<p>Any place that’s safe can be a magnet.</p>
<p>It looks like I won’t get to run on the Charles today but maybe in Newton. Beacon St (intersects the Boston Marathon Route) is a nice, wide street, great for running on the road or even the sidewalks. There are a ton of side-streets that have very little traffic that are great too. I’ll post a map route if I run there today.</p>
<p>I am afraid of cars and don’t trust them to see me. I try to make good eye contact at turns, etc. Where I live we have wide bike/shoulder lanes along many of the roads AND sidewalks. Most runners use the sidewalks. I use the asphalt bike lane facing traffic. Early mornings traffic is extremely light. We also have a lot of walk/bike paths. In PA there are lots of roads like y’all are describing with lots of curves and no shoulder lane. I’ve run on them and it’s scary. Cars can come around that curve quickly. Many years ago (80s) I was on business in Attleboro, MA and was running on one of those roads and literally had to dive for the grass/brush beside the road. I still remember that.</p>
<p>It’s going to be gorgeous weather for my marathon tomorrow- I may suck it up and start with bare legs (and a Nuu-Muu) at 44 degrees since it will warm up fast. It is supposed to be a pretty course- rural but not isolated- all around Evansville, IN. I’m freaking out. Daughter is coming up to run the half at Evansville and 2 of my friends are going full in Evansville and full in St. Louis.</p>
<p>"Miami, there is no exercise that I prefer to lying around wasting time reading message boards. "
-Unfortunately (or fortunately) lying around is causing a neck problem / headaches / lower back problems for me and my H. who is in a process of discovering this misfortune that has been discovered by me many years ago. At the same time, all pains seem to be cured by exercise and in my case, particularly swimming, which is the reason why I have switched to swim year around vs. summers only. Huge undeniable results. Ina past in my younger years with all incidents of severe lower back pains (one resulted in Emergency visit on a streacher, thw most painful trip of my life), neck problem / headaches, I have noticed that I could always rollerblade and swim (even when I could not even walk) and both of them would make me feel much better. I made the calculated choice of dropping rollerblading, one of the most relaxing and elevating experiences known to me. I still miss it a lot but afraid of hurting myself badly. Swimming / walking / weight lifting / rarely playing ping pong are what I love. Hopefully I would be able to stick to these. I cannot believe that there are people out there who do not feel elevated after exercise of their choice. Hard to believe. I always feel like some burden (I have no burdens though) is lifted. It must be some chemical reactions in the body, it is addictive and I look forward to exercise every single day. No, I do not feel the same about running. I never could run, not even when I was 10, 15…and later I just realized that there is NO reason to push yourself to do what you hate, might as well do what you love.</p>
<p>Good luck running the races this weekend, MOWC. :)</p>
<p>It’s going to be a rest day for me. </p>
<p>I recently saw a man running with traffic instead of against it, while wearing his earbuds (going to have trouble hearing the cars come up behind him) when he could have been on the other, wider side of the road. I thought it was curious because not only is there more room, you do see people run there.</p>
<p>Good Luck MOWC! Have an awesome weekend!</p>
<p>I don’t enjoy walking or jogging on roads with traffic. It takes all the fun out of it to be constantly easing over to the dirt to avoid cars zoomning by. I like to “zone out” while I’m walking, not thing about traffic.</p>
<p>I’m completely spoiled by starting my walking on land owned by an Episcopalian retreat and a state park both overlooking a river. Half of that walk was on roads, but roads that dead ended at a footbridge across an old mill dam and the only cars were people that lived in one house approaching from one side or four houses approaching from the other (or people who were lost!). In other words, it was rare that I ever saw a car.</p>
<p>From the condo, I have an escape route to a very quiet subdivision with just a few hundred feet on a busier two-lane country road to get to the subdivision. Traffic in the subdivision is a non-issue as the roads are wide and cars can drive out in the middle of the road to give walkers/joggers/kids plenty of room. So, I’ll walk/jog there and I’ll probably dust off the bike this summer and give it a whirl. But, the few times I’ve walked along the two lane country roads (no shoulder) – like dropping off my car for service – I have really not enjoyed it.</p>
<p>If I were a runner around here, I’d probably head up to the apple orchards and run on those flat trails. The subdivision would be fine, but it’s very hilly.</p>
<p>I do have a couple of these clip on [flashing</a> red lights](<a href=“ROAD iD - World Leaders in Runner ID, Cycling ID & Medical ID”>ROAD iD - World Leaders in Runner ID, Cycling ID & Medical ID). These things are great. I clip one on the back of my shirt when I ride the bike, even in daylight.</p>
<p>Kettle Bell Class - Midterm Exam</p>
<p>Get Up
Both hands used to lift the kb off the ground to starting position and on return.
Wrist on the kb is neutral.
Elbow on kb side is locked.
Shoulder on kb side is packed.
Shoulder of free arm does not shrug up.*
Heel of foot on kb side stays planted.
Hips bridge at least to line from top of shoulder to bent knee while keeping heel of driving foot flat on floor.
