Enough said

I had a great weekend at home with the family.  It is amazing to realize again and again how rich and lucky I am.   Finished with a very busy month at work so I will be able to get into some good training, and perhaps some more interesting and reflective posts.  And, nearly finished with my alcohol-free month!  Odd to celebrate with a beer, but that's exactly what will happen.

Today: 5.75 mile trail run
Yesterday:
yoga 15 minutes for stretching
10 sets x 5 pull ups (alternating standard and chin-up grip)
14 sets x 5 push ups (total 3 sets military, 3 sets wide, 2 sets diamond, 6 sets standard)
Friday: rest
Thursday: ran 4 miles

Tonight's workout

Fun in the garage:

2 sets of:
dumbbell bicep curls (10 reps, max weight)
dumbbell standing overhead press (10 reps, max weight)
15 pushups with bars - assorted regular, wide grip, military
20 situps
10 alternating leg raises (core work)
30 sec boat hold
20 alternating leg raise side crunches
tricep kickbacks (10 reps, heavyweight band)
15 squats, no weight
10 pullups - 5 standard, 5 chinup
15 lunges
10 burpees

and 1 bonus set of 5 diamond pushups (hands touching so thumb and index fingers form diamond shape)


(Yesteday: 40 minutes of yoga)

What I like about running.

I'm not going to lie to you:  I had a tough run today in 90/90 conditions - 90 degrees and near 90 percent humidity.  Although I got my start running in Florida, the two times I've moved back here have been a real challenge.  It doesn't help that we tend to move in the  middle of summer, from cool dry places (first from Colorado and now from Vermont).  So I've been slowly acclimatizing to the heat and humidity, trying to run in the morning when possible.  Today I didn't quite make it out in the morning, but the motivation was there at about 11:30, so off I went.  I will tell  you now, I was struggling to maintain a pace that in other circumstances would be a recovery pace or a post-race shuffle.  I could feel my metabolic workload skyrocketing as I moved between patches of shade and sun, and even the inclines that pass for hills here were kicking my ass.

But, as I was pondering the various theories of fatigue (for example, that the feeling of tiredness is less related to muscle fatigue itself than to a message from your prain telling your muscles they are tired when you are about to impose too much demand on your heart), I was also pondering why running stays interesting and why I keep doing it.  Running is beautiful in its simplicity:  shorts, shoes (if that), and out the door.  From there the possibilities are endless, with variations in distance, interval training, hills, and company.  But the physical variations barely scratch the surface.  Today the run was simple, but the mental challenge was intense.  I spent the run focused intently on minor variations in feel, keeping positive, and pushing myself to maintain some semblance of a pace.  This is a run I've done many times before, but the experience is really quite different each time.  It is never completely predictable when a run will be hard and when it will be smooth and easy and I feel like I'm flying. That's what I really like about running.

Misadventure

Today was my triumphant return to cycling -- It's been nearly a year (sing August 16th of 2009, in fact) that I've even been on my road bike.  Granted, I've been biking to work one or two days a week since moving to Florida, but I was psyched to pump up my tires and go.  Although I've been a runner from the beginning, I really enjoy cycling, and in the past have done some good riding -- especially when training for triathlons and when I lived in western Colorado.  So I got the bike down, got out the pump and oiled the chain (don't worry, not WD40), and got going.

Now, I have an unofficial rule that I don't, or at least shouldn't, postpone an outdoor workout just because it might rain or snow.  If it is actually raining or snowing, that's a different story, but if it is merely cloudy or threatening to precipitate I usually try to just get out and go.  In general this has gotten me out the door with only a few memorable slogs or epics, and let's be honest -- it can rain even if it doesn't look like it will.  Today, it had rained overnight and earlier in the day, but the weather was partly cloudy as I headed out of the garage.

The ride started out well enough, though my cadence was sluggish, but after about five miles, as I turned onto the road that would be the major part of my route, I saw a very dark and threatening cloud overhead.  It started to rain, and rain hard, as only a summer thunderstorm in the south can do.  Visibility was quite low, and I was riding through newly-formed six inch puddles, but what the heck.  It was a warm day and I was having fun.  When the lightning started I turned back toward home, trying to picture what Jess would say if I kept going.  (Hint: it might contain the words "not very smart").  I got back and the girls were playing in the backyard in the rain, so I joined them for some swinging and sliding, then went back to the garage to complete the day's workout.

So my triumphant return to cycling was all of twelve miles, but as usual I am happy just to have gotten out the door.   In all honesty I've had some trouble finding/making time to work out in the last few weeks, and my schedule at work is busier than in a long time.  So to paraphrase G.I. Joe, getting out the door is half the battle, and I've at least been doing that.

Wednesday - short but worthwhile early morning yoga
Thursday - ran 1.5 miles to park, then 30 each of burpees, pullups, squats, lunges, pushups; ran 1.5 miles back home.
Today - cycle 12 miles (44:25 / 16.4 mph); then 3 sets of: 40 straight leg alternating side crunches, 15 pushups with bars, 5 pullups, and 8-10 rep dumbbell bicep curls.

Fall is here! Hah.

Very busy with work, but did manage a few evening runs over the last several days.  The weather is cooler - barely perceptible but real, and this morning when I woke up I would almost swear it was pleasant.

Wrist and neck much better, knee a little bit so.

Still no alcohol for August.

Saturday - run 4 m
Today - run 4 m

Goal: more variety!

whirlwind of activity

In the midst of a wonderful four-day weekend (I took a few extra days off last week to spend time with visiting family) - we have built a swingset, floated down a river, eaten well, and enjoyed time with family and friends.  Trying to keep the workouts going strong...here's what's recent:

Thursday: Run 3+ miles, 6 hours building swingset - very hot.
Friday: PT stretches and back exercises, 4 hours building swingset - still hot
Saturday:  Run 4.4 miles (am - hot and soupy); Core workout pm ("ab ripper" from p90x with double reps)
Today: rest day
Tomorrow: morning run, hopefully less humid.

Goal for August - no alcohol (thanks, Gary)