Exerslog

Going on Hiatus

2008-09-22T22:07:00.000-07:00

I'm too lazy to blog after I exercise, so Exerslog is going dormant for now. I may perform CPR on it later. Until then, come see me at my other blog, blogan.net.

Weekend Update

2008-07-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

It's once again Sunday evening. How did I do this last week?

I rode my bike to work only on Monday this last week. I know that sounds terrible, but keep reading. I walked to work on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday and Friday I worked in Folsom so I had to drive (horrors!) to and from the airport those days.
I walked a mile during lunch on Monday (or maybe it was Tuesday).
Today I rode 26 miles for fun. Actually, it's fun every time I ride, but that was my only excuse for riding today. :-)
After four weeks, my gas tank was empty. I broke down and bought gas today. I doubt I'll go another four weeks, but we'll see.

My mother's considering coming to Portland for the marathon. She says she's done running marathon distances and wants to run a half marathon. Unfortunately, Portland doesn't offer a half marathon. She's almost embarrassed to run the associated 5 miler. Maybe she'll run a relay leg in the marathon instead. We'll see...

Weekend Update

2008-07-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday evening -- how did I do last week?

I rode my bike to work 5 out of 5 days, even on Wednesday, when I had an all-day class at a different campus.
I rode extra last Sunday, Thursday, and today.
The gas tank I filled three weeks ago is still 1/4 full. It's amazing how much gas I use other than commuting.

This week's weather looks good for riding some more.

Come Ride With Me

2008-07-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

I've been riding to work all week, even yesterday when I had an all-day class at a farther campus, though still not that far away. This evening I took a bike ride and documented it on google maps. I wrote about it on my other blog, blogan.

Weekend Update

2008-07-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

I rode my bike Monday and Friday last week. Not bad, considering I was on a business trip Tuesday and Wednesday and had a mid-day appointment on Thursday.

I went on a 16.4 mile bike ride Friday afternoon to help on the weekly miles.

Today, I took another trip to REI. No, I'm still not saving commute money by biking, but I'm sure accumulating some really cool bike stuff. Today, I bought a helmet, some grease, some wax-based chain lube, and a new water bottle.

My new helmet is awesome! I got a "one size fits all" Bell Slant helmet. I can adjust the fit easily on the road. It hugs my head great and the chin strap doesn't choke me. It also has a lot more ventilation than my old helmet.

I used the grease to adjust my seat post height. The old grease was so gunky I couldn't see the max extension line. And with my legs, that's where I need the post set.

To celebrate, I rode this evening: slightly shorter at 13.4 miles. My bike computer says I averaged 1.3 mph (oops! That can't be right. I wonder what it was) with a max speed of 29.1. I'll say the slight wind on the port stern on the outgoing leg can take some credit for that. Temperature was 85F. The highlights of the ride was the cool patch while crossing Rock Creek on Evergreen and passing the clover fields north of the Hillsboro airport. Nice. :-)

Simple Weather says the weather's going to be nice this week. We'll see how many days I can ride my bike to work.

Get a Grip

2008-07-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

This last week, I rode my bike to work Monday through Thursday. Friday, being the Fourth of July, I didn't go to work.

Today, I dropped by REI to get some bicycling gloves. The gloves really help for any distance more than about a mile. I looked at the bar-end grips, but decided against getting them. I didn't want to install them myself.

I wanted to try out my new gloves, so I started my Evergreen, End to End ride. It goes near REI, so I took a detour to see how long it would take to have them put the bar-end grips on for me. Turns out, not long!

I told them I wanted the Shorties bar end grips, but I grabbed the L Bends grips instead. It was my mistake, but it was a good one. Once I tried them, I liked the additional hand position and used it a lot the rest of the way home.

Because I spent my riding time at REI, I rode straight home from REI. My trip computer says 14.08 miles total.

Now it's time to work in the yard. :-)

Evening Ride

2008-07-02T21:44:00.000-07:00

The weather in Hillsboro continues to be beautiful -- perfect for an evening bike ride. I rode my "length of Evergreen" ride: down Cornell to its intersection with Evergreen, back up Evergreen to its other end, then wrap around a few streets home. I think it's around 16 miles. At least that's what my bike computer says... The wind was light. If anything, it was a gentle tailwind on the return trip.

The ride was wonderful. Not too hot, just a little humid (to the point of getting a couple or random drops near Barnes & Noble). Being Oregon, the flowers continue to be in bloom, with the fragrance of honey suckle and roses in the air.

Nice!

