It's warm and sunny, aaaaand it's not.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

You really shouldn’t take the weather in Northeast Ohio for granted.  Not for a day, not for an hour, not for a minute.  You really shouldn’t.

I had exercise plans for the evening that included stopping at the park on my way home for a Survival Workout to be followed with time on the trainer, or a run.  Then I started hearing weather forecasts from members at the Y and decided I’d better check out the weather channel on my computer.  I didn’t like what I saw, which was a prediction that a monster winter storm was, well, storming in and would be dropping the temperature into the single digits, with gale force winds and 6-8 inches of snow.  And all this would be happening over the next several hours…starting somewhere around right now.  It was 3 p.m.

I decided I’d make the drive home early, though I still angled towards the park.  Snow was falling slightly in Warren, but as I reached Middlefield on my way north, things were getting seriously nasty.  By the time I was passing through Chardon, I was facing white-out conditions and had reduced my speed to about 20 mph.  I descended Wilson Mills hill, the one I manage to smoke down at more than 52 mph on my bike, in low gear and with a prayer on my mind.  I reached bottom, but now had to ascend the other side to get home…but I was right next to the park!  I slowed and thought ‘maybe a quick Survival’ and then home.  Thankfully, common sense won out and I continued on, just making it up the hill since the roads had yet to receive any salt.

I made it to my driveway and discovered my workout after all.  Snow shoveling, of course.  I spent the next thirty minutes scraping the driveway down to the pavement and returned two more times before bed to make sure I stayed ahead of the snow curve.  It wasn’t the workout I had planned, but it was the one given me.  Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you tomorrow.  My double workout is only a day away.

The streak is broken...

Tuesday, March 11, 2014
After 12 consecutive days of workouts, something finally got in the way that couldn’t be helped.

Heidi called to let me know she was coming home for the evening and I knew I needed to make a dinner.  I asked her what she’d like and Amish casserole was mentioned. 

“I really don’t like Amish casserole,” Jack said.

“Well…I’m the guest and I’m special and dad’s going to make what I want,” Heidi replied.

Jack likes my Chicken Alfredo Fettuccini, so I drove to Heinen’s on the way home and bought the ingredients to make both.  I thought I’d ride the bike after dinner, so everything would work out okay.

And it would have if I’d remembered that Reza, a runner I’d coached several years earlier while he was in high school, hadn’t been stopping over for visit.  We talked until ten and then Heidi and I put ‘Dances with Wolves’ on and began watching.  She’d never seen the movie and was captivated.  I’ve seen it ten times, but it’s my favorite and I never tire of the story.  We didn’t finish it since I needed to get to bed for an early drive to Warren through what could be the winter’s last storm, but planned to do so sometime soon.

So…no workout and maybe a few too many calories.  It’s okay, though.  There is a difference between the me that was simply blowing workouts off and this situation.  I’ll be back at it tomorrow without a doubt and maybe pull a double.  Before the day is over, I’ll likely have a load of snow to push, as well.

The first outdoor ride of 2014

Monday, March 10, 2014
The cycling gods were smiling down upon Northeast Ohio.  After three months of temperatures closer to zero than to forty, it was fifty and sunny.  I drove towards home with one thought in mind – an outdoor ride.  And the beauty of it was, daylight savings time had begun so I’d have an extra hour of daylight to punish myself.  Oh joy!

I pumped up UB’s tires, filled my water bottle, tucked a stocking hat into the pocket of my riding jersey in case I got cold and pedaled down the driveway.  My plan was to ride my Waite Hill course, which would give me a ride of about an hour and twenty minutes.  I’d done all my riding throughout the winter on the trainer and never went more than an hour.  Though my legs were reasonably strong, you never face the wind or hills on a trainer and I’d have plenty of both on this voyage.  I expected, but did not encounter, too much snow melt.  I don’t like riding through it as it kicks salt up on the bike and makes a mess of the moving parts.  When I reached the point where I would have to turn, I elected instead to keep heading east and following my Mulberry Road course.  At that moment, it seemed like a swell idea. 

