After all these efforts I've made at grooming a little Nordic trail of my own, it seemed a shame today to not use it for my timed "run." So, I got up at the crack of noon (love Sundays) and hit the snow.
It was somewhere during the second lap that I recalled this important fact: Nordic skiing is much harder than running! The differences are legion, for they are many... (resisting the urge to launch into a Monty Python, "amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as... surprise, fear, a fanatical devotion to the Pope..."). Primarily, you use your arms. Coupled with that, each step does not always result in forward propulsion. Third, although it is true that one can "kick and glide" to a decent extent, that is only true for 1) people with balance, and 2) people who don't suck at the Nordic diagonal stride. I don't qualify on either count.
So, I watched my per lap times increase and increase... because I was working at full capacity (my heart rate was cruising at 174 - close to maximum - not sustainable!), I had to keep stopping to 1) catch my breath, and 2) let my vision return. What does that mean? It means I was working so hard I started having tunnel vision! Yeah, that's a wee bit hazardous when you are out by yourself in the cold and snow; it's usually the first step in passing out.
To sum up: I love skiing! I missed you, I missed you! Hard to beat a workout in which you come right to the precipice of consciousness, and spit into the void! Plus, it's so much easier on my knees... Skiing it is, then. At the very least, my ass will be firmly kicked toward ratcheting up the fitness, and when I return to regular running later in the spring, I predict I'll just fly right along. Well, fly in the sense of a bumble bee... you know, you look at that huge bug and wonder how the hell it stays aloft...
Lap Times
Loop 1 (diagonal Nordic) : 3:57.7
Loop 2 (diagonal Nordic) : 4:19.0
Loop 3 (diagonal Nordic) : 4:47.6
Loop 4 (diagonal Nordic) : 5:12.6
Loop 5 (diagonal Nordic) : 5:29.3
Total distance: 2 km, Total time: 23:46.2, Best mile: n/a
Weekly weigh-in: 314
Average power: No data for skiing, yet
Heart rate following final loop: 174
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down stretch: 99
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Week 14 - something's trailing me
Love winter, love winter, love winter.
But, it makes running difficult. So, I'm going to be skiing for a little while as a winter replacement. Yesterday (Saturday), I groomed myself a trail on the walk/run course. I knew it was going to be cold at night, so I wanted to get the air out of the snow, as that helps the snow firm up and become something pleasant to ski on.
Problem is, I don't have any grooming equipment... or a snowmobile! Solution? Tied an old headboard and footboard, from a dead bed, together and tied that all to myself. Then, I just pulled it through the snow, along the trail. I used snowshoes to pack things a little more. It was a challenge at times, and the first time around got my heart rate up to a pounding 175, but each pass got easier, and I eventually groomed it pretty well on the fourth pass.
You can see the results above. This is the portion of the course that comes out into a hay field before returning to the woods. Given the low light conditions (it was about 16:30 and sunset was starting) I had to find a spot with enough openness for some light! The shot below is of the same portion of trail, but looking back onto the track I set today with the skis.
That was just the first pass, though. I skied around today for about five loops, a little over a mile. It's been a very long time since I've done traditional diagonal Nordic skiing! But I did have a few moments of good form on some of the flat areas, and felt a nice kick and glide rhythm develop. I was kind of silly and forgot my iPod, so I didn't get any base-line times for my skiing over running.
So, I groomed the trail yesterday, and skied on it today. But, I'm not the only one interested in the trail, apparently! At left is an imprint from a deer, who decided that walking along my trail was easier than trudging through the deeper snow...
I mentioned seeing a couple of deer last week, and I've seen all kinds of tracks in the snow, but none of them followed my trail, until this guy (or girl) came along. It's nice to know that all that huffing and puffing with dragging the headboard through the snow was not only worth it for me, but also worth it for all the fuzzy little forest creatures, too.
In the end, it was a fun, outdoorsy kind of weekend. Which certainly reduced my guilt at playing a lot of Mass Effect 2, just released on PS3, in the evenings! Next week, I'll return to timing myself, etc., now that I've got a proof of concept for the ski trail.
