Last workout of a very good year...

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The final day of the workout year.  The final day of everyone’s year, as well.  It was a year of high’s for me personally and professionally.  Overcoming injuries and nagging pain, I managed to complete most of Tour Ohio in good form.  My biggest fear – completing the circumnavigation of the state on my bike – went remarkably well as I rode 1,100 miles in 11 days.  I followed it with two days on the Grand River, paddling 45 miles and dunking my phone and camera in the water.  The camera survived; the phone bit the dust.  I succumbed to my hip problems when trying to finish Tour Ohio with an 84-mile hike on the Ohio & Erie Canal Trail with a 35-pound pack attached to my back.  That hip is still bothering me and I’ve yet to visit the doc.  Nothing new there.

Professionally, I found the time during Tour Ohio to interview for the position of CEO for the Trumbull County YMCA.  I was offered the position and have been working there for two months now.  I’m walking the talk and trying to get as many others to join me in the journey as I possibly can.  It’s a task worth doing.

I finished the year much as I started it…with a solid double.  I drove to the North Chagrin Reservation on the way home and suited up for a run.  My plan?  Maybe 20 minutes to be followed by a ride on the trainer when I arrived at home.  The trails were snow-covered, icy, and the temperature was around 1 degrees.  I started with a covering for my ears, but packed my hat in my pocket in case my bare head needed help late in the run.  It did. 

I defied the law and parked in the horse trailer only parking lot since my normal spot was unplowed.  I ran towards Squires Castle, passing the sledders along the way and wishing I’d brought my Flexible Flier.  The top of my head was sweating…and crystallizing…so I put the hat on.  I was moving slowly due to the icy trail conditions, but the effort was there.  On clear trails I would have covered the distance in twenty minutes, but when I returned to the car in 26, decided I’d keep going for an even 30.  As often happens, this became 33 and so I pushed for an even (odd) 35 minutes.  I knew I was pushing my luck; risking re-injuring my bad left calf and finally stopped.  I was perspiring heavily and re-entered the car quickly to keep from turning into a Popsicle. 

Once home, I boarded the trainer, tuned in ‘Bear Attack’ on Netflix (I like to remind myself about the importance of precautionary camping in bear country) and rode for an hour.

I also continued my assault on the Christmas cookies and other goodies strewn throughout our kitchen.  I feel strongly about eating everything sweet so that none of my family members will be tempted.  I exercise more than they and feel I’m only serving a public service.  That, and I want them gone by 2014.  I’ve got a lot to do before the evening’s over.

Run duration:  35 minutes.  Bike duration:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  140 running and 120 bpm on the bike.

Calories burned during workout:  600 running and 850 on the bike.

Winter workout fun...

Monday, December 30, 2013
Living near Lake Erie in almost any community with the word ‘Heights’ in it can be a good thing if you enjoy lake effect snow.  It just so happens that I live in Highland Heights and I do enjoy shoveling, so it all works out.

Ice sucks, though.

It had been 50 degrees on Saturday and so I’d pulled my bike from its hangers in the garage and tried to go for a ride.  I hadn’t been on it in almost two months and quickly discovered that the inactivity had somehow frozen the gear cable inside the housing.  I was stuck in one gear and that wasn’t going to work.  I drove it to Performance Bikes and received a repair ticket and a promise that it would be ready for a ride the next day.

I returned home and boarded the trainer for a boring, indoor ride. 

Sunday came and went without a call telling me the bike was completed, though since a cold rain was falling, it didn’t really much matter.  I don’t ride in cold rains and tend to shy away from warm ones, as well.  I hopped on the trainer again.

Temperatures dropped overnight, hitting 17 degrees in the Heights, creating a thick coating of ice over anything outside – driveway and cars included.  After shoveling five inches of a fluffy, light snowfall, I went to work trying to chisel the layer of ice covering the Jeep – my preferred form of transportation to Warren in severe winter conditions.  I came to the conclusion that although the chiseling was a splendid workout, I wasn’t making much progress and elected to turn on the engine and try to melt it off with heavy defroster action.  Fifteen minutes later with an assist from the warm air blowing on the insides, I was able to clear the windows.  In all, I’d spent an hour getting the vehicle out of the driveway.

I did not consider this the entire workout, heading for the North Chagrin Reservation later in the day with Dakota for a Survival Workout.  There was 6 inches of powder on the trail, but I knew where my rocks and logs were located and after brushing the snow away and kicking them loose from the earth (they were frozen in place), was able to do some lifting.  I hiked the trail through the snow, itself a workout, with Dakota in tow and loving every minute.  We were alone as most sensible folks were inside, warm and smart.  We crossed Clear Creek where the water was running high and the rocks for crossing were covered in ice.  I jumped and managed to reach the far side without getting too wet, but Dakota walked through and would shortly be trying to chew ice from between her toes.  We shortened the workout trail to accommodate her ice build-up and discomfort.

