Trifecta 2021: SE Loop 10

The Run

Up at 0400…like I used to.

1 tub of Chobani vanilla yogurt with a teaspoon of honey, some granola, and some microwave-thawed berries. Breakfast washed down with Sparkling Ice + Caffiene, with a packet of UCAN Hydrate Plus added…the first packet of the year.

Dressed, stretched, one quick sit on the toilet…out the door ten after five.

Starting at the telephone pole across from the entrance to Meadow Lane. Moonless pre-dawn, no big deal. Hit start on the Strava app, and off I go.

I am still carrying more weight that I should, and yet, this morning I feel better. Climb up to Ranieri Run, head down Willows Road to MD-5 South, then left and up the hill. I go easy on the climb, then I push the pace as I near the top of the hill. The turn onto Point Lookout Road at mile three, then a quick pee stop. Down The road and then the turn left onto Three Notch Road/MD-234 going northward and steadily upward.

As I make the run up MD-234, I think about the Indian Hills Rail Trail, which is a perfect 13.1 mile length running end-to-end, one way. It is an hour drive north from where I live, with a Super-8 motel down the road and hopefully at least one BBQ rib shack further down the street running just outside the Navy installation. The current run up Three Notch reminds me of the last 4.5 miles…a constant gradual climb on the way back. The last time I attempted running IHRT, I saw the never-ending climb; not very steep, but a perpetual steady incline that never seemed to end.

Now, this climb I was going on wasn’t completely an incline, but running this four mile stretch gave me the idea to run the virtual Marine Corps Marathon at the IHRT this year. I believe that I will do a little better, since I am running the course in late October than late July. However, I don’t really have the mileage that I did when I made the attempt four years ago.

Since I had breakfast in my stomach and UCAN-reinforced water lubricating my systems, I focused more on the war going on inside my head, and less about the fact that I took a two months-plus vacay from running this summer. The four mile stretch of Three Notch Road came and went; the familiar buildings that were the signposts of the run came and went. At 6:58 a.m., the familiar traffic lights leading to NAS Patuxent River Gate 2 came into view. A left turn onto Great Mills Road, a short stretch going to the Willows Road/Great Mills intersection. The last mile plus on the road back home, with the familiar uphill to Aberly Crest Road to end the run.

10.25 miles in 2:06.45. 12:22 pace.

Lost ONE POUND between Sunday and Saturday?

The Gear and the Diet

More bulletproof coffee (swapping in the heavy cream, pat of butter and the two packets of Truvia). Veggies during lunch. Mio water enhancer instead of Red Bull to add flavor to the Aha Sparkling Water + Caffiene I’ve been drinking with lunch. No more grits and bacon for late supper.

Stravia is a good run app, but I need to figure out the voice settings for my phone. I have heard mile splits once in the three weeks I have been running.

Probably time to make a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods for some new shoes, my Brooks Ravennas have been going on a year and probably more than 400 miles.

Song of the Day

“It’s in the Way That You Use It”/Eric Clapton: 80s Eric Clapton hasn’t lost a step from his days with the Yardbirds, Cream or Derek and the Dominos. Good track from the 28-years later sequel to…oh, man I can’t think of that movie. Back in the 60s, it was Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats. Paul reprises his role and mentors a young Tom Cruise.

“Cinnamon Girl”/Neil Young: I love the guitar work and the hand-clapping in time with the drums. When neil Young does his guitar work, he never tries to be Clapton or hendrix or any other guitar legend, he just does Neil and lets himself go. From the liner notes of his Decade greatest hits album: “Wrote this for a city girl on peeling pavement coming at me thru Phil Ochs eyes playing finger cymbals. It was hard to explain to my wife.”

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MCM Trifecta 2021: Twilight Lamentations and Rudimentations

0425: This morning’s excuser not getting up and running: “Y’know, I haven’t really slept in all week, and this looks like a good time to do it, so…I’ll check the weather and see about running at 6:00 or 6:30 at the latest.

So, I slept in until about 7:30-ish and got my first breakfast: a DoorDash order from Bob Evans. Strawberry-topped brioche French Toast and three sausage links. Took back the rental car around noon and did housework. Second breakfast at 3:00: McGriddle pancakes, which are actually made with pancake batter poured into egg/muffin molds. Side of Oscar Mayer oven baked bacon. All washed down with my third 6-oz. cup of coffee of the day.

