My last two weeks of workouts have been good. I finally feel like there is rhythm to my workouts and I'm finding it easier to nail them. By no means are they easy workouts, but I carefully read the fine print and make sure I nail the goal of the workout. There's no point in training in a grey area and getting nothing out of it.
I had an running interval workout on Wednesday before work. I didn't get a chance to program it into my Garmin, but I managed to memorize the details of the workout. I got through the warmup unscathed and now it was time for the 'meat and potatoes' of the workout. There were 3 various timed intervals with rest intervals in-between. At the end of the 3rd, you repeat the whole thing again over the course of 4 miles. Then an easy cool down run. The first two minutes blew by, then it felt like it got a little harder. I just kept plugging away and before I knew it, it was time to cool down. Thank goodness. I felt great and was pleased with the effort, but at the same time I was glad the workout was done.
The weather this weekend put a small monkey wrench in my itinerary. I had to flip-flop my workout days as the Wingman and I were heading up to Harriman again to ride. So today I got up and went to work at my folks office. I got home to an empty house this evening (Wingman is out playing poker) and hit the treadmill in the basement. Our satellite TV company came by yesterday to install a new receiver unit on our TV's. Now the unit downstairs will let me watch what is recorded on the main TV. So I popped on the Kona 2010 ironman coverage, covered up the time display on the treadmill, and started running. It really was a great way to get a run in and stay motivated to keep going. My only downer with the Kona coverage is the sappy stories they play. Honestly, I would just prefer to watch the pro's race and skip the average joe's story. Ah, the beauty of a DVR, I would just skip the stories and get back to the pro race. Before I knew it the coverage was done (and then some) and I had 90 minutes completed on the treadmill. I'm glad I got the run in.
Tomorrow morning we leave early for Harriman State Park. We have a big agenda planned. We're going to ride a little in the park and then make our way up to Bear Mountain. It's ~4 miles of uphill climbing in one segment and hopefully it won't be too bad to climb so we can try it twice. Perhaps I'm a little too optimistic, but we won't know until we get there tomorrow. I'll have the camera packed to capture some of the scenery again.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
There's gold in them thar hills........
Well, not exactly. On Saturday the Wingman and I made the trek up to Harriman State Park to get some hill riding in. I shot off an email to Wynn to see if he was interested and, sure enough, he was. We picked Wynn up early in the morning and made the ~2 hr drive to Harriman. The last time I rode up there was when I was preparing for Ironman Lake Placid a few years ago. I wanted to go back so we can get some good hill work in prior to Mallorca.
The happy trio made it up to Harriman and we parked in the lot on Seven Lakes Drive (7LD). We stumbled out of the Element and were in the process of getting ready to ride when a large white van pulled up. It captured our attention because it was almost like the clown car in the circus, except this time it was full of Asian hikers. No joke, 12 of them filed out and made their way onto the trails. That image got me through most of the days ("how many asians can you fit into a van?").
We started out on Seven Lakes Drive heading towards Tiorati Circle, but were told we couldn't go up Tiorati Road because it was closed for the winter. Since the park attendant was right there, we decided not to be too arrogant and ride past her. So we doubled back and went down towards Sebago Beach which lead us to Lake Welch Drive (LWD). LWD was also closed, but we went around the barriers and continued with our ride. There is a huge downhill on LWD that you can easily hit >40mph without trying. Since I am such a nervous nelly, I took it easy on the downhills. At the bottom we decided that we would just make the long climb back up LWD instead of turning off this week. Holy cow, what a long climb it was!! The climb was a tough one in that it was 2 solid miles of uphill at ~8% grade. I slowly made my way back up and was overheating like crazy on the way up. My sunglasses were fogging up.
