Return of the snow shoveling workout...

Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The morning’s paper announced the impending arrival of the year’s first serious snow storm…and this time I felt they knew what they were talking about.  I drove to Kim’s and picked her up to join me in a Survival Workout.  She’s always game for a tough one and I was feeling the need after too many days of too many calories and not enough exercise. 

I was hoping to break 100 reverse push-ups for the first time with Kim as my witness, but fizzled at 85.  I’m on one of those lifting plateau’s and expect to push past it in the next two weeks, but today just wasn’t the day.  There was still two inches of snow on the ground and the trails were icy causing me to avoid certain lower body exercises that might have me twisting a knee already sore.  I decided to make up for it with an extra effort on all upper body exercises. 

I set a huge pr for a second set of push ups when I did 80.  My four set pr was in sight and that gave me further reason to push.  We had to wrestle with rocks frozen to the ground and slippery slopes, but Kim did everything, including a non-stop trip up the karaoke hill…something I normally break into two, shorter bouts with a 30-second break in between.  She was heaving at the top, though.

I took her to see the deer carcass, which fascinated her.  I was surprised to see how much of it remains, thinking that the animals and insects of the park would have consumed every fiber by now.  I suppose some of the creatures that might feast on it won’t be returning until the spring, which may explain it.
We completed the workout in about 70 minutes…it always seems to take us a little longer since I tend to gab a lot when she’s with me.  I'd knocked off 60 more push-ups on each of my final two sets for a new 4-set pr of 285, which told me that I'd pushed hard throughout and that maybe I'd be moving from that plateau soon.

I arrived back home and went straight to the trainer where I logged an hour before showering.  The snow was falling in earnest by the time I finished, so I went out to push my first three inches.  Before the day was through, I would have moved about 11 inches in my drive and helped my neighbor pushing his.  I’d gotten cheated on last winter’s snowfall and wanted to maximise the exercise effect on this blizzard.  From how sore my back was when I completed my final push around midnight, I think I accomplished that task.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.  Shoveling: 90 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 120 bpm biking and 100-120 shoveling.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 850 biking and 900 shoveling.

Christmas Day, 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Holly had made her way to bed at 7 a.m., so I knew we wouldn’t be opening presents at eight.  I made my way to the kitchen about nine and just in time for Jason to arrive carrying gifts and looking rather chipper for having spent most of his evening celebrating his birthday in a bar.  He was ready for Christmas to begin and decided he’d go upstairs to visit, and wake, his siblings.  I knew I needed to take instant action if I was to placate him for any amount of time and give Holly another hour of sleep.  She still had to cook our Christmas dinner after all, and I didn’t want her falling asleep at the stove in the early afternoon.

“You guys hungry?  How about I make us some scrambled eggs and bacon?” I offered.

“Well…I hurried over here to open presents and skipped breakfast so…okay,” he said.  He still went up the stairs to annoy his sisters and brother, but at least he’d let Holly sleep.

I broke 18 eggs into a mixing bowl while sautéing spinach, mushrooms and onions in olive oil and frying bacon.  The smell of bacon on the stove worked better at getting the kids moving than Jason’s persistent and annoying presence in their rooms and by ten I had them all fed, the kitchen cleaned up and Holly present for…presents.

We celebrated all morning and then everyone went off to play with their new toys.  Savannah and Jack were particularly excited since they both had new bikes.  Savannah’s wasn’t a surprise…she’d helped me pick it out at Performance Bikes earlier in the month, but Jack had no idea.  I’d decided to give him Big Red after I’d received the UB Express from my Uncle Bill.  He’s almost 6’4”, so the frame won’t fit him well, but he’s excited about getting out and developing his calves.

“I want my calves to look like yours,” he’d told me a couple of months ago and had wanted to know which lifts he should perform to accomplish that task.

“Well since I don’t lift, but have been riding a bike since I was your age, I’d say you better get out on a bike with me,” I’d said.

With this thought, I’m guessing he’ll be interested in some longer rides as soon as the weather breaks.  He’s a committed body building weight lifter.

I had a couple of hours before dinner and the arrival of Holly’s dad, so I hopped on the trainer.  I was at the 35-minute mark when Holly stuck her head in my office to tell me her father had arrived.  “You can keep riding though, I have him vacuuming the living room.”

I couldn’t leave him to her and house chores…he’d be washing the kitchen floor if given the chance.  He’s 92 and can’t sit still.  I showered quickly and joined him.

I didn’t burn the calories I should have and ate some things I shouldn’t have.  It was Christmas after all, so what was I really expecting?  I assure you I won’t be waiting for January 1^st to be making adjustments and I know this coming year will find me in the best shape of my life as I pursue ‘Tour Ohio’.  As with everything I do, it’ll start again tomorrow…and go on forever.

Bike Duration: 35 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 475.

Monday, December 24, 2012

I thought I had a good idea for a final present for Holly.  We’d been to ‘House of Blues’ for dinner recently where she’d ordered a drink called ‘The Hurricane’ and really liked it…or so I thought.  Anyways, I’d copied down the ingredients to the drink and thought I’d go to the liquor store and buy them so we could make it at home once in awhile.

