Friday fooled

Last of the work week, I weigh 206.5 pounds and my blood pressure is 129/83 with a heart rate of 37. It does seem like my blood pressure is where it should be.

Rolling, just rolling along...

I weigh 207.5 pounds today, the rain is falling and foggy conditions wait outside the door, my blood pressure is 138/94 with a heart rate of 40. I have looked at my motorcycle and will talk to it again tonight. The cold is banked and I might be ready to start exercising tonight, I certainly have lots of motivation. The women have just stopped looking me over in the Mall. The plumpness is folding over the belt and the bottom of the shirt swells with what can no longer be contained. Yep, I want to be loved by one...

Little steps, make a journey...

I weigh 207.0 pounds, blood pressure is 140/85 with a heart rate of 41 beats per minute, hopefully with a nice rhythm, irregular is the kind of fellow I want to be, not the way my heart works. I am still hiding from breaking out in muscular sweats for lots of reps and against gravity - the last of the cold lingers but it is going. I walk to the dock and notice that I can see the pathway along the road, the light has returned to my days. The trees aren't as green as this picture, the route is the same and budding has started on some of the early ones, Spring then Summer is to be looked for.

I stopped with my wife at a restaurant, and the waitress asked if I worked at McNeil Island, and I said yes. We ordered and when she brought back the drinks, she said "You're the guy that walks everyday." So easy to build a reputation, just by being a little different. There are, in good weather, other walkers, and a few in bad. Mostly everyone rides the bus, the American way. I have almost always walked down, unless I am running out of time to catch the ferry or I am ill for some reason. People think it is for my fitness that I do the walk, but for that I jog, the walk is for my mental health. The thick tree lined road, twisting with animal sign and sightings, takes me back to walking home in Pennsylvania, wondering where are the French and Indians. I use the time to daydream a bit, to wonder 'what if?' of many silly things. And then suddenly I am at the dock ready for the ferry boat ride.

Only one more time to walk, hard and fast, after arrival at the island dock the race starts to get inside the gates and get to work. I like the surge, passing the Headquarters building, to get to the entry gates, under tower guard control. Up the steps two at a time into Control and then work. My mind is ready, my spirit soared.

Another day of recovery

Weigh 206.5 pounds,119/86 blood pressure and heart rate of 42 beats per minute. Not only are you supposed to fit within the stereotype of those paying attention box you in their mind - but you aren't to climb out of that cage... Obstacles, my life has been going through them or around and over them or getting the key or enough explosive to open magically... the toughest barriers are always the ones in my own mind. If I say I can't do a pull up - then it isn't going to happen unless I get shocked.

Burned it all out...

Fevered dreams and sweaty sheets by morning the sinus, cold is gone driven away in the night. I am pleased. Tomorrow I will pick my training up again for today I need to adjust all my other stuff. My Triumph needs chain lube, and some cleaning. My bills need attention and paying, my library has two days of work to get started on and the Public Library Human Resources does deserve a return call so we can discuss my future - always good to think one has a future. I weigh 205.5 pounds, blood pressure is 130/83 with a resting heart rate of 38 bpm.

And on the Seventh Day

I weigh 205.5 pounds, blood pressure 132/73 with a heart rate of 42 beats per minute.

Thought better of it... and did it anyway

I wake before the alarms and get up and turn them off. I take my medicine and think I shouldn't go to the 15K today, my wife would agree with me. My sinus problem is there but doesn't seem that bad, still my wife would tell me not to run. About the third time I thought about not running because it was cold, I had a sinus problem and my wife would tell me not to run, I decided to go and run anyway. I weigh 206.5 pounds, blood pressure is 124/84 with a heart rate of 45 bpm. I make my gruel (oatmeal, grapenuts, chopped nuts and raisins with warm milk) and have a cup of coffee. I dress in layers and remind myself that it is only 9.3 miles to run - anyone can jog for that distance.

I drive by the closed Triumph Dealership, promising myself that I will visit it when it is open, my wife wants a sissy bar on my bike for when she goes with me. The sky is clear and blue and the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier are brightly reflecting the Sunshine from their fresh snows. I am early but I do get my number and wander, listening and then slowly stretching and checking the heart monitor's function, I reposition the belt for better contact. I am cheating just a bit, I left my partials at home so I am lighter - not that it will make a difference.

At nine the gun (not really, must have been a horn) sounds and we move out, I am ready to start my watch as I cross the starting line, I already know I am going to be slow - I have been sick. I jog along, keeping my pace up for the first three miles, after that I kind of fall into the what ever feels good pace - the one I day dream to so well. Before I hit my turn around the fastest fifteen miler flys by - so fast and so smooth. I make the turn and the three men trying to catch the leader speed by me, too. Ah, since I know I am slow, not a real problem. Don't I wonder if I was ever fast enough - not racing fast but speedier than now, was I? Well, I make it in, cheered on by kind folks that know it takes effort to show up and start and then finish. Finishing is great! I burned 869 Kcal and 45% of it was fat (a pound of fat is 1600 Kcal) my average Heartrate is 108 bpm (so slow), in zone only 17 minutes and 2 seconds, total exercise time one hour, fifty-eight minutes and sixteen seconds. I am pleased that I have run, just not proud.

I firmly believe that I beat everyone that hasn't jogged today - because I am sure movement is very important to life, very. Still my average speed was 12.69 minutes per mile. Such a slug. I go back home and get hot soup for lunch and find out what my wife's plans are for the day. I go take a nap and will my muscles to loosen up a bit. I check my email, find I have a meeting I am supposed to be at, make it and then ride off on my motorcycle. The run has me feeling like such an old man I want the powerful feeling back, roll on that throttle.

I ride off into the last of the Sunshine and wave at the other motorcyclists, too good a day to miss. I stop at the Harley-Davidson dealership - saw something to look at one day, nothing to buy. I then get back on the road and hit the highway, long enough to feel really powerful. Then I exit to find the Triumph Dealership open and look around (they are repainting) and talk to one of the staff. He asks me when I got my America, and I realize it was exactly a year ago I rode it home in the rain, scared I was going to do something stupid (stalled it three times, dropped it at home). He then asked how many miles I had on it and I said 8400, he said I really ride. Yes, I do and I mentioned the long trip to Minnesota. I left, the Sun had gone down, and it would get colder riding. Time to call it a day, a very good day it was, too.