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  1. Most of the time I try to get in a solid hour and a half workout. Unfortunately today my wife had an appointment that required me to get home so she could take the car, thus cutting my workout short. When it came time to go into the gym I was thinking to myself 'What's the point of even going in if I can't get a full round in?'. Of course that's ludicrous, and I realized it shortly after. I would have to go in and hammer out what I could with the short amount of time I had, not take the day off. What I ended up doing was a pretty truncated version of what I have been doing recently.

    My trainer was in the house today so he was helpful in getting me motivated to just get in there. His opinion is that even a half an hour is a positive and so reluctantly I agreed. There was also discussion on getting ready for my race in September and series of lectures and discussions put on by Peak Performance that I would like to attend. They have clinics on topics of nutrition, cycle maintenance, race preparation, and tips from experts on swimming, cycling, running, triathlon, and Nordic skiing. Check the schedule at www.mypeakmultisport.com.

    20 mins. Arc Trainer/Elliptical, weight loss program level 8, 119 strides per min.
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps Push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/30 lbs Single Arm Row
    15 reps Squats w/ 20 lb weight
    15 reps/20 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps Crunches
    15 reps Bicycle Kicks

    Short day indeed but I did get my heart rate up to an average of 136 bpm and a maximum of 158 bpm was reached. I burned 344 kcals in about 40 minutes, 50% of which were from fats. Normally I would like to see more burn than this, but worked with what I had. It beats the alternative of going home and sitting on the couch to accumulate calories anyway.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:42 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  2. It's A Doozy!

    Jul 29, 2008

    Wow. I guess I just felt in the mood to kick my own ass today. I had it coming. After all I did take the better part of the last couple weeks off because I overdid it early on. I wasn't really ready for what was coming either. I'm planning on this being a really positive week. With a lengthy run yesterday, caching tomorrow, and another gym day on Thursday I'm set for some major progress for next weigh in.

    I guess what really tired me out today was the circuit training stuff. I'm not yet accustomed to this (again) newly formulated plan. I think I got a little doughy from the downtime too. I don't remember the Supermans being so tough. Maybe I was just doing them wrong before.

    30 mins. Treadmill Avg. 4.0 mph 0% incline
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps Push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/30 lbs Single Arm Row
    15 reps Squats w/ 20 lb weight
    15 reps/20 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps Crunches
    15 reps Bicycle Kicks
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps Push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/30 lbs Single Arm Row
    15 reps Squats w/ 20 lb weight
    15 reps/20 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps Crunches
    15 reps Bicycle Kicks
    30 mins. Arc Trainer/Elliptical, weight loss program level 8, 119 strides per min.

    Average heart rate : 142 bpm Maximum heart rate : 165
    Percentage of cals burned from fat : 50% Kcals burned : 990

    Posted by Unknown at 3:55 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  3. There are many individual types of geocaches and a lot of lingo that surrounds them. I've mentioned the term DNF (Did Not Find) before. There are also other acronyms that swirl about in the caching community. For example : LPC (Lamp Post Cache) and PNG (Park 'N' Grab). PNGs are what I wish to speak about today.

    Park N Grabs are specifically designed to be some of the easiest caches out there. Terrain and difficulty ratings are usually very low, often rated 1 on a scale out of 5. They are planted in road signs, lamp posts (as mentioned above), and guardrails. But what if rather than driving to the cache and walking only five feet to have to log it, you took a different approach, working it into a stimulating fitness activity? I did just that today when I found that there was a micro PNG just a few miles from my home. What the hell, I hadn't gotten any type of workout today yet. Why not run to the cache?

    So today I did a refreshing jaunt of 5.4 miles round trip averaging 4.2 miles per hour. I'm trying to prepare for my 5k coming up in a month and a half so I'm trying to push up my speed to see what I can sustain at length. It's a matter of conditioning and my body is constantly getting more accustomed to the push. Maximum speed was 6.8 miles per hour. Average heart rate was 155 bpm during the run with a maximum heart rate of 172 bpm. Today was a strong cardio day so only 35% of the calories burned today were from fat. I'm not at all disappointed with that as I burned a total of 914 calories in an hour and twenty minutes! Thanks for the park n grab!

