Hawkwind's journal and musings

[Hawkwind]

Well, I was feeling better this morning...until my GSD b*tch decided to go into 'air head' mode and wrench the hellz out of my left side while we were out this morning. I had planned on taking it easy...but that clinched it.

So today's full body training:

Dead lift
set 1 12r/56#
set 2 12r/56#

Ham curls
set 1 12r/25#
set 2 12r/25#

Calf raises
set 1 12r/43#
set 2 12r/43#

Good mornings 12r/26#
Plate hypers 12r/10#

W/G reverse lat pulldowns 12r/40#
Face pulls 12r/40#

DB bent-over rear delt raise 12r/8#
Side lying lateral db raise 8r/8#

Incline db bench 12r/21.5#
Incline db flyes 12r/10#

Hammer curls 12r/21.5#
Incline hammer curls 12r/15#

Triceps rope press 12r/30#
Triceps o/h 'warrior' extensions 12r/30#

[Hawkwind]

Yesterday's cardio: 20 minutes on the recumbent bike.

I weighed in this morning and I am 1 pound away from goal #1!
And yesterday I found out that I am now the same clothing size as my 21 year old daughter! How many 45 year olds can say that?! Not many! It also dawned on me that when I get to my target weight that I'll be a size smaller than my daughter...that blows me away!

Anyhow...the wrist is finally feeling better. The bruises are still sore. But I should be able to train fairly well again today. Still going a bit light though.

[NiteHawk]

Sounds like everything is going good then Hawk. Reminds me of that cereal commercial where this woman's daughter borrows her old jeans and then mom decides she wants to wear them again so she loses the weight and gets back in them..

[Hawkwind]

Thanks Nite...yep, the cutting and training are going along very well! I know which commercial you mean! My daughter and I have been able to wear each other's tops for a while. Now we could swap jeans if we wanted.

Upper body day:

W/G reverse lat pulldowns 12r/50#
Face pulls 12r/50#

DB Arnold press 12r/15#
Incline db front raises 12r/8#

DB bench 12r/21.5#
Incline flyes 12r/10#

Zottman's 12r/15#
Incline db curls 12r/10#

C/G press 12r/26#
O/H 'warrior' extensions 12r/30#

No legs today...hike tomorrow and we have some serious climbing ahead of us on this one.

[Hawkwind]

Mt Sugarloaf (South and North) 10-13-06
Pocumtuck Ridge Trail

Discovery of something new...it's one of the draws for Gypsy and I. We absolutely love to be out on a trail and discover something we did not know about. To our complete delight, this hike would turn out to be one of 'those' hikes.

For those of you that follow along with my hike logs you will remember that this past year my buddy Gypsy faced her fear of steep drop offs on mountain sides a few times. We both love to climb Monument Mountain out in Great Barrington and Gypsy purposefully chose to take the trail over the top of Monument that unnerves her. She doesn't like drives up the steep side of mountains where you have nothing between you and a fatal plunge but a decidedly un-sturdy looking cable strung between worn and disintegrating cement pillars.

I'm proud of Gypsy, she wants to do the Appalachian Trail as badly as I do and she has been pushing herself over and over this year to face the very things that bother her on the trails.

So after driving up Mt Sugarloaf to take in the spectacular view a couple times this year she decided that it was time we climbed Mt Sugarloaf. And that is where we headed on this cool and sunny October day.

We arrived at our trailhead off route 116 in Deerfield in pretty good time considering I'm having trouble sleeping and waking again and Gypsy (Bless her!) had to give me a 'wake-up call' this time around. It was chilly and we were dressed in our layers as we hauled our packs out of the Blazer and strapped them on for our hike.

We headed out on a blue-blazed trail that splits, one goes up the south face of the Sugarloaf, the other branch takes up the north face or on further along another branch of the trail that we discovered was named Pocumtuck Ridge Trail. We chose the south face of Sugarloaf today as it's pretty steep, has quite a few switch backs and with the rain earlier in the week we decided that we would rather risk slipping on the trail moving upward than to risk slipping going downward. On this trail...we made the right decision.

The trail up to the summit is not very long, but the elevation gain is very quick and steep. My left glute started complaining early into the hike. Still a bit sore from that fall I took, so we took a lot of frequent short breaks on the way up. There were a couple spots where the trail up was literally over tree roots and you had to use the roots as steps to pull yourself up hand over hand. I had to toss the trekking poles ahead of me on the trail up a couple times. If we had chosen to go down we would have had to 'sit' a lot.

It was well worth the steep challenging climb. On our approach to the summit we found a couple spots were the view, south, east and west were stunning. We took time to just enjoy the view, watch a migrating hawk as well as photograph the Connecticut River, Sunderland, and out over the western part of the state.

We crested the summit in short order and took the time to look for a letterbox that had been reported as out of service, (And it was.) enjoy the view and chat with a sweet elderly lady who had just lost her husband last month. Her neighbor had told her that sitting home missing her husband was not good for her. So over the past couple of Friday's he's been picking her up and taking her for a ride to various area parks. (I hope I have friends like that when I get to that stage of my life...I certainly plan on being just like that gentleman.)

So after a quick check of our maps we headed out on the trail to head off Sugarloaf on the north side. Now at this point I want to tell you about something that has been of interest to me. When you stand on Mt Sugarloaf you can see another mountain immediately north of it. It looks like it also has one hell of a view from the top and I've been wondering and wondering if there is a trail over and up it. I haven't been able to find information on it in any of my usual stuff. So keep this little bit of information in mind...

Gypsy and I once again picked up our blue-blazed trail and right off the bat she had to face her tremendous dislike of steep drops. Our trail took us for a short jaunt along the outside edge of the guard rail and road edge that unnerves her on the ride up and down. Happily in this area the guard rail has been mostly replaced by the newer metal style. But that doesn't make walking along the outside edge of it more secure! Gypsy occupied her mind by singing a little ditty and keeping rhythm with her hiking stick on the metal rail.

We got down to a couple trail intersections and we continued to follow the blue-blazed Pocumtuck Ridge Trail, thinking we were on the correct end of a loop we wanted to do. As we went along we had a fantastic view from time to time up the mountain behind Sugarloaf. For a while we trekked down and through a steep ravine, then we ended up following the trail along the edge of some wild fields. At one point our trail was blocked off by a huge downed tree.

It was pretty big and had taken a couple other small trees with it. We had two choices, crawl under or go up the hill a bit and climb over. Gypsy chose the high road and I chose the low road and she got to Scotland before me...okay, okay! I know...corny little ditty. But we actually tend to sing that darn ditty when we face this situation and on the trails we face it a lot!

I had to get on my hands and knees to get my pack carrying bod under that darn tree and don't I go and nail that bruise on my right shin! Owie! As I'm working my over small saplings and branches and under the bulk of that tree I could hear Gypsy bushwhacking up the hill, over the tree and down through the heavy underbrush. I couldn't even begin to tell you which of us chose the better route! But we did get back on trail in no time.

We soon discovered that the trail wasn't quite as used at this point. We still had blue blazes though so we stuck with them. To my delight the trail soon began to swing around and up that mountain I have been so curious about. It was a really intriguing trail. We found what looks to be a small stand of bamboo in a wet ravine. We stood there taking pictures and mulling how in the heck that stand could have gotten there and then thoroughly tickled at finding a mini-China scape we headed on up the mountain.

Eventually we came to an intersection of that blue-blazed trail, and it was more 'used' in this area too. Now at this point we knew we were well off the state provided map, and we had no idea were in the heck we were, but we love to follow trails and we were heading in the correct direction to get to the top of that other mountain I was so curious about. So, our curiosity completely over taken by this trail that was now a 'trail system' we had never heard about, we pulled my trail notebook out of the pack and wrote down the information from one of the blue diamond trail markers as we now knew that we were on a section of trail maintained by the Berkshire chapter of the AMC. (Appalachian Mountain Club)

We headed on up the mountain and were soon ecstatic to find that we had an awesome view of the Connecticut River and Mount Toby across the river. We were on a ridge trail. We love ridge trails! The going is easy and there are frequently 'views' along the ridge lines. We finally came out on the trail to a point where we could see directly across to the back of Mt Sugarloaf! I was thrilled to say the least.