Knee touches ground silently on descent.</p>
<p>Goblet Squat
KB travels safely from ground to goblet position.
Back remains flat.
Heels planted.
Big toes planted.
Knees track toes.
Momentary pause on bottom while staying tight.
Ascent is initiated with a grunt.
Hips ascend at the same rate as shoulders.
Hips and knees extend fully on the top of the squat.</p>
<p>Swing
Back remains flat.
Heels, toes and balls of feet are planted.
Knees track toes.
Shoulders remain packed.*
KB handle passes above knees during backswing.
No forward knee movement on upswing.
Body forms straight line on top of swing; hips and knees extend fully; spine is neutral.
Abs and glutes visibly contract at top of swing.
KB forms extension of straight arms at top of swing.
Biomechanical breathing match (grunt or hiss)</p>
<ul>
<li>indicates where I got dinged.</li>
</ul>
<p>Bunch of push ups utilizing kbs, planks, etc. as well as the usual stretches and mobility moves.
After class did 20 minutes on the stairmaster, and 1500 vertical feet at 22% on the treadmill, just under 40 minutes.</p>
<p>CJ:</p>
<p>If all they could ding you for on all of that was not keeping your shoulders packed, I’d say you did pretty well!</p>
<p>I broke down and ordered a second kettlebell. The bad-boy I have now is fine for swings or goblet squats, but I’m fooling myself thinking I’m going to learn a nice pretty clean or snatch with this thing, let alone do combination moves.</p>
<p>^ Yeah, shoulders shrugging up on exertion is the story of my exercise life. Every coach/trainer has commented on that – from tennis to lifting, even when I run sometimes.</p>
<p>Good idea on the new kb. I will have to do the same, because I am a LONG way off of doing the get up with my current 16kg one.</p>
<p>Yeah. I just ordered a 35 pound kettlebell (15.9 kilo). I haven’t tried a turkish get up in over a year (and that was with a 10 lb DB!), so I have no idea what I could do if I tried (which I probably won’t…).</p>
<p>I should, realistically, be able to do cleans and snatches and single arm swings with this new one. I do set of DB snatches with 30 lbs. </p>
<p>I’ll use the heavy bad-boy for two-handed swings, single leg deadlifts, goblet squats, etc.</p>
<p>I actually think I can clean the heavy one, once I get a little confidence in the catch. I don’t know about pressing or snatching it.</p>
<p>CJane, if this is just a midterm, I can only imagine what the final would look like :eek:</p>
<p>I did a long walk this morning (6.5 miles) and was going to do a short workout but felt tired and bagged the workout.</p>
<p>Idad: I think the Turkish get up is really difficult. I started with a half get up and I’m still there.</p>
<p>CJ: great job on your KB exam! My shoulders are always going up to my ears–I really have to concentrate to keep that from happening.</p>
<p>Well, feeling like a total wimp after CJane’s awesome performance, but I finished week 2 of C25K. Varied my route and threw in some hills (really hard to avoid in my neighborhood). I survived!</p>
<p>Excellent, saba. I hate hills and rarely “throw them in”!</p>
<p>Yay Saba! Good luck MofWC! Go kettlebells, CJane. I can feel yesterday’s kettlebell exercises today :o</p>
<p>Great day today. I hiked on a former ranchland that was at one time a wetland that’s been “rehydrated.” Such is the history of Florida, it seems. 5 miles at a snails pace because there was so much wildlife to watch and photograph. Highlights include many, many alligators–including one large mama with babies crawling on her back; the incredible (and uncomfortably close) deep, loud growl of alligator bulls; roseate spoonbills; many other wading birds; bald eagle adults and soon to fledge, large eaglets; feral hogs and toddling piglets; just gorgeous, unspoiled scenery along a huge cypress enclosed, large lake. This is the reward for the run/walk of the week–being able to enjoy the outdoors.</p>
<p>Added a two mile walk tonight with H.</p>
<p>Nice midterm, CJane. Freaking out in the hotel waiting for daughter and my friend from PA to get here. The PA girl (and her H) flew to St. Louis and then are driving here to Evansville . They’ll go back over there like we will for the meet-up and St. Louis Marathon, but she’s running two fulls.</p>
<p>Sore hips and quads after yesterday’s workout. Took it easy today. Strength/core/stretch. 30 min fast elliptical. Weights. Steam/sauna.</p>
<p>Thanks, MOWC.
Best of everything for the weekend!</p>
<p>Go, MOWC. I smell an age-group trophy!</p>
<hr>
<p>Awesome, sabaray. Two seeks of C25K is two weeks more than I could do!</p>
<hr>
<p>PlantMom:</p>
<p>That sounds like a wonderful walk. The alligators wouldn’t bother me too much as long as I didn’t come across any snakes.</p>
<hr>
<p>Back to the basement for me. Third time out with this workout and I’m getting the hang of this group of exercises. Went outside from some lateral shuffles, high knees skipping, and carioca. Didn’t fall down. All is good. Did kettlebell swings and med ball slams out there. Pretty much a punch-the-clock workout.</p>