Thursday, April 29, 2010
Forecast: Sunny and temperature in the 60’s. Perfect ride day…right?
I was planning on riding the bike over to Dan’s to pick up the Jeep and it would appear the stars were lining up with perfect weather for the trip. I haven’t been on the bike in two weeks and was looking forward to the change of pace.
Actually…that’s a lie. I’ve been thinking about running a fourth day in a row. Something told me I could do it and things would go well. I had this plan to put my running shoes and shorts in my backpack, ride to get the jeep and then drive to the park on the way home for a run of between 20-30 minutes. Solid plan for a good double.
And then, of course, it started to rain.
Bag the ride. I went to the park for the run telling myself ‘no more than 30 minutes’. I’d tried four consecutive days about three weeks ago and I’d gotten a pain in the calf. Now, for some unexplainable reason, I felt it would work. After going heavy with the Vaseline, I hopped on the trails…starting very slowly – a pace at which I could easily hold a conversation had anyone been around. No one was so I talked to myself.
I made my steps shorter and focused on not hitting heel first. By the end of the first mile, I was feeling totally relaxed and running very smoothly.
The longer I ran, the faster I went and the less I worried about the calf. I knew I would not be stopping at 30 minutes, feeling like I could run all night. As I reached the last mile of trail, I stepped it up again and was running around a 7-minute mile. I finished the run going uphill and wondering why some days were so easy. I finished with a 43-minute run and a calf that felt no pain. I was also thinking ‘maybe five days straight tomorrow?’
The forecast in sunny and 70 for tomorrow and I still need to get that Jeep from Dan.
The forecast for Saturday is thunderstorms. I’ll plan to ride Saturday.
Run duration: 43 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 725.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
After-event letdowns
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
So…the first thing I did once I’d changed into my running garb was to slather Vaseline…aaaallllllllll over my body…well…maybe just where I’d developed that oh so pleasant chafing, rash thing. I was feeling really good, otherwise and thinking about going around 40 minutes.
I reconnected with an old friend from high school on Facebook recently. She was in the middle of training for a half marathon walk when we first connected and she just completed it this past weekend. She asked me the question “is there such a thing as race letdown? I'm a little lost now that it's over.”
Is there ever. I’ve been through this on numerous occasions. Trained long and hard for an event and then, once it’s over, you don’t know exactly what to do with yourself. My advice to her was to immediately go out and find another event to do. Keep the focus and the conditioning. I suggested starting to run, or finding a trail race to hike – much more interesting. Getting on the bike wouldn’t be bad either – something she’s done before. The point, of course, is that without a goal, it’s easy to lose the focus and keep the program going. Unless, of course, you just love what you’re doing and can’t wait for the next opportunity.
I’m trying to get that ‘love’ thing for my running. Though I have run most of my life, I can’t honestly say that I’ve felt about it the way runners do in the ‘Born to Run’ book – and I want that. I know if I get it totally, I’ll never have to worry about weight again and I’ll be able to do most anything physical I want to do.
I started the run thinking ‘love’ but feeling sluggish and sore. It’s important to do those body inventories and be in touch with how you feel during the workout. I have to remind myself though, not to obsess over it and enjoy the run even with the discomfort. I do know that, for the most part, it will go away after 10 minutes of running. Once the blood supply gets to those sore areas and loosens them, I’ll feel okay until the start of the next run.
The trails were still muddy, but what a beautiful day! The new green of the budding trees was set against deep blue skies – a site I had to drink in from a perch 300 feet above the marsh. The early evening sun was filtering through the trees, giving the trail that eerie, orange glow. I often take the time to stop and enjoy the beauty of this park – or anyplace I run. Even in heavy training, I know I’m not losing a thing when I stop because I want to. Besides, this is the reason I’m running trails – for the natural beauty of my surroundings. When I’m running, I need to watch every footfall for the roots and rocks that clutter the trail. Can’t see much while doing that – so I stop occasionally and take it in.
