Saturday, November 9, 2013

Feeling Good, Cold Weather, Wheat Grass, CW-X, Woodrow Wilson, Country Rock, Peanut Butter, Kettle Bells and Ironman

Well that’s a title now isn’t it!  What a last few weeks.  I am a bit sad today as I had been so looking forward to running in the Savannah Rock N Roll Marathon but a sore knee and the worst virus I have had in years had other plans for me! J
Ok, enough complaining, life is what you make it and I am a positive person so on with what is right and good this fine Saturday morning. I am officially over my virus, cold, bug whatever you want to call it. The telltale signs were  (1) no runny nose (I probably lost 6 pounds in pure snot over the last three weeks) and, (2) I was able to get up at 4:00 am and felt refreshed and ready to go. I have not been able to do that in three weeks and was starting to worry I was either getting lazy, old or had lost my edge. Well thank goodness it’s none of the above as Chris got his groove back! Take that Stella.  Only I could get excited about getting up at 4:00 am on a Saturday!
With coffee and my book in hand, it was time to start my morning! I am reading a totally awesome book title Woodrow Wilson by A. Scott Berg. I learned about it from Chris “MadDog” Russo on his sports radio show of all places and had to read it. Its nearly 800 pages but Berg is a beautiful writer and captures the spirit of an incredible president in a difficult time in American history. I highly recommend it.
Today was exciting and never racking as I planned to run for the first time in three weeks. I had been fighting a bit of a left knee and IT band issue since IRONMAN 70.3 Augusta in late September and finally had to lay off it. Trying to run 20 miles the Saturday after the IRONMAN was not the smartest thing I have ever attempted and had I not done that I would be running Savannah today.  Oh well.  For anyone who knows me or loves endurance sports, sitting on the sideline is brutal. 
I don’t rest well or easily and as my good friend Gregg Peterman pointed out to me, God likely said “Well Chris if you won’t rest that knee on your own, let me help.”  Enter the worst virus I have had in years.  Both May and I got it from Elli and it wiped us out.  Of course Elli was fine in a day or two.  This was the worst sore throat I can remember. I liken it to eating hot coals. Then the snot settled in my chest and I sounded like a 75 year old man that smoked 3 packs a day for his entire adult life…..and I felt like it too.  We also had no appetite for anything healthy and there is only so much soup one can stand to eat. What bothers me about being sick and inactive is I start to crave unhealthy food and SUGAR, lots of sugar. But when your ox is in the ditch you do what you need to do in short term to make it better.  Coca Cola is the elixir to all that is good and bad at the same time!
Coffee ingested (and it finally tasted good) it was nearing 6:00 am and time to run. I had placed the heating pad on my knee to warm up my tendons and stretched out.   I was almost scared to run as I wasn’t sure how my knee was going to hold up but as I posted in an article a while back, “Don’t fear fear!” So it was time to either practice what I preach or be a hypocrite.  To the streets of Blythewood it is, waking up local dogs, getting strange looks from the local wildlife and even stranger looks from the motorists barely awake in their nice warm cars…..crazy fool I can hear them say! 
It was COLD this morning, temps in the mid 30’s but there is not much better than that first run of the year in cold weather. With my new CW-X Endurance Generator Tights on and my gloves, hat, Saucony Kinvara 4 shoes, Under Armor thermal shirt, Pearl Izumi (Ok some shameless plugs) wind breaker  and my Pod I was ready to head out. 
It was a beautiful morning and it had been about a month since I had listened to any music. A recent convert to Country music, it was awesome to kick off the first half mile with Tim McGraw, George Straight and a host of others. My intent was to go out easy but the music took part of my mind off my left knee. You know how you get when you are so worried about something that you start to experience things that aren’t real? Every step I thought for sure I felt a twinge or pain then finally just gave it to God, settled into a good pace and enjoyed the beautiful sunrise and music.
To my surprise I had not lost that much fitness and was able to cover 4 miles at 85% if 5K race pace. That was not my goal but it just worked and I was thankful for that.  OH HOW GOOD IT FELT to be active and exercise. It got so bad this week one of my friends asked if I was doing OK because I was not myself and I am sure May was about to sit me down and put my running shoes on my feet for me and shove me out the door! HA, well exercise is the best medicine and today was great.
I realized on the run that I LOVE Brantley Gilbert and Jason Aldean as they really are rock stars but add in trucks, moon shine and a few beer and hilly billy references to make it country. Thanks guys for picking up the pace and entertaining me this morning, I needed that.
My CW-X Endurance tights were really comfortable. I had time on my run to digest getting in shape for IRONMAN Coeur D’ Alene in June and how I would balance my running, biking and swimming. I have a good plan that starts the end of December and hope to get most of my biking miles done outside. Pearl Izumi should be very, very happy with my as I think I bought every piece of cold weather gear they have in stock. I will ride some indoors but one can only watch Alien vs Predator, Pacific Rim and Battleship so many times before the novelty wears off and the mind numbing pain of boredom settles in on the trainer. I would rather not feel my feet or fingers for 5 h ours than subject myself to the trainer. I will let you know how that plan works.
Today should be fun. May and I are growing our own wheat grass and plan to use “juice” the grass. It is coming in nicely and we are excited.  I had a wheat grass shot at a Robeks in LA and it was great. It tasted exactly like your yard smells after you mow the grass. It is a vibrant green and full of nutrients. We are growing it in the sun room where our pooch Juliet lives so she is tending to it for me.
Later today we will make some chocolate peanut butter, get groceries, rake the back yard and look at some new kettle bell routines. No more Coca Cola today and no more “junk food” as the exercise has turned my tastes back to healthy food. Time to put the ice pack up (precaution for the knee) make a carrot/apple juice and watch Elli eat her breakfast, which is always an adventure.
Happy training everyone and here is to being FIT FOR LIFE!