied, “what are you talking about?” 

The leaves are normally down and brown at this time of year, but there were brownish black leaves spreading like waves on both sides of the trail, reaching a hundred feet into the woods before finally ending where leaves were the normal color.  I moved into the woods in the direction from which it seemed to be coming and found charred trees and logs laying on the ground.  I touched one of the logs and smelled the burnt wood.

“See?  Smell this if you think I’m nuts,” I said, indicating the blackened tree trunk.  She conceded that I might be right.  It appeared a limited fire…probably a lightning strike during the storm Thursday night…and likely burned itself out without anyone ever noticing.  The ground is still saturated and the storm had dumped another couple of inches of rain…neither condition conducive to forest fires.

We managed a good 70-minute hike after which I painted for another nine hours.  My activity level is high and I doubt I’m gaining any fat, but I miss the intensity of the hard, aerobic exercise.  I came back from painting and decided I’d make dinner…kind of.  I bought one of those rotisserie chickens from Heinens, sautéed some green beans, onions and mushrooms, and made a fresh garden salad.  Very Paleo…and actually pretty good.  I know I’m not backsliding and once the house is painted, I’ll redouble my workout efforts.  It’s just one of those times when something has to be done…and done now.

Hike duration: 70 minutes.  Painting duration: 9 hours

Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 350 hiking and 2,000 painting.

Knee pain setting in...

Friday, November 18, 2011
I was committed to getting as much painting done for John and Teri as I could over the weekend and leading up to their move-in date next week.  Workouts would have to suffer, but I saw the opportunity to get in a Survival Workout before heading to their place and managed to squeeze it in.  I miss the days of long rides after work and wonder often how people cope in the northern climates with days even shorter than ours.  I suspect I wouldn’t do well with Alaska winters and limited daylight for months at a time.

I managed to get in another 5 hours of painting, but my knee is beginning to get very troublesome.  It’s the same one with the torn meniscus and I think the constant up and down on the ladder coupled with kneeling to do floor trim has taken a toll.  I’m guessing that once I finish and get back to my normal routine, the pain will subside.  For now, I’ll take some Advil and stick with it.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.

Work out or paint...

Thursday, November 17, 2011
I had a decision to make.  My friends John and Teri really have a lot of painting to do before they can move into their new home and on Monday, they’re having the floor finishing guy and a washer and drier delivered necessitating the painting of the family room, eating area, kitchen, back entrance and utility room painted by then.  They might be able to get it done without my assistance…and then again they might not.  I hate to make excuses for not working out, but as excuses go…this would be a good one.  I went to their house to paint.

I did manage to get all their ceilings done downstairs in the four hours I was there.  I wasn’t sweating too heavily though I did have a sore neck and splattered eyes by the end of the evening.  They went and got me a wonderful Bean Burrito from Chipotles for dinner.  It was huge…they always are…and I had them make it as Paleo as they could.

Tomorrow may be more of the same.  I just have to get the painting done and I don’t see how I’m going to manage a workout…unless I get up early or ride the trainer late…both things I detest.  We’ll see where my commitment is.

New shoes...sore feet.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, I reported meeting with Mark Mendeszoon, Podiatrist and owner of The Achilles Running Shop in Mentor.  Among other things, we discussed the minimalist/barefoot running craze and his thoughts on the trend both as a foot doctor and someone in the business of selling running shoes.  He’d had me try on a pair of Saucony half-ways...not the full blown, no heel of the minimalist shoe but a lot less cushioning than the traditional shoe I and every other runner in the country had been using until recently.  I thought the shoe was very comfortable and began using it immediately.

Had I been advising a client, I would have told them to break the shoe in gradually...maybe using it twenty percent of the time to begin to see if they were having any issues.  Good advice and something I wish I would have considered for myself.  I haven’t been running that much...two times a week at most...and never gave any thought to going out and doing all of my miles in the new shoes.  The first run created no problems, but by the second my feet...particularly my heels...were quite sore.