I returned to the car pleased with the effort.  I find the tranquility of the park with a layer of virgin snow worth any degree of discomfort.  Was it a great workout?  Not really, but some days it is just making the effort and keeping the focus that counts.  It’s how we achieve goals and manage to stay in shape.  There’s also a little bit of pride in being able to handle the elements, which once you’re out, really aren’t so bad.

Survival Workout:  45 minutes.  Snow removal:  60 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 80-120 bpm on snow removal.
Calories burned during workout:  450 for SW and 400 on snow removal.

Fifteen years later...hanball!

Monday, December 2, 2013

  This grueling sport was the forerunner to racquetball, played on a court 20’ x 40’ with 20’ ceilings and involves striking a hard, rubber ball the size of a golf ball with hands covered only in thin, leather gloves.  Played well, it requires lots of running, ambidextrous use of both hands, and excellent hand-eye coordination.  Once upon a time I had them all.  Now…about 15 years since my last game…well…I can run kinda okay.
I hadn’t been at the Y too long before it became known that I had once played handball.

“John – quit ducking me.  When are we going to play?” Gil Rieger asked me for the tenth time.  He was so anxious to get me on a court so he could destroy me that he’d actually purchased me handball gloves and a ball.  I was out of excuses.

“Monday,” I said, thinking I could get hit by a car over the weekend and not have to go through with it.  That, or he’d forget since he’s so old.

But he didn’t forget and no one ran me over.

“We still on?” he asked when he stuck his head in my office.

“Can’t wait,” I replied with phony enthusiasm.

We jumped on court one and after a brief warm-up (his was lots longer than mine) and a listing of excuses we each shared about why we thought we’d likely suck, play began.  I got the serve first…suckers always do.  It was the only mistake he would make.

Serving is good and the only time you can score points.  You simply drop the ball at your side and whack it off the front wall so that it bounces back and towards your opponent.  It’s the thing that, like riding a bike, you don’t forget how to do and I do it pretty well.  I piled up six unanswered points before losing the serve.  Now I had to receive a serve.

The trickiest part of the game when you’ve laid off for all kinds of time is to again read the bounce of the ball.  It could strike any of four walls or the ceiling and you need to figure out where it’s going and be there to strike it when it arrives.  I ran around like the proverbial chicken and seemed to always be about one step off where I should have been.  I was sweating like crazy in no time and providing wonderful entertainment for Gil, though, and that was my goal.

We played three games; I actually won one of them and came off the court feeling every muscle and knowing I’d be sore everywhere the next day.  Gil had broken a good sweat, as well, and was anxious to do it again. 

“Next Monday, John?” he asked.  I agreed, of course.  I really do love the game and though I’d bruised the crap out of my hands…and my delicate ego…I’d go at it again.  It HAD been fun.  I had PLAYED for a workout instead of being stuck on a stationary piece of equipment.  Not a bad plan, after all.

Handball match:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-130 bpm.
Calories burned:  600.

Amazing members at the Y...

Friday, November 29, 2013
I’ve only been at the Y for five weeks now, but have already met 20 members with at least 50 years belonging to, and using, this the Trumbull County YMCA.  I mean think about it…that’s 1,000 years of combined history of sharing in the mission of our Y in only 20 people!  Pretty impressive and equally motivating to me to make sure we continue communicating our mission and thereby assuring this Y will be a vibrant, robust operation for coming generations of the Warren community.  I see big things on the horizon.

I went to work Friday with the intention of squeezing in a workout somewhere during the day.  That didn’t happen.  I was scheduled for a visit to my sister’s later that evening where we would be consuming large amounts of hollow calories, or at least I’d be expected to.  I drove home in the dark knowing a stop at the Metropark for a workout wasn’t happening.  Once home, I changed quickly and mounted my bike, stationed on its wind trainer in my office.  I tuned in ‘The West Wing’ on Netflix and began pedaling.

I rode thinking one episode…about 42 minutes…would have to suffice.  I reached that point and slowed my pedaling.  It was in that instant though that I considered I’d have to write a column reporting that I’d only ridden 42 minutes.  Guilt flooded in and I picked up the pace.  What’s another 18 minutes?  I’d get to the party 18 minutes later and have 18 minutes less time to eat immeasurably more hollow calories.  I completed an hour and dismounted, sweating profusely, but pleased with the effort.

Another perfect example of why it helps to make others aware of your workout goals.  Writing this blog has again become my conscience and pushed me to do something – or sometimes more – than I was going to do.  It just works.  I went to the party and because of the efforts I put in recently, decided against certain food items – basically those loaded with sugar calories that I only wanted, but didn’t need.  Yeah…it works.

Bike duration:  60 minutes.

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

 

 

 

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanksgiving Day and what are my intentions?  Quite simply to overeat all the wrong kinds of food for the entire day and without a single pang of guilt.  Oh…and sitting around watching football to burn off the excess calories.

But I didn’t do just that.  In fact, I was up early and dragged Jack and Dakota (my amazing dog) to the North Chagrin Reservation where we went through the Survival Workout in two inches of snow and temperatures in the low 20’s.  Jack was in a talkative mood; discussing what he should do with the rest of his life and how best to approach college.  I didn’t do as many sets as I would have normally, but thought answering his questions and giving him my focus was more important.  Until I got home again.

