Author: Chris Brown (Page 36 of 41)

Two Delicious Recipes to Satisfy the Pumpkin Pie Spice Craving

September 22, 2018 / Chris Brown / 2 Comments

In the autumn I am one of those people who seeks out a pumpkin pie spice fix. Knowing that a pumpkin spice latte at the local coffee shop has way more empty calories than I need, I’ve looked for other ways to satisfy this itch.

Both of these recipes utilize the Vitamix blender, which is one of my very favorite appliances that I’ve ever received as a gift. (Every since the year I received a toaster and a vacuum ar a birthday gift, my practical husband has been more careful about buying me appliances as a gift.) The Vitamix brand is pretty pricey, so he ended up getting a reconditioned one that has served us well for more than 5 years.

You probably can make either of these recipes using a NutriBullet or another type of blender.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Smoothie

With just three ingredients, it’s a simple go to for when I want something with pumpkin sweetness. It’s funny, but this recipe doesn’t actually have any pumpkin in it.

Ingredients: Almond milk, banana and pumpkin pie spice.

Directions: Add all three ingredients to the blender and turn on for about 2 minutes. Using less milk gives a very thick smoothie. More milk and less banana gives a thinner texture. It’s up to you.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Squash Soup

Make it it in the fall. This thick soup tastes just like pumpkin pie filling to me! It provides lots of fiber and extremely delicious. Using the Vitamix blender, it is a 6 minute recipe, if you bake the squash ahead of time. I like using butternut and acorn squash the best.

I usually don’t measure, so my quantity and texture varies to match my mood.

Ingredients:

Squash (butternut, acorn and/or zuchinni)
15 oz can of pure pumpkin
dash of vanilla
some (1/2 cup?) almond milk
big dump (2 teaspoons?) of pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

The night before, bake your squash.

Cut squash in half, scrap out seeds. Place inside face down on tinfoil covered cookie sheet and bake or roast the squashes in the oven. I figure 40 minutes at 350 to 375 degrees. It depends on the size of the squashes and how accurate your oven is. Refrigerate.

(You can make this all in one night, but I like to prep some ahead of time and just do the final prep all on the night I’m going to eat it.) Then on the night you are making the soup you just assemble the ingredients into the blender.

Put almond milk in the bottom of the blender. With liquid in the bottom, it blends better.
Scoop the squash out of the skin.
Add 1/2 or a full can of pure pumpkin (NOT pie filling, just plain pumpkin) in a 15 oz can.
Add a dash of vanilla, a little more almond milk and a big dump of pumpkin pie spice.

Set blending on soup mode and turn on.

If its too thick, stir in a little more almond milk. Too thin, more pumpkin or squash, if you have it.

Do you love pumpkin pie spice as much as I do? Share a link to your favorite recipe. Hate pumpkin spice? (Sorry!) Let me know what you like better when the seasons change.

Disclosure: this post links to the Amazon affiliate program, where a portion of your purchase helps to offset the expenses associated with the Becoming Elli podcast and website.

Transitions between Seasons

September 15, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

The weather is going through a transition this week. From super hot to rainy and recently muggy. I’ve also noticed the leaves are falling. Here in Ohio, it’s nothing like what folks are dealing with in the Carolinas. We may get some rain in a few days, but it may just feel like the season changing as well. The forecast has it going back into the 80’s again later in the week.

Exercise Transitions

Transitions of the seasons call for a transition from biking to hip strengthening to running for me as well.

It seems weird to me to think that I haven’t ridden my bike for an entire week. Bike riding has been such a big part of my summer. Last weekend I was a course marshal at NEOcycle in Cleveland. They closed the shore way expressway so that hundreds of bike riders could decorate their bikes with lights and ride along to see some of the best sites of Cleveland at night.

This week I’ve been concentrating on cross training and strengthening for the Akron marathon.

After going to get some physical therapy for my Achilles tendonitis (cupping, dry needling and the massage boot), I’ve been faithfully doing the exercises the doc gave me to strengthen my hips. The thing I love about it is that she worked on my tight calf, but also gave me physical therapy information so that I can resolve the core problem.

My problem is weak hips in the side to side direction. I’d been doing squats, dead lifts and lunges, but those work the forward motion. Now I’m focusing more on doing sideways walks. I’ve heard them called duck walks or monster walks and I demonstrate in this video.

