Hiking and biking - bike climb, tree fall

Wed did a major hike in Savage Gulf, very beautiful wild flowers and waterfalls ...  a 'forest primeval'.  (Photos below). Hills, boulder fields, and a clean stone creek bed to rest on for a while.  It was only 5.5 miles from the trail head to the falls and back but I 'felt it' afterwards.  A little soreness in the knees, 2 days after my running workout.  However feeling pretty good this weekend.  

General news:  my life was complicated by a minor catastrophe at my Murfreesboro log house.  Thursday's storm dropped a tree over and though my carport, crushing my tenant's truck and the large enclosed porch area, with some branches penetrating the roof of my house over the tenant's apartment.  It's at least $50k damage, probably much more, likely need a new roof including trusses, new carport, new porch, etc...  $12,500 just to remove the 3 trees involved off the house and property.  But... that's why we pay insurance.  The roof needed to be replaced anyway.  It could likely be built back better than it was.  Fortunately, the log house structure itself was not damaged!  That is the main thing.  A log house with 200 yr old hand hewn logs is not replaceable.  But, it's a major hassle.  I have to make the 70 min one-way trip to Murfreesboro and back 5x in the next 10 days.  At least it missed my boat.  (photos below).

On Thurs and Friday I did the 2.5 mile sprint on my road, 11:04 and 10:50.  Fastest one I really put out, pushing HR over 180, although that may have been anomalous (188 max).  

Sat, I watched the local track meet and took break to do the Roark's cove bike climb.  I think it was a season PR.  Actually second fastest post op.  HR data was nominal, mid 180's peak at the end but 1:20 after summiting, it shot up to the 190s on my monitor, so that must have been erroneous.  I tried to check it by pulse and it was in fact wrong, unless it was a delayed reading.  Should probably get a more reliable monitor.   Maybe a Polar? 

Roark's Cove bike Climb

total time - 22:12

Anyway, will hit the gym tonight, was going to run hills tomorrow but that will have to wait til Tues due to my house issue.  

My Grail cancer screening was negative, fortunately.   

Cold snap this Sunday morning, 41º last night, fire going on the porch.   Tonight, going to the gym to row.  

 

Tree falls on my house - 4/16/26

50s, hills

 Great day, variable clouds, mid 70ºs, dry.  We need some rain.   Did a little running today.  Felt ok, still not 100% pain free but pretty close.  Did some 50s on turf.  Somewhere between high knees and full stride.

Stretches, drills, bands

2 x 50m high knees

4 x 50m w/ 30 sec rest

2 x 100m hill runs - 21.5, 21.3

Felt OK, didn't want to push it too hard.  Definitely improvement.  No after effects, pain or swelling.  

144.5 lbs after workout.

More hiking, resistance, test results

Friday did a 5.5 mile hike with Roya and Joe in the Shakerag trail, wildflower season at peak.  It had some hill climbs and was challenging.  Saturday did a resistance circuit at home including upper body, core, and legs.  This morning (Sunday) did a quick 2.5 mile bike sprint on my road with hills on my heavy mountain bike,  11:17, my PR since I just started doing this.  It's a good quick workout, HR avg 147.  

Was going to run hills today but will wait til tomorrow.  I ate too much last night and am too heavy to run, close to 148 this morning.  

My tests results were mixed, nothing exceptionally alarming or surprising.  The good: CEA is  2.4, normal.  CA19-9 down from 79 to 54 but still considered elevated.  CMP values all normal, eGFR 69, liver enzymes normal.   The bad:  Lipid panel shows I'm at risk.  Even after 3 days of light vegan eating, total cholesterol 229, LDL 160 and LDL particle number 2194 / peak size 210.9 - which is considered high risk.  On the plus side, HDL was up to 49 improving my ratio to 4.7 (from over 5). Triglycerides quite low at 92, glucose 89, and A1c at 5.6.   

Considering my brother's issues, I'm looking into having a MRA (MRI Angiogram) with contrast.  It's only $498 at the local hospital.  I found this rate on MDsave.com - a great resource for self pay procedures, it searches for the cheapest rate within a region.   All these small rural hospitals near where I live are the cheapest.  

Knee feeling pretty good after yesterday's resistance work.  

Hiking, test day, brother's surgery

Been hiking with Roya, no very strenuous training since I have a multitude of tests today.

Wildflowers at peak.

My brother had an angiogram with contrast.  It was a lucky thing.  He just got a new cardiologist and he only went in originally to deal with his wife's issue, which turned out to be not as serious.  It was suggested HE get tested while she was there.  After the angiogram, Dr. ordered an urgent heart catheterization and he was found to have 95% blockage of a right coronary artery. (She had zero blockage).  He received a stent.  His CAC scan was 56 and his CT angiogram with contrast suggested just 50% blockage.   Both tests understated his issue.   Heart catheterization surgery is really the only definitive measure of blockage.  CAC is just looking back at the disease already accumulated and the CAC number means little, more about the location of the calcification.  He was on Repatha and now on Plavix.  Seems that Repatha does nothing to reverse the damage / disease, just supposedly decreases risk.  The Dr. told him that he could have easily had a fatal heart attack, as our uncle did, without this procedure.  

I have numerous Dr appointments this month, some I will not keep if my tests go well.  I'll be doing the GRAIL test, lipids, A1c, CMP, tumor markers.  Hope it goes well.  

Semester getting really busy, student concert Thurs then it gets a little easier.  

Expect to do a major hike on Friday, then resume training on the weekend with some biking and hill sprints.  

Finally below 145 lbs, thankfully.

Stadium stairs, spring is springing

Friday, very warm and mostly sunny at MTSU, 80º and I hit the stadium stairs just after 9:00am.  It was easier than last time.

Stretches

12 x Stadium stairs

I did these in sets of 5,3,2,2.  It was hard and I could've done another set but I decided to be conservative.  Knee is improving, better than it has been in months.  Mostly because no flat sprint training.   

Been doing the morning bike sprint workout on my road Tues and Wed.  It's really a good daily routine.  I can get the 2.5 mile bike ride with small hill climbs in done in 12 min on my heavy mtn bike.  Pushes my HR to mid 150s and is a good wake up workout.  On Wed, I forgot that I shouldn't workout before some of my tests so I put them off for a week.  

I've curbed my weight a bit, back to 145.2 after workout.  Just bought a huge supply of good fresh produce so it will be easier to eat better.  

Family heath issues... 

My mother received a hip replacement Mon, then she fell and had to go to the hospital Wed to check it out.  No damage, dodged a major disaster.  I was really pissed at my father for refusing my efforts to get her home health care under her long term care policy that they've paid huge $ into over 18 yrs.  

Then my brother finds out he has a 50% heart blockage that may require a stent, even though his CAC score was only 56.  He goes to have an invasive procedure on Tues.   I probably should be on statins myself.  Maybe my 2 zero CAC scores are a false sense of security?  I've noticed some PVC heart beats, usually on the days where I don't workout.  I read on a runners group about a guy who also had them and they made him wear a HR monitor over a week and found that he was afibing w/ HR up to 200, now I'm paranoid that it's happening to me during training, as my monitor has suggested.   I've written these readings off as anomalous.   

Anyway, happy to be home on this incredibly beautiful spring weekend.  Upper 70ºs tomorrow but then a moderating cool snap, only up to 60º on Sunday then really nice the rest of the week, 70º/50ºish.  Roya will be here Sunday.  Fortunately, she just got hired by a worldwide engineering firm where she can work from home, mostly.  Good pay but she was so happy to get the job, that she just accepted the offer, she certainly could've negotiated for more.  I can't relate to her work ethic since the job is not particularly fun, as mine is.  She needs structure I guess.  

It's azalea season in Atlanta (bottom photo below).   Here, we still don't have leaves on all the trees yet, still early, although wildflowers are rocking.  Here's from my Tues morning hike - Shakerag hollow, Sewanee.

Wildflowers in Sewanee -

Roya's azaleas - 

Row, weights

 Did a short set of rowing, then weights including some deadlifts.

Concept 2 rower

3 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 1:56, 2:02, 2:10

3 x 10 x 140 lbs hex bar dead lifts

ham curls, leg extension, adductors, calf raises

Ate very little today, essentially a 24 hr fast save for some decaf cappuccinos.  Had a little oat bran with blue berries.  Drank a lot of water.  Still 147.5 after workout. 

 

Bike climb, sprints

Been on the bike 3 days in a row since stadium stairs on Monday.   Sat, did my usual bike sprint intervals 4 x 400m w/ 2:30 rest but it was slow and into a big headwind.  Best was only 26.2 mph.  Sunday, did the climb:

Roark's cove bike climb

Total time - 23:19

Max HR - 184

HR over 170 - 15:50

HR over 180 - 3:00

Avg HR - 167

Avg speed - 6.1 mph

This was my best of the year which is surprising because of my weight.  Been hovering in the 146-147 lb range.  Still far short of my post op PR of 22:04 that I did twice - end of July and in Nov.   Hard effort, high avg HR, which included a 200 meter cool-down after the hill.  But, it shows my fitness is improving.  

Most importantly the knee feels stronger and I'm recovering ok from these workouts.  I'll do stadium stairs again on Friday. 

My weight has become a real issue.  Woke up pushing 149 lbs this Mon morning.   Although I'm eating generally low carb, and one main meal like fish and salad, I've been eating way too many nuts and dried / fresh fruit.   I bought this nut sampler from Nuts.com and it was really addictive.  Tasty nut varieties like trail mix, honey roasted, chocolate covered, etc...   Done with that.

I did a brisk morning bike ride, just 2.5 miles including a few small hill sprints, only takes about 12 min and is a good morning wakeup.  Pushes my HR to mid 150s and gets the blood flowing.  Still, a whopping 148.5 lbs after the ride!  Will probably fast today and do rower tonight at 9pm.  A definite fat band has appeared.  

Going to get some blood work Wed, check my liver enzymes and see if my markers have moved.