My Fitness Blog

May 2010 In Review

2010-06-08T21:01:00.000-05:00

I feel like I had a productive month of physical exercise during the month of May, stepping up the bike mileage from the previous month. Over 38,000 calories burned. The month of June should also be a quality month due to the Tour De Rock 100 mile ride on 12 Jun. Summer temps are challenging so I'll take it easy as to not suffer any heat related injuries.

Running: 9 Activities
Distance: 45.18 mi
Time: 06:34:12 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 2,453 ft
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph
Avg HR: 148 bpm
Calories: 6,877

Cycling: 12 Activities
Distance: 480.69 mi
Time: 26:04:30 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 20,515 ft
Avg Speed: 18.4 mph
Avg HR: 133 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence: 88 rpm
Calories: 31,303 C

Cabot-Beebe-Cabot 47 mile ride

2010-05-30T15:47:00.000-05:00

Note to self, pm is not the same as am. Showed up at 0630 am however I was the only one there. Re-checked email message and there it was in big letters...pm. Anywho, I decided to head out towards Highway 31. This stretch of road would be excellent for time trial training...about 10 miles or so of flat straight highway. I ended up in the town of Beebe, population 4,600 give or take a few. I just made it across the train tracks as a train barreled through town. I pulled over and had me a Power Gel, then made my way down Highway 367 to Ward. I then chose to take 319 over to Highway 5, then backtrack on Lewisburg Road to Ed Haymes Road, over to Austin, then Cabot. Overall a nice recovery style, tempo ride keeping the heart rate average in the 120-130 beats per minute range. It was 68 degrees when I started and 78 when I finished. Power (watts) est/avg was 180.

test of Garmin embed function

2010-05-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

Good training ride this morning.

April '10 In Review

2010-05-06T18:57:00.001-05:00

Overall I had a fairly good month of April regarding cardio exercise. I stepped up my running mileage compared to the previous month while getting in some quality cycling. I want/need to clean up my diet some which is the hardest part for me. I don't wanna give up my ice cream.

Running:8 Activities
Distance:46.21 mi
Time:06:43:39 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:3,057 ft
Avg Speed:6.9 mph
Avg HR:155 bpm
Calories:7,025 C

Cycling:9 Activities
Distance:284.97 mi
Time:15:22:01 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:15,246 ft
Avg Speed:18.5 mph
Avg HR:146 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:87 rpm
Calories:18,029 C

Mar '10 in Review

2010-04-01T20:46:00.000-05:00

I increased my cycling mileage during the month of March, however didn't do much running. I took a week off from exercise due to a cold. I want to try and balance my weekly workouts to no more than 3 days of running and 2 days of cycling. I also need to begin fitting in weight training.

Cycling:
9 Activities
Distance:
337.95 mi
Time:
18:26:59 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:
17,323 ft
Avg Speed:
18.3 mph
Avg HR:
145 bpm
Avg Bike Cadence:
79 rpm
Calories:
21,477 C

Running:
4 Activities
Distance:
20.86 mi
Time:
02:55:38 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:
1,732 ft
Avg Speed:
7.1 mph
Avg HR:
160 bpm
Calories:
3,175 C

The 65ROSES Tour

2010-03-20T17:06:00.003-05:00

This morning was a 0500 wakeup (actually 0515 after tapping the snooze button). Did a quick check of the radar and it looked good. I rolled out at 0615 en-route to Spring Park in downtown Searcy. The first thing I noticed was a lot of other drivers with bikes on Hwy 67 (207 registered riders for this event). I got a nice parking spot and prepared for the 0730 start. The groups were split up by distance with the 65 mile riders up front. The Mayor of Searcy gave the 10 second countdown and we were rolling.

We set an easy pace through town, however once we turned onto Hwy 36 it was "game on." I ended up breaking away with two other riders around mile 10. We reached a tough climb prior to a community called "Joy" and I got dropped on the climb, however I made up time during the descent/flat to get back to the other riders. One rider was running a compact crank and made the climbs look easy with an incredible cadence out of the saddle. As we turned onto Hwy 5 in Rosebud the winds were straight in our face from out of the south for about 5 long miles. We were all together with less than 5 miles to go when a large German Shepherd chased us just prior to the bottom of a short climb. I attempted to jump out of the saddle, however the quads cramped so I had to ease up. Fortunately we outran the dog, however one rider got a nice gap up and over the climb. Myself and the other lone rider tried to pull him back reaching speeds of 36+ mph, however we couldn't catch him and ended up crossing the finish line 2nd and 3rd at just over 3 hours in the saddle. #230 below was incredible on the climbs and finished first.

This was the inaugural event for The 65ROSES Tour and I was impressed at how well organized the event was. The support along the route was exceptional. Thanks to Bike City and all the sponsors for putting on a fun, safe event and most importantly, raising money towards fighting Cystic Fibrosis.
Todays 65 mile ride

Feb '10 in review

2010-02-28T18:21:00.003-06:00

February was a busy month to say the least. Lots of stuff going on at work; I passed my Air Force Fitness Test, missing a perfect score by 1 second during the mile and a half run. My next test will be this summer under the new standards which will make it a little more difficult to max out, however still not out of the question.

Fitness Recap for Feb 10 (Note: includes combo of running/road cycling)

Count: 15 Activities

Distance: 175 mi

Time: 14:17:36 h:m:s

Elevation Gain: 11,017 ft

Avg Speed: 11.8 mph

Avg HR: 150 bpm

Avg Bike Cadence: 80 rpm

Calories Burned: 15,295 C

Jan '10 in Review

2010-01-30T12:05:00.004-06:00

The first month of the New Year was a busy one. I was under the weather for a spell, missing about 2 and half days of work and a week of no training. I started a new job as Flight Chief of Little Rock's Propulsion Flight, a.k.a. the ERRC (Engine Regional Repair Center). Our Escape was in the shop for over a week with a mysterious steering malfunction that Ford couldn't duplicate. We had two winter storm events that caused me to miss two additional days of work due to poor road conditions. Hopefully spring is right around the corner so I can begin to log more base cycling miles. Today I'm considering firing up my indoor trainer/Transition while watching a Chris Carmichael training DVD, however I figured my training for the month is pretty much a wrap.

Fitness Recap for Jan 10 (Note: includes combo of running/road cycling)

Count: 13 ActivitiesDistance: 169.20 miTime: 13:35:04 h:m:sElevation Gain: 10,794 ftAvg Speed: 12.5 mphAvg HR: 147 bpmAvg Bike Cadence: 79 rpmCalories Burned: 13,555 C

What's so exciting about cycling anyways?

2010-01-25T19:19:00.000-06:00

Levi Leipheimer Descending Pine Flat Road from Roger Bartels on Vimeo.

43 miles, 2.5 hours in the saddle/5.4 mile run

2010-01-19T19:09:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I departed the house at 1300 on the SL2 and rode for 2 hours, 37 minutes/43.4 miles to begin building up some base miles prior to this year's race season. I stopped once to make a phone call and refill a water bottle at McDonalds in Cabot. I did one 21 mile loop clockwise from the entrance of Greystone, then turned around and did it counter-clockwise. Lewisburg Road and Ed Haymes Road are great with little to no traffic. I get chased by at least one dog every time on Lewisburg Road which adds a shot of adrenaline to this route. As I was descending a hill on Ed Haymes Road, a squirrel darted out from the left side of the road. I was traveling between 25-30 mph and we somehow missed each other.

Yesterday's elevation over the 2.5 hour ride:
I came home from work this evening and ran for 45 minutes (5.4 miles).

Heart rate vs Elevation:
I was pleased that my legs felt good after 71 miles on the bike the past 2 days. Tomorrow will most likely be a rest day.

Dead legs after 2 weeks off the bike

2010-01-18T08:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day to get out on the bike and get some exercise. The temperature was stuck at 60.6 degrees for the entire ride which was much more comfortable than the recent 30's. I was able to knock out 28 miles in an hour and a half. Not too bad considering this loop is far from flat and I was by myself.
I kept my heart rate up in the 150's and could tell I hadn't climbed any hills for a couple weeks. The last two climbs are a great way to polish off the legs. In fact the very last hill in Greystone averages between 12-16% grade. Might be good for some hill repeat training.

