#5) I can feel it coming

Ignore the Heart Rate 0
 I was not having a heart attack

As you can see I continue to post better times, but I still don’t know how this indoor SciFit program compares to actual handcycling. 

I must tell you that for the last 90 seconds my right leg was trembling like that of a teenager force to sit at the dinner table while hyped-up on too much coffee. That is how my system reacts to physical exertion and heat. I wear a towel soaked in cold water around my neck and take in some water two to three times during the 45 minutes to ride… I guess I should know by now that I shouldn’t be pushing myself, but sorry, that’s just how I am wired. The SciFit machine is equipped with a fan, but I don’t feel like it does much good. The wind that will be flowing through my hair once I am outdoors should help with that.

Speaking of outdoors, I might be able to hit my parking-lot circuit later in the week. 

The temperatures are suppose to be in the mid to high 40’s later in the week. I will have to investigate when the best time would be to ride to avoid the traffic.

Notable music:  

Robert Palmer: “Sailin’ Shoes / Hey Julia / Sneakin’ Sally Thru the Alley”  

John Lennon: The Ballad of John and Yoko / with lyrics 

Elton John: Pinball Wizard (from Tommy)

Asher Roth "His Dream

Peace out…

Entry #4 Still Nothing II (from 03.22.13)

The weather still an issue.  

A quick recap of last Friday’s ride:

Time: 45min Distance: 9.1 (PR) Calories: 350  Average WATT: 54

I pushed it for 40 minutes but a soccer-dad stopped 

Songs that motivated me:

Just like the young American Bandstand viewers, I like these songs because of their beat.

Alice Cooper “Halo of Flies”  

Yes really, I bought this album early in my high school days. I had ti hide it from my mother because Alice Cooper was frowned upon..

Taylor Swift “You belong to Me” 

Yes really, It’s because of the beat I tell ya.

Doug & the Slugs “Too Bad”

 I don’t know how to explain this one. Some Canadian band I heard somewhere along the line.  (Probably at Streetside Records in Westport)

Entry #3 Still Nothing

Although this winter season has been rather mild by Chicago standards, it is beginning to get rather old. Maybe it is because I keep monitoring the end-of-summer weather in Santiago, Chile. My eldest daughter recently relocated there as an ESL teacher at Santo Tomas Universidad, and what father doesn't keep a watchful eye on their daughter.

Or maybe it is because of the conversation I overheard a few weeks ago between a little girl and her mother as they dodged slushy puddles running through the parking-lot at Trader Joe’s.

“Mommy, is summer going to be here this weekend?”  

I couldn’t help but chuckle out-loud. The young mother looked my way and rolled her eyes as I replied with a shrug. “I like the way your daughter thinks,” I said. But the summer seed had been planted.

As far as my workouts go, I have changed thing up a little bit. Because upper-body strength is a key attribute, I realized that instead of going through the motions to maintain muscle tone, I do need to push myself to gain that extra strength. I’m still experimenting with the length and intensity of my sessions, so I don’t over do it. I now pyramid my lifts, doing 15 reps at ???, then 12 at ?? & 8 to 10 at ?.

On the exer-cycle, I have increased my time to 45 minutes total. Some days I will keep a constant resistance, other days, variable hills and then intervals the next. I attempt to monitor my mileage, calories burned and WATT statistics (total, peak and average) WATTS: Defined by WIKIpedia.

Like I said, I haven’t had a chance to go much real-world handcycling, so I really don’t know where I stand in the real world. All I can tell you is this: On January 1, I weighed 182 lbs., today, I weigh 174lbs. I have also begun to make a record of my workouts in a composition book.

3/16/13 174lbs. rode 8.65 mile in 45 minutes, avg WATTS 45 burning 300 cals.

MP3  Play list

1^st song*  Rank and File by Rank and File 

Best song Take me, I'm Yours by Squeeze 

Last: Take a Walk on the Wild Side Lou Reed   

3/17/13 Rest

3/18/13 174lbs. 8.8 miles in 45 mins , avg 48 WATTS, burning 330 cal

MP3  Play list

1^st song*  Rank and File by Rank and File  

Best song: Beat Crazy by Joe Jackson 

Last: Secret of Life by Faith Hill 

1^st Song*: Although I have my MP3 set on shuffle it always begins with “Rank & File” which is ok because it is very upbeat.

Entry #2) Stuck Indoors

The weather still hasn’t been cooperating with outdoor riding, but that is ok, we really need the moisture. As you can see from the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map there are quite a few areas that are in dire need of precipitation.

 In the meantime, I have been going to the Fitness Center three to five times a week to work on both my strength and endurance. At first, I was a bit overzealous,  reverting back to my pre-MS mindset: no pain no gain /if you're not sweating you're doing it wrong/ push yourself through that proverbial wall, but that just doesn’t work for me anymore. Doing 30 minutes of strength exercises followed by 30 minutes of cardio training was too much and my shoulders felt like I was suffering from rotator cuff injuries

Now, I alternate my area of focus from workout to workout. Strength one day and cardio the next. Lighter weight more repetitions

3 Sets 12 to 15 Reps

Dips Pullups Bench Press Shoulder Press Lat Pulldowns Chest Flys

Seated Row Front Raise Lateral Raise Front Raise Rear Deltoids

Chest Pullover External/Internal Rotator Cuff  Tricep/Bicep Curls

Then either abdominals or legs

For cardio, I am slowly trying to increase the length of my "rides". My early sessions lasted 20 minutes but yesterday I rode 7.1 miles in 40 minutes and burned 251 calories. The machine has a number of ride options to select from, whether it be a constant resistance, a selection of hill profiles or a heart-rate testing program.

I usually do the “Twin Peaks” program.  Pretty self explanatory… the resistance slowly increases until the target level is reached and then the resistance slowly decreases to the baseline and then after a short period of time, the process repeats it self. To break up the monotony I sometime pedal backwards or use only one arm at a time and then switch to the other.

Then either abdominals or legs.                                    

SciFit Web Site 

Once the salt, sand and snow gets cleared from the roadways I will move outside. Because my rig is so low to the ground I don’t think that riding solo on the street is a good idea.  Until I get my technique down I will stick to the 1.5 mile course I have plotted out around the fitness center parking lot. These lots are usually empty on weekdays so the only obstacles to deal with will be some speed bumps laid across the roadway. 

Illinois Prairie Path Link

My ultimate goal is to venture out on the Prairie Path. The eastern trail-head of this 61 mile long web of crushed limestone trails is situated in western part of Cook County and winds its way through residential and rural areas of DuPage County before passing into Kane County where the 3 main branches of the IPP meet the Fox River Trail which follows the Fox River north and south for 31 miles.

It is along these paths that I hope to find stories and pictures for future journal entries