Born-Again Runner . . . Sort of

Less than a pound lost

2009-07-26T18:40:00.002-04:00

Bike 38 mins on the Rouge loop

Average weight for the week 231.1 lb, down only 0.4

Riding long again

2009-07-24T21:21:00.002-04:00

Right! Since I'm just getting started again, long is a relative term.

Bike 42 mins to Duffins Creek and back

Let's keep the weight dropping!

2009-07-19T16:33:00.001-04:00

Walk 60 minutes along Lake Ontario with the Missus

Average weight for the week 231.5 lb, down 1.5 lb

Frequent foxes

2009-07-17T23:06:00.002-04:00

Hardly a week goes by on the bicycle path along Lake Ontario that I don't encounter a red fox.

Bike 35 minutes

First paddle in a long time

2009-07-12T19:53:00.005-04:00

I was out on a kayak for about a half-hour this morning, the first paddling I've done since 1990-91. I was sea-trialing the Puffin Saco, a 12-foot folding yak, the next generation following the Puffin pictured.

Average weight for the week 233.0 lb, down 1.0 lb

On the road again

2009-07-10T20:59:00.002-04:00

Just a half hour out on the bike, first exercise since the cold got me a week ago. Tomorrow, I'll paddle a kayak for the first time in almost two decades.

Got to get fit.

Down time

2009-07-05T20:55:00.006-04:00

Darn! Two bicycle workouts and one in the gym and I'm down with a cold. It sure doesn't take much for this 67-year-old bod to break down.

I gotta come back real slow, like every other day for several weeks.

Instinctively, when the cold struck on Friday, I stopped exercise and have laid off the two weekend days as well. Yet studies show a cold is no reason to back off.

Average weight for the week: 234.0 lb

Happy day, Canada!

2009-07-01T22:34:00.002-04:00

Bike 38 minutes to Lake Ontario

Starting anew, again

2009-06-28T22:33:00.003-04:00

First bike ride since the bad crash in May. Feeling real good, despite the layoff.

I'm still around 235 pounds so returning to running is likely to lead to injury and more layoffs. Thinking about returning to kayaking, to work the upper body and arms on the days I'm not riding.

Being told last week that my fasting blood sugar indicates I'm on the verge of becoming diabetic, that was a wake-up call.

Bike 34 to Lake Ontario

Sure sign of Spring

2009-03-16T18:46:00.003-04:00

Saw my first robin today, several, actually, and a beaver or muskrat swimming across Frenchman's Bay.

Bike 38 minutes, getting back in bicycling

Lent: So far, so good

2009-03-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

Average weekly weight: 238.3 lb, down 1.0 from the preceding week

Will Lent help?

2009-03-07T12:25:00.004-05:00

I made a Lenten promise to stay away from coffee, wine and chocolate for 40 days. Coffee stimulates appetite, wine does the same--and adds empty calories, while chocolate is so sinfully caloric.

Average weekly weight: 239.3 lb, down 2.3 (!) from the preceding week
Not that much to cheer about when you consider that three years ago I was 246, as noted in the post spotlighted under Moi at right.

First bike ride of the season

2009-03-06T18:14:00.004-05:00

Zowie! It warmed up the 15C today so it was time for the first bike ride of 2009.

Bike 45 minutes, past nuclear plant and back

Back at it again

2008-12-15T17:23:00.003-05:00

The big magazine project is just about finished so I can return to regular exercise again, with less wolfing down of food, with less drink, and with more restful sleep.

Walk 60 minutes to Lake Ontario

Gorgeous sunset

2008-12-03T17:45:00.004-05:00

At this time of year, the latest I can start a workout is 3:30 p.m. as an hour later the sunset sets, today in a glorious sunset lighting up Lake Ontario in gold.

Three deer nonchalantly watched me ride by near the power station.

Bike 1 hour 4 minutes along Lake Ontario

Wet but not cold

2008-12-01T17:58:00.002-05:00

That was quite a ride, into the wind and rain as the temp hovered a few degrees above freezing. Properly attired, I was just fine, but the dampness did seep through my rain gear by ride's end. In these conditions, an hour out there is about the max.

