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Random Thoughts
NOTE: The following discussions contain some strong opinions. If you don't want to read controversial, personal opinions, please do not read on. I do not like "knee-jerk" liberal or conservative philosophies. I try to be open-minded, but certainly have my own biases. I hate "political correctness" and tend to overreact against those who practice it. - Bill McArthur, aka Hungry Mother (hungrymother) and Computing Doc (computingdoc). . To find our what I'm doing in real life, click here and choose "Current Activities" from the menu bar. Also, check me on FaceBook under William George McArthur. . 12/29/11 comments weight: unknown I did a 10 mile run with pickups with son-in-law Phil on the American Tobacco Trail:
Here's the report: I iced my legs on the ride home. 12/28/11 comments weight: unkown I spent 45 minutes on the bike trainer. . 12/27/11 comments weight: unkown I went out after lunch for a hilly and clilly 5 mile run in Katie and Tom's neighborhood. It was fairly miserable. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs on ice. 12/25/11 comments weight: unknown I went out in the late afternoon for a very slow 2 mile recovery run. Here's the report: After the workout, I iced down my legs. . 12/24/11 comments weight: unknown Son Bill and I went to the Greenway for our 20 mile run. It was great being able to do our long run together, but we weren't in contact for much of it, as his pace was better than mine. I felt good about the workout. I iced my legs in the car for the ride home. Here's the report: Later in the day, my feet and legs hurt a bit. I discovered that both of my pairs of training running shoes were worn down on the outside of the heels, requiring quick action. 12/23/11 comments weight: unknown I got up very early and went outside to walk for 30 minutes. Afterward, I swam some laps. 12/22/11 comments weight: 164 I drove to Warner Robbins, GA, where we stayed at a Fairfield Inn. I went down to the gym and did 60 minures on the stationary bike. Then I swam some laps. . 12/21/11 comments weight: 164 I drove to Publix to get my 20 lbs of ice. I ran intervals:
For convenience, I changed this to:
Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. After lunch I swam some laps. . 12/20/11 comments weight: 164 I drove to Publix to get my 20 lbs of ice. I did a short, but strong kayak paddle. Then I did an arms and abs workout and a legs workout. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. After lunch I swam some laps. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of Chai tea with the meal workout: bottle of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/19/11 comments weight: 164 I drove to Publix to get my 20 lbs of ice. I did yoga (Preset programs: Focus). Then I walked for 2 miles before doing my 2 mile run. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of Chai tea with the meal post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/18/11 comments weight: 165 I drove to Publix very early to get my 20 lbs of ice. Then I walked for 2 miles before doing my run:
I modified this to:
I was a bit daunted by the distance and had to fight my mental demons the whole way. I was somewhat disappointed with the erratic pacing. I struggled with my pace in the 18th mile. I was distracted by a bug which flew in my eye, but my legs seemed to tire also. It's strange that my overall pace on Garmin Training Center was 9:36, but it was 9:41 on Garmin Connect. I think that the Training Center number is what I saw when I shut off the GPS. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of Yerba Mate with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel; popped 5 Endurolytes and 3 Extra Strength Tylenols workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed and a Hammer Gel at miles 4 and 8; 8 oz. bottle of Perpeteum and a Hammer Gel at miles 12 and 16; popped 5 Endurolytes and 3 Extra Strength Tylenols at miles 8, 12, and 16; 8 oz bottle of Perpeteum at mile 17 post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite; popped 5 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/17/11 comments weight: 165 It was a bit of a cool morning, so I waited until after lunch to go for my bike ride:
I had a relaxed ride on a sunny and warm afternoon. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Then I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Dinner: salad, brown rice with dates and walnuts; drank a bottle of water with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner with some almonds for a snack . 12/16/11 comments weight: 165 I drove to Publix early to get my 20 lbs of ice. Then I walked for 2 miles before doing my intervals workout:
I modified this to:
I felt good all of the way and came to the realization that this was a sneaky way to get me to run another 8 miler. Here's the report: After the workout, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel; popped 5 Endurolytes workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed and a Hammer Gel and popped 5 Endurolytes at mile 4; 8 oz. bottle of Heed before last interval post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite; popped 5 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/15/11 comments weight: 162 I had to wait until afternoon to get the proper tide for a kayak paddle. After lunch, I went to Publix for 20 lbs of ice. Then I went out to do intervals on the kayak. Here's the report: When I returned, I did an arms and abs workout followed by a legs workout. After the workouts, I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal workout: a bottle of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite; popped 5 Endurolytes Dinner: salad and pasta at Carrabbas; drank a big bottle of Peligrino with the meal (ate bread, too) a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/14/11 comments weight: 164 I went out early to buy 20 lbs of ice. I walked for 2 miles and then I ran for 8 miles. My legs felt great during the run. The temperature was perfect for a run. Here's the report: After the run I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 5 Endurolytes and 3 Extra Strength Tylenol; mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed, a Hammer Gel, and popped 5 Endurolytes after 4 miles post-workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed and a bottle of Recoverite; popped 5 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/13/11 comments weight: 164 I went out early to buy 20 lbs of ice. Then I rode the bike for 30 minutes. The wind was blowing hard from the NE as I maintained a high cadence. My legs felt good. Here's the report: I went out for a two mile walk and a one mile run. My legs felt fine, so I pushed the pace a bit. Here's the report: After the run I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Later, I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 5 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite; popped 5 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/12/11 comments weight: 164 I decided to rest my left calf and emailed Coach Nicki about the issue. She recommended an ice bath of up to 20 minutes with a kayak bootie. I bought a 12 gallon trash can at Home Depot while Cathy taught her exercise class. After lunch, I put both lower legs in slush for 20 minutes. Then I went out for a 5K walk. Here's the report: After the walk I put both legs in slush for 20 minutes. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and two Endurolytes Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/11/11 comments weight: 164 I did a yoga practice in the morning with Cathy, using Sage Rountree's DVD on the "Strength" section. Then I went out for a two mile walk and a four mile recovery run. When I got back from the run, I noticed an old familiar pain in the back of my left calf. (Last year's problem was the right calf.) Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and five Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: sushi at Sushi Thai restaurant in downtown Naples; drank a bottle of sparkling water with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . . 12/10/11 comments weight: 165 I was wondering if my legs were up for a long run today. When I woke up, a lot of the soreness, that I'd experienced in the last couple of days, was gone. It was overcast, which was good, but the humidity ranged from 94-100%, which was not. I decided to stick with my policy of ignoring my GPS except for fine-tuning my refueling every four miles. I did my two mile walk and then got started on my sixteen mile run. As I ran, I thought about an issue that I have considered over the past year or so: swimming. I have been very frustrated with the lack of duathlons and the low participation in them. So I wonder if I should add swimming to my repertoire. The main problem is that I've never figured out how to breath properly doing freestyle, so I would have to work on that first. I decided to make it a goal for 2012 and to target the Team Bricks invitational on June 30 for my first competition. In my favor is my comfort in and on the water. I sweated profusely during the run and was literally dripping when I was done. Although I had been very generous with my use of Endurolytes, my calves wanted to cramp while I was stretching out afterward. I rested with my legs elevated for a couple of hours in early afternoon and drank lots of water with more Endurolytes. By mid-afternoon, things were back to normal. I wasn't thrilled with my overall pace, but I was happy that I could kick in with a good last mile without pushing too hard. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of yerba mate tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes, three extra strength Tylenols, and a mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel workout: eight ounce bottle of Heed and a Hammer Gel at miles four, eight, and twelve; three Tylenols and five Endurolytes at miles eight and twelve; eight ounce bottle of Heed at mile fourteen post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and five Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: swordfish kabobs, brown rice, and asparagus; drank water during the meal; small blueberry yogurt parfait for dessert a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner with a few nuts for a snack . 12/09/11 comments weight: 165 I went out for an hour's paddle during late morning. It was very pleasant on the water. I picked up the pace after each 10 minutes and then hit a good pace coming back in. Somewhere along the line I picked up a pain in my left buttock. My legs, especially my quads, have been a bit sore since the legwork and intervals, but this is new. Something to watch out for tomorrow. Here's the report: After lunch I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: half bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes workout: half bottle of Heed on the kayak Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/08/11 comments weight: 165 I waited until late afternoon to get out for my 45 minute bike ride. My high cadence and the pesky wind kept my speed down. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/07/11 comments weight: 165 (big dinner last night) I decided to modify slightly my running intervals workout:
to:
I started with a 2 mile walk and then started running. During the first interval, I decided that I just wanted to be below 9:00 minutes/mile. I got more ambitious as I went along. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of chai tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes, mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite, popped five Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner . 12/06/11 comments weight: 161 I embedded my 30 minute kayak paddle into a 2 hour fishing trip on the Gordon River. I didn't catch any fish, but it was very pleasant out on the water. Later in the day I did an arms and abs workout and a legs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: pasta and salad at Bice Restaurante while we watched the Christmas Parade pass by; drank a bottle of Peligrino with the meal a cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner and some almonds for a snack . 12/05/11 comments weight: 164 I got my gear ready and did three Sun Salutations, walked for two miles, and then started my eight mile run. I'm getting nervous about leg injury, so I decided to just start my GPS and ignore my pace. I only checked distance when I was close to four and eight miles. I'm becoming convinced that I need to increase my intake of Endurolytes on my runs and so I ramped them up a bit. I felt comfortable during the run and was aware of my pace getting faster as I rolled up the miles. Here is the report: After a shower, I elevated my legs for an hour while I watched "South Park." Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes, and had a mouthful of caffeinated Hammer Gel workout: at 4 miles, popped four Endurolytes, had a decaf Hammer Gel, and drank 8 oz. bottle of Heed post-workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed, popped five Endurolytes, and drank a bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of camomile tea after dinner . 12/04/11 comments weight: 164 Cathy and I did a yoga practice using "Yoga for Athletes", by Sage Rountree. We concentrated on the hips. Afterward, we walked together for two miles and then I did an easy recovery run for two miles. Here is the report: For much of the rest of the day I sat with my legs elevated. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, and popped five Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of camomile tea after dinner . 12/03/11 comments weight: 164 It took me a while to get all of my gear ready for today's run :
I decided to use 4 miles as my drink/gel period. I started with a two mile walk. I decided to start the GPS on the run and then to mostly ignore it except to know when to fuel and hydrate. I didn't quite meet the speed goal, but I felt that it was a good training run. Here is the report: . Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of yerba mate with the meal pre-workout: mouthful of cafeinated Hammer Gel, bottle of Heed, and popped five Endurolytes and 3 Extra Strength Tylenols workout: Hammer Gel and 8 oz. bottle of Heed at miles 4, 8, 12; 5 Endurolytes and 3 Extra Strength Tylenols with a sip of Heed at mile 7; 8 oz. bottle of Heed and 5 Endurolytes at mile 13 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of camomile tea after dinner . 12/02/11 comments weight: 164 Same idea as yesterday about waiting for afternoon for my bike workout:
It was sunny and warm by the time I got on the road. My legs felt good with the fast, easy pedaling. Here is the report: . Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga, maca, and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped two Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of camomile tea after dinner . 12/01/11 comments weight: 164 It was a bit cool, so I decided to wait until mid-afternoon to head out on my kayak workout:
It was sunny and nice with a brisk north wind when I launched. The tide was coming in. I warmed up for a few minutes and then paddled with a moderate pace for 15 minutes. I went hard for the next 15 minutes and took a drink break. I turned around and hit it harder for the next 15 minutes. I felt as if I was at the right degree of effort. I paddled easy back to the ramp. Here is the report: I did an arms and abs workout after a shower. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal workout: bottle of Heed on the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Dinner: salad and pasta at DiJulio's Restaurant in Naples; drank a bottle of Peligrino with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner . 11/30/11 comments weight: 163 I went out early, while it was in the mid-50s for my running intervals, 8 x 4 minutes hard, 2 minutes recovery. I started with a two mile walk. Then I did a 10 minute warmup jog and started the intervals. About halfway through, on an easy leg, I tripped over a broken sidewalk and managed to rip my running tights and give myself 4 scrapes. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed, mouthful of Hammer Gel w/caffeine; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite; popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner . 11/29/11 comments weight: 163 I rode my bike for 30 minutes. There was a brisk NW breeze. Here is the report: I did a legs workout and an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite; popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner 11/28/11 comments weight: 162 I took my time getting out to my warm and humid workout:
I started with a 2 mile walk and then set out on the 6 mile run. It was warm, humid, and sunny for the run. I decided to start my GPS and then not look at it until I thought I'd gone 6 miles. I went by feel and tried for negative splits, but didn't push the pace. When I looked at my GPS, I had run 6.3 miles, so I stopped running. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite; popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: fish and vegetables at Bonefish Grill; big bottle of Peligrino with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner . 11/26/11 comments weight: 164 I got out fairly early for my workout:
I started with a 2 mile walk and then set out on the 12 mile run. It was warm and sunny and a bit breezy for the run. I had no problem trying to average 9:48 minutes/mile and did a bit better. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of yerba mate with the meal pre-workout: 8 oz. bottle of Heed; mouthful of cafeinated Hammer Gel; popped 4 Endurolytes workout: two 8 oz. bottles of Heed and a non-caf Hammer Gel on the run at miles 4 and 8; popped 4 Endurolytes at mile 8 post-workout:8 oz. bottle of Heed and bottle of Recoverite; popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner . 11/24/11 comments weight: 164 I had noticed that my rear brake was rubbing on my last bike ride. Today, before my ride, I found that the back wheel was badly bent. I inflated the tires, cleaned, and lubed my old Geezer Bike and rode for a half hour on it. I wore running shoes and had no clips. The NE wind definitely was a factor. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: Thanksgiving dinner (cheeseless pizza) at a restaurant in downtown Naples; bottle of Peligrino a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner 11/23/11 comments weight: 169 I lollygagged around until the day heated up.Then I went out for a 2 mile walk and a 45 minute recovery run. I started very slowly and then kept my heartrate under 120 BPM. It was sweaty, but very easy and comgortable on the run. I didn't want to stop. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of tea with the meal pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed herbal tea with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner 11/22/11 comments weight: 169 I headed out in my kayak fairly early. It was a magnificent day on Naples Bay. I paddled with the tide for an hour and then paddled hard on the way back. Here is the report: I went to a weak yoga class before lunch. I bought a "Yoga for Athletes" DVD from Amazon at Coach Nicki's suggestion. I did an arms and abs workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal; drank 2 cups of tea with the meal workout: 2 bottles of Heed post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed herbal tea with the meal a cup of Sleepytime Tea after dinner 11/20/11 comments weight: unknown I got up a 3:50 AM and went down to the 24 hour hotel bar for a cup of coffee. I ate 3 small bread rolls for breakfast. Our group left for the Havana Marathon site at 5:50 AM. I walked for almost a mile in the disorganized corral before the start. When the gun went off at 7:00 AM, I just went with the flow. I found my pace was in the low 9 minute per mile range, but that's what the crowd was doing and I felt very comfortable. It was sunny, warm, and very humid. I tried to pick up my pace in a couple of places during the second half of the race, but each time a hill put out the fire. Although I took lots of electrolyte during the run, at the end my calves felt close to cramping. A bit later, five of us walked the 4 miles back to the hotel in the heat of the day. I started to sweat about 3 miles into the walk, which indicates to me that I needed eletrolytes. One of the guys gave me a couple of energy bars and the sweating stopped. I have to remember to up my dosage of Endurolytes for hot and humid conditions. Overall though, I felt good, especially after a shower. I was disappointed that I didn't go under 2 hours, but I don't know what I could have done differently to make that happen. I felt extremely well prepared for the event and had no doubts about running it close to my "usual" half marathon time. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3 rolls, a banana, and a cup of coffee pre-workout: Clif Bar and popped 4 Endurolytes and 3 extra strength Tylenols workout: four 8 oz. bottles of Heed at miles 3,6,9, and 12; popped 4 Endurolytes and 3 extra strength Tylenol at mile 6; ate 2 Hammer Gels (with caffeine) at miles 8 and 10 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and popped 4 Endurolytes; ate a Clif Bar and a couple of energy bars Lunch: pasta, beans, rice and peas at the hotel buffet; drank a bottle of water with the meal Dinner: salad and a vegetable plate at La Torre restaurant in Havana; drank a bottle of water with the meal 11/16/11 comments weight: 167 I headed out early for a short kayak paddle and was on the water at 6:50 AM. I paddled into Naples Bay and turned around after 30 minutes of kayaking with the current. The way back took 35 minutes. I thought about my plan for Sunday and decided to go with the idea from yesterday. When I got home, I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of tea Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: Fruit salad with grilled Red Snapper at Cane Grill in the Airport Marriott Courtyard in Miami; drank a bottle of Peligrino with the meal. . 11/15/11 comments weight: 173 I walked for about 2 miles before tackling the 12 mile run. I had planned to start at 12 minutes per mile and cut down 20 seconds each 2 miles. I actually went a bit faster. It was very warm and humid with a burning sun, so a good training run for the half marathon in Havana on Sunday, when I hope to start at 10 minutes per mile and do a similar cut back scheme. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of tea pre-workout: Hammer Gel and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: four 8 oz. bottles of Heed at miles 3,6,9, and 12; popped 4 Endurolytes at mile 6 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed herbal tea with the meal 11/14/11 comments weight: 174 (too much food on the cruise) It felt great to be back on my bike, even for an hour. It was warm and windy from the NE. I was very tired from yesterday's travels. Here is the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of tea workout: 1 bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seeds, nuts, alga and probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed herbal tea with the meal 11/13/11 comments weight: unknown I was up at 5:00 AM and out at the ship track for a mile walk at 5:20 AM. I started to run in the rain on the track at the San Juan dock at 5:48 AM. The run was easy and scenic and a good way to end the cruise. Here is the report: During the long travel day, which lasted until 9:30 PM, I did a lot of walking and schlepping bags. Nutrition pre-workout: 1.5 bottles of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas at the ship buffet; drank 2 cups of teawith the meal Lunch: soup and salad at the San Juan airport; drank 2 bottles of apple juice Dinner: pasta at Carrabbas in Naples; drank a big bottle of Peligrino with the meal. 11/12/11 comments weight: unknown This was a day off. I was a rear stay grinder on an America Cup race excursion on real $50 million racing yachts, including the Stars and Stripes. I got quite the nice arm workout during the race. Nutrition Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas at the ship buffet; drank 2 cups of tea with the meal Lunch: salad on the Carnival Victory; drank 2 Arnold Palmers Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/11/11 comments weight: unknown I went for an early snorkle with a long swim to a wreck and then a nice kayak paddle along the coast of St. Kitts: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/128646779 After lunch, in the heat of the day, I went out on deck for a 6 mile run. My legs were tired from the swim and I really felt the heat. Here is the report: I stayed up until midnight dancing, which gave me quite the leg workout. Nutrition Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas at the ship buffet; drank cups of tea with the meal Lunch: salad on the Carnival Victory; drank 2 Arnold Palmers pre-workout: 1.5 bottles of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/10/11 comments weight: unknown I was up at 5:00 AM and the first in the gym at 5:50 AM. I rode the stationary bike for an hour and drank at bottle of water. Later, I did a short kayak paddle on St. Lucia: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/127768448 I also did a short hike up a hill to see a fort. After lunch, I did an arms and abs workout in the gym. Nutrition workout: bottle of water Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas in the ship buffet; drank 2 cups of tea with the meal Lunch: salad on the Carnival Victory; drank 2 Arnold Palmers Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/09/11 comments weight: unknown I was up at 5:00 AM and out at the ship track for a mile walk at 5:20 AM. I started to run at 5:55 AM. The ship was heading in toward the port in Barbados, but didn't land while I was running. During that time the GPS metrics were incorrect except for HR. I decided to run for about an hour and 25 minutes at a HR of 140 BPM. I was very sweaty by the end of the run once again, but felt good. Here is the report: Later in the morning I did some snorkling and beach walking. Nutrition pre-workout: 2 bottles of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas at the ship buffet; drank two cups of teawith the meal Lunch: almonds and a bottle of water on our excursion Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/08/11 comments weight: unknown This was a "sea day" where the main exercise is eating. I got to the ship gym pretty early and spent an hour on a stationary bike, keeping the cadence in the 80s and 90s. I followed up with an arm and abs workout. After lunch I went down the water slide a couple of times. Nutrition workout: bottle of water post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and 2 bananas at the ship buffet; drank 2 cups of tea with the meal Lunch: salad on the ship buffet; drank 2 Arnold Palmers Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/07/11 comments weight: unknown I was up at 5:20 AM and out at the ship track for a mile walk at 5:40 AM. I started to run at 6:00 AM. The ship was heading in toward the port in St. Thomas, but didn't land for 50 minutes or so. During that time the GPS metrics were incorrect except for HR. I decided to run for about an hour and 40 minutes at a HR of 140 BPM and then do the last 2 miles at a HR of 150 BPM. When we landed at St. Thomas, I restarted the GPS to get realistic readings for the last 5 miles. I was very sweaty by the end of the run, but felt good. Here are the reports:
Later, I took a 45 minute walk in the port. After lunch I went snorkling. Nutrition pre-workout: 2 bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal and a banana at a dining room on the ship; drank a soy chai latte with the meal Lunch: salad on the Carnival Victory; drank 2 Arnold Palmers Dinner: on the ship, vegetarian 11/06/11 comments weight: unknown I was up a bit before 4:00 AM. I went over to the gym and did 45 minutes on a stationary bike, leg exercises, and arms and abs. I did a nice walk to a bridge with a view of the Carnival Victory. Later, we all took a short walk along the water. We also had to schlep bags again. Nutrition Breakfast: 2 bowls of Raisin Bran and a banana with a cup of black tea at the La Concha Lunch: salad on the Carnival Victory Dinner: romaine lettuce with lemon, tofu steak with vegetables, and fruit for dessert; big bottle of Peligrino with dinner 11/05/11 comments weight: unknown This was a travel day. I was up at 4:00 AM and we were on the road to Miami at about 5:30 AM. We arrived at the economy lot for Miami Airport at 7:30 AM, jumped on a shuttle and had our bags checked-in by 8:00 AM. Our gate changed causing us to move almost the length of the airport, but we wanted to walk anyway, so it was OK. The flight was easy and we touched down in San Juan, PR at 1:00 PM. We got our luggage and took a cab to the La Concha Renaissance, a Marriot Resort. We were in our room by 2:00 PM. We met with Jack and Sue and Jim and Chris shortly thereafter and ate lunch on the hotel patio. The only exercise for the day was walking and schlepping suitcases. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea Lunch: salad at Marriot; drank an Arnold Palmer Dinner: salad and spaghetti with Marinara sauce 11/04/11 comments weight: 160 Our kids and Cathy's sister surprised her at Roy's last night. Of course I was in on the celebration and made all local arrangements. This morning I did my arms and abs workout. I did my kayaking yesterday so that we could spend maximum time with our kids today. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea Lunch: salad at Riverwalk; drank an Arnold Palmer with the meal Dinner: Grouper at the Boathouse Restaurant; drank a bottle of Peligrino cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 11/03/11 comments weight: 162 I decided to do a double workout, today's and tomorrow's because tomorrow might bring some surprises since it's Cathy's Birthday. I started with tomorrow's kayak workout:
I got out as soon as it was light enough and started with an easy 10 minute paddle down Rock Creek. The tide was on the ebb, so with me on the way out and against me on the way back. I alternated easy with hard until legs 10 and 11, which were both hard. Naples Bay was beautiful and flat. Here's the report: I walked for 2 miles and then started the running workoutt
I was happy to see that my running pace for a HR of 130 BPM was well under 10 minute miles for the first 4 miles. I ended up with an overall average pace of 10 minute miles and a distance of 8 miles. It was sunny and hot, but I felt very good and had to work to hold my pace down. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea workout: 32 oz. of Heed on the kayak pre-workout: Hammer Gel workout: two 8 oz. bottles of Heed on the run after miles 4 and 6 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: Butterfish at Roy's; bottle of Peligrino cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 11/02/11 comments weight: 163 It was another beautiful morning for my workout:
It was quite windy on my northward and eastward legs. I tried to keep my cadence up, but it did slip a bit as I shifted each 30 minutes. It was a good workout and I think it helped with my efforts to increase my average cadence. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea workout: 24 oz. of Heed on the bike post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 11/01/11 comments weight: 164 It was a beautiful morning for a run. I started with a 2 mile walk around the airport and then started the workout:
Since I have a difficult time figuring out what "easy" and "hard" mean, I decided to use a HR of 130 and a HR of 150 as my indicators. As I ran a couple of my hard legs, I discovered that my body liked 145 BPM and didn't want to go above it. I started the workout with an easy leg and realized that I would have one less hard leg. I decided to treat the last 2 miles as a hard leg. During the last mile, my HR was happy to go above 145 BPM. It was a good workout and my legs felt strong the whole time. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 4 Endurolytes and a bottle of Heed workout: 8 oz. of Heed after mile 4; 8 oz. of Heed and 4 Endurolytes after mile 6 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/31/11 comments weight: 163 I had to watch the weather radar very carefully before venturing out for my kayak workout:
I decided to stay fairly close to home by paddling down Rock Creek with the current, up the Gordon River against the current, and then reverse direction. I had a light rain for about half of the time I was out. On the way back, as I turned into Rock Creek, a big marine animal almost came up under me. I think it was a manatee, known for overturning kayaks. I had a very good session. Here's the report: I did an arms and abs workout after returning home. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 2 Endurolytes and a bottle of Heed workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: brown rice, dates, and walnuts with hemp oil cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/30/11 comments weight: 161 It was around 70 degrees, windy, and with a light rain falling as I headed out for an easy 45 minute bike ride along the airport. Here's the report: I did a lower body workout during late morning:
Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 2 Endurolytes and a bottle of Heed post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed herbal ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/29/11 comments weight: 163 After a lot of hard rain overnight, it was very humid and in the low to mid-80s when I started my workout with a 2 mile walk. My prescribed workout was:
It was mostly sunny when I started to run, so it was very summer-like weather. I decided that it would be easier to change the workout to:
I always have a hard time figuring out what "hard" means, so I decided to let my legs decide on the first hard leg. My legs didn't figure in the sun, heat, and humidity, so when I got to the 3rd hard leg, I was hurting and slowing down. It got worse in the 4th hard leg, so I walked the next 3 easy legs. I was able to recover enough to do the 6th hard leg with a bit more speed. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 2 Endurolytes and a bottle of Heed workout: nothing, but should have hydrated and added more Endurolytes on the run. post-workout: bottle of Recoverite and 4 Endurolytes with a glass of water Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with grilled swordfish and risotto; drank a cup of brewed herbal ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/28/11 comments weight: unknown The weather was unsettled with a possibility of T-storms, so I decided to stay close to home by doing laps for my kayak intervals:
The outgoing current was running strong, sometimes with me, sometimes against me as I did the workout. I felt very strong for the 5 hard legs and had a great pace going with and against the current. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 2 Endurolytes and a glass of water workout: 2 bottles of Heed in the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/27/11 comments weight: unknown It was warm and sunny when I went out for my bike workout:
Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 4 Endurolytes and a glass of water workout: bottle and a half of Heed on the bike post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/26/11 comments weight: unknown The temperature was in the high 70s when I began my workout and reached the low 80s by the time I was finished. It was sunny and humid as well. Florida weather and probably what I'll face in Havana for the half marathon on November 20. I started with a 2 mile walk on my usual course along the Naples airport. Then, I ran for 8 miles. My instructions were to do 10 second cutbacks per mile and only allow the last 2 mles to be challenging. I think I did that. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of green tea pre-workout: 4 Endurolytes, a banana, a shot of Hammer Gel, and a glass of water workout: 2 eight oz. bottles of Heed on run at miles 3 and 6 post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful almond milk with probiotics; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal because my calves were cramping, I popped 4 Endurolytes during mid-afternoon Dinner: salad with grilled fish at a restaurant on 5th Avenue in Naples; bottle of Peligino cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/25/11 comments weight: unknown There was a fairly strong NE wind blowing for my 2.5 hour paddle down Naples Bay to the ICW turnoff. Since the wind was a warm one, I came back up the windward side of the Bay to get a better workout. It's good to be back on Florida's waters. Here's the report: After dinner, I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of chai tea pre-workout: 4 Endurolytes with a bottle of Heed workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt Dinner: salad with raisins and walnuts; a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal cup of Sleepy Time tea after dinner 10/23/11 comments weight: unknown After driving for 8 hours, I did a 45 minute recovery run, preceded by a mile walk, in Ocala, FL. It was 80 degrees, a welcome warmth after the chilly temperatures I've experienced in workouts of late. My legs felt pretty good, although a bit sore from the spin class yesterday. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of instant Creme of Wheat and 2 cups of chai tea Lunch: salad bar and an Arnold Palmer at Ruby Tuesday on the road pre-workout: 3 Endurolytes with a half bottle of water Dinner: pasta and salad with a bottle of Peligrino at Olive Garden in Ocala cup of chamomile tea after dinner at the restaurant 10/22/11 comments weight: unknown The temperature was 32 degrees when I awoke at 5:15 AM and ate breakfast. The ice was thick on the car windshield as Son Bill and I scraped the windows and drove to his gym. I rode a spin bike for 45 minutes and then took a vigorous one hour spin class. Later, I was on my feet all day at Six Flags Over Georgia. Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of chai tea pre-workout: popped two Endurolytes workout: drank a bottle of water post-workout: ate a protein bar and had a soy chai latte Lunch: part of a kid's meal and a protein bar with a bottle of water at a "greasy spoon" in the park. Dinner: Massoman curry with tofu and rice from an Asian restaurant in Alpharetta 10/21/11 comments weight: unknown The temperature was 34 degrees when I awoke and ice was thick on the car windshields. I waited for a while after breakfast and then went out into the cold to do my Fartlek workout. I used a short stretch of road from my son's cul-de-sac to the next on Shane Lane. In between was a small, steep hill that made my workout challenging and very worthwhile. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of chai tea Lunch: seaweed salad, edumame, and blackened salmon with a medium bottle of Peligrino at Atlantic Seafood. Dinner: salad with walnut, olives, and grilled artichoke hearts with a small bottle of Peligrino at Macaroni Grill in Alpharetta cup of Sleepy Time Tea after dinner, with some dried cranberries and walnuts 10/20/11 comments weight: unknown It was very chilly and windy with the sun hidden by the clouds most of the day. I waited until after lunch for my 65 minute bike ride. I wore 3 long sleeve shirts up top and my running tights and bike shorts on the bottom. I was still cold for the whole ride. I rode up all of the nasty hills in my son's neighborhood at least once, but concentrated the bulk of the ride from the entrance gate to the top of the least bad hill. This was a great leg builder! Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of chai tea Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with dried cranberries and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea cup of Sleepy Time Tea after dinner 10/19/11 comments weight: unknown I had to wait for a big weather front to come through before going out in Son Bill's neighborhood for my easy running workout. While I waited, I did an arms and abs workout. It was chilly and windy and a little misty as I started with a 2 mile walk. I covered the whole neighborhood, including the two steepest hills: After the walk, I added a third layer up top and put on a pair of running gloves (from the REI mother ship store in Seattle). I made it a very easy run and kept my heart rate down. I took the uphills very slowly, listening to my legs, which felt very good the whole way. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: bowl of oatmeal and 2 cups of tea pre-workout: bottle of Heed post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: salad with Ahi tuna at Marlow's Tavern in Cumming, GA; drank 2 Arnold Palmers Dinner: salad with dried cranberries and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea cup of Sleepy Time Tea after dinner 10/16/11 comments weight: unknown I had signed up for the Half Marathon when you were away at the wedding because I was afraid it would close before you could give your approval or not (and it did close right after I signed up). I figured that I'd run a regular 10K and then do a longish cool-down back to the US from Canada. I was held up by congestion at the bridge and finished the 10K in 55 minutes rather than my goal of 52. I was jogging along at 10 minute miles with the leg2 person of the relay when she started to walk. I waved goodbye and continued on slowly. When I saw my overall pace, I was shocked by its slowness, so I started doing negative splits and almost pulled my time back to my "usual" 1:57 finishing time (which would have won my age group). Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Also, I had to stop after the relay handoff to remove and discard my relay chip from my shoe. After a shower and change, and later in the day, I ran in the last mile with our relay leg 5 (my niece). My legs felt great and the jog did them some good, I think. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: 2 plain bagels and jam at 4:00 AM with a cup of coffee in the hotel room pre-race: bottle of Heed and popped 2 Endurolytes and 3 extra strength Tylenol race: 4 eight oz. bottles of Heed, 3 Endurolytes and 3 extra strength Tylenol post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: almonds and a glass of water Dinner: Fishbones for gumbo and crawfish etouffe with Perrier. 10/15/11 comments weight: unknown I went out early from our Marriot in Toledo, OH to walk a mile and jog for 15 to 20 minutes. Later in the morning we drove about 45 minutes to my niece's house in Monroe, MI. Later in the PM, we drove into Detroit for packet pickup and dinner. I stayed overnight at Marriot in the Renaissance Center. Nutrition Breakfast: 2 bowls of oatmeal with raisins and walnuts at the motel in Toledo. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: yogurt, grapes, and almonds at my niece's house. I drank a glass of water with the meal. Dinner: plain pasta and a salad with a small bottle of Perrier at Fishbones in Greektown in Detroit. two Clif Bars for a snack 10/13/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I went to the Lewes/Rehoboth Trail for a 5 mile run with negative splits. I walked for 1.5 miles first and then started slowly so that I'd average 10:00 min/mile for the first mile. Then, I cut back 10 seconds for each mile. When I got to mile 5, I felt very good and did a 8:59 last mile. I walked for about .8 of a mile to cool-down. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: pasta at Annabellas; bottle of Pelligrino with the meal. 10/12/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I went for a morning 6 mile walk with Cathy. My legs felt fine. Afterward, I did 30 minutes of yoga from a show in Spanish that I recorded at 6:00 AM. Then, I did an arms and abs workout. The rest of the day was filled with chores related to our leaving on Friday morning until the middle of May. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with grilled salmon at Striper Bites restaurant in Lewes; I drank a medium bottle of Pelligrino with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea 10/11/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I did my running intervals workout on our neighborhood loop. I felt good for the whole workout. After the first interval, I had an emergency bathroom stop, so it was good that I was only a few steps from our house. I felt good about the interval times: 7:19, 7:18, 7:25, 7:34, 7:33, 7:26 min/mile for the six 400s. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and a Hammer Gel; popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 10/10/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I took a 60 minute walk with Cathy. My legs felt good. After lunch, I took the double kayak, by myself, out fishing just outside of Roosevelt Inlet. I didn't catch anything, but I was paying homage to a good friend who died last year. He and I always started our Striped Bass fishing season on Columbus Day. My arms reminded me that I had given them quite the workout on Saturday. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal workout: bottle of water in the kayak Dinner: salad; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea and a Clif Bar for a snack 10/09/11 comments weight: 163 lbs Today was the Cape Henlopen Duathlon. It's funny that Coach Nicki mentioned that I might not sleep on Saturday night. I hardly slept a wink. I wasn't worried about anything, but I was so wired from the Broadkill Race that I just couldn't drop off. My problem with duathlons is that I leave everything on the bike course. I never hold back. I was really happy because I finally had a race where I averaged over 20 mph (I did 20.8). My first run was slower than I thought it would be. I didn't have a problem with the hill, but my legs didn't feel right, maybe due to lack of sleep, maybe because I actually use my legs when I kayak fast, they pump the whole way. I felt fabulous on the bike and passed a lot of people on the course and was aggressive as hell. When I took off on the 5K run, my legs just said "WTF!", so it wasn't very pleasant and definitely not fast. A 70 year-old came down from Lansdale because he saw that there were two of us in the age group. He beat me by 5 minutes, so I came in 2nd in the age group out of 3. Here are the Garmin Connect reports:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 2 Endurolytes and ate a banana workout: 1 bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: fish dinner at Fish On restaurant in Lewes; drank 2 Arnold Palmers with the meal cup of Sleepytime tea and a Clif Bar for a snack . 10/08/11 comments weight: 163 lbs Today was the Broadkill River Race. In order to conserve energy for tomorrow's duathlon, I had Cathy and Howie and Paulette Bell drop me off at the Oyster Rocks Road registration area and launch site. I was scheduled for the 10:00 AM start with the 16.5 feet and under kayaks and canoes. The second wave was scheduled for 10:10 AM. The current in the Broadkill was in our face the whole time period of the race. The distance from the launch to Milton is 10 miles if you follow the middle of the river. Because I shoot good tangents, I made the trip in 9.1 miles of paddling. I followed my race instructions:
