Dec. 2, 2013

Had a GREAT Thanksgiving.  Did the Von Franken Family Food Run.  Cooked pancakes and served as the M.C. for the event. Jo Ann got up at 5am to do the cooking.  We had family in and had a wonderful meal. Did okay on the food but sadly, had too much pecan pie.

Nov. 29th - Walked on Friday for about 40 minutes. 

Nov. 30th - I raked for about 6 hours.  Got a great workout! 

Dec. 1st -  I dusted off the bike and spun.  I was able to spin for about 20 minutes, then lifted weight for another 30.  I feel it today.

Dec. 2nd - Despite the fog, walked for 1:01:43.  While it's mostly walking, I'm still trying to work in a few more short runs.  Got the ol' heart beating pretty good. 

With colder weather coming, I am anxious to get back on the bike to spin during the days I am too wimpy to run.

Nov. 27, 2013

I "slept in" until 6:45am before getting out there.  Did a slow 55:14 walk/run this morning in the cold.  I am estimating this is about a 3+ mile loop. 

Still worried about doing too much.  Anytime my heart rate starts picking up, I start walking.   Just don't want to over do it.... for now.  Being out of shape, heavy, and in the cold is not a great combination.

This old ticker is pretty amazing.  I read where your heart can pump blood to every cell in your body.....and it does it in less than a minute!

In 24 hours it beats about 100,000 times and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood many times through your blood vessels. It's an amazing little fist size muscle!

Nov. 26, 2013

Got up at 6am and was walking/running by 6:20am.  Did 54:33 in the cold.  Have a full ski mask,

Which looks like I am ready to rob a bank.  Still, it's keeping me warm.  I pull it up before I near someone so they don't worry about me.

Had a crazy thought today (must have been the 25 degree weather) the OKC Memorial Marathon is at the end of April.  Hmmmm    A bit ambitious at this point, but why not have a goal?  Just did the math and that's about 150 days away.  Perhaps something to aim for?

Nov. 25, 2013

My running/walking has been much more consistent than my blogging.  Getting up at 6am to make sure I get some morning exercise.  I got in 54 minutes this morning.  Temps were in the mid 20s with little to no wind.  Had some light sleet north of where I walked.

Goals: to get a streak going

Oct. 14th

Once again I have gotten behind on my blogging.  The good news: I am still walking/running.

This morning, despite a light rain, did 47:32.  Mostly walking still, but a couple of "long" runs mixed in.  Getting stronger, but it's still slow progress.

Will hit it again tomorrow.

This is going to be difficult.  Attempting to continue to work out, while getting ready for the Tulsa State Fair.  It begins in 8 days.  The more difficult thing, will be once it starts.  I've got to monitor my eating while there, and then my sleep and exercise when not there.  I expect 2 weeks of 12 hour days.

This morning I did a walk/run for 1:15:35.  Had light sprinkles as I went down the trail to the McDonalds.  I call this the McLoop.  I estimate it's 4.5 miles or so.  Will try to get the bike out and measure it at some point.

Got in a nice run yesterday. 

This morning I swam 36 laps in about 40 minutes.  Felt good!

Wow.  A lot has happened since my last update.  New job with new hours!  I'll have much more control of when I work.  For the first time in many years will not be on call 24/7.  It's a new life and I am excited about the future! 

So...got up this morning and walked/rain a total of 57:29. 

Did 56:13 this morning of walk/run/walk.  Hit the trail at 7:15am, to avoid the heat.  It was biting at my heals by the time I got home.  To burn a few more I mowed.  Not all of the yard but about half of it.  Felt beat up by 11am. Showered and ate lunch.  

Will try to go to Saturday night church so as to allow me to ride Sunday morning.

So this morning I hit the pool right at 7am with the idea of breaking a 40 minute mile.  Didn't happen.  Final time was 43 and change.  I realized it wasn't going to happen about 15 laps in.  So I decided to start practicing bilateral breathing.  It's basically breathing on both sides. Here's a link if you want to learn more about it:   http://www.swimsmooth.com/bilateral.html

It will do a couple of things.  #1 help me in choppy waters during open water swims and also allow me to do more stokes per breaths.  If I can't be fast I might as well work on looking like a real swimmer!  Had a rough day at work and I hope to get in a long walk/run Saturday.