But, it makes running difficult. So, I'm going to be skiing for a little while as a winter replacement. Yesterday (Saturday), I groomed myself a trail on the walk/run course. I knew it was going to be cold at night, so I wanted to get the air out of the snow, as that helps the snow firm up and become something pleasant to ski on.
Problem is, I don't have any grooming equipment... or a snowmobile! Solution? Tied an old headboard and footboard, from a dead bed, together and tied that all to myself. Then, I just pulled it through the snow, along the trail. I used snowshoes to pack things a little more. It was a challenge at times, and the first time around got my heart rate up to a pounding 175, but each pass got easier, and I eventually groomed it pretty well on the fourth pass.
You can see the results above. This is the portion of the course that comes out into a hay field before returning to the woods. Given the low light conditions (it was about 16:30 and sunset was starting) I had to find a spot with enough openness for some light! The shot below is of the same portion of trail, but looking back onto the track I set today with the skis.
That was just the first pass, though. I skied around today for about five loops, a little over a mile. It's been a very long time since I've done traditional diagonal Nordic skiing! But I did have a few moments of good form on some of the flat areas, and felt a nice kick and glide rhythm develop. I was kind of silly and forgot my iPod, so I didn't get any base-line times for my skiing over running.
I mentioned seeing a couple of deer last week, and I've seen all kinds of tracks in the snow, but none of them followed my trail, until this guy (or girl) came along. It's nice to know that all that huffing and puffing with dragging the headboard through the snow was not only worth it for me, but also worth it for all the fuzzy little forest creatures, too.
In the end, it was a fun, outdoorsy kind of weekend. Which certainly reduced my guilt at playing a lot of Mass Effect 2, just released on PS3, in the evenings! Next week, I'll return to timing myself, etc., now that I've got a proof of concept for the ski trail.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week 13 - setbacks gallore
Hmmph.
I'm a bit disheartened. Went back up to 314 over the course of the last two weeks. It's not surprising; there have been various stresses to deal with, but it is disheartening. I've disappointed myself, to a certain extent, and that never tastes very sweet.
So, how to move onward and upward? Adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Adapt. I have been struggling to get all three work-out days in during the week. Sundays always work out, because I've been doing them with Ana... whenever you have a partner in crime, you are more willing to continue a routine, since you don't want to let your partner down. Fridays generally work out, because that's my day off, and I can usually at least get some kind of cross-training completed (this week, I went Nordic skiing). But Wednesdays are killing me... and without that extra day, I'm taking too many days off in a row. It's hurting my performance and my weight. So, to adapt to this reality, I will do something at work on Wednesdays from now on. We have a small gym with exercise bikes, and we have a lightly traveled road. I will either take a brisk walk, weather permitting, or use one of the bikes in the gym.
Improvise. Winter affords me lots of improvisational potential... I've gone out skiing on the walk/run course, and today I used snowshoes to get down the back trail to the running road. But, is there something more I could do to take things up a notch? Perhaps I need to put a creative spin on some activity I do to make it more exercise friendly? Ah ha! When I go snowshoeing, I will do a super high step, trying to touch my knee to my chest (I can't physically do that, but the image is the important thing). That will burn a few extra calories, and will help with core strength.
Overcome. When I get stressed, I eat. Hell, when I get happy, I eat, too... But mostly when I get stressed. And over these last two weeks, I haven't been as strict with my "no sugar" regimen... I will renew my efforts in this regard to overcome this plateau.
Okay, the strategy and tactics are in place. It's up to me to execute them to the best of my ability. It gets hard, because when I have these setbacks, I feel the weight of letting myself down, of letting my family down, and of letting my Marine Corps down. Although carrying that weight has made me stronger, when I stumble it does make it difficult to recover quickly. Then again, I'm announcing all this publicly, so there's less of a chance I'll find excuses to not carry through. Since I like imagining that I, my family, and my Corps are happy when I do well, I'm just going to have to accept the disappointment when I don't do well. The trick will be to head toward those moments of success, despite the setbacks... which will, I suppose, make future moments of success all the more tasty.