except for the last part which is counter my to personality. At about mile 4, I stopped for a moment for a drink and was passed by a sleek double kayak with a 63 year old and a 16 year old. They were going a bit faster than me, but I sprinted up to their stern and drafted off of them for a couple of miles. With a bit over 3 miles to go, I took my paddling to the next level and passed them for good. They finished 4 minutes after I did. With a mile to go, I shifted to my highest gear and was hitting over 5 miles per hour, against the current, as I crossed the finish line. I figured before the event that averaging 4 mph against the current would be a good effort and I beat that. I came in 12th out of 29 in the men's single kayak division. Most of the finishers ahead of me were in surf skis. Here's the Garmin Connect report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 2 Endurolytes and ate a Clif Bar workout: 2 bottles of Heed and a half bottle of Perpetuem on the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: small bowl of plain pasta and an Arnold Palmer at Irish Eyes in Milton Dinner: pasta appetizer and main course at an Italian restaurant in Lewes; drank a bottle of Peligrino with the meal. cup of Sleepytime tea and a Clif Bar for a snack . 10/07/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I rode my bike on the neighborhood loop for bike intervals:
Here's the Garmin Connect report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: swordfish kabobs with brown rice and salad; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea and a Clif Bar for a snack . 10/05/11 comments weight: 163 lbs I waited a bit for it to warm up and then drove with my bike to Cape Henlopen State Park. I walked and jogged for about 1.2 miles and then rode the bike for 15 minutes to warm up. I jogged to the base of the hill and ran the first repeat the whole way to the dune. After a slow jog to the bottom, I did the second repeat the same way. I did the final 6 repeats only going up the steep first part of the hill that is actually included in the two runs of the Cape Henlopen Duathlon coming up Sunday (100 meters). My pace for the 8 repeats was: 7:56, 8:21, 8:22, 8:01, 8:03, 7:59, 7:43, 8:27. Here's the Garmin Connect report: I felt good after jogging back to the car. I cooled down with a 25 minute bike ride. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with grilled fish at restaurant; drank 2 Arnold Palmers with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea 10/04/11 comments weight: 163 lbs It was in the 40s this morning and so made us feel as though leaving next Friday for the winter wasn't such a bad idea. I waited until about 9:30 AM before heading for the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach Trail for my 70 minute run. I walked for 1.2 miles before starting to run. My HR monitor went bonkers because of the cool air, my dry skin, and it's gotten a bit loose, so I didn't trust it. I decided to just start out very slowly and then ease my way toward a 10:00 minute/mile pace, staying relaxed. I felt very good the whole way. I wore my running tights with calf sleeves and a long-sleeved shirt. Here's the Garmin Connect report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: half bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 10/03/11 comments weight: 160 lbs I was supposed to kayak for 45 minutes today, but my fatigue, laziness, rain off and on all day, and temperature in the low to mid-50s made me stay in the house to do crossword puzzles and take a nice nap after lunch. Hopefully, I'll be back in action tomorrow. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 10/02/11 comments weight: unknown I awoke at 1:30 AM and had breakfast in the Hampton Inn lobby. We arrived at the check-in for the race at North Cove Marina of Battery Park at about 3:30 AM. Check-in was scheduled for 5:00 AM, so we were left standing in a light rain at a breezy 50 degrees with lightning flashes in the western sky for a lonely long time. We finally got checked-in and loaded on our support boat (which Jason, my swimmer, had to pay $750 before leaving the dock) with Jason and I, two race observer/crew members, the captain, his wife, his son, and my 16' kayak strapped to the stern. We had a chilly and bumpy ride down to Sandy Hook, where Jason was to swam to shore and I launched in the kayak to await him to start his swim. I wore my shortie wetsuit because of the temperature, the south wind, and the low level of activity that I would have on the kayak. The captain dropped me off too far north up the Sandy Hook beach, so I had to do a hard paddle for 15 minutes to chase the boat down to the south. I arrived just as Jason swam to shore. Shortly thereafter, Jason started his swim in the second wave at 8:03 AM. I forgot to start my GPS for almost 2 miles of the swim and later on the GPS died of a dead battery. The part of the swim that I captured is here: Jason had to quit after 8 hours of swimming due to the tide turn. He was only 1.25 miles from the finish, but couldn't make headway. I blame this on the latish start of the race and the captain's inexperience with guiding a swimmer on this particular very trick course in NY harbor. In any event, Jason made a valiant and excellent effort. He certainly doesn't lack for strength, endurance, or enthusiasm. He does lack speed and training knowledge. I later recommended that he acquire a coach to refine his raw materials. Meanwhile, I got an opportunity to paddle hard against the current for the remainder of the trip to North Cove, a half mile north of where the swimmers were to finish. I was happy to be able to finish with a flourish. I was in the kayak for about 9 hours. We had to load all of our gear back in the car and find a way out of Manhattan. We finally escaped from New York via the Lincoln Tunnel. We stopped at an Outback Restaurant around 8:00 PM. I dropped Jason off in Wilmington and headed home, where I arrived at 11:45 PM. What a long day! Nutrition Breakfast: two bagels and jam with 2 cups of coffee and a bottle of water. pre-workout: I popped 4 Endurolytes and ate a Clif Bar workout: one and a half bottles of water (this was due to my business in trying to maintain a compass heading and feeding the swimmer, and the awkwardness of having our supplies on the boat instead of my kayak) post-workout: a bottle of water, a couple of Hammer Gels (mostly for the caffeine), and a Clif Bar Dinner: grilled Ahi tuna and steamed vegetables at an Outback Restaurant. I also ate a few pieces of bread and a side salad. I drank an Arnold Palmer with the meal. On the Drive Home: I had about 3 Hammer Gels and 2 low calorie Red Bulls for enough caffeine to make it home. evening cup of herb tea . 10/01/11 comments weight: unknown I did my bike workout and leg exercises scheduled for the 2nd in the fitness center of the Hampton Inn in Harrison, NJ because the Ederle Swim was postponed for a day. My swimmer and I did a lot of walking in Hoboken, NJ during the day. Nutrition Breakfast: two bowls of Raisin Bran with yogurt at the Hampton Inn. I drank a bottle of water and 2 cups of green tea with the meal. workout: bottle of water on the bike trainer Lunch: salad at a bar in Hoboken, NJ Dinner: vegetarian paella at a Spanish restaurant near our hotel in Harrison, NJ. evening cup of herb tea . 09/30/11 comments weight: 160 lbs (goal weight) I did my 40 minute bike ride on the trainer while it was still dark outside, due to plans of leaving for the Ederle Swim kayak support weekend fairly early in the morning. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. workout: bottle of water on the bike trainer post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: two Clif bars Dinner: pasta and marinara sauce at John's Pizza in Manhatten bottle of water and a Clif bar as a snack . 09/29/11 comments weight: 162 lbs I had to wait for a couple of T-storms to pass by before heading to the Wolf Neck parking lot of Cape Henlopen State Park. My workout was to be:
I did a mile walk before starting. I only looked at my GPS toward the end of the run, and then only for distance. I felt good all over and very comfortable. I thought I was probably running 11 minute miles or slower, so I was surprised to see an average of 10 minutes/mile. Here's the report: Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes, had a Hammer Gel (yes, really!) and drank a bottle of water. post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/28/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I slept-in until 6:15 AM because, instead of sleeping, I was thinking about details of Saturday's Ederle Swim kayak support after an evening conference call about the event. It was very foggy and misty with a threat of T-storms. I was scheduled for hill repeats in Cape Henlopen State Park:
I loaded the bike on our GearCar and headed to Cape Henlopen. I started with a warm-up walk up the hill I was going to run. I jogged back for the last 1/2 mile. I did the 20 minute warm-up bike ride on roads and paths of Cape Henlopen State Park and rode down the steepest part of my hill: I had about 1/2 mile jog to the base of the hill and then I did the 6 repeats with 1/2 mile jog back to the car. The hill was 0.18 miles (288 meters) long. It had a steeper first part with a less steep second part to the top of Great Dune. The entire hill was asphalt. I was a bit disappointed with my speed, but happy with my effort on the hill repeats: I stayed on the asphalt trails of the park for the cool-down bike ride: As the day wore on, my hamstrings reported in with a bit a soreness. I guess that makes sense, since downhills seem to crush the quads. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: popped 2 Endurolytes workout: bottle of Heed post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/27/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I slept-in until 6:00 AM and didn't get ready to launch for my kayak workout until 8:00 AM. This was for the best because the fog burned off and it became mostly sunny with a perfect temperature for the prescribed paddle:
We had astronomically extreme tides with coastal flood warnings. Consequently, the Canal and Broadkill River were flowing very fast. I did the warm-up with the current in my face, the first and half of the second intervals with the current at my back, half of the second and the third intervals with the current in my face, and the cool-down with a mixture of currents. At one point during the first interval, I was moving at a pace of 8:36 minutes/mile. Here's the report on Garmin Connect: I did a upper body workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. pre-workout: popped 3 Endurolytes workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/25/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I got up at 5:00 AM because I was volunteering for the Dog Dash 5K/10K race in Milton. After breakfast, I headed to Milton to arrive at 6:30 AM at the Volunteer tent. I was assigned to the food tent. I helped set up and then spent the rest of my time directing foot traffic into the four food lines and trying to prevent line crashers. I put myself in the path of would-be crashers and used big arm waving gestures and shouting to get people to go the right way. There were 1700 runners at the event, so I was very impressed at how the folks from Dogfish Head Grille in Rehoboth Beach kept up with the crowd. They told me that I impressed them with my traffic handling skills. Mutual admiration is a great thing. I left at about 10:00 AM. I had brought my running stuff and bib number with me. I had a fantasy that I would be turned away at the volunteer tent and would have to run the race, which was a secret desire. I breathed a sigh of relief when it was 7:55 AM and I knew I couldn't make it to the starting line. During late afternoon, I decided to do my bike workout on the trainer. The workout was prescribed as:
I worked up a major league sweat during the hour on the trainer. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with Ahi tuna atop at Irish Eyes; I drank 2 Arnold Palmers with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/24/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I decided to try using green tea in the morning instead of coffee. I had been reading that the caffeine is presented to the body slower and won't cause a big crash later. The K-Cups I started with are Bigelow Green Tea Chai. This is a big change for me, but I enjoyed the tea with breakfast. I did a couple of hard crosswords puzzles to exercise my mind in the early morning. Then, Cathy and I went out for a stroll around the community, maybe 2.5 miles worth of easy walking. I did a legs workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of green tea with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/23/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I watched the weather radar for a hole in the rain mass and found one around 7:30 AM. I went out for a 55 minute, easy kayak paddle on the ebb tide, heading south against the current in the canal. I had to fight my way through the railroad tressle, but that only provided a few minutes of fun. I turned around after 35 minutes and rode the strong current back to the marina with very little effort. The rain stayed away, but it was foggy and no boats were on the water, making for an eerie scene in the salt marsh toward Rehoboth Beach. When I got home, I did an arms and abs workout. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/22/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I had to wait for a rain storm to stop and the roads to dry before starting my workout for the day:
Before I went out on the bike, I took a Hammer Gel, washed down with a bottle of water. I think today's workout has definitely proved that I react badly to the Hammer Gel product and should quit from ever using it again. This is a slight problem in that Hammer Gel is part of my autoship package, but I'll call Hammer and try to work it out with them. Meanwhile, no more gels for me. I have been suspicious of my reaction to Hammer Gel all the way back to the half distance duathlon I did last October at Bass River State Forest, where I couldn't run the whole half marathon final leg. I put the bike in a gear that prevented me from getting the kind of cadence that I wanted, but I felt pretty strong during the whole bike ride on the neighborhood loop. I had a bit of a headwind on one stretch, but still kept my speed up. I somehow missed turning my GPS off at the end of the bike ride (probably hit the button twice), so the report looks a little weird, but using the moving time or distance for the graphs straightens it out: When I started to run, I didn't feel any leg soreness, but I was running way too fast, around 8:20 minutes/mile. I worked on backing off of my pace and then the first two miles were pretty normal. I started to hit the wall during the third mile and think that I was hitting a rebound low from the Hammer Gel. I ended up just slogging around the loop, feeling like shit, with a higher HR than the pace required, and sweating like a hog. Here's what it looks like on Garmin Connect: After lunch and a nap, I felt fine. I did my leg exercises. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: Hammer Gel and popped 3 Endurolytes, washed down with a half bottle of water workout: a bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: a bottle of Recoverite and popped 3 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with grilled fish and big bottle of Peligrino at Fins Restaurant in Rehoboth Beach evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/21/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I don't consider myself a runner. I usually describe myself as a kayaker when asked about my activities. I used to love to play team sports, especially football and basketball when I was a kid. As I grew older, I moved to weightlifting, walking, hiking, bicycling, and handball as my major activities. In 1977, while we were on sabbatical leave at Duke University, Cathy and I both took up running as a frequent outdoor exercise. We did not compete and hardly noticed our running speed, but we typically ran 5 or 6 miles per session several times a week. I never figured out how to breath while on the run. Unlike doing other activities, when I ran, a little voice inside my head would constantly nag at me, questioning my ability to keep up my pace, and suggesting that I slow down or stop. That little voice persists. At one period during the late seventies, I would run from my home to the university wearing a full expedition backpack with clothing and books for the day. I would run a couple of miles to a cinder track on campus and do a mile of laps on it. I would run to the fieldhouse, where a janitor let me in so I could use the showers and dress. Starting in 1985, I became a fitness fanatic and became very active at the local gym. I did up to 3 aerobics classes a day, used Nautilus machines, and rode the stationary bike for up to 2 hours per session. Outdoors, I took long rides in the mountains around Shippensburg, PA on my mountain bike. I loved the dirt and gravel fire roads and would take a 50-75 mile bike ride at least weekly in the mountains, sometimes going over 3 summits. My big claim to fame was going down the back side of Big Flat at a speed of 55 mph on my Trek. I had a gout attack during a kickball game with the kids and completely changed my diet, quitting meat, fish, and fowl, almost going macrobiotic. Sometime in the 80s, I ran my first competive running event, a 10K in which I eked out a sub-8 minute mile average. I've never beaten that 10K time, but it's stil in my crosshairs. In 1988, I became a certified aerobics instructor and became knowledgable about the different energy systems in the body and safety issues. When we got home, I started the practice of getting up at 4:15 AM and letting myself into our local gym with my own key. I would workout until almost 6:00 AM, take a quick shower and leave when the gym officially opened at 6:00 AM. I quit this practice in the fall of 1989 when I quit drinking. In 1995, we moved to the Jersey Shore and I took up kayaking. Meanwhile, I continued to bike for fun, but started to occasionally enter 5K running races. Cathy and I biked the 180 miles of the C&O Canal along the Potomac on a 3 day trip in 1992. In 1994, we did a one day hike in the Grand Canyon from the North Rim to the South Rim on one of the hottest days of the year. In 1997, I paddled across the Delaware Bay for the first time. I have now done 13 crossings by kayak including two double-crosses. The little negative voice in my head never made a sound during any of those events. 