Things I've Learned On My Trip to Reno

I learned a few things from my recent trip to Reno Nevada. First thing I learned was the higher the altitude, the harder it is to breathe. In order to keep my current level of workout enthusiasm going, I had decided to go for a run after a long day’s meeting. I put on my heart rate monitor/GPS watch (I like to refer to it as my Dick Tracy watch) and other running gear and headed out. About a mile out, my Dick Tracy watch started beeping (I was pretty sure that it was my Heart Rate and not Prune Face robbing a bank) and I was breathing hard. I slowed down to a walk (I know Reno is a betting town, but I didn’t feel like gambling with my life). I couldn’t figure out why I was breathing so hard, my legs weren’t tired, and I’ve jogged up hills and gone further at home. I started looking at the information on the watch and that is when I discovered that Reno is 3000 feet higher than Atlanta and the air was thinner. I ended up having to jog then walk then jog then walk all the way back to the hotel.

The second thing I learned on my trip to Reno was; nothing realigns ones distorted view of their body image as the bathroom mirror in a hotel. For the past few months I’ve been losing weight, and people have been commenting on the loss of weight. I been feeling pretty good, my pants have been looser and I have more energy. I started thinking of myself less as a fat guy and more as a slightly overweight guy. That delusion stopped the minute I opened the shower curtain and saw myself in the bathroom mirror (I’m still a fat guy, just not as fat as I use to be). At home my bathroom mirror only shows my head and I’m either clothed or wrapped in a towel (hiding the fat) when I pass the mirror in the hall.

Third Thing I learned on my trip to Reno was; Golden Retrievers Rock! I know, technically this is something I already knew, but I met a Golden named Boo at the Great Basin Brew Pub (Great Beer). He hung out with me and let me recover from my dog withdrawal (my pups were in the kennel while I was out in Reno, and I missed them).

Fourth thing I learned on my trip to Reno was; I’m not too smart. I stayed an extra day after my meeting to go hiking. I was planning to go to Lake Tahoe, but because I didn’t plan ahead, I ended up staying in Reno. I decided to go for a hike along the Truckee River (there is a multi use trail that runs along it). So I left for my hike with no water, sunscreen, hat or map (told you I wasn’t too smart). I got to Rock Park and headed towards down town Reno ( I figured I could stop and get a bite to eat and if I was to tired I could grab a cab back), but because my memory and sense of direction is so bad, I didn’t head towards downtown Reno, I headed towards Salt Lake City. After about 5 miles and the total lack of buildings, I realized I must be going the wrong way, but did this stop me? Did I turn around then? No. I decided I would keep going because by then I was getting close to the base of the mountains, and if I made it to the base I could tell people I went hiking to the mountains of Nevada (this is a pretty stupid reason to suffer from heat exhaustion). By the time I turned around I realized how stupid I was and that I needed water, so I got off the trail and found a truck stop and got some Gatorade and water. After I re-hydrated I headed back to the hotel. By the time I got back to the hotel I was in bad shape. I was sunburned, blistered and suffering from heat exhaustion. I am glad I survived.

The last thing I learned on my trip to Reno was; be it ever so humble (and messy) there is no place like home.

Heft on Wheels

I went riding the other day on the Silver Comet Trail. For anyone who doesn't know what the Silver Comet Trail is, it's a Rails to Trails project that runs from Marietta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama (I didn't ride that far, I rode 14 miles). I had decided to ride 10 miles after work (I am trying to keep my workouts fresh so I don't get burnt out and stop (remember I'm a fat guy, I don't need much of a reason to stop)).

The ride was good, I rode from the Cooper Lake trail head to Anderson Mill Rd and back. I was riding great, my heart rate was good, I wasn't tired or sore (I hadn't been on my bike for months). I was on back to Cooper Lake when I became demoralized. It wasn't that I was tired, sore, or that I thought I went to far on my first foray back on a bike. It was that I go passed by a 60-70 year old man on a cruiser.

I could not let this happen, so I sped up. I waited till we got to a road crossing to pass him (this way I wouldn't look like a tool (fat tool) for passing him(he had to stop at the road crossing for the light, and I timed it right)). I layed on the pedals, putting distance between us. I thought "he won't be able to catch me now", and that is when the alarm on my heart rate monitor went off. The alarm is set to warn me when I am pushing to hard (I don't want to break loose any of the large amounts of cholesterol coating my arteries, and have it float up to brain and cause aneurysm (although some of my friends would say becoming a drooling idiot would be an improvement to my personality)), so I slowed down till my heart rate returned to normal. About a mile away from the car it happened again, I got passed by the old man on the cruiser.

I would like to assign blame for why I got dropped by a old guy; my brakes were rubbing, the old guy was on steroids , contrary to popular belief a cruiser bike is more aerodynamic than a road racing bike, etc..., but the truth is this old guy didn't let himself become fat like me, he probably maintained a healthy life style and even at 60 - 70 years old he was in better shape than me. I am heft on wheels.

