On the Trails Again...

I have been casually looking for a used mountain bike (MTB) for several years now, something with at a minimum front suspension. The Diamondback Accent that I've been riding is a 7 speed x3, no suspension with standard brakes. My thoughts have been for a Cannondale Lefty. Why? I have a Cannondale R5000 road bike that I bought used that has served me well for years and thousands of miles through multiple states and from what I've read, the Lefty is a solid suspension (and strange with just a single shock tube up front). As is a pattern in my life, after waiting and waiting, three weeks ago I bought a used Cannondale RZ120 Lefty ... nice!! Thank you God - you always provide!

Cannondale RZ 120 Lefty

I've ridden it twice on the trails now and WOW, what a difference! Spots on the trail that would beat me up and rattle my brain before; now are just ridden over ... so smooth - I kind of feel like a little boy on Christmas morning when I ride it. To describe what it's like: it's taller, it rolls better, the brakes work better, it's smooth, it's fast, ... it feels like I'm cheating when I ride it compared to what my previous bike was like! I am very thankful.

That being said, I still need to get used to it: the front end is a little light on steep climbs so I'm having to focus to try to keep it on the trail and pointed in the right direction. I expect to make some updates as I start spending more time on the trails and get used to this nice MTB. I will post "Numbers" as in the past in future updates.

It's nice to be on the trails again. My RZ may not be new, but it's about 5 steps up from my last MTB. Now I need to work on getting my skills and fitness up.

... and came down in two pieces...

To my surprise, I've started enjoying playing golf; and I'd say there is a 'acceleration' of the enjoyment as apposed to a 'velocity' of enjoyment - after just finishing helping my 9th grader with her Physics. I've played in the past maybe 20 yrs ago, but have never had lessons and honestly was bored before being finished. Now that my son-in-law plays and I participate in an annual fund raising tournament .. I'm starting to enjoy it.

Just a couple days ago I had watched an online video with the long ball hitters - so what do I do, I go out back and see what I can apply to my swing. So with out hitting a ball, I am just swining my 3 wood (Knight Billy Clug BC-2Ti) and it feels like I'm able to incorporate some changes to my swing. After about 5 minutes, I make a swing and the club flew out of my hands in my follow through. The instant I felt it gone from my hands I began to panic. I could imagine the club could go a very long ways and break something or hurt someone as it came down. The next sound I heard was crashing in the tree to my left. I looked up in time to see two pieces falling to the ground.

What a disappointment! My clubs are all garage sale and throw always. I only recently removed the piece of paper with $3 on it from the top of this club .. this was my favorite club: one that I wasn't affraid to hit of of a tee of from the fairway. On my last outing with my son-in-law, this club was my second hit on a long par 5 that put me on the green and gave me an opportunity to putt for my first Eagle (which I missed - barely) and settled for a Birdie.

I've looked for a replacement, but only one is available on ebay, and it's kind of pricey .. so I will consider a more current club to replace it.

I have ordered a new driver to me - a 2009 Taylormade R9 460. It should be coming this week and I'm really looking forward to hitting it. It will be my first driver. The last year I've been borrowing my son-in-laws old one since he got a new one for Christmas. And with it I've finally started to be able to hit it. In the past I would tee off with my 1 iron rather than face the slice of my driver, or topping it and having to hit it again just 20 yds from where I started.

I am looking for a 3 wood, and the review on the R9 are good, so I will try to replace my favorite club with what I hope will be a new favorite.

Golf can be an enjoyable game, or so I'm coming to believe. I'm finding myself out back practicing my chipping. I have a spot where I've scraped off the grass with my 10 iron as I try to chip the ball into a metal trashcan 30 yds away. I still haven't made it in, but have been soooo close and am putting a bunch within 6 ft of it - it's Fun!

Note to self:
- when you get pumped up watching others hit the ball over 300 yds and want to do the same: put your glove on and make sure you aren't so loosely holding the club that it fly's from your hands
- be patient with your swing: work on the short irons and the long ones will follow

Training in the Heat

My work requires me to be outside much of the time, so because of that I also train / exercise during the heat of the day too. There are several articles about training in the heat and since that is my regular practice, I'd throw in my 2 cents worth too.

Today's run was 6 miles in 98 degree weather. I left the house around noon with my shoes, socks, shorts, Camelbak with ice and water (around my waist), cell phone, knife, GPS, heart rate monitor, hat, glasses and sunscreen. No PR's or records today - well maybe a slowest pace record (avg 9:35/mi), rather today was about survival and forcing myself not to walk or cut short the route.