I should tell this story... there was one benefit of my running late, so to speak. As I was returning up the back trail, I heard a cracking in the woods to the south-east. That's the direction of a larger trail that Ana usually heads back on with her horse and dog, so I expected to see Able (the dog) come bounding through the underbrush... instead, two does were prancing through the snow. The first, when it arrived at the trail crossing, took a graceful leap to clear the trail, and continued bounding through pine and spruce on the opposite side. The second, following the first, stumbled a bit and ended up standing on the trail, perhaps 100 yards away from me, to the south. She looked up for a moment and spotted me watching her. She stamped her front feet twice to warn me off. I rotated to stand square toward her. And there we stood, like the north-seeking Zax and the south-seeking Zax! We both remained relatively motionless for about three or four minutes. Then, she took a tentative step forward, which I mimicked... and at that, she followed her partner's scent off into the trees.
I've decided to upgrade my iPod, which I carry with me to do split times on my runs, to the new model that has a camera built in to it... because I see some really cool stuff out in my little corner of the wilderness, and I feel like a heel when I can't share those images here!
Lap Times
Phase 1 (snowshoe) : 10:12.1 (trail)
Phase 2 (jog) : 6:38.0 (up to farm)
Phase 3 (jog) : 6:48.3 (down to trail) <-- actually ran the full mile!
Phase 4 (snowshoe) : 12:36.4 (trail)
Total distance: 3 km, Total time: 36:14.8, Best mile: 13:26.3
Weekly weigh-in: 314 <-- Damn!
Average power: 526 Watts <-- I think this is too low... but I don't have data for snowshoeing.
Heart rate following final run: 165
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: 102
I'm a bit disheartened. Went back up to 314 over the course of the last two weeks. It's not surprising; there have been various stresses to deal with, but it is disheartening. I've disappointed myself, to a certain extent, and that never tastes very sweet.
So, how to move onward and upward? Adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Adapt. I have been struggling to get all three work-out days in during the week. Sundays always work out, because I've been doing them with Ana... whenever you have a partner in crime, you are more willing to continue a routine, since you don't want to let your partner down. Fridays generally work out, because that's my day off, and I can usually at least get some kind of cross-training completed (this week, I went Nordic skiing). But Wednesdays are killing me... and without that extra day, I'm taking too many days off in a row. It's hurting my performance and my weight. So, to adapt to this reality, I will do something at work on Wednesdays from now on. We have a small gym with exercise bikes, and we have a lightly traveled road. I will either take a brisk walk, weather permitting, or use one of the bikes in the gym.
Improvise. Winter affords me lots of improvisational potential... I've gone out skiing on the walk/run course, and today I used snowshoes to get down the back trail to the running road. But, is there something more I could do to take things up a notch? Perhaps I need to put a creative spin on some activity I do to make it more exercise friendly? Ah ha! When I go snowshoeing, I will do a super high step, trying to touch my knee to my chest (I can't physically do that, but the image is the important thing). That will burn a few extra calories, and will help with core strength.
Overcome. When I get stressed, I eat. Hell, when I get happy, I eat, too... But mostly when I get stressed. And over these last two weeks, I haven't been as strict with my "no sugar" regimen... I will renew my efforts in this regard to overcome this plateau.
Okay, the strategy and tactics are in place. It's up to me to execute them to the best of my ability. It gets hard, because when I have these setbacks, I feel the weight of letting myself down, of letting my family down, and of letting my Marine Corps down. Although carrying that weight has made me stronger, when I stumble it does make it difficult to recover quickly. Then again, I'm announcing all this publicly, so there's less of a chance I'll find excuses to not carry through. Since I like imagining that I, my family, and my Corps are happy when I do well, I'm just going to have to accept the disappointment when I don't do well. The trick will be to head toward those moments of success, despite the setbacks... which will, I suppose, make future moments of success all the more tasty.
