Getting Old(er)

Well, here I am at the beginning of another year. As I think about the last 58 years, here are some things I have learned (not necessarily in order of importance):

Aging is a natural, physiological fact. You can’t change it. However, while you will get old, you don’t have to be old. It’s all about attitude.
Embrace who you are, where you are, right now. If you are still in your youth, don’t be so full of yourself and stop comparing yourself to others. Taking the time to listen and observe will serve you well. If you are older, see # 1 and stop worrying about everything.
The world is not going to hell in a handbasket. Not all young people are self absorbed, apathetic, and clueless. Virtually all of the young people I know care deeply about the world they live in, are action-oriented, and will probably do a better job running the world than we boomers have done. They will make the world a better place, just as we did- and our parents before us and so on. Each generation builds on the previous one.
Lighten up- very few things are as bad as they seem. An optimistic outlook helps.
Worrying is pointless. The future is indeed an illusion and doesn’t exist until the now. Live in the present, and thank God you are there to experience it.
Have a plan. I learned the value of this from my wife Cathy. Without a plan to conduct your life, you will find it impossible to achieve your goals.
Be better. Find something that you are currently doing and try to be a little better at it (better friend, citizen, parent, spouse, teacher, coach, teammate, etc…). Take time to reflect to see if it’s working.
Count your blessings. Not your troubles and disappointments.
Give. Give your time, talent, or treasure to those less fortunate than you are. Step up. Volunteer. Try.
Never.Give.Up. If you start something that you believe is worthwhile, use everything at your disposal to finish it- whatever it may be. Learn to discern what is worthwhile and what is not- maybe that should be part of your plan.
Find your passion. Many people march through life like lemmings toward a cliff- unaware of or indifferent to their fate. Your passion will change as you get older. Find it, pursue it- you won’t regret it.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Think about unintended consequences.
My life’s priorities are, in this order : God, family & friends, myself, career. I have found that as difficult as it may be, keeping those priorities in line is necessary for a meaningful, happy life.
Don’t let the trappings of success define who you are: awards, trophies, titles, degrees, won/lost records, etc… are just not that important, and they aren’t A true measure of success.
Here is what success is as defined by John Wooden, NCAA championship basketball coach in the 70s- the greatest that ever was- “Success is a peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.” He notes that achieving success as he defines it will yield those “things” from #14.

These are but a few of the things I have learned so far- they are not a to-do list, nor do I pretend to know what is needed for a successful life.. I have so much more to learn and share. I hope some of these ideas resonate with you. For now, I will continue to try to “be better”.

If you interested go to www.coachwooden.com to learn more about Coach Wooden.

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I don’t want to rub it in; but for those still stuck in the tundra, here’s a link on how to survive winter training:

http://www.runnersworld.com/cold-weather-running/how-to-train-through-the-winter-weather

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believe

Last week I wrote a little about courage. Here’s a courageous young woman who believes in herself and understands that belief must be followed by action to achieve your dreams:

http://iadaptfitness.blogspot.com/

this week my workout of the week will be a nice long 10-mile run in Northern California. Some of it will be on the beach…

Another cool article:

http://wellfesto.com/2013/11/19/10-things-i-want-my-daughter-to-know-about-working-out/

I chose these articles because they both speak to our sense of priorities. What is important to you?

Courage

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, achieve glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure; than it is to rank with those poor, timid souls who neither enjoy nor suffer much; for they live in that gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt
The “Mighty thing” doesn’t have to be a ‘saving the world’ kind of thing; but it does mean that in order to stay out of that gray twilight we need to have the courage to dare and embrace our fears so that our “glorious triumph” can be achieved. Try to think about your mighty things. Do you have any? I’m pretty sure you do. There’s no real criteria, no template or recipe. If you had a dream (or a goal); that you were hesitant to attempt(fear of failure? or fear of not doing it perfectly?) but then finally stepped up to give it a shot, then you have dared a mighty thing and have stepped out of the shadows of mediocrity.
For me, I have been checked by failure more times than I can count (and a had few glorious triumphs); but I’m still in the game and….. still vertical.

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I am currently training for a January half marathon, so the workouts I post will speak to that “mighty thing”:

5 Mile descending interval (it’s actually a little more than 5)
2 mile warmup
1 mile @ projected race pace
2 minutes recovery @ race pace +60secs/mile
.75 mile @ projected race pace -30 secs/mile
2 minutes recovery
.5 mile @ projected race pace – 60 secs/mile
2 minutes recovery
1 mile cooldown
Increase recovery jog time according to your fitness level. I do a lot of interval training during the winter to keep my fitness level pretty high without the benefit of long runs. I try to do this one once a week.
Planning an outside trail run (8+ miles) this Saturday from Jordan, MN to a place we call the Mud Farm- time to get the Yak Trax out!

