<p>Ok…I just worked out at the gym. Did some intervals. Worked out for 79 minutes on the bike. 570 calories including the slow down. Heart rate averaged around 127 beats a minute. I did not see anything higher than 140 beats a minute. Then i saw a stairmaster and just played on it for 5 minutes so I could burn 30 calories and get my calorie burn to 600.</p>
<p>I felt really good today unlike the last few days. I felt like I could keep going, but enough is enough.</p>
<p>Since Interesteddad mentioned eating cheese, the last couple of days I have had a slice of cheese and I do like it. Cheese has a lot of calories though.</p>
<p>“So, I figured out, by default, that pushing my heart rate up in short bursts probably wasn’t going to kill me.” </p>
<p>Lol.</p>
<p>A resting heart rate of 48 to 50 is awesome.</p>
<p>How much is your heart rate supposed to drop from high levels in a minute?</p>
<p>I think being able to run long distances in your mid fifties or older is a gift. I think most people’s joints can’t handle the pounding anymore.</p>
<p>Playing singles tennis isn’t easy. A friend of mine is an excellent tennis player. When he plays tournaments, he says if you don’t get injured, you can go a long way. He is 60 now.</p>
<p>Went to a continuing education course in downtown St. Louis today. We had quite the difficulty getting to the hotel where it was at because of the RockNRoll Marathon/Half Marathon this morning. Then we had a hard time getting out because of the Rams game…</p>
<p>I’ve decided I need to join the streakers – “rest day” has just become a rationalization for laziness, and I don’t really go that hard anyway, so now the rule is 3.2 miles four days a week and 2 miles the other days. (As you can see, I am not aiming very high, but I should be building my slow-twitch muscles, which I have been reading are key to increasing insulin senstivity . . . .).</p>
<p>In between grading midterms I have been searching the web for a recipe high-fiber pumpkin muffins. Unfortunately most of the ones I have found use splenda or some other artificial sweetener – I would rather use a little real sugar and live with a few extra carbs – I consume enough artificial sweetener in my diet coke. Bewteen soy flour, almond flour, and flaxseed I should be able to eliminate most of the wheat flour. Anyone have a good recipe, either for pumpkin muffins or another high-fiber, sort-of-low-carb baked good?</p>
<p>Looks like ai gotm3rd in the age group- out of 3. I’ll take it. To add insult to injury, ALL my Garmin data for the race disappeared, so I have no splits or anything. Garmin hiccuped after the race and I hadn’t done a “save”. Oh well.</p>
<p>IDad- no sh…t on the staying upright. I am getting paranoid (for good reason). Oh- another little gem in today’s race was TWO separate sets of steps! One was early on and was a few steps up out of a park, but the 2nd was about 8 steps DOWN at just past 24. I held onto the railing for dear life. Very unusual in a marathon.</p>
<p>I almost never get a full track from my Garmin watch on my hikes. I’m such a klutz, I always manage to stop the timer for a mile or two. I can (and do) lock the bezel when I’m hiking, but the TIMER stop/start is a button and I press it by bending my wrist back with the treking poles. I should put the thing in my backpack, but I like to be able to see heart rate and lap distance in real time. Heart rate to gauge my pace. And, I’ve started hitting the LAP button and watching distance between markers on the very accurate AMC maps. It’s a good way to make sure I don’t sail by a trail junction or something. Most of the time, I can download an actual GPS track of the trails I’m hiking to my GPS map, but not always. And the trails on the electronic TOPO maps are not accurate.</p>
<p>I have figured out how to reliably save a track with the Montana hiking GPS, so between the two, I usually have something to look at.</p>
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<p>I was really mad at myself for falling the other day. Overall, I can’t really complain. I’ve only gone down twice on my big boy hikes, which – given the terrain – is not too bad, I guess. I’ve had some pretty good saves.</p>
<p>Steps on a marathon route must claim a lot of victims. Especally going down steps.</p>
<p>I think heart rate recovery varies with age, but here’s the large Cleveland Clinic study of about 2600 people, average age 57 (plus or minus 12 years).</p>
<p>Basically, everyone who did a treadmill stress test at Cleveland Clinic had their recovery measured after 60 seconds of walking very slowly (1.5 mph) to cool down. They then followed this group to see how many died in the next six years. They found that poor heart rate recovery (<12 bpm) was significant predictor of death independent of all other variables. </p>
<p>It looks like 12 bpm is 25th percentile. 17 bpm is 50th percentile. 23 bpm is 75th percentile for this older cohort of men and women.</p>
<p>When I first measured mine, it was typically about 15 bpm. Now, it’s typically in the 30 bpm range. That’s a pretty significant improvement. I’m pretty sure that interval training is the reason. After all, interval training is specifically targeting this cycle of max heart rate and recovery. Do something over and over like that and the body gets better at it. My limiting factor is trying to catch a breath after max exertion. 38 years of smoking took a toll, no question.</p>
<p>Interesteddad, in some ways it is kind of scary that there is a test that has a good degree of accuracy in predicting death.</p>
<p>30bpm reduction is awesome. You look really good there. Sounds like it was very beneficial for you to quit smoking. Smoking might have been killing you.</p>
<p>Swimming practically in “private” pool. Saturday is the day of regulars (my new Saturday swimming buddies), most other days nobody is there for most of my 1.5hrs with few exceptions.