For some reason, I didn’t put the new shoes and the pain together right away...and ran in them two more times.  By last Sunday night, I was having troubles walking and only then did I figure it out.  I was running in a shoe designed for a predominantly forefoot strike, but was obviously still landing hard on my heel...where neither the shoe nor the foot offered much protection.  If I was to keep running in these shoes, the message was quite clear.  Change the gait you’ve been using for the past 40 years...now.

As much as I would like this to happen, it is unlikely.  I need to do more barefoot running to correct my gait and then put the shoes on and run in them as if I were running barefoot.  Maybe next summer...but not now.  So I went back to the Metropark and did my Survival Workout, then put on the old shoes I’ve been running in since my comeback began almost two years ago and ran 32 minutes.  The first mile was painful as I tried to land on my forefoot, but by the end of the run, I was feeling no pain and running strongly. 

Through the evening, I experienced some mild discomfort, but nothing like the pain I’d had after recent runs in the Sauconys. 

Once again if you care to, you can learn from my mistakes.  I’m there for you...like the test dummy in the crashing automobiles slamming around inside the vehicle.  Buckle up.  Exercise...but use some common sense.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.  Run workout: 32 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm for SW and 140 for run.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 500 for run.

The Adirondacks deserve respect...

Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It comes as no surprise to regular readers that I have a passion for climbing and hiking in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.  And I’m one of millions that feels this way.  All of my climbing to date has been on trails, at times steep and slippery, but never technical.  I’m not a thrill seeker.  I go to these mountains to enjoy the serenity of the camping and the beauty of the views afforded by the climbing.  There are many who go there to rock climb with thousands of excellent venues throughout the 6 million acres that make up the park...but I’m just not one of them.

There is one place though that is somewhere between the true rock climb and the hikes I normally do.  It is called the Trap Dike and is crack in the rock running between Little Colden and Mt. Colden from their base at Avalanche Lake three quarters of the way up a peak of 4,700 feet.  Hikers ascend through this ravine past two steep and narrow water falls to a point where they can exit the crevasse and put themselves on the open rock face created by a slide (a slide is the result of heavy rains saturating the thin layer of soil on the mountains to the point where they can no longer sustain their own weight.  Like an avalanche, the soil and all that grows in it begins to slide down the mountain with everything on the rock face in its path going along for the ride) stretching the remainder of the distance to the summit.  It is quite steep and requires great care to ascend and the final open face has pitches of forty degrees at points. It’s also important to consider that once you’re in it, there’s no turning back since it is safer to ascend than descend when not using equipment.  Climbing shoes, noted for their sticky grip, are recommended over the hiking shoe normally worn on the trails. 

Matthew Potel, 22, of Croton-on-the-Hudson and a student at Binghamton University was leading a group of seven fellow students and members of the outdoors club this past September.  He’s a 46’er, having climbed all of the Adirondack peaks above 4,000 feet and had climbed the Trap Dike before.  He was in the process of helping two climbers who were having trouble ascending the second waterfall when he lost his footing on slippery rock and fell twenty feet to his death.  He was not wearing a helmet in an area where climbers seldom do.  This tragic accident serves as a reminder to hikers like me...the Adirondacks are the real deal and need to be treated with respect.  Careful thought needs to be given to the routes you will take and the condition and abilities of the people with whom you travel.  Though this was the first death of a climber in the Trap Dike, I suppose this will have me reconsider my ascent of this route and my chance to climb my first slide.    I suppose I’ll have to continue to be satisfied with reaching the peaks in more traditional fashion. 

I arrived at home with some daylight available and decided I should take full advantage and go for a ride.  It was damp and cool, but with a long-sleeved t-shirt under my riding jersey and a pair of socks on my feet, I was quite comfortable.  I don’t know how many more rides I’ll get in this year...I talk like I’ll ride in the cold but when it actually comes to that, I’ll likely wuss out.  This weekend could provide some sunshine and warmth and if I manage to get the painting I need to do out of the way, I may hit the road again.