    Posted by Unknown at 5:41 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  4. Week 9

    Jul 27, 2008


    Right on! I figured after a week of rest that my body would be a little lazy and that beginning some solid workouts again might jostle my body's comfortable state, confusing it, and make me shed a few more pounds than I had been seeing in previous weeks. When I hit the scale this morning I came up with 287 pounds, a loss of 4! Total loss at this point is 28 pounds. I was really just hoping to crack 25, now I'm a step away from pushing past 30. I consider this to be the first real milestone; breaking 25 pounds. Now only 97 pounds left to go.

    Week 1 - 315 lbs. Week 2 - 307 lbs. Week 3 - 302 lbs.
    Week 4 - 300 lbs. Week 5 - 297 lbs. Week 6 - 294 lbs.
    Week 7 - 292 lbs. Week 8 - 291 lbs. Week 9 - 287 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:26 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  5. Test Drive

    Jul 26, 2008

    Today was a new day. I rose with the sun and found a new perspective. I found out that running isn't supposed to be painful, but rewarding. I thought I would have to break my new shoes in but found they were comfortable and forgiving right out of the box. In looking up consumer reviews I found that many other buyers said the same thing. I think I made the right decision now. Thanks to the knowledgeable staff at Peak Performance I no longer have pain when exercising. I feel great.

    I'm preparing for my first 5k, also suggested to me by Peak employees. It's the 10th Annual Dan Cardillo Memorial 5k in tribute to an active young man who didn't get to prove his full potential due to a tragic accident doing what he loved. So this morning I decided to try to see if I could do 5k at home. The track I've been using is the same from previous post Retro-ACTIVE. I've accurately nailed down the distance to .45 miles using my GPSr. Today I did 8 laps totaling to 3.6 miles. This took me just over 40 minutes. This is not an especially great time and the recording is not at all accurate to the point I need it to be, but it's a start. I at least proved to myself I could run for 3+ straight miles, no stopping.

    Average heart rate : 155 bpm Maximum heart rate : 169
    Percentage of cals burned from fat : 35% Kcals burned : 474

    Posted by Unknown at 7:25 AM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  6. Back on the Horse

    Jul 25, 2008

    I've been feeling a little lazy lately. Not that I really have been being that lazy really, it's just all this downtime is making me antsy. Running in improper shoes is a highly discouraged practice. Take it from me. I've had to sit out for too long due to this. So now I'm finally posting some activity from the fitness room. This is actually yesterday's workout that I was unable to post last night due to some connection difficulties.

    In speaking with my helpful fitness friend Eric, I've decided to cut back on the fitness room visits slightly. I am committing right now to Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can hold me to that. In fact, please do. Also, lunges haven't really been working out for me. A lifetime of being overweight has left my knees a little angry at me, so in addition to cutting back on gym days, my routine is being changed yet again. Several elements are still the same. Others may be a different activity but still target the same areas. Single arm rows with free weights and bicycle style crunches are now a part of the new regimen. Hopefully I'm finding something that finally works for me with less impact and less feeling of obligation to the fitness room itself.

    Of course on days off from the gym I will either be caching or running (my new found interest). If I was going to pursue running like I wanted to I had to go out and buy some shoes so I could give my bruised heel a break, and do it the right way this time. Today I purchased Saucony's Progrid Omni 6 Ultimate. This is my first foray into real athletic footwear. It was like putting my foot in a dream. Considering how bad my foot has been feeling lately, I really think this could be the solution to my woes. I'll be running again soon, hopefully preparing for a 5k I can tell you all about. More on that later. Now, about yesterday's workout.

    20 mins. Nordic Walking
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps Push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/30 lbs Single Arm Row
    15 reps Squats w/ 20 lb weight
    15 reps/20 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps Crunches
    15 reps Bicycle Kicks
    20 mins. Treadmill, Incline level 3, 4.8 mph
    Average heart rate : 128 bpm Maximum heart rate : 163
    Percentage of cals burned from fat : 55% Kcals burned : 519
    Slight inaccuracy here as I paused the data recording just after the Nordic walking session and forgot to restart until halfway into strength training.

    Posted by Unknown at 1:44 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  7. North Yarmouth

    Jul 22, 2008

    I've been feeling pretty rotten taking so much downtime. I haven't done much caching recently and was really ready to get back out into the woods. Today after work I made it over to a series of trails linked together in North Yarmouth. Sadly I ended up finding what felt like a small fraction of what I was looking for.

