Miserable April

It seems as if April has had miserable weather on most days. Well, we had nice weather for a few hours.
pull ups: 9 sets of 5, one of 7
bench: 10 x 134, 3 x 165, 5 x 160, 4 x 160, 6 x 155 then 5 x 145 on the Swiss bar (tired)
high incline: 2 sets of 6 x 105, 5 x 110 (sloppy hips?)
curls: one set of 10
trap bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234 (all 4 inch)

then a 2 mile walk at just under 15 minutes per mile, before taking Barbara out.

There was supposed to be a Bradley game tonight but OF COURSE, we had a pop-up thunderstorm that should delay things. Update: cancelled.

2/3 of April 2025 gone

Yesterday, we saw innings 7-9 of the Chiefs 13-6 loss to the Kernels (Cedar Rapids) and then the 7 inning 4-1 loss afterward. Both teams got only 3 hits but the Chiefs walked 6 and hit two more batters.

Today: got drenched during my 8.25 mile walk. Very slow: 2:14 for 8.25 miles (16:18 pace; just under 1:04 at mile 4). Strava got it at 8.64 so it might well be 8.4 miles or so..does not matter, really. It was a hodge-podge course; almost to the length of Heading when I modified. I walked through several downpours. It was a struggle..sort of. I never really got tired. But I did not like the heavy rain.

Mostly, I distracted myself by thinking about work and how much uncertainty we/I have. I have too many thoughts, many of which I will not share in public.

A curious thing about aging

Of course, I’ve frequently complained about how I’ve slowed down, gotten weaker, etc. All that is true. And yes, the aches and pains visit me more often.

But my relationships with others has changed too. For some reason, many (most?) of my friends are a bit older than I, as is my spouse. For the longest time, it felt as if we were age peers.

But they’ve entered the period in the life where they age more rapidly than I am aging right now: knee replacements, mobility problems are part of their lives, and I have to make allowances for them. It is as if part of my friends group has entered the realm of “the elderly” whereas I am still “just older”: no worries if I fall, etc. Fortunately, none of them have exhibited much in the way of cognitive decline.

UK elections and trends

A friend of mine posted this map: it was a poll of who people would vote for if there were a national election right now:

This data represents the top line:

Here are a few notes:

UK Parliament looks like this now (House of Commons)

Note: the next election is not scheduled to occur until April, 2029, though an election can be called for before then. So there is quite a bit of time.

Also: as far as the parties: Labour is like the US Democrats, Liberal Democrats are like a centrist Democratic party, the Conservatives (Tories) are like our “Mitt Romney” type Republicans and the Reform party is a bit like the Trump wing of the current US Republican party.

Note how the Conservatives are not very popular and the Reform party is gaining on them.

But there are the local elections in May and it will be interesting to see how things pan out.

But the “standard conservative”, both here and in the US, appears to be on the way out.

Catch-up part n!

Ok, I had Thursday’s workout written up.
Friday: 15:13 pace for my 4.1 mile lower loop course (1:03) and a slow 2 mile commuter walk.

Today: 2 mile commuter walk to the office to grade. Weights:
pull ups 7-7-7-7, 10 (almost), 6, 6, 5, 5 (yes, 60 reps, last 2 sets mixed grip, 2 sets

Bench: 10 x 134, 3 x 165, 5 x 160, 4 x 160, 6 x 155
incline: 5 x 134
high incline: 10 x 94, 10 x 94, 5 x 105
trap bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234 (4 inch)
5 x 280 (6 inch) sore hamstring ..did not want to push it.

Chiefs: saw them WIN 9-4 on Thursday night. They got a 9-3 lead and they survived their bullpen; for some reason they throw a LOT of balls to the batter, including to the batters that they retire.

old catch up (from Wednesday)

I have season tickets for the Peoria Chiefs and so do not post much on this blog during the weeks that they are in town.

Workout notes:

Monday: 4.14 lower loop course in 1:04:58 (15:42) gentle. 1.1 mile walk over lunch
Wednesday 4.14 course in 1:01:03 (14:45). Again, wore the Brooks Beasts.

Tuesday: weights and a 2 mile commuter walk.
pull ups 9 sets of 5, one of 8. Bench: 10 x 134, 3 x 165, 5 x 160, 6 x 155, 7 x 150
high incline: 10 x 94, 2 sets of 6 x 105

Thursday: so far, weights: pull ups 9 sets of 5, one of 8. Bench: 10 x 134, 10 x 150, Incline: 6 x 134, 5 x 134, 5 x 134. 4 inch trap bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234

Chiefs: Won Tuesday night 6-2; rallied. Wednesday: trailed 5-1, huge inning: got a based loaded double to cut it to 5-4, 3 run inning to lead 7-5, then came the 7’th. Pitches struggled to find the plate..7-6 going into the 9’th. Cedar Rapids had runners on base, 2 outs (again, walks..after going up 0-2 on the batter). POP FLY in the infield. Game over, right? Wrong. Drop..7-7. Bottom: get runner to second (single and steal) with 1 out: 2 strike outs. I left; it was almost 9:30. It went to 11 and the Chiefs lost.

Aging: what is causing my slowdown and why I am taking it so hard

First of all, I want to make it clear: I was never an athlete. I played football and wrestled in high school and, well, wasn’t very good. Most of my adlult sports were indulged informally at gyms and in public competitions. Bests: bench press (gym) 310 (1987), deadlift 410 (gym; 1980’s), 5K swim (open water) 1:36 Chicago, 2008, 1:34 (pool, 2010), mile run 5:30 (1980), 5:59 (1999), 5K run 18:57 (1982), 10k run 39:50 (1982), half 1:34 (1999), full 3:33 (1980), 3:38 (2000). These are “no one cares” times for male 40 and under.

But, if one looked at the results in the paper (where they used to appear), you’d see me typically in the upper 1/3 to upper 1/5’th. But there was a reason for that: I was a younger male, period. That is all it was.

I still remember a 15K run that I ran on Quantico in 1981: it was open to civilians but the crowd was heavily Marine. They lined up by 3 mile time: 15 minutes, 17 minutes, then 19 minutes (when I lined up. along with a slew of young Marines who, well, looked a lot like me). And we more or less finished together. (time: 1:04:04)

Well, now I am no longer young. I am 65 and I had to give up running in 2020: knee ache at the top of the shin after runs. I have no cushion in my knees any longer. And so I walk.

It was bad enough that I was walking 5Ks in just under 34 (judged PR was 30:41, unjudged was 29:xx, but this was in 2003-2004) and I walked a 4 miler in just under 44 minutes. But the half marathon: now 3:05…and my last 5K was a glacial 38:50. Yes, I had a layoff due to my knees (reduced walking, no hard aerobic training)

But my goodness: my days of finishing with the “hard bodies” are long over; I now finish with the “old, wounded or not in shape” brigade.

And as far as the slowdowns (half marathon walk PR was 2:17 in 2003): age certainly plays a large role. But an equal role is played by my numerous setbacks: knees (meniscus tear in 2007, operated on in 2010), lumbar (2020-2022 nightmare) and now knees again. Every setback: I recover but never fully; after I recover, my age graded performance goes down.

Similar is true for weights: in 2021 I had a shoulder injury that my bench press never quite recovered from, and my having to take my leg drive out (lumbar stenosis) hurt me as well. 200 lb is long gone.

But: I still can enjoy these activities; I just have to accept that I am now firmly in the rear of the pack, and that my previous stint in the 80’th percentile was about my being a younger male, period.

I needed that!

Ok, my walk was not much to write home about. I did two lower Bradley Park loops followed by campus loops and enough out and back to get to 7.15 in 1:47:43 (15:08 pace). It was very windy. I wore knee braces and I did get tired, just a bit.

Later: Bradley Baseball. The game started out..well…2 on base, Belmont hits a hard line drive snagged by the BU shortstop..stepped on second base and was INCHES from throwing the runner out at first (who was racing back to the bag). But then came a walk, hit, error..and Belmont lead 3-0.

But this time Bradley rallied for 4 in the bottom of the first and never looked back. The Braves shelled the Bruins with 5 home runs (left fielder had 2) and won going away 15-4 in 7 innings. Ok, that was the first conference win of the season and, yes, Belmont won the previous 2. I’ll gladly remember this one and forget about the 9’th inning of yesterday’s game, which went from 2-1 down to 10-1 down.

I needed this! Oh yes, the Chiefs won in South Bend to get their second win of the season.

Belmont at Bradley: close until it wasn’t

First my workout: pull ups 5 sets of 6 (scapular/regular, narrow, chin, mixed, mixed), then 4 sets of 5 (wide, narrow, regular, scapular/regular) with a penalty set of 3.

Bench: 10 x 134, 5 x 160, 5 x 160, 4 x 160, 4 x 160 (lots of rest)
4 inch trap bar: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234
incline: 6 x 134
high incline: 10 x 94, 5 x 105, 5 x 105
curl: 7-7-7.
Then I walked with B then 2.4 miles on my own.

Now to baseball. It was a beautiful day with Bradley hosting Belmont: they lost 3-0 last night. Gorgeous day.
After an inning in which the pitchers dominated, BU took the lead on a home run to right field. Eventually, well executed “small ball” by Belmont got them a 2-1 lead, and it stayed that way going into the 9’th. Yes, Belmont had many more hits; BU had one, but Belmont’s hits were mostly scattered.

The dam broke open in the top of the 9’th and Belmont got 8 runs on bunts, well executed hit and runs, and yes, walks. It was an unmitigated disaster and it ended 10-1, with hits being 11-1, and BU having 3 errors.

Sanity

Work…well…let’s just say that I was hit by a bombshell out of the blue that undermined our ability to do what we are supposed to do.

But the worst is probably yet to come.

Today: 3 miles at just under 19 minutes per mile over lunch, BEFORE I knew.

weights: pull ups: 10 sets of 5; different grips: 2 sets mixed grip, 2 sets underhand, 1 set wide, 2 sets narrow, 2 sets scapular/regular, 1 regular.

bench: 10 x 134, 9 x 150
incline: 6 x 134, 6 x 134, 5 x 134
4 inch trap: 10 x 134, 10 x 184, 10 x 234

I had pains in the bottom of the foot but rubbing them helped them go away.

Bradley Baseball Bradley fell behind Western Illinois 2-0 but rallied in the bottom of the 6’th with 1 run plus a grand slam to go up 5-2, and that it is how it ended. There was rain during the game, and few were there (7-26 vs 4-24)

But I was.