I wanted to start a thread for those of us who want to workout on a regular baisis. I have found that being able to post what I am doing or my exercise goals has helped me a lot. Hopefully everyone will fill comfortable posting here wheather you are just starting or have been a long time exercise oriented person. This should be a thread where it is okay to try and fail. Any suggestions or thoughts on this are welcome. So I will start it off.

I am Jim and my form of exercise is riding a road bicycle. I have been riding off and on for over 11 years now. I never have raced other than group rides trying to keep up or pass others. I realy enjoy riding and have found that it really has helped my ADD in that I could think clearly when riding and be alone in a way.

Today I rode to work. I will ride home tonight. I had a good ride. I am in good shape right now. It was 7 miles and I will ride 7 miles home. I did a 40 mile ride on Sunday, but did not ride yesterday.
I am still trying to start doing crunchs, but have not started. this has been something I have wanted to do since March, but have not yet started.

Y'know what Biking, this is a great idea. You would think that with umpteen years and 2 degrees in the exercise field that I would have thought of it. I will be chiming in very soon.

Maybe this will help me keep everything straight--i'm so pathetic. LOL

Rode home from work last night. I did okay. there was a pretty good headwind and I am haing derailuer prblems so I did not push as hard on the way home. The ride in today was very good. I had a nice tailwind so that helped. I was able to keep up with a guy ahead of me and pass him. I still did not do any crunches. I work on spinning on the way home. There will be a headwind on the ride home.

Ken glad to see you back in the forums!! Looking forward to your posts.

88ssp we will be looking for the thread! Excellent!

Jim take it easy out there. It's a wild place on such a light vehicle. Don't want to see you getting hurt.

You have the attributes of being really hooked into this biking thang.. lol It's wonderful to watch in my rich inner life.

The derailleur should not be troublesome. There are two screws on the rear if it's like I remember them. One moves the derailleur toward the hub and the other moves it away. By rotating the wheel when you are in a given gear you might be able to determine which way it needs moving.

By moving one or the other you will see that the action is simple and clear. The chain in the middle of the sprocket when in gear is what you are after.

I'd be careful not to consider why the thing has changed. If it was well assembled it's likely just a stretched cable. If the mount to clasp the cable is insecure you'll want to tighten that up too. Anyway I have visions of you slipping a gear on a hill and driving your pelvis into next week. Lets not go there. Please.. eheh I too am a man. < g >

The front derailleur looks different from the back but the same screws apply.

Cheers! Ian.

Cheers! Ian.

Thanks for the info Ian. I knew about the screws, but had only done a little adjustment. It is whacked out because I switched my back cassette. I will try to adjust it again. If not I bought it from a shop which does tune ups for as long as I own the bike so I will get it done there for free. Do not worry I know not to press to hard when I am have sliping problems. I do not want to go down on the bar believe me.

It's hard to know how much you are comfortable with mechanically. I don't mean to be awkward, but I succeed sometimes. < g >
Cheers! Ian.

Its cool Ian. I had looked up in a book this AM otherwise I would not have known. I appreciate any mechanical advice you give. I would rather you give it and I already know it than have you worry about if I know it or not. I am a dork when it come to that stuff and any advice you give is much appreciated :D

gracias

Well the derailuer is better. It does not slip anymore, but sometime I have to shift twice. My bike is ready for a tune up anyway so I will take it to the shop this weekend or next. I do not like the idea of not riding for the time it might be in the shop.

Beautiful weather here for riding the last 2 days. I wore no jacket on the ride in today. That is the first time this year. In the afternoon I do not need one, but in the AM I have needed it. I rode home from work yesterday and back in today. I had a guy pass me on my right and not say anything to let me know he was there. Thankfully I did not hit him. I used him to break the wind for me for part of the way home. I figured he owed me that :D It was easy to keep up. I had a fun ride in this AM. Saw a few riders, but no one to try and keep up with. I hope to do a long ride this weekend, but we will see.

I will try to keep this going as best as possible since I posted the thread and the idea.

I have another good couple of days riding. I was only able to ride 14 miles on Saturday do to time constraints. It was a very fun ride. I got caught in a huge downpour. I was covered with dirt from the road when I got home. I was able to easily maintain a 19-23 mph pace on the flats. I threw in a hill at the end and that made my average 18mph. I rode a 100 miles again last week. I have been doing that consistantly since March. I rode in again today. It was another good ride. I am in good shape. I was able to keep up with some good riders both days.

I was told by a friend I ride with occasionally that I am working to hard riding. He says I need to spin more. I know this is the case. That gives me something to work on for the future. I am better this year, but still need to work on it.

Sorry Jim I missed your post on the fourth. Periodically my browser doesn't pick up the "last visit" well and I end up missing a beat or two. Going through the forums manually is sometimes impractical for me.

That can be a scary thing when you are deep into a concerted effort and have someone come up close on you like that fellow passing you without warning. Pierrette scared the daylights out of me Saturday night in much the same manner.

I was cutting grass with the push mower and deep well into the second hour and lots of heavy breathing, when the car went by slowly two feet behind me. I jumped out of my skin for a second. I wear ear protection which didn't help to get any warning.

This year I've been tooting my horn three or four hundred yards behind cyclists just in case they don't hear me. There are many here whom look a little unsteady. I'm likely to be one of them if I get the bike out. Two of my kids are riding regularly for fun. Is that the knock of opportunity?

Spinning. I was telling my 15 year old about spinning when she had been on a three mile jaunt on the gravel on soft tires. Bonnie had jumped on the bike the following day to find she was a little tender on her seat. I have vivid memories of numbness in areas I want to engorge periodically. < g > Any suggestions as to a better approach. I had a book back in the days when I did this type of thing called The Custom Bicycle but it seems to be missing. That book had all kinds of info on how to set up the bike for your particular body. I thought it was set up well but maybe not. Any suggestions to check from you or anyone would be welcome. I have a feeling it's going to be a bit tender on my seat for a while too.

I think I mistook your idea about this thread. I had in mind that the other single thread we commandeered from Andrew ended up being dominated by a few rather than a drawing card to many. I thought that might have happened partially from my reluctance to start new threads. That's why I've been trying to start a new thread when I have something to say about my fitness. I'm no expert in the development of on-line communities so I stand to be corrected. I like the bike/exercise posts you make for many reasons. I don't know how to draw more people to the benefits of what we are doing in working our bodies. Or at least to post the struggles and victories as we have been. You might want to do what feels good and right for yourself as far at posting your progress and activities surrounding your fitness. I will be supporting the threads as you have done. I love it! I'm so grateful to have company.

I sure do believe quite strongly in the wisdom of this active approach. My conviction continues to grow.
Cheers! Ian.

Yes I to beleive in the benefits of exercise. I do think that helped me to at least keep my head above water during the undiagnosed years.

On the seat they have a number out there that are supposed to help with that. They have a slot down the center of the seat that puts all the pressure on your b****. My rear does not get sore anymore. They say after riding a while your muscle build and you adapt to the hard seat.

I had a good ride home yesterday. I was able to easily keep up with a guy on a Lite Speed. I shifted into a lower gear and tried spinning more. That made it easier to keep up. The ride in this am was about the only good thing from early this am. I felt good. My friend who I rode with on the ride last week thinks I am leaning to far forward on my bike. We are going to try and adjust it tomorrow. Will see if that helps.

When I rode I eventually went to a rear cluster that was much closer in range so I could find just the right spin within my comfort zone.

I'll get the bike out tomorrow and have a peek at it to see how far it is from useable.
Cheers! Ian.

Another big day for cardio. A big day for everything physical. I spent about an hour and a half at what 132bpm where 80% of max would have been 140bpm. I'll likely not know how hard it was until Friday. It seems as if it takes a couple of days to kick in. My heart seemed to recover quicker than I remember but I forgot to track the times.

I got three quarters of an hour in stretch, yoga, and physio type stuff. I'm making great headway on the flexability. I introduced three sets of ten push-ups (strict) and I couldn't have done one more. I took thirty seconds between sets to try and get ahead of the lactic acid burn. I'll be interested to see how that feels tomorrow. I'd like to start working my abdominal too. Slowly but surely I'll get there.

I like what's happening with food. I seem to be better able to tolerate being on the lean side of my intake. I'm still eating too much at a sitting. I'd prefer to be eating little meals more often but I can't seem to get the hang of that yet.

Tomorrow I'll haul my old bike down and see how far gone it is. The mare may get another go round if it's not raining.
Cheers! Ian.

Good job Ian. It sounds like you had a very good workout! I need to do the stretching and adominal stuff as well.

sounds like you are close to taking a ride Ian! I am looking forward to hearing how you like it. I know for me it is a big lift to be out riding.
I had another good ride home. I had to work very hard to catch a guy going up the hill on the way home. I caught him and kept up until we had to pass a slower bike. We had to slow way down and he was able to pick the pace back up quicker than myself. It was fun though.

The ride in this AM was wet. It was drisal the whole way in. There was a strong head wind too. Going down a hill I had to make a sudden stop. I started fishtaleing one direction and then the other. I thought for sure I was going down, but managed to keep the bike upright. I do not know how. I just worked on spining the rest of the way. It was a nice ride. These days riding helps to relaease the stress in my life.

Thanks Jim.
It feels more like I'm reaping the fruits a bit more now that I know better where the limits are.

I'm too tired to be happy today though. My allergy to spring is highly agrevated by grass cutting and I got a big hit yesterday. Woke up coughing and just knackered. I did the same type of thing twice on the week-end and Monday I had swollen glands and a sore throat.

I'm on the edge. It's supposed to rain some more so with this low moving in today I should be able to lay lower and recoup a bit. Hope so at any rate.

My eldest Meite (17) is hit by the same problem. This is her first year and she's got a secondary bactierial infection that is sapping her strength. I know only too well what that looks like. I have lost months of my summer to that type of trouble.

With the better food intake and the exercise I seem to be more tolerant and resiliant. It's time ot back off again though.

Cheers! Ian.

Your reflexes are impressive! I remember watching Juan Pablo Montoya drive in a CART (open wheel cars) race in Vancouver and was left in awe of his reflexes. He was the cream of the crop.

Your familiarity with your bike must have been of tremendous help to you.

I'm so glad the road rash stayed away.
Cheers! Ian.

Well i have wiped out enough I think I was due to stay up. I am not sure it was great reflexes or not but I must have reacted to keep the bike up.

Wow is all I can say. I can't meditate much for any good use just now but I can sure enjoy myself. I should stretch tonight but I'll see if I save anything for later. Lately I've been falling asleep with my light on. The kids think it's funny. Apparently I'll answer back if spoken to so Bonnie (15) has taken a liking to finding these situations.

I'm alive. The weather is cool and damp here. The mosquitoes are building but you can still stand out side in one spot after the sun has gone down and carry on a conversation if you are accustomed to the interference. It tapped out today at 18C with strong easterlies gusting to 35km/hour or so.

I meant to bring the mare in and wash her mane and tail to keep ahead of the fungus she seems to be prone to in moist conditions. Given that she's a full blood Arab albeit a tall one at 15-2 hands she still hales (sp?) from desert stock. I figured I'd ride before washing and ended up not washing because it looks like we might get more rain tonight. Actually it looks like we might see a twister or some violence in one way or other.

I rode tonight and enjoyed myself immensely. I'm more relaxed than I remember being in a long time. I still have flashes of temper but there are also long periods where I feel content. I think it's upsetting the balance of power between my spouse and me. She's so tired all the time. I hope she's ok. She said she had put on a couple of pounds but that was in just a couple of days so I'll believe it when I see it over a longer period. She's looking kind of hopeless.

I've never been fit enough to train this mare up for anything like the distances her breed is famous for. My ankle gave out on me tonight but overall I might just be up for the job now. She's a ditz but hey, love the one you win I guess. Many of the things that used to irritate me about her were entertainment tonight. I can tell she notices the difference in me. It would be fun to think I could put some serious miles on her this year. I had a close look at her feet and I'll have to make a commitment to shoes for her next week at this rate.

We started a mini stampede tonight which was kind of fun. Well fun until I say the virility of the Red Angus bull that was out with his girls. In his prime he was. Fit for rodeo. I can't imagine what he weighed. Wish I could though because there was a mess of lean muscle there. A fine specimen of undetermined temperament. When the herd of sixty or so began to crash though the bush the sound was sobering enough for me to back off and pursue other avenues of interest. I like sounds but the crew trampling all in their path seemed of uncertain merit to all concerned. The evening light was long and rich with red tones and the breeze was fresh and clean. The surrounding vegetation is so lush as to be unprecedented in my memory here. No cheap shots about memory.. we are friends here right?

The front may have passed through south of us already but when we got back from about a six mile trot and lope it was looking pretty dark to the south and east. Having the wind out of the east here is so uncharacteristic. Our water table is inches below the surface and our soil type is very sandy. Many companies vi for gravel rights in and around home here. You can imagine how poor the land is by the proximity of the native reserves. We have two close by. With the extra water, the place is exploding with growth. The bush looks very healthy. Although no morels this year it seems. Many years we can enjoy a good couple of feeds of morels. Dang.. now I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Once home again with the mare I had some daylight left so I gave Bonnie's little 1994 water cooled full race yz80 a minor tune up and buzzed over to old Joe's next door. Dan if you have followed to this point I would love for a mountain man like yourself to meet this humble man of the boreal forest. He's almost 80 now. I went over and he was cutting his grass with a gutless push mower. He likes my baking powder biscuits so I was there to invite him to come for another hit sometimes soon. He's a true country gentleman. I will miss him deeply when he passes away from here. He's lived his whole life on his hunting/gathering and fishing. He's a treasure. I'm going to try and find an interested writer to go talk to him. He never tells the same story twice or rarely at worst and keeps us all in stitches everytime he'll submit to our cooking. If I get as far as he has and with as much vigor I'll be a lucky man.

The work I did on Monday (?) with lunges and pushups was a bit much. Especially for the pushups. Three sets of ten with thirty seconds between left me a bit tender. Tender is all too which is cool. I'm a little short in some parts of my reach but that's from the mower too. It's quite a uniform wearing out. I really like what is happening physically. I can't wait for it to warm up to do some swimming. But until then there is no shortage of things to do.

The biggest deal today was making a commitment to the repair of the sheeting job on the roof of the new addition. I built this little website to remind me of where I left off when I couldn't quite get it covered in before freeze up last fall. A painful time that was. I nearly lost my mind. But now I think I know better how to build things. Relationships like this are key for me. The more personal the better.

http://ca.geocities.com/itschaotic/home/addition/

Tonight I was selfish as I have not even looked at the board to see what others are doing. I'm so often tied up in reading and not much writing. Not that the reading isn't right down my alley but I need to write too. It's like peer review or something. Maybe a bit like jazz. Or at least I'd hope you all could be frank. I'm a bit of a missing the forest for the trees kind of guy. Never hesitate to pipe up. I'd likely look at challenge in as grateful a manner as if you had pointed to my fly being open.

Jim the road bike did not see daylight today again. I am dedicating my tomorrow to seeing it roll. No toe clips though, not yet. I have no spare and I'm not even sure I know where my bag is. I built a rack while a buddy sewed up a cordura zippered small front pannier for me. It's a great help even if it's a bit of a wind block.

Now I'm really hungry. I've been eating up a storm. I had some spaggetti tonight and although it was whole wheat or what the law alows them to call whole wheat it was a little hot for fuel. I used it approprately and that was fun. I'll tough it out until tomorrow and go socialise with the locals for breakfast. I'm getting to be a real gad about these days. I was out one morning this week to spend an hour with Louise who had a love of life and yoga recently too. I never inititate social contact. I am taking it as a very good sign that I am making time for people.

This week there seemed to be time enough for everything. Work was a howling success. I plowed through a decent pile of work and was happy with the quality I was able to bring to the bench. I solved a neat mechanical problem I hadn't seen before after nine last night. I got a boost knowing that working could be fun again.

Kids are as high as kites. Pierrette is stuggling to enjoy life. The crew of them are off to the city tomorrow to see the latest Potter movie. I haven't read the books yet. I think I mentioned that I've been forgetting to shut my light off before I go to sleep. That's what happens when I try and read. I have a book on the go I like called The Polished Hoe by Austin Clarke but at a page a night it's not moving very quickly. I need to get sick and get some serious reading done.

So what's the topic of this offering? Fitness and ADHD? I live for relationships with people not search engines.
Slice and dice. Ian.

I chose the image at random. It makes me smile every time I see it.

Ian you continue tomove forward. It is great to see you excited about life and how the energy has increased in what you do. I would love to try some of your home made biscuts one of these days.

I took yesterday off. It was raining really hard so I rode in with my wife. I am trying to get things cleaned up at work before we leave on vacation on Tuesday. We ended up working 11 hours at work so there was no time to ride anyway. Also I was pooped from this week. I think the riding and the stress contributed to that. Late nights with little sleep does not help. On thursday I had a fun ride home. I was first in line leading up the hill. I normally like to be behind and catch up. Then I get to rest a little before I pass the guy ahead of me if I can. I was able to pull away from those behind the last part of the hill. I rode really well up the hill. I could tell the rest of the ride home that the hill had taken its toll. I rode a decent pace but not as quick as I would have liked.

The next couple of weeks will be fun, but I am not sure how much exercise I will be getting in. We are driving to Colorado Springs, CO. I am not taking my bike, but I hope to some hiking and to workout at the motel gyms a long the way. We will see how that goes. I have got the route set and am excited to get a way. I like to drive. I will get to see my cousins and hoping to fill a child hood fantasy of going to the top of Pikes Peak. I have always wanted to go up it, but my parents never wanted to go. We were finally going to go, but the day we planned to go turned into a massive rains storm so the trip was cancelled.

I will try to check in once in a while but will not be around much after Monday. Take care all!!!

Jim what will you be driving? I have a mid life crisis going on where I want to buy a little Ford Fiesta and build a little rally car. So many buttons so little time!

Ok that's it.. I'm off to look at my bike. Enjoy yourself. You'll eat the rest break up like it was delectable.
Never take a drink that leaves you thirsty. Ian.

Enjoy the time off Jim! We had a great vacation a couple months ago.

Ian, a friend had a red Fiesta he got for $500 we called "The Shooter" It was a great little car, easy to park in the city too! He took it down a rugged 50 mile jeep trail near Death Valley and back with no problems. A little guy like that can just go around any obstacles.

Don't let my wife read you saying those things! She's thinking I'm going through some midlife crisis. The good news is that I may be!
Cheers! Ian.

I began to rip my bicycle down. I've got one wheel back in shape but I'm missing my front pannier so my tire wrenches and such are there. My hub wrench.. so sad. I had a pretty thourough look around and still no sign of it. I can't find my pump either. Maybe I tossed it out. I had it last making water rockets with my youngest. Or maybe not. My memory is so bad.

I am a long way from riding the bike and I've got a lame horse so now I'm stuck doing constructive things. < g >

I'm headed into the city to hopefully pick up a little canoe to tease my youngest into fishing with me.

Right now the grass cutting is all the exercise I can tolerate. It is a big job and I'm one who suffers from hay fever so it's a demanding challenge to remain healthy.

I'm backing off a bit now and just making sure I don't overload my system with pollen and fatigue. Bonnie (15) seems really keen to ride with me. She's been going out almost every night. Tonight she did a sprint up 8.5 miles of gravel. It worked out to about 10mph/hr which she thought was fun to think about.

I disassembled the rear wheel of my bike tonight and Bonnie was interested why the two clusters I have are different. I suggested she get Mum's bike down and clean it up for herself so both of us are on road bikes.

It will be a while before I get it on the road. There is a lot of bird poop where it shouldn't be. I hadn't realised it was ineffectively covered when put away. I'd like to blame someone else but it's irrelevant at this point. Besides I'm enjoying the time working on it and remembering it and events from years ago. Reynolds 531 tubing in an old Raleigh with some Japanese derailleurs and shifters. It's a pretty pitiful sight but I'll build it up and see if I still can enjoy the rides.

Cheers! Ian.

I don't know where to begin. It's been a while.

I broke my horse or my horse broke. So we are walking for two months. Not that walking won't be some stress to the legs but it's not intense enough to be a primary load for me and my need to sweat.

I've misplaced my front pannier for my road bike so my pressure gauge, tire wrenches, and such are missing. I cleaned up the two wheels and got the bearings cleaned up and the rear cluster changed and cleaned. The rest of it really needs to come apart too. Every element of the bike needs to be disassembled and although I enjoy this type of thing it's not putting the load where I need it most. So I'll hopefully pick away at that project until it is road worthy. There is another bike available in a older style that has a bit bigger tire so maybe I can use that on the gravel here.

I bought a canoe last week.
http://www.directboats.com/navigator2003.html This hopefully will quench some of my interest in keeping fish on my plate more regularly. It will have to be a conscious effort to get the heart rate going though. This project needs some adjustments as well. Because the material is synthetic it's difficult to gain a good posture. Everything slides to easily to stay stuck to a good seating position. I'll be trying to fix that too as that will be key to using the canoe as a venue for intense work outs.

I took my middle daughter's bike out for a tear on Friday. Manon the youngest was home form school and was headed out for a ride. We had a good warm up then spent three miles racing and playing. I got the lungs opened up nicely. They need a lot more work. I tend to restrict my intake I think because of my allergies. But I'll be working on that.

