Friday, February 26, 2010
Last night as we drove to the park through a light snow for our run, Jack asked for the twentieth time this winter “do you think we’ll have a snow day tomorrow?”
I consider snow shoveling just another outdoor cardiovascular workout. Always have. I tend to race against neighbors with snow blowers to add to the workout and to show off that I’m faster than the machine. When I do this, which is pretty much every time it snows, I typically end up stripped down to my t-shirt because I’m sweating so profusely. I’ve been blessed with the unusual ability to perspire at a rate that, during a summer workout, will have me losing as much as ten pounds an hour.
The snow continued to fall and I pushed about 3 inches before going to bed. If tomorrow was going to be a snow day, I wanted a head start on the removal.
The phone startled me awake at 5:45 a.m. It was a recording from the school telling me that, in fact, Jack did have a snow day. Well, it actually would be a snow day for the entire school, not just Jack. Anyway, it also alerted me that I’d be starting the day with a 1-hour workout. I put on the boots and grabbed my shovel.
It continued snowing heavily throughout the day and by the time I arrived back home, the driveway needed shoveling again. I live on a sharp curve in the road and what that means is the snow plow deposits an inordinate amount of snow at the bottom of my driveway. No big deal – just adds to the workout. I spent another hour shoveling and then headed inside to fetch Dakota for a trip to the park and a snow hike.
We arrived there just before dark to find the trails had accumulated about ten inches since yesterday’s run. I planned to do the off-trail hike down to the marsh – the same loop I had done two days ago in 45 minutes. With about twelve inches of snow on the ground now, it was definitely going to take longer and be more difficult. Dakota, a 50-pound Norwegian Elkhound mix, has only about ten inches between her belly and the ground and found it easier to move by staying in my tracks. My heart rate was running around 90 beats, which is high for hiking and would burn up considerably more calories. The walk took an hour to complete and I was really starting to feel the accumulated affect of all the shoveling and everything I had been doing over the last seven days. I mean I was pretty bushed – but from a hike?
Once back home, I climbed aboard the bike and plugged in “Man verses Wild”. I’d never seen the show, but heard enough about it to give it a shot. Bear something or other (yeah - Bear’s his name) was crossing a part of the Sahara desert and would be demonstrating survival techniques. He began by tearing up a black t-shirt, peeing on it and wrapping it around his head – telling the audience about the benefits of the cooling effect this would have on his head for the desert crossing. Cooling affect? Seriously?
No – I have not done and desert crossings, but I do know a little bit about physiology and heat injuries. He claimed it was 130 degrees. He was in a desert, which would make it dry – right? How long do you suppose it would be before the pee evaporated in these conditions – 5 minutes? I’ll be generous and give him ten, but he was hiking for, like, the whole day so what was that really all about? And a black t-shirt? Dark materials absorb heat and light ones reflect. I’m missing something.
I won’t go into the myriad of inconsistencies I noticed throughout the show, but it did get me through a 45-minute ride. Since I was already whipped when I’d climbed aboard, I was pleased with my efforts.
I grabbed another handful of baby carrots, something I’d taken to eating over the last few days in an effort to curb my appetite, and headed for the weigh-in and shower. I stripped down and stepped on the scale. ‘199’ flashed across the screen. Holy crap – could that be right? I let it reset and climbed on again and again it read ‘199’.
I was surprised, but pretty happy. When I’d weighed in ten days earlier at 206, I figured it would be three weeks or so before I dipped below 200. In retrospect though, I’d made significant changes in my eating habits and was burning calories during workouts at an average of 1,100 per day. You know what? I’ll take it.
Shovel duration: 60 minutes. Hike duration: 60 minutes. Bike duration: 45 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 bpm for shoveling. 90 bpm for hike. 125 bpm for bike.
Calories burned during workout: 600 shoveling. 600 hiking. 675 biking.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Running, falling, and running some more
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Anyone reading this thinking that if I’m doing it, it makes good sense just doesn’t know me too well. I’ve made a career of not listening to the signals my body was sending me and ended up injured as a result. Having said that…
Rest is a good thing and there are sensible times to do it. One of them is when you’re sore and it’s not going away. Like right now, I’ve still got that lower abdominal/groin pain thing going on and I should take a couple of days off.
I should – but it’s a run day. And if it’s a run day, well, I just have to run. So that’s what I did.
I called home and told Jack, my 15-year old, that I was headed for the park and a run and he could join me. He said yes, which made me really happy because I like being humiliated by someone who trains by playing Xbox 360. He’s loaded with running talent, but to date, has chosen to ignore it. He’s planning on going out for track, which is a good thing since he was running a 57-second 400 in 8th grade gym class.
Another couple of inches of snow had fallen that day and the trails were covered, rutted, and crunchy. Jack was well bundled and looked curiously at my outfit – short sleeved t-shirt, running shorts, socks on the hands and a hat.
“People will think something is wrong with you, dad.”
“Yeah – and that has always really concerned me, Jack.”
He looked concerned – concerned that someone he knew would see us running together and know that I was his dad. Tough poopy.
The run would be slippery and slow, but promised to be a good workout. I told Jack he could run ahead figuring his pace would top mine, but he decided instead to draft me. He was worried about getting lost - something he can do in our driveway if he turns around quickly.
We passed a cross country skier, who, I suspect, didn’t like us messing with his ski grooves. I was slipping and sliding and busting ass so I figured he should too. Besides, this was an all-purpose trail and not groomed for skiing. Maybe he was just into his workout and didn’t have the energy to say ‘hello’. Maybe he didn’t like my outfit. Maybe he just didn’t like me. Nah.
The snow was coming down heavily when we hit the turnaround mark in about 18 minutes. I like to run negative splits (faster second half) and so picked it up slightly for the return trip. I realized this would get me back to the car in around 35 minutes and I was okay with that – not looking to top the 41-minute run from the last time out.