Bike workout:  1 hour and 55 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1600.

Life sure is easier...

Monday, November 14, 2011
I was thinking about my day yesterday and the calories I’d burned doing the different activities I’d done.  For me, they were unusual and the reason I noted them, pointing out the amount of calories we have the potential to burn when we do such things.  I also considered what I had done was probably like what my grandparents did every day of their lives as they were growing up.  We all concede that life was physically more demanding then...no big surprise.  My grandparents were all born around 1900, and just went about life’s tasks without any thought as to how many calories they were burning...which was likely more than most Americans burn today completing similar tasks. Sunday,  I raked leaves...most of them anyway...the old fashioned way, but I know my neighbors have blowers or use a tractor to pick them up, and I use a tractor to get the last few and to cut the grass.  Holly and I did a walk just to burn off some calories that we couldn’t burn off producing our own food because we don’t produce it.  I spent some time painting at John’s new place and burned some calories there instead of watching TV where I would have remained stationary...using only the muscles in my fingers to operate the remote control.   I’m guessing they didn’t have access to any tradesmen of any sort...they likely built, replaced, repaired and maintained everything in their dwellings themselves.  I have seen some pictures of my grandparents in their early years and one thing that does surprise me is that they had any meat on them at all.  As much activity as they did to handle life’s tasks, how could they ever put on any excess weight?

So...we do what we can to burn the calories...or we get fat and/or let our muscles turn to Jell-o.  I know I was doing both for a time, though I’ve managed to stem it through very conscious effort.  What can you do?  We’ve come far in using our intellects to create more and better ways to make sure we don’t have to stress our bodies.  I suppose sometimes...the pendulum swings too far.

It had been raining most of the day, but I saw a window of opportunity right after work.  I drove to the Metropark and quickly changed for a Survival Workout when the skies opened up and that window suddenly slammed shut.  I waited for ten minutes, but there was no let up and it was too cold to do the workout drenched to the bone...I had no interest in a bout with hypothermia.  I drove home with only one option...time on the trainer and an episode of ‘Soprano’s’.  I suppose I could eat fewer calories and look for more manual chores to do around the house...but yeah...I think I’ll just ride.

Bike workout:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  850.

What a day...

Sunday, November 13, 2011
It was going to be another day that I’d have to do some cramming if I was to get everything done I intended.  I had to exercise...a given.  I needed to rake the yard again, have the family for dinner before Savannah left for Columbus and get back over to John’s for some more painting.

I was outside raking by 8 a.m. and managed almost two hours before driving Jack to church and jumping into the park for a run.  My feet have been sore for some time, but as I started the run, they were really giving me fits.  The pain appears to be in the heel on both feet and I can only figure it’s the new running shoes.  They’re a minimalist pair of Saucony’s , which means they have a lot less cushion in the heel for the runner utilizing a forefront foot strike.  Problem is...I’m still striking too hard on the heel I figure...and thus the pain.  The last 10 minutes of a 40-minute run with extremely painful, but I sucked it up and finished.

Once home, I finished the leaves with the tractor before company arrived.  I also managed to reconstruct a drawer with a bottom dropping out in one of Holly’s old cabinets...something she’d asked me about in the previous century...but for which I knew I could earn back some of the points I’d lost for not getting the tires replaced.

Dinner was baked spaghetti...regular spaghetti with lots of cheese and bacon...and brownies.  Again, I found myself in a negative calorie situation, so I called John and told him I’d be over for some more aerobic painting.  I managed another five hours of neck-straining ceiling work...the cathedral ceiling in the Master Bedroom was a real bastard...where I had a solid sweat rolling.

I called Holly on the way home to suggest a walk hoping she’d say she was too tired since I was shot and my feet were killing me.  “Sounds good,” I heard her say and cursed my luck.  We did the short version...only 25 minutes around the block...but once home, had two more of those Anne Ann hot dogs.