Anyway between the grass push mower, the canoe, horse and kids, I'm still on track and feeling good. I'm sleeping well and the physio for my leg injury is coming but still not finished. My heart rate is down to 50/53 in bed at night. My wife bought me a pair of jeans for Fathers day that have a 32" waist saying she was sick of looking at me in the baggy 34" jeans I have. I weigh about 166 now down from a high of 190 last fall.

Cheers! Ian.

Glad you are still staying on track. My vacation derailed me. I drove all of the 3234 miles of our trip. I never really did anything than some walking. I cleaned my bike and made some adjustments that should help me to ride a little more eficeiently. I hope to ride later today. It is beautiful here today. It will probably take a couple of weeks to get back to where I was when I left.

The trip was really good and I feel ready to start up again. I am looking forward to getting back in touch with everyone.

Is it me or do just the men excercise?

Anyways, Jim I promised I would start posting. I'm not going to back track but will start with today.

During my lunch break at 3:00a.m. I rode the excercise bike they have for the residents for 45 minutes. I have found by accident that if I eat before work and ride the bike on my break I actually have more energy to finish my shift and am not having trouble with falling asleep on my way home from work...it's a 45 minute drive and I'm having trouble getting more than 4 hours of sleep a day.

After work I speed cleaned the house...means I cleaned the house in less than an hour and a half...keep in mind that I'm very compulsive about cleanliness.

I went to bed for two hours and met Doug in Kearney and dumped the boys off with him for a movie and Lexi and I indulged in one of our all time favorite past times. We walked by my meter 8 miles while garage saling. Stop and go I know but more fun then just walking.

Go Futs! My my you don't get a whole lot of snooze time! Glad to see you are joining the fray.

Jim your trip was good, that's great. I'm surprised it would take you so long to get back to where you were but that's just my ignorance talking.

I gave up on my bike. I'll have to wait until I have some money to through at it. I blew my wad on the canoe in hopes of getting more fish into my gullet!

I'm getting backed up again on tasks outstanding. I'm beginning to feel the panic set in as I back slide. In defence I took a hard day of yard work to clear my head and heart today.

The perscription for my mare is to only do slow work for two months so that won't put many demands on my cardio system. It won't hurt the legs thought. It's tough to find time to work with the horse if it's all passive work.

Today was demanding on all fronts physically and tomorrow I'll spend the same intensity in the garden for a couple of hours. Then I should be set for a productive week again.

The good weather (read: no snow) has meant an abundance of outside work needs doing. I'm feeling overwhelmed and a bit un-nerved. I think my wife is quite sick. We'll know more on Tuesday morning but I'm near my limit for emotional stress. As long as I'm getting my sweat frequently, I seem to be able to sleep well which helps much of my temperament troubles if I can get to bed! I'm short with everyone today. Maybe tomorrow I'll lighten up some. I need to be sitting quietly each morning and evening but can't seem to initiated it.

It's comforting to see you in positive anticipation of your road work again.

Cheers! Ian.

Don't lose heart Ian yard work is one of the greatest workouts you can do in my opinion...notice I don't do yard work lol.

Last night I stayed up late with Doug and watch movies...we then had to get up early to go to McCook. But, we did a lot of trekking around and taking picture's.

Now i'm taking a break from remodeling the bathroom...Lord help me I'm not staying on task very well...we started with Dakota's room and are now on the bathroom. EEK!

Welcome to the Fray Futs!!! Good job. I know I feel more energized when I workout. It sounds like you have made great progress already. 45 minutes on the exercycle is pretty darn good.

Ian hang in there. I am sorry to hear about your wife. I will hope for the best. Just take it a day at a time. Remember that there are always going to be some days you do not feel like doing stuff. I know that on those days if I can just start with something small and easy it can jump start me.

I did not ride this weekend, but did ride into work today. It was a great ride. My legs feel very rested. The adjustments I made to the bike seem to be making a big difference. I lowered my seat a little and moved it closer to the handlebars. This has made it easier to pedal faster and use less energy. I rode close to a record time coming in today. That was completely unexpected. I did have a tale wind, but I have had that before and still did not ride this fast. I do think I have some more energy, but I also beleive it is the new position helping me. Tomorrow I may think differently.

Futs I like the yard work. I don't care what kind of work it it really as long as it gets the lungs heaving and the heart pounding. I am trying to turn some of that attention into a purely self indulgent pleasure though. Biking would be fun.

You sound like you are on a roll. Glad to hear you are so active. I got a big bit of brush and grass cleared away from the end of the drive this week-end and finally got the tiller through the whole garden. It's still so muddy that lifting the tines meant being splattered with muck in many places. I got home from taking PU for her CT scan and Bonnie had spent four hours cleaning up the garlic rows. It's inspired me to get to the raspberries!

I'm loving the load on my body. I'm loving the look of my arms. I wish I had a better handle on my diet but even with my transgressions I'm still showing gains. I have to frequently check to see if I have more gas in the tank and do it without getting hurt or sick but I'm finding it thrilling. My libido is going through the roof.


Jim once again I learn that rest isn't a bad thing. It's remarkable that you can come back with such little loss of ground. There are things to be learnt about rest, at least for me.

PU and I have been enjoying the fruits of many years of struggle to come to terms with our marriage. It's an extremely stressful time and yet we have enjoyed most of the time in gratitude. Any which way we will survive. I'm more than a little intimidated by the thought of having to use my new found strength (inside and out) to carry a ball my wife has always carried. I hope I can fill her shoes with my own foot print. She's got big shoes. Should know more tomorrow A.M.

Cheers! Ian.

We will hope for the best Ian. I beleive you are more than ready to fill the shoes if you have too! It is always good to see others feeling good about themselves and you are obviously improving with each week. It is amazing when we workout the changes in our body and how we feel.

I had a tough ride home yesterday. I did feel the layoff. The new position is obviously a change for the better. It has transfered a lot more power to my legs. This makes it easy to get up to a good pace and spine. I had a head wind and a flat yesterday on the way home. It is great to know that I am riding a little faster than before I left yet I am not in as good of shape. I think I will begin to see the fruits of the position change and getting back to where I was by about the middle of next week. I was out like a light last night. Something that has not happened in a while. The ride in this morning was another near record pace. I am riding in about a minute and half faster for 7 miles. I think part of it is the nice weather and the other is my new position on the bike. I was able to keep up with a very good biker on the hill going into work. I would have been blown away in my old position. I was riding a 1.5 mph faster than I ever have at the top of the hill. He did pull ahead after we crested the hill. It was fun and it is exciting to see what I can do.
Hope you all have good day today!

The need for mechanical correctness is quite amazing. Head winds and flats can take the wind out of your sails on the wrong day. I am still mourning the loss of my little bike kit that I had. I'll have to tear the storage down completely and prove beyond any doubt that it's gone for good!

I bought Bonnie a more forgiving saddle on the week-end. She was so excited that she fit it herself before I could get the packaging off it. Her legs are short and her torso long so she fells a little cramped on the mountain bike. But some adjustments are sure to help. Once the new saddle was in place she headed off to cover about 15 miles over mixed terrain. She's getting away on me! I looked at some used bikes last night on-line and wondered if a cheap mountain bike wouldn't be better than nothing. I've printed out a sheet of numbers to call tonight if there is time.

I used to have an excellent little book called "The Custom Bicycle" that had many of the basics of bike setup included. It would no doubt be out of date now but at least it could refresh my lame memory. It looks like a couple hundred dollars would get a pretty nice used bike.

Setup is important of that there is no doubt. Bonnie has become convinced that tire pressure is important. Once she had put some miles on I made sure her tires were good and hard and she nearly flipped at the ease with which she was rolling. I had a chuckle at her enthusiasm. She's full of beans. She wants to help me make some time available for other things so she's working like a Trojan to clean up undone tasks where she sees them. On second thought maybe it's just to ensure a ride to her boyfriends... hmmm < g >

The horse is in jail. I am going to take a hundred pounds off her so she at least looks like a horse. She's not terribly thrilled about being hungry but she has no mean bones in her body.

I wonder what I can dream up for a work-out today. I stayed up until after 3:00am this morning so you know it won't be too ambitious. I am beginning to want to participate within a context. Maybe some kind of light competition. Finding exactly what I'm after out here might be a bit of a problem though. Running is the only thing I can think of that would get me into competitions easily. Training for next years local marathon has crossed my mind. But lets see if the construction work gets done before the heavy dreaming.

Cheers! Ian.

Last night one of my dear friends was having doubts in her new relationship she had started. I guess it's a lot harder sober then I would have imagined. She came over right after work banging on my door at 8:00 am about 30 minutes after I had fallen asleep. I spent about an hour trying to calm her down enough to know what she was trying to say finally I told her get out lets go and I just started walking as fast as I could and she followed well about two miles out of town she stopped and started talking legibly about her fears. After assuring her that any relationship goes thru the exact phase she is in she calmed and was in a much better mood, the trouble was I haven't walked that far for a while and she wanted to haul butt back to the house so she could call her B/F. Man I tell ya...so I have done nothing today other than that...there are places hurting that I did not realize had muscles but it did help me focus on getting my bills in order for payday.

Good job futs! It is amazing how sore you can get when you use different muscles. I know if I run my legs are sore for a couple of days. You and Ian are very creative with your workouts. I think that is a key. You just fit it in as a part of life.

Ian have you thought about biathlons or triathalons? Of course that would require a bike. Running may be your only avenue. Maybe canoeing has some events.

Futs that's great. The inspiration to go walking at a pace was brilliant! It works that's for sure.

Jim I'm calling about bikes tonight. There is nothing locally for organised sport. Nothing. I'd have to travel at least an hour north to commit to a group.
Cheers! Ian.

Ian good luck on the bike. I am sure if you look you can find soething that will work for you. Sounds like if you are going to do some competeing your going to have to plan well in advance. I am lucky in that there is pretty much any running or riding event close by. I know one of the ways I compete is against myself and the clock. I am sure you can come up with something. I know that makes me work harder most of the time.

Had a good ride home yesterday. I did feel the heat a little bit and there was a nice head wind that I always get on the way home on sunny days. I was able to ride the hills a little stronger than the day before. The last 3 days have shown me how important it is to have a good position on the bike. It had made a huge difference in how I ride.

The ride in this am was good. I was tired from staying up late last night. Went to the baseball game and then stoped for a burger and some brews after the game was over. I did not push myself as hard today. I did not have quite the tail wind I had the last couple of days. One of my new strenths is that when I want to pick up the pace I can do it very quickly. Before it took me a while. Hope all is well for you guys on the home front for both of you!! Anyone out there feel free to join us here! We would love to have you!