I noticed my heart rate was up compared to my pace and exercition level (often in the 170's), but many of the articles state that one of the benifits of training in the heat increases the volume of plasma. I've noticed this on other runs and rides where the temps are high, my heart rate will be higher than expected for the performance I'm getting: which isn't surprising due to the heat. The take-away for me is that heart rate is a complex result of many factors: nutrition, rest, temp, performance, stress, ...

Here's the quote from the runners world article:  (1) The biggest benefit of heat acclimation may be plasma volume expansion. Just as altitude stimulates your body to produce more red blood cells, heat stress stimulates your body to produce more plasma. The result is a greater cardiac output, and higher VO2 at a given effort level. In the New Zealand study, resting plasma volume increased by 4.5%, even though the the athletes had very high plasma volume to start; in the Oregon study, plasma volume increased by 6.5%

I will continue to run and cycle in the heat, but I am aware of the risks and think I'm doing it safely. I was recently told by a medic that I shouldn't be out exercising in the heat ...

I was almost done with my road ride, 26 mi, and noticed a person pointing up on the side of the road. There is a trail there that is part of the Mountain Bike trails, so I was familiar with them. I stopped and called out, but the person never responded. So I left my road bike on the side walk and climbed up the side of the incline to the person and trail above. The person was a female MTB rider. Her bike was a little further up the incline on the trail. She was laying there breathing with a pulse, but not responsive. The person on the road called 9-1-1 while I stayed up with her. I used the ice water that was left in my camelbak and sprinkled it on her head and down her spine - figuring she was over heated and unconscious as a result, or she could have crashed and ... not sure why she was like it, but I didn't see any harm in cooling her body while we waited for the professionals to arrive. Another passer by came up and took his shirt off to provide a little shade for her as she layed there, even convulsing at times. The paramedics put a neck brace on her and put her on a stretcher and then down the incline into the ambulance. She was by herself, so I asked them to take her bike to the station for her to pick up later - which they did. I don't know what happened to her or her current condition, but I'm assuming she's OK now. Hopefully she will not be riding the trails alone anymore. (Something that I do myself, but I tell myself that I'm careful and it's ok. I hope I'm right!)

... so as they loaded her onto the stretcher she started vomiting. It was at this point that the medic that "WE" shouldn't be out exercising in the heat of the day. I didn't say anything. I knew what he was trying to say ... that people that aren't prepared or used to the heat, shouldn't be out at a risk to them selves - as this lady was. As for me, I gave the last of my water in an attempt to cool her down and rode home the last few miles thankful that I was able to be of help to her, maybe even was a part of saving her life?!

So, if you are going to train in the heat, you might as well carry a little extra gear so you can help someone who may not be used to training in the heat. And if that never happens, carrying a few extra lbs of gear will just make you stronger physically and you'll have the saitfaction of knowing you were ready if there were a need.

Keep training .. even in the heat! Just know your limits and be prepared ...

Found out front yesterday?!

Can anyone tell me what is going on in these photos?

This caterpillar was discovered on the bottom side of a leaf. It appears to have all these egg sacks stuck to it's back .. are these some type of parasite?







Thanks Google: here's what I found:
"Frequently hornworms are found with a number of white cocoons attached to its. DO NOT KILL THIS TOMATO WORM! These white sacks are not the caterpillar's eggs--quite the opposite!--the white cocoons are the pupae of the Braconid Wasp. These wasps are parasitic insects that prey on hornworms. These wasps hunt down our garden pests, inject their eggs into their prey where the eggs hatch into larvae and begin eating the internal organs of the hornworm. After these "maggots" have matured they bore through the skin of the hornworm and proceed to spin a cocoon and attach themselves to the worm. From the cocoons emerge adult Braconid Wasp which will begin hunting for other Tomato Hornworms and Tobacco Hornworms to feast upon." - http://www.tammysrecipes.com/tomato_hornworms

Increased max pullups from 5 to 10 in 28 days

This is my new pullup routine. Basically you do a max set, do core exercise for a minute, and repeat until you've done 50 pullups total. Once you can do 6-10 pullups then do 75 total: 11-15 do 100 total: 16-20 do 150 total. When I first started it took 13 sets and I could do 5 on my first set. After twenty eight days of trying to be 3 times a week I was able to do 10 pullups on my first set and hit 50 total in 8 sets. (I didn't jump to 75 total yet as it's a killer workout and if it got harder I'm afraid I may not do it!!)

This past month I've not been as consistent and have been plateaued at 10 still. I've increased the total to 60 which is taking me 10 sets to accomplish and about 21 minutes. (My weight is still in the 197 - 200 range, something I'd like to see decrease by 5 - 10 lbs, but for me a stressful life often leads to eating for reasons other than for nutrition. I'm aware of this, but it's still a struggle at times.)

For the core exercises I will do situps, planks, kick backs, elevated planks and planks from side to side. I use a timer for all my strength training exercises to time my rest periods: usually 30 seconds, sometimes 1 min and for some heavy sets 2 minutes.

This is one of those tough routines that once the timer starts - it goes until it's done. That may be part of the reason I've been not so consistent this month - it's a beat down! But, if you want to increase you total number of pullups - it works! This coming week I hope to do all my exercises: strength training, running, MTB and road cycling. If I do, then the numbers will go up and the weight will go down.  :)

Old School MTB - rigid, Diamondback Accent

Another good ride done!!

Last June I was given a Diamondback Accent MTB. It's a solid 7-speed bike. My first changes were to move parts from my (now dead) 87 Schwinn Impact: Ergon grips, Crank Bros pedals and Body Geometry saddle, and to service all the wheel bearings. The bike rides good - the front washed out a couple times on me so I bought a 2.20" knobby up front, which grabs the trails and hasn't washed out yet. I also added a cassette with a 34T in the back (I don't remember what the front chain rings are) so I can pedal up some of those long and steep accents.

Fixing the first flat

Yesterday and today were the first times on the trails this year: it had been parked needing a replacement derailleur. There were 5 of us that went riding this morning. It was a lot of fun. One person crashed and one person flatted - twice: neither was me this time, which I'm always thankful for. This 20 year old MTB kept up and even blazed a trail to follow just fine! Trail riding is like sprints / intervals compared to distance when compared to road cycling.  I've been trying to alternate between running and road cycling lately, but will now have to add back in MTB riding too -it's just to good of a work out to not do regularly.

Numbers:
I didn't have my GPS on for part of the ride, but we did over 7 miles on the GPS and probably another 3 before it was started. It says the max speed was 25.2 and max HR was 172. The avg HR was 137.

Dirty legs, just above the sock line

Being chased by a dog ... AND it's Owner?!!

So, while I was running tonight, a dog came into the street to pursue and try to bit me. I saw it before it saw me, so I was already getting ready. There were two men in the yard. The dog was eating up by the front door with out a leash on. As I passed, it saw me me and ran out to me as I continued to jog/ (run slowly) past. After the dog took a pass at me, I told the guys in the yard that I'd kick it - all the while continuing on my run, with an eye on the dog and making a few tactical movements. One of the men started towards the street and the dog came in for a second pass and tried to bite my lower leg (it was a short bull dog type), so I pulled back and then forward and caught it with my foot. Not very hard, but hard enough to get a whimper out if it.

Then the man started yelling "Hay leave him alone! Don't do that!" (You would think he was talking to his misbehaved dog that wasn't on a leash, but no, he was talking to me!) So now I have a dog and his owner after me up the street. The dog never came too close as I chased him away when he got within 5 feet or so. The problem now was I have this guy running behind me yelling, "Kick me ##### &&#$@#!!!" over and over and over as he is about 10 yds behind me running at the same pace. I told the guy to "back off" and "get away from me" as I continued to run up the street backwards and forwards keeping an eye on where I was going and how far now both of my pursuers were. (As I reflect now, my heart rate was up, I was giving commands and I think 'fight' was engaged and ready in the background if it was needed.) But, thankfully, I don't feel the need to prove anything. I kept moving and both the dog and man stopped about 5 houses after this memorable event started at his.

Unfortunately this is on my normal end leg of all my routes. I guess I'll modify it for a few weeks - especially if I run in the evening. I kept waiting to hear a screeching sound of a vehicle stopping and the two or more guys jumping out. Had that happened, there probably would have been a criminal offense on their part and I would have done something about it. Thankfully that never happened. But it's nice to know that my subconscious was getting ready.

On days like this, I think some mace would be nice to have for any species that gives chase!



As for the details of the run: my avg pace was just under 9 min/mi. I just got my refurbished Garmin back, so I expect to be pushing a little more. I haven't been running regularly for a while, so I need to get back up to speed. I can see it in my heart rate - as it takes a little while to get to be able to train at higher heart rates. That's why it's so nice to train with a heart rate monitor: you get to know what numbers are normal under different circumstances.

Be safe .. from pet .. AND owner!

Training my Son

I spent time today 'training' my son: we serviced our little Honda 50 as it had been sitting for the winter with some fuel in the carb and a tiny bit in the tank. Things he was taught:
- the difference in color and smell of 'good' gas and 'bad' gas (varnished)
- how to drain the carburetor and tank
- check the oil
- check for spark
- clean the spark plug
- reminder of the proper technique for kick starting
- oil the chain

Taking a pause for a photo: got out the tripod, set it for 10 second delay, ... take 3 shots and use the best one!  :)

And after that, it was time to ride. We're thankful to have a 1/2 acre lot, so we can ride in the back yard and get up to a decent speed.  :)

So, while he was riding, I serviced the 100 and we rode together. We had a great time.

