I’m at ohare airport and was thinking that traveling is so much easier for me now then it was a year and a half ago. Exercise and diet had made this part of my life easier and more enjoyable. Carrying bags, making connections, attending trade shows was HARD for an out of shape guy.
<p>Travelling was a key that made me realize I had to do something about my weight and pathetic lack of fitness. I was getting to be one of “those people” who hang over the armrest on airplanes. I could still buckle the seat belt without an extension, but it wasn’t pretty. Everything about trudging through airports with all that extra weight was a chore.</p>
<p>Child here visiting. 
First time I’ve gotten to see her in over four months.</p>
<p>Enjoy your visit!</p>
<p>yes, Deborah, enjoy. Hopefully you can do a nice run together.</p>
<p>Ran 18mins out on the bike trail and then walk/ran back. Distance was about 3mi., I think give or take. Think that next I will run out 10 mins and back 10 mins, legs were hurting a bit but lungs are doing fine. Just need to pace myself a bit more. </p>
<p>I bought a new running bra (sorry men!) and I think that helped alot. Ordered a bra/tank with a pocket. Running in long cotton shorts which are not that comfortable but have pockets for my keys and phone. Need to find more comfortable clothes, better shorts. </p>
<p>Tomorrow is going to be an off day. Suppose to be hot, I think I will ride my bike and take it easy.</p>
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<p>Men like running bras…</p>
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<p>Speaking of strapping 'em in, the first shipment of hiking boots arrived this afternoon. I whittled it down to three options and ordered all three to try on, walk around the house for a few days, check the size for real (instead of five minutes in the store), etc. Then, I’ll decide on one (or maybe two) pair and take the rest back.</p>
<p>Thanks to CJANE for the heads up, I ordered a pair of [Keen</a> Targhees](<a href=“http://a2.zassets.com/images/z/4/4/0/9/0/4/440904-p-4x.jpg]Keen”>http://a2.zassets.com/images/z/4/4/0/9/0/4/440904-p-4x.jpg). I paid $5 more to get the clearance color from the Zappos side of the operation rather than the 6PM side, but I’ve got free shipping if I decide to return them. These haven’t arrived yet, but I know from the store that they are “wicked” comfortable. Kinda like hiking sandals. I’m not sure they are the answer for the rocky mountain trails, but they might be great replacements for the trail runners as waterproof weather good terrain hiking and go the grocery store in winter slush shoes. They would be perfect for yesterday’s Audubon Center hike. These won’t arrive for a couple of days.</p>
![http://a2.zassets.com/images/z/4/4/0/9/0/4/440904-p-4x.jpg]Keen](http://a2.zassets.com/images/z/4/4/0/9/0/4/440904-p-4x.jpg%5DKeen){kind=link}
<p>Two options arrived from LL Bean today. Both made by [their</a> Italian supplier](<a href=“http://www.aku.it/en/prodotti.html]their”>http://www.aku.it/en/prodotti.html).</p>
<p>The first pair is the Italian leather hiking boot, the [Cresta</a> Hiker](<a href=“http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/156659_0_52]Cresta”>http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/156659_0_52). Wow. These feel like gloves. For being heavy-duty and substantial, they feel fantastic! Great reviews from the hiking magazines and long-term Bean wearers. Totally old school.</p>
<p>The other pair is a slightly lighter boot from the same vendor, the [Mountain</a> Treads](<a href=“http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/241608_31089_42]Mountain”>http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/241608_31089_42). Also Gore Tex waterproof, but nubuck leather and mesh. Hard to tell from the picture, but these are much much more substantial than the light Keen’s. Definitely more of a heavier boot than a trail shoe – bigger, wider, thicker, soles, etc. Sort of half way in between the other two options. I ordered these in a low cut, but they are also available in a mid-cut. These are heavy duty enough for anywhere I’ve hiked, especially the mid-cut version. On first blush, they are not as comfortable as the heavier leather boots.</p>
<p>Now, I ‘m going to wear each one for an extended period around the house and see how much my tired ol’ dogs bark after several hours of confinement.</p>
<p>1 hour hitting moderately dead tennis balls in sunny, 96 degree weather. I was ravenous after half an hour which was surprising ad I had 1300 calories before going out. I guess it wasn’t enough.</p>
<p>The new strings on both racquets were nice.</p>
<p>I’m trying to pick a day for my next hike, but it’s crazy hot and humid out there right now. I was drenched after a four mile hike last night at 6 pm. My next one is the flat, easy hike on the Kangamangus Highway. I need a break from the mountain climbing. The over-50 hiking group is doing it tomorrow, but they are starting at 9 am, which means getting up at oh-dark-thirty for the two hour drive. I don’t really understand the logic of that when the sun doesn’t set until 8 pm. I like to be out the door at 9 am, hiking by 11, home by dinner.</p>
<p>1 hour scrubbing everything I can reach in the basement crawl space with bleach water. :(</p>
<p>(Everytime it rains and the power goes out, there is no sump pump help for the water, which gets on top of the plastic down there and has no way out. Ideal for growing mold. Grrrrr… Hate to think about having to get a generator, but this has happened twice this summer, after not happening for a number of years. Grrrrr.)</p>
<p>My other workout was moving the college boy out of the dorm in 96 degree humidity. As he was trekking uphill across campus, several yards in front of me and gaining, I told him to take it easy. “I was in the crawl space this morning.” He knew to give me a break!</p>
<p>That’s ok, tomorrow will be spent sitting in a car. Road trip. Several hotels will be involved, at least one of which is sure to have gym facilities and/or a pool. 
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As I am running longer and longer, I think I may need a pair of running shoes. The issued safety shoes are getting very hard as I pick up speed.
Would welcome suggestion for a pair, prefer under $40, more prefer under $25.
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<p>Sounds like my kind of hike.</p>
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<p>You could drive this evening and stay in Lincoln.</p>
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<p>I think that everyone has their favorite brand or two. I like New Balance and I get them at the factory outlet in Boston.</p>
<p>Bad shoes or the wrong shoes can cause injury - you might want to go to a store and try on several to see if you can get a good fit.</p>
<p>Whether that pricepoint is possible depends on whether or not you fit a standard size shoe. I bought a pair of North Face trail running shoes at Marshalls for about $50. Really high quality shoes, at Marshalls because they were a ghastly color that nobody wanted. The problem for me is that I really need a “wide” size shoe and that is just not going to be at the outlet type stores. So, I had to go bigger to accommodate the width and end up with a shoe that doesn’t really fit properly. Shoes (wide widths) and long athletic pants (short lengths) are the two things that I’ve given up on as far as bargain hunting. I can get a deal as long as I can live with something that never fits right. Unfortunately, shoes that don’t fit and pants that drag in the mud kind of wipe out the value of a bargain!</p>
<p>In the long run, I think you are better biting the bullet and going to a running store to try on a bunch of shoes to find a brand and style that fits. Pay for the first pair, and then know that you can always find a closeout deal on the internet for the same shoe the next time. For example, I know that a Brooks Addiction or Adrenaline 10 EE will fit me for running or walking. Sizing of sports shoes is crazy… and all over the board. There’s no way to predict what you will need without trying them on.</p>
<p>For a guy, starting out running, who is a bit on the big side, most likely you will want to look at what are called “motion control” or “stability” style running shoes. These have beefier soles and generally are going to provide better support for the pounding as opposed to shoes more suitable for gazelles.</p>
<p>Here’s a good safe choice in the Brooks line for $55 (if you happen to fit one of the closeout sizes available).</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.6pm.com/brooks-mens-shoes~6[/url]”>http://www.6pm.com/brooks-mens-shoes~6</a></p>
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<p>Marshalls has shoes? BTW, Marshalls closed at an all-time high today.</p>
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<p>The New Balance Factory Outlet in Boston does carry wide widths. I take 4Es as does my son and all of the athletic shoes that we’ve bought in the last 15 years have been from New Balance. Note that this is a real factory store - not like the stores at factory outlet malls. I have seen 6E shoes there too.</p>