Today I ran about the house madly trying to make sure everything was perfect because we are letting Michael S. (he's riding across the nation in the name of ADD) stay at our house and celebrate the fourth early with my entire family...So, I run here and make a mess and run there and make a bigger mess and then try to hurry and get at least the bathroom done (we're in the middle of remodeling). What was I thinking...OOO I remember this guy is doing something wonderful and he sleeps in a tent. NO not in Nebraska he won't. UH UH we don't do hospitality that way.

Hugs

Send me focus thoughts would ya lol

You go Futs!.. ;^) What a sweetie. Just remember to breath! heh
Cheers! Ian.

a friend once told me that he felt bad for people who had to "work out" -- excercising shouldn't be "work", it should be fun.

anyway, i've had a hard time finding an excercise activity that was fun. until recently, i am swimming at least 3 days a week now. and i love it!

i got started when some friends dreamed up the scheme to do a tri-athalon relay and they needed a swimmer. i told them i could probably do it -- i swam a lot as a kid and am used to swimming in lakes and rivers. then, i headed to the pool. the next day i told them that i *probably* wouldn't drown, so, i was in! the distance to shoot for was .5 mile or so i think - around 900 yards, across a small wisconsin lake, and i had 8 weeks to train. goals like this are a really good motivator for me.

the relay team didn't come together for various reasons, but, i am still swimming. and it is still fun. i am starting to get the "in the groove" feeling occasionally while i'm in the pool splashing around. now, i just need to figure out how to swim in a straight line so i don't keep running into the lane bouys. OUCH!

even had a bit of pay-off last night. my son had gone up to the top of one of those carnival slides with his sister. they were supposed to go down together, but, he froze. so, i sprinted up all those steps (without needing to stop to rest) and when i reached him, i wasn't out-of-breath! major accomplishment for an out-of-shape asthmatic! getting the asthma under control probably helps some too ;)

i've been following this thread for awhile and am hoping that participation will help me with the "stick-to-it-ness." this has been my weak spot in the past.

thanks guys (and futs ;) )

Way to go futs! That is great what he is doing and that you are giving him a place to stay!.

Welcome Wheezie we are glad to have you! Great job on the swiming! I hope this helps. I have worked out running or riding pretty much since junior high. I also swim some but have not done in lately.

I guess I am a couple of days behind. I did have a great ride home on Weds. I was able to keep up easily with a good rider. He had a trek carbon bike and shaved his legs. He at least looked the part. It is easier to follow. Yesterdays ride in was good, but I felt tired so I did not go all out. I drove home with my wife because we met her co-workers for appetizers. I will ride home today. I hope to get a long ride in this weekend. Keep up the good work everyone!

So, it's OK to feel as if I" having a heart attack right? lol

Futs I can't tell if you are joking but I'm hoping so!

Wheezie your swimming tale is just the stuff I'm looking for. I hope this can be a place for you to mark your experiences for us all to learn from.

I have never had decent lungs for much of anything.

I swam one winter but like everything else, I am from people of the weak lung and it's not always rewarding to compete. I smoked like a fiend for quite a while and with the weak genetics in that area they combine for a struggle to have fun working them heavily.

That said, it's enough just to be enjoying the thrill of some level of health. I love the loose interpertation of working out that I've embraced. It allows for legal distractions!

A mountain bike will ensure that I always have a summer option for a big hit of something sweaty. The wood pile has just lost all it's appeal. But no doubt that will pick up in the fall.

The garden is so sad with all the water we have had this year. I'm having to fight quite hard not to have it clawed back by the elements. Last week-end I got into several hours of heavy breathing reclaiming the dirt there.

I take it when I find it and maybe it's best that way. I'm a bit scared to start running until I'm down a bit in weight. I want to be quite lean if I'm going to even try to start running again. I have never run for any length of time without loosing my way and dropping the routine or becoming injured. Patience isn't exactly my strong suite and that's what it would take to build up the semi hard tissues to co-operate with a running program.

I am a bit at loose ends though today. I'm due for a workout of some kind and all I've been doing is eating! It was Canada Day yesterday as some of you may know and that was a lot of fun to celebrate with the community. The food was rich and the workload light for a couple of days as we celebrated with friends. A good blue grass band and some dancing couldn't even lose the calories.

Doing this investigation so publicly gets un-nerving when I'm not feeling strong. It feels sometimes like failure is imminent for me. I fear the loss of the sticktoitness. More participants would be very welcome as it would take some of the focus from the few and spread it around a bit.

I can't believe everyone isn't comfortable in the water swimming. I heard an excellent interview on my beloved CBC Radio One recently about the mammalian dive reflex and thought how it is no accident that I get a high from being in the water. We have close relatives that live in the sea.
http://www.deeperblue.net/article.php/225/19

I love swimming. But I love most things.

Cheers! Ian.

"Human by birth, tangy by nature"

Ian I hate the water...well any water I cannot see the bottom in such as lake water or ocean water. I fell off a dock when I was about 3 and still can remember the experiance to this day. I tend to panic but that doesn't stop me from enjoying riding in the boat and yes I even go as far as riding the tube but I am the only person I know who can sink a lifevest...the problem is trust...I don't trust the lifevest to do it's job so I start swimming when I get flung from the tube usually it's upside down...so when it's able to start working all you the spectator see's is my legs straight up in the air as I'm still swimming against the lifevest and my family being the supportive, loving people they are stand on the shore pointing and laughing their ***'s off and why not? I would if it weren't me lol.

NO I was having a major anxiety attack Jim...I invited Michael to stay in our house and mentioned the forums therefore I felt I represented the forums and felt that the fact that I had two rooms underreconstruction was not the way to represent the forums. Finally, I just had to tell myself to SHUT UP AND KNOCK IT OFF!!!! yes, sometimes I do yell at myself. But, as it turned out nothing to sweat.

Futs that adventure as a three year old must have been a deep one. I'm sorry to hear you still struggle with it. I'm really encouraged to hear that in the face of ridicule you still manage to enjoy your time on the water! I'll try and remember your example the next time I'm in a similar situation I am not comfortable in.

I wish I had your talent for yelling at myself. I'll practise. It's good to hear about your generous participation being so supportive of the fellows tour for ADD. Again your example is superb. Thanks.

I decided yesterday to ignore my farriers advise on only walking my mare. I'll never ride her if I can only walk her. She does not seem to be injured by our trotting miles or uncomfortable while we are doing those miles so I'm just going to stay the course and enjoy the time. She's 15 years old so if she needs to be sold I'd like to find this out this summer. Sold or put out to pasture I'm not sure yet but she's a full blood Arab and has always had a huge attitude. She was perfect for me as a novice trainer with ADHD as she was fast enough in her reactions to keep me entertained and interested in the conversation of training. I got her as a two year old. We are old friends. My wife was very surprised to hear I could part with her. I might have to give it some more thought, but I don't think it will be a problem. We'll see how the summer goes.

I'm not sure that it's not a long standing problem that she has but I won't know if I don't put a lot of miles on together. I love the intensity of the workout when I ride. It takes a long time to run out of gas entirely but I know I've been working when I get off at the end.

Riding horses has an honest quality to it that appeals to me. It's a dialogue not just a one way conversation with a machine. I first tried this type of approach when I was street racing a little too ambitiously and took up sailing trying to wean myself off racing. I got qualified to sail 24' but got quite a bit of time behind the wheel of a 32' beauty of my then girlfiends dad before moving away to Toronto.

Adrenaline rushing is ok but it's better when there are larger margins for error than street racing motorbikes can offer, at least for me!

Still no bicycle. I don't know when I am going to find the time to shop for a used one. I can't afford a new one at least not until fall when they go on sale. I will take my wheels off my road bike and get the rubber looked after there and buy some kind of gear to allow me to begin to put some distance on it. I bet I have to start painfully slowly but it will be good to be out there and I'm sure Bonnie will join me for some of it.

It's muggy here today. Yesterday was thick with humidity too. Up until now it's been too close to winter conditions for it to get sweaty. Unstable weather, thunder showers, and lots of standing water make for a buggy experience here. I am not fond of eating mosquitoes. But I suppose someone has to do it!

Cheers! Ian.

i've read that as a group, adders have a tendency toward addictive behaviour. seems a bit of a catch-22, we tend to have addictions, yet, have a hard time sticking to the development of healthy habits. (maybe it's just me ... ;) )

the hardest bad habit to overcome for me is going to bed late. if i go to bed late, i don't wake up to swim. (see how it ties in with excercise? and you were thinking this was off topic... :D ) and, because of schedules with the kids, husband, etc., any other time has just not worked out. i like the idea of incorporating it into my day, but, the intensity and duration just isn't there.

anyway, just trying to identify stumbling blocks. there isn't anything keeping me from just going for a fast-paced walk except me. i just don't feel like it today....

any tips for overcoming the blahs?


----------

ian, i love riding horses. unfortunately, i was raised a city girl and my mom had an intense fear of horses. for me motorcycles were a poor subsitute.

I fit the profile well wheezie. I have no trouble maintaining and cultivating bad habits!. Changing gears is tough. Once in a groove I have a better chance, but trying to get into a routine that's beneficial is downright discouraging sometimes.

Another characteristic of mine is to take on a good habit and drop something else that had been established as healthy. It's a vicious circle at worst. I'm so quick to see the negative that I hardly have time to make even a passing note of the progress.

One bit of progress lately has been the hatching of some chicken eggs.

(Ian heads wildly off topic and straight for the ditch)

For many years I have bred a back yard flock of layers for the fine eggs they offer. I love food! I often raise meat birds as well, but not this year. Usually after three weeks of turning eggs three times a day I'm loopy with the effort required to remember all the little details of the process.

This year I have done and unprecedented two hatches back to back with Tuesday being hatch day for the second round and I'm fine. I don't mean just a little fine. I mean I could do another hatch without negative stress. Uncharacteristically I never even made a single note about the process at any stage. I collect eggs for a week or ten days prior to setting them and humidity and temperature are critical throughout of course. This is just weird. The bonus is that the first hatch was the best I have ever had. The successful chicks were much more numerous by a factor of about 20% over my best previous effort.

How much of my new ease is due to meds and how much to things like the extra exercise is hard to tell. I'd like to think the exercise helps with the food, emotional, mental and cardiovascular health but I'm not about to quit working out to check any of them.

You mentioned sleep. I laughed nervously reading your post. I've been avoiding the topic. If you start a thread on it I will join you if I see it listed. I don't know that I'm ready to start the conversation but I will enter one if it's as close to the mark as your post is.

I don't get enough sleep. I know that's not good for me by the difficulty it causes me particularly at the beginning of the day. Like you missing your swimming I too miss much of what would be best for me earlier in the day. One big one that might come easier with earlier sleep times is to sit in meditation for twenty minutes or an hour on rising. Because I'm always late to rise in my minds eye, I always feel behind with the day from the moment I awake. No shortage of frontiers to conquer here.

Here I am writing at one in the morning and I have to have the car to the mechanics for 8:30am. So much for getting to bed early.

What time do you shut the light out Jim? You seem to know how to rest in ways that allow your body to build quickly and strongly. I'm curious about your hours of operation.

I can't imagine ever forgetting that the best "blahs" cure is a good workout at a pulse rate 75% of my approximate maximum calculated by 220 minus my age. No doubt I will forget though. If I don't get a bike or something in gear soon I'll be getting close to hypocrisy participating here. Today was a scythe and some fresh grass for the horse. That's tough work, or at least it is when I'm doing it. I'm not very skilled. I am not nearly as susceptible to the blahs when I'm working out well and truly five time a week. It's of miracle proportions for me. Strong medicine. Addictive as all get all too!

I sold my bike (motor) when I got married and three weeks after I did, it was written off in an accident. I'm not tempted to get another one. I bought a YZ80 1994 water cooled full race setup for my then 13 year old daughter to learn on. So if I get tempted I can exhaust myself on her bike and convince myself that the pavement is much harsher than the dirt for a man of my vintage. Cars on the other hand are beginning to take on revived interest. A little rally car.. Ford Fiesta.. obscene power to weight ratio.. Oh my, stop! I have too many projects already started. But it's a fun dream with my machining tools in mind.

This consistant fitness thing is paying huge dividends in my love life. I'm reclaiming ground that's been dormant for a long time. I'm a randy guy at the best of times and at 45 I am still looking for an orgasm a day. Now my stamina and my enthusiasm are much better, which is being met with a warm acceptance.

So.. now do I go to bed or do I check the "chat" and "new posts"? Blah!
Cheers! Ian.

I do not sleep near as good as if I am working out. I usually go to bed around 1030-1130 and get up around 545. It seems to work for me. I usually have more energy if I am exercising. I too can be tempted to stay up late. If I stay up to late it can affect pretty much everything I try to do.

Hey Futs how did the stay go? That is great to take him in for a night! I am sure you will do a great job of representing the forums. Remember he has ADD to so I am sure if a couple of things are amiss it will be no big deal. What he is doing is amazing!! I can tell you from going across the western US there is no way to avoid some big mountains.

I did ride 30 miles on Sunday. It was a good ride. I unfortnatley did not have my adjustments on my seat tight enough and when I hit a bump it messed up the adjustment. I was able to ride real good the first half of the ride. I had a tail wind so that speeded me up. I also put a good hill in right at the end of the ride. I hope to get the seat back to where it was before. I did some good lifting yesterday. I helped clean out the Garage. There is a ton of stuff in there. Now it is easier to find and to move around.

I had a good ride in today. I am still trying to find my position again. It rain for the first time in a while. I will ride home from work this afternoon. I have been watching the tour de France so that has served as a good motivator. Those boys can fly.

Jim

Wheez,

you KNOW it's not just you that has problems forming those healthy habits. You just posted that to make the rest of us feel better. :)

I did read that exercise BUILDS brain cells. (Or maybe I didn't read it; my coach said it. You guessed it - I didn't work out this week) So I'm trying to make that sufficient motivation to push play on my TaeBo tapes even if it is July.

Michael did not get to stay the night...he couldn't make it within a sane driving distance from us...though we offered...turns out after reading his journal in his website that he was sick and had broken a tooth. So, needless to say that the next day when we met him I thanked him for his generosity in not pushing himself on us when he was ill then chewed him a new *** for NOT giving me the opportunity to do my share by taking care of him...I mean the nursing business is were I excell for pete's sake...then we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and he still calls us nightly to let us know updates and to check up on the kids. I can't tell you what a nice guy he is I mean I could never do him justice. But, being ADD we did have our "space moments" Thank God he had them as well. After posing for tons of pictures with the kids he rode off into the sunset only to return because he forgot to take picture's of us for his own keeping lol. Don't you just love ADD'ers?

Anyways, excercise??








































AS IF!!

Sounds like a good visit! I will look at his website to catch the pics.

I am very lucky in that riding for me is fun and does not seem like something I have to force myself to do most of the time. Yesterdays ride home was very frustrating. It was raining very hard so I could not really go super fast. I also was still fighting my adjustments. I got my rear handed to me on the hill I usually do okay. I just did not have the energy or the wind to keep up.

Today I finally found the adjustment I was looking for. I rode in okay. Today it was more about just getting the ride in. I hope to have a nice ride home this afternoon. Welcome to the thread MRB! Keep us posted on how you do.
Jim

I'm grooving on the varied nature of the workouts. Yesterday was a big fight with a tiller in the garden. Today some light sythe work and some raking. My body is getting hit from many angles. I am unmistakeably from the people of the weak lung.

I should do some more stretching but that's fallen by the way side a bit.

I did have an outstanding evening on Tuesday. I got confirmation that my quad injury is at least able to withstand a thoughtless sprint again! I was playing catch with a football and the girls where we warm up throwing for a while then the three of us cross each others paths on the run.

Bonnie at 15 has a better throwing motion on a football than I do. :eek:

This sets up some fun passing and catching games as we play with interfering with each others intentions. :D

The inevitable happened and Bonnie threw a pass over my head as I was running away from her and I had to open up the secondaries to get to the ball. I was already running quickly and came darn close to over running my leg speed and toppling forward once I had missed the ball. I could not have gone any faster and do I love that stuff? Oh ya I do!

It was over before I realised that I might have been more careful of my left leg. Even the next day there was no sign of pain or weakness. I hurt it on April 5th I think and the doc says it will be a year before it'll be completely recovered. I'm getting old and slow to heal!

I got my road bike onto the gravel the other day. The hard packed clay made it possible to follow along in the car tire wear. I almost bit the dust once missing a shift while trying to catch one of the girls. It was so close. I wore work gloves in anticipation of trouble. A more forgiving bike is in order.

Work sucks. Sleep is better. I have to shut the evening down at 11:00 pm now. I have sat Zazen twice in two days. Work sucks.

short zazen info. - http://www.zencenter.org/training/instruction.htm

Cheers! Ian.

my bedtime is 10 pm but i haven't made it to bed before 11:30 for the past week. friends came to visit and, well, it was just too much fun catching up. seems that once i get out of the good habbit pattern , i am slow to get back into it.

anyway, still no swim for almost a week :( i just re-read my first post here and am reminded that i was having *fun.* there is no reason to dread it!!!

if i get my list of chores done, i get to swim tonight.

thanks for the continued inspiration ya'll. ;)

-----------

mrb, hey girl! so, what is your favorite form of excercise? i've never tried tae bo but i hear it's a great way to get moving. what's the coach for?

----------

ian, sounds like you find a lot of ways to make excercising fun. yea! glad you're trying to be careful on the gravel. if you got a mountain bike set up, would you go cross country or stick to the gravel? how's the canoeing?

-------------

jim -- i hate those days when something that you normally enjoy is a drag. i'm glad to here it didn't last long. my husband bikes and is forever adjusting his seat (i checked for a double entendre, i think i'm clear ;) ).

-------------

futs, seems to me that chasing after your kids is a great work-out! are you chasing garret around yet? if not, i bet you will be soon!

------------

I hope you are swimming as I write wheezie. < g >

If I got a mountain bike I'd first try to stay on the gravel on one piece. Then I'd see if I could keep up to the kids. Then I might begin to develop some trails up and down the valley. Our (almost) quarter section of 155 acres straddles a small river. Part of the old settlement Red River cart trail is still in evidence along the escarpment. Maybe Bonnie will help maintain some cross country ski trail this winter. I haven't skied in years and there is excellent trails without too far a drive.

Anyway there are plenty of options if I don't want to stick to the gravel. We have resident bear, moose and almost anything else so you kind of have to be watching what time of year it is and that the residents can hear you coming. A bell on my bike would work wonderfully. There is nothing quite like thinking while typing. I'm so grateful to be tolerated reasonably well here.

It looks like I'll have to sell my mare. She's suffering now visably. Horse meat isn't too bad a price but it's tough call to make. We have learnt a lot together.

Many thing like this seem to be happening like this for me just now. As I wake up on the meds and offer myself in earnest, the picture has changed irrevocably. My marriage feels like that just now and that's never been the case before. I'll stay on topic and post different threads if I get so moved.

I hope you are lapping up the lanes with fun in your heart wheezie.

All three of my kids are screaming and running around in a warm summer rain. Life could be worse. It's dusk.. straight down rain. I've got goose pimples.
Happy. ian.

i swam! :)

it felt great. my goal was to swim for 20 minutes without stopping on the wall. and i did it! i'm trying to talk my husband into canoeing along side me while i swim out to an island. i'm not sure if he's hesitating because he thinks i can't do it, or, if he doesn't want to risk getting swamped. ah well, if he doesn't want to follow, he can watch from shore ;) the island sn't too far. i'm terrible at estimating distance though, so, i'm not even going to guess. i don't think it'll take more than 15 minutes to swim out there though.

boat? boat? i don't need no stinking boat. :D

sorry to hear about your horse, ian. and that your marriage has bit a bit of a rough patch. seems to me that you have the right attitude though. try not to worry about the things you can't control. just deal with them the best you can. in the meantime, take time to enjoy the good.

that came out a bit stilted. what i *really* wanted to say i'm glad you are enjoying the sound of your kids at play, the warm summer rain, and goosebumps.

wheezie

wheezie we had a bit of a break through on the marriage front tonight. It has been brewing for months and I think I have reason for optimism now. Thanks for listening.

I hope you know what you are doing with your distances and swimming. It sounds as if you got quite the thrill from being in the pool tonight. I can't wait to see what you are like later when the pipes are opened up all the way! I find the rush is ongoing.

Your enthusiasm is infectious. Gotta have!
Cheers! ian.

Hey everyone!! I missed posting yesterday. I got really busy at work and then had no time to post. Good job to all of you on what you have done. Sounds like you picked it right up again Wheezie. Hope the open water is warm and be careful.

I am glad to hear you got on the bike Ian. I am going to get rid of my old road bike. It is the one with the broken gear shifter on it. Ian if you would like it I can try to ship to you. It would take some work on your part to fix it up. The frame may be rusted out also. Let me know if you would like to give it a shot and I will see what I can do. Be careful on the gravel! You could get some serious road rash. Sounds like you have some great areas to mountain bike.

I rode to work and back the last few days. It has been hard to ride well. I have not seemed to have a good wind going right now. I just took it easy going home yesterday and drove in today with my wife. I think doing all the driving on the recent trip wiped me out a little more than I thought. Taking a rest day today I think will help. I hope to do a long ride this weekend. I need to get my bike tuned. The back derailuer is still skipping and sliping all over the place. I probably need a new chain. Yesterday was also a day of close calls I almost got hit by a moron who made a right turn from the left hand lane while I was crossing the street. I hope to start being able to push a little harder on my riding. I finally have my adjustment down on the bike.