It was about 1PM and we hadn't stopped to eat, so we decided to plunk down on some sunny rocks and eat...and as soon as I dropped my pack I spotted snakes! Two of them. Garter snakes actually, but I spent the rest of my lunch keeping a sharp eye on the underbrush around me. I really wasn't that interested in sharing my lunch spot with the critters. Of course Gypsy couldn't resist following off in the brush to look for the darn critters. She did manage to get a picture of the smaller one.
After eating our lunches we decided to follow along the trail for a while more as it looked like it might follow the top of the mountain. We were correct! It did, so we got in more great views of the state watched another migrating hawk and also found a spot where the updraft from the valley below was pretty strong. I stood out on a boulder just taking it all in. And I did mention how strong that wind was right? It made my eyes water!

We continued out and the trail became even more well used, but it also started to go down the mountain and away from where we were parked. I checked my watch twice and after following the trail for another half hour and not finding a connecting trail to the right heading back in the direction we needed we decided to turn around and head back the way we had come.

Gypsy and I actually made really great time back to the truck. So good in fact that we had kind of wished we had stayed on that other trail for another half hour. But as this time of year you can't take risks like that. We both agreed that even though we had extra clothes in our packs when sundown hit it was going to be dark as hell on the side of the mountain we had been on and it would have also gotten cold fast.

We did decide that as soon as we got home we were going to search for information about that trail! We headed back out and as usual took our sweet time driving home.

About the Pocumtuck Ridge Trail:
Gypsy and I discovered that there is very little information about that trail online. They do have a 5k race in July or so along it. After getting frustrated that I could not find information online I dragged out all of my hiking guides and finally found information in my AMC Massachusetts Trail Guide (8th edition). No decent maps anywhere that we can see thus far. Not even in my guide book. We found out that it is 15 miles long and travels up to the Greenfield area along mountain ridges. And most importantly...we found another trail head to it. So, you guessed it. We are going back...

And that mountain we were on. It's called Mt Sugarloaf North. Neither of us knew that. Learn something new everyday!

[Hawkwind]

Romanian dead lift day:
Set 1 12r/134#
set 2 12r/134# *Up...14#'s!

[Hawkwind]

Shenipsit Trail South to the summit of Soapstone Mountain. 4+ hours/9+ miles. We were able to see hawks migrating today!That was awesome.

[Hawkwind]

Pause Squats
set 1 - 12r/105#
set 2 - 12r/105#

Seated calf raises - 12r/140#
Machine calf raises - 12r/140#

Lats machine #5 - 12r/70#
Lats machine #19 - 12r/70# *Up 5

Alt. db press - 12r/20#
Incline db front raise - 12r/8#

Incline db bench - 12r/20#
Incline db flyes - 12r/10#

Alt. hammer curls 12r/20#
Incline hammer curls 12r/15#

Triceps machine #7 - 12r/70# outer setting
Triceps machin#16 - 12r/40# *Up 5

Machine back extensions - 12r/125# *Up 5
Hypers - 12r/bodyweight *getting tired

Abs - 12r/50# *ugh...that's it...too tired to bother with another set..we all know I hate ab work anyhow.

[Hawkwind]

Aight...so yesterday I get an e-mail with a link to a place called Fitprofile.com ... I had never heard of it, but curiosity as always got the best of me and I went and checked it out. Decided that it looked like a cross between fitday.com, sparkpeople.com and myspace!

Some of you may remember that I've been using sparkpeople along side my home version of my fitday program to compare the two. The sparkpeople program is pretty good, but it irritates me a bit that they don't really take into account someone that trains hard. But it's fabulous for diet planning and help and a great program for someone starting out.

Well! This Fitprofile program takes training into account. It also has some neat features. So I've decided to run that program along side my other two for comparison.

*It's the 'mod' mode kicking in...I hate to suggest anything to any of the people on the boards unless I myself have tried it...good thing I work from home otherwise I wouldn't have time to be trying things out...jeez, first a training program designed by a dear friend, now supps and 'fitness and diet' programs...somedays I feel like a giant experiment!

Sparkpeople has message boards for support with the progam. Quite honestly I haven't bothered with any of them. Too busy as a mod for a couple other boards and I like my bulletin board support family just fine thankyou.

The only 'thing' I don't like about sparkpeople and Fitprofile ... you have to keep tabs online. I bought the fitday home version and love it. My daughter and I have been using it for a couple years now. You can have a free online account. But it's nice to be able to load the program to a laptop and take it with you to keep tabs if you are going to be away from the internet or don't want to be on the internet.