So...another day of lots of calories in...lots of calories out.  This is a lot easier in the summer when I can take three hour bike rides.  I could just stop eating all the crap...

Run workout:  40 minutes.  Leaf raking: 2 hours.  Painting:  5 hours.  Walk: 25 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm running.
Calories burned during workout:  600 running, 600 raking, 1,000 painting, 125 walking.

Aerobic Painting

Saturday, November 12, 2011
John had gotten the keys to their new house the day before and had plans to paint the entire interior of the place.  I reminded him that I’d painted professionally and that I’d be glad to come over and give a hand.

“Dude...I didn’t know you painted for a living,” he said.

“Well...I’m thinking it’s one of the many things I’ve told you about myself over the years that you don’t remember because you aren’t really listening to me,” I replied.  I do tend to offer up a lot of information...some of which may contain spatters of embellishment...so I suppose I could cut him some slack...but I didn’t.

Anyway, I’d convinced his wife, Teri, that doing ceilings when the house was empty was a good idea.  I was right, but after three bedroom ceilings, cut-in for those same three rooms and rolling the walls of one over the next nine hours, I was shot.  My neck was killing me from arching back to do the ceilings and to see through my bifocals to do the trim and cutting.  No amount of training prepares you for this kind of work...you just do it and whine later.  Or you could start whining while you’re doing it.  I chose the latter.

Savannah and Holly had decided it would be a good idea to see ‘Contagion’ which was playing at the cheap theatre.  We decided on the late show so I could paint longer.  I knew there would be no time for a workout, but I made sure to hustle throughout the day making my painting and aerobic event.  I drove home, showered and we left immediately.  Matt Damon was terrific in his role in the movie, as was Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet.  I can’t say much about it without spoiling the story, but you can’t watch it and not come away thinking about what you touch and how easily germs are spread.  It kind of confirms what I’ve always thought about the futility of sanitizing your hands.  Anyway, it’s definitely worth seeing.

Aerobic Painting:  9 hours.

Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm…except for a couple of jumps when I put paint where I didn’t want paint.
Calories burned during workout:  1800.

"They don't make them like they used to..."

Friday, November 11, 2011
I had the day off and was determined to get a couple of chores done.  The first snow of the year had fallen overnight...really nothing more than a dusting...but it was to have a large consequence in my plans for the day. 

Holly’s van needed tires and since I had the whole day, I’d planned to take it in and get them mounted.  Four inches of snow had fallen in Chardon which is where I was headed for tires and when I pulled on the lot, found that I wasn’t the only one thinking it was time to ‘tire up’.  I was screwed.  I had Holly’s Kitchen Aid in the car and needed to take it in for repairs and thought maybe I’d do that and then return for tires.  I’d put the tire thing off and I didn’t want to go home without getting it done...that would be a bad move. 

I made it to the small appliance repair store and went in with Holly’s mixer.  The clerk recognized the mixer right away.  “I told your wife that you could fix it.  I kinda diagramed how to take apart all the layers real careful like, so you could put it all back together once you figured out which gear was the problem.  Oh...and I told her to be reeeel careful with the grease so you didn’t lose any and then it wouldn’t work so good neither,” he explained, wondering why he’d thought I could fix it when he’d never met me before.

“If I took apart something with two parts and then put it back together, there’d be one part sitting on my workbench when I was done and I wouldn’t know where it went.  I think I’ll have you fix it,” I said. 

He told me that they just didn’t make them like they used to and in the case of this Kitchen Aid mixer, I guess he’s right.  It’s less than two years old.  While I was at the counter, another customer came in toting what was clearly an antique Kitchen Aid mixer.  I asked him how long he’d had it.  “Got it for a wedding present.  Let’s see...that’d be 45 years old,” he said.  When I questioned him further, he admitted to having to replace the cord once about twenty years ago.   Bastard.

