Ready for water.

Well the training in the gym is going great. Last night was my best round training so far with an hour on the various weight machines covering 15 stations with 3 sets of 15 reps on each. Looks like I am just about ready to up the weight pounds on a few of the stations. It really is amazing how quickly an old body can come around if trained properly. I am not looking for extra size or a lot more strength, endurance is the key right now, so I keep the weights to whatever is the max I can do with 15 reps 3 times. Really gets the heart beating and burns the calories. Then on to the stationary bike.
I have been averaging 20 - 23 miles on the bike each training session. I have been splitting it up into 2 30 minute sessions. Well it was time to step it up a bit so last night I set the timer at 90 minutes, put the difficulty on level 14 and took off. 90 minutes later I had covered just over 36 miles and burned well over 1000 calories. Definitely not overdoing it as I have yet to be sore. A little stiff from time to time but that's about it. All I really want is to get the real bike out and get some open water so I can start paddling.
As soon as the roads are dry I will begin riding my bike to the gym, 15 miles each way, a couple times a week. I will also ride my bike home from work, 47 miles at least once a week. I will also start paddling the kayak 5 or six times a week, which will be quite easy to do since I live on the lake. Easy enough to get home from work or the gym and jump in the kayak for a few hours. Will spend the first couple weeks of paddling just warming up and getting back into the swing of things after quite a bit of time away from it with all the ice. After a couple weeks I will then start a lot of distance/endurance paddling, doing at least one 3 20+ mile trips every week, with one of them being in the 40 mile range.
If all goes as I plan I will succed in August. I will cross the state in less than 48 hours on my bike and kayak. I will help.
You can help also by following me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/PEDLnPADL4aCURE
or at my fundraiser facebook page at: Pedal and Paddle to Fight Cancer
or at my fundraiser website at: www.michigancoast2coast4acure.webs.com
Helping with a donation can be done at the fundraiser website or blog using the donation button and Paypal.
Every little bit will help.

On the way.

Well my training has been very rigorous this week and it feels great. In the last 3 days I have put almost 6 hours in the gym. I logged 55 miles on the stationary bike. Last evening I did 15 miles in 40 minutes, burning the calories, and building the endurance. I also did 1/2 mile on the treadmill at a 3.2 mph pace with the incline varying between 7.5 and 15 for the entire distance. Prior to the bike and treadmill I spent an hour on the weight machines, doing 3 sets of 15 reps on 12 different stations. Man, if I keep it up, one of these days I might actually be in shape again,,hahaha.

Every day brings me one day closer to succeeding. Every turn of the pedal or pull of the weights makes it that much easier to believ that I am going to succeed. I will make it. I will help.

Gym training

The gym training starts Tuesday night. Can't wait. And, it looks like it will not be long before I am able to ride my bicycle home from the gym and get in the kayak. I actually saw open water on one of the rivers not far from my house yesterday. Also, the warmer weather of the past couple days is helping make the roads a bit safer for the bicylce. Sure am looking forward to the upcoming days when I can workout at the gym, then ride my bicycle home from the gym and get in the kayak for a couple hours right after the ride. With just 7 months left until the big fundraiser, heavy cross training will be very important.
On another note, I am now seriously looking for a few sponsors. I will need help with the large amounts of liquids needed for the training all summer and the weekend of the event, as well as protein bars, food, etc for my journey. I will also need a couple 2 way radios and a gps. My bike is in serious need of a tune up before spring and will need new tires prior to the weekend of the event. If you, or anyone you know might be interested in sponsorship it would be greatly appreciated. For sponsorship or donation information, be sure to check out the sponsor page at my website.
www.michigancoast2coast4acure.webs.com

Two Terrific Days of Training

Wow, the last 2 days have been great workouts. Saturday evening was a mix of several different exercises with 15 reps of each. I did 4 exercises,15 reps each, back to back, then on to the treadmill for a 10 minute hard walk at 3.5 miles per hour. Off the treadmill for 120 seconds then back to the Total Gym for another cycle of exercises. I repeated this for 1 hour. Holy cow was the old ticker working hard. My heart beat was up between 120 and 140 beats per minute for almost the entire hour. Burned some serious calories.
Last night was all about the kayak. I started at my house and began paddling. It was really feeling good after about 15 minutes non-stop paddling so I just kept at it. One hour and 15 minutes later, with one complete trip around the shoreline of the west arm of Wixom Lake,non-stop paddling, I pulled back into the shore at my house. I got in a groove and the paddle just seemed to flow through the water on its' own. About every 20 minutes I would pick up the pace for a 5 minute kayak sprint, and then drop back to my steady pace.
I am ready to start increasing both my paddling and Total Gym workouts and will add some biking to it starting next week. Although it won't be long and the snow and icy roads will be here and the biking will have to wait until spring.
My wonderful in-laws are getting me a membership to the local gym so I can keep up good, hard training throughout the winter and be ready for spring to arrive. I am hoping to put at least 10 hours a week on the stationary bike in the gym, as well as an equal amount on the rowing machines and weights.
I can do it!
I will succeed!
I will help!
You can help also by spreading the word.
www.michigancoast2coast4acure.webs.com
or Pedal and Paddle to Fight Cancer on facebook
or PEDLnPADL4aCURE on twitter

Eating Right, Working Hard, Losing Weight

Well so far it has been a pretty simple process. Eating right. High protein, low fats and carbs. 5 small meals a day. Working hard. Paddling 4 days a week, Total Gym 4 days a week, light workout or rest day 2 or 3 days a week. Losing weight. Weighed in 3 weeks ago at 232 pounds prior to starting training and new eating regimen. Weighed in last night at 220 pounds. Dropped 12 pounds in 3 weeks. Hoooray!

I Can Feel It

Just 304 days to go and I feel great about it. Every day I workout/train I am one step closer to reaching my goal. With every stroke of the kayak paddle I am one stroke closer to completing my goal. The last 2 days training have been terrific.

Tuesday I paddled very hard for 1 hour and 40 minutes, covering over 10 miles in that time. My upper body was pulsating and limp when I pulled the kayak into home but wow did it feel great. That evening I paddled another hour, but it was a much softer, relaxed paddle with a bit of fishing thrown in.

Last night I put in a hard, fast paced hour on the Total Gym. Ringing with sweat and my entire body drained was a great feeling. I followed the workout with a couple hard boiled eggs and a handful of Almonds for a nice blast of protein, then a quick shower and called it a night.

I am going to weigh myself tomorrow after work for the first time since training workouts began about 3 weeks ago. I don't expect there to be much of a weight loss but I feel great and think that is what really matters. It is going to take a lot of hard work and a seriously positive attitude to accomplish this adventure.

I am willing to work hard!

I have a positive attitude!

I will succeed!

I will help!

Awesome training yesterday

Yesterday was a great day for training. The weather could not have been any better for October in Northern Michigan. Temperature in the low 80s with a very light wind and clear skies made it wonderful for paddling the kayak.
I started the day with 45 minutes on the total gym and then headed to the lake. I a met with a friend from Ohio who rode along in the front seat of the kayak while I paddled. We actually took advantage of the great weather in between paddling sessions to do a little fishing. I managed to put in about 2 1/2 hours of good hard paddling, with an extra person in the kayak, and put a dozen nice bluegills on the stringer to take home. It does not get much better than that.
When I returned home I took a little time out to have dinner with our friends from Ohio then relaxed at home for a bit before putting in another 30 minutes on the Total Gym before hitting the bed.
All in all it was a terrific day.
Only 307 days to go