By the 30 minute mark of the run, the chafing was starting to bother me. Clearly, I’d gone too thin on the Vaseline. What was I saving the stuff for? The jar had to be 20 years old and they must be still making it. I could get more – right? I won’t make that mistake tomorrow. Anyway, now I was thinking something less than 40 minutes for the run. I had wanted to do the 40 only because it would make the most running I’d done in three consecutive days in ten years. Actually – so would 36 minutes, which is where I was as I approached the car. After the pain from yesterday evening, I concluded that was more than enough. Besides, I was thinking as I ran that I might go for a short run tomorrow and see if the calf would hold up for 4 days of consecutive running.
Run duration: 36 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
So…the first thing I did once I’d changed into my running garb was to slather Vaseline…aaaallllllllll over my body…well…maybe just where I’d developed that oh so pleasant chafing, rash thing. I was feeling really good, otherwise and thinking about going around 40 minutes.
I reconnected with an old friend from high school on Facebook recently. She was in the middle of training for a half marathon walk when we first connected and she just completed it this past weekend. She asked me the question “is there such a thing as race letdown? I'm a little lost now that it's over.”
Is there ever. I’ve been through this on numerous occasions. Trained long and hard for an event and then, once it’s over, you don’t know exactly what to do with yourself. My advice to her was to immediately go out and find another event to do. Keep the focus and the conditioning. I suggested starting to run, or finding a trail race to hike – much more interesting. Getting on the bike wouldn’t be bad either – something she’s done before. The point, of course, is that without a goal, it’s easy to lose the focus and keep the program going. Unless, of course, you just love what you’re doing and can’t wait for the next opportunity.
I’m trying to get that ‘love’ thing for my running. Though I have run most of my life, I can’t honestly say that I’ve felt about it the way runners do in the ‘Born to Run’ book – and I want that. I know if I get it totally, I’ll never have to worry about weight again and I’ll be able to do most anything physical I want to do.
I started the run thinking ‘love’ but feeling sluggish and sore. It’s important to do those body inventories and be in touch with how you feel during the workout. I have to remind myself though, not to obsess over it and enjoy the run even with the discomfort. I do know that, for the most part, it will go away after 10 minutes of running. Once the blood supply gets to those sore areas and loosens them, I’ll feel okay until the start of the next run.
The trails were still muddy, but what a beautiful day! The new green of the budding trees was set against deep blue skies – a site I had to drink in from a perch 300 feet above the marsh. The early evening sun was filtering through the trees, giving the trail that eerie, orange glow. I often take the time to stop and enjoy the beauty of this park – or anyplace I run. Even in heavy training, I know I’m not losing a thing when I stop because I want to. Besides, this is the reason I’m running trails – for the natural beauty of my surroundings. When I’m running, I need to watch every footfall for the roots and rocks that clutter the trail. Can’t see much while doing that – so I stop occasionally and take it in.
By the 30 minute mark of the run, the chafing was starting to bother me. Clearly, I’d gone too thin on the Vaseline. What was I saving the stuff for? The jar had to be 20 years old and they must be still making it. I could get more – right? I won’t make that mistake tomorrow. Anyway, now I was thinking something less than 40 minutes for the run. I had wanted to do the 40 only because it would make the most running I’d done in three consecutive days in ten years. Actually – so would 36 minutes, which is where I was as I approached the car. After the pain from yesterday evening, I concluded that was more than enough. Besides, I was thinking as I ran that I might go for a short run tomorrow and see if the calf would hold up for 4 days of consecutive running.
Run duration: 36 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 600.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Chafing sucks
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
First things first. The Metroparks staff is obviously reading my blog. They noticed my concerns regarding dumping in the dark and got right on that light issue and the bulb has been replaced. Good thing because I needed it again today.
Ever had one of those days when almost nothing seems to go right? I’m not whining, but it’s not uncommon in my work to have more no-shows than I actually have people come for their appointments. This can mean a lot of time waiting – something I do poorly. Frustration builds throughout the day – the walk I took had helped - but by the time I left the office, I was in bad need of a running fix.
I decided to do some unusual trails that I hadn’t been on in some time as a change of pace. I figured a general course with the intent of going longer than I had since the beginning of this trek. That meant 70+ minutes. I changed in the now lit bathroom and immediately slipped into the brush behind the ranger station in search of a trail I knew was back there somewhere.
I didn’t find the trail right away, but I did find a new swamp. At first, I attempted to move from it without getting my shoes submersed, but gave that useless effort up in short order. I sloshed through the mud and into the trees beyond until I finally found the hiking trail I was seeking. No one used it. Maybe because it was under 6 inches of water. I continued splashing for the next 10 minutes until I made it to a more civilized hiking trail. My shoes weighed about 5 pounds apiece now, and would add to the workout load for the duration of the run. Oh joy.
Somewhere around the 40-minute mark, I began to notice discomfort in the region where I normally get chafing from my shorts. I had not applied Vaseline at the start – that would have made too much sense – and the rubbing was getting bad. I did some adjusting, including pulling the shorts down lower on the hips, but nothing was working. I had Vaseline in the car and thought about swinging past it for an application, but worried that I might just bag the rest of the run if I took that approach. I kept going down the trails.
Okay…now I’m whining. Out loud on the trails (checked first to see that no one was around – John Locke can’t be seen whining). I kept checking the watch and when I passed 70 minutes, I wanted to stop. I was a short distance from the car though, and plodded the final distance – legs spread awkwardly to minimize rubbing and maximize weirdness.
I walked straight into the bathroom at the Ranger Station and immediately stripped down and bathed the inflamed area with hot water. It helped…but not much. This was going to be a fun evening at home…for Holly. She just loves to hear me complain…or…maybe not. I jumped in the car and hurried home for a warm shower and lots of soapy lather.
It didn’t help much either and I was walking like a bowlegged cowboy who’d spent the last three days riding the dusty trails on my horse, Crotch Hurts A lot. I put some A & D ointment on it and that helped, but I was thinking about tomorrow’s run and what I’d be doing to correct this little misfortune. Vaseline before I started, for sure.
Run duration: 72 minutes. Walk duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 70 walking.
Calories burned during workout: 1,225 running. 225 walking.
First things first. The Metroparks staff is obviously reading my blog. They noticed my concerns regarding dumping in the dark and got right on that light issue and the bulb has been replaced. Good thing because I needed it again today.
Ever had one of those days when almost nothing seems to go right? I’m not whining, but it’s not uncommon in my work to have more no-shows than I actually have people come for their appointments. This can mean a lot of time waiting – something I do poorly. Frustration builds throughout the day – the walk I took had helped - but by the time I left the office, I was in bad need of a running fix.
I decided to do some unusual trails that I hadn’t been on in some time as a change of pace. I figured a general course with the intent of going longer than I had since the beginning of this trek. That meant 70+ minutes. I changed in the now lit bathroom and immediately slipped into the brush behind the ranger station in search of a trail I knew was back there somewhere.
I didn’t find the trail right away, but I did find a new swamp. At first, I attempted to move from it without getting my shoes submersed, but gave that useless effort up in short order. I sloshed through the mud and into the trees beyond until I finally found the hiking trail I was seeking. No one used it. Maybe because it was under 6 inches of water. I continued splashing for the next 10 minutes until I made it to a more civilized hiking trail. My shoes weighed about 5 pounds apiece now, and would add to the workout load for the duration of the run. Oh joy.
Somewhere around the 40-minute mark, I began to notice discomfort in the region where I normally get chafing from my shorts. I had not applied Vaseline at the start – that would have made too much sense – and the rubbing was getting bad. I did some adjusting, including pulling the shorts down lower on the hips, but nothing was working. I had Vaseline in the car and thought about swinging past it for an application, but worried that I might just bag the rest of the run if I took that approach. I kept going down the trails.
