Here is last night's workout:
Bulgarian Split Squats: 4x9, 150 seconds rest
Walking Lunges, 8x3, 30 seconds rest
Single leg Romanian deadlifts: 4x6, 30 seconds rest after each leg
Lateral squats: 4x4, 60 seconds rest
This was a leg day with no barbells. How hard could it be?
On Monday, I'd done front squats, back squats and deadlifts in one workout. This had to be way easier. Or so I thought.
For the BSSs, I used 2x30# dumbbells. The weight was perfect for that number of reps and I just barely got through the last set. Hard, but not too bad so far.
Then the lunges. I used 2x50# DBs. The rest interval seemed to last about 10 seconds at first, and 5 seconds by the later sets. Suddenly, I was soaked with sweat.
On to the single leg RDLs. I used 2x40# DBs for these. I have to be a little bit careful with any type of RDL these days. They really stress my left hamstring injury and I don't want to injure it any more than it's already hurt. If I was completely healthy, I would have used at least 50# DBs for this lift. As I worked through this set, I started to feel the accumulated effects of the workout. This wasn't as easy as it looked.
Finally, one lift to go. To be honest, I really dislike lateral squats. It's a lift that nobody else does and they look really dorky. I was using a single 70# DB last night, held at chest level in two hands to start. Then, I lift a leg high to make sure I get the hip to "open up" as I step to the side, dropping to a squat with my weight on the extended leg. Then, back to the middle position and repeat on the other leg. Four sets of four. By the time I was done, I was completely soaked with sweat. I just sat on a bench for five minutes, recovering and toweling off, before I grabbed my bag and headed home to cook dinner.
I'm sore today.
Tonight I'll do an upper body workout after work. Tomorrow, I won't get to run with my wife, so I'll do 8 miles on my own. My wife, son and daughter are all racing a 5K tomorrow morning, and somebody has to go to the farmers market. So, I'll do the shopping and then run on my own while the rest of the family races.
I'm really proud of my son, who volunteered to run with his younger sister, so my wife can actually race rather than run with my daughter.
I spent some time working on open and power chords with the guitar last night. I was trying to play some signature riffs from well-known songs. Some of the songs I worked on were Ironman, Jenny (867-5309), and Maggie May. Ironman was the only song that I got down so that my wife recognized it. And even there, I got the first five notes down, but the four 16th notes to start the second measure were a struggle.
As I was practicing last night, I was thinking about Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers". I kept thinking about the Beatles and Gladwell's magical 10,000 hour mark to achieve excellence in a discipline. If I practiced for an hour a day, every day, it would take me until I'm 74 to be an excellent guitar player. But, if I don't practice, I'll eventually be 74 anyway (or dead) and I won't be any better than I am now. I may as well keep going.
Five days until my PRP treatment.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Bike Ride
I was tired yesterday and my hamstring was complaining. At the same time, the day was too beautiful to do nothing at all. So, after work, I picked up some groceries, picked up my daughter from school, and headed home to ride my bike. I decided that I'd ride for about 90 minutes, but I wouldn't push the pace at all.
And, that's just what I did, and it was a nice, pleasant ride.
Today's scheduled workout is a lower body lifting workout, and I decided to do it this evening rather than getting up at 5:00 to lift before work. So, I'll stop at the gym on the way home tonight for my lifting.
This coming weekend, there are a number of local races. There is a big 5K on Saturday - a race I run most years. Last year, I surprised myself when I ran 20:51, about 45 seconds faster than I thought I'd run. This year, I'd be lucky to break 28 and I'd probably hurt my hamstring, so I'm staying away. My wife will run the race though. She hasn't run since 2002, when she ran 27:00, and I'm pretty sure she'll beat that time this year.
On Monday, my wife and I are both planning to run a very low-key local 8-mile race. This race was popular in the 70s and into the 80s, but died out many years ago. Last year, it was resurrected and it's now more an "event" than a race. I've been told that as many as half the participants walk the race and most are there for the big pot luck afterwards. We didn't run the race when it was brought back last year, but we're planning to do it this year. Hopefully, my wife won't beat me too badly.
And, that's just what I did, and it was a nice, pleasant ride.
Today's scheduled workout is a lower body lifting workout, and I decided to do it this evening rather than getting up at 5:00 to lift before work. So, I'll stop at the gym on the way home tonight for my lifting.
This coming weekend, there are a number of local races. There is a big 5K on Saturday - a race I run most years. Last year, I surprised myself when I ran 20:51, about 45 seconds faster than I thought I'd run. This year, I'd be lucky to break 28 and I'd probably hurt my hamstring, so I'm staying away. My wife will run the race though. She hasn't run since 2002, when she ran 27:00, and I'm pretty sure she'll beat that time this year.
On Monday, my wife and I are both planning to run a very low-key local 8-mile race. This race was popular in the 70s and into the 80s, but died out many years ago. Last year, it was resurrected and it's now more an "event" than a race. I've been told that as many as half the participants walk the race and most are there for the big pot luck afterwards. We didn't run the race when it was brought back last year, but we're planning to do it this year. Hopefully, my wife won't beat me too badly.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Dragging
Yesterday, after work, I had been thinking about going for a run. Instead, my son and I took the dogs for a walk. I was just dragging - tired and feeling beat up.
By 8:00 last night, I was in bed. I read for a little while, but I was asleep really early. I was too tired to even play around with my guitar for a while. I slept until 6:30 this morning - very late for me. After a few rest days last week, I had a series of great workout days. And then, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.
This morning, my hamstring is sore - more than usual as of late. So, rather than running tonight, I think I'll go for a bike ride. The bike seems to be kinder to my hamstring than running. It's going to be a beautiful day and I want to do something outside, so a bike ride should be perfect.
Tomorrow morning, I have a tough leg workout in the gym, so I'll definitely take it easy on the ride tonight.
Seven days until my PRP treatment.
And, the college football season starts tomorrow night. The entire reason that I have a satellite dish is so that I can watch college football. My brother got his season tickets for Penn State recently. He is giving me two pairs of tickets (games against Temple this month and Minnesota next month), and then he and I are going to the Ohio State game together in November.
By 8:00 last night, I was in bed. I read for a little while, but I was asleep really early. I was too tired to even play around with my guitar for a while. I slept until 6:30 this morning - very late for me. After a few rest days last week, I had a series of great workout days. And then, I felt like I'd been hit by a truck.
This morning, my hamstring is sore - more than usual as of late. So, rather than running tonight, I think I'll go for a bike ride. The bike seems to be kinder to my hamstring than running. It's going to be a beautiful day and I want to do something outside, so a bike ride should be perfect.
Tomorrow morning, I have a tough leg workout in the gym, so I'll definitely take it easy on the ride tonight.
Seven days until my PRP treatment.
And, the college football season starts tomorrow night. The entire reason that I have a satellite dish is so that I can watch college football. My brother got his season tickets for Penn State recently. He is giving me two pairs of tickets (games against Temple this month and Minnesota next month), and then he and I are going to the Ohio State game together in November.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
August Review
I had a great overall month in August, despite a relatively low number of running miles.
I ran 57 miles, in a total of 11 runs, with a long run of 10 miles.
I rode my road bike 3 times for a total of 95 miles, with a long ride of 46 miles. All three rides were hilly.
I lifted 15 times during the month, doing body split workouts each time (upper body or lower body only in a single workout).
I played around with my diet, virtually eliminating grains and sugar, just to see what would happen. I did have one meal during the month that included bread and a dessert, but otherwise, I stayed away. My weight dropped four pounds during the month. I also believe that I gained some muscle mass, so my fat loss is probably greater than 4 pounds. It was easier to make these changes than I thought it would be. I used fresh fruit for my carbohydrate needs during or after workouts.
I completed my 3rd consecutive calendar month without alcohol. I can't remember the last time a summer passed without a few or more gin and tonics passing my lips. I'll continue that habit into the fall.
