The Errandonee Experience

Had a great bicycling experience the past two weeks completing an Erandonee.  What's an Errandonee?  Best to let Chasing Mailboxes blogger MG, who organized it, explain this winter challenge as she does HERE.  I completed my Errandonee on Tuesday morning last week with a pre-dawn ride to Terry's Coffeehouse, and then added a 13th control for good measure with an evening ride to the library which, because I was thrown off on days all week by the Monday holiday, was closed by the time I arrived.  Altogether, I rode 13 errands in 9 different categories for a total of 91 miles in 12 days.  Here are pictures of my bike from my 13 Errandonee ride destinations: Sean's Errandonee Album.

On my diet, you'll notice addition of some potatoes and rice in the meals.  Right now, I'm primarily focusing on being gluten-free due to digestive issues while also trying to get some other aspects of my diet dialed in.  I've been experimenting with this and have benefited so far by some increased energy on my rides thanks to a few more carbs without any adverse effects that I can see so far.  If it doesn't work for you, eliminate that element.

Here are my workouts and meals for the week:

LHT Workouts

Monday, 2/25

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups (max reps)

Wednesday, 2/27

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Sit ups (max reps)

  Friday, 3/1

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups (max reps) 

Sunday, 3/3

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Sit ups (max reps)

Meals

Monday, 2/25

 

Hamburgers with sweet potato fries

Tuesday, 2/26

 

Chicken thighs with baked potatoes

Wednesday, 2/27

Top sirloin stir fry

Thursday, 2/28

 

Kilbasa and mashed red potatoes

Friday, 3/1

 

Grilled salmon and scallops with baked potato

Saturday, 3/2

 

Ham with potatoes augratin

Sunday, 3/3

Meatballs with Red Sauce and Spicy Italian Sausage over gluten free pasta

Insipiration

As you can probably tell by the absence of posts the past few weeks, the holidays, first, then going back to work have stymied my efforts both to maintain the blog.  Unfortunately, during that time, I have also been spotty at best when it came to maintaining my healthy eating habits.  This experience of the past few weeks truly supports how important planning is to my success.  When I plan meals as I do on this blog, I tend to be highly successful at staying with a healthy diet--even during stressful/hectic time periods.  When I don't, I don't. 

On the other hand, I was generally happy with my exercise over the holidays.  I rode well over 200 miles between Christmas and my return to work in mid January.  This including completing a bike challenge, inspired by one of my favorite cycling blogs, Moscaline, which required participants to ride at least 100 miles between Christmas eve and New Year's Eve.  Got in 102 miles during that period.  And I continued to ride, including a fun 32-miler with Michelle on the Santa Anna River Trail, one of many longish rides we've taken so far in the New Year:

I also did my LHT workouts at least twice a week, which is my minimum commitment.  So overall, I'm not completely unhappy with my efforts.

Nonetheless, I needed to get back to focus on healthy food choices since I know it is at least 80% of one's success when it comes to overall health and fitness.  In looking for some inspiration, I needed to look no further than my wife, Michelle, who spent that time continuing her focused training and preparation for her first full marathon, which she completed today.  Her commitment to consistent training, not only over the holidays and during our return to work but throughout the past year, is truly an inspiration.  Here she is post-race, showing off her medal and starting her recovery (and, as you can tell from her expression, suffering from the cold weather and considerable heal pain):

She's been an inspiration to me and to many others.  Who is your inspiration on your fitness journey?

Here are the workouts and meals for the week:

LHT Workouts

Monday, 11/28

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups (max reps)

Wednesday, 1/30

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Sit ups (max reps)

  Friday, 2/1

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups (max reps) 

Sunday, 2/3

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Sit ups (max reps)

Meals

Monday, 1/28

 

Tri-Tip Roast with baked sweet potato and bacon-blue cheese Brussels sprouts

Tuesday, 1/29

 

Pork chops with steamed broccoli

Wednesday, 1/30

Chicken wings and steamed string beans

Thursday, 1/31

 

Paleo Pork Fried Rice

Friday, 2/1

 

Mini-Meatloaf

Saturday, 12/22

 

Baked chicken with Roasted Carrot Fries

Sunday, 12/23

Meatballs with Red Sauce and Spicy Italian Sausage over spaghetti squash

Back from Hiatus

Missed the blog post last week.  Sorry if you were counting on the menu planner, but life/work got in the way.  In more ways than one.  Not only was I insanely busy at work, including a lot of weekend work when I would normally be doing my blog, but a lot of family events/commitments as well.  Worst of all was the impact on diet and exercise.  While I love sharing this blog with anyone it might help or inspire, it's really my own weekly planner to help keep myself on track.  Not composing my workout and eating plan for the week had a dramatic impact.  I only got one LHT workout in, and, though I made up for it with a very long ride today (see ride report below),  I also did not get a chance to run any errands or commute by bike (really need to add a quality light set up so my confidence with night riding is bolstered).  Furthermore, the diet suffered as not having a set plan made it too easy to make last minute decisions to eat out.  And we did...way too many times.  And though I generally ate well, I didn't do as well as I do with my own carefully planned meals.

So this week I plan to be back on track with the two LHT workouts below (see the last post for details) and the meal plan.

And importantly, we kicked it off with with a 49.5 mile ride along the beautiful Santa Ana River Trail.  We started our ride in Yorba Linda Regional Park.  Though it was overcast and a bit chili, the weather forecast, as of our departure, called for the clouds to lift, so we felt confident setting out with our shorts and windbreakers.  And though the clouds did not lift, the weather on the ride out was fairly mild, the wind calm, and we kept a 16-17 mph pace all the way along the river.  The flat route keeps you working the pedals, but the only hills are the short climbs out from under the many overpasses the trail intersects.

As we got closer to the ocean, we saw the breakers in the distance just as we were hitting the 20-mile mark. A short time later, we hit the final overpass: PCH.

 

 We paused to take a couple of quick pictures with 21 miles under our belts and the Pacific Ocean to our backs:

We then road three miles up PCH to find a spot to take a break and have a quick bite.  TK Burgers, just south of the pier, proved the perfect spot.  We refueled on the sticker-festooned patio where we could keep an eye on our bikes and on the ocean.

The ride back was a little more challenging.  We had a terrible headwind to fight as we made our way down PCH back to the river trail.  Once we got on the trail, the wind came and went, but we generally felt pretty good as we headed back up through Orange County.  As we approached Anaheim, the skies darkened, the air chilled, and we felt the first hint of mist in the air.  The drizzle got heavier and steadier by the time we reached Angel Stadium, and the temperature dropped noticeably.  We definitely regretted wearing shorts for those last 9 miles, and we definitely did some suffering with the cold and fatigue.  We crossed a final bridge across the river, and the last mile or so back to the park and our car seemed interminable.  But once there, we felt great for having met the 49.5-mile challenge, and quickly loaded up the bikes and got into some warm, dry clothes. 

We rewarded ourselves with a nice warm coffee from the Coffee Bean and a picture of ourselves in front of the big Christmas tree on their patio.

Here are the workouts and meals for the week:

LHT Workouts

Tuesday, 12/18

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Thursday, 12/20

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

 Saturday, 12/22

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Meals

Monday, 12/17

 

Meatballs with Red Sauce and Spicy Italian Sausage over spaghetti squash

Tuesday, 12/18

 

Apple Bacon Cheeseburgers

Wednesday, 12/19

Siggy's Greek Gyro Salad

Thursday, 12/20

 

Paleo Pork Fried Rice

Friday, 12/21

 

Mini-Meatloaf

Saturday, 12/22

 

Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Carrot Fries

Sunday, 12/23

Chicken Soup

What's the Best Workout?

I know remember where I heard this or perhaps read this, but a great response to the question in the title of this post was, "The one you'll actually do."  So true.  I have embarked on so many fitness endeavors in the past, and even with the best of intentions or strong initial efforts, I often found myself bored, burned out, injured...or sometimes just flat out dreading the workout.  While cycling has been the sport for me that has definitely kept me inspired--whether I'm commuting, hauling, or riding for sport/recreation (see ride report below), I'm always excited about getting on the bike.