When I finally made it to the top I stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and to pull my knee warmers off. Then we were off again. We made our way back towards 7LD and at the other circle I told the crew to ride up the 106 section as I remembered it had a hill in there. I couldn't remember how long the hill was, but it turns out it was pretty nice. It wasn't quite as steep as the one on LWD, but it did give you a nice break here and there since it wasn't a steady drive. The road condition was much nicer here. We did the nice out and back and met up with Wynn in a parking lot. He had a big grin on his face which meant "Can we do that again?" Since it was anise roadway with beautiful scenery, we road it again. I brought my camera along, but with all the climbing I didn't take too many shots.
By the time we returned to the car to rack the bikes, we logged ~3 hrs of riding and over 3,350' of climbing. We're not too sure about the climbing totals as my garmin and Wynn's device did not jive. But I can say it was quite a bit. I'm not sure the roadway was ever flat.
The happy trio made it up to Harriman and we parked in the lot on Seven Lakes Drive (7LD). We stumbled out of the Element and were in the process of getting ready to ride when a large white van pulled up. It captured our attention because it was almost like the clown car in the circus, except this time it was full of Asian hikers. No joke, 12 of them filed out and made their way onto the trails. That image got me through most of the days ("how many asians can you fit into a van?").
We started out on Seven Lakes Drive heading towards Tiorati Circle, but were told we couldn't go up Tiorati Road because it was closed for the winter. Since the park attendant was right there, we decided not to be too arrogant and ride past her. So we doubled back and went down towards Sebago Beach which lead us to Lake Welch Drive (LWD). LWD was also closed, but we went around the barriers and continued with our ride. There is a huge downhill on LWD that you can easily hit >40mph without trying. Since I am such a nervous nelly, I took it easy on the downhills. At the bottom we decided that we would just make the long climb back up LWD instead of turning off this week. Holy cow, what a long climb it was!! The climb was a tough one in that it was 2 solid miles of uphill at ~8% grade. I slowly made my way back up and was overheating like crazy on the way up. My sunglasses were fogging up.
When I finally made it to the top I stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and to pull my knee warmers off. Then we were off again. We made our way back towards 7LD and at the other circle I told the crew to ride up the 106 section as I remembered it had a hill in there. I couldn't remember how long the hill was, but it turns out it was pretty nice. It wasn't quite as steep as the one on LWD, but it did give you a nice break here and there since it wasn't a steady drive. The road condition was much nicer here. We did the nice out and back and met up with Wynn in a parking lot. He had a big grin on his face which meant "Can we do that again?" Since it was anise roadway with beautiful scenery, we road it again. I brought my camera along, but with all the climbing I didn't take too many shots.
By the time we returned to the car to rack the bikes, we logged ~3 hrs of riding and over 3,350' of climbing. We're not too sure about the climbing totals as my garmin and Wynn's device did not jive. But I can say it was quite a bit. I'm not sure the roadway was ever flat.
Overall the ride was great. Wingman, Wynn and I had a good time riding in the park. The scenery was amazing up there. Whenever you felt like the suffering was too much, you just picked your head up and observed nature. There was so much to take in.
On the way home we stopped at a diner for a quick bite to eat. When we got home I grabbed a 30 minute nap, took a shower and then was off to work for a few hours.
Next week Teresa will be joining us so it should be a blast again. Looking forward to what round two will bring....
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Free time is dwindling......
Today was one of my last days off on my part time schedule. I was lucky enough to extend my flex schedule into March, not sure if April is realistic. I am covering in East Hampton for 4 days early in April and then I will be away at the end of the month. Our trip to Mallorca/Madrid, Spain is one month from today. I have been cycling and trying to find hills on Long Island, but the reality is we don't have anything significant in terms of long climbs. At some point soon Wingman and I will take a day trip up to Harriman State Park/Bear Mountain and get some better riding in.
The weather has been fantastic this winter. We had some colder days, but overall it was mild. I think we had snow twice and it was gone the next day. Doesn't get much better than that. Today was the first day of spring and I celebrated it by being off and on a two hour ride. It was in the 70s and light wind which means an excellent ride was to be had. I knew a 2 hour loop and set out on it after the morning fog burned off. As I made my way down CR24 towards CR51, the Tom Petty lyrics were going through my head as I was churning the crank arms on my bike:
I was in such a great mood during the entire ride. I had a clear head and was able to really hear my breathing patterns. I think I might have even been smiling most of the ride. I need more days like this where I can get out and just relax and not let the stress of my daily grind get to me anymore.
