30 December 2013

Howe Street stairs | alpine skiing

Let's get this out of the way, stairs sucked, I had to pull the plug for the first time in quite a while.

Jim Kodjababian and I had agreed to hit Howe Street today instead of tomorrow since we had missed last week. I shoed up early as usual to do my warm up flights and the first two felt okay but then they started to get worse. When Jim arrived I was still able to maintain a reasonable pace going up but each time we walked down I was going slower and slower and in more and more pain. It was actually Jim that finally said, "Martin, don't be a hero. You are going slower each time, take a break and get better." Thanks Jim.

I guess running yesterday was what did me in.

On the up side Shelley and I went alpine/downhill skiing for the first time in years! We are both super excited to get out in the snow more so it's a bit of a bummer that this winter has been so pitiful in terms of coverage. Still, we went to Crystal Mountain (mostly because it was open) and in spite of the fact that it was raining lightly all day we had a good time.

I felt like a total n00b all day but turns came a little easier by the end of the day. I got in about three solid hours of turns and it was great that we got a discount with our Snoqualmie seasons pass. And my knee tolerated skiing which was a concern of mine. Bonus.

One funny story - I was riding up the chair and this guy looks over at my ancient Rossignol Bandit XX skis and said, "On your rock skis today?" I wish.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
skiing - 10:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - low 40s, overcast, calm
skiing - mid 30s, drizzle, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time skiing - 3 hours
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

29 December 2013

core | neighborhood run

Tried to sleep in, no dice. I seem to be in the midst of another cycle of terrible sleep.

Core was okay by my run was not. It seems my honeymoon of running is over as today my knee started to hurt after three miles and I still had two to go. I ran as gingerly as possible and made it home and I don't think there will be any ill after-effects but it did hurt more than it has in several weeks. Rats.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight 9:00 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food core - water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 8:15 AM
run - 1:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather run - low 40s, overcast, calm
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 30
push-ups 14/14/9
wobble disk 2 min each side
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt, SmartWool cap, Polypropylene gloves

28 December 2013

weights

Man, everything was hard today. It's going to be great when I can ditch this gym stuff and go run in the woods instead.

It also looks like the holidays have caught up with me and my weight is higher than it has been since last winter. Time to reign it in.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 9:30 AM - 186 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 20 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 18 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 18 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 20 - 150 lb.
calf raises 20/18/18 each leg
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

27 December 2013

walk home from Link Light Rail

After a super early start to the day, the flight home, way too much hot re-circulated air, it was awesome to be able to walk home from the Link light rail. Nice that the rain held off for our walk.

Sleep 4
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 10:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Garmin Fenix
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

26 December 2013

Pittman Wash Trail run

It's good to have a staple/known quantity and the run is that. I think I have been doing it for three years now? As a bonus, it's a fun route and could be extended if I was a bit fitter currently and if my knee was in better shape.

It felt like I was going slower than yesterday but turns out my pace was almost exactly the same.

The weather has been fantastic during our stay here. Temps are about upper 40s when I start and around 50 when I finish and then usually over 60 the rest of the day. With the brilliant sun that means shirts off for this NW native.

Today I could feel my left knee just a little, obviously three consecutive days of running is about all I can handle.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:20 AM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short
Technorati Tags:

25 December 2013

Pittman Wash run | urban Henderson ride

This run along and in the Pittman Wash has become my staple when we visit family in Henderson. I usually head out on the paved path and then at my turnaround drop down into the wash and run back on the dirt paths. For an urban trail it's pretty darn fun.

Later that day I went for a little bike ride with Michael Reiter (my brother in law) and his childhood friend and Mike had his first cycling accident. Join the club Mike.

I had a bit too much to drink last night and combined with the dry air here and my inability to be pro-active about hydration meant I was a tad DRY as I headed out.

Yesterday my breathing felt pretty effortless but today it was labored. It's also been ages since I have run so the pace felt just as labored.

But the scenery was great.

ASIDE - funny how dry, rocky and barren can look 'great' when you come from Seattle...

Some other folks were out going for a walk or jog on Christmas and it was fun to wave and get a wave back.

When I hit the sand in the wash my back started acting up. :( That has not happened in quite some time but I'll take that over my knee (which was still doing really well) any day.