I’d written the ingredients on a cocktail napkin which I’d kept in my pocket since that evening.  As if that hadn’t beaten it up enough, I’d dropped it in the kitchen just before leaving and Dakota, sensing a tasty snack, had snatched it and started to chew it up.  Dog saliva had done nothing to improve the quality of my printing.  I needed three different kinds of Bacardi rum…Select, Superior, and Spiced.  They didn’t have the select, but I figured two hits of Superior with the Spiced and the Amaretto it called for, and she wouldn’t know what she was drinking.  I made my way to the check-out counter with my purchases and pulled out my credit card.

“Cash or debit card only,” the clerk said, as if I was from Mars.

And maybe I was.  I haven’t made a purchase in a liquor store in, well, maybe this was my first.  Anyway, it was $60 and I didn’t have that kind of cash on me.

“Um…I don’t have that kind of cash on me, so I guess I’ll see you later,” I said.

“Well…we could take the credit card but we’d have to hit you with a $2 handling fee,” he said.

How about that!  The state of Ohio did not want to miss out on my purchase and I don’t know who’s getting the extra $2 but I sure as hell didn’t want to have to come back here later with cash, so I let them ding my card.

I returned home and wrapped my presents and then headed for the park for a Survival Workout.  Time was limited since I needed to be at my sister’s by 2 p.m., so I did an abbreviated workout managing only 12 different exercises.  It was something, at least.

I arrived at my sister’s place to find that she’d invited over some old friends from the Cleveland Athletic Club days.  Stephanie was the first person I had ever coached in a triathlon after years of coaching high school runners and we’d formed a bond during that training that will last a lifetime.  At that time, she was a part-time lawyer, full time mom who’d gained some weight over the years and never done anything competitive in her life.  I was serving as her personal trainer and had gotten her to buy a bike and do some running.  She’d wanted to put in some pool time and after weeks of working with her on the crawl stroke, she finally nailed it and began putting in some serious laps.  Then I sprung the trap.
“Steph…why don’t you compete in a triathlon?”

She looked at me with a kind of stunned expression.   “I’ve…um…well…never done anything like that,” she said.

“Actually, I’ve had you doing one about three times a week,” I said.

I explained what and how I’d been training her and that I’d had it in my mind that she’d be ready for a sprint triathlon when I was through.  Well…I was through and she was ready.  She agreed to try and we signed her up.  I went to the race with her and her family that day and when she finished the race…third from last…you’d have thought she’d one an Olympic gold.  It was a proud moment for me and one I know she’ll never forget. 

I talked about my ‘Tour Ohio’ triathlon with her and her husband, Steve, who owns Tartan Yachts, a sailboat construction company in Fairport and we agreed that we should spend more time discussing their reintroduction to fitness and ways we could help each other. 

It was also my oldest son, Jason’s 28^th  birthday.  He was going to a bar in Willoughby later that night to celebrate and so the rest of the Rolfs, including underage Jack, made our way to the bar around 10 p.m.  I stuck with diet Coke, but Holly wasn’t driving anywhere and decided it was time to try downing her first shot when Jason asked her to join him in a birthday toast.  She’d already had a couple of drinks, but I had Jack with me and figured he could carry her to the car when the night was over…which is what he did.

In summary, I didn’t overeat and I did burn some calories.  More importantly, I made some connections that will help me continue to build towards a successful ‘Tour Ohio’ this coming summer and I spent a boatload of quality time with some special friends and my wonderful family.  Life is good this Christmas season.

Survival Workout: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150.
Calories burned:  400.

A little hike before surgery...

Sunday, December 23, 2012
It was the last chance to make a significant dent in all the tasks I needed to complete by Christmas Eve and I was up early to have at it.  I started on the trainer and rode for 65 minutes before church.  I figured that all I’d be missing was some sleep and how committed am I if I can’t give up some of that for an exercise program? 

I spent the next several hours working in a cold garage and by the time John arrived for a pre-Christmas get-together, I was numb to the bone.  We went inside and exchanged gifts while I warmed up enough for our Metropark hike. 

John is headed for surgery…again…on the 28^th.  He’s been able to do very little since the crash and shoulder injury he suffered this past August.  The surgery is to attempt and correct issues he’s having with his left shoulder in hopes that he will again be able to at least sleep on that side and at most, be able to hike with a heavy pack on his back this coming summer.  The hike…off-trail and for 70 minutes…was the most exercise he’s done in months.  He’s packing some holiday pounds around his mid-section, too, and we’re going to have our work cut out for us getting him ready for a spring hiking trip.  I know once he’s got the shoulder surgery behind him he’ll fall right into step with a regular program and the weight will come off.  Until then, I’ll give him shit about it.

Savannah and I went late-night shopping and almost completed our purchases but I’ll still have a couple of stops to make Christmas Eve morning.  There was a day when I actually enjoyed last-minute shopping, the crowds, the deals the craziness.  That was long ago in a place far, far away.  I’ll remember this and do better next year.

Hike duration:  70 minutes. Bike duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 80 hiking and 120 bpm biking.
Calories burned during workout: 350 for the hike and 925 biking.

Another party...another missed workout...

