Ephemera

There have been some very memorable moments in the last few weeks, and I even jotted (or the modern equivalent) a few of them down.

Two weekends ago, when the weather was a bit hot, I took a nice long bike ride, added too much powder to my Gatorade, and had to drink a syrupy concoction for nearly three hours. On the plus side, I ran afterwards, making that my first brick in at least five years! I'm not planning a triumphant return to triathlon anytime soon, but it felt pretty good. On same bike ride I had a long burst of unexpected energy - not from a tailwind as is the usual cause.

A more exquisite and ephemeral moment was the first bite of a porcini and truffle oil risotto at a local restaurant (Sabore) in the midst of a very fun dinner with Jess and my parents. In my reality, a slow dinner talking with friends and family ranks right up there with a great run as one of life's true pleasures.

Somewhere in the last two weeks, Max was tired and sat still in my arms while I sang to him. He is rarely still, so just as the other day when he fell asleep across my chest it was sublime. The irony is that we have seen many different sides of Max after an accident/incident one week ago. He had his little toe partially amputated in a recliner, and after a few days of staying calm, the gruesomeness and fear started to sink in for me. It is too easy to brush it off as something minor that will have no lasting impact (which it won't), but really I think this was a big deal for us. No coincidence that for the few days he couldn't walk, his language development went crazy.

Otherwise, life has been good. Work is more stressful than I like, but I am finding much joy at home. Jess and I are both being reasonably good with the paleo-esque diet we are practicing. I've been enjoying workouts but frustrated by a mystery wrist sprain. I am looking forward to run again (more than my current 20-30 minutes), but also enjoy being motivated to cycle more by my friend Gary.

All for now.

Back to borrowed basics

Tonight's workout was simple and old-school:  50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, one-arm single-leg deadlifts, and a running form exercise.  The fun part, I realized as I finished, is that each part is borrowed.  Here's how it broke down:

The pull-up / push-up section, while not an original concept, was taken almost verbatim from Dean Karnazes, in a Runner's World blog post on cross training.
15 standard pull-ups
15 behind neck pull-ups
15 chin-ups
5 standard / chin switch grip
40 standard push-ups (with bars)
20 triangle push-ups
20 wide grip push-ups (with bars)
20 standing (pike) push-ups (with bars)
These were mixed around in various sets.

The one-arm single-leg deadlift is an exercise originally given to me by a physical therapist, and then written about by Tim Ferriss in the Four Hour Body.  Today I did 10 on each side with 30 pound dumbbells.

Finally, the running form exercise, call the 100-up was recently found and (re-)published by Chris McDougall in the New York Times.  This one is to train my legs so I can run well when I get my knee fixed!  I did the "minor" version.

All in all, a nice workout.

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As I wrote last time, I have been experimenting with the Paleo diet, or at least my variation thereof.  For those who want to know, it has been:  meats, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and beer.  I also put a bit of soy milk into fruit and spinach smoothies.  The first week went great, although I did feel a bit hungry near the end of the week.  I had my first weekly "cheat" day, which I enjoyed, but starting again this week I have felt no real cravings for sweets or bread.  (Well, except when my kids were enjoying those sweet Hawaiian rolls that Publix sells near the fried chicken).  My compliance has been pretty darn good, if I do say.  My energy level has been noticeably more even (but am I more sensitive to lack of sleep??).  Finally, I have lost several pounds with minimal effort.  Hmmm.  The plan is to try this thing for six weeks or so and re-assess then.  So far, so good.

Mojo reclamation project

The longer you go without writing, the harder it is to start again. After a week goes by, it feels like you have to have something pretty good to say. After a month goes by, it feels like you have to write a deep, lengthy, moving account of your inner life (not too depressing, mind you). But of course, the way to start writing is to just start writing. I started this blog for that purpose, after years of almost no non-medical writing. Running was, and is, a convenient jumping off point. But as this blogging thing has faded a bit in the last few months, I miss the writing, however meager, and I miss the chance to share those random thoughts and ideas that pop into my head.

So, here's what is happening:

My knee surgery is scheduled for January 4th. My latest experiment with a joint injection worked wonders--for four weeks. I hope the surgery helps (not a guarantee by any means), and I hope I have a lot of good running years left in me. If not, thought, I am proud of the fact that I went down fighting, with a PR marathon, and proud of the fact that I have cultivated yoga, cycling, and even some lifting as darn good alternatives. Still, I really hope that sticking a scope and a few surgical instruments into my knee turns out to be a good thing. If I am permitted to remain awake to watch, I'll let you know how the video turns out.

Lifting and cycling in particular have been going well. I have adopted a set of core lifting maneuvers culled from friends, crossfit, and the four hour body, and so far I have been feeling good. These include Kettlebell swings, dead lifts (one and two arm), Turkish get ups, torture twists, and the aptly named cat vomit exercise, in addition to the calisthenics and dumbbell maneuvers that I already enjoy. My cycling resurgence is in full swing, kicked off by a recent mountain ride in Georgia, with some good training rides and another century race coming up soon. Yoga is on a bit of a hold as some weird virus has re-inflamed an old wrist injury.

I  have started a paleo-esque diet, just today, so more on that as it succeeds, evolves, or fails.

Congratulations to brother Joe for a strong finish at the Savannah Rock'N'Roll half marathon!

Finally, my family is amazing, truly amazing, and I continue to gain more satisfaction, love, and enjoyment an I thought possible out of time spent with them. Highlight of the week, month, or year perhaps: