Advil and a good Survival Workout...

Tuesday, April 9, 2013
My sore neck had been growing progressively worse throughout the work day and as I left the lot, I had a decision to make…home and Advil with a heating pad or the park and a workout.  I’d missed three days in a row, and the guilt associated with that won out as I drove past the exit for home and headed to the park.  I was initially planning to do a Survival Workout to be followed by an hour or so on the bike, but as I suited up for the workout I knew it would be Survival only.

It was the warmest day of the year…near 70…so I pulled on shorts and a muscle t-shirt for the workout.  I also grabbed a bottle of water to carry with me.  I surprised myself by doing 95 push-ups – my highest number since cracking 100 – for my first set.  Dakota, who is completely back to normal, and I headed down the trail where I would perform 20 sets of upper body exercises over the course of the workout.  When I reached the swing set, I even climbed once deciding that I no longer care that my elbow hurts.  Its hurt non-stop for almost a year and not doing things isn’t making it any better, so what the hell?

When I did get home, I popped three Advil and grabbed the heating pad.  The adult dosage is two, but I’ve never acted like an adult and I saw no reason to start when my neck was hurting so badly.  I sat on the sofa, tuned in ‘The Office’ while laying on the heating pad, and let the Advil do its thing.  By the time Holly got home, I was feeling better.  She baked salmon for dinner and since I’d had a large spinach/vegetable salad for lunch, was a very good Paleo day.  I’m not too sure where the neck thing is going though I seem to go through this about once every six months, so, no worries.  Tomorrow, unless it’s considerably worse, I hope to be back out on the bike.  Spring rains must be coming and I’d like to get in some riding before they hit.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.

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

The Home Opener...

Monday, April 8, 2013

Opening Day!  I’d missed the last couple of opener’s because my game partner, Savannah, had been away at college and I just didn’t feel like going without her.  But when John called me up offering free tickets, I couldn’t say no.

I went to the office dressed in Indians regalia because the agency was offering an Indians luncheon of hot dogs and other bad crap to honor the spirit of the day.  I ate three dogs and shared my 1997 World Series story with some members of the staff.  I’d been reminded by John that since I didn’t have any pictures to prove that I’d ridden to the game in an Indians stretch limo that it likely only happened in my mind.  I called my cousin Donnie, who had accompanied me, to relate John’s doubts.

“Jeez, John, he may be right.  You take pictures of everything so if you don’t have any, maybe it DIDN’T happen,” he said.

“But you were there, too.  Remember that great ride up the front gate and all those Marlins fans pounding on the limo as we passed?” I said.

“Well…John…you KNOW how reliable my memory is.  I might have dreamed the whole thing,” he said.

I’d even told John how I had a recording of Herb Score announcing that I was there with him on the radio, but he said I could have doctored that up, too.  Anyways…I’m pretty sure I had been there though I’ve learned to always carry my camera.

We walked towards our seats in Section 152, heading for row ‘H’.  Turns out that our seats were three rows from home plate and directly behind it.  Very sah…weet.  We took a couple of pictures sitting on the dugout before the game began and gave a standing-O to Travis Hafner, the new designated hitter for the Yankees, when he was introduced.

Our starting pitching is quite suspect, particularly Ubaldo Jimenez.  A couple of years ago, he was a premier pitcher in the National League for the Colorado Rockies throwing his fast ball around 97mph.  Something happened since then and he’s a shadow of his former self.  His fastball was coming in around 85 and he couldn’t seem to keep it in the strike zone.  When Travis stepped to the plate in the first inning and watched two outside pitches go by for a 2-0 count, I turned to John and said, “he’s going to get hit hard if he keeps getting behind on these guys and then throwing those lame-ass fastballs.”

Ubaldo went into his windup and hurled his mighty fastball towards the letters.  I couldn’t see his eyes since I was sitting behind home plate, but they must have broadened to saucers as Travis pivoted and swung.  It was a three-run homer and wouldn’t be the last the Yankees would hit. 

We stayed for the whole, depressing game…a little over four hours.  The final score was 11 to 6, Yankees, but I had the opportunity to meet Brian Zimmerman, CEO of the Cleveland Metroparks, who was sitting directly behind me and talking cycling with Dave Gilbert, President of ‘Positively Cleveland’ and the Cleveland Sports Commissioner.  Dave’s an old friend from the CAC days and handled the introductions after I turned to complain to them that I couldn’t concentrate on baseball if they were going to talk about cycling. 

And finally…I ate three hot dogs and didn’t do any exercise…again.  Since I like to have new and unusual pain, I’ve been dealing with a stiff neck for several days that makes it difficult to turn from side to side and may make riding the bike tricky, at best.

Batting cages and putt-putt...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Holly and I had been meaning to get to Columbus to see Savannah and the fact that her tags were expiring on the Jeep and I had them provided the excuse we needed.  We drove down and picked her and Kyle up for breakfast at 10:30 a.m. – college student breakfast time.