Jack sprinted ahead with a couple hundred yards to go. I emerged from the woods and bridle trail and could see his skinny butt disappearing into the swirling snow. I tried to pick it up too, but when my foot hit the walking trail, I stumbled and went, ever so gracefully, tumbling to the ground. I slid about ten feet, covering myself in snow, before slowly getting to my feet to finish the run. When I reached the car and checked my watch, I discovered that we’d gotten back pretty quickly – only 34 minutes of running time. This would not do. I decided to make a loop of Squires Castle and when I arrived back at the car and checked my watch again, discovered that if I did one more loop, I could break my two-day old record of 41 minutes. A little competitive? Maybe. A little stupid? Without a doubt. Seemed like a good idea at the time, though. So I kept running and ended up at 42 minutes and my calf was still healthy.
We fogged the hell out of the car windows on the ride home where I had set up the bike before leaving so I could do a double. My knees were sore from the fall and the cold, but I figured a good ride would fix all that. Sound thinking.
I climbed quickly aboard and pushed the ride for the next 30 minutes. I kept doing the calculations in my head. “Fifteen calories burned for every minute riding” was my mantra and along with the fact that I would be writing what I’d done kept me going. I was a sweaty mess at the end of the ride and thrilled to be finished. This was a good double and I knew the pounds would be coming off. Maybe tomorrow I’d weigh in again.
Run duration: 42 minutes. Bike duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 beats per minute for run. 125 bpm for bike.
Calories burned during workout: 700 for run. 450 for bike.
Anyone reading this thinking that if I’m doing it, it makes good sense just doesn’t know me too well. I’ve made a career of not listening to the signals my body was sending me and ended up injured as a result. Having said that…
Rest is a good thing and there are sensible times to do it. One of them is when you’re sore and it’s not going away. Like right now, I’ve still got that lower abdominal/groin pain thing going on and I should take a couple of days off.
I should – but it’s a run day. And if it’s a run day, well, I just have to run. So that’s what I did.
I called home and told Jack, my 15-year old, that I was headed for the park and a run and he could join me. He said yes, which made me really happy because I like being humiliated by someone who trains by playing Xbox 360. He’s loaded with running talent, but to date, has chosen to ignore it. He’s planning on going out for track, which is a good thing since he was running a 57-second 400 in 8th grade gym class.
Another couple of inches of snow had fallen that day and the trails were covered, rutted, and crunchy. Jack was well bundled and looked curiously at my outfit – short sleeved t-shirt, running shorts, socks on the hands and a hat.
“People will think something is wrong with you, dad.”
“Yeah – and that has always really concerned me, Jack.”
He looked concerned – concerned that someone he knew would see us running together and know that I was his dad. Tough poopy.
The run would be slippery and slow, but promised to be a good workout. I told Jack he could run ahead figuring his pace would top mine, but he decided instead to draft me. He was worried about getting lost - something he can do in our driveway if he turns around quickly.
We passed a cross country skier, who, I suspect, didn’t like us messing with his ski grooves. I was slipping and sliding and busting ass so I figured he should too. Besides, this was an all-purpose trail and not groomed for skiing. Maybe he was just into his workout and didn’t have the energy to say ‘hello’. Maybe he didn’t like my outfit. Maybe he just didn’t like me. Nah.
The snow was coming down heavily when we hit the turnaround mark in about 18 minutes. I like to run negative splits (faster second half) and so picked it up slightly for the return trip. I realized this would get me back to the car in around 35 minutes and I was okay with that – not looking to top the 41-minute run from the last time out.
Jack sprinted ahead with a couple hundred yards to go. I emerged from the woods and bridle trail and could see his skinny butt disappearing into the swirling snow. I tried to pick it up too, but when my foot hit the walking trail, I stumbled and went, ever so gracefully, tumbling to the ground. I slid about ten feet, covering myself in snow, before slowly getting to my feet to finish the run. When I reached the car and checked my watch, I discovered that we’d gotten back pretty quickly – only 34 minutes of running time. This would not do. I decided to make a loop of Squires Castle and when I arrived back at the car and checked my watch again, discovered that if I did one more loop, I could break my two-day old record of 41 minutes. A little competitive? Maybe. A little stupid? Without a doubt. Seemed like a good idea at the time, though. So I kept running and ended up at 42 minutes and my calf was still healthy.
We fogged the hell out of the car windows on the ride home where I had set up the bike before leaving so I could do a double. My knees were sore from the fall and the cold, but I figured a good ride would fix all that. Sound thinking.
I climbed quickly aboard and pushed the ride for the next 30 minutes. I kept doing the calculations in my head. “Fifteen calories burned for every minute riding” was my mantra and along with the fact that I would be writing what I’d done kept me going. I was a sweaty mess at the end of the ride and thrilled to be finished. This was a good double and I knew the pounds would be coming off. Maybe tomorrow I’d weigh in again.
Run duration: 42 minutes. Bike duration: 30 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 beats per minute for run. 125 bpm for bike.
Calories burned during workout: 700 for run. 450 for bike.
A slip - Overeating
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
I was still sore from the run on Monday. That’s pretty normal, though. Pain from using muscles that have been out of use for awhile peaks around 48 hours which is right where I was.
I took Dakota, my dog and training partner, for a hike in the park. We headed off-trail almost immediately both to get the better workout and because I enjoy the serenity. The trail is hard packed with frozen snow and walking is pretty easy. Off-trail is a different story. The snow is about 6” deep and covered in an icy glaze that we broke through with each step. Whereas my heart rate normally runs around 75 bpm for trail hikes, it was closer to 90 with the increased effort the snow created. I figured I’d burn an extra 90 calories during the hike just because I took the tougher route. If I’m going to work out, I may as well burn every calorie I can.
It was about 30 degrees and there was a light, wet snow falling. I had on heavy boots – to add to the workout. I was wearing my carhartt coat (big plus for fashion points), and breaking a good sweat as a result. The hike took 45 minutes and would prove to be a good warm-up for the bike.
I returned home and set up the trainer in front of the TV. The hike had loosened me up and I was ready to go. My plan was to get in at least 45 minutes of riding so that I’d have logged an hour and a half of total time, but as I got closer to that time, I kept adding 5 more minutes. I had been doing an interval workout – switching to a more difficult gear for two minutes and then returning to the training gear for three. I worked this pattern from the 35-minute mark until the end, which I pushed to one hour. My heart rate would jump to 140 for the hard 2-minute stretch and drop back to 120 for the time in the regular training gear. Somehow, even though it made the ride so much tougher, time seemed to pass more quickly. The towels I put under and on the bike to catch my sweat, were saturated.