    Here's the list of caches in the sequence attempted:
    NY Town Forest Micro - GC1CRP5
    NY Town Forest Mystery Cache - GC1CQT0 DNF
    North Yarmouth Veterans Memorial Park - GCW10N DNF
    Ristich Nature Trail Multi - GC135CP DNF
    NY Town Forest Loop Macro Multi - GC1CXDT
    Town Forest Loop Micro - GC135CC DNF

    Ugh. That's only a 33% success rate. It wasn't really for the finds today though. I was looking for a good walk and I found one. I ended up doing about 4 miles at an average of 3.2 mph, and I was very impressed with the trails I visited.

    First spot of note was the Sam Ristich Nature Trail, so named after a wild mushroom expert from the area. It was actually one of the things that most intrigued me as I walked through the area. After reading this Boston Globe article on Ristich, I learned that I was out here at the optimal time for the mushroom season. Also from the same article :

    "Affectionately nicknamed the ''Mushroom Guru" (or sometimes the ''Guru of Sligo Road," after the street on which he lives), Ristich has achieved ''mycogod status" among an elite subgroup of hard-core mushroom aficionados."

    From there it was on to the North Yarmouth Town Forest Loop with an abundance of fungi and today, an even larger abundance of frustration, exhaustion, and resignation. I'm not especially great with micro caches in the woods. That's not to say that I don't like the hunt, but today the cloud cover and the trees led to a really improper signal to my GPSr. One second I would be 0 feet from the cache site, and then somehow without moving I was magically 40 feet in the wrong direction according to my unit. All in all it was a completely enjoyable day. Don't let the DNFs get you down. It's about the journey not the destination.

    I also recorded some vital stats from the day. My average heart rate was 129 BPM and a maximum rate of 159 bpm was reached as I even spent a little time jogging between cache sites. I burned a whopping 1234 kcals in just about 2.5 hours and 55% of that were fat cals. A fiercely rewarding day and a great burn achieved. I sure did miss the trails. I'm glad to be back.

    Posted by Unknown at 6:24 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  8. Week 8

    Jul 20, 2008


    I figured lack of activity due to inflamed feets would lead to a gain. I didn't watch myself on the intake this week either. Too much beer and too many fatty foods. Thankfully, my biggest issue : portion control, seems to continue to be in check. I just can't bring myself to eat as much at once as I used to.

    I've never had a problem liking the right foods. I've been nuts about whole grains like quinoa and barley for years. Spinach and I go way back. I've only recently discovered how much I like fresh fruit. Before 5 days ago I'd never even heard of a pluot. Who would've guessed I would love them.

    So I guess something can be said for eating the better foods and less at a time, because even with less activity this week I lost 1 pound.

    Week 1 - 315 lbs. Week 2 - 307 lbs. Week 3 - 302 lbs.
    Week 4 - 300 lbs. Week 5 - 297 lbs. Week 6 - 294 lbs.
    Week 7 - 292 lbs. Week 8 - 291 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 8:40 AM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  9. FatBloggers.net

    Jul 18, 2008

    I was pleased this week to be welcomed into a circle of other individuals on the same mission. FatBloggers.net is a group of men who are tired of being overweight and have decided to make a change for better health. Like me, they are chronicling their successes and pitfalls on their own blogs. I think joining this group could be extremely beneficial to me.

    The idea is accountability. You will feel more motivated to work towards a goal if you have other people you have to fess up to at the end of the day. It's most of the reason I started my own blog. I find extra motivation in posting my results, with no fudging, for the record. Also, FatBloggers is a safety net. All posters are encouraged to view the other members posts and give feedback. We are all there to root each other on. I can say more often than not, I've needed to be poked with a pointy stick in order to get to the gym, or out for a walk. These guys are here to give that extra kick in the butt.

    So please check out FatBloggers. Be looking for posts coming up from myself, or check out the other guys. It's really raw and honest information and if you're trying to lose it's useful and inspiring. Thank u FatBloggers for inviting me in.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:38 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  10. Retro-ACTIVE

    Jul 15, 2008

    Get it? That's solid gold right there. Anyway, I've been really busy lately watching my kids evenings while my wife is at work, so posts haven't been as timely as I would have liked. This post is in regard to July 14th's workout.