The farther from home I rode, the more I began to think about how long it would take to complete this course.  I had the wind at my back on the way out; the winds always seemed to be blowing out of the northwest.  When I finally turned into the wind for the last hour of riding, I was becoming fatigued.  I slowed considerably and thought about just taking it easy and getting some saddle time.  As I climbed the final hill of the ride just past Squire’s Castle on River Road, my thighs began to cramp.  I struggled in over the final seven miles having taken over two hours.  I felt okay about it since I knew I shouldn’t have gone that long since my last outdoor ride had been three months earlier, but it worked out okay.  I knew that I could afford a bowl of ice cream, too, so I had that going for me.

Bike workout:  Two hours and 13 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1850.

Spring ahead...or not.

Sunday, March 9, 2014
Spring ahead…and do it Saturday night.

I arrived at the Metropark Sunday morning with Dakota in tow and a goal of doing the Survival Workout before church.  There was a light dusting of snow on the trail which had fallen yesterday afternoon, but nothing to impede progress on the trails.  It was 8:30 a.m. and I had plenty of time to do the workout, return home for a shower, and make the drive to church.  I went through my first series of exercises and was heading down the trail towards the second station when I began to think about that whole ‘spring ahead’ thing.  As the fog lifted from my brain, I realized it was actually 9:30 a.m. and I was not even close to having enough time to complete the workout.  I hit a couple of more stations and quickly returned to the car where I grabbed the phone and called Jack.

“Hey…if you’re looking at the clock in the kitchen and thinking about when you need to leave to get to church, you’re going to be an hour late,” I said.

“Dad…I know about daylight savings time.  I’m good,” he replied.

So he’s smarter than me for once.  I hurried home, showered and made the drive to church with about 40 seconds to spare.

I returned home and rode the trainer for 60 minutes before heading to the kitchen for some major cooking.  Jack had laid off his weight training routine when he started back to school in January and had lost about 15 pounds of muscle.  About three weeks ago, he’d started up in earnest again, with a complimentary return of his major league appetite.  He eats constantly and likes chicken so I made a big batch of rice, mixed in broccoli, celery, onions and sautéed chicken for dinner and the next couple of days.  I also baked some chicken, barbequed pork chops and sautéed green beans.  He should be good for 24 to 36 hours.

I should be eating pretty well myself for the next several days.  I’ll try to stay away from burgers and continue my quest to regain my own conditioning.  So far, I’ve managed11 days in a row. 

Survival Workout:  30 minutes.  Bike workout:  60 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  300 for SW and 850 on the bike.

Finding your own 'Adirondack Serenity'

Saturday, March 8, 2014

I have this picture hanging in my office at the Y and I use it often to suggest to people I’m helping begin an exercise program about setting goals and for my own reminder of a good reason to stay in shape.

It’s about the end game, I tell them.  It’s about finding something you really enjoy doing that has the added benefit of putting…and keeping…you in shape.  The scene depicted in the picture is a shot across the meadows of the Flowed Lands with the McIntyre Mountain Range of the Adirondack Mountains on the horizon and a place I love to go.  I can’t hike in to this spot with a 50-pound pack or hike and climb 10-15 hour days unless I’m in shape for the effort.  It keeps the focus over the summer training months.  With my clients, we look for their ‘Adirondack Serenity’; something they would like and sacrifice for to keep them on task.

I went to the North Chagrin Reservation with the intention of running the bridle trails.  And I started there, but after several minutes of running on mostly ice, decided I’d be better off switching to the roads.  It was a good plan generally, except that I picked Rogers Road heading east from River Road, which means ‘big hill’.  The first portion of Rogers Road ascends steeply once you cross the Chagrin River and it is on this section that I have twice snapped bicycle chains when putting maximum crank effort on the pedals to climb.  I was doing something that resembled running going up the hill and though it was slow-going, my heart rate was in the Red Zone.  Still, I made it to the top, ran another 10 minutes and then retraced my steps back to the car for another 40-minute run.  When I returned home, I hopped on the trainer for another 20 minutes so I could record another day of at least an hour of exercise.

