I rode my trainer last night in the basement, about 60 minutes. Maybe 18 miles. Modest workout. Forced myself up this morning and went to the Y downtown and swam. My pool is growing in popularity with the local triathlete crowd. There were three of them there, with big developed shoulders, but poor flip turn skills. They were trying though. I swam 1,500 yards. Did some 4x50 free style sprint at the end to push my heart a little. All seemed well.
Running. I need to start thinking positively about running again. Happy thoughts. I ran a few times last week and had a tight calf for a few days - the old left calf problem I've been dealing with for years really. I probably need to go to physical therapy and have them scrape it out. Ever done that? I had my IT band scraped a few years ago - fibrous band that runs down your leg from the outside of your hip to knee, probably one of the most common running problems. Other than plantar fasciitis. Anyway - it's horrible. I can still remember my nice young physical therapist talking about something she made for dinner the night before as she scraped something similar to a large plastic spatula deep into my inflamed tendon. The pain is worth it though - the break down of tissue is replaced with healthy tissue, or so I think. The moral of the story: keep active. I had to go through all that stuff because when I got serious about exercise again I'd been sedentary for too long.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Nerf bullets.
Ran 6.5 on Friday. Swam 2,100 yards yesterday. Ran 3 today.
It was sleeting and raining for the run....little ice drops were hitting my face pretty hard, felt very similar to my kids hitting me with Nerf bullets on the nose. Recently I had company from England over to our house, a business guest, and we played with the kids one afternoon. I pulled out our arsenal of Nerf guns and the Brit was amazed. Somehow over the years I've managed to collect some high-powered shooters; we have a box full of orange and yellow plastic. It did look kind of ridiculous as loaded up. We were armed to the teeth for our rendition of the Revolutionary War. Americans and their guns extends all the way to Nerf.
Anyway, not many people at the park this AM.
It was sleeting and raining for the run....little ice drops were hitting my face pretty hard, felt very similar to my kids hitting me with Nerf bullets on the nose. Recently I had company from England over to our house, a business guest, and we played with the kids one afternoon. I pulled out our arsenal of Nerf guns and the Brit was amazed. Somehow over the years I've managed to collect some high-powered shooters; we have a box full of orange and yellow plastic. It did look kind of ridiculous as loaded up. We were armed to the teeth for our rendition of the Revolutionary War. Americans and their guns extends all the way to Nerf.
Anyway, not many people at the park this AM.
Friday, February 18, 2011
500 Free
I had twenty minutes of free time yesterday so I put in a quick swim between work and home. Did a 500 yard (20 lengths) freestyle in 5:45....not too bad. Thought I would die near the end, my arms were a little weak, but my turns felt good. Probably the planks I've been doing and squats. A flip turn is really a deep knee squat performed laterally underwater.
Three little girls were leaping from the side of the pool toward my lane forcing waves into my stroke, and there was a fairly plump woman with tattoos that looked out of place on her body in a little swim suit next to me. Those were my only distractions.
Three little girls were leaping from the side of the pool toward my lane forcing waves into my stroke, and there was a fairly plump woman with tattoos that looked out of place on her body in a little swim suit next to me. Those were my only distractions.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
2 glasses of wine and my trainer
Had a work meeting yesterday off site that required me to drink two nice glasses of Cabernet late in the afternoon. Oh business.
Got home, quick drink of water and then I rode my trainer. Positioned the fan to my liking, readied the remote to the television, and filled my water bottle. Cleared the data from my Cateye cyclometer and got down to real business. This is how the Italians and French train right? Have a glass of wine, do some cycling, Viva le Spin. I rode about 60 minutes, put in some sustained 5 minute threshold efforts, then finished with a descending set consisting of 5 minutes, 4, 3, 2,1 minutes all out, with a few minutes rest between each effort. My younger son came and laid on the floor to watch the last few intervals. I could barely talk, dripping wet, max heart rate, just killing it focusing on perfect cadence. I think kids like to see their Dad, their 'old Dad' train and push it like that, and hear the sound of the trainer and click of the gears drown out the television. I told him the contraption was my "hurt locker".
Got home, quick drink of water and then I rode my trainer. Positioned the fan to my liking, readied the remote to the television, and filled my water bottle. Cleared the data from my Cateye cyclometer and got down to real business. This is how the Italians and French train right? Have a glass of wine, do some cycling, Viva le Spin. I rode about 60 minutes, put in some sustained 5 minute threshold efforts, then finished with a descending set consisting of 5 minutes, 4, 3, 2,1 minutes all out, with a few minutes rest between each effort. My younger son came and laid on the floor to watch the last few intervals. I could barely talk, dripping wet, max heart rate, just killing it focusing on perfect cadence. I think kids like to see their Dad, their 'old Dad' train and push it like that, and hear the sound of the trainer and click of the gears drown out the television. I told him the contraption was my "hurt locker".
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I haven't been fishing in years.
I can see from my office the snow melting. The drift that nearly blocked my view of the parking lot and the large beige Whitley Country water tower is slowly subsiding. It's a pretty view at times. I look west from my spreadsheets and occasionally catch the most beautiful orange and red skies pouring down on the steel structure full of water. Kind of makes me long for cycling on the road again.
I've been riding my trainer twice a week, putting in about 20 miles each time, doing lots of interval work. It's boring and painful.
I had a very nice swim yesterday morning - 3,000 yards (120 lengths). Mostly all freestyle on a good clip. It felt great to push to exhaustion. I haven't been in the water much. Nor have I been running. What kind of an exercising blog is this? It's becoming my fall from exercising glory; my will to rise in the morning and go exercise has been lost for months.
On a brighter front, kind of, the book I've been reading is really starting to pick up. I'm reading Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. I don't know whom the bells are going to toll for yet. But I'm guessing Robert will play a part in it. He and Maria fell in love. I hope they make it - but I fear when they blow up that bridge all may be lost. Love. I woke up this morning and thought "I wonder what's going on in my book?" Reading is fantastic at times. Sort of like fishing. There's usually horribly long dull parts, but then sometimes you actually catch fish and it's thrilling. When I was a kid I read Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, about the French Revolution. Read the whole thing. Cried at the end. It was one of the most painful and greatest books I've ever read. Like a week long fishing trip without a bite until the last day.
I've been riding my trainer twice a week, putting in about 20 miles each time, doing lots of interval work. It's boring and painful.
I had a very nice swim yesterday morning - 3,000 yards (120 lengths). Mostly all freestyle on a good clip. It felt great to push to exhaustion. I haven't been in the water much. Nor have I been running. What kind of an exercising blog is this? It's becoming my fall from exercising glory; my will to rise in the morning and go exercise has been lost for months.
On a brighter front, kind of, the book I've been reading is really starting to pick up. I'm reading Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. I don't know whom the bells are going to toll for yet. But I'm guessing Robert will play a part in it. He and Maria fell in love. I hope they make it - but I fear when they blow up that bridge all may be lost. Love. I woke up this morning and thought "I wonder what's going on in my book?" Reading is fantastic at times. Sort of like fishing. There's usually horribly long dull parts, but then sometimes you actually catch fish and it's thrilling. When I was a kid I read Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, about the French Revolution. Read the whole thing. Cried at the end. It was one of the most painful and greatest books I've ever read. Like a week long fishing trip without a bite until the last day.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
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