I should tell this story... there was one benefit of my running late, so to speak. As I was returning up the back trail, I heard a cracking in the woods to the south-east. That's the direction of a larger trail that Ana usually heads back on with her horse and dog, so I expected to see Able (the dog) come bounding through the underbrush... instead, two does were prancing through the snow. The first, when it arrived at the trail crossing, took a graceful leap to clear the trail, and continued bounding through pine and spruce on the opposite side. The second, following the first, stumbled a bit and ended up standing on the trail, perhaps 100 yards away from me, to the south. She looked up for a moment and spotted me watching her. She stamped her front feet twice to warn me off. I rotated to stand square toward her. And there we stood, like the north-seeking Zax and the south-seeking Zax! We both remained relatively motionless for about three or four minutes. Then, she took a tentative step forward, which I mimicked... and at that, she followed her partner's scent off into the trees.
I've decided to upgrade my iPod, which I carry with me to do split times on my runs, to the new model that has a camera built in to it... because I see some really cool stuff out in my little corner of the wilderness, and I feel like a heel when I can't share those images here!
Lap Times
Phase 1 (snowshoe) : 10:12.1 (trail)
Phase 2 (jog) : 6:38.0 (up to farm)
Phase 3 (jog) : 6:48.3 (down to trail) <-- actually ran the full mile!
Phase 4 (snowshoe) : 12:36.4 (trail)
Total distance: 3 km, Total time: 36:14.8, Best mile: 13:26.3
Weekly weigh-in: 314 <-- Damn!
Average power: 526 Watts <-- I think this is too low... but I don't have data for snowshoeing.
Heart rate following final run: 165
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: 102
Sunday, January 9, 2011
End of Week 12 - fighting the burn
So, I had such a fun time going on my walk/run with Ana and her horse last week, I decided to make it a regular Sunday event. It gives us a new activity to share, and it helps her keep her horse trotting in a "collected" manner (i.e., as slowly as I can run).
We slept in a bit, and then did barn chores before heading out, so my normal "fast before running" method was getting its envelope pushed a bit... normally, it means I'm out walking/running by 9am or so, but we only got "on the road" by 11. Oo, I was an 'ungry lad!
The walk down the back trail was a bit treacherous; a number of mini plateau areas had served as a collection for warm weather run-off, and had subsequently frozen over... Ana had to get off Patches and walk him around the more dangerous areas. But, we survived the trail and hit the dirt road with enthusiasm and pep. Then, I turned around... The first half of the road (up to the deer farm) is up hill, gaining probably 20 feet of total elevation. That's not an awful lot, but it's the equivalent of a two story building, and obviously running up hill requires more work. I was feeling good, though, and made it up to the farm without stopping. Like I said, then I turned around... and all the lactic acid I had accumulated coming up strong up the hill was now happily having a holiday vacation in my quads - they burned!
I kept up the run, but as I neared the 3/4 mile mark, I finally had to walk for a bit. Took about 100 yards for my muscles to flush the acids out sufficiently, and then I picked the pace back up. In the end, I got my best time for the mile to date: 12:39.6! Yay! Still well off a world-class pace, but I will definitely take the progress as progress and be happy.
I'm starting to rethink my distance estimate for the back trail, too. I walked it (up hill) in under 8 minutes, so it can't possibly be 400m... because I walk my 400m loop in about 4:20 tops. So, I think I'm going to take about 100m off the estimate, bringing the Sunday Adventure with the Child to a total distance of 3km.
Lap Times
Phase 1 (walk) : 7:16.6 (trail)
Phase 2 (jog) : 6:19.3 (up to farm)
Phase 3 (walk/jog) : 6:20.3 (down to trail)
Phase 4 (walk) : 7:50.7 (trail)
Total distance: 3 km, Total time: 27:46.9, Best mile: 12:39.6
Weekly weigh-in: 310
Average power: 677 Watts
Heart rate following final run: --
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: --
We slept in a bit, and then did barn chores before heading out, so my normal "fast before running" method was getting its envelope pushed a bit... normally, it means I'm out walking/running by 9am or so, but we only got "on the road" by 11. Oo, I was an 'ungry lad!
