Do U really like me or is it just the code talking?

 

Today's workouts (treadmill): 3.2 miles + 1 hour shoveling 

My Fitbit likes me. I know this because it told me so. Right on the display it said, "I LIKE U." Every once in a while it will tell me something like "LET'S GO!" or "MOVE IT." It's kind of pushy. I think the reason it was liking me right now relates to my double workout, courtesy of today's snowfall.

Believe it or not, this is a color photo

The neighborhood was already covered in snow by the time I woke up and it hasn't stopped yet. I went out early to shovel and was surprised to see 4" of the heavy stuff already on the driveway. It took almost an hour to clear both the drive and the walk. By the end, my Fitbit showed I'd covered over 4,000 steps and almost two miles of distance. I did go back and forth and up and down quite a few times.

After taking a break for a cup of coffee, I changed into running clothes and started a treadmill run. I decided that my morning effort gave me license to set an easier pace than normal. Shoveling all that snow had provided a nice (and well needed) upper body workout and running took care of the balance. By the time I finished my run I was almost to 10K steps and approaching 6 miles for the day. I didn't do it so my Fitbit would like me. But I'm glad that it does.

Spinning companies and flywheels

Getting dizzy

Today's workout (elliptical): 35 minutes

There is a (supposedly) ancient Chinese curse that goes, "May you live in interesting times." Interesting is usually considered a positive word, but the curse implies otherwise. 2013 has already turned out to be an interesting year for me and for many of my ex-colleagues. Yesterday, Time Warner announced that it was spinning off its publishing division into a separate company. I worry about my friends who remain at this division and may be affected by this change. I am merely a spectator at this point, but I'm happily watching the stock's price rise.

Speaking of things both interesting and spinning, I decided to use the ProForm elliptical machine for only the third time since we've got it. My wife and kids use it all the time, but I've preferred to use the treadmill for most of my indoor workouts. The biggest reason I've neglected the elliptical is that I haven't liked the ProForm's user experience compared to the prior unit (BH Fitness X1). As disappointed as I was when the X1 broke a main part (and couldn't be fixed), the unit itself had been solid as a rock.

Today, I found no issues with the ProForm. I started at light resistance and increased that every few minutes until I reached my targeted heart rate. I liked the relative quiet compared to the treadmill that allowed me to focus on other distractions, like the television. The ProForm reports distance as revolutions, so you don't get a great sense of progress. I was primarily concerned with getting my time in and, by the 35th minute, I was satisfied with my workout.

Today has turned out to be an interesting day. Between company spin-offs and spinning flywheels I had plenty to think about. The snowstorm, part 1, has been a non-event. We're supposed to see 2"-4" inches overnight and into morning. If it's on the low side, I may go for an outdoor run tomorrow. If there's any accumulation, I'll want to avoid contention with snowplows. That would make things just a little too interesting.

The persistence of memory (non-Dali version)

Today's run (treadmill): 3.1 miles

You know the feeling you get when you think you're forgetting something? It's frustrating because you can't put your finger on it, yet you can't leave it alone. It was like that for me today. I had an early start with some business calls (this "not working" thing is turning out to be a lot of work). Before I knew it, I lost my window for my morning workout. All throughout the morning, I kept thinking something wasn't getting done. By noon I realized what it was: my run.

I'd been sequestered upstairs in my home office until midday. When my last call was finished, I came down to see that my wife had cooked up a mixture of fresh veggies and turkey burgers. Any ideas of getting in a run before lunch were dashed. The aroma of the food was just too seductive. Unfortunately this only added to my concern that today's workout would be lost to afternoon obligations.

I waited 30 minutes after lunch to start of my run and used the treadmill to save time. I was happy to finally be running and thought I'd go easy since it was right after a full meal. That plan was soon ignored and I found myself running a more aggressive pace that allowed me to hit my targeted distance within half an hour. It was a tough workout but, by the end, I was happy that I'd taken a bigger challenge. Best of all, that feeling of missing something was no longer there.

Close to greatness, but only by coincidence

One of my celeb hangouts

Today's run (street): 3.4 miles

I didn't post yesterday. When that happens it usually means one of two things: either I didn't run or I had no opportunity to write during the day. In yesterday's case, it was both. I was in the city most of the day and had some good meetings. I met an industry friend for coffee at Bouchon in Time Warner Center and we shared a table with John Lithgow and his wife. Later, I had lunch with another friend at the Harvard Club where Bill Clinton was (supposedly) holding court on the third floor. In any case, I didn't see him.

Okay, enough obnoxious name dropping. Yesterday's time in the city did remind me of what an interesting place New York can be. I love having more time now, but I do miss the energy of the place. I've been going into the city a few times a week and it's a nice balance, rather than the daily grind of a 6:26 AM commute.

This morning I was not at all excited to go out running. In fact, I used every excuse to stall before I finally made it outdoors. The 30° temperature made me seriously consider the treadmill or the elliptical. Knowing we'd be getting some precipitation tomorrow and Thursday, I decided I needed to run outside while it was clear.

I bundled up so I wouldn't be too uncomfortable as I stood waiting for my Garmin to acquire its signal. The roads were clear of buses and there were few cars. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing hard from the northwest. I cringed every time I moved in that direction, but I lucked out a few times when the wind was behind me while I ran along a road with an incline.

I'm not achieving particularly fast paces on my daily runs, but that doesn't bother me much. I factor in the bulk of having additional layers of running clothes and the prevalent headwinds. After the Snowflake race in February, I figure I can generate some additional speed when I really need it.

Trailview fun along the "Danger Zone"

Greetings from Trailview

Today's run (treadmill): 3.25 miles

Yesterday morning I went out for a 4.8 mile run that took a lot more out of me than I'd expected. I recovered quickly from that, and a few hours later, my son and I headed to Trailview State Park for a hike. The weather was chilly and we did our best to dress for the cold while planning for the heat we'd generate during the hike.

We chose the path on the left and followed the winding trail up a few steep rises. The maintenance that was done after hurricane Sandy left many sections of cut-up tree trunks along the way. My son stopped to count the rings from one tree and determined that it had stood about 35 years before it was knocked down by the storm.

Sandy's impact was everywhere

My son and I continued north until we reached the point where the trail overlooks the road separating Trailview from the southern end of Stillwell Woods. We followed the trail down to where Woodbury Road and Syosset-Woodbury Road intersect. We then crossed the street and entered Stillwell where we negotiated some difficult hills covered by gnarly roots and sharp rocks. We reached a point on the trail that had a substantial drop and decided to double back towards Trailview.

We crossed Syosset-Woodbury Road and re-entered Trailview through the western trail head. We followed a different path for a while, stopping a few times to explore interesting rocks and large branches. We found ourselves at a place marked "Danger Zone" and I asked my son if we should continue. He's a 13 year old boy. Of course he said yes.

Double diamonds mean danger

The danger zone required some deft footwork but we made our way through it without incident and eventually picked up our original trail. It was there that we found a flat square rock that my son decided to keep as a souvenir of our hike. We finished our walk and went over to the Stop & Shop that's located adjacent to Trailview's parking lot. We bought some goodies in the bakery section to surprise my wife and daughter who were waiting for us back home.

Souvenir rock on the trail head sign

Between my morning run and the hike I covered close to ten miles outside yesterday, exceeding 17K steps. The best part, for me, was spending time with my son. We had great conversations and took on some tough hills. I slept eight hours last night with 97% sleep efficiency. Gee, I wonder why.