I swam like a pig toay

I believe you can learn more from a bad workout than a good one.  Here's what I mean:  when everything is going well, there is nothing to correct, nothing to push you, nothing to bring you to the next level. 

This morning I felt like a pig trying to swim.  It wasn't pretty.   After about 10 laps nothing felt right.  I was sluggish and had zero energy.   I wanted to quit, but I didn't.  I did 5 more, then 5 more, then started feeling better.  I was slow (like a pig) but focused on completing the task.

Here is what I learned: don't give up.  Some days your body fights back and doesn't do exactly what you tell it to do. Slow down, be patient, re-focus, and stay with it.   As I get older, I think this will be more important.   Today I did and even though my 44 lap time was a slow 48 minutes, I was fine with that.  I didn't quit.

Now If I can just keep this in mind when I try to starting riding long distances again......

July 14 Run

July 12th - mowed the yard.


July 14th - ran.

Walked/run a total of 1:23:15.   Ran one mile in 9:17 later another full mile in 9:23.  Several short runs of less then a mile, but a lot of walking.  Felt good.

Will get up in the morning and run some more.

This morning I swan 44 laps (one mile) in 43:49.  The good news: was moving along just "fast" enough that no one thought I was drowning.  The bad news: I've hit a bit of a threshold.  Haven't been able to break the 40 minute mile, at least not in this short pool. Sounds like an excuse to me. Would love to get in an Olympic size pool and see how I'd do. 

So now, it's time to do a bit more running. Ahhh my first love.  Still slow as sin, but the swimming has certainly helped. Probably unrealistic, but I would love to do the Austin Ironman 70.3 at the end of October.  In fact, in a moment of late night weakness about 4 months ago, I signed up (and paid)  entry fee for this.  I had fully expected my running and cycling much more by now.

The swim I could do today. It's 1.2 miles in a lake. That's the easy leg.   The bike wouldn't be pretty but I could do 56 miles very slowly.  The sad part is I can't run 13.1 miles.  I could walk/run about 10 but wouldn't make the cut off times.  So it's time to get this big flabby butt in gear. 

It's sort of odd to me, that 3 years ago I could run 50 miles without breaking a sweat, now I am building up to run 13.1.  Maybe odd isn't the word, maybe ironic....or perhaps pathetic.  Whatever you call it - I love a challenge.

Time to catch up:

Saturday, July 6
Rode the bike 12 miles.  Didn't get an accurate time.  Derailleur need adjusting. Clatters between 2 and 4th gear. 

Sunday, July 7
Ran/walked 3 miles.  Didn't have much time as we were trying to make 9am church service.  Felt pretty good.

Monday, July 8
Swam 44 laps in 45:50. A little sluggish this morning.

A great morning

These mild temperatures have been so helpful.  Got in 54:25 in a walk/run/walk this morning.  Did 1 mile in 9:10 then walked 10 minutes and did another mile in 9:14.  Slow but doing more running and less walking.   Hope to dust of the bicycle and get a ride in Saturday morning!

July 2nd

Decided to walk/run today.  Hit it around 7am, while temps were cool.  Did a total of 1:17:35.  I walked the first 15 minutes then ran 1 mile at about a 9:15 pace, then walked another 15 minutes.  Repeated the sequence until I got home.  Felt pretty tired but happy the running is coming along.  Still slow, but it's progress.

Welcome to July!

Not a bad way to start July!  Mild temperatures have been a blessing.  Hoping to run more this week.

This morning it was back to the pool  The elusive 40 minute mile still beyond reach.  Did 44 laps (one mile) in 43:32 this morning.  Getting easier to do a mile, just not getting faster.  Hope to run tomorrow morning.

Swam 44 laps in 42 minutes Friday.  Felt good but got pretty tired.

Sunday I walked 4.5 miles with a few short runs mixed in.  The longest run was 1/2 mile.  Felt pretty good because of the cooler temps. 

Overall feeling stronger.  Tulsa Run is a definite possibility!

