<p>I have run nine on a treadmill but I don’t plan to do so again for a long time.</p>
<p>Still busy with storm prep.</p>
<p>Cycling, weights, and elliptical at the gym today.</p>
<p>Thanks, BB. That’s a great article.</p>
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<p>Man, this geezer fitness is a funny thing. I did absolutely nothing physical yesterday. Total rest day from exercise. And, I woke up this morning with a stiff back to the point where I can barely walk without wincing.</p>
<p>Ouch. Do you think something like Motrin might help? Hope the back pain eases up soon, iDad.</p>
<p>P.S. Went with the hoodie yesterday. So soft and snuggly.</p>
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<p>For the most part, my workouts don’t even offer the ability to control heart rate with that kind of precision.</p>
<p>I mean, when I’m lifting weights, or doing burpees, or hiking up a mountain with 30 pounds on my back, the heart rate is what it is. I can adjust the rest intervals and, within a very broad range, vary the pace a bit, but that’s about it.</p>
<p>The only “rule” I’ve tried to follow is to do a couple of workouts a week with intervals that push my heart rate to at least 90% of max. By definition, that can only be done with short intervals as I certainly can’t sustain those levels for very long.</p>
<p>Everybody is so well behaved here. 
My wife is spending the day and night with her soccer friends. </p>
<p>So, I have been a bad boy today. I have eaten 1500 calories of crap today. 500 calories of good stuff, like a salad with just a little red wine vinegar, and fruit. </p>
<p>If I go to sleep soon, this will be the lightest I have been since I started this weight loss program. Right now, after a little less than 4 weeks, I have lost about 8.5 pounds. I have been working very hard to lose this weight, despite today’s food intake.</p>
<p>After the Giants game, off to the gym.</p>
<p>Congrats on the weight loss, dstark, and don’t worry about your eating slips. I had all sorts of crap to eat- including a pumpkin beer. </p>
<p>A normally very rational lawyer/runner friend is trying totals me into driving up to Bowling Green, KY early Sunday morning and running their inaugural marathon. To 3 in each age group win Zensah sleeves. My husband said to just buy some more! That would be 3 marathons with only 2 weeks between each one and Monkey would make it 4. Just stupid. I didn’t say yes…yet.</p>
<p>MomofWildChild, thanks. Never heard of pumpkin beer.</p>
<p>That sounds like a lot of marathons in a very short period of time, but what do I know.</p>
<p>MOWC, I know you were just thinking aloud and don’t need our opinions on this, but I hope you won’t mind my sharing a couple of thoughts. What’s your goal? You’ve been pretty excited about the Monkey and that sounds super challenging. Will you be satisfied if you do this extra marathon and then end up feeling so-so or unhappy with your performance on the Monkey, or do you feel you can do both at a level you’ll be content with, and/or is there something about doing this extra marathon that makes it worth that possible compromise (which might or might not occur)? I ask this because you like to perform at both a high standard and to push it on quantity, too. So, do think you can do both those successfully, or if not, which one are you willing to sacrifice on a little? And, of course, I encourage you to take care of yourself, whatever choice you make! I can’t imagine performing at the level you do, so I have no idea what is okay and what is, um, insanity ;).</p>
<p>Interesteddad, I know what you mean about the activity really controlling the heart rate and making it difficult to control heart rate zones with precission. I encounter that problem when doing wattage based training out on the road. The vagaries of the slope of the road make it difficult to keep within defined wattage ranges, particularly where I am doing training for climbing long hills. In my geographic area, it’s tough to find long flats or long hills with consistent grades so I am constantly adjusting speeds. I almost look forward to gut busting wattage intervals that have a minimum but no cap on the wattage values.</p>
