Travels (and Travails...)

Hey!  It's been a couple weeks since my last post; I hope you haven't missed me too much!  Here's the latest stuff that popped into my head:

We're traveling for spring vacation again.  I have to be honest here: I really don't like traveling.  I mean, I like the stuff we DO when we travel, but I seriously don't like being away from home that much.  I've always been kind of a home body, and as I get older I don't know if that is getting worse or if I'm just more set in my ways.

So anyway, here's a problem with traveling that has bothered me as I've aged: food.  Lots of food.  

If you're a regular reader of these musings, you know I have somewhat of a problem with self-control.  So when we travel to far-off lands (Tennessee, Wisconsin, and this week we add Georgia to our list), it requires stopping places to eat food.  Which is usually of the type that is wrapped in paper or a cardboard box and comes with a side of deep-fried something or other.  Occasionally we will stop at a Subway and at least make an attempt at good food, but usually it's somewhere else.  

I can usually do OK lately; rather than a Big Mac and large fries I'll get a regular burger, and I try to stay away from carbonated beverages on long rides as well.  I also try to balance things out at least a little - a small meal at lunch if I know we will also be going out for dinner, for instance.

Best thing about traveling?  Well, this week the winner of that award is a toss-up between my father-in-law's ability to put a large chunk of some kind of animal in the smoker in the morning and serve deliciousness by 5:30 p.m., OR the fact that I brought my bike and can ride here in the mountains.  

It's a reasonably friendly bicycling area around here - Columbia is about 40 miles south of Nashville.  The country roads are too narrow for my liking, and there's usually a drop-off at the edge that scares me, but I can usually manage to find a beautiful route that takes me up and down some sweet rolling hills, past creeks and over bridges.  Very picturesque.  Except that even in this beautiful country gravity still only works one way...  I long for the day when I can retain enough momentum from a screaming downhill to carry me up the next uphill, but I guess that would be boring.

Want to know the most amazing rides I've ever done?  Along the Natchez Trace National Parkway, a 440-mile linear park that goes from Nashville to Natchez, Mississippi.  It's closed to commercial traffic, the roads are wide and smooth, and there's very little vehicle traffic of any kind.  And the sights and sounds (and lack of sound...) are amazing.  Have a look - I plan to ride these two sections tomorrow, and make it to the Alabama state line:
    Hohenwald - Summertown

    Waynesboro-Collinwood

It will be about 50 miles, and the weather forecast (get this!!) calls for a North wind!  Seriously, a tailwind for 50miles!  That never happens.  Probably shouldn't get my hopes up, I suppose :) 

Anyway, the riding down here is beautiful.  One of the things I'd like to do at some point in my life is ride the entire 440 miles.  I believe it's officially the longest national park- its entire length is part of the National Park Service.

So what do you do for exercise or an eating plan while away from home?  Feel free to share your thoughts here.  Just keep away from the obvious - I'm not going to start eating carrots for meal stops!  I would also like to hear about your favorite vacation spot or activity.  Or you can just finish reading this and enjoy the experience...

It's the end of the month, but the update will have to wait until I get home next weekend.  March was pretty good for the workouts, considering that it is the busiest month in my school year.  For sheer volume of stuff going on it even beats the fall marching season - the fall is mostly one or two things a week, where March this year was jam-packed with daily lengthy rehearsals for the musical, four performances of the musical, two jazz concerts, State S&E, a high school band concert, a middle school concert, and a tour of the elementary schools with the Symphonic Band.  If you're keeping track that is ten performances in a month.  I managed only ten workouts, so it all balanced out, right?  We shall see what the scale has to say next week.  Up for the month of April will be a more concentrated effort to eat right AND exercise.  Rumor has it that the combination of these two things is the key...

So What IS This Exercise You Speak Of?

Greetings, faithful readers...  Hard as it is to believe, two weeks have passed since I last posted on this blog.  Spring is fast approaching and it is time once again to think about "serious" exercise.  The kind we can all do outside, enjoying the west Michigan sunshine and warm temperatures, you know?

I thought that since that exciting day is coming when we can put away the snow blowers and shovels and hang up the winter coats, it was time to write about what I like to do for exercise.  

And first off, let's establish this:  I don't like to exercise.  Seriously. I mean, I understand the benefits, and I enjoy being outdoors and doing things usually, but the idea of "exercise" just sounds too much like work.  BUT... if you do it right, it's fun.  Here are my favorite things to do that end up being "exercise."  I'll put them in order from the most recent through the stuff I've been at the longest, just so I can have an order.  I like having things in order...

1.  Rock climbing.  If you read my last post you already saw this.  If you didn't read it, why not??  Go read it.  I'll wait for you to get back.

Cool.  Glad you enjoyed it.  

Climbing is something that even two months ago would have been the furthest thing from my mind to fill the categories of "enjoyable," "fun," or "something I could totally see myself doing ever in my life."  Had a blast.  I need to go again soon.  Oddly enough there is a real-world application for this activity, though it strikes me as insane.  Apparently you can climb on real rocks and mountains.  No way.  Yet here is a picture of my nephew Bronson doing just that in Colorado.  Talk about something you'll never get me to do...

2.  Weight lifting.  For many years now I have joined with several guys from church in TB's basement (we call it "TB's Gym."  We even have shirts...) to pump iron.  Tom is a lifter from way back, and his home gym rivals that of virtually every hotel I have ever stayed in, most schools, and even a couple actual gyms.  We use a combination of free weights and machines to achieve major buffness.  Years ago we got to move all of that from one house to another.  You can't even imagine.  We stopped counting at around 3,000 pounds of weight that he owns.

Here's how things go.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4 p.m. (not a minute later, thank you very much...) we head downstairs.  Depending on the day we do chest/back (or chest/biceps), biceps/triceps (or back/triceps), and legs/upper body on Friday.  We alternate days since the idea is to give the muscles at least 24 -48 hours rest between workouts.  So Monday we do one upper body group, Wednesday the other, and Friday legs and upper body.

The coolest part of lifting?  Studies now show it can prevent Type 2 Diabetes - check out this article on the topic.  Type 2 Diabetes is genetic to a degree as well as preventable to a degree.  Lifestyle choices and diet are huge here, as is the "predisposition" to it, which I interpret as "not quite genetic, but close."  And since Doc's demise was brought on by heart disease, high blood pressure, and T2D, I need to be careful.

The other coolest part is the guys I lift with.  TB, Jason, Dan, Daylin, Tim, and assorted others who have drifted in and out of the group are a lot of fun.  TB complains that I talk too much, but if I'm gone for too long due to school stuff he definitely misses the witty repartee...  Once we even took a field trip.  Grabbed a 150-lb sled and took it to VanRaalte Hill.  Good times were had by all, as evidenced by the hurling and these pictures:

3.  Bicycling...
I have probably enjoyed exercise more on a bike than everything else combined.  Hopefully you have all ridden a bicycle at some point in your life.  If not, go get on one right now.

Back in the spring of 1989 I was thinking I needed something to do to get into some form of exercise again.  I was teaching in South Bend, was engaged to Dana, and looking for something to do.  Brian Payne, a young trumpet player in the band, and a couple buddies did team triathlons.  He said I should get a bike and we could ride together.  It would help him train.  Thus began several decades of getting my ass kicked around the countryside by various people in my life: Brian, my brother Kevin, MC (who would later hire me to work at an actual bike shop!!), and eventually son Nathan.  Bought him a bike for his 17th birthday.  "What a great way for us to bond and enjoy each other's company.  I can teach him the way of the bike."  Lasted about three rides before his youth and energy left me in the dust and put him in the groups on the front of the morning rides...

This is him in his first race that summer.  You can tell the role that genetics have played here.  He looks JUST like me.  Tall, skinny, fast...

Hmm?  Oh, sorry, I went away for a second..

Anyway, I have met more cool people and enjoyed exercising more on the bike than anything I can name.  Dennis P, JD, J Squared, Berger, Aaron, Tyson, and so many others have become good friends and riding companions through the years.  Dennis, JD, and I made our way across the entire state one summer day a few years ago.  150 miles from Montague to Bay City.

Here's Dennis.  His jersey - "Veni, Vidi, Vomiti" - is Latin for "I came, I saw, I puked."  Awesome.  He and I and many others have had amazing conversations over the many miles, all while improving our cardiovascular health, lowering our blood pressure, and building muscle, all in a non-impact sport.

I'll write more about my cycling adventures in future posts.  I will tell you about the 24-Hour Challenge, the event that made me more proud of myself in one weekend than I thought possible (followed by the same event a year later in which I lost 9 pounds in 36 hours and wished I could just lie down in the road and get run over...).  The ODRAM should get more than a mention.  A One Day Ride Across Michigan.  Pretty cool.  Dawn Patrol, Holland Hundred, Crazy Bastard, all of these have been a part of my last several summers and winters.  I might even talk about indoor training rides, but those suck.  Pedal your asbestos off and go nowhere...

Anyway, this has gone on long enough for one day.  Here are a few more shots from the bike for your enjoyment.

Looking down from a bridge on the Natchez Trace near Nashville, TN.

The bridge from the road below...

Kaat, me and Roy on the breakwater at Holland State Park,
New Year's Eve 2011-2012.  Fatbikes...

A few weeks ago on the first 40 degree day of
the year.  Windmill Island on my
Cannondale Bad Boy.

So there you go.  See you next week or so.

You're Driving Me Up the Wall!!

Look at that sign.  Can you read it?  "Climbing is DANGEROUS," it says.  And guess who has gone rock climbing not once, but twice?? That's right, dear readers, Yours Truly, forever a person whose motto was (OK, still is...) "I was built close to the ground and that's where I like to stay," has climbed a wall.  Several, actually.

I planned for a couple of my blog posts to be exercise-related; I always figured that they would be about bicycling.  But I had so much fun the past couple weekends with this new adventure that I thought I would tell you about rock climbing first.  And it's probably going to be a long story, so I included some pictures for those of you who need some breaks.

The biggest reason it will be slightly longer than usual is the person referenced in the title.  Everyone should meet Daylin.  There has probably never been a person quite so, well, unique.  And, over the past few years in my class, he has indeed driven me up the wall.  And down it.  And over the edge.  And everywhere in between.  We get along great, unless we're not getting along.  He's quite an awesome trumpet player to go along with everything else - last year he was the Lead Trumpet seat in the Michigan All-State Jazz Band, this year he earned an Honorable Mention in that group, and this summer he will be heading to Europe with the Blue Lake International Jazz Orchestra.  This kid has serious chops...

He's also part monkey.  Or maybe mountain goat.  Several times the past few summers I have had him out to the house to climb on my pergola roof above the deck and trim the vegetation.  Our neighbors saw this and asked him to cut some limbs down that were hanging precariously above their garage.  And all of this he accomplishes without benefit of a ladder - just hops up to the nearest handhold and hoists himself up to whatever he's doing, walking along the 2x12's as though he's on the sidewalk.

This is him here.  He's "bouldering" in this shot - no ropes, just traversing across the wall using hand and foot holds.  More of a horizontal travel than vertical.

So a few weeks ago the family he's living with took him rock climbing in Kalamazoo.  Angie's brother Chris works there and is quite an accomplished climber, and they figured quite correctly that Daylin would love it as well.  What I never figured is that I would end up going, too, or especially that I would enjoy myself.

First let me say that I have no strength in my forearms.  Ten-plus years of lifting weights, and it's as if my fingers, hands, and arms have no real strength.  That was OK, though, Chris said, because the forearms are basically a conduit for holding on.  Hands and fingers do need some strength, but basically you are supposed to learn to kind of "hang" on the wall as you look for your next spot, rather than cling to it and hold yourself with your arms and fingers. So the second time around was a little better.

