Working out on the Road

Kevin Foley, formerly the head of NMU’s Clinical Lab Science Dept and a self-proclaimed stud told me that I’d get soft on the trip. First, Kevin is very fit and knows a thing about staying active. Conversely, one constant in my life is trying to stay in shape, so I took that as a challenge of sorts. Second, since working out is frequently my top priority (a fact that I’m not necessarily proud of although PK admonished that admission saying that at least I stay true to my values). Anyway, in order to keep my old body fit, I like to work out 2 hours/day. Unfortunately, that isn’t always feasible on the road. So, in order to keep the old body moving, the following are examples of “Working out on the road:”
Biking: We brought 8 bikes: 1 mountain bike/person + Isaac’s tandem that fits on my bike and my road bike that I don’t leave home without. Did one mountain bike race at Fort Lewis that was a brutal 30k thru some very technical terrain – finished fourth, one place out of the money (of course, there were only 5 of us that completed the long course). My favorite rides are the family rides that include hills. We road to Lake Louise in Banff National Park in Canada. I didn’t figure it would be bad since it was only about 4 miles. What I didn’t realize was that it went up about 1000’ so it took us the better part of an hour. We also rode to the Commissary at USAFA with almost the same elevation change over four miles. The girls weren’t happy.
Running/power walking: Since I’ve been afflicted with some sort of injury to my calves since 2001, my running is limited. I occasionally run 20-30 minutes with the dog. Zach and I did a 5K at Elmendorf AFB in AK and we continue to target some trail runs in CA as possible training venues. Otherwise, daily walks with the dog are the normal AM routine.
Hiking: Probably the best family friendly activity. As long as there’s food and some kind of distraction (water, rock formations, etc) the kids are usually all right with it.

An awesome hike was in Bryce Canyon, UT. While only 1.5 miles, it went down 500’ and back. The beauty of the park made the challenging terrain acceptable.
Hill runs: One of the best climbs I’ve done in a while was at PKs on Mercer Island. The road was probably 20% grade for ¼ mile with a staircase that finished at the top of the hill and was about 100’ up. That was until we discovered ”The Incline” in Manitou Springs. Rob Koehler told us about this workout and referred to a NY Times article http: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/sports/olympics/02incline.html that claimed that the Olympic wrestlers at the training center considered it one of their hardest workouts. So, with that kind of reputation I figured that we should give it a try. Zach wasn’t too excited, but like usual, did as he was told. The incline rises 2000’ over the one mile climb or an average grade of 35%. Actually the middle third was closer to 45% and pretty much maxed my heart rate. I did it in just under 32:00 and Zach was a couple minutes behind. I love those high intensity, short workouts. The run back down was great as well. About 3 miles through some beautiful terrain. Reminded me of the run down the Kramer in Garmisch, except there was no sheep poop or the accompanying flies – “they’re kind of nasty, but at least they don’t get up in your Kool-aide” Rudy, June 2003.
So, in addition to swimming or lifting on posts when we stay at military campsites, those are the activities that we use to stay active while traipsing about the country.
Until next time, Go Pack…

Peace ~ Dad