Okay…now I’m whining. Out loud on the trails (checked first to see that no one was around – John Locke can’t be seen whining). I kept checking the watch and when I passed 70 minutes, I wanted to stop. I was a short distance from the car though, and plodded the final distance – legs spread awkwardly to minimize rubbing and maximize weirdness.
I walked straight into the bathroom at the Ranger Station and immediately stripped down and bathed the inflamed area with hot water. It helped…but not much. This was going to be a fun evening at home…for Holly. She just loves to hear me complain…or…maybe not. I jumped in the car and hurried home for a warm shower and lots of soapy lather.
It didn’t help much either and I was walking like a bowlegged cowboy who’d spent the last three days riding the dusty trails on my horse, Crotch Hurts A lot. I put some A & D ointment on it and that helped, but I was thinking about tomorrow’s run and what I’d be doing to correct this little misfortune. Vaseline before I started, for sure.
Run duration: 72 minutes. Walk duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 running. 70 walking.
Calories burned during workout: 1,225 running. 225 walking.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Bald is beautiful...
Monday, April 26, 2010
“Hey…are you…”
“Hi…yeah…nice to meet you,” I said in reply. I knew what she was going to ask. I’ve been asked many, many times and particularly when climbing in the Adirondacks with a bandanna covering the little hair my head supports, as we were now.
“Wow…oh…WOW! This is waaay cool,” she said.
“Dad…tell her the truth!” my daughter reprimanded me. I’d told my two daughters at the trailhead that people thought I looked like John Locke and they could expect this reaction – if we ever saw someone. They were too close to the forest to see the ‘John Locke’ trees, but now they believed. I confessed to my new fan, but she was unconvinced and had a picture taken with me…just in case.
I’d never seen the show ‘Lost’ so I didn’t really know who John Locke was. I mean, sure, I’d read the philosopher when I was in college, but…not the same. My kids had gotten me the first two seasons for my birthday and I was about half way through season one this past Saturday when it was time for a hair cut, which Holly performs. Quite well, actually.
“Let’s try a ‘John Locke’ cut,” I suggested. I’d been thinking about a shave for a number of years and now, seeing Locke and agreeing with my public, I wanted to give it a go.
“Are you sure?” Holly was undecided.
About then, Jack walked in and we told him what we were thinking. “Do it,” he said.
So…we did it.
“It’s scary…how much you look like him,” Holly said.
I headed for the mirror. She was right. I mean…damn…he was nearly as good looking as me! All I needed was a hunting knife and I’d have a new career.
So I went to church Sunday and to work on Monday and had a lot of ‘John Locke’ comments. I’m hearing some bad things about the guy now, though. I guess they’re in the last season and he’s not the nicest character anymore. Oh well. I milk it for a while longer. I have to make the decision about keeping it short.
It rained all morning and into the early afternoon. It was a run day, but the trails were going to be underwater. I headed for the park after work, resigned to a mud run. Sometimes, I just splash through the puddles trying to see how dirty I can get. Doing it with someone else is even better – we try to get each other slopped up. After the first couple of puddles, you really stop caring and that’s the way I was.
I started slow, but it was cool and I was feeling pretty good. I had planned on a 40-minute run and figured longer tomorrow, but as I drew near the car, I decided to keep going – it was just a good day. I ended up running around 55 minutes - I got stopped at my last creek crossing by high water - or I’d have done an hour for sure.
Back on that workout horse…
Run duration: 55 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 925.
“Hey…are you…”
“Hi…yeah…nice to meet you,” I said in reply. I knew what she was going to ask. I’ve been asked many, many times and particularly when climbing in the Adirondacks with a bandanna covering the little hair my head supports, as we were now.
“Wow…oh…WOW! This is waaay cool,” she said.
