Trails for Two

Mark B wrote:Tuesday: 
Rest, trying to not overdo it, since I seem to gain a few niggles when I try to walk every day right now.

Wednesday: 
Fort Loop Walk: 3.22 miles in about an hour. Average HR 116. 
One benefit of alternating days is that I tend to do the walking days at a greater effort level. 

Thursday: 
Weights! 
Yup. I actually lifted heavy things at our condo's exercise room, including:

-Dumbbell bench press, 20 pounds each side, three sets of 15.
-Dumbbell curls, 15 pounds each side, three sets of 10.
-One armed rowing, 15 pounds each side, two or three sets of 10? Can't remember.

After that I went to the machines and did:
Two varieties of lat pulls (pulling down behind shoulders, and pulling directly in) 50 pounds, three sets of 10?
Tricep press up: 20 pounds, three sets of 10.
Leg extensions: 50 pounds, three sets of 15
Hamstring curls: 40 pounds, three sets of 15, I think.

It's funny: My arms were in shock as I did this, and they were very noodly afterward. My legs? They were going, "Oh, okay. Cool. Let's do this! About time you ask us to do something interesting" and were totally fine afterward. Surprisingly unsurprising. 

I also used a yoga ball to do a few prone hamstring curls/bridging.

I had a hard time lifting my arms afterward, which was pretty funny, if somewhat inconvenient while brushing my teeth. 

It took about 35 minutes, and I definitely got my heart rate up for this. I think I want to keep at it, though the last thing I want to do is add bulk. Additional strength and toning, sure. It'll probably be good for my knees, too.

So how did you feel the next day?  DOMS is usually more evident on day 2.  

You and Doug are getting serious about this lifting stuff.

Hope you're staying cool...

Ow. Ow. Ow.

I can’t straighten out my arms. Oops!

So… yeah. Apparently, doing curls to failure is a good way to make your arms really sore. Good lesson, there! Still sore this morning, but not as much. Good thing, because I’m doing a lot of driving right now. 

Which brings to mind:

Mountain Climbing: 4.18 miles with about 1,200 elevation gain in about 2.5 hours. Average HR: 129, Max HR 159

Alec really wanted to visit a national park this summer, but his RA gig scuttled plans to go to the Grand Canyon. We need to take him to school on Monday, so we contrived a day trip to Mount Rainer. None of us had been there before. 

We got up at 4 am to drive there - a ranger warned me that their parking lots are usually full by 8 - and we rolled in at 7:42 and got a great spot. Whew!

None of us are in peak shape, so we opted for a “moderate” hike that still felt pretty much straight up. Alita and I threw in the towel after fatigue really started to build - we knew we needed leg strength for the hike back down to avoid injury- but Alec went on a bit farther, energized by the alpine environment. 

How could he not be? The scenery was breathtaking, with the massive bulk of Rainer looming over us, with all its glaciers, snowfields, ice falls and waterfalls. Not to mention the mountainside covered in wildflowers and dotted with marmots and golden mantled ground squirrels. Pretty idyllic. 

After Alita and I rested a bit, we tried following Alec up a bit more, but I felt my heart rate almost immediately spike and knew that my body was telling me “nope!” I was okay with that. 

On out trip down, we saw the mobs of people who arrived after us. Glad we got up there when we did. Totally worth the early start.

Photos!

Mark B wrote:So… yeah. Apparently, doing curls to failure is a good way to make your arms really sore. Good lesson, there! Still sore this morning, but not as much. Good thing, because I’m doing a lot of driving right now. 

Which brings to mind:

Mountain Climbing: 4.18 miles with about 1,200 elevation gain in about 2.5 hours. Average HR: 129, Max HR 159

Alec really wanted to visit a national park this summer, but his RA gig scuttled plans to go to the Grand Canyon. We need to take him to school on Monday, so we contrived a day trip to Mount Rainer. None of us had been there before. 