    Again I wasn't really in the mood to go into the gym today. I'm glad there are other options where I can get some cardio in. So I stopped off at a department store and picked up a basketball. I haven't played for probably 15 years but thought I could get some sweat in running around a court. It didn't really matter if I was any good after all these years, so long as I was getting my heart rate going. Plus I found I wasn't that bad, even after all these years.

    Basketball was preceded by 5 laps around the pond at the campground my family has been staying at. This was really refreshing. I haven't been able to nail down a really accurate distance, but it's approximately a 4/10 mile loop, and the total distance was almost 2 miles.

    Unfortunately this will be my last jog for a little while. I've managed to put a real good strain on my foot resulting in some inflammation in my heel. I've barely made it out of bed the last couple days. Time to take it easy. You gotta walk before you can run. Literally. I'll get back to it soon after I get some real shoes and lose a few more pounds. I think I could really love running in the long term, so I'm not about to ditch it completely over a few aches.

    Average heart rate for this workout was 153 bpm with a highly inaccurate 204 bpm recorded as a maximum. I burned 720 kcals in about an hour, 40% of which were from fat.

    Posted by Unknown at 6:42 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  11. Week 7

    Jul 13, 2008


    When I started this I said that I would be happy with 2 pounds per week loss. It seems that is the pattern I'm settling into. After all, if you lose 2 pounds a week for a year you've lost 100 pounds. That's nothing to scoff at. So I keep in mind that 2 pounds is still a loss, movement in the right direction, and that that amount of loss is a healthy pace. This week I'm down 2 more pounds and I'm getting really comfortable with that.

    Here are my results so far :
    Week 1 - 315 lbs. Week 2 - 307 lbs. Week 3 - 302 lbs.
    Week 4 - 300 lbs. Week 5 - 297 lbs. Week 6 - 294 lbs.
    Week 7 - 292 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 10:59 AM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  12. After the Fact

    Jul 12, 2008

    This may be a little belated, but here is my workout from yesterday, 7/11. I was just so exhausted yesterday I didn't get to posting. This caps off three solid days in the gym this week.

    The new set of exercises that Eric has me doing are really taking it outta me. Squats and lunges in particular are really pushing me. I figured it would be good to do some hiking specific stuff so I can condition myself for some of the longer hikes at the end of the summer. Really the idea has been for the fitness room workouts to supplement my caching and to get me more ready physically to take to the trails.

    40 mins. ARC Trainer/Elliptical, weight loss program level 8, 120 strides per min.
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/15 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/15 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans

    Average heart rate was 136 bpm with a maximum of 168. It was kind of a calorie modest day where I only burned 741 cals, 50% from fat.

    Posted by Unknown at 8:30 AM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  13. Tread With Ease

    Jul 9, 2008

    Treadmills make me uneasy. Something about just letting go of those hand rails and allowing myself to walk at a regular pace without the fear of a face plant. SlimCache is a journey though, and it's about overcoming demons. Including those who live inside workout machines. So with some reluctance I got on the treadmill today.

    After acclimating myself to the motions I found that it was WAY easier than I thought, and that my fears were unfounded. I got myself up to a jog at about 4.5 mph and kept it that way for about a half hour. Good times. I'm glad I faced up to that today. Plus now I've got a little more variety. The same two machines were getting pretty old.

    30 mins. Treadmill, Incline level 3, 4.5 mph
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/15 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/15 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans
    28 mins. Cycle, weight loss program level 8, 60 strides per min.

    Average heart rate for today was 141 bpm with a max of 170 bpm. 50 % of the total 963 calories were burned in fats.

    Posted by Unknown at 6:35 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  14. Nutrition Log 7/7/08

    Jul 8, 2008

    This will be the first entry regarding my diet. This is being done in an effort to compare number of calories burned versus intake. I recorded heart rate and calorie information all day yesterday with the heart rate monitor. Seemingly I burned 4,404 calories all day yesterday. At the end of this log I'll total up all calories consumed to compare. Entries will be recorded with the following legend:

    Total Cals/Total Fat(g)/Sodium(mg)/Total Carbs(g)/Protein (g)

    Odwalla Banana Nut Bar 240/6/115/41/4

    1 cup cottage cheese 160/2/920/10/28

    Welch's mixed dried fruit 90/0/50/21/0

    100 calorie packs peanut butter cookies 100/3/160/17/2

    Salad 33/0/54/7/3
    w/ lime basil dressing 13/0/90/6/0
    w/ Morning Star Farm Southwest Veggie Cake 130/3/340/21/6

    Minute Maid Light Lemonade 5/0/50/2/0

    Oscar Meyer Light hot dog 90/7/380/2/5

    EAS AdvantEDGE shake 110/3/260/2/17

    Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (2) 428/0/36/39/0

    Total : 1399/24/2455/168/65

    These totals seem pretty low with the exception of sodium. I could really afford to cut out some of the prepared foods I consume. That would help with sodium significantly. Even though it seems I burned more than 3,000 cals more than I consumed, I don't really feel great about that. I'm quite sure I need to up my caloric intake in order to function more fully and efficiently. More to come on this battle. I need to do some research and reapproach. Thanks all.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:09 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  15. As I said last Monday, I've started some new aspects to my workouts in the Bean fitness room. Last time I tried these exercises my heart wasn't really in it. It had been kind of a long day and there was some apprehension about trying unfamiliar movements. I knew there would be pain. Scratch that, it's more like soreness. My thighs are mad at me right now. I've recently adopted lunges and axechop squats as part of the lineup and my legs haven't had this type of work, well, ever.

    This new plan is exciting though and today I finally got to do full sets of the new things prescribed by the trainer. It was very hot and muggy out today so the cool gym was pretty much my preferred place to be today anyway. I'm also attempting to record a full day's worth of calories burned with the intention of comparing that number to the number of calories consumed. Look for that full readout either later today or tomorrow.

    28 mins. Cycle, weight loss program level 7, 60 strides per min.
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/12 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans
    15 reps/85 lbs Row/Delts
    15 reps push ups with workout ball
    15 reps/110 lbs Lat Pull Down
    15 reps/12 lbs Bicep Curl/Shoulder Press with workout ball
    15 reps Lunges
    15 reps Crunches with workout ball
    15 reps Axechop squats
    15 reps Supermans
    40 mins. ARC Trainer/Elliptical, weight loss program level 7, 120 strides per min.

    Average heart rate during today's workout was 136 bpm and the maximum heart rate reached was 175 bpm. 937 kilocalories were burned today during the session of which 50% were from fat. Good day, I would say.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:48 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  16. Last week a 1.6 mile section of the Eastern Trail opened between Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough. There was fanfare and news stories like this one in the local media. These are what caught my attention. I was thinking this would be a great spot to check out now that I'm living in the O.O.B. area. So I headed out here today for an early Sunday morning jog like last week.

    Like I've found caching as well, there is nothing like greeting the sun on the trail. This area was so peaceful and quiet this morning. It was a welcome alternative to the insanity of this busy beach town on the weekend of the 4th. It's really not far from all of that either yet it seems a different world. I hope people will take advantage of that fact and this place does not get overlooked.

    As I entered the trail on Milliken Mill Rd. I was somewhat uninspired. I should have waited and let myself get a little farther in before I passed judgement though, because this trail has sections with lovely woods as well as saltwater marshes that abound in this area. In the middle of these beautiful woods I also spotted an area I believe will be a pond or rest area of some sort, with extensive masonry work going on. The rock walls looked nice, and I can't wait to see what this area becomes upon completion.

    So what kind of workout did I get? I am getting more comfortable jogging now and have found that I'm conditioning myself in the process. While jogging the other day in Portland my heart was running in the low 160s. Today at the same pace I was getting about low to mid 150 bpm range, so I had to push a little harder to get it up there. My average was 144 bpm and my maximum was 162. This was a pretty quick jaunt so I only killed 489 calories, 45% of which came from fat. This seems like a pretty good place to get an early morning outing so I anticipate coming back to this spot very soon. Please do the same to support an interesting local project, either here in Maine or one similar in your area.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:48 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |


  17. What a rough week. I can see why so many fall off the horse during holiday periods. Thankfully I didn't indulge in all you can eat red, white, and blue burger binges, but since I did have a few extra days off from work this week, I didn't work out as much as I could have either. But I guess I still managed to lose some weight so that's headway. Plus it's pretty satisfying to see the 20 pound mark fall.

    Here are my results so far :
    Week 1 - 315 lbs. Week 2 - 307 lbs. Week 3 - 302 lbs.
    Week 4 - 300 lbs. Week 5 - 297 lbs. Week 6 - 294 lbs.

