Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 177)

Work = Force (mass x acceleration) x distance, but yes, I agree.  I don't think this should be an excuse for the fact that I'm almost 32 and can't do more than 30 pushups though.  Kinda sad and embarrassing.

Dirk I'm also interested in how the acupuncture goes. Can you describe the session a little when you have time? How long do you lay there with the needles in and do they hurt etc?

The discussion on sleep is interesting. I do not sleep well. I typically wake up in the night several times and then periodically have days in a row when I just can't get back to sleep so I'll be up at 3:45 or 4:00. I started taking one melatonin when I can tell I'm stuck in that sleep cycle and that has really helped. I'm usually in bed by 9:30 and up at 5:00 on most days. I rarely ever do any training during those early morning hours. That is my Mommy quiet time and I'm not giving it up until I have to!

It was actually at the suggestion of my chiro.  He does acupuncture too.  I had never done acupuncture so I really didn't know what to expect with pain from the needles, use of the particular extremity following treatment and the principals behind this method of "medicine."

As explained to me acupuncture i supposed to increase bloodflow while at the same time triggering the activity of our own body's natural painkillers. The increased blood flow is supposed to bring healing to the particular part of the body being treated. 

My experience was pretty uneventful.  When the needles were inserted I felt almost nothing.  I had a few pricks that were so minor that they didn't draw any kind of response from my nervous system.  Once all of the needles were inserted (8-10 of them) my assignment was to simply lie there and think about running and the Boston race.  I was lying on my stomach for approximately 20 minutes when the doc came in an removed them.  He completed the adjustments and ART as usual and I was done.

Actually I think you are in might be a minority of oleo who can do that many.  I think far to many people in our society are eating to much fast food and take little or no care whatsoever of their bodies.  I would be surprised if 10% of the male population can do 30 pushups.  I have not tried to do a max set of pushups for a very long time so I am not sure how many I could do.  I would like to think I could do 30.

I do have a question about the length of your arms though.  Do your knuckles drag the ground?  I mean holy cow!  4 foot arms???

Your trainer sounds like an angel..............................................of death.  It sounds like you are going to enjoy your WO's in the coming days..............if they don't kill you first.

I don't usually get sick or really even feel like it much anymore during my WO's but when I was lifting weights a lot there was a much higher occurrence of this happening.  Lifting weights seems to raise your blood pressure more,especially if you are not breathing properly during the lifting portion of the exercise.  When I used to squat heavy weights it was not uncommon to see stars and the lights go out toward the end of my sets.  This was normally caused from holding my breath and the increase in blood pressure.  A nauseous feeling only occurred when I was doing sets very close together.  During power lifting it wasn't required to get sets in quickly, back to back like a circuit training routine would suggest.  So when I would try to get a WO in quickly  would occasionally experience nausea.

I have been on vacation for a week now and nearly everyday I am awake at 5:30 or 6:00.  It's really odd.  Normally I don't have trouble sleeping in a little bit but 7 AM would be about as late as I can typically do.  And that is after a week of work and WO's.  Lis on the other hand awakens at every little noise and can't get back to sleep readily either.

Your mommy time is pretty valuable with you children being so young right now.  It's pretty important to have that time to kind of stay in a low key mode.  I'm sure it helps you keep your mind later.  I am similar in that I like my early mornings to be pretty low tone, no one around but me and my thoughts, coffee and slow start.  I am not a grumpy morning person at all though.  I enjoy mornings as much as the rest of the day.

As I sit and type this I am alone.  Lis left for work about an hour and a half ago, my youngest daughter left for school 45 minutes ago and my oldest will be sleeping for another 2 hours.  Ahhh!  Quiet!

So, many of you who are FB friends, may have seen my current status and wondered; "What in the world is he talking about, 'his daughter from another father?'"  I am also not sure if I have told the story to all of you about Niki. 

Niki was a girl that I began to get to know when she was 9 years old through Upward soccer.  I was her coach then and she became a friend of Laiken (my oldest daughter).  They went to the same school but Niki was 1 year ahead of Laiken so they weren't classmates but they played sports together and so I was around Niki a lot.  As she got a little older she became involved in another church's youth group and Laiken also decided she wanted to participate and so I would take her and stay to check up on a couple of the wrestlers I had coached in middle school.  These times began to get longer and longer with the youth and I developed a much deeper relationship with many of the kids and they began to want me to be around for them too.

During this time Niki and I became closer and closer.  Over time her father developed a medical condition that kept him from working and he became bed ridden.  Her mother didn't work outside of the home and eventually they lost everything.  This process was obviously very difficult for the entire family.  They were "homeless" for a brief period and it was here that Lis and I stepped up to invite Niki to stay with us until they found a permanent place to stay.  (They were staying in a small hotel room with 3 adults, Niki and 2 small children.)

Niki moved in for about a month and a deeper more special bond with our entire family was formed.  She somewhat became of of us, another member of our family.