I have to admit that I was struggling with food all evening. I’m trying to watch the intake and making a point to stop consuming any calories past 8 p.m. We tend to eat late because of the workouts and work, something I’d like to change, but for now I just try to make dinner the end. No more snacks or drinks with calories after dinner. Unfortunately, I ate some extra calories because there was too little food to bother putting back in the refrigerator for another meal, so I scarfed it. I overate. I’m not proud, but I am human. Whereas when I have done this in the past and then continued to let the program come unglued, my commitment level – writing about my efforts – will help me get back on track and maybe even do a little extra tomorrow.
Hike duration: 45 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training heart rate: 85 bpm for hike. 125 bpm for bike.
Calories burned during workout: 350 for hike. 900 for bike.
I was still sore from the run on Monday. That’s pretty normal, though. Pain from using muscles that have been out of use for awhile peaks around 48 hours which is right where I was.
I took Dakota, my dog and training partner, for a hike in the park. We headed off-trail almost immediately both to get the better workout and because I enjoy the serenity. The trail is hard packed with frozen snow and walking is pretty easy. Off-trail is a different story. The snow is about 6” deep and covered in an icy glaze that we broke through with each step. Whereas my heart rate normally runs around 75 bpm for trail hikes, it was closer to 90 with the increased effort the snow created. I figured I’d burn an extra 90 calories during the hike just because I took the tougher route. If I’m going to work out, I may as well burn every calorie I can.
It was about 30 degrees and there was a light, wet snow falling. I had on heavy boots – to add to the workout. I was wearing my carhartt coat (big plus for fashion points), and breaking a good sweat as a result. The hike took 45 minutes and would prove to be a good warm-up for the bike.
I returned home and set up the trainer in front of the TV. The hike had loosened me up and I was ready to go. My plan was to get in at least 45 minutes of riding so that I’d have logged an hour and a half of total time, but as I got closer to that time, I kept adding 5 more minutes. I had been doing an interval workout – switching to a more difficult gear for two minutes and then returning to the training gear for three. I worked this pattern from the 35-minute mark until the end, which I pushed to one hour. My heart rate would jump to 140 for the hard 2-minute stretch and drop back to 120 for the time in the regular training gear. Somehow, even though it made the ride so much tougher, time seemed to pass more quickly. The towels I put under and on the bike to catch my sweat, were saturated.
I have to admit that I was struggling with food all evening. I’m trying to watch the intake and making a point to stop consuming any calories past 8 p.m. We tend to eat late because of the workouts and work, something I’d like to change, but for now I just try to make dinner the end. No more snacks or drinks with calories after dinner. Unfortunately, I ate some extra calories because there was too little food to bother putting back in the refrigerator for another meal, so I scarfed it. I overate. I’m not proud, but I am human. Whereas when I have done this in the past and then continued to let the program come unglued, my commitment level – writing about my efforts – will help me get back on track and maybe even do a little extra tomorrow.
Hike duration: 45 minutes. Bike duration: 60 minutes.
Training heart rate: 85 bpm for hike. 125 bpm for bike.
Calories burned during workout: 350 for hike. 900 for bike.
Getting old's a bitch
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Holy shit, was I ever sore today from yesterday’s run. Old? You bet I am. I was particularly sore after writing yesterday’s blog and standing up from my desk. Things tend to stiffen up after a couple of hours sitting and my first steps sent pain radiating from the groin area in all directions. The muscles that lift the legs while running tie in nicely through the groin and into the abdomen. Stop using them for a period of time or build up your running miles too quickly and you’ll know what I mean. I’ve been building running programs for athletes for over twenty-five years and I never increase mileage more than 10% a week. That’s just smart coaching. That keeps people from getting injured. That’s damned good advice and - that’s why I don’t seem to follow it!
I can whine with the best of them.
So today would be a biking day, but that would come later. My son, a freshman in high school and with designs on the track team, asked me if I would take him to the park for a run. “Sure I’ll take you, but I’m not running,” I assured him.
“But I don’t know the trails. I could get lost,” he said.
“So you get lost and run a few extra miles. I’ve done it. No big deal. Just keep running until you see something you recognize. As crappy as it is out here tonight, that’ll probably be me and then you’ll be found again,” I comforted.
“How ‘bout we do ‘the workout’?” he asked.
He was referring to the ‘Back to Basics – Survivor Workout’, which was something I had created to be done in the woods using mostly what can be found out there to do a total body workout. I’ll get into the details of that workout when I actually start doing it again. I obliged him and we headed for the Park. We did a little hike back into an area where I prefer to do the workout, which, because of the snow was a little bit of a workout for me. He was really out of shape – Xbox 360 has been doing nothing for his conditioning – and staggered through. By the time I said ‘I think you’ve had enough’ – he was unconscious. I carried him back to the car.
Anyway, we headed back home with a stop at the Library so I could pick up some movies to watch while riding the trainer. Have I mentioned I hate riding on the trainer? I picked up “We Are Marshall” and a couple of others. The weather is supposed to stay lousy for a few days and I’m planning ahead.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I hate riding on the trainer. I brought the bike in from the garage and spent twenty minutes getting it into the trainer correctly. On the commercial for the thing, the bike rolls up and snaps in, lickity split. I probably should have read the directions or watched that commercial more closely. Oh well – directions are typically overrated and things are never as easy as they appear in commercials. That, and I’m challenged by simple, mechanical things.
“We Are Marshall” is a terrific story. I vaguely remember the tragic crashing of the airliner carrying the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, some family and friends. Seventy-five people died in the crash that November evening in 1970 – I was a sophomore in high school at the time. The movie definitely inspired me to keep riding. I managed to get in a 1-hour ride, which also worked out all the soreness I had been feeling all day. Cardiovascular exercise can be very soothing to sore muscles – warming them and carrying away the waste that makes them sore in the first place. Day Five of the training was in the books and I was happy it was over.
