Sunday, January 31, 2010

Still too cold for me to run.

I'm glad I bought the new stationary bike.   I'm dying to get back on the road running but I really think I get a better workout not worrying about slipping on the ice and breathing the really cold air.

The thrill of the new bike has worn off and today was turning into a mundane workout;  I was tired from 2 consecutive days of biking, a late night out (Golden Gloves Boxing) on top of a full week of skiing.  I was about 30 minutes into it when I realized that I just feeling sorry for myself.   I mean I was beginning to rationalize not going hard and although it wouldn't have been a waste of time, I really might have missed an opportunity to make a better day of it.   So I gave myself a little kick in the butt and turned it on!  I didn't set a PR but I got close.  LOL.   I've had all day to rest and as lazy as I've been today I'm really glad I pumped so hard.   Tomorrow is resistance training and skiing.  My quads will get a nice rest!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Wasted

I don't think of skiing as a hard workout but somehow my Saturday morning run or bike ride is always harder.  I think it's just the accumulative effect of all those hours on snow.   When you think about it, it has to be a lot of calories. Also, I'm getting adjusted to the new bike and I've found the program that I like.  Program 5 is rolling hills which is more like real riding.   In any event, I rode hard today and hit a new high for miles and calories burned for the new bike.   The bottom line:  I'm pretty wasted.   But I love that feeling.  Plus breakfast #2 tasted really good.  I'm thinking I'll veg for a couple of hours while I watch the Aussie Open Women's final that I recorded.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Early mornings

I often hear how hard it is to find time to work out.   It's true too.  People today are very busy and something always pops up to keep up from our scheduled workout.   Which is exactly why I get up early to do mine.

A familiar conversation with a friend on Saturday was well remembered this morning when I got up at 4:30.   I had to solve an internet security problem that kept me up late last night so 4:30 felt really early this morning.  The truth is that I often have to remind myself how important it is to get going in the morning.  It's hard to get out of bed when you're sleeping soundly.  It's especially difficult to jump into a workout.   I get up a bit early for some high (unrefined) carb fuel so I don't run out of gas but it's still a formidable task some days to head down to my basement.   That was especially true this morning.

Experience, though, gets me started because I know that I will wake up and I will feel better.  Today was no exception.  I felt great after my workout.   What a great way to start the day.   No matter how tired you are a good workout will make you feel better!  It's the mental hurdle that's your biggest obstacle.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

New Bike

Isn't it great to get something new?  I got my 1st workout on my new upright stationary bike today. Whew! it was tough, and I loved it. My old recumbent was worn out and too noisy to use.   I think the upright will give me a better workout because it incorporates my core as well as my legs.   In addition, it should get me better prepared for spring when I take my road bike out because it more closely simulates the road bike.  

But I think the best thing about it is how much it excited me about my workout.   That's why I like variety & crosstraining.   Variety in my workouts keep me from getting bored in addition to promoting better fitness and muscle balance.    Even a new pair of running shorts is a boost for me (I'm still a kid at heart).  

Spice up your workouts with variety and new stuff of every ilk and stay pumped!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Never give up!

My Never Give Up bracelet broke last night. :(       I had a great workout on Friday except that I was not able to do as many pull-ups as I had in the past.   It would have been easy to resign myself to having peaked with pull-ups. (mustn't there be a limit?) Not a chance!  Today, with a couple of days rest and fierce determination, I did more pull-ups per set than ever.  !!!      Never give up!  Find a way.  Be determined. It'll be good for your mental strength as well as your physical strength.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Out with the old, in with the new

Last day on my old stationary bike ( I had to plug my ears!).  Planned to run today because of nice weather but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ski with my brother (take care of your training partners).  So I gave it one last  ride before leaving for the mountain.

That bike served me well.  I can only imagine how many miles I put on that machine over the last 10 years.  But, I doubt I'll miss it because after a great day of skiing I picked up my new one and it's pretty nice and as you can imagine, a step up in technology.   Looking forward to some hard riding.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Nice workout this morning.  I'm so accustomed to getting up at 4:30 now that I'm waking up well ahead of my alarm clock (3:38 this morning! LOL).   I fell back asleep.   No problem,  the anticipation of a great ski day  got me up and motivated. And what a great day it was:  http://mysnowpro.com/bombard/

It's sometimes hard to get going in the A.M. but it's always worth it and very rewarding (in more ways than one!)  Today was no exception.  I was pumped. Pun intended.   Tonight I have that feel good tired going.

I hope to find a new stationary bike this weekend.   Tomorrow looks like good running weather.  :))

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Time for a new stationary bike!

