Lance Armstrong's statement

Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I wrestled with taking a day off.  I knew I needed one, but it was a perfect evening for riding or running.  I finally convinced myself the rest was the best thing for me.

As you know, I’ve always been a big supporter of Lance Armstrong in his efforts to clear his name regarding performance enhancing drugs.  Though he has never been tested positive for any banned substance, rumors continued to plague him as the different agencies looked into and then exhonerated him.  The United States Anti-Doping Agency became his ‘straw’ and he finally stopped fighting.  There is still no evidence, though USADA claims to have witnesses to testify against him.  Basically, he’s telling them to shove it and do what they want to do.  The following is his statement on the topic and I have reprinted it for those interested to see what he’s been going through.

Cyclist Lance Armstrong released a statement on this evening announcing he would not enter arbitration to fight doping charges brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and its CEO, Travis Tygart. Here is Armstrong's statement:

There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now. I have been dealing with claims that I cheated and had an unfair advantage in winning my seven Tours since 1999. Over the past three years, I have been subjected to a two-year federal criminal investigation followed by Travis Tygart's unconstitutional witch hunt. The toll this has taken on my family, and my work for our foundation and on me leads me to where I am today - finished with this nonsense. I had hoped that a federal court would stop USADA's charade. Although the court was sympathetic to my concerns and recognized the many improprieties and deficiencies in USADA's motives, its conduct, and its process, the court ultimately decided that it could not intervene.

If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA's process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and - once and for all - put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance. But I refuse to participate in a process that is so one-sided and unfair. Regardless of what Travis Tygart says, there is zero physical evidence to support his outlandish and heinous claims. The only physical evidence here is the hundreds of controls I have passed with flying colors. I made myself available around the clock and around the world. In-competition. Out of competition. Blood. Urine. Whatever they asked for I provided. What is the point of all this testing if, in the end, USADA will not stand by it?

From the beginning, however, this investigation has not been about learning the truth or cleaning up cycling, but about punishing me at all costs. I am a retired cyclist, yet USADA has lodged charges over 17 years old despite its own 8-year limitation. As respected organizations such as UCI and USA Cycling have made clear, USADA lacks jurisdiction even to bring these charges. The international bodies governing cycling have ordered USADA to stop, have given notice that no one should participate in USADA's improper proceedings, and have made it clear the pronouncements by USADA that it has banned people for life or stripped them of their accomplishments are made without authority. And as many others, including USADA's own arbitrators, have found, there is nothing even remotely fair about its process. USADA has broken the law, turned its back on its own rules, and stiff-armed those who have tried to persuade USADA to honor its obligations. At every turn, USADA has played the role of a bully, threatening everyone in its way and challenging the good faith of anyone who questions its motives or its methods, all at U.S. taxpayers' expense. For the last two months, USADA has endlessly repeated the mantra that there should be a single set of rules, applicable to all, but they have arrogantly refused to practice what they preach. On top of all that, USADA has allegedly made deals with other riders that circumvent their own rules as long as they said I cheated. Many of those riders continue to race today.

The bottom line is I played by the rules that were put in place by the UCI, WADA and USADA when I raced. The idea that athletes can be convicted today without positive A and B samples, under the same rules and procedures that apply to athletes with positive tests, perverts the system and creates a process where any begrudged ex-teammate can open a USADA case out of spite or for personal gain or a cheating cyclist can cut a sweetheart deal for themselves. It's an unfair approach, applied selectively, in opposition to all the rules. It's just not right.

 

A muggy workout...

Monday, August 27, 2012
I’d been at a birthday party for my nephew, Nathan, the day before and we’d planned to do a workout together.  He’s done the Survival Workout a number of times and has created one of his own that he does on the ships he works as an engineer when out on the Great Lakes.  He’s in excellent shape and putting him through a workout is fun because I can’t hurt him no matter what I do.

I arrived ahead of him and couldn’t just sit and wait, so I began doing exercises.  By the time he was scheduled to arrive, I’d already completed 10 sets of various things.  I checked my phone and found that he’d left a message that he was stuck in traffic coming from downtown and would never make it there in time.  I was on my own.

I completed the workout doing 18 different sets of exercises.  It had been raining and the humidity must have been near 100%.  I could have filled a small pool with the sweat I was dropping.  I considered going for a run half way through the workout, but realized it was out of the question by the conclusion.  And this was supposed to be a rest day anyways, so I squished back into the Honda and headed home.

My neighbor’s pool was a welcome site and I left an nice slick on it when I entered.  It felt so good and did a nice job cleaning my workout clothes.  I’m pretty sure they don’t read my blog, though Pat does clean the pool after I leave…so I’m guessing he knows.

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

Taking an easy day...

Sunday, August 26, 2012
I walked down the stairs in my house first thing in the morning as I always do, but this morning my calves were hurting.  At first, I was puzzled but then remembered I’d done 32 sets of bleachers 24 hours earlier.  That would surely explain it.  Sore calves are no big deal and since my knee felt fine, I was okay with it.  I knew the Jeep was ready for pick up and that I had a long bike ride in front of me, so I decided to get it out of the way and then do some resting.

Normally, I head out the driveway noting my time so I will know exactly how fast I’m going and can note where I am on a course against my pr times.  On this day, I decided NOT to look so that I wouldn’t be pushing the whole way.  It was my intention to have an ‘easy’ day, which you can do even when riding two hours.  It’s all about intensity and I was dialing it back.

I rode comfortably around 16 mph and with a heart rate below 120 for many parts of the ride.  It’s still intense going up hill with my heart rate reaching 160, but that can’t be avoided.  I coasted and enjoyed the scenery instead of putting my head down and arms in the profile pads, a position from which I could achieve higher speeds…and view the road about 20 yards in front of me.

I arrived at Dan’s two hours later and helped him with a brake job he was doing…God help the owner of THAT vehicle.  Actually, I was just depressing the brake pedal as he worked on the master cylinder, so I really couldn’t do any harm.  At one point, I went into his refrigerator to get some cold water and was surprised at the amount of food he kept there, which was very little.

“If Jack were here, he’d eat everything in your frig in one sitting,” I said.

“That boy eats a lot,” he said.

I told him about our upcoming trip to the Adirondacks and Jack’s concerns about whether we could carry enough food in for him to survive the two days we’d be there.  Since I can’t carry much, I may have to rent a pack mule when I arrive to carry his food stores.  I have two pocket rocket propane stoves, but they’re small and utilize pots that don’t hold the two gallons of whatever he might need to satisfy his appetite.  Well…I’ll give him a knife and a loincloth and let him forage, if it comes to that.

My nephew called to tell me the kayaks were ready for pick-up, so I swung by his shop and put them on top of the Jeep.  I’d gotten in a good ride, had a Jeep fully functional, and two kayaks strapped to the roof of the Jeep with all systems ‘go’.  Life is good.

Bike Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 115 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1500.

"I know, because I said I know."

Saturday, August 25, 2012
John arrived at my place right on time at 9 a.m.  We were going to Mayfield’s bleachers to do some repeats in preparation for our upcoming trip to the Adirondacks in mid-September.  He’s slowly working his way back into shape on the bike, riding an hour a day when he can.  We both know that as good as biking is, it’s not a substitute for weight-bearing exercise when getting ready to do some rugged climbs.  A recent MRI showed three bulges in the spinal column of his lower back and thus the pain he’s been experiencing there for a number of years.  All that meant to me is that he’d be whining more than usual when we were climbing and that he’d likely bring pictures of it to show people so they’d know why he was whining and how tough he was. 