2001 was a big year for me in many ways. I entered a 100 mile kayak race from Key Largo to Key West that ended for me after the first 39 mile day because of a heavy wind that went beyond my skills. I ran a lot of running races and often finished on the podium for my age (61) group. I kayaked the 31 mile perimeter of Manhatten Island. I traveled with Cathy to Venice and Aruba that year also and remember my training runs in both places as highlights. In 2007, I realized a dream that I'd had since I was 10 years old: to hike up Half Dome in Yosemite. I trained really hard for the hike because I knew that I would struggle with the altitude during the last stages of the hike. I love the process of training and particularly enjoyed this one, especially the hiking trip I took to Virginia with my daughter and son-in-law. I really didn't know if I could make it to the top of Half Dome, but I knew that I would give it my best effort. The little nagging voice stayed away that day and I had no problem. I ran my first half-marathon in August 2009. It was a wicked trail race called the Halfwit Half. It took me 3 hours to do the course, but the little voice inside my head didn't show up that day, probably because it was such an insane event. I ran half-marathons in Naples and Fort Myers and my first marathon in Atlanta, all in the first quarter of 2010. I don't remember the nagging inner voice during these events, but it must have been there in Naples because I noted that I had to give myself a pep talk during the later miles of the race. The hills in Atlanta defeated me, so I searched for a flat marathon to do and found Disney. I entered my first duathlon for Memorial Day of 2010. I discovered that I loved to race on a bike. I'm not sure I have ever loved racing on foot, although at the Sandblast 5 Miler in 2001, I did enjoy my barefoot run and age group victory as I ran the race in 38:00. I did 4 more duathons in 2010, including one half distance race. After the 2nd duathlon, I bought a new bike. And so it goes as I move on through my 70s. Whenever I run, my inner voice raises doubts. It tells me that I'm going too fast, that I need to slow down, that maybe I should stop. I try to argue that I'm well trained, well rested, well nourished, and well hydrated, but the voice persists. All too often, I succomb to the voice and slow down. At the Philly half last Sunday, the voice convinced me that I had finally gotten too old to be competitive and that I should just try to jog to the finish. I snapped out of it when I noticed that I was running at about 8:30 minutes per mile and hardly over the hill yet. I'm really not a runner. I know I breathe incorrectly and randomly. I'm slew-footed and hit the ground too heavily. I tried Chi Running for several months until I noticed in photos of my races that I was still heel striking even though I thought I was landing on my forefeet. When I lne up for the start of a race, I usually don't have a viable goal or race strategy, even when I know I should start slower and run negative splits. I'm afraid that if I start to run more slowly, I won't be able to speed up later in the race. There is an exception to this, an outlier that I don't understand. It happened last year, one week before the Philly Half, at the Bottle and Cork 10 Miler in Dewey Beach. This was a pump 'n run event with the "pump" the night before the race. I had invited my running and kayaking buddy, Joe Link from Town Bank, NJ to come over for the weekend and to run the race with me. Joe is a great runner who is 10 years younger than me and has run many, many marathons. He and I have crossed the Delaware Bay together in our kayaks 12 times. I had noticed that the course record for my age group looked beatable and thought about going for it. I remember that during the whole race that I was amazed at my pace and wondering if I could maintain it. I wish that I could figure out how I convinced myself to try. A week later, in the Philly Half, I thought that I might be able to run at the calculated pace of 8:12 minutes/mile and finish at 1:47, but at around mile 10, my overall pace kept sliding and I had to hang on to finish at 1:52, my best ever time in a half-marathon, but still disappointing because of my slacking off for the last few miles. I know that my inner voice contributed to my struggle toward the end. I practiced yoga for a number of years and it should have taught me how to quiet my mind and control my breath. I think that I need to really concentrate on my mind and my breath, figure out how to apply it to my training and races, and finally be able to say, "I'm a runner." Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/20/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I got going fairly early because of a rainy forecast for later in the day. My kayaking workout was prescribed as 30 minutes at a moderate pace, 30 minutes at a moderately hard pace, and 30 minutes at a moderate pace. The tide was right for a paddle up the Broadkill River against the current, so I decided to head that way and to work my HR up to 100 for the first 30, up to 110 for the second 30, turn around, up to 100 for the third 30, and then paddle easily back to the marina. It was a good workout and I generated pretty good speed against the current. Here's the report from Garmin Connect: After showering off the salt water, I did an arms and abs workout in the basement. Coming tomorrow: thoughts about my problems with the mental part of running. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: a bottle of Heed in the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/19/11 comments weight: 166 lbs I tried to sleep in, but awoke at a bit after 5:00 AM as normal. My legs felt a bit sore, so I did some crossword puzzles, massaged my legs a bit, and did some shopping. After lunch, I finally got around to my 45 minutes on the bike trainer. I used my "Animal House" DVD to distract me and pedaled easily and evenly for the duration of the workout. My legs had a dull soreness in them throughout the rest of the day. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal workout: a bottle of Heed on the trainer post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/18/11 comments weight: unknown I got up at 4:30 AM and ate breakfast in our room at the Holiday Inn. I had decided to stay away from Hammer Gel for this event because I'm still a bit suspicious about it's effects on me. I had measured out Heed and recoverite in varous bottles while still at home in Delaware and had carried bottles of water for mixing them. Before we left the room at about 6:40 AM, I popped 4 Endurolytes and 3 extra strenghth Tylenols. We walked the 1.8 miles to the start area for the Philly Half Marathon. I was in Corral 7 this year. There were 23 total Corrals for the event. It was a cool morning in the mid 50s, overcast, and a bit breezy. I had decided not to use my HR monitor or music for the run. The nature of the wave start meant that I would be forced to start slowly, which I wanted to do anyway. After the first mile, I picked up my pace a bit, but I wondered whether I would be able to finish under 2 hours, which was my goal for the day. I thought I would just try to enjoy the run and the crowd and just keep an eye on my overall pace to try to keep it under 9 minutes per mile. My hydration/fueling plan was to drink 8 ounces of Heed at 3,6,9, and 12 miles. Around mile 8, my right knee started to hurt a bit. It didn't seem like anything serious, but was very annoying. I popped 3 extra strength Tylenols with a swallow of Heed to get rid of the pain. That worked. When I hit mile 10, I knew I was going to do OK. I felt strong and picked up the pace a bit. I could have pushed harder, but wondered what the point would be, since the downside might be injury or a longer recovery. I felt great at the finish and was happy with my GPS pace of 8:52 minutes/mile. I didn't really care how I did in the race, but found out while eating lunch that I placed 2 out of 21 in my age group. Ironically, the guy that placed first in our age group had the same time that I had last year. My official time this year was 1:58, which is within a second of 3 of the 4 "normal" half marathons I've run. (I've also run a trail half, 2 half distance duathlons, and walked the Disney half.) I felt well-prepared for the event physically, but I have to work on my mental preparation and race demeanor. Here's the Garmin Connect break-down: Nutrition Breakfast: 2 bagels with blackberry jam and 2 cups of coffee pre-workout: a bottle of Heed, 4 Endurolytes, and 3 extra strength Tylenols workout: three 8 oz. bottles of Heed at miles 3, 6, and 9; 4 Endurolytes at mile 6; 3 extra strength Tylenols at mile 8 post-workout: an 8 oz bottle of Heed, a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite, and 2 Clif bars Lunch: hummus sandwich, bowl of soup, and Vitamin Water at Cosi Restaurant in Glen Mills Dinner: small salad and pizza with a cup of brewed ice tea an evening cup of camomile tea two Clif bars as a snack . 09/17/11 comments weight: 166 lbs I put on my shortie wetsuit and drove to Anglers Marina for a short kayak paddle. It was in the mid 50s and breezy, so the wetsuit was needed. The water was still warm, but I only got my feet in it. I paddled easily for 45 minutes. I ddin't use my GPS or heartrate monitor. After an early lunch, we drove to Philadelphia. We parked in the garage for the Holiday Inn at 4th and Arch streets. We stowed our luggage and walked to the expo at 11th and Arch to pick up my half marathon packet. Later, we met friends for dinner at Pizacata Restaurant on the corner of 3rd and Market. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: a bottle of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: apple walnut salad, whole wheat pasta, and a big bottle of Peligrino two Clif bars as a snack . 09/15/11 comments weight: 166 lbs I went over to the high school track early this morning for running intervals, but the track was locked. I headed home and did the intervals on the neighborhood loop. I've decided to use Garmin Connect to communicate my workouts, so here's the link: During the last interval, I didn't look at the GPS, but used my perceived exertion to determine my pace. It was nice to see the consistency. I'm looking forward to a good rest for the remainder of today and tomorrow. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/14/11 comments weight: 166 lbs I decided to use the neighborhood loop for this morning's bike workout:
I'm still having a hard time keeping my cadence up, so this workout was a good one to try to improve:
Afterward, I did a legs workout:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout:1.5 bottles of Heed on the bike post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: salad with grilled Ahi on top at Greene Turtle in Rehoboth Beach; I drank 2 Arnold Palmers with the meal. Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/13/11 comments weight: 166 lbs I had a good weather day for my 12 mile run on the trail. The plan was to run 6 miles @ 10 min/mi and then to head toward a pace of 9:30 min/mi. I felt very good until mile 9 when I felt the need to back off of the pace a bit. I thought I might be able to pick it up later in the run, but that never happened. Overall, I felt it was an OK workout, but not wonderful. Afterward, my legs felt a bit tired, but otherwise OK.
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes workout: four 8 oz. bottles of Heed, each with a shot of Hammer Gel; popped 4 Endurolytes at mile 6 post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; popped 4 Endurolytes and drank a bottle of ice water Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/12/11 comments weight: 170 lbs I found my kayak flipped over and tangled in its chain when I arrived at the marina. I thought that it was vandalized, but found out later that a "tornado" with a water spout had come through at 7:30 PM the night before. I headed down the canal to Rehoboth Bay. I was supposed to spend half hour intervals paddling easy, medium easy, medium, medium hard, and hard. I decided to use my HR @ 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, and 120 to accomplish the mission. I was pleased with my ability to regulate my effort this way and also happy with the overall pace for the 16 mile paddle.
I did an arms and abs workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 bottles of Heed and 2 bottles of Perpeteum on the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad and cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/10/11 comments weight: unknown I went to the fitness center at the Roanoke Hotel for intervals on a recumbent stationary bike. The only saving grace was the big HD TV with ESPN College Game Day on it during the 1:35 sweaty ride. Nutrition Breakfast: fruit and oatmeal with raisins and granola at the Hotel Roanoke's healthy option buffet. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 1.5 bottles of Heed on the bike post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; Lunch: a salad from a cafe in downtown Roanoke; drank a cappuccino with the meal. Dinner: stuffed eggplant at the wedding reception; drank a bottle of water with the meal evening cup of camomile tea . 09/09/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I got out early for my 4 mile run @ 120-125 BPM. It was a cool morning and a very easy run. I was pleased with my pace for such a restrictive HR.
I had noise from the HR monitor for the first bit of the run until I got a sweat going. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed; popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; Lunch: a salad at Johnny Appleseed's restaurant near New Market, VA; drank an Arnold Palmer with the meal. Dinner: sushi at Metro Grill in downtown Roanoke, VA; drank a big bottle of Peligrino with the meal evening cup of camomile tea . 09/08/11 comments weight: 166 lbs In spite of it being a rainy morning, I went to the marina and out for a paddle. It rained for about half of the trip, some of it very hard. I thought I heard thunder once, but I think I was mistaken. The spike in my HR was when I was fighting my way through the Lewes railroad tressel against a raging current.
I did an arms and abs workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 and a half bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad with grilled fish at Fins restaurant in Rehoboth Beach with a big bottle of Peligrino evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/07/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I went to the Lewes/Rehoboth Trail for a 10 mile run. The instructions were:
I walked for a mile and a half and then ran the workout. In planning, I wasn't sure what pace to start with. I read over the information on long runs in the "SERIOUS Training" book and was reminded to keep things relatively slow. I decided to start at 11:00 minutes/mile and cut down 15 seconds every 2 miles. It was a warm and sweaty run and I was surprised how high my hearrate got with this relatively slow pace.
I had noticed that my Garmin Training Center used a different set of zone values from those used by "SERIOUS Training", so I adjusted them according to the book's values. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes workout: four 8 oz. bottles of Heed mixed with Hammer Gel at miles 3,6,8, and 10. post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/06/11 comments weight: 168 lbs It was rainy and windy, so the 90-100 minute bike ride became a 96 minutes session with the bike trainer in the basement. I watched the entirety of "Vicki Cristina Barcelona" during the session and even looking at Scarlett Johansen didn't keep it from being boring. I attempted to keep the cadence high throughout. After lunch, I did lower body exercises in the basement according to this week's schedule. For the back extensions, I did 10 reps per set. I felt a bit awkward in the walking lunges and very tight in the flowing lunges. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed; popped 4 Endurolytes workout: a bottle and a half of Heed post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/05/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I finally went to the Cape Henlopen HS track for an interval workout:
I walked for a mile and then ran the workout. On the 4 x 1200m legs I did 8:03, 7:57, 7:55, 7:52 minutes/mile. I felt good for the whole workout and ran very relaxed during the interval legs.
I did 3 sets of foot raises after I got home. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite; popped 2 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad with ahi tuna appetizer at Irish Eyes; 2 Arnold Palmers with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/03/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I ran a slow-paced 3 mile run with daughter Alex on the trail. The GPS showed a very high heart rate for almost all of the first mile. I felt fine and I wonder if the GPS is in error. Next run I will use my other GPS to see.
I did 3 sets of foot raises after I got home. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: salad and Arnold Palmer at Greene Turtle in Rehoboth Beach Dinner: salad with walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/02/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I got up early and headed out in the kayak for a 4 hour paddle to Cape Henlopen Point. On the way back, I upped the pace for a while to beat an incoming ferry to get to the ferry jetty.
I did arms and abs after I got home. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed workout: 4 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: swordfish kabobs, brown rice, and a salad; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 09/01/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I drove to the trail for a 8.5 mile run with HR in the range of 120-135. I started with a 2 mile walk. During the run, I drank two 8 oz. bottles of Heed, each with a Hammer Gel pack, at miles 3 and 6. I also popped 4 Endurolytes at mile 6. I felt very good on the run, completely aerobic.
I breathed through my nose immediately after the run and took my HR for a few minutes:
I did 3 sets of foot raises after I got home. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: two 8 oz. bottles of Heed mixed with Hammer Gel on the run; popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: sushi at Saketumi in Rehoboth Beach evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 08/31/11 comments weight: 168 lbs Today I was back on the water again. The workout was designed as a set of intervals:
I tried to use perceived effort as my main cue for the harder intervals. My course was dictated by my desire to get out into Breakwater Harbor and close to Cape Henlopen Point:
I did my turn-around during the last 10 minute interval, so I had a longer cool down than was scheduled. It was gorgeous on the water and there were lots of dolphins nearby. I felt strong during all of the harder intervals and was close to my maximum effort for each. The charts below show my speed and HR over the total time of the workout:
I did an abs and arms workout during late afternoon. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a bottle of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Dinner: salad with flaxseed oil and balsamic vinegrette dressing; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 08/30/11 comments weight: 168 lbs This morning's workout was to be intervals on the high school track:
I got to thinking that the football team would be in firm control of the stadium today, so I modified the workout to suit the neighborhood loop:
I started with a two mile walk where I placed 6 stones at .5 miles from my loop start line. My GPS pace readout was bouncing all over the place when I started to run, so I had to guess at my actual pace. I'm going to change it to average lap pace when I get a chance. I was trying to go around 10 min/mi on the slow legs and between 8:00 and 8:30 min/mi on the faster legs. I felt good the whole way and think I could've pushed the pace a bit faster.
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank a bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with flaxseed oil and balsamic vinegrette dressing; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 08/29/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I did 60 minutes on the bike trainer. The goal was to hit it harder during each successive 10 minutes. I set my front gear to 3 and used rear gears 2 to 7 to make the work increasingly harder.
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes workout: a bottle of Heed post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: vegetarian pasta at Kindles in Lewes; bottle of Saratoga sparkling water evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea . 08/28/11 comments weight: didn't take it I did 30 minutes on the bike trainer. I also did 3 sets of foot raises. . Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: a bottle of Heed post-workout: a bottle with 2 scoops of Recoverite Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: pasta with low fat red sauce; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea 08/27/11 comments weight: 165 lbs I did an arms and abs workout since I was cooped up in the house with the rain and wind from the approaching Hurricane Irene. . Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: quinoa with dates, walnuts, and sauteed onions; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepy Time Tea 08/26/11 comments weight: 167 lbs I headed to the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach Trail for a 7 mile run following a 2 mile walk. I was supposed to run negative splits, so I used my HR as a guide and tried to step it up each mile. It was warm and very humid, so I suffered quite a bit on the second half of the run. Once again, I was happy with my HR discipline, but not with my pace.
I think the spike in my HR at the beginning of the run was a glitch with my HR monitor. The trough at mile 5.4 was from a pee break I took along the trail. I monitored my cool down again:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: bottle of Heed, two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with tuna at Irish Eyes with 2 Arnold Palmers evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/25/11 comments weight: 168 lbs I got set up for a duathlon training set with some intervals built-in:
It was warm and humid as I walked for a couple of miles and headed out on the first run. I decided to use my heartrate to control the intervals.
I was happy with my discipline on the HRs for the 10 minute segments, but not happy with my corresponding pace. It was pretty windy for the bike leg.
I was pretty sweaty as I went into the second run. Once again, I was happy with my HR discipline, but not my pace.
