5 Mile Walk/Jog Today, Tomorrow...Who Knows, Minnesota Weather Strikes Again!

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 20:34:11 EST

Just got back from a nice 5 mile walk/jog. Making good progress, and most importantly enjoying the time being outside, getting in shape, and singing to the Lord--yep, I don't care what people think, I sing out loud as I'm jogging!

I had planned to do some bike riding over the next few days, but it looks like we may get several inches of snow up here in balmy Minnesota. You never know until it happens around here, but if that happens, I'll just go to the gym, no big deal.

The Plan for the Week

Mon, 8 Apr 2013 11:23:48 EST

Thankful for a good week of training last week, and looking forward to another one this week. Here's the plan:

Monday: Day off, rest day.
Tuesday: 5 mile walk/jog (1.5 minute/3.5 minute intervals)
Wednesday: 10 mile bike ride (cadence workout)
Thursday: 22 mile bike ride (cadence workout)
Friday: 10 mile bike ride (recovery ride)
Saturday: 7 mile walk/jog (1.5 minute/3.5 minute intervals)
Sunday: 10 mile bike ride (recovery ride)

You...

10 Mile Recovery Ride Today

Sun, 7 Apr 2013 21:11:07 EST

Had a nice 10 mile recovery ride this evening, no snow in Minnesota today! Day off tomorrow, and then a 5 mile run on Tuesday followed by a few of days of bike riding and then a 7 mile run on Friday or Saturday. Had a good week, looking forward to a better one next week--but for now, it's off to rest!

10k Today

Sat, 6 Apr 2013 22:17:55 EST

Did a 10k today in my neighborhood. It was about 42 degrees out which I actually enjoy. Listened to some good worship music, tried out Map My Run's mobile app for the third day in a row and I love it! Mostly, I made a little more progress toward the big day--Grandma's Marathon on June 22!

Update on Marathon Training--Oh, and I Rode my Bike in the Snow Today!

Fri, 5 Apr 2013 17:58:34 EST

Yes, it is Minnesota after all! Took a 10.5 mile ride today, and for about half the ride it was actually snowing. At one point I was cruising along at about 28 mph and the snow was driving hard into my face (it was that little pea like snow)--I couldn't help but smile huge!

Anyhow, I haven't been on SP everyday, but I have continued to prep for the Marathon on June 22. Yesterday was 5 miles, today a 10 mile bike ride, tomorrow a 10k, and then Sunday a recovery ride or walk. It's g...

Emergency Dental Surgery and Marathon Training

Fri, 8 Mar 2013 22:20:13 EST

Wow, what a day. It started with a toothache at about 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Well, it started with a bad tooth about 1.5 years ago, but unfortunately my wife and I were going through some serious financial difficulties and we simply couldn't afford dental procedures (we had no dental insurance). So it chipped away and chipped away, and eventually broke down to the gum. Recently things have turned around for us, and among other things we now have dental insurance, so I was pla...

Marathon Training Week 3: Workout 1

Tue, 5 Mar 2013 20:43:34 EST

Had a good one today, 3.5 mile walk and a full-body workout. Day by day my body is getting stronger, my mood is getting better, and my energy is increasing. So thankful to be back in the saddle, and looking forward to a 5 mile jog-walk tomorrow, either early in the morning or at 1:00 p.m. I'd prefer the latter, but we'll see...I may have to get the gym super early instead.

Hope you all had a good one!

Marathon Training Two: Workout Four

Fri, 1 Mar 2013 19:06:15 EST

Did a very mellow 3 mile walk today, took me a little over an hour. I had planned to take today as a day of rest but decided, for a couple of reasons to do this instead, and I'm glad I did. Tomorrow or Sunday I'm set to walk/jog for 5 miles, hopefully tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to that, although I wish it was warmer outside. Not sure if I'm going to brave the temps or stay indoors, we'll see!

Hope you all had a great day!

