30 Day Ab Challenge

I saw this on Twitter and thought it would be a good way to start the month of October. I guess a good test would be to weigh-in on the first of the month and the 30. Also measure your waist at the beginning and end and see if there is an improvement. Of course diet plays a big role in all of this too.

Lake Placid 70.3 Race

The time is drawing near to join 2,000+ other athletes in Lake Placid, NY on a 70.3mile adventure. Fortunately I am a member of a three person relay team and only have to do the 1.2m swim. My goal is to beat last year's time when I was trying to complete the entire distance myself. That turned into a big fat DNF. My swim time was around 42 minutes last year, the ultimate goal will be to break 40 minutes this year. Not having to worry about hopping on my bike for 56 miles in the mountains and then running 13.1 miles should help my swim time.

My wife and two friends are attempting the complete distance. I will be able to go back to our rental house, shower, eat and meander out to cheer on the full distance competitors (and two members of my team). I'm kind of looking forward to that.

There will be nerves before the start of the swim, of course, but once getting away a couple of hundred yards into the lake I hope my breathing and stroke get into a nice rhythm. No one is allowed to swim over me, kick or elbow my face and no goggle fogging up problems. 

 

Jan and I swam in Canandaigua Lake many times over the summer and did a wide variety of drills and workouts in preparation for this race. I'm not a great swimmer, even in my age group I'm just average, but I've come a long way in ten years or so. When Jan first made me begin swimming in a nearby college pool I didn't know how to breathe with my head/face in the water and couldn't go 25 yards. I'm proof even old guys and gals can learn new sports. 

Plank Challenge

With a relay 70.3 mile race coming up on Sunday, September 9, in Lake Placid, NY, it's too late for me to feel comfortable starting a plank challenge this week. I'm doing the 1.2 mile swim portion of the race for our team. I'll begin the challenge on Monday, 9/10, 20 seconds isn't that long and the entire 31 challenge seems doable. It's interesting this plan has no rest days.

 

I saw the challenge on my Twitter feed this morning. It seems like a good addition to other exercises I already do. If I combine planks with eating properly, drinking less alcohol and running more, maybe I'll get closer to six pack abs. 

Reliving the Past

We have "memory" boxes stored in the basement of our home. Our three adult daughters, Jan and I each have a tote box that are about 16" high and wide and 36" long. They are filled with a variety of items; some photographs, certificates, medals, newspaper clippings, drawings, etc. The boxes are neat to look through once in awhile to remember what accomplishments our kids had or just relive a moment in time.

A few days ago I was lifting weights in the basement, headphones on, mp3 player cranked, singing along (Jan wasn't home, I was safe singing), and decided to look through my own memory box. I wasn't really looking for anything particular, it had been a long time since I had been in it and didn't remember what was there.

I found a Kodak slide photograph of me in my graduation gown standing in front of our home. It's the only known photograph of me from that time (1974). But what do I do with it? And why a slide photograph and not a regular one? I also found a Polaroid photograph of me from my first road race.

This was 1980, before the Kodak 8 mile race in Greece. I had been running for maybe 3 months and was 23 years old. Where did I ever get those white shorts from? My running shoes were Nike Internationalist, quite an improvement over the high top basketball sneakers I began running in. I didn't know anything about hydration or pacing. And that hair, man I wish I had that hair back again, though I never really liked curls. I'm not sure what kind of finishing time I expected, but ran just over 62 minutes. Considering that was my longest run ever it was probably a decent time.

I've never stopped running, unless injured. Weird, I only ran in high school or college to get in shape for other sports and never more than two miles. That distance was seldom run, maybe a few times before football practice began, and ridiculously long. Sprints, maybe up to 880 yards was all I really knew. Now 38 years later and I'm still going. 
Feel free to share an early running memory of your own.

Des Linden

Des Linden won the Boston marathon today, battling opponents as well as a strong headwind and light-heavy rain for the entire race. She came from 30 seconds behind to take the lead around 22 miles.
Des even slowed down around the twelve mile point to wait for fellow runner Shalane Flanagan, who needed a port-a-potty stop. Des wanted to help pace Shalane back to the lead group of ten women. She didn't feel well herself at that time and thought she might be dropping out soon, so why not wait?
Evidently Des's training really kicked in and she was able to claw her way to the victor's stand.
This is a quote I found on Twitter from Des;

 I think many of us can identify with these feelings. It's nice to hear a world class runner saying it. Des become the first American woman to win the race in 33 years. Hey, she's even a coffee aficionado, whiskey connoisseur, and book nerd.What's not to like?