We got up at 4 am to drive there - a ranger warned me that their parking lots are usually full by 8 - and we rolled in at 7:42 and got a great spot. Whew!

None of us are in peak shape, so we opted for a “moderate” hike that still felt pretty much straight up. Alita and I threw in the towel after fatigue really started to build - we knew we needed leg strength for the hike back down to avoid injury- but Alec went on a bit farther, energized by the alpine environment. 

How could he not be? The scenery was breathtaking, with the massive bulk of Rainer looming over us, with all its glaciers, snowfields, ice falls and waterfalls. Not to mention the mountainside covered in wildflowers and dotted with marmots and golden mantled ground squirrels. Pretty idyllic. 

After Alita and I rested a bit, we tried following Alec up a bit more, but I felt my heart rate almost immediately spike and knew that my body was telling me “nope!” I was okay with that. 

On out trip down, we saw the mobs of people who arrived after us. Glad we got up there when we did. Totally worth the early start.

Haha...not surprised that the arms got even more sore.     Been there.  Done that!

Awesome photos.  To bad the RA opportunity messed up your Grand Canyon plans but it's nice that you were able to find something to at least partially replaced that trip.  I think the most impressive part is that the three of you enjoy doing things like this together and that you've passed your love of walking/running/hiking on to Alec....and that you and Alita enjoy doing this together as well.  It says a lot about your values and your success as a husband and a father.  

Enjoy the rest of your trip and your time with Alec before you head back home.

Aw, thanks! Alita and I had some spectacular DOMS in our legs after driving home, which made it pretty comical going up and down the stairs to pack the car. Lol.

Mark B wrote:Aw, thanks! Alita and I had some spectacular DOMS in our legs after driving home, which made it pretty comical going up and down the stairs to pack the car. Lol.

Lol for sure!  Probably brought back memories of marathon recovery.  

Not to be outdone...Katie and I stopped at Little Crater Lake on our way home from visiting Mom yesterday.  We hiked out to the lake and continued on to Timothy Lake where we located a nice spot for our lunch break.  Grand total of 3.12 miles.  HR 101  Elevation 22'  I wouldn't call it a hike...maybe a meander in the forest would be a better description.  I'm tapering and it was a rest day and coach Melissa can see everything I do.     It was a really nice break for me.

We met up with 3 adults at the trail intersection.  They had a cooler of water.  Apparently they were providing support for a group of young runners at a camp.  A couple young girls showed up while we were chatting.  The cheerful girl accepted a bottle of water and turned to run back to the start.  The less cheerful girl refused water and headed toward the parking area to ride back.  She did not appear to be enjoying the camp/running experience at all.

Hope the legs are feeling better.

Saw those photos of Mt. Ranier on FB.  Been a long time since I was there.   Shannon and I took a trip out to Grand Teton and Yellowstone back in June after I paced the Casper, WY Half - much fun.

That hike was great, and gorgeous. The hills shredded our quads, which we didn't realize until we were climbing steps in 100+ degree weather in Las Vegas the following weekend.

Yeah. Rainier to Vegas. Quite a contrast. We also crammed in a trip to Pullman to get Alec ensconced in his new dorm in time for his RA training to begin, headed back home, had one day of rest before heading to a trip to Vegas that we kind of had to do because we'd already bought unrefundable tickets for a lot of things, soo... (It's called the "sunk costs fallacy," if you're curious.) Unfortunately, the super-fancy restaurant we were going to lost power just as we showed up, one of our party's feet blistered badly, nerves got frayed and ... well, let's just say it was less than ideal. 

On the upside, Alita and I had a great cocktail one night when we sneaked out on our own. 

Anyway, we're back home how and recovered from our vacation. We haven't done much walking yet (it's been hot and smoky) but I'll definitely be getting back to it once school starts at the end of the month.

Mark B wrote:That hike was great, and gorgeous. The hills shredded our quads, which we didn't realize until we were climbing steps in 100+ degree weather in Las Vegas the following weekend.

Yeah. Rainier to Vegas. Quite a contrast. We also crammed in a trip to Pullman to get Alec ensconced in his new dorm in time for his RA training to begin, headed back home, had one day of rest before heading to a trip to Vegas that we kind of had to do because we'd already bought unrefundable tickets for a lot of things, soo... (It's called the "sunk costs fallacy," if you're curious.) Unfortunately, the super-fancy restaurant we were going to lost power just as we showed up, one of our party's feet blistered badly, nerves got frayed and ... well, let's just say it was less than ideal. 

On the upside, Alita and I had a great cocktail one night when we sneaked out on our own. 

Anyway, we're back home how and recovered from our vacation. We haven't done much walking yet (it's been hot and smoky) but I'll definitely be getting back to it once school starts at the end of the month.

Late checking in...Glad you enjoyed your night out!

I'm in recovery mode from my trip with Abby so I know how you're feeling...

School started yesterday, which means getting up an extra hour early every morning - but it gives me that hour of free time to exercise.

Today, I got out for a walk for the first time in a while. I walked 2.36 miles in about 45 minutes with an average HR of 105. I could feel my cardio going "huh?" as I got started, but the puzzlement went away as I continued. It's my goal to get back to doing this as often as I can. I knocked about 10 pounds off my weight the last time I was at it consistently. I'd like to take off another 10. (More, actually, but I'm focusing on one goal at a time.)

Onward.

Mark B wrote:School started yesterday, which means getting up an extra hour early every morning - but it gives me that hour of free time to exercise.

Today, I got out for a walk for the first time in a while. I walked 2.36 miles in about 45 minutes with an average HR of 105. I could feel my cardio going "huh?" as I got started, but the puzzlement went away as I continued. It's my goal to get back to doing this as often as I can. I knocked about 10 pounds off my weight the last time I was at it consistently. I'd like to take off another 10. (More, actually, but I'm focusing on one goal at a time.)

Onward.

Nice to see that you're out and about.  Nice views for your walk on Friday!  It won't take long for your body to adjust.  I imagine that once you're consistent again the weight will drop without making significant changes in your diet.

Hope school goes well for both Alita and Alec.  It could be interesting...  Will this ever end??

Crimminy, it's been how long since I've posted?

The past couple of months have been much more challenging than usual. I have been dealing with a mass exodus of staffers, scrambling to fill the holes in coverage left by their absence while recruiting and hiring to refill the positions. Sort of like juggling flaming chainsaws while going down the rapids in an open-top canoe, while being attacked by squirrels. Alita's school year turned into a train wreck, so much that she switched jobs to a different school and different type of program. Alec is fine, though, so that's good!

Alita's new job (same school district, still doing special ed, but doing it in a program that provides online learning services) has her starting later in the morning, so this may give us an opportunity to do some exercising together before work. She just started on Monday, though, so we're still working on figuring out times and schedules. Once we settle in, we really want to try something. We still want to do a 24-hour event, but we need to actually get out and move before taking on something that big. 

I need to go back and review your blogs to see how you're doing. Hope it's going well!

---

Oh yes, one tiny running note: We went to the Oregon Coast for my birthday last weekend (and as a reward for surviving the past couple of months), and I took advantage of the beach to do my traditional Birthday Shoes Run! Sure, it was on sand, and it was for only 58 seconds, but it still counts. And it felt good, too. I can build on that. 

Mark B wrote:Crimminy, it's been how long since I've posted?

The past couple of months have been much more challenging than usual. I have been dealing with a mass exodus of staffers, scrambling to fill the holes in coverage left by their absence while recruiting and hiring to refill the positions. Sort of like juggling flaming chainsaws while going down the rapids in an open-top canoe, while being attacked by squirrels. Alita's school year turned into a train wreck, so much that she switched jobs to a different school and different type of program. Alec is fine, though, so that's good!

