This is it Surfermom. It looks a bit like an ‘old bloke’ bike (because I’m an old bloke :)) but it is truly a proper mountain bike with bits added. Very strong and suited to rugged terrain:
Nothing wrong with that bike; it looks great! Somehow I thought you were mostly road riding - impressive that you are doing some off-road riding too. I have a small hybrid I use for fitness, and this cruiser (which I like for it’s retro look, being a bit retro myself) for light riding around town. The hybrid is an inexpesive workhorse and the cruiser was a garage sale find. The border collie was an option 
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Good bikes Surfermom. Does the dog run alongside you?
I prefer to get away from the traffic when possible. Fortunately, around here, we have plenty of land where we can do so.
The tyres on the bike are a brand called ‘Dutch Perfect’. They are very heavy but on the plus side, I haven’t had a puncture since fitting them.
Well, the bikes are old and reliable, not unlike me, I suppose. Yes, my border collie looks a bit worn out in this photo having run a short ways along side me. She’s a speedster, that one.
Great tires. Nice to be off the main roads and not have to worry about a flat!
No cycling here today, but just after sunrise, the equalized land and sea pressures calmed the gulf to a mirrored finish making it perfect conditions for stand up paddleboarding. Coke bottle green, the water was clear enough to spy skates, mackerel, and a double pod of breakfasting dolphins in the hour or so I was out there. It was so serene, that I made the mistake of staying out too long and before I knew it, strong seabreezes left me having to tack and paddle like a fiend just to get back to my starting point. Apparently, I make an excellent sail.
Mother nature was not done with me yet. Waiting for it to cool down, I delayed my run until late afternoon and found myself pinned in between thunderstorms (again) that rained cats and dogs (again). Cue every car in the US to drive by and stare at me and my lack of good judgement.
I had every intention of making this a recovery day with high temperatures and humidity being forecasted, but my daughter and I decided to do a bit of river kayaking. Meandering our way through several miles of salt marsh, the river opens into an estuary where oysters and shrimp are harvested and sent to several nearby states. The perfect mix of salt and fresh water, and dense in protective grasses, the estuary serves as a nursery for hundreds of sea birds, marine life, and even young dolphins in the spring. We could see a small pod of adults fishing for silvery mullet in the direction of the afternoon sun. Wise we were (which is not always the case ) to first head up river against the winds and tide, so we could enjoy some coasting on the way back. It was a good workout…and decision.
Feeling rejuvinated after a good paddle, I ignored the word “Sunday” on the calendar, the traditional day I give my old limbs a rest, and decided to go to the neighborhood sportsplex for an easy, grassy, six miles. By far and away the best thing on this outing was a young dad with his twins, approximately four, suited up to practice some soccer skills. As young men sometimes are with their little boys, the dad was much more serious about the practice than his sons - who were half ignoring his instructions and more interested with kicking the balls towards the street than around the cones he had so carefully placed. It was a hilarious and purely enjoyable scene.
That’s a lot of exercise Surfermom. I have to say that I don’t do that much. I haven’t got a ‘daily exercise’ way of life. Age is bound to govern things a bit I suppose and riding the bike 10 miles purely for exercise is now just a couple of times a week. The off-road part of those rides is down on what it was a few years ago.
There’s a steep off-road hill on land near me and I ride up this once in a while to see if I can still do it. OK so far but maybe they’ll find me flaked out halfway up there one day.
As well as this, there are also the times when I cycle or walk to shops, friends, dentist or hospital appointments …or anything else that is fairly local.
Although the exercise isn’t daily, I think I do a reasonable amount weekly (or weakly :)). I’m still fit enough that nothing I need to do makes me tired or out of breath anyway. Hope I can stay that way for some more years yet.
Being off work for the next couple of weeks was because I need to look after my wife, but as she is such a battler and is coping extremely well with her recovery, I’m basically treating my time off as two weeks gratis holiday, though I’m still of course making sure my wife needs everything she wants so I’ll be there to support her wishes. But, I’ve been encouraged to grab a few hours at any given time to go shopping, visit the gym etc so I shall be making up for some lost time. Therefore today I did a short session of high reps just to get back into it before I recommence some heavier stuff tomorrow…
Monday 21/8/17
1-Smith 60° seated press:12x30
2-Smith, push press, 15° c/g:15x30
3-Chest press: 25x40
4-Tricep extensions:35x35
5-Tricep p/d, c/g:30x41
6-Shoulder press:20x30
7-Single DB raise, flat bench:30x40
8-Lat p/d – hammer:30x35
9-Lat p/d – underarm, c/g:25x35
10-Seated row, hammer:25x35
11-20kg BB curls:20X20
12-Forearm rev. curl, BB:20x10
13-E-Z preacher curls, l/p, c/g:20x23
14-Incline press:25x150
15-Seated leg press:30x120
16-Calf press:25x120
17-Good girls:25x50
18-Bad girls:25x50
19-Ham curls, seated:25x40
20-Ab crunch: 40x40
A rather condensed write-up for me as it was all high reps. Just enough to get the muscles invigorated and ready for some heavier work from tomorrow. In fact, there’s no real reasons why I can’t train everyday for a couple of weeks. We’ll see.