“Dude…I’m not going to let it stop me, but I’ll probably have trouble sleeping on the ground,” he said.

“Lance would still go…and he wouldn’t whine,” I said.

By the way, I’ll be addressing the ‘Lance’ thing later.  Let me just say that John and I are still believers and that nothing has changed regarding his case.  There is still no physical evidence that he ever used performance enhancing drugs and it is still a fact that he passed over 300 tests during his competitive career and that all were clean, which is the primary reason he has decided to quit fighting.  The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency doesn’t feel this is good enough, saying they have 10 witnesses that will testify they either saw him using something or heard that he had.  Solid stuff, I’m sure.  I wonder if anyone other than me thinks it’s odd that the tests that caught the cheaters testifying against Lance, identifying banned drugs in their systems that those cheaters say he was using in the same races, didn’t detect any in him when he was checked at the same time…and during the same races.  Hmm.  Well, USADA says witnesses caught cheating are more reliable than the tests Lance was given and I’m sure, like any government agency, it knows what it’s doing and will not be led astray or confused by the facts or such silly evidence.  John is always quoting a mafia movie where the head gangster, when questioned about a fact he has stated says, “I know because I said I know.”  I think it fits.

We reached the bleachers and were warned by a crew leader working on the track that we may be asked to leave by the Construction Foreman because the site was still in progress.  Yes…they were out on the track putting down the surface and yes, they were putting grass seed down in different areas, but for all intents and purposes, the stadium was done.  Apologetically, the crew lead said he was just passing it along.  It was a hard hat area, he said, though he wasn’t wearing one.

“Geez…do you feel safe?  Out there in the middle of the track there’s all kinds of construction stuff falling that might hit you in the head,” I said.

He laughed and continued applying the new track surface.  I voiced concerns about whether the public would be barred from using the facility after its completion.  Though I doubted it since our tax dollars and support of school levies make these venues possible, I’d surely head for a school board meeting to voice my opinion if it did.

We started up the first aisle of steps at a jogging clip.  Forty-three steps later, we were on the top and beginning to perspire.  At least I was.  We descended, moved over an aisle and headed up again.  We hit every aisle and then came back and by the time we’d done 15 sets, John’s heart rate was topping 180 and we’d been going 10 minutes.  My plan was to do finish there and head for the Metroparks where we’d hike and add some tough hill climbs.  I was thinking of John’s back and our trip to the Adirondacks when I’d laid it out, thinking the less pounding he did on his back, the better.  He needed some weight-bearing exercise, but just enough to get his legs ready while staying healthy.  He had other ideas…and they’re usually foolish.

“That was pretty tough…but not a complete workout.  We need to do more,” he said

“You sure?  I know you feel good now because you’re all warmed up, but tomorrow’s what I’m worried about,” I said.  Besides, I had my knee to think about and didn’t want to overdo it, either.

“Yeah…let’s do some more,” he said.

So I led the charge.  He commented after 5 more that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea, but I wasn’t letting him off the hook now.  We went down and back again and were around 25 sets.

“Well…maybe we should do thirty since we’re almost there,” I said over my shoulder.  He was lagging about 5 steps behind me now and not nearly so chipper.

I didn’t wait for an answer…just kept climbing.  He followed.  When I finished 30 sets and noticed I was still a couple of minutes from having 20 minutes in, I decided to keep climbing.  We ended up doing 32 sets.  I was drenched…he was perspiring mildly.

We drove to the park and I had him do some of my reverse plank push-ups.  His form sucked since his upper body strength was gone.  He grabbed the pull-up branch and squeezed out two, but failed on an attempt for his third.

“Man…you’re upper body is for shit,” I said.  I’m always trying to encourage him.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he said.

We headed down the trail and karaoked up the big hill.  If he wasn’t already tired, that kicked his butt.  It always does…for everyone.   We climbed a second, steeper hill behind the pavilion and finished by just hiking easily back to the car.  John had wanted to run during the workout, but I’d held him back.  He in better shape than he thinks from the riding and so wants to do more, but if he won’t protect his back, I will.  I need him with me in September to climb the peaks I want to climb, so I have to keep him healthy, in spite of himself.

I spent the afternoon watching and photographing rugby for Jason.  It was in the mid-90’s and sunny and by the end of two hours of that, I was drained.  I was still thinking I needed a day off, but since I didn’t have time or the inclination to ride out and pick up the Jeep, I figured I’d do it tomorrow…but slowly.

Bleacher workout: 20 minutes.  Hike workout: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 150 in the bleachers, 80-120 hiking.
Calories burned: 350 in the bleachers, 250 hiking.

Looking foolish...with style.

Friday, August 24, 2012
I was in the middle of the Survival Workout and by the cabins, which are now being disassembled after years of non-use.  I enter one with nothing but a floor, roof and the stud walls to support it.  I decided if I hooked my feet on the window frame ledge, I could use the perch to do a set of plank push-ups.  Seemed like a good idea at the moment and so I hooked my feet on the ledge and started doing push-ups.  When I reached my final push, I began to remove my feet from the ledge when I discovered only one was responding.  I twisted my left foot again, but the laces of the shoe were hooked on something on the window ledge…I was trapped.  I had one foot free and my hands were still on the ground supporting me, but I was getting tired and I’d already done 50 push-ups.  I twisted to my left and reached back with my left hand, supporting my body with my right and trying to reach the shoe.  That wasn’t working, either.  I must have looked rather stupid, but no one was around to laugh…or offer help.  I reached back again and managed to untie the shoe, but couldn’t get my foot out.  I figured if all else failed, I could wrip the shoe loose with a good tug, bu that would likely tear the top of the shoe…something I didn’t want to do.  I kept wiggling and twisting…and sweating…and when I was about to give up and just yank my leg, it came free and I fell to the ground.

Nothing hurt but my ego, which for me is really hard to damage.  I completed the workout without further incident and included a couple of sets of pull-ups, trying to work some exercises back in that involve the elbow.  I was extremely tired at the completion of the workout, which was bad since I still needed to drive the Jeep out to leave with Dan and would have to ride the bike home from there.  As I drove out, I decided I’d take a more direct route than I’d been planning, which would be a 20-mile ride instead of 30.  It’s been awhile since I’ve taken any time off and I think I’m going to need a break soon.  The Adirondacks are coming in a week and I’m still trying to be in the best shape I can be for that, but I need to stay injury-free as well.  I figured tomorrow would be another double since I was meeting John to do a bleacher workout in the morning and would probably be riding back out to Dan’s to retrieve the Jeep.  Sunday’s the day the Lord rested…I suppose I could too.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Bike Duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 120 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 925 biking.

"Let's climb two"

Wednesday, August 22, 2012
I received a distressing email from a friend who had been on a camping trip recently.  She’d had the misfortune of being part of a group where one member was wholly unprepared for what they were going to do, which can ruin a trip…and it pretty much did.  She’s got a lot of dignity and chose to keep quiet about the inconveniences this person was creating, much to her credit, but learned a valuable lesson about the first principle of ‘Leave No Trace’ camping, which is ‘plan and prepare’. 