I hopped on the trainer in my office and loaded Netflix onto the computer, picking a movie starring Robert DeNiro and John Travolta called ‘Killing Season’.  I love both actors and it was filmed in the Appalachians, so I figured it had to be good.  It really wasn’t, but it kept my mind off the fact that I was riding a stationary bicycle indoors well enough for me to get 80 minutes of riding.  Now I felt like I could eat with reckless abandon.

But I still didn’t.  I went to the kitchen with the aroma of a baking turkey and fresh pies and put together a blender of fruit smoothie.  I downed the whole blender an hour before dinner was to be served as a way to keep myself from gorging on graving, dressing, mashed potatoes and pie.  When we did finally sit down, I put only turkey, sweet potatoes and corn on my plate, still somewhat satisfied from the smoothie.  I knew I didn’t need to eat all the turkey at one sitting; I’d control the leftovers.

I skipped dessert following dinner, but had a huge slice of apple pie with a couple of scoops of Breyer’s Vanilla ice cream with Natural Bean Specks a couple of hours later.  It was Thanksgiving, after all, and I would have felt guilty if I hadn’t. 

Survival Workout:  45 minutes.  Bike duration:  80 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 bpm on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  450 for SW and 1100 on the bike.

Back to stay...

Tuesday, November 26, 2013
For anyone who has been reading this blog...sorry for the repetitive information. 

I’ve been writing an exercise blog for three years now, though I’ve let it slip as a result of Tour Ohio and taking on the job as CEO to the Trumbull County YMCA.  It’s time to stop with the excuses and get back to working out…and writing about it…every day.

Okay – YMCA folks – I suppose you need a little history.  I earned my Master’s degree in Exercise Physiology in the early 80’s.  I worked for the Cleveland Athletic Club as their Athletic Director for a number of years conducting fitness tests, writing training programs and generally helping folks to get…and stay…in shape.  I believed it was really important to make sure exercise was fun, though goal-oriented and that if you couldn’t laugh some, you wouldn’t be doing it for long.  I remain dedicated to those principles.

Personally, I know I’ll struggle to stay with a routine without some kind of goal or event.  I began by training and completing the Ironman Triathlon (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run) twice.  I figured I needed to walk the talk and wanted to inspire people I was training.  It worked.

For many years, I was the guy running, riding and swimming long distances, and playing any and every game in between.  As I grew older though, I found that I was getting bored.  Then I discovered backpacking, kayaking, climbing and camping.  I refocused my training to have me ready for long trips into the back country of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York.  A different goal, but it kept me focused.

Now we’re almost to the present.  I needed a new challenge and wanted to create something – a trek – that others could train for and follow.  I wanted it to be outside, long, interesting and use multiple disciplines.  Enter – Tour Ohio.

Tour Ohio was a combination of cycling, kayaking and hiking.  I laid out the trail and began the trek this past August.  I started with a 1,100 mile bike ride on a course that circumnavigated the state as close to its perimeter as I could find passable riding roads.  I camped along the way and made the trip in 11 days.  I moved to the kayak and paddled 45 miles of the Grand River in two days.  Then I took a break to interview for this job, but was quickly back on the trail and hiking from Cleveland on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail with a destination 84 miles to the south near New Philadelphia.  I was carrying a pack with camping gear and hoping to complete the journey in four days.  By the second day I was suffering from a hip injury that has been bothering me since I’d suffered a stress fracture two years earlier, and was forced to the sidelines when I could no longer walk.  I’ll get back to it and the next time out, train more appropriately so that there will be no stopping on the journey.

So…here I am at the Trumbull County YMCA as the CEO and trying to learn the ropes of the position while spreading the news about the mission of the Y.  In so doing, I began to neglect my fitness regimen.  Totally unacceptable.  I have found that writing about it forces me to do it.  Hard to write a column that says I bagged the workout because I was too busy.  Anyway, here’s what I did for yesterday’s workout (I’ll be writing about the day before as a matter of course). 

I do something called the Survival Workout, which is a functional regimen that normally takes place in the North Chagrin Reservation, Cleveland Metroparks, and includes push-ups, dips, lifting heavy rocks and logs, jumping over things, pull-ups on tree branches, climbing steep hills, sprinting, core work and other miscellaneous moves that leave me gasping after 45 minutes.  I’ve adapted it for an indoor YMCA workout for days when I can’t get to the park before dark on my ride home…which is basically every day in the winter.  I moved around the facility hopping and lifting and then finished with 15 minutes on a stationary bike and rowing another 6.  I was drenched in sweat and exhausted, but felt great.

I’ll likely report on more than the workout.  I tend to think what’s happening in my life is inordinately interesting…like going to see the new ‘Hunger Games’ movie with Savannah and Jack – two of my children – last night.  I’ll also share what I’ve eaten, particularly when it’s something good for me.  Finally, I’ll post the amount of calories burned during the workout with a goal of burning 7,000 calories a week with my exercise routine.  Hope you’ll find the stories interesting to read and inspirational with regards to your own training.  I’m available at the Y for fitness testing and program design and look forward to helping any and all who may be looking for assistance getting started, something fresh, or a way to stay committed.  Thanks. 