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Here’s a good article about handling your fitness routines in the winter:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/10/winter-workout-tips_n_4401477.html
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Fitness Tip: Flavor for Fitness – Eating food that has no flavor makes it very easy to fall off your healthy meal plan. Food doesn’t have to be fattening and bad for you to taste good, so spice it up. Here are some great flavoring alternatives that don’t add bad calories to your healthy meal plan when used with moderation.
a. Mustard
b. Salsa
c. Flavored Vinegars – Balsamic, Raspberry, Red wine, etc
d. Teriyaki or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
e. Any type of your favorite hot sauce
f. Herbs – Basil, Dill, Tarragon, Rosemary, etc.
g. Spices – Cinnamon, Cloves, Curry Powder, etc.
h. Citrus Juices – Lemon, Lime and Orange both juice and Zest
i. Low and No Salt Seasonings – Like Mrs. Dash, etc.

No Boundaries

“We live in a tired, hurting world and acts of courageous compassion won’t happen unless we do them.”. Well, this past Saturday I got to witness that quote in action:
After my morning run on Saturday, I got to volunteer at an adaptive lacrosse clinic hosted by No Boundaries Lacrosse, a fledgling organization created to bring the sport of Lacrosse to special needs kids with a whole range of challenges- no one is excluded due their disability. Check them out at http://www.noboundarieslacrosse.com . This is a wonderful program founded by a former lacrosse player at Prior Lake and the mother of one of the “campers”; as they are affectionately known. In fact, four of the coaches are former players at Prior Lake High School, and there are more than a few volunteers from the current High School roster as well as players (and the VP of Lacrosse) from Prior Lake’s youth organization, P.L.A.Y. (Prior Lake Athletics for Youth).
The joy and determination that the kids showed as they learned lacrosse from the volunteers was priceless! I was particularly proud to be in the company of the volunteers- some former players of mine- and was especially touched by the youngest volunteers (middle school age- I think), who were selfless in their desire to help the kids learn lacrosse. I’m sure they could have been doing something else; but they chose to be there- as we all did. Here is the link to the local news story: http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/video/9613305-mother-starts-adaptive-lacrosse-program-for-daughter/#.UqXflt-qaW0.email
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Okay, full disclosure. I ran INDOORS on Saturday. Treadmill workouts are tough for me because it’s hard to stay focused while running to nowhere. However, I have found ways to kill the boredom. Below is one way- others will follow:

Treadmill workout:

This is a good way to run 2-5 miles on a treadmill without getting bored silly:

warmup with a fast walk (3mi/hr) for 2-3 mins.

run 1 mile at 5k pace (or comfortably fast- 70-80% of max effort)

do 10 burpees, 30 pushups, and 10 pullups (or inverted rows, etc…)

run 1 mile.

repeat this sequence 4 times, which will equal 5 miles on the ‘mill. Should take about an hour.

4 times= 5 miles

3 times= 4 miles and so on.

You can pick any three exercises that are a challenge between the mile intervals. Mix it up- it’s a great way to vary your treadmill workouts!

Welcome!

New to this blog stuff, so here goes:

I am a runner. I started running in 1975 while in the US Navy. I’ve been running and engaging in fitness activities ever since. I have a wonderful wife and daughter (and recently a grandson!), both who have supported me and kept me on track. And a son-in-law who is proving to be good for my kid and a great father, too. They are truly an inspiration in my life! I have a few friends (I’ve been told I’m not an extrovert- they’re probably right) who put up with my quirks and odd sense of humor. I was a Girls Lacrosse Coach for a local high school for ten years. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer and have a website : http://www.jonestrainingsolutions.com. click on the link to check it out (there is a free workout generator you can print out) if you would like a fitness plan set up for you. There is much more to me, which will come out in time.
This blog will have a running theme for the most part; but really I want to tell some stories- current experiences and some in the past that I hope will brighten your day. Someone said I have a lot to say, I guess I’ll find out. Oh, my blog is titled “Still Vertical” in homage to my Grandfather, Enoch Karinen, who was a successful rancher in western South Dakota. In his last years when I asked how he was doing, he would say “still vertical!” which meant to me that he was still living his life on his terms surrounded by the people he loved. So I can say for sure that I’m “Still Vertical”.

I plan to post weekly, and will post a suggested workout for the day:

run 3 miles. 4 sets of 10 pullups, 25 pushups, and 25 Russian twists with 10 lb medicine ball.