The tire place was no better when I returned, so I gave it up and went home.  Holly was dissatisfied with my excurse...can’t blame her...but my options were limited.  I took some wrath and then went out to rake the leaves while she headed off to work in a van with old tires.

Disagreeable weather put me on the trainer for two episodes of ‘The Soprano’s’ and close to two hours of riding.  I needed every minute since I’d had left over lasagna for lunch and hot dogs and milk shakes for dinner.  Probably didn’t quite balance out...but it was close.

Bike workout:  1 hour and 40 minutes.  Leaf raking: 2 hours.

Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm hiking, maybe 80 raking.
Calories burned during workout:  1,400 biking and 600 for yard work.

Sand Run Metropark is one hilly place to run...

Thursday, November 10, 2011
Savannah was home with her boyfriend Kyle and wanted everyone to meet him, so I was driving to Akron to pick up Heidi for dinner.  I knew there was little chance of getting in a workout unless I was going to ride the trainer after everyone had left…and there was little chance that would happen.  As I drove, I had an alternate thought and called Heidi about parks near her place.

“Sure.  There’s Sand Run about 5 minutes away and they have bridle trails I’m pretty sure,” she said when I called.

I headed there and drove through looking for the right place to park.  It appeared to be a ribbon park…long and narrow…but I could see what looked like a running trail paralleling the road and though it offered no serenity, at least it wasn’t paved.

I parked near a park legend and noticed that it indicated hiking trails away from the road, which I headed for.  I started along a wooded hiking trail and found that it quickly rose from the road to the ridge running along the top of the park about 300 vertical feet up.  It dropped again rather abruptly and then climbed once more before dropping back again.  This pattern continued for two more climbs when I first noticed I was the only person running on the trail.  I knew there were lots of runners in the park...I’d seen them on the trail next to the road as I’d driven in...but they were nowhere to be seen on this trail.  I’d planned a forty minute run, so when I’d finished twenty, I turned and headed back...and still no one.  In the entire run, I never went fifty yards on level terrain.  The constant up...and I’m talking steep...left me exhausted as I approached the car.  I have run in many different places throughout the country in my 40 years of running, but without a doubt, this was the hilliest run I’d ever taken...in Fairlawn??

I picked Heidi up and drove home for another un-Paleo dinner...lasagna.  Holly makes a great one so at least when I’m not eating Paleo, I am getting some wonderful food...and calories.  I WILL make it through the holidays with my pants still loose around the waste.  I haven’t figured out exactly how I’m going to accomplish that task, but when I do, I’ll post it up.

Run workout:  40 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  600.

Strang things are happening to me...

Wednesday, November 9, 2011
On my run the previous evening, I’d experienced some sharp pain in the muscles wrapping from the rib cage around the right side of my back.  It only hurt when I breathed deeply, which was every step of the workout, but other than being an annoyance, I saw no reason to let it interfere with the workout.  Later that evening when Holly asked me to take a walk with her, it returned with a vengeance.  She could hear my labored breathing in the darkness of the street and suggested we turn around.  “No big deal.  If I hold my breath, I’ll be okay,” I said.  We kept walking for 45 minutes, but it was unpleasant.

I felt it throughout the next day, but went to the Metropark to do the Survival Workout hoping it would loosen up after a couple of push-ups.  I stopped in the Ranger Office before heading to do the workout to report what I’d found two nights earlier.  I could tell from my explanation to the three Rangers in the office, they didn’t really know where I meant and none of them seemed interested enough to ask me to take them there.  I never see these guys on the trails…they’re security folks who drive in cars…and I don’t think they know the park except from that car.  I decided I’d check out the site I’d found in a couple of days to see if they’d done anything with the information.

I did some stretches for my back once out of the car and then managed 70 push-ups for my first set without a hitch.  Maybe I’d be okay after all.

And I was until I tried my dips.  It was in the down position that the pain seared and I stopped.  At this point, it would have made tremendous sense to head back to the car and give it a rest...and in most aspects of living I have good sense, but somehow when it comes to my own exercise...it’s nowhere to be found.  I moved down the trail to my rock lifting station and did a set of rows for the back before climbing to the top of the ridge to determine if the shelter I’d seen two nights before was still in use.  It was and so I climbed back down to the trail to resume the workout, but when I hit the next station and tried to do a lift and the pain sucked the breath from my lungs, I knew it was time to stop.

I returned to the car at a slow walking pace and knew it would be a few days before I’d be doing the Survival Workout again.  The thing that always concerns me about these kinds of injuries is I have no idea what I did to cause it and therefore don’t know what to do to prevent it from happening again.  I hate to just blame it on age and I haven’t changes anything in my routine to explain it...but for sure it’s there.  I’d like to get on the bike over the next few days before winter sets in...and that may be all I can do anyway.

Survival Workout duration: 30 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 300.

The boxing world loses a great one: Smokin' Joe dies of liver cancer

Tuesday, November 08, 2011
When I think of flashpoints in my life with my dad, nothing comes to mind more quickly than my respect for Muhammad Ali.  Like so many American Vets, he despised Ali’s stance on military service and applauded when Ali was stripped of his World Heavyweight title for refusing entrance into the army in 1967.  I, on the other hand, thought Ali showed commitment and courage by sticking to his beliefs that the war was wrong and that he had a constitutional right to refuse induction.  His case would eventually be upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States and was once again issued a license to fight and the opportunity to recapture the title he had never lost in the ring.  There was one little problem though...a fearsome slugger who was known throughout the boxing world simply as ‘Smokin’ Joe’.

Joe Frazier had earned the heavyweight title by winning an elimination battle with other top contenders after Ali had been stripped of the belt.  Ali did not think the new ‘champ’ was in his league and continued to call himself the ‘people’s champ’.  After winning three fights in his comeback, Ali was pitted against Frazier for the Heavyweight Championship it what was accurately billed as ‘the fight of the Century’.  It was all of that.  Frazier was ahead on points as they entered the 14^th round, but not convincingly.  The bell sounded and in short order, Frazier caught Ali square on the jaw with one of his devastating left hooks and sent the former champ to the canvas.  Ali regained his feet and continued the fight to its conclusion...a sign that maybe he was tougher than most experts had allowed...but lost the decision...and the claim that he was the best in the world.

Frazier would lose his title to a young slugger named George Foreman, but would again fight Ali...and lose...in trying to get another shot at the title.  Ali would regain the title from Foreman with possibly the greatest upset in the history of boxing in 1974 and would again turn to Frazier...his arch nemesis...for one more fight.  The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ would become a fight for the ages, with both men pushing themselves to their absolute limits to win this battle of mind and body.  In the 14^th round, a battered Frazier, unable to see through swollen eyes, would be forced by his trainer to throw in the towel and concede the fight to Ali.  Ali stated afterwards that it was the hardest fight he had ever had and the closest he thought he could come to death without actually dying.

‘The Greatest’ could not have been the greatest without Smokin’ Joe Frazier.  Joe died yesterday from liver cancer at the age of 67; having forgiven Ali for the years of taunting Ali had done at his expense.  Though never friends, they both seemed to recognize what each had done for the other and the absolute passion and professionalism each brought to the sport they had dominated in the 60’s and 70’s.  I will always remember Frazier as the dogged brawler who sent my hero to the canvas, but for whom I had complete respect as a fighter and a man.  You were really something special, Smokin’ Joe.  Thanks for such wonderful memories.

I went to the track for a workout after closing the polls at 7:30 p.m.  The stadium was illuminated by a bright, almost full moon and I had no trouble seeing as I completed my first mile and headed into the bleachers.  I did four sets of steps before returning to the track for another half mile run, repeating this pattern two more times before finishing with a jog back to the car.  It was nice to be able to run on a November evening without a t-shirt and I’m hoping winter holds off for another month at least. 