Glad you made some progress on the marriage front Ian. I know how tough that can be. Mine seems to be okay right now. But as you know that can change in a heart beat.

Jim it's kind of you to offer. Won't the shipping costs be obsene? You are so far away. Let me talk to my brother and see if there is a reasonablely cheap way to get it here. Thank-you for thinking of me.

I have to clean up and lube the crank bearings and the frame needs some clean up still. Other than new rubber and possibly a chain I'll be set I think. I need to track down my handle bar pannier and buy a pump. A mountain bike won't require driving anywhere to ride though so that's probably a better route to cultivate.

The marriage front broke through last night in a good way. I must have repeated myself four times. On my part it was very calm and quiet. I have taken a very passive road with the current impass. I'm suggesting that after all the years of living with me untreated, there is no reasonable expectation that I'll be revealed as different to her eyes any time soon if at all. Show me don't tell me is what I'm trying to model for myself.

The kids have no such blinders and are very enthusiastic about the changing new Papa. This is very exciting for me.

All the kids have taken up more physical activity since I have begun to play more regularly. Soccer balls and footballs are a frequent desert after dinner. The bikes are seeing regular use.

Pierrette vomited from the pain of a bowel movement this morning. It's the first day of her cycle and I'm afraid she's not out of the way of danger yet. She's not backed up at all, it's just some interference in the sigmoid colon making it's presence felt. Off to work I go.
Cheers! Ian.

Hope your day was good Ian. I will check on the cost. If it is too much I won't be able to ship it, but I will check it out and let you know. It may not be worth shipping anyway. It was a good bike and I put in well over 7000 miles on it. It is 53 cm frame so I do not know if that would be to small for you.

Ian,

I'm not sure if this is the place to say this but I figure if you can mention it so can I...If your wife's bowel movements are so painful have her mix 1/2 dr. pepper and 1/2 prune juice heat till warm in a 8 oz. glass, it will soften her stools naturally and will make her regular we use the combination more than any other med for such discomforts in the nursing home. Good luck and big hugs to your Pierrette.

Wheezie,

I alway's find myself more tired after entertaining then excercising it's too much fun and I find myself stimulated and never able to just sit and enjoy myself. I'm so glad you finally got your swim in and you started out really great I was lucky to make it a lap before I thought I was gonna drown. lol

Jim,

Your very consistant and everyone has days they just want to get it over with even when it's something they absolutly enjoy so don't be so hard on yourself.

Today, we really hit the bathroom hard. Ripping up the floor due to the fact that we found old termite damage that the previous owners just covered. So, we ripped it up and layed a new floor. I also started peeling Koda's wallpaper. I ran at work harder then I have in a long time...we had a tornado warning and we decided to get as many residents as possible to the bath house so we manually lifted about 60 residents not bad for 4 aides...then we ran up and down the halls to keep an eye on the residents that we had to move away from windows and cover with blankets...I don't know about ya'll but I'd be ****ed if my mother or father suffocated just cause an aide was lazy.

Futs it's not that the stools are hard. It's only a painful problem when she's bleeding and then the pain becomes unbearable. More tests.. more waiting.. ;(

AWW yes the joy of feeling like a medical guinea pig and waiting for answers. I hope they have answer's for your dear wife but more than answer's I pray they have a cure or at least something to help with the pain.

Today,

We are still working on the bathroom floor but I did get a walk in when Jessica came over and was once again in a tizzy...I let her realize that maybe there is a reason why they say NO dating in the first year of recovery. I get the feeling she wants me to tell her what to do...I told her I will only be her sounding block...she has to talk and listen to what she is saying I cannot make a decision for her in such matters. I hope she makes the right decision cause this guy is not going to make it to full recovery I can already see the slidding back into his old shoes and I don't want him to take her with him but it's not my place to mention it and she does see it for herself. So, anyway's you can see how my walk went I'm stressed and worried, she's upset and confused...We made it about 6 miles out of town and back in record time luckily this time I remembered to bring water for us. *smiles*

Hope you don’t mind me jumping in but I have some experience in the area of recovery and that is that we recommend not getting in to a relationship for the first year so that the person recovering can have time to get right with themselves and the first year is a emotional roller coaster any way. My first time in recover I met a girl on the AA campus and we were so wrapped up in each other I never worked out my own problems that made me feel like drinking in the first place. I have to learn to love myself before I can love someone else. I hope it works out I do know people who have made it work it’s a long hual.
<O:p</O:p

Mountain biking is a passion of mine I used to train everyday till I over did it 60 mile plus ride in under 4 hrs passing guys on road bikes and hurt my knee (Imagine that)but just starting back today. It is truly a empowering thing for me. Now if I could just pace myself. I used to run but at 222 pounds 6’1 its hard on me. I have a bench too and dumbbells 50s and 35s. I want to get on a schedule but you know how hard that can be I want to try and get out 4 times a week with some weight training in between. I used to feel great .

Its suppose to calm the physical hyper energy. I always get so into it that I calm all the energy and end up napping.

Mind? No we don't mind. We have been trying to get more people involved here for a while. Bring your friends!

It seems that a few of us here have not learnt the lessons of rest well enough. I'm one of them. My workouts have been stable for the most part for five months now and that has not precedent in my experience of trying to stay fit. I usually over do things and get hurt or sick or both.

Keeping a varied routine has helped that I think. But mostly I've tried to take that energy and put it into other things that need doing. Work is lagging behind but many other things are raging ahead. The bonus of course is that I have a body that is loving the recovery time and is still building strength. My doctor thinks it's the best news there is. It covers so many bases as far as holistic health goes.

I feel good about the fact that I'm not hurt. Actually I did get hurt but I am fixed up fairly well now. I tore the inside quad on my thigh down deep close to the bone. It took ten days for the bruising to show but when it did it was the most spectacular shade of yellow in all the colours of the rainbow!

Again I was able to slowly and carefully attend to it's healing. As you can see if you read up I sprinted out the other night eight or nine weeks after the injury and had no ill effects which is very good news.

I seem to be developing some skills in self care which I'm new to. It's a welcome sign and I feel pretty good about that stuff showing up in my life. I have been horrible at looking after myself. I have a ways to go before I am perfect though.

Having this crew here to share in the pitfalls and victories has helped to wake me up to the mistakes I might be falling into.

Earlier in my posting to this thread I read a post by a fellow who had found himself over extended and I had the opportunity to reflect on what load I was imposing on my body. I found that inadvertently I was increasing my workout to match my increasing fitness. This was what leads me down the path to injury and sickness. I was able to back off in time and re-evaluate my routine in time to retreat to a wiser system.

I still don't get enough sleep but the big discovery was when I no longer feared taking time off to let my body catch up with the workout load. It was a very cool feeling to come back after a few days off and experience the rush of being notably stronger. I don't get that rush if I'm working too hard. Instead I end up getting discouraged by the progress I'm NOT making. It's not like there is a shortage of things to do between workouts. I have a life time of unfinished business to attend to. But first and foremost I must be in good physical condition to help give my meds and my coaching the best opportunity to work.

I'm not an expert on anything so take what you like and leave the rest.

I expect it's the meds and the commitment that has left me free to not worry so much that I'll lose my way regarding the workouts if I take a few days off. I have much to learn.

Cheers! ian.

With that attitude Ian I am sure you will go far. Glad to hear you healed nicely. I know I was frustrated when I had to stop riding for a while. It did give me time to learn that technique had a lot to do with riding and preventing injury. What projects are you getting in shape for?

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p> </o:p>

Easy does it is the approach I am taking now. I used to go all out on the bike and end up on the side of the trail gasping for breath. The all or nothing attitude left me burnt out. I am starting off slow and going to increase overtime.

Iwant to go to the doctor to get back on meds but I am between jobs well starting a new onr next week and can't afford it right now.So I am just trying ti accept that and do my best.

Right now my approach is take it easy and slowly work my way up...I've had some medical problems and am still in the recovery stage's of having West Nile while I was pregnant for a fairly healthy person it can take up to a year to make a full recovery let alone a high risk pregnancy to boot.

Today, we went swimming...I was a little more into playing with the baby and kids and the "big guy" then into excercise...bathroom remodeling be damned lol we played today.

It is also that time of year for school clothes shopping...luckily Dakota is at the age if it fits buy it and let's get out of here but Lexi is an awful lot like me and likes to look at all the stores first then go back and find the thing's she liked best. So, it was a couple hours of POWER SHOPPING for us. *grins* And a big strain on daddy's wallet.

Welcome Sly glad to have you...we never mind when someone just jumps in...Jessica did tell me that first year AA members "do not have relationships they take hostages" I'm beginning to understand.

the swim didn't go great but, i knew when to turn back to shore. i didn't let pride get in my way. fear ruled. or, better put, the "heebie jeebies" ruled.

obstacles included;

1) the *very* weedy lake!!! :eek: i just couldn't stand the thought of ending up on the edge of a weed bed. yuck! also, it's a bit disconcerting to be able to see all the algae in the lake. i've never worn goggles in a lake before. after awhile i had to keep my eyes shut. which was also a problem as i'd start to veer off course, toward, you guessed it, a lovely bed of weeds!

2) wheezing. my asthma has been very well controlled by my new meds, but, last year when we stayed at my mother-in-law's cabin my lung capacity went down significantly. the place is so damp that dry clothes would be damp if they were left on the floor overnight. "mold is in the air. do do doo do do doo" (to the tune of "love is in the air :rolleyes: ) anyway, i knew it might be a problem, but, she worked so hard to clean out the room for us.... later, (after the swim) she told me that there was black mold growing on a vinyl bench she keeps in the closet for a suitcase stand. i'm sure she meant it as a "look how much i cleaned for you -- isn't it nice it's not still moldy" kind of thing, but, EWWWWW!

3) did i mention there are fish in the lake? i couldn't help thinking about them. it was a bit distracting. i think it got me a little off my normal pace, i.e., i was swimming at too fast a pace to keep going for long. :o

4) the lake is "no wake" until 10am, but, we didn't get there until 9:45am. boat traffic wasn't too bad, but, the wake was not making it easy for my husband to paddle the canoe solo. actually, it wasn't a major factor, but, worth mentioning in the very least.

all in all, i swam for about 30 minutes. got in a decent workout. i didn't drop my inhaler in the lake -- have you ever tried using an inhaler while treading water furiously, all the while trying *not* to think that by remaining in one spot you are an easy target? and, when we got back to shore, hubby and i went for a nice canoe ride. (there are snapping turtles in the lake too! -- he and the kids saw 2 "fighting" when they took the canoe out.)

oh, and the best part! we saw a bald eagle swoop down and snag some breakfast. i wasn't wearing my glasses, but, at least had the chance to remove my fogged up goggles before it flew behind one of the islands. even blurry they are gorgeous birds and i feel so blessed whenever i get to see one in the wild.

i'm looking forward to going to bed early and getting up early for a nice swim in the *pool* tomorrow morning. :D

ciao, wheezie.

