Fathers day

Yes, I am well aware it's not Fathers day anymore.  I really wasn't sure how I would feel about it this year since it's the first one since my dad died.  I didn't really get a chance to think about it until later because I woke up with vertigo and felt pretty shitty for a good chunk of the day.   It wasn't until much later when I got to thinking about dad.

He and I didn't always have the best relationship.   My father was an alcoholic that I removed from my life for a while and didn't allow back until he was sober.  I reached a point where I decided it wasn't healthy for me to have him in my life.  I just assumed he would drink himself to death.  Fortunately, he didn't, but we had a lot of bad history to get through.

All that aside, it was very difficult to see him decline and suffer for the last few years of his life.  I know there are people who judge me poorly because it was hard for me to even want to see him at the end, but that is my burden to carry.   Not theirs.  I have spent many days beating myself up over not seeing him more, and I have cried more times than I can count about it.

I do miss my dad.   Not the old man who forgot who I was, nor the drunk who tried to burn his house down a few times.  Instead I miss the man I went fishing in Montana with.   The dad who took me to concerts in central park and taught me to play darts, took me hunting and all the other things we did before alcohol nearly ruined his life.  Sure he was drinking then, but I was too young to know he was a drunk and to be honest, he was a functional member of society.

It's a long way to say I miss you dad.  It's still hard to process that I'll never talk to you again, never see you again, never anything again.  I just want to let you know that even if you weren't the best father, nor so many of the things other people say about their dad you were my dad and I love you, and want to wish you a happy fathers day.

Finally some progress...

Oh...   You thought that was about my fitness...  Silly rabbit!   I was talking about dealing with my dad's estate.   I'll be up in VA *again* next week and getting probate sorted.   While that's a good thing, it's goign to make for another rest type of week since I'll be away from home.

As to the main topic here, well, I'm finally starting to feel a little better.  I've been slowly lowering the intensity on the bike, as well as riding a little less, and I am beginning to see some results.   While my hip flexor is still tender, its not as painful as it was and I feel like I'm moving around better than I was.  I'm going to maintain that for a month or so and see how it feels.   What it looks like right now is a resistance cap of 25 and no out of saddle riding except for cooling down/stretching.

So, with the two weeks off in May and then the reduced workload, how am I doing?   I'd be lying if I didn't say I was struggling a bit, but lets see how it went:

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight: 230.50
• Ending Weight: 239.30

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides:  45
• Time on exercise: 11:55:14
• Distance on rides: 165.08
• Number of rows: 5
• Time rowing: 2:03:22
• Distance Rowing: 24560
• Weight Workouts: 15

And here were my May goals:

• Ride 450 miles (I adjusted to 400 but didnt account for being in VA)
• May Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my May challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.  Try for 2 dedicated weight routines and at least one I&A
• Continue weekly row.
• Break 17k meters in the 60 min row and warmup
• Depending on my knee/hip try to walk
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there

Yep, there it is.  I'm beyond frustrated with my weight.   I didn't think I ate poorly when we were away, and no I didn't, nor have I been eating poorly at home but for some reason my weight is holding solid and refuses to go down.  I'll spend all week chipping it down and then balloon back up on Saturday/Sunday.  I am building muscle, and my clothes still fit, so I don't necessarily think it's fat, but I still have a good amount of that to lose.

And that kind of set the tone for the month.  Going to VA and not riding for 2 weeks definitely hurt my mileage goal.  I am going to try and do some LI riding up in VA next week because I don't think I need a week off, but I'm only going to ride two or three times.  .  On top of that my challenge team wasn't full, so I missed the Gold. 

So what went well?  I've been rowing a little more and I started taking a live row class on Sunday mornings.   I'm going to miss a week of that, but I'll pick it back up when I get home, and if I feel up to it, I will probably add in a longer row afterwards.  No, I didn't get 17k, but I was away from the rower for most of the month.   I'm going to try to get that this month, but I think next month is more likely.

So what's my rebound plan?   Well here are my goals for June:

• Ride 350 miles
• June Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my June challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.   Monday and Thursday or Friday
• Fill in cycle rest days with rowing
• Break 17k meters in the 60 min row and warmup
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

This should look familiar.   I've cut my mileage down a bit and will probably end up closer to 300 miles by the end of the month.   It's not that I want to make it easy, but I do want my goals to be obtainable, and with travel and my hip, setting a goal and missing it because of circumstances is frustrating.   If we're away, we're away and I just need to accept that.   I won't stop pushing myself to get my weight down, because that is something I can control.  Since Sam left and Friday's schedule sucks, I made that a rest day.   

That's about it.   Hopefully this will be a better month.  Talk soon!

Rest weeks?!?

Yes you read that right.   I took almost half the month off the bike.  Merinda and I ended up spending a second week up in VA.   It just seemed to be a little rushed coming home the day after Tyler graduated, and Merinda might have celebrated a little too much to help with the driving.  Plus we got to see all the grandkids a little more so it was time well spent up north.   What I wasn't expecting was to take a full two weeks away from cardio.

My knee and hip were definitely struggling with going up and down stairs so I decided to do only stretching, mobility and strength training and see if that helped but I can't say it did or didn't help.   I think it did, and it felt great to actually give myself a bit of a rest, but I'm still struggling with my hip flexor.   Standing on the bike today was awkward at best, and cadences over 100 were much harder than before, so it looks like its going to take more time to heal.   I'll ask when I start physical therapy.

Based on this, I am goign to lower my mileage this month to 200.   I'm also considering increasing my "off" days to two or three.   Maybe something like this:

• Sunday:  Row
• Monday:  Strength/Stretch
• Tuesday:  Tabata/LI
• Wednesday:  Endurance
• Thursday:  Hills 
• Friday:  I&A (maybe strength/stretch)
• Saturday:  Endurance

I think it makes more sense for me to swap Friday to a strength class.  I love I&A, but I need to see how the speed work feels on my hip.   It's a lot easier to modify hills than intervals and the Long Center won't be reopening until July, so I won't be adding swimming back until then.  Regardless, it's good to be home and back to a routine. 

May Day

Here we are already into May.  Lot's going on, mostly good, some not so good, but let's dive into that shall we?  For the most part I've been feeling "ok" when I ride.   I'm still struggling with my hip flexor and right knee, more on those later, which is adversely affecting my overall bike performance.  What do I mean by that?  Well, I rarely do any out of saddle work anymore.   It is uncomfortable and makes me favor my left leg, so to avoid any further damage, I've been keeping it in saddle.   I also struggle a bit with high RPM riding and very heavy resistance.  I'm trying to ease up a bit on the overall intensity to let my hip rest and heal.  Finally, race week got cancelled so no sailing for me :(

With all that what good news?   Well, I saw the surgeon on Monday and I'm finally on the track to get a knee replacement.  The bad part is a year to fully recover, but it tracks with my goals and I'm looking forward to walking without pain.

So with all that, how was this month?   As they used to say..  Lets go to the videotape...

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight: 234.8
• Ending Weight: 230.5

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides: 93
• Time on exercise: 24:40:10
• Distance on rides: 376.25
• Number of rows: 5
• Time rowing: 75:00
• Distance Rowing: 18646
• Weight Workouts: 6

And here were my April goals:

• Ride 450 miles
• April Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my April challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.  Try for 2 dedicated weight routines and at least one I&A
• Continue weekly row.
• Break 17k meters in the 60 min row and warmup
• Depending on my knee/hip try to walk
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

To be honest, with the exception of missing my weight goal by a half pound, I'm happy with this month.  As I said earlier, my knee and hip have been painful all month, so anything beyond cycling is difficult.   Walking is out of the question right now, and the few times I've had to walk have been frustrating.  I didn't row as much this month and that's mostly because of taking some additional rest days, but my rowing performances have been getting stronger each time, and that's real progress.

I guess the real question is where do I go from here?  I'm planning to keep working out as much as I can right up until the surgery and I'll take it as it goes.   I don't have quite the stamina I want, but my class performances are staying consistent, so I'll take that.

Ok, so what's the plan for May?

• Ride 400 miles
• May Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my May challenge (this might be challenging)
• Continue weekly weight workouts.  Find a replacement for I&A :(
• Resume weekly rowing
• Break 17k meters in the 60 min row and warmup
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

These are pretty consistent, but if you're observant, you might notice I lowered my mileage target.  Merinda and I are going to Virginia for a week, so I'm going to be light riding at best for that time, and I won't be rowing, but I think I can get to 400, even maintaining row and rest days when we get home.  If not, I expect to be damn close.  I'll also need to fill in some schedule holes since Sam is leaving and that puts a big hole on my schedule for Friday.   I'd swap it to be my rest day, but I don't like ending the week on a rest day, nor do I like working out after work on Friday.   I'll have to see what it all looks like next week.

I am also going to finally dip below 230.   I was hoping I'd get there today, but some late night snacking was my undoing again.   However, I'm doing much less of that, and my appetite seems to be going down and my average seems to be going down slowly.

That's really all I had to say, stay safe friends and talk soon!

Frustrating...

Today I got an email saying that registration for the Dunedin Triathalon was open.   Yes, I could have signed up a while ago, but the email felt a lot different.  Normally, I would have been well into my training, but my knee and hip have ended those aspirations.   Now, I don't know if I will ever compete in one again.   What makes it more frustrating, is I wanted to finish on a better note than I did last year.

Still dragging ass...

I don't quite know what's going on, but I'm still dragging ass a bit.   I went to see Billy Strings last night and just didn't want to get up early today and work out.   No fears, I'll work out tonight, but I feel like I could just crawl back into bed for a few hours.  I've felt that way all week.

On a different note. just go see Billy Strings.   Hopefully before he's only playing in giant amphitheatres.   IMO, he's the best guitarist you can see today and after 4 or 5 shows, I'm still amazed that 5 guys, all playing accoustic instruments can make those sounds.  It's more like a psychedelic experience than a bluegrass concert.

Draggin Ass...

I don't know why, but the past day or so, I've been feeling like everything is a struggle.   It really came to a head last night during endurance.   I skipped speed in the morning because it was an encore, and had a great nights sleep, but I was struggling to keep up in endurance.  I still finished 9th, but I had to gut it out and felt wrecked afterwards.  I was wondering if I was getting sick, but Oura says no, and I felt better today.   Maybe it's because I skipped speed.  I do believe those are the days that matter more than the PR days, but I still felt awful...   Today was tough but not all there.  I guess I'm going to be the bug for a few days.

Otherwise, it's been a pretty solid month.  My weight feels like it's finally goign to go back under 230.  I've been keeping up with pretty regular weight training which I needed.   I've also been rowing every week (hit a new PB on Sunday) and sticking to Monday as a rest day.   I might need to move my rest day this quarter due to the new schedule changes, but I think I'll be able to adjust and come up with something new.   I'm looking forward to the Long Center re-opening so I can start swimming again.   Aside from all of that, I've been sleeping well and until recently feeling great.

All that said, let's talk about March shall we?

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight: 238.0
• Ending Weight: 234.4

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides: 112
• Time on exercise: 31:56:33
• Distance on rides: 493.7
• Number of rows: 10
• Time rowing: 310
• Distance Rowing: 75487m
• Weight Workouts: 5

And in case you forgot, here were my March goals:

• Ride 500 miles
• March Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my March challenge - This will be a challenge because my team only has 2 members.
• Continue weekly weight workouts.
• Continue weekly row.
• Break 14k meters in the 60 min row
• Depending on my knee/hip try to walk
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

Well, I think overall I did pretty well.   No, I didn't hit 500 miles, but I've made some choices to focus on a more balanced workout plan instead of just cycle, cycle, cycle.   I could have easily hopped on the bike on Sunday or Monday for 20 minutes and gotten the 7 miles, but I think rest and a better plan will be better overall for me.   I'll probably have to dial back the annual totals, but that's ok as long as I feel like I'm going in the right direction.   The more disappointing miss is my weight.   Yes, I feel like it's trending down, but good fucking god, I need to stop eating like a fat kid in a candy store every weekend and then having to catch up.  I also didn't get gold, but that's impossible on a two person team and my other teammate stopped halfway through the month, but I did my part.

Otherwise?   I've been smashing the rows, and weight training.  Definitely stronger and rowing faster.   I don't know if it's possible, but I think I can get a 17k meter day, and I am considering a 1/2 marathon row.  I think that will take about 90-100 minutes.  Won't be happening on Easter, but maybe next weekend.  Hip and knee still not ok with walking, but the good days seem to outnumber the bad ones.

So what's up for April?   Easter!  Race week!  Merinda is going to Ireland for a week or so, so busy times away from exercise, but I think I'll still get a good month in and here's what I want to accomplish:

• Ride 450 miles
• April Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my April challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.  Try for 2 dedicated weight routines and at least one I&A
• Continue weekly row.
• Break 17k meters in the 60 min row and warmup
• Depending on my knee/hip try to walk
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

Since I'll be in St. Augustine for a few days, and keeping some rest days, I decided to lower my monthly target to 450.   I'd like to get to 500 miles, and honestly, if I included the rows I'd be way over, but I'd rather push to 500 and beat my goal, than set it to 500 and miss again.  Everything else is feasible.  If my metrics had come through on my warmup I would have been at 16.9k meters last Sunday, so I can see a 17k day this month.

Ok, that's enough for this month.  Wish us luck at Race Week and we'll chat soon.  Stay safe!

In like a lion?!?

I though it would be good to talk about fitness instead of politics, even though both have me worn out right now.   Not really sure what I did to myself, but I feel absolutely shattered today.   Yes, wednesday is one of the "harder" days of the week this quarter, and yes, I didn't have a great nights sleep, but it doesn't explain why I feel devoid of energy.  I guess I'll just have to go to bed a little earlier tonight.  Hills was tough this morning, but not that hard...

 So how was February?  Lots of good and a little bit of bad.  Let's start with the raw numbers shall we:

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight: 235.8
• Ending Weight: 234.8

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides: 94
• Time on exercise: 30:03:18
• Distance on rides: 453.75
• Number of rows: 2
• Time rowing: 1:11:43
• Distance Rowing: 7508m
• Weight Workouts: 2

And in case you forgot, here were my February goals:

• Ride 500 miles
• February Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my February challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.
• Depending on my knee/hip try to row and possibly walk
• Read at least one book
• Get my weight below 230

I always like to start off with the bad because lets get that out of the way.   I missed my mileage target by almost 10%, nor did I get weekly weight training in.  However, neither of those were what I was most disappointed about, no that was my weight, which just refuses to go below 230 and stay there.  I did flash below 230 before I ballooned back up to over 240 just a few days later.   No, I didn't actually gain 11 pounds, but I am frustrated by the seesaw weight gain and loss.  

So what actually went well?  I knocked everything else out of the park.   Despite missing my target, I did take three rest days last month, and I've finally started remembering that I need to take those from time to time.   I'm hopeful that I will maintain my pace of taking one a week and doing some weight training and/or something not cardio focused.   I also started rowing again.  Echelon dropped a 60 minute row class with Michael Brown, which I took and loved, and have started taking that every Sunday as a replacement for Vibes.   Thanks to Merinda for that suggestion.   Yes, I closed my rings, yes I got gold.  No, I didn't do weight training every week, but I've been starting and that's what is important.   I've also begun to ramp up the intensity of my workouts.   More multi-workout days which I hope will push my weight down.  Finally, I read two, yes that's right TWO books on vacation and I'm trying to keep reading.

I've also embraced the Oura ring and it's been very helpful in helping me try and get better sleep.   Generally, my sleep scores are good, but more importantly I've eliminated my sleep debt which has made a huge difference in how I feel overall.

Ok, that's old news, what's the plan for this month?

• Ride 500 miles
• March Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my March challenge - This will be a challenge because my team only has 2 members.
• Continue weekly weight workouts.
• Continue weekly row.
• Break 14k meters in the 60 min row
• Depending on my knee/hip try to walk
• Get my weight below 230 and stay there.

As I look at this I think the biggest challenge I'm going to have, besides getting my weight where I want it to be, is going to hit 500 miles.   If I continue to row on Sunday, and then take rest days, I'll miss 1-2 days per week of cycling, and that's going to mean I need to make up the distance.  I might not take every Monday off, but it felt pretty good this week, so I'll see how it goes this month and if need be I'll revisit my monthly goal.   I would like to try and walk, but my knee and hip are proving to be awkward, so no promises there. 

One last thing I'll have to start soon is my dive certification.   I can still get some exercise in on those days, but I suspect swimming will be enough.   I'm also planning to get back to swim training when the Long Center reopens, so that will be cross training day.   Since I don't see running in any future plans I'm considering just bike/swim and maybe doing the Aquabike instead of the full triathalon later.

