short sprints on turf, bike climb, concerts

First exercise in a week.  Today went to the track and first did a full warmup, drills, and some short sprints.  I probably did more than I should for first time out in a long time, but I did most with the brace.  

Hoka trainers on

Stretches, drills, bands

All sprints on turf - 85% effort

50m stride

50m - 3 step rolling - 7.91

60m - 3 step rolling - 8.90

60m - standing start - 9.18

50m - 3 point start - 8.10

2 x 30m accelerations

I did the first 4 sprints with the brace on.  It all felt pretty good.  Need to take it slow and see how the knees respond.  They will either adapt or not.  Not particularly optimistic, but no significant pain although a lot of noise in the joint. 

I then did a relaxed bike climb, trying to keep my HR mostly below 170, unlike last time where I was over 170 for 11:13.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 25:19

Avg speed - 5.6 mph

Max HR - 174

HR over 156 - 17:38

HR over 170 - 3:25

Avg HR - 157

Plan is to try to run once a week on turf, or short hill.  See how it feels.  Should keep the brace on.  Am pretty light due to all the stress of performing I think.  Now that Roya is here, I'm eating ok, but still eating a lot of Kind bars, fruit, nuts, and a little chocolate.  

Going on a hiking vacation to Fontana in the Smokies Fri- Tues.

141.5 lbs after workout.  Fat scale says my BF% is holding steady at 12.3%

CONCERTS FINISHED - free at last

Concert season concluded last night at MTSU and wow, what a relief.  The "big one" - Sewanee Monday night was a success.  Just under 100 attended, and I got through it pretty well.  The mental gremlins got me briefly in a few minor mistakes, but minimal and finished all pieces strong, most were near flawless.  Successfully walking away from the Rameau at halftime was a major accomplishment.  Kept the mistakes undetectable as I powered my way through the pieces with no stops, refusing to get rattled.  I held it together, received a stand ovation in what may have been the first Faculty Guitar Recital ever held in the historic landmark All Saints Chapel in the 160 yr history of the University.  The pressure was big, 90% of the people there were hearing me for the first time.   If I had blown it, it would have been difficult to ask to play there again.   One woman in her 70s said it was the best solo concert she'd ever seen on campus. 

 Played MTSU last night, was tougher.  Felt a little tightness in my forearms.  Shouldn't have played 2 nights in a row.  But it went well.  

It's really all mental.  I probably over practiced for Sewanee, put in at least 5 hrs on the day of the concert, but I really needed it to go well.  Of course, over training has been my thing, for better or worse.   

Check out the poster below, guess how old that photo is?  False advertising.  

Bike sprint, back home

Badly needing a workout, I got back to Sewanee in beautiful weather, mid 70ºs dry and clear.  After unpacking the car and taking my plants out, I hopped on the mtn bike for a 2.5 mile sprint.   It was hard.  Out of shape, been a while since a serious bike workout.  My HR pretty much stayed around 168 for 9 min.

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 10:11

Avg speed - 13.4 mph

Max HR - 170

HR over 156 - 9:34 (inc 1 min recovery at end)

HR over 170 - 0:07

Avg HR - 161

Even though the perceived effort was hard, the HR wasn't as high as my hard rides of the previous weeks, one where I was over 170 for 4:12.

Have gained a little weight, living on Kind bars, fruits and nuts.  Not bad, about 144-145. 

 

walks, short hill sprints, water running, FL concert, music

In FL, at my parents place tonight.  Last 2 nights I spent in a nice hotel with a private pool side patio.  I played a concert last for a good crowd.  We donated the ticket sales to a guitar scholarship fund, raised $800.  Concert went OK.  They thought I was just brilliant, but I had some gremlins and brief memory slips.  Overall it was OK, best of the 3 I've done.  It's crunch time.  The big one is next, a week away.

On my morning walks, I've done a few short hill sprints, about 30-40m and they felt ok, no pain.  It reminded me that there is nothing but nothing that quickly pushes the body and HR like sprinting.  Before the end of the month, I'm going to try to start doing a running workout of some type, just brief, probably up a hill or turf with the offloader brace.  We'll see how the body adapts.

Last night I hopped the fence and did some water running and swimming in the pool about 1am.  It was still about 80º outside.  It was great.  I did 15x split squats with just 20lbs in the fitness center.   My glutes were actually sore next day.

This week, I'm not teaching private instruction and going to Murfreesboro for a short day on Thurs.  6-8ish.   I'm really going to be practicing guitar more than I ever have in decades this week.  I hope my hand health holds out.  It did pretty well in the concert, no significant numbness, just the usual fatigue.  Playing the Rameau variations reminds me how actually athletic music is.  If you don't have the physical part, you can't be expressive and nothing else works.  When playing music of this difficulty, not even hours of practice can prevent mental mistakes due to stress, doubt, etc...  So, that's another element.  And of course, it's not good enough to just play the notes, it has to be expressive, varied, creative. 

Work starts tomorrow when I get home, should be mid-late afternoon.  I have 3 days in a row, Sunday 10:30 playing the entire service at All Saints - this could be a big crowd.  Monday, All Saints concert; Tues, MTSU concert.  Then it's over for a while.  Planning a hiking boat trip to Fontana the following weekend.  Looks like sunny and beautiful weather all week, mid 80s, then turning cooler on the weekend, lows hitting the 40s.  No rain.  

At my concert, I met Pamela Bauer, the daughter of a swing era guitarist Billy Bauer, who played with the most famous and influential jazz musicians of the era.   I had never heard of Bauer, and he wasn't as influential as other swing era guitar players (like Django R. and Charlie Christian).  She gave me a card with this photo.  She must have been at least 85 yrs old, which would have made her ~ 8 when this photo was taken of her dad (N.Y. 1949)... sitting with the single greatest jazz musician of all time.  (In terms of instrumental brilliance, innovation, and influence, his work is studied by jazz players as much as Bach is studied by classical players).  Pretty cool.  

If you don't know who the guy is with the sax and the cig, you're culturally deprived.  

Billy Bauer with Bird, NY 1949

Can't believe I actually bought a seat for my lute. 

weekly bike climb, lifestyle issues...

 Did a hard climb today, needed the exercise.  Maybe too hard.  This one was much harder than last one in terms of effort and HR.   I stayed off of the lowest gear as much as possible.  It was about a minute faster than last time but way more stress on the body and CV system.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 23:09

Avg speed - 6.2 mph

Max HR - 184

HR over 170 -  14:49 

HR over 180 - 3:19

Avg HR - 165

It was a tough day as Wed night I only slept 3 hrs due to a new fingering I was working into the Rameau piece, and worked all day Thurs, and got 6 hrs sleep Thur night, got up before 7 to start practicing for a performance for a 9 am Music class in Sewanee.  The performance was substandard and sorry I agreed to do it so early.  I got back and fell asleep immediately for 2 hrs, got up and did the climb.  After rest I started practicing with the help of some coffee.  Instead of eating a proper meal, I ate poorly, quick snacks - like fruit, nuts, and chocolate, just didn't want to spend the time preparing the meal.  I eventually did - arugula salad with chicken breast.  

I wonder if doing these high HR climbs is damaging or beneficial.   Last climb was a minute slower but HR was really much lower:   today's HR over 170 was 14:49 vs 3:34 last time.  Over 180 was 3:19 compared to max of 177 last time.  Avg HR was 165 vs 154.  Avg speed 6.2 vs 5.9 mph.

Concert Mon, but it's just a short program (40 m) at noon.  Will go to hotel in Franklin TN Sunday night.  Then to Florida next weekend.  This Monday or Tues after my concert I will hopefully do some exercise, might be my last opportunity.  When I get back from FL, one week to the big concerts.

Weight still ok, mid 143s after workout.

Bike climb, concert

My posting here will be sporadic as my concert tour has begun.  I'm presently in Clarksville, TN getting ready for my first concert tonight.  

I did the bike climb last Friday up Roark's Cove.  I was really trying to keep my avg HR down and not go really hard and I did.  About a minute faster than the one a week before but a slower avg HR.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 24:06

Avg speed - 5.9 mph

Max HR - 177

HR over 170 - 3:34

Avg HR - 154

As I once said, I know colleges by their concert hall or by their track.  This college, APSU, I've done both.  

APSU is the track where my masters career actually started with a 100m race back 15 yrs ago in 2011 at a early season college meet in March, called the 'APSU Spring Fling.'  The first outdoor meet I had run since high school.  I ran 12.56 at age 50.  (Interestingly, I ran faster at age 61 in '21 - 12.43).  

The following year I returned to race there in one of my best meets as a masters, running a 55.14 400m / 24.94 200m.  It stands as the second fastest 400m of my masters career, and second only to the 55.11 I ran indoors at Vanderbilt 3 yrs later.  

I've performed at APSU twice in their big grand concert hall, but tonight I'll be in their smaller recital hall.  

The guitar feels really good today.  I've prepared pretty well, so just like racing, it's really just mental from here on.  Remaining confident, expressive, and not over thinking and letting doubt distract from the flow.  

This is the first time I've ever used FOUR different instruments in a concert:  

Lute - renaissance dances

Guitar - mostly Spanish stuff (Traphagen)

Guitar tuned in G - for the Rameau (Ruck)

Guitar in 'Turkish tuning" for Koyunbaba (Turrentine)

Kinda ridiculous but this is the only opportunity to actually play my full program before the big concert at All Saints in 3 weeks.  My other concerts are either short or involve travel and I can't take the lute.  

Still doing my strength workout every morning (except today), and going to try to get one hard bike workout in a week.   All this is over on Oct 20.  

Bike Sprint

 One of my fastest, hardest 2.5 mile mtn bike sprints.  I think this was my second fastest.   I needed it.  A lot of butt time and a few extra lbs.  

2.5 mile mountain bike sprint - Laurel Branch Trl

Time - 9:36

Avg speed - 14.1 mph

Max HR - 175

HR over 156 - 9:49 (inc 1 min recovery at end)

HR over 170 - 4:12

Avg HR - 166 

I hit the turnaround at 5 min flat, about 5 sec off record pace.  It was hard, standing up most of the hills.       

hot climb

Needing to burn some calories today after overeating yesterday.   I waited til the hottest part of the day and did the Roark's cove climb.   It was 95º at my house with a heat index of about 100º, but was a few degrees cooler on the shady north side of the mountain.  Training in the heat is great as long as there is shade.

Roark's Cove bike climb

Total time - 23:41

Avg speed - 5.9 mph

Max HR - 182

HR over 170 - 11:13

HR over 180 - 2:00

HR over 156 - 19:08 

Avg HR - 163

Happy with the time considering conditions.  Stayed seated the whole time.  HR over 170 for 11:13 but it was probably over 167 for several minutes more.   

My Hume pod says I'm at 12.0% body fat, which is inaccurate because I know I've been leaner and lighter than I am now and it said higher.  I have been able to slightly increase muscle mass with a very small about of work, less than 5 min a day, but every day.   Just one set of 21-23 pullups, and 30-35 pushups, (and ab wheel or hanging abs sometimes, dumbells sometimes).  

 

 

 

But lately... this has been my workout.   Flamenco falsetas are good for you, do them daily: