As Fall Turns Toward Winter

90 days to the Birkie...

90 days of sweat...
90 days of fitness...
90 days of pain...
90 days of progress...
90 days of priorities...
90 days of joy...
90 days of discipline...
90 days of toughness
90 days of strength...

90 days of birkyness...

Sunday in the Park

Instead of taking my usual long Sunday run, I decided to head over to Elver Park to work on some dry-land conditioning with the Mad Norski Nordic ski club. For the month of November they are offering Sunday morning 90 minute hill and endurance training sessions at Elver's ski hill. I've been avoiding these workouts for a variety of reasons: not wanting to give up my long Sunday run, not wanting to leave Ezra at home, and probably just a little afraid to test myself.

But after two weeks of fear and trepidation, I finally made my way over to train with the fit folks. It was time to find our what kind of progress I had really made. It turned out to be a great idea, as this was an excellent 90 minute test of my endurance. We began with an easy warm-up, just running slowly and going through a series of quick plyometric like exercises. After loosening up we headed over to the hills. We split into two groups, and then made our way up and over a short and intense hill circuit...twice. These are hills I have run many times; however, on this day I was running with some very fit people, and I found myself pushing hard just to stay caught up. Overall though I was pretty happy with the results as I was able to stay in touch with the group, and even stay in front of a handful of runners throughout the four hills.

After the hill session we moved over to the shelter where our instructor put us through a series of "boot camp" like exercises. The idea behind boot camp is to use your own body weight, as well as some occasional dumbbells to push the limits of one's body. We slid and jumped upwards; we exploded from a squatting position and threw dumbbells as far as we could; we sat on a wall and passed weights back and forth to each other, and then lastly we completed some type of weird quick, but hard, reflex exercise. After these exercises we moved over to the hill where we were put through a series of short sprints up the hill. We started at :30, worked our way down to :10, and then back up to :30. Then just to add more misery to the morning, he had us carry a dumbbell as far up the hill as we could in :20. Then after setting it down he had us run past the dumbbell in :18.

The last part of the morning was spent working on our core strength. It was painfully awful. When the core exercises ended I collapsed to the ground, dripping with sweat, and gasping for my strength. I spent the rest of the day plastered to my couch, massaging my tight muscles. Yesterday throughout the school day my body got progressively more sore.  All day my body screamed with pain and soreness. Last night I took two Advil's and a hot bath, and yet still I complained my way around the house...truly acting like an old and broken down man. Yet still, even with all the misery and pain I put my body through, I am certain that I will return again next week to Mad Norski's Sunday in the Park.

Dancing in the Dark

On a couple of evenings a week, if one of my neighbors look out their back windows they might notice some strange activity coming from my backyard. If they look closely enough they just might see some silhouettes bouncing off the side of my house. And if they look even closer they will see someone bending and stretching and hopping across the grass. These shadows are a result of my current challenge: finding opportunities to exercise. I'm still running on the weekends. And during the first couple of weeks of November I have been fortunate enough to get in at least one weekday run, yet the past 10 days have been a struggle.

Part of the problem is that I picked up a middle school coaching job at the end of October. Before last basketball season I retired as my school's varsity girls basketball coach. After coaching at the high school level for 21 years and the last 14 as a varsity coach, I was ready for something else in my life. I haven't missed it much, and yet not having that extra money has been an adjustment for our family. Last year my athletic director needed some help for the boys middle school team. Being a good team player and knowing that we could use the money for the holidays, my wife and I figured I should coach. I enjoyed it. Low stress. Good pay. And the six-week season ends before Christmas. And now I am back for a second year.

This year however the coaching challenges my training schedule. So to compensate for my lack of time during the week, I am moving to the darkness of my backyard a couple of times a week. I have a series of stretches and sport-specific muscle building exercises I use. I am using a training video I found on the American Birkebeiner website. It's good stuff. And most importantly, the exercises can be completed in the darkness of night in about 30-45 minutes. Although these exercises don't help my cardiovascular much, they still keep me strong, and focused, and motivated.

There are two different videos that I dedicate most of my time, but the one I am including here is my favorite. Although my backyard does not have a hill, I still find these to be effective exercises on the flats. And obviously these exercises work well on the hills of Elver Park.

So as I work my way through the last few weeks of the basketball season I will continue to dedicate a bit of time every week to a little dancing in the dark.

Tonight I'll be dancing beneath a moon three days shy of full.

Heading North ...

First Significant Snow of the Season in Midwest

Hello, winter! The first significant snowfall of the season is making its move toward the Upper Midwest and it's targeting Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Yes, we're talking accumulating snow; the shoveling and plowing kind of snow! Excited? Yes I am.

Two to four inches expected (and hoped for) on the Birkie Trail. Minneapolis is expecting six to ten. Now this is a good start to the season. 

November Nuances

I can't blame the weather. Yesterday in the upper Midwest the temperature was close to 70. I can't blame daylight saving times. Running in the dark is not completely foreign to me...in fact sometimes it is kind of fun. I can't blame my daughter's tonsillectomy. She has regained her health and her energy and her zest for life. But for whatever reason, November training sessions are proving to be a challenge. I'm still getting them done, but now more than ever I need to prod myself out the door.

It appears I have hit a wall. I need snow. I need the cold. I know that sounds a bit crazy. And the rest of my family is protesting my own desires. But I'm ready to slap on the skis and kick my way around Elver. I'm ready for the stillness and serenity of snow covered cross-country ski trails. I am anxious to see what kind of fitness level I have reached. I remember clearly how difficult the hills were last January and February, but now that I have nine months of hill-training behind me, I want to see what kind of core I have built up.

November is kind of the tweener month. Unless one is a hard core cyclist, biking appears past its prime season. Running is still doable, but instead of wooded trails, too much of my running is on the streets. Swimming is out of the question as our membership is with an outdoor pool. Yesterday however, because of the warmer weather and the recent dry spell, I was able to get into Elver. It felt good. Ezra was psyched and we saw no one. The trees are now barren and the fallen leaves cover the trails. The late afternoon light keeps the woods in a prolonged glow, and the directional signs on the ski trails have replaced the disc golf signs. All signs point towards the ski season. Towards winter recreation!

And so I wait. I still run. I still lift weights. I have replaced my biking with sport-specific exercises. I now retreat to the darkness and lunge my way across the backyard. I hop in place. I work on getting low and exploding into an upright position. The fear of the Birkie's length keeps me motivated. Yet still, my psyche screams for snow.