“Dad…tell her the truth!” my daughter reprimanded me. I’d told my two daughters at the trailhead that people thought I looked like John Locke and they could expect this reaction – if we ever saw someone. They were too close to the forest to see the ‘John Locke’ trees, but now they believed. I confessed to my new fan, but she was unconvinced and had a picture taken with me…just in case.
I’d never seen the show ‘Lost’ so I didn’t really know who John Locke was. I mean, sure, I’d read the philosopher when I was in college, but…not the same. My kids had gotten me the first two seasons for my birthday and I was about half way through season one this past Saturday when it was time for a hair cut, which Holly performs. Quite well, actually.
“Let’s try a ‘John Locke’ cut,” I suggested. I’d been thinking about a shave for a number of years and now, seeing Locke and agreeing with my public, I wanted to give it a go.
“Are you sure?” Holly was undecided.
About then, Jack walked in and we told him what we were thinking. “Do it,” he said.
So…we did it.
“It’s scary…how much you look like him,” Holly said.
I headed for the mirror. She was right. I mean…damn…he was nearly as good looking as me! All I needed was a hunting knife and I’d have a new career.
So I went to church Sunday and to work on Monday and had a lot of ‘John Locke’ comments. I’m hearing some bad things about the guy now, though. I guess they’re in the last season and he’s not the nicest character anymore. Oh well. I milk it for a while longer. I have to make the decision about keeping it short.
It rained all morning and into the early afternoon. It was a run day, but the trails were going to be underwater. I headed for the park after work, resigned to a mud run. Sometimes, I just splash through the puddles trying to see how dirty I can get. Doing it with someone else is even better – we try to get each other slopped up. After the first couple of puddles, you really stop caring and that’s the way I was.
I started slow, but it was cool and I was feeling pretty good. I had planned on a 40-minute run and figured longer tomorrow, but as I drew near the car, I decided to keep going – it was just a good day. I ended up running around 55 minutes - I got stopped at my last creek crossing by high water - or I’d have done an hour for sure.
Back on that workout horse…
Run duration: 55 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 925.
A crap in the dark
Sunday, April 25, 2010
I’m really getting seriously burned out and I have to do something about that.
I headed to the park for an early hike and photo op. I had less than an hour so it wasn’t going to be a long one, but I planned on going down to the marsh. I was about 20 minutes into the woods when a nature call came knocking. Normally not a problem if I’d have packed some tp – I dig a great cathole - but I didn’t have any. Crap. Or…no…don’t crap.
I headed back to the car and the Ranger Station bathroom. I was walking…or waddling from the car to the restroom hoping no one was using it. A quick knock…no answer…and I was inside. As the door closed, I fished for the light switch, but was having no luck finding it. I opened the door again to let in the sunlight and aid my search only to discover there was no light switch…the light was just burned out. Crap.
I mean I know where my butt is and I could see the crapper before I closed the door, but…you know…the clean up afterwards? Well…this thing wasn’t waiting. I tore off a bunch of tp…this bathroom has one of those giant roll, money saving toilet paper dispensers that I have trouble working when there is light… and placed it strategically near me before allowing the door to close again and throw the room into total darkness.
And I mean…dark. It was like the ‘inside of your shoe’ dark. I managed a successful outcome, but now I had to wash my hands. I know Holly will read this eventually and I want credit for washing…even under such challenging conditions.
The rest of the day was me trying to decide if I was going to do a workout or not. Sunday was family dinner day and that meant limited window between the end of church and guests arriving – if you can call family ‘guests’. I’d hiked for about 40 minutes with my butt cheeks tightly clenched earlier in the day, and, with the clenching, I’d probably burned more calories than usual. Maybe that should be enough? The fact that I was having these thoughts spoke volumes about my burnout level. So I did…I took the rest of the day off. From exercise…not from eating.
We had tuna noodle casserole, nut bread and one of Holly’s great jello salads. I had two helpings… and they weren’t small. I did skip the brownies she’d made for dessert, at least.
Off that workout horse for a day, but I remount tomorrow…
Hike duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 65
Calories burned during workout: 250.