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<p>Those sound like $100+ shoes just by their names.</p>
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<p>That would be the place to go!</p>
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<p>Yeah. They are your standard $100 retail shoes. The Addiction is the ultimate ol’ fat guy shoe. The Adrenaline is a classic all-around shoe that will be good for a wide range of people. Both can be found, in last year’s colors, for $60 to $80. Both have black versions, which are nice for all-purpose walkin’ around shoes. The Addictions are also available in leather “walkers”.</p>
<p>New Balance makes comparable styles, I just don’t know what they are called. Both brands are likely candidates for geezers to find something that fits and works appropriately as they sort of specialize in stabilty shoes and wider widths.</p>
<p>New Rules of Lifting workout for me today. Warmup stuff outside in the heat. The rest of it in the muggy basement with a fan blowing on me. But, I punched the clock. Squat presses. Kettlebell swings. Rear foot elevated split squats. Band-assisted chin ups. Trap bar deadlifts. And pushups with my feet up in TRX straps.</p>
<p>Now, it’s off to my world famous chicken caesar salad for dinner, which is will probably eat while wearing a pair of hiking boots! What a picture, huh?</p>
<p>Stupid workout today, in fact so stupid, I didn’t do it</p>
<p>Warm Up was fine
2 rounds
400 m run
15 sit ups
15 air squats
15 good mornings with PVC pipe
lunges with twist</p>
<p>Then one of these bizarre mathematical formulas with deadlifts. Adding 5% to the single rep number max you did last time, then taking 90% of that as your total and doing 5 reps at 40% of that number, 5 at 50%, then 3 at 60% then back to 5.
It was way too much math for that early in the morning, lots and lots of bending down and adding weights to the barbell, and many deadlift reps. I didn’t get anywhere near 90% of the weight. I think I just stopped at 145 lbs. with my back not enjoying it anymore.</p>
<p>This was to be followed by 12 minutes as many rounds as possible of front squats with the barbell (12 reps) and 10 burpees that include jumping over the bar. </p>
<p>Lower back was way too fatigued to maintain form on the front squats even with nothing on the bar and the burpees felt bad, too. So, I bagged it. Absolutely not happy with having gotten up early and making my way there, only to leave with half a workout.</p>
<p>Not a lot of input from the instructor ( a known non-favorite) as to alternatives, so I just did a bunch of push ups and double unders and called it a day.</p>
<p>Ended up playing 2 hours of tennis with a friend later in the day. She hasn’t played much tennis, but is a natural athlete and can get the ball back, so it was mainly feeding balls to her and hitting from the baseline, then chasing down some of the more erratic returns. But all in all fun (and movement!) in the sun. I am hoping to do some hikes in the next few days, sadly not enough time to get hiking shoes, so my trail runners will have to suffice. Looking at the possible options, I should be okay in them.</p>
<p>@ DadII, I am generally as cheap as they come, but I wouldn’t suggest focusing just on price when it comes to decent running shoes. Get fitted in a good store, buy a high quality, well-fitting pair, then when you know what works, you can try to find those on sale.</p>
<p>Certainly, something like a Brooks or other high end running shoe outlet store is a great option, but even there, you are unlikely to find a good pair of shoes at the price point you mentioned.</p>
<p>CJANE:</p>
<p>Good for you. Smart move to say “no mas” to that workout. Dead lifts and front squats are terrible exercises to play high rep math games with. At least for me, those are both exercises that require a lot of focus and quitting before my form falls apart. I’m doing 10 rep sets of trap bar dead lifts in my current workout (140 pounds) and I’ve got to really focus to stay clean on the last two or three reps.</p>
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<p>I think sub-$40 is going to tough for a decent pair of running shoes. Even at Marshall’s, the quality athletic shoes are in the $50 to $60 range. I bought a pair of Avias for $29 and they are junk. Honestly, they hurt my feet even for yard work.</p>
<p>DadII - if you are running in safety shoes, and I assume you mean steel toe oxfords, you could be eligible for a Darwin award. That is not a good thing.</p>