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

Eating and Training

It seems I have slipped into this strict eating regimen quite easily. Low to moderate carb intake and high protein intake, eating 5 times a day has kept me from being hungry and eating the bad stuff. Grilled chicken on 8 grain tortilla wraps, grilled chicken, beef jerkey, and scrambled eggs seem to be just the protein pack my body needs for the training I am doing. Mixed with generous amounts of fresh and frozen steamed veggies, fresh and dried fruits, high grain cereals, cottage cheese, and nuts, each and every day.
My training is not yet extreme, but I am just getting back into it. A couple hour hard paddle in the kayak a few times a week accompanined by 4 days of at least 45 minutes on the Total Gym has me feeling great. My energy level is already beginning to rise and my spirits are high. I have not weighed myself since I began this about 2 weeks ago but I am sure some weight is gone already.
In about a month I will kick up my paddling to at least 3 hours, 4 days a week until the ice sets in. I will also increase my workout on the Total Gym to an hour and begin to increase the bench angle to add more strain to the workout. A lot of my training right now is geared toward endurance and weight loss. As time goes by I will increase some of my strength training as well but will always key on the endurance side of it. 6 - 9 hours on the bicycle followed directly by as much as 30 hours of kayaking will definitely require extreme endurance.
Just 300 days to go.
You know, it only takes 200 people to donate $5 each for me to give $1000 to cancer research and it can be done safely and securely right her on my blog or on my fundraiser website at www.michigancoast2coast4acure.webs.com using PayPal or a credit card.
If you would like to consider sponsoring me in any way please visit the website sponsor page for more information.
I can do it!
I will help!
I am going to fight for everyone who has had to deal with cancer in any way

Duck Camp 2010

Great Workout, Great Fun

Well even though I had a great time this weekend, I did manage to get in a real good kayak workout. Friday evening I paddled about 6 miles, which isn't much, unless you add about 300 pounds of gear, a nice wind, and water hyacinth, cattails, flooded grass, lily pads and swamp muck. It really was not an endurance workout, more of a strength builder and calorie burner. Felt great and lead to a wonderful weekend.
After hauling camping gear for a couple hours I basically sat around with good friends and told tall tales. Oh, and the eating regimen was sort of thrown out for the weekend, although I still did good. Managed to stay away from all but just a handful of chips. Did have a brat and a bun, some macaroni salad,a couple of my famous camp breakfast burritos, and of course fresh duck stir fry. Actually I guess that was not all bad now that I look at it.
Saturdays workout was a bit different then Friday. I took off my myself in the kayak about 10:30 am and paddled up steam for about an hour into a 17 mph headwind. Then I took off into the cattail swamp. Winding and weaving my way through a maze of 7 foot cattails, using paths that were often no wider then my kayak. I was often forced to use my paddle as a push pole due to the narrowness of my chosen path or very shallow water. After winding my way through the swamp I worked my kayak back out to the main river chanel and paddled fast for 20 minutes non stop then hit a shallow bay off the river and wound my way through another cattail forest. About an hour of this and back to the river for my 2 mile fast paddle back to camp.
Sunday was a bit easier and more of a stretching workout. Just 2 trips across the lake hauling gear and that was enough.
It all felt great and I had a terrific time hanging out with some of the best friends a guy could ask for.