Enough chatting, I'm sure we all have other things to do.   Hopefully, the world will calm down and we can just stick to fitness...   Stay safe folks, have a great month and talk soon.

Not on my bingo card...

I never figured that Iran, of all countries, would be the one that made the US be the bad guy on the international stage.   Now before any magats get their panties in a wad, there is a world where you can simultaenously; believe that Iran's leadership was truly evil and that it is wrong, yes I said wrong, for the US to aggressively attack and destabilize the country.

I remember the Iran hostage crisis and I have no love lost for the Ayatollah but that doesn't mean the US can launch a war of aggression simply because Israel wants to.  We are well on a path to become an pariah in the world all thanks to the Fanta Fuhrer and his sycophants.

I'll get back to fitness tomorrow...   

Rest Day...

For a variety of reasons neither Merinda or I slept well for the past few days on the cruise so I decided to have a true "rest day" yesterday and it was awesome.   I really need to do a little more of that, especially since I ended up sleeping like a baby last night.

Maybe it was the bed, drinking, food, who knows.   Just that being at home, in our comfy bed, with my weighted blanket and I was out for the count last night.  Just hoping it stays that way tonight.

Unfortunately I need to make up a little distance to hit 500 this month.  Will keep you posted.

FYI vacation was good but could have been better.   Still nice to get away given I won't be taking any time off for a while now.

Slowly getting back on track...

I feel like I'm finally getting back on track.   While my weight hasn't really budged, although its closer to 230 than 240 THANK GOD, it's been stubborn as hell and refuses to dip back into the 220's.  Hopefully I keep pushing hard and see some results.   Of course, we're going to be on a cruise next week, but since it's Carnival I don't expect to eat as much.   We'll see how that goes.

So, what went on in January?   Well the distance challenge ended.   I was a little disappointed in how it finished.  I didn't get a century day in, nor did I hit 2000 miles.   Yes, I got a nasty cold at the end, but not going to make excuses.   We travelled a LOT, and I mean A LOT, during the challenge and it impacted my results in a negative way.

So let's talk about the actual numbers:

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight: 
• Ending Weight: 

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides: 115
• Time on exercise: 36:39:03
• Distance on rides: 627.14
• Number of rows: 0
• Time rowing: 0
• Distance Rowing: 0
• Weight Workouts: 1

Couple things stand out.   Again, while I'm still over my target weight it's beginning to trend down.   That's a very positive thing.  I also crushed my mileage target.  Since I won't be running and my knee/hip is still a lot tender so I've avoided the rower, I have to do more cycling which isn't altogether a bad thing, but I won't lie, I miss running and seeing races I did last year come up and knowing I can't compete is tough.  Cross training is so important and I'm really in a bad spot.  I finally got a cortisone shot in my knee, but it's not the miracle shot Merinda got, or maybe my knee is just that bad.   I'm leaning towards option #2.

It was close, but I did get my January challenge done and closed my rings etc...  and I started some weight work.  I've been trying to get more cycling with arms but it was good to do some straight lifting.   Looking forward to continuing that and building on it once we get home.

Last thing that was of interest was I broke down and bought an Oura ring.  I've wanted to get some sleep tracking and readiness data for a long time, and while the Apple watch *can* do it, it's really not ideal.   First off, I hate wearing a watch to bed but more importantly, it's battery just can't support it.   I almost got a whoop, but I didn't want to wear another bulky device, so the ring was a good choice.   Not sure about it's cost, but even after a week, the data it's delivering is pretty solid and it only gets better the longer I have it.   IThe only concern I have is that as I lose weight the ring might get loose and the only recourse is to buy another.   Not really ideal but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Anyway, what's the plan for February?   Besides a book or two on the cruise?  Well, a lot of working out :)

• Ride 500 miles
• February Apple Fitness challenge
• Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my February challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts.
• Depending on my knee/hip try to row and possibly walk
• Read at least one book
• Get my weight below 230

I think these are very feasible.  I'll be cycling on the boat, and while I won't maintain a 22 mile average per day, I think ~17 per day is reasonable.  Plus I'll be walking a bit so I should see a good amount of exercise on the cruise.   No diving this trip, but that's going to come soon enough.  I should be a third done with the monthly challenge by the time we leave, so I can finish that once we're home.  Otherwise, it's shaping up to be a solid month. 

In closing, I've been working to increase my overall endurance.  Not sure how it happened, but I seem to have lost a bit of that, despite the distance challenge etc...   So I've been ramping up the amount and duration of my workouts.   I'm going to try and keep it at 60 minutes/day on the cruise and I'll get some weight training in once I'm home.  I'll also share some of the Oura data in case anyone is interested in getting one.

Now, if only I could get my blood pressure down...  Glad to be getting myself back on track and talk soon!

On 2026 and 2027

I figure it's finally time that I talk about 2025 and what's going on with my fitness into 2026.   I've been somewhat consumed by the ongoing chaos here in the US, and the feelings I have about where the country is going.  Not sure if I want to get into that, but it does weigh on me quite a bit, however I won't allow it to derail me from staying healthy.  I'd rather be healthy in a dystopian future instead of looking like Baron Harkonnen if you get my drift.

With that gloomy intro, how did 2025 end up?   If I had to pick a word it would be disappointing.   Maybe I set my bar too high, or maybe I didn't expect some of the challenges that hit last year, but overall it was just a disappointing year.

You might ask why, and that's a fair question, especially given I still accomplished quite a bit last year.  While that's true, I think I took a few steps backwards and I'm not sure how that happened.  Let me explain.  The easiest metric for me to point at is my weight.   While my weight was stable for part of the year, it began to trickle up and I finished the year 16 pounds above where I started it.  Yes, I put an effort into gaining muscle, which I think I did, but I did put some weight on that I'm not too happy about, so I am going to get back down this year.

Secondly, I rode the fewest amount of miles on the bike that I have since I bought it.   I had month after month where I missed goals, yes I always had an excuse, but when I look back at the results last year, that's all it was.   Excuses.

Third, I had my worst performance in a triathalon yet and skipped a number of events I registered for.   I'll excuse the last one, because I'd been struggling with injuries for a good chunk of last year, but the reality was I didn't put the effort in, and it showed.  I suspect it contributed to getting hurt and I've been paying the price for it all along.

Fourth, and probably the most impactful were the injuries.   I started the year pulling my hamstring in a race, still finished it mind you, and that kind of set the tone for the rest of the year.   I think I over compensated and planned too many events, but surprisingly I made it through most of them.   However, I really didn't anticipate my hip giving out in August.  Some days it's just a struggle to walk to the bathroom and quite frankly, I've never EVER, had this type of issue.   I suspect I'll be getting a new hip and knee(s) in the not so distant future, and I really hope I can back to moving without pain.   I had to accept the reality that running is out of the question right now, hell walking more than a quarter mile isn't an option right now and that just fucking sucks a lot.

Finally, I feel like I didn't put the work in last year.  Even if I didn't run any races from May on.  Even with all the travel, which really doesn't help.  Even with my dad passing away, I took shortcuts on exercises and did the bare minimum to get it done.   Yes, I closed my rings, but sometimes barely.  I used to do 60-120 minutes of exercise and feel great, now I do 30-45 and call it a day.

All of this comes back to why?  I wish I had a solid answer.  Some was a little bit of burnout.   Two years of hard work with almost no letup was a lot to ask.  Especially since I'm not a kid anymore, but I don't think I overdid it, instead I think I wasn't smart about it.  I will say that getting hurt and not being able to run anymore has been a real blow to my sense of invincibility.    Yes, I knew running was at best a "questionable" choice, but I like competition.   I crave goals and challenges, and I feel like those have been taken away from me prematurely.  I'm also at a loss as to where to find alternatives.  We had a lot going on last year too, we spent a lot of time up in VA, my dad died, we went on a ton of vacations, and I spent a week in Ireland.  All of that was competing for my time, and exercise found the back burner.

So...  What am I going to do this year?  Some of it I'm still unsure about.   Lately, my hip has been feeling better, so I'm optimistic that with continued rest I can maybe do some light walking.  In a perfect world I'd be able to start a light running program and maybe train for an event, but I think that's unlikely.  With that said, I've set what I think are some some realistic goals for this coming year.  I got used to missing goals and that needs to change.

So, here are my goals for 2026:

• Ride a minimum of 6000 miles
• Get my weight back down to 215-220
• Become Scuba certified
• Start rowing regularly again
• Start weight training after the distance challenge ends.
• Close my rings
• Monthly challenges
• Apple monthly challenges

Then I have a few other things I'm going to work on:

• Read a book every 2-4 weeks
• Start painting
• Pick up my guitars
• Get my hip/knees fixed
• Learn Spanish

How did I decide on this?  Well, in 2024 I rode over 6000 miles, I was FAR below that last year (4596), so I want to get back to working a little longer and harder.   Since I probaby won't be running this year, nor do I intend on doing any races, beyond cycling events, I can focus on riding again.   It doesn't bother my joints so I'm putting my effort into that.  It should help me lean out a bit and get my weight down the ~10 or so pounds I'd like to lose.

With that in mind, I'm hoping to use some time on getting dive certified.   I went again in December and am 100% convinced I want to do this.   I'll have time I would have been running or race training to focus on that.   It's also low impact on joints so shouldn't bother my hips.

The other "fitness" goals are ones I hit regularly so no reason to drop those, but the remaining goals?   I think I've been so focused on exercise I've let a lot of my other interests drop, and it's time to get back at those.   Life is short and I want to make the most of it, so why shouldn't I play guitar again?   Why not try painting or read more books.   Those are good for the mind and I need to fix that.  

I'm also going to get back to journaling regularly.   I got in a bad habit of bottling up all I had to say, and with month after month of bad news, I was embarassed to post about weight gain, and missed goals, and joint issues.   No more, good bad or ugly, I'm going to share it here.

I'll close with the ugly, my weight peaked at 236 pounds when we got home.   I was a lot shocked by that, because I didn't think I ate that poorly over the holidays.  I know weight isn't the best indicator of health, but the sudden increase at the end of the year was unwelcome.   No more.  I worked too damn hard to get fat again.

I hope we all have a great 2026, and here's to a healthy year!

Cheers and talk soon...

Already seems like a lot going on...

Well....  I'd like to start by discussing the big topic on my mind, and that's the passing of Bob Weir.  I have a lot of mixed feelings about his death and what it means to me.  First and foremost, I am a fan of the Grateful Dead.  If you've been reading this for a while you know I went to the 60th anniversary shows in SF, and while I had no regrets afterwards, I would have felt a lot if I'd backed out.  I remember thinking Bob looked and sounded a little frail at the show.  I assumed it was lack of practice, but know the truth now, and he was pretty sick.  Regardless, I'm glad I saw the shows in SF, and a lot sad that I'll never get to see him perform again.  I just assumed he would be playing more shows.

You see I came late to the Dead.  Yes, I could have seen them with Jerry, but I never did.   When I was really into that type of scene none of my friends were deadheads, so nobody asked me to go see them, and when I tried to get tickets, I didn't think driving to Buffalo was a good idea.  Not to mention I'd have to convince my "normal" friends that driving to a show, with copious amounts of drugs involved, that was hours away was going to be fun.

Later on, when I probably should have gone I was just focused on school and I missed so many shows I would have loved, including shows at MSG, Boston Garden etc...  I missed the last run of Pink Floyd shows which I also greatly regret.   Any shot of seeing Layne Staley.

Long story short, I found the dead when D&C started, or maybe they found me.   Instead of feeling sorry for myself that I missed out, I took what was available and finally found my tribe.  I've often wondered what my life would have been like had I seen them in Foxboro or even Buffalo that summer.  I doubt I'd be living in Florida, or writing this blog, but you never know.  C'est la vie.  

Thanks for keeping it going as long as you did Bob.  I thought I had more to say but I'll leave you all with this:

Fare-thee-well now

Let your life proceed by its own design

Nothing to tell now

Let the words be yours, I'm done with mine

Is this thing still on?

I can't believe it's been three months since I wrote on here.   I know it's been a little while, but I assumed I'd posted at least once but c'est la vie.

A good amount going on and it's been a busy few months here at Chez-Duquette.   Honestly, it feels like Merinda and I have been travelling non-stop for most of the year and to be frank, I'm ready for a break,  Yes, it's fun to travel and do different things, but it just feels like a whirlwind of activity.  Let me try to catch you up...

• I hurt my hip when I was in SF, and haven't been able to run since.   It's still somewhat painful and I'm pretty sure that a new hip is in my future.   If anyone wants to donate one, I'll gladly accept it :)

• We went to VA to see our new grandson, and my MiL came over to visit too.   I got to fly home with her and spent a week in Ireland and finally got to do some sightseeing.   Giants Causeway is absolutely stunning and worth a visit.   I brought home a suitcase of crisps, which are finally gone.

• We spent a little more time up there because Merinda hurt her knee and had to get it sorted amongst other things.
• Merinda went on Celebrity for the first time

• We went on Carnival Vista so Merinda became diamond and had a great time.

• Happy Thanksgiving, we actually got to spend it at home which was a relief.  Dinner was pretty tasty too :)

• We both went on Celebrity and it blew me away.  I doubt we'll be booking any more Carnival cruises for a while.  Not that Carnival is bad, it's not, but Celebrity is just nicer.  In almost every way.   The food, casino, boat are all substantially better than on Carnival.  The only thing I like better on Carnival is the Alchemy bar.  I already have offers from Celebrity and I expect we'll be going on them next year.

• I got to go scuba diving again.   Fucking amazing.   I *will* get certified after the holidays.

• We're going on Carnival again in February, and possibly for the last time.   This time I'll get diamond and we have drinks everywhere, so I'll be found at the alchemy bar.  

That's what we've been up to.   On the exercise front it's been a bit of a struggle.  I did the Ride for the Animals, but had a tire blowout at mile 50 and withdrew.   Yes, I could have patched the tire, but it was going to take a while and I was cramping.   I'll do better next year.

Not being able to run has severely impacted my exercise regimen.  I won't be doing any 5k's for the foreseeable future, nor any triathalons.   This has sapped my desire to push myself, but I've been trying to stay active.   Distance challenge is going on again, and I'm participating, but it's been a struggle.  I'm hoping that I can either heal, or get fixed, so I can do some training.   I really wanted to run the NYD 5k again this year, but it's just not a good idea.  It will allow me to get dive certified, which is something I very much want to do.

Weight has been mostly stable.  I did pick up a few pounds, but I don't think it's a concern.   I'm starting to focus on a lot of endurance and zone 2/3 training which should help me lean out again.

Other than that it's been a lot of the same.   Very disillusioned with some of my "friends" and even more concerned about the state of the country.   I'm optimistic that things will improve but sometimes it can be hard to stay that way.

I'm just in a kind of malaise, and not sure how to get out of it.  I haven't felt like writing for a while and I've been feeling overwhelmed with life and don't know how to deal with it.  I'm just hoping 2026 will be a better year.  I'm going to try and get back to journaling again and moving in a positive direction.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Festivus or whatever you celebrate.   I'll be back soon.

Let's not forget

 Twenty four years ago I was up visiting my mom.  About this time she was making breakfast, and this was before the age of smartphones, so I wasn't doom scrolling social media, in fact we had no idea what was happening in NYC or DC.   The furnace guy said someone called him about "something in NY" and I turned on the news and that was that.   I think I watched the news all day.  

I loved the WTC, yes they were somewhat ugly buildings, but they defined NY and the city has never looked right to me subsequently.

Even in Vermont we noticed the lack of planes overhead and I'll never forget seeing the smoke plume from the city...

That said, I wish we could find some national unity today.  Love or hate him Bush at least tried to bring the country together in grim time, and that's a stark change from the address the President gave about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

Listen Maga people, he wasn't JFK, RFK, MLK etc...   He wasn't a national hero, in fact he was no more OR less important than any other person who was killed yesterday.  There was yet another school shooting yesterday and I don't see your rage about that.

We don't know who killed him, or more importantly WHY, so let's stop blaming people.   Yes it was tragic.  Yes I feel for his family, I lost my dad recently so I particularly feel for his kids, who will grow up without a father.

Political violence has no place here, but having a large part of the country foaming at the mouth to blame people, with no evidence, simply because it's convenient and easy.   We need to work together as one nation to solve these problems, instead of dividing even further.

  

Life just rolls on...

It's weird, but life just keeps rolling on, no matter what goes on.   It's kind of surreal that my parents are all gone and yet everything just keeps going.   September is going to be an insane month for Merinda and I with travel to Ireland, Virginia, Ireland and home.  First she goes to get her mom tomorrow, then they fly to VA to meet Matteo, then I drive to VA to hopefully meet Matteo, then I fly her home, then I fly home and it's going to be October...  In between all that, I need to deal with Dad stuff, the house, work and everything else.  Ugh.

On top of all that, I'm still trying to stay focused and motivated for exercise.  I'm actually feeling motivated, but the hip pain I've been feeling since my trip to Cali has made it a challenge to do much of everything.  Then if we add in whatever happened to my knee the night Dad died, and it's become a horrorshow.  I'm hoping some rest and low impact time will let me heal up because otherwise I'm going to need some kind of surgery or something.

So, how was August?  In a word emotional.  I had the complete high of the trip to SF, the shows, the city and everything else.   Then the return home, the letdown after a great time and the pain...  Lots of pain.  My hip flexors are still shredded and some times I can barely lift my feet to put on clothing.  At least I can gently cycle to get some exercise and then the knee injury (probably meniscus tear) and Dad.  Add in some friends, who forgot what it means to be a friend, and my month imploded.   I lost a week up in VA where I only did stretching, meditation and some light walking so I fell pretty far behind on my monthly goal, missed another race and feel like I'm going backwards on my health journey.   Instead of talking about it all here, let's look at what happened.

August Goals:

• Get under 220
• Ride 400 miles
• Weather permitting ride outdoors every week
• Focus on distance and endurance to train for my ride in November
• August Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my August challenge
• Apple August Challenge
• Restart weight workouts.   Either through bootcamps or fitpass
• All the bonus points in #mc56
• Run the 5k here on the 23rd

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight:  223.2
• Ending Weight:  229.1

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides:  59
• Time on exercise:  18:18:59
• Distance on rides:  275.24
• Number of runs:  0
• Distance running:  0
• Number of walks:  6
• Time walking: 2:07:04
• Distance walking:  4.13
• Number of rows: 0
• Time rowing: 0
• Distance Rowing:  0
• Number of swims:  0
• Distance swimming:  0
• Weight Workouts: 1

Let me be clear, even if I hadn't lost last week in VA I would have missed my mileage target again.  I lost almost a full week in SF and last week and with my hips/knees that doomed any chance of me making up the distance.   I also failed to ride outdoors, but the weather has been shitty, so that's ok.   I'm really more disappointed in my weight.  I felt like I was trending in the right direction early in the month, but once again, managed to fatten myself up by the end of the month.   I just can't seem to summon the willpower to keep myself from junk food.   I'll have to do better because I just will not get fat again.  I'm ok with missing goals because of Dad, or that I'm hurt, because those are out of my control.  It wasn't by choice that I missed the 5k on the 23rd.   My knee siezed up on Wednesday night and at that point I decided it wasn't worth it to run a 5k.  Add in some heavy rain and it was an easy, albeit disappointing choice.

Ok, so what am I going to do this month?  That's a good question and let's dive into it.

• Get under 225/220
• Ride 200 miles
• Weather permitting ride outdoors
• Focus on distance and endurance to train for my ride in November
• September Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my September challenge
• Apple August Challenge
• Restart weight workouts.   Either through bootcamps or fitpass

With being away for half the month I've cut my mileage target to 200.  Yes it's silly low, but a week in VA, and a week in Ireland and travel time and I won't be cycling much.   I'd rather exceed it, than see red again for a month.  I'd like to see my weight get below 225 consistently.  Merinda is going away, so I'll eat lighter (hopefully) and I can maybe get my weight down.  I feel like it's more of an appetite issue right now.  If the rest look like last month it's because they are.   I've pared it down a bit to try and make it fit with my knees/hips and hopefully that's not going to be a problem.  

That's enough rambling for today.  Still dealing with a lot so this was a nice break.  Hope to talk soon!

RIP Dad...

My dad died today...   He's been suffering from dementia for a while now, so from my point of view he's been gone for a while, but this is different.  I don't feel the overwhelming grief I felt when mom died, but her death was unexpected.

Feeling lonely today...  Love you dad and hope you're finally at peace...

I'm trying to get back on track

It's been quite a month already...   Sorry that I'm late with this, but I expected to be a little late due to going to GD60, and that's a great place to start.

Cali was, in a word, awesome.   I love San Francisco.   Look, I'm a NY guy, have been for 50 years.  I grew up in NY and was a city kid, but sadly that city is just a memory.   NY has changed, and not necessarily for the better but SF reminds me of the place I grew up in.   A city that had neighborhoods, and local shops etc...   SF just has a "vibe" that is unique and I think that in a different life I would have loved to grow up there.   Maybe if we win the lottery I'll buy a place there.   Lots of cool houses which would be a great summer home for this Florida man :)   The concerts were fantastic.   D&C had a kind of rough start on Friday, but they turned it around in no time and the whole weekend wend by in a blur of music, colors and great food.   I would do the entire trip again in a second.

With that, there was one pretty substantial downer from the trip.   I don't know what it was, maybe the ~30 miles of hiking up and down Nob Hill, but I really tweaked my hips while I was there.   I got home and walking was difficult.   I'm in pretty good shape, and have been running even if I was taking a break, but didn't expect to be THAT sore.   The good news is a week of rest, low impact yoga, sports cream and my massage gun, and I'm finally feeling more normal.  I guess I just wasn't really in shape for that afterall, but it's made August get off to a slow start.

That's enough about that, so let's talk about July.   As always, here were my goals:

• Get closer to 215 again
• Ride 400 miles
• Ride the TDE!  
• Live as often as possible
• Stay current
• July Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my July challenge
• Apple July Challenge
• Continue weekly weight workouts
• All the bonus points in #mc55
• Beat last years time in the 4 on the 4th

Weight Results:

• Starting Weight:  226.10
• Ending Weight:  226.60

Exercise Info:

• Number of rides:  83
• Time on exercise:  32:25:01
• Distance on rides:  527.06
• Number of runs:  0
• Distance running:  0
• Number of walks:  3
• Time walking: 1:23:12
• Distance walking:  2.69mi
• Number of rows: 0
• Time rowing: 0
• Distance Rowing:  0
• Number of swims:  0
• Distance swimming:  0
• Weight Workouts: 0

 This was kind of a transition month.  I'd like to focus on what went well, rather than where I failed.   I crushed the TDE.   Yes, I have one stage left to do and I didn't do it live because I was in California when it went live, but other than that, I stayed current and did as many live classes as I could.   Big thanks to Echelon for loading the OD classes quickly so I could typically do them OD.  That made a huge difference.  I set two PB's, both on hills classes, and think I would have done more if I had been able to take more classes live, and fini.   With the exception of one Endurance ride, I finished in the top 20 and frequently in the top 10 for live classes.   For the record, I'll do the final ride on Saturday so I get my finisher badge and pin.   I also got a gold in my challenge etc....   Typical stuff but important for accountability and I finally beat my mileage target for a month.   Felt good to get that off my back again!

So where did I fall short?   Well, I missed the 4 on the 4th race.   Too much fun at Stick Figure, plus some shitty weather killed my desire to get up at the ass crack of dawn and drive to St. Pete.   There's always next year.  I did sign up for a 5k in 2 weeks here in Dunedin, and I'm grateful that I'm able to walk somewhat normally again.  I also missed the bonus points in #mc55.   Some of those just didn't jive with TDE, but I'd made a decision to only ride the TDE classes.   It was hard enough to keep up with that without adding in additional workouts.   No reason to kill myself, and with that, my weight held constant.   No excuses on that.  I am already doing better (had my first sub 220 weigh in in a while today).

However, I am pretty pleased with July.  I wish I'd done the race, but c'est la vie, and otherwise it wasn't that bad.

• So...  Where do I go from here?   Glad you asked:
• Get under 220
• Ride 400 miles
• Weather permitting ride outdoors every week
• Focus on distance and endurance to train for my ride in November
• August Perfect Month in Apple
• Gold in my August challenge
• Apple August Challenge
• Restart weight workouts.   Either through bootcamps or fitpass
• All the bonus points in #mc56
• Run the 5k here on the 23rd

I think these are all pretty reasonable and attainable.  I might have a tough time with the distance because I lost a week or so due to travel and injury, but I'll do the best I can.   The rest should be ok.  I need to rewrap the bar tape on my bike so maybe this will push me to get that done.   I've already started some weight work and can tell it's been a while due to how fucking sore I am...

On a final note, Monday was my Dad's birthday.  If you didn't know he has dementia and is pretty far gone.  We called him but he wasn't talking on Monday so I never got to speak to him which was hard.  Dementia/Alzheimers are cruel diseases and I feel like my Dad died a few years ago.  Yes, I know he's still "alive" but it's just his body, his mind is long gone.   I miss you Dad.   Hell, I miss both of my parents...

With that it's time to get back to work.  Til next time!

GD60

Much wow!   I would do it again exactly the same tomorrow if I could, well maybe I would make a few minor changes :)

Shows were great.   Love visiting SF, it's arguably my favorite city although NY will always have a special place in my heart.   The only thing I didn't like in hindsight was all the walking.  I walked ~30 miles over the long weekend and my hips are still feeling every step of them.   They're getting better but slowly.   I just didn't expect to feel this crushed, especially since I felt pretty good going out there.  More rest is clearly whats on tap.

Regardless, it was one of the best experiences I've had in a very long time.   Until next time SF and D&C...

The Tour de Echelon

I suppose this is the third year I've attempted the TDE, I didn't finish the first year because I snapped the crank on my bike, but I completed it last year, and I even got the t-shirt...  So, it was a given I was going to do it again this year.

I finished the majority of the event yesterday to coincide with the end of the actual TDF.   We still have the TDF ride on saturday, yes I'll make it up OD unless they have a bike in the hotel which I doubt, after I get back from #gd60.  I'm a little disappointed I won't be able saturdays class live because I set my PB on it last year, but shit happens.

Anyway, it was a very rewarding experience this year and Echelon made it a lot easier by posting the rides OD very quickly (so I could do them after work if they were in UK time or during the day).  Staying current was important because, to be honest, it gets depressing when you have 3-4 long rides to make up like I did last year.  Aside from that, I set two PB's during the event.   Both on hills.   I finished in the top 10 seven times on live classes, and only missed the top 20 once.  It was stage 8 and I clearly was suffering.   I don't really care about the OD placement, because those don't factor in the live riders and I know I don't work as hard.  I took 14 of the 22 rides live which was I am pretty excited about and as of today rode 344.90 miles (I'll update with TDF after I ride it).

So what would I like to improve for next year?  I'd like to get a minimum of a top 20 every live ride, and I would prefer a top 10 in each live ride.   Yes, that will be hard.   It's hard to push yourself every day for ~22 straight days, tough titty.  I'd also like to maintain the cadence of riding it every day.   While I missed *some* of my regular workouts, it was a nice break, and focusing on the TDE only kept me from getting too worn out.

Pin earned, and on to getting ready for my charity ride this fall.   I do have a little detour out in SF first :)  Talk soon...