Bike 56 minutes on the Rougement loop

Deer crossing

2008-11-25T18:12:00.003-05:00

A full-grown white-tailed deer just like this one darted across my path near the nuclear plant. I managed to get another ride in before snow and ice make the lakefront trail too tricky for bicyling.

Ride 62 mins along Lake Ontario

First bike ride in the snow

2008-11-19T20:51:00.003-05:00

That was something! The snow flurries turned heavier along the lake but I had no problem with traction at the slower-than-usual speed

Bike 40 minutes to the Rouge River

Average weight last week: The same old 240 lb

Away boating for two weeks

2008-09-23T00:58:00.001-04:00

Dropped the bike off at the shop for a tune up while I'm away.

Bike 25 minutes, Walk 25 minutes

Love those long rides!

2008-09-21T21:37:00.002-04:00

I enjoy the long rides even more than I used to enjoy the long runs.

Ride 1 hour 32 minutes, 29 km, 18.6 average km/h, 41.5 max km/h

Average weight for the week, 239.67 lb

Weekly speed trial

2008-09-17T20:33:00.003-04:00

I didn't feel much like getting up on the pedals and pushing. Quads felt tight, a sure sign I missed stretching after the preceding ride. Here are today's numbers plus preceding weeks:

Bike 48 mins, average speed 18K, fastest speed 47.5K, distance 15K
Bike 46 mins 50 secs, average speed 18 kmh, fastest speed 45 kmh, distance 15 km, not without changes in elevation
Bike 47 mins 45 secs, average speed 17.5 kmh, fastest speed 42 kmh, distance about 15 km

Like foxes in the night

2008-09-15T21:32:00.002-04:00

On my easy ride along Lake Ontario, I encountered two red foxes, one in Ajax, the other in Pickering.

Ride 1 hour easy

Humid hike

2008-09-14T13:53:00.001-04:00

Must be the influence of Ike, as it's quite warm and exceptionally humid on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Walk 1 hour 10 minutes with SO

Love that long ride!

2008-09-13T08:07:00.006-04:00

The long one is still only one hour and 20-some minutes, but it's fun, it feels good and it will be getting longer as we move into fall. I rode again as far as Cranberry Marsh Hill in 40 minutes, like last Friday, but this time it took me six fewer minutes to get home

While Googling for info on Lynde Shores, where the marsh is, I found this routing for a 100K ride from Pickering to Port Hope. I wonder when I'll be ready for it . . .

Ride 1 hour 24 minutes along Lake Ontario, 25K (16M)

Weekly speed trial goes well

2008-09-10T19:36:00.003-04:00

Bike 46 mins 50 secs on Rougemount route, average speed 18 kmh, fastest speed 45 kmh, distance 15 km, not without changes in elevation

Last week: Bike 47 mins 45 secs to Rougemount and back, average speed 17.5 kmh, fastest speed 42 kmh, distance about 15 km

An easy day on the bike but . . .

2008-09-08T21:22:00.003-04:00

. . . it turned out to be my fastest hour to date. Must have been especially rested because the Wife and I skipped our weekly long walk on Sunday on account of family obligations.

Bike 60 minutes along lakeshore, average speed 19.5 kmh, distance 19.5 km

Ride to windward

2008-09-05T20:28:00.002-04:00

What a difference a wind of 15 to 20 knots makes! I rode as far as the Cranberry Marsh Hill in 40 minutes, but it took me 50 minutes to get home. A great ride, regardless. My legs felt fresh, as I had only ridden once during the week.

Ride 1 hour 34 minutes along Lake Ontario, 25K (16M), 18 kmh average, 41 kmh max

Starting to build the long one

2008-08-29T18:36:00.001-04:00

Bike 1 hour 19 mins, out in 40, back in 39, along lakeshore

Weekly speed trial

2008-08-27T23:24:00.003-04:00

Bike 47 mins 45 secs to Rougemount and back, average speed 17.5 kmh, fastest speed 42 kmh, distance about 15 km

Protecting the manly equipment

2008-08-25T23:08:00.002-04:00

In the last week or three, I have noticed some discomfort in my private parts which I suspect is related to the three hours or more that I'm spending in the saddle every week. Thus, I've been Googling for information to ease the situation.

Bike 64 minutes along Lake Ontario

Hot and humid

2008-08-24T23:02:00.001-04:00

Walk 60 along lakeshore with Significant Other

Average weight for last three weeks: 242 lb

Sensitive to wind

2008-08-22T19:26:00.004-04:00

When bicycling, or running, one is like a sailor, quite sensitive to wind speed and direction. Even a breeze of 5 to 10 miles per hour makes a difference, whether making you work harder when it's on the nose, and helping you along from behind.

Bike 71 minutes, out in 36, back in 35, to Shoal Point on the lakeshore.

Headwind all the way home

2008-08-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

Bike 60 minutes along Lake Ontario

On target at one hour now

2008-08-14T07:47:00.000-04:00

Bike 64 minutes along Lake Ontario

Feels good to be out there

2008-08-08T20:20:00.001-04:00

Bike 57 minutes along Lake Ontario

The target is 60 minutes

2008-08-06T21:51:00.003-04:00

The plan is to work up to 60 minutes of bike riding on each of three days during the week, walking/running for 60 minutes or more with Significant Other on Sundays, and getting into the gym twice a week for at least 30 minutes. The target is to average about an hour of exercise five or six days a week.

Bike 63 minutes along Lake Ontario

Short but hard

2008-08-04T22:17:00.001-04:00

Bike 34 minutes hard along Lake Ontario

Walking with the wife . . .

2008-08-03T13:41:00.002-04:00

. . . with a few jogs for good measure. We've restarted our Sunday morning regimen.

Walk 60 minutes along Lake Ontario

Getting started, for the umpteenth time

2008-08-02T10:07:00.002-04:00

Weight this week 242.6 lb, down 1.2 lb from last week
Need to lose 1.53 lb per week to reach target of 180 lb by my 67th birthday

Broken toe . . .

2008-07-15T23:04:00.002-04:00

. . . but I was able to pedal without much problem in my walking shoes.

But why are my quads so painfully tight later in the evening?

Bike 45 minutes along Lake Ontario

Time to get serious, with 63 pounds to go

2008-07-13T15:17:00.004-04:00

All my travels are done until fall, so back to regular exercise and sensible eating.

Bike 45 minutes along Lake Ontario
Average weight for the first week back 243 lb., up 4 lb since end of May
Need to lose 1.5 lb per week between now and my 67th birthday next May

Back at it . . .

2008-06-22T23:01:00.001-04:00

. . . for the first time in three weeks on account of a magazine assignment that kept me hopping on the road.

Bike 35 minutes along Lake Ontario

All the way to Ajax

2008-05-25T21:54:00.001-04:00

Bike 67 minutes to Harwood Avenue on the Ajax waterfront

Weight not budging

2008-05-24T18:18:00.001-04:00

Average weight for week 239.9 lb, same as last week.
Weight loss of 1.2 lb per week needed to reach target by May 12, 2009

Knees complaining a bit

2008-05-22T22:40:00.001-04:00

Probably from the cume effect of the last three weeks on the bike, pushing a bit.

Bike 44 minutes west along the lakeshore

Feeling good on the bike

2008-05-20T20:49:00.000-04:00

Bike 46 minutes along lakeshore

Does one pull the poles on an elliptical machine?

2008-05-19T19:48:00.001-04:00

That's the question as I start getting into the groove on the Tempo 620E.

Gym 30 minutes

Wind in my face

2008-05-18T20:23:00.002-04:00

That took work on the homeward leg with the stiff breeze out of the west.

Bike 60 minutes along lakeshore to Lions Point, which, I just discovered, will be part of the course for the first Ajax Waterfront Half Marathon.

Weight up rather than down!