However, the same cannot be said of my regular workouts, which are designed to ensure that I "Lift Heavy Things (LHT)" as per the Primal Blueprint.  I had done Crossfit for almost a year, and while I enjoyed it, the toll it was taking on my body often had me dreading the next session.  I've been trying to program crossfit-inspired workouts for myself, but have been finding both the planning and the workouts themselves tedious.  Recently, I revisited the Primal Blueprint Fitness eBook, which is available with a free subscription to Mark's Daily Apple.  In it, the author, Mark Sisson, greatly simplifies the "LHT" portion of the blueprint.  In fact, he advocates completing just "four essential movements"(see overview and videos HERE) that involve body weight lifting two times per week.  They are simple, easy, quick, and, most importantly, effective.   I've been experimenting with these the past couple of weeks and have been feeling good, keeping injury free, and, while not exactly looking forward to each workout, at least motivated by the knowledge that they will be short and sweet.

I've also decided to modify/augment the approach a bit.  Instead of 4 movements twice a week, I'm working out ever other day and doing 3 exercises each time (in addition to a warm up).  In the spirit of "the one you'll actually do," I've added two kettle bell drills I really like, Russian Swings and Upright Rows.  These make 6 movements which I'm alternating every two days, 3 movements each.  So far so good--I'll keep you posted, and if you're doing the workouts, let me know what you think.

As for this week's ride report, I got no commuting or hauling in this week, but made up for it with a 35 mile ride to the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant on Old Highway 395 down in Rainbow.  We did a circuitous, traffic-avoiding route from our home in Murrieta through Temecula.  The steep climb up to Rainbow Canyon was challenging, but inspiring views helped:

After a tough climb, a fun downhill took us to the restaurant after just a hair under 17 miles:

We got a spot on the patio in the back where we could keep an eye on the bikes:

We then had a fantastic breakfast and much needed coffee to refuel for the ride home:

Unfortunately, the food was too good, and I ate a little bit too much considering I had to tackle the hill back up the canyon to get home--fortunately, on this side of the hill it is a long, gradual climb unlike the steep route we had coming:

Once we made it over, the ride speeding down to the Temecula Creek golf course was exciting:

Back to flat land, we quickly escaped Temecula traffic by crossing the bridge west of Old Town:

This back route is pleasant, and there is an underused bike trail that runs along Diaz Rode next to the wash.  Lots of Heron spotting along the way, though I wasn't quick enough with my camera.

Once we got back to Murrieta, Michelle was all smiles knowing we were on the home stretch:

We were just shy of 35 miles when we reached our house, so we did a quick loop of the neighborhood to finish at 35.25.  Beautiful ride, beautiful day, beautiful riding partner...nice way to end the week.

Here are the planned workouts and meals for the week:

Workouts

Tuesday, 12/4

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Thursday, 12/6

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (2 rounds):

• Russian Swings (max reps)
• Upright Rows (max reps)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

 Saturday, 12/8

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)

Meals

Monday, 12/3

 

Smoky Bacon Chili over baked sweet potato

Tuesday, 12/4

 

Philly Cheesesteak Melts (without the bread)--inspired by my friend Mary

Wednesday, 12/5

Pho--sans noodles

Thursday, 12/7

 

Easy Curry Chicken over cauliflower rice

Friday, 12/8

 

Mini-Meatloaf

Saturday, 12/9

 

Chicken Fajitas with Roasted Carrot Fries

Sunday, 12/10

Chicken Soup

Fitness Travels

As you can tell, skipped last week's blog post as we were on the road for Thanksgiving vacation.  The primary goal of our trip was to visit some of the Northern California colleges that our daughter is interested in applying to next fall.  The secondary goal was a brief getaway to one of our favorite places on the planet: Monterey Bay.  However, a third, and very important goal, was to maintain...or at least not stray to far from...our fitness plan.  We knew that eating on the road can be a challenge, and, frankly, I did not worry too much about sticking to my normal, strict Paleo diet.  I still avoided wheat grains, but I enjoyed rice and potatoes, and even some dark chocolate covered almonds, taffy, and five-nut brittle (how can you resist five-nut brittle?).  Since diet was not at the heart of the fitness plan, we made sure exercise was.  How?  We brought our bikes along:

Our Thule bike rack was one of the best investments we've ever made.  We love having our bikes, and this hitch-mounted rack enables us to take them easily and keep them secure (though the best approach to security was learned the hard way after having my mountain bike stolen from the rack last fall). 

The best thing about bringing bikes on vacation is that you get to explore your destination, often along interesting bike trails, at a slower pace that enables you to truly "see" the area, while getting great exercise.

We were able to get in two great rides along the bike trails and bike lanes around the Monterey Peninsula.  Here are some pics from the first ride that will give you an idea of why we love exploring this way--I did a total of 20 miles while Michelle did 13 and ran for four (she was doing a "brick" in preparation for her upcoming triathlon):

 We also got to take a nice break along the way at a coffee shop with tables looking out across the bay.

Our second ride was equally fun but extremely challenging.  We not only rode a longer distance, we got caught in a rain storm that had us riding into a strong headwind with rain blowing hard into our faces as we made our way around the peninsula, past Asilomar State Beach, and up to the start of the 17-mile drive to Pebble Beach:

Not a lot of pictures from this ride as we were literally soaked and I needed to keep my iPhone dry.  Though it was a tough, cold ride, we enjoyed the novelty of the experience--a great memory to take home with us.

Here are the planned workouts and meals for the week--you'll note a different approach to the workouts this week which I'll explain in next week's post:

Workouts

Tuesday, 11/27

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

Thursday, 11/29

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

 Saturday, 12/1

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups

Workout (2 rounds):

• Air squats (max reps)
• Push ups (max reps)
• Planks (max time)
• Pull ups, chair assisted (max reps)

Meals

Monday, 11/26

 

Meatballs & Italian Sausage with Red Sauce over Spaghetti Squash

Tuesday, 11/27

 

Carne asada lettuce wraps

Wednesday, 11/28

Blue cheese bacon burgers on a bed of lettuce

Thursday, 11/29

 

Yakitori lettuce wraps with grilled asparugus

Friday, 11/30

 

Smoky Bacon Chili

Saturday, 12/1

 

Chili burgers

Sunday, 12/2

 

Grilled steaks with brussel sprouts

Recovering Like the Economy

My recovery from the broken arm last June from the solo bike accident (broken right at the shoulder joint) has been slow and (sort of) steady.  Like the economy, I see hopeful signs, but it's taking much longer than I expected, and I've had a lot of setbacks.  They told me at physical therapy that it would be at least six months before I would feel like I had the full range of movement, and possibly longer before I could return to the level of upper body physical activity I had been doing last year.  At the five month point, I still have a ways to go before I have that full range, but I have gained a lot, especially in the last month.  As for upper body work, the closest I've been able to come to my previous workouts has been some Russian Swings and Upright Rows with a  kettle bell, though at far less weight than I had been lifting.  This past week, I expanded that with some bench dips and push ups.  While I was able to do as many as 10 reps of each, it was not without far more pain than I had expected...and considerable frustration.  I have really noticed the upper body going soft even as my leg work has been going very well throughout the injury.  Trying these simple movements this week, I truly realized I was more or less back to where I was when I first started Crossfit exactly one year ago this week.

So, how to move forward?  Well, for one thing, I do need to remember that when I started last November, I was in far worse overall shape than I am now.  Fifty pounds heavier, very little muscle tone, and poor cardio fitness.  These past five months I have continued to work my core and lower body religiously, and I have kept up the cardio work with consistent cycling and walking.  So I think getting the upper body back should be a little easier this time than it was starting out.  For another thing, I do need to keep perspective.  With any fitness journey, there will be setbacks, and it is too easy to let them derail you altogether (harkening back to last week's post).  I think keeping this perspective is a key to success over the long haul.