I decided to monitor my HR after the workout to see how long it took me to recover:
I did 3 sets of foot raises when I got home from the trail. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: bottle of Heed and half bottle of Heed mixed with a Hammer Gel on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with flaxseed and balsamic vinegar dressing; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/24/11 comments weight: 169 lbs I decided to try my Camelback hydration system on the kayak for my scheduled two hour paddle. I also decided to paddle against the current up the Broadkill, but at an easy pace:
After 30 minutes, I had had enough of the Camelback and took it off. I used it like a bottle for the rest of the trip. I won't be using it for the race, or every again. I did an arms and abs workout in the late afternoon. The Milton Theater will decide tomorrow afternoon whether or not the race will be held on Saturday due to the possibility of a visit from Irene. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak from the Camelback bladder post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with flaxseed and balsamic vinegar dressing; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/23/11 comments weight: 171 lbs It was a day off today. It would have been a great day for a run with the low humidity and cool air, but rest is good for the body if not for the soul. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee and 16 ounces of water with the meal. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with flaxseed oil dressing. Drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meall. evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/22/11 comments weight: 172 lbs It was a cloudy and cool morning, so I took my time and did three crossword puzzles before going out for a 45 minute bike ride. I headed out Beaver Dam Road and finished with a couple of loops in our community. I concentrated on keeping my cadence at or above 80 RPM:
I did 3 sets of foot raises after the bike ride. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal with 2 tablespoons of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed workout: bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with grilled fish at Fish On Restaurant in Lewes. Bottle of Peligrino with the meal. evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/21/11 comments weight: 175 lbs (for morale puposes, I started to weigh myself when I get up) I was supposed to paddle against the current in the Broadkill River, so I got out early, just after sunset, to catch the right tide. After the 15 minute warmup, I tried to get my HR up to 120 BPM and keep that level of effort for 45 minutes. It was a good, hard workout. I had a Huck Finn type of paddle back to the marina until the last mile when I decided to paddle a bit harder, against the current again, to keep the whole trip at 4 mph (for no particular reason).
I did an arm and abs workout later in the day. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: grilled swordfish, asparagus, and a salad with a cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of Sleepytime Tea . 08/20/11 comments weight: 179 lbs I drove to the Lewes/Rehoboth Beach Trail for my 60 minute easy run. The day was much nicer than the recent stormy weather. It was a nice and easy run:
I ran based on perceived effort for the first 5 miles and then pushed the pace up slightly for the last bit. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: big salad with flax oil and balsamic vinagrette; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepytime Tea 08/19/11 comments weight: 182 lbs I had to fit my kayaking workout in between early morning rain and afternoon T-storms. I had decided to go out Roosevelt Inlet into Breakwater Harbor and head toward Cape Henlopen, but when I got to the ferry jetty, suspicious looking clouds made me move back inside. So I paddled up the Broadkill River, but again, suspicious looking clouds made me turn around. I headed back down the river and then down the canal to my marina. The weather had cleared, but I had an hour left to paddle, so I went down the canal to the railroad bridge and then back up the canal to the inlet and back to the marina. Somewhere in that leg, my GPS started to act up. I was out on the kayak for 4 hours and did about 16 miles, although the GPS didn't get all of it.
I did an arms and abs workout after lunch. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a cup of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Dinner: big salad with flax oil and balsamic vinagrette; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of Sleepytime Tea 08/17/11 comments weight: unknown because of early workout and visiting friends I got up at 4:15 AM to get in my duathlon workout before we had to leave for the Atlantic City air show at 6:45 AM. Since I had to do the first leg in the dark, I switched the workout to run/bike/run/bike. I had found a good loop of around .75 miles in our friends' over 55 community:
I found out that the old folks in the community weren't used to seeing a geezer running and biking at an uncomfortable pace, especially in the early hours. I did the first run in the dark:
Even after a warmup walk, my HR started out low. I wasn't able to see my GPS, so I just ran uncomfortably. It still was pretty dark when I started to ride the bike, but a couple of old ladies were out walking in the street. I gave them a big thrill by buzzing them.
I watched my HR on the second run and tried to get it up to 150 BPM and hold it around there:
On the second bike leg, I tried not to run over any old ladies and their dogs, which had appeared; I also tried to keep working hard on the bike:
It was a good workout. I stretched and showered, ate breakfast and joined the group for a great day on the beach in Atlantic City. . Nutrition pre-workout: bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: 1 bottle of Heed and 10 oz. of Heed mixed with a GU Roctane pack on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Oatmeal, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a cup of coffee with the meal. Lunch: take-out spinach and cheese calzone on the beach with a bottle of water and a half bottle of ice tea Dinner: fabulous sauteed soft-shelled crabs and fluke entrees splite with Cathy and a big bottle of Peligrino at Dock's Oyster House in AC 08/16/11 comments weight: 179 lbs I got out early for my bike ride because we had reservations for the 10:15 AM ferry to NJ. On the ride, I concentrated on keeping my cadence above 80 RPM. Since if was supposed to be an easy ride, I stayed in low gear in the front. I 'm trying to get used to riding with higher cadence and then I'll try to increase my speed.
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 1 bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Lunch: quinoa salad and an Arnold Palmer at Gecko's in Cape May Dinner: down home fresh fish dinner and ice tea at Arnold's Clam Shack in the Pinelands near Bass River State Forest 08/15/11 comments weight: 178 lbs Slept-in again today until after 6:00 AM. It was a bit rainy and very foggy, so I decided to take my time getting out on the kayak. The current was running fast as I paddled against it to the inlet, then with it for two intervals, then against it to the inlet, and finally with it to the marina. The workout consisted of 20 minutes of warmup, then 5 x 10 minutes of hard paddling followed by 3 minutes of easy paddling, finishing with a 20 minute cool-down paddle:
I was pleased with the workout, especially when I pushed my HR into the 130s on the last interval. I felt as though I worked equally hard in each of the hard intervals, although my average HR kept climbing. At the beginning of each hard interval, I worked on my race start and it looks as if I ramped up pretty well. At the end of each hard interval I stopped paddling for a varying length of time for a drink or pee and drink. That explains the rapid HR drops. I did an arm and abs workout during mid-afternoon. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water; popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Dinner: pasta with marinara sauce and a salad; drank a glass of ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 08/14/11 comments weight: none taken because I left early for a race I was up at 3:15 AM to look at the radar and study the weather forecast for Bear, DE, the site of the Lum's Pond Tri/Du. I saw that it would be rainy and stormy there for the duration of the event. In addition, Accuweather, whose hourly forecasts I trust, predicted T-storms during the bike ride. I decided to cancel my participation and to run the Free to Breathe 5K at the local high school:
I wasn't happy with my time and have to lose some weight to improve it. I got 2nd place in the 70+ age group. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-race: popped 2 Endurolytes; drank 10 oz. of Heed mixed with a Hammer Gel an hour before the start; ate another Hammer Gel 30 minutes before the start post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and two soft pretzels Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: lefover quiche and brown rice; drank a glass of ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea
08/13/11 comments weight: 178 lbs Slept-in again today until after 6:00 AM. I'm starting to worry about the T-storm forecast for tomorrow's duathlon. I think I will get up at 3:00 AM and take a good look at the weather radar and forecast. If it looks bad for the duathlon, but only looks like rain for this area, I'll do one of the two 5K runs in the area, both of which start at 8:00 AM. I had to wait out the dry edge of a passing storm before getting out on my bike workout. I misread the instructions (thought it said 20-30 minutes) and only went for 26 minutes. I did loops in the neighborhood and just tried to keep my cadence above 80 RPM:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 2 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: pasta with marinara sauce and a salad at Annabella's Restaurant in Lewes; drank a glass of ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea . 08/12/11 comments weight: 173 lbs Off day today, so just doing crossword puzzles and slow movement. The weather forecast for Sunday looks bad, but maybe the T-storms will hold off until Sunday afternoon. Phil already had one rainout at Bear, so it wouldn't be nice for him to have another so soon. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: quinoa with sauteed onion, dates, and walnuts; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of camomile tea . 08/11/11 comments weight: 177 lbs It was a very pleasant morning in the 70s, low humidity, and a fresh breeze. I did a couple of crossword puzzles and took my time getting organized for the interval workout. I walked for 1.2 miles and then begain the workout:
At Cathy's suggestion I put 8 stones in my pocket and threw each one away when I finished a 1:30 spurt. I only used perceived effort to control my pace and kept my eyes on the clock. When I had looked at the stats, I was a bit disappointed in my speed on the spurts, but what do I know? Anyway, I felt good when I was done and didn't feel as if I was dogging it during the workout. I stretched and did my leg raises shortly after being done with the intervals. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: 1 Hammer Gel and 2 Endurolytes just before the intervals. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and 2 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: salad with tilefish and carrot soup at Cafe Sole in Rehoboth Beach; large bottle of Peligrino to drink with the meal evening cup of camomile tea 08/10/11 comments weight: 178 lbs After some T-storms came through last night, the humidity was way down this morning, so I took my time getting ready for my duathlon training set. I finally got going on the warmup at 9:01 AM. I decided to use my music for the run portions of the training set, so transitions would be slower. Also, I decided to use my watch to time intervals and that slowed my transitions a bit. I set up a slightly different transition area due to lawn mowing around my townhouse, but used the neighborhood loop course for running and biking. The first run:
I experimented with using a pack of Hammer Gel an hour before the start of the workout and another a half hour before the start of the workout. I have had success using Gu Roctane that way. I felt good during this workout using that strategy. Also, I carried 10 oz. of Heed mixed with a pack of Hammer Gel along with another 20 oz. of Heed on the bike. That seemed to work well, too. The transition from run to bike was 1 minute, 13 seconds. The bike leg:
Toward the end of the bike leg, my stopwatch quit on me, so I switched to using the actual time of day to determine intervals. This caused the bike leg to be a bit longer. Transition from bike to run took 1 minute and 28 seconds. During the second run, I lost track and ran 6 intervals:
I definitely worked up a good sweat during all three legs of the workout. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: 2 Hammer Gels, one an hour prior and the second a half hour prior, popped 4 Endurolytes workout: one 20 oz. bottle of Heed and one 10 oz. bottle of Heed mixed with a Hammer Gel on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: pasta with lite tomato sauce; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of camomile tea 08/09/11 comments weight: 180 lbs I kept an eye on the weather this morning to see if I could optimize my two hours of kayaking with the best time for tide. Low tide at Roosevelt Inlet was scheduled for 10:34 AM, so a 9:30 AM launching to head out the inlet and toward the ferry jetty seemed to be a good plan. I actually launched at 9:22 AM. I was supposed to increase my effort each 30 minutes during a 2 hour session. Luckily, my HR monitor strap came back from North Carolina yesterday, so I was able to use my HR to judge my effort. The wind and current and the behavior of the three water environments made it difficult to make any sense out of my speed:
I think it was a very well conceived workout and I think that I executed it very well also. I was particularly pleased with the last leg where I maintained a hard workload with a HR in the 120s. I think that might be my goal for the Broadkill River Race, to maintain a HR in the 120s for the entire race. I think that if I do that, and do a great job navigating tangents and inside corners against the current, I will do well in the race in the single recreational kayak division. I did an arm and abs workout during the late afternoon. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes workout: two 20 oz. bottles of Heed on the kayak post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal pre-workout: cup of coffee post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water Dinner: quiche made with egg beaters and brown rice; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of camomile tea 08/08/11 comments I'm off of exercise today, so I have a chance to think about things. Over the past few months my body weight has been increasing gradually. I had reduced my weight the past couple of years to improve my running and it definitely improved my performance. When I was training for the Disney Marathon last fall and got injured, I could only speed walk, not run, so the lower weight wasn't so important. Then, when I concentrated on the Sarasota half distance duathlon, only my endurance was a concern to me, so I didn't get concerned about my weight. My increased weight has definitely affected my running, so it's time to concentrate on lowering it again. I think I eat well when I eat at home, perhaps too large portion sizes at dinner. We eat out at least twice a week and I tend to be careless about sauces and sides with the seafood entrees that I normally eat. When we moved into this townhouse in Delaware, the previous owner left all sorts of things, including a good bathroom scale, which I've never used. I am going to start using the scale on a daily basis to track my progress. Since I eat the same things most mornings, I'll weigh myself about 7:30 AM, after breakfast. The first day is today: 182 lbs - goal: 160 lbs. I was running at this weight last year at this time. In March of 2010, when I ran the Atlanta, Georgia marathon, my weight was closer to 150 lbs, but I think that's too low for me. I plan to work on two things. First, limiting portion sizes for meals I eat at home. Also, I will attempt to incorporate more of the principles of "The Thrive Diet" for dinners that I make for myself. Second, I have to be much more careful when eating out. Years ago, I used to carry my own salad dressing (balsamic vinigrette) to restaurants. I should reinstitute that practice. Also, I used to only order broiled fish with no butter or oil and just put lemon on it. A simple baked potato was my usual side. I still like to eat this way, I've just been lazy about demanding it from restaurants. I almost never eat bread with dinner, either eating in or out, so I'll continue that practice. Incidental things for today: two sets of 60 foot raises with weights for each foot in the morning. Easy 5K walk on the Trail in the afternoon. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: seedful yogurt, an orange, and a cup of brewed ice tea Dinner: salad with homemade dressing (balsamic vinegar, flaxseed oil, tahini, and various spices) grilled veggie burgers, portobella mushrooms, two ears of corn (I had been eating three ears), and some oven baked potato wedges; I drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 08/07/11 comments I did 30 minutes on the bike trainer this morning. I kept a good cadence, but not too much work. I did some ab crunches afterward and some stretching. The rest of the day was very low key. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. workout: a bottle of Heed Lunch: seedful yogurt and a cup of brewed ice tea Dinner: quinoa, sweet onion sauteed in coconut oil, dates, and walnuts with a cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of camomile tea 08/06/11 comments I awoke at 5:00 AM to get ready for the Coombs/Douglass Memorial 5 Mile Bay Run in Town Bank. I had some last bits of items to load into the XTerra as our week at the Jersey Shore was ending. At 6:30 AM, I rode my bike at an easy pace about 9 mile to the Town Bank Fire Station where the race was headquartered. I warmed up with some walking, but less than usual since I had already been on the bike. I was supposed to be running negative splits on the miles, starting at 8:15 minutes per mile and ending with 7:15 minutes per mile. I ran somewhat slower in the first mile, but thought that I was generally with the program. By the start of the second mile, I was feeling the sun burning down on me. A week on the beach, on the bike, and in the kayak might have made me more senstive to the heat of the sun, but, in any case, I felt it. My pace slackened as the race went on. Toward the end, I was just hanging on. I knew that I could make the distance, but I also knew that I wouldn't make the speed. I ended up with a disappointing time:
I don't usually use the aid stations in the 5 mile run, but today I used all three water tables to grab a cup, take a few sips, and pour the rest on my head. I felt OK at the finish, just hot and sweaty. I didn't have any pains, nausea, or any other complaints. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-race: popped 4 Endurolytes race: a couple of sips of water en route post-ace: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes; I drank another 16 ounces of water. Lunch: two soft pretzels on the ferry with a bottle of green tea and a bottle of diet ice tea Dinner: sushi at Saketumi Restaurant with a bottle of sparkling water; because it was our 45th anniversary, I ate some Tiramisu and chocolate layer cake for dessert. evening cup of camomile tea 08/03/11 comments I mislaid my HR monitor on Saturday evening and it hasn't turned up. This morning's workout was scheduled as a duathlon set:
The morning was warm, humid, and cloudy. I walked for a mile and a half and jogged for a half mile to warm up and then started the first run:
I was a bit disappointed with my pace, but I relaxed and didn't worry about it as I ran. I walked through the transition to the bike:
I felt a bit more in the groove for the second run, but my speed was pretty slow:
The second bike ride felt good and I had a couple of decent splits:
08/02/11 comments Cathy and I started the day with dental appointments. We had pre-arranged appointments for Thursday morning and we found that we needed them. When we got back, I grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the boat ramp behind Lucky Bones restaurant. The west wind was blowing pretty hard and it was a bit after high tide. I decided to paddle against the current out of the Cape May Canal. The Delaware Bay was very choppy when I entered it at the terminus of the Canal. I landed on a beach to the north of the Canal to wait for a ferry to depart. When it did, I paddled back done the Canal with the current and down the harbor to the base of the inlet. I turned again into the wind and current and fought my way back up the harbor, past the Lobster House and South Jersey Marina, and finally back to the boat ramp. It was a very good workout:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fruit with yogurt and hemp seeds; drank a cup of brewed ice with the meal Dinner: seafood entrees at Tisha's Restaurant on the Mall; drank a bottle of Peligrino with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 08/01/11 comments Son-in-law Phil and I decided to ride our bikes together this morning. We covered about 30 miles in a bit under 2 hours. I forgot to turn on my GPS until we had already toured Cape May, Sunset Beach, and part of Cape May Point:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes workout: 30 oz. of Heed on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: apple slices and half a peanut butter sandwich on the beach Dinner: blueberry salad and bowl of rigatoni at Panico's restaurant in West Cape May; drank a big bottle of Peligrino evening cup of camomile tea . 07/30/11 comments I got up at 4:15 AM to get breakfast before the Penn State Reunion 5K at North Beach in Dewey Beach. I drove down to Dewey at 6:00 AM. I was the second contestent in Pump 'N Run and lifted 90 pounds for 18 reps. I was scheduled to run the 5K at a HR of 120 BPM, so I lined up well back in the field. It was very warm and humid at start time of 8:00 AM. I had a bit of a struggle to maintain the low HR, but I succeeded:
I did a personal worst 5K time of 37 minutes, but came in 2nd of 3 in my age group. When I got home I did a short arms and abs workout. Later in the day I ran the Sandblast Beach Run in North Wildwood. The tide was high, so the sand was soft and there were people blocking the course, making running difficult. I ran in the water as much as I could and the soft sand caused my HR to be extra elevated for a given pace. I was scheduled for HRs of 120, 128, 136, and 145 BPM for the mile splits. I almost made a field decision to raise each by 5 BPM, but I tried to maintain the original requirement:
I did another personal worst time for the day. I had an extremely dry mouth during the run, which I've never experienced before. Phil told me that he had the same. It might have been the salt in the air, but I've run many races on beaches and never had this. I grabbed water at the two water stations just to wet my mouth. I was the only runner in the 70+ age group, but for the second time of the day I didn't stick around for my award. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and 20 ounces of Heed Lunch: an apple and the non-lettuce part of a dry Greek salad with a bottle of water on the ferry post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water, a bottle of water, a banana, and a bagel Dinner: WaWa veggie hoagie and a bottle of Vitamin Water evening cup of camomile tea 07/29/11 comments I got up early to go out for kayaking intervals: 30 minutes moderately hard, 30 minutes hard, 30 minutes moderately hard. It was already warm moving toward hot when I got out on the Canal against the current and started up the Broadkill River with the current:
It's easy to see where the current changed from in my face to at my back. There is a curious "inflection" point in the speed graph that shows when I crossed the back of Roosevelt Inlet. I took a 4 minute drink and pee break and then started the hard interval. I decided to go 10 minutes up the river with the current and then 20 downstream against the current:
I was a sweaty mess when I stopped for another 4 minute break. At that point, my GPS ran out of battery power which didn't matter because the last leg was just a mirror image of the first. When I got back to the marina, I loaded the kayak on the XTerra for Cape May. . Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank one 20 ounce bottle of G2 (still getting rid of inventory) and popped 2 Endurolytes workout: drank two 20 oz. bottles of G2 on the kayak post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 2 Endurolytes Lunch: seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: veggie pannini from Grotto Pizza, salad, and a couple of pieces of pizza sans cheese; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of camomile tea 07/28/11 comments I went for a 30 mile easy bike ride, trying to keep my cadence between 70 and 80 RPM. It was warm but not hot with a variable wind. My legs felt a bit on the lazy side with no soreness:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats, mixed with 2 tbsps of hemp seed, filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and 2 cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank one 20 ounce bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: drank 32 oz. of Heed on the bike and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water Lunch: seedful yogurt and an orange; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal Dinner: grilled burgers and corn on the cob; drank a cup of brewed ice tea with the meal evening cup of camomile tea 07/27/11 comments I was up fairly early as usual. I set up a transition area at the top of Alex and Phil's driveway and put mike bike, helmet, and shoes there. I walked 2 miles to warm up on a hilly 0.7 mile loop in the neighborhood. I decided for safety on the bicycle to do the loop counter-clockwise, but I walked it clockwise. I started with a 12 minute run:
The green line in the chart is "elevation." My transition from run to bike was 1 minute and 1 second. I had to stand on the bike to go up the hill, but flying down the other hill was a ball:
The transition from bike to run was 1 minute and 12 seconds:
The transition from run to bike was 53 seconds:
I'm definitely not used to hills, but I enjoyed the workout and feel that I should try to incorporate some hills into my training. . Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and a cup of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank one 20 ounce bottle of Heed and popped 3 Endurolytes workout: drank a bottle of Heed on the bike post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: Shakeology smoothy with banana and yogurt. Dinner: salad with grilled salmon at Bertucci's Restaurant in Glen Mills; big bottle of peligrino evening cup of camomile tea and 2 Fiber One bars 07/26/11 comments I was up at 4:45 AM because of the strange bed. I took my time getting ready and then headed over to Thornbury Park for a LSD run. My HR monitor went a little crazy at times, but I know my heart rate well enough to know when it's fibbing. I fiddled with the strap to get it back on track. There were two hills on each half mile loop on the path, so controlling my HR was difficult. The 65 minute run was exceedingly easy and I felt a strong urge to run much faster, but kept myself in check. I rewarded myself with a triple shot cappuccino at Starbucks after the run: (green line below is the elevation)
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank 16 ounces of water and a cup of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank one 20 ounce bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: Shakeology smoothy with banana and yogurt. (shh, Alex and Phil don't know - LOL) Dinner: Penne Franco at Carrabbas with a big bottle of peligrino. I was extra hungry so I ate a couple of pieces of bread with dinner. I ate three Luna bars for a snack. 07/25/11 comments I got an early start on kayaking so that I'd be done by lunch time since we were leaving for Philly during mid-afternoon and I hadn't packed anything. I had decided to take advantage of the tide and paddle up the Broadkill River against the current to train for the River Race which would be against the current this year. To approximate the effort, I decided to go nine miles upstream and float back like Huck and Jim. However, a strong headwind on the way back made that a bit of effort also. So, it was a great training paddle in the fog:
I practiced cutting tangents and maximizing distance on the slower moving inside turns without getting too close to shore to get slowing ground effects. The fog made it tough to eyeball the best course at times, but I did pretty well with the navigation. I discovered an underwater hazard just past the Route 1 bridge fairly close to the right-hand shore heading upstream:
After lunch I did an arms and abs workout with no addional nutrition. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank one 20 ounce bottle of G2 (getting rid of supply) popped 4 Endurolytes workout: five 20 ounce bottles of G2 (getting rid of supply) post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: vegetarian curry at P.F. Chang's with a big bottle of Peligrino two Luna Bars for an after dinner snack 07/24/11 comments I slept-in for this day off from exercise. I spent some time massaging my sore calves, which weren't terribly sore. I'm glad that I'm kayaking tomorrow and resting my legs one more day. I did foot raises with weights during the late afternoon when I was bored enough to remember them. 07/23/11 comments I tried to beat the heat again by getting out early. I started with a 1.6 mile walk with the temperature starting at 86 degrees. Then I went out for a high cadence bike ride:
I was happy with the average cadence, but my heart rate was a bit high, due to the heat. My transition to the run was 1 minute, slower because I had to put on earphones and my fuel belt to carry my iPhone. I struggled to get my heart rate down to 125. I was comfortable on the run due to how slowly I had to run:
After the run, I walked for 10 minutes. After 2 minutes, my HR was under 100. When I came in the house, my shaded themometer on the back porch read 100. My calves were a bit sore, probably from the high cadence on the bike, which I'm not used to. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: 20 ounce bottle of heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: quinoa with dates and walnuts; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. evening cup of chamomile tea 07/22/11 comments I tried to beat the heat by getting out early for my bike ride, but it was 86 degrees at 7:35 AM and 98 degrees when I had finished my 30 mile bike ride. It was so hot and humid that I couldn't wear my sunglasses on the bike. I rode on Beaver Dam Road for the first time in a while. I tried to maintain a high cadence and realize that this is one of my many weaknesses as a bike rider. I felt comfortable otherwise on the bike but was very happy when the 30 miles were done.
I finally got an appointment with Dr. Schutz, my Urologist after 4 days of trying. I had come up with a PSA of 17.2 on July 5 and knew that the doctor would want to see me and possibly schedule my fifth prostate biopsy, screwing up my race and training schedule. I yelled at the receptionist who I hnad talked with on the phone for 4 days and she came up with a 3:00 PM appointment in Somers Point. Problem is, I was in Delaware. So I quickly reserved slots on the 11:15 AM and 6:00 PM ferries, got my stuff together, and headed to the ferry terminal. By this time it was over 100 degrees, so I had to use my A/C full blast to cool me off in the VW with the top down. I was surprised after waiting for about an hour and a half in the doctor's office that he just wants me to get another PSA reading at the end of October. He said that my PSA value has been on a Yo-Yo for 10 years and the 3,000 miles I've put on my bike in the last year and the many hours of kayaking, sitting on my butt could affect the PSA. I was happy to get the news and be able to get on with my training and racing. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: drank a bottle of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes workout: 2 bottles of Heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes. Lunch: veggie sandwich wrap and a smoothie at a Cafe in North Cape May Dinner: salad Nicoise and a cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of camomile tea and two Clif Bars . 07/21/11 comments A thick morning fog kept me from early kayaking, so I started with an arms and abs workout with some foot raises with weights. After lunch, I headed out in the heat of the day for about 3 hours of paddling and about 12 miles. It was hot and humid. I headed south on the Canal and explored some tidal creeks near North Rehoboth Beach:
. The workout:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. pre-workout: popped 4 endurolytes workout: four 20 ounce bottles of G2 (getting rid of my supply :)) post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes. Dinner: Fish On restaurant; fish and big bottle of Peligrino evening cup of camomile tea and two Clif Bars . 07/20/11 comments I did my recovery run in the fog. I was out before the heat of the day, but the humidity was very high. I felt very comfortable in the slow run; my legs felt great:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: 20 ounce bottle of heed and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: quiche with a cup of brewed ice tea evening cup of camomile tea with two Clif Bars 07/19/11 comments I got up a bit after 5:00 AM and got breakfast. Afterward, I lay back on the Lazyboy and took a resting HR of 38:
07/16/11 comments I got up at 4:45 AM and drank a bottle of water and a Frappacino Lite in lieu of coffee. I had my usual road event breakfast of two bagels and jam. Around 6:00 AM, I took my bike from the room to the car and filled my hydrocell with Perpeteum. I also carried a 20 ounce bottle of Perpeteum and a 20 ounce bottle of water. I stuffed two Clif Bars and some Extra Strength Tylonol in the back of my Jersey. I popped 4 Endurolytes to start that hourly ritual. We had 5 scheduled rest stops for the RAIN ride. We had arranged for the following ritual at our SAG vehicle, decorated with a big yellow smiley face balloon:
I started the ride about 0.8 of the way to the back of the pack. It was quite a mob scene working our way through Terre Haute after we were stopped by a train early on. The police gave us absolutely no help with the traffic lights. It was sunny and hot most of the day with very little shade on the course. I was apprehensive about my ability to make it all of the way since I'd never ridden over 100 miles in a single day. The hills were worse than I had thought with an over 3000 feet elevation gain throughout the course. I rode to the 3rd rest stop using my first GPS:
I had lost 1.51 miles on the GPS due to it shutting down somehow. I noticed it before too long and got it going again. I was very hot when I arrived at the designated lunch stop (Rest Stop #3). My feet hurt, so I changed to my spare pair of bike shoes. I sat in the shade for a few minutes before heading out on a 22 mile stretch of hot, narrow roads leading back to U.S. 40. I knew that this would be my low point psychologically since the SAG vehicle wasn't available and I would be passing the 100 mile mark and realize that I had 60 more miles to ride. I got behind a rather slow much younger guy and followed him the whole way to the next rest stop where I changed shoes again. At some point I couldn't possibly drink any more Perpeteum nor eat another Clif Bar (or anything else). I decided that I would continue drinking a bottle of ice water at each stop and continuing to pop 4 Endurolytes per hour. My SAG team was worried about me, but my legs felt good and I was confident. My SAG team added two stops after the 5th official stop. They timed it perfectly with a stop 10 miles after the last official stop and then by stopping halfway the rest of the way to the finish. They did a check on my progress about 5 miles from the finish where I gave them a thumbs up and a big smile. It helped that I had a mile at 21.9 mph and another mile at 20.9 mph in the last 8 miles of the event. When I got off of my bike at the finish, I felt very good:
Since this was a ride, not a race, I tried to enjoy the scenery and the other riders as I went along. I spent 10:21 on the bike out of the total of 12 hours for the event. My SAG team spent 14 hours in the vehicle until we got back to our motel in Columbus, OH. My son Bill rode the entire distance non-stop at 21 mph. He had a few hand-ups, one from our SAG team and others from the wife of another rider in his pace line. I drank a bottle of Recoverite and several bottles of water on the ride to Columbus. I ate a couple of pieces of pizza after a long shower. The course:
0715/11 comments We slept in a bit and then re-organized the car. We headed toward Richmond, Indiana at 8:30 AM. We met Son Bill at Tim Horton's where we got some coffee. We put Son Bill's bike on our car and drove the RAIN route (except for the stretch around Indianapolis) to Terre Haute, where we picked up our packets and checked-in at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. We went to dinner at a Japanese Restaurant and then bought supplies at a nearby Krogers. When we got back to campus, I mixed 15 quarts of Perpetuem and a bottle of Recoverite and put them on ice in our big cooler. Back in the room, I took a shower, did a gear check, and got to bed early. 0714/11 comments I got up at 5:00 AM and drank a bottle of Heed. I got dressed in my running stuff and headed out for a warmup walk and then a short, easy run:
I didn't feel like wrestling the bike off of the car, but I convinced myself that a short ride in traffic with red lights and stop signs would be excellent preparation for the RAIN ride:
I drank a bottle of Recoverite after the workout. We had a quick breakfast and drove the 6 hours to Columbus, OH. I spent some time in the swimming pool at our motel later in the afternoon. 0713/11 comments We drove four hours to Shippensburg, PA on our way to Indiana. It was overcast and not very hot. After lunch, we walked to our old neighborhood and visited some friends. I decided to get going on my fartlek workout. As soon as I started to run, the sun came out and it became quite warm in a hurry. When I started the first hard stage, Lap 2, I was heading up a long hill. I had forgotten how hilly Shippensburg is, but I soon remembered. So I was hot and suffering on hills for my workout:
I covered some of the hilliest terrain in town during the very enjoyable workout:
I drank 8 ounces of water with 2 scoops of Recoverite and popped a couple of Endurolytes after the workout. I was up much later than usual while chatting with a couple of old friends while they drank too much, reminding me of my non-sober days pre-1989. 0712/11 comments Got out early for a paddle down the Lewes/Rehoboth Canal to North Rehoboth Beach. I had the current with me both ways, but a stiff head wind for the trip back:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 20 ounce bottle of water post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 2 Endurolytes. Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Pasta with a cup of brewed ice tea. evening cup of camomile tea . 0710/11 comments I installed my new cadence meter yesterday and had fun on a 20 mile ride around the neighborhood loop. Very easy ride; I just concentrated on keeping my cadence above 80:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: fresh fruit with seedful yogurt; I drank freshly brewed ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Quiche with a cup of brewed ice tea. evening cup of camomile tea 07/09/11 comments I took my resting heart rate this morning after breakfast @ 39 bpm:
A bit later in the morning I went over to the Lewes/Rehoboth Trail for a recovery run of approximately 50 minutes with maximum HR of 120. I was very mindful, without worry, about my breathing which was slow, deep, and under control:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 20 ounces of Heed and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: I popped 4 Endurolytes. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water, a Hammer bar, and a Clif bar. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. Dinner: salad with blackened Mahi atop at Irish Eyes in Lewes. evening cup of camomile tea 07/08/11 comments It looked a little iffy for the weather, but I got in a 4 hour paddle. I worked on my breathing and every inhale and every exhale of the workout were through my nose. I paddleed for 6 miles up the Broadkill River against a strong current and then finished up with an extra mile by paddling down to the railroad tressel and back:
After lunch, I did an upper body and abs workout with handbells while I watched my recording of today's stage of the Tour de France. I recorded my heartrate just for curiosity and made sure to breath through my nose for the entire workout:
Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: I drank three 20 ounce bottles of water during the paddle. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Onions, quinoa, dates, and walnuts; I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 07/07/11 comments I had to organize a split workout today to get in 60 miles of biking. We were taking the 9:15 ferry to Cape May, so I rode for 30 miles early in the morning. It started out foggy, so I decided to stay in the neighborhood and ride 75 laps of the 0.4 mile circuit that I've used for intervals and duathlon sets. Trying to maintain a decent speed with all of the bending and turning is a good challenge and I feel that I improved my riding skills during the ride:
My wife and I spent the day in Cape May visiting people and seeing our dermatologist. We took the 4:30 PM ferry back to Lewes. I headed out after 6:00 PM for the second half of the ride, which was similar to the first, but more crowded in the neighborhood:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. AM workout: 32 ounces of Heed drunk on the bike. post AM-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 2 Endurolytes Lunch: salad at Rusty Nail in Cape May with a couple of Arnold Palmers Dinner: grilled veggie sandwich eaten on the ferry, washed down with a fruit drink PM workout: 32 ounces of Heed drunk on the bike. post PM-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 2 Endurolytes 3 Clif bars as a treat evening cup of camomile tea . 07/06/11 comments I discovered something important today as I was exectuting a duathlon training set: I found myself hyperventilating. As I think back to the Lake Como duathlon and the Rusty Rudder 5K, I complained about not being able to catch my breath in both events. I think I had the same problem in the Du Delaware as well. I've always known that I don't practice correct breathing while exercising. That is why I don't like to swim freestyle, even though I was a real water rat as a kid and still am when given a chance. Part of the problem stems from my unwillingness to breath through my nose. At least I can work at solving this problem now that I'm aware of it. Another factor is that in the events I've mentioned, I didn't have my music blasting in my ears. I think the music helps me to keep my breathing in rhythm. In the Dos Lobos 5K, the last 5K where I didn't have breathing issues, I had my music to accompany me. I walked for 1.6 miles before beginning the duathlon set. I used the same setup that I did on June 29 but I started the set with a bike ride:
I had a 46 second transition to the run. I felt out of breath during the run and started to realize that I was hyperventilating:
I had a 46 second transition to the bike. I felt out of breath during the run and started to realize that I was hyperventilating:
I had a 43 second transition to the run. I concentrated on controlling my breathing during the run and did better:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: a few ounces of Heed drunk on the bike. Hammer Gel mixed with water during the last 5 minutes of each bike segment. It seemed to go down OK. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 4 Endurolytes. Lunch: salad at Rusty Rudder in Dewey Beach with a couple of Arnold Palmers Dinner: fish at Fish On in Lewes with a big bottle of Pelligrino evening cup of camomile tea 07/05/11 comments As bad as I felt yesterday, I felt good today. Very strong 4.5 mile paddle out Roosevelt Inlet and almost to the Ferry jetty. Hot and humid out on the calm water. I was soaked with sweat after the 1.5 hour workout:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank 16 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: I drank two 12 ounce bottles of water during the paddle. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Grilled swordfish kebabs. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea . 07/04/11 comments Pretty crappy 5K race this morning. It was warm and very humid and I felt uncomfortable for the entire race. I thought that my breathing and heartrate were both excessive for my pace. A 75 year old guy I race with extensively had a comparable time fall-off from the Dos Locos 5K on June 6 to today. The other, younger, people I checked all had time fall-offs, but not the same as I did. I still came in first in my age group and pump 'n run where I did 19 reps of 90 pounds. I was up at my usual early hour (4:15 AM) for a normal breakfast. I did a crossword puzzle and some sun salutations. I popped 4 Endurolytes to prepare for the running conditions that I knew that I would face. When I got to the race, I dd my usual walk. I felt very good during the warmup jog and brought my pace up to 8:11 min/mi at the end of the warmup. While I stood in the queue waiting for the start, I felt hot and uncomfortable and that never changed throughout the race. I actually felt a bit of rubberlegs around halfway. I felt as if the air was hard to breath.
