Bike @ Work

Pleasant bike ride to work this morning. A little hair-raising while contra-flowing half a mile on HWY 59 feeder road. The ride was otherwise uneventful. For safety I added a blinking light to the front of the bike. The new light compliments the pre-existing rear blinking light for optimal visibility.

I'm looking forward to my new means of transportation to work.

Trail Bike:
7.82 miles
41:44
11.25 mph

Ahhh, rain!

Thank goodness it is raining! My lawn is all but dead. We've been in a serious drought and the Houston area have seen a record number of triple digit temperatures.

I ran in a slow, refreshing drizzle. It didn't help my cardio-fitness level, but it allowed me to execute the run at noon. Seven minute warm-up walk, 16-minute run, followed by an eight minute cool-down.

I don't feel comfortable running. It's hard to explain. I'm the furthest thing imaginable from smooth and efficient. Almost feels like I'm running with prosthetic legs... and I'm just throwing them forward for the next step. I hope this goes away soon. No knee pain, so that is always good news.

I've been telling everyone at work that I'm officially going GREEN starting tomorrow.... kind of. The plan is to start riding my bike to work everyday. The mere 7-mile ride is a no brainer, except crossing the San Jacinto River bridge, where I will have to jockey for position on HWY 59. They have an advantage traveling 70+ mph, with four wheels! I've cycled to work twice on the weekends without any serious issues. I'd prefer to ride my rode bike, but I think it is smarter to ride my trail bike just in case I need to ride in the grass, if need be.

Walk:
0.85 mile
15:01
17:40 pace

Run:
1.26 mile
16:00
12:42 pace

One Mile

At work today.

Two consecutive days without knee pain. Time to get back on schedule. I decided to run on the treadmill after considering the acute slant of the road and amount of turns around the station. My knee felt good, so hopefully last Thursday's aches were only phantom pains.

Eight minute warm-up, 14 minute run, and eight minute cool down.

First full mile since April 8, 2009. The walk pace was 20:15... now I'm positive the treadmill needs to be calibrated. It doesn't effect me much, because I'm running for time, not mileage.

Walk:
0.79
16:00
20:15 pace

Run:
1-mile
14:20
14:20 pace

Pain Es No Bueno

At work today.

Felt the same aches in my knee today that I experienced yesterday. I've decided to play it safe. I want a couple days without pain, before I continue running.

Wish me luck that this is only a minor set back. I've said it once and it's worth repeating. Any more serious knee issues and I will discontinue running and shift primarily to cycling.

New Bike

Second run on the concrete, which might have been a bad decision. I felt a couple small aches in my knee. I finished the run, because I felt them in both knees, not just the medically repaired knee.

After the run, I walked Andrea through Boot Camp B. Shaina committed to join us, but she was a no-show. The new circuit introduces plyometric exercises.

Andrea and I bought Taylor a new bike today. She is really excited about her new bike and I couldn't be happier. With a little luck and patience, she should be able to join us on longer rides. Her new bike is a 24-inch Iron horse with Shimano components, aluminum frame, front shocks, etc... In other words, a nice bike.

As soon as we got home, she begged to go for a ride. We rode the five mile loop like it was a stroll around the block. This was a great investment for our family!

Bike:
5.49 miles
34:00
9.69 mph

Walk:
1.22 miles
19:59
16:23 pace

Run:
0.97 mile
11:01
11:21 pace

Busy Day

Fun filled day! Off duty at 6am this morning. I was exhausted, so as soon as I got home I slept for three hours, which made a world of difference.

Wyatt, Shaina, and company joined us to watch the Astros vs. Tigers at Minute Maid park. Good game, even though we lost. Special thank you to Kevin K (Andrea's boss) for giving us those GREAT tickets!

After the baseball game Andrea and I meet up with a bunch of my co-workers for "game night". A good time was had by all. Delicious snack's, funny stories, and a great game of "right, left, center". The home team (Andrea and I) took home all the winnings!!!

Shaina and her kids met up with me at 9:30pm for a brisk walk around the subdivision. Her cardiovascular fitness is improving fast!

Soon as I finished the walk I took off for a 10-minute run. Since it was dark, I was forced to run on the concrete roads.

I felt incredible running tonight. It was after 10pm, I was sweating from head to toe and I actually felt like a runner again. The distance was really close to one-mile. Looks like my Tuesday 11-minute run will cross the mile threshold.

Rick Cook ran 57 grueling miles of the Western States 100. It was exciting to track him all day yesterday. He's a true bad ass!

I'm thankfully my body is pain-free and I'm happy. Special 'shout-out' to Andrea for a great weekend full of fitness, fun, and smiles.

Walk:
2.02 miles
33:02
16:21 pace

Run:
0.93 mile
10:01
10:46 pace

Andrea Places 3rd, again!

Woke up sick as a dog this morning. I was faced with a delimma on what to do.... it was 5am and Andrea was pre-registered for a 5k AND I had scheduled four women for Boot Camp. I wanted to cancel, but something told me to tough it out.

Half way to Deer Park I started feeling better, which made me thankful for not cancelling the festivities. As I said above, Andrea sign up for the Independence Day 5k in Deer Park. She did everything right and was rewarded with a 3rd place trophy AND a nice PR. She finished in 26:09. It's amazing that ANYONE could manage a PR in that kind of heat. Like coach Steeve use to say, she's in the "fat curve" of her training. I can't wait to see her times when cooler weather arrives! Good job, Babe!!!

We started Boot Camp A near the rose garden at Dow Park. By the time we began the heat was high overhead and we struggled to find shade for our workout. Half mile warm up walk, 4-circuits of Boot Camp A, half mile cool down, and light stretches.

I'm proud of all the girls and I think they are ready for Boot Camp B, which introduces plyometric-type movements. We'll still continue to focus on core strength, yet add LIGHT jumping/bouncing movements.

Once I got home at noon, I went for my walk-run. I know everyone is tired of reading about how hot it is, but by the time I finished I was dripping from head to toe. On the good side, my legs felt strong on the run. Tomorrow I'm running 10-minutes, which is getting really close to my first mile! All my fitness activities are now done and I need to shower. URG, just remembered I need to start getting ready for work tonight. It sucks working two jobs... and that doesn't count the PT stuff, because I love doing!

Good Luck to RICK COOK, who is currently running the Western States 100 mile run!

Out of Shape?

It's warm out there, no matter what time you exercise. I started at 8am. Twenty-two minute walk, 8-minute run, which was followed by an upper-body workout.

On the run I realized I'm out of shape. Naturally, I'd like to blame the heat, but I think the burden rest solely on my shoulders. The run felt great.... once I finished, yet my breathing was getting out of control.

Strength training went well. Thankfully tomorrow is my off-day. I'm feeling tired.

Walk:
1.36 mile
22:10
16:18 pace

Run:
0.75 mile
8:01
10:41 pace

Trail Bike:
2.13 miles
12:03
10.61 mph

Strength Training:
Upper-Body

Hot

My buddy told me it was 104 today at Bush IAH. The temperatures were tolerable under the cover of the greenbelts during my bike ride. On the other hand, at 5pm it was a hot SOB in my garage while working out.

Increased all my weights to pre-injury numbers. It felt really good to sling around some real iron.

Yesterday I finished the American College of Sports Medicine manual. I still have three more books to read, but should be done before next months test.

Trail Bike:
7.98
41:50
11.45 mph

Mid-body workout

1 RM Bench Press Test

I woke up early enough to walk/run before going to work. The run was harder than expected, but I always feel tight in the morning. After the workout, I cycled the routes to determine distance and pace.

Walk:
1.43 miles
24:19
17:00 pace

Run:
0.54 mile
5:59
11:05 pace

Trail Bike:
1.97 mile
11:53
9.95 mph

At work I had a wild-hair to do a one repetition test for my bench press. I went through the dumbbells up to 70 pounds and had to move to the bench press machine. From there I maxed out at 215 pounds. My training weight is going to be a lot higher than I suspected.

Control

Spent most of the day dealing with stuff, which frankly, stresses me out. I'm taking control of the situation and hope to see some positive changes in the near future.

All I managed to do today was cycle around the greenbelts on my trail bike. Uneventful ride. The summer heat isn't getting to me physically, but it is killing my lawn.

Learned today that FEDEX lost my overnight shipment, which was my Garmin Forerunner going back for repair. Ought to be interesting to see how long it takes FEDEX to investigate the claim. They stated the package was breached and is now empty. They noticed the empty package when it arrived in Tennessee.

I've also decided to re-release my blog to the open public. I realized I was running scared from people at work who were reading, when in fact, I never had anything to hide.

Trail Bike:
6.01 miles
30:14
11.93 mph

Father's Day

Sleepless night at work yesterday. We made four calls after midnight, only allowing me two, 30-minute naps.

Little did I know, Andrea and the kids had spent the prior day working on gifts and surprises for me. As I drove up, there was a huge sign in the yard that read, "Worlds Best Dad", then I had hand-made cards from everyone, and a small wooded chest box that was painted by Alison. Inside the box was six ceramic monkeys, which were also hand painted. Andrea bought me two weighted bars for the weight room.

Everything was a pleasant surprise, even if I was a walking zombie.

I took the kids to the SPCA to look at pets, but they don't open till noon, so we ended up driving back home. On the way home we enjoyed a nice lunch at Chuy's Mexican restaurant. Once we arrived home I wasn't able to stay awake any longer and ended up sleeping 3-hours.

At 6pm I had to drop the kids off to Erin in the Woodlands. While driving I made arrangements for Shaina to join me on the walk. Her two kids and Taylor walked with us, while Andrea went for a 3-mile run. I must be getting acclimated to the heat, because it didn't seem too hot outside. After the walk I ran for 5-minutes, then I measured all the distances on my bike.

It was a good day. Life is good to be loved as much as I am!

Walk:
2.12 miles
34:30
16:16 pace

Run:
0.46 mile
5:02
10:57 pace

Bike:
2.58 mile
15:25
10.04 mph

Pre's B-day

For no reason whatsoever, Friday has always been my usual off-day. Thursday evening I received a text message from Shaina inquiring to the next boot camp session. Since I work Saturday and we have the kids this weekend, I decided to workout on Friday, essentially switching schedules with Saturday.

Andrea went for a 3-mile run while Shanina and I aggressively walked for 30-minutes. The cardio was followed by circuit training, cool-down, and post exercise stretches.

Boot Camp A
Walk:
1.98 miles
30:41
15:30 pace

Hard to believe my baby boy is two-years old today. Where has the time gone?
Happy Birthday, Big Guy! Dad Loves You!

No Garmin

It feels weird running without my garmin. Last week I sold my Garmin 405, because I'm hoping to buy the new 310xt. I figured I better sale the 405 before the value drops when the new model is released next month. I've had several different garmin forerunners over the last 3-years and I can count on one hand how many times I've ran or walked without a gps watch. I didn't like running without a garmin... yes, I'm a tech nerd.

I gave Andrea my old 305, which has started shutting off unexpectedly. It's frustrating when it shuts off during a run. It's malfunctioning often now, so we shipped it back to garmin for repair.

Today's walk/run felt great. Afterwards I took my bike and measured the route. After a little math I was able to determine the pace. I still haven't decided if I'm going to do any strength training today. Initially I had plans too, but I'm feeling a little lazy.

Walk:
1.6 mile
26:15
16:12 pace

Run:
0.36 mile
4:00
11:07 pace

Second Run

Shaina joined Andrea and I for another Bootcamp "A" workout at Forest Mills park.

Shaina recently had surgery and admittedly, I had reservations whether she was ready to start working out. Turns out that she did really well and said she felt good. Half mile warm up, circuit training, half mile cool-down, and a few post-exercise stretches.

Later in the evening I completed my second recovery walk/run. Today I walked 27-minutes and ran 3-minutes. I decided to run around the bayou because it is close to the house and the dirt is much easier on impact. The session went well, with the exception of Andrea's garmin shutting off unexpectedly. I need to call and see if we can get her watch fixed.

Bootcamp A

Walk (excluding bootcamp wu/cd):
1.6 mile
27:00
16:52 pace

Run:
0.27 mile
3:00
11:07 pace

Slow Loss

Keeping my calories sub-2,500 is NOT yielding the weight loss I would like to see. It's coming off, but oh-so-slow.

Small bike ride through the greenbelts on my trail bike. Other than that... not much to mention.

Trail Bike:
5.48 miles
28:37
11.49 pace

First RUN

First run in more than 8-weeks!!! And boy, it felt good!

I've made a custom schedule for myself to build base mileage and allow my knee additional time to fully recover. Today I ran for 2-minutes and walked for 28-minutes.

Since I'm on duty today I decided to run at the Humble City Park, which has a nice crushed granite surface.

Walk:
1.7 mile
28:00
18:28 pace

Run:
0.18 mile
2:00
11:07 pace

Monument Bike ride

Up bright and early this morning for Boot Camp "A" in Deer Park. We meet at the Rose Garden in the middle of Dow Park. Even though the location was a long drive for me, the location worked out perfectly.

Earlier in the week we had a group of about five women scheduled for the group workout, but three didn't show for various reasons. Four people total including me. Half mile warm up, circuit training, half mile cool-down, and stretching. The two new girls did an exceptional job at maintaining form and pace.

After Boot Camp, Andrea and I was hoping to ride our road bikes around the San Jacinto Monument. We learned they charge you to enter the park. We decided to stay outside the park and ride the road leading into the monument. Nice ride, but the industrial plants put off an awful odor. We only rode six miles. The short distance was part of my schedule, but I'm not sure we could have handled the odor much longer either.

And if that wasn't enough, I walked for 30-minutes when we got back home. It felt like I was walking a lot faster than the pace displayed on my garmin. Not sure why that is...

Boot Camp "A"

Walk:
1.73 miles
30:01
17:21 pace

Road Bike:
6.03 miles
25:31
14.18 mph

Dreadmill

At work.
Walk on Treadmill.
Blah.

Walk:
1.72 mile
30:00
17:27 pace

Mid-body workout

RELEASED

The doctor gave me a 100% full release. He said I can return to cycling and running, but try not to "go crazy" with it. As soon as I got home I jumped on my trail bike and did a 5-mile loop. ...and no, that isn't crazy! It's been eight weeks since I last rode my bike, so it is an re-introduction of ROM to the knee. Therefore I felt a different feeling around my knee for the first couple miles. Nothing painful, just a little "different".

Andrea and I went back to Fosters Mill Lakes for Boot Camp "A". I wanted to ensure my program felt right and hit the correct muscles before this weekend group session. Andrea is always happy to be my guinea pig and I appreciate all her help!

Bike:
5.65 miles
29:15
11.59 mph

No Title

Lower Body workout

Walk:
1.74 miles
30:01
17:15 pace

Close Call

Started Boot Camp "A" at Foster Elementary school. The girls brought along their baseball gear to play while we worked out. Within minutes a few boys from the area asked to play with the girls. When they wasn't looking Preston walked behind one of the boys as he was bringing the bat back. In the flash of a second the bat struck him in the face. It wasn't a hard impact, but it scarred to heck out of us. He has a tiny bruise under his eye. Preston must be a tough dude, because he only cried for a 3-4 minutes. We abandoned the exercise session and went home, where he went back to playing and acting his normal self.

A few hours later we all went for a walk around the bayou. It was hot, yet it still felt great to be outside. Preston got a free-ride in the jogging stroller, while the girls walked.

Before going to my part-time job, Andrea and I made a second attempt at the workout. We completed Boot Camp "A" it in the back yard, this time without all the drama.

Boot Camp "A"

Walk:
1.82 mile
30:01
16:30 pace

Tiny Walk

Walk:
0.74
12:01
16:14 pace

Ball

I spent twenty-eight glorious minutes walking on the greenbelts. It really, really felt good out there. The temperature was near perfect on the trails and my body was full of bottled-up energy. The feeling was short lived, but it felt great while it lasted.

Afterward I lead Andrea through a four circuit bootcamp using a small (12-inch) ball. From the exterior it looked and seemed easy. We both confessed to one another that it was tougher than we expected, as evidenced from our sweat and exhaustion!

Walk: 1.69 mile
28:01
16:35 pace

Strength training:
Bootcamp "A" with ball

Walk at Work

Back at work today.

At the end of a busy work day I found myself in the gym. The session started with a walk on the treadmill, which was followed by strength training. Walking/running at the same effort level is always slower on a treadmill. Not sure, but it is.

Walk:
1.44 miles
26:00
18:03 pace

I've had a headache all day and I'm hopeful it will subside soon.

Released

Interesting day.

As of this morning I am released back to full-duty. Per City of Humble policies I am required to take (and pass) a workability test in order to resume my normal duties as a firefighter-paramedic. The facility they sent me to is "interesting" to say the least. The test is NEVER conducted exactly the same and the equipment they use is not that of a distinguished medical facility. I'll stop there, because I have a lot to say and none of it involves a positive experience with NOVA Healthcare.

I did get a mini-workout during the test. The two harder exercises are; climbing up and down a 10-ft ladder for three minutes while wearing a 70-lb backpack and walking ~50-yards with a 70-lb crate.

Mid-day I took advantage of an introductory yoga session at Dahn Yoga in Kingwood. Essentially, the instructor put me through multiple exercises/stretches and reported back to me where I was weak-tight-unbalanced. I'm still very interested in yoga, but this particular studio might not be the right one for me. I'll continue to research and see if I can find a better fit.

Received some troubling news today. It's personal, so you won't read about it here. I suppose I'm mentioning this because I am struggling to find a way to properly digest the information.

To end on a good note, I did very good at eating healthy today. For dinner I baked red snapper in the oven, simmered yellow squash in rotel, and served all it over a bed of brown rice. It was so good, I might make the same thing at work tomorrow! Wow, sounds weird to mention work again. I'm excited to see the guys... its been a long time. As soon as I can start running my life will be back to the way I know it.

Patience grasshopper, patience.

Serene Environment

Early morning start was utterly beautiful for boot camp in Fosters Mill Park (next to the twin lakes)... kids fishing 100-yards away, husbands & wives walking the trails, and a perfect section of landscape for our workout. Days like this make me really appreciate the world we live in.

Andrea HAMMERED through a total body workout like it was nothing. Her transformation has been amazing to witness.

After she finished a 1-mile cool-down, she joined me for a scheduled 24-minute walk. Nice pace, but I didn't push to hard. Yesterday's shin discomfort was my body reminding me to ease back into fitness. In a mere two-weeks I start running again and I don't want to delay me further. I can't wait to start running again!

I officially finished the American Council on Exercise manual this afternoon. I'm tempted to take the test, but I really don't see the necessity for dual PT certifications. While both organizations are respected, I feel ACSM is the industry leader who sets the benchmark which others follow. This was quite evident by the abundance of ACSM literature citing's in the ACE manual.

Walk:
1.45 miles
24:00
16:33 pace

Late Night Fitness

Waited till 7pm to start our cardio and strength training. Of course that wasn't our original plans, yet merely the result of our day slipping away from us.

We decided to walk (me) - run (Andrea) around the rim on the bayou. This is always a nice route, although at times it is warm due to the lack of shade. Fortunately for us, a majority of the route was shaded due to our late start. Another reason I like this route is because it is only 100-yards from my house, which gives us time for a mini warm-up and cool-down.

From the pedestrian bridge you can run a loop crossing Walnut on the North or you can run a loop to Kingwood Dr on the South. Andrea combined the two for a 2-mile loop, which she ran a couple times. I did much less, as dictated by my recovery schedule. I was trying to walk as fast as my chubby little legs would go, which resulted in shin pain. It felt like my shins were going to explode on the way back. Looks like more stretches are in order.

I saw a couple deers "bathing" in the bayou. I've watched lots of deer in my life, but that was the first time I've seen them in the water.

Walk:
0.76 mile
12:02
15:52 pace

Also had a great mid-body workout in the gym. Reduced my usual weight by 50%, but increased the time of exercise to 3-4 seconds per repetition.

Workout:
Mid-body

Horse Fly!

It's been another good day.

Andrea and I changed up the scenery by working out at East End Park. She ran three miles, while I walked for 20-minutes. I forget how beautiful it is out there. The atmosphere reminds me of Huntsville State park. I absolutely love the parks in Kingwood!

Small tidbit: The header picture on my web-site is East End Park... It's a view of the field entrance before you enter the wooded trail..

Once we finished the cardio we started our circuit training. It was a mixed bag of exercises with resistance bands. For the first time, I joined Andrea in the training. About 15-minutes into the regimen we were joined by a couple horse flies. If you've never been bitten by a horse fly, consider yourself lucky, because they hurt! After a few minutes of swatting them away, we decided to end the session early. Both of us had a good cardio workout and put in nearly 20-minutes of quality circuit training.

Walk:
1.31 mile
22:01
16:48 pace

Lower Body Worjout

Wonderfully productive day.

Alison and I shared a Subway sandwich at her school picnic. It's always interesting to see her interact in a different environment.

I spent several hours reading my PT manual this afternoon. Read 2.5 chapters, which leaves me with only two more to go. Looks like I'll easily meet my goal to have completed the manual before I return to work. I'm giving myself the first three weeks of June to finish the two workbooks.

Today was the first lower body workout since my knee surgery. Everything went really well. I feel some tightness on the posterior aspect of my knee. This is normal, because the joint has been kept in a limited range of motion. I'm still being over-protective with my knee. I continue to ice it after exercise and wrap with compression dressings. As I sit here typing, it feels absolutely perfect. And that makes me very happy!

Workout:
Lower Body

I took Andrea to a local area that has a 2-mile loop with minimal vehicle traffic, so she could ride her road bike. She's still trying to adjust to the clip-in shoes. She is progressing very well. Andrea’s first couple of stumbles left her timid on the bike. I'm hoping to build her confidence, which will help her negotiate the roadways with other cyclist, cars, and feel comfortable on longer rides.