I’m really getting seriously burned out and I have to do something about that.
I headed to the park for an early hike and photo op. I had less than an hour so it wasn’t going to be a long one, but I planned on going down to the marsh. I was about 20 minutes into the woods when a nature call came knocking. Normally not a problem if I’d have packed some tp – I dig a great cathole - but I didn’t have any. Crap. Or…no…don’t crap.
I headed back to the car and the Ranger Station bathroom. I was walking…or waddling from the car to the restroom hoping no one was using it. A quick knock…no answer…and I was inside. As the door closed, I fished for the light switch, but was having no luck finding it. I opened the door again to let in the sunlight and aid my search only to discover there was no light switch…the light was just burned out. Crap.
I mean I know where my butt is and I could see the crapper before I closed the door, but…you know…the clean up afterwards? Well…this thing wasn’t waiting. I tore off a bunch of tp…this bathroom has one of those giant roll, money saving toilet paper dispensers that I have trouble working when there is light… and placed it strategically near me before allowing the door to close again and throw the room into total darkness.
And I mean…dark. It was like the ‘inside of your shoe’ dark. I managed a successful outcome, but now I had to wash my hands. I know Holly will read this eventually and I want credit for washing…even under such challenging conditions.
The rest of the day was me trying to decide if I was going to do a workout or not. Sunday was family dinner day and that meant limited window between the end of church and guests arriving – if you can call family ‘guests’. I’d hiked for about 40 minutes with my butt cheeks tightly clenched earlier in the day, and, with the clenching, I’d probably burned more calories than usual. Maybe that should be enough? The fact that I was having these thoughts spoke volumes about my burnout level. So I did…I took the rest of the day off. From exercise…not from eating.
We had tuna noodle casserole, nut bread and one of Holly’s great jello salads. I had two helpings… and they weren’t small. I did skip the brownies she’d made for dessert, at least.
Off that workout horse for a day, but I remount tomorrow…
Hike duration: 40 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 65
Calories burned during workout: 250.
A yard work, run double.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
“It’s actually a little sunny here. Are we going to ride?” John asked.
We’d been planning to do the 55-mile ride since the snow-out last Saturday. I’d been watching the forecast and rain was predicted for the entire weekend. That’s why I’d figured it was safe to schedule the ride. What were the odds of the forecast actually being right?
“Its been raining all morning here and I don’t see any end in sight. I say let’s wait until we get a day when we know it’s going to be nice,” I replied.
“You…big…wuss…” he said.
“You’re right. C’mon over. We’ll ride.”
“Um…seriously? Maybe…um…waiting would be okay.”
I’d called his bluff. He sucks at cards. We agreed to shoot for next weekend and I no sooner hung up the phone than the skies cleared and for the next three hours – it was sunny. Cleveland weather – go figure.
I’d already had a pretty good workout. I’d moved a half ton of top soil, trenched about a quarter mile of garden, and done other miscellaneous yard work for a little over five hours. My hamstrings would be screaming tomorrow from all the bending and yard work, but I’d burned some serious calories in the process. More importantly…I’d made Holly happy.
I headed for park and a short run. I had been having some pain in my hip the night before and the ankles were still sore. These are the normal aches and pains I have experienced over the years whenever my mileage got over 30 a week. I think there might be a possibility of it being different this time since I’m being so careful and mixing my workouts. And I’m reading a book about running without pain…which should count for something.
“Slow motion is better than no motion” I always say and I lived it for this run. The first mile was just trying to get the aches and pains to go away and trying to settle the last of lunch somewhere in my digestive system. I started making this rice, corn, beans, mushrooms and onions concoction, which I pull out and eat for lunch or dinner. It’s pretty good, low in calories and gives me protein without the meat calories. I seem to be able to eat it and run in a couple of hours, too, something I couldn’t do if I’d eaten meat. Seemed like about the time I was feeling comfortable…the run was over. Well…I sweat plenty and, combined with all the yard work, now felt justified for a big dinner.
