8/6/2013
Catawba Fitness/Music/Food/Philosophy/Living
Blog
I just got back from a run on the Appalachian Trail. I’ll fill in the background later, but I’m
living right beside the trailhead/parking lot for the Trail, the one at the top
of the mountain in Catawba that goes up to McAfee’s Knob, and up (the other direction)
to Dragon’s Tooth. I live right at the
top of the mountain (sign here says “Elevation 2,000 Ft”—ok, it ‘s not the
Rockies, but it IS beautiful). In
Catawba, right off Catawba Valley Road, on Old Catawba Road, which is a tiny
little road that goes straight downhill in a series of switchbacks. I’ve been varying from running the road, down
a ways and then back up, and running on the Trail. I’ve been increasing my running times, and
speeds. Nothing fancy, I just use my
watch to time myself.
This is looking down Old Catawba Rd to the first switchback.
Today I ran for 57 minutes, with about 5 min in between, to
get water. I was walking that 5
minutes. I walked up to the parking lot,
just a few yards up 311, then took off running towards Dragon’s Tooth. The first 2:30 is uphill, very nasty, then it
levels off for a minute or so, and then about another minute up to the first
overlook. Has been taking me 5 minutes
for this part, but did it in 4:45 today. Not a great difference, but every
little bit counts. Then there is a
craggy part, and then up and down for the next 5 or 6 minutes, then STRAIGHT UP
for a looooonnnnngggg time. Today I ran
exactly 15 minutes, to the second lookout area, then turned around and came
back, finishing in 31 minutes. That’s
when I walked back to the house for a drink of water—I left a water bottle on
my car hood. Walked back to the parking
lot, crossed the road to head towards McAfee’s Knob. The first 3 minutes of that run is a steady,
non-pleasant uphill, and at a couple of the switchbacks, there are steps that
are like rock ledges, and it is more like doing lunges than running. Tough. Today was the first day I did this
whole 3 minutes without walking any of it.
This part has a long series of steps—I meant to count them, but
couldn’t. These are so hard. But I did it. I was winded, and stopped a
minute. Then took off running for 10
more minutes. My iPod ran out of charge;
I would have gone farther, but turned around.
It was about 14 minutes back—lots of uphill—making it 57 minutes
running, total. Saw some squirrels and
little lizard/skink like things. Very
few people.
Yesterday I went to Betsy’s to make ratatouille, more on
that later. I weighed in this
morning—220 lbs! I was up about a month
or so ago to 238, 239, something like that.
That is too heavy for me. So since
I’ve been here in Catawba, I’ve been concentrating on losing weight and getting
healthy. I weighed at Betsy’s about 2
weeks ago, and was 226. Last week, I was
223.5. So this is definitely big. 3 ½ lbs in a week. Last night at Betsy’s, I did the “scientific
7 minute workout,” (url here) which I highly recommend. That’s the 4th or 5th
time I’ve done it, first time on Saturday of Floydfest a couple of weeks
ago.
Right outside the front door; it's trash day so you can see my garbage can. This looks out across 311 and up towards McAfee's Knob (3.9 miles)...
...as you can see!
Fitness background: I
started out a few weeks ago running down Old Catawba Road, about 9 minutes
down, 11 minutes back. That was
tough. Now I still do essentially that
same amount, about 20 minutes, but I go a lot further down, and hence, back
up. But now I finish with a series of
what I will loosely call sprints, all UPHILL, but is really best described as a
healthy, uncomfortable run. I walk down
to the second switchback, and it takes me 3 minutes to get back to the top
(running). I’m working on taking time
off of that. Then I do a couple of 2
minute runs to the top, at a fast pace, then a couple of 1 minute runs, and
then I’m winded.
Right at the beginning of the trail, heading up to Dragon's Tooth.
Besides the running and 7 minute workout, I’ve been working
my abs pretty hard. Most days I work
them. One workout is 800 crunches, a
couple of hundred “bicycles,” some crunches with a 15 lb weight, including 50 (on
each side) crunching in, turning one’s shoulder towards one’s opposite
knee. Some days I do abs on the exercise
ball I found in the house here. I also do a minute long plank, on my elbows,
then another 30 on each side. Oh, right,
I take the 15 lb weight and, feet off the ground, twist side to side, 20 times,
then repeat a time or two.