<<See the tension in my arms?  Since I'm not reaching for the next hold they should be more relaxed and my weight should all be on my legs.  Part of this was clinging to the wall due to terror...

This one is better - my arm is taking the weight through its whole length rather than my biceps and forearms...












The next thing I learned was that my legs are still pretty short...  This is an activity that will stretch you in many ways.  Mentally is pretty obvious - looking for the next place to put your hand or your foot while making sure you're not going to lose your grip and that kind of thing.  (I'll get to a couple other mental things later.)  And physically, well, let's just say that the only muscles I know I didn't use were my triceps.  Feet, calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, plenty of core, biceps, and forearms all got quite a workout.  Decent cardio, too, though again part of that may have been fear:)

So that's the climbing part.  The other half is the "belaying" part.  That's where you are in charge of the rope while your partner climbs.  There are procedures and routines for both positions.  Maintaining the correct amount of slack in the rope, for instance, or the speed with which the climber descends based on you letting out the rope.  There's the mental half again.

This is Daylin in the belaying position.  He's there to make sure I don't crash to the ground if I fall, and also to offer advice or coaching as to where the next hold might be.

Here's a big thing that was obvious to me even before I went climbing: there's a lot of trust required in this sport.  While you're climbing you have to trust the guy holding your rope.  If there's too much slack in it you end up jerking to a very unpleasant stop if you fall, and too little can be binding to your progress.  I am not a fan of high places, as most who know me can attest.  I was pleasantly surprised at my ability to get my feet more than 3 feet off the ground!  I actually have made it to the top of three sections of the easy walls, all while trusting that Daylin or Chris wouldn't let me crash.  Daylin is still working on trusting the rookie to belay him, but I'm getting better.  Haven't dropped him yet...

Another aspect of this that makes me happy is the group or partner deal.  I like working out with others.  I find that it helps me to stay on track and work harder as I try to improve myself and/or keep up with others.  And one thing that I know is good about it is the "encouraging" part.  You got this.  Move your right foot up to where your knee is right now; there's a spot right there.  That's it, now push up with your legs and grab that left hand.  There you go!  Now go for the next one...  These words, though perfectly familiar to me as a speaker of English, were coming from an unlikely source:)  He'll deny it, but Daylin is pretty good at the whole coaching and encouraging thing.  I even got a couple high fives after descending what for me was a precipitous height though for him would be a walk in the park.

After one of my descents:)

So that's the story of my climbing adventures thus far.  I wish there was a closer place to do this; Climb Kalamazoo is a 100-mile round trip, and it's 20 bucks a day to climb.  Not a bad price for the activity, but the travel time and fuel consumption make it a pretty long and expensive day.  But for the feeling of accomplishment and overcoming at least part of my fear of heights, as well as the excellent workout, this is a pretty cool pastime.  It gets to that whole "I can do that better" kind of mentality that makes you challenge yourself, which is fun.   It's also something I never would have thought I would be able to enjoy.  Here are some more pictures:

This is the "auto-belay" area - this man's rope is attached to a reel in the ceiling that operates similarly to a car's seat belt recoil: when you fall or let go, it prevents you from freefall.  No partner needed here, but it's a tough climb...

This is the main room - plenty of walls to climb.  Behind the left side wall is the more beginner climbing area, where I have made it to the top of three different walls:)

This route is used both for bouldering and practicing lead or free climbing - climbing and clipping into protection points as you ascend.  Daylin is at the end of a bouldering ascent route here and is preparing to jump down. 

Oh, since it's a new month, it's also time for a monthly recap.  Not bad weight-wise: I gained a pound in February, which actually was encouraging - with my crazy schedule, lack of exercise time, and convenience eating, I expected much worse.  I took an outdoor bike ride and hit the gym a few times in addition to my indoor training rides.  I think it was a total of a dozen workouts for the month, and only a one-pound gain, so I'm calling it mildly successful if not a win.