<p>Hugs, MOWC.</p>
<p>30 min treadmill run. Very quiet and peaceful. Sunny outside.</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your mom–MOWC. I’d put money on your feelings afecting your race performance --but you finished, which is great.
Congrats on your race PR, Pizzagirl. </p>
<p>Spent two days at relative’s dance competition–six hours of sitting and seven hours of driving with youngest D. Best we could do was get in an hour walk during a lunch break.
Good news was that the food choices were limited so I did fine with food.</p>
<p>Can’t imagine running up Mt Washington! It’s difficult hiking it. Did it once with D who was a camp counselor in the area.</p>
<p>Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads. </p>
<p>MOWC - peace be still. </p>
<p>DadII - love your spirit. </p>
<p>Track interval day yesterday left me feeling like an old man this morning. Did a core/strength/stretch/routine this morning along with a 20 minute stair climber. Going to start switching the routine (thanks DebT) and break things up and start 2 a days for the next month and a half. Think ill do some weights/water running this pm if I’m not too full from Father’s Day cookout.</p>
<p>PizzaGirl - gotta love those PRs.</p>
<p>after vacuuming the house, I am tired and ate about 30 red grades. Well that has, it turns out, the same calories as drinking a beer. Of course I would love to drive that beer instead. A calorie is a calorie, right?</p>
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<p>At the end of his concert for the prison inmates at a Tennessee prison (part of his parole settlement), Steve Earle gave some [url=<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?f&v=gNjV5gVBH7I#t=6s]fitness”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?f&v=gNjV5gVBH7I#t=6s]fitness</a> advice that I have tried to take to heart:</p>
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<p>I think that is very good advice, especially the last one. Most people hike faster than I do, lift heavier weights than I do, ride the Airdyne faster than I can, and so forth. But, what good does it do me to measure myself against them? I hike faster than I could last year. I lift heavier weights than I could last year. And, I don’t feel like I’m going to puke when I get off the Airdyne quite as much as I did last year. So, I take satisfaction from all of that and use it as motivation. </p>
<p>I try to do my own time…</p>
<p>^^^
[corrected</a> Steve Earle link](<a href=“Steve Earle - Dylan Cover (Live 1996) - YouTube”>Steve Earle - Dylan Cover (Live 1996) - YouTube)</p>
<p>MOWC:</p>
<p>Hang in there MOWC. I went through it a couple of years ago and it all just leaves you feeling numb.</p>
<p>Sabaray:</p>
<p>I cannot do sustained food tracking at this point. I just get sick of it. So, what seems to work is to bop in and track for a month a couple times a year. Just a bit of a refresher course, mostly to tighten up portions or cut back a little on the snacks…</p>
<p>On the exercise front, that’s why I buy a workout book or video series every so often (maybe once a year). Even though the workouts are similar, it gives me three months of workouts that are a little different or moving at someone else’s pace and gives me some variety, even in the same old same old type of workouts. I guess gym members can do the same thing by trying a new class… I guess hiking has provided a change of pace, too.</p>
<p>Hugs to you, MOWC. It is a very tough thing to go through and can be very draining, emotionally and physically. Hoping for peace for you and your family. </p>
<p>iDad, I’m afraid I’m just not as motivated as you are for the home workouts - I did buy the “Drop 2 Sizes” book and will periodically look at it but haven’t felt the call to use it. I have two DVDs for the kettlebell - I’ve used one. A couple of times. Once D is off our payroll (August 19th!) I may switch to a gym with classes and a few amenities. The social aspect would be beneficial as well. </p>
<p>Big run with sabadog this morning. Went to the gym again today, 45 minute treadmill run, some weights and planks. </p>
<p>Happy Father’s Day to all the dads!</p>
<p>MOWC, hugs. We only have my mother left of the older generation. It doesn’t seem to get easier.</p>
<p>I’m adding yoga for the next month - I have a 30 day pass at a local studio in order to do research for their planned moved to new quarters. :)</p>
<p>I’m very stiff compared to the last time I did yoga regularly - the only thing I’m any good at is warrior pose thanks to all those split squats!</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your mom, MOWC. :(</p>
<p>Climbed Mt. Monadnock today with DD and DS. It’s an 1800’ vertical over about a two mile trail. And I use “trail” loosely - about 80% of it is climbing over rocks.</p>
<p>I didn’t do the last quarter mile, which climbs the final 300’, because I didn’t want to have to come down it. Going downhill kills my knees, they are both incredibly sore right now.</p>
<p>It was a lot of fun though.</p>
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<p>Did you go the standard route from the state park: up White Dot Trail and down White Cross Trail? I did that route the last time I went and it was all the hike I could handle.</p>
<p>In the year I’ve been hiking in the mountains, I would say that Monadnock is the most difficult I’ve done in terms of sustained steepness and rock scrambling. Other hikes have steep, rocky bits, but Monadnock is relentlessly steep. That’s a heck of a workout.</p>