That means for everyone in the group.  She and I had had a conversation about the hazards of leading unknown groups into the back country.  We’d talked about ‘the weakest link in the chain’…the person in the worst condition and how you needed to stay together, which meant moving at that person’s pace.  The question of course, is how do you know ahead of time?  Just looking someone over doesn’t tell the whole story.  I’ve hiked with some really lean people that had no endurance and heavier ones that could walk my feet off.  Conditioning is all about doing ahead what you plan to do the day of competition.  For climbers and backpackers, that means hiking and building up the legs to bear the weight and deal with the trail.  I’ve talked more than one person out of backpacking by describing in great detail what it means to use a privy or a cat hole, eat dehydrated food, fight with bears to keep your food intact and them out of your campsite, issues with biting insects, sleeping on the ground and hiking many miles over rough terrain with thousands of feet of elevation change to challenge the cardiovascular system.  Better they know ahead, and I know that they know, so we both understand what we’re dealing with.  Only then can you enjoy the experience. 

Apparently, this guy showed up eight hours late, drove to the trailhead without a tent or sleeping bag, and couldn’t walk a mile without complaining about the effort.  She dealt with it by planning to come back again without the nimrod where I would have pegged him out on the ground, stripped him and spread peanut butter all over his body, and left him to consider the sins of his ways.  I suffer fools poorly.
Having said that, I’ve been reminding Jack that some running or hiking before our trip wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.  I questioned him about hiking shoes and he said the Nike’s he had would do the trick.  I checked over the soles…they’re in pretty good shape because he plays basketball barefoot.  He did take me outside to demonstrate how he could dunk the ball without a running start…a feat that impressed me quite a lot.

“That won’t do you much good in the Adirondacks, though.  They don’t play basketball up there,” I said.

“Dad…as strong as I am, I’m sure I can handle a little hike with a backpack,” he said.

And he’s probably right.  He is young and quite strong.  He’ll feel it when we climb 4,000 feet over three miles though, but he’ll make it through.  So will the girls and Kyle, all of whom run, cycle and work out.  Between the four of them, there’s probably only ten pounds of fat, as well.  If we were going further into the back country and for more days and climbs, I’d insist on different shoes and some hiking from Jack.  For this trip, I’ll let him learn.

I went for a ride determined to get through two hours without leg cramps.  That meant starting easier and not jumping out of the saddle and attacking every hill.  I made it to my 1-hour check point about 3 minutes slow, but feeling great.  I added an extra loop to my Waite Hill course to make up the two hours and finished strongly and without cramps.  My goal in hiking is to always be at the front and always looking for another peak to climb.  I’m the Ernie Banks of the Adirondacks.  He was the famous Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer who loved to play the game so much that he became known for saying “It’s a beautiful day for baseball.  Let’s play two.”

Bike Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 125 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1700.

Roger Clemens back in baseball...

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I grew up like so many boys of my generation admiring sports heroes.  It was all about baseball in my formative years growing up in Bristol, Ct. and I worshiped Carl Yastrzemski, left fielder for the Boston Red Sox for all of his 23 time in the major leagues.  Things changed over the years, with free agency making the likelihood that a home town ballplayer would spend his entire career with the team where he started extremely unlikely and it was harder to stay loyal to a particular player.  Though I loved the Indians, I’d remained loyal to the Red Sox for many years after moving here in 1968 and when Roger Clemens broke on the scene in the 80’s with his amazing fastball, ‘The Rocket’ became one of my favorites.

As manager of the Cleveland Athletic Club in the 90’s, I had the opportunity to meet Roger when a representative of the Red Sox whom I knew asked if Clemens could work out at the club when the Sox were in town.

“Let me think about that-okay,” I said about as quickly as you can say ‘okay’.

Clemens came to the club and after doing his workout in the weight room, which as a trainer I had to witness, headed to the gym for some pick-up hoops with the members.  They were thrilled to be bumping and shooting with a three-time Cy Young award winner and the game’s best pitcher.  After a shower and changing, I invited him to join me for a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake in our coffee shop, which he promptly accepted.  We spent the next hour talking about baseball, Fenway Park and the Green Monster, free agency, training, our families and anything else that came to mind.  He was a down-to-earth simple man who loved and respected the game and its history and who dedicated himself to being the best player he could possibly be with a workout regimen that kept him in peak physical form.

He left the Red Sox after that year, testing the free agency market and becoming a very wealthy man.  He continued to visit when he was in town, something I always enjoyed.  He remained at the top of his game well into his 40’s, something I attributed to his absolute devotion to conditioning, finally retiring in 2007 at the age of 45 amidst accusations of performance-enhancing drug use.  He was accused by former personal trainer Brian McNamee in the Mitchell Report on drugs in baseball of using steroids and HGH, which he denied before Congress. The Justice Department began an investigation concerning whether he had lied under oath, and in 2010 a grand jury indicted him on two counts of perjury, three counts of making false statements and one count of obstructing Congress.  He was acquitted of all the charges this past June after a 10-week trial.

Roger had always claimed he was innocent and never tested positively for drug use.  I believed him then, and still do.  Maybe I’m naïve, but I saw the way the man worked out and threw the ball and how he felt about the game and didn’t think he would do anything to tarnish his or the game’s image.   He knew that America’s youth looked up to him and I believe he took that pretty seriously. 

Now, Roger is a 50-year old man and suddenly back in baseball news.  He signed a contract to pitch for the Sugar Land Skeeters in Sugarland, Texas a suburb of Houston, which plays in the Atlantic League as an independent team.  It’s the minor leagues, but a feeder to the free agency market for Major League Baseball and many are wondering if he’s thinking of a comeback.  He still throws the ball 87 mph and with his control…would certainly be good enough to earn a spot on the Indians staff.  When asked at a press conference if he thought he could or would pitch in the Majors again, he said, “people are trying to ingrain that in my mind that 50 (years old) is now the new 40," he said. "But I'm not buying it because I'm still having to pack myself in a lot of ice."

He said he was just there to have some fun and that his conditioning was a long way from what was necessary to pitch in the big leagues.  Well…I have trouble believing that.  If he puts his mind to it, he’ll regain the conditioning and if 50 is the new 40…and I’m trying to make it so personally, then Clemens will be back and wearing the uniform of a Major League team next spring.  I, for one, am hoping so.  I’d love to see him putting down the best hitters in the world in his fifties.  He could then show to all his detractors that maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth all along and was simply an amazing athlete and one of the best pitchers in the history of the game.  I don’t work at the CAC any more, Rocket, but I’d gladly take you to the North Chagrin Reservation for a Survival Workout and burgers and a shake back at the house afterwards whenever you’re in town.  Here’s one fan that would love to see you hurling the cowhide again.

I did my Survival Workout without any lower body exercises.  I was worried that I might be overdoing things with the knee and wanted to give it a breather.  Later though, I would take a walk with Holly in the neighborhood and end up at the Mayfield track where we would do five sets in the bleachers.  I’m working on Holly thinking maybe, like Roger, she can make a comeback too.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Hike Duration:  60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 300 hiking.

Monday, August 20, 2012
It was a beautiful evening, sunny and in the low 70’s…and ideal night for a running workout.  I’d done 32 minutes on my last run and planned this one to be 35, followed by ten minutes in the bleachers.  I continue to look to do more weight-bearing exercise as I prepare for the Adirondacks, which means less riding and more running.