Saturday, December 22, 2012
I’d kind of commited to making a set of shelves for Heidi’s art studio and  shelf/drawer unit for her to store clothes in when she’d sent me some diagrams of what she needed this past September.  I knew that she’d wanted them for her birthday in October, but I didn’t have the time to do it then, but felt Christmas would be the time.  Well…I’d bought the wood and began workin gon them the previous weekend, but the router into the finger thing had put a damper on the progress.  I now had a couple of days left and so spent the entire day in the work shop cutting and shaping the pieces I’d need.  Things went well until I reached the drawer construction phase.  I make this kind of cabinetry just enough to know how, but never enough to get good…or quick.  I plugged along until I was completely out of time for working out since we had another Christmas party to attend.

The party had an excellent mix of bad and good food.  I stuck to good, choosing the salmon, spinich salad, and asparagus.  The only horsd’ovres I consumed were grapes and shrimp…how bad could that be?  When dessert was served, I had a small piece and called it a night.  I felt pretty good about my control, but I’d missed a workout and so the disappointment.  I know it’s only a few more days, but I can’t wait to get back to some kind of regimen.  Missing my workouts and eating poorly plays with my psychie in ways that are not good.  I’m strong though…I’m almost through this.

More calories...bad calories...

Friday, December 21, 2012
With four days left before Christmas, I concluded that it was now or never for presents.  Normally, I have a solid idea of what I’m getting for Holly before heading to the stores, which would have been a real asset today, but I had nothing…much.  I try to make mental notes throughout the year when I hear her commenting on something that would be a good present, but mental notes are not my strong point.  I was drawing blanks.  I spent a couple of hours in the kinds of stores where I knew they sold things she liked, but it wasn’t working.  I went home with a couple of lame gifts and a determination to lassou one of my daughters into coming with me over the weekend to complete the task.

I took Savannah and one of her old cross country teammates who’d heard about the Survival Workout and wanted to try it to the park for a go.  We picked her up and she warned us that she might be barfing along the course since she’d had a huge lunch a couple of hours ago.  I would have liked to tell her that she’d probably be alright, but I don’t like to lie.

“I hope those fancy running shoes weren’t expensive because you’ll be wearing lunch on them shortly,” I promised.  She knows me and my coaching style…and she was frightened.

She’s young and a runner though, and like Savannah, knows how far to push herself if she wants to keep her cookies down.  I, on the other hand, was looking at going out to dinner that evening and wanted to push myself to burn every calorie I could.  I also like to show off to young kids that I can still exercise like I’m not 57 years old.  We’d already done some sprinting when we reached the karaoke hill and half way up, Savannah gave in to fatigue.  The combination of sprinting with the up hill climbing is enough to fatigue even well-conditioned people, but she was still discouraged with herself.  She recovered quickly though, and had no further troubles during the workout.

I was hoping for a little time on the trainer before having to leave for dinner, but taking two people through a workout takes longer and I had to give up the idea.  We went to ‘Fat Fish Blues’ for dinner where I had two cups of sweet potato turkey soup, a large loaf of corn bread and a huge mushroom burger.  It was too much food and I passed on the dessert.  We followed that with a trip to the State Theatre where we saw the Mannheim Steamroller performing their Christmas show. 

We returned home after the show and had the couple that had taken us in for drinks and more desserts.  This time, I caved to the cookies, but went with a smoothie for my drink.  By the end of the evening though, I was full to bursting and ashamed of complete lack of self-control for the evening.  And it’ll like get worse before it gets better…

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

Thirty-seven years and counting...

Thursday, December 20, 2012
I’m posting these quite late, but I’ve managed to do what so many of us do at this time of year…procrastinate.  It was my anniversary…something you cannot put off if you hope to have pleasant ones in the future, so I went to the park and did a quick Survival Workout.  Wisely, I stopped on the way home and picked up some flowers and a card and since I beat Holly home, was able to arrange them, write a note and put it all on her desk before she arrived. 

We went out to dinner at Austin’s Steak House where I had a paleo meal consisting of pork chops, broccoli and a salad.  We took in a movie afterwards…movies have always been our thing from our first date (The Exorcist) through our honeymoon (Scarface) to the present.  I found something slightly less disturbing; Barbara Steisand’s new movie ‘Guilt Trip’.

I’ve got a lot of calories coming my way over the next several days and will struggle with self-control and getting in my workouts.  Family and friends in town, last minutes shopping, and holiday parties are a must while exercise is a luxury…at least this time of year.  I have a plan for each day because without one I’d never get in my exercise fixes, but they need to remain flexible.  We’ll see how it goes.

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

"So dad...how do you make coffee?"

Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Kim was back in town for the holidays and had texted me about doing a workout.  I was itching to crack the 100 barrier and wanted her as a witness.  When I texted back (not while driving) the time I would pick her up, she figured out she wouldn’t be available until after dark.  That wouldn’t have stopped me, but she’s afraid of deer and everyone, EVERYONE knows that ninja deer stalk their prey after dark.  Though we’ve had the conversation before, I can’t convince her that deer are herbivores and not really a threat to her.  Logic, however, is not part of her processing when it comes to deer.  I drove home thinking it would be a boring night on the trainer.

Cabinetry for Heidi is not the only thing in my Christmas workshop.  I’d long ago converted my father’s 4,000 plus photo slides to digital by reshooting them with my macro lens and downloading them to my computer.  I’d been dissatisfied with the quality of many of the shots and decided to redo them over the summer.  I plugged them into iPhoto, the photo software that comes standard with an iMac computer and cropped each picture to maximize the image for wide screen TV viewing.  I would burn them to a DVD and give them to each of my siblings, but I had not completed the final stage of the process, which was a log of each picture and who was in it.  These shots go back to the early fifties and although I’d identified all the pictures, I hadn’t finished typing the information into my excel spread sheet.  I sat down in front of the computer and began working around six.

Holly was sick in her bed, but she had her iPad with her.  I heard that a message had come in on facebook while I worked and was surprised to see it was from her...and it was nine o’clock.  She’d sent me a message asking if I’d get her won ton soup.  I’d offered to make her something when I’d come home, but that was several hours ago.  I was about 50 pictures from finishing, but Christmas was near and I was sure she hadn’t completed her shopping.  I headed out the door for the Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant.

When I returned, we sat down together to eat.  I’d put together a sandwich with turkey breast, mushrooms and spinach...yum, yum.  I watched her eating, hair disheveled, nose and eyes red and puffy, and wondered how she would be functioning tomorrow...our 37^th anniversary.  Dinner and a movie might have to wait.  She ate about half the soup and returned to bed and I went back to finish my project.

I was only there a couple of minutes when Jack walked in.  He had that inquisitive look on his face, which meant I should be taking notes because it was bound to be something good.  It was.

“Dad...how do you make coffee?”

Random Jack, I thought.

“I heat up water and drop a coffee bag in it.  Do you mean how would I make it with the coffee maker?  And why do you want to know anyway?”

“I was thinking it would keep me awake to work on a paper I need to finish for tomorrow.  What do you put in yours?”

“I use cream and sugar...but maybe you should just drink some Pepsi.  You’ve never had coffee and you might not like it,” I said.

“Hmm.  Cream and sugar, huh?  How...um...do you make it black?”

I looked at him to see if he was pulling my leg.  I should have known better since he doesn’t do that.  “You...um...don’t put cream and sugar in it,” I said.

The light bulb went on and he smiled.  So did I.  The things I’d have missed if we hadn’t had four children.

The cognitive process...

Tuesday, December 18, 2012
We put up a real tree each year and over the past several years...since the girls went off to college...I’m usually waiting until the final week before Christmas for them to come home to pick one out.  We were going to go on Sunday, but that little thing with the router had left me out of the mood.  Now it was Tuesday and time was running short.  I arrived home after doing a run in the park and told Savannah we’d go as soon as mom arrived with the van.  Netted trees fit nicely in the back of a minivan when you have the seats down, so I didn’t want to go through trying to tie to the roof.  Holly was working late for a west side client, so when she finally pulled in the garage, it was after 8.

Savannah, Jack and I were driving to the local nursery where we’d gotten a tree over the last several years, but a darkened parking lot greeted us as we turned in.

“Why don’t we go to that place by the high school?” Savannah suggested.

We did...and with the same result.  Jack was confused.

“Why do we wait so long to get a tree every year?”  he asked.

Savannah looked at me and smiled.  She knew what was coming.

“Jack...who goes with us every year to get the tree?”

I could see him pondering this trick question in the rear view mirror.  He waited a moment, then said, “um...Heidi and Savannah usually come.”

He still wasn’t putting it together, so I gave him another hint.  “And where have Heidi and Savannah been for the last eight years in the weeks before Christmas?”

“They...um...college?”

“Yay Jack!” Savannah squealed.

Poor guy.  His mouth often times gets ahead of his brain.  When it engages...it works.
We drove home and made plans to return the following evening.  I drank more of my Kefir before eating my dinner and I would like to think that since it has been two weeks since my last stomach discomfort, I am cured...or at least in remission.  Again...thanks, Postman.

Run Duration:  35 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.

Five to go...

Monday, December 17, 2012
I went to work with a bandaged finger and found typing to be particularly problematic, but had no pain to speak of.  Savannah was planning to meet me for a Survival Workout and I figured if I covered the hand with a glove, I could keep it clean and do the workout.

She hasn’t been doing much this semester, but she never asked me to back off on anything.  She kind of reminds me of me, at times.  I began with my inverted push-ups and as I approached 90, thought I might be breaking 100.  My arms turned to mush over the next couple of reps though, as I struggled to get to 95.  Still...a new pr and only 5 to go.  I’ve been wondering for some time what I will do when I finally reach 100.  I don’t see myself going back to the standard push-up and I don’t want to keep doing the same thing, so I guess I’ll come up with some further variation.  The push-up utilizes the chest muscles and I have to have an exercise that engages this major muscle group.  I’ll think of something.

I introduced Savannah to my fifty-yard sprints during the workout.  She ran along side me as I told her what pace to run and when to increase the acceleration until we were running all out.  She stayed at my side for the first one, but fell off on the next three.  Still...she gave it her all and was entirely spent when we finished the workout.

“I feel sick.  I really let myself get out of shape this semester,” she said.

“You may be dissatisfied with yourself and I get that...but the fact that you’re not puking your guts out right now is a testament to the fact that you didn’t lose it all.  Trust me...most people would be on their hands and knees right now,” I said.