Cheap in a Fit Way

2008-07-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've discovered new motivation to exercise. Forget health, long life, and a feeling of well-being. I'm now exercising because I'm cheap.

This last Sunday as I filled my CRV with less than 13 gallons and watched another $50 exit my bank account, I decided I should ride my bike to work. To the grocery store for errands. Today I rode my bike from JF3 to CO5 and back for a meeting -- round trip was around 15 miles.

I haven't driven my car since I got gas. At this rate, I won't have to buy more gas for longer than the typical every other week.

Long live the cheap!

Capture the Flag

2008-06-04T22:20:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, after church, we were invited to the King's for lunch and the afternoon.

Why post this on Exerslog? Well, because afternoon at the Kings means capture the flag. And not just two or three games, but many, many games. Enough games that you are reminded for days by your aching muscles.

Good times!

Oh, and the boys won. ;-)

Walk On

2008-06-04T21:54:00.000-07:00

Ashley wanted to walk this morning before I went to work, so we did the 3-mile walk. For real excitement, we did the loop in the clockwise direction. Woo hoo!

The Ashley needed to borrow my car and couldn't figure out how to get it to me so I walked home after work.

Now that I'm not regularly exercising, even short walks now qualify for Exerslog. :-)

Quick 3-Mile Walk

2008-05-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

My blisters are gone and Ashley wanted to go for a quick walk. So off we went.

3-mile loop
Find more Walks in Hillsboro, Oregon

Almost exactly three miles.

Big Walk Today

2008-05-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmywalk.com/walk/united-states/or/hillsboro/120994563485"&amp;gt;Big loop&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmywalk.com/find-walk/united-states/or/hillsboro"&amp;gt;Find more Walks in Hillsboro, Oregon&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Now that Ashley has returned from her mission trip in the Dominican Republic, I once again have my exercise partner. This morning, she asked if I wanted to go for a walk. Little did I know what she meant.

After all, Ashley has been exercising to get in shape for a Nepal mission she's going on this summer. Once we got started, we kept increasing our goal. And point to remember: when you go on a loop, you can't just turn around to get home. After the point of no return, it's shorter to just keep going. The trouble is knowing where that point is.

Once my blisters have healed, I be ready to go again. With luck, that will be a couple of days.

Still Alive, Thank Dog

2008-02-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

You wouldn't know it from this blog, but I'm still alive. I even made made exercising one of my New Year's resolutions. And I've been having some success with it. Partly because I lowered my standards, and partly because our dog got a skin rash.

The vet told us to bathe Meisa twice a week, give her some antibiotics, and bring her back if she didn't get better. After bathing Meisa and going through the pain of shoving pills down Meisa's throat a couple times a day, no way were we going to let her out to get dirty. 'Course, we weren't thrilled with the possibility of messes in the house, so I became the designated dog walker. Twice a day, I grab my gloves, my hat, my coat, the leash, and those wonderful little plastic bags for collecting Meisa's "deposits." And all those stereotypes of dogs wanting to go on leashes and being able to read my mind when I'm about ready to go? All true.

Maybe not the most energetic exercising in the world, but it's consistent. It has to be. Otherwise we end up with a dirty dog or a pooped-in house.

That's okay. It's nice to get outside and walk around the neighborhood. I've seen things I've never seen before. I've explored streets I'd never driven down before. I end up with a few minutes twice a day with no distractions. Time just to myself.

In fact, I think it's time to go for a walk. Later...

My Training is Shot

2007-09-30T23:09:00.001-07:00

I learned a valuable lesson: don't give blood on Monday and then get hep A, hep B, and tetanus shots on Wednesday if you want to train for a race a couple Sundays later. I think last night was the first "comfortable" night sleeping and my right arm still hurts...

It's time to quit whining and get back with the program. Seven days left. I can do this.

Arrr! Me Run Like a Pirate!

2007-09-19T22:17:00.001-07:00

Ahoy!! Today I went t' t' club and ran 4 miles. Make that, I ran and walked a total o' 4 miles. Less that 3 weeks and I'll be tryin' t' run (and walk) 5 miles.

Wish me luck!

Traveling Sucks

2007-09-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

I'm traveling more for work again: two days every two to three weeks. When I travel, I don't exercise. I haven't figured out how.

So no, I haven't abandoned exercise the last couple of days; I was just being lazy because I was away from home. (I'm not sure what my excuse will be tomorrow.)

How do you exercise when you travel?

Quick Exercise

2007-09-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

With Jamison's 5:30 soccer game, supper, and then Heather needing help on calculus at 8:30, exercising tonight was going to be impossible. At least that's what I thought. Heather got home after babysitting and said she didn't need help. When I announced I was going to the gym, she replied she wanted to come along.

We did a quick exercise on the stationary bicycle. I selected weight loss program, 7/10 resistance, and then quit about 75% through. I can't even remember how many miles or calories it said I did. Oh well. It was much better than nothing. I'm still sweating as I type. Yeah, not a good cool down period. I'll put my feet up on the chair in front of me and stretch while I type. ;-)

This 5-miler run still looks interesting. I haven't found anyone who's interested in running with me, but that's okay. I'll do it alone, if necessary.

They say 80% of success is just showing up. If that applies to exercise, I was successful tonight.

Like a Fish

2007-09-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

I got back in the pool today. According to my log, it was the first time in about 21 weeks! 'Course that doesn't count the snorkeling in Hawaii. ;-)

I thought I'd take it a little slow -- not that I had much choice.

I swam:

5 x 50 straight
5 x 50 intervals on the :60
5 x 50 straight
5 x 50 straight

I'm going to have to swim intervals to get my speed back. My fastest 50 was about :40.

Regardless of my speed, it felt good to be in the pool. The water was the perfect temperature, I floated well (yeah, that spare tire around the waist helps), and I had my own lane.

Life is good!

Riding the Wedgiemobile

2007-09-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

It Sunday and the weather is beautiful in Hillsboro: 85° and 16 mpg winds out of the NE. I have a favorite ride that takes me about an hour on my mountain bike.
Evergreen end to end
Find more Bike Rides in Hillsboro, Oregon

According to my trip computer:

Time: 1:06:34
Distance: 16.54
Average speed 14.9
Maximum speed: 30.0

My average speed is lower than normal, but I blame the wind. ;^)

I learned a few things in my ride:

My mountain bike is an awesome bike for the road. I used to ride my road bike, but kept getting flats from all the crap on the road. The wider, thicker tires on my mountain bike eat up junk and spit it right back out. I replaced the knobbies with tires that are smooth for easier rolling.
I want bar-end grips for my mountain bike. Road bikes have drop bars to minimize wind resistance and provide multiple hand positions so your wrists don't hurt so much. Bar-end grips provide much of the goodness of drop bars for mountain bikes.
I want to find my gel biking gloves. Although they would protect my hands in case I fall and help absorb vibrations while I ride, I really miss having something to wipe the sweat from my face while I ride.
I want to get some new biking shoes. They really keep your feel cool and transfer to force from the pedals over a large part of the foot. After breaking the same foot (and the same bone) on two separate times, my foot is a little too wide to fit my old biking shoes comfortably.
I want to go to bed. I'm tired...

What did you do to get your blood pumping this weekend?

Threepeat

2007-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

I exercised for the third day in a row. To give my running muscles a break, I used the recumbent cycle tonight: weight loss program, level 6/10, standard time. I think it reported 9.5 miles in that time.

I think it's time to get back in the pool, too. That would be a good break for my legs, since I don't seem to use them that much while swimming.

One reason I don't like the recumbent bicycles is that I have to choose from five shared TV suspended over the exercise area; half the treadmills have their own individually-controllable TVs. It will be different to go back to the pool and think 23 ... 23 ... 23 ... 24 ... 24 ... 24 ... etc. down and back the pool. Frazz shows an idealized view of lap swimming. Just doesn't happen where I swim, except maybe the first seven panels (and maybe the tenth).

As I got in the car to head home after work, I heard an ad for running 5 miles of the Portland Marathon. It's October 7, about 30 days away. Although I wouldn't be fast, it could be fun. I asked my mom if she'd run with me but she'll be returning from a trip the preceding Friday. That's too bad...

Almost forgot to mention -- no caffeine today. I think that's two days in a row. Wow, a Pepsi would be really good about now...

Two in a Row

2007-09-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

I exercised for the second day in a row. Woo hoo!

I ran on a treadmill again, but went back to the treadmills I like. They don't display as much information, but they have a great places to store my gym pass, keys, watch, cell phone, etc. The treadmill I used yesterday didn't; my stuff kept falling onto the belt to be dumped on the floor behind my back. I gave up and left it there.

I ran a little longer and farther today on a different interval program. About 45 minutes, totaling 3.75 miles and I think about 580 calories. I felt a lot better today than yesterday.

Oh, and no caffeine today. I drank a can of Sierra Mist or something --- 140 calories. Stupid! I'm going to have to find some sparkling water so I can get my carbonation fix without all the other junk.

Tell me about your exercise successes.

New (School) Year's Resolutions

2007-09-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

I don't write New Year's Resolutions. It feels so contrived, so forced. Yet, the beginning of a school year feels like such a great time to make resolutions. It's a time to change routines, why not start a good one?

So on this, the first day of school, I resolve:

To exercise more
To drink caffeine less

That shouldn't be hard. After all, what's more than none and less than a lot?

And here, at the end of the first day, is my report:

I actually exercised today! I went to the club and ran on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I tried a different machine and a different program, so I don't really know how to compare with what I've done before, other than I actually went!
I had one can of Pepsi today and a couple liters of water. The way I figure it, that water could have been caffeinated drinks, so success! Woo hoo!

How about you? Do you make resolutions at the start of the school year? (Do you keep them?)

Yard Work

2007-09-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today, I walked out to my garden and pulled some weeds. I threw them over the fence and admired my work. I walked back in and washed my hands.

I got bored editing the tags on my other blog, so I went back and pulled weeds on the back of my garden, circling it a couple times. I probably did about three laps around my garden. Then I went back in and washed my hands.

Being proud of my results (and my workout), I brought Suzi out to see my handiwork. I saw a couple more weeds and pulled them, probably lapping the garden at least once more. I walked back in, and cleaned up yet again.

Let's see:

multiple laps around the garden
many reps of pulling weeds (minimal exertion with lots of reps builds endurance)
three down and backs to the garden (uphill both ways, at least that's what I'll tell my grandchildren, probably throwing something in about blowing snow, too)

Not my normal workout (but then again, what is my normal workout recently), but it will have to do for today.

Hi, Sally! ;-)

Recumbent cycling

2007-08-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Quick exercise tonight:

recumbent cycle
WL program, level 6
476 calories

But that's what I had time for. ;-)

Sabbatical's Over, Time to Run

2007-08-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

I got back from sabbatical yesterday (actually very early this morning) and I ran on the treadmill tonight: 2.7 miles or so. Not far, but a success regardless. I'll sleep well tonight.

My sabbatical wasn't completely without exercise, but I hardly broke a sweat snorkeling, so to speak...

Back in the Saddle

2007-07-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Haven't done a lot of traditional exercising recently. Mowing the lawn, cutting down blackberries, hiking around tourist traps, and floating in the Atlantic Ocean don't "count." That's okay.

Also, I'm on sabbatical, so I've been away from my club. I should have noticed that many of the hotels we've been staying at have exercise rooms, but I only took advantage of one and that was while the laundry was running in the room next door. That's okay, too.

I rode my mountain bike today. I was hoping to get rid of the soreness in my legs caused by riding a dirt quad on the Fourth. So far, it's just increased the amount of my body that's sore. That's also okay.

It's going to take a lot to perturb me. Did I mention I'm on sabbatical? ;-)

Fit to be Tied

2007-04-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

I finally found time to exercise again this evening. I did the fit test on the stair stepper; got 11.3 METs this time (worse than last time; isn't that nice?!). Then I did the weight loss intervals at level 7 on the exercise bike.

It's no swim, but it does liquidate the dry spell in my exercising.

First Run

2007-04-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

I think I strained my right knee a little yesterday when I timed a 50 with fins. To give my swimming legs a break, I went to the gym this evening. And since this is an American Idol decision night, I had to use a machine with its own TV monitor. The choice was between an evil elliptical machine or a treadmill -- that choice was easy.

I am not a runner. I haven't really run since Coach made me run in high school. I claim it's hard on my knees. Probably is, though what I remember from high school is having my knees go numb after running for a few minutes. I guess that's better than pain.

Anyway...I ran 3 miles in about 30 minutes. For me, that's a record! ;-)

Oh, and that hurt knee? Feels fine now, though the other one feels a little tight from running. I'll have to stretch tonight before going to bed.

They Call Him Flipper, Flipper, Faster Than Lightning

2007-04-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

I swam today -- 27 laps. I'd planned on doing 33, but in creating this list, it looks like I forgot 5 laps, either at the pool or after swimming them.

250 - warm up
5 x 50 intervals, starting on the minute
250 straight
500 with fins (flippers)
50 timed, :33ish
100 straight

For fun, I timed myself swimming 50 with fins -- about 30 seconds. Without fins, I was able to swim it in 33 seconds. Not much difference in speed. I also timed 50 swimming breast stroke -- about 60 seconds. Definitely not my stroke.

At the club last night, I ran into a friend who also swims there. He questioned whether the pool is truly a meter pool. I just checked and couldn't find anything on the club's web site. Guess I'll have to ask.

Back in the Saddle

2007-04-16T22:17:00.000-07:00

Work continues to be too busy to work out during the day. Bummer...

Rather than skipping another workout (hey, that strategy has worked for the last week), I went in late and used the exercise bike interval program on 6. Yup, easier than last time. I forgot to take my headphones, so I was entertained by "Dancing with the Stars" without sound. I'm not convinced there's much difference.

The pool is calling me...

Swimming and Character

2007-04-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Swimming Doesn't Build Character
It Reveals Character

So says the T-shirt my son's friend is wearing today. Gee, thanks! Guilt is a good way to start the week...

Life Getting in the Way

2007-04-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

No exercising today. My home computer died so I spent lunch getting a new hard drive and this evening at guitar group and then installing my hard drive. Still in the process...

So instead, I sit around, munching on Easter candy.

As the non-exerciser says, "There's always tomorrow!"

First Sunday Swim

2007-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I will be traveling later this week, so I figured starting on Sunday is the best way to get at least three swims done. I wasn't sure what I'd do until I arrived at the club, dressed down, and looked at the pool. Then I decided it was a good day to do a timed metric mile: 1650 meters. Because there were families in the pool (hello, Mark!), I chose the far lane, waited for the lap clock to be at an easy-to-remember time, and pushed off.

One end of the pool was too warm, and the other might have been perfect, but always felt a little cool coming from the warm end. I'd much rather have too cool than too warm, though; I can feel the warmth just sucking the energy out of my body. I wonder if another lane would have been more consistent.

Regardless, my time was 27:15, almost two minutes faster than my baseline time, and translates to averaging about 49.5 seconds per 50 meters. Faster is better. :-)

I then swam another 300 meters wearing fins and got a cramp in my right calf. I waited a couple of minutes and swam a "fast 50," or at least it felt fast. It was about 41 seconds, so I wasn't as fast as I felt, though not bad after swimming a timed mile and getting a cramp.

I topped the evening off with a few minutes in the hot tub, then a dip in the unheated, outside pool. I feel pleasantly fatigued. My bed with clean sheets is going to feel good.

First Friday Swim

2007-04-06T14:48:00.000-07:00

According to my swim log, this is the first Friday I have swum this year. Yeehaw!

I didn't have anything really planned for today's workout; this is what I did. If I can add, it's 33 x 50 meters.

250 meters, non-stop, not very fast
5 x 50 meter intervals, starting on the 1:00
250 meters of fox and hound; the fox was too fast for me today...
650 meters of miscellaneous swimming with fins; wow that hurts the legs!
1 x 100 meters, timed, 1:21; that felt good :)
150 meters of "stuff," cooling off

Fins are strange. It feels like I'm cheating, but they really give my legs a workout. Without them, my legs just kinda float along behind me. After I take off the fins, I seem to swim fast. I don't know why. Maybe swimming with fins forces me to streamline my position better because I'm going so much faster, and that carries over to swimming without fins.

It's been a good week for me. Hope yours has been good, too!

Ride'em Cowboy

2007-04-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Pretty simple night tonight: rode the exercise bike's interval program (Precor calls it the "weight loss" program) on level 7 for 28 minutes plus 5 cool down. Got a drink, saw a friend from church and school board, walked around the 1/12 mile track a few times to cool down some more, then did the three mid-trunk exercises (front, back, and twist).

I call that a night. Hit the shower and then goodnight Gracie.

Don't know what I'll do tomorrow, if anything. This was four for this week. Maybe a shorter, faster swim tomorrow. We'll see...

Baseline Metric Mile

2007-04-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

Today I timed my 1650-meter swim (the so-called "metric mile") for a baseline. It was a "sub-optimal" day and thus a great day for a baseline. I had a dental appointment earlier in the day; my lips were still numb and felt too big for my mouth. I figured this wouldn't be a problem because I swim with my mouth open, exhaling while my mouth is underwater and inhaling otherwise. And it wasn't. I probably had extra drag, though, with those huge lips flapping in the flow. At least that's what it felt like.

For some strange reason, my goggles weren't fitting and I had to stop at least five times in the first 250 meters to drain, adjust, etc. No biggie. I didn't restart the baseline. After all, a slow baseline is "good."

To top it off, I felt like a rock. That might have been a good thing if I had been upstairs in the weight room. It's not a good thing in the pool. I felt heavy and slow.

In spite of all these excuses (or maybe because of them), my time was 29:10. That's an average of 53 seconds per 50 meters. We'll see next time I swim a non-stop metric mile how good that time is.

Update: Yeah, I know you're curious; how does this compare with the world record? The closest standard distance is 1500 meters which Grant Hackett swam in 14:34.56, or averaging 29 seconds per 50 meters. I bet he didn't do that right after going to the dentist, though...

Climbing Higher

2007-04-03T22:18:00.000-07:00

After watching "American Idol," I took a quick jaunt to the club. Rosebud, I missed working out with you. But you probably would have encouraged me to use the evil elliptical machines...

Tonight I tried a stepping machine that is a stepping treadmill instead of the more usual lever arms that move up and down. I like it but I wish the stairs were a little deeper; my feet are too big for the steps and my toes got pinched as the stairs pivoted folded to the 90-degree angle and curled the toes of my shoes. Maybe trying to stay a little farther back on the machine would help.

As I was going through the options, I saw a "fit test" program. At the end of the test, it said I had 13.7 METs and that was average for a male my age. I looked METs up online to see it meant "metabolic equivalent" and found that 13.7 is above average. I like that better. :-)

I then tried a fat burner program but tried a level too hard, so I quit after about 15 minutes. What will-power! I cooled down on a treadmill and came home. Not a stellar workout, but better than staying home.

I'm looking forward to swimming again tomorrow.

Back At It

2007-04-02T15:58:00.000-07:00

I swam 40 laps this morning:

10 x 50m, no break
10 x 50m, no break
10 x 50m intervals, starting each 100 on the :60. I was able to maintain :45 swim times throughout.
10 x 50m of miscellaneous stuff: breaststroke, backstroke, freestyle with fins, etc. Gotta do more work with the fins. It seems like cheating, but they certainly exercise different muscles than usual.

I showed up mid-morning today because I didn't feel like sharing a lane. Monday and Wednesday are the busiest days at the pool.

Having only swum once last week, it was hard to get back at it. My exercise program seems to have momentum. Each day I miss makes it harder to show up.

Dead Computer? Take a Walk

2007-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

My computer is having problems. Starting a couple of weeks ago, hard drive access has slowed to a crawl. Today I took it to IT so they could run some test on it and was told to return in a hour. There's little I can do without my computer, so I took a walk.

Not a long walk, but better than nothing.

If you want to embed maps of your runs or walks on your blog, follow the instructions found on the Map My Run blog.

Spring Break

2007-03-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

I swam today -- 30 laps. It will be both the first and last time for this week.

With Spring Break, I'm able to combine business and pleasure travel. What I haven't yet figured out is how to exercise while traveling. My favorite exercises are swimming and bicycling. Neither fit well in my carry-on luggage. I brought my cross-training shoes and exercise clothes in case I feel like going for a brisk walk. We'll see.

How do you non-runners exercise when you travel?

Walking Home

2007-03-23T13:41:00.000-07:00

I walked home for lunch today. According to MapMyRun.com, the round trip is 1.76 miles. How's that for a wimpy exercise day?

A Little of Everything

2007-03-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm tired... Probably exercised too much yesterday and went to bed too late. That's okay. It made today a great day to try something different.

Rosebud wanted to swim so I brought here with me. I spent a few laps helping her with her form. Not a lot of exertion, but more swimming sideways to watch.

I also brought some training fins. They have a lot of uses:

Increase ankle flexibility
Increase leg strength
Train the brain to use the legs
Maintain speed while working on upper body form

Today I used them for the first three reasons, swimming multiple laps face down with a kick board and also on my back. I can really feel the front of my thighs, right above the knee. It seems to work the same muscles as the elliptical training while going "backward" or going down steps.

Finally, I swam a few 50m intervals on the minute. Amazing how fast it feels to use my arms again. ;-) I wasn't counting laps, but I bet I did around 20 -- 1k.

Not a lot, but probably perfect for today. It also means I swam three times this week (plus all the other exercising). I feel good!

How about you? Are you meeting your exercise goals?

More Eccentricity

2007-03-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

Rosebud wanted to go exercise after I got home this evening. We were able to time our departure so we could "ride" the elliptical trainers during the 1/2-hour American Idol results show. Sanjaya survives another week! More opportunities for entertainment! ;-)

We tried some of the weight machines while we cooled down. It's the first time I've tried them since joining the club so I kept the weights low. Rosebud had used them before so she could tell me how to use them.

The club is fairly quiet between 9 and 10 pm. Not a lot of competition for the weight machines. I'm tempted to make this a habit, even after Rosebud returns to college.

How do you decide when you'll exercise?

"Boring" Interval Day

2007-03-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

As predicted, I swam intervals today:

5 x 50m continuous - warm up, untimed
5 x 50m starting each 1:00, times ranged from 0:35 to 0:45
3 minute rest
5 x 50m starting each 1:00, times ranged from 0:40 to 0:45
3 minute rest
5 x 50m starting each 1:00, times ranged from 0:40 to 0:45
3 minute rest
5 x 50m starting each 1:00, times ranged from 0:40 to 0:45
3 minute rest
5 x 50m continuous - cool down, untimed

It totals 1,500m. Looking at the list, it looks monotonous, and thus, boring. Strangely, the time seemed to fly by.

In general, I think most exercise is boring. Swimming, running, bicycling, those durned machines at the club -- all boring. I suspect individuals tend to gravitate to the boring exercise they like best.

What boring exercise do you do?

Don't Go All Elliptical with Me

2007-03-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

I didn't make it to the pool today, but I made it to the gym this evening. I thought for variety I'd try the elliptical machine. Big mistake. I couldn't figure the crazy thing out. One set of buttons made the front go up and down and another set of buttons seemed to increase or decrease the resistance. I could go "forward" or "backward," as though that makes any sense for a motion not normally seen in nature.

But I couldn't figure out how to make the exercise easier or harder. Everything seemed harder. Having the front up was a more natural motion which was easier, but it was harder. More resistance meant I wasn't moving so fast, so it was easier, but it was harder. Going backward was just painful. If sweat means the workout is good, I guess it was worthwhile.

After half an hour of abusing both my body and mind (yeah, I was watching "American Idol," too), I gave up and found a treadmill to cool off. Now there's a machine I can understand.

Longer and Slower

2007-03-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

After the weekend, I felt like easing back into swimming, so I swam 2,000 meters quite slowly. Including a couple rest stops for water (at 750 and 1,500 meters), I averaged just less than one minute per 50 meters. That's not very fast. Guess it's time to swim some intervals.

Over the weekend, Zoho.com increased the functionality of their site. I changed to an easier to interpret 2D graph and am now tracking kilometers instead of miles. Not only are the numbers larger, but the math is easier, especially since I'm now swimming at a 25-meter pool.

Update: I changed the graph to show the laps I swim each day of the week. The colors are a little intense, but I can't change that.

A New Week Begins

2007-03-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Rosebud, Sally, and I went to the club this evening. Rosebud needed to exercise her knee and Sally decided she'd do whatever Rosebud did. I thought I'd try the exercise bike again and try one of the preset programs. Thirty-five minutes later, I had finished a cross-country course. Rosebud and Sally were finishing up on elliptical trainers.

After a cool down walk, we were ready for home, food, and sleep.

Slogging Tools -- MapMyRun.com

2007-03-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Yet another day that I didn't swim. That's okay. I never swim on weekends, at least not laps. Mrs. Blogan's sister and hubby came over with their kids. After dinner, we rode Max to the Oregon Zoo, but every other Portlander must have had the same idea. The line to get in was long so we jumped back on Max and rode downtown.

We walked a short loop across a couple of bridges and beside the Willamette River. Thanks to www.MapMyRun.com, I know that our walk was just over two miles.

If you have regular routes you run, you can map them at MapMyRun and share them with the world. You can also enter you age, sex, weight, height, and time and it will calculate your average pace, average speed, and calories burned. Quite useful!

Confession Time

2007-03-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

I didn't exercise today. Not a bit. Well, I walked from my car to my cube and back -- twice, in fact. I even ran one of those directions. But no, I didn't really exercise. I was too busy in the middle of the day to swim during lunch and too lazy after work. It's Friday after all.

In retrospect, it was a good week. I swam four times, walked twice, and biked once.

So, why do I feel guilty?

Bonus Exercise!

2007-03-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Rosebud wanted to exercise this evening. She needs to pedal on low resistance for 15 minutes each day to strengthen her knee. I went to keep her company. I'm not used to watching TV while bicycling. Then we walked a mile to stay loose.

Long and Slow

2007-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

The pool today was nice, not too crowded and just a little cool when getting in. That's okay. After half a lap, I don't notice the temperature; it's just water flowing past my face. Once I'm warmed up, cooler water is definitely better.

Yesterday's swim was going to be light, but once I was in the water, I pushed it harder than planned. I decided today would be a slow swim, but longer. I swam 30 laps (1.5k) straight, paused a sec to glance at the pace clock, and swam the next lap at the same rate -- 0:55. I then swam a few more laps at a slower pace to cool down.

That makes four days this week -- a record since starting swimming again this year (though that's not saying much). My schedule doesn't look good for swimming the next few days. Maybe I'll be able to get some other forms of exercise in.

Slogging Tools -- Charts

2007-03-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

I'm a graphical sort of guy. If I can see it, I have an easier time understanding it. And since I'm going to track my progress in an exercise program, charts and graphs will definitely help.

I normally use Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets and graphs. Posting any charts on my blog required a multi-step process: screen capture it, crop it, save it, upload it, and finally put it on my blog. Any changes to the chart, such as exercising the next day, mandates repeating all the steps.

Thankfully, those days are over. I set up a free account at Zoho.com, an online office suite. Its spreadsheet application has charting capabilities (unlike Google's Docs & Spreadsheets). After creating a chart, I click "publish" and copy the displayed HTML code to my blog. The chart displays on my blog looking exactly like it did on Zoho.

Better yet, when I update the underlying data or the chart at Zoho, the chart on my blog is updated immediately and automatically.

I'm charting the distance I swim each week. What will you chart on your slog?

My Inspiration

2007-03-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

I thank Toots and Sally Ride Again with inspiring me to start this slog. I discovered their blog while hanging out on the WordPress K2 forum (which is the software and theme I use on blogan.net).

Send your happy thoughts their direction. They'll need 'em -- they're training for a marathon.

Just Showing Can Feel Good

2007-03-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

Morning arrived too early this morning or American Idol departed too late last night.

I had hoped to do a strenuous swim today but decided that just showing up and swimming would be success. Showing up must have been on other's schedule, too. The pool was full with one lane already being split. I found another swimmer willing to split his lane and jumped in.

Twenty laps (1000 m) later I was done swimming. I swam two sets of ten, and did the second set it 8:40. Not a fantastic workout, but it was much better than none at all. I'm satisfied.

The ache in my legs from walking too far yesterday is gone and replaced with a general all-over fatigue. After exercising, fatigue can feel good.

Two questions:

Do you sometimes declare success for just showing up?
After exercising, does fatigue feel good to you?

Catchup

2007-03-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Swimming is my exercise. Not that I swim particularly fast, but I enjoy the freedom of swimming. Or maybe it's just that it doesn't make my knees go numb like running does. I guess that makes me the black sheep of my family. Or at least, certainly not following in my mother's footsteps.

I've been swimming off and on the past three or four years. Around the holiday season, it goes to off and then the question is how long it stays that way. This year I swam first time just a few weeks ago and promptly got sick. I swam a couple times since, but hadn't felt 100% until last Friday. To celebrate I swam 35 laps on Monday.

I planned on a light day, or maybe skipping it altogether, but after a short talk at a vendor's shortly before lunch today (thanks, Mary Lou!) I decided to swim. Twenty-five laps of fox and hound later (it's always easier when the other swimmer doesn't know you're chasing from half a lap behind), I was done.

Swimming, that is. This evening, during Bub's taekwondo class, I walked a quick four miles and cooled off for another. Wow, if I'm going to do that again (and Sally wants to join me on Thursday) I'm going to need some walking shoes. I can feel blisters trying to form on the balls of my feet.

I'm going to sleep well tonight! :-)

Welcome to Exerslog

2007-03-13T19:47:00.000-07:00

My first post in a new blog. Wow! Feel the excitement?

The air is filled with opportunity, hope, or at least the best of intentions. You see, Exerslog will be my exercise log. Sort of like "blog" is short for "web log," "exerslog" is short for "exercise log."

I see you in the front row, wearing your short sleeved shirt with pocket protector and taped horn-rimmed glasses, and waving your hand high like you're losing yet another game of tetherball. You'd like to point out that "exerclog" would be the appropriate name. Well, I see your objection, and overrule it. "Clog" is exactly what this slog hopes to avoid. (My arteries shall remain wide and plaque free.) Besides, I have slogged through enough exercise sessions to realize that slog is truly the appropriate name for this venture.

So pull up an easy chair and make yourself comfortable. Better yet, join me in this venture. Find an exercise you like to do, and slog it. After all, what gets measured, gets done.