Category: Getting In Shape

On The Trail With Stef

She was a naturopathic physician. They don’t disdain conventional medicine, but the deal heavily in herbs and natural things. “So, I should take hemlock,” I asked?

Stef went roller blading again today. I asked if I could skate along.

Last week she bought skates, was very unhappy with them and returned them. Now, with new blades, she’s a speed demon. It only took a few seconds for her to ask if it was OK to skate ahead (and leave me behind).

I plodded along with my skates, now questioning their ability to get the job done. Over time, the edges of the front wheels have been carved, hitting the ground at the point of a “V.” They look like tires on a car with bad front end alignment. Maybe it’s new skate time for me too?

People on skates and bikes were passing me by as I huffed and puffed along. I passed no one, other than those who had been eligible to vote for Harry Truman.

One woman on skates who passed me a few minutes earlier was resting as I crossed an intersection. As I passed by, she started up again and we traded small talk for a few minutes.

She was a naturopathic physician. They don’t disdain conventional medicine, but they do deal heavily in herbs and natural things. The doctor had a tattoo just below her shoulder.

“So, I should take hemlock,” I asked?

I hope she has great healing powers, because she wasn’t wearing wrist guards. That’s the one part of skating safety I never miss. The others biggies, head gear and knee pads… well, don’t ask.

She skated on into the distance as I tried to remain upright and in motion. There is little ‘coast’ with this current set of skates.

Stef was nowhere to be seen when I turned around. It’s tough to gauge when you’ve reached ‘halfway to death,’ so you don’t overdo it. It felt like I was properly baked and sat on a stone bench to rest a minute.

I began to chat with a man who was riding alongside his five year old daughter. She was on a ‘princess bike’ with training wheels.

I explained that his daughter’s path was now set. Form would trump function from here on out. Princess bikes were just the beginning. Cute would beat reliable. It’s only now, approaching her 21st birthday, that Stef is starting to back down on this… but only a little.

Greg, the five year old’s father, told me he worked for a newspaper in a nearby town. We both commiserated at the state of media, our job future and the blessing and curse of the Internet as it applies to old media.

By then Stef was riding our way. I looked at her and looked at Greg’s five year old. It doesn’t seem so long ago Steffie was that age.

Everything everyone said was true. It does go by in the blink of an eye. There’s no way to fully comprehend that until after its happened.

Stef rode off and I tried to follow. My legs are a lot longer, but I just couldn’t keep up. In fact, while I was still a minute or so from the car, my cellphone chirped. She wanted to know where I was!

Strange Plants

One thing that always grabs my attention are these strangely twisted trunks.

mountain_laurel.jpgHelaine and I walked Sleeping Giant again Sunday. It’s busier on weekends than weekdays. There were lots of families and lots of dogs (though I saw no poop on the trail).

One thing that always grabs my attention are these strangely twisted trunks. I think they are sheep laurel shrubs or some other laurel, which grow under a dense canopy of taller trees. This time of year, they get minimal sunlight.

Up On The Giant

This spring I’ve gone bike riding, roller blading and hiking. I’m gonna make one good looking corpse!


Today, Helaine and I walked up the Tower Trail to the castle atop Sleeping Giant Mountain. It’s 1.6 miles in each direction. That’s not too bad.

There’s also a vertical climb of 700 feet, That is bad. Think 70 story building… no elevator.

The weather was interesting, to say the least. We had sunshine and clouds and even a few sprinkles. Temperatures were well below average for this time of year, topping out in the 50&#176s.

I’m not a fan of graffiti, but someone left a little message at the top of the castle I found intriguing. I wonder what was on Rachel’s mind?

Living Dangerously On Wheels

It will be a good summer as long as I have nothing turn yellow and green.

When you fall hard… really hard… there are skin colors that follow after black and blue. With a really deep bruise, your skin turns yellow and green.

I have vivid memories of those colors, because I have fallen hard. It was at least ten, maybe fifteen years ago, when I used to roller blade laps around our circular driveway.

You don’t forget a fall like that, ever.

It certainly was on my mind today when I headed to the trail with Stef. Blading is part of her summer plans.

Stef was tenuous and I was apprehensive as we left the car. What a pair! Still, based on my GPS, we did three miles in 40 minutes.

That’s pretty slow, but we’re just getting started.

The trail was loaded with people today. As usual, they ran the gamut from skinny to fat.

Of all the people, one young woman stands out in my mind, because she was dressed as if she’d just teleported in from the sixties. She was even clutching a small bunch of wildflowers.

There’s no doubt, this is hard exercise. Stef and I returned flushed and sweaty and out-of-breath. As an added bonus, I discovered there are muscles in my butt which can get sore. Great.

It will be a good summer as long as I have nothing turn yellow and green.

On The Giant’s Trail

My cellphone rang. It was Stef, calling from college. Later, I snapped some pictures with the camera in the cellphone and uploaded them to Flickr. Am I missing the purpose of the great outdoors?

PIC-0134This is the perfect spring day. Temperatures, judging by feel, have to be around 70&#176, with low humidity. The sky is a deep blue.

I left the bike n the garage today as Helaine and I set out to hike in Sleeping Giant State Park. It’s a beautiful place and only five minutes from here.

We thought we were heading up the main trail to the castle at the summit, but after 30 seconds, I realized we’d gone wrong. Oh, what the hell, we just kept walking up the Yellow Trail.

PIC-0135My cellphone rang. It was Stef, calling from college. Later, I snapped some pictures with the camera in the cellphone and uploaded them to Flickr.

Am I missing the purpose of the great outdoors?

The GPS didn’t get a good fix until we were halfway up the trail, but it looks like we did about two miles in 45 minutes. It’s a hilly trail with lots of big rocks poking up and making footing a challenge.

We’ll be back.

PIC-0136

On The Trail, Learning

Rollerbladers have the best bodies – period. Runners are next, though not close. Bikers often look like they’re just trying to coast to an ambulance.

I did 7.1 miles today in 37 minutes. I’m happy. I’ve learned a few things, now that I’ve been biking.

Make sure you’re sitting correctly, otherwise you can get off the bike with some parts numb.

I need pockets. I had to leave my wallet. I didn’t take water.

The cord from my iPod is too short. I couldn’t stand on the pedals at all.

Speaking of iPod – Dylan, Shangri-las, 60s Motown, Dion, Willie Nelson. What the hell was I thinking?

Rollerbladers have the best bodies – period. Runners are next, though not close. Bikers often look like they’re just trying to coast to an ambulance.


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Continue reading “On The Trail, Learning”

Hike For Habitat

It would be nice to think, a home re-built by Habitat could reclaim or even save a neighborhood.

habitat-walkThere wasn’t much time to get far from home today. I was invited to help out at a hike for Habitat for Humanity at Sleeping Giant State Park.

This is an organization that does good work. It would be nice to think, a home re-built by Habitat could reclaim or even save a neighborhood.

The turnout was a a lot less than they wanted, though the raw weather might have had something to do with it. Still, the day raised a few thousand dollars, with teams from local churches and a few local colleges.

I suspect, at some time in the not too distant future, Helaine will be lifting a hammer to get involved.

Back On The Trail In The Cold

Almost immediately, I felt it in my legs. That wasn’t a good sign. My body had been taxed and one day off wasn’t undoing it.

I was back on the bike trail today. Yesterday was a day off.

Actually, I was on the trail twice today.

I knew it as chilly, but figured I could get away with shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt. It took around 20 feet to realize, I was going to be very uncomfortable.

I rode to the car, put the bike on the rack and headed home to change. I was back ten minutes later and quickly on the trail again, heading north.

Traffic on the trail is very weather dependent. Even on a Sunday afternoon, clouds and temps in the 50s kept the trail sparsely traveled.

