SaltyDragon Takes it in Stride

[SaltyDragon]

I've been procrastinating posting my challenge because, well, nothing interesting is really coming to me. Things in general are a little chaotic right now. I'm dealing with a fair bit of uncertainty, and some other life goals are getting all the attention. But this is still pretty important to me, so let's get to it.

 

I'll be on land for most of the first half of this one, which is good news because it means I have more options. The bad news is that the first week is in Texas, so it won't be pleasant. Then it's back to Alaska for a few days in the mountains, and then back to sea for the remainder.

 

That right there is enough to make this a pretty demanding challenge logistically, so I'm not going to get too ambitious this time. I'll have much more opportunity-wise in the near future (details on that to come later ).

 

Run

60 miles. Not too easy, not particularly hard. There will be sweltering heat, mountains, trails and vicious wildlife – everything we've all come to expect – what more could you ask for?

 

Push, Pull

Changing this one around a bit.

500 Push-ups, maintaining proficiency.

Some kind of non-routine core workout, once a week, 2 points each for 8 points total. Doesn't have to be much, but enough to provide some benefit. 1 point if it's lame.

As a bonus, I'll throw in some pull-ups whenever the opportunity presents itself. Not gonna track these this time.

 

Stretch

18 points total, awarded as follows...

I miss yoga, so I'm aiming for twice a week, 2 points each for a good routine.

I'm going to keep up with some of the back exercises I started working on last time. Once a week, 2 points each time.

I'm setting the goal at only 18 points to account for travel and ship life getting in the way.

 

Strength

22 points total. Sticking with the same workouts as in the previous few challenges, 3 times a week at 2 points each, also with allowance for a missed day.

 

Boni

1) I dragged one my bikes out of storage for while I'm in Texas. 2 bonus points if I can log 60 miles while I'm here (1 week).

2) I've been noticing a lot of folks incorporating art into their challenges – writing, drawing, painting, etc. I don't really do much of those things, but while I'm in Texas, I do have my guitars with me. No promises, but if I can get to it, maybe I'll share a recording.

 

[charlomechfry]

Like the challenge! And sounds like some good adventures, particularly the mountains, trails, and vicious wildlife. Sweltering heat... meh. Feel your pain here in Phoenix 

 

You in the Navy? Coast Guard?

 

Also, when I first saw your profile picture, I thought it was the hulks chest. A closer look revealed... coconuts right? Curious, why coconuts? 

[SaltyDragon]

3 hours ago, charlomechfry said:

You in the Navy? Coast Guard?

 

Science! I live and work on a research ship.

 

3 hours ago, charlomechfry said:

A closer look revealed... coconuts right? Curious, why coconuts?

 

Coconuts, indeed! From my time living in Hawaii. As to why coconuts, there's no easy answer. Many years ago, I used that image with Gravitar when I signed up on another forum. Then, when I joined NF, they too were using Gravitar. The coconuts carried over, and I like them, so I kept it.

 

-------

 

Today, I beat the heat with a 24 mile bike ride in the morning. The trail around the local lake was really crowded. If aliens had been monitoring me today, they would obviously believe that "left!" is the most common word in the English language. I was faster than I expected (14.4 mph avg), considering I haven't done a serious ride since Jan., and I was on my somewhat sluggish "city bike." I really enjoyed the ride, and probably could have gone much longer.

 

Also, 40 pushups and a sweaty 3.1 miles running in the evening.

 

[Princess Pineapple]

Boaty McBoatface!

 

i don't know if any non Brits will understand.  It's when democracy started to fail.

 

Well done, keep it up.  It's it 60 miles per week or over the challenge that you are running?

[Jormungand]

I definitely understand your feelings right now on nothing really being interesting, and I'm glad to see you back at it. I'm trying to harness this non-excitement into a strength in that I'm making an attempt at finding a process that I can carry out long term. I thought about doing a mileage goal like you have, but it's been a while since I'd been logging any serious mileage, so I figured I'd start with just getting out there. Hopefully, you'll be able to use some of your life's chaos to your advantage and get some diversified running in. Glad to see you were able to get back out on your bike. 