As I headed back home I glanced at my watch and couldn't believe I was doing sub 8:00. Maybe that is why my breathing was so labored? And you know, it actually felt really good to be able to make myself breath hard instead of always backing off to let my knee survive to the finish.

After way too much breakfast Mike suggested we go for a ride so of course I was up for it.

I took Shelley's ancient MTB down from the garage roof and outside to give it eh quick and dirty tune-up. Luckily the tires were not rotten so I just adjusted the front brake, aired it up and wiped it down. The derailleurs didn't need anything and the bearing were a bit rough but without cone wrenches there was nothing I could do. Done. I felt like I was riding a clown bike but hey, we were not going anywhere very fast.

Mike showed us a nice bike path and then we dropped down to the Pittman Wash path that I had run earlier in the day. Everything was going swimmingly until Mike stopped had an attention lapse and took a tumble. Oops.

After a little bit of drama and a visit from some super nice Henderson paramedics we slowly got rolling again and finished up. Mike's going to be fine and now he has a war story to tell all his friends.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day run - 8:20 AM
ride - 12:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment run - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
ride - Shelley's old GT MTB, Garmin Fenix
Clothing run - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short

24 December 2013

Amargosa Trail run

I just got the best Christmas present ever. I went for a beautiful run on the Amargosa Trail and experienced ZERO knee pain. I mean my knee was not even on the radar! I kept trying to feel something and there just wasn't anything. Zippo. Nada. Pretty fucking fantastic.
Shelley and I are in Henderson (read: Las Vegas) for the holidays and my brother in law Michael Reiter (who is also a runner) asked me if I wanted to go for a trail run. Normally I would say no thanks these days but on this day I decided to take a chance and just do it. I told him it had to be short in case my knee blew up, he agreed so off we went.

There is a new housing development near his place and with it a new trail. It's up and down and switchbacks up into the hills. We started off really mellow and right away my left knee felt great as in I didn't feel it at all! We kept climbing with a few short descents thrown in and for the first time in a long while I was able to just look around and enjoy the view.

After about 2.5 miles we came to a bridge and another housing development which seemed like an obvious spot to flip this run.

On the way back I didn't hold back so much and tried to elevate myself from a jog on the climbs and on the descents allowed myself to actually run. What a blast! I was constantly waiting for my knee to act up and it just. Didn't. Happen.

After I finished I spent a couple of minutes to read the trail signs and then figured since I felt so great I was going to head back and pick up Mike so off I went again.

Did I mention that it was warm enough to take my shirt off just 10 minutes into the run?

FUN.

Sleep 6
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Workout Food
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day 9:30 AM
Workout Type
Weather
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short
Technorati Tags:

23 December 2013

weights

My knee still feels a bit off (I know, that's the technical term...) so no cardio, etc. For some reason lunges and the leg press do NOT bother my knee. I guess that's good?

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:00 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 5:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 20 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 18 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 18 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 20 - 150 lb.
calf raises 3 x 18 each leg
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

22 December 2013

core

I needed to give my knee a break today.

Core was a bit tough and I was not particularly motivated.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 8:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 30
push-ups 14/14/12
Results  
Time  
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

21 December 2013

Mailbox Peak

Mailbox Peak. What a NW classic.

P1000981

I knew this was probably going to be too much for my knee but when I got the invite from Greg Kauper I said what the heck and rolled the dice. The result? I could feel my knee acting up on the climb and it got really sore on the way down and I was limping around the rest of the day but I survived.

And the hike was a blast!

It took us AGES to get going for various reasons but once we did it was awesome to be out with Greg, Suzie Kauper, Dean Jasper and Laura Miller.

P1000980

It was cool but not cold and the climb (as usual) warmed me up really well. Here's to non-extreme conditions!

On the way up I caught this woman that was hiking pretty quick. At one point she stopped and then so did I to let Greg and Dean catch up (not sure why I was going so fast...) and just after they caught me so did she and suddenly she is telling us all about her her life.

"I just has two shoulder surgeries."
"I used to swim butterfly all the time!"
"I'm just getting back into shape."
"I climb a ton, mostly 5.11."
"I never had any issues with my shoulders and then one day I went into the doctor and this happens...!"

Lady... Please. Shut. UP. Finally she asked to get by us and when we let her she had to tell us that, "This is my first hike in a year so I'm going like a bat out of hell." Lovely, whatever. Did I mention that when Greg and Dean started to talk about back country skiing she started going on about all the places she has been and how good/bad each location was? All without ever being invited into any of our conversations. People are hilarious.