Over the last few weeks, Betsy took me as a guest to the
YMCA, and I had a great upper body strength workout. Then, about 2 weeks ago, she took me to the House
of Strength, a great gym run by Ryan ___ in Roanoke. I got a great upper body workout—Ryan is
great. If I had more money (more on that
later), I’d join there. Last week I went
to help Ryan time his “gym rats,” who were timed to get to the next fitness
level. After that, I got in a GREAT
bicep and lat workout. Nice.
I can’t afford to join a gym now, as I don’t right now have
a job. But I found a 15 lb weight here
in the house, and I’ve found I can do a lot with it. How you say?
That’s way too light for me! I
have found if I sit on the ground, legs straight in front of me, taking away
any input from my legs, I can do curls (I have to do about 40 on each side, but
at the end of that, my biceps are hurting!), and I can do my triceps, my
shoulders (both presses and side and front raises), etc. I can keep my chest at least maintained by
pushups, including incline pushups from the ball. Still, I want more regular weight
workouts. My legs are handled by the
running and some lunges, etc. I am a bit
worried about keeping up my biceps and lats.
My little workout area on back porch.
The goal here is perfection.
Betsy has an app that lets you take and post photos of your progress,
and next time I go there, we’re going to take some pictures and post them. I’m feeling my body getting fitter, and less
flab around the middle. I’m feeling my
heart getting stronger, too. I am
beginning to see some real cuts in my abs.
I am at 220, as I said, and want to get to 215, at which time I’ll
assess my body and see where I want to go.
Down to 200? I’ve been down to
208 or so a few years ago. Will I see
200 again? Should I? I’m pretty lucky to
have a decent piece of clay to work with, fairly broad natural shoulders, nice
proportions, etc. If I can maintain my
musculature and still lose weight and get fit, I would be very happy. Want to get my body fat percentage
tested.
Food and Drink.
Background, I LOVE food, I’m a real foodie. If I didn’t work out, I could
easily be 300 lbs but I’m never going to do that. But right now I’m concentrating on eating
(and drinking) to lose weight. I don’ t
DIET per se, but I do watch what goes into my body. First, NO FAST FOOD. None.
NO COKES OR SOFT DRINKS. When I
stop to get an internet connection at MacDonalds, I get a small drink for a
buck. I DO let myself have A coke, what
a treat for me. I could get their
unsweetened tea, but this is an occasional and special treat, to have the
cola. We do what we can. I’ve cut out chocolate and sweets for a
while. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had
a couple of pieces, at Betsy’s. That’s it.
The only added sugar I get is a tiny bit in coffee in the morning, which
also has a tbs or so of half and half.
Like I say, we do what we can. As
for beverages, besides a couple of cups of coffee in the mornings, I drink only
water, water with a few drops of lemon juice, and unsweetened tea (often Red
Zinger, yum). I don’t keep beer here at
the house, but do have a couple when I go out, very occasionally, with Matt and
friends.
Betsy’s been making ratatouille, and it’s great. Last night, I went over and we made a double
batch, one for her (she’s starting back to teaching, so it’ll be nice to have
lunches to take) and one for me. We
grilled lots of zukes, yellow squash, eggplant, carrots, portobellas, yellow,
orange and green bell peppers, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and yellow beets. She sautéed garlic and onions, and added the
cut up grilled veggies, lots of canned tomatoes, some vegetable stock I had
made the night before, and voila! Salt,
pepper, not too much more. Some cayenne.
Now I have a ton in my fridge. I
guess there is a tiny bit of oil in this, but it is so healthy. I can freeze
some and live on this stuff. I got a
couple of blocks of Twin Oaks tofu at the Roanoke Food Co-op, which I sauté and
have with the rat. Damn fine
eatin’. Put it over some rice, wow. (There is a young deer frolicking in my yard
right now as I write this. Wow.
Yard. It’s more like a wilderness
area. No grass.)
Otherwise, I have some veggie burgers on whole wheat bread,
with a little good mayo and a big handful of spinach. Some burritos, whole wheat tortillas with a
little cheese, a big handful of spinach, some rice and black beans, and
salsa. I can’t give up bread and bread
products. I like to have bagel and cream
cheese with my coffee for breakfast.
I’ve started having HALF, not a whole, with a thin layer of cream
cheese. I just had one this afternoon,
half. A real treat.
Today I had some ratatouille with a poached egg for
breakfast. Really good. Then had some
rat for lunch, with a couple of grilled sweet potato slices. And just now, the half bagel and cream
cheese. Not too bad.
One of the ways I suspect that I lose weight is that I have
learned to live with a low level of hunger.
