Just checkin’ in; it’s been awhile! I see you’re still up to your old tricks…keeping the energizer bunny jealous as usual! I really feel you have what it takes inside and out to give that record the heave-ho!
You use your head in designing your program & you are keenly in touch with your body and what it’s saying…I like that!
Hello? Where are you streamline? You alright?
Life can really suck at times. My right hip inflamed two weeks ago today and now it’s raining. Not sure why my hip gets inflamed, but it hurts like hell. Doctors can’t find any problems and it’s only happen once before.
I’ve been laid up the last two weeks. Lots of time to think and get my head back on track. Every now and then I have to check for any course corrections. I don’t like to place time limits or dead lines. It turns fun into work.
It’s all psychological, the way we say things can really effect how we approach them. I stated a short time ago that I wanted to reach a speed of 35 km by summers end. Now my training is all about achieving that goal. The fun is gone, so our approach must change. It’s time to rephrase our mission goal, to put the fun back in training.
The mission goal now is to see what speed I can reach by summers end. I find the best workout motivator is “fun”! If I’m having fun I’m doing it again. How I approach everything will determine the success of everything. Making sure working out stays fun helps to keep stress levels down and positive energy levels high.
With an open ended mission statement the stress of failing is removed. The burden to perform is transformed into the desire to achieve. The physical tasks of achieving the desired fitness levels are consumed by the passion to preform.
Rain, rain go away. Come back, no don’t bother!
There ya go streamline. It’s all about having a good time buddy. Dude your training is awsome, and it’s a long Summer. You’ll hit your goal, just heal up that hip, and go out and enjoy yourself.
Dead on stream. If it ain’t fun you aren’t going to have your heart in it. Glad you’re back in the game.
[quote]streamline wrote:
The mission goal now is to see what speed I can reach by summers end. I find the best workout motivator is “fun”! If I’m having fun I’m doing it again. How I approach everything will determine the success of everything. Making sure working out stays fun helps to keep stress levels down and positive energy levels high.
With an open ended mission statement the stress of failing is removed. The burden to perform is transformed into the desire to achieve. The physical tasks of achieving the desired fitness levels are consumed by the passion to preform.
Rain, rain go away. Come back, no don’t bother![/quote]
Good thinking.
Went for a skate yesterday and the hip is fine. I will try to get myself back into action, I really dislike being side tracked with injuries. Gym workout tonight and a skate if the rain stays away.
Schools out in two weeks for my daughter so it’s back to the gym for her. She’s really looking forward to it. The gym and MA are a bit much together during school so we stay with the MA. I really noticed a change in her abilities the other day. I gave her a shot in the arm and got rewarded with six counter punches right at me. Now that put a smile on my face.
Well heres to getting back on track and enjoying the summer.
Finally a break in the weather. The lack of decent weather has put my moral at an all time low. I really need some serious sunshine. It’s been three day since my last skate. Which put my energy level way above normal.
The cyclists on the trail today fell prey to my prowess. I was on fire, I pushed with everything I had and I couldn’t max out my VO2 level (traffic lights etc. prevent continuous exertion). I chased down and passed everything on the trail for 1 1/2 hours. I needed that, it felt really great to be on fire.
I guess my total enjoyment at passing cyclists makes me a rather arrogant SOB. Like I say however, it is much better to serve humble pie they it is to eat it! Plus being on roller blades their passing me doesn’t mean shit, it just pisses me off.
I’m hoping they’re right for once and the sun will shine for the next five days or more. That will pick my moral up right quick. I don’t want to go back to exercising on the cardio machines. I did that all winter and frankly I’m sick of them. Give me some sun, it’s not like it’s not up there.
Cool skates Streamline!
Here’s hopin’ for a spell of sunshine for you…
The sun is shining and I’m smiling, the earth is in harmony. Just finished a skate on the trail and it felt great to let it all go at the end of the work week. Looking forward to tomorrows time trial at the university. This will be my first attempt to reduce my time.
It’s always great to challenge yourself. The workup, the extra effort and the satisfaction of going to bed better off than when you woke up. The road at the university is really quite sweet. It’s smooth, no tar, pretty flat and one way which is really good. Should be a wonderful day tomorrow and I’m going to skate my ass off. Staying healthy and strong because the alternative sucks big time!!
Time Trial #3 Sunday June 15, 2008
University of Victoria
Winds n/a
30 km 1:10:17
Still under speed but the lack of skating time over the last four weeks has been pathetic. Things will start to improve quickly as the weather allows for more skating. I could really feel it in the gluts and quads in the final three-four laps. I wanted to push harder but there was nothing there to respond to the request.
There was a race going on today at the university. A “Youth Junior Triathlon”, little suckers a fast. It was great to see these mini athletes on every form of two wheeled bikes. Little legs just pumping away. They had the inside track and I had to stay in the outside lane but I still managed to pass some of them. It wasn’t all that easy either, I was very impressed with their efforts.
May go for a hike up Mount Douglas this afternoon. Not a huge climb by any means but a afternoon hike close to home. Just don’t want to miss out on this sunshine. Ready to get back on track, those mini athletes inspired me there I was side by side with a new generation of like minded individuals. The world will continue even after I’m gone.
I love weight lifting. Everything I do comes back to weight lifting. Whenever I consider doing something physical I first address the strength aspect of it. What kind of weight training will be required. I train for my job, to maintain my posture and good looks, as well as, for my athletic adventures.
I have lifted weights since I was sixteen. Six foot and 145lbs with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Everything in my life is connected in one way or another to weight lifting. Now as I gracefully age I view my life on a positive note. Physically I can do anything I wish to. I am limited only by what I desire.
Friends I lack because as they age their interests in sports are directly related to the T.V… Where mine at related to achieving a higher level of success at whatever I do. I view life from a physical point of view. It’s all about what I can do or what will it take physically to accomplish it.
I ponder at times as I propel myself along the “galloping goose trail” just what are my limits. I never feel any great satisfaction from the speed I achieve. Faster is always in the back of my mind. The thought that I may have reach the limit of my abilities does not occur to me. I set out each and everyday to improve myself in someway.
As I sped down the trail today I felt awesome. Every stride was solid every movement smooth and fluid. The mind was clear, thoughts were focused on one aspect, that object in the distance. There was no need to draft. Catch and pass, the heart and lung were in top form. The only thought occupying my mind was faster, faster and faster.
This is living. Being on the edge, one slip, one stone, one wrong move away from a world of hurt. The rush of adrenaline at every close call and the satisfaction of succeeding where there was once doubt. Life just doesn’t get any better than this. Lifting weights is away of life and a very good one at that.
Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow an I was today!
Wow…all I can say is Wow.
[quote]streamline wrote:
Thanks j_willy3, it’s fast just no where near fast enough. I’m never satisfied.
Thanks Skidmark. Right now my skating stride is three seconds from the upright push to the angled kickoff. Fourth second is replacing the foot. Right now I want my legs to have super endurance.
The most difficult aspect of speed skating is staying down low. That aerodynamic position is the most important and most difficult. The leg press machine with the sliding seat, which I set on the lowest position, crams me into a skating tuck.
I also use the same machine to do explosive kickoffs. With one leg down in the low position you push yourself off the plate and change legs at the zenith and repeat on the opposite leg.
Right now it’s all about keeping the legs strong for the entire hour. Since I don’t sprint but try to keep a constant pace with a methodical stride. It is a constant drain on your focus, watching for obstacles on the road and keeping your stride constant. I love the challenge of it all. Multi tasking at thirty kmh is a rush and will be a greater rush at 40 kmh. Besides if it was easy everyone would be doing it.[/quote]
Have you tried good mornings or a similar exercise to help hold the position?
Looks like you are making good progress with what you are doing. Sometimes you don’t need to tweak things so much as just hold on to something that is working.
We emptied the tank today. Push as hard I could and there was nothing left. That is the ideal way to end a workout. Ninety plus minutes, the sun was hiding but there was no wind to speak of. Looking forward to my time trial tomorrow.
Time to start with the visualization exercises. I like to visualize a cyclist about fifty yards in front of me and chase him down. I can never catch him because it’s me and there isn’t a chance in hell that a dickhead roller blader is going to pass me. Got to love the mental aspect of sports.
Schools out so I’ll be taking my daughter to the gym with me. She is so looking forward to getting back to lifting. I will have to get her to get a membership to T-Nation. Get her posting a log and looking for feed back from the T-Vixens.
Time trial #4 Sunday June 22, 2008
University of Victoria
Winds 17 kph W
30 km 1:09:33
We pushed hard today. Not a bad time considering wind and the hard skates from the two previous days. Still behind where I originally thought I’d be by now but live is like that at times. We may get an awesome fall that will allow me to skate right into November. I could live with that.
I have tomorrow off as my swing day so I’ll be out looking for some cyclists to help me with my sprinting and high speed control. I need to start increasing my workout time. My endurance is lacking some what. I am dragging my ass for the final laps of my time trials. Which is different from being spent at the end of the time trial.
As long as the over all time is decreasing I will limit my complaining to a minimum lol! My goal is to get rid of that 9:33 off my time as quickly as possible. I look forward to the day I can say I can go 30 kph for sixty minutes. That should start a huge fire in the desire department. Now I can’t wait till tomorrow, damn!
[quote]streamline wrote:
I love weight lifting. Everything I do comes back to weight lifting. Whenever I consider doing something physical I first address the strength aspect of it. What kind of weight training will be required. I train for my job, to maintain my posture and good looks, as well as, for my athletic adventures.
I have lifted weights since I was sixteen. Six foot and 145lbs with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Everything in my life is connected in one way or another to weight lifting. Now as I gracefully age I view my life on a positive note. Physically I can do anything I wish to. I am limited only by what I desire.
Friends I lack because as they age their interests in sports are directly related to the T.V… Where mine at related to achieving a higher level of success at whatever I do. I view life from a physical point of view. It’s all about what I can do or what will it take physically to accomplish it.
I ponder at times as I propel myself along the “galloping goose trail” just what are my limits. I never feel any great satisfaction from the speed I achieve. Faster is always in the back of my mind. The thought that I may have reach the limit of my abilities does not occur to me. I set out each and everyday to improve myself in someway.
As I sped down the trail today I felt awesome. Every stride was solid every movement smooth and fluid. The mind was clear, thoughts were focused on one aspect, that object in the distance. There was no need to draft. Catch and pass, the heart and lung were in top form. The only thought occupying my mind was faster, faster and faster.
This is living. Being on the edge, one slip, one stone, one wrong move away from a world of hurt. The rush of adrenaline at every close call and the satisfaction of succeeding where there was once doubt. Life just doesn’t get any better than this. Lifting weights is away of life and a very good one at that.
Of all the promises in life the promise of iron is always true. If you lift it, it will make you a better person and give you the life you wish to have. Stay strong, lift everyday and never look back cause the good shit is up ahead. I will be better tomorrow an I was today![/quote]
There was a book I read as a kid in highschool… part of the required curriculum… called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. I remember it was an excellent book… and is about achieving speed, height etc., while others just simply plodded along. I think you would like it…
[quote]Elaikases wrote:
Have you tried good mornings or a similar exercise to help hold the position?
Looks like you are making good progress with what you are doing. Sometimes you don’t need to tweak things so much as just hold on to something that is working.
[/quote]
I will be doing good mornings with my new routine. Hard design a workout for my daughter, she’ll be back in the gym this week. She’s really big on working legs. There will be lots of good mornings and straight leg dead lifts, front and back squats. I’ll be working power with her and doing my specialty training on her MA days.
It’s been several weeks since I hit the gym with any regularity. It will feel great getting back at it. Get some more power in my legs. My time trials are really giving me an insight as to what needs to be done. Now I just have to do it, so it’s time to stop being a lazy bastard and get back to the gym.
[quote]bunny7568 wrote:
There was a book I read as a kid in highschool… part of the required curriculum… called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”. I remember it was an excellent book… and is about achieving speed, height etc., while others just simply plodded along. I think you would like it…
[/quote]
I remember when the movie came out, all the rave. Never did see it maybe I’ll pick copy up at the used book store. I really enjoy inspirational shit like that. It just gets me all stoked and then I just want to give’er shit.
What a great day. The sun was shining and the wind was calm. Went skating after work and had a blast. Skated until my legs were spent. Had some awesome chases, worked my ass off! Had some catch & passes and some catch and returns. I catch up to them and they return the favor by ditching me. Fuck’n bastards, do they have any idea how much energy I had to expend to close the distance between us. The least they could have done was let me catch my breath and replenish my spent energy.
The day is coming when those road bikes will be much less of a challenge. There will be those that I conquer and those that will elude me. That is when we change from beating the bike (as with mountain bikes) to beating the athlete on it. It is not possible for me to catch an elite cyclist if they do not wish it. At least for now, I mean you never no. I feel a batch of humble pie coming up. I’m such an asshole at times like these.