Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Kim and I had been planning a ‘Back to Basics Survival Workout’ and she called me to see if we were on. I’d run earlier in the day and told her I’d do some of the workout, but she was going to get the full treatment. She was excited, but nervous that she might re-injure the heel she’d been off of since the end of track season three weeks earlier.
Kim is a scholarship runner for the Akron Zips, which is another way of saying…she’s a running stud. When she can’t run, she spends countless hours on the bike and elliptical trainer, but can’t wait to get back to running. She should be in base training for her upcoming cross country season right now and so the frustration is building. Still…you have to treat the injuries with care. The workout we would be doing would purposefully be devoid of running, though would include some explosive moves that I had concerns might cause her trouble. We’d see.
We headed to the park and after a 10-minute walk into my special training area, I went over all of the activities we would be doing. We figured ways to do everything without having her run or impact her heel. I started her with the TRX training bands for her push-ups and quickly moved to the picnic table hop. This exhausting move requires you to jump on the bench, to the top of the table and down the other side. Turn around and come back up and over and continue this for 60 seconds. From that, she headed for the steep, 200 meter hill behind the bench. I expected her to climb and return in under 3 minutes, which would be very difficult because of the mud.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Nah. It’s muddy, slippery, the mosquito’s are thick and I’ve run an hour already. Enjoy,” I answered.
I did do some ab work while she climbed, but when she returned…covered in mud…I had her do the ab’s, too. Then it was on to the bear and crab crawls followed by 50 yards of high skips. I sent her for another trip up the hill and when she returned, we headed for the swing set and I climbing the posts, without legs, to the top. She didn’t quite have the upper body for the climb without legs, but didn’t use them on the descent, which is still tough. More TRX bands for the upper body and then ‘walk the line’ for balance and power.
She really liked going under the fallen tree, which offered about 12” of clearance.
“You need to go under it…but don’t let your belly touch the ground,” I said.
“There’s poison ivy! I’m allergic,” she said.
“C’mon. You afraid of a little itching? Let’s get this thing done,” I said, without sympathy.
She crawled under and managed to stay elevated enough to keep her belly off the ground. This move requires great core strength and a willingness to get dirty. She has both in abundance. Finally, we grabbed our rocks…hers went around 20 pounds…and walked with them for about 20 yards, pressing them overhead as we went. At the end of the walk, we threw them as far as we could – about 8 feet.
“Pick it up. We’ve got 5 more trips with it,” I told her.
Once you’ve learned all the moves and can put them back-to-back smoothly, the workout takes about 30 minutes and works the core, muscular endurance, balance, power, speed, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. It is the complete workout in the woods where you get to get dirty like a kid, enjoy the serenity, and use creativity to keep it interesting and challenging. Everyone that has done it, likes it and Kim was no exception. I did about half. I’ll move into it slowly over the next three weeks eventually making it a regular part of the routine. I have found that it helps me with my climbing trips to the Adirondacks, which will happen in August and September. I like it and am willing to do anything to stay out of the gym and in the great outdoors.
Run duration: 65 minutes. Survival workout: 30 minutes
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 150-160 during survival.
Calories burned during workout: 1105 running. 400 for survival.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Finally...out for a bike ride.
Monday, May 31st, 2010
This was to be the day. The weather was perfect, though there was a chance of a thunderstorm later. My bike had no flats and waiting patiently in the garage. John was on his way over for a ride and I was going to get it done. I’d been trying for the last 6 weeks and something always seemed to happen. Not anymore.
John arrived right on time and very excited about his new riding shoes.
“See this hole here in the bottom?” He was pointing to a spot just under where his big toe would be on the shoe.
“Yeah – I see it. So what?”
“SO WHAT? Well…the air comes in through that hole and cools my toes while I’m riding. That’s so what,” he said with a smirk.
I suppose he’d forgotten the way that I sweat. I don’t think air holes for my toes are going to matter too much to me, but for him…okay. He was also bragging on his insulated water bottles, which kept his water cooler throughout the ride. Actually, that is pretty cool, but I refuse to pay $10 a bottle for such a feature. I just drink it warm. Man up, Johnnie Boy.
We headed out our favorite route…up Old Mill to County Line and then east on Dines/Pekin. I was feeling the heat and lack of riding, but we set a gentle, let’s just talk and ride kind of pace. I figured a two-hour ride for my first time back in the saddle in 6 weeks and so one hour in, we turned and headed back. Ten minutes later came the explosion.
“Oh damn!” I exclaimed as the tire exploded and I came to a quick halt. And I mean exploded. There would be no patching, but I did have a spare. No pump to fill it with, but I definitely had a spare.
“I’ve got one of these air cartridges for pumping up at least one tire,” John offered.
I decided instead to call Holly and offer her the opportunity to drop whatever she was doing and come and pick me up. I’d had four flats now and was starting to think that it was pointless to put another good tube on this rim. Something was wrong and I needed to run it in to the bike shop for closer scrutiny. At least I’d ridden 70 minutes before the blowout.
Holly was thrilled to get my call and immediately came to my rescue. John finished the ride back to my house and we ran the rim and tire up to Performance Bikes in Mayfield. Brandon looked it over and seeing no indicators on the rim, surmised that the problem was the crappy Specialized tire I was using. He thought the tube was squeezing through some hole in the tire and blowing when I hit a bump. He encouraged me to try another tire, which I purchased and will try.
So…kind of a ride. I’ll put on the new tire and if I continue to have trouble, maybe I’ll give up riding for awhile. Powers bigger than me…pissed that I’m taking my pulse while sitting in church…are probably telling me not to bike. I need to listen.
Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
This was to be the day. The weather was perfect, though there was a chance of a thunderstorm later. My bike had no flats and waiting patiently in the garage. John was on his way over for a ride and I was going to get it done. I’d been trying for the last 6 weeks and something always seemed to happen. Not anymore.
John arrived right on time and very excited about his new riding shoes.
“See this hole here in the bottom?” He was pointing to a spot just under where his big toe would be on the shoe.
“Yeah – I see it. So what?”
“SO WHAT? Well…the air comes in through that hole and cools my toes while I’m riding. That’s so what,” he said with a smirk.
I suppose he’d forgotten the way that I sweat. I don’t think air holes for my toes are going to matter too much to me, but for him…okay. He was also bragging on his insulated water bottles, which kept his water cooler throughout the ride. Actually, that is pretty cool, but I refuse to pay $10 a bottle for such a feature. I just drink it warm. Man up, Johnnie Boy.
We headed out our favorite route…up Old Mill to County Line and then east on Dines/Pekin. I was feeling the heat and lack of riding, but we set a gentle, let’s just talk and ride kind of pace. I figured a two-hour ride for my first time back in the saddle in 6 weeks and so one hour in, we turned and headed back. Ten minutes later came the explosion.
“Oh damn!” I exclaimed as the tire exploded and I came to a quick halt. And I mean exploded. There would be no patching, but I did have a spare. No pump to fill it with, but I definitely had a spare.
“I’ve got one of these air cartridges for pumping up at least one tire,” John offered.
I decided instead to call Holly and offer her the opportunity to drop whatever she was doing and come and pick me up. I’d had four flats now and was starting to think that it was pointless to put another good tube on this rim. Something was wrong and I needed to run it in to the bike shop for closer scrutiny. At least I’d ridden 70 minutes before the blowout.
Holly was thrilled to get my call and immediately came to my rescue. John finished the ride back to my house and we ran the rim and tire up to Performance Bikes in Mayfield. Brandon looked it over and seeing no indicators on the rim, surmised that the problem was the crappy Specialized tire I was using. He thought the tube was squeezing through some hole in the tire and blowing when I hit a bump. He encouraged me to try another tire, which I purchased and will try.
So…kind of a ride. I’ll put on the new tire and if I continue to have trouble, maybe I’ll give up riding for awhile. Powers bigger than me…pissed that I’m taking my pulse while sitting in church…are probably telling me not to bike. I need to listen.
Bike duration: 70 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 125.
Calories burned during workout: 1050.
Ninja Deer attacks helpless dog
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
I got up Sunday morning thinking ‘there is no way I’m going to be putting on pants and going to church with this rash’, but it actually didn’t hurt too much, so I went. After all, it’s a great opportunity to check my resting heart rate, which was down to 45 bpm. Actually, I like the service. Our minister is in a wheel chair and I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be able to head to the park, which I can see through the windows, for a run later in the day. God has been very good to me.
Maybe not a run, though. I was starting to think a nice kayak might be better for the rash. No rubbing, no scrubbing. I loaded it on the roof and headed for the East Branch Reservoir, which is the headwater of the Cuyahoga River. I brought my running gear…just in case I got the urge.
I put on some sun block, grabbed the camera, and climbed into the kayak. I paddled out of the cove to the larger reservoir only to find horses splashing through the shallow waters to my right. And there were perfectly good people on them, too. This is a site I’ve never seen. Must have been 10 riders and all were circling into the water and then back up onto the beach. I don’t know if it was to cool the horses or just getting them used to it for reasons I can only imagine. I took some pictures of them and headed north for the wildlife preserve and the eagle’s nest.
It takes about 30 minutes to paddle the length of the reservoir and there is a wildlife reserve at the northern end, which is off limits to boaters. In the middle of the marshy reserve is a pole about 50 feet high upon which is a huge eagle’s nest. Through my telephoto lens, I can see that there are eaglets in the nest, but can’t really get a good shot of them. I’ll sit there and wait in hopes that mom or pop will go for a spin and I can take their picture. Not today, though. They just sat and watched me.
By the time I returned to the take-out, the horses were gone. I’d only kayaked an hour and had decided that a 30-minute run would be a good idea. I put on plenty of vasoline and took off along the shaded trail that borders the reservoir. It really is the perfect place to paddle and run. Interestingly, they now have tent sites and lean-to’s for camping. Very primitive, though the water can be pumped nearby for drinking and cooking, and they provide fire wood.
I returned home to discover that Dakota had had a deer encounter of the strangest kind. She’d noticed a young deer and momma wandering in our neighbor’s yard and gone to say hello and see if they wanted to play. They didn’t and mom was not too happy with her even asking. Apparently, she chased Dakota, who, not really know what to do, kind of got caught under the deer. Jason was on the back patio watching the whole thing and thinks the deer may have stepped on Dakota. Dakota knew to head for home and protection, but the deer was unimpressed by Jason’s presence and followed Dakota on to the patio. Jason decided the shovel nearby may be necessary to discourage mom from extracting any more retribution. Apparently, this was enough for her to decide on a retreat.
She was still hanging around when I returned, but wasn’t too keen on hanging when I approached with my camera and a determination to let her know the alpha was home. I know my neighbors are feeding the babies and maybe that’s why they’re so tame, but I don’t think Dakota has quite figured it out. Really added to her excitement and workout, though.
Kayak duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 kayaking. 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 500 kayaking. 475 running.
I got up Sunday morning thinking ‘there is no way I’m going to be putting on pants and going to church with this rash’, but it actually didn’t hurt too much, so I went. After all, it’s a great opportunity to check my resting heart rate, which was down to 45 bpm. Actually, I like the service. Our minister is in a wheel chair and I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be able to head to the park, which I can see through the windows, for a run later in the day. God has been very good to me.
Maybe not a run, though. I was starting to think a nice kayak might be better for the rash. No rubbing, no scrubbing. I loaded it on the roof and headed for the East Branch Reservoir, which is the headwater of the Cuyahoga River. I brought my running gear…just in case I got the urge.
I put on some sun block, grabbed the camera, and climbed into the kayak. I paddled out of the cove to the larger reservoir only to find horses splashing through the shallow waters to my right. And there were perfectly good people on them, too. This is a site I’ve never seen. Must have been 10 riders and all were circling into the water and then back up onto the beach. I don’t know if it was to cool the horses or just getting them used to it for reasons I can only imagine. I took some pictures of them and headed north for the wildlife preserve and the eagle’s nest.
It takes about 30 minutes to paddle the length of the reservoir and there is a wildlife reserve at the northern end, which is off limits to boaters. In the middle of the marshy reserve is a pole about 50 feet high upon which is a huge eagle’s nest. Through my telephoto lens, I can see that there are eaglets in the nest, but can’t really get a good shot of them. I’ll sit there and wait in hopes that mom or pop will go for a spin and I can take their picture. Not today, though. They just sat and watched me.
By the time I returned to the take-out, the horses were gone. I’d only kayaked an hour and had decided that a 30-minute run would be a good idea. I put on plenty of vasoline and took off along the shaded trail that borders the reservoir. It really is the perfect place to paddle and run. Interestingly, they now have tent sites and lean-to’s for camping. Very primitive, though the water can be pumped nearby for drinking and cooking, and they provide fire wood.
