Working out with a snow shovel...

Wednesday, January 1, 2014
When I looked out my picture window to the winter wonderland beyond, I had little doubt what I’d be doing for my first workout of the New Year.  I bundled loosely, but covered all exposed skin because I knew I’d be sweating shortly.  I began pushing snow in my driveway, working the apron first where Highland Heights finest had pushed most of the snow from the street.  Being on the curve of the road automatically means you get more snow in the bottom of your driveway, which is only a problem if you don’t consider snow removal an extreme workout.

Over the next two hours, I removed snow from my double drive and the driveways and sidewalks of my two neighbors.  I was already out and I knew they’d been drinking the night before and would be in no condition to shovel for several days.  It was a great way to add to my workout and I knew I’d get extra Christmas cookies as part of the deal.  I’d be needing them.

Snow continued to fall throughout the day and I used that as my only workout.  I felt somewhat guilty for never climbing on the trainer, but not guilty enough to do it.  I again pounded too many hollow calories as there remained certain Christmas treats in the house.  To make matters worse, Holly offered to make chocolate, peanut-butter pudding and I didn’t discourage her.

Tomorrow will be different.  It’ll be a work day; I’ll have more snow and do a regular workout of some kind.
Snow removal:  Two hours and 30 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  80-120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1050.

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.