My next door neighbor invited me out for dinner and we went to another local burger joint where I ate the most decadent burger I’ve ever had.  It had a name which I can’t remember right now, but it amounted to a burger inside a grilled cheese sandwich…lots of butter, cheese, and fatty beef.  Fries came with it, of course.  If I keep eating this way, I’m certainly going to need more running and cycling time.

Run Workout:  40 minutes.  Bike Workout:  20 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  140 bpm running and 120 on the trainer.
Calories burned during workout:  700 running and 350 riding.

A solid double and an art show...

Friday, March 7, 2014

The temperature had reached 50 and with the sun shining, I drove towards the Metropark to try and get inn a Survival Workout on the previously frozen trails.  I had to hurry because I needed to drive to Akron for Heidi’s art show, which began at 7 p.m.

I climbed from the car wearing a t-shirt and shorts.  It was in the forties and the temperature was dropping, but a set of push-ups would get my blood boiling and I knew I’d be warm enough.  I put on boots because there was still 3 inches of snow on the field and the trails would be a combination of ice, slush and snow I was sure.  After doing my initial set of calisthenics at the car, I started running across the frozen rugby field at what was supposed to be a sprint.  It resembled one in name only.

I was huffing in a big way after 30 seconds of running across the field and making my way into the woods.  Following a second set of exercises at my first rock station, I did high knees on the icy surface of the bridle trail.  Slipping as I was made the task that much harder and after thirty bounds, found myself sucking hard for oxygen.  I needed to clear snow from my next push-up area, but the picnic table was clear for crunches.  I did struggle breaking my rocks free from the frozen tundra, though the clinging turf added to the weight and enhanced the workout.

I reached my log after another set of high knees, but no amount of digging and kicking would break the grip of the ice that had formed over it during the previous month.  I resigned myself to lifting more rocks instead.

In all, I managed 20 sets and an excellent workout.  I had sorely missed the woods and working out there and the inconveniences of ice and snow were minor when considering the alternative of working out inside.  I drove home monitoring my time and realizing that if I changed quickly, I could get some time on the bike trainer, which I did.

Heidi’s art show was a success for her; she’d sold half of her work before the evening was over.  Since we were in Akron though, we decided to stop at ‘Larry’s’, a neighborhood pub across from Heidi’s apartment, for dinner.  They had great food and the owner always looked out for Heidi whenever she came in.  I ordered a large burger and chased it with a plate of fries, thus undoing a fine double.  Overall though, a very good calorie-burning day.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.  Bike workout:  30 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm for SW and 120 on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  600 for SW and 425 on the bike.

Riding on chili and Dorito's...

Thursday, March 6, 2014
The temperature was rising and the snow on the trails was melting.  It should have been a good, but sloppy, day to run.  I considered it as I drove towards home, but considered that I hadn’t been doing much running over the winter months and had gone 40 minutes only two days earlier.  I know myself well enough to know that an injury to my calf was lurking if I pushed it too hard.  I did something I seldom do – I used common sense and drove home for a ride instead of running.

I’d started the morning with a smoothie and then had a couple of apples later.  By the time I got home, I was really hungry…and that’s not good.  I went to the refrigerator and pulled out some chili, heated it up and ate a bowl with Dorito’s as a side.  I should have ridden, but there it is.

After digesting that lovely meal, I waited a couple of hours before managing to climb aboard the trainer.  My motivation was low and I know I would have blown it off if not for the simple fact that I am again writing the blog and needed to tell whomever that I did something.  I managed to watch a single episode of ‘The West Wing’ before calling it an evening.  My streak of consecutive workout days continues; I did something.

Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer and although I have to travel to Akron to see Heidi’s art show, I should be able to fit in a run and some time on the trainer.  I have good intentions.  We’ll see how it pans out.

Bike workout:  45 minutes. 
Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  625.