Marathon Week Two--Workout Three

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:35:50 EST

Great workout today. Started with a fairly mellow 1.5 walk, then completed a full-body workout (about 30 different exercises), and finished up with 30 min on the elliptical. Feels so good to be back in the groove!

Tomorrow I'm taking a day of rest as planned, and then Saturday it's a 5 mile jog/walk. Hope you all had a great day, God bless!

Marathon Week Two--Workout Two

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:37:34 EST

Last week I was scheduled to complete six workouts of various lengths and intensities, and bottom line, it was just too much too soon. So I completed five of them but then made the good decision to rest on that sixth day when my body was begging for some recovery time. The next day was my day off, and then yesterday I was to complete another workout which I also decided to forego. This was not a lack of discipline but a calculated decision to let my body heal a bit from too quick a start last...

Marathon Week One--Workout Five

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 22:15:38 EST

Just got home from workout five--a quick 10 minutes on the elliptical, full-body workout, and then two miles walking. I was tired after a very long day of work, but I did it. I'm more tired now, but I'm glad I did! One more to go for week one, and then it's a well deserved day of rest on Monday.

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and support, it means so much.

God bless you all,
Charlie

Marathon Week One--Workout Four

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 08:40:54 EST

Easy one yesterday, simple 3.1 mile power walk. Since I'm just getting back into the swing, I decided not to jog at all to this point, and won't do so later today either, but rather just to walk at 3.5-4.0 mph and then save jogging for tomorrow when I'm scheduled to complete a four mile jog. I'll still have to do intervals though because I can't jog for four miles right now, but that's okay.

As for today, I'm off to a prayer meeting, some other work, and then eventually a 2 mile wa...

Marathon Week One--Workout Three

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:41:39 EST

Good workout today. Quick 10 minutes on the elliptical, full-body workout which includes around 30 sets on various machines plus free-weights (takes about 30 minutes to complete), then a brisk 2 mile walk.

The best part? I felt that "killer instinct" again today and feel so glad that my body is responding so quickly to being back in the game. Makes me hungry for more!

Tomorrow--5k walk-jog and that's it. Look forward to it. Hope you all had a great day!

Marathon Week One--Workout Two

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:34:33 EST

Simple workout today: 3.1 miles, did it nice and slow, enjoyed myself, and feeling great to be back in the habit of daily workouts. Tomorrow an easy two miles plus a full-body workout, can't wait!

Day One, Workout One

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:52:37 EST

Had a good workout this evening, though it's a little deflating to be so out of shape. Last year I could have done the workout I just did three times and not feel as "worked out" as I do right now. But oh well, that was then, this is now. One down, 105 left to go!

Tomorrow? Simply 5k walk/jog and that's it. It's very cold in Minnesota right now, wind chills reaching -20 or lower, so I'll definitely be doing this one on the treadmill. Soon enough, it'll be outside day after day--ca...

Marathon Training Plan--Week One

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:03:57 EST

Well, here we go! Had a good week last week, and now the first week of the marathon training plan begins. I took this from the event site and modified it according to my needs, so with that here's the plan for this week:

Event: Grandma's Marathon (Two Harbors to Duluth, Minnesota)

Date: June 22, 2013

Goal: To finish in 5 hours or less

Week One Plan:
Monday--Day Off (always good to start training with a break!)
Tuesday--Walk 2 miles, ...

Starting Again--Again! Help!

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:36:12 EST

I hesitate to write this blog. My exercise life has been out of whack for almost 6 months now, the longest stretch since late 2008, and that is not good. I have put a little weight on, but not too much, the bigger issue is that my fitness level is very low and I know how much work it will take to get that back.

That's not what's actually causing the hesitation, though. What's causing the hesitation is that I've had several fits and starts over the last few months, and yet I haven'...

Training to get ready for my marathon training plan

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 08:53:07 EST

Earlier this year I jogged in the Maple Grove Half Marathon (Minnesota), after which a friend of mine persuaded me to join him at the Grandma's Marathon in northern Minnesota (Two Harbors to Duluth) in June of 2013. I downloaded the marathon training plan from the Grandma's site, but the issue is that I have to train in order to get ready for the training plan!

They start you off slow as far as daily miles go, but they have you jogging/running six days per week, and right now ther...

Racing with the Pros in the Tour of Beijing!

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:05:08 EST

I'm not much of a techy so I don't understand why this has happened, but I'm so grateful that You Tube now has so many videos lengthier than 10 minutes. And in particular I'm grateful for the many awesome cycling resources that are there, among which are a series of 50+ minute recaps of the 2012 Tour of Beijing.

So it's winter in Minnesota--and praise God we finally have lots of snow--which means I spend lots of time on the indoor bike trainer at this time of year (Cyclops Fluid)....

Car Situation is Not Good, but the Lord Works all Things Together for the Good!

Fri, 9 Nov 2012 07:33:51 EST

A few months ago the engine on our main car started making knocking noises which, without going into the details, means that we have to change the engine. Since it's a 2008 Hyundai Sonata and we still owe plenty of money for it, we really have no choice, but the change will cost around $4,000-5,000 which we don't have--not even close.

Our other car, a 1990 Honda Accord that has 250,000 miles on it, became our "good car." In fact, I joked that I was going to get a bumper sticker th...

Feels good to rest

Tue, 6 Nov 2012 08:44:06 EST

I've been working a lot over the last few months, all good but lots of hours. I was finally able to take an extra day off this week and it sure feels good! One day off down, one to go, and then back to it tomorrow bright and early--I have a 5:30 a.m. meeting!

Rest is good and an important part of health, so I hope to find a better balance in the coming months. Until then, I'm off to enjoy my day today!

The Definition of Abortion

Mon, 5 Nov 2012 10:03:08 EST

I went to the Health Tab on SP today and found this definition of abortion: "Abortion is the removal of pregnancy tissue, products of conception or the fetus and placenta (afterbirth) from the uterus."

"Pregnancy tissue...products of conception"? Otherwise known as a human being. Abortion is the termination of the life of a human being, 3,300 every day in the US alone. Oh that we would stop deceiving ourselves by using antiseptic language to excuse our sin. Grace abounds for all w...

Tight on Money, Good for the Calorie Intake!

Mon, 5 Nov 2012 09:23:30 EST

My wife and I are going through some hard financial times. We'll be fine, the Lord is on our side and He'll provide for all of our needs, but for the moment the provision has been just what we need. The number one area where we can save money is food so we've been stretching our food as far as possible, which has actually been pretty fun. And as a fringe benefit, this has allowed my calorie intake to go down by 200-300 per day which is good for me right now. I haven't been able to exercise as...

Feels good to Have a Little DOMS

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 17:34:20 EST

Gym season has begun, so I've completed a couple of full body workouts and it sure feels good to have a little Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) in my abs and glutes. I've been completing high-rep, low-weight sets, so I'm not too sore, but a little is just right--let's me know I've worked out, encourages me to hit the gym again, and yet doesn't slow me down!

Not sure if I'm going to be able to be back in the gym tomorrow as my day's kind of off the hook, but we'll see. One way ...

Running Goal for the Fall? 5K in Sub-30 Minutes!

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:59:21 EST

Worked out at the gym today and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the last 30 minutes when I walked and ran five intervals of one minute at a 9:40 pace (6.2 mph). The plan for the next 10 weeks or so, as far as running goes, is to complete a 5K in less than 30 minutes.

So I'm using the CP25K program again to make this happen. But since I've just returned to jogging/running after a couple of months away from it (due to cycling season), I'm starting with two weeks of "Pre-CP25K" in ...

Gym Season has Begun!

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 08:38:40 EST

Yes, I have a "gym season." My main fitness passion is cycling and during the months of May-July it so dominates my free time that I am unable to ride and go to the gym, not to mention that at a certain point we reach peak performance by focusing our efforts rather than diversifying them. The pinnacle of cycling season is always the last full week of July, for that is when The Ride Across Minnesota takes place. Now that that's behind me, and I've had a few weeks of active recovery, I'm ready ...