The walk down the back trail was a bit treacherous; a number of mini plateau areas had served as a collection for warm weather run-off, and had subsequently frozen over... Ana had to get off Patches and walk him around the more dangerous areas. But, we survived the trail and hit the dirt road with enthusiasm and pep. Then, I turned around... The first half of the road (up to the deer farm) is up hill, gaining probably 20 feet of total elevation. That's not an awful lot, but it's the equivalent of a two story building, and obviously running up hill requires more work. I was feeling good, though, and made it up to the farm without stopping. Like I said, then I turned around... and all the lactic acid I had accumulated coming up strong up the hill was now happily having a holiday vacation in my quads - they burned!
I kept up the run, but as I neared the 3/4 mile mark, I finally had to walk for a bit. Took about 100 yards for my muscles to flush the acids out sufficiently, and then I picked the pace back up. In the end, I got my best time for the mile to date: 12:39.6! Yay! Still well off a world-class pace, but I will definitely take the progress as progress and be happy.
I'm starting to rethink my distance estimate for the back trail, too. I walked it (up hill) in under 8 minutes, so it can't possibly be 400m... because I walk my 400m loop in about 4:20 tops. So, I think I'm going to take about 100m off the estimate, bringing the Sunday Adventure with the Child to a total distance of 3km.
Lap Times
Phase 1 (walk) : 7:16.6 (trail)
Phase 2 (jog) : 6:19.3 (up to farm)
Phase 3 (walk/jog) : 6:20.3 (down to trail)
Phase 4 (walk) : 7:50.7 (trail)
Total distance: 3 km, Total time: 27:46.9, Best mile: 12:39.6
Weekly weigh-in: 310
Average power: 677 Watts
Heart rate following final run: --
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: --
Monday, January 3, 2011
End of Week 11... and going public!
So, last week, Week 10... I did go out and do my walk/run thing, but it was so cold my iPod died during the event! I use the iPod as a split timer, and carry it in one hand (with the Gerber LMF II in the other - bears are everywhere). The end result was that I only had times for two loops, and then nothing. The iPod has recovered, of course, once it warmed up a bit... and today was in the way upper 30s (F), so cold was not an issue. Which brings me to Week 11.
Going Public.
I've been running in the woods, in my "back yard" primarily because it's easy access, and the loops are small enough to be manageable. But also, because I really don't want anyone to see me lurching along. It's embarrassing, to be honest. I'm still a big guy, despite the weight loss so far, and I just don't want people having to answer their kid's questions, like "How did that whale get all the way from the ocean?" or "I thought you said Sasquatch wasn't real, Daddy!" Etc.
But today my youngest brother was visiting us, and the timing of his arrival coincided with my going out for a bit of exercise... I had also just promised my daughter that I would do my walk/run with her, while she rode her horse. So, we were going to walk down a back trail to a "major" dirt road, and I was going to walk/jog up the dirt road to the Shady Acres Deer Farm (they also have buffalo). It's almost exactly a half-mile from where we come out of the trail onto the dirt road, up to the Farm. It all seemed perfect - she'd ride her horse, walking on the trail, then could trot/canter up and down the dirt road as I struggled along. Then my brother came... Of course, I'm always happy to see him, and he hadn't yet seen the barn progress, so it was all good, except that I was now trying to wriggle out of the promise I had made not an hour before to my kid.
I'm good at breaking promises that circumstances demand I break. If I say, "I promise to get to your concert," but a blizzard hits and no one can drive anywhere, well, I'm okay with that. What I'm not good at, or okay with, is breaking promises that are entirely within my control to break or not. And this situation was entirely within my control... should I embarrass myself by running "in public" with my brother, or should I find a way to back out of my promise to join my daughter? Well, I decided maybe it was okay that my youngest brother saw me lurch along, and we all set out together.
The walk down the trail was wicked slippery - we've had some snow, but it's been raining the last day or two, and the trail is steep in parts. Of course, such soppy conditions meant cold, wet feet all around (except for my kid, up on her horse, and except for my brother, who had some waterproof hikers on... so by "all" I mean, "me").
So the moral of the story is that I guess it wasn't so bad to be out of the woods and running "in public." Two trucks even drove by us, heading up to the deer farm, and I didn't panic. Perhaps this new trail/road will be the easiest way for me to continue this exercise thing for the winter? Yes, I think it may be... I can ski on my little course, and still run on the dirt road. Promotions all around!
Of course, I don't have entirely accurate distances, yet, so the calculations will be somewhat estimated. It's probably about a half-mile from the house to the dirt road, along the back trail. Yeah, that seems right.
Lap Times
Phase 1 (walk) : 9:09.7 (trail)
Phase 2 (walk/jog) : 7:35.3 (trail to farm)
Phase 3 (walk/jog) : 7:19.9 (farm to trail)
Phase 4 (walk) : 9:37.3 (trail)
Total distance: 3.2 km, Total time: 33:42.2, Best mile: 14:55.2
Weekly weigh-in: ? not sure - forgot to weigh in this morning, we'll stick to 310
Average power: 521 Watts
Heart rate following final run: --
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: --
Going Public.
I've been running in the woods, in my "back yard" primarily because it's easy access, and the loops are small enough to be manageable. But also, because I really don't want anyone to see me lurching along. It's embarrassing, to be honest. I'm still a big guy, despite the weight loss so far, and I just don't want people having to answer their kid's questions, like "How did that whale get all the way from the ocean?" or "I thought you said Sasquatch wasn't real, Daddy!" Etc.
But today my youngest brother was visiting us, and the timing of his arrival coincided with my going out for a bit of exercise... I had also just promised my daughter that I would do my walk/run with her, while she rode her horse. So, we were going to walk down a back trail to a "major" dirt road, and I was going to walk/jog up the dirt road to the Shady Acres Deer Farm (they also have buffalo). It's almost exactly a half-mile from where we come out of the trail onto the dirt road, up to the Farm. It all seemed perfect - she'd ride her horse, walking on the trail, then could trot/canter up and down the dirt road as I struggled along. Then my brother came... Of course, I'm always happy to see him, and he hadn't yet seen the barn progress, so it was all good, except that I was now trying to wriggle out of the promise I had made not an hour before to my kid.
I'm good at breaking promises that circumstances demand I break. If I say, "I promise to get to your concert," but a blizzard hits and no one can drive anywhere, well, I'm okay with that. What I'm not good at, or okay with, is breaking promises that are entirely within my control to break or not. And this situation was entirely within my control... should I embarrass myself by running "in public" with my brother, or should I find a way to back out of my promise to join my daughter? Well, I decided maybe it was okay that my youngest brother saw me lurch along, and we all set out together.
The walk down the trail was wicked slippery - we've had some snow, but it's been raining the last day or two, and the trail is steep in parts. Of course, such soppy conditions meant cold, wet feet all around (except for my kid, up on her horse, and except for my brother, who had some waterproof hikers on... so by "all" I mean, "me").
So the moral of the story is that I guess it wasn't so bad to be out of the woods and running "in public." Two trucks even drove by us, heading up to the deer farm, and I didn't panic. Perhaps this new trail/road will be the easiest way for me to continue this exercise thing for the winter? Yes, I think it may be... I can ski on my little course, and still run on the dirt road. Promotions all around!
Of course, I don't have entirely accurate distances, yet, so the calculations will be somewhat estimated. It's probably about a half-mile from the house to the dirt road, along the back trail. Yeah, that seems right.
Lap Times
Phase 1 (walk) : 9:09.7 (trail)
Phase 2 (walk/jog) : 7:35.3 (trail to farm)
Phase 3 (walk/jog) : 7:19.9 (farm to trail)
Phase 4 (walk) : 9:37.3 (trail)
Total distance: 3.2 km, Total time: 33:42.2, Best mile: 14:55.2
Weekly weigh-in: ? not sure - forgot to weigh in this morning, we'll stick to 310
Average power: 521 Watts
Heart rate following final run: --
Heart rate five minutes after cool-down walk: --
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