I’d done 24 sets and she’d handled 21.  Pretty intense for a first day back.  We drove home and I went into my bathroom for a shower and to clean up my finger.  I found that it had some dirt in it, but I could see that there were some small pieces of the nail that had shattered stuck in the healing flesh.  I knew that couldn’t be a good thing, so I grabbed some tweezers and proceeded to pull them out.  It took several minutes and I had a nice flow of blood and considerable pain by the time I was done, but I got it all out.  I’m guessing an emergency room doc would have done the same thing...and it would have cost me $1,000, so I’m glad I didn’t go.  Time will tell if that was the right decision.

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

Routers and fingers don't mix...

Sunday, December 16, 2012
Heidi had given me some drawings for a couple of things she wanted me to make her for her apartment and studio.  She needed a six-foot set of shelves with two drawers and another, lower unit – wide and deep – in which she would store poster board and large art projects.  I figured I’d get them done for her for Christmas, which pretty much meant I should have started them already.

I went to Home Depot to buy the wood and ended up with a decent associate who cut my 4x8 sheets in to more manageable pieces.  I found a piece of clear pine for the shelves, but it had a large chunk knocked off one end.  I went to put it back when the associate asked if I’d take it at half price.

“It’s fourteen bucks normally, and if you don’t take it, it’ll keep ending up back on the shelf,” he said.

“Deal,” I said, knowing I could trim 5 inches off the piece and still have what I needed...or use it for the bottom or top where only I would know there was a hunk missing.  I love deals.

I cleared the garage out when I returned and pulled out my table saw and table router and began the process of cutting the wood into the pieces I would need to make the two pieces.  I’d done all my cuts and was putting the final grooves for the hardware that would hold the adjustable shelving in the side panels with the router, which was mounted to my table saw and on its own table.  I reached under and shut it off after putting that last piece through and was lifting the piece from the table when my left index finger met the spinning blade. 

I’ve been working with wood and power tools for forty years and I’ve never before had an accident.  I suppose there is a first time for everything.  I don’t know how this happened, but when I felt the bit biting into my finger and whacking hard against the bone, I knew I’d messed up.  I pulled the finger away quickly and looked to see the blood starting to form.  I could see torn up skin on the tip of the finger and was sure part of the nail was gone.  To get a better look, I put the finger in my mouth and bit away at the skin that was flapping around.  It seemed like the thing to do at the time.  When I pulled it from my mouth, I had a better view of the damage, though I couldn’t be sure how bad it was.  Holly was in the kitchen and preparing a large family dinner for her father’s birthday and I knew a trip to the emergency room was not on her punch list.  I walked into the kitchen.

“Hey...I, um, think I have a little problem,” I said, holding my finger.

“Really?  Can’t you see I’m a little busy?” she said...used to my minor injuries.

When she saw the finger, she went for the bandages while I ran water over it.  I asked her to cut some strips from the gauze and wind it on.

“Don’t you think you should clean it out?” she asked.

“I’ve been cleaning it out since it happened...you know...sucking out the blood and stuff.  It’s clean,” I said.

She bandaged it up while wondering aloud whether I should be going to the emergency room and spending lots of money.

“I’m not going to the emergency room.  If it hurts like hell or gets infected or something, I’ll go then...and spend lots of money,” I said.

It was throbbing plenty, but I still had some grooves and shelves to cut.  Sitting around and thinking about it wasn’t going to make it feel any better, so I headed for the garage and went back to work.  I never did do a workout that day, but I did get out of dish detail so some good came of the injury.  It was throbbing with each heart beat as I turned in, kind of like your heart is actually located in your finger.  I love that feeling.  I figured sleeping would push me eight hours closer to recovery.  At least I had a plan...and Heidi would have some shelving units.

Edging closer to 100...

Saturday, December 15, 2012
I was supposed to meet Bruce at the park to do the Survival Workout at 9 a.m., which was a good thing.  He always wants to work out early and I’m a bit of a procrastinator on the weekends, so I figured this would be a nice jump-start on a busy day.  Then the phone rang…

“John…I’m a little hung over and I don’t think I’m in nearly good enough shape to have you dragging me through the woods this morning.  I’m going to bow out on you.  Sorry,” Bruce said over the phone…sounding like shit.

“Don’t worry.  And I’ll never, ever bring it up that you wussed out.  Ever,” I promised.

I was dressed and ready to go, so I went.  I’d done a pretty good workout on Wednesday, but with the extra day off was feeling pretty strong so I suppose I wasn’t too surprised when I hit 80 push-ups and still felt I had something left.  I passed 90 and struggled to do 2 more, which was 2 more than I’d ever done before.  I’d told Kim I was hoping to crack 100 over the holidays and with her in tow and it was looking like I might actually make it.  I’ve been doing the incline push-ups for about a year now and since I could do a little over 50 on my first try, it was taking a hell of a long time to double that number.  I also pr’d on my four set total with 262…they get progressively harder when they’re mixed in with 20 other exercises.