Back to Sparking!

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:54:16 EST

Not sure if I got bored with it, too busy to handle everything or what, but whatever the reason, I took a break from SP for a while. I'm back now, and glad to be back!

Since I last blogged, (1) I finished my training regimen for The Ride Across Minnesota [TRAM] with some modifications because I was too busy to ride as much as I had hoped, (2) I finished the TRAM with an average speed of 16.55 mph [250 mile ride], and (3) commenced "gym season" which I'll blog about later.
<...

TRAM Training--Week 2, Day 3

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:51:12 EST

I could tell as soon as I got up today that I didn't have it in me to ride well. I have been insanely busy over the last few weeks and haven't been able to train, eat well, and rest as I have desired, and today it showed. In addition to that, I went cold-turkey off caffeine starting Sunday and after weeks of being on it my body is definitely feeling the effects. It's a good move, as I really should avoid caffeine everyday for the rest of my life, but sometimes I look to things other that the ...

TRAM Training--Week 2, Day 2

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:30:27 EST

Good ride today, 36 miles of rolling hills. It was hot and humid so that slowed me down a bit, as did the wet conditions on the bike path I took for about 14 miles, but all in all it still went well and I came in at 17.5 mph. Last year I hit 18.5 on this route but my Achilles has been a bit tender and I don't want to re-injure it so it was best to take it easy.

Tomorrow, a 28 mile course with seven longer climbs. Not too long, about 1.0-1.5 miles each, but it's the best I can do i...

TRAM Training--Week 2, Day 1

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 20:45:26 EST

Today I began a second week of more intense training for my annual bike ride, The Ride Across Minnesota or TRAM for short. The idea this week is to take all the pieces I've been working on and put them together in five consecutive 30+ mile rides.

So today I went out for 30.4 miles on a basically rectangular route, with 15-20 mph SE winds. The first 8 miles were into the wind, the next 16 miles were with cross-tail winds or tails winds, and the final 5.5 miles were back into the wi...

Good Combo Workout Today

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:54:25 EST

Completed a great new workout today, a combination of cadence, strength, aerobic endurance and sprinting intervals. Here's how it went:

10 min warm up @ comfortable cadence
10 min @ 105-10+ rpm, low torque
5 min recovery
10 min strength interval @ 80 rpm, high torque
5 min recovery
10 min @ 95, mid torque
5 min recovery
10 power jumps (stand and sprint for 10 full revolutions, recover for 1 min and repeat)
5 min recovery

...

Rare Flat, Strange Flat--Tire, That Is!

Fri, 8 Jun 2012 00:24:08 EST

For several years I've used Bontrager's Kevlar tires for my road bike (700 x 23) and usually only flat about once every 2500 miles or so per tire. Yesterday was that once. I had a rear flat, so I stopped, removed the tire and looked for the piece of glass or whatever, and saw something I had never seen before.

Apparently I ran over a pair of heavy-duty 1/4" staples and did such a good job of it that they punctured the tire as though someone had shot them in with a nail gun! There ...

"Combo Workout" on the Bike--Loved It!!!

Wed, 6 Jun 2012 08:18:24 EST

I don’t know why it took so long for me to figure this out, but alas I did. A couple of weeks ago I completed several leg-strength development workouts on the bike which were very enjoyable and produced good results, but which also, over time, will cause knee and other joint problems if one is not careful. I know this to be true because I went down this path two years ago, encountered these problems, and opted instead for a high-cadence style that helps one avoid such problems. And yet, I cou...

Good Strength Training Ride Today

Fri, 1 Jun 2012 21:55:15 EST

Took a 22 mile strength training ride today. After a 10 minute warm up at a cadence of 95-100 rpm, I gear the bike so that I can only produce a cadence of 80-85 rpm. Probably more important than the cadence itself, though, is that I ensure there's a fairly intense amount of torque on my legs. I held this for 5 minutes and then recovered for 5 minutes at a higher cadence/lower torque and then repeated 5 times for a total of 30 minutes of strength intervals.