At the top I went to grab my camera for the obligatory summit shot and my heart sank. My camera was gone. I have this ridiculous, elastic pocket on my CamelBak that is 1) pretty stretched out and 2) kind of lame in the first place and my camera was no longer inside of it. Dang.

I was also way later than I wanted to be so these two things gave me a great excuse to say goodbye to this woman and beeline it back to the car. On the way down we met Suzie and Laura coming up and I unfortunately had to excuse myself again because of time.

I was keeping my eyes open but honestly I thought there was no way I would find my camera... Luckily it's orange and as I was hiking/skiing down the snowy trail I suddenly caught a glimpse of something. I literally did a double take and there it was. Nice! That sure made my day.

P1000983

It was so much fun to be out on a trail, wearing my running shoes and to be in the snow!

I have to admit I jogged as much of the descent as my knee would allow; I just could not hold back. The snow at the top was slick and I could sort of ski my way down and it was a little treacherous when the snow was mixed with mud in the middle of the descent but once the snow disappeared the dirt trail was actually not very slippery and I made good time.

So happy to be out and about.

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water, 2 almond butter & jam sandwiches
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 11:50 AM
Workout Type  
Weather low 40s at the start, probably mid 30s at the top
Course  
Results  
Time 2:45? (I started my watch a little late)
Distance 6.5 miles?
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Cascadia 8, Garmin Fenix, my really old CamelBak Mule
Clothing Injinji Run Original Weight Mini-Crew, Patagonia Capilene briefs, 2XU Compression 3/4 Tights, Craft long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve fleece top, Patagonia Capilene 4 Expedition Weight Beanie, Patagonia Capilene gloves, Patagonia Houdini Jacket
Technorati Tags:

20 December 2013

cardio | walks to and from the bus

It snowed last night!

The coolest thing about this picture? All the bicycle tire tracks.

Turns out snow means my usual morning bus does not service my house so I had to walk through the I-90 tunnel to catch the bus I take on the way home. Beautiful!

I tried the elliptical trainer this morning for the first time in a long while and it went okay. No knee discomfort while I was on it but when I climbed off I was just a little sore for a couple of hours. Not sure why walking around and stairs feel fine but this and running feel so not fine?

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day cardio - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course cardio - elliptical trainer - 13 incline, 13 resistance, cadence from 140 to mid 150s, mad heart rate around 157
Results  
Time AM walk - 30 min
Distance AM walk - 1.3 miles
Pace  
Equipment Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

plans change

For the last 1.5 years pretty much every run I have done was done while keeping my 'eye on the prize' as they say. That prize was to run in The North Face Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc or UTMB as it's commonly known.

Now not so much.

Yesterday registration opened up for this event and in spite of the fact that I qualified and that I've been staring at this day on my calendar for one full year I'm not going to enter.

Some history.

Big time races like this have some pretty big time standards you need to meet just to put your name into the lottery.

ASIDE - this race accepts 2300 people and it still sells out.

Two years ago I had just completed my first trail marathon and a few months later my first 50k and so I decided, why not? I like setting goals, working toward them and the sense of accomplishment when you finally reach them. To wit I started running more. So much more that I quit racing bicycles, let my bicycle racing license expire and joined a running club. My weekends were now filled with back-to-back trail runs instead of one run and one ride, I finished a bunch more 50k races and just last summer ran my first 50 mile race and my first 100 mile race - both of which are required to enter UTMB.

As anyone who reads this blog knows, running Cascade Crest pretty much shut me down. I injured my left knee and two false starts later I am just now starting to get active again. Running? That's still a ways off.

Seeing as one of the reasons I might have hurt myself at Cascade Crest is that I ramped up my distances somewhat aggressively considering what my body can handle, I don't think it's smart to do the same thing all over again and most likely drop or finish hurt even worse than I am now.

Does this suck? Oh yeah, big time.

I seem to have put all my emotional eggs into the UTMB basket and now I need to come up with a Plan B. I'm sure I'll be able to do it, but it will take time. And for some dumb reason I feel like I'm running out of that precious resource.

19 December 2013

core | walk home from bus stop

Core at the gym this morning.

There were a bunch of brand new medicine balls available and so I decided to skip the usual 12 lb. ball that I usually use for one exercise and try the new 15 lb. ball. Three pounds is a big difference!

