Sloth: The Man with the Hammer

[Bearlee]

First what kind of snacks are you looking for? Something for home or while your training? If your looking for something while your riding you may want to try this.

 

 

Second, is the weeknight racing series the same as the 12 hour race you said you were doing? If not, what is this series and when is the 12 hour race?

[Elastigirl]

Sounds like a very fun date-a-versary.  I need to try  Himalayan food, I should look it up if there is some around here.

[Sloth the Enduring]

First what kind of snacks are you looking for? Something for home or while your training? If your looking for something while your riding you may want to try this.

 

Second, is the weeknight racing series the same as the 12 hour race you said you were doing? If not, what is this series and when is the 12 hour race?

The weeknight series is every Thursday night.  It goes up and down and around a little metro ski hill.  A lap is about 4 miles; I'll do the 2 lap race.  Buck Hill Race  It's a very social, fun scene.  It's also about the only way to do some hill work on a mountain bike in the Minneapolis area.

 

The next big race I'll do is the Mt. Borah Epic on May 30.  It's 30 miles, it'll likely take me three hours.

 

The 12 hours race is August 1.  It's part of the Wausau 24.  I'll do it as part of a 2 man team.  If we find 2 more guys who will actually follow through, we'll upgrade to the 4 man 24 hour race.

 

The Cuyuna 50 just got added to the calendar.  Another fun race, camping bonfires, beer and great trails.  This is in October.  I haven't registered yet; I want to see what happens to my fitness - I'll likely do the 25 mile version, but am hoping I'll be sturdy enough to do the 50.

 

There are other races around here, but I'll probably only do these races.  

 

Snacking - I'm used to 3 squares plus an after school snack.  Lunch is at 11:00 and dinner is at 7:00.  If I don't get my snack I'm ravenous and crabby at dinner and I lose weight.  Before my latest unmentionable illness my go-to snack was a large sack of trail mix and fruit.  I bought a big summer sausage and whole wheat crackers, I'll try that this week.

 

I don't usually eat on the bike, or even drink much, unless I'm going out for two hours or more.  I figure I have at least two hours of glycogen stored up.  If I go out longer than that I'm probably racing and I drink Gatorade for the salts and "eat" energy gels for the sugars.

Sounds like a very fun date-a-versary.  I need to try  Himalayan food, I should look it up if there is some around here.

It is always very nice.  Himalayan food is like a milder, more subtle version of Indian food, with yak.  I recommend it.

 

4/26/15 Sunday

I went to my home trails and did two laps (17 miles? Strava is not accurate in twisty woods).  My first lap took 54 minutes and my second 1:05, but my brake was rubbing, or maybe the brake didn't make much difference and I should have done more tire pulling this winter.  When I started riding a whole lot of lactic acid flushed out of my legs (from Wed. night?), my legs didn't want to power through so I had to spin.

 

I feel pretty good about this.  Despite my lack of riding and inconsistent winter, the first lap matches my best time last summer*,  more importantly I didn't have to think about my back and my legs didn't have that first mountain bike ride of the year pain.

 

*Last summer I was fighting my back and had family crisis that kept me from getting fit.

 

Today's ear worm while biking:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TIimigZOgc

[Bearlee]

I know dairy is off the table, is there anything else you can't eat? Since you told Elastigirl something other than nuts are they off the table due to either allergies or stomach trouble? Here are my go to snacks I've been having lately. Baby carrots dipped in hummus, celery with peanut butter and raisins/craisins, cherry tomatoes, protein drinks (protein powder, frozen berries, and milk or almond milk; should work just as well with water), tangerines and bananas (nice to have laying around and goes really well with a protein powder and water), apple with almond butter, and beef jerky. Another one you might want to try is to cook up a batch of hard boiled eggs and eat them throughout the week. Don't know if food advice from a guy that's a hundred pounds heavier than you and a non-athlete is worth much, but it might spark some ideas of what you can do.

I had forgotten about your back problems. Thought you had that licked, but guess that never goes away it can only be managed. Since I haven't heard you talk about it for a while you must be managing it well.

The Buck Hill race looks awesome. Only eleven days until the first race. Is the 2 lap race the recreational brackett? Looks like there will be a lot of interesting things to watch for on this thread for the next couple of months. Least of which will be a race update every Thursday/Friday for six weeks. Possibly twelve if you do the second series. And fix your brakes. First you can't stop your cyclocross bike and now you got rubbing brakes.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Dietary Restrictions:

Fried Starches (esp. potato chips and fries, I still eat tater tots because tater tots) - keeps my body fat down.