John had invited us over for dinner, but when we got there, he announced he didn’t want his wife, Teri, to have to make dinner so he was taking us out. Cool. We went to this Italian place in Twinsburg and I had this huge portion of cheese Lasagna. I ate the bread, but skipped the butter and had a side of steamed vegetables. Not bad. John was cracking himself up all through dinner.
“I knew this guy named Sebastian. I was thinking about how you’d shorten his name…how does ‘Sebaaaa….,’ sound?” Then he’d break into laughter again and just keep repeating ‘Sebaaa, Sebaaa’. Like a good fungus, he grows on you.
We went back to their place for dessert. Teri had made some kind of apple, berry crisp thing – kinda like pie – and I figured I needed at least two scoops of Breyer’s all natural vanilla with bean specks on top of mine. Seriously…is there any other way to eat warm, pie-like food?
Run duration: 32 minutes. Yard work duration: 5 freaking hours
Training Heart Rate: 140 running (forgot to check during yard work).
Calories burned during workout: 550 running. 1,250 yard working.
“It’s actually a little sunny here. Are we going to ride?” John asked.
We’d been planning to do the 55-mile ride since the snow-out last Saturday. I’d been watching the forecast and rain was predicted for the entire weekend. That’s why I’d figured it was safe to schedule the ride. What were the odds of the forecast actually being right?
“Its been raining all morning here and I don’t see any end in sight. I say let’s wait until we get a day when we know it’s going to be nice,” I replied.
“You…big…wuss…” he said.
“You’re right. C’mon over. We’ll ride.”
“Um…seriously? Maybe…um…waiting would be okay.”
I’d called his bluff. He sucks at cards. We agreed to shoot for next weekend and I no sooner hung up the phone than the skies cleared and for the next three hours – it was sunny. Cleveland weather – go figure.
I’d already had a pretty good workout. I’d moved a half ton of top soil, trenched about a quarter mile of garden, and done other miscellaneous yard work for a little over five hours. My hamstrings would be screaming tomorrow from all the bending and yard work, but I’d burned some serious calories in the process. More importantly…I’d made Holly happy.
I headed for park and a short run. I had been having some pain in my hip the night before and the ankles were still sore. These are the normal aches and pains I have experienced over the years whenever my mileage got over 30 a week. I think there might be a possibility of it being different this time since I’m being so careful and mixing my workouts. And I’m reading a book about running without pain…which should count for something.
“Slow motion is better than no motion” I always say and I lived it for this run. The first mile was just trying to get the aches and pains to go away and trying to settle the last of lunch somewhere in my digestive system. I started making this rice, corn, beans, mushrooms and onions concoction, which I pull out and eat for lunch or dinner. It’s pretty good, low in calories and gives me protein without the meat calories. I seem to be able to eat it and run in a couple of hours, too, something I couldn’t do if I’d eaten meat. Seemed like about the time I was feeling comfortable…the run was over. Well…I sweat plenty and, combined with all the yard work, now felt justified for a big dinner.
John had invited us over for dinner, but when we got there, he announced he didn’t want his wife, Teri, to have to make dinner so he was taking us out. Cool. We went to this Italian place in Twinsburg and I had this huge portion of cheese Lasagna. I ate the bread, but skipped the butter and had a side of steamed vegetables. Not bad. John was cracking himself up all through dinner.
“I knew this guy named Sebastian. I was thinking about how you’d shorten his name…how does ‘Sebaaaa….,’ sound?” Then he’d break into laughter again and just keep repeating ‘Sebaaa, Sebaaa’. Like a good fungus, he grows on you.
We went back to their place for dessert. Teri had made some kind of apple, berry crisp thing – kinda like pie – and I figured I needed at least two scoops of Breyer’s all natural vanilla with bean specks on top of mine. Seriously…is there any other way to eat warm, pie-like food?