Alita's new job (same school district, still doing special ed, but doing it in a program that provides online learning services) has her starting later in the morning, so this may give us an opportunity to do some exercising together before work. She just started on Monday, though, so we're still working on figuring out times and schedules. Once we settle in, we really want to try something. We still want to do a 24-hour event, but we need to actually get out and move before taking on something that big. 

I need to go back and review your blogs to see how you're doing. Hope it's going well!

---

Oh yes, one tiny running note: We went to the Oregon Coast for my birthday last weekend (and as a reward for surviving the past couple of months), and I took advantage of the beach to do my traditional Birthday Shoes Run! Sure, it was on sand, and it was for only 58 seconds, but it still counts. And it felt good, too. I can build on that. 

Great to hear from you!  Congrats on the birthday run.  I was quite jealous when I saw you were at the coast!!

Sounds like your life has been quite hectic...hoping things have calmed down a bit for you at work and that Alita enjoys her new job.  Good to hear that Alec is doing well!  I can't believe the labor situation...if we're able to find anyone to hire they work a couple days and then move on.  The paperwork is a nightmare!

Drop in when you can but I totally understand.  I've struggled to keep up with posting here as well.  Marty left for his annual hunting trip this morning so I'm catching up today.

Hope your schedules allow you and Alita to fit in some active time together.  If you need encouragement catch up on Julie's blog and race report.

Stay well.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Crimminy, it's been how long since I've posted?

The past couple of months have been much more challenging than usual. I have been dealing with a mass exodus of staffers, scrambling to fill the holes in coverage left by their absence while recruiting and hiring to refill the positions. Sort of like juggling flaming chainsaws while going down the rapids in an open-top canoe, while being attacked by squirrels. Alita's school year turned into a train wreck, so much that she switched jobs to a different school and different type of program. Alec is fine, though, so that's good!

Alita's new job (same school district, still doing special ed, but doing it in a program that provides online learning services) has her starting later in the morning, so this may give us an opportunity to do some exercising together before work. She just started on Monday, though, so we're still working on figuring out times and schedules. Once we settle in, we really want to try something. We still want to do a 24-hour event, but we need to actually get out and move before taking on something that big. 

I need to go back and review your blogs to see how you're doing. Hope it's going well!

---

Oh yes, one tiny running note: We went to the Oregon Coast for my birthday last weekend (and as a reward for surviving the past couple of months), and I took advantage of the beach to do my traditional Birthday Shoes Run! Sure, it was on sand, and it was for only 58 seconds, but it still counts. And it felt good, too. I can build on that. 

Great to hear from you!  Congrats on the birthday run.  I was quite jealous when I saw you were at the coast!!

Sounds like your life has been quite hectic...hoping things have calmed down a bit for you at work and that Alita enjoys her new job.  Good to hear that Alec is doing well!  I can't believe the labor situation...if we're able to find anyone to hire they work a couple days and then move on.  The paperwork is a nightmare!

Drop in when you can but I totally understand.  I've struggled to keep up with posting here as well.  Marty left for his annual hunting trip this morning so I'm catching up today.

Hope your schedules allow you and Alita to fit in some active time together.  If you need encouragement catch up on Julie's blog and race report.

Stay well.

Thanks, Nancy! The coast was great and the weather was better. We got home just as the weather turned. 

Speaking of weather, I hope this rain and snow we are getting now will help your irrigation allocation. I suspect it was looking grim.

I think we'll be able to carve out time in the morning to work out. Alita starts work later now (she was going in around 6:15), so as long as we don't decide to sleep in every day, it should work. We still need to get our routines established, but I'm hoping that in a few weeks we can get going.

We will probably start in the exercise room. Alita can use the TM there and I can hop on the stationary bike. I could use some low-impact cardio work before we actually get out on the roads. My legs know just what to do, but my heart and lungs are going "Huh? What? Oh, man... REALLY??" 