Nuts & Popcorn (I will have popcorn when Star Wars comes out) - belly issues.

Dairy - belly issues

Low Salt - blood pressure, doesn't seem to make a difference, but I no longer like salty foods, McDonalds tastes like a salt lick.

Sweets - keeps the body fat down, this one is a constant struggle.

I really miss the days when I could eat like crap without a care in the world.

 

The back is solid. There's still some twinges and the strength is uneven so I have to be careful with asymmetrical loads, but it's a huge improvement over last summer.

 

Yeah, I'll do the first race in the recreational class.  After I see how it goes, I may upgrade to the advanced class in order to get more miles in.  I don't want to finish DFL though.

 

I need some time to tear all the bikes down, clean and re-lube everything, and build them back up.  I don't see that happening until July though.

 

4/27/15 - Monday

I got the kids down at 8:45 and putzed around until 11:30.  I played around with the sandbag, not a real workout.

SandBag Get Ups @ 60# 1.5/1.5 X 3 - I shoulder the bag, go down, back up, and down again.  My favorite core workout.

Sandbag Mutant Makers @ 75# 3 X 3 - hang clean -> squat -> press.  I'm weak and slow; I'll try these again at 60#.

[cn3wton]

Making some kind of snack is something I am looking into too.

 

Too bad you can't have nuts. Theres this awesome power bar recipe on the website fitmencook.com. He tosses a bunch of nuts, quinao, dates, and stuff into a blender and it looks delicous. He has some awesome recipes too.\

 

Sandbag stuff sounds fun!

[Sloth the Enduring]

Making some kind of snack is something I am looking into too.

 

Too bad you can't have nuts. Theres this awesome power bar recipe on the website fitmencook.com. He tosses a bunch of nuts, quinao, dates, and stuff into a blender and it looks delicous. He has some awesome recipes too.\

 

Sandbag stuff sounds fun!

If you find something good let me know.

 

4/28/15 Tuesday

No workout.  I wimped out and went to bed early.  Missing on 25 mile LSD ride isn't a big deal, but if keep doing this my endurance will suffer.

 

It was also SlothGirl's official birthday.  We went to her favorite restaurant, the Tappanyaki buffet.  Even though I stuck to the grill and the sushi-like objects, I woke up 2.5#s heavy; I got my money's worth  .

 

4/29/15 Wednesday

 

I'll be going to the Kettlebell Sacred Circuit class tonight,  during open gym I'll superset lunges and swings and try to get some extra  cardio in that way.

 

I have been frustrated at work.  Today's issue: I am bringing my after-school electronics group to an Expo (think science fair) on Saturday.  We only meet once a week and students have been dropping in and out based on what the different performing arts teachers want (they want my time for their own practices).  My students know very little about electricity or how circuits work, not because I haven't done my job or because the kids haven't put in an effort, but because academics just aren't a priority here.  I am going to be embarrassed on Saturday in front of my peers   .

 

I was griping about it to some other teachers and one of my students overheard me.  I'm afraid his take-a-way was that I think he isn't smart .  I feel terrible.  It's time to revisit the positive game and quit complaining - it doesn't help anything and it puts my focus on the wrong things.

 

[cn3wton]

I made the power bar snacks. mine turned out to be about 200 cal, and it's the size of a large ice cube.

But it's frikin delicious.

Bottom/majority of it is the following blended up.

1 cup dates

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup pistachios

1 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup uncooked quinao

2 tbsp flax seeds

After blending dump it out of blender and mix a bit by hand. Then stuff them into an ice cube tray, leaving a bit of room at the top.

Then I melted about a cup of 70% dark cacao chipsand put them on top of the cubes. Topped it off with some colorful raisins, pecans, and sunflower seeds.

I tell you what they taste amazing. Maybe you could substitute out the nuts for more fruits? Or something.

I'll probably share a picture on my battle log when I get home.

[Bearlee]

I thought Washington and Colorado was progressive with allowing marijuana and there in Minnesota your doing LSD rides (I did go look it up and found out that it means Long Slow Duration, another thing I learn from you). That sucks about the school activities. Sometimes where you work sounds more like a refuge camp with limited supplies than an American school system. There shouldn't be that much frustration to teach our kids.

[The Most Loathed]

i got rid of my sandbags when I moved from Baltimore to here but you've got me thinking about setting some up again.

[Sloth the Enduring]

CNewton: Those look good; I wonder if I can eat them if I pulverize the nuts.

 

BearLee: I may not be using the term totally correctly.  25 miles, sure isn't long distance on a bike.  Basically, I'm trying to spend some time with my heart rate in the 135-150 zone to build a stronger aerobic base.  

 

I have been through or can relate to everything in This article except getting everyone to pass the high stakes test (although one year my students did so well I wasn't allowed to proctor the test the next year).  I took my students the the Electronics Expo on Saturday; exactly one showed up.  She's homeless and walked more than an hour to meet me at school at 7:00.  She actually did really well explaining her project to the judges despite the lack of class time.

 

TML: I'd love to see you crush the sandbags and what workouts you'd do.

 

4/29/15 Wednesday - I did go to the KB Sacred Circuit class.  I really had a hard time recovering between movements; I'm pretty sure I ended up with my heart rate near my anaerobic threshhold the whole time.  At free gym time I tried to superset double swings with reverse lunges (both at 35#/35#), but my body just didn't want to.  I also did clean/squat/press for 9X2 @ 35#/35#.  At the bar afterwards the conversation got weird - chakras, shamanistic healing, Native American mysticism.

 

4/30/15 Thursday - super sore and tired; punked out.

 

5/1/15 - Friday - super sore and tired; punked out.  I did jog to Subway and back - half mile each way ~ 10 minute/mile pace.

 

5/2/15 - Saturday - Mountain biking at Lebanon Hills.  The first lap I hit the 55 minute benchmark.  The second lap I cut short because construction curtailed my biking time.  Strava didn't record my ride, so it's like it never happened.  At the trailhead I talked to a guy in a KB TShirt, he mistook me for a instructor, maybe I don't look as out of shape as I think or maybe he's totally obtuse.

 

Nerdnight - played Smallworld, we remembered most of the rules, and ate sloppy Joes.

 

5/3/15 - Sunday - MayDay Parade and Festival with all the local weirdos.  I'd guess I walked 10 miles or so.  Not sure what I'll do for a workout tonight - I've got a million things to do before tomorrow.

[Sloth the Enduring]

My attempt at SandBag Training Essentials Workout #1

 

May the fourth be with you, always.  Monday

All exercises at 60# sandbag.

A1: Hang Clean 3X10

A2: Get Up 5/5, 5/5, 0/0.  Got turtled right away on last set, willing to admit it was more mental than physical.

B1: Shouldering 3X10.  Felt good.

B2: Good Morning 3X10

B3: Shoulder-to-Shoulder Press 3, 3, 1.  Weak, weak, weak.

C1: Rotational Lunge (not sure what a rotational squat is): 0.  Dropped bag after a couple of reps; see Get Up.

 

I feel weak.

 

I wanted to skip the workout - too much stress/too much to do.  I did it 'cause I wouldn't workout tomorrow either because I have the New Agey KB class on Wednesday.  I suppose that is the greatest benefit of these classes, they force me to workout more than I would on my own.  Plus cider and fish tacos afterwards.

 

[Shello]

That's a good looking workout.  At least you did the workout and got something done.  Even a weak workout is better than no workout.    

[The Most Loathed]

great work getting the workout in

[Balthazar]

least you got out there and got it done dude, don't sweat about the reps you didn't make be proud of the ones you did make.

 

you achieved helluva lot more than the parallel universe you who didn't do the workout

[Bearlee]

I read that article and it was brutal. And I think it probably doesn't cover even half of the problems. What ever happened to the job at the magnet school? Did you ever apply for it?

Do you have one of those life alert necklace in case you ever turtle yourself and you can't get up? Or maybe put TML on voice activated speed dial so he can come lift stuff off you.

[Sloth the Enduring]

That's a good looking workout.  At least you did the workout and got something done.  Even a weak workout is better than no workout.    

great work getting the workout in

least you got out there and got it done dude, don't sweat about the reps you didn't make be proud of the ones you did make.

 

you achieved helluva lot more than the parallel universe you who didn't do the workout

Thanks all.  You're right, just getting the work in is the most important part.  I wonder about the parallel universe me that puts in the work every single day, is he a beast or is he broken and beat down?

 

 

I read that article and it was brutal. And I think it probably doesn't cover even half of the problems. What ever happened to the job at the magnet school? Did you ever apply for it?

Do you have one of those life alert necklace in case you ever turtle yourself and you can't get up? Or maybe put TML on voice activated speed dial so he can come lift stuff off you.