2008-05-17T10:36:00.001-04:00

Average weight for week 239.86 lb, up 1.15 lb from last week.
Weight loss of 1.15 lb per week needed to reach target by May 12, 2009

It's Friday

2008-05-16T23:11:00.002-04:00

Bike 46 minutes along the lakeshore

Starting to feel good on the bike again

2008-05-14T23:16:00.001-04:00

Bike 48 minutes along lakeshore just before the rains came

Another birthday

2008-05-12T22:19:00.001-04:00

Man, the years are starting to fly by!

Gym 30 minutes

Excellent ride

2008-05-10T23:33:00.003-04:00

Bike 60 minutes along lakeshore

Average weight for week 238.71 lb, down 0.43 lb from last week.
Weight loss of 1.11 lb per week needed to reach target

Go, go, go!

2008-05-09T20:43:00.001-04:00

What a busy day, but not quite as productive as it seemed.

Elliptical, stationary bike, weights -- 30 minutes

Incredible shorts

2008-05-08T19:40:00.004-04:00

Not really that extraordinary but that's what Sugoi, the company name, means. I bought the Sugoi Neo Pro Short today and took it for a ride this afternoon. I was looking for a short with a bit more padding but all shorts available at Pedal Performance appear to be similar in that department.

Bike 38 minutes along lakeshore

Appetite tough to control

2008-05-06T22:11:00.001-04:00

After a busy day and a good workout, it's tough to eat small.

Bike 36 minutes along lakeshore

Exercise stress test

2008-05-05T14:14:00.008-04:00

I underwent an exercise stress test this morning. My maximum heart rate, according to the chart commonly used, ought to be 155 beats per minute (220 less my age of 65). After 11 minutes on the treadmill, I reached 131 and had to call it quits. Legs were OK but I was running out of breath.

My last stess test was six years ago, after my two bouts with atrial fibrillation, when I was six years younger and 10 pounds lighter. Then I lasted 13-14 minutes and made it to 145 beats per minute. (Then, I reached 90 percent of my max, this morning, it was 85 percent.)

We'll see what all this means when I get with my physician next. This morning, I only dealt with techs.

Certainly, already, there is every reason to get more active, consume fewer bad calories, and lose a pile of weight.

Stationary bike 10 minutes, Weight 10 minutes

A ride into the wind

2008-05-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

Bike 46 minutes along lakeshore

Weighing in

2008-05-03T22:59:00.001-04:00

Average weight for week 239.14 lb, down 1.15 lb from last week. Yeah!
Weight loss of 1.1 lb per week needed to reach target

Keeping at it

2008-05-02T23:25:00.000-04:00

Bike 10 minutes, Weights 10 mins, Elliptical 10 mins

Back at it

2008-05-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

Elliptical 10, Weights 5, Bike 10 minutes

How did I manage . . .

2008-04-30T20:45:00.002-04:00

. . . to miss three--not one, not two, but three!--workouts in a row?

Yech!

Back on pace but . . .

2008-04-27T10:57:00.002-04:00

Back on my regular pace of last season on the Devinci, but the eating and drinking--and thus the weight--continue to be problematic. I have my first stress test in maybe five years on Monday, so maybe that will shake me up.

Bike 44 minutes along lakeshore
Average weight for week 240.3 lb, up 0.2 lb from last week
Weight loss of 1.1 lb per week needed to reach target

Treadmill down

2008-04-25T22:02:00.001-04:00

The treadmill is down so I'm using alternates.

Elliptical 10 minutes, Stationary bike 10 minutes, Weights 10 minutes

Gorgeous day

2008-04-24T23:17:00.001-04:00

Bike 30 minutes along lakeshore

Prayer of the day

2008-04-23T16:56:00.005-04:00

Holy Spirit, enable us to turn towards you at every moment. So often we forget that you dwell in us, you pray in us, and that you love in us. Your presence within us is trust and continual forgiveness.

Prayer from Taize, an international ecumenical community founded in 1940

Photo by John Watson of lightproofbox.com

Back in the saddle

2008-04-22T20:08:00.003-04:00

I was feeling so good today, what with work going well and the weather so great, that I went out harder than I had planned for just my third time back on the bike since last fall.

