Not much of a run...

Wednesday, May 8. 2013
I would have liked to back up my long ride with another day on the bike, but the weather wasn’t cooperating so I elected to do a run and test the left calf, instead.  I picked a short course and was absolutely determined to do no more than twenty minutes.  I hadn’t run since hurting my calf 10 days earlier and didn’t want to risk re-injury. 

The first 15 minutes went well, but I felt a twinge and stopped immediately at that point.  I was already on my way back to the car when it happened, so I just walked quickly to see if it would work itself out.  After five minutes of walking, it seemed to feel pretty good, so I slow-jogged it the next five minutes back to the car.

Yes…I ran 20 minutes.  No…I hardly broke a sweat and no…I didn’t really feel like I’d done a workout.  I could have put in some time on the trainer, but I find it so difficult to motivate myself to ride indoors once the weather has broken for the season.  In the end, I satisfied myself with an easy day.

Run duration:  20 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  130 bpm.
Calories burned:  300.

Solid on the long ride...

Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Everything came together for the perfect riding day.

I drove home thinking how I was rested, the weather was perfect, I’d been eating really well and my head was back in the cycling game.  I mounted the bike planning to ride east on Pekin and continuing out to Amish country before turning around.  The only thing that could stop me would be leg cramps and I’d decided to combat them by taking it easy on the way out and holding it in check until the forty-mile mark before seeing what I still had in the tank. 

Training should be part of a plan with some goal at the end.  I know that I’m targeting a lot of riding in the month of August and that this riding will be all about a comfortable pace for many hours.  I’ll be taking breaks for pictures, to meet people and write things, and to make sure my neck and shoulders can handle the all-day grind for two weeks.  My training therefore, should mirror the event.

I rode comfortably into the wind for almost two hours and finally stopped and dismounted at the half-way point.  It was a beautiful point to stop with fantastic views to the east of the farms that made up this part of Geauga county.  With blue skies overhead and the smell of fresh cut grass in the air, I was in no particular hurry to get back on the bike and ride.  I stretched and tried to work the kinks out of my neck and shoulders and noted that my quads still felt good.  As I hopped back on my bike, I remembered that the return ride would be primarily with the wind at my back.  Sweet.

I completed the ride in three and a half hours with no leg cramping and the feeling that I had another hour in me, at least.  I made a large, delicious smoothie and pulled another generous portion of the mixed salad from my Tupper ware container for what became a thoroughly filling and tasty meal.  It was a very encouraging ride and day.

Bike duration:  3 hours and 30 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  2950.

Turning 'edging' into a workout...

Monday, May 6, 2013
I like finding ways to burn up some extra calories.  If you edge your lawn on a regular basis, it goes rather smoothly and can be done with little effort.  Then there’s the ‘John Rolf’ way, which says that you should do it only a couple of times a year.  My method has you pushing and fighting for every inch through dirt and sod that has overgrown the sidewalk and driveway and refuses to give in without a struggle.  It took me thirty minutes to complete the task by which time I’d achieved a heart rate near capacity, broken a heavy sweat and blistered my hands.  I followed that with cutting the lawn with the push mower instead of the tractor and if I’d done nothing else, would have had an excellent workout.  I did more, of course.

The Survival Workout was upper body only.  I’m starting to save myself for riding and the plan is to go long tomorrow without cramping.  Since I have so much training to do between now and the start of Tour Ohio, I’m planning on cutting back on the Survival Workout to once every three days except for occasional doubles.  I can easily maintain a good level of tone and overall fitness with that routine and I’ll need the extra time for riding, hiking and kayaking.

I dipped into my large salad container for both lunch and dinner.  It sure works having it ready to go and I’ll probably be able to eat another couple of days from it before having to refill.  I can feel the pounds melting away already.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.

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

Checking out the eagle's nest...

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Seriously…did I move?  With temperatures again in the low seventies and blue skies overhead for maybe the eighth day in a row, I’m not so sure I’m in Northeast Ohio any longer.  In any event, my legs were tired but I was anxious to take advantage of the situation with another ride.  Holly and I had made plans to hike at the East Branch Reservoir in the late afternoon so I had about two hours to bike immediately after church.  I wasted little time suiting up and heading out the driveway.

I’ve started carrying and drinking my diet Lipton iced tea on the bike so I have a way to replace some of the salt I’m sweating out while riding.  I’m thinking this could help me to avoid the cramping I sometimes experience, but the drink I’ve chosen isn’t really the best for this.  It’s what I have at the moment though, and it’s cheap.

I rode reasonably hard through windy conditions that seemed to shift and face me regardless of the direction I turned.  Bastard.  As I made my way back up the drive and disembarked, I knew my legs were fatigued and not interested in hiking.  I had to go, though and quickly showered and grabbed my camera.

I had asked Holly to take this hike in hopes that we’d spot the eagles.  She couldn’t have been more excited about that prospect.

“They’re just birds…and kind of ugly ones at that,” she said, noting their yellow, curving beaks and bland coloring.

“I’ll give you that they aren’t pretty colored song birds and they are a bit intimidating in their looks…but there a hell of a lot more than ‘just birds’.  You’ll get it if we get to see one and they’re flying close by,” I promised.

We made our way past the lean-to located in a grove of pines just off the water which I pointed out to her in the hopes that she’d think it was a great place to come and camp out for a night.  What WAS I thinking.

“You could sleep here and have a nice campfire and great places to hike, kayak and ride your bike.  Then you could go to some of the local shops in Burton and Middlefield to do some browsing,” I said.

“I could do all those things and sleep in a nice bed at the Red Maple Inn, too,” she said.

“Well…I suppose…but why would you want to do that when you could sleep out for a lot less and have all this serenity?” I asked.

She looked at me like I was daft.  It was rhetorical anyways…I knew her answer.

We hiked the trail and then went off-trail to within 400 yards of the nest.  I stayed back to keep from disturbing anything that might be occupying it, but we saw no sign of life and eventually returned the way we’d come.  For me, any hike in the woods is worth the effort and I don’t think Holly was disappointed, either.  I have to admit that my legs were crying bunches during the hike though, and I was happy to be back in the car and resting for the drive home.

Hike duration:  60 minutes.  Bike duration:  One hour and 50 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  80 hiking and 120 bpm on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  350 hiking and 1550 on the bike.

Lining up the sag wagon...

Saturday, May 4, 2013
I started my Saturday in the usual fashion by heading to Mimi’s to do some chores.  I’d told her I would be willing to cut a portion of her lawn with the John Deere tractor in an effort to save a little on landscaping bills.  It was a good plan until it wasn’t.

I don’t know exactly what happened, but the belt that drives the blades broke and something snapped off the deck causing the front end to drop.  I still had about half an acre to cut and there was no way I was leaving it unfinished.  I drove home and grabbed my hand mower and returned to finish the job.  It was warm and I had a nice rolling sweat going, especially when I added pruning limbs from the trees that were whacking me in the head when I’d tried to drive under them with the tractor. 

After seven hours of this kind of labor, I returned home and quickly changed for a ride.  I was tired and knew that if I sat around and thought about it for a few minutes; I might nod off and miss the opportunity.  I pushed harder from the start, determined that it would be a challenging workout and managed to ride the course I’d ridden two days earlier a full ten minutes faster.  I was quickly rounding into cycling shape and liked knowing it.

When I returned home, I met with my next-door neighbor.  Pat allows me to cleanse myself all summer in his pool…he’d have trouble stopping me since I dive in as soon as I return from a ride…and is a very good friend.  He’s a retired school teacher from Cuyahoga Heights where he headed up the IT program and continues to work with the football program; filming the games and producing videos for the team members.  He also likes to camp.

“Pat…have I got an opportunity for you,” I said as we sat in my backyard with our feet propped on the stones to my fire pit.  “You know how I’m doing that Tour Ohio ride and I’ve been thinking what a pain it would be to drag panniers to carry our camping gear.  We sure could use someone to drive the course with us and carry camping gear to the different places we’ll be riding and camp out with us.  Of course…we’d pass through small towns and there’d by micro-breweries and places to eat and such,” I added.

Pat loves his beer…more than camping…and this hooked him.  “I’ll have to check my very busy schedule, but that could work,” he said.

Since meeting with Nancy from the Cleveland Metroparks, I’ve decided that videoing the trip would make so much sense to the marketing of the trail afterwards.  Pat is definitely my man.  It turned out to be one very good day.

Yard work duration:  7 hours.  Bike duration:  1 hour and 35 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 120 bpm on the bike.
Calories burned during workout:  1500 for yard work and 1325 on the bike.

Planning Tour Ohio with Nancy from the Cleveland Metroparks...