I returned to my favorite, short course in the Metroparks on which I’d done my last run in 27 minutes.  I hadn’t checked to see how that compared to my pr on the course, but I had a feeling it was close on a day I’d been running what I felt was pretty easy though my heart rate had been 160.  Anyway, I started the run with the monitor on and with the intention of running a little faster.  I arrived at my first check point about 10 seconds ahead of the run I’d done two days earlier with a heart rate in the high 140’s, which was good.  It indicated that I was running faster, but with less effort…and it did feel pretty comfortable. 

I tried to hold that effort for the remainder of the run and purposely didn’t pick it up over the final mile as I might if I was attacking a course pr.  I didn’t want to aggravate the knee, which faster running could do, and so cruised through the finish.  I was pleased to see that I’d run 26:43, or 17 seconds faster than on the previous run and with my heart rate maxing out at 148.  When I returned home later and looked up my pr for the course, I was surprised to see that I’d broken it by 2 seconds on a day when I was just cruising and in running shape that should be sub-par.  I continued running until I’d reached the 40-minute mark…a little longer than planned, but not excessive.

I drove to the track and jogged slowly to the bleachers.  I was leg-weary and not looking forward to the pain I was about to experience.  I decided to run the bleachers for 10 minutes and see how many sets I could do.  Ugh.  As I completed my 15^th set with a little over 9 minutes on the watch and the heart rate monitor at 150, I decided I’d had enough fun.  I finished by jogging for two minutes back to the car where I collapsed into the front seat.

While bathing in my neighbor’s pool, its owner asked me if I still had my floor jack and could help him with some work on his sports car.  We needed jack stands, too, which a third neighbor, Mike, owned and the three of us gathered to put a new bumper for pulling trailers onto the car.  When Mike’s wife stopped over to ask what we were doing, Mike answered in two, simple words, “man stuff.”

So there’s another day in the life of a guy continuing to fight the good fight.  Any day you do a great workout and finish it with “man stuff” is a very good day.

Run/Bleacher Duration: 50 minutes.  Hike Duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 145 running, 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 850 running, 300 hiking.

Savannah tries the heart rate monitor...

Sunday, August 19, 2012
“You should try wearing this to see how high your heart rate goes during the workout,” I suggested while holding up the heart rate monitor to her.  She strapped it on as I instructed and I handed her my wrist watch, the receiver.

“Wow…its 90 already.  Is that my resting heart rate?” she asked.

“For your sake, I hope not.  You’re already walking around and thinking about the workout.  Your body knows that and starts to get ready by raising your heart rate and body temperature,” I explained.

We went over maximum heart rate, which for her was about 200 and what it would take to get it there.  She jumped into her push-ups and dips quickly while keeping an eye on the monitor, announcing she’d he 140 for the first two sets.

It stayed in that range until we hit our first hill climb.  She’d had something to eat before we’d left and decided to keep from puking, she should just walk up the hill.  Just walking though, it hit 170.  She asked me about my exercise and resting heart rate.

“I got to 127 on that hill the last time I wore it and my resting heart rate is in the 40’s.  Of course, I’m older and my maximum heart rate is supposed to be 163 (220 minus my age), though I’ve had it over 180 during a recent workout,” I said.

She was impressed with my numbers, but puzzled why hers was so high even though she didn’t feel extreme discomfort.

“You’re closing in on your aerobic threshold.  That’s the number you can sustain and still be exercising aerobically, which is technically for a very long time…like more than two hours.  Get it about 10 beats higher and I think you’ll feel like you need to slow down to keep going.  We’ll find out when we climb the hill behind the pavilion that’s so tough,” I said.

The hill behind the pavilion was the toughest part of our workout.  You couldn’t run up it, it was too steep for that and it drove your heart rate exceedingly high in the two minutes it took to reach the top.  I’d managed a high 170’s on it and as Savannah puffed up the final feet and looked at the watch, she gasped, “190.”

As we descended through the woods back to the trail, she got to test out the new and improved gripping power of her new hiking shoes.  I explained how the 190 heart rate was clearly above her aerobic threshold since she’d never be able to maintain that kind of effort for over two minutes, meaning it was anaerobic or ‘without oxygen’.  She was getting it and had a new appreciation for the monitor and how it could be a good training tool to keep her working harder than she might otherwise…the whole idea.

We were having an early family dinner…Savannah’s last before heading back to Ohio State for her senior year…and Holly had made flat dumplings and chicken.  It’s everyone’s favorite meal and loaded with fat and calories.  Knowing this, I made a large smoothie and drank it with the meal, thus keeping myself to one medium-sized helping.

Once Savannah was on the road, I boarded my bike for the ride to Dan’s to pick up the Jeep he’d been working on.  I took the long way out…a thirty mile ride that was predominantly up hill.  By the time I pulled in his driveway, I was exhausted.  I’d started to experience those wonderful leg cramps at the one-hour mark, and with all I’d been doing over the past several days, was feeling the strain.  I knew I had work to do back home, but when Dan offered me some watermelon, I quickly agreed and we spent the next half hour slurping and talking.  I’d needed that break…and I was done for the day.

Survival Workout: 70 minutes.  Bike Duration: One hour and 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 120 biking.
Calories burned during workout: 650 for SW and 1450 biking.

Choosing between workouts and house work...

Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday’s workout and activity had kind of bushwhacked me.  I was trying to figure out my Saturday schedule, feeling the fatigue of the previous day.  Jason had asked me to attend his rugby match in the Metropark that afternoon, and I was thinking of how to fit in painting more windows, picking up Savannah’s Jeep from Dan and getting in a workout around that.  My first thought was to postpone working out for painting.  Then I got ‘right’ in my head and corrected my priorities, changing into my biking gear.  Besides, Holly had gone to Akron with Savannah and Theresa to see Heidi and would be there all day.  If I did a long workout and just SAID I’d been painting windows, how would she know?  She sure as hell wouldn’t be climbing ladders or getting on the roof to check my progress. 

I rode the Waite Hill course for the first time since returning ‘The Rocket’ to John.  I wasn’t expecting much since I was now on the heavier Trek and my riding conditioning had been steadily declining over the past several weeks.  Surprisingly, I rode well and was pleased with a time that was only two minutes slower than my best ever, particularly considering the return of quad cramps I’d managed to put behind me when riding every day. 

I drove to the park to see the rugby match, but made sure I had my running gear.  I was feeling pretty good about the ride and thinking this would provide the perfect chance for a double.  After watching guys without pads run into each other for over an hour and seeing Jason make some bone-crushing tackles, I headed up the park road to my favorite trail for a short run.  I’m keeping my wits about me and only went for 20 minutes, but with every intention of stopping by the bleachers on the way home for some more stair climbing.  I thought I’d do ten this time, but once I’d reached that number and wasn’t ready to collapse, decided to do two more.  The whole sequence took about 10 minutes, but was rather exhausting.

Holly arrived home shortly after me and inquired about my day and wondered if I’d like to do a hike in the park.

“Well…I’ve gotten lots done and wanted to do some more painting (I failed to mention that the ‘more’ would have been in addition to what I’d done the day before…not really lying), but I’d be happy to join you,” I said.  After all, I was doing a good deed…helping her with her training program.

Run/Bleacher Duration: 30 minutes.  Bike Duration: 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Hike Duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 145 running, 120 biking, and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running, 1450 biking and 300 hiking.