    Posted by Unknown at 3:35 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  18. Back Cove Trail

    Jul 2, 2008

    Sue me. I cheated. Yup, absolutely DID NOT feel like going into the gym today. But I think I'm starting to understand that that's okay. You're not going to feel like doing the same thing every time. I think that might be why I've started weight loss plans before and ditched them 2 weeks later. Why so many treadmills I've purchased second hand turned into coat racks that took up too much floor space. So what is one to do in the situation where they don't feel like doing the same thing over and over? Find alternatives.

    Today I revisited the Back Cove Trail in Portland. I should say re-visited as I've blogged about this walk before. It's the site of GCVC6K - Get Fit on the Boulevard. Today I saw it as a great alternative to a day in the fitness room. My mission was to get in some good cardio today and while I didn't get in the strength training, I feel better about this workout than I have any other in a while.

    This is a 3.5 mile loop, and I went into it today thinking I was going to do it twice. That's turned out to be too lofty of a goal. But I found that as I completed the first lap around the cove that I really, truly didn't feel like stopping. The first time around I tried to test myself with a little jogging along the way and found that it is getting much easier for me. I managed to sustain myself for a half mile at a go and felt like I could have kept going. So the second time around I decided to test that. Maybe I was more capable now than I had given myself credit for. I proceeded with a mild jog (maybe little more than a power walk) up to the 1 mile mark then turn around. The intention was to only jog to the 1 mile point then turn around and walk back, to simply prove to myself that I could do a mile. Well, once I got to that marker and turned around I decided to keep going. I finished out the remaining mile at a steady jog, sustaining about 160 bpm in the process.

    You have no idea how rewarding doing this was for me. I've been heavy all my life. This amount of physical exertion would have laid me out any more than a month ago. Being physically capable of doing this provides such gratification that I now understand that I've turned the corner and have made the right choices. I am healthier, and that is the mission. I'm succeeding.

    Average heart rate during this jaunt was 146. Total calories burned were 975 with 45% from fats. There isn't any number however, that you can place on the pride I have in myself right now.

    Posted by Unknown at 4:36 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  19. Back to Presumpscot

    Jul 1, 2008

    GCZ4AM - River's Edge
    GC17EP2 - Presumpscot River view from a hill
    GCK60B - Presumpscot River Cache

    Excellent day for a hike today. I fell in love with these trails the first time I came down here. The turbid river is almost the only sound you hear in certain sections of the Presumpscot River Preserve in Portland. I got to further explore some of the trails I hadn't before had the chance to, seeing some great waterfalls in the process. Man, what a great place and I was the only person out there today to enjoy it. I felt like it was there just for me. It's a great feeling.

    River's Edge : I started out with the multi-stage cache that had originally perplexed me so much. I never did actually log a DNF but kept it in the back of my mind that I needed to come back and look again as I was sure it was there. Well, it was, and I just hadn't looked hard enough. Great camo job in a wonderful spot right by the water. In fact I almost fell in the first time I was there.

    From here I headed directly along the river bank to the next spot, GC17EP2 - Presumpscot River view from a hill. I found this section of the trail particularly inspiring as I hadn't been down here before and was getting more and more excited as the sound of the falls grew louder in the distance. This spot is still about a quarter of a mile away from the falls and on a hill overlooking a clearing on the bank. Really cool spot and ultimately an easy find.

    Right on the banks of the falls was where I found the last geocache, Presumpscot River Cache. The thunder of the waterfall was just just what I needed to hear at the end of this outing. I very much appreciate a good hide too, as this one was. I was scrambling over rocks trepidatiously because this type of precariousness usually bugs me out. Those cautious ways are kind of going by the wayside now that I'm caching more. I've got more of a sense of adventure now, and that feels great to me. Better than the couch any day.

    I made my way back up to the parking area by way of a very crooked path which would take me what seemed like completely the wrong way and then righted me again several times. I don't mind though as this only adds a little more distance which is what I was out here for anyway. The whole trek in total was 4 miles averaging 2.9 mph. Average heart rate out on the trails today was 137 bpm, and since the whole park is right on a sizeable hillside, there were some decent pushes that brought a maximum heart rate of 175 bpm. Total calories burned ended up at 1,110! Good push! 50% of those cals were lost in fat cals. So it wasn't just about great views and great trails today, but a great workout as well.

    Posted by Unknown at 4:56 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |