I'm baaaaaack!

So... fast forward 4 years. Over these past years I've had some ups and downs in my fitness. More downs than ups. Tweaky knees and hips didn't help. At the end of a multi-day hike in the Alps (Mt. Whitney never happened thanks to the lottery system) I almost didn't make it down the mountain thanks to extreme knee pain. I've also had big issues with hip (SI joint) pain, likely caused or at least exacerbated by my scoliosis and leg length discrepancy.

Physical therapy and massage
Almost a year ago, I gave in and asked for help, spending a couple months in physical therapy. It helped so much! Imagine that! 😏 Since then, I've been using a heel lift to help deal with my leg length discrepancy and I've been going to monthly massages. (Yes, I swear they are therapeutic! Ok, These past four years weren't the best for my mental health, which, in turn, wasn't good for my physical health. Things are on the upswing, however, so, to borrow a line from Mario, "Here we go!!"

Weight
I've been in denial for a while about my weight steadily creeping back up, so I'm going to put my weight right here as a starting point: 180 pounds. I don't recall the exact numbers, but this is in the neighborhood of 40-45 pounds more than when I finished with Weight Watchers and made Lifetime. Well, to be honest, the last I weighed myself was a few days ago and that was 179.4 pounds. My highest recently was 184, but that was brief, so I'm chalking that up to water retention. I'll keep track of my weight here for a while. I know weight isn't a great indicator of health or progress, but it is an easy thing to track. Also, it's obvious that I've been gaining around 10 pounds a year for no healthy reason. That needs to stop. BMI is also a less-than-ideal measure, but at a smidge under 5'-5", my BMI is around 30, which is almost considered obese. Who, me? Yes. That needs to change.

Food
I'm using RealPlans.com to improve my meal prep. They have great planning tools to fit lots of needs and are improving constantly. Support is prompt and helpful. When I have a plan, I do so much better. I'm not in a place where I feel like I could OCD on points or calories or macros or restrictions right now, so I'm going to focus simply planning for and eating real food at home as much as possible. I tend to snack more when I don't have a plan. I also need to cut back on my big weakness: sugar.

Exercise
I'm trying out different workout schemes. When I'm in the groove, I can make up my own workouts or follow a book, but lately just getting changed into my workout clothes has been a challenge. One thing that has helped me in the past was workout videos. So, I'm starting with investigating my options. I have a bunch of great DVDs, but I'm also looking into newer streaming options. When I looked into those a few years ago, the technology and selection just wasn't where it needed to be. To start off, I've signed up for a 30-day free trial of Daily Burn (referral link), since I'm interested in trying their 90-day kettlebell program, DBK. Of course, they have a lot of other programs and workouts. Their unique spin is a live-stream class at 9am ET every day. You can replay the class at any time over the next 24 hours with the basic subscription of $14.95 per month. The premium subscription, $12 more, adds access to all the past daily (DB365) workouts and early access to new content. They also have an option for a personal trainer add-on. The basic subscription looks fine for my needs. I'm not sure if this one program will be enough to keep me past 3 months, though.

This morning, I did the first installment of the DBK program, a kettlebell swing tutorial. It was pretty good. I also did the live DB365 from January 2. It was nice and positive, maybe a little over the top, but I can take that right now. My daughter and I have been going to Tae Kwon Do for over a year now. We've signed up to continue with 2x per week classes when they start back up this Thursday.

Awesomeness even when things aren't perfect
A few awesome physical things I did these past 4 years despite issues:

• 3-day hike in German Alps
• Cabin stay with day hikes in the Austrian Alps
• 3-day section hike on the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina
• 7-day wilderness canoe trip in the Boundary Waters
• 4-day hike below rim in the Grand Canyon
• Strenuous dayhike up/down Big Baldy
• lots of skiing locally and at Keystone and Arapaho Basin in Colorado
• Earned my yellow belt in Tae Kwon Do

Goals
That's where I am right now. Where am I headed? Good question. I hesitate to list a specific weight goal, although I think 150 would be reasonable and attainable. This spring, my son and I signed up for a Junior/Parent Gladiator Challenge. I did the full version once in the past. In order to be ready for that, I'd like to get back into the habit of working out at least 4-5 times a week regularly.

Hiking, camping, running

Saturday, I got out and put 6.5 miles on the legs.  Good results.  I'm really hoping for less sun, less humidity, and lower temperatures for the 20k, though.  For now, the forecast is a high of 81F with overcast skies.  The overcast skies will be awesome, if that materializes.  Hopefully there is a small breeze, too.

After I got back from that run, we packed up and took the family hiking.  It was sunny and warm.  The hike wasn't very long, but I was carrying a good load on my back with a crappy pack, so my back didn't enjoy it much.  It was complaining especially loud on the way back, since I had slept on the hard ground (sleeping pad has a hole) and the backpack didn't rest on my hips.  Still fun, though.

This morning I got out for another 3 miles.  I almost talked myself out of it when in bed, thanks to a somewhat late night, but knowing that the 20k is coming up this weekend got me going. Thinking that my foot issue might have been caused to some degree by my feet slipping around in the forefoot of my shoes, I tightened up the toe box laces a bit.  During the run that the first pain came after, I had run in wet grass, so my feet were sliding around a bit.  Today, I started to feel the issue again a bit.  No pain, but a feeling that it isn't 100% normal.  So, I'm not sure the tightening helped at all.

One more short run before the race.  I think I'll try to round up a few Gu gels.  I'm not 100% sure how I'll carry them, though.  I'm back and forth as to what to wear and what to take with me Saturday.  I was thinking I'd take my cell phone, but now I'm not sure.  I have a shirt that has a pocket.  That would work for the gels, but I noticed on long runs, the phone gets a bit heavy.  I'm not sure what adding 5 miles to my longest run to date will do.  Also, I either need to wear my compression shorts, get a different pair of shorts, or get some bodyglide for the knees of the knee length shorts I had been planning to wear.  They aren't tight, but they keep my legs from rubbing.  I have noticed on longer runs that the loose material rubs on the skin around my knees.  My compression shorts would be ok, except that they are men's (all the store had) and it seems that they are looser than they need to be up front, to the point that I think it looks funny.  I wonder if the women's version would fit better.

Finally an update

I've been traveling, so I haven't updated recently. While I was traveling, I was able to use the hotel's gym some. The first time, I tried the elliptical. Usually I like them, but I must have some weird electric field because my machine wouldn't work right. So, when the guy next to me with a working machine left, I moved to his. Then it wouldn't work right for me and my old machine seemed to be working for a person who took my place. It's not like this is rocket science. You hop on and start going and the nifty screen shows you stuff and lets you watch TV, etc. My screen would go blank and reboot and crazy things like that. So, the other two times I went to the fitness center I used the treadmills.

The treadmills were very nice. I set them for 1.5% incline and my goal was to run for 30-40 minutes with my heart rate at or under 150. I ended up letting it get to 155 or so because I really can't go fast with that low of a heart rate. I usually get up to around 170bpm when I'm running. I was watching TV while I ran. This was entertaining because I rarely watch TV and when I do, I don't have cable. The first time, I watched the Colbert Report. I was cracking up so much, it much have been a sight... me running while laughing. The second time wasn't as humorous. I had to do a lot of channel surfing.

I had a chance to use their nice weight machines, too.

The day I got there, I went to Mount Vernon and spent 4 hours walking around the grounds. I'd consider that cross training! The day I left, I took a walking tour of Alexandria, VA, so I got more cross training in!

Saturday we went on a hike in a nearby state park. This place actually has ups and downs and I was carrying my daughter in the backpack, so I got my workout that way. There was one spot that was really tough to go down.

Sunday, we went canoeing down a nearby river for 4-5 hours. Some of the trees were starting to turn. Very pretty. We even saw at least two bald eagles. What a regal bird! It always takes my breath away when I see them. Towards the end, there were some vultures high overhead. Maybe they could sense how tired we were!

Today, I took the kids to swimming lessons. My daughter is in the class where the parent comes along in the water. So, that's how I got my workout today. I try to stay really active with her in the water. I do a lot of walking around, turning in circles, and throwing her in the air!

So, there is the update! I'm going to see if the weather will let me get a run in tomorrow.