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: I took 4 Endurolytes with part of a second bottle of Heed. I also had a Hammer Gel pack at home and another with some Heed when I arrived at the race site. I popped 4 Endurolytes shortly before race time. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and popped 2 Endurolytes. I also finished the bottle of Heed and drank two small bottles of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Margarita Pizza. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 07/03/11 comments I rode my bike trainer for 30 minutes this morning while I watched "Animal House" on my well-worn DVD. I was a pledge and a brother of Theta Chi fraternity at Florida State while the author of the book that the movie was based on was at Dartmouth, so I can relate very well to the antics of the guys from Delta House. I did a low-key workout, laughing my ass off as usual at the movie. The most excercise I will get the rest of the day will be watching the team time trial of the second stage of the Tour de France. 07/02/11 comments Today is an off day exercise-wise, so I choose to use my head for more than a visor and helmet carrier and reflect on other things. One of my most favorite books is "One Two Three ... Infinity", by George Gamow. This book had a profound influence on me and I wrote a review of it on Amazon.com. But, just now, I'm thinking about a Lewis Carroll quotation that's used as a lead-in to the book:
... and why life is beautiful and brutish, meaningful and hopeless, bountiful and unfair, too short and boring? My favorite moments in life are ones that cost nothing. Listening to the sound of the surf, feeling the sweat pour off of my body in a race, watching a frigate bird soar over a blue-green sea, smelling wild flowers, touching a baby's cheek, thinking about a special person or place. I try not to think about the multitude of details of living, "... full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (Another one of my favorite quotations, from MacBeth.) There is so much more worthy of our thinking and worrying. For example, why does the current keep running after the time of high or low tide? One time when I was lying drunk under a life guard chair on the Cape May beach in the middle of the night, I said, "All that matters is: when is high tide?" Why do I do what I do? So I can. At some point in life, it's important to prove to yourself that you can function on your own. That point for me came on September 11, 1961, forty years before everyone else's 9/11. That day, I stepped forward and was sworn-in as a U.S. Army enlisted man. I was committed to a three year term, I had no friends inside, and no support outside. I had to make it on my own or not make it. Having rich memories makes getting older worthwhile. Having someone to share those memories with you is truly golden. 07/01/11 comments Workout Report Today I did my first real interval workout. I used the 0.4 mile loop in our neighborhood. I started with my usual 2 mile warmup walk. Then I put a row of six small stones at the start/finish of the loop. I drank a second bottle of Heed, popped 4 endurolytes, put on my music, and did the workout. At the end of each interval, I kicked a stone out of the row, making a low-tech lap counter. I had on a wristwatch to time the recovery legs and my GPS with only my heartrate on the screen. I hit the "lap" button at the beginning and end of each interval. My perceived effort matched my interval pace very well (when I checked in Garmin Training Center):
For my birthday, my daughter Katie gave me a gift certificate to REI. I used it to buy a cadence meter for my bike, to interface with my Forerunner 305. I also bought a pair of cycling gloves. . Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: I took 4 Endurolytes with a bottle of Heed. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. For a birthday treat, I ate a Clif bar. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed Pomegranate ice tea with the meal. Dinner: fish meal at Fish On restaurant, big bottle of Pelligrino to drink evening cup of camomile tea 06/30/11 comments Workout Report This morning, I did a high cadence bike ride. Since I don't have a cadence meter, I decided to keep my front derailler in low and then try to keep up with some kind of normal speed for almost 75 miles. My legs got used to it and started to produce some decent speeds with no hard pushing or pulling on the pedals. I was very concerned about hydration, fuel, and electrolytes. I decided to go with the equivalent of a 20 ounce bottle an hour of Perpeteum (1.5 scoops). Before I started, I popped 4 endurolytes. At the one hour and two hour marks, I popped 2 more. At my 40 mile aid station stop, I drank a bottle of Perpeteum, popped 4 endurolytes, and ate a Clif bar. At the one hour mark afterward, I popped 4 more endurolytes. I felt good the whole ride with no discomfort and definitely no signs of bonking. I will look for a cadence meter compatible with my Forerunner 305 so that I can be more scientific with a high cadence ride in the future. Some idiot in a black pickup truck, coming the other way, decided to pass some other cars while going about 80 mph. By the time I realized that he was coming close by me at a relative speed of 96 mph, he was gone. If he had strayed into my shoulder I wouldn't have had time to bail out and would have been a blot on his windshield. You've got to love the good old boys in their pickups.
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: I took 4 Endurolytes with some Perpeteum. workout: on the bike I drank 88 ounces of Perteteum and popped 8 Endurolytes pit-stop after mile 40: I drank 20 ounces of Perpeteum, ate a Clif bar, and popped 4 Endurolytes post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed camomile ice tea with the meal. Dinner: grilled veggie burgers on grilled portabello mushrooms, corn on the cob, and oven baked French fries. I drank home brewed camomile ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 06/29/11 comments Workout Report Today's treat was a duathlon practice set. I was supposed to run for 15 minute, bike for 20 minutes, and run for 15 minutes, keeping my heartrate under 145 and the transitions under 1:30. I decided to set up a duathlon training facility here:
I got everything set up in the Transition Area and went out on a 2 mile walk. The temperature was climbing toward the 80s and it was somewhat humid. There was a brisk east breeze. When I got back from the walk, I started the training set with the first run:
I thought that my transition time was OK, but I didn't hit the "start" button on the bike GPS hard enough, so I lost the transition time. I think I rode the bike for about a mile before realizing that it wasn't recording distance and turned it on. The 0.4 mile loop was interesting riding with all of the bends and turns. I couldn't spend too much time in the aerobars, but I managed to down a bottle of Heed from the sippy cup. The bike leg picks up here:
Transition time from bike to run was 45 seconds. I found it interesting how easy it was to run while trying to keep my heartrate around 145 BPM:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (2 scoops) and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-workout: I took 3 Endurolytes with some Heed. workout: on the bike leg I drank a bottle of Heed. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank home brewed camomile ice tea with the meal. Dinner: pasta with tomato sauce. I drank home brewed camomile ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea 06/28/11 comments Workout Report Arms and abs workout this morning after breakfast. First round of foot lifts mid-morning Late start for kayaking due to friends visiting overnight and getting stuff ready to donate to a local charity. Finally got out after lunch. The weather was threatening, so I did "laps" on the Lewes/Rehoboth Canal and Broadkill River from the railroad trestle to close to Broadkill Beach. The wind and current were quite strong at times, so the paddling had some tough moments. I did a good interval while I was racing a boat in the canal into a fierce headwind. The weather became nicer toward the end of the paddle. I felt good during the workout, but a bit bored because of the repetitive route:
It's interesting how my drink breaks on the half-hour and at 3:45 show up with a big drop in HR. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed (1 scoop) and two cups of coffee with the meal. post-workout (arms and abs): two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. workout: half bottle of Heed every half-hour for a total of four 20 ounce bottles post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Dinner: quinoa with onions, dates, and walnuts evening cup of camomile tea . 06/27/11 comments Workout Report Starting this morning, there will be some logic behind my workout schedule. Coach Nicki has taken control. This morning's workout was a recovery run of 45 minutes @ 115 BPM, starting with a 2 mile warmup walk. I used the Lewes/Rehoboth Trail:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed and two cups of coffee with the meal. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water. Later, at home large glass of water with 3 Endurolyte tablets. Lunch: bowl of fruit with seedful yogurt plus an orange. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. Dinner: at Irish Eyes: spinach salad with a slab of blackened Mahi atop. Three Arnold Palmers drunk with dinner. evening cup of camomile tea 06/26/11 comments Workout Report I did a session on my bike trainer this morning. I did a combination of hill climbing and sprint simulations. The sweat was splattering all over the place, so I guess it was a good workout. I woke up this morning with green phlegm from my nose and lungs, but it didn't bother me a bit on the bike. I drank a bottle of Heed during the workout and a bottle of Recoverite afterward:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 scoops of Heed in 20 ounces of water post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water Lunch: smoothie made with 2 packs of yogurt, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, a banana, blueberries, and a small amount of water. I drank a bottle of water with lunch. I drank a couple of glasses of water in the afternoon. Dinner: leftover quiche with rice pilaf. I drank a can of diet ice tea with dinner. evening cup of camomile tea
06/25/11 comments Race Report I woke up a bit before 4:00 AM to eat breakfast and prepare to drive to Smyrna, DE for the Lake Como sprint duathlon. I ate a normal breakfast and took my time getting organized. I left in the XTerra for Smyrna at about 5:20 AM and arrived at the event parking lot around 6:25 AM. I picked up my packet and chip, got my body markings, and set up in the Transition Area, where the spots were pre-assigned. I was about as far from Bike In/Out as possible. The surface of the Transition Area was soft sand. My team support for Dave's Road Bikes was on-scene, so I chatted with my bike guy Dave Moses and told him that the bike was ready to go. I had loaded a 20 ounce bottle of Heed into the big chamber of my hydra-cell and a mixture of 8 ounces of Heed and 2 Hammer gel packs in the small chamber. I walked the route of the first run to warm up my legs and did a bit of jogging, ending up at around a 8:10 min/mile pace. I popped 4 Enduralytes with a mouthful of Heed. I felt good and ready to go. There were only 12 of us in the duathlon, so I knew I'd either be last in the first run or nearly so. I decided to just relax and remember that I wasn't really peaked for this event, so not to push too hard. I had a very comfortable first run:
I got my bike out of the rack with no problem and then did the long run to the bike mount area. I screwed up mounting my bike which cost me a bit of time and probably some stress. I was a bit distressed at how slowly I was starting the bike leg and started the decision to push the leg a bit more than I had planned to. I sipped some Heed right away and at mile 2 I took Heed with about 1 of the Hammer gel packs. I continued to periodically drink the Heed and at about mile 10, I sipped the rest of the Heed and Hammer Gel. The last few miles I saw that I could get to an average of 19 mph for the leg and went for it, with a lot of standing sprinting toward the end. I came in hot to the dismount line and ran the bike in:
I started the 5K with a breathless feeling and felt that I needed to relax and concentrate on getting my breathing under control before thinking about my pace. By this time, the sun and the temperature were hot and I felt them. When I hit the halfway mark in the 5K, I was feeling pretty good but thought that my legs felt a little rubbery. I dumped a couple of cups of water on my head as I ran through an aid station. When I got close to the end, I finished with my usual kick and felt great kicking in and finishing. I joked with the lady who greeted me at the finish, gave me a bottle of water, and took my chip. After several minutes, I got to my bottle of Recoverite and downed it. I drank another bottle of water. Here are the 5K stats:
I had an hour and a half drive back home due to shore traffic. I put my stuff away. At one point, I started sweating profusely for no reason, so I popped 4 Endurolytes, at a couple of Hammer Bars and drank about 30 ounces of water. The sweating stopped. I ate a fairly normal lunch. I really wanted to take a nap after lunch, but had to go to Rehoboth Beach with the family and walk around shopping for a couple of hours. By the time we got home, I felt very normal, but a little tired. I had no soreness or other discomfort. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I mixed 2 tablespoons of Hemp Seed into the oatmeal. I drank a bottle of Heed and two cups of coffee with the meal. pre-race: 4 Endurolyte capsules workout: 2 scoops of Heed in 20 ounces of water and 8 ounces of Heed mixed with 2 Hammer Gel Packs on the bike leg. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and three bottles of water. pre-lunch: 4 Endurolyte capsules, 2 Hammer bars, and 20 ounces of water Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Grilled shrimp, rice pilaf, and veggies. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. For dessert, I had a low-fat yoghurt parfait with strawberries and blueberries. evening cup of camomile tea 06/24/11 comments Workout Report Rest day. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I stirred 2 tablespoons of hemp seed into the oatmeal to boost the protein to 20 grams. I drank 20 ounces of water and two cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. Dinner: Margarita pizza with the cheese manually removed. Diet ice tea for a dinner beverage. evening cup of camomile tea and 2 Clif bars . 06/23/11 comments Workout Report Went out on a kayak paddle this morning. I only went for 7.3 miles, but I hit it very hard for the first 30 minutes and hit it hard again for 15 minutes from 1:00 to 1:15 into the paddle. At around 1:20 into the paddle I had to fight my way into Roosevelt Inlet against the current. All of the hard segments show up clearly on the HR graph of the workout:
When I got home, I did my usual weights routine. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a 20 ounce bottle of Heed and two cups of coffee with the meal. workout: 2 scoops of Heed in 20 ounces done twice in the kayak paddle post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 20 ounces of water. cup of coffee late morning Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal.