I was psyched with the workout and the early start and managed to keep my engine running in the red all day.  I made it to Home Depot to purchase the wood I needed to build Heidi’s cabinets and did all the prep work so that I could work on them the next day.  I took Savannah up to Performance Bikes and we picked out her Christmas present.  I was planning on buying it without her, but decided it was better to have her along and fit it to her instead of guessing.  We picked out a Schwinn hybrid and when she rode it around the store, I knew she was hooked.  She’s been riding a bike we got her when she was about 12, which didn’t fit her so well, and had forgotten just how good it can feel to be on a bike that does.  Like all my kids, she’s into exercise but has never done much biking.  I’d like to hook her and get her to join me on part of my ‘Tour Ohio’ this coming summer. Step one is complete.
I did more shopping and completed a number of tasks inside and out once returning home.  What I didn’t do was another workout.  I had been hoping to get in some time on the trainer or even a ride outdoors, but time just got away from me.  It’s the holidays and that can happen.

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

Practicing some self-control...

Friday, December 14, 2012
Holly and I would be attending a Christmas party at Kirtland Country Club in the evening and I knew the menu would include many rich foods and hollow calories.  In other words, it would all be delicious.  With that in mind and knowing the state of my willpower, I took the opportunity to get in a 2-hour ride in what turned out to be a pretty decent December afternoon.  Temperatures were in the mid-forties, so I went with biking shorts only on the lower body and my long-sleeved under armor and my riding shirt on top.  I decided the isotoner gloves would be enough to keep my hands warm, but I wasn’t completely accurate on that score.  I can wear two pairs of socks on my feet and barely get them in the riding shoes, so it has to do.  It didn’t either.  What is comfortable while preparing the bike is not necessarily warm enough when riding two hours creating a chill factor from the mid-twenties to the mid-thirties.  My hands and feet suffered, but I manned it out.

I ran into a couple of old high school classmates at the party and they were familiar with my workout routine.  I had one agree to join me the next morning…he’s done it before…but the other looked, well, scared.  He asked me for an overview of the workout, and grinned.

“Tell you what, John…you and Bruce go down to the park in the morning and if I’m not there, go ahead and start without me,” Karl said.

“Hey…Karl…you can handle it.  Do as many push-ups or whatever as you can.  I’m not trying to get you to puke or something,” I said.

But really, I probably would have beat him up pretty badly.  I’d known Karl since eighth grade CYA football when he was playing for another school.  At that time, he outweighed me by about twenty pounds, and with his twin brother, Kurt, had spent an afternoon plowing into me across the line of scrimmage.  It was only 45 years later, but never too late for a little retribution.  No matter how much sweet talking I did though, he was on to me and declined the offer.

I skipped all the fancy h’dovres and the rolls…sticky and dinner…placed on the table.  Dinner was steak and lobster with melted butter, green beans and some kind of potato thing.  I handed my butter to Holly…she’ll drink the stuff if you don’t watch her…and passed on the potatoes.  There was a dessert bar too, but I never even looked it over.  I was rather proud of myself because this was a party where I could have easily consumed over 2,000 calories.  Not bad for someone normally worthless and weak.

Bike Duration:  Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1700 .

A decent run...

Thursday, December 13, 2012
I’d been putting it off for some time, but I needed to get in a run.  I had an electrician coming to the house and didn’t have a lot of time, which made running even more ideal.  It is still the most intensive thing I do and I know I burn more calories and work harder in a run than I do in any other activity for the same period of time. 

I started slowly waiting and wondering about my achilles and whether it would hurt.  It wasn’t too uncomfortable, so I picked up the pace as I wound up the bridle trail from River Road to the top of ridge line that defines the park.  I like to get this steep hill out of the way at the beginning of a run rather than having to deal with it when I’m fatigued from running.  It was a grey day and nearly dark, which meant I had the park mostly to myself.  I headed off-trail for a portion that took me down to the marsh, which makes any run worth the effort.  Water fowl are still abundant there and I look forward to any opportunity to spot an eagle cruising the skies above.  There were none this day.

The hidden trail brought me back to River Road and I finished the last mile partially on pavement.  I hurried home to shower and meet the electrician who, for the second time in three days, did not come at the appointed hour.  I had a good soreness from the run; a tired fatigue that comes from using muscles that have lain dormant for a period of time.  I’ve been doing some sprinting during the Survival Workout and though my legs are strong, they’re not used to the pounding of a 40-minute run.   I’d like to think I’ll do more running and it is convenient, but any chance I have to ride outside, I will.  A couple of runs a week though, are all it takes.

Run Duration:  40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 700.

I just never got the 'beer' thing...

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I made it back to the park for a Survival Workout...something about which I’ve been negligent over the pasta several weeks.  I was feeling reasonably healthy...the cold is lingering...but otherwise okay.  I decided with Kim and Savannah coming home soon and likely asking to do the workout with me, that I needed to blast myself a couple of times.

I started with 82 decline push-ups and felt pretty good about the effort.  I went on to do 21 different exercises, including some sprinting and uphill running.  I returned to the car arm weary, knowing it was a good start.