<p>But what I am really wondering is since the literature you have reviewed discounts the scientific basis and therefore the utility of Vo2 max training, LT training and the structuring of hr based training zones for specific training benefits, have you encountered any literature that suggests any basis to structure training for cyclists and runners to achieve increases in endurance, speed and power? Or is the scientific literature you are referencing stating that all the past studies, research, and field tests draw incorrect conclusions based on incorrect science and that no one really knows a scientifically sound basis to structure training to achieve various types of performance gains? Do we end up with any scientifically based training or just ad hoc approaches based on what seems to work as measured by real world performance gains without understanding why it works or any systematic approach to structuring training?</p>
<p>Another adult ballet class yesterday. I’m liking it very much. It’s an interesting change of pace. One of the best challenges for me is actually mental, ie, memorizing the combinations very quickly and translating them into the physical.</p>
<p>Deborah- I hear you. Performance and “Monkey” are oxymorons. It is a “just finish” event, with many of the participants walking much of the race. It’s limited to 300 crazies and it just SO hard. I have no goal for Monkey. HOWEVER, doing another marathon would be stupid even for me. I came up with a compromise. I’ll go to Bowling Green with my friend and I will run the half. That will be good Monkey training, I still have a shot at winning the Zensah sleeves, and I don’t mind waiting for her (4 hour marathoner). Good solution.</p>
<p>Daughter has a good pace going with just a couple of miles left in Marine Corps Marathon. Son in law texted me a picture from early on and I’m getting automatic Twitter updates as she crosses checkpoints. </p>
<p>Gloomy day again here. I swear I have SAD after 2 cloudy days! I managed 4 1/2 miles for a 29 mile week. Gave Bunny back 9 miles…</p>
<p>Woke up rather sore this morning and was wondering why. I guess that moving five computers and a few big monitors can result in a few aches and pains.</p>
<p>I had a look at clothes at Marshalls this morning. They had some nice long-sleeve stuff for runners. Lots of dri-fit long-sleeve tees at good prices and some fancier stuff for $30, some with wool. They had the typical extra long-sleeves for runners. I didn’t pick up anything as my last long-sleeve running shirt was $19 from Marshalls - I’d like to find one more of those, preferably in a different color. These were quarter-zips BTW. I didn’t see the wide variety that idad saw at TJMaxx.</p>
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<p>:)</p>
<p>~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~</p>
<p>Sewhappy has me thinking. A dance class sounds like fun. Hm…</p>
<p>Running is stupid. Son in law texted me that my daughter just passed 26 miles “in a very bad mood.” The poor guy has been out there following her around the course all day!</p>
<p>In better news, she finished with a PR 4:43:44, so she’ll probably be in a good mood now. Never thought I would see the day that she would be running marathons. I’m very proud. The back of her shirt said, “Run Rev Run!”</p>
<p>Michael:</p>
<p>I have no doubt that the well-established training methods for long distance endurance sports (cycling, marathon running) work very well for training for long distance endurance events. Specifically, I think you have to train at low enough intensity to make your body super-efficient in the aerobic zone where your heart rate is not elevated. Once the body shifts into high gear (burning fuel and elevating the heart rate for high intensity sprint speeds), you aren’t gong to last for 26 miles! The effects are real, even if they probably are caused by mechanisms more complex than “lactic acid buildup”.</p>
<p>The problem with basing any of this stuff on “research” is that the research is so sketchy or so targeting on tiny subgroups that it’s really hard to know if you are looking at the forest or the trees. For example, there are studies that show limited amounts of high intensity interval training producing equal (or even better) gains in VO2max than larger amounts of slow aerobic distance training. But, the studies are only for a few weeks, so it’s really risky to extrapolate over the long haul.</p>