My hamstring didn't get any worse, and my running gradually got faster through the month. I don't know if that's because I dropped a few pounds, because my hamstring is slowly healing, or something else. But, my runs this past weekend were the best I've had since before I got hurt in April.
And, I bought a new used electric guitar.
All in all, it was a pretty good month.
This morning, I started September with a tough upper body lifting day, including 5x5 of neutral grip pull-ups. I actually managed to get through the pull-ups, something I could not have done a month or two ago. I added some core work to the end of the scheduled workout today.
Tonight after work, I'm going to take the dogs out for a walk, but nothing tougher than that. Tomorrow, I'll go for a run. It looks like the first half of September is likely to be sunny and warm, despite cold temperatures last night and tonight.
Eight days until the PRP treatment.
I ran 57 miles, in a total of 11 runs, with a long run of 10 miles.
I rode my road bike 3 times for a total of 95 miles, with a long ride of 46 miles. All three rides were hilly.
I lifted 15 times during the month, doing body split workouts each time (upper body or lower body only in a single workout).
I played around with my diet, virtually eliminating grains and sugar, just to see what would happen. I did have one meal during the month that included bread and a dessert, but otherwise, I stayed away. My weight dropped four pounds during the month. I also believe that I gained some muscle mass, so my fat loss is probably greater than 4 pounds. It was easier to make these changes than I thought it would be. I used fresh fruit for my carbohydrate needs during or after workouts.
I completed my 3rd consecutive calendar month without alcohol. I can't remember the last time a summer passed without a few or more gin and tonics passing my lips. I'll continue that habit into the fall.
My hamstring didn't get any worse, and my running gradually got faster through the month. I don't know if that's because I dropped a few pounds, because my hamstring is slowly healing, or something else. But, my runs this past weekend were the best I've had since before I got hurt in April.
And, I bought a new used electric guitar.
All in all, it was a pretty good month.
This morning, I started September with a tough upper body lifting day, including 5x5 of neutral grip pull-ups. I actually managed to get through the pull-ups, something I could not have done a month or two ago. I added some core work to the end of the scheduled workout today.
Tonight after work, I'm going to take the dogs out for a walk, but nothing tougher than that. Tomorrow, I'll go for a run. It looks like the first half of September is likely to be sunny and warm, despite cold temperatures last night and tonight.
Eight days until the PRP treatment.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Great weekend
This past weekend was one of the most fun of the summer. Friday night, I lifted (upper body), cooked dinner, and we watched a movie. The movie "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden" was a bit disappointing - not nearly as funny as other stuff that Morgan Spurlock has done.
On Saturday, my wife and I ran together. We did our fastest time of the year on a hilly 8-mile loop course that we run a lot. But, it was still 9 minutes slower than I ran this course last October. My hamstring always seems to feel the same when I'm running, but my times seem to be getting faster. So, maybe there's still some healing going on in there, despite my impatience and constant complaining that I'm far from healthy.
I did look at the bottoms of some running shoes that I've been wearing since the injury, and the tread wear shows some definite issues with my stride. The left shoe is wearing at a much faster rate and especially on the rear outside edge of the shoe.
After running Saturday, we spent some time trying to stimulate the economy. My son wanted to visit the CD store, my daughter wanted some stuff at the bookstore, and I needed to pick up my guitar and pick out an amp and some other accessories so I could start playing. Plus, we needed some food and a new sleeping pad for our herd of Rhodesian Ridgebacks. OK, we only have two, but they're so big it seems like a herd.
I got a few beginner guitar books too, and spent a lot of time reading learning new terminology. I then spent most of Saturday night playing the guitar - just getting down some basic notes and playing some very simple songs. It's been so long since I've read musical notes that I have to completely re-learn that. The double translation from the musical notation to recognizing the the note to playing the instrument can be overwhelming at times. I wish there was a way to read the score and translate it directly to the guitar, but I guess that comes with time. There is a notation for the guitar called TAB that basically does that, but it feels like cheating to use that notation right from the start. But, I imagine there are a lot of guitar players out there who can't read music, so maybe I should just use the TAB notation to make things easier.
