Month: March 2023

Where I agree with conservatives (sort of)

In this climate, saying that your political opposition even has a hint of truth on their side is a good way to alienate yourself from, well, everyone. Your opponent still knows you’ll vote the opposite ways, and your “allies” will see you as a traitor.

But here goes: let’s talk about some of the issues affecting schools.

The rhetoric I hear is fundamentally dishonest. Yes, we have too many guns in society and yes, I’d like to see weapons like the AR-15 (weapons that fire military grade rounds at military type muzzle velocities) out of civilian hands.

But that issue is disjoint from the other issues that affect schools.

Drag shows: this is an inappropriate school activity. Period.

Now if parents want to take their kids to such a show on their own time, that is their business and none of mine. I am saying this is not a good school activity, and THAT is what is generating the debate.

Books: I am in half agreement here: schools should make choices as to what is in their library; depending on the level of school, not any old book is acceptable. Now of course, some controversial books might well have a place: The Bible for literature, Mein Kampf for history, the unedited version of, say Huckleberry Finn (when the kids are old enough to see the racist language in context).

And what I find inappropriate might anger some conservatives. For example, a “creation science” book has no place in the science collection; it isn’t science, at all. Now it might have a place if filed under “creation myths of the world” or the like.

But yes, school libraries should make choices; not “everything goes.”

Advanced classes Schools should help students of a wide range of abilities become the best that they can be, and yes, that includes those students with the highest academic aptitude. (disclaimer: that was MY “ticket out.”) Students need to be challenged, and watering down material in the name of “equity” is outrageous; I totally oppose that.

Toward the end of March

Kind of a slow day (at last); I did my full workout though. My crick in my neck didn’t bother me that much.

Full PT, pull ups: 10 crunch singles, 2 sets of 5 crunch chins, 5 single pull ups, 5 single chins, then sets of “8” (6 plus 2 unsat), 5 chins, 5 pull ups, 4 chins, 4 pull ups. 2 sets of 20 slanted push ups.

Downstairs: deadlift: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, then 10 x 265 4 inch (not that hard), high incline: 10 x 44, 7 x 94, 7 x 94, 10 x 94 (touch the chest), 3 sets of curls, 2 sets of 5 x 134 pause reps bench.

Then a walk…missed 3 minutes (.2 miles) because I did not restart my watch; total of 4.27 miles in 1:02. Pain free! Love that part.

I am at 113 miles for March; probably will finish with 116-117 miles for the month; not as much as November or December 2022.

Peoria Chiefs Baseball picked up my season tickets; action starts a week from today. I almost teared up…not sure why I am so happy. But I am.

crick in the neck

That is not what I was supposed to write about, but after my noon class…something happened to the left side of the neck. It happens from time to time, but ice appears to be helping.

Morning: full PT and a slowish but ok walk; pain free for 2.5 miles and slightly uncomfortable after that.

Though my left glute whined a bit (radiating pain) during the day, I did enjoy a commuter walk (1.1 miles at 16:53 ish pace) and so have more miles this month than I did in October of 2022. Of course I won’t reach November or December’s total.

Last night, I watched the Bradley Baseball team beat a good Eastern Illinois team 8-5; it was an exciting game that saw the two teams take different approaches.

BU lead early; first batter hit a home run. BU would lead, Eastern would catch up and they took a 4-3 lead in the 6’th. But BU had a good night at the plate: 11 hits and 5 home runs, 2 players had 2 home runs each.

The key difference: Eastern stuck with its starting pitcher for 8 innings; BU used 6 pitchers, 5 in the final 5 2/3 innings.

Yes, it was chilly…very crisp…October football type weather.

Same old, same old

Yep…the back was somewhat wonky today. Part of the reason may have been that 5K last weekend, and part may have been sitting too long, grading.

Workout: full PT; did the 30 reps crunch style (2 of the 4 sets of 5 were chin up) PT included chest taps

then 8 (shaky), 5 (chin), 5, 4 (chin), 4 (56 total reps), ok given I am at 198.5 bodyweight (too high)

30 slant push ups

bench: 5 x 134, then 5 sets of 3 x 170 (note: the final 4 sets took 15 minutes after the end of set 1)

dead: 2 sets of 10 x 134 for form.

high incline (maybe watch it here) 2 sets of 10 with the Swiss Bar (10 x 64, 10 x 84) and 2 sets of 7 x 94 with the straight bar.

3 sets of 10 curls.

Then upstairs walk then 20 slant push ups after the walk.

Day after: no ill effects, yet.