Run/bleacher workout:  32 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  525.

Strange findings in North Chagrin

Monday, November 07, 2011
Though I had already done a Survival Workout, I wanted a little more.  My feet have been extremely sore over the past two weeks, so I didn’t want to run.  Biking was limited by the shortened days and I wasn’t ready for time on the trainer, so I donned my hiking gear and headed off into the park.

My plan was to climb about 6 hills along the bridle trail I use to do the Survival Workout.  Only a couple of these hills have trails on them because they are too steep.  This, of course, makes them great for a bushwhack…adding to the intensity of the workout. 

I crested my second ridge and was walking along it looking for a place I could safely descend back to the bridle trail when I noticed something out of place in the woods.  From a distance, it looked like the roof to a small structure, but as I got closer, I could see it was a tarp strung between four trees.  Beneath it was a lightweight, tattered sleeping bag, a pair of shoes, an old jacket a gallon jug of water and a rain slicker.  It appeared that someone had been living on this ridge for a period of time, but had abandoned the site...possibly due to the cold of the late fall nights.  It had all the signs of a homeless person’s shelter.

Camping as a choice and with the appropriate gear is a wonderful thing.  This person was in distress.  I searched the area for any further signs of someone, but found none.  Once back to my car, I drove to the Ranger Station to report the finding…they would likely want to check if someone was back there somewhere.  Since it was after six, I found the office empty, so I figured I’d stop back tomorrow some time and let them know.

I’d also found two yellow 4’ tall pylon covers in creek beds away from the trails.  I have no idea how they’d gotten there…maybe with all the flooding they were washed from a construction site…but I grabbed them both and hauled them out.  I crossed the rugby field as I approached the car doing my normal search for golf balls…and found 14!  It was just one of those nights when unusual items were turning up in the park, though only if you went places people don’t normally go.

Dinner was lasagna from the neighbors whose kitchen is torn out.  Jen is always sending food over and it must be making her insane that she is out of commission...but here was some homemade lasagna and Paleo Diet or not...I was eating it.  It was rather filling...probably for two people...and I would have liked to have taken a walk with Holly around 11 p.m. as is her preference, but my feet were still sore from I’m not sure what and I decided to call it a night.  They seem to be getting slowly better, but I’m planning a run tomorrow night and that may put me back at square one.

Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.  Hike duration: 70 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 300 for hike.

A hike at Indian Point

Sunday, November 06, 2011
Though the leaves are far from being done, I had to rake the ones that were down.  I put an hour in on this chore and then sat down to one of those really horrible lunches…hot dogs.

I know the struggles of eating well.  If I don’t have convenient Paleo food on hand…I cheat.  I hate the time involved in making good meals and the constant shopping necessary to keep a supply of fresh fruits and vegetables in the house.  Lately, I’ve been lazy about making the extra trips to the grocery store and my old habits are returning. 

Holly asked about hiking at the Indian Point Lake Metropark off of Vroom Road, which I agreed to readily.  I love hiking out there in the fall.  We park in the bottom lot and take a long, steep hike up a dirt road to the trail leading to Indian Point and the beautiful vistas of the Grand River below.  There are a set of stairs…147 to be exact…leading from the Point down to the river, which we added to the hike.  We’d been on a loop course, and once down the steps, were about 20 feet across the river from the parking lot where we’d left the car.  Now…take your shoes off and you’re across that river and the hike’s over.  That wouldn’t be the Cowboy way though, so we hiked back up the stairs and retraced our steps back to the car.  It was a pretty and somewhat challenging hike which took around 70 minutes.

My poor eating continued with a tuna casserole for dinner.  I suppose it wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d stopped after my first, heaping serving…but I didn’t.  The good news is, the ‘fat’ clothes are still falling off of me and the thin clothes are still fitting.  I can’t keep ignoring the diet though…it will catch up.