Hikes

I went hiking this weekend. On Sunday, between the rain, I went on a group hike with Golden Retriever Rescue (GRRA) to Red Top Mountain State Park. On Monday I went on a hike with a friend and our dogs (I only took Buddy because Allie can't make anything over 2 miles anymore) to Sweetwater Creek State Park.

I often refer to myself as a cyclist (a big fat cyclist( Mountain Bikers have a great term for a cyclist like me, they call us Clydesdale)), and I know I've talked about TrailRunning alot in this blog, but I really enjoy hiking. It is one of those activities you can do with a group or alone. You can take your dog along (dogs love hiking - lots of new smells and alot of things they have never peed on before). You can take your family along (families love hiking - lots of bonding and alot of things they have never peed on before). It is a great activity.

Red Top Mountain - Homestead Trail

I love the Red Top Mountain Homestead Trail for group dog hikes. It is a 5 mile easy to moderate hike though the State Park located on Lake Alatoona. What makes this a great hike for groups is that the trail is wide enough for two people to walk next to each other and hold a conversation (unless you were my sister, she was too busy sucking air to hold a conversation). What makes it a great hike for dogs is that it has little alcoves on the lake that the dogs can swim, without bothering any other patrons. It took us 2hour and 45 minutes to complete and that was with stopping for 30 minutes for the dogs to swim.

(Note - Buddy started to revert back to being a bad swimmer, I think he got nervous(the Labs that came to the hike might have been mocking him), I thought I was going to have to jump in to rescue him (then the Labs would have really mocked him).)

Sweetwater Creek - Yellow Trail

Sweetwater Creek State Park is one of my favorite parks in Georgia. It is close to home (1/2 hour drive), has multiple trails and some great scenery (like the New Manchester Mill, a Civil War era mill).

The Yellow Trail is across the creek and is less used. The trail is a 3 mile loop that either starts off or ends with a gut busting hill (it's not for the faint of heart or heart condition patient). Once you have climbed the hill, you feel like you have accomplished something. The trail is a single file type of trail, so it's not great for large groups and the creek can be fast moving at times, so its not good for dogs that aren't good swimmers (like Buddy sometimes). But, If you are looking for a good workout, I highly recommend it.

Rev Cofee

I sit at Rev Coffee in Smyrna, I find the place comfortable and unique. This is not Starbucks or Caribou Coffee. I don't have a problem with Starbucks or Caribou Coffee, I like their coffee, but I go to them to grab a cup of coffee. I go to Rev Coffee to sit down and enjoy a cup coffee. Rev Coffee has comfortable chairs and sofas (and not the Ikea crap you see in other shops, but good stuff) that invite you to sit down and relax.

I am sitting here working on my blog and listening to some spoken word at the Friday night open mic night, and thinking I now understand why the characters on Friends hung out at a coffee shop.

If you get a chance, go by Rev Coffee and sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.

I Ran Like Crap

I ran like crap. Yesterday I went for my run with Buddy (my Golden) and I ran like crap. I set a blistering pace of 3.9 mph (remember I’m a geek, I have a GPS watch that keeps track of location, speed, heart rate, elevation, direction, etc…). I am not a fast runner anyway, but yesterday was bad. I imagine it was a pitiful site to see, Buddy walking next to me (and I mean walking slowly) as I was running. He kept looking back at me to see what was taking so long. Had I been running through the halls of a nursing home, old men and women with walkers would have been passing me. Although they may have passed me, Buddy wouldn’t have let them get far. He would have stopped them, not out of some sense of loyal to me (“I will not let you pass the guy who feeds me; he’s pathetic enough with out you adding to it.”). He would stop them because most walkers in nursing homes have tennis balls on the legs (protects the floor), and he is a Golden.

I am going to try something different this weekend. Saturday I am going to ride my bike on the Silver Comet Trail (this is a trail that goes from Cobb County (where I live) to Birmingham, AL). I will probably do 10 to 15 miles (if I can’t make it I will call my sister to pick me up (I’ve done this in the past)). On Sunday I will be leading Golden Retriever Rescue of Atlanta (GRRA) on its monthly group hike. This month it’s at Red Top Mountain State Park. This Hike is 5miles.

Next week I hope I will be back on pace.

Goals

I need goals. Anyone who starts an exercise program needs and makes goals. My first goal, when I started TrailRunning was not to have a stroke and keel over on the trail. I succeeded with this goal (Woo-Hoo I’m still alive, I rock), so it’s time for new goals.