Duration: 60:00
Training heart rate: 125 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 900
Holy shit, was I ever sore today from yesterday’s run. Old? You bet I am. I was particularly sore after writing yesterday’s blog and standing up from my desk. Things tend to stiffen up after a couple of hours sitting and my first steps sent pain radiating from the groin area in all directions. The muscles that lift the legs while running tie in nicely through the groin and into the abdomen. Stop using them for a period of time or build up your running miles too quickly and you’ll know what I mean. I’ve been building running programs for athletes for over twenty-five years and I never increase mileage more than 10% a week. That’s just smart coaching. That keeps people from getting injured. That’s damned good advice and - that’s why I don’t seem to follow it!
I can whine with the best of them.
So today would be a biking day, but that would come later. My son, a freshman in high school and with designs on the track team, asked me if I would take him to the park for a run. “Sure I’ll take you, but I’m not running,” I assured him.
“But I don’t know the trails. I could get lost,” he said.
“So you get lost and run a few extra miles. I’ve done it. No big deal. Just keep running until you see something you recognize. As crappy as it is out here tonight, that’ll probably be me and then you’ll be found again,” I comforted.
“How ‘bout we do ‘the workout’?” he asked.
He was referring to the ‘Back to Basics – Survivor Workout’, which was something I had created to be done in the woods using mostly what can be found out there to do a total body workout. I’ll get into the details of that workout when I actually start doing it again. I obliged him and we headed for the Park. We did a little hike back into an area where I prefer to do the workout, which, because of the snow was a little bit of a workout for me. He was really out of shape – Xbox 360 has been doing nothing for his conditioning – and staggered through. By the time I said ‘I think you’ve had enough’ – he was unconscious. I carried him back to the car.
Anyway, we headed back home with a stop at the Library so I could pick up some movies to watch while riding the trainer. Have I mentioned I hate riding on the trainer? I picked up “We Are Marshall” and a couple of others. The weather is supposed to stay lousy for a few days and I’m planning ahead.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but I hate riding on the trainer. I brought the bike in from the garage and spent twenty minutes getting it into the trainer correctly. On the commercial for the thing, the bike rolls up and snaps in, lickity split. I probably should have read the directions or watched that commercial more closely. Oh well – directions are typically overrated and things are never as easy as they appear in commercials. That, and I’m challenged by simple, mechanical things.
“We Are Marshall” is a terrific story. I vaguely remember the tragic crashing of the airliner carrying the entire Marshall University football team, coaches, some family and friends. Seventy-five people died in the crash that November evening in 1970 – I was a sophomore in high school at the time. The movie definitely inspired me to keep riding. I managed to get in a 1-hour ride, which also worked out all the soreness I had been feeling all day. Cardiovascular exercise can be very soothing to sore muscles – warming them and carrying away the waste that makes them sore in the first place. Day Five of the training was in the books and I was happy it was over.
Duration: 60:00
Training heart rate: 125 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 900
Squirrels are dumb
Monday, 2/22/10
I’m so pleased it’s a running day. A cold drizzle has been falling all day, which in my opinion, is the total pits for running weather. I thought about going home and putting the bike back on the trainer, but that would be wussing out and I was trying to avoid that.
I arrived at the Metropark from work and headed for the restroom to change into my non-traditional, completely unfashionable running outfit. Today it would be the beat up biking cap, socks on my hands, a short-sleeved t-shirt that actually had some polyester in it, and running shorts. It was about 38 degrees and a light mist was falling. “What doesn’t break you makes you stronger” I have a bad habit of saying to people I’ve trained over the years, but for me its more like “what doesn’t break me, makes me whine.” There was no one to listen, so I started to run.
The trails would be nothing but icy slush and that’s a little more than I could cope with today. I headed for River Road and figured I should run further than I had on Friday or until my calf took a crap, whichever came first. Actually, cold, rainy weather is only a pain for the first five minutes or so. After that, I’ve warmed up, or I’m sucking oxygen so badly, that I don’t notice anymore. Today – it was the ‘sucking oxygen’ thing. I knew early on (three steps from my car) that this was going to be an ugly run. I never disappoint myself when I have this feeling. My legs were hung over from two days of hard riding and bouts with ‘The Lung’. Really out of shape? Do something hard every day until you feel something snap. It would seem that this was my plan – it wasn’t, but being smart about your training is way over-rated.
About a mile into the run, I came across squirrel road kill. They are the dumbest animals in the woods. “Should I run in front of this car? Oh – I’m half way across and I’m going to make it. Oh no, I forgot something back on the other side. I’m sure I’ve got time to get back and get it before I get…” Squished, which they do all the time. If it’s a defective gene or something, I’d think they’d have bred it out over time with all of the stupid ones unable to reproduce since they’re busy hanging out under car tires.
You have to think about these things when you’re running – and suffering. It’s called a distraction. Endorphins, that wonderful chemical in the brain triggered by aerobic exercise and putting the athlete in that blissful state is, well, bullshit as far as I’m concerned. Running is running and does good things for me and I love it, but it’s suffer or think about squirrels acting squirrelly.
Have you ever run in sand? I don’t recommend it, if you have speed on your mind. You trudge along with great effort, but go nowhere quickly. I felt like the road was a never-ending beach. My legs were leaden and I was timing my run with the changing of the seasons. I hit the turnaround determined to keep moving and to slog along until I’d run more than the 35 plus minutes I’d logged on Friday. As I struggled back to within view of my car, I looked at my watch. Thirty-seven minutes! I should have been satisfied, but I was so close to 40 minutes that I did the improbable – I passed my car and kept running. After a short loop, I returned to the car and came to a stop. The watch registered 41 minutes. Hot damn.
I was drenched for my efforts. A combination of profuse sweat and freezing rain found me with steam rising from my body and fumbling for the key in my running shorts. How I love the way I feel after completing a workout I really didn’t want to do and had so many different justifications (excuses) for not doing. I know I’m turning the corner – I’m getting back to the ‘just do it - with some whining, of course’ phase.
Duration: 41:00
Training heart rate: 145 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 700
Weight after workout: 203 pounds
I’m so pleased it’s a running day. A cold drizzle has been falling all day, which in my opinion, is the total pits for running weather. I thought about going home and putting the bike back on the trainer, but that would be wussing out and I was trying to avoid that.
I arrived at the Metropark from work and headed for the restroom to change into my non-traditional, completely unfashionable running outfit. Today it would be the beat up biking cap, socks on my hands, a short-sleeved t-shirt that actually had some polyester in it, and running shorts. It was about 38 degrees and a light mist was falling. “What doesn’t break you makes you stronger” I have a bad habit of saying to people I’ve trained over the years, but for me its more like “what doesn’t break me, makes me whine.” There was no one to listen, so I started to run.
The trails would be nothing but icy slush and that’s a little more than I could cope with today. I headed for River Road and figured I should run further than I had on Friday or until my calf took a crap, whichever came first. Actually, cold, rainy weather is only a pain for the first five minutes or so. After that, I’ve warmed up, or I’m sucking oxygen so badly, that I don’t notice anymore. Today – it was the ‘sucking oxygen’ thing. I knew early on (three steps from my car) that this was going to be an ugly run. I never disappoint myself when I have this feeling. My legs were hung over from two days of hard riding and bouts with ‘The Lung’. Really out of shape? Do something hard every day until you feel something snap. It would seem that this was my plan – it wasn’t, but being smart about your training is way over-rated.
About a mile into the run, I came across squirrel road kill. They are the dumbest animals in the woods. “Should I run in front of this car? Oh – I’m half way across and I’m going to make it. Oh no, I forgot something back on the other side. I’m sure I’ve got time to get back and get it before I get…” Squished, which they do all the time. If it’s a defective gene or something, I’d think they’d have bred it out over time with all of the stupid ones unable to reproduce since they’re busy hanging out under car tires.
You have to think about these things when you’re running – and suffering. It’s called a distraction. Endorphins, that wonderful chemical in the brain triggered by aerobic exercise and putting the athlete in that blissful state is, well, bullshit as far as I’m concerned. Running is running and does good things for me and I love it, but it’s suffer or think about squirrels acting squirrelly.
Have you ever run in sand? I don’t recommend it, if you have speed on your mind. You trudge along with great effort, but go nowhere quickly. I felt like the road was a never-ending beach. My legs were leaden and I was timing my run with the changing of the seasons. I hit the turnaround determined to keep moving and to slog along until I’d run more than the 35 plus minutes I’d logged on Friday. As I struggled back to within view of my car, I looked at my watch. Thirty-seven minutes! I should have been satisfied, but I was so close to 40 minutes that I did the improbable – I passed my car and kept running. After a short loop, I returned to the car and came to a stop. The watch registered 41 minutes. Hot damn.
I was drenched for my efforts. A combination of profuse sweat and freezing rain found me with steam rising from my body and fumbling for the key in my running shorts. How I love the way I feel after completing a workout I really didn’t want to do and had so many different justifications (excuses) for not doing. I know I’m turning the corner – I’m getting back to the ‘just do it - with some whining, of course’ phase.
Duration: 41:00
Training heart rate: 145 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 700
Weight after workout: 203 pounds
Friday, February 26, 2010
Climbing "The Lung" again
Sunday, 2/21/10
Yesterday wasn’t so bad. I had posted on my Facebook status that I had done the ride and gotten a couple of comments back about my manliness, which had always inspired me to do incredibly dumb things in the past. Getting older was not making me smarter. I figured ‘ride again’ and to hell with the weather.
The day was actually pretty agreeable. It was sunny for the third day in a row and the temperature was checking in at a balmy 42 degrees. I had a little over an hour before dinner with the family, which would be lasagna – something very concentrated in fat calories – my absolute favorite kind. There would be garlic bread and some kind of wonderful dessert, as well. My daughter was home from college, the in-laws were coming and so, well, lots of food.
I cut back some on my dress. No running pants today – only the riding shorts, though I did have my Speedo’s on under the shorts to protect against penal frostbite (wish I’d thought of that yesterday). Anyway, I took off on a course I was determined would not be as hilly as yesterday. I was still sore from that ride - it being the first hard ride since last fall, and I wasn’t looking to prove anything to anyone. Sure.
I headed down into the Chagrin River Valley again, which pretty much means that I had to climb out of it at some point. I had ridden up the steepest hill out of the valley the day before, something affectionately referred to as ‘the Iron Lung’. It’s a very steep hill, three quarters of a mile long, with absolutely no breaks. I could come back up it again today or I could avoid it easily – taking a number of other routes up hills longer, but not nearly as steep or difficult. And yet, there really was no choice - the ‘Lung’ was beckoning. I detoured a couple of miles, finding myself at its base with the goal of making it faster than I had the day before. I wasn’t sure as to ‘why’ as I began the ascent.
I was determined to stay in the saddle for the whole trip up. I do this when training for mountain climbs in the Adirondacks. It strengthens the quads, but why I was doing it now – I don’t have a friggin’ clue. Anyway, I also decided not use my easiest gear for the entire hill as I had the day before. I’d had a ride and should be in better shape, right? This, by the way, is another example of terribly flawed thinking. You need at least a couple of weeks to start really getting the conditioning affects of your training, but I always ignore my own advice when it applies to me. It had taken me 8 minutes to get up it yesterday. Today would be better if I had to puke.
It was. I was a hair under 7 minutes for the climb, but about 2 minutes slower than my younger, studlier days. This is one good reason not to go back to places where you timed yourself as a younger man. Or where you went as ‘in shape’ man. Oh well. I’d given up on the self-respect thing when I’d seen that I’d topped 200 pounds on the scale. My quads were swollen with that great burn feeling that would remain for the rest of the ride, which was another twenty minutes. I struggled home with ten minutes to spare before company arrived - about how much time I need to shower, change, and place myself in front of the kitchen sink so I could make it look like I’d done all of the pre-dinner cleanup. Oh – and have a little extra time to whine about how sore I was.
Discouraged about my performance? Nah. For now – I’m just going to push myself to do something challenging each day. The pounds WILL come off and I will perform better.
Duration: 1:10:00
Training heart rate: 130 beats per minute.
Calories burned during workout: 1,050
Yesterday wasn’t so bad. I had posted on my Facebook status that I had done the ride and gotten a couple of comments back about my manliness, which had always inspired me to do incredibly dumb things in the past. Getting older was not making me smarter. I figured ‘ride again’ and to hell with the weather.
The day was actually pretty agreeable. It was sunny for the third day in a row and the temperature was checking in at a balmy 42 degrees. I had a little over an hour before dinner with the family, which would be lasagna – something very concentrated in fat calories – my absolute favorite kind. There would be garlic bread and some kind of wonderful dessert, as well. My daughter was home from college, the in-laws were coming and so, well, lots of food.
I cut back some on my dress. No running pants today – only the riding shorts, though I did have my Speedo’s on under the shorts to protect against penal frostbite (wish I’d thought of that yesterday). Anyway, I took off on a course I was determined would not be as hilly as yesterday. I was still sore from that ride - it being the first hard ride since last fall, and I wasn’t looking to prove anything to anyone. Sure.
I headed down into the Chagrin River Valley again, which pretty much means that I had to climb out of it at some point. I had ridden up the steepest hill out of the valley the day before, something affectionately referred to as ‘the Iron Lung’. It’s a very steep hill, three quarters of a mile long, with absolutely no breaks. I could come back up it again today or I could avoid it easily – taking a number of other routes up hills longer, but not nearly as steep or difficult. And yet, there really was no choice - the ‘Lung’ was beckoning. I detoured a couple of miles, finding myself at its base with the goal of making it faster than I had the day before. I wasn’t sure as to ‘why’ as I began the ascent.
I was determined to stay in the saddle for the whole trip up. I do this when training for mountain climbs in the Adirondacks. It strengthens the quads, but why I was doing it now – I don’t have a friggin’ clue. Anyway, I also decided not use my easiest gear for the entire hill as I had the day before. I’d had a ride and should be in better shape, right? This, by the way, is another example of terribly flawed thinking. You need at least a couple of weeks to start really getting the conditioning affects of your training, but I always ignore my own advice when it applies to me. It had taken me 8 minutes to get up it yesterday. Today would be better if I had to puke.
It was. I was a hair under 7 minutes for the climb, but about 2 minutes slower than my younger, studlier days. This is one good reason not to go back to places where you timed yourself as a younger man. Or where you went as ‘in shape’ man. Oh well. I’d given up on the self-respect thing when I’d seen that I’d topped 200 pounds on the scale. My quads were swollen with that great burn feeling that would remain for the rest of the ride, which was another twenty minutes. I struggled home with ten minutes to spare before company arrived - about how much time I need to shower, change, and place myself in front of the kitchen sink so I could make it look like I’d done all of the pre-dinner cleanup. Oh – and have a little extra time to whine about how sore I was.
Discouraged about my performance? Nah. For now – I’m just going to push myself to do something challenging each day. The pounds WILL come off and I will perform better.
Duration: 1:10:00
Training heart rate: 130 beats per minute.
Calories burned during workout: 1,050
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Freezing on the bike
Saturday, 2/20/10
Note: There are approximately 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat. I’m going to log my calories burned per workout with a goal of burning at least 3,500 per week so I know that I’m doing enough exercise to lose a pound of fat. Actually, any combination of calorie reduction and calorie burning totaling 3,500 will do the trick, so if you watch the caloric intake while doing the workout program – you lose faster.
I need two days off from running if I am to keep the calf from flaring up again and so that means back to the bike on the trainer in the family room. I hate working out indoors on stationary equipment, but if there’s something good on the tube, I can make it 45 minutes to an hour. I had resigned myself to this drudgery when I found out that I needed to take my jeep for some repair work in Chardon, which is about 20 miles away. I needed to leave the car overnight and had no one available to bring me back. It was then I began to consider pulling the bike off the trainer and using it for the return trip.
Now, I’m no hardcore winter bike rider. In fact, I’m normally rather soft about riding in the cold. When the thermometer drops below, say 50 degrees, I park the bike and look for other ways to work out. This was the new me though, and I was determined to toughen up. I packed the bike in the jeep along with half my winter wardrobe and headed out.
For those of you unfamiliar with Northeast Ohio and Lake Erie snow effect, let me tell you that Chardon ranks in the top five spots in the country for average snowfall. Though the roads were bare, snow melt from the sides of the road would keep me wet for sure. I drove out and when I began pulling the bike from the back of the jeep, my mechanic and former triathloning friend questioned my judgment.
“You’re old, fat, out of shape, and its cold as hell,” he shared, judiciously.
“Don’t candy coat it to spare my feelings, Dan,” I responded, continuing to prepare for the ride. I was wearing my running pants, a stocking cap under my helmet, gloves, two t-shirts (cotton again), booties over the riding shoes, and a wind breaker. It was 35 degrees, but sunny. I had that going for me, at least.
I carried the bike to the end of his driveway since it was covered in some kind of snowy, mud slush – something I knew I didn’t want mucking up my bike before I got started. I threw my cell phone in my saddle bag since I knew Dan would come and pick me up if I got into any real trouble, and headed off. It was a hilly ride of about 22 miles and the time on the trainer at home had done little to prepare me for the climbs. I used to laugh at a ride like this as hardly worth doing in my triathlon days, but I wasn’t laughing now. I learned a new appreciation for the phrase ‘wind chill factor’ while descending a steep hill over a mile long. Hitting speeds around 50 mph rocks in the summer, but I couldn’t feel my lips, nose and, well, other important parts by the time I reached the bottom.
I managed to complete the ride in around ninety minutes, which was respectable considering the conditions and my total lack of training. I rolled into the garage, frozen quite thoroughly, and pulled out my cell which was vibrating in my bag. It was Dan.
“Car’s done – you should have waited,” was all he said.