Using the Theraband and doing this type of walking sideways helps to strengthen the hips. I find that I am strong in the forward plane. So much of the biking and running is a forward motion that uses the quads. But on the other hand, when I’m not working out, so much of my day as a marketing consultant involves sitting at a desk, in a meeting or driving to an appointment. I find that sitting and forward motion are my two levels of activity. No wonder the side-to-side strength is compromised. I’ve only been doing these for a week and feel better.

Today Jill and I did a training run which will be my last long run before the Akron half marathon in two weeks. She and I did a lot of run-walk-runs (90 secs run with 30 sec walk break.) I also made sure to walk up the hills in an effort not to stretch my Achilles. I was hoping that it would really help to have my muscles recover with a break ever minute and a half, so ultimately I run 3/4 of the time, walk 1/4 of the time and end up not cramped or injured.

At the start of our almost 10 mile run-walk training run.

We are lucky enough to have some beautiful trails to use for our training run.

There is a lot of wildlife too. In fact, I saw a tiny snake at about mile 8.5 and jumped “a mile”, re-injuring my Achilles that I’m trying to baby. Even thought was a tiny little snake, but I am terrified of snakes so when jumped all my muscles tightened up. Not good.

The rest of today will be dedicated to R-I-C-E (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.)

I did manage to spend 10 whole minutes in an ice bath when I got home and I think it helped. Being in a very cold tub definitely distracted me and at least had my mind focused on how incredibly cold I was feeling!!

Transitions in Food

When the change in the weather comes, my eating habits change too. Last night I made vegetable soup for dinner and added some already cooked brown rice at the last minute. Delicious! Next I’ll be making some pumpkins spice smoothies and pumpkin spice butternut squash soup in the Vita-mix.

How do you deal with the onset of fall? Does the change in weather change your exercise habits? What you eat? Leave a comment in the section below.

Pros and Cons of the Elliptical

September 10, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Podcast Episode 17 – Pros and Cons of the Elliptical

Controversy surrounding the Elliptical was started inadvertently in Episode #5 when Brian Kennel mentioned his thoughts on the Elliptical. In Episode #17 of the Becoming Elli Podcast, Chris and Jill look for answers when they interview a series of experts on their opinions about the use of the elliptical for women over 50.

In this episode you will hear:

The pros and cons of the Elliptical Machine
What to use instead of the elliptical
Mistakes people sometimes make
How to get a great workout on the elliptical
Why some people do not recommend the elliptical for women over 50

Experts interviewed include:

Sara Renard has her Group Fitness Instructor Certification from AFAA (the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America), Personal Trainer certification from NETA (National Exercise Trainers Association.) She is responsible for all of the group fitness instructors at LifeCenter Plus.
Andrew Oravec is a personal trainer, exercise specialist, and group fitness instructor at Summa Wellness Center and has a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from University of Akron. He is a Certified Exercise Physiologist by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Jennifer Stefanik is President of Central Wellness and has her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from Kent State University. She is a Certified Group Exercise Instructor and Certified Health Coach through American Council on Exercise.
Maria Stadelman is a personal trainer at Summa Wellness Center and has a bachelor degree from Ohio University in Exercise Physiology. She has been an athlete her whole life. Maria was interviewed on Episode #1 of Becoming Elli and many women are still downloading and enjoying listening to this episode.
Suzanne LaChance is a fitness specialist, personal trainer and group exercise instructor. She is also a certified Zumba instructor and is Certified by the American College of Sports Medicine as a Exercise Physiologist. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Akron. She works at Summa Wellness Center.
Jacob Weatherbee is a fitness specialist who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from the University of Akron and has a certification in Exercise Physiology through American College of Sports Medicine. He also works at Summa Wellness Center.
Mark Feakes is the Director at LifeStyles North at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. He has a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Akron and has many years of experience as a certified personal trainer as well.

Prices for various Elliptical Machines vary. Here are some elliptical machines that may be workable for home use.
Disclosure: these photos link to the Amazon affiliate program, where a portion of a purchase might help offset the expenses associated with the podcast and website.

Ride Review: Trying out the Cyclebar Cycling Studio

September 8, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

This past week, the nearby Cyclebar cycling studio had a coupon for a free week of cycling so I tried out a class on Labor Day Monday. For the free trial, you log into their website, reserve a seat ahead of time and they assign you a bike location.