Before I knew it I was home. 5 minutes faster than the last time I did that loop. Good ride!! But I made quick work of changing and went for a short 20 minute run. It was then that I noticed how warm it was. Warm weather on the bike doesn't bother me too much but I'm not built for warm weather running. I just put one foot in front of the other and get the run in the books. It wasn't pretty, but I was done.
I was supposed to swim tonight, but when I woke up this morning I had a neck problem. I couldn't turn my head to the right. It's still a little stiff and since I breathe on the right I opted to not beat my neck up and give it another day to loosen up. I did some work on myself to get some more movement, but not enough. I'll hit the pool tomorrow night after work.
Wynn and I exchanged a few emails today that had me laughing. We are both pretty much geeks (sorry Wynn, but we are) and will combine our efforts on a 'major motion picture event' in a few weeks. It will be fun to see how it all works out, but for now the project is 'under wraps'.............
The weather has been fantastic this winter. We had some colder days, but overall it was mild. I think we had snow twice and it was gone the next day. Doesn't get much better than that. Today was the first day of spring and I celebrated it by being off and on a two hour ride. It was in the 70s and light wind which means an excellent ride was to be had. I knew a 2 hour loop and set out on it after the morning fog burned off. As I made my way down CR24 towards CR51, the Tom Petty lyrics were going through my head as I was churning the crank arms on my bike:
It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down
I had the radio on, I was driving
Trees went by, me and Del were singing
Little Runaway, I was flyin'
Before I knew it I was home. 5 minutes faster than the last time I did that loop. Good ride!! But I made quick work of changing and went for a short 20 minute run. It was then that I noticed how warm it was. Warm weather on the bike doesn't bother me too much but I'm not built for warm weather running. I just put one foot in front of the other and get the run in the books. It wasn't pretty, but I was done.
I was supposed to swim tonight, but when I woke up this morning I had a neck problem. I couldn't turn my head to the right. It's still a little stiff and since I breathe on the right I opted to not beat my neck up and give it another day to loosen up. I did some work on myself to get some more movement, but not enough. I'll hit the pool tomorrow night after work.
Wynn and I exchanged a few emails today that had me laughing. We are both pretty much geeks (sorry Wynn, but we are) and will combine our efforts on a 'major motion picture event' in a few weeks. It will be fun to see how it all works out, but for now the project is 'under wraps'.............
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Will Run for Soup
Saturday morning found me on the starting line for the Little Cow Harbor 4 Miler. February was not much of a running month. I've been doing more cycling in preparation for our trip to Mallorca. I've only been running 2x a week recently so I had no expectations for this race. I've run it the last 2 years and it's a challenging race. It's not really flat where you can get 'comfortable' while you red line. It is mostly rollers where you can't establish a steady pace. I knew a PR was not even a fantasy, so I decided to use this as a workout to build my hill running strength.
The weather was weird. It wasn't really cold (yes Jen, I wore shorts), but it was overcast and ready to rain. We made our way to the starting line and waited for the horn. Once it sounded, I started easy. The first section is a slight uphill. My goal was to 'take the hill', but this first one was not it. I wanted to build up smartly. Once I got past the first little incline, the rollers began. The 1st mile is all up and down. Each uphill I hammered up and then used the downhill for a recovery. Even the last 1/4 of mile 1 is a false flat so that meant no easing up. I could feel my heart in my throat and suddenly remembered "Crap, I left my heart rate monitor home." I wanted to capture my heart rate data to see what I was doing on the hills.
The first half of mile 2 is a nice little recovery area and somewhat flat. I picked some people to run in a pack with so I would be protected from the wind. As we made our way back towards the middle school, I prepared for the next series of rollers. As I ran up the hills, I put my head down and motored up, even passing people along the way. Again, using the downhills to rest up a little in preparation for the next hill.
