Return to the Gym

Finally got back into the gym today for about (1.5) hours.

MCR: Fit in 30 Room, (36:10)min.  Burned: (531) Calories [estimated]. Weight machines: Pectorals and Deltoids work, then some Ab and Back machine work.

Felt good to workout in the gym with the A/C running. I'll have to make sure I go a couple times next week.

Half-Marathon Training: I skipped two (2) of my Easy Runs this week: Tuesday and Friday. Tuesday I was busy in Yosemite, and Friday I was too tired to run in the late afternoon. I am still on target for mileage this week as long as I make sure to do my Long Run tomorrow. I may do it in the morning if I wake up early again like I have the last couple of days. Doing the long run in the morning at 0500-0600 hrs. sounds better than doing it in the late afternoon heat. And I won't have to use any sunscreen in the morning. B-)

I can barely keep my eyes open now. Time for bed.

-L.

Tempo Run 2

Continuing on with my half-marathon training I "ran" my second Tempo Run today.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run #2. Dist: (6.24) mi. Pace-avg: (16:39). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.9)mph. Burned: (692) Calories.

Today's tempo run was planned as: (3) mi. @ (16:02) pace for a time of (48:07), plus a (1) mi. warm-up and (1) mi. cooldown bracketing the tempo run. My (3) mi. pace was (15:41) avg. for a time of (47:01.88). Works for me.

I bailed on the Tuesday Easy Run because I went hiking in Yosemite, and I really didn't feel like I could manage it, especially after eating dinner so late. I would have to run after dark, and I was feeling just a little whipped (and a little sunburned). Though my mind wanted to drag my body out on the path, I had to resist.

My fuel on tonight's run was (1x) pack of Sport Beans by Jelly Belly, Berry flavor (awesome!), (100) Calories; and (1x) GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange, excellent!), (100) Calories.

I also had my hair cut today: Clipper cut down to the skin. My scalp needs some sun, so Lex Luthor, eat your heart out. B-)

Today's Weight: (202.2) lbs.

-Lancer!!

Go Climb A Rock!

2011-07-19, 2212 hrs.

Phew.  Drove to Yosemite National Park today with my Mom and my brother.

Yosemite, Vernal Falls Bridge, Hiking. Dist. (3.91)miles. Pace-avg: (35:17)min./mi. Speed-avg: (1.7)mph. Speed-max: (10.2)mph. Burned: (753) Calories.

The map.

Vernal Falls in the upper right of the pic.

The mighty Half-Dome, the Ever-Popular.

Got back home about 8:30PM, or so, after we stopped at Shangri-La China Bistro for dinner. Very good. And there are left-overs. Even better. B-)

Actually too tired to write much more than this. I'll either expand it tomorrow, or add a separate entry.

-Lancer!!

Gone hikin'

2011-07-18 1700 hrs.

My brother is down for a couple of days, so we drove to Pinecrest Lake to hike around it.

Pinecrest Lake: Hiking. Dist. (2.92)mi. Pace-avg: (25:50)min./mi. Speed-avg: (2.3)mph. Speed-max: (4.8)mph. Burned: (373) Calories. Kinda' disappointing, Calorie-burn-wise.

The last time we hiked around the lake was 2008, or 2009, and I tell ya', it was a whole lot more strenuous then. Back then, I was sweating heavily, very heavily; I weighed about (235) lbs., or so, and was still a smoker. But obviously, I was too winded to actually do anything stupid like smoke while hiking. I was too busy trying to breathe!

Today's fun-fest was sunny, and a bit cool and windy. Starting out in the parking lot, hiking to the damn, over the damn, and up the hilly trail on the other side, was very taxing, despite all my walk/jog training on the fairly flat path in the park. I did not expect to be quite so winded, but I also don't think I was sweating quite so profusely as last time.

The view from the parking lot [northeast-ish].

Looking out across Pinecrest Lake.

Looking northwest towards the dam.

The spillway.

Across the dam, and then up those rocks...

Looking back across the lake. The dam is to the right.

This time,  I have several months of training, weigh in at (202.6) lbs. and have only had a cigarette once in the last two months, or so. On the downside, I only got about (2.5) hours of sleep last night. Yet, again I have slacked off and let my body-clock get out of sync with the rest of the job-hunting world. But I am getting back into the rhythm this week.

Tree relaxing in the water.

The bridge over the river feeding Pinecrest Lake.

Naturally, I took my camera with me, and even shot a couple of short videos with nature sights and sounds. I'll have to edit/tweak those a bit before I post them.

The private docks on the southeast side of the lake.

"Suck in that gut, boy!"

And back to the parking lot.

That's all for now. Although, I was surprised and disappointed to see so many breaks/gaps in the path around the lake when I docked my Garmin. The trees must really interfere with the GPS signal more than I expected, though it might also be due to the auto-pause feature. I need to turn that off and see if it makes a difference the next time I hike around the lake. Maybe I will have to do two (2) laps, rather than just one.

-Lancer!!

Moonlight Easy Run

2011-07-18 0045 hrs.

Tonight I did not get out for my run till pretty late. And since I started the "run" before midnight, I will count it for Sunday, "technically speaking..." be damned.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.39)mi. Pace-avg: (16:41min./mi. Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (701) Calories.

Today's plan called for a (4) mile Easy Run at a pace of (17:50) for a completion time of (1:11:22). I completed the (4) miles in (1:06:04.78) at an average pace of (16:31). I also had a warm-up and cooldown of (1) mile each, plus (0.39) miles of easy walking back to the house.

I was a little surprised to see as many people in the park as I did. Tonight's moon is waning gibbous, so there was plenty of light out to see the bike path. I took my SureFire flashlight (I even checked the batteries before I left the house) and my bike light, so I would have plenty of light if I needed it. The first person I saw was walking across the bike path from the footbridge towards a vineyard. They didn't use a flashlight, and didn't make any noise, but after that I turned off my iPod so I could hear my surroundings more effectively.

The next people I encountered were a young couple just before the first overpass, where the bike path follows the river under the road. I guess they were just there to make out, or something. I had to use my bright flashlight just to make sure I was seeing people, and not shadows. Continuing on under the bridge I followed the path that runs parallel to some neighborhood backyards, and about twenty (20) feet above the park. I thought I saw a cat in the moonlight in the middle of the path and clicked my tongue a couple of times. The cat ran off the path up towards the backyards, but then stopped after about five (5) feet. I shone my light on it, and immediately saw the two vivid white stripes that spell SKUNK! So I killed my light, and kept walking.

While walking parallel along the golf-course section of the bike path I heard voices and the creak and rattle of old bicycles. I turned around and stopped just off the path, turning on my flashlight so they would see me. Happily, they were also using bike headlights, so I'm sure my reflector vest and shoes caught the light, before that. The two girls [judging by their voices] and I exchanged hellos, and we continued on our paths. Once I passed the golf-course and the mid-park water fountain, I turned around for the return leg back home.
 
The only people I encountered on the return leg were two (2) bicyclists without headlights. I had to turn on my flashlight to make sure they saw me, because they were very busy talking. As soon as the light went on, they paid attention and kindly did not run me down. B-)



The park was beautiful in moonlight, but I was happy to get back onto surface streets and see some street lights.
-Lancer!!