Yes, walkes have been gorgeous and the weather was ideal yesterday. Aslo learning new to me weight machines and loving them, especially “abs”. Gave up on cutting exercise time, everything is such a fun!</p>
<p>Stairs at mile 24? OMG, I would have started running in circles trying to locate and strangle the person who designed the route! Jk. :)</p>
<p>Our exercise for Sunday was yard work, getting the grounds ready for the chillier times of the year. I’m glad that I picked some quinces from the tree last evening, because surely enough, there was frost on the ground this morning!</p>
<p>I haven’t reported in for a while, but I’m still plugging away at it. I am in week 4 of my run/walk program, gradually increasing the run time. I’m doing between 4 to 4.5 miles 3 times a week and 2 weight workouts per week. It’s keeping me busy! The good thing is that my calves have improved so much, the tightness I was feeling has gradually decreased and today I didn’t feel it at all during my run.</p>
<p>Time to get over to Party City and shop for the proper electric accessories for the electric run. They have a tutu that lights up; I have to get me one of those. I’m trying to figure out a way to light up my shoes.</p>
<p>I’m pretty wiped out today. Quads are tired but not all that sore. Left lower leg is sore- I think I twisted it a little when I fell. Bump on outside of right knee and elbow from the fall. Just generally tired. Going to give the bunny back some miles this week and really take a recovery week. I ran 1.2 miles this morning, if you could call it running! Just streak running for a few days. I’m beat.</p>
<p>Blankmind- glad your leg problems are resolving. Keep at it!</p>
<p>Sounds like a winning plan. Recovery days are super important when you need them. And, I’m guessing that, after running two marathons in a few weeks, anybody would need some recovery time.</p>
<p>I hear ya on the aches and pains from simple little falls. Every time I go down, I feel it for days. We just aren’t as limber as we used to be, I guess!</p>
<p>Do you get a distinctive “woooooffff” as all the air goes out of you when the hit the dirt? I do. Every time.</p>
<p>My dad was a heavy smoker. Kind of wheezed. Had a major heart attack at 63. I think it was a quad bypass. Cardiologist said he would drop my dad as a patient if he did not quit smoking. So my dad quit. He is 85. No wheezing. Until this year he was doing very well. Interesteddad, you are in better shape than my dad was. There is hope for you. :)</p>
<p>I did my own version of that test for heart recovery. Last minute of my workout before the slow down, I rode the bike as fast as I could. 120 plus rpm, mid 20s I think for mph, maybe slightly more. The bike said I got to a 140 bpm. I thought it was higher. Bike could be a little off. </p>
<p>Anyway, after a minute of the slow down, I was down to a 110 bpm. I
am going to assume I am not dying from heart disease soon. :)</p>
<p>I always assume that the paragraph ends with “so I only ran 5 miles today.”</p>
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<p>I did three miles on the treadmill. I took my pulse afterwards and it was 170 (HRM isn’t useful indoors with the Garmin unless I get the foot pod). I did speed up for the last quarter mile but not by that much. My cruising HR was probably 160-165.</p>
<p>My workout for tonight is set. The Apple Store sent me an email - the iMac is fixed. So I will be going to the mall to pick it up.</p>
<p>I was wheezing for a couple of years before I quit smoking. That’s all gone, now, 4.5 years later. No more wheezing. I’m lucky. I know I pay a price, huffin’ and puffin’ when I exercise but it could be a whole lot worse.</p>