Last October, I walked a 5K at almost exactly the same pace, and paid for it for a couple of weeks after. Right now: I don’t *seem* and of the worse for wear, but, it is only 1 day after.

PT, deadlifts, 5K walk at a much slower pace:

10 x 134, 10 x 190, 10 x 225 (low..last set, still too far forward)

4 inch: 10 x 275 (best I’ve done)

8 inch: 7 x 300.

Later: softball game; 3-0 loss to Murray State. The baseball team plays at home Tuesday.

Social issues: too many seem to confuse gender expression with sex: sex is indeed binary, or so scientists tell me.

5K…

I did my first 5K for the year; first one since last October. I can’t say that I enjoy these as much as I did when I could run and when I was faster. Now-a-days I walk and, well, my current walking pace for a 5K is about what my old marathon walk pace was (in 2001), and by no means am I “legal” (I would be disqualified for a “bent knee” violation; in a judged race walk, your supporting leg has to be straight (the leg moving forward is bent).

I did my stretches, drove down, walked just over a mile to warm up (15 minute pace), did the 5K (mild sleet and some wind), walked another mile and went home.

There I did pull ups (the usual 30 reps of crunch singles, then sets of 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4 with 2 single penalty reps. Few of those were chin ups.

Downstairs for bench: 5 x 134, then 8 sets of 2 x 170 (2 min rest for first 6 sets, 3 min for the final 2), 2 x 155 pause (exhausted). High incline Swiss bar: 10 x 64, 5 x 95, 2 + 3 x 95, 8 x 84. That was it..I was exhausted.

What is comical is that my race today was all but identical to my 5K in October, even to my having to take a break after mile 2 because I went too fast in mile 2. (I kept moving but slower for a while..did that twice, the second time at 2.7)

My place was (predictably) abysmal: 72 out of 101..but yes, I WAS walking in a running race and yes, I have not trained to walk faster, and it showed.

I cannot do well what I don’t practice; so between now and Steamboat, I’ll have to do some faster paced walking, in bits.

Yesterday, I caught some of the softball game; Bradley started out with a 2-0 lead over Murray State and lost 5-3.

Yesterday, PT and a rather pedestrian walk (5K) I count this as 3.14 miles; I used the distance correction app on Strava.

Kind of stuck

I seem to be at a point where 3 miles is ok (first 2.5-2.9 go very well) but beyond that is painful.

I figured I’d do 2-3 and the Rebecca part was going well enough that I did that for 4 laps then did a final large campus loop. I had some drizzle; wore shorts. Felt the discomfort come on at 2.7-2.8 or so.

Maybe it is the excess weight?

The rest: started with PT, pull ups (10, 10 crunch pull up singles, 5 chin, 5 regular singles, 5 chin, 5 regular) then 6 pull ups, 4 chins, 5 pull ups.

Inside for more PT, 2 sets of 20 push ups then 2 sets of 10 chest tap push ups.

Downstairs: bench: 10 x 134, 10 x 134 pause. dead: 10 x 134, 10 x 190, 10 x 231 (kind of a mess), 2 sets of 10 x 64 high incline (second set was pause), one 7x7x7 set of curls .

The whole thing: 40 minutes or so. Then the walk.

I need to work on my hinge..butt further back rather than up..but with no arch.

March 22

Well, this walk went GREAT for 3 miles ..and the final mile became painful. And I was annoyed that the watch cheated me of .1 miles in the first 5K. BUT..I was ok the rest of the day. Dull glute pain.

I notice that I cannot straighten my knee AND my calves are very, very tight. I have the legs of a skinny person but not the upper body of one.

Muddling along

Today’s workout wasn’t that bad but, I don’t know; today was an “off day” in other ways.
I was able to start just after 6 and finish before 9, so there is that.

  1. Alternating PT and pull ups/chin ups: 2 sets of 10 single crunch, 1 set of 10 singles from the ground, then 8 (be the judge on the last 2), 6 chins, 5 pull ups, 4 chins, 4 pull ups. (57 reps). Also 2 sets of 30 slant push ups (outside) and 2 sets of 10 chest taps
  2. Downstairs for about 40-45 minutes: bench: 5 x 134, 4 sets of 4 x 165, 1 x 185

then high incline: Swiss bar. 2 sets of 10 x 44, 10 x 64, 7 x 94, 6 x 94 (all touching the chest), 3 sets of 10 curls, 1 set of 10 x 134 low trap bar.

3. Now the walk; it went ok..13:37 pace for 5K, then a commuter walk over lunch (1 at 16:25 pace)