We were looking for something to do for the afternoon and decided to drive to the new Cabella’s, one of the great hunting, fishing and camping outfitters in the country, for some shopping.  I got lost quickly in the camping section while the ladies decided they needed time shopping at the mall across the street.  I always think I need some new and improved gear, typically something lighter weight to lessen my load when backpacking, but I’ve found that no matter what I do, I seem to end up with fifty pounds on my back. 

We drove to a putt-putt/batting cage establishment from Cabella’s where Savannah knocked down 3 holes-in-one and swung a mean bat in the batting cage.  Holly, on the other hand, seemed to struggle with her hitting, likely because her shoes had 2” heels and the pitching machine was throwing everything up around her eyeballs.  She and Savannah took 42 swings apiece, doing little damage to the balls as they passed by.  I took pictures so as not to embarrass myself.

We went to Appleby’s for a late lunch and then drove home, arriving back after 9 p.m. and beyond the time I cared to begin a workout.

As I draw nearer celebrating 58 years on the planet, I know I’m not in the shape I was a year ago at this time.  I’m not in bad shape, but the combination of bad weather and a string of nagging injuries have kept me from my normally strict regimen.  I have no concerns, though.  I’m locked in and anxious to be doing something…and that just doesn’t change.  I know it’s that attitude that keeps me on-track and the one thing no one can do for anyone else…it just happens because you make it a priority long enough that it becomes part of who you are.  It takes awhile, but it is a goal worth striving for.  I already know that I’ll be taking tomorrow off, too, since John is taking me to the Indians home opener, allowing little time to squeeze in a workout.  I’ll get back on track Tuesday, more anxious than ever.

Long day working and dinner and a movie with a great friend...

Saturday, April 6, 2013

I arrived at Mimi’s at 8:30 a.m. for my morning coffee and small talk before jumping into the first day of spring preparations.  Mimi’s husband Bob had always insisted that it was the only civilized way to start a day of physical labor and I tended to agree.  We discussed the Indians, the Master’s, the movie ‘Argo’ and many other things over the next forty minutes, but finally I knew it was time to begin. 

“I’m going to start with the pressure sprayer.  I’ll get wet and it’ll be messy, so I want to do that first,” I said.

It was supposed to have been sunny and in the 60’s, but the weather had not bothered to check with the weather reporters.  It was closer to 35 and overcast…perfect conditions for working with water and having wet clothes and feet.  Mimi suggested I wait, and as much sense as that made, I was determined to plow forward.  I took the furniture from the deck and started it up.

For the next two hours, I pounded the mold-covered deck wood with 1,200 pounds of pressure.  I have to admit that I love pressure-spraying things clean…and her deck was no exception.  I could see the dirt and mold washing away as I moved the hose back and forth in front of me.  When I finally finished, I tackled a cement dog statue in the back yard and an iron table base that needed to be repainted.  I could have gone merrily along pressure-spraying any one of a number of things around the yard, but knew that I had other chores that needed to be done, so I finally shut it down and loaded it back in the Jeep to return to Dan.  I’d also taken her old, heavy propane grill apart and shoved that in the Jeep, as well.  The cabinet was stainless steel and Dan had a scrap guy that would haul it away and make a few dollars.  Mimi’s guy was going to charge her to pick it up, so win-win.

I spent the afternoon raking and gathering sticks by the thousands from the front yard.  When I called it quits a little after three to drive the sprayer and grill out to Dan’s, I was pretty whipped.  I called Holly from Dan’s though, and met her in the park for a 75-minute hike on the way home.  No matter how tired I am, there’s always enough in the tank to walk over those beautiful trails.

I finished the evening with an old friend and a deep fried turkey.  Henry had invited me over for conversation and food…and he’s an outstanding cook.  I ate a pound or two of turkey while we watched one of my favorite movies, ‘The Last of the Mohicans’.  It is filmed in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Chimney Rock National Park, which reminds me so much of the Adirondacks (the actual location for the book setting) that I want to start packing my gear every time I watch.  I ate well…I did plenty of work though I didn’t exercise…and I think I came out about even on calories in-calories out.

Yard work duration:  6 hours.  Hike duration:  75 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  80 on yard work and hiking.
Calories burned during workout:  1800 on yard work and 400 hiking.

Flipping tractor tires...

Friday, April 5, 2013

Dan called to let me know he’d managed to get the hood on the Jeep to release, but only after taking out the headlights and going through a series of gyrations to reach the latching mechanisms that were on the outside, front edges of the hood.  I got home and prepared for the bike ride, struggling slightly with what to wear.  It was in the high forties and sunny, but the wind was blowing hard.  I decided against tights, but did wear gloves, two pairs of socks and two layers on my upper body. 

The wind normally comes from the south, but today it was out of the northeast and blowing hard.  I was riding north and east, and uphill.  It was shaping up to be a bitch of a ride…and it became all of that.

I chose to follow Mulberry east to Fowler’s Mill.  I know this road and knew that it had the longest, hardest climb on Cleveland’s east side, but it was also lightly traveled and I was riding at the going home hour.  I geared down and climbed.  The wind, knowing I was vulnerable, pushed back hard and I cursed it more than once, which had no effect.

When I finally arrived at Dan’s 80 minutes later, I felt like I’d ridden a century.  Since my time was limited though, I liked that it had been so hard.  He arrived shortly after and we loaded the pressure sprayer I was borrowing to clean Mimi’s deck when I noticed the tractor tire in his garage.

“What in the hell is that doing in here?”

“I’m using it for a workout.  I flipped it to the end of the drive and back last night.  Wow…what a workout!” he said.

“And it weighs?…” I asked.

“400 pounds,” he answered.

I told him this was just the thing for Jason’s rugby team.  What a perfect combination of strength, muscular endurance and development of core power…all critical ingredients to their sport.  New, they cost around $1,000, so I’ll tell Jason he should go for used.  The only problem is storage.   They’re kind of something you’d want to leave in one place and I don’t think the Metroparks, home of their practice field, would be in favor of it staying in their field for safekeeping.  Anyway…I wouldn’t mind having it around to incorporate into the Survival Workout, either.  Maybe we can hide it?

Bike duration:  80 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1125.

First cook-out and a long ride...yeah.

Thursday, April 4, 2013
My elbow was still sore from doing the extra exercises two days ago and though it was a Survival Workout day, this offered me the excuse to bag it and ride.  And what a day for riding!  It was 50 degrees and sunny and though my right calf continues to feel stiff, I figured I’d ride easier gears and not try to push so hard as I climbed hills.  I was really getting tired of missing workouts to injuries, which often has me doing stupid things, but I thought this was a sensible approach.

I rode a moderate pace for a little over two hours though my calf started to protest towards the end.  I knew I’d have to do it all again the next day since I needed to ride out to Chardon to pick up the Jeep and the pressure sprayer I’d need on Saturday to clean the algae from Mimi’s deck and walks.  That would be uphill and I’d take the long route, so another two hours, but I still felt if I took it easy, it was doable.

I returned home to a rejuvenated Dakota.  She’d spent an evening at the Vet’s where they’d treated her for dehydration while looking for the cause of her symptoms.  Finding none, she came home with some special food, which I gave her and she gobbled up.  Holly pleaded with me not to take her to the park,  but we did head out back to chase some tennis balls.  She seemed to be doing fine.

Holly suggested a trip to Heinen’s and a little shopping for dinner.  I’d thought that meant we’d eat something healthy and fresh, but we ended up with burgers which I cooked on the grill for the season’s first cook-out.  I made some baked beans as a side dish…a perfect combination of fatty and gaseous food for a person with stomach issues.  In fact, I’ve been good for five days now and maybe it’s the Kefir kicking in.  I do have the name of a stomach doc and will be going to visit him if my stomach issues return.  For sure, this time.

Bike duration:  Two hours and 10 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1825.

On the radio...

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I was driving up to Wal-mart to grab some things and remembered that the Indians were playing, so I tuned them in on the radio.  As soon as play-by-play announcer Tom Hamilton’s voice came over the speaker, I began to feel a sense of calming and peace that hadn’t been present in me for some time.  I drove and listened to his calls, imagining the action on the field and feeling like I could smell the fresh cut grass of the field and the breeze blowing, snapping the flag overhead.

I called John and began sharing my thoughts on listening to the game on the radio.  He agreed entirely.  What was it about this phenomenon that could evoke such strong, emotional feelings in us?  It took me back to my childhood; to playing on our makeshift ball field in the vacant lot next to our house, collecting and swapping cards, running bases, pitching against the garage door, and wearing the dirt and dried blood from hard play. 

And it was about more than just baseball…it was the radio.  I have such vivid memories of my grandparents’ kitchen…my absolute favorite place in the world…and the old radio sitting on the shelf above the kitchen table.  It would be playing first thing in the morning during breakfast and again in the evening just before dinner, to bring the latest news into the house.  It was background noise for me, but as important as the sound of sausage or bacon sizzling in its own grease in the iron skillet or grandpa saying the world was going all to hell. 

“We both need to get some old radio at a garage sale and make sure its playing in the house for all the games,” I told him as I walked into the store. 

I finished shopping and drove home, immediately going to the Rec Room where I knew Holly had a boom box sitting that she used to play her CD’s while exercising.  I turned it on and tuned in 1100 AM and the Indians game.  I cranked it up some so I could hear it wherever I walked on the lower level of the house until I started receiving complaints from Holly upstairs.  She did not have these emotional attachments to the radio and baseball, and she did not want to hear the game.  I lowered the volume, but continued to play the game…and enjoy the serenity it offered.