I returned home to discover that Dakota had had a deer encounter of the strangest kind. She’d noticed a young deer and momma wandering in our neighbor’s yard and gone to say hello and see if they wanted to play. They didn’t and mom was not too happy with her even asking. Apparently, she chased Dakota, who, not really know what to do, kind of got caught under the deer. Jason was on the back patio watching the whole thing and thinks the deer may have stepped on Dakota. Dakota knew to head for home and protection, but the deer was unimpressed by Jason’s presence and followed Dakota on to the patio. Jason decided the shovel nearby may be necessary to discourage mom from extracting any more retribution. Apparently, this was enough for her to decide on a retreat.
She was still hanging around when I returned, but wasn’t too keen on hanging when I approached with my camera and a determination to let her know the alpha was home. I know my neighbors are feeding the babies and maybe that’s why they’re so tame, but I don’t think Dakota has quite figured it out. Really added to her excitement and workout, though.
Kayak duration: 60 minutes. Run duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 kayaking. 140 running.
Calories burned during workout: 500 kayaking. 475 running.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Who's got the cure for diaper rash...
Saturday, May 29th, 2010
I was at my week-end landscaping, general labor job and sweating my ass off. It was hot and muggy…my personal favorite weather words…and I was doing the thing I do. I’d decided to wear my running shorts since I knew I’d sweat through normal ones…and that would completely gross out the people for whom I was doing this work. They’d never seen anyone sweat like me…I’m that special…and Bob was worried.
“Maybe you should take a break and have something to drink, John,” he said, looking over my saturated shirt and shorts.
I’d only been working for ten minutes. “Nah. Let’s see if I can make it half an hour. Then I’ll take that drink,” I replied.
I hauled and spread 30 bags of mulch, ran the weed wacker for an hour, trimmed and hauled limbs from trees all over the yard, raked dead grass, dug some holes and pulled some weeds. We stopped for lunch and when I returned to work, I noticed the irritation developing between my legs.
“Damn. Forgot to put on the vasoline,” I said to no one in particular. I’d planned to, but had forgotten. I slathered it on now… but it was too late. I continued to work, but the rash worsened during the afternoon to the point where I was having trouble walking by the end of the day.
I headed for home and went straight to the shower after which I powdered up and tried to find something to wear that would not continue the irritation. Nothing worked and I still had my own lawn to do. I manned up and headed outside.
As soon as I started to perspire…which happened from lacing the shoes back on…the pain returned. I spent the next 3 hours whining to no one but me…my favorite audience. I finished up around 8 p.m. and was dead to the world. Did I mention I’d done another plumbing job in between the two landscaping adventures? Well…I did…and I had a right to be tired. I also had to run.
FUHGET ABOUT IT!!!!!
I mean…forget about it. I was so chafed by now that I was bleeding. This was serious shit and I’m definitely not tough and was not running. I was not the least bit worried about calories burned for the day…I’d torn the record book up…but was concerned about these rashes and how to keep them from coming back over and over. Tomorrow would be a challenge. Kayak? Bike? We’ll see…
Yard work duration: 8 hours. Plumbing duration: 2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: Clueless.
Calories burned during workout: 2,000 – give or take – for the day.
I was at my week-end landscaping, general labor job and sweating my ass off. It was hot and muggy…my personal favorite weather words…and I was doing the thing I do. I’d decided to wear my running shorts since I knew I’d sweat through normal ones…and that would completely gross out the people for whom I was doing this work. They’d never seen anyone sweat like me…I’m that special…and Bob was worried.
“Maybe you should take a break and have something to drink, John,” he said, looking over my saturated shirt and shorts.
I’d only been working for ten minutes. “Nah. Let’s see if I can make it half an hour. Then I’ll take that drink,” I replied.
I hauled and spread 30 bags of mulch, ran the weed wacker for an hour, trimmed and hauled limbs from trees all over the yard, raked dead grass, dug some holes and pulled some weeds. We stopped for lunch and when I returned to work, I noticed the irritation developing between my legs.