Then in September of 2009 her dad developed more health problems.  He had a severe heart attack and was hospitalized for 3 months and was up and down the recovery chart the entire time.  Lis and I spent a lot of time with Niki again, at the hospital, in our house, at the hospital cafeteria, anywhere Niki needed us to be.  We were able to console her and advise her.  We did so because we knew she was being the adult (at 17 years old) of the family because her mother and sister are, well, of a different sort I'll say, and we loved her.  We watched Niki be the strong one for the rest of her family.  Never crying.  Never losing control.  Never giving up.

Then on December 29, 2009 her dad died in the hospital.  She was certainly devastated but still she cried little and remained strong and statuesque for her family.  She made many trips to our house and we had many talks about her grief, yet she still refused to grieve.  During the last few weeks of Pat's life (her father) he told Niki to look to me to be the one to be her surrogate father.  I was honored at the request and completely surprised that he actually told Niki this was his expectation.

After about 3 months after Pat's death Niki's mom never went back to work.  She refused to go back despite no money, utilities getting turned off...........  Things got pretty bad for Niki.  Lis ans I talked at great length and finally we told Niki she could move in with us.  It was late in her junior year of HS and she needed a more stable, loving home atmosphere.

We had a few rough days and weeks but we all adapted and she began to develop into an even bigger part of our family.  We did however make her go to see her mother routinely despite her desire to not see her much.  She was beginning to see us as her family but we wouldn't allow her to abandon her mother.  After all, blood is blood!  Her mother will always be her mother!  we weren't budging on this.

Niki lived with us for a year and a half before moving out to get a little more on "her own."  But she's never far away.  She comes over frequently and asks us to help her with difficult situations when they arise.  We have helped her plant her financial feet by pushing her to make sure she gets a job and doesn't take freebies, as her mother is still more than willing to do.  She's now in college training to become a person who will help others, and this fits her well.  I have taught her since before she moved in here the same things I teach my own girls; "Don't look for a high paying job to make you happy.  Find what God put you here to do because he put all of us here for a purpose.  That's where you'll be happiest.  Look there."  I believe that's where she's directed right now.

All the time I have known Niki as a HS'er she has been dating Aaron (she's now in her second year of college).  He is from a very good family.  Very supportive, loving household.  I've known Aaron for years also and he has proven to me that he is a stand up young man.

Then last week Aaron came over to the house to talk to me about some things going on.  I found myself in the position I was told I would find myself someday; I was being asked, by Aaron, if he could have Niki's hand in marriage.  The weight of who I was to Niki came to a deeper meaning last week.  If there was a question before, there no longer could be.......I was her "dad."  If only a physical representation of her real daddy.  She trusted me enough to make sure her that her real daddy's request was fulfilled through me.

Of course I told Aaron that he could have her hand.  But there were some qualifications.  I will spare you all of them but there is one that I cannot leave out.  I told him; "Niki is pretty special to us around here.  She may not be blood of my blood, but she is loved by me and my family.  Don't abuse her in any fashion or you will have to make a face to face answer to me."

Last night Aaron proposed.  She said "yes!"  And I did too, I guess.  We were of the first to know, and I am quite honored yet again.

So, if any of you have wondered about my FB post, you now know why I stated; "My daughter from another father got engaged tonight!"

This was a much, much longer post than I thought it would be when I began.  Well, I guess it's a little more evidence of why Niki is part of my extended family.

Below is a picture of Niki that was taken in August of 2010.  Niki had been living with us about 6 months at the time and the shirts were her idea.  Niki stands between my 2 daughters but read her shirt closely, today it has deeper meaning than it did on August 1, 2010

Get ready folks!!! 

The new group will be kicking off very soon!  Keep an eye out to make sure we get you in.

To make sure I don't miss anyone, here are the ones I believe are wanting to be in the next group:

1. Tracy
2. Samantha
3. Joanne
4. Karl
5. Tony
6. Dina
7. ??

The only one I don't remember for sure is Matt.  Matt are you wanting to be a part of the new group?  Make sure you shout out as soon as you can.  Just add your name to the list.

I have also been contacted by Brenda in a PM.  She would like to be involved in the group but doesn't feel she would have much time beginning in the new year.  She has asked me to save a spot for her in the summer session.  I plan to do so but I asked her to send me a reminder as we get closer.  And she could likely do this in person since we live so close together and we will probably race the same races at least a couple of times in 2013.  I'll miss her in the new group because I can see her smiling in every post she writes.

Dirk I'm glad to hear that you are finding relieve for your foot through the treatment you have been getting. I hope that it will be more than enough for you to be able train for Boston as you feel you need to and not be limited in doing so.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful story about Niki. I think it is a pretty amazing thing that you guys did for her and it speaks volumes about both yours and Lisa's character and the type of people that you are. I'm sure she appreciates everything that you guys have done for her. I can't imagine how good you must feel about being able to help her and seeing her succeed in life. It's a beautiful thing to be a part of that.

