Category: Uncategorized

Steamboat 2023

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)

2020: covid cancelled, 2021: cheered on Tracy (injured), 2022 injured (back)

2023: walk with Lynnor: 54:46 (cool day, 27:28/27:18)

Race data: Note: 2019: no elite runners, 2020: cancelled; there were races on 2021 and 2021 that I was too injured to do.

year4m15K4k/2mbig 2allchange 2% changechange all% change
201331248669839904088
2014261377611133893500-601-0.150626566-588-0.143835616
2015244380515632483404-141-0.041605193-96-0.027428571
2016234782215731693326-79-0.02432266-78-0.022914219
2017178166615124472598-722-0.227832124-728-0.218881539
2018185965312225122634+65+.026636+.0139
2023 1051 322 N/A 1373

Catching up mid April

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)

Baseball:

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.

Chilly on Tuesday, relatively warm on Thursday.

Selection Sunday workout

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.

I am not in rehab..

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.

Taking stock

One of the things I do during the summer is I get ready for the fall..physically. Seriously. I try to see what works, what doesn’t work and what workout scheme is sustainable.

I will have to make modifications.

Today I was sort of efficient for the first part of the workout:

31:25 PT and pre walk stretching

28:58 for the 2 mile walk

4:41 to get a drink and transition to my porch work.

52:28 for my pull up/push up, shoulder rehab and wobble board (had to rest a bit here)

51:46 to go downstairs and finish my bench presses, deadlifts, high inclines, curls and belt squats (some inefficiencies here)

Total time: 2:49:20 which is too long for most of the academic year.

The effects: I felt fine right afterward, but when I laid down in bed and got back up..some troubling left glute tightness (back related, I am sure). The walk caused the most strain.

The actual workout

The walk wasn’t the worst but I did feel some stress ..that went away reasonably quickly.

Pull ups: 10, 10, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 wide, 5 chin, 5 mixed, 5 mixed. These went ok

push ups: 30 incline, 30 decline, 30 incline, 10 flat (some resting here)

bench press: 150 lb: 7, 7, 7, 10 (best in a while)

deadlifts: 10 x 134, 10 x 184 low, 10 x 270 high (8 inch) wondered about these..not residual pain right after, nor pain during.

curls: 3 sets of 10 x 50

high incline: 3 sets of 10 x 94 Swiss bar

belt squats: 3 sets of 12 x 94 (kind of shallow)

I did notice a slight shoulder niggle.

Bringing it back

I’ll have to work out the timing of this workout, but I stretched, walked, stretched, cycled, stretched.

The rehab was all back stuff..plus headstand and 3 minute plank.

walk: 15 minutes (reached 1 mile in 14:20) on the home treadmill…slight ache..very slight.

cycle: 30 minutes (10 fake miles) alternating easy-medium.

Did much of the McKenzie, Williams things, clam shell, flossing, and of course, the plank and headstand and some tree..also my “warrior series” and some down dog.

As far as the forward bend: it is a different movement than the hip hinge one does on a deadlift.

I am waaaaay too far back…after seeing this:

THIS is not in the cards for me:

from here

Out of kilter

I was just “off” or “out of sorts” all day today..not enough sleep?

Weights: pull ups: struggled with singles (and different grips) until getting 10 reps from 31-40 (shown) and then finished ok.

bench: 4 x 114 was off..retreated and got “full touching of the chest)

10 x 94, 10 x 114, 10 x 134 (some pain..mild)

rows: 3 sets of 10 x 134
shoulder: solved the unracking/racking issue?
3 sets of 10 x 94, 7 x 105 (really felt it in the muscle): 4 sets total

curls: 3 sets of 10 x 54

incline bench: off base; 10 x 114 couldn’t really touch..felt it was time to end the workout.

Afterward: sort of a “squeeze” in the right deltoid..then not much the rest of the way.

2 January

Well, the start was unimpressive, at least with respect to sports and working out.

I do have more to say; will do so later.

Today: treadmill workout after deadlifting.5k in 42;40 though, to be honest, the treadmill had me with close to 4 miles as I was grinding.

This came after a very lame deadlift workout:

10 x 134, 10 x 184, 1 x 224 (neutral)

1 x 274 high handle

4 misses at 319 high handle (got 314 last week)

5 x 279 high, 4 x 259 low, 5 x 234 deficit

Not the worst and I got a workout (after lunch) but..well, I have to remember where I was a year ago.

“dead lifts (need to get shoes…did without shoes): 6 x 135, 3 x 185, 1 x 225 (missed 2 x), miss 240, 6 x 185, 6 x 205 “

My progression

Note: not much glute pain…piriformis didn’t bother me. Longer on the treadmill tomorrow..dare I aim for 5-6 miles?

Vintage Obama

First: the weight workout:
usual warm up, then pull ups: sets of singles, doubles, 3’s and 5’s..enough got get to 55 reps.
shoulder presses: dumbbell: 10 x 36, then 2 sets of 10 x 40 seated, unsupported.
shoulder presses: barbell, with support: 8, 7, 7 with 90 (seated)
trap bar rows: 5 sets of 10 x 134
bench press: 10 x 143, pause.
trap bar deadlift (deficit) 10 x 184, 10 x 204 (felt really good)

Election: Trump’s head is going to explode. This took 37 minutes..inspired me to give money. I missed the letter writing deadline.

You can see the 37 minutes of the Obama speech here.