Calverton

  I headed out later as my wife asked me to head out later, so I did. I headed out around 9 o’clock. I decided to try my former popular route. I realized that this was my first time on this route in my 60’s. I haven’t done many 9 milers lately. My stats- 9.32 miles in 2:59:02 for a 19:11 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 69 bpm at an average cadence of 113 spm at an average power of 109w with an elevation gain of 213 feet at an easy effort of 3 at 18 sunny degrees. I am grateful for getting the workouts I when my motivation and vision are a little off!

Unexpected Blessing

 The day that seemingly started off on the wrong foot ended well. I got out the door later than I wanted for a walk on the Rocky Point trail when I received a phone call from my wife. She had left her iPad at home and needed me to bring it in to church. I was not in the best of attitude at the time. I said something a little irritating to my wife when dropping off the iPad. I was convicted of my bad behavior and sent an apologetic text. In addition, I was pleased that the trail didn’t have snow on it. I walked at a faster than expected pace and got in my eight miles and change. My wife had an inspiring message and then we brought our friend Joe home for the afternoon. Here are the stats: 8.2 miles in 2:20:37 for a 17:08 minute per mile pace at an average heart rate of 76 bpm at an average cadence of 119 spm at an average power of 123w at an elevation gain of 169 feet at a moderate effort of 4 at a windy freezing 17 degrees.  It was a good workout and my friend Mr. Cesar went to church with his family.

Smooth Sailing, Sort Of

 I had a good start to the day. I got back a little early. I was able to get my strength training in. I got out the door in good season, but I said one little thing that made my wife angry— and she sent me an unhappy text— which I expected. I also got to school, and I somehow can’t get into PowerSchool. Well, here is my 8 x Raynor Hill workout: 6.63 miles in 1:49:02 for a 16:27 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 129 bpm at an average cadence of 125 spm at an average power of 139w with an elevation gain of 289 feet at an all out effort of 9. Things worked out through the course of the day. Lord willing, looking forward to a break away from the commute and some peace and quiet in Maine.

Better than Expected

 When you wake up you are never quite sure how your body is going to respond. I had a short Bible reading today, so it put me a bit ahead of. I think too, that since I went to bed early I was a bit fresher. The pain killer and anti inflammatory that the doctor prescribed, also definitely helped me. I did the figure 8 plus 4 x Woodlot hill with one out and back for 6.78 miles in 1:54:00 for a 16:48 minute per mile pace at an average heart rate of 113 bpm with an elevation gain of 189 feet at a cadence of 123 spm at an average power of 129w at an all out effort of 9 at 41 degrees. Praying for my father in law on his upcoming anniversary celebrated alone because his wife has Alzheimer’s. Have a blessed day friends!

Forgetful

  This time of the year, before Christmas break, you are a bit tired from overload. In my tiredness, I forgot to bring my phone, so my earphones were kind of useless. I did the figure eight, plus an out and back, plus 4 x Woodlot hill plus a pitstop at the house on my second lap. I did 6.97 miles in 1:56:14 for a 16:40 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 100 bpm at an average cadence of 122 spm at an average power of 131w with an elevation gain of 199 feet at an effort of 8 hard at 52 degrees. I made it to work on time which I am grateful for. Have a blessed day!

All Wet

 I don’t like rainy days on work days, as it really messes with my commute. I was just 1 minute late to work— I’m alright with that. It was a rainy night, a rainy morning, and it’s rainy right now. I feel myself dragging through each segment of the day. I made it out the door a bit late, so I did the Raynor Hill workout. I was a bit behind the whole workout, but not too behind. I didn’t see the ladies or the dog walker out. I did 6.67 miles in 1:54:37 for a 17:10 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 83 bpm with an elevation gain of 293 feet at an average cadence of 124 spm at an average power of 131w at a hard effort of 8 at a rainy 38 degrees. I got my strength work in— very grateful! Have a blessed day!

Frosty Sunday at Randall

  The morning came with its usual cobwebs. A couple of crazy dreams before waking seemed to bring some morning fatigue. I left out the thought of trying a six miler and settled on the thought of a pretty 3 mile nature walk at Randall game preserve. Going into the week I know that it will be a trying week with fatigue and lots of extra stuff to do in this Christmas season. It’s a lot of good stuff added to the hectic school routine. I did 3.10 miles in 1:11:14 for a 22:56 minute per mile pace at an average cadence of 106 spm at an average power of 92w at an average heart rate of 71 bpm at an average easy effort of 3 at 27 degrees. I can feel the Lord’s spirit helping me in my reactions. Have a blessed week friends!

