<p>5 miles @ 7:49. Outside nice weather. Took 2 miles to get breathing under control. My first mile always feels like I haven’t run in years.</p>
<p>Nice run, ohiopublic. Today was so gray and gloomy. The rain is about to start. I will be wearing my Run for Boston wristband.</p>
<p>I agree then Deb about the shorts - such a simple thing but a big difference. I ran tonight - just 1.5 to ensure no soreness or anything for Sundays 5k. I had on capris and a short sleeved dri fit , 60 degrees. I was too warm! I keep telling myself - add 20 degrees to the temp, then dress!</p>
<p>MOWC and Abasket, good luck to both of you this weekend! </p>
<p>Ohio, are you sure you weren’t riding a motorcycle or something? 
Speedy.</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Unreal pace.</p>
<p>70 minutes of hitting. It was very nice grooving strokes as opposed to playing a match. Ideally I could have a 30 minute practice every day but that’s hard to do in colder climates and if you don’t have a large network of people to hit with. We were hitting bullets and most of those bullets stayed in the court. I can hit bigger bullets with higher margin because I’m using a racquet with a very high swingweight - it means that I don’t have to swing as fast to generate pace so I have more margin for error. He uses a moderately high swingweight but he has to swing faster to get heavy pace - if his timing is off but a little, then the ball can fly. The heavier racquet is also usually more stable (less vibration, twisting, etc).</p>
<p>Also ran four miles.</p>
<p>Son brought home a six-pack of beer.</p>
<p>Root-beer. I opened a can and it’s in a glass in front of me. It’s Zevia from Whole Foods. It’s good but not the same as root beer with sugar - it’s not as sweet and you get a bit more of the root beer flavor.</p>
<p>This is a relatively rare treat - I seldom drink soda and Zevia is the only one that I would choose to buy or drink. Fortunately, I have to drive 50 miles to get one.</p>
<p>Ah, I love that root beer from Whole Foods. No sugary bloat, fresh taste. It’s guiltless! But I also seldom drink soda, even the “healthy” versions.</p>
<p>Used to do charity bike rides like the MS rides which are 2 day rides covering either 150 or 175 miles over 2 days. Stopped doing them when the crowds grew into the thousands, with a lot of squirely riders making it unsafe. I was recently invited, and just signed up for a 4 day ride benefiting Habitat for Humanity. Limited to 30 riders, the ride departs Philadelphia on June 5 and arrives in Harrisburg on June 6 for late afternoon meetings with legislators to promote funding for Habitat. Ride back to Philadelphia June 7 and 8. Lots of touring of Amish country in between. About 245 hilly miles over the 4 days. really looking forward to it!</p>
<p>Waaay back, my Dad used to take a glass gallon jug to the aw root beer stand to get filled and bring it home for us to drink. Huge treat. I’ll occasionally buy an aw root beer at the grocery store but it doesn’t seem to match the root beer taste that I remembered.</p>
<p>Did a 3 mile walk–realized that I walked longer than I thought the previous day, so I decided on a shorter walk today. Found a gym that has both kettlebell and TRX classes–I can get a daily pass and if I buy a group of 10, the price goes down and I have six months to use them. It’s also close to where we’re living–don’t have a car, so being close is good.</p>
<p>I don’t have any equipment, so I looked online for a workout I could do today that didn’t require any equipment. Ended up doing these two (both were hard): [Sexy</a> 6 Min Home Workout - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>[12</a> Minute Core Sculpting Workout - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
<p>Good luck to all the runners who are racing this weekend!</p>
<p>Bromfield:</p>
<p>If you actually did those workouts without stopping, you get the “you are an animal” award today! Those look impossible. You know a workout is too tough to do when the ripped guy in the video has gone to push ups from his knees on the first set!</p>
<p>Why not throw in a little rest and do the exercises properly? That plank to pushup is a fantastic exercise, but why do it when you are so exhausted you have to go from the knees?</p>
<p>Idad: did pushups for the first two sets and got on my knees for the second set. Same with the plank. Also, for the other exercises–I only did half of them. I thought it was interesting that in the first video the girl was keeping up with and sometimes looking like she wasn’t as tired as the ripped guy.</p>
<p>Good morning,</p>
<p>MOWC, you’re still “elite” to me </p>
<p>Idad, love your comments about what we’re doing this for! It will take extra discipline for me to fit in my already short hikes and airdyne in this week as I’m scrambling to get this place in order for my sons grad party next week. We’ll be in Ann Arbor for the music school grad the day before, then racing back here after the big ceremony Saturday to start the party. Clearly I wasn’t thinking clearly when I agreed to this plan! </p>
<p>Btw, the link about the Nike kid is adorable - how awesome that it inspired him to realize it was possible to take control of how he looks and feels… It breaks my heart to see young boys and girls morbidly obese because I know how so many other things will be difficult for them. My h was not obese as a child, but became so after decades of sedentary programming. When you’re a short fat guy in corporate America, you’d better be pure genius to command respect. (Fortunately, mch resembles that remark. He’s also pretty charming, because he has the “body confidence” of someone who was not morbidly obese all his life. But after dating hockey players and weightlifters much of my life, I do think some folks thought at first it was odd that I settled down the second time round with someone so sedentary and who didn’t fit my “usual” body type. Until they got to know him…and discovered what an erasable adorable devil the guy is ;)</p>
<p>At any rate, while never thin, I was also not especially obese (eg my shoulders compensate for a lot of waist sin so that I still look kind of balanced even when at my heftiest) so I wasn’t super-conscious of all the little things that go along with social codes of being fat. Mch is obese, but not chair-breaking level and like me, and has a muscular framework to carry it. But we know guys who are self-conscious at buffets or dinner parties or airplanes and who worry about breaking furniture when a guest, etc. and it’s all kind of fascinating. Eg. If I go to buy patio furniture his first comment is "what’s the weight rating, will x(friend) be comfortable…) Stuff I never thought about before. Then there’s that whole cycle of sedentary-ness where I think pride-wise, bigger guys are afraid to start moving their bodies and admitting that they actually want to look and feel differently than they do.</p>
<p>Idad, you lost 100 lbs, if I recall, though while you referred to your former self as a “Fat guy” I suspect you weren’t quite as big as the few mch friends I’m thinking of. But what inspired you to adopt this new lifestyle? How did you overcome that sense of “what’s the point” thing I see – or did you always have a sense you could do it? I ask because I don’t know how to help mch right now (except to shut up and hang back ;)) He’s a bit stalled around the down 25 mark this month, while I’m closing in on my 30 – so I look dramatically different, while he feels he doesn’t, and said so a few days ago. But he is sneaking time in on the airdyne when he thinks I’m outside And at the same time, has asked that I not inquire about his airdyne time. In other words, is being prickly about it, which usually means he’s frustrated. And this is pretty much why the dynamic for the last 14 years has been that I drift down to a level of activity and avoid being a food nazi…because I never ever want him to feel that my love is in any way conditional (and it isn’t.) </p>
<p>I guess I’m not sure whether I should play coach here when I’m pretty clear said coaching is unwelcome. But I feel he really is at a point where he’s primed for action. I guess I just have to find a gracious, supportive stance without “helping” unless asked. Not my strong suit ;)</p>
<p>Bromfield, the gym sounds like a workable solution. Kudos to you for doing that independent workout! Just like idad, your self-motivation is admirable. My trainer bailed on me on Thursday, I was in a gym filled with everything you can imagine and knew exactly what to do and… decided I couldn’t possibly work out, so sat in the sun instead.
Cardio on my own? Sure. Weights or resistance stuff? almost never :(</p>
<p>Kettle Bell Info Overload ( This was Friday’s class)</p>
<p>1.
Stretching, Warm Up and Movement Prep (5 min.) </p>
<ol>
<li>Archer 2.Soft Roll (upper dominance) 3.Prone S 4.Hip Flexor Pulse 5.Plank 4x15:15 </li>
</ol>
<p>2.
Indepedent Skills Work (15 min.) – each student chooses one bell and uses it throughout circuit </p>
<p>1.
KB TGU x 1/
2.
KB Goblet Squat x 5
3.
KB 1H Swing x 10/ </p>
<p>3.
Primary Mpvement Segment (30 min.)
Section 1 – 5x40:20 </p>
<p>1.KB Sumo Deadlift (double bells – 12’s, 16’s, 16’s, 20’s, 24’s, 24’s)<br>
2.Crawl x 10/ (foam roll on back) </p>
<p>Section 2 – 3 rounds per side </p>
<p>1.KB 1H Clean x 5
2.KB 1H Overhead Press x 5
3.KB 1H Front Squat x 5 </p>
<p>4.Fight or Flight (10 min.) </p>
<p>1.KB Swing x 20
2.KB Suitcase Carry x 15y/
3.KB Swing x 15
4.KB Suitcase Carry x 15y/
5.KB Swing x 10
6.KB Suitcase Carry x 15y/
7.KB Swing x 5
8.KB Suitcase Carry x 15y/ </p>
<p>5.