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.  Bike duration:  15 minutes.  Rowing: 6 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 bpm on the bike and rowing.
Calories burned during workout:  600 for SW and 300 on the bike/row.

 

 

Black bear attack in the Adirondacks...

Sunday, October 6, 2013

I started the morning as I always do when I visit Donnie; making French toast for breakfast.  We ate plenty and talked some more.  My nephew Eric was there doing some roofing projects for Donnie, but mostly for the fishing.  Like his dad, my brother Jim, he’s a fanatical fisherman and loves to fish the Grasse – Donnie’s property abuts it and he has a boat ramp.  Eric had landed a 41” Muskie the night before – a rare accomplishment.  He said it would be nothing to spend several days fishing the river and never getting one, so his weekend was already made when he put his boat in that morning.

While we ate, Donnie shared a story he’d heard about a woman who’d been stalked by three black bears on the Northville-Placid trail a couple of weeks earlier.

“She said they were following her for several miles.  She tried turning and yelling at them, but they kept following.  She took out a pocket knife and kept it ready and when the one was right on top of her and ready to bite her in the shoulder, she stabbed it in the jaw,” he said.

I had no reason to doubt the story, which is extremely unusual, but we googled it and found the entire tale and it went pretty much the way Donnie related it.  It was likely a hungry mom with two older cubs, habituated to humans by raiding camp sites.  The fact that she was stalking is an indicator that she was undernourished and struggling for food.  The young woman did exactly as she should have, which is to fight back.  Black bears are much smaller and less aggressive than grizzlies, but when they do attack, it’s likely because they mean to eat you.  The stab to the jaw did the trick; the bears retreated quickly.

I was on the road for the long drive home by 11 a.m.  Though disappointed in the weather and the lack of view from the peaks, any time in the Adirondacks is time well spent.  I’ll return in two weeks with Heidi and John Heer and Donnie will join us for some camping and hiking.  The fall foliage may have peaked by then and it could be much colder, but I’ve got the gear and will enjoy the time regardless.

Another overcast day in the Adirondacks...

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The wind had picked up and the rains fell heavily during the night and I was quite glad for the rain fly protecting us snugly in our tent.  Geese had gathered in the hundreds during the night on the pond and were communicating noisily throughout.  There were no stars to be seen.

We were up around 7 and Paul moved to the edge of the pond in an attempt to get some pictures of the geese.  I see too many of these in Ohio and have become desensitized to them.  They are powerful fliers and beautiful birds and make for great photo opportunities when they aren’t shitting all over your lawn.  Paul’s presence seemed to disturb them and before he could snap his shutter, hundreds were noisily passing overhead.  I ducked inside the tent to avoid their bombs.

We hiked out and returned to the Noon Mark for a pancake breakfast with real, New York maple syrup.  A light, misty rain was falling and the mountains surrounding the town were completely shrouded in fog.  My plan was to drive to Heart Lake outside of Lake Placid and take the short hike up Mt. Van Hoevenberg, which offered tremendous views of Mt. Marcy and the MacIntyre Range – something that could be spectacular if the clouds lifted. 

We arrived at the trailhead around 11 a.m. and began the 2-mile hike as the mist continued to fall.  It’s an easy hike with only 900 feet of elevation change and although there were many cars parked near the trailhead, apparently none of the occupants were headed for our peak.  We arrived on top in an hour, but visibility allowed us to see only portions of the meadow below.  No peaks were visible.  We stayed on top for 30 minutes before returning to our cars and beginning the drive to Potsdam and a visit with my relatives.

We arrived at my Uncle Bill’s by 3 p.m. and enjoyed a 13-bean soup he’d been preparing.  “I like beans and I figured adding more kinds could only make it better,” he surmised.

He was right and since I’d had two different kinds of bean soup at Noon Mark and now this; was determined that I’d make one of my own when I returned home.  We left after a shower and dinner and drove to my cousin Donnie’s place where we’d spend the night and swap family stories for as long as we could stand it. 

Hike duration:  Two hours.

Training Heart Rate:  90-120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1000.

Climbing Hurricane Mt.

Friday, October 4, 2013

I’d woken many times through the night, but as light was starting to dominate the morning sky, decided it was time to pack up and head for the diner.  It was 6:30 a.m.

I’d just begun rolling up my bag when Paul’s Toyota pulled into the lot.  He drove over and parked next to me.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” I asked.

“Yeah…stopped for a few hours a little ways from here and nodded off,” he said.

He doesn’t seem to need much sleep; one of his many abnormalities.  I packed and we drove to Noon Mark where I had a ham and cheese omelet and looked over the map to determine our climbing destination for the day.

“I’d like to tackle Sawteeth, but its 15 miles round trip and 2,500 feet of elevation change.  I don’t know if my hip can take that, but more importantly, I don’t want to climb it if there isn’t going to be a view,” I said.

My biggest concern was the weather report.  We were looking at a 30% chance of rain, which could mean none at all, but often meant foggy conditions and limited views.  Sawteeth was renowned for its fabulous views and I didn’t want to spend an entire day on the trail only to be looking at pea soup from the summit.  The pain in my hip I felt I could deal with.

We drove from the diner to the trail head for Round Pond; our camping destination.  It was a short hike – about 25 minutes – but a wonderfully secluded camping area seldom used and offering complete serenity.  We saw a notice posted at the trailhead indicating that a hiker from Mass., Scott Haworth, was missing.  He’d parked his car and signed the trailhead book at this location on August 30^th and never been seen again.  It said that he often hiked alone.  If he came to this trailhead, he may have been headed for the Dix Mt. wilderness area and been doing some bushwhacking to visit the four peaks above 4,000 feet.  If he did and managed to get lost, I suspect he will never be found.  The area is too vast and once off trail, practically impossible to travel.  Few people do unless skilled with map and compass and plenty of time to burn.  The undergrowth is so tangled and thick that traveling through it takes extreme patience and caution.  I avoid it at all costs.

We arrived on the pond to find our site empty and quickly pitched our tent, loaded in our sleeping gear, put up the rain fly, and headed back to the car.  On the hike back, I decided that between my hip and the overcast conditions, I’d forgo a trip to Sawteeth and climb a lesser peak, Hurricane Mt.  It was a good choice because it had a clear summit with, on a clear day, tremendous views east of Lake Champlain and the Green Mts. of Vermont.  It had a 2,000 foot elevation change in a 2.6 mile hike, so would prove to be challenging, as well.  We hiked about half a mile and were crossing a bog when the first drops began to fall.  We both put our cameras in the day pack and I congratulated myself on the decision not to head for Sawteeth.  The trail would become slippery from the rain and with the leaves that had already fallen, additionally hazardous.  Not a good day for a 15-mile climb.

We reached the summit in a little less than 2 hours and spent almost an hour on top.  It had an aging, unused fire tower, which Paul climbed in spite of the missing steps.  The views were decent, though clouds blocked most of the lake and the Vermont mountains.  I’d broken a vigorous sweat on the climb, which meant I began to cool quickly in the wind and from the cooler temperatures on top.  I know how quickly hypothermia can kick in, so I hunkered down behind a large boulder and had some lunch.  We were alone on the peak, but met some other hikers on our way down, reaching the car in about the same time it took to climb.

Since it was too early to return to our campsite, we drove to Lake Placid and visited the historical site of John Brown’s Adirondack farm.  His wife was living there when he conducted his ill-fated attempt at Harper’s Ferry in 1859.  After dinner at Noon Mark and some site-seeing in Lake Placid, headed back to the trailhead into Round Pond.  It was 9 p.m. and pitch black.  We walked in with head lamps, discussing that if they both went out, we’d be unable to take another step and would have to sleep on the side of the trail.  We would have returned in daylight and scoured the woods for firewood and sat around a fire for several hours, but since the rain was falling this was not an option.  The forecast for Saturday was more of the same, so climbing options would be limited again.

Hike duration:  Five hours.

Training Heart Rate:  90-140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  2500.

On the road to the Adirondacks...

Thursday, October 3, 2013
I suppose it was the result of running two times in four days, but my left hip was extremely painful as I drove.  I knew from experience that I only needed to get out of the car and walk around for a few minutes to relieve this, but I wanted to make good time and so kept shifting the position of my butt constantly to find relief.

The drive was beautiful.  I reached the foothills before dark and enjoyed the winding, mountain roads with virtually no traffic on them.  I arrived in downtown Keene Valley and the Noon Mark Diner at about 8:30 p.m. where I had a dinner of bean and bacon soup and a turkey burger.  Paul called to say he was in Pennsylvania and driving through the night, expecting to arrive in Keene Valley in time for breakfast at the Diner.

I drove to the public parking lot, a small gravel parcel that can hold about 15 cars.  It has a grassy area adjacent and I parked at the far end, the only vehicle.  It was dark and I quickly unfolded my ground cloth, put down my bed roll and sleeping bag and climbed inside.  It was a cool, completely clear night and so I laid there, glasses on, and searched the sky for shooting stars – of which there were many. 

I love the big skies and sleeping under them without a tent is reason enough to drive the 8 hours to get there.  It seems that the stars were too plentiful for the sky; they were so crowded together.  I dozed off until around 1 a.m. when another car pulled in the lot and two campers disembarked.  They went so far as to pitch a tent; something I’d never considered because I wasn’t even sure I should be sleeping there.  Good to know since I’d be returning in two weeks with Heidi and John and if it was raining, would need a tent.  They finally got settled in and I returned to a restless, but wonderful sleep.

Back to the Survival Workout...

Wednesday, October 2, 2013
I’d received an email from my friend Nancy Desmond of the Cleveland Metroparks asking about Tour Ohio and thinking it was time to try the Survival Workout.  I invited her to North Chagrin, warning her that I was out of shape and getting into it only gradually. 