Dinner: Quinoa, sweet onion, dates, and walnuts. Can of diet ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea Recent Race Results Over the past year or so, these were my best efforts in races:
. 06/22/11 comments Maximum Heart Rate I've been reading SERIOUS Training for Endurance Athletes, which depends on the Maxiimum Heart Rate to determine training zones for heartrate. The problem is that I don't know my MHR. Various formulas put it in the range from 150 to 160 BPM. Based on my recent workouts, that doesn't seem to be correct. I guess I have to find someone to test me, but who? . Workout Report I opted for a duathlon training set this morning, consisting of a 2M run, 20M bike, and 5K run, using our townhouse as the transition area. I mixed 2 scoops of Heed in 20 ounces of water and poured it in the main chamber of my hydracell on the bike. I ate two Hammer Gel packs as I was getting all of my stuff ready. I started with a warm-up walk:
The walk had me sweating, so I popped 4 Endurolytes when I came back. Next came the 2M run:
Next came the 20M bike, complete with a changing breeze that turned right into my face for the last 5 miles:
Finally came the 5K run, hot, sweaty, but relaxed and comfortable:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a G2 and two cups of coffee with the meal. The oatmeal contains 10 grams of protein. pre-workout: 2 Hammer Gel packs and 4 Endurolyte capsules workout: 2 scoops of Heed in 20 ounces of water on the bike leg post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and two 10 ounce glasses of water. Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. cup of coffee late afternoon Dinner: Cafe Azafrans tapas evening cup of camomile tea . 06/21/11 comments Resting Heart Rate I woke up this morning and put on my HR monitor and lay on our Lazy Boy for a few minutes to establish my resting heart rate:
It seems to be 41 BPM. . Weights Workout My legs were asking for a day off, so I altered my workout plan to weights and kayaking. I did my usual weights workout with handbells:
. Kayak Paddle I paddled my kayak from my launch site near Irish Eyes in Lewes and landed on the beach at the Rusty Ruddy in Dewey Beach. I spent less than 5 minutes on the beach stretching and then paddled back. I thought it was a fairly rigorous paddle, but my average HR of 71 BPM seems to indicate that I was lollygagging:
. Nutrition Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a G2 and two cups of coffee with the meal. Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. workout: 4 bottles of G2, roughly 1 an hour. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and a bottle of G2. cup of coffee late afternoon Dinner: tortellini. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea . 06/20/11 comments Workout Report I am happy to have a coach for the first time in competitive life as a runner, kayaker, and cyclist. She is Nicki Atkinson, a friend of son-in-law Phil who has benefited from Nicki's guidance for quite a while as he runs marathons and competes in triathlons. I will be using this forum as a means of recording workout information for Coach Nicki and me to review. I will also be reporting nutrition information in a separate section. I had intended to run 5 miles this morning and kayak a bit in the afternoon, but a soaking rain all morning changed my plans. I didn't arrive at the Lewes/Rehoboth Trail for my run until after lunch. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time in a couple of years so as to provide more information. I started with a warm-up walk:
I ran 5 miles relaxed and "natural", without looking at my GPS for anything but distance. I felt good throughout the run:
I walked a bit to cool down. I was sweating a bit, mostly from the humidity:
I stretched and drank Recoverite:
I drank a G2 on the way home and took a 40 minute nap after a shower. . Nutrition I have invented a fruit topping I call Seedful Yogurt which consists of a 6 ounce pack of Dannon Light & Fit, 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds (Iron), 2 tablespoons of hemp seeds (protein), and 3 tablespoons of flaxseeds (omega-3 fatty acids), blended. I discovered today that I should have added 1/4 cup of water to the mixture, but it was OK as is. Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Quick Oats filled to two cups with added water, microwaved. I drank a G2 and two cups of coffee with the meal. cup of coffee late morning Lunch: Bowl of fresh fruit topped with Seedful Yogurt. Also I ate a peeled orange. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. post-workout: two scoops of Recoverite in 8 ounces of water and a bottle of G2. Dinner: quinoa mixed with onion, dates, and walnuts, sauteed in coconut oil. I drank a can of diet ice tea with the meal. evening cup of camomile tea . 03/30/11 comments Quick Bio and Mission Statement I was asked to produce a brief biography and here's what I came up with:
In a comment on FaceBook, I came up with the following "mission statement":
01/18/11 comments Limited Guardianship I have a neighbor who was a circuit court judge in Missouri for 25 years. He told me about the "limited guardianship" provision of the Missouri state law and how its application could possibly be used in other states to help prevent tragedies similar to the one that occurred in Tucson recently. A quick scan with Google seems to show that the concept is often used for the elderly, but the judge told me that he often used in for mental illness. I helped him yesterday in trying to get his recommendation out to some newspapers. He is disappointed in the lack of debate in the media about this remedy. Here's a tweet version:
01/16/11 comments Training Plan I've got a half distance duathlon scheduled in Sarasota, FL on March 20, so I needed to come up with a training plan for the 60+ days leading up to the event. My schema follows a 6 day cycle as follows: Day 1 Bike ride up to 60 miles Today is Day 1. 01/14/11 comments Fueling Goofy I discovered some things about nutrition in a race situation that I want to record for my later use in similar and other situations. I think I'll do the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge again next year and I have a half distance duathlon (4 mile run, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) in Sarasota in March, both of which can profit from these notes. Race Morning Breakfast: Both mornings, I started with two toasted bagels and jam, a cup of coffee, and a bottle of G2. I've used this breakfast before in big races and it works for me. Pre-race: I took three extra strength Tylenols after breakfast for the marathon and should have for the half marathon. I ate three Clif bars before the marathon and two Clif bars before the half marathon. Marathon: I carried my fuel belt with four small bottles of G2 mixed with two packets of Blueberry/Pomegranate Rocktane each. I drank the bottles at 5, 10, 15, and 20 miles. I carried six packets of Rocktane and took one at each of 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, and 25 miles. I also took a mocha Clif gel packet somewhere around mile 15. For a future marathon I would take a Rocktane packet at miles 12, 14, 16, 18, 22, and 24 miles. I took three extra strength Tylenols at the halfway point. I felt better and better as the race went on. Half Marathon: I carried my fuel belt with four small bottles of G2 mixed with a packet of Blueberry/Pomegranate Rocktane each. I drank the bottles at 5, 10, and 12 miles. I should have mixed three of the bottles with two packets each and left the other bottle unmixed. I should have carried two Rocktane packets and taken them at miles 6 and 8. Post-race: I drank a bottle of water and ate two Clif bars after the marathon. After the half marathon, I drank my remaining bottle of G2 mixed with Rocktane and ate a Clif bar. I feel that the post-race nutrition was correct. . 01/13/11 comments Goofy I had wanted to run a "flat" marathon since having my legs trashed by the hills of Atlanta in the Georgia Marathon in March 2010. I signed up for the Disney Marathon on March 23. Shortly thereafter, my son Bill registered for the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge, which entails both the half marathon and the marathon. I wasn't a bit surprised that he went for challenge because it's in his DNA to do so. I was tempted to try the Goofy myself, but didn't think that my legs would allow it. From March into November, my training and racing were all a prelude to the Disney Marathon. In November, I suffered a calf injury as I was doing my first 18 mile training run. This kind of micro-tear injury has plagued me off and on since 1978, so I knew that I was in for a struggle to get back to running. I went to a sports rehabilitation center for a few treatments to try to speed my recovery and I managed to do some running, but I re-injured my calf and knew that I couldn't complete my marathon training. I immediately decided to switch to speed walking training so that I could walk the marathon under the required 16 minutes per mile pace. I essentially carried out my running training schedule, but added more duplicate long walks. I struggled with my pace as I trained. I am naturally a slow walker and tend to stroll rather than walk. My natural pace is about 20 minutes per mile, so trying to train at under 15 minutes per mile was really hard. I wasn't able to come up with a good set of goals for how fast I wanted to do the half marathon and the marathon. The best I could come up with was to try to walk the half marathon at about the same average pace that I had in my first half marathon, the Half-wit Half Marathon in Reading, PA, which resulted in a time of 3 hours and 47 seconds and an average pace of 13:48 minutes/mile. But during my training, that pace seemed way beyond my ability. Anyway, it was in the back of my head. I also wanted to try a bit of running in the two events. My heart wanted to run 5K of the half marathon and as much as I could in the marathon, but my head told me that, if I injured my calf, I would likely DNF in one or both of the races. If I followed my head instead of my heart, I would run a bit of the tail end of the marathon, so that I could limp to the finish before the sweep wagon could catch me. We made it a family affair with Son Bill, Stacey, Sarah, and Billy and Cathy and I sharing a suite of rooms at Disney's Saratoga Springs resort. The accommodations were excellent. I have done a number of running events with my son Bill and my daughters Alex and Katie and they have always provided big thrills for me as their father. It's a kind of joy that only a parent can experience and I cherish it as much as anything in my life. Son Bill and I awoke at 2:30 AM on the morning of Saturday, January 8. We ate breakfast, donned our gear, posed for a couple of photos, and walked to the bus stop. We arrived at the bus stop at around 3:30 AM and just missed boarding a waiting bus by 5 people. We had to wait about 45 minutes for the next bus to arrive. Meanwhile, a huge queue of hundreds of people built up behind us. We finally boarded a bus and then spent about an hour of heavy traffic to get to the starting area outside of Epcot. Son Bill and I barely made it to our respective corrals before the half marathon started. The temperature at the start was in the low 50s, which was almost perfect for a long race. I discarded my Walmart hoodie before the start. I wore two layers on top: my sleeveless underarmor compression shirt underneath, and my Team McArthur shirt on the outside. I had my fuel belt with four small bottles, each mixed with G2 and a packet of Roctane Gu. I also carried some extra strength Tylenol, my iPhone, my camera, cash, and my room key. When I started to walk, I found that the adrenaline of the event had me walking faster than I knew I could. I was able to easily stay under 14 minutes per mile. I decided to go all out and not save anything for the next day's marathon. This is so typical of my approach to life, it's almost funny. I found that I could walk faster than some of the other participants could run. It was fun seeing Disney characters and walking through the Magic Kingdom. I made two potty stops, one in a Magic Kingdom bathroom and one in a porta-potty around mile 12. Here's how I did on my GPS: My chip time for the half marathon was 3:01:14, very close to Halfwit time. I shot a lot of video clips during the half marathon and later combined them into one video. Son Bill phoned me just after I finished. He had checked my finish on the Internet. He told me where to catch a bus back to Saratoga Springs. The whole family ate lunch in the resort restaurant. Afterward, Son Bill and I napped for a while. The rest of the family went to Magic Kingdom. Son Bill and I went shopping and stopped at a Panera Bread for coffee. Later in the evening, all of us except for Son Bill and Billy went out to eat in Downtown Disney at Captain Jack's. On marathon morning, I arose at 1:45 AM. Son Bill got up before 2. We ate breakfast, donned our gear and were at the bus stop by 3:00 AM. We were among the first people on the first bus to the start area. No traffic jam on this morning, so we arrived quite early. The temperature was around 40 degrees, so we were pretty bundled up. We sat around in the Cigna tent for a while before taking part in a slow mob walk to the starting corrals. I settled in near the front of the last corral, named "H" and had a long, cold wait. I kept my sweatshirt and gloves on for the start and didn't get rid of them until around mile 2. I had on an extra layer up top: my half marathon shirt from Saturday. My feet and legs hurt a bit as I started out. I had taken 3 extra strength Tylenol before leaving our room to deal with the pain. I wondered how much speed my legs would allow for the long distance of the race and was worried that I might hit the wall at some point. In the video that I put together from 30 video clips, you can hear my attitude get better and better as the race progressed. It was a lot of fun going into all four Disney parks. The spectators were a great help. I set a PR by ingesting 15 Gu packs during the six hours of the event. I took 3 more extra strength Tylenols after the halfway mark. I made 4 potty stops during the race. At mile 25, I decided to run the last 1.2 miles. I hadn't run since before Thanksgiving, so I didn't know what to expect. To my surprise, my running legs felt fresh and I easily kept a running pace in the 8:40 minutes/mile range. Here's how I did on my GPS: My chip time for the marathon was 6:04:29. I felt very good about it. Son Bill, Cathy, and Sarah were there to see me finish. We all took the bus back to Saratoga Springs. After getting ready, Sarah and I went to the swimming pool accompanied by Stacey. The water was heated, but the cool wind was blowing pretty hard, so I was chilly in the pool. Sarah had a ball swimming and using the water slides. After we headed back to the room. We dropped the kids at the Polynesian and went to a great dinner at the California Cafe on top of the Contemporary. We were able to enjoy the scenery and stay at our table for the evening fireworks near the Cinderella Castle. Son Bill and I wore our Goofy shirts and medals to dinner. Monday, the whole family went to Magic Kingdom for the day and had a great time in spite of a downpour before lunch, where we ate with the Pooh characters in the Crystal Palace. We watched a parade where I got to get a "high four" from Goofy. We all thoroughly enjoyed the event and plan to repeat it next year. I was especially proud of Son Bill's accomplishments: under 2 hours for the half and under 4 hours for the marathon. . 01/05/11 comments I Had to Come Back I had to speak out about some of the craziness in the world today. It's not as though the world hasn't been crazy since Spring 2009, but some of what's happening these days requires that I rant about it in this forum. The bodyguard of a government official in Pakistan was assassinated because he criticized a blasphemy law. (Clck here for the story on the CBC website.) It's such a tragedy that a civilization that produced the highest levels of mathematics, science, agriculture, and architecture has culled its population of the best and brightest and is overrun with slobbering idiots and those cynical leaders that take advantage of them. I don't see how anyone really believes that there's any upside of our military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book "War" and its companion documentary "Restrepo" help in clarifying the futility of it all. There is a devastating downside. . 03/28/09 comments Ways to Improve the World I am grateful to the Pope for his ignorant pronouncement about birth control in Africa. He has made it ever so clear that organized religion is a dangerous blight on humanity. Whenever I hear about a program to alleviate the misery in Africa, I always think that condoms should be handed out with food. When I visited Senegal, the hordes of children was as shocking as the miserable conditions that they were in. Abolishing and disbanding all organized religions would improve the world in many ways. Because the population would explode because fanatical people would stop wasting their lives for their hypocritical religious leaders, birth control would again be an important factor. Legalizing drugs and spending 50% of the funds, wasted on the hopeless "War on Drugs", on social programs for addicts would prevent a lot of organized and petty crime. Once again, birth control would be necessary to prevent a population explosion due to the missing carnage caused by the drug cartels. All political terms at all levels should be restricted to one term of 6 years for the life of the "politician" (that term would because obsolete). Lobbying should be abolished. Only those with worthy bodies should wear thongs on beaches. 03/18/09 comments A Tale of Two Contraries There are the best of men, there are the worst of men. After watching the John Stewart/Jim Cramer interview recently, I was convinced that the world was filled with greedy, cheating, hedge fund managers. A few days ago, I met another sort of man. This one , Scott Britton, is an intern at the Echo Farm in North Fort Myers, FL. where he is spending a year learning about the best ways to produce food for starving people in Africa. Following his internship, Scott, his wife and two small children will travel to some remote, needful place in Africa to help to save lives. Jim Cramer said that it was very satisfying to rake in money being unethical and greedy. I hope that Scott finds his calling very satisfying too. . 02/21/09 comments Squeezed in the Middle Again As usual, the rich and the poor will benefit and those of us in the middle will pay for it. Will we be content to be the only ones following the rules and faithfully paying our taxes and our bills, or will we revolt against such an unfair system? As for me, I do what I think is right and the hell with anyone who doesn't like it. . 02/06/09 comments Like an Eagle Diving for a Dead Fish I am so tired of hearing myself complain about the cold down here in Southwest Florida! This morning, I was out for a 5K run with the temperature about 50 degrees (F) and a northerly wind of 10-15 mph. The sun was shining brightly in the most beautiful blue sky imaginable. I was feeling sorry for myself for being chilly and having to wear an outer shirt over my running top. I was running on a concrete path by the Naples airport, and by a scummy pond filled with nitrates from the lawn fertilizer when I heard the unmistakably shrill cry of a Bald Eagle. I looked around and upward and saw the adult bird circling overhead. Then, suddenly, the eagle dove dramatically into the pond and scooped up the rotting corpse of a dead fish. What a great symbol of the American government, I thought. The government, especially the Congress talks as though it is a model for democracy, "... by the people, of the people, and for the people...,", but I wouldn't recommend that any nation transform itself into our image. Corruption abounds, and it's blatant. The corrupt pigs of the government don't even try to hide their tax cheating, selfishness, and gluttonous feeding at the lobbyists' troughs. Where's the outrage? I see and hear the talking heads on cable, but they always draw short of fully exposing and condemning the cheating and corruption. Why? Because their masters are also part of the same corrupt matrix. The newsies are spending a lot of time talking about Michael Phelps taking a hit on a bong as if that's bad and newsworthy. How many 23 year olds took a hit on a bong that same day all over the world? I wish I had, instead of putting up with the fetid mass that is our government. All of them should be called out and put out. . 01/31/09 comments Stimulate This! Everyone should be issued a prepaid credit card for $500. The cards would expire in 30 days. This would stimulate the economy far better than giving our money to a bunch of shady characters who will use it for their own benefit, not for America's good. Too bad Obama has gone down the road of using lobbyists in his administration, counter to his own directive. The argument is that all the good people are lobbyists. If that's true, there are no good people. I liked Jessica Simpson when she looked good in cutoffs. I wish I could fish every day. . 01/20/09 comments A Day Too Big For Words Watching the Inaugural coverage, I saw a shot of Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans, with a tear on his cheek. I feel really good about this day, but many Americans have much deeper feelings than I do. They deserve their joy. . 01/16/09 comments Heading South Tomorrow, after a month in the frigid North, my wife and I are heading south again. The temperature this morning was 8 degrees (F) and it is supposed to be colder tomorrow morning to see us off. We plan to stop by our home in Cape May Beach to drop off winter clothes and to tie my single kayak on top of our car. We're hoping to catch the 11:00 AM Ferry from Cape May to Lewes, DE and then to drive down the DelMarVa Peninsula to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. We're in no hurry to get back to Florida except that we want to get warm again ASAP. I had decided not to bring our Sirius radio on the flight up here, so I needed to get a substitute for the long drive down to Naples. I decided to get an FM transmitter and bracket to my new iPhone and to cancel our Sirius subscription which was expiring on January 19. We'll be able to listen to music on Pandora Radio and my wife can get her political fix with the NPR app and the NPR mobile website. Our new grandson is two weeks old today and is doing well. The next time we'll see him, he'll be five months old. I'm going to bake on the beach for a week to thaw out. . 01/11/09 comments Stopping By the Woods I love the simple poem by Robert Frost, even though more than one of my English teachers tried to ruin it by analyzing it, looking for theme, figures of speech, metaphors, anomalies, onomatopoeias, and hyperboles. I can't help but think of the lines of the poem whenever I confront a winter scene with quietness in my soul. Today, I celebrated my winter stay by hiking in the snow and ice around Lake Galena in Peace Valley, near Doylestown, PA. I used hiking poles and set a rapid pace for the 6.1 miles around the lake. I was so cold when I started that I thought that I would get frostbite, but I generated so much heat that I ended up without gloves, hood off, and coat half unzipped. At one point in my walk, I came upon the place that I felt most represented a Frostian moment. As I quietly surveyed the scene, all alone on the trail, I thought of the many times I have cross-country skied by myself in the woods. Beautiful memories, all poetic. . 01/08/09 comments Addictions The other day I was thinking and saying that not all addictions are bad. Coincidentally, Sinnerviewer gave me this nice award and tagged me to list 5 of my addictions. I've never been one for moderation in my life, so this is easy:
Anybody else want to try to list 5 of their addictions? . 01/05/09 comments Grandparenting My seventh grandchild was just born on January 2. The first one was born in 1999. It's a lot easier to have grandkids than to have kids, mainly because you don't have to send them to college, but also because they don't live with you and it doesn't take any energy to beget them. My grandchildren are spread out in three families. In each, a granddaughter was the firstborn and a grandson was the last born. I know the names of each of my grandchildren, but only approximately know their ages and don't know any of their birthdays, except for the recent one, and that will soon dim away. I have featured grandkids on Christmas cards in 2005, 2006, and, belatedly, 2008. What happened to 2007? Well, I crossed the Equator in a ship, and that took precedence, at least in my mind. It's getting harder to bring all of the grandchildren together, but it is a very special event when it happens. One of my grandsons has my name and another has it as his middle name. These honors are most precious to me. I missed the births of two of the grandchildren, because they were born ahead of schedule. I was in Puerto Vallarta for one of them, and in Hawaii for the other. Not that I'm of much use when a grandchild is born, but I'm pretty good at running errands, I'm fair at shopping, and I'm tolerable at taking orders. I was actually in the birthing room for the delivery of my first grandchild. I never had that experience with my own children, so I was pretty intimidated about the whole procedure. I huddled in the corner of the room and tried to maintain a side view of the proceedings, but it was awesome to be present. The other four births were covered here, here, here, and here. When my daughter and her new baby, encapsulated in a space-age infant seat, were about to get into the car for the ride home, I mentioned to her that she rode home from the hospital in her mother's arms and her mother didn't have a seat belt. Also, I told her that past time she already carried the egg for the new son. I find it all pretty awesome. . . |