When I passed the school, all I could think about was the post race soup. Honestly, this is what has us coming back each year. The soup. It's homemade turkey/potato/vegetable soup. Right after a race, it's still cool out, that soup hits the spot. Mmmm, soup...... But not yet. I still have one more mile to finish up before I can get a bowl. Back to the race......
It's a downhill into the last mile. It's pretty much a mile loop around the neighborhood in front of the school. It starts as a gradual downhill, but you are tested at the end where the last ~1/2 mile is uphill and the last little bit into the school parking lot just punches you in the gut and then in the teeth. I picked it up and finished strong. I looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was about a minute or so slower than last year. I was not surprised nor worried. I thought I was right on target for where I am in the season. Actually, I have to say I was pleased with how I raced. My goal was to take the hills.
Once I crossed the finish line I went to the car to get my jacket, and then immediately went to the soup line. That first hot spoonful was everything I was hoping for. Big pieces of turkey, potato chunks, mmmmm. Wingman had two bowls!! I was satisfied with one big bowl. Can't wait until next year, but for now, back to the grind of my training.............
The weather was weird. It wasn't really cold (yes Jen, I wore shorts), but it was overcast and ready to rain. We made our way to the starting line and waited for the horn. Once it sounded, I started easy. The first section is a slight uphill. My goal was to 'take the hill', but this first one was not it. I wanted to build up smartly. Once I got past the first little incline, the rollers began. The 1st mile is all up and down. Each uphill I hammered up and then used the downhill for a recovery. Even the last 1/4 of mile 1 is a false flat so that meant no easing up. I could feel my heart in my throat and suddenly remembered "Crap, I left my heart rate monitor home." I wanted to capture my heart rate data to see what I was doing on the hills.
The first half of mile 2 is a nice little recovery area and somewhat flat. I picked some people to run in a pack with so I would be protected from the wind. As we made our way back towards the middle school, I prepared for the next series of rollers. As I ran up the hills, I put my head down and motored up, even passing people along the way. Again, using the downhills to rest up a little in preparation for the next hill.
When I passed the school, all I could think about was the post race soup. Honestly, this is what has us coming back each year. The soup. It's homemade turkey/potato/vegetable soup. Right after a race, it's still cool out, that soup hits the spot. Mmmm, soup...... But not yet. I still have one more mile to finish up before I can get a bowl. Back to the race......
It's a downhill into the last mile. It's pretty much a mile loop around the neighborhood in front of the school. It starts as a gradual downhill, but you are tested at the end where the last ~1/2 mile is uphill and the last little bit into the school parking lot just punches you in the gut and then in the teeth. I picked it up and finished strong. I looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was about a minute or so slower than last year. I was not surprised nor worried. I thought I was right on target for where I am in the season. Actually, I have to say I was pleased with how I raced. My goal was to take the hills.
Once I crossed the finish line I went to the car to get my jacket, and then immediately went to the soup line. That first hot spoonful was everything I was hoping for. Big pieces of turkey, potato chunks, mmmmm. Wingman had two bowls!! I was satisfied with one big bowl. Can't wait until next year, but for now, back to the grind of my training.............
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Where does the time go?
Holy cow, I must have been busy. Didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. Work keeps me busy (both jobs now). I am working in Sag Harbor part-time for the month of February so I get a little time off for good behavior. We've also had weird computer issues a the tax office where they run slow when there are too many people working. That has made me shift when I work. I now work Friday nights from 7-10 or 11p and Saturday night 5-10 or 11p. This actually works out great because I can have my daytime free, sleep in if I need it so I'm not so tired; and get my workouts in. Plus there is no one else working except for me so I have the office to myself. I can get a lot of work done in a short period of time with no interruption. When Monday comes along, I have a nice day to myself! It feels like a 3 day day weekend. I'm thinking of doing the same thing next year, regardless of the computer speeds.