Run duration: 32 minutes. Yard work duration: 5 freaking hours
Training Heart Rate: 140 running (forgot to check during yard work).
Calories burned during workout: 550 running. 1,250 yard working.
Change of scenery required
Friday, April 23, 2010
I really need an event to keep me motivated…and I’m not so different from so many people trying to stick with the grind of working out every day. Yeah…I know I talk all about if it’s fun you’ll keep doing it...but sometimes I just want to blow it off. There’s always tomorrow.
I didn’t though…blow it off, that is. I found myself in the Chagrin Falls area towards the end of my day and decided I needed a change of scenery. I always pack at least two forms of exercise in my car for just such an occasion – running gear and a loaded backpack for serious hiking. It was a run day and I headed for the South Chagrin Reservation. The park isn’t as big as North Chagrin, but I like running the trail that runs along the Chagrin River from Squaw Rock north to the Polo Fields, which is typically devoid of human traffic. Today was no exception.
I did cross paths with some horses, though, and was careful to stop and walk – approaching them slowly. Most horses aren’t spooked by runners on the trails, but for the occasional one that is – I take precautions. I’d once approached one from the rear and the horse gave a little buck when it heard me, unseating the rider and landing him flat on his back. He was okay, but I felt so bad that I never again approached a horse without plenty of precautions.
Though I enjoyed the run, I was struggling a little. My legs were tired and sore from the faster pace of yesterday’s run, so I resigned myself to a slower pace. The trail is flat as a pancake, so at least no hills to suck the life out of me.
I managed to put in one hour of running before packing it in for home. Later that night, Jack asked me to take him to East Coast Custard – the best damned ice cream in Greater Cleveland. Now…I’ve steered clear of the place since my workout walk there about a month ago. I had guaranteed any pr’s were worth a trip to ECC, so I had to go. I went in, looked over all the great stuff I like to order and got…nothing. Yeah baby…I fought the urge. We elected to leave quickly because I was breaking into cold sweats, though. Hey…maybe I should get something whenever I pr. Wished I’d thought of that earlier…
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories buduring workoutrned : 1,020.
I really need an event to keep me motivated…and I’m not so different from so many people trying to stick with the grind of working out every day. Yeah…I know I talk all about if it’s fun you’ll keep doing it...but sometimes I just want to blow it off. There’s always tomorrow.
I didn’t though…blow it off, that is. I found myself in the Chagrin Falls area towards the end of my day and decided I needed a change of scenery. I always pack at least two forms of exercise in my car for just such an occasion – running gear and a loaded backpack for serious hiking. It was a run day and I headed for the South Chagrin Reservation. The park isn’t as big as North Chagrin, but I like running the trail that runs along the Chagrin River from Squaw Rock north to the Polo Fields, which is typically devoid of human traffic. Today was no exception.
I did cross paths with some horses, though, and was careful to stop and walk – approaching them slowly. Most horses aren’t spooked by runners on the trails, but for the occasional one that is – I take precautions. I’d once approached one from the rear and the horse gave a little buck when it heard me, unseating the rider and landing him flat on his back. He was okay, but I felt so bad that I never again approached a horse without plenty of precautions.
Though I enjoyed the run, I was struggling a little. My legs were tired and sore from the faster pace of yesterday’s run, so I resigned myself to a slower pace. The trail is flat as a pancake, so at least no hills to suck the life out of me.
I managed to put in one hour of running before packing it in for home. Later that night, Jack asked me to take him to East Coast Custard – the best damned ice cream in Greater Cleveland. Now…I’ve steered clear of the place since my workout walk there about a month ago. I had guaranteed any pr’s were worth a trip to ECC, so I had to go. I went in, looked over all the great stuff I like to order and got…nothing. Yeah baby…I fought the urge. We elected to leave quickly because I was breaking into cold sweats, though. Hey…maybe I should get something whenever I pr. Wished I’d thought of that earlier…
Run duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories buduring workoutrned : 1,020.
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