Month: June 2024

Sticking with it

Initially, I had set out to try my 10.5 mile loop. It was 77 F, 92 percent humidity and I was pouring sweat by 3/4 of a mile, so I cut it short and did a 3 mile loop at 16 minutes per mile. The back was tight; some mild to moderate glute pain (one stretch break) and I almost gave up.

I stretched longer, got a drink and decided to try for 4 mile miles and chose the Moss course. I did an out (16 minutes) followed by 8 lengths of Moss along the outer sidewalk: 12:09, 12:08, 12:04, 11:57, 11:50, 11:47, 11:40, 11:48, then 15:41 for the 1.03 miles home from MacArthur. Total time: 2:07:38 for 8.2 or so. I had not intended to do that much, but I got into it after the first 2 out and backs. The app I used got this length as .78 miles.

I am a little bit sore (left hip/glute) but napped then moved some more books during my office switch. Next week might be a light week.

Down week..sort of

I’ve had trouble getting out of the blocks this week. Ok, I had a wonderful ball game last night: an 8-3 Chiefs victory.

The Raccoons did cut into the lead in the top of the 8’th gaining two runs when the second Chiefs relief pitcher had control issues, but they got those 2 runs back in the bottom and cruised.

Workout notes

Thursday: 2 mile warm up, 5 miles on the track. Time: 1:03:39. Ok, that isn’t so bad, given that I had a 13:05 mile 1 (sluggish) and 12:55, 12:47, 12:55 (51:43 4 mile) That was to simulate half marathon pace and I still felt good. But then I picked it up..or tried to ..thinking I could kick it into 5K race pace. Wrong. It was 11:54 mostly based on 2:54 first 400 and that was WORK. Damn..sluggish as all get out.

Friday: the walk after weights was ok (4.12 in 59:34..14:27 pace..nice and steady) and the weights were ok too.

pull ups: 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5 with the 10 and last 2 5 being pull ups; other sets were pull ups, chin ups. I focused on getting the back involved. No radiating pain (a real plus) bodyweight 188.

Downstairs: bench: 5 x 134, then 4 x 160, 4 x 160, 4 x 160 (HARD), 3 x 160
High incline: 7 x 94, 7 x 94, 8 x 94
curls: 3 sets of 10.

The shoulders feel good; making progress. Walking..well..well..we shall see. Maybe a 4’th of July race to see?

Rain delay

I got to watch the Chiefs win 8-1 over the Quad Cities River Bandits ..it was 1-0 Bandits midway through 4 but then all Chiefs after that.

The game featured a rainstorm which shortened the game.

I got in a weight workout and a short 3.2 mile walk (14:55 pace) before driving to the stadium this morning.

Workout notes: pull ups: singles; total of 20 pull ups (groups of 10), 20 chin ups (groups of 5), then 5 pull ups, 5 chin ups.

Downstairs: bench: 10 x 134, 6 x 155 (best in a while)
incline: 10 x 120, 7 x 125
High incline (barbell) 7 x 94, 7 x 94
deadlifts:
1.25 deficit: 10 x 107, 10 x 133, 10 x 195
6 inch trap bar: 2 x 280 (wake up), 10 x 280

Figuring it out…

Office move started…

Workout notes: 4.12 mile walk (14:55 pace) after a weight workout.
Pull ups/chin ups: 4 sets of 5, 1 set of 10 (pull ups), 4 sets of 5 (pull ups, mixed grips)

Bench: 10 x 134, 3 x 160, 5 x 155, 4 x 155, 5 x 155 (felt it; didn’t get 5 in the middle 155 set. the set of 3 with 160 was strong.)

incline bench: 9 x 120

curls: 3 sets of 10
supported dumbbell shoulder presses: 3 sets of 8 with 38 lb dumbbells. I have to watch my back; maybe lighten the weight and try it with the feet on a stool. I didn’t get direct radiating pain, but perhaps a bit more slight after the fact soreness.

Surfing the rage bait

It seems as if social media platforms have posts designed to enrage. I think that Threads might be the worst one.

So onto today’s workout. It was not that bad:

PT, deadlifts:
straight bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 230 (hard)
6 inch trap bar: 3 sets of 5 x 300

Straight bar: posterior chain.
trap bar: more quads.

Then I walked the W. Peoria course in relatively pleasant conditions: out to mile 2 then back in 58:57 (4.06); this was easier than the previous 2 days. It seemed as if the deadlifts primed the glutes to do something.

Training/working out at 64

I am amused by this song: I am 64. And no, being 64 is not the end of the world. But I am in uncharted territory (living what I’ve never lived before). And yes, the old-timer remind me: “it gets worse.”

Today’s walk was instructive:

Yes, it warmed up to 86 F, 57 percent humidity (error in the meme)

Now the walk did NOT start off well. I was 16 minutes at the turn off of Moss (just over 1 mile) and I was feeling some left glute/hip tightness at Dozer (just over 2 miles. I gave some thought to just turning around and going home; instead I stretched and continued. I was glad that I did.

Oh, there is some glute soreness and yes, it is lumbar related. It happens. And I WAS fatigued, just a bit. How I could tell: the tightness..my getting irrationally irritated by cars and bicycles (none of which were bad, AT ALL..and yes, I kept my irritation to myself since it was MY problem, not theirs).

But here is where experience came in: instead of angrily pressing the pace, I just relaxed, tried to focus on pelvic tilt and angle (I have stenosis due to spondylolisthesis) and focused on the mechanics of walking. And the pace picked up a bit. I walked to the driveway of the old marina and turned around; going out I stayed on the sidewalk of Water Street until the Gateway building (to avoid the Farmer’s Market foot traffic) and on the way back, I walked along the seawall, and made some other adjustments. The return trip took 1:03 and that was net uphill and done in hotter temperatures; the down trip took 1:06.

So, while I was not pleased with my lack of speed, it was not much of an effort, and I did have tough walks on last Saturday (Steamboat 4 in 43:44 plus 4 more miles), Tuesday (15K at 14:44) and Thursday (“fast 4 on the track”). I have to pay attention to cumulative stress.

And this leads to the topic of this post: working out while older. I’ll list some things just off of the top of my head:

  1. Chronic conditions. I have to be careful here. On one hand, NO ONE my age is not going to have aches and pains. My past areas: knees, shoulder, lumbar. They WILL act up from time to time. Pain that is highly localized and does NOT go away with warm is way I pay attention to. I rarely take pain pills; I haven’t since my bout with COVID in the winter of 2023. I also have to modify exercises, delete others. Part of the reason I film a few sets is to see if I am aggravating some condition of mine.
  2. Body responses Yes, my walking times ARE slower and the weight I can lift is lighter. There is nothing I can do about that. But I can pay attention to things like “I don’t do well in heat so I should back off of my normal pace” or “this stretch/exercise works well for this condition” and I can make it a point to do extra physical therapy for specific things. I do have some concerns about my balance (balance forward) and so I’ll have to practice yoga tree poses and the like. I have to take just a bit more time between sets in lifting, OR do fewer sets if time is tight.
  3. Load management I have less capacity for volume. So; I have to make choices. It seems that I can handle two strenuous walks per week (distance with some intensity and higher speeds), and perhaps two medium walks (slightly longer at a slow pace or shorter at a faster pace), and two heavy (by my standards) press workouts per week. The off days have to be easier.
  4. Testing my limits Deadlift: probably a bad idea as when one tries for a max, the form breaks down a bit. I cannot afford that. Bench: every once in a while is ok, but I have to watch the shoulders. Pull ups: my pull ups have a slight kip to them but trying too many leads to form breakdowns which leads to radiating pain. Walking: take it easy on the races; do them once in a while with a bit of faster walking once a week. Distance: build up gradually. I feel it if I build up too quickly.
  5. Overall life stress This is a tough one. There was a time when I went the hardest when things like work stress were the greatest. That doesn’t work anymore. I have to leave something in the tank for my job. I’ll have to one of my tough walks on the weekend, and limit my tougher sessions to the weekend, juggling them around football games in the fall (I am NOT giving those up).
  6. Keeping perspective. I sometimes get encouraging comments on my Youtube videos…that would be appropriate were I a 24 year old just starting out. But I am not that; I am on a downward trajectory and I am working to retard the slide as best I can; to slow the rate of my decline. Decline I will. Local races: well, I have to remember that 2 years ago, I was doing 1-2 mile walks. That I can do them at all is something to be grateful for. But the reality I will be finishing with the elderly, the injured and the overweight. The days of finishing with the “hard bodies” is long gone. I still remember 1985-1986. I was at my strongest; I worked up to a 300-310 bench press. I weight about 230 lb (45 more than I weigh now) and decided to do a local 5K (on the campus of St. Edwards University). I routinely ran 2-4 miles per day. My time: 23:15, or a 7:30 pace. My trying to run that pace now would be a complete joke. Yes, my waist was 4-6 inches wider than it is now. I have to remember that when I get discouraged by not being able to stay up with someone who does not look in good shape.

Racism and the divide

I was one of those who appreciated the raw honesty of Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player who I admired when I was growing up)

(the first version I saw did NOT have the ugly racial slur bleeped out)

No, that this happened is NOT “news to me”; we learned about such things in my teen age years, though my parents informed me of that in my early childhood. Part of the reason, I think, is that my parents grew up with anti-Mexican prejudice in depression era Texas. But they freely admitted that Blacks had it far worse.

Still, my mind wants to believe that this sort of thing happened to those who lived a long time ago, rather than to those who are still alive now. And yes, I was born in 1959, when racial segregation was legally enforced in many parts of our country, and NOT just the south.

So…perhaps this frank admission that “this place reminds me of the hell I lived through” will bring people together? Sadly no.

My guess is that conservatives will respond with something like “well, that happened, and it was an ugly part of our history, but NOT our present reality. Meanwhile our liberals have watered down the concept of “racism” and “white supremacy” to virtual meaninglessness:

For example: the character Titania McGrath has complied a list of liberal stupidity

But seriously, while we do not have the level of racism that Jackson talked about, well, just ask any middle age black male about run ins with law enforcement. I know that the guys I grew up with, and who are social-economic-education peers describe experiences that I am unfamiliar with.

I’ll let Senator Tim Scott (a Republican) describe some of it.

This is just plain wrong and, well, IMHO, this is part of where DEI efforts should be.

Little by little

This is turning into a boring diary of sorts. Oh well.

Today: started with a walk first: 4 miles flat very slowly (16 minutes plus per mile). Then the weights (with PT)
Pull ups-chin ups: 5-5, 10 (pull ups), 5-5 (chin ups), 5-5 pull/chin, 5-5 mixed, then 3-3-3 pause reps. So so.

Bench Press: 5 x 134, then 3 sets of 5 x 155 (kind of ugly …especially set 5)
Incline: 4 x 134
supported shoulder, 8, 10 , 8 with 38 dumbbells
3 sets of curls

Moving along..drifting

Barbara took me to see The Drifters (seriously; I’d say that they are really a tribute group now) and it was ok; lots of “sing along.”

Walking: 2 miles (hot) outside at a slow pace, and then 4 on the track: (note: high 180’s…don’t want to creep back into the 190’s) 12:38, 11:36 (24:14), 10:53, 10:39 (45:47) or 21:33. The second half would not be sustainable for long; I think the 12:38 might be.

Midweek

More tasks…maybe I’ll write some social stuff in an upcoming post.

Pull ups: kind of rough today: 4 sets of 5 singles, then 6 sets of 5, followed by a 2-2-2 set. Not my best day. The middle days are tougher.

Downstairs: bench: 10 x 134, 10 x 145 (ok with this)
incline bench: 9 x 120, 10 x 120, 4 x 134 (ok with this)

shoulder press with dumbbells: 2 sets of 10 x 38 (seated, supported)

deadlifts: 1.25 inch deficit: 10 x 107, 10 x 133, 10 x 195
wagon wheel trap bar: 10 x 254 (works the quads better)

Then 4 miles (flat) at a 16 minute pace; the Moss course plus shady trecks through the neighborhood. I’ve noticed that since I started to include long days (long by my current standards) and “fast” days (again by my current standards), the off day paces have slowed down quite a bit.