Jim if you can get it dismatled somewhat, and into a box, I have a depot for you to ship from Seattle. Let me know if this works for you. I'm sure I can use most if not all of it. Shipping won't cost you anything except the time to deal with the packing and then to drop it off.
Cheers! Ian.

Hope your day was good Ian. I will check on the cost. If it is too much I won't be able to ship it, but I will check it out and let you know. It may not be worth shipping anyway. It was a good bike and I put in well over 7000 miles on it. It is 53 cm frame so I do not know if that would be to small for you.

OOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOOOOo wheezie bless your heart you made it a lot further then I would have...first sight of fish or algae and I'm out of there uh uh no way am I doing algae :eek: . You've got real stamina not for the length of the swim but the fact that even grossed out, short of breath and blind YOU SWAM!! No giving up for you. :D

Today, I'm also gonna have to swim laps due to my playing too much yesterday but aww it was so fun took tons of picture's of Garrett's first real trip in the BIG pool and he did look so adorable. :)

I also have to clean the house...3 kids and the big baby I married make that an everyday chore. But, I actually enjoy cleaning with the right music it actually becomes a really fun arobic excercise program. shake shake shake shake your booty. I figure if I keep telling myself that...one of these day's I'll believe it. :rolleyes:

Good luck fellow rowdies and have fun

Hey good job everyone!! Welcome to the group sly. I think we all tend to push a little to hard at times. I think the idea of starting slowly and building is a great way to go. I know I take a couple of months off each year. Our bodies I believe hit peaks each year. Then there is a drop off. The key is to slow down when you feel tired, because that is when you get hurt.

I took Friday and Saturday off. I did not work that hard around the house either. I did ride 32 miles yesteday and felt very good. I paced myself wisely and worked on going a good pace by spinning. The difference on the way back was huge. My legs were full of energy and I was able to pick up the pace when I wanted pretty easily. I rode up the last hill home very strong. It was a flat route except for a long gradual hill home. I averaged 18.3 miles an hour and was still fresh when I finished. I rode close to a record time. I need to look back and see if I actually put down my record for that course. Today I did not ride because I am picking up my brother from the airport. I will ride tomorrow.

I got my bike fixed after the ride yesterday. I got a new chain. My drailuer hanger ended up being bent. I have ordered a new derailuer and back cassette.
It will be nice to be able to use all the gears again.
Jim

Jim I didn't know we had recognisable cycles that would have you taking a couple of months off a year. Oh I have so much to learn. My habits have been so sporadic I've probably never got consistant enough to recognise patterns as long as that.

There is no doubt that rest is key for my progress. I'm loving it.

18.3 mph seems so so fast Jim. It must be a rush. Once those mechanical issues get settled and with your new seating configuration in place you'll be continuing to build up even stronger. I am in awe of your pacing.

You make a strong case for narrowing the field of activity so as to better monitor progress. I have a tougher time tracking my gains because my activity is so scattered. Now that the need for activity seems stable maybe I can narrow it some.

Keep active all. ian.

No doubt wheezie. You are a trouper I all ways get freaked out in the ocean if the water is not clear. You know things are swimming around in there but you can’t see them. I know I am a tough guy right. Keep it up and watch out for them boats.

Nucking if taking care of a family is not considered aerobic I don’t know what is. It is like a endurance sport. Demoing
A bathroom is diffiently a workout in my experience did the tub go. I remember cutting a fiber glass one out with a circular saw. I know real bright right I had fiber glass chunks on every inch and crevice of my body LOL. It was ruff I always have learned the hard way.

Itschaotic I hope you get rolling soon.

Biking guy Thanks for the welcome. I love new gear I guess I am kinda a gear head wanta be. I am sure your speed will increase without the single speed action. But I heard that is one of the best ways to work on spinning except for a stationary bike which the thought of makes me yawn. I have found that pacing yourself is the only way you really get good. You will never see a pro go all out at the start of a race. Finishing strong after 32 miles is impressive. I heard that recovery rides are really good after a long ride to get nutrient rich blood to recovering muscles. Like 45 minutes at a easy pace. Keep it up.

Well I guess I didn’t really start off slow as I said I would there is a trail called the silver comet that used to be a old railroad track that has been paved over and turned in to a bike path. It goes 40 miles out of town its pretty neat with tunnels trough mountains and bridges over creeks. Plus no traffic except other bikes. You can just ride the grade is pretty flat with either really long 10 degree inclines or declines for miles or more. You can keep a pretty good pace.
I figured I would do about 20 miles but once I got out there 10 miles went by so fast I figured I would go 5 more and then at 20 miles out I started wearing down and my tail bone started hurting I got this racing seat that is about 3 inchs wide at the back I was used to it before not now so now I got to go 20miles back It was brutal spent have the time standing up and coasting when possible. Plus its about 90 degrees in Georgia this time of year. Brutal comes to mind.
Thank God I brought the Camel back which had to be refilled half way through. Then it started to sprinkle which was a God sent.
There is a lot of down hill on the way back which was a relief in more ways than one.

Well at least I got out it was great for the first part of the ride. I feel good now. Its just nice to be active again. Maybe a short recovery ride tomorrow.
Have a good one everybody

Oh wheezie I'm sorry I somehow missed your post about your adventure on the lake! Oh my what a way to get started! I remember once years ago about the time "Jaws" came out I got freaked out a bit.

We were swimming off a steep shoreline in the salt chuck near Vancouver. It was an ideal summer evening and the swell was gently rolling a glass smooth surface. The two of us swam out and chatted and swam and chatted. We must have been luxuriating in the water for an hour or more and were probably a hundred yards off shore. God only knows how deep it was but it's full of life at any rate.

The conversation had been jaunty and fun all evening. I enjoy being in the water but when there was a burp of bubbles in a rush near us we laughingly made some joke about "Jaws" and the adrenaline kicked in and we stroked strongly for the dock. Needless to say I'm not big on weeds and such either. We have some big predatory pike here and I always think about that when I'm out in the middle of the lake with the girls. I never bring it up of course but I'm always a little timid since that day in the cold Pacific.

I bet the pool will relax your pace a bit!

Sly it'll feel good until you have to sit on that seat again! I sympathise with you. I bought my daughter a more butt friendly seat last week for her bike and she's loving it. The thrill of being out on your bike again was pretty clear to me. It's good to see you pumped up and ready for what's ahead.

I worked like a slave in the yard today. I've been caught three days running without enough water in my system before bed. I end up not sleeping comfortably. The Dexedrine seems to make regulation difficult. When I first started on it I was baffled by how much more water I needed. Now that the demands are high I am again having to adjust the quantity a way up from my normal expectations for water intake.

When I came in tonight I piled it into me. Now I'll go and do it again and make sure I'm well hydrated before bed. I do NOT want to wake up short of liquid tomorrow!

The yard looks great and the garden is on the road to salvation. It's been a terribly wet spring so the soil is in desperate need of air. I've got it all worked up again and the machinery is ready for the next round. I'm starting to feel my right elbow complain a bit. I'll have to watch it. Between screw drivers and pulling the doors shut recklessly behind me with a trailing arm I'm asking for trouble.

Onward and upward. ian.

I'm not going to excercise today at all...I'm throwing myself a "pity party" and am just going to cry and cry till I can't cry anymore today and then tommorrow I'll pull myself out of bed and get back to work. I have to let it out sometimes or it becomes too much.

But, I found out how much nursing school is going to cost and I just don't see how I can afford it and how I'm supposed to maintain high GPA and work full time with everything else. When we applied for help when I was on bedrest the lady told us that we're basically considered "warm, healthy, poor, white trash" another words we make enough to keep ourselves sheltered, clothed and fed but nothing left over. It's funny really how much they take out of our checks but we'll never see a dime of it. So, if I don't qualify for aide from the state I probably won't qualify for aide for school and if I did I don't have any clue were to start looking and I"m flustered and I keep saying tommorrow and then tommorrow I"ll say the samething.

To make matters worse my boss has become a real ***. She actually yelled at me for not stocking the linen closets full enough yesterday and this morning screamed at me for over stocking. Seems I'm really lacking lately.

So, now onto my pity party and tommorrow I'll pick myself up, dust myself off and back to work.

Futs sorry to hear about your news. You may be able to take a student loan out. Also sorry about your s**** day at work! Get your crying out of the way and hit it again tomorrow. Some days we need to just let out our frustrations.

Sly way to go on starting over again sounds like you did not hold back. Sounds like a fun trail to ride. I do not envy you with the heat and humidity in Georgia. I think was you get going again your butt won't be as sore.

Ian, good job yesterday! The joints do not work as well as they used to do they? I will pm you about the bike.

It felt good to be back on the bike today. It was great to have it tuned up. Nice to shift gears and have it kick in right away. I had a good ride in today. I felt strong, but I have had 3 of the last 4 days off. I think I have the bike adjusted about right. I may lower my shifters just a little. I was able to push my hills today. I will not do the single speed bike, but I have heard a lot of people who like them. This afternoon there should be a big head wind going home. I plan to work on the spin. I may do a group ride tonight after work. I will see how I feel. Keep up the good work you guys and gals!!
Jim

AWW well it was a short lived "pity party" thanks to Ian who reminded me that my problems are not insurmountable and I mean that literally Thank you Ian. So, started looking online and actually found a Central Community College website and have already gotten an email back saying they are mailing me financial aide papers. EEK! that's a big step isn't it? I can do eet (best ADam Sandler immitation).

Futs you were a back board for me too. The chat room this morning was a good place and I was glad you happened to be there. Gracias. ian.

Well, if there's one thing I do well...it's talking lol

I have a shirt that even broadcast's it "911...I'm talking and I can't shut up."