Thanks for reading 
Mart, I envy you living in a location where you can cycle most places! It sounds wonderful. You must indeed be quite fit, and though I don’t know how old you are, there aren’t many people who are still mountain biking even occasionally - once they get into retirement. I have only one set of hills near me, rare enough that legend has it that the natives and Spanish explorers gathered there to shelter from hurricanes. Now there is a trail system that runs through them offering a healthy lung and leg workout. In the end, there is nothing better than the great outdoors…and even a little exercise allows us a bit of pastry, pasta, curries, or ice cream now and then :-).
Floydy, I somehow hoped that your wife would be well enought to give you the green light to get back out there again. I was scratching my head at the “good girl” and “bad girl” execises…had no idea what they were…looked them up…Aah, of course! I should have known, adductor and abductor exercises! Anyway, nice job…I know you double rep sets are quite a challenge.
I did the 10 mile cycle ride today (I’m 72 Surfermom).
Holy cow, Mart! You are a model for showing how arbitrary a birthday number can be! Solid mileage too :-).
A bit of peer pressure (phone ringing and pinging) had me giving spinning class another go this morning. It seemed like a solid workout, though I have to admit that “riding” a bike inside with music doesn’t hold a candle to outdoors with Mother Nature. Even so, I am jumping at any leg workout I can get.
A quick run and some step aerobics rounded out the workout day. Along with chasing eclipses and checking on a couple of sea turtle nests assigned to me, I managed enough activity to balance out some work time behind the computer…and a chai latte I’ve been craving all day.
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/drink/sipping-tea.gif
Thunderclouds were grumbling overhead when the phone rang this morning with friend on the other side of it chastising me for missing “dawn patrol”, which is surfer speak for paddling out at first light to catch what are typically calm, glassy smooth surf conditions. With a bit of inconsistency between the imploring voice on the phone, and the thunder and lightning overhead, I decided to head down and see for myself. Sure enough, the waves were breaking in waist-high, smooth curls. I gave one quick glance to the skies over my shoulder and decided to make a go of it. While it was short-lived, with the caffeine-starved, irritable clouds tossing warning lightning bolts near the horizon, it was great wet fun. Six or seven waves were mine, before the squall blew the crests off the waves and blinded my vision too much to properly see and time the waves coming in my direction.
Not to be deterred, there was running to be had between showers, though I was dripping wet with preciptiation, perspiration, condensation, and puddle-ation by the time my watch announced an impending appointment with my tax accountant. Sighing over having to cut a planned six miles to five, I thought, “Budgets or a grueling run?” I know which I’d rather do any day of the week…http://www.sherv.net/cm/emoticons/weather/singing-in-the-rain-smiley-emoticon.gif
Sometimes the realities of life get in the way of the more serious and important things of being alive Surfermom…
Aha! I always catch people out with that good girl/bad girl terminology. It’s rather a rude way of describing those particular exercises:shock:, but I think if I spoke about abductor/adductor instead that would could conusion…which is which? etc.
Good man, Mart for completing this ride. I couldn’t do that right now I’m sure with my knees! (And you’re 20 years further on than me!)
Sounds like an idyllic lifestyle, Surfermom. Showers perhaps but what a fantastic setting you have out there!
Surfing, running on the beach…I’d love to have done all that (in my younger days though!)
My head isn’t really into training right now mainly due to my wife’s illness being on my mind, which is a pity as I have two weeks off to get stuck in if I desired. Still, I made more of an effort than I did the day before. Here’s yesterday’s session:
Tuesday 22/8/17
DB press, 15° bench:
12x16’s w/u
6x24’s
6x26’s
6x28’s
Chest press:
8x70
8x80
6x85
20x40
Low row, single arm, alt:
10x80
10x90
10x100
DB concentration curls, sated, alt, (no rest):
5x18
5x18
5x18
DB preacher curl, over bench:
5x20
5x22
E-Z preacher curl, low pull, c/g, slow:
6x38
6x43
4x48
Standing DB curls, alt (no rest):
6x16
6x16
6x16
SUPERSET:
Tricep extension / BB curl:
12x40 / 12x20
12x50 / 12x20
12x60 / 12x20
Shoulder press:
4x75
4x85
4x90
Ab crunch:
12x50
12x60
12x70
25x40
Time: 1hr. 15mins.