Upping the pace..

Friday, August 17, 2012
It’s time to ratchet things up for hiking in the Adirondacks.  At least that’s what my logic tells me.  I always want to go there in better shape than I was in on the previous trip and in better shape than any of my travel companions.  I’m a lot older than the group I’m taking up on Labor Day weekend and feel I need to make allowances for those 30-plus years.  I don’t know if it makes sense to anyone else…but then I’ve really never let that concern me before.

I started with a though Survival Workout that would eventually include 20 sets of the next 75 minutes.  I mixed in some karaoke up my favorite hill, did some extra core work and added in my first set of pull-ups since the cortisone shot three weeks ago.  I figured it was about time to find out the status of my elbow and the push-ups were probably the safest move I could make to test it.  I did it as the last set and was so exhausted by the extra squats, push-ups and overhead presses, that I could only manage six.  Still, it was enough to find out that my elbow didn’t hurt…a very good initial sign.

Once home, I continued my manic ways by climbing the ladder to do more window frame painting and gutter cleaning.  After that, I edged the lawn and flower gardens and cut the grass I haven’t needed to cut in two months due to the drought.  Holly had talked about walking in the park when I finished, but when she reneged, I figured I needed it anyway and grabbed Dakota for the hike.  We went off-trail the whole way, making our way down and onto the marsh, which was sorely in need of some water.  We were able to walk almost all the way across it before running into small puddles of what little water remained.  I decided to hike the entire perimeter to see if there was any point where I could cross all the way, and to see if I could spot the eagle I kept hearing.  I made the trek, but never found the eagle.  It was tough hiking and by the time I made my way back to the car, we’d been gone 90 minutes and I’d broken a heavy sweat.    I like doing the off-trail hiking because it tests the knee in ways that trail hiking can’t.  I’m constantly climbing over logs, jumping down from things and walking on uneven surfaces…much like the Adirondacks and the conditions that led to the meniscus tear last spring.  I’m trying to put myself through back to back tests of different intensities to make sure the knee is solid before Labor Day.  So far…so good.

Survival Workout: 70 minutes.  Hike Duration: 90 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 650 for SW and 450 hiking.

"It's not MY fault the window broke..."

Thursday, August 16, 2012
I was expecting to feel pain in my hip when I got up in the morning and though I had some, it was minimal.  I figured I’d go through the day and decide a course of action based on how I felt.  By the end of the work day, my discomfort was minimal and so I decided on a run because I needed to do weight-bearing exercise and if I had trouble, I wouldn’t be too far from the car…like I might be if I was twenty miles out on the bike and hit a snag.

I went to my favorite trail and laced up the minimalist shoes.  My feet were still a little sore from my previous run…they don’t seem to favor the minimalist shoe, but I’d decided to keep using them in hopes that they’d gain the necessary conditioning.  Anyway, I hit the trail at a slow jog and what little pain I had been feeling while walking, dissipated immediately.  This was strange.  My hip hurt less as I increased the pounding.  Well…that’s what was happening and I chose to go with it.  I did a loop that would normally take 30 minutes in 32, running slower throughout as a concession to the hip…which never hurt.  I got back into the car feeling strong and headed for home.

One of my favorite ways to get in shape for climbing is to strap on a heavy pack and do sets in the bleachers at Mayfield High School.  They’d torn down the stadium and ripped out the track and field over the summer and were in the process of replacing it all.  I hadn’t been by in some time and didn’t know the completion rate, but decided I’d swing by on my way home and maybe do some bleacher work…without the pack...if the stands were together.

I parked and crossed the soccer field to find the stadium ready to go.  I climbed my first set counting the steps as I went up and found that there were 43…three more than the previous stadium held.  There were seven aisles in all and I used each one once over the next several minutes before exiting for the playing field to check the new, artificial surface.  It was some kind of synthetic, similar if not the same as those I’ve seen in other high school stadiums, with some kind of fake dirt between the blades of fake grass.  It’s a very forgiving surface…plenty of cushion…and probably good to run and fall on.  I thought I’d try the running and save the falling for the ‘Friday Night Lights’ crowd.  I did a 100-yard acceleration and felt like I was running on a thickly padded crushed carpet.  It felt good and I could see it would likely become part of a training routine for me somewhere down the line.  For now, I wanted to test it…and my hip…out, and I’d done that. 

I returned home and saw Savannah approaching the car holding her wrist as she walked. 

“It’s yours, Jack’s and mom’s fault that I broke the window,” she said in her usual rat-a-tat-tat, rapid fire speech pattern.  My first thought was that she was alone and had sliced her wrist on some broken glass and that I’d need to rush her to the hospital.  My brain said she must have one hell of a grip on the severed vein in her wrist since it didn’t notice any blood.

“Umm…what?” I said.

“Well…you’ve been making me do those workouts and now I’m really strong.  Jack was doing something annoying in the driveway and I needed to yell at him, and mom said that you must have painted the window shut and if I was having trouble getting it up to yell at Jack, I should just bang on it.  I think she meant the frame, but she didn’t say the frame…so I banged on the window and put my hand through it,” she said in a microburst.   “But…I didn’t cut myself.”

Well…that was a relief, though frankly I don’t know how she managed it.  She’d put her hand through the storm pane and shattered it rather cleanly.  Her logic for blame was rather faultless and I was wondering if maybe she shouldn’t be pursuing a legal career instead of engineering.  Engineers, I thought, were logical enough to know that you don’t bang on glass with your hand in an attempt to free up a window that may be stuck.  I elected not to share this point of view with her as I removed the window and cleaned up the glass.  Maybe she’ll read it here once she returns to Columbus and decide to change her major.  Maybe.

Run/Bleacher Duration: 40 minutes.  Hike Duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 155 running and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 700 running and 350 hiking.

Side-lined with a sore hip...

Wednesday, August 15, 2012
I swung my legs from the bed and hopped to my feet like I do each morning, then grimaced in pain.  My left hip was throbbing with each step and the stupidity of yesterday’s workout was manifesting itself for its designer to experience…and maybe remember. 

The pain is right in the socket of the femur/hip joint. I’d had it x-rayed last year when it had given me so much trouble and Nilesh had assured me at that time that there was no arthritis. 

“You’re hip looks good…just an old man trying to do more than he’s ready to do,” he’d cautioned then.

Blah, blah, blah.   After that diagnosis and once it had healed, I’d headed for the Adirondacks and completed the single toughest day of hiking and climbing I’d ever done.  At the time, it was a test of a partially torn meniscus as well…and both had passed.  One year later though, I’d had knee surgery and now the pain in the hip had returned. 

I really believe the hip soreness is manageable.  I need to back off on my starting point for the weight I load in the backpack…and I will.  I know that I’ll only be hiking about 30 minutes with 45 pounds when I head there in two weeks, so why do I insist on loading 60 pounds in the pack and schlepping it for over an hour?  Primarily because my ego tells me that I need to work really, really hard every time I walk out the door, which simply isn’t necessary.  And now I’m paying the price with a forced day off.  There’s an old German saying, “zu fruh alt, und zu spat smart” which in English translates to “too soon, old…too late, smart.”  This German personifies it.

It didn’t keep me from dragging the two sea kayaks around from the back yard and loading them onto the jeep for a visit to my nephew Jonathon’s new place of business in Mentor, though.  He has a rigging and sail making business that is doing extremely well and is the perfect guy to replace worn and frayed cables on sea kayaks.  Steel cables run from the foot pedals to the rudder and there is a draw line for pulling the rudder from the water to the up position for when you don’t need it.  Both were shot on the 20-year old kayaks and with my plans for open water kayaking for the ‘Tour Ohio’ trip, I’d need them.  Like so many things, I’d managed to put off getting this done.  An injury time-out was the perfect opportunity…so I did it.  At least I’d get one thing right for the day.

Training with a loaded pack...

Tuesday, August 14, 2012
I’d called Savannah and she agreed that we should go to the park with packs loaded and do some hiking.  I hadn’t had a pack on my shoulders since this past May when I’d hiked about six hours with almost fifty pounds.  I hadn’t done any preparation for that hike…and I’d paid the price with a sore hip, back and shoulders.  I can live with discomfort in the back and shoulders, but the hip ache was the same one I’d had the stress fracture in the year before and something that will interfere with my ability to climb.  I don’t want to be risking that right now.  I got my pack and put the 50-pound salt bag in it in preparation for our hike.

Savannah arrived home from work and announced that she was backing out of our hike, claiming the day had been too tough and she just wanted to chill.  Well…I was ready to go and so was Dakota, so we jumped in the car and headed for the park.

I’d forgotten just how heavy 60 pounds (I had some gear and the weight of the pack to add to the 50 pounds of salt) can feel when you pick it up out of a trunk.  Once on my shoulders though, it didn’t feel so bad.  I was going to do a straight hike…no step-ups since the surgeon had thought that was a terrible idea for a person without a meniscus and with arthritis in his left knee.  Apparently, the impact is the worst thing for my knee and 200 step-ups with sixty pounds would be a lot of impact.  Instead, I hiked up one steep hill and followed a trail full of roots and obstacles like the ones I’d see in the Adirondacks.  I was concerned about both my knee and my hip and with good reason.

By the conclusion of the hike, I was feeling some pain in my hip and my hiking shoes were cutting into my ankle, but my knee was solid.  I’d put the heart rate monitor on and found that the highest heart rate I could achieve was at the top of the steepest hill when it had reached 127…a long way from the 160’s I’d managed on my last run.  With the pack fully loaded, it had ranged from a low in the middle 80’s to about 110, with the exception of the one steep climb.  It was an indicator that my conditioning for hiking with a pack was good.

Back home, I spent time going up and down a ladder as I scraped and painted windows on the second floor.  Each trip up and down reminded me that my hip had not thought much of my hike.  In retrospect, I should have put half as much weight in the pack and walked for thirty minutes for the first trip…but that wouldn’t have been the Cowboy way.

Hike Duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 80-127 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 450.

"How do you do so many freaking push-ups?"

Monday, August 13, 2012
“I’m almost 20 years younger than you, I work out with a personal trainer religiously doing plenty of upper body work…and I struggle with 4 sets of 35 push-ups.  How the hell do you do so many?” Eric asked.

Eric Harsh, former high school state champ in the 1600 meters and an extremely competitive athlete and person was bothered by the fact that I’d done 81 reverse plank push-ups earlier that day…my new pr.
“Push-ups are all about muscular endurance…not strength.  If you do them and make doing more a goal, you or anyone could accomplish what I’ve done.  It just takes time.  It’s taken me three months to hit 81 and since I’ve been going through a series of injuries and missed a lot of training time, I’ve progressed very slowly,” I said to try and comfort him.

I was pleased with the new pr though, and the fact that I’d done 22 sets of various exercises during the Survival Workout that day.  With the Adirondacks looming and an aggressive climbing schedule, I want to be in peak form…no pun intended.  The Adirondacks are more about endurance…cardio and muscular…than strength or technical skills.  When I go with Jack and the girls in two weeks, we’ll climb Giant, which is a long, tough hike that gains over 3,000 feet of elevation in a couple of miles.  If I did it alone, I’d be in my aerobic training zone for two hours while climbing, which is a lot like running a marathon.  We could peel off near the top and drop down a 800 feet into a col and then climbing out steeply to Rocky Peak Ridge, then down and back again.  I don’t think the girls will want to do that, but if they do, I’ll be ready.  Then, two three weeks later, John and I will return and hopefully hit a trail up Gothics, climbing two other smaller peaks on the way.  It’s considered one of the tougher hikes in the Adirondacks and covers 15 miles and probably 5,000 feet of elevation change.  Again, conditioning is the key…especially if you want to get up the next day and do a couple more…and I do.

Anyway, that’s why the 22 sets, which included heart-busting squat thrusts with push-ups and bear crawls, two steep hill climbs and extra core work.  I’ve got plans to strap the pack on soon to help strengthen the legs and to get the shoulders ready for the carry in.  I’m planning both trips to have a minimum of backpack hiking since the girls aren’t particularly fond of that part and John and I are both on the mend from surgeries that don’t necessarily care for heavy backpacks.  I suppose I could back off a little because I really only have to make sure I’m not the slowest person up the mountain since we stay together and I’m sure my conditioning is a little better than at least one of the pups I’m taking along, but then that’s really not my nature…is it?

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

Using the heart rate monitor...

Sunday, August 12, 2012
I’d lent Marie my heart rate monitor over the summer, particularly so we could monitor how hard she was working during cycling workouts in an effort to match what she did when she ran.  I’d picked it up when she returned to Purdue and had thrown it on the front seat of my car.  I saw it there as I climbed out to do my run and decided to strap it on to see how hard I was working.  I was under the impression that while running, my heart rate stayed in the 140’s, which for me was a medium hard effort.  On a bike, it seems to hover in the low 130’s.  I have always had a lower exercising heart rate and don’t know what to attribute that to.  I tend to think that I’m not pushing as hard as I’m capable of, but it could just be a genetic tendency.  My age predicted maximum is 163 (220 minus my age) and I should exercise aerobically at about 85% of that number during a medium hard workout.  That would equate to a heart rate around 140 bpm.

I started my run on my favorite 30-minute loop course.  It’s almost entirely on hiking paths, some rather obscure and seldom used and teeming with wildlife.  It’s rolling, scenic and challenging…the best kind of course you can pick.  I paid close attention to the heart rate monitor…my watch receiving a signal from a strap wrapped around my chest…and watched it climb from rest at 52 to 140 in a matter of 3 minutes.  I was running pretty easily, so I was surprised it went up that high so quickly.  It was reacting like an unconditioned runner’s might, and since I’ve run so little since the knee surgery over two months ago, that would be me.

The first mile of the course is a gradual uphill and my heart rate reflected the effort, rising to 150 after 7 minutes.  I didn’t feel uncomfortable…the most important gauge any experienced runner has, heart monitor be damned…so I continued at that pace. 

I have multiple check points on this run and found that I was running a very good pace for what I considered to be poor conditioning.  As I neared the end however, I found that my heart rate had topped 160…supposedly my maximum but since I was not in any distress, clearly not.  I finished the course in 27 minutes, close to my pr for it, and ran 3 minutes further to make my 30 minutes.

My knee felt normal throughout the run and the run itself felt how I would have expect it to…pretty hard for being close to my fastest.  Two things surprised me.  First, I was running at a higher heart rate than I’d thought and second, I hadn’t lost much speed during the two months of almost zero running.  The second is strange except that I may have been working harder to do it, thus the higher heart rate.