With Monday's off, I had the pleasure of my very first photo shoot with a VIP client. Miss Lily will be turning 1 in march and her mom (my cousin Jen) asked if I would take some photos of her. I was a bit nervous as I have never done anything like it before. I usually take photos of landscapes, etc; not kids. But I was willing to try. Miss Lily was such a trooper. Seriously, I've never seen an 11 month old be so pleasant for so long. She had one little sour moment, but her mommy jumped in and cheered her up pretty quickly. The shoot was setup at Lily's grandma's house. We had furniture moved and a nice area setup. I found myself on my belly under the dining room table to take the photos. The things I do for this kid.......
I took ~190 pictures that day. Miss Lily was such a model. I will never forget the cupcake shot sequence or the teddy bear sequence. Not sure the poor bear will forget either - he's traumatized............ Thank you Miss Lily for letting me be your personal photographer. Can't wait for our next photo session.
On the training front, Mallorca is 2 months away. I'm trying to get all the workouts in, but I've been stressed about my regular job. I'm doing a lot of evaluations (which I don't mind), but it increases the paperwork I have to do. I've had a few good patients coming in that I've tried to keep on my schedule so I would have something to look forward to each day. But somehow I always get a patient just before lunch that makes me lose my appetite so I wind up not eating, which sets me back a bit. The last time I skipped lunch was because my patient was a smoker. I didn't treat him in a room, I had him on a table in the gym area so it would be well ventilated, but it didn't matter. The smell was horrible. Made me sick to my stomach. Despite scrubbing my hands, I could still smell him. He's a 30+ year smoker and that shit is in his skin and embedded in his breath. Totally disgusting. By the end of the week, I was throwing up the white flag. It was a bad week. Hopefully things will get better.........hopefully.........
With Monday's off, I had the pleasure of my very first photo shoot with a VIP client. Miss Lily will be turning 1 in march and her mom (my cousin Jen) asked if I would take some photos of her. I was a bit nervous as I have never done anything like it before. I usually take photos of landscapes, etc; not kids. But I was willing to try. Miss Lily was such a trooper. Seriously, I've never seen an 11 month old be so pleasant for so long. She had one little sour moment, but her mommy jumped in and cheered her up pretty quickly. The shoot was setup at Lily's grandma's house. We had furniture moved and a nice area setup. I found myself on my belly under the dining room table to take the photos. The things I do for this kid.......
I took ~190 pictures that day. Miss Lily was such a model. I will never forget the cupcake shot sequence or the teddy bear sequence. Not sure the poor bear will forget either - he's traumatized............ Thank you Miss Lily for letting me be your personal photographer. Can't wait for our next photo session.
On the training front, Mallorca is 2 months away. I'm trying to get all the workouts in, but I've been stressed about my regular job. I'm doing a lot of evaluations (which I don't mind), but it increases the paperwork I have to do. I've had a few good patients coming in that I've tried to keep on my schedule so I would have something to look forward to each day. But somehow I always get a patient just before lunch that makes me lose my appetite so I wind up not eating, which sets me back a bit. The last time I skipped lunch was because my patient was a smoker. I didn't treat him in a room, I had him on a table in the gym area so it would be well ventilated, but it didn't matter. The smell was horrible. Made me sick to my stomach. Despite scrubbing my hands, I could still smell him. He's a 30+ year smoker and that shit is in his skin and embedded in his breath. Totally disgusting. By the end of the week, I was throwing up the white flag. It was a bad week. Hopefully things will get better.........hopefully.........
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I gotz some mad mechanical skillz.....
Well, maybe not great skills, but I managed to actually do something and not totally screw it up. When it comes to fixing things on my bikes, I leave it to the trained professionals at my local bike shop. Once or twice when I've tried to fix things, it goes horribly wrong and I do the "walk-of-shame" into the shop with my tail between my legs, begging for forgiveness.