Duration: 1:30:00
Training heart rate: 130 beats per minute
Calorie burned during workout: 1,350
Note: There are approximately 3,500 calories in a pound of body fat. I’m going to log my calories burned per workout with a goal of burning at least 3,500 per week so I know that I’m doing enough exercise to lose a pound of fat. Actually, any combination of calorie reduction and calorie burning totaling 3,500 will do the trick, so if you watch the caloric intake while doing the workout program – you lose faster.
I need two days off from running if I am to keep the calf from flaring up again and so that means back to the bike on the trainer in the family room. I hate working out indoors on stationary equipment, but if there’s something good on the tube, I can make it 45 minutes to an hour. I had resigned myself to this drudgery when I found out that I needed to take my jeep for some repair work in Chardon, which is about 20 miles away. I needed to leave the car overnight and had no one available to bring me back. It was then I began to consider pulling the bike off the trainer and using it for the return trip.
Now, I’m no hardcore winter bike rider. In fact, I’m normally rather soft about riding in the cold. When the thermometer drops below, say 50 degrees, I park the bike and look for other ways to work out. This was the new me though, and I was determined to toughen up. I packed the bike in the jeep along with half my winter wardrobe and headed out.
For those of you unfamiliar with Northeast Ohio and Lake Erie snow effect, let me tell you that Chardon ranks in the top five spots in the country for average snowfall. Though the roads were bare, snow melt from the sides of the road would keep me wet for sure. I drove out and when I began pulling the bike from the back of the jeep, my mechanic and former triathloning friend questioned my judgment.
“You’re old, fat, out of shape, and its cold as hell,” he shared, judiciously.
“Don’t candy coat it to spare my feelings, Dan,” I responded, continuing to prepare for the ride. I was wearing my running pants, a stocking cap under my helmet, gloves, two t-shirts (cotton again), booties over the riding shoes, and a wind breaker. It was 35 degrees, but sunny. I had that going for me, at least.
I carried the bike to the end of his driveway since it was covered in some kind of snowy, mud slush – something I knew I didn’t want mucking up my bike before I got started. I threw my cell phone in my saddle bag since I knew Dan would come and pick me up if I got into any real trouble, and headed off. It was a hilly ride of about 22 miles and the time on the trainer at home had done little to prepare me for the climbs. I used to laugh at a ride like this as hardly worth doing in my triathlon days, but I wasn’t laughing now. I learned a new appreciation for the phrase ‘wind chill factor’ while descending a steep hill over a mile long. Hitting speeds around 50 mph rocks in the summer, but I couldn’t feel my lips, nose and, well, other important parts by the time I reached the bottom.
I managed to complete the ride in around ninety minutes, which was respectable considering the conditions and my total lack of training. I rolled into the garage, frozen quite thoroughly, and pulled out my cell which was vibrating in my bag. It was Dan.
“Car’s done – you should have waited,” was all he said.
Duration: 1:30:00
Training heart rate: 130 beats per minute
Calorie burned during workout: 1,350
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Man - I wish I was in better shape!
"I wish I were in better shape" is a thought to which most Americans over the age of 21 or so can relate. Trust me, I'm no exception. Presently, I am disgusted with myself and completely determined to get back in shape. The question for me is "how far back can I go?" Professional athletes have something called a 'prime' which happens somewhere between the ages of, let's say 24 to 33 years old. Professional athletes, that is. The rest of us? Well, for the most part, we never had a prime. I had a couple of adolescent periods and skipped right to middle age.
That's the good news! Since most of us never had a prime, we can achieve all kinds of great things in the years after prime and be doing better than we were when we were in those prime years. Anyway - I'm going back to my thirties - and what was my best condition - starting now.
The Exercise Physiologist in me has always preached that, in fitness as in travel, you can’t get where you’re going if you don’t know where you are. Pretty basic, sure, but I’m talking about knowing exactly where you are. You have to get some measurements and they have to be meaningful, accurate and most importantly – repeatable. Don’t give me that crap about height/weight charts or body mass index (BMI). And I’m not looking for electrical impedance body fat readings, either – they’re problematic for repeatability. Either it’s an underwater weigh or body fat calipers on between five and seven sites and in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing or forget about it. There are ways to get the basic information you will need about yourself at home doing such things as a step test for aerobic fitness, curl-ups, bench presses, and/or push-ups for muscular strength, and a sit and reach for flexibility. Body fat could be a little trickier, but it's important to know the make up of your weight - how much of it is fat if you are to really get a handle on it.
Where am I now?
So. I’m 54 years old. My body fat is 18% and I weigh 206 pounds. I’m wearing pants with a 38” waist. I’ve got squat in the upper body strength department and my flexibility is for shit. My aerobic fitness is still decent since I run only every third day though only about 30 minutes (calf injury from 2001 which I’ll get into later). I spend time hiking in the Cleveland Metroparks and do some pretty serious backpacking in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York in the summer months. I ride the bike two or three times a week when getting ready for a backpacking trip and mix in some hikes with about 60 pounds in a pack on my back, stopping on the trail to do step ups on rocks and logs along the way in an attempt to build the quads for climbing in the mountains.
I suppose it’s not too bad, but hey – I’m a two-time Iron Man and sported a body fat of 6% with a 32” waist in my mid-thirties. I was a stud then. Now I’m a plow horse.
“John – you were in your thirties then. Let’s face it – you can’t look like that anymore,” I’ve heard. But is it true? I mean sure, physiologically you lose strength, speed and endurance with age - maybe 1% per year from your prime, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still work out hard and look like you did in your thirties, does it? Well, I’m on a quest to find out. It's going to take over a year and I will challenge myself with some dificult goal - I think everyone should. Maybe the Iron Man again. Or kayak across Lake Erie. Or bike the perimeter of the Great Lakes. I'll do something and it will be reasonably radical. Count on it.
There. I've laid the groundwork. Now, I'm going to document what I do, how I feel, what I eat (sometimes) and the results I'm getting. I hope you follow along. I hope you're inspired to begin your own quest and that the information I'm sharing helps you in that pursuit. If I can help - send me your questions.
Friday, 2/19/10
The official kickoff day. I drove to the North Chagrin Reservation Metropark, a 600-acre park filled with many miles of hiking and bridle trails and steep ravines - excellent for hill workouts or just a good hike. I parked at the entrance off of Wilson Mills, having planned a run that would take me out on River Road for the first half of the run before cutting back into the park and the snow-covered bridle trails.
It was sunny and about 35 degrees. I wore gortex running pants, a short-sleeved cotton t-shirt (stupid – because this keeps moisture next to your body and can make you quite cold, but I’m old fashioned and cheap), socks on my hands (good for warmth and wiping the sweat off of your brow – bad for style points), and an old biking cap to hold in a little of my body heat escaping from my hairless dome (folically challenged for over 20 years).
I plodded along the roads at a pace of around 9 minutes per mile, but slowed from this when I hit the snow-covered bridle trail. I was slipping and sliding up a winding, quarter mile hill, but loving the serenity of the woods and the crunching of the snow under my shoes. In places, it was more slush than snow, which splashed on and saturated my shoes. I was sweating, so the freezing cold on my feet was not too unpleasant and makes me feel somewhat macho. I completed the run in a 35:33 covering somewhere between 3.5 to 4 miles.
There are some really great advantages to running in the snow on uneven terrain. The body is forced to go through constant balancing adjustments with each step, strengthening the muscles of the feet, ankles, legs and hips. Sure, you run slower times, but it’s all about the effort, which is what you want it to be. Mine is typically greater in the snow – I’m running with a higher heart rate - and that is what burns the calories - and the body fat!
I was quite pleased with the run. It’s the longest I’ve taken in a number of years – back to 2001 when I blew out a calf on a run and with which I’ve had trouble ever since.
Training heart rate: 140 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 500
That's the good news! Since most of us never had a prime, we can achieve all kinds of great things in the years after prime and be doing better than we were when we were in those prime years. Anyway - I'm going back to my thirties - and what was my best condition - starting now.
The Exercise Physiologist in me has always preached that, in fitness as in travel, you can’t get where you’re going if you don’t know where you are. Pretty basic, sure, but I’m talking about knowing exactly where you are. You have to get some measurements and they have to be meaningful, accurate and most importantly – repeatable. Don’t give me that crap about height/weight charts or body mass index (BMI). And I’m not looking for electrical impedance body fat readings, either – they’re problematic for repeatability. Either it’s an underwater weigh or body fat calipers on between five and seven sites and in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing or forget about it. There are ways to get the basic information you will need about yourself at home doing such things as a step test for aerobic fitness, curl-ups, bench presses, and/or push-ups for muscular strength, and a sit and reach for flexibility. Body fat could be a little trickier, but it's important to know the make up of your weight - how much of it is fat if you are to really get a handle on it.
Where am I now?
So. I’m 54 years old. My body fat is 18% and I weigh 206 pounds. I’m wearing pants with a 38” waist. I’ve got squat in the upper body strength department and my flexibility is for shit. My aerobic fitness is still decent since I run only every third day though only about 30 minutes (calf injury from 2001 which I’ll get into later). I spend time hiking in the Cleveland Metroparks and do some pretty serious backpacking in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York in the summer months. I ride the bike two or three times a week when getting ready for a backpacking trip and mix in some hikes with about 60 pounds in a pack on my back, stopping on the trail to do step ups on rocks and logs along the way in an attempt to build the quads for climbing in the mountains.
I suppose it’s not too bad, but hey – I’m a two-time Iron Man and sported a body fat of 6% with a 32” waist in my mid-thirties. I was a stud then. Now I’m a plow horse.
“John – you were in your thirties then. Let’s face it – you can’t look like that anymore,” I’ve heard. But is it true? I mean sure, physiologically you lose strength, speed and endurance with age - maybe 1% per year from your prime, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still work out hard and look like you did in your thirties, does it? Well, I’m on a quest to find out. It's going to take over a year and I will challenge myself with some dificult goal - I think everyone should. Maybe the Iron Man again. Or kayak across Lake Erie. Or bike the perimeter of the Great Lakes. I'll do something and it will be reasonably radical. Count on it.
There. I've laid the groundwork. Now, I'm going to document what I do, how I feel, what I eat (sometimes) and the results I'm getting. I hope you follow along. I hope you're inspired to begin your own quest and that the information I'm sharing helps you in that pursuit. If I can help - send me your questions.
Friday, 2/19/10
The official kickoff day. I drove to the North Chagrin Reservation Metropark, a 600-acre park filled with many miles of hiking and bridle trails and steep ravines - excellent for hill workouts or just a good hike. I parked at the entrance off of Wilson Mills, having planned a run that would take me out on River Road for the first half of the run before cutting back into the park and the snow-covered bridle trails.
It was sunny and about 35 degrees. I wore gortex running pants, a short-sleeved cotton t-shirt (stupid – because this keeps moisture next to your body and can make you quite cold, but I’m old fashioned and cheap), socks on my hands (good for warmth and wiping the sweat off of your brow – bad for style points), and an old biking cap to hold in a little of my body heat escaping from my hairless dome (folically challenged for over 20 years).
I plodded along the roads at a pace of around 9 minutes per mile, but slowed from this when I hit the snow-covered bridle trail. I was slipping and sliding up a winding, quarter mile hill, but loving the serenity of the woods and the crunching of the snow under my shoes. In places, it was more slush than snow, which splashed on and saturated my shoes. I was sweating, so the freezing cold on my feet was not too unpleasant and makes me feel somewhat macho. I completed the run in a 35:33 covering somewhere between 3.5 to 4 miles.
There are some really great advantages to running in the snow on uneven terrain. The body is forced to go through constant balancing adjustments with each step, strengthening the muscles of the feet, ankles, legs and hips. Sure, you run slower times, but it’s all about the effort, which is what you want it to be. Mine is typically greater in the snow – I’m running with a higher heart rate - and that is what burns the calories - and the body fat!
I was quite pleased with the run. It’s the longest I’ve taken in a number of years – back to 2001 when I blew out a calf on a run and with which I’ve had trouble ever since.
Training heart rate: 140 beats per minute
Calories burned during workout: 500
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