Mulligrubs

My favorite new word, from the Oxford English Dictionary “word of the day” on Twitter. Mulligrubs – A state of depression; low spirits. Also: a bad temper or mood. 

It’s highly possible I’ve been fighting the mulligrubs for several months. Coming off three months in late 2017 without being able to run due to injury, it was tough to get going again in the depths of winter. I was hesitant about running on snowy roads. I switched between the treadmill, running on a short indoor track and outdoors. My original goals for early 2018 seemed to be slipping away. My running pace was abhorrent, at least a minute slower per mile for any distance even when compared to 2017. 

In late February the weather changed drastically (for the better) and I actually got outside more. Hope entered my mind. Then March came along, colder, snowier, and windier than any March in recent history. I went further down into mulligrubs. 

Sure, there were some positives. I lost 9-10 pounds, which was desperately needed. I still have to get at least five more pounds off, and they aren’t letting go easily. It’s now early April, the weather still sucks and spring is just a dream. A six mile run is long for me and my pace is still sloth-like.

I am physically fit, especially for an old man. I do some running, biking (indoors), swimming and weightlifting. I’m happy to be fairly healthy and able to do the activities I enjoy. But I am not race ready, not even close. Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be able to run a decent race again. 

We are fortunate to have an active running community with many opportunities to race on roads or trails. I constantly look at race calendars and think, yeah, I should sign up now for that race. I could finish a sprint triathlon right now, today, after work. Finish, yes, compete, even against previous times of mine, no.So why bother planning ahead and spending the money? 

I hope the sun and warmth come back to western NY and my mulligrubs disappear and real training begins.

Into Thin Air

I just finished reading author Jon Krakauer's book, "Into Thin Air". It's an older book, 1997, about several expeditions climbing Mount Everest in 1996. In total 12 people ended up dying while climbing or attempting to climb the mountain. Why it took me so long to pick this book up from the library is beyond me, it fits right into my preferred reading genre.

Krakauer is a long time writer for Outside Magazine and "volunteered" to climb with an experienced guide, Rob Hall, and his company. Krakauer had a lot of experience climbing himself, but not peaks like Everest. Several companies specializing in climbing Mt. Everest still are in operation. RMI is one. For $74,000 they will do their best to get you to the top of the mountain.

Krakauer does a fantastic job of describing the trials and tribulations of attempting to climb the peak. In this book he examines mistakes he made and others within his group and other groups. Climbing Everest, being helped by professionals, is a controversial topic, even today. It doesn't mean dying on the mountain isn't still a possibility, but it gives someone with perhaps limited experience climbing a chance to complete the challenge.

I've completed nineteen marathons, finished a dozen or so triathlons, run many snowshoe races, but never thought seriously about mountain climbing. I've hiked many trails that led to small peaks, but those wouldn't be a toe on Everest. I did outdoor rock climbing with ropes once, with Jan belaying me. Fortunately she didn't let me drop, but it wasn't easy to lean back and "walk" down the hill.

A few reasons one shouldn't attempt Mt. Everest, even if you have a spare $74k.
1. It's ridiculously cold. At points during Krakauer's climb the air temperature would be -30, without figuring in the wind.
2. Higher up the mountain it can take hours to go 1,000 feet. Hours. For less than half a mile.
3. Even with carrying oxygen you can still run into many issues. It's not like you can carry a scuba tank on your back. There are limited supplies that have to be meted out carefully. (read the book to really get an idea of what can go wrong).
4.  People die. They fall, make mental mistakes due to the cold or lack of oxygen.
5. Rescue is next to impossible. A person has to get down thousands of feet to have any chance of having a helicopter brought in.
6. The food. Not exactly gourmet. Often you are so sick from the altitude, or trying to get adjusted to the altitude, that eating isn't number one on your list.
7. Everest is far from everything. You aren't being brought there on roads to the base. It's days to reach base camp.
8. There isn't a path like hiking through the woods. There are known routes, but weather and landslides can change them or make it impossible to follow. Hillary Step, one of the most challenging sections, can get backed up if too many teams are going up or down the mountain. Krakauer had to sit there for a long time, freezing, running low on oxygen, waiting to get down.
9. The weather can turn deathly bad within an hour or two. This was one of the main problems when Krakauer and others were attempting a summit climb on this particular day People didn't heed, or didn't, know the signs. What began as a decent day went south quickly. Stubbornness, an unwillingness to turn back when so close, cost people their life.
10. I'm not a huge fan of heights. I have issues being on high bridges and looking down. I didn't finish the last 100 feet of hiking to the top of Whiteface Mt. (4,867') because I was scared of falling off the rocks. (as 10 year old kids went by me). Whiteface is a pimple compared to Everest.