“Damn. Forgot to put on the vasoline,” I said to no one in particular. I’d planned to, but had forgotten. I slathered it on now… but it was too late. I continued to work, but the rash worsened during the afternoon to the point where I was having trouble walking by the end of the day.
I headed for home and went straight to the shower after which I powdered up and tried to find something to wear that would not continue the irritation. Nothing worked and I still had my own lawn to do. I manned up and headed outside.
As soon as I started to perspire…which happened from lacing the shoes back on…the pain returned. I spent the next 3 hours whining to no one but me…my favorite audience. I finished up around 8 p.m. and was dead to the world. Did I mention I’d done another plumbing job in between the two landscaping adventures? Well…I did…and I had a right to be tired. I also had to run.
FUHGET ABOUT IT!!!!!
I mean…forget about it. I was so chafed by now that I was bleeding. This was serious shit and I’m definitely not tough and was not running. I was not the least bit worried about calories burned for the day…I’d torn the record book up…but was concerned about these rashes and how to keep them from coming back over and over. Tomorrow would be a challenge. Kayak? Bike? We’ll see…
Yard work duration: 8 hours. Plumbing duration: 2 hours.
Training Heart Rate: Clueless.
Calories burned during workout: 2,000 – give or take – for the day.
I love the mile.
Friday, May 28th, 2010
I was back at Austintown Fitch High School for the finals of the High School Regional Track Championships. Kim and Jimmy had both come along and we were talking about next week in Columbus and some of the great match-ups that were sure to develop. I typically go down Friday night and camp out at Alum Creek State Park where I’ll sit around a camp fire with runners I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over the years and we’ll talk about past running achievements, my blog, the Adirondacks, and anything else that interests me. I don’t care what interests them.
I will be particularly interested in the Division One 1,600 meter championship (the metric mile) because I’ll be cheering for the son of my old friend and business partner, Don Alexander. His son, Colby, will be a favorite to win – he’s got the fastest time in the state going into the meet, but the competition will be stiff and it will be no easy task. Ohio tends to be an extremely strong state in track and field and often has one of the nation’s top 5 performers in the 1,600. Colby was third in the indoor nationals this past spring and is running extremely well right now, but to win at the state meet takes so much. I tell my runners ‘expect to win – it never happens by accident’ and Colby will definitely toe the line with that thought. It takes much more, though. Great training, peaking at the right time, excellent race strategy, and contingent plans. Mostly, it takes an inner drive and voice that says over and over ‘this IS my race. No one can have it. I AM going to win’. No one wins without ‘the voice’.
I suppose it’s that same voice that helps anyone achieve their fitness and health related goal. Losing the weight, sticking with the program, not eating that fattening thing – it’s all about the inner voice sending along the right message and us actually listening. Mine is strong right now and giving me all the right messages – and I am listening. I’m also achieving. No big surprise, I suppose.
Today’s run was pretty rough. It’s been hot and humid the last two days and although yesterday’s hour run was smooth as silk and fast, I was dropping large amounts of water and likely had not replaced it all when I started today. Twenty minutes into the run, my body was telling me to take it easy…and I listened. I decided it would be a 40-minute day, at best. I slowed down and plodded along – taking what the weather and my body would give me. “Keep it easy – if it’s not, you’re working too hard,” I reminded myself as I ran. It’s the mantra that has gotten me this far and it worked again. By the time I reached the car, my shoes were squishing and I’d dropped another 5-6 pounds of water. I really had to get this back in since I would be running tomorrow, but not until after I’d done about 6 hours of landscaping for my friend. Drink or die, baby.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 730.
I was back at Austintown Fitch High School for the finals of the High School Regional Track Championships. Kim and Jimmy had both come along and we were talking about next week in Columbus and some of the great match-ups that were sure to develop. I typically go down Friday night and camp out at Alum Creek State Park where I’ll sit around a camp fire with runners I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over the years and we’ll talk about past running achievements, my blog, the Adirondacks, and anything else that interests me. I don’t care what interests them.
I will be particularly interested in the Division One 1,600 meter championship (the metric mile) because I’ll be cheering for the son of my old friend and business partner, Don Alexander. His son, Colby, will be a favorite to win – he’s got the fastest time in the state going into the meet, but the competition will be stiff and it will be no easy task. Ohio tends to be an extremely strong state in track and field and often has one of the nation’s top 5 performers in the 1,600. Colby was third in the indoor nationals this past spring and is running extremely well right now, but to win at the state meet takes so much. I tell my runners ‘expect to win – it never happens by accident’ and Colby will definitely toe the line with that thought. It takes much more, though. Great training, peaking at the right time, excellent race strategy, and contingent plans. Mostly, it takes an inner drive and voice that says over and over ‘this IS my race. No one can have it. I AM going to win’. No one wins without ‘the voice’.
I suppose it’s that same voice that helps anyone achieve their fitness and health related goal. Losing the weight, sticking with the program, not eating that fattening thing – it’s all about the inner voice sending along the right message and us actually listening. Mine is strong right now and giving me all the right messages – and I am listening. I’m also achieving. No big surprise, I suppose.
Today’s run was pretty rough. It’s been hot and humid the last two days and although yesterday’s hour run was smooth as silk and fast, I was dropping large amounts of water and likely had not replaced it all when I started today. Twenty minutes into the run, my body was telling me to take it easy…and I listened. I decided it would be a 40-minute day, at best. I slowed down and plodded along – taking what the weather and my body would give me. “Keep it easy – if it’s not, you’re working too hard,” I reminded myself as I ran. It’s the mantra that has gotten me this far and it worked again. By the time I reached the car, my shoes were squishing and I’d dropped another 5-6 pounds of water. I really had to get this back in since I would be running tomorrow, but not until after I’d done about 6 hours of landscaping for my friend. Drink or die, baby.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 730.
Take the YMCA 3-minute step test
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
I’ve spoken before about the importance of establishing baselines and checking progress in measurable, reliable ways. I did mine again last night…just because I wanted to know...and it went pretty well. I did the YMCA 3-minute step test, which can be found by going to www.sparklepeople.com. Once there, go to “four fitness tests you can do at home”. One of the tests will be the 3-minute step test and the method will be described. It’s really pretty simple. You need a sturdy box 12 inches high on which you can step up on down at a rate of 96 beats per minute (which is 24 complete steps up and down). www.metronomeonline offers the necessary pacing – 96 beats per minute. Each beat requires a step. Right foot up on beat one, left foot on beat two (now you’re on the box) right foot down on three and left foot down on four. That’s it. Climb up and down for three minutes to this beat and at the end of the three minutes, sit down immediately and take your pulse for one full minute. You’re looking for the total for that minute immediately following the 3-minute stepping – or your recovery heart rate. The test is measuring how quickly your heart rate returns to rest and is a very good indicator of aerobic fitness. If you do regular, aerobic exercise (3 times a week for at least 20 minutes) with your heart rate in its training zone (see older article about determining your training heart rate), you WILL improve and this simple test will demonstrate that improvement.
I did the test on myself when I began writing this blog back in February. I was in okay shape back then and scored pretty well with a recovery heart rate of 74 beats. According to the Y’s rating for men between the ages of 46-55, I had an excellent rating (sparklepeople website has the rating chart), which would be anything between 56-82 beats for one minute. I was at the low end of excellent – maybe an A minus – which wasn’t very satisfying.
I re-took the test last night to see what progress I’d made. I’d already done my run for the day – a one-hour run – not the ideal way to go into the test since my resting heart rate was still up from the effort. Still…I went ahead. After stepping for three minutes, I sat down and found my pulse on the side of my neck and began counting for one minute. It was slowing quickly…a good sign…and when the minute was up, I had only counted to 67!
This is a pretty significant drop as is surely the result of my 6-day a week running regimen and the weight loss. I’m guessing it will be even lower if I check it before instead of after I do a workout.
The point is – it’s easy to establish a baseline and check your progress…and it’s great for your motivation to see the improvement. Do the test. Check your progress. It keeps you working…going…when you think nothing is happening. It is.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
I’ve spoken before about the importance of establishing baselines and checking progress in measurable, reliable ways. I did mine again last night…just because I wanted to know...and it went pretty well. I did the YMCA 3-minute step test, which can be found by going to www.sparklepeople.com. Once there, go to “four fitness tests you can do at home”. One of the tests will be the 3-minute step test and the method will be described. It’s really pretty simple. You need a sturdy box 12 inches high on which you can step up on down at a rate of 96 beats per minute (which is 24 complete steps up and down). www.metronomeonline offers the necessary pacing – 96 beats per minute. Each beat requires a step. Right foot up on beat one, left foot on beat two (now you’re on the box) right foot down on three and left foot down on four. That’s it. Climb up and down for three minutes to this beat and at the end of the three minutes, sit down immediately and take your pulse for one full minute. You’re looking for the total for that minute immediately following the 3-minute stepping – or your recovery heart rate. The test is measuring how quickly your heart rate returns to rest and is a very good indicator of aerobic fitness. If you do regular, aerobic exercise (3 times a week for at least 20 minutes) with your heart rate in its training zone (see older article about determining your training heart rate), you WILL improve and this simple test will demonstrate that improvement.