One piece of good news is that I just sealed a deal to fill our last opening. With two new people coming on board this month, I can finally shift from a recruiting to a coaching and mentoring mindset. I'm looking forward to it.

OK, I'm not dead. Really.

Just been very distracted.

The upside is that, once the weather gets better (it freakin' snowed here yesterday), I will resume walking to work as we begin to peel our bodies off the sofa and get active again.

We will want to do that 24 hour race. Alita wants to get in 50 miles, and I'd like to do a 100K before I crack 60 next year. 

Who knows? Maybe you'll see a Sofa To Ultra blog appearing... eventually. Stay tuned?

Mark B wrote:OK, I'm not dead. Really.

Just been very distracted.

The upside is that, once the weather gets better (it freakin' snowed here yesterday), I will resume walking to work as we begin to peel our bodies off the sofa and get active again.

We will want to do that 24 hour race. Alita wants to get in 50 miles, and I'd like to do a 100K before I crack 60 next year. 

Who knows? Maybe you'll see a Sofa To Ultra blog appearing... eventually. Stay tuned?

Glad you're back...

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:OK, I'm not dead. Really.

Just been very distracted.

The upside is that, once the weather gets better (it freakin' snowed here yesterday), I will resume walking to work as we begin to peel our bodies off the sofa and get active again.

We will want to do that 24 hour race. Alita wants to get in 50 miles, and I'd like to do a 100K before I crack 60 next year. 

Who knows? Maybe you'll see a Sofa To Ultra blog appearing... eventually. Stay tuned?

Glad you're back...

I'll settle for Sofa To Computer blog.

Look at that, Nancy.  The youngster's gonna hit the big Six-0, next year.

You know, Mark, 60 is the new 59.  My, oh, my.  A new age group, to boot!

ounce wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:OK, I'm not dead. Really.

Just been very distracted.

The upside is that, once the weather gets better (it freakin' snowed here yesterday), I will resume walking to work as we begin to peel our bodies off the sofa and get active again.

We will want to do that 24 hour race. Alita wants to get in 50 miles, and I'd like to do a 100K before I crack 60 next year. 

Who knows? Maybe you'll see a Sofa To Ultra blog appearing... eventually. Stay tuned?

Glad you're back...

I'll settle for Sofa To Computer blog.

Look at that, Nancy.  The youngster's gonna hit the big Six-0, next year.

You know, Mark, 60 is the new 59.  My, oh, my.  A new age group, to boot!

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm not even 59 yet!

So, what's been going on since I dropped off the face of the Earth?

A lot, and not much.

Alita is working from home now doing remote teaching with special ed students, which means our bedroom is also her office now. Alec is about to finish up his next-to-last semester at WSU. (He'll graduate in December.) And he's getting excited about FINALLY getting the chance to do the archaeology field school in Peru this summer. Woot!

My work is busy and interesting, with a new crop of reporters coming along nicely and something coming up soon that will be very exciting for us and the newspaper industry as a whole. More on that when it's public.

I swear I was going to get things moving again by starting to walk to work this month, but the day I wanted to start was the day the weather switched from spring to winter and we got several inches of snow, followed by chilly, windy, rainy weather ever since. We're on our second week of it. Now, if I was running, it wouldn't be a big deal. But getting to work damp and chilly and then sitting there for eight hours? Not so much.

Still, I've got a new backpack where I can stash my work laptop, lunch and whatever clothes I need to tote depending on the conditions. I will do this. I just hope the weather starts to cooperate. I mean, we need the rain, but geez.

Mark B wrote:So, what's been going on since I dropped off the face of the Earth?

A lot, and not much.

Alita is working from home now doing remote teaching with special ed students, which means our bedroom is also her office now. Alec is about to finish up his next-to-last semester at WSU. (He'll graduate in December.) And he's getting excited about FINALLY getting the chance to do the archaeology field school in Peru this summer. Woot!