I think I'll stick to running and biking the roads and trails of flatter terrain. At this old age I'm learning my limits and am okay with that.

IMHO

I've read some abbreviations in texts and on Twitter that I just don't understand. It could be an age thing, or maybe I'm ignorant.

What if I typed, FTW? It could be Fu.. The World or For The Win. That's quite a difference and could easily be taken out of context. But it's just IMNSHO or the shortcut IMHO or maybe IMO.
DGMW (don't get me wrong) I try to use shortcuts when tweeting or texting, FWIW. (for what it''s worth). Sometimes I'm in a rush and will really TTYL (talk to you later) when I have more time.

IMO there should be more abbreviations that can be interpreted/used for exercising. I can text Jan and tell her at lunch I had a GTW. (good treadmill workout) or that RST (running sucked today). I can tell Mike and Lou I'll meet them for a run ATCB (at the canal bridge).

This is KOF (kind of fun) making up a language like Tolkien in "The Hobbit". It WFM (works for me). FWIW I really will be ATCB this Saturday morning, per our usual routine.
EOM.

Curling = Bocce Ball on Ice

Really, the first five days of the Winter Olympics coverage spends more time on Curling than any other sport? There are people hurtling down mountains at breakneck speeds on skis, doing head over heel jumps on snowboards and riding a tiny sled under their butt cheeks at 95 mph and NBC shows Curling. It's not even a sport, it's equivalent to throwing darts at the local pub. It's similar to Bocce Ball which is played by anyone at any age. No offense to the woman below, who is obviously taking the game seriously, but c'mon, she has a walker. If she were curling she'd have a walker with skis attached.

When I used to play games of Bocce Ball with my in-laws and their friends at various campgrounds, I was taught one way to play. You need two coolers of beer and you set up so you go from cooler to cooler. That is the only way you'd ever see me out on the ice sweeping a "rock" around. I may even have to put a beer can holder on my broom so I could sweep and sip.
This morning I heard the IOC is considering adding some type of video gaming into the next Winter Olympics. Video Gaming!! WTF.

Hallway Lanes

I only have an hour for lunch to go from my desk in the library to the locker room, get changed, go to the fitness room and run, then an extremely quick cold shower, dress, and back to the library. If I really stick to my hour I can't do more than a three mile run, at least not at my current pace. I take a mostly cold shower because it's the only hope I have of not sweating profusely while trying to get dressed and back to the library.

It kind of reminds me of gym class in high school. If you really worked out during the class, maybe playing basketball or flag football, there was no way of showering, dressing and still not sweating since it was only a 40+ minute class. Even then I was usually the gross kid whose shirt didn't dry for two periods. Combine that with some acne, social awkwardness, and braces and you've got one young man who wasn't part of the elite, popular crowd.

Due to the time limits I try to walk quickly down the hallways from the locker room back to the library. Today I realized we need wider halls with lanes in them. One lane for fast walkers (me at lunch time), one lane for cell phone users, the texting and walking is ridiculous, just like drivers and cell phones. At least the cell phone walkers can't kill me though, unlike the drivers. Then we need another lane for the amblers. These are the people who walk so slowly it's annoying. Usually they are in pairs or a set of three so getting around them is almost impossible. The halls aren't wide enough to get by them, especially if someone is coming from the other direction.

Maybe the amblers have no real place to be in a certain time. They're just hanging out, talking nonsense, strolling along. I guess that's acceptable, and I try not to be jealous of their freedom, but at least look around and see if some old curmudgeon needs to get by. Learn some courtesy otherwise a sweaty, socially awkward old man might just start loudly mumbling, grumbling and swearing.

Treadmills, Sweat and Dieting

Some things I just don't understand. This week I ventured into the fitness room on the campus where I work to run a couple of miles during my lunch break. It's a beautiful facility for a community college. The treadmills and other equipment are in great condition. The treadmills all face large picture windows, which is nice. I can't really watch tv on a treadmill without risking falling, so staring out the window is okay.