OK today, walked to my sister's and delivered some cookies for my nephew since he say's his mother doesn't make them right...walked across town to the post office and elec company...bill day, then I walked to my mother's so I could play on the computer...it was kinda fun got to visit with some old ladies who haven't seen Garrett since he weighed 5 pnds. and 7 months later let me tell you there is a huge difference...that will be the last time I do so much using the back carrier next time I'm using the stroller. lol

hey again

i am off to the swimming hole with my son as soon as i'm done typing. don't worry, it's safe. chlorinated, de-weeded and the beach is groomed every night.

swam at the pool yesterday. still out of breath :( but, i feel better today.

so, i'm off. it's cool in the a.c. but hot and muggy outside, but it just doesn't seem right to be inside when i spent most of cool, rainy june looking forward to july's hot weather.

i love reading all your posts. it was fun hearing how i am not the only one who freaks in open water. thanks for sharing! :D i wish i had time to respond to everyone -- our schedule is more relaxed again in august, so, i should have more time to hang out here. thanks for joining us sly and (a belated) welcome.

wheezie

Futs that sounded like quite the workout. Packing that kind of weight you should feel some of it tomorrow somewhere! You seem to be very active anyway. How would you rate your fitness? heart, lungs, muscle, and flexability? No need to get into that if it is of no interest to you ok? I'm just idly curious. You seem so strong already. Mind body and spirit.

wheezie pools are great aren't they? I don't have a pool close by but I do have a wonderful place to swim in the summer. Ten minutes from our place there is a provincial park. The body of water was created by damning a small tannin rich river into a gravel pit. Outside the roped swimming areas there are places that tickle ones senses with weeds but within bounds there is plenty of room for the less fit like me to have all the room I need. The water leaves my skin just like silk. When I dry off it feels as if I'm powdered except there is no powder. The tannin is an astringent and likely tightens the skin slightly. It's glorious at any rate.

Until this week it's been too cold to swim. I might have to go tomorrow if I get out in the garden again. However I think I'm going to save my strength for the week-end and do a blitz on the roofing on the new addition. It was not installed properly and I think if I prepare well I can clean it up in a day. It'll be a big day but that's kind of why I've been working on my strength and stamina all this time.

Today was an awesome day at work. I never made a wrong move all day. Man did I ever pile through a bunch of work. I was a little over revved by dinner but I was well within bounds as far as being compatible with the rest of the souls here.

Our youngest, Manon is off to her first week at 4-H camp. I think about her all the time. The little devil is in my heart now and I'm so glad. For the longest time we had no peace between us. There's one that lives by "go hard or go home!". I wonder how spry I'll feel when she's 13.

Jim you are on rails! I have thought about you riding so often that I can picture you climbing. How about a image of you in motion to fan the flames of my imagination. I'll try and get one of me behind the tiller but I'm sure it won't have the same impact!

Cheers all. ian

The body of water was created by damning a small tannin rich river into a gravel pit. Cheers all. ian
tangent warning. this post actually has *very* little to do with working out. unless i can work it in ;)

a funny image popped into my mind as i read your picturesque description of your lake. probably has to do with me taking an indian cooking class last night, eating indian food and drinking chai tea (we learned about tannins in tea and the debate over to boil, or not to boil tea -- clear as mud yet?)

so, i can't get the vision of you paddling around in a gigantic cup of chai. spicy and sweet (not tangy ;) )with *just* the right amount of milk - enough to turn the tea the color of latte. sorta like lily tomlin's character, the little girl in the big rocking chair. only, it's a a grown man, with a beard, and a *huge* cup of tea.

and, you are swimming laps! excercising :P

you may now go back to your regularly scheduled program

Futs that sounded like quite the workout. Packing that kind of weight you should feel some of it tomorrow somewhere! You seem to be very active anyway. How would you rate your fitness? heart, lungs, muscle, and flexability? No need to get into that if it is of no interest to you ok? I'm just idly curious. You seem so strong already. Mind body and spirit.

Well, today I'm kinda hurting but not from hauling the baby around. I worked last night and work with one of the most laziest, stupidest, evil creatures in the world. Usually, I can remind myself that she is the not the writer of my moments...I AM! and I choose how I respond to her...but, today let me tell you I responded and it was not a pretty sight.

To start the night off she arrived 30 minutes late as usual, then promptly went to sleep in a resident's recliner, during rounds she let a lady that has not been out of her bed for the last two years due to our machines not being able to lift so much weight fall back on my wrist, hand and arm bending my wrist at an impossible angle and laughing while I"m yelling "get her off, get her off you f'in moron". NOw my wrist is horribly swollen and bruised and I have pain up into my forearm and a couple of fingers are numb...I think I'm in a little trouble over here and typing one handed is no fun when your still mad. :mad: Anyways, she had the nerve to say I was crabby...I lost it and went off on her and told her exactly what I thought of her morales and work ethic for the last two years and didn't stop until I couldn't catch my breath. Not very adult but I couldn't take it anymore and I"m really kinda ashamed to admit that I feel better!!

Anyways, to answer your question's: heart-b/p 100/60 p 56-60, lungs o2 levels are alway's over 98% I however get a little winded at times but I smoke, muscle? hmmm well I do a lot of manual labor..but, have never lifted weights or anything like that I do know that I can pick up a 90pnd lady and move her up in bed by myself and can lift a 280 pnd man off the floor with the help of another aide and I can still throw my 11 yr. 109 pnds over my shoulder. Flexability? not sure what you mean but I can still do the splits and when practicing my forms I can still kick above my head without throwing out a hip. WEll, now that I"m not pregnant anyways lol

Well, today I'm kinda hurting but not from hauling the baby around. I worked last night and work with one of the most laziest, stupidest, evil creatures in the world. Usually, I can remind myself that she is the not the writer of my moments...I AM! and I choose how I respond to her...but, today let me tell you I responded and it was not a pretty sight.

Anyways, to answer your question's: heart-b/p 100/60 p 56-60, lungs o2 levels are alway's over 98% ... Flexability? not sure what you mean but I can still do the splits and when practicing my forms I can still kick above my head without throwing out a hip. WEll, now that I"m not pregnant anyways lol
aaak! i'm imagining you throwing your leg over your head 9 months pregnant. anybldy remember demi moore on david lettermen when she was pregnant? they did a skit where demi, heavy with child, leaves stage left after talking about how great she feels, mainly due to her excercise/gymnastics program, (;)). then an actress/double with a stuffed belly enters stage left doing back flips and continues right out the doors to stage right. i still remember david a few days later making fun of folks (me) who thought the double *was* a pregnant demi doing backflips and cartwheels. (of course it was! silly me :o )

anyway, i am sorry to hear you had to work with someone so insensitive and incompetent who put your well-being at risk. stress wise and injury wise!

i hope your wrist is feeling better soon.

i'd post my fitness stuff here, but, i am hopeless with numbers. they never stay in my head and 87% of the time i just try to get a close enough to not raise eyebrows. most people never notice! unless i'm way off and said something like "87% of the time..." when actually, it's much closer to 98% ;)

lol no I couldn't throw my leg over my head at 9 months I was lucky to keep my head out of the toilet.

Yes, well I"m sorry that I handled the situation so poorly I'm just exhausted from having to pull the load of two people...wouldn't it be nice to be payed to sleep and slack? I'd love it too but it's not reality.

Just had a check up is the only reason I remembered my numbers lol. But, it's the norm for me except during my pregnancy my b/p was about 150/100 dangerously close to stroking out ya'd think I'd have been scared enough to stop smoking NO such luck though!!! Man, were is my will power when I need it?

wheezie but it's so nice and warm that I just want to float on my back with a straw and drink chia! It's good good good.

Futs it's just like I suspected. You sound in great shape. Good luck getting that wrist fixed. rice? rest - ice - compression - elevation? You'd likely know better than me about those things. Regardless, it sound like you'll be in pain for a while. Here's to a strong quick recovery.

ian

Hey everyone. Sorry I missed you the last couple of days. i was visiting with my brothers family. They are at my Sisters 90 miles a way. Sounds like you guys did a lot of work while I was gone. I will try to post a picture at some point Ian. Futs you might want to have your wrist checked. Having broken both shoulders numbness in the hands is one of the first things they ask you about if they suspect you have broken something.

I did not think I was going to get much of a workout in the last 2 days. I ended up geting a good workout both days well probably more like one day. On Weds my nephews asked me to ride mtn bikes with them. I got my sisters old one and raised the seat. We started doing half mile loops. They wanted to race. My 14 year old nephew kept a head of my most of the first 15 laps. I was wiped and could not understand why i could barely keep up. I looked and the back tire was almost flat. I then spun the wheel it did not go anywhere. The brakes on the back were set so they were on the whole time. No wonder I could not keep up. After the adjustments were made I did like I should have.

Yesterday we all went to the water slides. I went on all of them with my nephews. There was one that drops 75 feet. You basically go almost straight down and are stoped by the water. It is a rush. The bad thing is you kind of skim across the water on the way down and until you come to a stop. I am very sore from the bumping to day. I climbed lots of stairs going to each slide. The kids had a blast and so did I. I am just a big kid when it comes to those sort of things.

Today I am back to work. I had a good ride in. It felt good to be back on the road bike. I pushed up my hills. No one to try and catch or beat today. Hope to do a long ride this weekend!

I've hit the gym twice this week and will go again Sat,Sun & Mon.I went on vacation last week back home to Macon, GA. and got to workout at my fave local gym (Macon Muscle...lol) 3 x's.Always enjoy it there.
Ya'll keep up the good work and remember to be good to yourself.:)

Well all.... Haven't been posting my workouts.... Have been doing them though. It's a bit frustrating to be honest....

I keep getting what's been referred to by the Navy physical therapist as ilotibial syndrome... Only I don't get the worst of the symptoms because I'm pigeon toed or something. LOL! At it's worst, the ilotibial band, which runs from the butt to the end of the tibia rubs against the protrubrance and the end of the leg bone and gets quite irritated. My leg bone is turned inward so it doesn't cooperate I guess. In my case, I just get repeated strains to said band which affects the entire right side of my hip.

It's easy to treat, but until I get a new pair of running shoes (mine have WAY TOO MUCH milage on them) it will continue to be a problem. The upside is, the enforced periodic breaks have led to some marked gains in leg strength. My run times for the shorter runs are getting substantially better. Would be for the longer ones too, but there is the tendency to "re-injure" when I go longer than three miles at once. I managed just under six miles two days ago, and the day after was limping like a revolutionary war vet. LOL! Some stretching, and hot water later and the next day it was just a teeny bit sore. Today I felt pretty good as long as I didn't "hop around too much". Tomorrow, it will feel fine again. Only it's not. GRRRRR!

I have a practice PRT to run Monday, and it's gonna hurt. Motrin anyone? Of course, to get the desperately needed new shoes, I have to wait for the wifey to come back from her trip. Could be interesting. In the mean time, I think it's time to switch over to strength routines for a week or three... Lots of stretching, weights, and other more specific exercises aimed at troublesome ilotibial bands....

This is a nuisance injury if caught early and treated correctly, which I am doing. So, running the PRT isn't likely to cause me any permanent hurt. Just lots of sailor lingo flowing freely from my tongue. :-) #$@*))%#*@ HIP!!!!!!!!!

Still, I did get one bit of motivation from it. Turns out you are supposed to rotate out your running shoes every three hundred miles or so..... I've been waiting for mine to basically fall apart, which they aren't doing. So.... Current shoe mileage is in the 2500 mile range since last summer. LOL! At leas