My work is busy and interesting, with a new crop of reporters coming along nicely and something coming up soon that will be very exciting for us and the newspaper industry as a whole. More on that when it's public.

I swear I was going to get things moving again by starting to walk to work this month, but the day I wanted to start was the day the weather switched from spring to winter and we got several inches of snow, followed by chilly, windy, rainy weather ever since. We're on our second week of it. Now, if I was running, it wouldn't be a big deal. But getting to work damp and chilly and then sitting there for eight hours? Not so much.

Still, I've got a new backpack where I can stash my work laptop, lunch and whatever clothes I need to tote depending on the conditions. I will do this. I just hope the weather starts to cooperate. I mean, we need the rain, but geez.

Wow...seems like Alec just started at WSU and he's graduating soon.    Glad he's finally going to be able to do the field work in Peru.  Hope he enjoys it.

Is Alita's remote work a permanent arrangement or will she go back into the classroom in the future?  Her working from home removes your opportunity to walk her to work.

I get your complaints about the weather.  It's been tough to get out there and run...and also tough to get our farm work done...but we need the snow and rain so we'll keep our complaints to a minimum.  Your part of the world is one of the few areas that has average or above moisture/snowpack this year.  Things are looking slightly better here but it's going to take some time to dig our way out of this drought.  This is compounded by the fact that the Deschutes Basin is primarily spring fed rather than runoff fed so the snow shows up in the reservoirs and rivers a year or two after it falls.

Stay warm and dry.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:So, what's been going on since I dropped off the face of the Earth?

A lot, and not much.

Alita is working from home now doing remote teaching with special ed students, which means our bedroom is also her office now. Alec is about to finish up his next-to-last semester at WSU. (He'll graduate in December.) And he's getting excited about FINALLY getting the chance to do the archaeology field school in Peru this summer. Woot!

My work is busy and interesting, with a new crop of reporters coming along nicely and something coming up soon that will be very exciting for us and the newspaper industry as a whole. More on that when it's public.

I swear I was going to get things moving again by starting to walk to work this month, but the day I wanted to start was the day the weather switched from spring to winter and we got several inches of snow, followed by chilly, windy, rainy weather ever since. We're on our second week of it. Now, if I was running, it wouldn't be a big deal. But getting to work damp and chilly and then sitting there for eight hours? Not so much.

Still, I've got a new backpack where I can stash my work laptop, lunch and whatever clothes I need to tote depending on the conditions. I will do this. I just hope the weather starts to cooperate. I mean, we need the rain, but geez.

Wow...seems like Alec just started at WSU and he's graduating soon.    Glad he's finally going to be able to do the field work in Peru.  Hope he enjoys it.

Is Alita's remote work a permanent arrangement or will she go back into the classroom in the future?  Her working from home removes your opportunity to walk her to work.

I get your complaints about the weather.  It's been tough to get out there and run...and also tough to get our farm work done...but we need the snow and rain so we'll keep our complaints to a minimum.  Your part of the world is one of the few areas that has average or above moisture/snowpack this year.  Things are looking slightly better here but it's going to take some time to dig our way out of this drought.  This is compounded by the fact that the Deschutes Basin is primarily spring fed rather than runoff fed so the snow shows up in the reservoirs and rivers a year or two after it falls.

Stay warm and dry.

I didn't realize that your snow-fed water came through springs and not runoff. I guess in one way there's a benefit to knowing more or less ahead of time what your water situation will be, but it'd be disheartening to have a huge snow year and know that you won't reap the benefits for a year or two. Not like we've had many huge snow years lately.

It looks like Alita's job will extend into next school year (we think/hope). She really enjoys this work and hopes it can continue. The walk to work is pretty short, to be sure, but once I start walking, she can meet me on my way home, and during the summer (if we ever get one), she can walk ME to work. Parity!