Then later in the evening I was able to go for a MTB ride. I did two loops on the trail that has become my staple MTB ride. My loop times were slower than before - not sure why, BUT ... I went down the rock surface on both loops this time. It was the first time I rode that part of the trail. So that was good. My MHR was 179. It's good training: having to hold on, those quick bursts of fear - then gone as quick as it came, ... even wondering where that Mountain Lion is as I pass by the section of the trail where I saw him/her in weeks past.

The more one is trained, the more one should be training another: passing on the experiences and knowledge of life for others to enjoy and/or benefit from.

Sakata bug

No training today ... :(  

But I did get to spend a few hrs golfing with my son-in-law this morning and then the rest of the day with my youngest son who found a Sakata bug in the yard. We both like taking pictures, and he asked me if I wanted to take any 'Macro' pictures of it. I like macro photography, so I did. The pictures are on a blog that I'm posting macro photos to that I've taken. Here's the link to the bug shots.

First MTB tip: how not to spin your back tire going up a climb

On my last ride on the trails - I continued to have a problem with loosing traction going up a couple of the climbs. When it was steep, I would be up over my front handle bars and the back tire would spin and loose traction. What I was doing subconsciously was pulling back or up on the handlebars and pedaling slower.


The bike that I was given, just like my old bike, has no suspension; so when I pull back/up on the handle bars the front end gets light and even can loose contact with the trail: not desirable, but neither is loosing all traction and having to dismount part way up a climb. I was on my second loop and towards the end when I finally started to be intentional about this technique to get up the climbs with out spinning my back tire.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get to ride again and see how it works when I'm doing it intentionally.

Attached are two shots of the same portion of the loop that I still have to walk ... sigh. The rocks look to unforgiving and the pictures don't give justice to the downhill turn. For now, I walk that section. Maybe when I get a buddy to ride with, or get more confidence in my skills and bike - then I'll try ig.

Yesterday - Road, Today - MTB Trails, Tomorrow - Run

Taking a photo at speed ... a little scary

This is a steep, 1st gear, out of the saddle climb

I've attached some photos from my road ride on Monday, which has kind-of become my staple road route at around 33 miles. It takes about 2 hrs these days and includes some hills and 30+ mph sections on down hills and even a flat sprint section.




Nothing much to report other than I'm starting to pay my dues again now, so that in the future I'll have something to write about. This ride was hot, windy and once I got back home I laid in the grass in my front yard for a few minutes relaxing and being glad to be home.

One less rattle snake to have to contend with

Today was a quick trip to the trails before the thunder and grey produced water ... as it turned out as I was loading my bike there were some very small sprinkles that started to accumulate on my windshield. Not a lot to report here either: did one of the loops twice. It still has a down hill, switch back on rocks that I walk down - not ready to attempt it on my bike yet. There's another downhill switchback on bricks that still makes me nervous. Confidence is coming, but I'm trying to keep my brakes on it so I don't accumulate to many cuts and scratches too quickly.

We also went bowling yesterday and today. It was fun. There's a program over the summer where you can pay a one time fee and get two free games everyday. Since my family all has their own bowling shoes, all we have to do is get there and then we can bowl without any additional cost. It's fun and inexpensive. Today my 19 yr old won the first game and my 11 yr old bowled a 130. Yesterday I had a 193 game, today 170.

The wind, as usual, flying a full flag

Tomorrow will be a full day - so I may only have time for a short run. That's not a complaint, but rather preparing myself for what's realistic.

Mtn Biking ... after 4 plus years of not!

Today was the second time I made it out to ride the trails at Big Cedar Wilderness Trails in the last 7 days. Before this week .. it's been about 4 years since I've been on a trail on a Mtn Bike. The last 4 years have been exclusively road bike riding.

The first time out on a rigid frame and fork (as I'm used to riding) I saw the redish-brown tail and back end of a Mountian Lion as it ran around a corner up ahead of me as I came around a switch-back. That caused me to pause, catch my breath ... and once I started riding again - crash two times before getting off the trail. [Something about trying to look up the side of the hill and having my front tire get off the trail .. that big cat got in my head!]  No sightings today - other than 4 other cyclists: one I couldn't keep up with and three others I could.

Intervals are to the Treadmill as Mtn Biking is to Road biking

Having been so long, I had forgoten what it was like: the fear, excitement, fun, hard work .. and overall Great exercise that mountain bike riding can be. Even with the down hills and recovering on the flats, my avg heart rate was 160 bpm, with a Max Heart Rate (MHR) of 187. Now that I have another Mtn Bike, I plan on riding weekly.