I arrived early and got in a 35-minute run.  I'm trying to prepare my body for Adirondack hiking, which I'll be doing this weekend, and felt I needed the extra work.  I'm still concerend about my hip and feel I need to strengthen it with weight bearing exercise.  It went smoothly and I jumped in the car at the conclusion and quickly drove to our meeting point for the Survival Workout.  She was waiting when I arrived.  When she exited her car, she looked worried.

“I’m afraid.  I think you’re going to hurt me with this thing,” she said.

She’d been off most of the summer with a back issue and had been going through extensive physical therapy.  I surely didn’t want to be responsible for a relapse…but if it occurred, I assured her I’d leave her deep in the woods so no one would know.

“Nancy…I don’t like to hurt people.  I’m going to show you many of the different things I incorporate into the workout, but don’t think you have to do them all.  Pace yourself,” I cautioned her.

We did some push-ups, pull-ups, core work and bounding and then moved off down the trail.  She did extremely well throughout the workout and really enjoyed doing all the muscular endurance work outdoors – which is the point, of course.

“The Metroparks wants to do more with introducing and educating people about fitness and wellness and how they can achieve those things using the park.  Would you be interested in working with us on that project?” she asked as we hiked.

“I can think of nothing I’d enjoy more.  I’m all about finding ways to use outdoor recreation to meet fitness needs and using the park is my first choice…obviously,” I said.

I’m hoping more comes of this.  I explained my philosophy of using a fitness evaluation to know where you are as the best way to know where you want to be and outlining a plan to get there.  It could easily be done in the park and then use the park’s resources to design programs to meet needs.  What could be better?

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm.
Calories burned:  600.

Alone in the dark...

Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Since leaving for Tour Ohio, I have stopped writing my blog.  Like exercise and other things we do without thinking about it too awfully much, it was a habit – and a good one.  I found many times over the past several years that I was doing my exercise so I’d have something to write about.  Lately, I’ve been skipping workouts and with nothing to hold me accountable, realized this could become a bad habit.  Well, time to end that pattern.

I’m planning a trip to the Adirondacks this weekend and hoping to climb Sawteeth, which will be a rugged 15-mile hike with a few thousand feet of elevation change in one, 2-mile segment.  My hips have continued to bother me since the Tour and are far from healthy at this point.  Off and on, I’ve been hiking in the Metroparks with a 30-pound pack to get some conditioning for the trip.  Last night was one of those efforts.

I arrived at the park around 7:30 p.m. after having Dan change my oil for the drive.  Earlier, I’d had a late lunch with Heidi, who was celebrating her 25^th birthday.  I’d eaten a big burger and fries and both were still with me as I strapped on the pack.

It’s October and the days are much shorter.  It was practically dark as I walked across the rugby field, waving to Jason.  I stuck to the bridle path as I entered the woods since I didn’t want to risk a twisted ankle so close to my trip.  I made my way to karaoke hill, the steepest in the park, and headed up in almost total darkness.  The climb took a little more than 3 minutes and once on top, I turned and came back immediately.  Once at the bottom, I performed 60 step-ups on a boulder nearby and then headed up again, repeating the step-ups when I returned.  I was breaking a good sweat as I returned to the car and once there, realized only Jason remained of the rugby players.  He walked over as I took off the pack.

“I can’t believe you were walking in the woods when it’s this dark.  It gives me the creeps,” he said.

“I never think about it being creepy.  I kind of like hearing the sounds of the woods and knowing I’m the only person listening,” I said.

He wasn’t convinced and had no intentions of finding out.  I headed home with only 35 minutes of hiking, but it something and now knowing I have to write again tomorrow means I’ll do even more then. 

Hike duration:  35 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  90 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  200.

Back to the Survival Workout

Friday, September 12, 2013

I headed to the Metropark early Thursday morning with Dakota in tow for my first Survival Workout in almost two months.  I’d shelved this ritual when I’d gone into serious ‘Tour Ohio’ training mode with every intention of returning to the workout when I returned.  Well…time to stop putting it off.

I began in the usual fashion with inverted push-ups.  My goal was to do three sets of my normal exercises (normally I’ll do four) and to go at it with a little less intensity hitting maybe 90% of my maximum.  I was beginning to struggle as I approached 60 and though I could have squeezed out another 10, decided to hold it there.  I continued with this pattern throughout the workout and by the time I returned to my final lift station and grabbed my fifty-pound rock for my overheads, found that hoisting it once was all I could muster.  My arms were shaking and I was exhausted.  I knew the pain I’d be feeling the next day, so I dropped it and called it a day.

I’d only done 14 sets, well below the 22-24 I like to do but a reasonable number for a sensible exercise-aholic.  I returned home sweaty but pleased that I’d begun my foundation work again.

Alaska Paul and I had made plans for a Friday morning kayak, so after cutting the grass, I dragged both kayaks from the shed out back to the front yard.  I’d told him to come early so we could see the morning mist rising off the water and catch wildlife before it disappeared from view for the day.  I didn’t like the forecast – temperatures in the fifties and heavy rain (could it have really been 102 degrees on Tuesday?), but Northeast Ohio weather is too unpredictable to plan anything on a 24-hour window.  I’d wait until morning and see what was happening.

I want to move into my standard routine quickly, but as always, I struggle without goals.  I need something to do…someplace to go…to motivate me in a particular direction.  Heidi wants to take a trip to the Adirondacks mid-October (we may be hiking in snow) so I suppose my next objective should be to get the hips healthy and begin hiking with a light pack over longer distances and slowly adding weight.  Since that is only four weeks away, I suppose that means right now. 

Survival Workout:  50 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm.

Calories burned:  500.

Post Tour Ohio...

Thursday, September 12, 2013

It has been over three weeks since my last posting, and these are my sins…

I won’t try to go day by day into Tour Ohio in an effort to catch up with all that has happened since I began riding on Friday, August 23^rd.  I did keep a diary of each day’s events throughout Tour Ohio and I hope to write that all into a short story someday, but for now and over the next several days, I’ll do some summarizing.  By the way, if you’re a person using facebook and would like to see a pictorial story of the trip along with several postings I made, visit and like ‘Tour Ohio’.

I began the cycling leg with great trepidation.  I had concerns about riding so many miles in such a short time and how my health issues would impact the ability to complete that leg of the journey.  I fully expected it to take two weeks after which I was planning to move directly into the hike and then return for a weekend kayak of the Grand River some time in September.  Things didn’t quite go that way.

I rode two hundred miles over the first two days, but finished the second day struggling to find a suitable campsite and missing dinner and the hydration that should accompany it.  I began the third day in 90-degree heat and high humidity on the most difficult, hilly portion of the course and by noon was suffering from the early stages of heat exhaustion and severe muscle cramping.  I pushed through this in the early afternoon, but without success and found myself in a hotel bed shortly after trying to cool my core and re-hydrate my body.  After consulting with my brain and my Nilesh, I concluded that I needed lots more salt and made a concerted effort to replace what I’d been sweating out.  Remember, I was on the bike seven hours a day and losing about 3 pounds of fluid per hour.  This is s formula for disaster, and I had one.  Once I took fluid and salt replacements more seriously, I never again had such issues.

I completed the bike ride in a little over ten days and so found myself with time enough to do a two-day run of the Grand River with my nephew, Nathan Duer.  We completed the 44-mile distance in about 12 hours on the water and from that I returned home and began packing for the hike.  My pack came in around 35 pounds; less than I’ve carried into the Adirondacks on numerous occasions so, in my head, no big deal.  Wrong.

After walking about 8 miles, my hips began to ache and I could feel the blisters forming on the balls of my feet.  It went down hill from there.  I managed 18 painful miles that day, but left myself wondering where it was going.  I tried the next day, but completed only six miles before throwing in the towel and calling John to come and pick me up.

In retrospect, I did things very wrong with the biggest being ignoring the need to train specific to the activity.

Walking with a pack is working against gravity with my entire body weight plus 35 pounds.  To do so for an hour would not have been such a big deal, but to expect to be able to do it for six hours a day for five straight days was very poor planning.  I had done little hiking in the time leading up to Tour Ohio and then for two solid weeks had only done exercise that supported my body weight as I went – kayaking and cycling.  The muscles of the lower body designed to carry the load of locomotion had been detraining from their previously poorly prepared condition.  Things got worse quickly and I paid the price.

So…I’m recovering now.  The blisters on my feet cleared up quickly after lancing, but the pain in my hips remained severe over the next two days.  Finally, I hiked about 25 minutes and followed that with a 2-hour bike ride.  I did have some discomfort in my left hip over the final thirty minutes of the ride.

Future endeavors of this nature will begin with the hiking phase.  Weight bearing exercise is always the most difficult on the body and the conditioning necessary for its successful completion is nothing to take lightly.  I’ve known this from years of running and backpacking and the preparation I always put into it.  I ignored it this time fooling myself into believing that the conditioning I’d receive from over 1,000 miles of cycling would carry me through 100 miles of hiking.  I knew better.

Last ride...

Tuesday, August 20, 2013
John was coming over to do a final ride with me and leave me with ‘The Rocket’, his light-weight, carbon-fiber racing bike.  I was planning on bringing both Big Red and The Rocket in the van in the event I had issues with UB Express (bikes MUST be named).  My repair skills are limited, as are the opportunities to visit bike stores on the Tour, so the more I’m carrying as back up, the better.

We rode on the Waite Hill course, but John begged off having to climb the final hill from Squires Castle up to Chardon Road on River Road.

“That thing killed me Sunday.  Can we please skip it?” he asked.

“You need the conditioning.  If we skip it, you’ll only regret it later,” I said, trying to shame him into riding it.

In the end, I let him off easy and skipped the hill, shortening the ride by 4 miles.  We arrived back home in under two hours and took a cleansing dip in the neighbor’s pool before moving inside to make another amazing smoothie.  I wish I had an extra blender for the trip.  I’d pack it in the van, put smoothie ingredients in a cooler and whip one up at the end of each day.  Maybe next time.