I'm finally done with the sore back and sore shoulder.  I got a great 10 mile run in on Saturday.  My work out yesterday was great. ( I matched my best pull up number.)  Alas, it's always something.

 Today is bicycle day.  I got in 90 minutes but I had to put ear plugs in!  It's making so much noise, my wife could hear it 2 floors up.   The good news is I wore it out  and it didn't wear me out.    Now, I'm trying to decide what to replace it with.  Should I get another stationary bike or should I get one of those machines I can put my road bike on?    I feel some research coming on.  LOL

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Rested

Pretty worn out yesterday after a 10 miler and lots of skiing this past week.  An easy day yesterday and even though I pedaled my stationary bike for 90 minutes this morning I've taken easy most of the day and I'm ready to work out hard in the morning.   It's sometimes difficult for me to be lazy but today reminded me how important it is.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Listening to the body

Ran 10 miles this morning with my brother, John.   Great to be back on the road again.  It's hard to keep a regular road running schedule in the winter due to snow, extreme cold, shorter days, and a busy schedule skiing. I have been riding my stationary bike pretty hard for 90 minutes on Tues, Thurs, Sat, & Sun if I can't run so I am getting exercise but I can't help but worry about maintaining my fitness level.  Especially since I realize that biking is just not as intense as running.

Well, I got direct message from my body today!  We started out at about 9 am and I was quite pleased with how I felt (especially my legs).  However, after about 5 miles I began to feel a bit of fatigue that was unexpected (and unwelcome).   So, I began thinking that this fatigue was a result of having not getting enough road mileage lately and that I needed to resolve to run more despite the conditions.  Then, it hit me.  I had just had the hardest ski week ever!   Bumps and steeps all day (7 hours) all week!   Duh.  No wonder my legs & body were tired.  It makes a lot more sense.  Last year I was laid up with a kidney problem and hernia surgery and I had less trouble with my 1st 10 miler after much longer layoffs so it has to be the skiing.

I think I'll do what my grandson calls 'chillax' the rest of the day!!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Good Days and Bad Days

Do you have bad days when you think you've hit the ceiling and have quit improving?  Don't we all!?   Wednesday was one of those for me.  I was just not feeling it.  After a long run of improved workouts and feeling great, the strength wasn't there.   To top it all off, my weight was up about 2.5 lbs.   :-(     I admit to being a bit let down.    Then the analytical process began.  (Breakfast #2 helped).  

I figured, heck, I still got a good workout.  It would have been a super achievement just a few weeks ago.  Plus, I've lost more than 2.5 lbs and besides I'm still in fantastic shape.  In other words, it isn't the end of world.  Let's get real and refocus.

Guess what?  I don't know where the 2.5 lbs. came from.  Something I ate?   My weight is right back to normal this morning and I had a great workout.  I managed a record number of total pull-ups (my focus right now).  All is well with the world.  LOL

Don't let a bad day get you down.   Use it to refocus and remember:  you may not be where you want to be but you're still better than where you once were.  And if you're working out regularly, you're better off than most.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Routines

It's the dead of winter.  I'm skiing most everyday which means I'm tired in the evening.  It feels good to me.  Sure, I'm stuck inside for my workout most days but I get outside to ski.  Being outside always boosts my morale and makes my day.   So, most days are pretty similar:  wake up early, workout, and go skiing.

Truthfully,  I like it.  Winter is but a few months long.  I love skiing but my workout routine has to happen early to enable me to get to the mountain early.   This is where habit or routine really helps me stay on course.  I just don't think about it.   I set my alarm (I seldom need it), get up and get going.   I don't think about it.  I just do it.   It's a good slogan, put it into practice and it works.   Give it a try.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Coaching

I spent part of my day with another ski instructor (Walt - my favorite).  It reminded me of how important a good coach is to achieving goals of all kinds.

No matter what you are trying to achieve a good coach will help get you there.  This is an accepted principle in academics.   There isn't much dispute about the importance of teachers.  Professional & amateur sports understand this very well.  Not only do all teams have a head coach but usually multiple assistant coaches as well.  Individual sports utilize coaches too.  You may take sides in the Tiger Woods vs Jack Nicklaus debate about who is the greatest golfer of all time. But, you can't ignore the fact that both used coaches even after they reached their peak.

Hardly anyone can view their own performance objectively.  Besides,  aren't two heads better than one?  How can another set of eyes or another opinion do anything but help?   Let's face it, coaching works.

Find a good coach; someone with more knowledge and experience, who will mentor you.  You may have to swallow your pride or your ego from time to time but you will benefit from a good coach.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Logging and/or Journaling & PRs

I'm not sure why but (too) many years ago when I became enlightened about fitness and began running, I started logging my miles on a calendar.  I am still convinced that it is a really good idea.  For that reason, I recently began doing it again for all of my fitness activities.  As part of my logging, I make note of each time I set a PR (personal record) of any kind.