What I like most about it over road cycling are the sudden changes of terrain, having to constantly be moving around [out of the saddle, to the left, right, getting behind the saddle], having spikes of fear [about hitting a tree, going off the trail, falling down, not being able to stop, hitting my helmet on a branch I didn't see], and how nice it is to ride in the woods.

I will try to ride my road bike tomorrow as I've not been on it for over a week now. There is a 33 mi loop that I like to ride.

Anyways .. I'm excited to be Mtn Biking again and think I'll keep track of some of my experiences here. It's been a difficult season of life and exercising has been bumped down further than I like: I've gained wait, lost strength, increased my resting heart rate and am slower running and cycling. I'm hoping to bump it up a few spots for the next few months and see what happens.

 Photos are coming with future posts ...

 I will start taking my camera once I stop crashing every time I go riding! I like photography and think they capture and tell their own stories.

If it's been 4 or more years for you, and you're starting to ride the mountain trails again, build your confidence slowly. I've got cut's and bruises from this evenings ride to remind me to do the same ... time to start training again!

Gecko Eye

Somehow or another my wife 'picked up' a Gecko the other day.
So, being the compassionate person that she is .. she 'hosted' the little fellow for a while until disappeared somewhere .. inside .. outside .. doesn't really matter; because these little fellows can walk through doors and walls.

So while he was 'hosted' I took some shots with my handy-dandy macro that continues to impress me with the clarity. For amateur macro-photography, this Canon PowerShot A710 IS has proven to be an exceptional lense.

The attached photos are of the Gecko. His head was no more than a half inch long, and his eyes maybe 3/32 nds of an inch - very small.

The eye's are just amazing!!!

A Place from my Macro Photographs

I've decided to create a blog where I will put my Macro Photography .. and other photographs that I think are neat. It is "alifeofmacrophotography.blogspot.com" - in keeping with the "A Life Of" theme. :) It's still in the makes .. so I will be trying to gather some of my old photos and get it started.

As for training .. I don't have a goal or intense training plans right now. I'm more trying to stay healthy .. and fighting fit: like Caleb at 80 was ready to take the land by force... I'm not 80 yet, but I'd like to be fighting fit at 80 too!

Amazing Storm

A couple nights ago, we had an amazing Storm blow over! I took about 230 photos with my handy Canon PowerShot A710 IS. I used the continuous shooting setting so it would take 10 photos at a time, put it on my tripod and pushed the button while I stood inside! It was that intense!

It sounded like explosions rolling through the sky - just above the tree tops. I don't usually get scared in electrical storms, but I stayed mostly inside. Here are some of the photos that I captured. Enjoy :-)

Intervals Again

Not much time today, so I did what I've been wanting to do for a while now .. throw in session of intervals on my road bike. Out on the dam it's 4 miles with out vehicles - just other cyclists, walkers, runner, skaters and etc.

So today it was 7 intervals across and 8 on the way back. The routine for today was 30 seconds hard and 60 seconds recovery. My Garmin works good for that and it was the interval session I used last so I just push the button to start and it keeps track of everything including a 5 second beeping as each state changes from one to the next. So it was out of the saddle at the start and then at the end of the 30 for a couple seconds too. After 15 of them .. it was very nice to be done. I then had a few miles to ride home.

Most people who 'train' know and appreciate the value of intervals - just not the difficulty or the pain of those workouts. Today was a workout that it was especially nice to 'have finished.'

Before the intervals I was able to bike with my wife - that was good. Not hard for me, but that's not it's purpose - the purpose right now is to be an encouragement and help. :-)

One yr PR's

I've not been able to do much 'pro-active' training for the last year - as life has been challenging and the time needed for such training just isn't available.

I've tried to reduce my weight training from two days to a single workout - hoping to do at least two workouts rather than the regular four of the past. This past week I got 2 1/2 in: two regular ones and the 1/2 was just bench; doing my regular wo and then adding weight. I stopped at 250 lbs which I've not done for over this last year of reduced training. I probably could have done more, but working out alone in the garage ... it just seemed like I'd done enough.

I also had a time on my bike over the bridge (Time Trial) section that I enjoy so much in the past couple weeks. [It's a flat section just over a half mile long.] One time I saw a max speed of just over 44 mph. Another time I saw a max heart rate of 189. Both of these are good and encouraging numbers as my overall fitness seems to be down, but my bodies capacity for exercise still seems to be present - I just am not able to tap into it very often.

The important lesson: life isn't about exercise and PR's; life is about relationships! Period: family, friends and still having some margin to handle the unexpected and unplanned. I enjoy training very much and it has value in helping me interact with others, but when the days are too full - it has to give. And that's where I'm at. Enjoying life, just not enjoying as much training as I'd like ... :-)

First week with 4 weights...

Just a quick update (to keep this site alive). With all that has and is going on, having significant exercise has been very rare. But, this week I was able to get back into my old weight training routine. Now the weights and reps are down a bit, but not as far as I was expecting and I'm hoping to be able to keep it going again now.

On the first of the year though, I was able to work out with weights, ride my bike and go for a run!! That's a good way to start the year.

Another Blood Donation

I was able to give blood again this week - Tuesday to be exact. My cholesterol numbers are on-line already and were 163 this time. I'm good with that. I'd like to have an annual blood exam sometime to see what the other numbers are.

Here's a good site for giving blood (Carter Blood). I hope everyone that reads this has given blood or maybe gives annually. Not everyone that wants to give blood is eligible to do so. Even if you're squeamish, they are very attentive to your needs and how you feel. And, most importantly, your given blood could very well save the life of one or more people!! That's a pretty good return for a little discomfort.

As for exercise: 27 miles last week with a 7 mile run under 8 min/mi avg which is very good for me. I'm not sure when I did that last. This week, is a reduced week, not so much by choice but out of necessity of a 'full life'. And I'm sure the reduced mileage will be good for my body.

I've started back some regular strength training exercises and am hoping to see some lost strength return over the next weeks - months.

Being "Well" or "Healthy" is a long-haul assignment .. not a sprint, but rather an ultra! :-)

PS - If you want to see your health take a giant leap forward, don't use your exercise as a license for eating nutritionally dead foods (pleasure foods ... for me chocolate, Blue Bell, etc.)

Blue Angels and F22

Some photos from the air show this weekend. Good family time.

The Blue Angels were GREAT!!

The one with the six of them is where they all come in from different directions and cross around the center. (I was glad to see that they are all in this photo: not bad for an amateur photographer and his Canon Powershot AS710! :-)


... However, I think the flight of the F22 was even more amazing. It was flying in ways like I've never seen an airplane fly before. It was truly amazing to watch. The photo of it here shows the back wing/flap/surface out at a weird angle .. part of the amazing way that plane flys. It was VERY Cool!

Albino Squirrel photo on my 10 mi run today

Albino Squirrel
Over the last few years I've seen an 'Albino Squirrel' on part of a regular route that I run. When I run I don't bring my camera; and usually don't have my phone except for long runs. Today was a longer run, so I had my phone and stopped to take a few shots. The photos aren't exceptional, but rather provide proof that there are some of these 'white' squirrels on my routes. He watched me long enough to allow me to get a few shots, but my phone-camera is not a 10th of the camera my A710IS is. (That's why the photos are a bit grainy.)

Nutrition
The second photo is from one of my lunches this past week. It was nice to have a different work schedule and get to run with my wife as well as fix her breakfast (enhanced oatmeal) and lunch (stir-fry: onion, yellow squash, sweet potato, bell pepper, garlic, rice, chicken and spinach at the last minute. Spices include: turmeric, cayenne, ginger, fish oil and 'Bragg' liquid aminos (similar to soy sauce)). Most days my wife is now fixing my lunch for me, which is a change from the last several years; but a change that I'm grateful for.

One of the changes that we are just starting right now is switching from Olive oil for cooking to Grapeseed oil. This was the first lunch that I used Grapeseed oil to cook the vegetables, rice and chicken; and I liked the lighter taste of it. The reason for switching is mainly for the higher smoke point (the point where the oil starts to breakdown). Nutritionally the oils are very similar and taste-wise the Grapeseed is lighter.

Exercise
Work continues to challenge my routine and I've still not gotten into a consistent routine with biking, running and weights. So for now I've put the emphasis on running as it is easy to do, I enjoy it, it helps me relieve stress and it burns some calories.

Today I did my long run and it was 10.5 miles. No speed records as it was 1:30:39 @8:38/mi pace. My avg HR was 143 which is in line with it being a lower steady run.

I've been running a 3.5 mi loop with the intent of staying under 8 min/mi pace. This makes me run a little faster than is easy for me, so I consider it good training for improving my speed. The pace for the two (3.5 mile) runs this week were 7:24 and 7:40. I also got in a 3 mi run with my wife at her pace. Before running with her I did 7 miles at my comfortable pace which was 8:29/mi for that run. The total distance this week was 27.53 miles. My Garmin says it was 4299 calories - thankfully more than my 'Blue Bell' consumption this week ... :-) Last week was 25.13 miles with a long run of 9.5 miles. And the week before that was 17.11 miles with the longest run being 7 miles.

Life
Life continues to be quite full and I'm glad for the weekends and the break from the routine that they provide. Today was a day with rain forcasted. But, as I've experienced on enough occasions over the years, I often start off to see how far I'll make it before the rain hits asking God for a dry path to run; and return home to sprinkles as I turn onto my street! No Joke! (As a work colleague of mine says, "True Story!") So, it's been raining off and on, sometimes quite hard, since I got home.

[Last photo is of my middle daughter on her birthday, taking a shot of her dessert. Taking photos runs in my blood, and hers too.]

A 'hot' week...

No PR's this week ... well, I take that back, I think my run of 6.5 miles yesterday may be a PR for the slowest I can remember doing it in quite some time .. 9:24 avg pace with some speeds over 10 min/mile: it was a run that I was glad to just finish! :-)

My total running miles were down this week ~15. I really want to get it back up to 20+, but am just not able to right now. Due to a couple primary reasons: fatigue, heat, schedule, ...

I did get to bowl another two games with my family and some friends. I bowled the second game at 202; maybe I should spend less time running and more time bowling as it seems my bowling is improving and my running is not-improving.

I also got a bike ride with Omar this morning in early: 23 miles for 90 minutes. It was a beautiful morning and nice to ride with a friend. Other than almost getting run off the road by a car I we were riding up a hill into the sunrise - it's was very nice. That wasn't too fun. I saw him in my mirror but was surprised when he passed me at about 10" to my left. That's why I had 'two' Planet Bike Blinky lights on the back of my bike in the past (now I have one on my mtn bike that my wife rides), and I'll be looking for another one so I can again have two as it's worth having a second light if it helps to be seen. (Being almost run over by cars and almost caught by chasing big dogs are my least favorite parts of morning rides. Thankfully they don't happen on every ride!)

So, not much to report. Expecting another full week and wanting to get my miles in .. we'll see. I also wouldn't mind dropping a lb this week as my stress eating needs to be better managed.

Thought for the day: Be careful what you sing and where you sing it. EX: after commenting that the waffle mix was to thin after returning from my ride this morning and sometime there after subconsciously starting to hymn the Veggie Tales song "It's plane to see .." --- whack .. I guess I didn't realize what I was singing, nor how close to my wife I was. None-the-less, we got a big laugh out of it as I tried to explain that I wasn't saying her brain was to small ... Since then, we've had a theme of 'brain' jokes today, including the relationship of dying brain cells and yawning, and mush for brains, ... it's been quite entertaining! So, the thought was, catchy tunes can sometimes end with a "Whack": don't forget your surroundings! :-)

Bowled a 236 game

[Photo: my best bowling game to date: 236 :-]

This morning I got to go bowling with my family - that was nice. As a family we bought shoes years ago and have a large container of them now for our family and 'guests' that join us too. This morning it was just the six of us though and the bowling alley was mostly empty. We have an offer that my frugal wife bought at the beginning of summer so we can bowl two games each. Since we all have our own shoes - there's no cost.

Before today I bowled one game probably 15+ years ago over 200 (in the low 200's). Well today, started with remembering where I was standing and aiming from the last time we bowled as a family (179 and 169 that time). But today was different that first game: I was able to put the ball over my mark .. and get strikes; seven of them in that game with two spares and one open frame - the 10th. When it was finished my score was 236. It's my best game to date - and I was able to do it with my family! [For those that are interested: I throw a straight ball, I stand two boards to the right of the last dot on the floor and aim for the fourth dot from the left of the first set of dot's on the lane.]

So, I don't know who like to bowl that reads this - but it's a fun family activity and if you make the investment to buy shoes it becomes very affordable.

My Grandma used to take me bowling when I was a kid and she's the one that gets credit for teaching me how to bowl (even though I don't quite have her unique approach walk). She was a good bowler - and for you that remember the game show 'Bowling for Dollars' - she was on that. She didn't win much as I remember, she said the lanes were very waxed (slippery). She also used to fish with me and taught me how to play penuchle! And I think she was better at both of those activities than I was too!! She has passed away for many years now, but Grandma Rose was quite a character, fun and silly ... and some might say that I too am becoming a bit of a character too!

So this morning I bowled the highest score game of my life to date!

3 weeks 3 rides

[Sorry, no photo this time .. no time. ]

It's a far cry from previous training ... but when priorities and life squeeze, I'm glad to be getting one ride a week in: and have managed to do so for the last 3 weeks.

I'm still running - that not as much as before too, but I'm trying to get my miles back up over 20-25 again. In my running last week, I did 2 miles @ 13:11, and on my 7 mile day I did mile 4 at 6:40. For me that's good, but I'd like to do better. So, I'm trying to add a few more miles each week and adding more speed training (which is my least favorite thing to do: running speed training that is). Intervals on the bike I enjoy much more for some reason .. probably because I'm faster on the bike than I am running.

I also recently did 61 sit ups in 60 seconds and am going to work on that to see if I can get 65. I could do 53 push ups and would like to see that improve too .. but then again, priorities and time limit training.