Most goals fall in three categories; short term, medium term, and long term. Short term goals are the goal people lie to themselves about (if I make it to the end of the trail I’ll give up Big Macs (we all know you won’t give up Big Macs)). Medium term goals are usually dealing with time, distance or weight , and are usually are unrealistic (I’ll lose 50 lbs in two months while succeeding in doing a 2 minute mile). Long term goals are set so far in the future, that their is a good chance you will be dead before you get close to it (I will complete every marathon in the world).

I am pretty practical when I set goals. I always try to set goals that can be accomplished. My short term goals are usually vague. They are thing like finish faster than the last time, go future than last time or do more miles this week. My medium term goals are more specific. My current medium term goals are to increase my miles per run to 2 miles by the end of the month and to drop 10 lbs by the end of August. My long term goals are to run the Peachtree Road Race next year (I’ve already roped in my friend into doing it with me (and he has volunteered his wife, who doesn’t know it yet, to do it with us)) and to be able to change the name of my blog from 2 dogs and a fat guy to 2 dogs and a slightly overweight guy (I know it doesn’t roll of the tongue well, but I don’t care).

Things I've Learned From My Recent Trip

I have learned some things from my recent trip to Alabama. First thing I learned - before you pack for a trip you should write down everything you want to take and check to make sure it works OK. If I did this, when I got on my bike to check to make sure it works OK, I would have noticed it was missing its seat and seat post.

Second thing I learned - dogs don't understand the concept of vacation (that’s not completely true, my Golden understands vacation, he thinks everyday is a vacation). My Lab gets anxious in the car; she paces and pants the whole time (my golden is like me on a trip, we both will sleep the whole way if possible). Once at my friend’s house Allie continued to pace and pant. She finally settled down on the day we came home (my golden was fine with the trip, he settled down right away.

Third thing I learned - I hate Scooby Doo. I didn't always hate Scooby Doo, it wasn't my favorite cartoon, but I didn't hate it. What changed was my friend has a three-year-old boy who was obsessed with his Scooby Doo DVD (same 4 episodes). I don't blame the boy for being obsessed, that’s what little boys do (I'm sure I did it too), and I don't blame my friend, because anything that can distract a child long enough for you to do laundry, clean the house, make dinner or even rest for a few moments is a good thing. But, by the third day of the same Scooby Doo episodes, it had driven me nuts (I even went outside in the rain to work on her fence). (An ironic twist - Sunday at Golden Retiever Rescue of Atlanta’s monthly adoption (I volunteer with them) I was tasked to show a Golden named Scooby.)

Forth thing I learned - things don't always go as planned. The first day I planned on getting there and going to the Lake and watching the fireworks. That went as planned. The second day I would install the garbage disposal and fix the fence. I had to go out and get a wrench and a pipe to do the installation of the garbage disposal, so I didn't get to the fence. That went sort of as planned. On the third day I was going to go for a bike ride or a hike with the dog in the morning and Susan and I would go out to a dinner and a movie that night. I forgot the seat/seat post to my bike and Allie (my Lab) was panting so much that I didn't think it would be a good idea to take her hiking, and I didn't want to stress her out any more by leaving with Buddy (my Golden). I went out looking for a cheap seat/seat post, but couldn't find one (I wasn't going to spend 125 dollars on something I had at home). It didn't matter that I couldn't find a cheap one because by the time I got back to the house, it had started raining. Susan was not feeling well that day, so date night was out. So, that didn't go at all like the plan. On the forth day I thought we could all go to the state park (it has a nice lakeside beach and a bunch of hiking trails. It was still raining and Susan was still not feeling well and I had as much Scooby Doo as I could handle, so I cut my stay short and came home.

The last thing I learned – be it ever so humble (and messy) there is no place like home.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July. I spent a good portion of mine in my truck with my dogs, traveling to Alabama. This was the first road trip I’ve taken with my dogs that I’m staying more than a few hours (most of our trips are to someplace to hike and back). This time I am staying a few days with a friend, and my friend doesn’t have dogs (she has kids).

Weeks before I left I started planning, what will I need to bring? All the obvious things came to mind; food, biscuits, leashes and toys (I have all of these things sitting at my house, so no problem). Then I started thinking about the not so obvious things; food dishes (some people don’t like dogs eating out of people dishes (ewww dog cooties), and I didn’t know if my friend was one of those people), comforters (my friend has hardwood floors and my Lab “Allie” won’t walk on slick surfaces), pills (my Lab are on a couple of pills a day (it sucks getting old (remember I’m 40+, so I know))), crates (for sleeping and getting out of the house to go to Lowes, Home Depot or Wal-Mart ) and peanut butter ( to get them in their crates when I go to Lowes, Home Depot or Wal-Mart ).

I spent so much time planning what my dogs needed I forgot what I might need. First forgotten thing was a pipe wrench. I am installing a garbage disposal for my friend for her birthday (and people wonder why I’m single (tip for all you guys out their, never buy a woman, any woman, an appliance for their birthday)) and I forgot to bring a pipe wrench (and I knew she wouldn’t have tools).