Bike 30 minutes along lakeshore, 16 km/h average, 42 km/h fastest in a short spurt
Calories consumed 2,200, burned 3,168, deficit 968

Ever onward!

2008-04-21T22:36:00.001-04:00

Walk/Run 20 minutes on treadmill
Calories consumed 1,705, burned 3,113, deficit 1,408

Feels like summer

2008-04-20T22:43:00.002-04:00

Bike 30 minutes along lakeshore

Average weight for week 240.14 lb, no change from last week
Weight loss of 1.11 lb per week needed to reach target

We're launched!

2008-04-18T21:01:00.004-04:00

I missed my workouts yesterday and today but the boat has been launched.

Staying indoors for the walk/run

2008-04-16T20:03:00.003-04:00

For now, I think I'll stay indoors on the treadmill for my thrice-weekly walk/run workout. To get the max out of my 20 minutes. And eventually to also work with weights in the same session.

It's the bicycle time outdoors that I want to build. Walking/running for 30 minutes burns 214 calories. Bicycling at about 15 km per hour for 30 minutes burns 299 calories. That's 40 percent more calories. Get up to 17-18 kmh (which I'll be doing after a couple of weeks back biking) and you burn 385. I'd love to be able to get up to an hour twice weekly and then up to two hours on Sundays.

That would be the way to shed at least a pound per week for the next year--to get down to my high-school weight by my 67th birthday.

Walk/Run 20 minutes

First ride outdoors this year

2008-04-15T18:20:00.003-04:00

Even though it was a short, easy ride, the legs felt a bit wobbly when I finished.

Bike 31 minutes along the lakeshore

I can feel the extra weight

2008-04-14T12:55:00.001-04:00

Whether doing sit-ups or walking/running 20 minutes on the treadmill, I'm conscious of the extra pounds I'm carrying.

Walk/Run 20 minutes on treadmill

This is terrible!

2008-04-14T07:42:00.001-04:00

Too much pigging out over last week, too much wine, too much beer. Hardly any exercise. What's going on with me?

Average weight for week 240.1 lb, up 1.5 lb from last week
Weight loss of 1.1 lb per week needed to reach target

Outdoors first time this year

2008-04-11T22:04:00.003-04:00

Down by Lake Ontario at last.

Walk 35 minutes to recover from Wednesday

Counting calories again . . .

2008-04-09T22:42:00.001-04:00

. . . with the help of FitDay.

Walk/Run 25 minutes on treadmill
Calories consumed 2,010, calories burned 3,168, deficit 1,158 calories

Prayer of the day

2008-04-09T14:19:00.003-04:00

God of every human being, we long to listen to you when you tell us: Rise up, let your soul live! We never wish to choose darkness or discouragement, but to welcome the clear light of praise.

--Taize, an international ecumenical community founded in 1940

Today, it's 60 pounds to go!

2008-04-07T18:09:00.002-04:00

Too much junk food on the weekend while working at the boat yard to get the boat ready for launch.

Walk/Run 20 mins
Weight this morning 240 lb

Still 58.6 pounds to go

2008-04-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

No progress this week. Too much eating.

Average weight for week 238.6 lb, no change from last week
Weight loss of 1.03 lb per week needed to reach target

Spring is on its way

2008-04-03T14:36:00.001-04:00

Soon, I'll be able to get out of the gym and out on the lakeside trails on the bike.

Bike 20 minutes on stationary bike

The best pizza

2008-04-02T18:13:00.003-04:00

In our neck of the woods, that is, Greater Toronto, the best pizza comes from Pizza Nova. Our favorite is the deluxe which means pepperoni, crisp bacon, fresh mushrooms, green peppers, sliced tomatoes, and Spanish onions.

Walk/Run 25 minutes on the long day of the week

Pigging out

2008-04-01T23:06:00.002-04:00

Tonight I made old-fashioned pork roast with browned sauerkraut and roasted potatoes. Diet, wherefore art thou?

Bike 20 minutes

Girlicious!

2008-03-31T19:16:00.004-04:00

I shouldn't admit this, as I'm a gentlemen of a certain age, but I have finally come across a reality show I can watch: Pussycat Dolls present Girlicious.

I hate the reality show concept because it's so superficial and the participants generally so vacant, but I'm making an exception in this one instance. So, you know where I'll be hunkered down this evening.

Walk/Run 20 minutes, Situps 50

Watch those increases

2008-03-30T14:08:00.002-04:00

I'm fighting my natural inclination to add intensity or increase duration of workouts too quickly.

The experts, such as Jeff Galloway, say you shouldn't add more than 5 percent, 10 percent at most, to time or distance.

Bike 25 minutes, an increase of 25 percent over last Sunday

Only 58.6 pounds to go!

2008-03-29T08:06:00.004-04:00

Not a successful week as I gained 0.6 pounds rather than losing at least 1.0. Those three feasts last week must have caught up with me. And there's more feasting scheduled for tonight at Tati Bistro but then I should be able to make progress for several weeks at least.

Average weight for week 238.6 lb, up 0.6 lb from last week
Weight loss of 1.01 lb per week needed to reach target

This week, 25 minutes is a long workout

2008-03-28T18:01:00.001-04:00

Hard to believe that not too many years ago--OK, it was 25 years ago--a long run meant 18 to 36 miles.

Walk/Run 25 minutes

Will there be Spring this year?

2008-03-27T22:59:00.002-04:00

The never-ending winter makes me think I'll never get back outside on the bike.

Bike 20 minutes

Oh, Natalie!

2008-03-25T21:13:00.003-04:00

Gosh, that was one excellent concert: Natalie McMaster and her Cape Breton Friends on Bravo this evening.

Bike 20 minutes

On the stairs

2008-03-24T20:09:00.003-04:00

There was a lady on the treadmill so I headed for the stairwells in our 18-storey condo building.

Stairs 36 flights

58 pounds to go!

2008-03-23T17:02:00.002-04:00

Bike 20 minutes
Average weight for the week 238.0 lb, down 1.14 lb

Good Friday

2008-03-21T20:56:00.005-04:00

Aiming to be good on this holy day, eating no animal products, taking no alcohol, working out, and reading The Biblical World: An Illustrated Atlas.

Walk/Run 25 minutes on treadmill

Close to 20 minutes per mile

2008-03-19T18:22:00.001-04:00

That's my leisurely pace these days, enforced so not to break down again. Better to keep going slowly than to have to stop.

Walk/Run 20 minutes

Wedding anniversary

2008-03-18T21:58:00.002-04:00

Today is our first wedding anniversary. Who would have thought, after 30 years in love and seven years together, that being married would feel so special?

Bike 20 minutes

Restarting gently

2008-03-18T07:43:00.001-04:00

When I see my doctor next, I must ask him why it's so easy for me to come down with a cold by pushing workouts just a bit.

Walk/Run 20 minutes

Only 59 more pounds to go

2008-03-16T23:19:00.001-04:00

Because of the lingering cold, I'm still not back to working out, but watching what I eat and drink.

Average weight for the week: 239 lb, down 1 lb

Drat!

2008-03-12T20:12:00.001-04:00

I've come down with a head cold (nose and sinus), so only heading out for a stroll around Dana Point Harbor.

On the road again

2008-03-10T20:50:00.001-04:00

This time magazine business takes me to Southern California, but only for three days, so I'm hoping to continue the walk/run workouts without interruption. And watch what I eat.

Walk/Run 30 minutes

Sixty pounds to go!

2008-03-09T20:22:00.003-04:00

If I'm to get down to my high-school weight by my 67th birthday in May 2009, I need to only lose 0.979 lb per week. Onward!

Bike 20 mins Weights 10 mins
Average weight for the week: 240 lb, up 4 lb in last three weeks on the road

On the beach, not

2008-03-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

On the treadmill, but thinking of the last 40-minute workout last Sunday on Daytona Beach.

Walk/Run 40 minutes

Feels good . . .

2008-03-06T22:13:00.002-05:00

. . . to be back on the bike.

Bike 30 minutes