It occurred to me on the walk into the office this morning (glorious blue skies, soft NW breeze, 32 degrees) that I've maybe been beating myself up a bit too much about this running thing.
I spent the weekend putzing around the house and avoiding the gym, but I was on my feet too much, and my tweaky left knee by Sunday evening had morphed from its usual benign tweakiness to a state of painful immobility that had me wondering whether I was going to be able to walk to... Read more »
Forget everything I wrote yesterday about learning how to run all over again. I awoke this morning with a stiff and painful left knee, so I won’t be jogging anywhere for a while. MLW suggested I take a dose or two of glucosamine, which often helps to loosen up her right knee after she overextends... Read more »
Motivation is a mysterious phenomenon. After a pretty sedentary week (a little commuter cycling, no lifting), this morning I climbed out of bed, unfolded my exercise/meditation mat and slid inexplicably back into my routine: a few sun salutations and other pretend yoga poses, some stretching, 30 push-ups, a little zazen.
Been awhile, I guess. That doesn’t mean I’ve been avoiding the gym, though. In fact, I’ve been falling in love with the Precor EDMs (Elliptical Death Machines) downstairs. Because my knees are shot, and I have no calf mobility, and my heart rate soars into the stratosphere whenever I start jogging, I’ve found the EDMs... Read more »
I’ve been trapped in the gulag of budgeting and other brutal corporate pursuits for the past few weeks, so — well, you know the drill . . . . This morning, however, I arose at a reasonable hour, let out the dog, ignored the disaster in the kitchen, spread out my mat and sat zazen... Read more »
Everyone who knows anything about fitness tells me that I need to do three things regularly to stay in shape: cardio, strength training and stretching.
It's primary election day today, so I'm skipping the gym to go exercise my political franchise.
Bicycling on the Ford Bridge this glorious morning, I spotted a lone rower (sculler?) resting on the perfectly calm river below. It was a perfect Zen moment: a man balancing exquisitely in his knife-thin craft, oars extended, a water bug on the wide expanse of the Mississippi. . . . I didn’t do any rowing... Read more »
No intervals on Tuesday’s stationary bike ride (you really have to be in a certain mood), but I did a little over 5 miles in about 20 minutes — average heart rate of 110 — so I wasn’t slacking. And I upped the poundage slightly over on the resistance machinery during my 25-minute lifting session.... Read more »
The buff guy last night (is he at the gym every night?!?) had a T-shirt with arrows pointing to his biceps! Very subtle. . . . Of course, when you’ve built a body like this guy has, why not advertise? I’m actually surprised by how little muscle flaunting goes on downstairs, given all the ripped... Read more »
One of the buffer guys at the gym on Monday was wearing a very tight T-shirt with this message: “An awkward morning is better than a boring night.” I’ve had a few awkward mornings since I last posted — though not for the reasons his T-shirt is implying. I spent last week with My Lovely... Read more »
I got back to the gym last night after a week away (sore back, summer cold, yada, yada…) and now I’m feeling creaky again — but in a good way. My upper back is a little stiff, but it’s not so bad. It’s just a little freaky how good it felt to punish my body... Read more »
OK, this is weird. Against my better judgment, I shuffled my pathetic ancient body downstairs to the gym after work last night and went through a slightly truncated version of my normal goal-averse routine (elliptical danger machine, lifting, etc.) expecting to pay the price this morning. But instead of feeling worse, I felt better! There’s... Read more »
Remember the scene in It’s a Wonderful Life when Jimmy Stewart’s sitting at Martini’s bar and prays for deliverance from his financial crisis only to get slugged by Mr. Welch, the school teacher’s husband? (OK, so you never saw the movie . . . but stick with me here; I’m about to make a point.)... Read more »
I climbed on the treadmill last night and, after a five-minute walking warm-up, jogged a mile at a 4 mph pace. This would’ve been excruciatingly boring had it not been for the intriguing pain gripping both of my calves. Actually, it wasn’t so much a specific pain as it was an annoying cramp. It felt... Read more »
Well, my shoulder's no longer sore -- now it's my back that's killing me.
It’s a muggy day for a bicycle commute, even one that lasts only 15 minutes, and this morning it’s made more challenging by the soreness in my left shoulder. I must have strained a muscle there while lifting last night. In fact, my upper body is pretty sore all over, which I didn’t expect after... Read more »
I'm not going to pretend it hasn't been awhile since I've posted (these things are dated, after all), but real work comes first and I've been catching up after a week's vacation. (Yeah, I could've posted while on vacation . . . whatever.) It doesn't mean, however, that I've been slacking off in the workout department.
I was back in the gym last night for a pretty rigorous, fast-paced workout: 10 miles on the bike (average heart rate of 114) and a good half-hour of upper body and (a little) ab work on the machines. Worked up a pretty good sweat. Felt pretty good about myself. Then, this morning, I stumbled... Read more »
I’ve been comparing notes recently with Hodding Carter, the 45-year-old writer whose new book, Off the Deep End, chronicles his manic pursuit of a spot on the 2008 U.S. Olympic swimming team. Carter, who 20 years earlier won Division III All-America honors for his alma mater, Kenyon College, uses his pursuit of Olympic glory as... Read more »