R & R (5 min.) </p>
<p>1.Prone S
2.Bent Leg Straight Leg
3.HK Position </p>
<p>For the cleans, the most helpful reminder for me, was stressing that the initial pull is to the hip, no higher-- like pulling gun from a holster in a Western-- then a controlled punch in the direction of the chin.</p>
<p>Also, this per Neghar, as tip of the day:</p>
<p>KETTLEBELL TRAINING TIP: Grip is IMPORTANT! </p>
<p>When performing a strict movement such as a press or TGU, it’s a good idea to keep your grip strong and firm to encourage a stable shoulder. When performing a dynamic movement, such as a swing or snatch, a slightly looser grip is preferable in order to keep the movement smooth.</p>
<p>Thinking of MOWC. I have a friend doing that same race. She posted a picture from in the corral. Crazy crowded and raining.</p>
<p>CJane, you deserve a day of sitting in the sun. Your workouts are really intense!</p>
<p>Poor MOWC. Racing in the rain is not fun…not that I’ve ever raced in the rain, but I think it must be low on the list of fun things :)</p>
<p>KMC, I’ll be interested in reading iDad’s response. I would think the modeling of healthy habits you’ve been doing, bringing good food into the home, and having the exercise equipment there are all helpful. Btw, you mentioned programming… Do you have any interest in using an app of some kind, and do you think your husband would like helping you choose a good one? Do others here have favorite tech health and wellness toys you’d recommend? Do you, for example, like using Joe’s Goals, MyFitnessPal, Mindbloom, Habits, or your own spreadsheet, or is this type of thing just too much effort? I set up my own running spreadsheet, but it’s living on the other finicky computer I haven’t used in a while, so I’ve been tracking on paper the old fashioned way I did pre-spreadsheet. It’ll be easy enough to enter the info onto the spreadsheet again when I get around to it. It would take me all of two minutes to save the spreadsheet file onto a flash drive and bring it to this 'puter.</p>
<p>Thanks, all. It was about the most awful thing I’ve ever done (H reminding me about a 38 degree rainy White Rock Marathon in early 90s where we were trying to win belt buckles(and did)). I almost bailed even after I was in the corral. However, I had gear-checked stuff, so somehow I had to get to the stupid finish line to retrieve it! I wore a trash bag over my Nuu-Muu and a long-sleeved fairly light LuLu shirt with thumb holes. I kept the trash bag until 3 miles (mention here of how dangerous all the trash bags in the middle of the course to trip or slip on) then ditched it. It rained medium hard every single second of the race. There was deep (almost ankle) flowing water in many places. I didn’t have it from the very beginning, so my goal was to execute the race as well as possible to get myself to the finish line. At first I thought it was just mental, but I really just didn’t have the legs today. (perhaps the 5 races in 8 days caught up with me???) It is quite hilly- no huge climbs like the Monkey, but still very hilly. I barely got any miles under 10 minute pace. I passed Elvis (full costume) at about 8 miles. They really checked to make sure you got in the right corral- the first 2 numbers on your bib were your corral- but yet I was passing large walkers throughout the race with 28 or so on their bibs. Not sure what that was about. At about 9 my friend who was pacing 2:15 halfers went blowing by and I was further demoralized (I expected about a 2:05). I didn’t see any runners with her, I might add! I eventually passed her- she didn’t start in my corral. I finished in about 2:15:30, and did better in the later miles. It was pretty miserable.
The bad part is the second we finished (collectively) and stopped running, we were dangerously cold. The space blankets were WAY at the end of the finish area (past the medals, food, water, pictures etc) and I was desperate for one. I finally landed 2 of them and wrapped them around me. I was too cold to even use my phone, but I saw D’s tweet that she and her H (his pace) finished Louisville Derby Day half in 2:28 which is excellent for him. They had NO rain and loved their race. I walked into downtown and H picked me up with the car. I was so cold. I’m OK now.
As critical as I am of Competitor Group (the for profit group that owns Rock nRoll races), they do a pretty good job of managing those 30000 runners. The gear check and retrieval was flawless (UPS trucks by alphabetical order of your last name). The medal is VERY nice. We get to go to a free concert (Craig Morgan) tonight.<br>
I won’t be going anywhere near this race again. Just not my thing.</p>
<p>Congratulations on a fine finish, even if it was a miserable race, MOWC.</p>
<p>Have a good rest of the weekend, MOWC. Might I recommend a spa day in your future? A nice massage? Sure sounds like you could use one! </p>
<p>KMC, I think our husbands are cut from the same cloth. I am seeing signs of emerging maturity in SabaH. He hurt his knee at work; required a trip to the doctor. Blood pressure? Oh, only around 188/108. Weight? 286. Pulse? 100. Death? Imminent at any moment. He has seen me dieting and exercising. I have bit my tongue over and over about his weight. It took getting to this point before he was willing to even consider getting serious about his health. In the 10 days since his visit, he is already down 10 pounds. Simply by eliminating snacks and alcohol. He can’t exercise because of his knee, but we now have an in home BP cuff to check his pressure regularly. They have to want to do it themselves. All you can do is provide the tools (airdyne, healthy meals) to help them help themselves. </p>
<p>Brisk 2 mile walk with sabadog, 35 minutes on the elliptical climbing hills, weights. Now to clean.</p>
<p>MOWC, hope you are resting under a warm blanket now. Sounds awful.</p>
<p>There is rain the forecast for my 5k tomorrow - feels wimpy but I really don’t want it to rain!!</p>