Old Men and Small Spaces

Sometimes the simplest task brings unexpected complications. My truck came with an auxiliary input, but it is not easily accessible. Still all one has to do is access the wire behind the dashboard. Previously a satellite radio receiver was connected to the input, but after it stopped working, I had nothing working through that access point.

With a lengthy road trip coming up, 12.1 days of music, and 4 days of pod casts in my iTunes library, I have no need to spend my trip scrolling through unpredictable broadcast radio stations when I can make a custom playlist to play each way on the trip. Having all of this in mind, I decided to connect my iPod to the auxiliary input. All I needed was to plug it in, right?

The access panel came of easily and the access to the system was clear. I just had to work my way up under the dash to reach all the wires and move them to a point where I can connect everything. On my first reach I discovered that old men and small spaces do not go well together. To get my arm where it needed to go I had to twist around, grasp the wire, and pull it down.

Twist. Grasp. Pull. Forty-five-year-olds cannot do that without proper warm-ups.

I felt and heard the muscle pull and wondered for a bit whether I would be able to even get out from under my dash. I began to consider how long it would be before a neighbor came by to pull me out. After taking a few deep breaths, I managed to slide out and make it inside to my recliner.

Almost a day later finds me still in my recliner. Fortunately with cloud technology, I am able to work from home and not get too far behind. I am still not convinced that is a good thing, but on days like today when I feel fine but simply cannot move, I think it is a good thing. Especially since I hope to take a day off later in the week to make my road trip.

But to finish the installation of the iPod kit, I think will require a trip to an audio shop with younger people crawling into the tight spaces.

Another Week of Running - Week 4

One upside of food poisoning is the weight loss. I lost ten pounds in a week, but it comes with the down side of almost no energy. On my first run of the week, after not running for a week and a half, I only made it 3/4 of a mile before I was completely exhausted. I walked another quarter mile and tried to run the mile back. This time I only made it 1/2 mile before I could not run any farther.

Probably the worst part of the second stretch of running is that it re-aggravated the pulled muscle in my back. Apparently it was not as healed as I thought it was. I'm going to have to take some time doing other exercises to get more of my core strengthened so I can do as much running as I would like to.

Following the bad run, I decided to start doing some weight lifting and other actions to strengthen the core, but my back kept that from going as far as I wanted it to. I have just been focusing on stretching. Hopefully in a few days I will be back into condition to run again because I truly enjoy it for the health benefits and stress relief.

Another Week of Running - Week 3

The title is unfortunately misleading. Due to a pulled muscle in my back followed by food poisoning, I didn’t get to have a single run this week. Each day not running was more frustrating than the previous as I really looked forward to continuing the progress I had been making.

Not only has the drive been there to do the running, but the weather has been perfect for the running.

The food poisoning turned out to be worse than the back problem I was over the back problem in three days, but the food poisoning has hung on for five days.

Since it is supposed to be in the 40’s when I wake up in the morning, I’m going to do all I can to get up when the alarm first goes off to go out for a run in the neighborhood. Due to the time change, I cannot make it to the trail in the daylight during the workweek, but with a few good runs around my neighborhood in the week, I should be set for some good runs on the trail when weekends roll around (and I’m not working)

No Good Story

Just when I believed I would start setting geriatric speed records as I resumed my running, the entire endeavor ended (temporarily) in a single movement. Age showed itself with a pulled muscle in my back. Sadly, there no good story comes with it.

In fact, the debilitating event came from such a simple action that I wonder just what I could do to prevent it: I leaned over to get a pen out of my backpack and upon straightening up, a stabbing pain began shooting down my back. I could not continue sitting at the coffee shop and had to return home to my heating pad and what pain killers I had.

Two days of heating pads and epsom salt baths and my back feels much better, though my whole body is stiff from trying to move without straining my back. If today continues as I hope, I will run again in the morning.

Though the back pain causes some inconvenience, I recognize that it is just one part of aging, but approaching it with good humor and determination will not long slow me down.

Still, I want a better story than picking up a pen.

Another Week of Running - Week 2

This week I only got in two runs. There were plenty of excuses, but no good reasons. Both runs I managed to get in were great and inspiring and kept my motivation going. I managed to run at least two miles each time with each mile under nine minutes. Each run had me so pumped and I ended them feeling so good that I wanted to continue running.

I once again found my rhythm. I checked my stopwatch, and like clockwork, I passed the quarter-mile makers along the trail, but after over-doing it in my first week, I learned my lesson about that, so had pre-determined how far I am going to run and have been able to do it. Now I have to make the decision to either get up earlier in the morning and do my run then, or leave work early enough to get to the trail, though the time change makes that more difficult.

I need to find out if the track behind the school is lit at night.

Unfortunately there were not more than two runs to report this week, they were good and I look forward to working more in in the coming week.

One Good Run...

...leads to another.

Just over a week ago I decided to stop talking about getting in shape and actually do something about it. The day was one of those beginning of autumn days when we are still amazed at how nice it feels to be outside with perfectly clear skies and a new dry crispness to the air. After stepping outside with my first cup of coffee for the morning, I realized I could not stay inside for the day as had been my plan for relaxing during the day.

A bit impulsively I slipped on my shorts and one of my workout shirts and grabbed the new running shoes I had purchased over a year ago - which had stayed remarkably dust free in my closet since that time. They had been a daily reminder of my lack of motivation to do anything active that I knew I needed to be doing, but now it was about to be, "new shoes meet crushed granite."

I made the few mile drive to the running trail at the lake downtown and after some cursory stretching, I started off at a slow lope on the trail. I enjoyed the scenery and weather so much, I lost track of the distance I had gone and before I realized it, I had jogged two miles non-stop. That made me a little nervous. I had at the most expected to complete a mile and then I would walk/jog the rest of the way around the portion of the trail back to my truck. Now I worried that if I stopped, I would be stuck miles from my truck with no easy way back.

I still felt good, so I stopped to walk for a set distance then began to jog again.  After a short distance, I knew my jogging for the day was done, but I was able to maintain a brisk walk around the trail back toward my truck.

The thrill of the run continued throughout the day. I was ecstatic at how well I had done on my first outing in over a year and at once began to plan for my return to the trail. The When I returned two days later, I did even better after working out the residual stiffness from the first run. I racked up a quick three miles at a pace slower, but not greatly off my in-shape race pace. I was even more excited about a return to the trail.

The next day I actually awaited the opportunity to leave work so I could get to the trail and get in another run.

I barely completed a staggering mile-and-one-half before I stopped ground to a slow walk. I overestimated my body's shape and readiness for that level of activity. Nevertheless, I also recognized the importance of being certain my 45-year-old body is well hydrated before going running because I had had nothing to drink buy my morning coffee that day. I was certain I would turn into a raisin before I made it back to my truck and somewhere I could get something to drink.

Still, I am excited about being back on the active trail and am setting my sites on some upcoming 5K races as a motivation for keeping up the running. Once I have paid the entry fee, you can be certain I will run the race - and I do not want to be one of those people being followed by law enforcement re-opening the streets and the ambulance picking up the race wounded. Another way I am going to work on maintaining my workout routine the pledge I make now to update my workout status each week with my progress in running and anything else I add to my routine to get this old body into the shape it really deserves.

Now to see how many people call me on it if I do not post something some Wednesday.

My New Workout

If I could be fit and toned just by thinking about being fit and toned, I'd be Adonis. The truth is, I don't like to sweat; I don't mind hard physical work, I just don't like to sweat.

The lack of sweat makes it hard for me to get into the physical activities necessary to keep me in shape and my muscles toned. I actually enjoy jogging and wish I lived closer to the great trails here in Austin; were I to run in my neighborhood, the pit-bulls would make short work of me. I have run half-marathons before and survived the sweat, and in my fantasy-fit world, I'll run marathons. I just have to overcome that dislike of perspiration.

As the weather had changed and become generally cooler - highs lower than 90 degrees - allergy season has begun and I'm discovering it may be the answer to my no-sweat workout fantasy. Since the allergies kicked in, I've been coughing non-stop - so much that I didn't sleep the first three days. The coughing has been working my abs more than hundreds of sit-ups. If the ragweed does not clear up soon, I expect to come out of this with a six-pack and without shedding a drop of sweat.

As much as my stomach hurts, I'm surprised this has not been written about in fitness journals. Since I have not been able to find anything about it in the magazines, I should have taken before pictures so I could show off the new-found abs in an after picture beside it.

Maybe I could develop designer nasal sprays with the allergens that make people cough the most. They could make a trip to their allergist, find out what they need and then order online! A few weeks of stuffy misery and you are ready for that new swimsuit. The best part is you don't have to wait for the season to come around - you can have your allergies anytime you want them.

I could retire young and wealthy and known as a fitness guru.

Really, how much worse could custom allergens be than the custom steroids being brewed to stay just ahead of the testing systems?