Almost immediately after heading out, I felt the cumulative effects of pedaling in my legs. That isn’t a good sign. My body has been taxed starting this new exercise routine and one day off wasn’t enough.

I made the decision to ride through it, taking it easy, but trying to make at least the distance I’d covered last week.

In the end, I rode seven miles in 40 minutes. That’s one mile more than my last measured ride. I felt every inch. Back in the parking lot, I was a little light headed.

I carried my little i-gotu GPS tracker in a pocket today. It’s pretty cool and very easy to use (there’s only one button). I just wish there was an easy way to calculate my distance ridden. It can be done, but the method I use is a pain.

After downloading the data onto my laptop, and then uploading a small file, Google gladly spit out the map you see below. If you zoom in, you can see it’s really two paths – up and back (with some overlap).


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Back On The Trail

Helaine asked if she could join me on the trail today. She doesn’t bike, so we just drove there together and then I rode off. I said I’d meet her in a half hour.

I took a break from riding yesterday thinking it would be beneficial. As I began today, I realized it was not. My legs were still sore.

This time I started at Brooksvale Park. It’s a large, normally uncrowded, rural park. There’s a large meadow, where I’ve emceed lots of charity walks, along with ball fields, a small playground and what was a petting zoo.

Sometime while Stef was a toddler, word came down from the USDA: The animals needed to be isolated from the humans.

For each fence that penned the animals in, a second fence was erected. It’s crazy. These animals are now eligible for the MSNBC prison doc block! And with two sets of fences, the kids are far away. Any warm and fuzzy moment is lost.

PIC-0112We left the park, crossed the street and picked up the trail.

This part of the trail is a little more isolated. There are long stretches through wetlands with swiftly moving water on the west side.

Going north from Brooksvale, the trail is table flat. That’s no small accomplishment for a hilly state like Connecticut. After all, I entered the trail in a part of Hamden called Mount Carmel.

PIC-0110I’ve been trying to figure how biking compares with last years running. I just read an article that says, at 10 mph (around my speed) divide your distance by 4.2 to get a running equivalent. So, today’s 6+ miles turns into around 1.5 of running… without the pounding. Obviously, I need to do more.

This sign (above/left) was the most unexpected sight of today’s ride. I saw one swan deep in the marsh. She remains unmolested.

The Long And Tiring Road

Wasn’t it this time last year, I decided to get in shape by running. It only took a week or two before I felt the difference – stress fracture in my left tibia!

Wasn’t it this time last year, I decided to get in shape by running? It only took a week or two before I felt the difference – stress fracture in my left fibula!

Maybe that’s not the way to go.

This morning, I attached my long neglected bike rack on the back of the car and headed to the trail.

Canal Trail HamdenYears ago, a rail line ran through my town, paralleling an abandoned shipping canal. Now, both canal and tracks are mostly gone, but the right-of-way lives on as a linear park. It is a gem.

It is, or so I’ve been told, the town’s most used park. There was a moderately light crowd this morning as I headed out on my 18-speed Huffy.

Do I really need 18 speeds? Wouldn’t three or four be perfectly fine, and less confusing?

I’ve had this bike a long time. It’s always had one ‘feature’ I wish I could fix. The brakes are incredibly noisy and squeaky. You can’t exactly spray a little 3-in-1 on brakes.

Today, the trail featured men and women of every size and body type. There were short squat women walking and at least one tall lean one running. A bunch of people were walking big dogs. One couple pushed a stroller with a bored looking toddler, in sunglasses.

A group of girls from Quinninipiac University passed by, totally engulfed in a cluster conversation.

Next time, I should throw my GPS receiver in the tiny pocket beneath the seat. It would be nice to know how far I’ve gone. My guess to Helaine was 4-5 miles, but it’s only a guess.

My trip took exactly thirty minutes. When I got back to the car, I wasn’t exhausted, but my muscles were twitching a little. That’s good. My butt doesn’t like the seat. That’s bad.

If I can keep this up when the weather is less friendly and the motivation not quite as strong, it will be a good summer.