I don't understand why every facility keeps their heat up so high? It was easily 70+ degrees in there with no fans available. I am a world record holder for sweating. It flies off my body like spray from Niagara Falls. In just two miles of running my shirt, shorts, socks and sneakers were soaked. Disgusting.

The heat seems to be high at most fitness facilities. It makes no sense. You are working out, a little cool air won't hurt anyone. Maybe the philosophy is most people don't stay on aerobic equipment long so the facility managers think it has to be warm for weightlifters? I don't know. The YMCA was the same, a small local gym was also the same. People would move away from me when I got on a treadmill. Give me a fan or turn the temperature down darn it! This is why I work out at home a lot. That and I hate people. Germy people. Yuck. I don't want their sweat near mine, that's gross.

I began what seems to be my annual late January diet. The last three years I have had some type of injury that slowed down or entirely cutoff training for a couple of months. Each time I managed to gain a minimum of ten pounds. This time I even cut drastically back on my alcohol consumption. In my first two days of really trying to diet I gained 2 pounds. Not exactly the direction I want to go in.

I was getting dressed for work yesterday and couldn't do up the belt I usually wear. WTF? One hole was too loose, the next one squeezed me in so much I couldn't breathe. Jan thought my tantrum was hilarious. I was not amused.

Maybe the key for me is to keep drinking alcohol and give up more food?

Screeching to a Halt

We knew this day was coming, but tried desperately to avoid it. Our beloved car, the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu we purchased used in 2005, has taken its' last gasp. After twelve years (almost a third of our married life) and 177,000 miles, we have been forced to trade it in.

Actually I'm amazed the car dealer is taking it. We are upgrading to a 2013 Malibu, still quite old for some people, but like new for us. So many gadgets, who knew a car could have all these things? The dealer gave us $500 for our car, doesn't sound like much but we avoid breaking down on the road or extensive repairs that may or may not work. The heat works sometimes, the temperature gauge likes to flop around and scare my wife into thinking the engine's going to burst. Our trusted mechanic thinks a head gasket might be in order. We don't care to take that risk so ultimately pulled the plug. So sad.

The new Malibu has a huge trunk and the back seat folds down for even more storage space, or room to make-out maybe? Probably not. But we will be able to fit a bike in the trunk with no disassembly necessary.

The 2003 Malibu is similar to me. Old, a few scratches, noises and leaks, always in need of repair, but keeps chugging along. With any luck Jan will keep me around though and not make a trade for a shiny, upgraded model with lots of hair who can run fast. I still think I'm worth more than $500.

Welcome to 2018!

What a year it's going to be. A year of miracles maybe, with the Buffalo Bills leading the way by making the playoffs for the first time in seventeen years! Because of this Jan and I decided to gamble on our 403b accounts and withdrew all our money to play the slots at the local casino. What could go wrong?

Normally I would be reminiscing on some successes from the previous year and goal/race planning for the next, but Jan and I have been so sick for most of the past two weeks that it's hard to imagine being able to run/swim/bike with any success. We did make Rochester Runner of the Year top five in our respective age groups for 2017, but that's about it.

Here are a few things I hope happen in 2018;

1. I hope to never hear the term "Overfat" again. The tv was on in the waiting room of the health clinic on New Year's Day with Dr Oz's show. When did he become such a doofus? Really, a whole show on being Overfat? What the hell is that? You are either fat or not. Maybe obese. There is no word Overfat, it's stupid.
2. The next time I fly I will seriously consider looking weird and wear a mask. Flights are too crowded with too many sick people. Now I'm sick, have been for quite a while and am sick of being sick. You may also be able to tell being sick makes me a bit grumpy.
3. Okay, maybe I can come up with a couple of athletic goals too;

• Make top five again for RROY.
• Complete three sprint triathlons, thereby qualifying for a national ranking (it might be #1,223 out of #1,224 in my age group, but hey, it still counts)
• Improve all of my race times from the mile-10k from what I've run in the past 3 years. Screw this getting too old crap. 
• Stay healthy. The past three years I've fallen while running ending up with shoulder surgery, had tendinitis in my knee requiring rest and physical therapy, had a severe case of plantar fascia, ruining the end of 2017. WTF. No more of this. 

I hope anyone reading this has a great 2018. Please share a few good things that happened to you in 2017 or your wishes for 2018.