VT Dad’s fight vs. inertia & flab

Sunday morning, a time to return to the blacktop for a pickup game I have been a part of for the past 15+ years.  Many of the same faces aging into their 40s, and even 50s, and some younger guys a smattering in their teens, 20s, and 30s.  Todays game had 27 at the court at its max, and I chose to leave after only 4 games, undefeated.  The first game was the most satisfying as I chose to guard the best player on the court.  One of my loudmouth teammates wanted me switched off the assignment.  I held fast, and held my own.  Being in good enough shape to run a marathon made all the difference in the world, as I was able to limit his effectiveness.  I didn’t do a whole lot on offense, but that isn’t my role.  I played solid defense, rebounded well, and had many more assists than points.  I did go coast to coast once, showing a move vintage from the eighties, back when I was in my twenties.  I had a great time.  Basketball in the sweltering heat is something I’ve done for the past 30 years.  It is one of my joys in life.

I’m still in resting mode today, but it is HOT.  Today is our first 90+, 32+ degree day in at least 10 months.  I can do the cold, but today is 10 degrees hotter than any other day this year, and I’m struggling.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

My upcoming marathon has a 20 week schedule.  This is week 21.  My training this week has been haphazard, while my attitude has been laissez faire.  Since I’m less than 2 weeks removed from my marathon, I think the rest is doing me good.  However, I need to be able to reestablish my good habits and my positive attitude next week.

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I had a brief plyometric workout this afternoon while my daughter played tennis.  I have a pair of "Strength Shoes" that have a wide toed platform and a big space below the heel.  The theory goes that you will have a wider range of motion, and work the legs harder.  Anyway, by head was not in the best of places, so I kept the workout short.  Slides, Hops, A Slide/Shuffle quick footwork, Skipping, High Knees, Butt Kicks, and Sprints/jogs.  A nice change of pace from my regular routine.

I had a great workout on my bosu ball inspired by matoatoa.  I decided to hop onto the bosu ball while watching the 3rd period of the Stanley Cup finals.  A little hockey, a little exercise, what could be better.  I brought back my first level of core exercises: 3 supersets each with 3  or 4 exercises per set, and 10 reps of each exercise.  The first 2 supersets I do on the bosu ball, but the third superset I don’t have the coordination or balance to complete on the bosu ball, so I do them on the floor.  It felt great to work on my core.  It felt great to get a sweat going indoors.  It felt great to begin the next steps in my journey.

I’ve signed up for my next marathon: 10/26, the International Marathon running from Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls.  I am looking forward to this because of the physical challenge, but also because I’ll have a chance to meet some cyber friends in whose neighborhood the marathon’s path will traverse.  Although the marathon is a big challenge, it is not my #1 focus for the present.  I want to spend my summer trying to push myself and see how fit I can become.

I would like to spend my summer seeing how good a basketball player I can become, In addition on 10/5 I have a 1/2 marathon where I’d love to shatter my PR, because I’d love qualifying somehow for the 2009 Maccabi Games (Jewish Olympics) in the 1/2 marathon (as a 50-54 year old). This would take "reinventing myself" 18 weeks to shave 90 seconds per mile off my PR 1/2 marathon pace.

So my plan for my summer is to get back to fundamentals.  Work my core on the bosu and stability balls 4-5 times a week.  Get out my plyometric shoes, and work agility and quickness drills 3X a week.  Limit my running to 3 key runs a week: 1) hills or intervals, 2) tempo run, 3) long run.  For my tempo run a local cross country ski/ biking/ hiking centers has a 5K race every Tuesday evening.  I hope to fit those races into my schedule.  Due to the rising price of gas, and a desire to be fit I also intend to rely more on my bicycle, and rely less on my car.

This afternoon I spent some time with my 10th grade son, playing ultimate frisbee.  Of course the crunch granola crowd that plays in this pick up game weren’t the most punctual crowd.  Pick up was scheduled from 3-5.  As of 3:40 we only had 7 bodies, eventually by 4 there were 10 people, and we were playing 5 on 5.  The numbers swelled to 12, so there were even 1 sub for each team.  The game was fun, over an hour of running, and cutting, and playing.  Running as play, what a wonderful experience.