Hope to swim in the morning and still have a 40 min. goal for 1 mile.

Did 44 laps (1 mile) in 46:16.  The good news; I did the first 20 laps non-stop.  The bad news;  I really slowed in the last 10 laps.  Still I will count this as progress.



In this picture, the pool looks dirty, but it wasn't. Must have been the lighting or something.  It's always good to be the first one in the pool at 7am. 

Walked/ran for 1:11 today.  Hit the trail before the heat set in.  Felt good.  The swimming is definitely helping.  Hoping to do a little more running and less walking as I get stronger. 

Fleet Feet Firecracker 5K is on July 4th - I think I could do this.

Ahhhh so darn close.  Did 44 laps (one mile) in 44:39.  Goal was 44 minutes.  Still not non-stop as I am doing 20 then some backstroke recovery lengths.  But it's improvement.  Hoping to run tomorrow. 

Redman Triathlon is Sept. 21st - That's probably not possible. (but perhaps the 1/2 Ironman length)
Swim: 1.2 mile, Bike: 56 miles, Run: 13.1 miles   That would be pushing it.

Tulsa Run is Oct 26th. - That's doable. 

On Friday, June 14th I swam 44 laps (one mile) in 44:15!  That's improvement! Trying to do less kickboard, and fewer backstroke recovery lengths.  Still not non-stop, but that is the goal. 

On Sunday, June 16th I walked/ran 1:18.  Attempting to do a little more running and less walking.  I got out around 8am, but should have started soon.  It was very humid.

Will try to swim in the morning.  Not killing myself, but I would love to get my 44 laps in less time than it took on Friday.  

Had a great father's day.  Called my dad and then heard from both our kids! 

It happened.  I was able to swim 1 mile.  It was ugly, and I took several easy laps to get my heart rate down, but did 44 laps in 46:20.  Did 20 not stop, then some kickboard laps, backstroke recovery laps, and some slow lengths.  It would be nice if the pool was longer so there would be fewer turns, but it's working. 

Would like to do some open water swimming and see how I do in a lake.  A few years ago the TAT (Tulsa Area Triathletes) did some weekly swims at Skiatook Lake.  That would be a nice "test" to see how I do swimming a mile or so without help.   

Alright, time to start rotating between running and swimming.  So today I did a walk/run of 1:15:27.  Most of it was a walk with a few short runs mixed in.    The swimming has certainly helped, it made the running much easier. 

Will swim tomorrow then run on Wednesday. 

Got to the pool at 7:10 am all but one of the lanes were full.   The goal was 40 laps in 40 minutes.  So I tried the slow but steady pace.  Ended up doing 41 laps in 41:37.  Had to take several breaks by doing some kick board laps.  Still, not bad for a fat boy.  Was pretty tired by the end.  The next goal will be one mile non-stop.  That's 44 laps and it may take me another month to reach that goal.  Hope to get on the bike some.  Perhaps a fall triathlon if I can find a short one.

Running, once my strongest leg, is now the weakest.  Thinking as some of this fat comes off, and my conditioning improves, running will come back much easier.  At least that is the goal. It's a journey!

Swam yesterday and again this morning.  Did 33 laps today.  Had to take several breaks by doing backstrokes.  The goal is 44 laps (1 mile) without stopping.  Hoping to swim again Friday. 

May 27 2013

Seems keeping up with blooging my workouts has been more difficult than doing my workouts.  Will try to stay at it. 

This morning I did 55:03 of walking with a few short runs from time to time.  Planning on swimming in the morning. 

Hit the pool at 7:15am.  Got in 28 laps in about 28 minutes.  Felt tired towards the end and had to do the last 10 laps with back stroke recovery laps, but making progress.  Have been eating well, until today.  Met a friend for lunch and we ate at Elmer's BBQ.  I'll pay for that later....

Joined a new pool.  Actually my old pool where it's a little closer to the house and where lap swim times are more frequent.  The Y pool had restricted lap swim times and at times got a bit crowded. 

Length of the new pool: 20 yards so 1 lap is 40 yards. Then 44 laps would be 1760 yards (1 mile)

This morning I did 25 laps in 28 minutes.  That's with several back stroke recovery lengths. The water is a little warm.  I assume they have it cranked up for the elderly who do water exercises.  Hoping to swim again tomorrow. 

Have gotten behind in my blogging.

Ran/walked Saturday: aprox. 35 minutes
Ran/walked Sunday: 44 minutes
Ran This morning: 45 minutes (now about 60% running)

Had a super busy weekend.  We are trying to get the house finished.  Lots of painting.  The goal is to be done
by the end of next weekend.

Chance for storms tonight and turning 20-25 degrees colder tomorrow.  Expecting a late night...we'll see.

A real good run this morning. Cold front moves south overnight, bringing us clouds, cool temps. and even a little light mist during the run.  I kept thinking about those involved in the Boston Marathon.  Network and local coverage was outstanding.  There was a lot of memories of the April 19, 1995 OKC bombing.  Fresh in my mind was similarity, with the chaos in the minutes and hours following that terrible day.  It will never be forgotten. 

Tomorrow could be very busy severe weather day.  As early as tonight, we could see a few isolated cells in southern Kansas drift our way.  Wednesday I'll gear up for an active event.  Several of our spotters told me they plan on rolling.   

Speaking tonight to the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club.  Spoke to them 2 years ago, and had fun.  A great bunch of people who will ask me if I have been using my ham radio, and I will have to admit I have not......at least not yet.   

A busy day.  Didn't get to go to church.  Did a morning run (mostly walking) for 44 minutes.  Worked in the garden, painted and finished the cabinet doors, mulched the flower beds, and more yard work. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was issued until 1am.  I cleaned up and got ready for work.  Storms never fired so I stayed home.   Going to be an interesting week!

Had a great day.  Ate well and got some exercise.  Learning more about myself and my friends.  We planned dinner some friends for tomorrow night and my hope is it can be a very productive day.  Good things are happening, and that's a blessing!

“ If you want to know how rich you really are, find out what would be left of you tomorrow if you should lose every dollar you own tonight. ” by William Boetcker

April 8, 2013

A great day.  Got in a 35 minute walk.  (got a late start)  then some work in the garage.  Met an old co-worker for lunch.  Then off to work.  Tonight we taped the weather special at 6:30pm, so I didn't see my wife all day. 

Gearing up for severe weather for Tuesday night.  Tomorrow could be a busy day.

Anxious to see the data Tuesday morning.  We'll see how late of a show it is for NE Oklahoma. Thinking we will not see much before 9pm.  

April 6, 2013

Got a lot done today.  Nice having some sunny weather before several days of storms.   Walked 47   min. with a few short runs mixed in.  Felt great.  Then worked in the yard and did some more clean  up in the house. 

Weatherwise, looks pretty active for the next 3 days.  Likely going to see some severe weather. 

A new beginning.

A great day.  Got 7 hours of sleep, ate well this morning, then walked 3 miles.  Had a salad for lunch with a friend who is starting a new business, then worked.  Good healthy dinner with the wife and no snacking today. 

Going to start logging my sleep, along with my BP and weight.  Was reading something on the Mayo Clinic web site on # of hours of sleep you need to be healthy.  It recommends 8 hours.  I'm getting closer to 6-7 hours, and plan to work on this.

I found this informaiton on WebMD pretty interesting:
     Leptin and ghrelin work in a kind of "checks and balances" system to control feelings of hunger and fullness, explains Michael Breus, PhD, a faculty member of the Atlanta School of Sleep Medicine and director of The Sleep Disorders Centers of Southeastern Lung Care in Atlanta.   Ghrelin, which is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stimulates appetite, while leptin, produced in fat cells, sends a signal to the brain when you are full.
     So what's the connection to sleep? "When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Breus tells WebMD.
The two combined, he says, can set the stage for overeating, which in turn may lead to weight gain.
Bottom Line:  Watch your sleep!  A morning swim would be great, but that would mean 6.5 hours of sleep, so I will not swim in the morning.  I'll work in the yard/garden and ask the little wife if she wants to take a morning walk.  That's better than floundering in the pool at 6:30am!