I did the test on myself when I began writing this blog back in February. I was in okay shape back then and scored pretty well with a recovery heart rate of 74 beats. According to the Y’s rating for men between the ages of 46-55, I had an excellent rating (sparklepeople website has the rating chart), which would be anything between 56-82 beats for one minute. I was at the low end of excellent – maybe an A minus – which wasn’t very satisfying.
I re-took the test last night to see what progress I’d made. I’d already done my run for the day – a one-hour run – not the ideal way to go into the test since my resting heart rate was still up from the effort. Still…I went ahead. After stepping for three minutes, I sat down and found my pulse on the side of my neck and began counting for one minute. It was slowing quickly…a good sign…and when the minute was up, I had only counted to 67!
This is a pretty significant drop as is surely the result of my 6-day a week running regimen and the weight loss. I’m guessing it will be even lower if I check it before instead of after I do a workout.
The point is – it’s easy to establish a baseline and check your progress…and it’s great for your motivation to see the improvement. Do the test. Check your progress. It keeps you working…going…when you think nothing is happening. It is.
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 1020.
Some times you feel like a run...some times you don't...
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Kim, a former Mayfield High School stand-out runner and current leader of the Akron Zips, and I were watching the Regional Track Championships. I’ve been actively involved with high school track runners, coaching and developing their off-season training programs for the last 25 years. There is nothing I enjoy more and watching them compete at the Regional meet for the opportunity to move on to the state meet. It’s running at it’s best and the races are so exciting. Today was the finals of the 4 x 800 and preliminary’s for everything else. We had a great time discussing running, figuring out who we thought had control in the different races, and pontificating on what we knew better than anyone else about the sport.
I had to get in my run after the meet, which ran until 7 p.m. We had an hour plus drive home and then I had to get to the park. I arrived there around 8:30 p.m., changed and was ready to run when the doubts started talking to me. “You don’t have time for a good run. Take the night off. Get home and spend some time with Holly…” and stuff like that. It was a perfect running night and I was there – ready to go – but…well…I listened to the voices. I climbed back into the car and headed for home.
I’ve been taking one day a week off from running and this would be it, I decided.
So…yeah...I blew it off. I’ve put off workouts throughout my training career, but this was the first time since this past February when I began the blog. There was certainly a time when I would have to worry about a pattern developing…but not now. I knew I would be back at it tomorrow night and with renewed vigor.
Kim, a former Mayfield High School stand-out runner and current leader of the Akron Zips, and I were watching the Regional Track Championships. I’ve been actively involved with high school track runners, coaching and developing their off-season training programs for the last 25 years. There is nothing I enjoy more and watching them compete at the Regional meet for the opportunity to move on to the state meet. It’s running at it’s best and the races are so exciting. Today was the finals of the 4 x 800 and preliminary’s for everything else. We had a great time discussing running, figuring out who we thought had control in the different races, and pontificating on what we knew better than anyone else about the sport.
I had to get in my run after the meet, which ran until 7 p.m. We had an hour plus drive home and then I had to get to the park. I arrived there around 8:30 p.m., changed and was ready to run when the doubts started talking to me. “You don’t have time for a good run. Take the night off. Get home and spend some time with Holly…” and stuff like that. It was a perfect running night and I was there – ready to go – but…well…I listened to the voices. I climbed back into the car and headed for home.
I’ve been taking one day a week off from running and this would be it, I decided.
So…yeah...I blew it off. I’ve put off workouts throughout my training career, but this was the first time since this past February when I began the blog. There was certainly a time when I would have to worry about a pattern developing…but not now. I knew I would be back at it tomorrow night and with renewed vigor.
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