2 mile walk and bike demo

The Workout:
2 mile walk
15 minute Mtn Bike Demo

I got a line on a briefly used bike identical to mine and walked down to the shop during lunch yesterday to check it out. The walk was hot but good. Unfortunately, while the price on the bike was pretty sweet at $1000 and it had only been owned for 6 weeks I thought it had seen too much action to warrant purchasing. The previous owner bought it, rode it a few times and then traded it in for a Downhill bike. If a bike with 5" of travel, front and back, isn't enough for someone, then they are obviously hucking off of some serious stuff. That fact combined with some pretty serious scratches/dents from wrecking, and the shifting not being that great told me everything I needed to walk away. It was a shame but how pissed would J be if I helped him spend a grand on a bike that didn't shift smoothly?

Sick Sucks - Nav Walk

Sick
   Sick
      Sick
         Sick

And I do not like it
not one little bit.

I started noticing a sore throat last Friday and a week later I'm still hacking up lung matter from a nasty little bug that took me out over Memorial Day weekend. This week was fortunately scheduled as a Periodic Recovery week where I was supposed to take it easy. Yesterday, I fought the urge to go to the gym or for a jog and opted to go for a 3 mile walk over lunch instead. I marked 43 points around the Montford area on a GoogleMap. During the walk, I practiced keeping the map oriented and staying found as I walked to the various points.This turned out to be a wonderful exercise. I saw tons of cool houses, landscaping, gardens and scuptures I hadn't noticed running. Even though I was on streets that I've run dozens of times in an area I know well, it was quite mentally challenging staying focused on my task for the entire 50 minutes. Walking 3 miles is silly easy, think-walking 3 miles leaves my brain smoldering and in need of a break. I definitely need to incorperate focus based workouts in the future.

Quick Upperbody

The Workout:
20 min upper body

3 sets of 12:
situps
curls
press ups
dips
lat pulls
military press ups
seated rows
butterflies

Night Ride #2

The Workout:

1.5 hrs mtn biking at night

Gluttons for punishment, Jason and I headed out Sunday night to Bent Creek. We rode the 6.8 mile loop around the lake and out to the northwestern end of Explorer loop. It was a great ride. Jason did very well and got a chance to try out my bike. I felt great on the ride but like poop for the next two days. Time to heal.

Night Ride #1

The Workout:

2.0 hrs Mtn Biking
limited trail nav

Saturday night, Jason and I left our campsite around 10pm and rode the Pilot Cove - Slate Rock Creek trail loop. Total mileage was around 7 miles but quite a bit of the trail was too steep or too technical to ride so we shouldered the bikes and sisyphused it. I would have liked to go longer but it was for the best as I was sick as a dog and ended up loosing my voice by the time we got back to camp. The headlamps worked out great and should be adequate for navigating trails around Richmond this fall.

Lunch Run w/ pack

The Workout:

6.5 mile run w/ pack

Today over lunch, I ran the longer loop down by the South Bridge and up around Richmond Hill to Pearson Bridge. I wore a decently packed backpack and was psyched to finish feeling pretty good. This run taught me that my legs and lungs are in great shape. It is my mind that needs work next.

2hr Mtn Bike Ride - Bent Creek

The Workout:

mtn biking 2hrs

Yesterday I met Paul, Rob, Pete and Jack at Bent Creek for a quick ride after work.

I had suspicions that I'd be in a little better shape than these guys so I hatched a plan to work on my nav skills and map awareness. On my lunch break I printed a topo/trail map of the area and identified around 20 points (trail intersections, saddles, road junctions...etc) that we'd likely hit. I gave each point an orienteering style two letter code and wrote them on the back of the map with a brief description. Lastly, I jotted down the elevation for each point as best as I could determine from the map.

We met at the parking lot on the right just past the Hard Times trail head. I was a few minutes late as I had to run home to pickup my bike shoes but was ready to roll in less than 5 minutes. Before taking off, I jotted down the parking lot elevation from my higear watch. As we rode and passed the various points on my map, I would stop and record their elevation. Since I didn't know where exactly we'd be riding, I really had to stay connected with the map and be looking ahead for the next possible point. This task was quite a bit more difficult than I would have thought. I found it impossible to write anything while riding and on all but the smoothest single track it was hard to read the map. The exercise was definitely worth it and much needed.

The second half of the ride took us West down old Hickory Top and SideHill into territory I hadn't planned on riding. I was actually pretty relieved since it made focusing on riding a lot easier. All in all a great loop.

Gym Cardio Workout - 55 min

The Workout:

55 minutes of cardio
1 mile run - level treadmill, w/ pack, 7:30 min/mile pace
stair climb - 12 min, hill workout w/ pack, lvl=7
1 mile run - level treadmill, w/ pack, 7:30 min/mile pace
row machine - level 9, 10 min w/ pack
20 push-ups - w/ pack, on small balance ball, 10 each hand
1 mile run - level treadmill, w/ pack, 7:30 min/mile pace

I had a good cardio workout in the gym today. With the pack on for the duration, my heart rate stayed in zones 4-5 (174 bpm) on the runs and dropped down into zone 3 (165 ish) for the stairs and row machine. I should really be doing these sessions in zones 1-2 so I can crank it up on my strength and Sisyphus sessions. Hopefully if I continue to use the pack during training, I can reign in my heart quite a bit more.

Tree-Monkey Workout

The Workout:

Saw many branches w/ handsaw
Drag said branches around yard and stack behind shed
Climb up and down remaining 20ft tall tree, 20 times

The seemingly healthy 30' tall pine tree smack in the middle of my back yard died inexplicably this year. It is as if it just forgot to wake up this spring, dropped all its needles and cashed in its chips. While very disappointed, I still turned the removal process into a fun workout. After cutting down, dragging and stacking everything I could tackle without a chainsaw (at a fast pace), I climbed up and down the skeleton of the tree 20 times in a row. I purposely left about 3 inches of the major branches so I could easily work my way up when trimming the smaller stuff. These made for a great jungle gym. The climbing was super easy but I wore my self out doing it over and over again. This was very satisfying and now I'm having second thoughts about removing the rest of the trunk :o).

Max Patch Bald - Saturday Hike

The Workout:
4 mile hike w/ pack
12, 12 and 11 handstand push-ups

This weekend, the family headed up to Max Patch Bald near the Tennessee border. Our last attempt was stifled by sub freezing temperatures and a complete foggy whiteout. This time the cards were in our favor.
This bald was initially cleared to provide pasture land halfway across the mountains from North Carolina to Tennessee. Today it is mowed, grazed and occasionally burned to provide a beautiful 360 degree view of the North and South Pisgah Mountains and of The Great Smoky Mountain National Park system. We left our house (2200'ASL) in 75 degree weather and watched the mercury fall to 55 degrees by the time we got to the summit of the bald (4620'ASL). Once everyone was bundled up, it turned out to be a beautiful day, albeit very windy, with blue skies all around.
We chose the figure 8 route leading us around both short and long loops. The longer loop led us down around the base of the bald through the forest below.
True to form, Ellie was far more interested in finding and stashing acorns in the front pocket of her overhauls than the long range mountain views.

The last highlight from this great hike was me cranking out sets of 12, 12 and 11 handstand push-ups while Bethany fed Noah.

Gym workout - Upper body and Sisyphys

The Workout:
30 min upperbody - 3 sets on machines of: 25 crunches, 20 curls, 20 press-ups (bench), 20 dips, 20 lat pulls, 20 military press-ups, 20 rows, 20 butterflies

30 min Sisyphus - treadmill, incline (15), 25 mins speed (3.0), 5 mins speed (3.5), 15lb medicine ball, 30 second alternation (front, r.side, back, l.side, overhead)

1 mile run - flat treadmill, 7:30min/mile pace

Stretch - 10 mins

Today I hit the upperbody portion aggressively and was finished in around 25 minutes. The first set was too heavy as I had to really reduce the weight on the last set to get out 20 reps on each exercise.

I used a different treadmill this time capable of a steeper incline. I maxed it out but reduced the speed from the 4.0 I used last time to 3.0. That equates to 3 miles/hr or 20 min/mile pace. After the hard upper body workout, it was tough enough to make me think I might not make the full 30 minutes. The biggest problem was the vinyl covered medicine ball getting sweaty making it quite slippery and fairly taxing to hold on to. The middle 10 minutes were the hardest but after 20 minutes I knew I was golden. After 25 minutes I upped the speed to 3.5 miles/hr and finished it out. I then dropped the medicine ball, returned the treadmill incline to flat and set the speed on 8.0 (8 miles/hr or 7:30min/mile pace) Throughout this run, I monitored a slight twinge in my left knee. I decided it wasn't enough to stop and it feels OK now.

After getting some water, I spend about 10 minutes stretching.

This was a tough workout!

Cardio Workout - Gym

The Workout:

45 mins cardio
1 mile on treadmill - no incline, 7:30 min/mile pace
Eliptical Machine - 12 minutes, sustained 114 heart rate
30 decline sit-ups
1 mile on treadmill - no incline, 7:30 min/mile pace

Today I worked out at the gym before work. After a great ride this weekend I was happy to take it easy and keep the heart rate nice and low. After a bit of stretching and a long shower, I was ready for the day.

Newfound Gap Bike Loop

The Workout:
Road ride - 3hrs w/ pack
Run - 20 min w/ pack

I hit the road at 5am this morning and rode a loop around the mountains behind our house, over Newfound Gap. Our house sits at 2200' ASL. The gradual elevation changes during the 34 mile ride were mild and the high point was Newfound Gap at 3000' ASL. Having rained all night until around 4:30am, Hwy 19/23 was very wet for the 13 mile ride into Canton. The spray from my front tire was just the perfect height to hit me in the face at faster speeds so I rode much slower than conditions allowed. Things eventually dried out by the time I got to the Champion paper plant in Canton.From there I got off track a bit as I didn't bring a map but after an extra mile or so, I was on Newfound road heading out into the country. Sunrise was beautiful in the valley fog and there was very little traffic going in my direction. Once over the gap, a fast 12 mile descent let me down into Georgetown. From Georgetown it was a quick jaunt down New Leciester Hwy back home. Once again I realized I need a side view mirror for my helmet when riding in traffic.
Noteworthy experiences were learning where the WNC ice cream van fleet lives, racing frisky horses and being chased by the fastest dog in the world.
Once back home, I switched to running shoes and jogged around our neighborhood for 20 minutes, wrapping up by 8:30am. All in all a fantastic morning.

Cardio Workout - 45 min

The Workout:

1 mile run on treadmill - no incline, speed 6, with backpack
Stair climb - 12 min, level 6, with backpack
1 mile run on treadmill - no incline, speed 6-8, with backpack
Row machine - 10 min, level 7, with backpack
30 push-ups - w/ backpack
1 mile run on treadmill - no incline, speed 6-8, with backpack

After working late to fix server problems last night, I went over to the
gym for a quick cardio workout. I was still a bit sore from Monday's
2fer but it felt good to be doing something. I noticed that my right
shin muscle was sore on the way there and probably should have just
skipped the workout to heal. I will probably pay for that later. I
plan on icing it each night and taking it easy until my ride on Sunday.

Cardio "2-fer"

The Workout:

AM
1 mile run on treadmill - flat, 7:30min/mile pace
stairmaster - hill, 12min, level 7, 1000vft
1 mile run on treadmill - flat, 7:30min/mile pace
row machine - 6 minutes
stretching - 5 min

Lunch
UpperBody Circuit 3 sets, 15 reps
curls
bench press
crunches
butterfly chest
seated rows
military press
lat pulls
dips
arm circles - side, front, top
Cardio
Sisyphus - 30 min, max incline (12), 15lb medicine ball

After being sore yesterday I cut my morning workout to ~ 45min this morning. At lunch I hit the gym again and did an upper body workout on exercise machines. I used a weight and pace that allowed me to get through the whole workout with not much left on the table. After some arm circles, I could barely hold my arms straight out from my sides. Next came an awesome Sisyphus workout. I upped the ante and traded the 8lb medicine ball for a 15 pounder. My intention was to do 10 minutes at max elevation and a brisk walk. Last time, I moved the ball every 15 seconds but this time I decided to move it every 30 seconds. Held out in front, to the right, behind back, to the left, over head round and round it went. As the 10 minutes drew near, I set my sites on the 20 minute mark. It was deliciously hard but still manageable and I was sweating bullets. Once again my mark came and went and I resolved to try and hit 30 minutes. With 5 minutes to go and still feeling strong I increased the speed setting from 3.5 to 4.0. It's hard to tell what those settings actually translate to in the real world but all I can say for sure is that 3.5 is a sustainable speed and 4.0 sends me over my aerobic threshold and gets harder and harder to maintain. At the end of the half hour, I flattened the treadmill and jogged for a half mile to cool down.

I may pay for that the next few days but right now I have this extremely sharp, crisp, clear cleansed feeling right now. Probably endorphins but I feel like I worked all of the soreness out of my legs and got a great upper body workout in to boot.

Camp Grimes O-Meet

The Workout:
2.5 hrs orienteering w/ 15 lb pack

Saturday I cruised up to the Camp Grimes Mecklenburg Scout Reservation just south of Marion, NC for my first Orienteering meet. The details of that excursion will be on my AR blog. I kept to a brisk walk or slow jog pretty continuously for the duration of both courses with a brief intermission while I copied down the controls from the second master map.

I knew I was tired at the end but it really didn't catch up to me until Sunday afternoon. The family and I went out to Fletcher Park for a picnic and walk. When Ellie (from up on my shoulders) asked me to run fast, I had no motivation to do so which is very rare for me. I could tell by a quick jog over to the restrooms that my legs were trashed. Later, I succumbed to a 2 hour nap.

Note to self: Be sure to eat and drink enough or you will bonk.

Cardio Workout - Sisyphus

The Workout:
[50 min cardio in gym]

1 mile run - flat treadmill, 7:30min/mile pace
Stairmaster - 12 min, hill workout, level 6
Rowing machine - 10 min, level 9
Judo push-ups - 20
Sisyphus - 8min, 4mph, level 10 incline, w/ 8lb medicine ball
Exercise bike - 5 min, little resistance

After 8 days with no exercise to speak of, I have been unbelievably antsy to get back in the rhythm of working out regularly and simultaneously too tired and committed to really do anything about it. As it turns out, the time off was actually a great step towards staving off overuse injuries and burnout. Any minor aches I was having in my legs, back, shoulders seem to have all gone away.

I came into town early this morning to get in a quick cardio workout before work. It was my fairly standard regimen with the new addition of the "Sisyphus", an exercise described in a race report that Jason discovered a few weeks ago by UltraBambi.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was sentenced to push a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again for all eternity. The idea is to quickly walk on a treadmill set on its steepest incline, carrying plates (ranging from 25 to 45 lbs) in alternating hands, then directly overhead. I was somewhat skeptical about the effectiveness of such a workout but decided to give it a go. I cranked up the treadmill to a brisk 4mph (15min/mile pace) and a steep incline. Grabbing a handy 8lb medicine ball I hopped on and started hiking. Every 15 seconds I would hold the medicine ball in a different position; behind my back, over my head, to each side and out in front. 8 minutes and a half mile later, my heart was pounding in my chest and I was doing all I could to keep up the pace and avoid slipping off the back of the treadmill. When I stepped off, I felt light headed and negotiated not passing out by squeezing my abdominals like a fighter pilot dealing w/ heavy G-forces. Whew! What a great addition. That was good on many levels. 1) It is low impact so could be done often without worry of injury, 2) it really cranks up the heart, 3) it works the chest, arms, back and shoulders and 4) It brings the core muscles and body balance into play.

I believe that Trekking is my weakest link when compared to biking, boating and running. Sisyphus could be the answer so I'm going to make it a permanent addition to my cardio workouts in the gym.