April 2, 2013

Hit the treadmill about 7:30am and did 3.1 miles in 1 hour.  Nothing too intense, and for a large dude, I felt pretty good.  Had a lunch meeting, then off to work.  A cloudy and wet day.  Afternoon high only 42, where our average high is 68. 

I expect one more wet day tomorrow, then a nice warmup for Fri-Sun. 

March 29, 2013

Hit the pool again.  Was tired and slow.  Did 30 laps in 41 minutes.   Went into work early because I expected severe storms.  Had 2.5" hail near El Reno.  For the Tulsa metro the storms didn't fire until later in the evening.  We had 2.9" of rain reported in Bixby at the Okalhoma Mesonet automated site.  Numerous reports of lightning, hail, and flooding.


My favorite shot of the day was taken by Scott Kindred.  This is a picture of his 3 year old seeing hail for the very first time.  Notice the ear protection they put on the little guy because of the loud thunder.   

Will sleep in tomorrow and not swim.  I'm tired.



Did you ever have one of those days where you get up before the alarm clock?  I did and though why not hit the pool a little earlier than normal.  This is what the Y looked like a little after 6am. 

Did a total of 25 laps.  Here is the sequence: 5 freestyle, 5 kickboard, 5 "fast", then repeat the sequence until exhausted.  

On the way home I took this picture of the sun coming up behind the skyline.   Took a nap, painted a closet and got a few things done around the house.  Met a buddy for lunch and headed into work.  It was a great day.  May try to swim again tomorrow.  Feeling a little stronger!

Had a good day.  Knocked out 3 miles on the treadmill this morning.  A few short runs in there, but mostly walking. Anxious to get in the pool later this week.  A person can burn more calories in an hour swimming than just about anything.  I am actually looking forward to getting wet.



Our 2nd nights with robots.  Actually it is non-manned studio cameras that fill our studio.  This means some changes in how we do things during newscasts.  After working 30 years with a floor crew it is a lot different.  Our control room crews have been working hard for months to get ready for this, and have done a great job.

The huge downside is that it caused several great people to loose their jobs.  Many were not just co-workers , they were friends.  It happens in all types of industry everyday.  Television is no different.  Sometimes progress has a downside.  I wish them all well.  Job hunting is not easy and many of them are very talented folks.

I have gotten behind in my blogging.  I have a lot going on behind the scenes.  More on that in a few months.

Got up this morning and it was 22 degrees.  Winter forgot to check the calendar.  Fortunately my wife had covered the vegetable gardens so we had no damage. 

Greenhouses always put out tomato plans in February and March, and that causes folks to believe it's time to plant.  It's not, and many are tempted when temperatures bump the 70s and get anxious and put warm weather crops in the ground. 

My wife and I use April 15th as the date for planting tomato plants.  We plan to add a few more 'maters this year.  The kale grew well, but honestly we didn't eat much of it.

Miss Emma did not want to go outside this morning.  Neither did I, so I walked on the treadmill at the Y.  Did 3.01 miles in 1 hour at 2 degree elevation.   Should have done more, but was happy with that.  Plan to eat light for lunch and continue drinking a ton of water.  Have dropped a few lbs. but a long way to go.....

Great workout this morning.  Ran/walked 56:13.  It was about 25 degrees with no wind.  Spent the rest of the day working on the house.  This evening we went out to dinner then attended an ORU basketball game.  This picture was taken before tip off, they had a decent crowd by the time the game began.  We were tired and left at half time.  We've not been to a basketball game in years, and enjoyed it.

 

A good day.  Hit the pool at about 6:30am.  Did 20 laps in 32:45.  Considering that 4 of those laps was with the kick board, that's slow but improvement.

So what's the goal?  1900 meters.  The Y's pool length is 25 meters, so one lap is 50 meters.  That means I need to do 38 laps.  I contend that swimming in the pool takes much more energy than open water swimming like I'll be doing in the 70.3 Ironman.  Open water swimming, especially in a wet suit, will be much easier.  Still I need to work up to doing 38 non-stop laps.  Right now I am stopping to rest too often.  So really a lot of work needs to be done.

Didn't get to exercise today...but had a busy one.