I recently got a new trainer for my bike to help me get through the winter months. It's the LeMond Revolution trainer and I ordered it with a Shimano rear cassette. When I put my trainer bike on it, I noticed when I dropped into my 14-13 or smaller cassette, the chain would skip like crazy. I had the Wingman play with the barrel adjuster while I pedaled, but it didn't seem to do the trick. So I started to think about what else would be wrong. Then, it came to me. The cassette that came with the trainer was a 10 speed. The groupset on my bike is a cheap 9 speed (normally I own 10 speeds). A-ha!! All I have to do is swap the cassette. Easy peasy, right? Well sure, if you are mechanically inclined.
Wingman suggested we go to the bike shop and let them do it. I resisted the suggestion and wanted to see if I could do it myself. I mean seriously, am I that big of a jackass? (sadly the answer is usually yes). It wasn't like it's an expensive part that I could break and be pissed. So I went to Youtube and found tons of videos on how to change the cassette. Now I needed the tools. A chain whip is ~$30 and I'm not sure what the locking tool would cost. So I emailed Wynn and asked him if he had the tools. He replied yes and that it was OK for me to borrow them.
I stopped by last night after work and picked them up. He gave me a few tips and basically told me'don't be a moron' I would be fine. Clearly, he forgot that I am known as the 'Hero of the Stupid' in these parts.
This morning I got up and watched the video two more times. Then it was time to head downstairs and make it happen. I followed the directions carefully and took my time. Before I knew it the cassette was off the wheel and the trainer. I swapped it out and put the bike back on the trainer. I popped on my shoes and did a quick test spin. I must have been quite the sight in my pj's riding the bike. The bike shifted smoothly, no chain skipping. I now have all gears available to me again.
It really was an easy thing to do. Hardest part about the whole thing really was duplicating the man's accent as I worked:
No walk of shame for me this time..............
I recently got a new trainer for my bike to help me get through the winter months. It's the LeMond Revolution trainer and I ordered it with a Shimano rear cassette. When I put my trainer bike on it, I noticed when I dropped into my 14-13 or smaller cassette, the chain would skip like crazy. I had the Wingman play with the barrel adjuster while I pedaled, but it didn't seem to do the trick. So I started to think about what else would be wrong. Then, it came to me. The cassette that came with the trainer was a 10 speed. The groupset on my bike is a cheap 9 speed (normally I own 10 speeds). A-ha!! All I have to do is swap the cassette. Easy peasy, right? Well sure, if you are mechanically inclined.
Wingman suggested we go to the bike shop and let them do it. I resisted the suggestion and wanted to see if I could do it myself. I mean seriously, am I that big of a jackass? (sadly the answer is usually yes). It wasn't like it's an expensive part that I could break and be pissed. So I went to Youtube and found tons of videos on how to change the cassette. Now I needed the tools. A chain whip is ~$30 and I'm not sure what the locking tool would cost. So I emailed Wynn and asked him if he had the tools. He replied yes and that it was OK for me to borrow them.
I stopped by last night after work and picked them up. He gave me a few tips and basically told me
This morning I got up and watched the video two more times. Then it was time to head downstairs and make it happen. I followed the directions carefully and took my time. Before I knew it the cassette was off the wheel and the trainer. I swapped it out and put the bike back on the trainer. I popped on my shoes and did a quick test spin. I must have been quite the sight in my pj's riding the bike. The bike shifted smoothly, no chain skipping. I now have all gears available to me again.
It really was an easy thing to do. Hardest part about the whole thing really was duplicating the man's accent as I worked:
No walk of shame for me this time..............
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Getting the work done
For the first time since September, I'm back in the pool. I meant to swim with the local tri club on Tuesday night, but I was overwhelmed with evaluations and fell behind on my documentation. I wound up bringing stuff home to type which pisses me off to no end. I would love to leave my work at work, but when my schedule gets loaded up and a patient doesn't shut up, then I lose time. So my pool entry was delayed until Thursday. And I looked and felt like someone that hasn't been in water in ~4 months. My 100 times were so slooooowww. I had my workout scribbled on a piece of paper in a ziplock bag and I ticked off each set on the list. Before I knew it, the workout was over. And I had that horrible feeling of weighted arms. It wasn't a hard or long workout, but it still wore me down a little. The Wingman was in another lane practicing his drills. Once we were both done we headed home and I went right to sleep. I had a long day Friday.