Sunday morning, my wife and I ran a hilly five miler. We both felt a little bit tired, but I ran the course six minutes faster than last week. After running, we had some breakfast and then I got out the guitar again. I showed my daughter some basic notes and then I practiced for a while.
In the afternoon, we drove over to Lake George in NY to visit with an old college buddy and his family. I used to spend most of my vacation time with this friend, backpacking and rock climbing. When I first moved to VT, he and I skied together, raced together, and did more hiking and climbing. But, he's married now and busy with two young children, so we don't see each other as much. I was amazed when he told me that he hasn't run a step in a couple years (he's a former 2:55 marathoner and 17 minute 5K guy), and he hasn't been out climbing or hiking at all this year.
It's been over 16 years since my son was born, and my wife and I have managed to stay really active through all of those years. We just find ways to create free time so we can get outside and play. I can't imagine living any other way and it's surprising to me that my friend is living so differently than in the past. He did tell me that he and his wife are planning to ski a lot more this year, now that their son is old enough for a seasonal program at the mountain where they ski.
We got home late last night, but I still made it to the gym this morning. I did the same workout as last Monday - when I tweaked my back. I had no problems at all this morning and managed to increase the weight for two of the lifts - front squats and deadlifts.
On Saturday, my wife and I ran together. We did our fastest time of the year on a hilly 8-mile loop course that we run a lot. But, it was still 9 minutes slower than I ran this course last October. My hamstring always seems to feel the same when I'm running, but my times seem to be getting faster. So, maybe there's still some healing going on in there, despite my impatience and constant complaining that I'm far from healthy.
I did look at the bottoms of some running shoes that I've been wearing since the injury, and the tread wear shows some definite issues with my stride. The left shoe is wearing at a much faster rate and especially on the rear outside edge of the shoe.
After running Saturday, we spent some time trying to stimulate the economy. My son wanted to visit the CD store, my daughter wanted some stuff at the bookstore, and I needed to pick up my guitar and pick out an amp and some other accessories so I could start playing. Plus, we needed some food and a new sleeping pad for our herd of Rhodesian Ridgebacks. OK, we only have two, but they're so big it seems like a herd.
I got a few beginner guitar books too, and spent a lot of time reading learning new terminology. I then spent most of Saturday night playing the guitar - just getting down some basic notes and playing some very simple songs. It's been so long since I've read musical notes that I have to completely re-learn that. The double translation from the musical notation to recognizing the the note to playing the instrument can be overwhelming at times. I wish there was a way to read the score and translate it directly to the guitar, but I guess that comes with time. There is a notation for the guitar called TAB that basically does that, but it feels like cheating to use that notation right from the start. But, I imagine there are a lot of guitar players out there who can't read music, so maybe I should just use the TAB notation to make things easier.
Sunday morning, my wife and I ran a hilly five miler. We both felt a little bit tired, but I ran the course six minutes faster than last week. After running, we had some breakfast and then I got out the guitar again. I showed my daughter some basic notes and then I practiced for a while.
In the afternoon, we drove over to Lake George in NY to visit with an old college buddy and his family. I used to spend most of my vacation time with this friend, backpacking and rock climbing. When I first moved to VT, he and I skied together, raced together, and did more hiking and climbing. But, he's married now and busy with two young children, so we don't see each other as much. I was amazed when he told me that he hasn't run a step in a couple years (he's a former 2:55 marathoner and 17 minute 5K guy), and he hasn't been out climbing or hiking at all this year.
It's been over 16 years since my son was born, and my wife and I have managed to stay really active through all of those years. We just find ways to create free time so we can get outside and play. I can't imagine living any other way and it's surprising to me that my friend is living so differently than in the past. He did tell me that he and his wife are planning to ski a lot more this year, now that their son is old enough for a seasonal program at the mountain where they ski.
We got home late last night, but I still made it to the gym this morning. I did the same workout as last Monday - when I tweaked my back. I had no problems at all this morning and managed to increase the weight for two of the lifts - front squats and deadlifts.
