April 20th, 2012: On my way back down! Remember, every pound is a battle. Some pounds just desire a re-match, and though I’m not overly happy to oblige them, I have full confidence that I’ll beat their asses down again! 279 today.
I’ve upped my treadmill workouts to 40 minutes. At my weight, that burns about 700 calories. I know that’s not an entirely accurate value on my particular treadmill, but at least it gives me a relative idea of the production of my workouts. I would like to eventually up that to 1000 calories, which I suspect will take an hour and some change.
I’ve been starting my workouts with the live version of “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits, then the last two songs are the Star Wars theme song (yes, I am a nerd-geek sometimes), then finally “Jump” by Van Halen. You know what, the fast-walking/max-incline workouts, though they burn the same calories as the running workouts, seem to work me harder.
As I prepare myself for the half-marathon in July, this is something I’ll do at least once or twice a week, because I honestly think that 40 minutes fast-walking on the incline is tougher than the longer 3-6 mile jogs I’ve been doing.
Just some treadmill facts.
April 20th, 2020: Unless you die, you age. It’s not that difficult for me to accept the fact that, in general, I can’t be swinging the dick in terms of training performance like I would if I was 15 years younger. What sucks is that I never let myself have the opportunity to merge a stronger mind with a younger body. I’ve had both, but never simultaneously. There’s caveat to all these statements, though, and some qualifiers.
When I began to enter some of these races, like 5K’s and triathlons, etc., I learned that the age divisions that included guys in their 30’s and early 40’s included some of the best athletes in the field. I’ve surmised through conversation and observation that it’s a combination of more time, more experience, more cash for better equipment, and most importantly, a stronger mind.
If being smarter is a function of having more experience, then yes, I’m definitely smarter in my 40’s than I was in my 20’s. As it applies to exercise, I’ll admit it has taken me a little bit longer to figure out how to combine more experience with a stronger work ethic in the gym. I work 3 or 4 times harder every single day than I ever did when I was in my 20’s. The problem is, I’m not as limber as I used to be. I don’t know if it’s necessarily longer required recovery time, which I generally thought the issue was, so much as the loss of ability to stretch and bend and move in different directions, and the loss of the ability to warm-up and be ready to roll as quickly.
I’ve learned that warming-up and stretching, in my 40’s, is not some bullshit to just complete and check-off, or maybe even overlook entirely. Same thing goes for core exercises and cooling down. These things are essential for me if I hope to avoid acute and chronic issues that prevent me from accessing my drug, which is the acquired desire to move this 45-year-old self through motions that would have made a 20-year-old me start crying and quit.