I wanted to put some time on the trainer afterwards, but needed to stop at Heinen’s to pick up some Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing for my brother.  I was heading to his house for dinner and a birthday celebration and know how much he likes the stuff...which I find disgusting.  Since everyone in my family going back to the Paleolithic era enjoys beer, I can only think that my DNA got messed up and the beer thing passed me by.  I hate the smell mostly, but gag on the taste, too.  I suppose it’s okay, but sometimes I want to like it since it looks so good.  Anyway, I made my purchase but by the time I got home, I didn’t have enough time to ride AND be on time for dinner.  I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit a double in tomorrow.  I need one.

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

Have the Indians finally made a good trade?

Tuesday, December 11, 2012
I do not apologize for being a baseball fan.  I’ve been one since childhood when I lived and died with the Boston Red Sox, as many of my friends did growing up in New England.  I came around to the Indians after living in Cleveland for 45 years, suffering until the 90’s and then living the dream with the great teams we fielded for a little more than ten years.

We’ve returned to the bad, old days again, I think.  The ownership doesn’t seem to have a firm grasp on the rudder and like my sea kayak in a strong wind, they’re getting pushed around and not sure where they’ll end up.  Shin Soo Choo became the latest talented player to be traded for prospects.  We’ve been down this road several times before and have come up holding a whole lot less than we had.  This time, we seem to have a great, young pitcher, picked third in the draft in 2011, but since great, young pitchers are so hard to come by, why did the Arizona Diamondbacks let him go?  Time will tell.

I put in an hour on the trainer before having a huge bowl of Holly’s chili.  She’s still out of town, but left Jack and I with plenty of meal choices.  I’ve got enough chili to last me the rest of the week and with the way it hits my digestive system, I suppose it’s a good thing Holly is out of town.  I’m still using Kefir and my stomach is again 100%. 

Bike Duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 850.

Pete Rose SHOULD be in the Hall...

Monday, December 10, 2012

Holly left for Omaha on business so I used the opportunity to have a guys night and watch another episode of the Ken Burns’ baseball documentary.  Don and John joined me for spaghetti and smoothies as we enjoyed the Ninth and final inning of the original production.  It would take us through Major League Baseball in the 70’s and 80’s, a time that we knew well.  It was the time of free agency and the beginning of the understanding that pro athletes were not icons and home town heroes, but mercenaries, drug users and sometimes cheaters.  In other words, they were just like the rest of us.

Pete Rose was one of the greatest players of this era and seemingly a throwback to an earlier era when players through everything they had into every single game and always came away with a couple of hits, a dirty uniform, and were only happy if they’d won.  Rose would go on to surpass Ty Cobb’s record for most hits in a career, finishing with 4,256 and certain enshrinement in baseball’s Hall of Fame.  He retired to become the manager of the Cincinnati Reds and it was then that allegations began to surface of his gambling addiction, which appeared to include major league baseball and included games in which he’d played.  If true, he would be banned from baseball and never win entry into the Hall.  Three years after his retirement, he agreed to a ban from baseball for the gambling allegations, but continued to deny betting on baseball and his Reds until 2004, though he claimed to have always bet ON himself.  The Hall of Fame continues to uphold the ban against his entry despite tremendous criticism by baseball fans around the country...including me.

I understand his banishment from baseball.  He knew the consequences of his gambling in this regard while he was doing it and accepted the risk.  He had an addiction that needed treatment, for sure, but that does not excuse breaking that long held rule.  Banishment from the Hall of Fame is a separate matter.  The Hall was designed to recognize achievements by players for what they did between the foul lines and not how they lived their lives once the games were played.  There are many scoundrels in the Hall of Fame...baseball players were no better the general population from which they came...but we allow and forgive the transgressions we knew and bury our heads over those that happened, but went unreported by a media that protected its sports heroes through the sixties.  Pete Rose was one of the greatest players ever to put on a uniform.  He ALWAYS played to win.  His nickname, Charlie Hustle, was as well earned as a nickname can be.  The gambling he did was wrong, but it never detracted from how he played or what he accomplished on the field.  He belongs in the Hall.

I conceded another day of exercise to a worsening chest cold.  If it continues, I’ll simply climb aboard the trainer and put in some time indoors.  I suppose I was being a little easy on myself, but there it is.

Sunday, December 9, 2012
There is only one way I know to fight a bad chest cold believing that a good offense is the best defense.  Holly didn't see it quite that way and was more than a little surprised when I announced my intention to go for a bike ride Sunday morning.  Do as I say...not as I do...is another one of those mantra's I live by.

You HAVE to pay attention to the forecast if you have any hopes of riding your bike outside this time of year.  Well...if you want to stay dry, that is.  I knew that showers were expected in the afternoon and really wanted to get out on UB for a longer ride.  I was anxious to start testing myself on courses I’ve ridden over and over to see it the lighter, carbon-framed bike would make a noticeable difference in my times.  When I’d ridden John’s ultra-light road bike, ‘The Rocket’, over the summer, I’d seen an almost ten percent improvement in my times.  I’m really not expecting that from UB, particularly since my cycling conditioning is in winter mode, but I am expecting maybe a five percent difference.

I boarded UB around 11 a.m. with an hint of sunshine in an otherwise steel grey sky.  Rain was coming, but I was reasonably certain it wouldn’t arrive for a couple of hours...about the time I wanted to ride.  The temperature was in the low forties, so I elected to ride without tights or a hat under my helmet, choosing instead to wear my do-rag.  I did put on two pairs of socks and my special riding mittens, though, and wore my long-sleeved under armor under my cycling shirt. 

