Thoughts

Thoughts and Adventures From Greenlite Heavy Industries

Monday, November 30, 2009

MoJoe

Yesterday was the something something annual running of the Seattle Marathon. Melony rode and I ran the 15 miles over to Leshi and back to get this photo of my buddy Joe passing the mile 18 mark. My only advice: Joe next time save the basketball shorts for the court, a marathon is a running race not a pick up game.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Weight Training

For the past several months my friends Stephanie, Tina and Emily and I have been hitting the weights Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. We have a nice core-centric program and I’ve found that a regular resistance training program has greatly improved my overall fitness and physical well-being.

My back has been “bad” for over twelve years now, and I can usually count on at least two episodes a year when I find myself down on the floor paralyzed with pain. In between those episodes I’m perpetually in a state of red alert wherein I’m only one false move away from a week to ten days of intense pain. The most significant affect of resistance training has been to completely stabilize my lower back and though I don’t feel as though I can lift a piano without worry I do feel much sturdier and secure.

The core-centric training has also significantly increased my sense of balance and my agility. My buddy Bill is always jumping on handrails, slack chains and anything else he can tightrope walk. I never joined him because I knew I was hopeless, I mean I couldn’t even stand on one foot. After a few months of serious weight training I can now at least stand on one foot and walk the length of my daughter’s practice balance beam.

In retrospect it seems that for decades I relied on the strength that I’d built up doing high school sports but now that I’m forty four I need to start putting some money back into the bank. If you’re middle aged and just want to be fit, I can’t think of a better start than finding a good weight training program. One good resource seems to be this guy:

http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/

Monday, November 16, 2009

First Day


Sam and I hit opening day at Snoqualmie Pass. The snow wasn't plentiful but what was there was worth the drive. The last time the Pass opened this early we ended up having a nearly zero snow winter, so let's hope this isn't a repeat performance.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Cancer Mow

Lately the major occupier of my free time has been preparing for and thinking about Ironman racing. Honestly I’d like to figure out how Ironman is a metaphor for life or how racing these things cures incurable diseases or something, but as of yet they are simply a selfish time bandit that leaves my house messy and my manuscripts half-written. I lot of athletes run for a cause, me I keep my causes and my Ironmans separate. A few months ago my father-in-law was telling me how a lady came to his doorstep asking for a donation because she was going to do the three day cancer walk. He said that he told her “mow my yard and I’ll give you fifty bucks, you can keep it or you can give it to cancer research.” She just walked away.

The more I think about it, the more that sounds like a good idea. Instead of having a cancer walk where folks just waste calories walking around a city, why don’t they have a cancer mow. The participants would expend the same calories but in the end they would have something to show for it.