When I ordinarily would eat, I just put it off a bit. You learn to make that part of your comfort
zone. I just don’t eat a lot these
days.
Music. I’m passionate about music. Listening for the most part, but I do play
guitar and bit of mandolin and my new love, ukulele. I’ve played guitar for many years, but I’m
getting very serious about it now. I’ve
been out on the back porch, where I can’t see anyone for miles. No neighbors close by. I played Sunday afternoon out there for
hours. I am breaking in my fingers, the
pads. It’s tough. But worth it. Playing a lot, I’m getting pretty good. I have 20-30 songs I know (still memorizing
lyrics), and want to start playing out.
I want to put an ad on Craigslist looking for a harmonica player. I’d like to do some songs with my friend
Sharon, and have Matt do percussion (with MY washboard, I might add). Lots of blues, but lots of other stuff. Some originals, mostly covers. I wrote a song I like the other day. Met some people here in Catawba I want to get
together with to play, especially Hettie, a blues singer. I’ve worked up Love Me Like a Man that she
wants to do.
When I run, with my iPod, I get ideas for new songs to work
up. Today, the shuffle function played
“Yummy yummy yummy I get love in my tummy, and I feel like loving you.” Great.
I can do this one on acoustic guitar.
What great old song—I think people will love to hear it, and be
surprised. Also, Dylan’s Ballad of
Hollis Brown. Two days ago, I heard Ryan
Adams and Gillian Welch do Return of the Grievous Angel—wow. Great one to have harmony vocal on. Sharon???
I do one song on mandolin, the Stones’ Honky Tonk Women.
Gotta get a new string and do some more mandolin songs. Originals?
Ihave one kinda nice thing. I
want to work on my blues mandy playing, and sit in with the band on Monday
nights at the blues jam at the Cellar.
I have a couple of uke originals, including a great
blues. Uke blues. I love it.
I’ll post my song list sometime soon.
Philosophy. I’m happiest when there is something I’m
working on, some idea. I’m getting a lot
out of my new FB group, The Way Station, where I was introduced by the great
Don Griffin. He was a Pentecostal
pastor, who is now an atheist. We’ve
been having some great exchanges. It’s
really helped me focus some of my ideas on atheism, religion, science,
etc. Would like to collaborate on a book
with him.
Been reading Susan Haack’s Science Within Reason. Need to get serious about it. She makes a
distinction, I think I recall, between science and rationality in the right
way. To me, science is a subset of
rational methodology, just a ‘muscle’ that has been particularly well
exercised. So the question is not, Can
SCIENCE explain X (God, soul, etc.) but can RATIONALITY explain it. Different question. Of course this is subject to contextual,
definitional variation. That’s why I
want to see what Haack says about it.
Signed up for a Mathematical Philosophy class from
Coursera. Need to watch a couple of
lectures.
Talked with new friend Felta the other day about my critical
thinking plans. Should do this. Damn.
I gotta have guts.
That’s fitness, food, and music. Now
life. What to say? I need a job.
Otherwise, I’m pretty happy. I’d
like to be in a relationship, but can’t rush that. My heart’s still a bit raw. Will make the best of this alone time. I have great friends, all too many of them
far away, but several close by.
This is beautiful out here.
I like it. Never lived this
“rustically.” Don’t need too much
more. I have stuff stored in Tampa, some
of which I’d like to have here. Some to
store in Tennessee.
What I’d like to have: An internet connection here at the
house. For applying for jobs, and some
entertainment. 50 to 70 $/mo. A place to workout. Would like to find someone who has some free
weights or such in their house. Could
trade for cooking, something. A new
pillow or two. $20. A new mandolin string. I thought I had a set here, oh well. A couple of bucks. Is there some place in Salem?
Summary:
Ratatouille and poached egg, coffee 2 c and cream, little
sugar.
Ratatouille, sweet potato.
Bagel and cream cheese.
Ratatouille with rice, and sautéed tofu twicebefore bed (appr. 7:30 and 9)
Run, 57 min on trails. Later in the evening, 800 crunches,
200 bicycles
8/5/13
Bagel and egg, cheese slice, 2c coffee, cream, little sugar.
Veggie burger, slice cheese,ww bun, mayo, spinach.
Mac and cheese w/veggies, tuna.
Grilled veggies, misc., bowl of ratatouille, rice (1/2 cup)
7 min workout
8/4/13
Coffee, cream, little sugar.
WW
??
Ran hills 40 min.
Heavy abs, pushups, plank, bicep curls, triceps, shoulders.
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