Friday, May 3, 2013

After speaking with Cleveland Metroparks CEO, Brian Zimmerman, at the Tribe’s home opener about Tour Ohio, I’d sent him off an email about the Tour and telling him I’d like to do a story about him for OhioActive.  He’d lined me up with Nancy Desmond, Director of Special Projects (I’m often considered a ‘special project) and cycling advocate.  We’d exchanged some emails and had agreed to meet at the Zoo, the home of the administrative offices for the Metroparks. 

As were walking towards the picnic table area to chat, she spotted Brian coming from the parking lot.  We stopped to chat.

“We should have been at last night’s game when they hit seven home runs,” I commented, referring to the Indians latest victory.

We talked baseball for a couple of minutes while Nancy’s eyes…and mind…drifted.  When Brian walked away, I asked her about baseball.

“That’s a game where they do something with a ball…I think,” she said in a decided South Boston accent.

“You’re a ‘Southy’ and you don’t love the Sox?” I asked incredulously.

“Umm…well…just never got interested in them,” she said.

I turned to leave.  How could I possibly work with a woman who’d lived so close to Fenway Park but wasn’t part of Red Sox Nation?  It was unthinkable.  I stopped though, thinking that, as part of my mission to fight obesity and try to bring the good news of Ohio’s amazing outdoor recreational opportunities, I could also dedicate myself to saving this lost soul.  Maybe…just maybe…I could revel her with my love of baseball to the point where she’d grow to appreciate the greatest game ever made.  Maybe.

I gave her a thumbnail sketch of Tour Ohio with special emphasis on the cycling leg.

“My goal is to model what I’d like to call the ‘Trans-Ohio Trail’ after the Trans-America Trail and get communities along the way to agree to let cyclists use municipal property to pitch a tent and be able to use a pool or shower facility, if they exist.  The payback is that these cyclists will become tourist dollars to the town and once the trail is established, different marketing pieces and sites will direct attention to their communities,” I explained.

Either she was a good bullshitter (I’m such a master that I kind of have a built-in bullshit radar and it wasn’t going off) or she really liked my idea and was more than anxious to become an advocate.

“I’m pretty sure I can help you with communities along the trail and with getting campsites established in the Metroparks…we’re working on that already…and finding more sites on the Ohio-Erie Canal path for the hiking portion,” she said.

This really had me jazzed.  I knew the importance of having a highly respected entity like the Cleveland Metroparks supporting the concept because of the doors that could open.  It would certainly raise my credibility and was a giant step closer to making my vision a reality.

 “You’ve been riding your whole life and never been on a mountain bike?” she said with an incredulity that matched my shock regarding her baseball shortcomings.  “Well…you’ll be my guest and I’ll get you a bike,” she promised, inviting me to do some riding on the Metroparks new 10-mile mountain trail in the Mill Stream Reservation in Strongsville. 

.

I got a similar commitment from her to try the Survival Workout.  It’s always a great day when you meet someone with the kind of passion you have for a similar interest.  Thanks for your help, Nancy.  I’m looking forward to a fruitful, long-lasting friendship.

Survival Workout:  60 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  100-150 bpm.

Calories burned:  600.

Getting back on the Paleo Diet...

Thursday, May 2, 2013

As I boarded the bike on tired legs, I wondered just how ugly the ride would be.  I know you can make things worse by filling your head with negative thoughts…and you can do the opposite with positive thinking.  I was stuck in negative, though.

I was a little low on time and elected to take a shortened version of the course I’d ridden the day before.  It would be a simple out and back with the halfway point at the top of a two-mile climb.   Tough going out…fun coming back.

I reached the turnaround feeling sluggish, which usually means the second half will be even worse, but not so today.  As often happens for me, I quickly regain my conditioning because I haven’t let myself get that far out of shape.  I began to feel stronger as I finished the ride and was encouraged once again.

I also knew I needed to take drastic action regarding my diet.  I’ve let the Paleo get away from me and decided it was time to quit fooling around.  I know how well it works for me, but I also know how lazy I can get.  I had picked up a large bag of spinach and another of mixed vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.  I dumped them both in a very large Tupperware bowl, added some mushrooms and almonds and tossed it in the refrigerator.  Now when I get hungry, I’ll grab a couple of handfuls, put it in a bowl, add some salad dressing and I’ll be good to go.  Along with my smoothies, it was this kind of advanced planning that helped me lose all the weight when I first tried the Paleo Diet.  I also had the discipline then NOT to eat anything with sugar.  I’ll give that a go soon.

Bike duration:  One hour and 45 minutes.

Training Heart Rate:  120 bpm.

Calories burned during workout:  1475.