stadium stairs

Did stadium stairs this morning.  Only could muster 8.  Feel as if I were in better shape in Aug.  About 4 lbs lighter then.   I definitely felt it in my calves and thighs.  Will have to do more of these.  

Also, have been feeling a persistent mild to moderate abdominal pain in the area of stomach/ pancreas.  Was bothering me during this run but went away afterward.   Certainly worrisome.  

I think I'm going to try a fast.  I need to lose weight and it might be a good time.  Just water and herbal tea.  Let's see if I can make it from Thurs night to Sunday morning, 60 hrs.  We'll see.   

I think I'm going to get the Galleri Grail test, and another CA19-9 and CEA done in a few weeks.  Just curious if there is movement in these markers.  Awaiting results of a genetic test.  

Looks like beautiful spring weather for the next week and beyond.  

I was 148 lbs yesterday, 146.2 lbs after workout.  

row and bike

Freezing cold Monday night, went to the gym.  Did the usual rowing workout.  Got down to 15º last night.   Today Tues, I opted not to run but to wait til Friday and do stadium stairs since I'll be in Murfreesboro.  I did a little biking instead.  

Concept 2 rower 

4 x 500m w/ 1 min rest - 2:04, 2:02, 2:18, 2:18

USATF Nationals were last weekend.  I wish I had gone and just ran the 200m.  Ron won the 400m (M65) in 60 flat, 200m in 26.27.   No one was close, Silver was mid 28s.  Not much depth in M65.   He won all 3 sprints in M65 - formidable times in all.  If I were healthy and able to train fully, I may be the only person in the US to challenge him, but I'm not really interested in getting any more Silver medals.   

No hurry to get back.  If I endeavor to train for the 400m again, it will take 4 months to get there and I'd be starting over.  If I'm able to do 2 good workouts a week by mid April, I could get there by summer.  

bike and hike

Very warm on Friday and Sat, 70ºs and 60ºs, did the ATL neighborhood bike circuit 2x on Roya's bike, which includes 500' of hill climbs.  Hiked Pine Mountain on Saturday in Cartersville.  Even this little 700' 2.5 mile climb, I could feel some fatigue on the knees.  Hike pushed HR into 150s on the hike, and the bike - peaked around 170.  

It was a great day.  Roya really needed the time out.  I had an exceptionally unhealthy dinner but it was delicious.  A large fried haddock sandwich with french fries and a scoop of cappuccino chocolate chip ice cream for dessert.  I hadn't eaten french fries or fried fish in 8 months, (since I was trapped in an airport trying to get to NY).   Later that night, I felt some acid indigestion and cleansed myself with a liter of lemon water, which has now become my 'health tonic' of choice.  I drink a liter of water with lemon every morning before I eat anything, and another during the day.  I think it helps my digestive and renal system.  

Going back to Sewanee on Monday for a brief respite before I start the busiest week of my semester.  I'll be working 8 of the next 9 days, not long days but meetings, auditions, etc  .... A week from Monday, seeing a kidney surgeon about a cyst as a precaution, then Faculty Senate later that day, then my usual work week that ends Thurs.  Then a week off for spring break.  After that, the home stretch, just 6 weeks and I'm off for the summer by May 1 and looking forward to a yr half time sabbatical (F26-S27) where I'll be working about 6 hrs/ one day per week in Murfreesboro, and maybe 3 or 4 in Sewanee.  

A brief return to winter on Monday, supposed to be only in the 20ºs with a low of 15º Monday night.  I have my fireplace ready to light and wood in when I get home late afternoon Monday.  It's only going to be in the mid 40ºs on Tues but I'm thinking I may go out and run hills or wait til Friday and do stadium stairs at MTSU.  Will try to lose a fee lbs this week.  

drills n hills

 Nice day, low 60ºs hazy sun.  At the track but I did drills on turf, then hills on the road.

Stretches, drills

high knee running - 3 x 50m, 4 x 50m w/ 30 sec rest

2 x 100m hill sprints - 21.5, 21.1

Not running completely pain free so no full stride sprints.  Just high knees and hill runs.

Faster than last week.   A little at a time, will stay with 1x per week probably for the foreseeable future.

144.1 lbs after workout.

Bike climb

Super foggy on the mountain with drizzle, about 50º for my late afternoon bike climb.  It's been a while since I did one of these.  Over 5 weeks.   Since I've lost all that foundation fitness that I accumulated Sept-Nov, it was pretty hard and slow.  Thought I would do a 'leisurely climb' ... but biking up this mountain without stopping is never leisurely.  Much slower than I usually do this, but needed to get off my butt today.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Time - 25:25

Avg speed - 5.2 mph

Max HR - 181

HR over 170 - 8:09

Avg HR - 163

Top half of the road was socked in with fog, it cleared at the bottom half.  It was spooky, owls hooting and everything.  

I will be back out Tues for some track drills, and probably 100m hill runs if it feels ok.  There is really no rush to get back in running shape.  I need to really go slow and allow for maximum healing and strengthening.  I'm probably not going to worlds in Korea, but in about 13 months, World Indoor Championships are in FL.  That might be my last international meet if I find that I can train this summer.  

144 lbs after workout.   

weights

At the gym last night, did mostly lower body stuff.  Focused on glute machine and hexbar dead lifts.   Did one set of everything else and a few 30" box jumps.  Used very modest weight for dead lifts but I stacked up the glute machine.

4 x 5 deadlifts w/ 190lbs 

2 x 40 reps on glute machine with 305 lbs

5 x box jumps 30"

Leg extension, leg curl, upper body machines

Wanted to be careful with this one, especially with the dead lifts since it's been a while since I did a similar workout.  Tolerated it well.  Feel pretty good.  

Was surprised that my quads were slightly sore from even the tiny amount of running I did last Mon.  

Have gained weight though.  About 145 lbs.  Around the time I was having medical appointments in Jan, I was really light while not trying too hard to be, and it got me worried that I was losing too much weight, but that wasn't the case.  Now it's going to be harder to get back there.  

Monday and Tues look good for weather and maybe some hill runs.

A little running

Perfect day Monday, 62º sunny, and a day off so went to the track, first time in a month.  Did full warmup, small amount of running on turf and one hill to test the waters.

I wasn't 100% pain free in full stride, so I'm not going to launch into any running regime yet.  All this on turf except the hill/.  

Stretches, drills

4 x 50m high knee running w/ 30 sec rest 

2 x 50m (80%) -  7.49, 7.43

100m hill - 22.90

It was probably more than I should have done first time out because the knee was sore that night, but it feels ok today, the day after.  And recovery is what it's about.  Pretty much pain free in the limited stride things like the hill and high knee running.  Can feel just a slight amount of pain in full stride sprint.  Only when that goes away, will I do anything like a scheduled regime of running intervals.  For now, I'm going to stay conservative with mostly rowing and biking and strength.  However, the short choppy strides of hill and stair running are fine.  

Gained a little weight.  About 144