After John left, I returned to my maps and computer and put the final touches on the cycling course.  Tomorrow – packing begins in earnest.

Bike duration:  One hour and 53 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1650.

Plan and prepare...

Monday, August 19, 2013
I knew I had a lot planned for the evening, but somewhere in the back of my mind I thought I’d get in a hike or a bike ride.  It was not to be.

Holly needs a new vehicle and so we returned to the Honda dealer, looking at used CRV’s, but again failing to pull the trigger.  We went from there to a birthday party at ‘The Local Tavern’ where I ordered a diet coke.  I’d eaten earlier, having had two more cheeseburgers, and decided against further dining.  Then Holly’s basket of fries, smothered in some kind of mushroom sauce, arrived.  She didn’t really offer me any, though I didn’t let that stop me from eating half the order.

We returned home where I could have done a walk in the neighborhood or spend time refining my cycling course and transferring it to the Ohio Atlas and Gazetteer I’d be carrying in the van for daily updates of where we were going.  I decided wisely that I needed to do more planning and spent two hours poring over choices I’d made and where I’d be camping.  It’s rather nerve racking since so much will remain in the air.  I don’t know how far I’ll get in a day and trying to determine that so we know where to dump the support van is an issue.  I may just leave it short of our destination and when we pass it, one of my partners can drive it to the nearest campsite.  We’ll see…

Taper week begins...

Sunday, August 18, 2013
Though I’m officially in ‘taper week’ and doing much less of everything, John and I decided to get in another bike ride.  I do want to be active with the bike leading into the Tour so I don’t experience the cramping that happened on my last ride.  The forecast for the end of the week is hot and humid…not a good combination for the world’s sweatiest individual.

We rode the Waite Hill course, taking our time and enjoying the ride.  I feel no need to push hard and in fact am trying to make myself ride easier.  If I don’t dial back during Tour Ohio, I will never be able to ride 8 hours in a day – my goal.  I must be the tortoise to be successful. 

I’ve been eating anything and everything lately and had two cheeseburgers for dinner.  I’ve been losing weight and want to make sure I don’t go into the Tour too thin since I suspect I will lose weight during the trip.  Though I will be eating regularly throughout the day, I could be burning as much as 6,000 calories in a day, and that’s not easy to replace.  I can eat a lot, but I have found that exercise sometimes kills my appetite.  Still, a mound of pancakes every morning smothered in butter and topped with maple syrup sounds pretty good right now. 

Bike duration:  Two hours and 12 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1700.

Lots of weeds...

Saturday, August 17, 2013
Since I was going to be on the road for the next three weeks, I scheduled time with Mimi to try and catch up with the yard. 

Weeds.  They were everywhere, just loving the rainy summer.  She had been suffering with gout in her right hand and pulling weeds was practically impossible.  I had some concerns about poison ivy; not wanting to start my ride with blisters everywhere and so covered up well and sprayed some poison ivy prevention stuff on any exposed skin.  I dove into the little arboretum we’d planted in her back yard and actually in the woods beyond the lawn.  The woods had decided to take it back and I spent two hours digging, pulling, and hacking to clear what had filled in.  There was loads of poison ivy and as I pulled the vines from the earth, knew that the dirt I was kicking up could land on me and transfer the oil it would take for another breakout.  I went in and scrubbed thoroughly on several occasions.

I worked until late afternoon and arrived back home with just enough time to prepare for Savannah’s farewell dinner.  She would be leaving for Columbus for her final year the following morning.  After dinner, I plugged in the movie ‘Field of Dreams’ for Holly’s dad and me.  It is such a wonderful film though I was surprised when both Jason and Holly joined us to watch.  I seem to forget that it’s not a baseball movie, but one of regrets, forgiveness, taking chances and the simple pleasures of life.  Everyone seems to love it and Holly’s dad was no exception.

So I had to settle for six hours of yard work for my workout.  There is still so much to do to be ready for the trip and I’m counting on my current condition as being good enough.  If not, I’ll ride my way into shape over the first 3-4 days of Tour Ohio.

Yard work duration:  Six hours.

Training Heart Rate:  80 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1500.

Another long hike...

Friday, August 16, 2013
I had Jack drop me off at the park on the way home from picking him up at work.  My intention was to hike around the park for a period of time and then finish it by hiking home.  I was looking for something longer to follow yesterday’s hike so I could break in the shoes…and my feet…a little better.  I also elected to stay off the bike since I was still smarting from yesterday’s ride.

It was warm and I did manage to break a good sweat, but I didn’t have the pack on, which made it easy.  All I was looking for was more time to toughen my feet in hopes of preventing blistering.  The foot doc told me duct tape would take care of it, but I’m thinking I’d like to hike without household repair items wrapped around my feet.  I could feel the hot spots again, but not until I was almost home and close to two hours into the hike.  On Tour Ohio, I will make regular stops to give my feet a break and I’m hoping this strategy will keep them healthy and happy.  If not…duct tape will have to do.

Hike duration:  Two hours and 10 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  80 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  750.