As I’m not at work for a fortnight, I’m feeling the belly paunch making an unwelcome return at the moment, which is because I’m obviously not so active on the energetic front. So later on this afternoon I’ll be doing that very rare thing for me - some cardio work, which will hopefully entail a good go on the rowing machine after a light high reps legs session.
Thanks for reading:)
Floydy, I actually think you are doing a fine job of staying focused on your workouts while your wife recovers. Well done on the cardio too!
I am grateful for the outdoor life here, having moved from a climate with fierce winters and oppressive summers, but we have our warts too. Two major hurricanes and the BP oil spill have meant that a fair amount of the residents’ free time here is spent repairing, rebuilding, cleaning up, and preparing. Home DIY is practically a hobby for everyone! .
Nothing too strenuous to report.
A four mile walk yesterday and a 10 mile cycle ride today.
Ha! Those italics didn’t slip by me, those were solid fitness days, Mart! It seems that many of the forum members live in places conducive to walking and cycling. Outside of the beaches and a long, dedicated trail system, the town in which I live requires owl-head-turning focuse to run, walk, and cycle safely since sidewalks and bike lanes are all but non-existent - suprising for an area heavily visited by tourists. I am envious of those of you who can safely walk or cycle to market. Sometimes it seems strange that we exercise to exercise - without a chore attached to it.
Ok, Floydy…now you’ve done it…all this talk of living in an idyllic place …
The effects of hurricane Harvey in the Gulf of Mexico are already spinning off convective bands of towering but spotty storms our way. The cells rain out fast, quickly yielding to the oppressive August sun, pushing the humidity to 90% with temperatures around 33 C. Slogging through every difficult step of a six miler, I got tickled at the idea that I was more swimming than running. Apparently, all that water vapor hiding in the atmosphere was looking for a victim on which to condense and that lucky person was me!
Harvey will make landfall a few hundred miles to the east in a few days, promising some interesting (but not damaging) weather and surf conditions…
Thanks, Surfermom.
And you’re quite right in saying about the extreme weather you experience over there. The sun and surf would be lovely, but the hurricanes could be a tad worrying I guess!
Yesterday’s proposed cardio return never happened as I took Mrs. Floyd out to Bridlington where she enjoyed a nice stroll along the prom and some fish ‘n’ chips.
Today I couldn’t really be fussed thrashing myself stupid in this heat with any cardio, so I decided to do some good old traditional weights instead. Legs was the main focus today and I’m very much getting to grips with this current routine; three standard sets of what exercises I’ve still got left I can do without too much knee pain, plus a heavier ‘failure’ set and a high reps drop set to finish off with. but I’m unsure of being able to train tomorrow yet, so I did a couple of great exercises for the arms as well.
Friday 25/8/17
Incline leg press:
20x170
20x170
20x170
26x200
50x150
Seated ham curls:
12x50
12x50
12x50
16x60
50x35
Good girls:
20x50
20x50
20x50
13x60
30x40
Bad girls:
20x50
20x50
20x50
22x60
33x40
Seated leg press:
15x150
15x150
15x150
17x180
40x120
Calf press:
20x150
20x150
20x150
14x160
30x100
Tricep extensions (with drop sets):
15x40
15x50
15x60
10x70
7x80
5x90
13x70
18x50
22x40
27x30 fast reps
=10 sets total.
*Backs of my arms were positively screaming at the end of these. Only one thing for it then – burn and expand the biceps to match!..
E-Z bar preacher curl, low pull, c/g with drop sets:
10x28
10x38
8x43
6x48
4x55
*It’s a while since I went that heavy. Back down the weights with some drop sets:
11x38
9x38
8x38
15x28
20x18 fast reps
=10 sets total.
*Looking and feeling very pumped up with this little lot.:shock: Temporarily anyway!
Dammit! Forgot the mandatory ab crunches.
Started on the rowing machine but lost the will to live after about a minute and ditched it:confused:
Time: 1hr. 40mins.
Very pleased with all that today. It’s nowhere near as heavy as I used to lift but I’m still feeling like my legs have had a good workout, so I can’t complain and the arms workout was a nice little booster.
My body has taught me a long-threatened lesson that all that heavy leg work over the years takes its toll. I was warned, I ignored the signs and now I’m paying the price for overdoing it. Whether it’s arthritis or not, it happens and we don’t get stronger forevermore; we reach a limit eventually. But we improvise with what we’ve got and life goes on.
I’m not sure about any weekend training yet. I may get time in the morning but tomorrow night I’m going to see Joanne Shaw Taylor who is regarded as the best British blues-rock guitarist at the moment, so that will be a good night out.
Thanks for reading, enjoy the bank holiday weekend folks!