Why?   Well, 1st of all, I think keeping track helps me build and keep momentum.  2nd, it's just fun to look back and see what I did.  Not to mention the sense of accomplishment it provides.  3rd, it's very motivational.  Which brings me to PRs.  

Every PR I set gets noted.  Because of human nature (in me especially), PRs provide new targets. New targets make me work harder.  Working harder makes me fitter. My PRs don't just include a new fastest time or new high for pull-ups but even if I just get more calories burned on my stationary bike.

My latest focus is on pull-ups.  I have a love/hate relationship with my pull-ups.  I think they are a great exercise.  (More on that another day).   So, to track my progress, I note not only when I set a new high for reps in a set but also if I set a new high for total reps in a workout.  More targets, more accomplishments, more satisfaction, better fitness.  

Try it.  See if it works for you.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Lots of Snow! It's still a go!

We got lots of snow over the weekend (2 ft +).  I'm going to get lots of good skiing in this week.  My running mileage will suffer but my fitness won't.  Oh, the benefits of cross training.   All around fitness is a such a good thing. Just think if I was just a runner, what a fix I'd be in.   Cross training means less chance of injury, more fun, less frustration, better fitness.  In the summer, for me, it's golf, biking, and hiking in addition to my passion for running and racing.  In the winter, its skiing and my stationary bike.  Of course, I'm doing resistance training year-round. Add some variety, get fitter, get healthier.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Variety is the spice of life (and fitness)

Got up early (4:30).   90 minutes on the stationary bike (dark and snowing outside) while watching a great documentary on the 1919 Paris meeting after WWI.  Time went by at what seemed like a blink.   A nice hearty, healthy breakfast and then off the mountain for great day of skiing (lots of new snow and warm temps).   Nice to be fit enough to ski all day and enjoy the benefits of a variety of exercise.   It's amazing the rewards that fitness brings.  If I wasn't fit, I wouldn't be able to ski all day.  Being able to ski all day improves my fitness.  How cool is that.   I think I'll do an instant replay tomorrow!! LOL

Friday, January 1, 2010

Happy New Year

It's 2010!  2009 was a great year.  I feet fitter than ever but this is the time for new goals.   Of course,  this is the time for the traditional  "New Year's Resolution".   I think these resolutions are fine.  I have often made them in the past and even (proudly) kept (some of)  them.   But, I'm guessing most folks either don't make a resolution or make them and then forget about it on a few days.

I really believe that when it comes to fitness, resolutions like 'I'm going to get in shape' or I'm going to lose weight' are not specific enough.   It is my firm belief that fitness goals need to be both very specific and difficult to achieve.  Why?   Well, 1st of all if you have no specific target, how do you know when you achieved your goal? 2nd, without a specific goal it is difficult to track your progress.

On the other hand, if you have a specific goal, like, for example losing 20 lbs. or 25 push-ups you can clearly track your progress and know exactly when achieve your goal.  This technique has worked very well for me. In fact, it continues to work well for me.

Even though I am very fit and have no body weight or fat issues, I still set specific goals for various fitness achievements.  In addition, my body fat goals and body weight weight targets are still big motivators for me even though I acheived them long ago.   I certainly don't want to lose something I worked very hard to attain.

One of the best ways to stay fit is to change your exercise routines periodically.  This challenges your muscles, keeps you from getting in a rut and allows you to find new goals.   A good example is my personal routine.  I am a big believer in body weight exercises like push-ups and pull-ups (more on this later).

Today, I decided to change my hand and arm postion for my push-ups by bringing my hands closer to my body and rotating my hands on the dumbell from a horizontal position to a vertical position.   Whoa!  I was able to only perform about a third of number of reps.  Great!  Now I have new goal:  To get my reps back up to what they were in the other postion.   Good for my arms; good for my overall fitness; good for my motivation and as important as anything: fun!

Fitness goals need to be difficult to achieve.  To me this readily apparent.  I want something worth achieving.  Difficult is what makes it worthwhile.   Plus, I want something that will take me awhile.  Think about it.  A goal of 2 push-ups for a someone starting a new fitness routine doesn't seem very worthwhile even if one push up can't be done when starting.  But, 25 is number that captures the imagination.  It's pretty hard and it's worth bragging about (even it it's just to yourself!).

Finally, set a reasonable time period for achieving your goal.   It'll make you give that extra effort that makes the difference.  I'm shooting for 6 weeks for the push-ups.

Quote of the day:  We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is habit not an act.
   - Aristotle