Hike workout:  70 minutes.  Leaf raking: 1 hour.

Training Heart Rate: 75 bpm hiking, maybe 80 raking.
Calories burned during workout:  400 hiking and 300 for yard work.

Anna lets it all hang out...

Saturday, November 5, 2011
I didn’t get much sleep during a chilly night with temperatures falling into the 20’s.  I was warm, but just couldn’t seem to sleep more than an hour at a time.  Each time I woke though, I had another opportunity to enjoy a beautifully clear, star-filled sky. 

I gave up trying to sleep by 6:30 a.m. and had the tent down and packed by 7 when I woke John and Henry.  We hit Bob Evans where I ate a ham and cheese omelet because I knew I wouldn’t be eating again once we made it to the State Meet and I wanted something that would stick with me.  The meet had been moved to Hebron and the National Track Speedway…a racetrack for dragsters…about 30 minutes east of Columbus.  It had been moved there after 26 years at Scioto Downs, necessitated because slot machines had been installed at the horse racing venue.  We arrived an hour before the first race was scheduled, parked easily and made our way to the media tent where I picked up the credentials that would allow me to traverse the course for pictures, views and access to runners and coaches that civilians did not.

The course appeared to be fast, hard and flat.  There were long straight-aways and not many sharp turns.  Spectators could see so much more of the race from the stands than they ever could at Scioto Downs and access to the actual course and views of the runners were superior, as well.

The only runner I knew in any of the six races was Anna Boyert of Medina.  She’d been battling illness all season and had only begun serious training and racing about five weeks earlier…too little time to be completely effective.  She’d been improving each week though, and with her third place finish at the regional meet, was confident of a good effort and day.  And she had one.

Sometimes as a competitive runner, you have to size up the situation and make a bold move.  Anna, normally a strong finisher, made such a decision shortly after the mile mark in the three mile race.  There was a solid pack of over 15 girls at the front at that point.  She made a strong surge and gapped the entire field by 20 meters.  Eventually, a group of front runners would pull her back in but now there would only be six girls with a shot at the title.  The move, while costing her valuable strength, would take out some other fast finishers.  Someone had to do it and maybe it would have happened later in the race, but you can’t be sure and if you’re feeling great and know it needs to get done…you do it.

She reached the final 600 meters of the race still running first but with four girls on her heals.  Over the next 400 meters two of them would pass her and another caught her at the tape, pushing her back to fourth overall.  I photographed her a 100 meters from the finish and I could see by the tired agony on her face, she’d left everything she had out on the course.  She crossed the line exhausted, disappointed, and on an empty tank.  She can second guess decisions she made or didn’t make while running the race which could have resulted in a different outcome, but no one who knows running can question her absolute all-out effort.  She ran to win…what more can you do?

I returned home and made my way to the Metropark for a short run before dark.  I was inspired by the effort of Ohio’s finest young runners and determined to run hard and test the calf I’d been nursing for a couple of weeks.  I had on the new shoes once more and in the cool evening air, felt sleek and fast as I covered the first mile. 

I knew I was running faster than normal, but it was so effortless that I kept the pace.  I crossed River Road near the sledding hill and run along the crest that overlooks the Chagrin River before coming down the sledding hill and crossing back over River Road.  I made my way around Squire’s Castle as dark was settling in still feeling like I was moving fast.  There was no pain in the calf as I ran the final mile, but I elected to keep the pace where it was instead of running faster…which I could have done easily…and not risk an injury.  I finished and looked at the watch to see I’d run the 4-mile course in 29:55…or about 2 minutes faster than I had ever run it before. 

I made dinner for Holly and I later that evening, sautéing mushrooms and onions and then adding chicken breast meat and corn and putting the whole concoction over noodles fried in olive oil.  It wasn’t bad and Holly starting to like that I’m cooking for us both.  What am I doing?

Run workout:  30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  500.