Worked on the house (doing some painting and changing of light fixtures) worked on cleaning up in the garage.  Attended a noon meeting, then a 1:30pm meeting (that lasted almost 90 minutes) then did my shift.  Got home at 11:30pm.  Setting the alarm clock for 6:30am so I can swim in the morning. 

Got up at 5am, couldn't sleep.  Got to the pool at 6am and did 19 laps in about 33 minutes.  Went into work early today because of the snow expected tonight.

Did 2.4 miles on the treadmill.  Had a real busy day.  Going to take a rest day tomorrow.

A super busy day.  Got the wife in for her CT scan early this morning.  Got home in time for a 30 minute walk. Then met with a friend for lunch then into work.  Really wanting to get a swim in, perhaps Friday.

Today was National Weather Person's Day.  I joked with a friend that this is what I wanted.  A handless umbrella.  A silly thing isn't it?  Doubt this thing will catch on.

A lot going on behind the scenes.....

A busy, but good day.  Hit the gym a little late because I took Miss Emma on a long walk.  Did 3.32 miles on the treadmill with 30% of it a slow run. Rushed to work.  Went to an A.M.S. meeting during my dinner break then came home.  A long day.....

My wife has a medical test at 7:30am, so I will not exercise tomorrow but hit it Wed. morning.

A lot going on right now.  I'll be more frank about it in a month, but trust me on this.  Did a little running at the Y this morning.  Knocked out a quick 2 miles.  Felt pretty good. 

A very productive day!  Didn't get to exercise, but made an important decision on our future.  Looking forward to getting outside this weekend and doing some walk/running.  Ate very well today and going to continue to eat healthy this weekend.  Can't wait to get outside.

Had a nice walk on the ol' treadmill yesterday.  Felt good.  Today I am meeting a friend to walk.  He is just starting back, so we will not go far, but my hope is we can motivate each other.  He's a great guy and I'm looking forward to reconnecting with him.

Started writing down my sleep hours, my bp, and keeping a food log.  This will help me continue to focus on my goals. 

Someone reminded me I had not been posting my exercises on my Blogger site.  Thanks.  I haven't been taking a hiatus, just not blogging.  Did get very sick Wed, Thu, Fri of last week but trying to do something every day.





This morning I bundled up and walked/ran in the cold.  Did 55:24 seconds, but I'll confess that most of this was walking.  Looking forward (did I just say that?) to getting in the pool this week and attacking some of this fat.

Swam today.  Did 21 laps in about 30 minutes (forgot to start my watch)  Wasn't pretty but wasn't terrible either. 

The pool is 25 meters, or 50 meters per lap.  Here is the math:

21 * 50 = Not nearly enough swimming.

Have a noon meeting tomorrow, and planning on taking the morning off tomorrow.

Yesterday, I only got in a 35 minute walk/run yesterday.  Right knee was hurting a bit so I backed off.  That night, after OU was outrun, overthrown, and overwhelmed I went upstairs and  lifted weights.  I felt better and slept like a baby.

This morning I dusted off the bike, aired up the tires and braved the chill. I had forgotten how much colder it is on the bike.  Ears and fingers got a bit nippy, but did an easy (almost) 12 miles.  Butt a little sore, but it always is at the beginning of a season. 

Got a late start today at the Y.  A lot going on behind the scenes at work. 

Did a little over 3 miles, but most of it was running, so that's improvement!  Ate well, drank a lot of water, and hoping to get 8hrs tonight.  Going to be a good day tomorrow.......

Kicked it up a notch this morning.  Had hoped to get in the pool, but the pool had lots of seasoned citizens doing water aerobics.  Probably should have joined them.....if I could keep up.

Had a productive morning and looking forward to going to work today.  It's going to be a good day....it's going to be a good day.........repeat until you believe it.......

1-1-13 A cold and gray morning -What great day for a walk!

Welcome to 2013.  For some odd reason, I'm very excited about the changes and challenges this year will bring.   I'm planning on both!

I braved the 31 degrees and fog this morning and walked/ran. So much better than being on the treadmill. 

The watch said 49:12, I would guess about 3 miles. 

Thought it might be fun to attempt to log my miles this year.  These will be approximate, but could be interesting.