Happy Memorial Day to everyone and Thank You to our Military! ***If you are easily offended skip down to the page break ***
I am a big fan of Memorial Day and not just because we get a day off work. Because it is a day that reminds us of all the brave men and women of our military who have made the ultimate incredible sacrifice for the love of their country! It is also a day that reminds me of my Grandfather who was a WWII vet and someone who was very proud of the America that he and millions of others fought for. This day makes me feel good to think about the past and what our country used to symbolize to the rest of the world and the pride that came with it.
Unfortunately, Memorial Day also makes me realize that all those glowing symbols are quickly becoming a distant memory. It pained me this morning to see North Korea launched 7 more missiles as they advance their nuclear program one more step. Then, completely unrelated, Iran sent 6 war ships into International waters to do nothing more than flex their military muscles. All this followed by reports from Israel that Iran is receiving Uranium from Venezuela and Bolivia because lefty Dictator Hugo Chavez hates Capitalism and the United States. And the reason this pains me is because America will be standing on the sidelines as the U.N. issues strongly worded letters to the offending countries that will result in no action taken. It pains me because we used to be a country that would speak softly and carry a big stick but under this current administration we are a country that speaks profusely and carries a wet noodle. And mostly, it pains me because I know my Grandfather would be very disgusted with the way this administration is trying to "change" the America that he thought he was preserving for future generations.
I know this is a fitness blog but it is MY fitness blog and I needed to get that off of my chest. I usually try and stay away from Politics on this blog but, as you can probably tell, I follow both Politics and World Events very closely and passionately. Comment if you like, but unlike 54% of the voters in this country, come prepared because I will be.
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Today's workout:
My Triathlon is the first week of August. In Central Texas the average temp is about 95 degrees and humid as hell. This will not hurt me swimming because I'm staying cool in the water. Or Cycling because of the wind blowing in your face while going 20 MPH. But running? It maybe and issue! So, I was going to run this morning while it was 68 degrees but decided to wait until the middle of the day to see how I handled the heat. I started at 3:30 and the temperature was 90 degrees and the sunny was large in the sky. I was already sweating about 100 yards into the run. My first mile was laborious but I still did it in 8:39 seconds. My Heart Rate though was in the 155-165 (anaerobic) range entirely too much. About 4/10ths of the way into the 2nd mile I bonked something bad. The Garmin had my HR at 174 BPM so I slowed considerably - almost to a brisk walk. The 2nd mile was completed in 12:22 - by far my worst mile since I have began running. And I was soaking wet with sweat and feeling whipped out. Midway through the 3rd mile I had already swigged all the water from my two 10oz Nathans water bottles and was wanting more. I completed the 3rd mile in 10 minutes flat and immediately slammed a P90X recovery drink and about 4 additional glasses of water.
My little experiment showed me that the extreme heat is going to do a number on my body and I need to be prepared. A few things I plan to focus on are: (1) Hydration before the runs are going to be monitored closely. I usually do a good job of drinking a ton of water or green tea each day but on running days I am going to track each bottle. (2) Training in the heat is also going to have to become more frequent. (3) Scrape the Treadmill. As the weather is getting warmer here I have been planning on hitting the treadmill but after today the treadmill is going to have to be a reward and not the norm - looks weird typing this because I hate the Treadmill! My body needs to be prepared for a hot day on August 2nd and training indoors is not going to accomplish that. It is going to be hard and I am going to have to punish myself some, but if it was easy everyone one would do it, right?
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
I am a big fan of Memorial Day and not just because we get a day off work. Because it is a day that reminds us of all the brave men and women of our military who have made the ultimate incredible sacrifice for the love of their country! It is also a day that reminds me of my Grandfather who was a WWII vet and someone who was very proud of the America that he and millions of others fought for. This day makes me feel good to think about the past and what our country used to symbolize to the rest of the world and the pride that came with it.
Unfortunately, Memorial Day also makes me realize that all those glowing symbols are quickly becoming a distant memory. It pained me this morning to see North Korea launched 7 more missiles as they advance their nuclear program one more step. Then, completely unrelated, Iran sent 6 war ships into International waters to do nothing more than flex their military muscles. All this followed by reports from Israel that Iran is receiving Uranium from Venezuela and Bolivia because lefty Dictator Hugo Chavez hates Capitalism and the United States. And the reason this pains me is because America will be standing on the sidelines as the U.N. issues strongly worded letters to the offending countries that will result in no action taken. It pains me because we used to be a country that would speak softly and carry a big stick but under this current administration we are a country that speaks profusely and carries a wet noodle. And mostly, it pains me because I know my Grandfather would be very disgusted with the way this administration is trying to "change" the America that he thought he was preserving for future generations.
I know this is a fitness blog but it is MY fitness blog and I needed to get that off of my chest. I usually try and stay away from Politics on this blog but, as you can probably tell, I follow both Politics and World Events very closely and passionately. Comment if you like, but unlike 54% of the voters in this country, come prepared because I will be.
*****************************************************************************************************
Today's workout:
My Triathlon is the first week of August. In Central Texas the average temp is about 95 degrees and humid as hell. This will not hurt me swimming because I'm staying cool in the water. Or Cycling because of the wind blowing in your face while going 20 MPH. But running? It maybe and issue! So, I was going to run this morning while it was 68 degrees but decided to wait until the middle of the day to see how I handled the heat. I started at 3:30 and the temperature was 90 degrees and the sunny was large in the sky. I was already sweating about 100 yards into the run. My first mile was laborious but I still did it in 8:39 seconds. My Heart Rate though was in the 155-165 (anaerobic) range entirely too much. About 4/10ths of the way into the 2nd mile I bonked something bad. The Garmin had my HR at 174 BPM so I slowed considerably - almost to a brisk walk. The 2nd mile was completed in 12:22 - by far my worst mile since I have began running. And I was soaking wet with sweat and feeling whipped out. Midway through the 3rd mile I had already swigged all the water from my two 10oz Nathans water bottles and was wanting more. I completed the 3rd mile in 10 minutes flat and immediately slammed a P90X recovery drink and about 4 additional glasses of water.
My little experiment showed me that the extreme heat is going to do a number on my body and I need to be prepared. A few things I plan to focus on are: (1) Hydration before the runs are going to be monitored closely. I usually do a good job of drinking a ton of water or green tea each day but on running days I am going to track each bottle. (2) Training in the heat is also going to have to become more frequent. (3) Scrape the Treadmill. As the weather is getting warmer here I have been planning on hitting the treadmill but after today the treadmill is going to have to be a reward and not the norm - looks weird typing this because I hate the Treadmill! My body needs to be prepared for a hot day on August 2nd and training indoors is not going to accomplish that. It is going to be hard and I am going to have to punish myself some, but if it was easy everyone one would do it, right?
Thanks for Reading,
Jeff
