Today I am 188.6 pounds of rolling thunder.

Snow is a word I had hoped not to use for another month or so, but here we are in mid-October and the temperatures have dipped into the low 40s. A check with our friends on Facebook tells me that snow has rolled across eastern Colorado and into western Kansas.

Fortunately, there is no call for snow in my forecast, but the thought of a misty, cold run after work today doesn't sound all that inviting.

Darn it all. Wasn't it just May when the last snowfall swept through the area turning spring back into winter one last time? Winter had overstayed its welcome then and it just might do it again.

If this sounds like the musing of a running wimp, well they are. I'm sort of a cold weather wimp, but I do like to get my run in so it might be time to find the tights and bundle up.

Plus, I've got some motivation. I finally bit the bullet and bought an UP to track my fitness efforts.

For those of you not familiar with the Up from Jawbone, it's a wristband device that tracks your movement and sleep. And, of course, it comes with an app that displays your data, lets you add things like meals and mood, and delivers insights that keep you moving forward.

And, of course, to make the app run I needed a cellphone upgrade. So being a runner, I decided to upgrade the phone as well so I could actually run the app that turns the UP on. Confused? Let's just say it was an excuse to add more gizmos to my already cluttered life.

So after wrestling the UP from its tightly sealed packaging I put it on and started the day off counting steps and calories. o far, 2,272 steps taken and 1,054 calories burned. I'm feeling healthier already, and I'm also sensing pie in my future.

Hopefully, there is an app to shake the wimp from my system and get me back out on the road. How shameful would it be for the world's slowest human not to hit the streets when he's got a new UP to tell him where he's going?

Sometimes you've got to take the bad with the good

Today I am 190.2 pounds of rolling thunder.

Sometimes my back and I have serious disagreements. Other times, we just hold discussions on how the day is going to go. Usually, the issues are more a matter of discussion than serious disagreement.

So today things are a little balky. I should have seen it coming, but the week of running had gone so well it was hard to imagine things would end this way.

It was a good week of running. I made my usual 5- and 6-mile loops without any walking. In fact, I was able to climb all the hills without so much as one walked step. I was also able to accelerate just a bit on a few of the climbs, which normally does not happen.

But yesterday, the wheels started coming off. I wanted to do a timed 3 miles to see if I had made any progress, but just a few strides into my first hill climb I knew it wasn't to be. The strength in my legs and lungs just was not there.

I walked and ran up the first half-mile hill, stretched and then hit the road. I slogged through a mile in pretty good time, but when I made the turn, I decided to shut things down. This dog would live to fight another day.

But that day won't be today. Balky back and I are in negotiations. Tylenol and other meds are involved. Hopefully it's just a discussion and not a serious disagreement.

Wish me luck!

Meet the New Road Warrior

March 27, 2013

Today I am 198.0 pounds of rolling thunder.

Somebody want to tell winter that it's spring, so it's time to pack your bags filled with snow and get the heck out of town?

Doesn't Old Man Winter realize were almost to weekend No.2 of the NCAA basketball tournament? It never snows this late in the year, and yet, here we are with six inches of the slushy stuff still under foot.

Last weekend's snowfall has made this week's running a bit of an adventure. Wasn't it just a week ago Friday that I ran five miles with no shirt on in 80-degree weather? What happened to that? What happened to all of spring break and it's promise of the oncoming spring?

Punxsutawney Phil you done me wrong son. I'm done with the snowy stuff. Bring on the spring. Recheck that shadow-watching thing, your gauges must be stuck or something.

So I clip-clopped my usual joggerly pace around the 'hood again today. The weather was cool, but the sun shone down and there was little wind to make it a bitter day out on the streets. 

Yes, it was a street day as the majority of sidewalks have yet to be plowed. My first half mile isn't so bad. It's on a wide street with moderate traffic, so it's a pretty safe go even when you run on the asphalt.

Then comes the tricky part. I hate to do it to my metal-contained friends, but with 5-6 inches of snow still packing many of the sidewalks there's little else a runner can do but to grab some space on the edge of the open road. Normally, I try and stay as near to the edge as I can, and most drivers are courteous enough to nudge their way over to the far side of the lane.

But some drivers are out to prove a point. These so-and-so's take pleasure in making you dive into the snowbanks, or hop up into the snow that's piled up on the sidewalk. 

When all is said and done, I've got nothing to complain about. I got out and ran, and that beats sitting inside on a stationary bike any day of the week.

So here's the deal, get out and run. Enjoy the snow before it's gone for another year. And if you see the world's slowest human taking up some road space, give me a wave.

197 pounds! Elfkins be damned!

Jan. 24, 2013

Good grief, did I swallow a whale in my sleep or what?

Today I am 197.2 pounds of rolling blubber. 

The scale gremlins have been at it once again. I must be retaining water.

OK, busted! Late-night cookie binging has caught up with me. But darn if those Elfkins weren't 99 cents a bag the other day, so I bought three. Now, those curious little guys from the hollow tree with their elfin magic haunt me.

This week that weight curve has been on an upswing, but normally I don't worry too much about a few pound swings either way. Much of it is due to eating, exercise intensity and the time of day I work out. And of course the scale gremlins.

Yesterday was a good one to hit the streets. It wasn't bitter cold, and the sun was shining. My time was a bit limited (OK, that's where the weight gain came from -- sorry Elfkins), so I cut my time down to 45 minutes of running/walking but I made sure to hit a couple of good hills.

I also worked out in the morning, which is a change of pace for me. I seem to do better with midday or late afternoon workouts. That could also contribute to the scales going up this morning.

E.L. Fudge: Uncommonly Good

My back is feeling better and better, so now it's a matter of getting my lungs back in agreement with the rest of my body. By the end of the fall I was doing 5- and 6-mile loops without stopping. But this back thing has thrown me off my game a bit.

But there's no need to give up and fall into the mid-winter funk that seems to have a firm grasp on people these days. I can still get up and move, and that's the blessing in all this. Even if it is a blubberous blessing, I'll take it.

Today is extra cold outside, so I think it will be a cross-training day, which means back on the bike. Hopefully, the scale gremlins will slip in during the night and reset that sucker -- Elfkins be damned.