[charlomechfry]

Science! Awesome!! What is your specialty? I would love to try something like that out someday. Except I am no scientist by trade. And the wife and kid. You allowed to bring family?

 

Haha, coconuts it is! No better reasoning than you like them.

 

Great job on Day 1!

 

12 hours ago, Princess Pineapple said:

It's when democracy started to fail.

 

When western society finally implodes on itself, this will be the one instance we will look back to. All they had to do was accept the vote and the will of the people! Boaty the submersible is just not enough to save us now.

[theophilus]

Awesome goals, as always. Texas heat is the pits. All the triple-digits of the Southwest plus the humidity of the Mid-Atlantic. Yum!

 

 

13 hours ago, Princess Pineapple said:

Boaty McBoatface!

 

i don't know if any non Brits will understand.  It's when democracy started to fail.

 

 

We Americans are getting a crash course in the failure of democracy this year... Who knows, Boaty 2016 actually has a nice ring to it!

[SaltyDragon]

13 hours ago, Princess Pineapple said:

Boaty McBoatface!

 

i don't know if any non Brits will understand.  It's when democracy started to fail.

 

Well done, keep it up.  It's it 60 miles per week or over the challenge that you are running?

 

Of course I know Boaty!! It actually made mainstream news over here, and delighted us mariners. 60 miles is the whole challenge. Eek!..60 miles a week...on a treadmill...on a boat...[shudders] yeah, no!

 

1 hour ago, charlomechfry said:

Science! Awesome!! What is your specialty? I would love to try something like that out someday. Except I am no scientist by trade. And the wife and kid. You allowed to bring family?

 

I'm an instrument technician and data manager. The boat mostly does fisheries assessments, with some oceanography and moorings work thrown in for fun. The isolation that comes with living on a boat full time can be really destructive to one's personal life and relationships. I've seen and experienced this first hand, myself. Don't get me wrong, there's been excitement and adventure, too, and a lot of really unique experiences that normal people will never have. But it takes a special type to do this for very long. I've been at it six years now, and my number one personal goal for the year is a return to life ashore!

 

If you are really interested, there are volunteer opportunities that come up from time to time. All the adventure, without the lifetime commitment! Also, a really cool Teacher-at-Sea program if you're an educator. Anyone interested can always PM me – I'll share what I know.

 

-----

 

Today, rusty morning yoga and a strength workout in the hotel gym. Plans this evening, so I probably won't be going outside.

[Jayniana Jones]

Following again. Welcome to the non-moving ground.  

[Princess Pineapple]

10 hours ago, SaltyDragon said:

 

Of course I know Boaty!! It actually made mainstream news over here, and delighted us mariners. 60 miles is the whole challenge. Eek!..60 miles a week...on a treadmill...on a boat...[shudders] yeah, no!

 

 

That would be hell, indeed.

 

The research ship ended up being named after Sir David Attenborough.  Who is a legend but Boaty Mcboatface was clearly a better name.

[Princess Pineapple]

11 hours ago, theophilus said:

We Americans are getting a crash course in the failure of democracy this year... Who knows, Boaty 2016 actually has a nice ring to it!

We currently have an unelected prime minister, as she stood unopposed.  Our previous prime minister resigned as he didn't like the results of the (advisory only) Brexit vote and was unprepared to see it through.  His campaign to Remain in the EU was poor, the Leave campaign was better and louder, although less truthful.  Cameron only called for the EU referendum so he would get elected in at the last General Election.  It's been shambolic and I imagine every other country in the world laughs at us.

 

The general public were not well informed enough to make that decision, especially when campaigns were filled with lies and misleading figures.  It's also fuelled a level of racism and xenophobia that I have never seen in this country.  It's so sad.  

[SaltyDragon]

I've kept pretty active in spite of the heat and general busyness, but I've been lazy about tracking. I spent some time tonight finally trying to reconcile everything, so here's what I know I've got.

 

Tuesday

40 push-ups, 24 miles cycling.

 

Wednesday

4.85 miles running (with fireflies!!!), 2 points back stretches.

 

Today

3.1 miles running, 2 points strength workout.

 

It's finally getting a little easier running in the heat (97°F in the evenings), it's the slowing down that's been hard. If I could keep like a 9:30 pace, I think I'd be fine – but when I'm not paying attention, I keep dropping down into the 8's. On the plus side, though, I'm getting pretty consistent keeping my turnover above 85.

 

I've also tried out Strava a few times, which I downloaded ages ago on the recommendations of other NF'ers, but haven't had the opportunity to try until now. It's interesting, but I'm not really sold on it personally yet. I'll try it a few more times. In the meantime, I exported all my activities into runkeeper because I like having everything in one place.

 

Spoiler

 

OK, confession time.

Part of the route I am running on passes behind a little strip of restaurants, and whoa, does that barbecue joint smell good sometimes! I'm vegetarian now, so shame on me, I know. But I stopped eating meat mostly for sustainability reasons (and a little bit compassion), so I do still acknowledge that brisket is delicious!  I've probably eaten enough bugs running and riding by the creek this past week to have lost my vegetarian status already, anyway. Well, I haven't given in, but if I do, I'm not tellin'!

 

 

Plans for the rest of the week include a longer run and bike ride, possibly a yoga class, and either more kayaking or maybe paddleboarding. And maybe a home recording project or two.

[Princess Pineapple]

Running in the heat is killing me here.  It's been in the 90's for this past week, we are lucky to get to mid 70's Usually.

 

Just out of curiosity, are you doing one set of push ups to failure each day or are you just doing a set amount?

[Jormungand]

It's been miserable hot here in Indiana, too. I went out for one bike ride last week, and it was pretty swampy. I've spent the rest of my training inside, so I understand your pain. 

 

Hope the rest of your week went well. 

[SaltyDragon]

Friday

3.5 miles running in the evening, and 40 pushups.

 

Saturday

I swapped out the city bike for the go-fast bike, and did 36 miles in the morning. Fun, but a little saddle sore! In the evening, rusty yoga and a strength workout.

 

 

Week 1 wrap-up

 

Run

14.6 miles, goal of 60. Seemingly on schedule, but I'd really like to get ahead so I don't leave too much for treadmill. Should be easy to do, as I have a few days in Alaska with those ideal mid-50's temps.

 

Push, Pull

120 push-ups, goal of 500. Doing OK.

No dedicated core workout, and no pull-ups.*

 

Stretch

6 points total, goal of 18.

Two days of yoga for 4 pts, and one back stretching routine for 2 pts. Doing good here.

 

Weights

6 points total, goal of 22. Right on track.

 

Bonus

1) Cycling - 74 miles total, goal of 60. Excellent, and very enjoyable, even in the heat.

2) Guitar - Yes! I'll post a link...

 

*Because I met the one-week cycling goal, I'm giving myself a pass for slacking on the core workout. But now I've really got to get to it.

 

----------

 

Today

Got out really early for a long run. Managed 9.8 miles. My shoes still haven't dried.

 

Two days of travel coming up, so maybe some airport push-ups and a late-night run in Dutch?

 

Every airport should have one of these!

 

On 7/22/2016 at 1:43 AM, Princess Pineapple said:

Just out of curiosity, are you doing one set of push ups to failure each day or are you just doing a set amount?

 

Eh, usually just two sets of twenty. But you're right, I could do more. Push-ups are getting a little dull. Maybe I'll try to spice this one up next time.

[SaltyDragon]

 

[Princess Pineapple]

That's so cool!  My little boy is learning the guitar so I might get him to use soundcloud.  He'd love to do that.

[SaltyDragon]

Back in Alaska, now, but I've really been slacking. Sooo much chaos, and not enough time. I haven't done any push-ups or yoga this week so far. Shame on me. Tomorrow's gonna be weird, too, so I'm not expecting much. Friday we should be getting underway again, and then things should settle down.

 

Tonight

7.8 miles running. I did the ballyhoo loop again, and I felt really slow on the ascent. Then, it was super cloudy at the top and I couldn't see more than 20 feet in front of me. I made what turned into a bad choice of where to make my descent – it got way too steep and loose, and my knees took a bit of a beating. In the end though, I was only 5 min off my fastest time, so I guess I wasn't as slow as I thought. I think I tend to forget just how hard it is every time!

 

After completing the 4.8 mile loop, I tacked on another 3 miles to get my total mileage up. I was keeping a pretty good pace, until I was so deliciously distracted...

 

Alaska trail runner candy

[Princess Pineapple]

Five minutes away from an 8 mile run is fairly decent for a "bad run" 

 

Fingers crossed you get back on track on Friday.  

[Jayniana Jones]

I enjoyed your guitar music. I will confess I was totally waiting for you to belt out some Salty Dragon bluesy lyrics.  I'm assuming your guitar doesn't join you on your ship but I think it'd be fun to hear bluesy guitar with waves crashing over the sides of the boat. It may provide entertainment for your crew too. Haha.

 

Good luck on getting your schedule back into a routine. Your running time sounds awesome for being slow. I hope your knees don't complain too much.

 

You sure cover the country in a short time. It sounds like just about the time you adjust to a new climate you have to change it.

[SnowOwl]

Awesome music!

[SaltyDragon]

21 hours ago, Princess Pineapple said:

Five minutes away from an 8 mile run is fairly decent for a "bad run" 

 

Definitely wasn't a bad run. The mountain will always remind you who's really in charge, though!

 

1 hour ago, SnowOwl said:

Awesome music!

 

Thank you!

 

3 hours ago, Jayniana Jones said:

I enjoyed your guitar music. I will confess I was totally waiting for you to belt out some Salty Dragon bluesy lyrics.  I'm assuming your guitar doesn't join you on your ship but I think it'd be fun to hear bluesy guitar with waves crashing over the sides of the boat. It may provide entertainment for your crew too. Haha.

 

Thank you, too! I did carry a guitar on board for several years, but I took it off earlier this year to make it easier to move off the boat when that time comes. And, I'll play on stage in front of hundreds of people, no problem – but I'm really insecure about my voice. So, recordings may or may not exist, but I'm really unlikely to share them. Maybe someday.

 

3 hours ago, Jayniana Jones said:

I hope your knees don't complain too much.

 

One did tonight. I've never had problems before, but I think of you, and I start to get a little nervous. I'm done now with hills for the next three weeks, so I'll rest up and hopefully I can get things properly checked out soon if the trouble persists.

 

3 hours ago, Jayniana Jones said:

You sure cover the country in a short time. It sounds like just about the time you adjust to a new climate you have to change it.

 

And I'm about to do it again in a month. Details to come later, but should be the last time for a long while.

 

--------

 

Last night (last minute)

20 pushups just before bed!

 

Today

45 push-ups, 6.98 miles running. I went up an did some more exploring of the old fort on the north end of the mountain, so it was more "vigorous hiking" than strictly running, but I tried to keep a good pace when I was moving. The descents on the gravel roads proved a little too taxing on the knees, particularly the right one, so I had to walk much of the way down. I was able to resume running once I was back on level ground. As I said earlier, I've never had problems with my knees before, so I'm not sure what's going on, or if it's anything I should worry about yet. I'll just be careful, and find out more when I can.

 

Back to sea tomorrow!

[Princess Pineapple]

Fingers crossed for your knees.  Hopefully keeping to the flat will sort them out.

[Jormungand]

Digging the tunes. Listening to that reminds me that I've not picked mine up in a while. Think I'll remedy that soon.

 

Keep those knees healthy. In some of the OCR training that I've read up on, and from what I've experienced, it can be pretty brutal to run downhill for extended periods. Most people discount it because they just think running downhill is easier than running uphill. The impact can really pound the joints. Hopefully, the time you'll spend running on the flat over the next few weeks will help things. 

 

Glad to see that you're on track with your goals. It's too bad you couldn't get a stationary bike installed in your boat to go alongside the treadmill. It might be more resistant to the boat's motion compared to trying to run when the waves are tossing things around. 

[SaltyDragon]

Well, hey there! Five days with no functioning internet, and a busy work schedule has made it hard to keep up. I'm not gonna bother to recap week two because I just didn't fit much in. I felt a little sickly for a few days, too. But enough with the excuses – time to work! I'm slowly but surely getting back into a routine. The weather is decent for now, so I shall make my way down to the treadmill within the hour. Week three's gonna be good, I just know it!