I faced a fierce head wind over the first hour of the ride, which tends to suck the motivation out of me.  I wasn’t pushing for a fast time any longer, but only looking to have a strong second half of my ride.  I’d adjusted the seat height on the bike to match the bike I’d been riding, but found that the saddle, and old-style, heavy, leather Brooks, had me shifting slightly as I pedaled and losing stroke power.  I’d need to make an adjustment in the tilt of the seat...or replace it.  I noticed after about 20 minutes of riding that my bare knees had turned an interesting color of blueish purple.  I suppose riding at speeds topping 40 mph on downhills would create a chill factor that could manage these colors, but I didn’t feel cold.  Then there was my feet.  By the time I hit the hour mark, I started having second thoughts about riding for two hours.  I was turning out of the wind at this point, which meant I’d be going faster...and getting colder.  It wasn’t raining though, and my feet would eventually warm once I stopped riding...or so the theory goes.

I stayed the course and ended up back in my driveway almost exactly two hours after starting.  I couldn’t feel my feet as I walked into the house, but ten minutes in a hot shower alleviated that issue.  I made a large smoothie and drove to Mimi’s to put a second coat on the table I was refinishing.

My stomach pains are still at bay...and that after eating five pieces of Jet’s sausage pizza.  I continue to take my Kefir religiously and see no end to that pattern.  And then the Browns won their third game in a row and the city of Cleveland was ecstatic.  The good news...they won three games in a row.  The bad news...the whole town is excited because a Cleveland sports team won three games in a row. 

Bike Duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1700.

Fighting a chest cold...

Saturday, December 8, 2012

I didn’t want to go more than a day without some new problem, so I developed a sore throat and chest cold overnight.  I went to Mimi’s in the morning to begin a process of refinishing her beautiful oak, dining table.  I sanded off the old finish, rubbed out the stain and put a fresh coat of polyurethane on it.  I knew I was in trouble though when I began taking boxes from her attic to the basement and was actually getting fatigued.  I was planning on stopping in the park for a Survival Workout after, but instead drove straight home and stayed in for the remainder of the day.  I told myself I’d ride the trainer if I felt any better, but that never happened either.  I suppose one day off to a cold is okay, particularly if I don’t have to take a second one tomorrow.  I continued drinking my Kefir and had another trouble-free stomach day, at least.

UB Express rides like a dream...

Friday, December 7, 2012

I don’t know when I felt the need to name the bikes I ride…but I do.  I took the Trek 2300 my uncle gave me out for its maiden Ohio voyage and thought as I rode about an appropriate name.  My uncle called it ‘The Feather’ because when he purchased it in 1992, it was one of the lightest models available.  Well, compared to today's carbon fiber lightweights, it’s probably more of a light-heavyweight, but it’s still several pounds lighter than ‘Big Red’, the aluminum Trek 1400 I’ve been riding.  Anyway, I didn’t think ‘The Feather’ fit and I wanted something original and decided on ‘Uncle Bill’s Express’ or ‘UB’ for short.

It was cold for riding and I had only about an hour before dark.  I wore my tights and upper body under armor, two pairs of socks, a stocking cap under my helmet and some fantastic riding mittens…another gift from my uncle.  I was quite comfortable with the exception of my toes, which always seem to be an issue.  The riding mittens have a normal thumb compartment, but there are two compartments for fingers, each encasing two fingers and allowing for better control of hand brakes and gear shifts while keeping the digits that much warmer than gloves would.  They worked beautifully and I highly recommend them.

I managed 80 minutes of riding with the final 15 in the dark.  There were no reflectors on UB, so that was a bad decision though almost all of that time was on sidewalks and side streets with almost no traffic.

I continued to down Kefir a couple of times a day and for the second straight day, I would say my stomach was completely normal.  I owe it all to the Postman…a great friend and loyal reader who wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Thanks for reminding me, Randy.  I’ll never be slow on the draw again.

Bike Duration: 80 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 1125.

Spirit of America Boating Safety...

Thursday, December 6, 2012

It had been almost a week since my last Survival Workout and I was kind of missing it.  I managed to hit 80 inverted push-ups to start, so I knew it would be a good one if I was willing to challenge myself…and I was.  I went through a rough routine that included 21 different exercises and felt spent, but pumped at the conclusion.  I was hoping to get home with enough time to ride the trainer, but found that would be impossible if I was to be on time for my sister’s ‘Spirit of America’ Benefit dinner.  She has been the director of the boating safety program, Spirit of America, since its inception in 1995, but has recently become the CEO and owner of the non-profit business.  It is a wonderful program that works mostly with children in grades 6-8, teaching them water safety skills and the use of canoes, kayaks, jet skies, sail and jon boats.  I’ve worked for her as an instructor and love doing it.  To me, anything that gets kids outside and appreciating forms of recreation that will give them an appreciation of our natural resources AND help them stay fit is a win-win.  I particularly like introducing people to things they can enjoy for a lifetime…and this is one of those things.

Anyway, I had another large serving of Kefir and went to the dinner where I ate a breaded walleye, some of Holly’s breaded chicken…all without stomach incident.  The recovery continues…

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