This is a good workout, ...

Good Ride, Achilles doing Well

Wed, 30 May 2012 10:41:36 EST

Took a short ride this morning, about 15.6 miles, and held back out of concern for re-injuring my Achilles. However, I learned last year that if done right, a brisk ride can actually promote the healing process so I pushed the pace but mainly with a high cadence and low torque. Came in at an average speed of 17.2 mph, so not too fast but fast enough to promote healing--I hope. Worked last year when the injury was much worse, so hopefully it will work again this year.

Make it a gre...

Back on the Bike Today

Tue, 29 May 2012 21:48:33 EST

I took two days off the bike, actually three. The first was planned, the second ended up being a very full day and I simply ran out of sunlight, and the third was also planned as it's my weekly day off. I'll take what life give me with a smile and gratefulness to the Lord, but I don't like being off the bike three days.

Anyhow, back on the bike today just for some mellow around town kind of riding because I didn't have time for a more rigorous workout. Fine with me as the wind was...

Plan for Next Week

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:50:55 EST

Well I had a good week of TRAM training, better than I expected given the fact that I focused on jogging rather than cycling for most of the year. Today I plan to rest, although if I'm in the mood later, I may take a short and mellow ride around the neighborhood, and then tomorrow I plan to take a brief recovery level ride, around 14-15 mph kind of thing.

The original plan was to take the next two weeks to work on general fitness and cycling skills, followed by another week of TRA...

TRAM Training--Week 1, Day 5--Great Ride!!!

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:20:10 EST

I was hoping to come in today at an average speed of 18.6 because this would bump up my average for this week of training to about 18.0--or so I thought. Turned out I was wrong about that, but that's what I thought. When I woke up this morning I didn't think I could achieve this because I felt tired from this week of training, but I hit the road and gave what I had to give and actually felt good. The wind was in my face at 5-8 mph for the first 11 miles after which I turned back and had it at...

TRAM Training--Week 1, Day 4

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:09:32 EST

Had another good ride today, although I felt kind of tired on the bike. Since I was focusing on the half marathon early in the season, I haven't trained at this intensity all year and I really felt that today. It's all good though.

The course was 21.8 miles long with about 20 rollers. I tried a workout today I've never done before, it's a technique for riding rollers well. As you approach the bottom of the roller and begin the bottom of the climb, stand for 5-10 revolutions to tak...

TRAM Training--Week 1, Day 3

Wed, 23 May 2012 14:41:06 EST

Great ride today, beyond my expectations. This one was a 25.7 mile ride with six climbs, including the longest and hardest climb in our area. Last year I came in at 17.7 on this ride and didn't think I could touch that as I'm not in as good a shape but I'll be darned: I came in at 17.7 and beat my time from last year by 13 seconds! Couldn't believe it. I felt better on the bike today than I did yesterday, which is good news, and I climbed pretty well for a guy who doesn't climb well. So I cou...

TRAM Training--Week 1, Day 2

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:28:59 EST

Good ride today. It was 21.4 miles with several decent climbs and one very steep climb. The wind was blowing 15 mph from a SSE direction which means that I faced about 6 miles of headwinds, 10 miles of crosswinds, and 5 miles of tailwinds. My back and right Achilles were feeling a little tender this morning so I decided to back off the intensity just a bit. I ended up coming in at an average speed of 17.3 mph which is fairly good for this particular route. Last year, when I was in very good s...

TRAM Training--Week 1, Day 1

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:32:07 EST

My first half marathon is in the rear-view mirror now and my sights are fully set on my next big goal for the year (as far as fitness goes, that is): to complete The Ride Across Minnesota (TRAM) with an average speed of 17.5 mph or higher. TRAM is a 5-day, 300 mile ride that benefits Multiple Sclerosis research and the MS society services. It usually attracts about 1,000-1,200 riders, along with 500-600 support staff etc, and raises about $1 million. My wife has MS so this ride is very specia...