Also...all three online programs I mentioned above work just fine with the Mozilla browser that I use. There is a great program out there called thefitnesshub.com (if I remember correctly) that is also an online program, but you have to use IE. I hate using IE for anything so I have not tried the other program even though I know a lot of people that give it great reviews.

(So for those that keep tabs on every little thing about their diet and training...you have 4 fun options to help you log, journal and monitor just about every aspect. )

[btw...I have no idea who sent the link...so if you would like to 'fess up...you can PM me. If not...thank you. I'm always looking for ways to help other find ways to easily monitor their goals...seeing it all 'add up' on paper or with a program is uplifting and helps keep one going.]

The wrist finally felt good enough to get back to my heavy bag work!
Cardio: 20+ minutes of heavy bag work/kickboxing

Cardio musings:
There is something satisfying about being able to smash the hellz out of my heavy bag during a kickboxing session...

When I started on that bag after my first surgery I could barely budge the dayumed thing...and going at it for 10 minutes exhausted me.

Now I'm hanging in for 20+ minutes and sending that sucker against its restraints throughout the whole session.

Slowly...ever so slowly I'm regaining my strength and stamina...inspite of everything that has happened to me.

[ktinspired]

Enjoy the feel good on the clothing size. WOOT WOOT!! That's gotta feel great!!

[narcsarge]

Your grit and determination are inspiring! I so hoping our TKD gym installs a heavy bag so I can beat the stuffing out of it! Nothing like developing real power. I want to be able to throw all of my kicks with bad intentions!

[Hawkwind]

Thanks KT ... it feels really great! Yesterday my mom told me, "I don't think you were even a size 6 in highschool!" I told her I didn't think I was either...but back then I worked on a farm, worked/trained horses, and helped my mentor with his cordwood business. I was very, very muscled compared to now...I know I was 'bigger' and much more solid.

Thank you Narcsarge! I try to keep at it! I don't like to 'baby' myself. All too easy to make excuses as to why I cannot do something. I hate losing hard won ground and always have!

I hope your school puts in a bag too. Nothing like pounding the hellz out of a heavy bag. I sometimes walk around sore for a while after a good session. But I love that kind of soreness. It's the feeling of accomplishment!


Weigh in day! I hit my first goal!
So now I'm ....
Counting down to: Going down to 143
56days 18hours 55minutes

[ktinspired]

Thats so wonderful on hitting your goal. I've been passing the scale in the ladies room at the gym. I sware the damn thing yells at me.."hey you ..you know you wanna get on" one more month before weight in. I hope I have as good of success. congrats!!

[Hawkwind]

Thank you KT! You will do it. I'm sure of it.

Today's workout:
No legs today...kinda still sore from Tuesday's full body work. Went easy on the chest, bi's and tri's due to the soreness.

W/G reverse lat pulldowns 12r/70#
Face pulls 12r/50#

Arnold presses 12r/15#
Incline front db raise 12r/8# *Sigh* I should have done plate raises.

Incline DB press 12r/15#
Incline flyes 12r/10#

Concentration curls 12r/15#
Incline alt. hammer curls 12r/10#

Triceps rope press 12r/30#
Triceps overhead extensions 12r/30# *Warrior stance

[Hawkwind]

No hike yesterday due to very bad weather. Gypsy and I got together for lunch and a movie here at my place.

Started my Kre-Alkalyn today. Be interesting to see what happens.

Have to unload a ton (literally) of coal shortly...so no cardio for me today. that will be it!

[Hawkwind]

Rmdl's
12r/135#
12r/135#

SL good mornings
12r/7#
12r/7#
*Just needed to stretch the hams a bit.

Pfffttt!
Took me three attempts to get the freakin' bar off the floor today.
I knew that cutting would catch up with me eventually. I thought I had prepared myself mentally for the inevitable...but I guess not fully enough. I'm just plain freakin' pissed off that it was such a struggle to pull today.

I have some thinking to do now. I'll obviously have to drop back on deads. I had hoped to hit 150 before I did. Oh well...such is life. Two steps forward - two steps back.

I did hit my first weight loss goal this week. 7 more pounds and I re-evaluate if I want to try and go lower or if I want to maintain.