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 185 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 15 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 30
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

18 December 2013

weights | hot yoga | walk home from bus stop

It's all about the gym baby! Seriously, I seem to be getting here more regularly than I have in ages.

Weights this AM, some Breathe Hot Yoga after work and then my usual walk home.

It sure has been a DRY winter so far in that I have not needed a raincoat for this walk since I can remember.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:30 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day weights - 5:15 AM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 20 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 18 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 18 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 20 - 150 lb.
calf raises 3 x 18 each leg
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time weights - 60 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

17 December 2013

Howe Street stairs | walk home from bus stop

Stairs baby! Sheesh, it's hard to get much better at these when it's the only aerobic activity that you do. Still, how great to have this resource handy AND that it does not seem to set my knee back.

Got in my usual five warm-up laps and then met Jim Kodjababian for '10' more. I put the 10 in quotes because two of our runners were actually one flight where we went up two sections, down one, repeat to the top.

With just one flight to go we met John Colver! That brought back memories as both Jim and I used to frequent his outdoor exercise classes with adventx. It was nice to see him.

My knee squawked a tiny bit but it actually got better as the workout continued and there were no ill effects after.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 184
Body Fat 10
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - 40, calm, foggy
Course  
Results  
Time stairs - 1:07
Distance stairs - 2.9 miles (14.5 flights)
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing stairs - Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Craft long sleeve undershirt, Brooks Podium LS shirt

16 December 2013

core | hot yoga | walk home from bus stop

What an amazing sunrise this morning! I tried to take pictures and all of them didn't do the spectacle justice but it was fantastic.

I got my core routine done, worked all day and managed to hit Breathe Hot Yoga on the way home. That felt good.

Then, because my knee was feeling surprisingly healthy I took the steps up and over the ridge while walking home. This sure is a cool route.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:15 AM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 40s, dry, calm
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lift each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 30
push-ups 14/14/12
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 50 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  
Technorati Tags: ,

15 December 2013

weights

I kept going back and forth about doing something outside and eventually I decided to exercise indoors as I had lots of things to do at home.

On the plus side I increased the reps a bit today and boy was it noticeable. :) And boy was it tough to stay on the wobble disk after I toasted my legs.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 10:30 AM - 182 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 20 each leg - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 20 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 18 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 16 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 20 - 150 lb.
calf raises 3 x 16 each leg
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

How to sync the Windows Live Writer Drafts and Recent Posts folders with OneDrive (SkyDrive)

I love Windows Live Writer! This blogging program is part of Windows Essentials 2012 and I sure hope Microsoft updates continues support, for this one Essentials app at least. I also use several different computers (read: 'devices' in the mobile age) and really appreciate being able to save a draft on one device and then open it and finish it up on another. Oh sure, you can use the web interface of your blog to compose all of your blog posts and save drafts to the blog but Windows Live Writer makes so many things way easier and there are some really useful plugins to boot.

OneDrive, formerly known as SkyDrive (or any cloud storage service like Dropbox, Box, etc. for that matter), lets you easily sync files and folders on your computer to the cloud and when you sign in on multiple devices, to those devices as well.

Back in the day, syncing my Drafts and Recent Posts folders to the cloud was easy. I used to use Windows Live Mesh until that went away. Then I used SugarSync until they discontinued their free offering. Then I used SkyDrive and now Microsoft has re-branded it as OneDrive.

Well I want to have my cake and I want to eat it too and with the help of some smart people I finally figured out how.


This post is specifically about using OneDrive but you can substitute any cloud storage service that let's you sync local folders and lets you do so from multiple devices. This post also assumes that you have already installed and are using Windows Live Writer.
  • If it's open, close Windows Live Writer.
  • If you are using Windows 8 or 8.1, be sure you are logging in with your Microsoft account and then either tap/click the OneDrive app and authenticate or if you are using an older version of Windows get the OneDrive app and install it.
NOTE - if you do not have a Microsoft Account to log into OneDrive with you can use any existing email address and you do not need to create a new Hotmail, Outlook.com, etc. account.
  • Once you have Windows Live Writer installed and configured confirm that you see this folder here which contains your Drafts and Recent Posts folders:
C:\Users\<your_user_name>\Documents\My Weblog Posts
  • Once you have OneDrive installed confirm that you see this folder here:
C:\Users\<your_user_name>\OneDrive
  • Move (don't copy) your My Weblog Posts folder to the root of your SkyDrive folder.
  • Launch regedit.exe and browse to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Live\Writer
  • Right click on the Writer folder in the left pane and select New > String Value
  • Name the value PostsDirectory and then double click it to edit the Value data field.
  • Enter the path to where you moved your My Weblog Posts folder:
C:\Users\<your_user_name>\OneDrive\My Weblog Posts
  • Close regedit and reboot.
Now when you open Windows Live Writer you should be able to access all of your drafts and recent posts and they will be getting synced to OneDrive (or the cloud service of your choice). Finally, connect the cloud service of your choice to another computer, perform the same registry hack on that other computer and all your Windows Live Writer content will always be available on each device.