 You're right there are more problems that the article didn't cover.  I do love my job and think it's important work, but it's frustrating to have the system working against you.

 

I didn't even apply.  When I went off my meds and had so much trouble keeping up with the day-to-day demands I was filled with self doubt and felt like a loser.  The job would be a lot of work and I would be using skills that have been long dormant and I would have to learn how to work with middle-class helicopter parents - my skill sets are in a totally different direction.  SlothBoy got into High-5* at the school I work with and staying there just seemed so much easier.

 

Ask me in a year if I made the right decision.  I'm guessing I'll say no.  The principal is breaking up my team, the only totally functional team in the school.  Our students are an oasis of calm and studious in a sea of chaos.  That, of course, is our problem; we show that the school's issues don't derive from our students or their parenting but from the school systems and school culture.  That and we stand up for the students and the other teachers.

 

*High 5 is public school preschool.  It was originally intended for high needs students (special ed and poverty issues) but middle class families fill it as it is high quality preschool for a very affordable price.  I'm really excited to be walking home from school with him.  His classroom is right underneath mine.

[Shello]

Thanks all.  You're right, just getting the work in is the most important part.  I wonder about the parallel universe me that puts in the work every single day, is he a beast or is he broken and beat down?

 

 

 

Considering there are an infinite number of parallel universes, I'd say there are equal number of both.  But you can't really tell until you find one and check... until then it's just Schrodinger's Sloth. 

[Sloth the Enduring]

Considering there are an infinite number of parallel universes, I'd say there are equal number of both. But you can't really tell until you find one and check... until then it's just Schrodinger's Sloth.

Schrodinger's Sloth!?! I love that. Who knows what I might turn out to be? If I ever get ambitious I just may change my screen name.

I don't want to meet an alternate me. My life has been filled "there but for the grace of God" moments. I've been pulled back from the precipice and put back on the right path over and over by better friends than I deserved, girlfriends, and wives. Most of the alternate Teds are likely derelicts or worse. I'd like to think that there is at least one alternate me that went to Belgium and raced for a living though.

In other news - I'm failing the positive game all over the place.

Cinco de Mayo - Tuesday

After dinner I put on my biking gear while the kids put on their jammies, did all the stuff with them, went outside and it was raining. I went to bed early instead. I woke up to a bone dry garden; it must have been a brief shower at exactly the wrong time. As I considered my low mileage it occurred to me that, while I'm not biking fit, I'm multiplying my general fitness by tens (hundreds?) of thousands of miles of muscle memory and this season just might turn out all right.

5/6/15 - Wednesday

I'm going to the KB Sacred Circuit class tonight. I don't know how the rest of the week will go - Mother-in-law is coming in town tomorrow, SlothGirl has her big circus debut (shows Thursday through Saturday), and Mother's Day on Sunday. I may not bike, but I should be able to get in some sandbag work, I just don't know when.

 

SlothGirl at dress rehearsal.  Her group does floor work and then get on the rings.  I think she's the only one who can do a muscle up to get on by herself (proud dad moment).  They do some posing, upside down stuff and and the big finale is a hanging, spinning number.  She can deadhang while spinning for an ungodly long time.  Also, this blurry picture convinced me to buy a decent camera.

Schrodinger's Sloth.

[Sloth the Enduring]

I skipped fish tacos, beer and socializing.  I'm such a lightweight these days that I can be hung over after one drink and I just don't want to deal with that tomorrow.

 

The class was good.  I felt strong and upped my weights for a few exercises and probably could have bumped up all of them except for my anemic floor press (holding at 35#).

 

During open gym afterwards all of the women worked on hula hoop skills while wearing yoga pants and fitted tank tops.  I am trying not to be the creepy old guy, but it was a bit distracting.

 

I did a circuit of (all at 35#/35#):

Push Press - 3/3, 4/4, 4/4*, 6/6, 7/7

Reverse Lunge - 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7

Double Swings - 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 

I tried to do no rest, but that wasn't happening.  I did no rest the first round and every round after that I added about 15s of rest between exercises.  It felt good and I left a big pile of sweat on the floor.  Instructors comments to me, "nice rack" and "you have a lovely lunge form".

 

*On this set a hoop shot across the room and bounced off of me, which didn't distract me, but the woman running to catch it did and I bobbled the bell.

 

I won't be able to do next week's training race.  We have the fifth grade transition meeting that night.  I've skipped it the last couple of years, so it's my turn, there's only a couple of us that will be back in sixth grade next year, and this current class of fifth graders are hellions and I want to have some face time with their parents before things go all wobbly next year.

 

I have paperwork that I should be doing because it's due tomorrow, but the internet won't stay up. 

[Shello]

Schrodinger's Sloth!?! I love that. Who knows what I might turn out to be? If I ever get ambitious I just may change my screen name.

I don't want to meet an alternate me. My life has been filled "there but for the grace of God" moments. I've been pulled back from the precipice and put back on the right path over and over by better friends than I deserved, girlfriends, and wives. Most of the alternate Teds are likely derelicts or worse. I'd like to think that there is at least one alternate me that went to Belgium and raced for a living though.

In other news - I'm failing the positive game all over the place.

Cinco de Mayo - Tuesday

After dinner I put on my biking gear while the kids put on their jammies, did all the stuff with them, went outside and it was raining. I went to bed early instead. I woke up to a bone dry garden; it must have been a brief shower at exactly the wrong time. As I considered my low mileage it occurred to me that, while I'm not biking fit, I'm multiplying my general fitness by tens (hundreds?) of thousands of miles of muscle memory and this season just might turn out all right.

5/6/15 - Wednesday

I'm going to the KB Sacred Circuit class tonight. I don't know how the rest of the week will go - Mother-in-law is coming in town tomorrow, SlothGirl has her big circus debut (shows Thursday through Saturday), and Mother's Day on Sunday. I may not bike, but I should be able to get in some sandbag work, I just don't know when.

 

SlothGirl at dress rehearsal.  Her group does floor work and then get on the rings.  I think she's the only one who can do a muscle up to get on by herself (proud dad moment).  They do some posing, upside down stuff and and the big finale is a hanging, spinning number.  She can deadhang while spinning for an ungodly long time.  Also, this blurry picture convinced me to buy a decent camera.

Schrodinger's Sloth.

 

You could make an avatar out of that picture.  Well done.  

 

Circus recital looks exciting - at least SlothGirl looks excited and I would be excited if I were her.  

 

Having the MIL in for the weekend sounds like a perfect excuse to go biking rather than skipping it.  

[Sloth the Enduring]

Here's the kind of thing that really gets me to beat up on myself.  Today I turned in my relicensure paperwork.  I met all of the requirements at least a year ago and have twice as many credits hours as I need.  I could have turned it in any time since last August, instead I waited until the last possible minute to collect papers and fill out application.  The ADHD meds help this kind of thing, but I still have 46 years of bad habits to break.

 

My second hour class is off the chain.  They are all crazy for superhero movies.  So we are starting the class by telling a superhero story in serial form.  It has absolutely nothing to do with science and it uses up precious time, but it reels them in and they are calmer and more focused afterwards.  It's kind of cool.  The plot doesn't make much sense except for Robin being held hostage by Ultron.  I think Hulk is going to come to his rescue.  No one wanted to be Spiderman.

 

I seem to have pulled a muscle in my shoulder last night.  It's raining here.  I won't ride tonight, I'll ruck if it isn't too bad out.

 

You could make an avatar out of that picture.  Well done.  

 

Circus recital looks exciting - at least SlothGirl looks excited and I would be excited if I were her.  

 

Having the MIL in for the weekend sounds like a perfect excuse to go biking rather than skipping it.  

Ikr, she doesn't want to see me, she just wants to get her facebook photo op done and go back to her facebook games.  Also I'm still failing the positive game.

[The Most Loathed]

i love the superhero thing. the shoulder thing, not so much.

[Sloth the Enduring]

75# ruck, 2.7 miles in 51:18 which included a three stops because 75# on your shoulders is really uncomfortable.  I wore my heart rate monitor because I was curious.  HR was 105-110 for entire walk.  This means I didn't get a workout in. However, that plus the fact that my HR was in the low 60s while I walked around the house and picked up, indicates that I've somehow stumbled into some aerobic fitness.  Once I can prioritize biking a little higher I think I'll be okay for the season.

 

i love the superhero thing. the shoulder thing, not so much.

 

I'm really curious where it's going to go.  I think they'll need some role playing guidance, unfortunately my storytelling skills are weak.  I'm not worried about the shoulder,  it feels like muscle.  A few days of not working overhead and everything should be fine again.

[Sloth the Enduring]

Shoulder hurts more than it ought to. I'm taking some time off from sandbags & KBs. This depresses me, I feel like I was just starting to make progress.

Circus show was great. It is amazing what those kids can do. It almost inspired me to work on Assassin style training.