Jogging with Coop

2010-01-10T12:40:00.004-06:00

Coop and decided to go for a morning jog yesterday. The temps were cold, however the sun was out and I was dressed in black and got fairly hot after the first mile. Coop loves to stop and sniff and I don't like to stop so it was a lot of stop-pull-go over and over. We jogged for just over 4 miles, then did a cooldown walk for about a half mile around the neighborhood. The cold didn't seem to bother Coop too much at all.

I just redeemed my Hawaiian Miles for 24 issues of Martha Stewart Living. I believe they were fixing to expire on 31 Jan so I figured that maybe Marita would like the magazine. Well now I'm going to grade some annual award packages and debate on whether or not I should take the SL2 out for a ride or just take the day off from exercise. We talked about going out to eat later at the Dixie Grill once Marita gets off work at 1400. We haven't tried it yet but have heard that its pretty good food.

Ooops I did it again

2010-01-07T21:30:00.002-06:00

As much as I hate to admit it, I once again performed an indoor workout this evening using the Abs Diet DVD. The next several days are going to be very cold with lows in the single digits and highs maybe reaching low 20s.

Jack Frost nipping at me feet this evening

2010-01-04T19:58:00.003-06:00

After a fairly stressful day of simply trying to get out of my neighborhood after a good dusting of snow (and no, I wasn't even in the Mustang) I decided to go for a run after work. Marita was busy on the desktop computer with her college classes and Robert was on the laptop so I layered up knowing that the temps were below freezing. I'm surprised that I could move with all the layers of clothes, however I was able to get out the door just before sunset. The sun had pretty much dried the roads other than for a few ice patches hidden from direct sunlight. The temperature averaged 27 degrees with very little wind or wind chill effects. I did my normal 1/4 mile cool-down walk afterwards, took a warm shower, layered back up in my Izod robe and sat down to a delicious dinner of seared salmon, homemade scalloped potatoes, and corn...thanks Marita, you're the best! Tomorrow is my wife's Birthday and let it be known that I did not forget. Next up, Valentines Day on 14 Feb. Thank goodness for my Blackberry Bold calendar, it helps keep me out of trouble.
Tonight's heart rate vs elevation. I took a short comfort break at the halfway point, thus the downward spike in heart rate.

Indoor Exercise

2010-01-03T14:38:00.002-06:00

As much as I hate admit it,I performed an indoor workout this morning using a DVD starring Tom Holland.

I also walked Coop around the block. He saw snowflakes for the first time today, ran to the window and barked at them.

1st day of 2010

2010-01-02T09:15:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a busy day with a delivery from Main Street Furniture in Jacksonville. We received an invitation to a retirement sale...the owners are turning the business over to their son and wanted to clear all inventory with some exceptional deals on Mayo and Ashley furniture. We also picked up two framed hand painted pictures with some impressive matting by a local artist that were originally $398 each and we purchased both for $299. Marita wants to get a cable connection for the TV on the opposite wall so we can rearrange the couch and entertainment center. She is also considering a different entertainment center that would go better with the furniture, cabinetry, ect.

Yesterday evening I decided to stretch the legs and get started with my exercise/training for the New Year. I didn't realize just how cold it was until I got outside in the elements. I wore a short sleeve dri-fit shirt and jacket along with my Specialized rotation pants and could feel the 37 degree temps for the first mile or so, however after that I was warmed up and comfortable to the end of the 5.4 miles. I had to stop during mile 1 for a loose shoe string, thus the blue spike below (pace). Running this route here in Greystone is challenging for me with the ups and downs, especially mile 3-4 because they feel mostly uphill.

1/4 mile pace, HR, elevation:
HR, elevation:

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T08:30:00.002-06:00

Today is the first day of 2010 and I'm looking forward to an exceptional year. Everyday is an opportunity to make a difference, both personally and professionally. My plan is to focus on eating clean meals and drinking plenty of water daily along with challenging exercise. I plan to incorporate more weightlifting into my exercise routine. Current goal weight is 165 lbs by 1 Mar 10 (fat loss vs muscle).

This morning I need to prepare the living room for new furniture. We were invited to a Jacksonville furniture store retirement sale on 28 Dec and received huge discounts that we just couldn't pass up on a new Ashley Signature Series sofa, Mayo chair with Ottoman, coffee table, end table, and two matching painted pictures from a local artist.

It looks like a beautiful day so I better get in gear and enjoy this first day of the New Year.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T20:18:00.003-06:00

This evening I decided to get up off the sofa following two days of solid, non-stop rain here in Arkansas. The winds were picking up and I could tell the temperature was dropping, however there was a nice crispness to the air. I knocked out 5.3 miles at an easy 8:18 per mile pace.

The Andrews' Christmas will be slightly delayed tomorrow morning due to the fact that a group of our combat warriors are returning from the desert. They are scheduled to arrive at Little Rock Airport at 0730, then get bused over to the base. Hopefully everyone will be with their families by 1030 if all goes as planned. Marita, Robert, and I decided that we would open our gifts after I get home from welcoming our folks back to the Rock.

Let's Roll

2009-12-23T19:09:00.003-06:00

In my quest to drop 9 lbs and to get those six pack abs, I've decided to go back to basics. Tonight I inflated the exercise ball and began some stability core exercises along with free weights and old school pushups. I got the H1N1 immunization yesterday and decided to give my body a break last night from running. Today was a complete washout with heavy rains non-stop all day and continuing into the evening hours. Hopefully I'll be able to catch a break in the weather tomorrow for a run.

Don't "weight" till tomorrow, the time is now!

2009-12-22T20:41:00.005-06:00

My old Taylor weight scale had seen better days so yesterday I purchased a new scale that measures body fat, bone mass, water percentage, and weight. It also allows me to track my goal weight and shows what direction I'm heading.

Additionally, I began a 7 day detox/cleanse program followed up with a 7 day probiotic replenishment. One of my current fitness goals is to reach 165 lbs, 12% body fat by 31 Mar 10.

Grocery Shopping for Abs

2009-12-17T07:46:00.005-06:00

Yesterday evening I went grocery shopping and before entering the store I had my shopping list that included the ABS DIET POWER 12:

Almonds (sliced and whole)
Beans (all kinds)
Spinach (all green veggies)
Dairy (lowfat or fat-free milk, yogurt, cheese)
Instant Oatmeal (I opt for the Old Fashioned, not instant/too refined)
Eggs (I prefer Eggbeaters for ease of use)
Turkey (and other lean meats such as roast beef, chicken)
Peanut butter (I make my own from peanuts, olive oil in the VitaMix blender)
Olive Oil
Whole grain bread
Extra protein (whey powder supplement for smoothies)
Raspberries (and all other berries such as blueberries, cranberries, ect.)

These are the staples of the Abs Diet. I also include ground flaxseed daily for breakfast along with an FRS drink. Other personal favs are walnuts, raisins, and Splenda sweetner for my oats.

Last night after getting home from grocery shopping I felt a little low on energy and motivation, however I hadn't ran since Sunday. I decided to eat an Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Clif Bar and lace up the running shoes. I've found that the AF PT jacket does a good job at retaining heat because it was 35 degrees outside and all I wore was a dri-fit t-shirt and the jacket and I kept warm. I'm sure my Polartec microfleece hat and Specialized Deflect gloves also help in these cooler winter temps.
Last night's run
I really enjoy my Greystone 5 to 6 mile route for running base miles. It's both mentally and physically challenging with the rolling hills. I want to begin going to the base running track for some interval/sprint training to work on speed.

It was 27 degrees when I woke up so I'm going to let the temp warm up before I take the bike out today. Marita seems to be doing good following her surgery. The nurse did say she shouldn't be left alone for the first 24 hours following surgery. Hopefully she will be back up and around soonest, however in the meantime I'm keeping things tidy around the house so she can just focus on resting/healing. Well it's time for me to fill out some Christmas cards and a sympathy card for our neighbor who lost his wife (cancer). Tomorrow it will be back to work and I'm sure to face an email box that runeth over.

What does the gallbladder do?

2009-12-16T13:37:00.008-06:00

This morning was an early wake-up to take my wife to Baptist Surgery Clinic at 0600 to have her gallbladder removed. After several months of tests, Dr. Shaw pinpointed the pain she had been experiencing to her gallbladder. I was curious as to exactly what the gallbladder does since it can be removed and a normal life could be continued without it. This is what I learned...Bile is continually being made and secreted by the liver into bile ducts in varying amounts. Some of it goes directly into the small intestine and some into the gallbladder. The gallbladder stores the bile to be squirted down the ducts into the small intestine to help to breakdown the fats when you eat a meal that contains fats. It also acts as a reservoir that uptakes excess bile when there is pressure in the bile ducts. I also learned where the location is at. Dr. Shaw actually provided photos of the gallbladder and liver while he was in there. So can you look at a gallbladder and tell that it's bad? According to Dr. Shaw, no. He said a paralyzed leg may look like a good leg however it isn't working like a good leg and the same can be true with the gallbladder. He did say the procedure went very well and that Marita's liver looked like a healthy liver which is good news. She did experience quite a bit of nausea following surgery so I'm trying to help in nursing her back to health. I also took off work tomorrow to ensure everything is okay during the first 48 hours of her recovery.

Location of the gallbladder...

New Motivation

2009-12-13T14:35:00.004-06:00

I decided to run versus ride today since the roads refused to dry up due to 95% humidity and lack of sunshine. I ran the first 2-3 miles at a brisk 7:50 pace, then decided to walk for a couple minutes at the turnaround. I brought it home in an attempt to average an easier 8:30 pace with some extra hills thrown in. The temperature felt okay at 44 degrees.
Lots of rolling hills today with heart rate averaging 160 bpms for 6+ miles...
The most important window of opportunity is the hour immediately following exercise, so I grabbed me a cold Muscle Milk for a quick 240 calories and some protein.
I decided to check my weight/bodyfat/BMI today. Maybe it's because the start of a new year is right around the corner, not really sure, however I weighed in at 175 lbs, 15% bodyfat, 25.5 BMI (checked 3X).
I have a new found motivation to freshen up on the basics of "the Abs Diet" which helped me drop body fat back in 2006. Time to set some fitness goals and be more accountable/disciplined about what I eat.

SKUNK!

2009-12-03T20:19:00.002-06:00

Although it was 38 degrees during this evenings run, I stayed warm wearing my Air Force PT jacket, pants, and a t-shirt. After the turnaround point I thought there was a very small Christmas tree off to the side of the road sitting above a storm drain. I thought to myself that it was kind of odd, then as I got closer I realized it was a skunk's tail with its butt aiming right at me. Fortunately I was on the right side of the road (not sure the distance they can spray) however I made it past and the skunk decided to crawl into the storm drain opening. I decided not to look back and keep on running.
Running in Greystone is far from flat, however I enjoy the changes in elevation.
It's definitely getting colder. Looks like down in the 20s for lows, highs in the 40s through the weekend.

Testing out the rolling hills of Arkansas

2009-11-29T19:36:00.002-06:00

This morning I rode my SL2 to the Sonic Drive-In just outside of Greystone. It took about 8 or 9 minutes to get there and I met Doug McClosky for a 0730 departure. We got rolling and the air temperature was a tad bit chilly. Doug seemed to push the pace right from the start and I was trying to determine if he was just cold and trying to get warm or if he was just attempting to put a hurting on me. One big difference between Hawaii and Arkansas is the amount of road kill here. I've seen everything from deer, cat, dog, squirrel, raccoon, opossum, armadillo, and skunk. The other big difference is the temperature (today avg'd 55 degrees), however I think that I'm acclimatizing rather quick. At least the winds were non-existent today which helped make the ride more comfortable.

No speed limit sign on this back road, just a painted 45 mph in the middle of the road.