<p>That’s a tough hike and coming down is no easier than going up. The first time I hiked it, I thought it was supposed to be an easy/moderate hike and was completely gobsmacked. When I went back in May, I was mentally prepared for a demanding climb and wasn’t quite so hammered – plus, I wasn’t stupid like the first time and didn’t add a mile to the route, taking a longer way up on a trail that is maybe even a little steeper than White Dot.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone. I’m going to take a couple 1-2 mile days, play it by the hour as far as flying up to PA and try to get back some energy. To top it off, I am kind of sore from the MoonPie race, which is surprising! Geezerhood is not so fun these days! Had a good brunch with some of my son-in-law’s family who are in town with their GIANT RV doing a 6 month trip. Very cool! I didn’t eat too badly (except for the Mimosas…)and it was fun and some good food. Egg casseroles, bacon, fruit. (and did I mention Mimosas- that’s a fruit, right?)</p>
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We went up the White Cross and came down the White Dot. Right as we got to the split at the bottom, there was a large group that went up the White Dot, and we didn’t want to follow them.</p>
<p>It was quiet on the way up, as we were coming down there were a ton of people going up. I was surprised how many people brought 4-6 year olds on this trail.</p>
<p>Seems like yoga pants are the trail-wear of choice for women, a large percentage were hiking in them.</p>
<p>DD wants to hike Mt Washington, but I’m not sure I could make it down.</p>
<p>Sounds like a good hike. Did the women have on the see-through, defective LuLu yoga pants? :)</p>
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<p>Oooh, I bet that nasty little rock fall section of White Cross was fun climbing up. I’ve stood at the top of that thing twice wondering how in the heck I was going to get down it. The first time, I couldn’t believe that was the trail.</p>
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<p>Little basement workout for me today. Another one of these silly metaboiic circuits. This one five exercises, 40 seconds work, 20 seconds of rest:</p>
<p>KB swing (50lb)
Lateral lunges with toe touch (bodyweight)
Bent over alternating rows (2 x 25 lbs)
Alternating reverse lunges with arm raise overhead (bodyweight)
Push up position T-rotations</p>
<p>Repeat non-stop for a total of three sets.</p>
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I was way too busy trying to keep from falling down to look that closely. ;)</p>
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<p>You got some strong back Idad!!! Do you write down how many swing did you do so you can see if you are making any progress?</p>
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<p>Just doing swings with that 50lb KB for 40 seconds is progress enough. I could barely swing it at all when I first got it a few months back.</p>
<p>I just focus on trying to do good solid strong swings. I don’t really care how many that is. But, I think it’s typically around 18 to 20 swings in a 40 second set.</p>
<p>I’m actually more excited that I can do 40 seconds of reverse lunges with overhead reach. That is a demanding exercise.</p>
<p>4.8 miles this evening walking. 1:19. Nice night to walk outside…</p>
<p>Good morning, all. Hugs, MOWC. Be kind to yourself!
I don’t think it’s ever easy.
Yesterday we were out with mch’s 85 yr old father for breakfast and he was telling the waitress to please ensure his bacon was “extra crispy, almost burnt, just like mom made it.” When he ate it, he said, “now I’m going to take a moment to think about mom.”</p>
<p>This guy eats bacon every day, which he claims is the key to his good health, svelt condition and low cholesterol. He is a retired pastor who kept going back to work until just a few years ago, and still hosts a bible club and zips around town visiting the ill and distressed 
But now I realize that its not the bacon…it’s the daily mom-love that fuels this energetic bunny :)</p>
<p>So, my big news is that I bought myself a second-hand trekking bike yesterday. I’ve been without a functioning bike for 12 years now, and mch virtually forbade my notion a few months ago about taking up trail riding (because he’s lived through my back issue and knows how much life sucks…and our business suffers…when I can’t walk.)</p>
<p>However, this is not REALLY a mountain bike…it’s an entry level hybrid (fuji sunfire) more suited to gentle trails/slow roads etc. It was dirt cheap but recently tuned and a nice smooth ride with a comfy seat. As a trekker, its the upright position, so I think it may be a decent fit for my back. We’ll see.</p>
<p>I don’t think I can get my bike legs back after such a long hiatus in time for the gran Fondo in two weeks, but I am hoping to take a nice leisurely 10 mile flat trail ride to a concert with my girlfriends in a few weeks. Said “trail-to-concert” ride is what prompted all this. Every year I meet them with the car and its just stupid – they’re not racers or anything. Trail takes em an hour. And I used to ride to a favorite beach every night with mcson in my former city before the back-thing happened, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. I think mch’s nervousness about me-on-a-bike exacerbates my own nervousness about me-on-a-bike. </p>
<p>Since he’s not usually a worrier-type at all and rarely messes with my whims, I also suspect that he’s more concerned I’lll start doing things with my trainer friend, who manages a bike team and who’s been after me to join. She’s a former MTB national athlete who now does iron, so yeah, she’s extreme 
She’s also fast, so there’s truly no chance in hell I’ll be tagging along with her on the Barry Roubaix :)</p>
<p>At any rate, this will be an interesting experiment. If nothing else, there’s a paved riverside trail a mile south of me that should make for scenic short rides here and there. At least I’ll have a working bike in the house!</p>