The second thing I forgot was the seat for my bike. At Lake Guntersville State Park there is a road that goes around the park that isn’t busy with cars and looks to be a good workout. I brought my bike with me to see if I can get my cycling legs back (cycling legs are different from running legs).

I know I can get a wrench at Wal-Mart (a wrench is cheap and I can leave it over Susan’s house (every house should have one)), but I don’t know if I can find a cheap seat (I don’t want to pay a lot of money for something I have at home).

To Bra or Not to Bra

On my way to work I drive through a part of Cobb County called Vinings. In Vinings, they have built sidewalks and multi use trails along Atlanta Road. Because of this I have been seeing more and more runners, many of whom are attractive women (this is a good thing – usually).

The other morning as I was driving into work I spotted a beautiful women jogging towards me. As she got closer I noticed two things; one she was well endowed in the chest area and second she wasn’t wearing a bra (I noticed both of these things pretty quickly, because I’m a guy and that’s what we do). Her breasts swung back and forth like a metronome, keeping perfect tempo with her steps.

I’ve never been hypnotized, and always said I couldn’t be hypnotized. But, watching this woman jog may have proved that assumption wrong. The next thing I know the right wheels of my truck were in the gutter (the truck wasn’t the only thing in the gutter at that time) and I snapped out of my daze.

This incident got me thinking, should a law be enacted to require a woman to confine her girls when she jogs (this could be considered un-American)? And, if we require women to do this would we also have to require fat guys to confine their man-boobs to prevent sexual discrimination lawsuits (personal note: I am a fat guy, but I don’t have man-boobs)?

No, I think I would be against any law that confined breasts (as I think most men would be). I think women should be aware of a few things if they are going to go jogging without a bra: First – men stare at breasts (like you didn’t already know that). Second – people drive in the direction of what they are staring at (that means you could be hit by a car). Third – hitting you with a car will not stop a guy from trying to get a date with you (especially if you have breasts that can cause a man to wreak his car). So, in the interest of public safety, I suggest that you either confine the girls or go TrailRunning (no cars). May I suggest the Jake Abbott Trail?

The Couch

Sometimes I can't sleep. Why? The reasons are numerous, I'm upset about something, I am trying to fix something in my head, or tomorrows Monday and what do I have to do at work this week. Any one of these things could effect my sleeping, but yesterday they all affected my sleeping.

Reason one: I was on the phone last night with Susan ( Susan is a friend of mine (she lives in AL and I live in GA ). We go out on dates when neither of us are seeing anyone). We talked about my upcoming trip to AL with the puppies, religion, relationships, sex, our relationship over the years, the past, the future and Thomas the Train (she has a three year old boy). After we said good night I started rethinking our conversation, thinking I should have said this or I should have said that. My brain wouldn't shut down right away. I was finally able to stop thinking of our conversation, and that's when I started thinking of reason two.

Reason two: Yesterday I was helping a friend work on his wife's car. We worked on it and started driving it back to his house (it was at her work) and it broke down again. So we decided to bring it to my house( i have a big garage and any tool we would need(I''m a Technical Instructor who teaches people to be Mechanics/Technicians)) on his trailer. None of this kept me up, what did keep me up was; I need to check fuel pressure at the filter and at the throttle body, I need to do a flow test and a amp draw test and what does all the different possibilities mean. I was finally able to stop diagnosing the car, and that's when I started thinking of reason three.

Reason three: I have been off for the weekend and I am going to AL on the 4th and not coming back till Sunday, what do I need to get done at work before I leave. I made lists in my head (this blog was not one of them, it's more therapy). When I finally stopped making lists in my head and started drifting off to sleep my Lab kicked me (I must have encroached on her 3/4 side of the bed), which woke me up and started me thinking about reason one again.

This wasn't working. I couldn't take drugs (Tylonol PM) (it was 2am and I get up for work at 5:30am). So, I did the next best thing. I went to sleep on my couch. I have two couches, but I only use one for sitting, napping and for the use as the occasional sleep aid. It is a beat up 15 year old faded and sagging couch that has seen better days. The other couch which is in better condition, has become home for a DVD player I mean to bring into work, a box of comic books (I am a bit of a geek (I can here my sister snicker at the phrase "a bit"), books and other things (in case you didn't guess it I'm a bit of a slob (I can here my sister snickering loader about using the phrase "a bit" again).

I don't know why I can sleep on the couch when I am having trouble sleeping, it is less comfortable that my bed. It might be because it forces you to curl up in the fetal position, or that having the TV on in the background numbs your brain and stops you from thinking. Whatever the reason, the couch did its job and I was able to get 4 hours of sleep (I overslept).

Tonight I may just forget the bed and stay on my couch.