<p>The other major issue is that long slow aerobic training hasn’t proven to translate very well to other sports. For example, football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, tennis, and many other sports require short bursts of very high intensity output punctuated by some period of recovery. Probably the most intense of all is ice hockey where coaches have to switch out the entire team every three minutes because the skating is so metabolically demanding. Some of the top strength and conditioning coaches for ice hockey (BU Men’s Hockey, US Women’s Olympic Hockey) do ZERO distance running. It’s all well and good to be able to ride or run for three hours and keep your heart rate below 80% of your heart rate reserve, but that isn’t going to help much for three minutes on the hockey ice. Or, even for that matter, running a 400 meter dash.</p>
<p>It’s really just been in the last few years that pro teams (soccer especially) have started using the new team-based heart rate monitor technologies – the whole team wears heart rate monitors and the data is uploaded to central computer software on a laptop. I don’t think the people using the data have the answers yet.</p>
<p>As far as geezer fitness goes, I think vastly more of us neglect the importance of a little bit of high intensity, high heart rate conditioning each week. The prevailing accepted wisdom in the popular media is that “exercise” means going out and running or riding an exercise bike for 45 to 90 minutes. Geezers need the bursts of high intensity stuff (and the resistance strength trianing) to trigger the hormonal changes that make it possible to control our weight (if we are running or riding miles and miles and miles a week).</p>
<p>I have the opposite problem. I can’t run more than half a mile because I run too fast and I have spent zero time running at slow enough speeds (a pathetic shuffle) to keep my heart rat down. The hiking as been good for me in that regard because it gives me several hours of sustained activity at 65% - 70% my max (or 75% to 80% of my HRR).</p>
<p>Soccer has to be an interesting test. Soccer is a game of both short bursts and endurance.</p>
<p>I’m just happy if I get to the gym three times a week and go for a walk a couple of times on non-gym days. Didn’t do either last week, but business is looking quiet unless a couple of backburner projects revive themselves. Halloween Party last night. I was pretty good on the food and drink intake. I spent the entire day on my feet which felt like it should count for something, though I didn’t actually get any exercise to speak of!</p>
<p>I just found the coolest little windbreaker jacket/hoodie. The one that I carry with me everywhere is my gossamer thin Brooks ultralight – just a whispery rip stop wind shell. Weights like 5 ounces and stuffs into it’s own pocket. Not waterproof, but water resistant enough to stay dry for a while in a mist or drizzle and certainly enough to break the chill of a wind. Everybody makes one: all the running companies, all the hiking companies. They charge an arm and a leg, but it’s so handy because you can always have it in the car or in the backpack or even carry it with the loop when running when it looks like it might rain or be windy cold.</p>
<p>Marmot makes their version, but they also make one taken one step further. Same whisper thin polyester rip stop, but with a very thin soft wicking liner. So, super comfortable against the skin, and it wicks sweat so it’s not so clammy. And provides just a little warmth. Perfect shell for fall or winter! Stuffs into it’s own pocket and weighs 8 ounces. </p>
<p>This is the [woman’s</a> version without a hood](<a href=“http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/3/1/5/0/0/1315003-4-4x.jpg]woman’s”>http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/3/1/5/0/0/1315003-4-4x.jpg). I ordered [the</a> version with the hood](<a href=“Marmot Ether Jacket Review - YouTube”>Marmot Ether Jacket Review - YouTube). I’m thinking this will see a lot of action hiking or snowshoeing where you just need something to cut the wind, but it’s not cold enough for a full on winter coat. Anywhere from the 30s to the 50s. I be this would be sweet for winter running.</p>
![http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/3/1/5/0/0/1315003-4-4x.jpg]woman’s](http://a1.zassets.com/images/z/1/3/1/5/0/0/1315003-4-4x.jpg%5Dwoman's){kind=link}
<p>Still breaths great, unlike a rain jacket. Skies the limit if you go with warm layers underneath.</p>
<p>This over a short sleeve. Or over a long sleeve. Or over a long sleeve and a fleece. Or over thermals and a fleece…</p>
<p>Have anyone found a good web based calculator for “Percentage body fat”? What will be a simple way to measure that? </p>
<p>Do you define your current fitness state by body mass or percentage body fat?</p>