Heart rate monitors are fun and I kept it on afterwards to get a gauge on how high it went as I cooled down and during activities I was performing around the house later.  At rest, I’m around 50 bpm, so anything higher is an indicator that I’m burning extra calories.  After cleaning up, I worked on my shed doors and did some painting on the shed and windows.  My heart rate was in the 70’s for most of this time.  Later that night I walked for an hour in the park with Holly during which it went up into the 90’s when we were climbing hills and dropped back to the low 80’s on the level sections.  Interestingly, if I would do the same pace in the neighborhood on the sidewalks, I find that I’m working considerably easier with a heart rate in the mid to high 70’s.  The park offers terrain changes and irregular walking surfaces and both contribute to more effort and more calories burned for the same distance as covered on sidewalks.

You don’t need a heart rate monitor to check on your progress.  This information can be gathered pretty easily if you wear a watch and check your pulse for ten seconds during your exercise routine.  Multiply that number by 6, and you have your heart rate.  It certainly helps though, and they aren’t that expensive.  I know they get me to work harder…kind of like having a coach or a conscience with you every step of the way making sure you’re doing what you should.  Consider it, at least.

Run Duration: 30 minutes.  Hike Duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 155 running and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 550 running and 350 hiking.

"You did what with the rest of the choocolate chip cookies?"

Saturday, August 11, 2012
I started Saturday morning the way I’d ended Friday night…with a smoothie.  I’d looked in Donnie’s pantry and found only sugared cereals…the kind I used to love, but now avoided like the plague.  Normally, I’d have whipped up a batch of French toast, but Donnie wasn’t interested.

“You feel okay?” I asked.  He’s never turned it down before, but he was good with a smoothie.

I got on the road for home by 10 a.m. and arrived in Cleveland around 5 p.m.  I eaten a couple of bananas on the drive and when added to the smoothie for breakfast, nothing was really sticking to my ribs.  We were supposed to be going out to dinner and then heading to the Palace to see the film classic ‘Some Like It Hot’ starring Marilyn Monroe. 

We ended up at Becky’s Bar and Grill downtown near the theatre district where I ordered a burger with nothing on the side.  What was I thinking?  I wolfed the burger, which was a decent size, but if I’d been at home and cooking on the grill, would have made three for myself.  I began looking around the table at the meals of the other three people sitting with me.  They all seemed like they’d be finishing, so leftovers were out.  I’d suffer through the movie and the drive home and do something about my grumbling stomach then.

It was my first Marilyn Monroe movie and although it was really dumb, she was fantastic.  I could see why a generation had found her to be the sexiest woman on the planet and enjoyed the sexual innuendoes throughout the movie.  It was like watching a history documentary on what could or couldn’t be done in the fifties when making movies. 

We made our way back home past many and various food establishments offering pizzas, burgers and, well, food molecules, which is what I really needed.  I’d been thinking about the chocolate cookies Holly had made for me for my trip.  I’d only taken half with me.  Once home, Holly pulled out watermelon…not substantial enough…so I mentioned the cookies.

“I took them to work because no one was eating them here and they’d been sitting around for so long,” she said.

Horrified, I replied, “Sitting around too long?  You made them on Thursday afternoon and took them to work on Friday morning?  That’s not sitting around too long! That’s…that’s…that’s…insane!”

I was none too happy.  Watermelon.  Could have been cookies and milk.  I wanted to fire up the grill and make a half dozen burgers, I was getting so hungry…and I wasn’t thinking clearly.  We had company though, and I couldn’t melt down in front of them, so I ate watermelon and thought about my next move.

“I’m making PBJ’s if anyone’s hungry,” I announced quite suddenly. 

Holly looked at me like I was daft, but now it just sounded like the best thing in the world.  I loaded two bagels in the toaster oven while pulling out the crunchy peanut butter and the strawberry jam from the frig.  In no time, I had two wonderful sandwiches and a glass of milk and shortly thereafter, I was satiated.  I’d forgotten just how good PBJ’s taste, but they’re not on the Paleo diet radar and it’s been awhile.

So…no workout and poor dietary choices.  Tomorrow I’m planning a 30-minute run since the last one went so well and the knee is still sound.

A long ride in the North Country...

Friday, August 10, 2012
After a breakfast of Kashi cereal and a smoothie, I tried to change my aunt’s home page on her 10-year old computer.  She claimed that I’d messed it up the last time I was there and wanted me to fix it.

“I don’t want that girl showing up every time I turn it on.  Maybe you should stay home and send Holly up for the next visit,” she complained.  Holly knows a hell of a lot more about computers than I do and I’d told my aunt this.

“I didn’t put her on your computer…but I’ll damn sure get her off before I leave.  By the way…there have been a few advances in computer technology since you bought this one in the 80’s.  You can click on a website and actually have the computer go to it  and not measure the time it takes with an egg timer, you know,” I said.

She really had no clue.  To her, it operated just fine.  She and my uncle were retired and had time on their hands.  So what if it took 60 seconds to go from one picture to the next on facebook.

“You should get a Mac.  They never have viruses and they last forever.  For storing pictures on writing emails, which by the way, you still haven’t answered the last one I sent you…two months ago,”  I said.

My uncle joined the conversation about new computers and when he heard my recommendation, commented that an Apple would be a good idea.

“John said a Mac and you think we should get an Apple?” my aunt commented.  Need I say more?

I drove to Donnie’s and hopped in his car for the ride to the church.  It was the only Catholic church in Louisville and was filled to overflowing.  The cemetery adjoined the property, so we didn’t have far to go for the burial and drove to the town community hall for the reception after.  It had been raining all morning and continued through the lunch where I laid plans for a long bike ride.  My uncle rides all over the North Country on one of three different bikes.  He picks up recyclables as he travels the back roads as he has for years.

“Johnny…just topped $3,000 in returns last summer.  Paid for that carbon fiber bike you’re going to be riding this afternoon,” he said.

He’s 72 and my aunt is 66.  She rides, kayaks, does jazzercise, golfs and hikes as well.  Neither of them looks their age and both are as active as I plan to be when I get to their age.

My uncle couldn’t join me for the ride, so I returned to his place and suited up.  I looked over my map and picked state route 72 east as my road of choice.  It looked like it would be well paved and lightly traveled and it entered the Adirondack State Park, a place I’d often hiked but never ridden.  I headed out with plans for a two-hour ride.  I never stick to my plan, though.

I rode until 72 dead-ended and then started following county roads further east and north.  I rode one stretch for about an hour without seeing a car.  The road was in reasonably good shape and the countryside was dotted with farms, though few and far between.  The rain was light, but steady and rather refreshing. Ninety minutes into the ride, I turned and began to retrace my course.  Riding with a tail wind, I returned in eighty minutes just as the skies were clearing.  It was the longest hard ride I’d taken in several weeks; averaging 18 mph, and with no knee pain.  I did feel some fatigue and soreness in my low back by the end of the ride, but it was minimal.

There is very little in the North Country.  No industry to speak of and only small pockets of people.  The roads are well maintained and offer huge shoulders, so riding is fantastic.  Their season to ride is considerably shorter than Ohio’s…unless you’re willing to ride when there’s snow on the ground, but the months you can ride comfortably, it couldn’t be better.

I joined my cousins Donnie and Pat for dinner, which amounted to smoothies made with apple cider that I’d brought from Ohio to show them the proper way to make one.  Donnie claimed they didn’t have any cider in the North Country…not enough apples, he figured.   Not looking hard enough, I figured.  Anyway, I made them and they loved them.  We spent the evening doing what we do best, shooting the shit about our adventures together as kids, memories of Jim, Uncle Don and other relatives that have passed and analyzing and solving problems of the mere mortals that were a part of our lives.  We surely make the world a better place.

Bike Duration: 2 hour and 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2400.

Heading to the North Country

Thursday, August 9, 2012

My family moves quickly on funerals.  Donnie called Wednesday night to tell me that the wake was on Thursday and the funeral on Friday.  If I was going to make the wake, I’d have to get on the road early Thursday afternoon and drive like hell…which I do pretty well.

I worked the morning and made it home around 1 p.m.  I had a smoothie and packed some turkey sandwiches for the drive north.  Holly had made some ‘Grandma Paula’ chocolate chip cookies…a good thing since I couldn’t work out and needed as many hollow calories as I could possibly eat.

I reached the funeral home a little after eight and quickly fell to greeting the many relatives present.  From there, I went to the uncle with whom I’d be spending the night…in his back yard in my tent if I had my way.  I arrived there and didn’t have my way since my aunt had made up the extra bedroom and was pretty insistent I sleep inside.  It was raining and since there were no stars to enjoy, I agreed.  They’d purchased a Vitamix after I’d introduced them to my smoothie recipe last year and already had one waiting for me when I arrived.  My uncle was so proud of how it not only made smoothies, but soups as well. 

“Its $400 Johnnie, but worth it,” he said.

I suppose so…but a little out of my league.  Besides, if I owned it and Jack were to drop it, I’d probably have to kill him, and I couldn’t afford that.

Getting ready for the Adirondacks with Savannah...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
I met Savannah in the park for a Survival Workout.  Both of us were interested in getting in some work that would prepare us for climbing in the Adirondacks, so I warned her that we’d be doing some extra hill work.  We started with the normal routine before heading down the trail and broke for an Indian Run into the woods before getting to our second workout station where I introduced her to my new and improved squat thrust move.

“You drop into the normal squat-thrust position, but then do a push-up before bear crawling between your hands in the ‘up’ position.  I do five steps, then another push-up before standing.  Five repeats in 60 seconds is the goal,” I explained.

She watched me do a couple and then joined in.  Her repeats were slower, but she did them all.  From there, we were heading up the hill karaoke style.

“If I karaoke up the hill, I think I’m going to puke.  Those squats were really tough,” she said.

I didn’t want her puking on me, so I agreed.  We walked it rapidly though and our hearts were pounding by the top.  I warned her that we should be coming up with packs and doing more of the same though I was going to go to a part of the Adirondacks where we’d only have to hike in about a mile to camp.  Still, I needed to know I could carry fifty pounds that far and would be trying out the knee in the coming weeks to be sure.  We made our way to the swing set where I watched her climb before deciding maybe it was time for me to test the cortisone-laced elbow.  It had been three weeks since the injection and I wanted to know where I stood.  I found out quickly once I began to climb.

“It’s not quite right,” I said as I hit the ground.

“I think you’re pretty stupid for trying,” she said.

“Stoopid is as stoopid does,” I replied in my best Forrest Gump.  And that’s all I had to say about that.

From there, I had her hopping up a series of four steps behind the pavilion for sixty seconds and then we headed for the steepest climb in the park.  Ninety seconds later we were on top and gasping for air. 

“Three trips up that hill will have you ready for about anything,” I said but knew one trip was all we’d be doing today.

We finished the workout with standard lifts, but I incorporated two more sets of squat thrusts.  They were becoming my new favorite because they worked my lactate system while incorporating muscular endurance…tough, but what a conditioner.

I received a call from my cousin Donnie later that evening to let me know our Uncle Jack had died.  He’d been a lifetime smoker and lung cancer had been his demise.  He was only 75.  I knew there was a trip to the North Country in my immediate future for his funeral.

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

John returns...and takes 'The Rocket' back

Tuesday, August 7, 2012
I knew John was coming over for a ride…and to take ‘The Rocket’ back.  I had just enough time to pack up his back and head for the border, or do a run.  I went to the park for a run.

I hadn’t done a run since the fourth week following surgery when, after a 12 minute run, I’d had some knee pain.  That pain had intensified as I’d increased my riding and the doc had suggested I cut back during my 5-week check-up, which I had.  It was now 8 weeks later and I was determined to find out where I stood.  I headed for my favorite metropark trail for a run I planned to take 20 minutes.  This time I stuck to the plan.

I didn’t have any knee pain during or immediately after the run, but I did feel sluggish and had run slow.  My running conditioning was nonexistent and it was going to take some time to recapture it.  Biking is great, but no substitution for running.  It would come back quickly though, and I wasn’t worried.

I arrived home just before John and began preparing for our ride.  He’d been doing some riding on a hybrid, but this would be his first ride on a standard road bike since the previous fall…before neck surgery.  His lower back was still troubling him and the real reason he hadn’t tried to ride.  He felt the tuck position necessary to ride a road bike was at the root of his problem.  Well…we’d soon find out.

I planned a route with only a couple of smaller climbs since John was complaining before we even got started that he was out of shape.  He claimed he’d gained about 15 pounds of pure fat and needed to work it off slowly.  I had some sympathy, but he was reclaiming ‘The Rocket’ and I would be forced to ride a mere mortal bike again, so I figured he deserved to suffer a little.

We rode into Waite Hill and climbed one hill, but with ‘The Rocket’ beneath him, he didn’t seem to be having any trouble and, for that matter, with any part of the ride.  We managed to go about 90 minutes and he was pain-free at the conclusion and quite encouraged.  We hope to be in the Adirondacks climbing by mid-September and now that seems like a realistic goal for John, though we’ll have to see what tomorrow morning brings.  For me, it was a decent double with no knee pain.  I’ll be careful adding in running and maybe try again after two days off.

Run Duration: 20 minutes.  Bike Duration: 90 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 145 running and 120 bpm cycling.
Calories burned during workout: 350 running and 1200 cycling.

Bike conditioning is slipping...

Monday, August 6, 2012
It had been some time since I’d done a long, hard ride and I decided tonight was the night.  My back has been pain-free for several days, but this would be the test.  I wanted to climb hard and ride longer with a solid effort to see where I was.  I headed for my Waite Hill course with confidence.  It didn’t end that way.

It’s quite amazing just how quickly conditioning leaves the body.  After four weeks of riding 250 miles a week, I was as fit as I’ve been on a bike in years.  Then…knee pain had set in and the riding was greatly curtailed.  Now…several weeks later and having ridden 3-4 times per week during that period, you would think I’d be able to handle a hard ride pretty easily.  It went well for about 90 minutes…the longest I’ve ridden recently…and then I began to tire.  My back felt good, but my legs were quitting.  As I rode the final miles of a 45-mile ride, cramps began to assail my quads and I haven’t had any of those in two months.  Damn.

The good news…no back soreness.  I can deal with getting my cycling legs back, though I may begin running more and cut back anyways.  I’m planning a Labor Day trip to the Adirondacks with my girls and will need to have my hiking and climbing legs strong again…so more hiking and running in the near future…if the knee holds up.

Bike Duration: 2 hour and 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 2100.