Exercise Goals for 2009

AKA The Timber Trotters.

Ah, 67. This means I might be cold. I am always cold these days.

Go everyone! Lotsa good news.

General update... I got solidly enough into my exercise routine that doing the check-in every time I did wasn't necessary anymore (for a while it really helped, and I thank all of you for that...) I'm thinking of adding a fifth day, but currently still going four times a week, with some new exercises (free weights instead of machines, lots of balance stuff). Am on a pretty steady downward slide, weight-wise, with occasional zooms and stalls. (Zoomed right through a new pair of pants, which was annoying in one of the better possible ways -- they fit for like a month before they became too big.)

Buy stuff you can wear with a belt -- that way you can get a few more wearings in before you zoom past for good....

Well, by "fit" I mean like bagginess in the butt. Not much that can be done about that except going to a tailor, and they're not special enough for that (got 'em cheap anyway at the Eddie Bauer outlet). Will prolly just get new ones and donate some quite-nice pants to Goodwill....

Donating too-big pants . . .
Another milestone.

How are all y'all?

I'm still just plugging along, not much to report. I seem to have a need to hoard for winter and have a bigger appetite than usual (it's fricken 40 degrees and raining outside, yuck), which probably has contributed to my current plateau. Oh well.

Came here to post this though, thought it was interesting:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/health/nutrition/15best.html

It says that there isn't really any science behind the idea that you should cool down.

Hmm, interestin'.

Keepin' on keepin' on. Made the mistake of not getting the absolutely perfect New Balance # running shoe. I now have the perfect one again, and all's right with the universe. Oof.

Next 5K on November 8th.

However, if you've ever done a hard workout at lunch, jumped in and out of the
shower and then continued to sweat through your 1:00 meeting, you don't care
what science has to say and neither do your poor co-workers.

Whereabouts?

There's that.

I haven't been here in ages - mostly because I haven't exercised in ages but I've slowly started up again. I realized that I was spending upwards of 23 hours/day either laying in bed or sitting in my special chair. Not Good!!! Well, the bed and chair are both good in that they're the only places that my back and/or knee pain is tolerable but not good in that there's got to be more to life than finding places to minimize pain. So.... with great care I've started to force myself to do a little more exercise. I started about 3 weeks ago and have very slowly gotten to the point where I'm doing "something" every day. I'm up to 24mins on the recombi-cycle (level 2) or 2 mile walk (slowish). I also spent the day downtown earlier this week and walked all over the place. I had to go back to the car for a break to alleviate my back spasms but I was quite proud of myself for being able to do as much as I did. Then, at the end of the evening I was able to climb the stairs to the third level of the parking garage without being 1) winded or 2) in too much pain. It was very uplifting.

So --- in mid-October I'll set my 2009 goal to keep at it and to slowly add small weights and lifting to my routine as I get stronger.

Wow, it's been a while since I posted as well.

Unfortunately my 2009 did not turn out how I intended it too.

ZERO Marathons this year.
However, I have ran 6 half-marathons and acheived a new PR (2:04).

I have one more race this year, the Seattle Half Marathon on 11/29 which I will be running with one of my younger brothers. This is his first race. He says that I inspired him to lose weight (60lbs so far this year) and train for his first half marathon. He hopes to average 10:00min/mi.

I'm shooting for a new PR and I WILL break the 2 hour mark.

Then I have a tough decision to make. I want to run the PF Changs race in Phoenix in January; but I also eventually need to get my hernia repaired (which I've been putting off for almost 1.5 years now). I was going to have the surgery in December, but if I do that I can't race in January. If I decide to race in January, I'm torn on whether to do the full or half marathon. It's mentally hard to train for a marathon during a Chicago winter.

Decisions, decisions.

Oh, and I'm down about 13lbs so far this year; that really helps with the running times.

Where do you work out, map? I'm over a Parkway North which is less than a mile from where you work.

Damn, that's a lot of pain! Sorry things have been so rough for you. It does sound like you've made some progress though, good for you. Hope that trend continues.

Good going, maporsche, and maporsche's brother too! Half-marathons are certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Luv2Run Boston 5k #2

more research is probably a good idea eh

Well, later they talk about how people pretty much never really stop-stop. You go to the locker room, get your stuff, walk to the car, etc.

Put it this way... after reading it I was reassured that I personally, in my routine, don't really need to incorporate a cool-down exercise.

Interesting article. I do have a 2 min cool down at the treadmill and also on
the stationary bike and I do walk to the car and then walk the dog - that should
do it!

JPB, good for you to start exercising despite the pain. Just take it easy and don't overly strain your back.

marposche, that's a touch decision, however health always goes before anything else, so keep that in mind.

Cheers for the Bostonians and their 5k runs!

One thing I've found about cool-down (and I really only need it after the treadmill) is it gives me my land legs again. I have, on occasion, felt a tad dizzy for a few seconds if I don't slow things down for the last, I dunno, 10 seconds or so. I've also got clinically mellow blood pressure, which is more likely to be the cause.

I agree about the treadmill, jes. I've felt woozy afterwards sometimes. I definitely like to slow it down for a minute or so before I stop.