The weight lifting has been another area that has taken a time/priority hit - and I've lost a fair bit of strength and muscle. I'd like to add it back, but for now am going to focus more on aerobic fitness so will expect to loose some more muscle. :-(

Eating wise - I'm still enjoying my salads, and almond butter, jelly, spinach and black pepper sandwiches: and I'm enjoying the 'Blue Bell' a little to much too! I know it's a stress releaser for me, but I still struggle with it.

Something that I'm mindful of these days: "Knowing what to do isn't enough: doing it is!" It's a valid truth for all areas of life: health (eating, exercise, sleep), family, friends, God. It's certainly one that I struggle with in the area of health, as I know when I'm not doing what I'd like to be doing, but yet still find myself doing it. (EX: getting a second or third serving of the 'Blue Bell' [the Best ice cream in North America!])

Finially A Bike Ride

[Photo: Ahhhh ... snow. No snow here now, but 5 months ago it was Amazing!! Now it's just hot; with 'hot' forcasted for the next several months...]

June 4th was my last ride - prior to this past Sunday morning. Sunday morning I was able to get out and rode 26.26 miles according to my GPS. Nothing spectacular, but that wasn't the purpose .. instead it was being drawn to ride again! I've missed it.

Every time I take my bike off the rack, I am thankful for it. It's a great bike that rides super and with regular care it performs like a champ. Certainly I am the limiting factor ...!

I rode the bridge Time Trial, but forgot to stop at the end, so I think my numbers were just over 30 mph avg for the 1/2 mile and max HR of 177. For the whole ride it was avg 18.5 mph, max 45.7 and avg HR of 148.

There were other cyclists out and I was able to ride up and chat briefly before continuing on. I'm looking forward to this Sunday's ride already. I'd like to leave a little earlier so I can ride for more than 85 minutes. I've mostly been running and working; the weights and cycling have fallen away due to priorities and time.

Training wise: I'm having a hard time pushing myself to the higher training heart rates. In the past when I was cycling focused I'd get my intervals in on the bike. Recently I've been running intervals on the track .. but I'm not seeing the numbers that I was last year. Working those higher numbers is more uncomfortable ... , but I need to get that mental desire back to the point where I can push through those discomfort barriers. We'll see.

Don't forget to get your rest, and try to lay off the Blue Bell (I'm talking to myself here).

Two Full Photos...

Here are the two full size photos (not just the zoomed in portion as in the last blog entry). One is a hard candy on a cup-cake (something I don't like to eat) and the second is the word "Game" on an old TV (you can see the RGB rectangles with their analog intensity values..).

:-)

Two New Mystery Photos

Ahhhh ... a few minutes to enjoy my camera again ... nice!!

So, lets see if anyone knows what either of these two 'macro' shots are. Both these shots were inspired by my kids; one by my daughter by accident and the other by my youngest son. I'm still pleased with the quality of this Cannon A710 IS Macro lense! It takes GREAT macro shots.

So, be brave, any guesses...??

New blood...

My wife has (had) never given blood before .. well before today that is! :-)

I had mentioned it in the past: as something we can do together; and she doesn't know her blood type, so we could find that out and her cholesterol level too. So, today we went and did that together as one of our errands. It was Good!

It being the 4th of July weekend - it's probably a good time to make extra blood available. And we have these neat Carter Blood Red White and Blue T-Shirts that match that we can wear together: and are planning too at the 4th of July party we are planning on going to. (It's kind of fun, even if it's a little corny, to wear the same shirts; for us it's good for our marriage and relationship - and that important; so we do things like that together.)

I will throw out a plug for those that haven't given before or haven't done so recently: giving blood is a great thing to do. To have a body that has good blood, and can surrender a unit of it for someone else that may not have good blood or needs it - it's a pretty unselfish and thankful thing to do. So, please consider giving blood sometime soon this Holiday weekend: Your blood may save the life of another person!

Exercise:
It's been a looooong time since my last update. Life has been very full do to work and schedule changes. I've not been able to ride much, but have been running a moderate amount: an interval at the track once a week; another moderate run; and a 7 mi run on the weekend (for fun and enjoyment). I've not been doing weights due to my schedule change, but am still trying to do pull ups (able to do 1 set of 10 reps and then need assistance on following sets). I have been doing some cross-fit type of workouts though - and they've been good.

Hydration:
With the warm months I've been trying to stay hydrated and have noticed my body water content is up from what it used to be. This is a good thing I think as water is so vital to a well functioning body. (I have a scale that gives weight, fat% and water% - based on some entered body information. The absolute number may be off, but the change is what I'm watching; and my change in water is about 2% up from my previous normals.)

[Photos: my wife and I with our shared 'blue' post donation wraps, one of my greetings to my wife..., a nice sunrise this week.]