Half Marathon--So What's Next?

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:31:17 EST

The half marathon is now in my review mirror, though the glow of actually doing it is still lingering with me several days later. But I've taken a couple of days to enjoy and celebrate and now it's time to look ahead and focus on what's next.

And what is next? Training for my annual cycling event, The Ride Across Minnesota, a 5-day, 300-mile ride that benefits Multiple Sclerosis research and services. My wife has MS so this ride is important to us, and a cornerstone of our year fo...

Half Marathon--Why it was a Success

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:17:08 EST

As I was nearing the end of the half marathon and realizing that I didn't have it in me to do even 12:00 minute miles (in all my weeks of training I was able to maintain around 11:30 miles through to the end of each workout), I began to think of reasons why the event was nonetheless a success for me. So here are a few of my thoughts:

I succeeded because...
1. I found, adapted, and completed a twelve week training plan, missing only one workout due to illness.

2. D...

Maple Grove Half Marathon--Race Report

Sun, 13 May 2012 21:32:02 EST

I couldn't have asked for a better day for my first half marathon. It was in the high 50s as I arrived at the starting area and steadily climbed into the mid-60s over the next few hours. The sky was clear, the sun was bright, the wind was still, and the company was great! Honestly, I couldn't have asked for more and very grateful to the Lord for his grace!

As a bona fide turtle, my goal was to come in at 2:40:00 or less but I thought I would hit pretty close to that mark. I had be...

Finished My First Half Marathon Today!

Sat, 12 May 2012 22:52:36 EST

I did it! I'm going to blog more about this, in pieces, over the next few days but for today I just want to say that the training plan worked, the plan for the day worked, the weather was perfect--what a gift from the Lord--and I had tons of fun!

I am "The Blazing Turtle" so my goal was 2:40:00 or less, and my actual time was...drum roll please...

2:34:57!

Praise God and for all your encouragement, Spark Friends! More to come, thanks for reading.

My First Half Marathon Tomorrow!

Fri, 11 May 2012 07:20:35 EST

Wow, hard to believe it's here, but tomorrow, Lord willing, I will mostly jog the Maple Grove Half Marathon. I haven't been feeling well, sick and dizzy and weak, and actually couldn't even complete a 2.1 mile jog yesterday so I walked instead. I'm concerned about this but what can I do? I'll go out there and give it everything I've got and even if I have to power walk instead of jog I'M GOING TO FINISH!

But hoping for better things, I will probably be able to push through the wea...

One More Short Jog, Half Marathon Saturday!

Tue, 8 May 2012 22:05:18 EST

After so much preparation, it's hard to believe that the big day is now only four days away! Wow. So I jogged today, about 2.4 miles, I'll walk a little tomorrow along with a very mellow bike ride, I'll jog for 2.1 miles on Thursday, take Friday off, and then meet or beat my goal for the big day.

Now, you must know, or remember, that I'm "The Blazing Turtle"! So my goal is 02:40:00 or better. I've been averaging 11:30 miles, though, so I'm confident that I can beat this time prett...

Wondering What to Do...

Mon, 7 May 2012 11:56:25 EST

It's my day off and I usually rest on this day, but I was unable to exercise Saturday or Sunday and am very tempted to go out for a ride. It's a beautiful day, although the wind is blowing pretty hard, and my favorite 22 mile bike ride is beckoning me! The issue? I'm scheduled to jog in my first half marathon on Saturday and I don't want to push too hard this week.

So, I don't know what I'm going to do. We'll see how it goes, but one way or another I'm going to enjoy this beautifu...

Today is our Daughter's 18th Birthday!

Fri, 4 May 2012 10:57:52 EST

Wow, did that go by fast! Can't believe that our little baby is now a legal adult and can tell us to bug off if she wants to--she won't, we still have the cash!

The plan from here is to finish out the school year and then she's off to the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, to earn a degree in retail marketing. She'll be living in a house run by a Christian ministry that will provide partners for prayer, worship, study, and service to others, so we're very excited about what's ...

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