Friday, August 28, 2009
PRP update
I heard from the clinic today, and they managed to secure the people and a procedure room at the hospital to do the PRP. It's now scheduled for 9/9. So, instead of being 3 days away, it's 12 days away. I don't even care right now that the whole thing is going to hurt. I just want to get it done so I can move on, and hopefully get back to tougher training.
My back seems fine today, which is typical of when I've tweaked it this way in the past. If I rest for 3-4 days, everything seems to return to normal. I'm going to do an upper body lifting session tonight as long as it's pain free. On Monday morning, when I do a lower body lifting session, I'll be very careful in my warm-up.
This weekend, if the weather holds, I'll run on Saturday and ride my bike on Sunday. I might be able to keep up with my wife on the run tomorrow. She ran a 5 mile race last night, running in the low 47s on a tough course. She was a minute faster than her last 5 miler and this week was a tougher course. He running is really improving right now, so I need to get healthy before she refuses to train with me because I'm too slow.
My back seems fine today, which is typical of when I've tweaked it this way in the past. If I rest for 3-4 days, everything seems to return to normal. I'm going to do an upper body lifting session tonight as long as it's pain free. On Monday morning, when I do a lower body lifting session, I'll be very careful in my warm-up.
This weekend, if the weather holds, I'll run on Saturday and ride my bike on Sunday. I might be able to keep up with my wife on the run tomorrow. She ran a 5 mile race last night, running in the low 47s on a tough course. She was a minute faster than her last 5 miler and this week was a tougher course. He running is really improving right now, so I need to get healthy before she refuses to train with me because I'm too slow.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
New toy
I guess I get restless when I can't work out. My back is feeling much better and I think I am going to try to work out tomorrow, but today is another rest day. Tonight, I'm going to watch the kids while my wife runs a race. What a role reversal!
So, while I've had this downtime, I've been thinking about a new toy, something I've wanted forever: an electric guitar. I found a used guitar last week in a local shop that really caught my eye. It was listed as a 1960s Fender Stratocaster, but when I did more homework, I found out it was part of Fender's line of "reissued" classic guitars. So, it's not really a 60s Strat, but a replica of an older guitar.
To be honest, I had been very surprised to see the guitar listed as that old, because it looked spotless, sort of like this:
So, after I knew what guitar I was talking about, I did a bunch of homework, reading reviews and comparing prices. The price at the local store was better than anything I could find on the web. And for the price, it was way "more" guitar than I was expecting I could afford.
My wife said I had to have an instructor before I could buy it. So, I found an instructor. And today, I bought the guitar.
Next, I have to buy a few more things, like a strap, some picks, an amplifier, etc. I've wanted to buy an electric guitar for at least 30 years. It seems to me that every teenage boy who loves music wants to play the guitar. But, few ever get around to it. It's taken me a long time to get this far. Next, the hard part starts - actually learning something new and difficult at my advanced age.
So, while I've had this downtime, I've been thinking about a new toy, something I've wanted forever: an electric guitar. I found a used guitar last week in a local shop that really caught my eye. It was listed as a 1960s Fender Stratocaster, but when I did more homework, I found out it was part of Fender's line of "reissued" classic guitars. So, it's not really a 60s Strat, but a replica of an older guitar.
To be honest, I had been very surprised to see the guitar listed as that old, because it looked spotless, sort of like this:
So, after I knew what guitar I was talking about, I did a bunch of homework, reading reviews and comparing prices. The price at the local store was better than anything I could find on the web. And for the price, it was way "more" guitar than I was expecting I could afford.
My wife said I had to have an instructor before I could buy it. So, I found an instructor. And today, I bought the guitar.
Next, I have to buy a few more things, like a strap, some picks, an amplifier, etc. I've wanted to buy an electric guitar for at least 30 years. It seems to me that every teenage boy who loves music wants to play the guitar. But, few ever get around to it. It's taken me a long time to get this far. Next, the hard part starts - actually learning something new and difficult at my advanced age.
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