Jo63 - 2012-12-20 6:16 AM Jonathan I don't think it is embarrassing at all... How many people can't even do 1 pushup ....oh yeah that would be me Dirk I too would be interested in how you chose acupuncture. My son tried that one for his migraines. I am waiting patiently for this rain to change to snow but it looks like we will be getting mostly rain We have been crazy busy at the salon, always a great thing! As far as training goes I am not sure if I told you but I have a new trainer 1 day a week, Iam not sure if it was my age or if I just look weak but my first day with him was pretty much fluff...so this week I go in and he told me he felt as though he didn't challenge me last week.....so he kicked my butt, I haven't felt like I was going to be sick during a workout in forever.....I think Iam gonna like this guy.

JoAnne good to hear that you are back training. It sounds like you are getting your money's worth with the trainer. I'll bet that first session he was just sizing you so he could figure out how to toture you for the next one.

Wow Dirk.  Thanks for sharing.  That's gonna be fodder for a Bayek family discussion topic on the goodness and power of the human spirit.

Jonathan, with your arms, and don't forget the legs as well, it's like dog years.  32 pushups is probably equivalent to like 125 for a normal human.  Maybe we should have anew term - Jonathan pushups.  I bet pullups might be interesting as well!

I will have to say I admire you guys for getting up early. I have been on vacation this week and am off unitl Jan 2nd. I usually have to be up by 6:30 am to take my daughter to work. This week my wife has been kind enough to give me a couple days to sleep in and man I have taken advantage of that sleeping 10 and 9.5 hours on those days. I normally get like 7.5 to 8 hours on weeknights. I am ok with that if I sleep well but there are days like yesterday where I didn't sleep well the night before and I wind up paying for it the next day especially during the workouts.

I can also relate to the peace and quiet of nobody being home and it is so nice.

Yes, running in the real world isn't nearly as controlled.  It's also not flat here where I live.  So my HR is higher at a given pace (even though perceived exertion isn't).  If it were FLAT then it probably would be the same....actually, when I'm running outside on a flat surface I'm usually 30 seconds/mile faster, probably just because the harder surface returns more energy than a treadmill.    So it's hard to correlate since I'm going faster and have a higher HR I've never had a good apples to apples comparison between treadmill and outside (say on a running track).

This past week I have swam twice and to be honest both sessions were not very good and I was not very happy with the way I swam. So I was thinking about it alot yesterday and just trying to go over what I have been doing. I know if this was ealier in the season I would have been in a manic depression about it lol however I have been taking a more positive approach to this.

So I am just going through the swimsmooth site and I am sure you guys have seen this but if you haven't you should. I am pretty sure it is not meant to be funny but I was laughing out loud reading this. They have a mico site about swim types and there are 6 of them. Well I happened about the "Overglider" and started reading it and I was like this fits me to a T. I could not believe how accurate it was and how funny it was especially the remark "loves pull buoy sets" LOL. But on a more serious note the light went on and it did point out a couple of things that I think have been contributing to my sub par sessions this week.

I think two things stand out, one I am swimming slowly to try and maintain good form but I am a low stroke count guy because I glide to much. I definitely have pauses in my stroke so I am sort of having to work harder to keep going. This is very apparent to me. The other thing was what Jonathan had already pointed out and what I have been working on with the catch and pull. My hand and arm being straight and pulling the water down as opposed to the hand down and arm bent and pulling the water behind me. I have been working on that one but I know I need to speed up my stroke and stop gliding so much. I think I was concerned about swimming too hard or too fast but I realize I am not swimming fast enough and not keeping my hands moving.

So the good thing is I am really not that far away from being able to put this all together. I plan on being back at the pool tomorrow and am going to try and put this into practice but I would also like to stop overthinking everything and just swim. If you want to get a good laugh though and have not seen swim type stuff go here

Tony, yes I'm familiar with SwimSmooth.  They have an application you can download to your computer that will show you a computer generated swimmer from any number of angles.  It's pretty interesting and I learned simply from watching that guy swim from different directions.

I think I know exactly what you are describing but rather than saying you should swim faster (which means pulling harder, kicking harder) it sounds like it would be best to describe it simply as RECOVERING faster.  As long as you are putting a little pressure on the water, the pull itself can be nice and slow...because sometimes you are just swimming slow, not racing.  But once the hand finishes the stroke you QUICKLY blast it back to the front. 

It's kind of unnatural to learn this, you tend to want to move both arms at the same speed.  But it's really one speed while pulling against the water and another one during the recovery.  This is one of the benefits behind the catch-up drill.

Anyway, I like a good overglide once in a while.  I swim that way during warmups and when reminding myself to focus on removing drag.  But I still move along at a pretty good pace doing this, definitely sub 2:00/100M.

Jeff I think you have stated it better than I did. I think recovering faster is a much better way to put it. I understand there is a fine line between between a good stroke and over gliding. I think I glide too much to the right side so my stroke is somewhat asymmetrical. If I can just time it a little better on the recovery I think it will help a lot and I would take a sub 2:00/100M ANY DAY!

While kicking doesn't supply a massive amount of propulsion in triathlon swimming, you should kick enough to maintain balance and enable good rotation.  One thing to really be careful about is to NOT use kicking to enable proper balance.  In other words if your legs/hips are low and dragging, don't kick harder in an attempt to get your balance right.