Thanks to Larry Henry Jr. for the registry hack.

14 December 2013

Howe Street stairs

Boom!

Another solid hour at my beloved Howe Street stairs. Two great things about today, 1) my knee held up and 2) it's warmer out! No longer do I need to wear a hat and gloves.

Interestingly I was freaking FREEZING this morning at home and in the car on the way there. Like heater on 11 freezing. But of course it only took about two flights and then I was fine. My body sure shuts down at times.

17 flights again, that seems to about what I can squeeze in for 60 minutes. When I'm alone I don't seem to be able to muster the will to run any flights but I am walking these pretty fast and my pace is really consistent.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/1 scoop HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 1:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather upper 40s, dry, calm
Course Howe Street
Results  
Time 1:00:48
Distance 2.7 miles (17 flights)
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
Clothing Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium LS shirt, Brooks Podium SS shirt

13 December 2013

core | Expresso exercise bike | walk home from bus stop

Core in the AM, a little trainer action at lunch and then the usual walk home.

I had planned on hitting up Breathe Hot Yoga on the way home but turns out the 5:45 class that I am used to attending was not offered today... not sure if this is the deal every Friday but there I was staring at a locked door. I would have had to wait until 6:30 so just went home.

I was able to go a little longer on the trainer today but still not very far. At least I'm making some progress.

Expresso_2013-12-13

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:15 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
leg extensions 100
back extensions 3 x 40
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 25
push-ups 14/14/14
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment trainer - Expresso exercise bike
Clothing  

12 December 2013

weights | walk home from bus stop

Back to the leg weights. My PT (Neal Goldberg at FootWorks PT) is encouraging me to maintain some strength in my legs while running is off the table. It's a bit hard to get excited about lifting these days to be honest but I am not trying to move any heavy iron so that helps me check the box.

After work I walked home from the bus again.

Sleep 6
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day weights - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 15 - 75 lb.
incline leg press 3 x 15 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 15 each leg - 70 lb., 2 x 15 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 15 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 15 - 165 lb.
calf raises 3 x 15 each leg
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time weights - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

11 December 2013

core | lots of walking

Haven't been doing any core for a while so I got back at that this morning at the gym.

Then I walked to my knee doctor (Neil Roberts) and after work I walked home. For me right now that is a lot of walking! My knee got a little sore on the way to doctor and didn't feel much better in the evening. Crap.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day core - 5:30 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
plank 4 min, 2 min each side w/3 x 20 sec leg lifts each side
twisters 50 each side - 12 lb.
back extensions 100 [Yeah! Finally...]
hip raisers 60
fire hydrants 60 each side
side leg lifts 60 each side
clam knee lifts 60 each side
roman chair leg lifts 25
push-ups 14/14/12
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time core - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walks - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

10 December 2013

Howe Street stairs | Expresso exercise bike | walk home from bus stop

Nice. Today went much better than last week. Last week I had purposely tired myself out because I knew Jim Kodjababian was going to be tired from his power test but this week I came off of a rest day and I felt way, way better. Four runners this week, next week it gets serious with five.

Not much sleep but my left knee hardly complained. Of course I almost asphyxiated after the last runner but hey, my legs were fresh enough to be able to go that hard. My glass is half full.

I took a new pair of shoes out for a spin on the stairs today and they felt great! I got the Brooks Glycerin 11 just last night from Fleet Feet Sports; I was looking for a durable, meat-and-potatoes trainer and they seem to fit the bill. And they're comfy.

At the IMA I was hoping for two short trainer sessions but my knee piped up after just one so I pulled the plug. Hey, at least I am pulling the plug instead of forging ahead.

It is still COLD in Seattle. man. Too bad there isn't any precipitation, I love the snow.

Expresso_2013-12-10

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
trainer - 12:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 20s, dry, calm
Course stairs - Howe Street
Results  
Time stairs - 1:05:09
Distance stairs - 2.7 miles (14 flights)
Pace  
Equipment stairs - Brooks Glycerin 11, Garmin Fenix
trainer - Expresso exercise bike
Clothing  

08 December 2013

Howe Street stairs

Nice, obviously I can't get enough of these stairs. :) Truth be told, stairs are an incredibly efficient way to workout. And you don't need a boatload of gear. So I got this done and was pretty psyched to get in 17 flights in one hour.

The hour was my goal and after 40 minutes I could feel my left knee start to complain but it did not get back so I carried on and in retrospect I think it was okay that I did.

Could this be the first sign that I am getting better? I hesitate to even say the words.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 10:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather mid 20s, dry, calm
Course  
Results  
Time 1:01:08
Distance 2.6 miles (17 flights)
Pace  
Equipment Brooks Launch, Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

07 December 2013

hot yoga

Too tired to go to the gym in the AM and not enough energy to do anything outside so I went to Breathe Hot Yoga. Glad this is conveniently located.

Sleep  
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food  
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day 9:00 AM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course  
Results  
Time 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  
Technorati Tags:

06 December 2013

weights | Expresso exercise bike | stretching | sauna

I was (naively?) hoping to get in more than just one short session on the trainer today but after the first one my knee was not happy so I called it quits. Oh well.

I did lift some weights at the gym so it's not surprising that two days of weights plus one day of stairs is all I can handle. Since I had time I did some dedicated stretching and then hit the sauna.

Expresso_2013-12-06

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 6:15 AM - 184 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day weights - 5:30 AM
trainer - 12:00 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
barbell lunges 3 x 15 each leg - 75 lb.
incline press 3 x 15 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 15 each leg - 90 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 15 - 155 lb.
leg curls 3 x 15 - 150 lb.
calf raises 3 x 12 each leg
wobble disk 2 min each leg
Results  
Time weights - 45 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment  
Clothing  

05 December 2013

Howe Street stairs | walk home from bus stop

Some day I need to write an ode to Howe Street... I have been working out on these stairs for SO many years. Back in the day it was for skiing, then cross training for cycling, then for running and now because it's the closest thing to running on roads/trails that I can manage with my IT band injury.

Met up with Jim Kodjababian again after my warm up flights and today we did eight together alternating walking two at at time with running two at a time.

Holy crap were my legs noodles after yesterday... I managed to finish but I was barely running by the end.

After work I walked home again. Someday I'll be able to commute on my bike again.

Sleep 7
Waking HR  
Body Weight 7:15 AM - 183 lb.
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food stairs - large bottle w/2 scoops HEED
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day stairs - 5:40 AM
Workout Type  
Weather stairs - low 20s, calm dry
Course  
Results  
Time stairs - 59:14
Distance stairs - 2.4 miles (13 flights)
Pace  
Equipment Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

04 December 2013

weights | Expresso exercise bike | hot yoga | walk home from bus stop

This week Jim Kodjababian had asked me if we could move our stair workout to Thursday as he was doing a FTP test on the trainer today and wanted to be fresh. That was no problem for me and in an effort to be similarly tired I tried to work hard today.

Weights in the AM, trainer session at lunch and yoga after work to top it off.

Expresso_2013-12-04

Everything went pretty well except at Breathe Hot Yoga I ended up directly under a heat lamp and kind of cooked myself. I felt positively wilted during class.

Sleep 5
Waking HR  
Body Weight  
Body Fat  
Breakfast  
Lunch  
Dinner  
Workout Food water
Injuries  
Therapy  
Time of Day weights - 5:30 AM
trainer - 12:00 PM
yoga - 5:45 PM
Workout Type  
Weather  
Course
lunges 3 x 15 - 65 lb.
incline press 3 x 12 - 180 lb.
donkey kick 3 x 12 - 70 lb.
leg extensions 3 x 12 - 135 lb.
leg curls 3 x 15 - 135 lb.
calf raises 3 x 12 each leg
Results  
Time weights - 30 min
yoga - 60 min
Distance  
Pace  
Equipment walk - Garmin Fenix
Clothing  

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