God’s Way

  I need to constantly remind myself that God’s way is not anything like my way. There is a constant battle that goes on because we often find ourselves fighting with God. We want to handle life’s situations in our own way because we see things through our narrow perspective. But outside of our way there is a bigger plan being carried out by God. We don’t see it because we don’t think anything like Him. So today I acknowledge my need of Jesus. His eyes, his heart, his hand guiding mine. Surrender what I want to help my brother or sister, this is true love.

 This morning I was greeted by my wife who never sleeps. I can handle the early hour because I sleep. I did the figure 8 , out and back, plus 4 x Woodlot hill for 6.79 miles in 1:51:24 for a 16:23 minute per mile pace at an average cadence of 126 spm at an average power of 133w with an elevation gain of 203 feet with an average heart rate of 101 bpm at a hard effort of 8 at 26 degrees with a few specks of snow. Have  a blessed weekend!

Prayer and Bible Instruction

 The early morning walks provide an opportunity to listen to 2 hours of Christian radio teaching and time to pray. It sets the tone for the day. Sticking with the sub 7 mile theme I did 8 x Raynor Hill for 6.59 miles in 1:52:31 for a 17:04 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 90 bpm at an average cadence of 123 spm at an average power of 130w with an elevation gain of 248 feet at a moderate effort of 7 at 36 blustering degrees. Kind of tired right now. Have a blessed day!

Completed

  Today I headed out the door glad that the heavy rain had not started yet. It was mild with a light drizzle. The precipitation got gradually more intense as the workout progressed. I was feeling tight in a few places this morning, so I took a couple of naproxen. I went slowly doing the 8 x Raynor hill in 1:56:52 for a 17:40 mile pace with an average heart rate of 83 bpm with an elevation gain of 303 feet at an average cadence of 122 spm at an average power of 127w at a moderate effort of 4 at 55 degrees. I did the shortened version of my strength training and still was a bit late for work. I’m still grateful. Jon and Emily arrive today from Texas. God bless!

Stale

 Today as I headed out, I was feeling kind of tired and slow. I am glad that I decided to keep all workouts under 7 miles. I am lacking zip. At times I have a fearful feeling that I’ve learned to work through. I may get it before a workout or before lifting a weight, and I have it almost everyday as I commute to work. There are many good things about Long Island, but I still feel like an outsider. Just a fact. I did the figure 8 plus a short out and back and 4 x Woodlot hill for 6.84 miles in 1:55:35 for a 16:53 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 81 bpm at an average cadence of 122 spm at an average power of 127w at a moderate 4 effort and an elevation gain of 192 feet at 42 damp degrees. I saw two lady walkers almost at the very end of my route. Lord give me strength today!!

Feeling Relatively Refreshed

 I forgot to set my alarm, but I managed to wake up in time. I was seemingly rested. I did 8 x Raynor hill for 6.68 miles in 1:50:46 for a 16:34 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 90 bpm with an elevation gain of 295 feet at an average cadence of 125 spm with an average power of 137w at an effort 8 and a temp of 38 degrees. Things went fairly smoothly with good strength training . Have a blessed day!

Sunday Bonus/Replace the Loneliness

 My wife is a machine. She thrives on constant motion. She runs circles around me. But you have to know your abilities— what you can do and what you can’t. Somehow you have to believe that you are contributing even though you don’t know how. I was a bit hesitant to try back to back 8 mile workouts, but the pace was easy and the course was flat. I did the Rocky Point Greenway trail heading east towards East Shoreham and then back. I did 8.11 miles in 2:37:43 for a 19:26 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 72 bpm at an average cadence of 111 bpm at an average power of 104w with an elevation gain of 114 feet at an effort of 4 moderate at a breezy 50 degrees. I am going to try to keep my workouts this week under 7 miles. It’s kind of a balancing act. Trying to get as much out of these old arthritic knees without overdoing it. The Lord has been gracious. Looking to the Lord for strength this week.

The Gift of being Spontaneous

   I had set a plan in my head to do an eight mile walk when my wife and daughters were watching Wicked. At 11:30 ish my stepson Jace and family stopped over for a visit. At 12:30 everyone was settling in for a visit. At 2:30 everybody was sprawled out around the house. At 3:00 people started to move out. This got me out the door later than I had planned. It also meant that at least half of my walk would be in the dark. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Maybe settle in for a shorter 6 mile walk? But as I headed to the trail, I was determining to do the entire 8 miles. There would be enough light with street lights and the stars to complete the walk. As I turned around and headed west, I could see the diminishing sunset. I met a few folks in the dark heading in the opposite direction. As I approached Rocky Point I could hear music playing and folks gathering for a Christmas celebration. The last mile was very dark with a few motion lights being set off. By the time that I made it back, I was glad that I had made the effort. Here are the stats: 8.08 miles in 2:31:14 for an 18:42 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 74 bpm at an average cadence of 114 spm at an average power of 110w at a moderate effort of 4 at a temp of 39 degrees. I was glad that things worked out and I was grateful that I made the effort to go on this beautiful walk!

Adjustments

  I have found myself moving slower, so I will most likely be doing the shorter of my two workouts. I also added the land mine adjustment to my core trainer apparatus. I’m getting adjusted to using this piece of equipment. I started last night. The adjustment is cleaning it to my shoulders and then putting it down without slamming it. This equipment allows for a greater range of motion. So far, so good. I did the figure 8 this morning doing 6.81 miles in 1:54:41 for a 16:50 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 79 bpm with an elevation gain of 202 feet at an average cadence of 124 spm at an average power of 127w with a hard effort of 8 at 30 cold breezy degrees. I feel accomplished just getting the workouts in when I did not feel like it at all. Thank you Lord and have a blessed weekend!

The Best Time in the Morning

  I was so sleepy once again, but once I got out of my bed and made it to the kitchen I realized that this part of the day is the best. There are almost no interruptions. The streets are quiet and beautiful at this time of the day. The one obstacle of the day was snow on the roads. There was just enough to make trudging along more challenging. I was tempted to change my route , but I just changed the direction of my loop. I did 7.07 in 2:03:32 for a 17:27 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 105 bpm at an average cadence of 125 spm at an average power of 122w with an elevation gain of 228 feet at an effort of 8 at a cool and sleeting 37 degrees. Traffic was slow this morning, but I had a good talk with my brother. Have a blessed day all!

The Adventures of Quasimodo

  Having arthritic knees and no cartilage, can make moving seem like barely moving. There are some days that my condition doesn’t enter my thought process, but today wasn’t one of those days. I got out in decent time. I decided to do the 8 x Raynor Hill workout. I did 6.52 miles in 1:50:50 for a 16:59 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 122bpm at an average cadence of 127 spm at an average power of 134w at an hard effort of 8 at 26 degrees. I’m grateful for the workout even when my energy is low and my body function is low. Have a very blessed day!

Sleepy Hollow

  This time of year always brings the same results, long nights and great sleep. When I woke up, the least logical thing appeared to be working out. I know that I could quickly fall back asleep. But then I reminded myself of how ditching workouts means ditching results. I know that if I can just keep my momentum going forward , that I should be able to get the work in . This morning I did 2 x out and back, 3 x Ryan, and 2 x Raynor/Ridge for 7.09 miles in 1:57:26 for a 16:33 minute per mile pace with an elevation gain of 223 feet with an average heart rate of 84 bpm at an average cadence of 127 spm at an average power of 132w at an effort of 8 hard at 28 degrees. I saw the dog walker on Kastal. I was pleased to get in the strength work and make it to work in plenty of time as I was a bit behind schedule. I sure respect my wife! Have a blessed day!

I Must Be Crazy Part Whatever

  My sleep has been so sweet these last few days. Saturday morning in Eastport was restful even though the room wasn’t the greatest— the view was spectacular. I definitely feel like Maine is home, but NY provides many conveniences. The fact is, I get to experience both Maine and NY and each experience is beneficial. My motto lately is to “hit” the easy button. I definitely have been lagging in my energy, so rather than give up, I just go a bit easy. This morning I did the figure 8 plus an out and back and 4 x Woodlot hill for 6.88 miles in 1:51:23 for a 16:11 minute per mile pace with a resting heart rate of 108 bpm with an elevation gain of 214 feet at an average cadence of 127 spm at an average power of 134w at an effort of 8 which is hard at 26 degrees. My workouts afford me time to pray and to listen to Bible teaching on the radio. Have a blessed day friends!

Randall Game Preserve

  I was tired this morning, but I wanted to get some sort of hike in. I was happy that I managed to get a couple sets of core trainer presses in last night. All the traveling definitely has me a bit pleasantly fatigued. I’ve tried to get the work in, even if it is on the easy side. I donned my hunting cap from Uncle Gary’s house. The frost was heavy and the temps were in the mid 20’s. I didn’t see a soul on this Sunday morning stroll. I didn’t 3.11 miles in 1:06:41 for a 21:23 minute per mile pace with an average heart rate of 72 bpm with an elevation gain of 119 feet at an average cadence of 109 spm at an average power of 97w at an easy effort of 3 which was enough for me this morning.

 On another note. I read an old comment on a pat of mine in 2011. My daughter Rebekah wrote the nicest comment about me. I regret having to move away from my daughters. I know Rebekah struggled a lot with my moving. It was difficult for me— heart wrenching. I tried to get there every month, but I still wonder. I feel the need to stay focused and set little goals this December and this school year. Thanks Jesus for your always loving me and my family!