The good news is, the shoulder is no longer bothering me at all while cycling, even during long rides.  A good example was our 28.3 miler around Lake Elsinore with our friends Karrie and Dave Carlson:

We had a great time, and even on the rough roads west and north of the lake, no shoulder pain at all.  A beautiful day, as you can see, and a great  way to get a workout without realizing it!

I also got a lot of errands in by bike this week, taking the mileage total over 43.  The toughest was a trip down to Kahoots feed store for propane.  I strapped the 5-gallon tank into the re-purposed trailer--no problem pulling it 3 miles downhill.  The ride home hauling a full tank uphill?  Well, I'd have preferred another loop around the lake!  Still, it was a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Here are the planned workouts and meals for the week:

Workouts

Tuesday, 11/13

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (3 rounds):

• 20 Russian Swings
• 20 ball slams

Thursday, 11/15

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 mountain climbers
• 10 fire hyrdrants
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (3 rounds):

• 15 push ups
• 10 split lunges

 Saturday, 11/17

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (2 rounds)

• 15 push ups
• 15 upright rows 
• 15 dips

Meals

Monday, 11/12

 

Pumpkin Curry chicken on cauliflower rice (Didn't have this last night as planned)

Tuesday, 11/13

 

Carne asada and pollo asada lettuce wraps

Wednesday, 11/14

 

Gyro Salad

Thursday, 11/15

 

Yakitori lettuce wraps with grilled asparugus

Friday, 11/6

 

Smoky Bacon Chili

Saturday, 10/27

 

Chili burgers

Sunday, 10/28

 

Dining out on the road...

So Now I May as Well Really Blog It...

So this was one of those weeks....fell a bit short of my 40 mile cycling goal...30 miles short to be exact.  Missed my 3-days-a-week workout goal...by 2 days.  The only consistent exercise was my daily mile walking the dogs.  Not the week I planned, but things simply got in the way...work, family events, general fatigue.  However, there was a silver lining.  In past years, a week like this would have COMPLETELY derailed me.  Not just workouts out the window, but diet as well.  Unlike those past experiences, I kept the diet in check.  I reminded myself of the 80-20 principle.  This principle, which I learned about on Mark's Daily Apple, has helped me keep perspective on my health-related efforts.  This principle basically means that you focus on staying on track 80% of the time...and in the big picture, I know that I have done so.  In the past, I would have taken an "I've blown it" mentality that would get twisted into a rationale for "really blowing it," going hog wild with eating since I was already of track on exercise any way.  In reading about this principle, a line that struck a chord was "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."  That was me in the past--if I couldn't be perfect, I let that become the basis for going back to old habits in both diet and exercise.  This time, the perspective enabled me to stay on track with healthy eating, comfortable in the knowledge that I would get back to my fitness routine soon.  And that has me feeling pretty good...

Here are the planned workouts and meals for the week:

Workouts

Monday, 10/29

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (3 rounds):

• 20 Russian Swings
• 20 toes-to-bar or leg lifts

Wednesday, 10/31

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 rolling v-sits
• 10 mountain climbers
• 10 fire hyrdrants
• 10 twist lunges

Workout (3 rounds):

• 15 push ups
• 10 split lunges

Friday, 11/2

Warm Up (2 rounds):

• 15 min walk
• Samson stretch
• 15 sit ups
• 15 air squats

Workout (2 rounds)

• 15 ball slams
• 15 upright rows 
• 15 dips

Meals

Monday, 10/29

 

Meatballs with Red Sauce and Italian Sausage over Spaghetti Squash

Tuesday, 10/30

 

Cheeseburgers on a bed of lettuce

Wednesday, 10/31

 

Crockpot 7-Bone Roast

Thursday, 11/1

 

Carnitas lettuce wraps with guacamole and green chili

Friday, 11/2

 

Brats with peas

Saturday, 10/27

 

Spicy meatballs with bacon-blue cheese Brussels sprouts

Sunday, 10/28

 

Pumpkin Curry chicken on cauliflower rice (Didn't have this last Sunday as planned)