Friday morning I had to head to a different office to cover for another PT that was off for the day. It was a slow day, which I didn't mind for a change. Then I had to head to the tax office for my 2nd job. It was a good 12 hour day for me. I headed home to spend a little time with the Wingman and then get to bed early.
Saturday was a pretty windy day. I had two choices for my ride - stick to my schedule and do an easy 90 minute ride on the trainer, or head into the trails with the Wingman, Wynn, and Teresa on a MTB ride that would be anything but short and easy. I opted to stay home and ride the trainer. I missed riding with the group, but I'm glad I got my workout in. I really want to stick to the plan this year and not go too hard, too fast, too early in the season. One of my goals is to not burn out or get injured before the end of my season. Saturday night we headed over to Ian and Joan's for dinner. Wynn and Teresa were also there. As always, we had a great time and laughed a lot.
Today I had a long run scheduled, but the wind was not going to cooperate. I opted for the treadmill instead. I loaded up my iPad with a few training podcasts and fired up the treadmill. I had an hour fifteen to knock out. About half way through, the moment I was waiting for occurred. That wonderful runners high. It's a great moment when I feel it take full effect. There is an amazing disconnect between my upper and lower body and my brain says "hmm, the legs are moving, I don't know how it's happening, and I can't feel them going, but they're going." I'm on auto-pilot until the workout is done. Once it was done I felt good that I banged it out.
Friday morning I had to head to a different office to cover for another PT that was off for the day. It was a slow day, which I didn't mind for a change. Then I had to head to the tax office for my 2nd job. It was a good 12 hour day for me. I headed home to spend a little time with the Wingman and then get to bed early.
Saturday was a pretty windy day. I had two choices for my ride - stick to my schedule and do an easy 90 minute ride on the trainer, or head into the trails with the Wingman, Wynn, and Teresa on a MTB ride that would be anything but short and easy. I opted to stay home and ride the trainer. I missed riding with the group, but I'm glad I got my workout in. I really want to stick to the plan this year and not go too hard, too fast, too early in the season. One of my goals is to not burn out or get injured before the end of my season. Saturday night we headed over to Ian and Joan's for dinner. Wynn and Teresa were also there. As always, we had a great time and laughed a lot.
Today I had a long run scheduled, but the wind was not going to cooperate. I opted for the treadmill instead. I loaded up my iPad with a few training podcasts and fired up the treadmill. I had an hour fifteen to knock out. About half way through, the moment I was waiting for occurred. That wonderful runners high. It's a great moment when I feel it take full effect. There is an amazing disconnect between my upper and lower body and my brain says "hmm, the legs are moving, I don't know how it's happening, and I can't feel them going, but they're going." I'm on auto-pilot until the workout is done. Once it was done I felt good that I banged it out.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
What goes through my head
At any point in time, I am always in thought. For some reason, I just can't shut down my brain. It comes in handy at work where I can listen and think at the same time. But sometimes I would like to enjoy some quiet time and relax but I have yet to figure out how to do this.
When I go out and exercise, especially running, many things go through my head. Sometimes I create lists of things I need to do or I sort through problems. Other times weird shit enters my thoughts and then I am trapped. A conversation I had with Dolores a few years ago popped into my head. It was a Saturday during tax season and somehow we got on the topic of the song "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond. I was telling her it sounded like some hooker:
When I go out and exercise, especially running, many things go through my head. Sometimes I create lists of things I need to do or I sort through problems. Other times weird shit enters my thoughts and then I am trapped. A conversation I had with Dolores a few years ago popped into my head. It was a Saturday during tax season and somehow we got on the topic of the song "Cracklin' Rosie" by Neil Diamond. I was telling her it sounded like some hooker:
Cracklin' Rosie get on board
We're gonna ride 'til there ain't no more to go
Takin it slow
Cracklin' Rosie make me smile
God if it lasts for an hour, that's all right
We got all night
So we spent a good deal of time analyzing the lyrics and convincing ourselves it was about a hooker. But we were stumped by the part where he calls her a 'store bought woman'. So we consulted with my mother, who is all things Neil Diamond, and she informed us that Cracklin' Rosie was not a hooker, but wine. Needless to say we were crushed. We preferred our version of the song.
So now my problem was despite listening to my iPod on the run, all I could hear was Cracklin' Rosie in my head. And it was in my head all day.
Play it now. Play it now.
Play it now my baby.....
We were so fortunate with the weather today. It was almost 60 degrees out. I was supposed to ride, but with the Wingman's swim lesson, we juggled the workouts so he could ride with me tomorrow. I went out and ran long today. I'm doing a better job on the long easy runs of just sitting back and trying to go easy. I don't bother with the GPS watch. I pick a route that will cover the time goal that is set for me. It's not even about mileage. Just get the time in so the fitness builds up.
Tomorrow the Wingman and I will be busting out the mountain bikes and riding some double track trails with Wynn & Teresa. Wynn assures us it will be challenging with hill climbing. I dug out my GoPro video camera so hopefully I will get some good footage of the ride.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Riding in the New Year
To celebrate the new year (and fantastic weather), the Wingman and I headed over to Wynn & Teresa's house for a 2 hour 'social' ride. Unfortunately Joan is battling a cold so she and Ian had to sit this one out. We use the term 'social' for some rides so there is an understanding that the pace will be easy and we stay together as a group. We had a rough route planned out that was a loop starting and ending in Manorville, that rode through Northampton, Westhampton Beach, Remsenberg, and Easport before finishing up.
The weather was unbelievable. I had a few lighter layers on with some toe covers. My gloves were stripped off within 20 minutes of starting the ride. When we got to the golf course road, we were greeted by a locked fence. So we did what any reasonable cyclist would do. We passed bikes over the fence and then climbed over. Then we did the same when we got to the other end. Except this time we walked around the end of the fence to get out onto the road. As we headed south I could feel the wind picking up a little. The route was planned so we would ride into the wind heading out and then get some tailwind on the way home. Once we were south of Montauk Hwy, we stayed on side roads to get some shelter from the wind. There were many times we had no idea where to turn, but it didn't matter. We were just out to enjoy the day.
I brought the camera along to snap a few 'in ride' photos. Sorry if some are a little blurry, hard to get good shots while riding.
The weather was unbelievable. I had a few lighter layers on with some toe covers. My gloves were stripped off within 20 minutes of starting the ride. When we got to the golf course road, we were greeted by a locked fence. So we did what any reasonable cyclist would do. We passed bikes over the fence and then climbed over. Then we did the same when we got to the other end. Except this time we walked around the end of the fence to get out onto the road. As we headed south I could feel the wind picking up a little. The route was planned so we would ride into the wind heading out and then get some tailwind on the way home. Once we were south of Montauk Hwy, we stayed on side roads to get some shelter from the wind. There were many times we had no idea where to turn, but it didn't matter. We were just out to enjoy the day.
I brought the camera along to snap a few 'in ride' photos. Sorry if some are a little blurry, hard to get good shots while riding.
Wynn & Teresa on the golf course road
The ever lovable Wingman
Road as far as the eye can see
Wynn & Teresa
Teresa with the guys up ahead
The views are easy on the eyes
Teresa and my sweet Reynolds wheel......
I couldn't think of a better way to ring in the new year (except if Ian and Joan came along) than with a bike ride with friends. Afterwards we had a little chili and conversation at W&T's. Then we bid them farewell and let them continue to recover from their NY party the night before. Next weekend we plan on getting out for another spin.
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