How cold is it? I broke TWO ice scrapers on my car; the ice was that thick. It was -5 when I was outside doing pull ups; it has “warmed” to single digits.
Our Prius cars: B’s had a malfunction; it would not turn off or get into gear. But I went outside with the fob, locked the door then went back on. It was off and it then started normally.
Mine: the speedometer and other readings didn’t work at first. And yes, of course, the “tire low” light came on. I might check tomorrow.
Workouts: Monday: 5 miles on the treadmill in 1:07
Today: PT, pull ups outside (2 sets of 10 singles, 2 sets of 10, 2 of 5), bench: 5 x 134, 4 x 155, 4 x 155, 3 x 155, 3 x 155, 3 x 155 Squats: 5 sets box (last 3 with 54 lb), 1 low My quest to avoid the “stripper squat” continues. I think that I’ve made progress.
High incline; 10 x 94, 8 x 105, 5 x 115, 2 x 120
curls: 3 sets of 10.
walk: 3.13 in 39:26 (12:37) treadmill.
Glute/back: had to roll a bit; treadmill stresses it out a bit.
Ok, maybe I’ll write a few words. 2023 started kind of tough: I was tasked with chairing a search committee; that process was time consuming, gave us two GREAT hires….who got cut during the fall blood letting that saw us lose our major.
But I was unaware of that at the time; what I did get was COVID. That stopped my walking momentum and had me start the semester online.
Summer saw a Chiefs playoff season, smoke, trip to Texas, sinus infection and then the horrible fall semester with time consuming meetings, AAUP activities (mistake?) and some awful decisions made by higher administration.
Highlights was football, diminished radiating pain, and a star party that saw me see the starlink satellite chain.
The game was simple enough. A solo home run plus another run gave the Chiefs a 2-0 lead going into the top of the 9’th. The Chiefs starting pitcher brought the smoke, walking one, giving up one hit and striking out 8 in the first 6 innings. The bullpen held serve until the top of the 9’th. Then the Kernels’ bats came alive and bam..2-2 going into the bottom of the 9’th. And there it stayed.
But the reliever retired the next three Kernels batters, stranding the ghost runner on 3’rd (who advanced by a sort of wild pitch/passed ball..hard to tell).
And then came the Chiefs; a single scored the ghost runner from 2’nd leading to a 3-2 walk off win.
So, a 3-3 series split against the best team in the division (the Kernels won the first half) and every single game was a 1 run game.
If we had a nickel for every time someone took a tumble in this video, we’d have two nickels. It isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?
I’ve done Steamboat as a goal-type race. (and failed, every time). I’ve done Steamboat as a “celebration race” or “workout with friends.” A couple of times, I paced my wife (walking much slower than what I am capable of).
And yesterday, I did it with a dear friend, walking at what I’d call a “medium workout” pace and pushing her. Now we are age peers and she has an impressive resume of accomplishments in ultra marathons. But at this stage of her life; let’s just say she has had serious health issues and multiple surgeries over the past 3-4 years; that she isn’t sitting on the couch drinking and overeating is a real testimony to her character. And that she would maintain that walking pace without specialized walking instruction shows that, in terms of sports, “she STILL “has it.””
I talked a bit about the packet pick up yesterday and a bit about my own history with this event.
The 2023 version: we had a cool day; we walked from the house to the start line (2.2 miles or so; 15 min pace) and got loose. I did my PT before and a few McKenzie press ups before; had no issues at any time.
We lined up way back there and it took us about 2:25 to get to the funnel start line. I tend to not like these, BUT the turn from Main street WAS less perilous than it was during the old days of the broad start line, and they did use “chip time” for Age Group awards. (no: not a worry of mine)
And really, there were no issues in terms of getting into pace.
For the record: 1051 for the 4 mile, 322 for the 15K. Note the 15K was very competitive this year with 3 runners under 50 minutes; they were bunched together in the last mile.
As for our walk: it was kind of a steady 13:4x pace the whole way; 27:28 out and 27:18 (slightly downhill) back.
We took the first climb ok (and waved high to the drone) and I got to observe all sorts: there was a mom being a coach to her son (yelling at him to get going), a younger tall guy with what I assume was his dad, a few small families, one very good walker and some slow walk/joggers. It is kind of the old/just getting started crew where we were (e. g. ex football linemen trying to get into shape).
Before mile 1 I saw Tracy and Bill Holmes together (Bill picked it up later); Tracy was walking a very quick, steady 15 minute mile (she ran it in 37:40 in 1998 while in her early 50s)
Lynnor was not in a mood to talk and I had to watch my yapping; I talked way too much. Still I smiled when we got to mile one and it was 13:4x or so. Lynnor was pleased; she usually walks slower but much, much longer.
It was kind of fun looking at the perpendicular streets seeing the fast runners on their way back and seeing some of the faster 15K runners finishing loop 1 as we got close to the turn around.
Then somewhere around mile 2.5 I heard the siren and sure enough, 3 guys were just flying past us; this was the lead of the 15K; they wee having quite the race.
It was sort of fun cheering for the fast guys.
We were making good progress; there was aid all over the place but due to the cool weather and the low-effort pace, I did not partake; never got thirsty.
It was fun turning into the long downhill stretch and seeing Lynnor enjoy walking faster than normal. We strode to the finish and I got a big, sweaty hug.
Loved it. Then it was a bit to stretching and walk technique suggesting, then a 2 mile trek to Starbucks where Barbara walked to meet us. Quite the day!
This was definitely one of the better ones.
On one hand, before the race, it kind of hurt to admit that I was not racing. On the other hand, it was PAIN FREE…and I mean it.
I have no illusions about my chronic condition; I’ll have to manage it for the rest of my life, and it will limit me. Age will limit me (“Age is NOT “just a number.”) But to be able to walk this far pain free is a blessing.
Back in March 2022, I balked at even having to walk across campus.
And the time with friends and loved ones was priceless.
For the racewalkers out there: yes, my right knee is illegal. I have not finished a judged racewalk since 2004; right knee will not straighten.
The finish:
List of my Steamboat races:
1998: 15K 1:08:22 183/844 (sticky) Was running just under 20 for 5K in those days. 22:50/23:05/22:27, 29/71 AG 167/603 men 1999: 15K 1:07:53 187/725, place was a bit worse; roughly 20:40 for 5K in these days 22:38/23:01/22:13 39/76 AG, 170/511 men 2000: 4m 27:51 After a 10K/half marathon double and 1:35 half a few weeks earlier. 2001: 4m 29:13 Lake Geneva Marathon 3:40 2001: 15K 1:11:16 (126/381) Fall 15K 23:20/24:04/23:51 2002: 4m 43:15 (walk) 2002: 15K 1:14:33 (run; fall) 167/405 24:10/25:07/25:16 2004: 4m 33:10 (two 24 hour walks in May; 101 and 88) 2005: 15K 1:23:13 (26:40/27:39/28:43) McNaughton 100 in April, Marathon on Memorial Day. 2006: 4M 42:10 (walk), FANS 24 in June (83 miles) 2007: Walk with Barbara 2008: Walk with Barbara 2009: run 1:27:23 (9:22 mpm) Place: 519/726 29:21/29:49/28:43, 34/43 AG 2010: walk 4 miles 39:32. 2011: walk 15 km 1:48:02 37:12/36:24/34:26 2012: run 15 km 1:36:55 29:26/33:54/33:35 679/835 2013: 15K 1:29:04 (29:34/29:53/29:38) 40/50 AG, 552/866 2014: 1:29:57 (29:22/30:46/29:49) 2015: 1:34:28 (30:49/32:49/30:50) (2 weeks after FANS 59.9) 579/804, 376/461 males, 173/219 male masters, 36/43 AG 2016: 1:41:57: 31:40/34:37/35:40 667/822, 413/458 male, 196/221 master male, 30/33 AG. 2017: walk 1:55:52: 37:04/39:41/39:07 Just not in very good shape. 2018: 2:15:55 walk/jog…gave up after 2 miles and mostly walked (22:15). 39:20/48:19/48:16 2019: 1:38:36 31:44/35:12/31:40 (3 loop version, rainy and cool)
The skinny: Tuesday: weights and a walk. Walk went much better than Monday, with respect to discomfort. Wednesday: some discomfort in the final mile (not much, really) AND I did the 3 hill Cornstalk course. Today: decided to do my West Peoria 5.1 miler and it went very well.. 1:10:50 for 5.15, 13:45 pace with no 14 minute miles. Felt good about it..but I think the deadlifts prior helped me out.
Weights: on Tuesday I did a lot of pull ups, mixes of singles, sets of 6-8, etc, enough to get 60 reps . Downstairs: Swiss bar, 10 x 134, then sets of 6 x 145 (3), sets of 7 x 94 high incline, and curls. Elbows were ok; thinking I may have banged my left elbow. Oh yes, 3 sets of 10 shrugs with 134.
Thursday: the pull ups: 20 singles done pull, chin, mixed, mixed (5 sets), 16 singles (4 sets), 5 pull, 5 chin, 5 pull. The mixed sets were challenging.
Then push ups: 3 sets of 30 slant, 1 set of 20 flat, then downstairs for deadlifts/shrugs: 10 x 134 low, 10 x 184 low, 10 x 265 4 inch (challenge)
The games were Chiefs wins: 8-5 (started out 4-0) and 6-3; some very savvy (and fast) base running and hitting made a difference. The Chiefs star started the first game by stealing second AND third.
It was “spring forward” and I walked a bit, after PT and deadlifts.
Full PT. Deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 190, 10 x 225 low (kind of disappointed in my position) 4 inch: 10 x 270. Felt good; still a bit too far forward. 8 inch: 5 x 300. Had more but felt myself getting sloppy. Farmer’s walk: 100 yd with 52 (44 + handle), 70 yard with 74 (44+22 + handle), two 35 yard with 87 (44+22 + 13.2 + handle).
The walk: the official map went haywire as I turned down main. Below is the course I travelled. The watch gave me 4.35 miles, which, ironically, is what the other pedometers gave me as well. That felt long; I gave myself 4.25 miles (13:30’ish pace) Some discomfort in the final mile.
PT, then a 7 mile walk; this included 2 full Cornstalk hill loops and one lower loop (done in reverse direction)
high 50’s-low 60’s…shorts! And very minimal pain; some slight discomfort at 3.5-4.5 and that is about it…some fatigue later on. I should probably roll it a bit.
Commentary: I’ve had injuries in the past: rotator cuff impingements, knee surgery, (5 of them, 4 on the right knee), achilles tendonitis, etc. I’ve “recovered to full strength” (sort of) from these.
This back issue is different: it is chronic. (vertebrae slipped forward: neurogenic claudication caused by foraminal stenosis caused by isthmic spondylolisthesis. ) That is, chronic stress fractures in my pars (back of the spine) has caused my L5 vertebrae to slip forward, narrowing the canal (stenosis) impinging my L5 nerve root (foraminal: below the spinal cord) causing pain while walking.
In February of this year, things had gotten so bad that a .2 mile walk home caused a great deal of stabbing back pain; when I tried to walk in the fall, I managed 1, .5, .4 mile segments.
What turned it around was going to the doctor, finding out it was my back, and then doing back therapy and modifying my behavior (more later); I deleted some exercises, modified many others, etc.
And so, I am doing daily walks (sometimes 2 times a day) of 1-5 miles, sometimes fast, (10:40 mpm), most of the time medium (13-14:30 mpm), some slow (hiking, 16 minute miles for commuter walks).
I am about 22-25 miles a week; I would have found this unimaginable this February.
BUT…yeah, I have a long distance walking history (marathons and beyond).
I was referred to a surgeon and surgery was discussed; what I was eventually told was “no need for it right now; you’ll know when you need me” and:
This isn’t my doctor, but this was the message I got. I have a chronic condition that may get better, but pain-free just is not my destiny. Not 100 percent pain free, 100 percent of the time. I need to aim for “low enough pain to be pleasant.” I have a condition to be managed, not something to be healed from.
And yes, I can tell when I need to bail from a walk; I did so last week. Basically, it is pain at the start that is uncomfortable and does not go away.
Today’s workout PT, pull ups (sets of 5 singles, couple of sets of 5, enough to get to 50 plus one negative), push ups (4 sets of 25 flat! That is good for me; focused on no radiating pain)
Deadlifts: low: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 228, 8 inch: 10 x 260 (felt good..all of them)
high incline: 3 sets of 10 x 94 Swiss bar, getting lower each time
bench: 2 sets of 10 x 134 legs up
Then a morning walk (2 miles), commuter walk (1 mile) Both walks were outstanding, though I was sore by 6 pm
Note: I attempted to cut from 2 naproxen two times a day, to 1, two times a day.
Life of an old goat 