About 3:00 I started hydrating for the 6:00 run. Temps were at 84 degrees, with cloudy skies; ten degrees cooler than yesterday. Two 17-oz bottles of water with a splash of Mio water enhancer in each bottle’s worth, each poured into a 20-oz Zak! drink bottle.

About 5:30, I finished hydrating and started stretching. Got dressed and put on my Proven insect repellent. Effective after using it for a month, but damn, it smells…I miss my Skin-So-Soft. At 5:55 I was out the door.

The run wasn’t great, but it was done. My pace has dipped to about 13:30/mi. lately. Right now I just focused on finishing, and damn the pace for right now until I can seriously start losing weight. Went and took a pee break in an off road path, about the same spot going out and coming in.

Supposedly I was to go eight miles round trip to Sheetz on the corner of MD-5 and Great Mills Rd, but I ended the run at the Abberly Crest office instead of finishing at the top of the hill. Ended up doing 8.3…no biggie, since I was supposed to run five yesterday but pulled up lame. No, not really sore or hurting, just…lame.

Shopping list:

New iMac (current iMac is 8.5 y/o, which is about 84 years old in human years (and not that healthy either). Gets stuck in recursive loops after powering up; takes about 2.5 hours to be fully ready to use. After powering up, it can’t save to my OneDrive and I have to erase and reformat my 1GB hard drive so I can save my stuff again. Ongoing issue with un-commanded power time outs. Running slower than ever.

New smartphone. Memory full AF.

Dumbbells or dumbbell set for P90X.

Plane ticket home for class reunion.

Lamentations:

Just got on the scale: 239 lbs. Oh, and I’m postponing my P90X run because I’m traveling home at the end of July and won’t be back until first Monday in August. Need to do something to lose weight because my run-times and A1C need to get much MUCH better.

Looking at a hella-expensive Amazon/QVC-HSN shopping spree…eventually.

Military Order of the Devil Dogs, Pax River Pound 344 Growl this weekend. Pound leader’s house had a pool. Pound leader and I both jumped in it and each of us swam for about five minutes. Both of us retreated to the inside of the house for lunch because it was simply too damn hot.

I bought a beer mug for the Marine Corps Ball at MCAS Yuma, AZ in 1991 (yup, third years ago). At the Growl, I drank beer out of it for the first time in thirty years.

The Pound leader’s wife liked the silicone whisk I used for my perrjack cheese mashed potatoes.

I left the mug at the pound Leader’s house. I left the whisk in the back seat of my ride home (I think).

Song of the Day: “Promontory (aka “The Gael”)”/The Last of the Mohicans Original Soundtrack: I have NEVER seen this movie, but I clicked on the link for the video on YouTube. Awesome. In the same vein as “The Blood of Cu Chulainn” from The Boondocks Saints.

It’s after 9:00 p.m. That’s all I’ve got.

MCM 2020: Popeye’s

Lunchtime yesterday: “Hey let’s go to Popeye’s for lunch.”

Me: “Okay.”

Four of us drive to the Popeye’s on Three Notch Road, across from Hobby Lobby, not the one in San Souci Plaza on Great Mills Road.

I am the first of four to order. Two-piece spicy dark (leg and thigh), corn on the cob, medium drink, apple pie.

Zero apple pies available. At 11:00 a.m. on a Monday (just before lunch).

Also, no corn on the cob ready. At 11:00 a.m. on a Monday (just before lunch).

Everybody else has ordered, paid for, and received their orders. Still no corn on the cob. I take Cajun rice instead.

My chicken looks like it was raised on growth hormones and tastes awful. Dirty rice may as well be dirt. No dessert to comfort my straight-up ghetto meal.

Twelve years I’ve lived here. Most of the time I get my Popeye’s at the San Souci location, and I have never had a bad meal from that location. First time in twelve years that I’ve had to throw away a Popeye’s meal.

 

4:00 yesterday: home from work.

5:00-6:00. Postpone, then ultimately blow off P90X (Cardio X).

6:15: Screw it, I’ll ride my bike to Weis Market in St. Mary’s Plaza for PT; I need to get some coffee and stuff.

6:30: Rain clouds moving in; call Uber instead.

7:00, coming out of Weis…the sun is out.

The weather: God’s favorite practical joke on Man for over two thousand years.

 

International House of Pancakes on Three Notch Road closed it’s doors today. Riding home from work, I saw a big FOR LEASE sign where the IHOP used to advertise their specials. All of the IHOP signage stripped from the building.

Didn’t stop to see if the proprietors left a sign saying “We’re closing for good tonight, thanks for your patronage all these years.”

IHOP is the third restaurant to close in my area since COVID-19 put Maryland on lockdown. One was Nick’s, which made awesome Greek gyros. The other was Captain Pat’s Seafood, which burned down a few months ago.

 

Raineri run 4 miler sucked this evening. I doubt if I made a twelve minute pace.

MCM 2020is an issue in doubt. That is all.

 

Song of the Day: Ningen Isu/”Namahage.”

I have been on a death metal kick on YouTube lately, and this sounded pretty good.

The band performs in Japanese, so forget Genius. Here’s a link to an article on the band in Japan Times.

MCM 2020: 20/20

…aaand, just like that, I’m back.

0445 this morning. Just got off the toilet and getting ready to put on some Skin So Soft when I heard the thunder and lightning…and the accompanying heavy-ass rain. I checked the day’s weather forecast on my smartphone: expected to rain until after 6:00 p.m. tonight. Okay, no later than six, and then on the road, rain or shine.

0830: Breakfast is done, and so is the rain. Shooting for an 11:30 a.m. step-off.

1030: The sun comes out like gangbusters. My 11: 30 run time is confirmed.

11:35: Step off for thee miles of Shangri-La Drive.

Just past the two mile point, which I never heard because MapMyRun was silent…like my muted smartphone. A little sprinkle/drizzle, but nothing really heavy.

12:12: 3.18 in the books. Some watering in the eyes, but not a real showstopper. The pace wasn’t sexy, but I believe it will get better with more miles on the road and some more P90X Lean.

Long story short: I’m about 70 days out from the Marine Corps Marathon, and I haven’t done any PT in over two weeks. Mostly dealing with recovering from cataract surgery in each eye, and not wanting to upset my newly repaired eyes any more than necessary. Now I know I can go at least three miles running without any major problems with my eyes.

Also, that 20/20 vision, tho! Bit I still have to wear reading glasses.

So, it’s running every other day and P90X on alternating days until October 25, the day I run the virtual Marine Corps Marathon. If worse comes to worse, the last day that the MCM Organization will take virtual marathon results is November 10, but I don’t want to string it out that long.

Lastly, I need to get back on the keto diet horse. Way, way, waaay too much Doordash these last two weeks.

Song of the Day:

Gary Go:”Wonderful:” I thought of this song the other week, just thought I needed something to inspire me to get back on the road. Genius stole this from Wikipedia:

“Wonderful” is a song by British singer Gary Go, released on 16 February 2009 as the first and debut single from his debut album Gary Go. It reached #25 on the UK singles chart and was a Top 40 on the Hot AC chart in the US. The song was selected as Pop Song Of The Year by iTunes US in their Rewind recap of 2009 releases. A version of the song became the title song for the German film Men in the City (German: ‘Männerherzen’) for which a new music video was filmed on a Berlin rooftop including scenes from the film. It is also used in the trailer for the Disneynature film Oceans, in the TVI Portuguese novella Mar de Paixão, at the conclusion of an American Idol episode, and in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 during the interval, in a mini movie involving clips from the shorts that were broadcast before every song from the contest. “Wonderful” was also used in Sky Sports’ closing montage of the 2011–12 Premier League season.”

Orbital Culture: “The Shadowing:” This death metal song caught me by surprise when I heard to on Sirius XM this past week. Genius has nothing but lyrics.

The Damned: “Nasty:”First heard this song on the British punk sitcom The Young Ones waaay back in the 80s. Not sure about the thought process how I remembered this song, but I was looking for a death metal cover of the sone. I found this instead. Lyrics.

 

MCM 2020: Reset/Refresh

Great Mills 8

0400 reveille as usual. No breakfast, because the last tub of Chobani yogurt in the fridge was three days past its sell-by date, and I did not want to look at mold or get food poisoning this morning.

Dressed and lubed by 0430. Stretched at 0440-0450. Out the door at 0455.

It was cooler than I expected this morning, after running in the humidity all week. As I started the eight mile trek around Great Mills, I noticed the first-quarter moon was out. A good sign.

The goal today was a good, solid eight miles. Not so much worried about the pace, so much as I wanted to feel like zi could go a little further than eight miles. There were a lot of inclines and declines in the eight miles, so no use pressing for negative splits.

I actually felt good over the first four miles, as I rounded the turn from MD-5 onto Great Mills Road. While the splits may not have been with me, I did feel good about the run. I was even able to shrug off not having my Under Armour fluorescent white running ball cap, which I didn’t notice that I had forgotten until just after the first mile marker.

The ball cap serves two purposes: 1) to protect the top of my head from mosquitos, and 2) to help block out the sun with the bill of the cap. The route had some woodlands, but the mosquitos were not quite the problem as they were aboard NAS Patuxent River the last two Sunday. However, as I headed down (up?) Great Mills Road, I realized I was running in the direction of the rising sun…and with no visor to at least partially block it, I could barely see where I was going.

The blinding sun aside, the made the there miles go Great Mills Road with no problem, as I made the final turn onto north Willos Road. There was even a convenient Port-A-John, across the street from Lancaster Park. The stop was a relief, although that may have impacted my last mile split. I just barely made eight miles as I passed the road crossing into Abberly Crest Apartments, topping out at 8.04 mi. as I ended the run.

I finished with no real negative splits, but an acceptable 11:28 pace. Not bad.

 

P90X and Other Stuff

My strategy of performing P90X after the end of the workday went belly up, as I finished late and tired on Wednesday and Thursday. I was already a week late on finishing P90X Lean, but having screwed up the schedule I had to throw in the towel on this cycle.

To be frank, I really have no excuse as to why I didn’t finish. This was the last low stress portion of the cycle, with routines like Yoga X, Cardio X and Core Synergistics, and Cardio X on call for this last week. I was just too bummed out from sitting on telecoms all day to execute anything at midweek. So, not only am I STILL NOT a P90X graduate, but I paid for it on the scale this week with two pounds added onto last week’s total. Looking back, I really could have used the Kenpo X and Cardio X on tap for the Wednesday and Friday runs.

So while the runs are slowly getting back to normal, I am going to take a week off and start P90X Classic next week…maybe.

 

Good news is that I am still healthy and COVID-19 free, although I am still a bit heavier than I’d like to be.

The bad news? As part of my prep for my cataracts eye laser surgery next Monday, I have to have a COVID-19 test this Wednesday. If I don’t hear anything by Sunday night, I am cleared for the surgery next Monday morning. If I get the call, it won’t be just the eye surgery that gets put on hold.

I believe that COVID-19 test has somewhat upset my equilibrium this week. That and the added logistics of my transportation to and from the eye surgery. It can’t be just an Uber driver who drops me off an picks me up; someone has to stay with my at the hospital then monitor me as I come home from the surgery. So, there’s that as well.

It is now almost 8:30 on Sunday night, and I am now just eating my second full meal of the day. Yeah, I’ve got a few things on my mind.

 

Song of the Day: I’m sorry…I have none, and I know it’s been a while since I last posted. YouTube isn’t cooperating tonight.

 

 

Dear Tony/P90X, Day 83: Last Double

Dear Tony,

If not for one muscle twinge, I would have graduated P90X Lean today. That week off kind of cost me.

Not that much to elaborate on on this last day of the Independence Day weekend, but I do have a few notes:

Today’s Kenpo X was fascinating, in terms of my heart rate. My heart rate got progressively higher as I progressed through the routines, taking a big drop off after the vertical punches (why?)

BPMs: 52 @ 38:11/56 @ 28:15/62 @ 21:11/76 # 14:53/53 @ 4:38.

Just finished X Stretch. Seriously considering X Stretch as a part of my pre-race routine when I do my Virtual Marine Corps Marathon this year. I feel pretty good next year.

So…tomorrow morning will be my make-up three mile run from Friday (MD-5 3) and I will perform Yoga X as soon as I get off work tomorrow (back home teleworking this week).

Off to cook dinner: bacon-wrapped corn on the cob and pan-fried ribeye. See you next time, Tony!

MCM 2020: Independence Day

No fireworks, no picnic…just a double PT session for the holiday.

NAS Pax River 5

Not even gonna look at the mile splits. Bigger issue is that I was getting tired just after the four mile mark. I want to sat that it was the humidity, just after 0500 this morning. My arms were slick with sweat on the way back from the gate.

The summer humidity is nothing to take lightly. If I have to breathe harder, that means I’m working harder on the runs than I should, Also burning and sweating  lot more water. My Ucan hydrate packs worked well, but that was in the spring. How long will they last through a summer where the sun burns and the air is like soup?

So…unless absolutely necessary/very last resort: no afternoon or early evening runs. Aside from the heavier traffic, now that Maryland is slowly reopening, but good luck trying to grind out a four-miler at ninety-something degrees and eighty0five percent humidity.

 

P90X, Day 82: Core Synergistics:

Dear Tony,

I’m not going to advocate eating homemade Taco Bell (square corn shell) tacos with 12-oz. of pepsi before any P90X workout. However, I had a full meal about an hour before I popped in the Core Synergistics CD and today I felt great.

With a meal in my belly and feeling good for five o’clock on a hilly afternoon, I set  a goal to meet or exceed my rep numbers in each exercise. I did just that. Even the bonus stage wasn’t the struggle that it usually is, although I need to learn how to keep count during the halfback routine.

I also put on my heart rate monitor to check my pulse. It was at 80 beats per minute after the first water break, then dropped to 73 after the second. After I finished up my table top leg raises, my bpm dropped to 60. Hmmm…

Okay, it’s Kenpo X in the morning, and X Stretch tomorrow afternoon. See you next time, Tony!

 

Song of the Day: Rick Derringer/”Real American:” The hell with Genius today, it’s Independence Day!

Dear Tony/P90X, Day 80: Balance

Dear Tony,

So, the resistance/weightlifting portion of P90X Lean is over, and now it’s about cutting the last few pounds and toning those newly built muscles. Started that process tonight with Yoga X.

I knew I was in for a difficult evening when I stumbled a little bit on the standing hamstring stretches. I usually have good balance, but not tonight. Of course, I was doing the yoga wobbles during the advanced warrior poses and the standing balance postures (tree/royal dancer.standing let balance).

Maybe that Baby Ruth and the bag of Skinny Pop kettle corn? Nahh….

Unless I can find some way to do something about my bow legs, the crane and plough-to-shoulder postures will be challenges. But I won’t stop trying.

Schedule change: I am going to do my Sunday run on Saturday, a nice five mile stroll to NAS Patuxent River Gate One and back. Weekly weigh-in will go right after the run.Kenpo X will go in the afternoon, followed by a nice Independence Day supper of surf and turf.

And yes…I will do X Stretch on Sunday.

Engage the core…breathe.

Core Synergistics tomorrow afternoon, Tony…see you next time!

Dear Tony/P90X, Day 79: Bringing It to the End

Dear Tony,

Wassup? Yeah, I know, it’s been awhile. Not been writing you but I have been working out.

I am back at the office this week. 0500 workouts mean less time for breakfast because now I have to actually shower and get dressed for work…like I used to do back in March.

So, it’s back to late afternoon workouts until the end of this P90X Lean cycle. My goal is to try and work out no later than 30~45 minutes after I get home from work. Not bad today, not so good yesterday.

Saturday I did do my Kenpo X workout. I believe I brought it more than I ever have for keno because my beats-per-minute numbers looked higher than I have ever had them. Probably because I was breathing more and engaging the core (driving the hips with a square upper torso) more than I ever had.

BPMs: 69 @ 38:11/75 @ 28:16/61 @ 21:10/76 @ 14:51/72 @ 4:30.

I was kind of “blah” after my second Sunday Did Not Finish, so I chose to “rest” instead of “X Stretch.” The DNF must have had some kind of mental effect on my because I didn’t eat “brunch” until about three in the afternoon. Or maybe the “keto” diet impact is helloing my body that I don’t need to eat that badly…like that Panda character in Kung Fu Panda, who busts his ass sparring with the Sifu, and then Sifu offers Panda a meat bun, and then Panda says, “No thanks, Sifu…I’m good.”

Still should have done X Stretch as some kind of “gentle” penance.

Yesterday I ground through Chest-Shoulders-Triceps/ABX. I upped the bands to a thicker band when I could, and tried to focus on the last three reps wherever I could. This is the last week actively working the muscles (Back and Biceps/ABX tomorrow), so just focused on getting the work in and doing the routines as close to “right/correct” as possible/ Goal was to work the body part with what I had and get the most out of it as possible.

In other words, my fifty year old ass was on his knees doing the pushup routines. Including the one-armed pushups. I am not the second coming of Jack Palance.

I am at “grin and bear it” mode on Ab Ripper X; just get the routines in as best as I can, close my eyes and breathe through each exercise. Some of the numbers are actually a little better.

Just got done with Cardio X as I do laundry and await my ‘first” dinner. Today I didn’t get a meal until 1100, then at a Snickers and chugged down a 24-oz. Mossy Oak tumbler full of Mio-infused water about a half-hour before the workout. I still got my workout and my sweat on, although the numbers might not show it compared to recent cardio X turns.

Today BPM: Yoga, 59 @ 27:20/Kenpo, 66 @ 18:05/Plyo: 69 @ 10:53/Core 54 @ 3:30.

So, that was my last four days since I last wrote you, Tony. Tomorrow morning is a nice, short run, and then tomorrow after work, it’s “the last gun show” with back and Bis/ABX.

See you next time, Tony!

Song of the Day: Today’s YouTube craze: medieval-styled covers of popular classic rock!

Gorgeous Kohlk/”Sail (original by AWOLNation)”

Modern Music of the Dark Ages/”I’m Blue (original by Eiffel 65)”

Samus Mordicus/”Paint it Black (original by the Rolling Stones)”

Graywyck/”Paranoid (original by Black Sabbath)”

MCM2020: Overtrain

I have been up since just before 0400. Reveille, yogurt, dressed, stretched, out the door at 0445, headed towards NAS Patuxent River. 0500 on the road.

For the second consecutive Sunday I lost my mojo around mile 9. I had an epiphany about that time: overtraining.

I usually don’t start serious running until late April/early May. I ran a half marathon for timesaver six weeks ago, the earliest I have ever run that long. In late March I was forced to swap my half hour circuit cause routine at the gym for a P90X course that runs an hour per session.

I thought the good times that I was getting on my short runs would translate into good long runs, like my virtual half-marathon back in mid-May. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case lately. My last three runs have seen me peter out around the eight mile mark.

So, it’s back to the drawing board for my running schedule. I was hoping to get to twenty-miles next month, but now I need to pull back on the mileage and start over from damn near scratch.

X Stretch got cancelled for tonight, just not in the mood after today’s second straight DNF.  I probably should be try to squeeze in the X Stretch anyway…nah.

Not sure if it has been the keto diet, or my diabetes meds, or just not that hungry after a long Sunday run. My last meal was about 9:00 last night. I got up and ate a single tub of yogurt at 0400. I didn’t eat “brunch” until just after 3:00. My first run with the $10 pancake I purchased from the base PX didn’t go so well; batter was less thicker than I expected. Maybe I should have gone back to iHOP and burned another $16 for brunch? I wonder if Cracker Barrel is back open as well?

In other news, I go back to my office space starting tomorrow, alternating between teleworking and working last the office every other week. It will be nice to see other people on a regular basis again.

Coffee at 5;30 on a Sunday evening…mmmm.

Song of the Day:

Johnny Cash/”When the Man Comes Around:” Good Lord I hope the man gets here soon. Nuff said.

Genius: 

‘The opening track – and the title track – to Johnny Cash’s 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around. This has been used many times on different TV shows and films including the opening and closing credits of the 2004 Dawn of the Deadremake, and the closing credits of the 2017 Wolverine film Logan.

‘This is also one of only three songs that Johnny Cash wrote himself on the album.”