When I walked into the reception area, the first thing I noticed was how new and shiny everything looked. The young woman at the front desk directed me to the row of little iPads so I could check in, get my seat assignment, and borrow shoes, if needed. I had brought my own clip-in shoes, but they had lots of new-looking bike shoes to use if you didn’t own your own bike shoes.

My first impression of Cyclebar:

They were trying very hard to make everything a really great experience.
clean
friendly
organized
energized

Next, I moved into the open locker area. There were several benches to sit and change shoes.

The wall in the “locker” room had lots of encouraging quotes and phrases, which are so popular these days. Each locker had it’s own assignable combination, so you could lock your stuff up without worrying about it.

The third room in the place is the workout area – the cycling studio theater. It was immediately clear to me that this was designed to be an “experience.” With 48 cycle seats and only 2 empty, it was a packed house.

The bikes were all matching Schwinns. They all seemed very new, clean and fully functional. Crisp, white towels were rolled up and set on left hand side of each bikes’s handlebars.

The room was dark. With my eyes, it was very hard to see where the indicator marks should be set for the seat adjustments and handlebars, so I just guesstimated based on my experience from spinning at my gym. Because it was a “free trial day”, there were a lot of first timers, including the woman next to me who asked me how to set her seat. Of course, it was my first time there too, but I tried to help her. When there are so many people in the class, it’s hard for the instructor to get to everyone before the class starts. I tried to give her some help, but I really doubt that she was set up correctly.

Our instructor was extremely fit and very energetic. He used lots of hand motions and was very animated. He wore a headset microphone, so he didn’t have to shout. It was definitely a good sound system. The music was loud, but not ear splitting. I didn’t recognize any the songs, but I think there might have been a Bruce Springsteen one near the end of our session.

The instructor gave us lots of directions. I felt that with so many instructions throughout the session, it was difficult for me to get into the groove of the music by just closing my eyes and riding. Maybe it was just because this was my first time and everything seemed so new and different.

From a marketing standpoint, the Cyclebar franchise positions their “Rock Your Ride” theater experience as a feeling between a “sanctuary and rock concert.”

There were lots of colorful lights (mostly red) that the instructor played with all the time throughout the 45-minute class. I guess that was part of the rock concert feel. Once we got going, it was a bit of sensory overload for me. Maybe the music was curated for someone in their 30’s or 40’s. There were 3 or 4 battery operated candles in front of the instructor’s bike. My friend never even noticed the candles until she was leaving, because they were too low. I only saw them when he got off his bike and was moving them around, but wondered why they were there. After reviewing their website, I now figure that was a nod to the sanctuary feel.

The ride had a really good warm up at the beginning. I liked that the bikes’ monitors actually showed the resistance level on the mini screen and the mini screen stays lit up for the duration the ride. At the beginning of each song, the instructor would give us a number range for resistance (in the photo below, mine is set at a 6) and RPM (89). From my spinning classes I knew what the RPM was, but I wasn’t used to actually seeing the resistance level – I had always just thought of the resistance as easy, medium or hard. It was kinda nice to actually see the number that correlated to the resistance of what I just felt as easy, medium or hard. The instructor didn’t really talk about hills or jumps. I don’t think the idea of this particular ride was to mimic outdoor riding at all.
The handlebars had about 6 places to hold onto and I liked the bar up the center so you could lean your elbows down on the handlebars with your hands along the top in the middle.

During the class, there was a lot of moving around on the bike: up and back, down and forward. I guess that is supposed to work your core. It felt a bit weird seeing the whole room standing and bowing to the music. It was like a sea of people. With the lights flashing and everyone moving together to the music, it made me a little bit dizzy for a minute because of the mirrors and where I was located in the room.

One of the songs utilized two bar weights that were included down the front fork of each bike. I’d say they were about 3 or 4 pounds each, but I only did it for a couple of moves with them. I’ve tried a weighted ride before and I know that, without proper form, this is a good way for me to strain my back. I’m pretty conservative when it comes to getting injured, so I just put the bar back in place and did the hand motions of out and up with the rest of the class. (Okay, I’m a wimp!)

Most interesting is the scoreboard. From time to time, it would rank everyone in the room in number terms. I’m still not sure what all the numbers mean. The instructor only let it flash it up on the screen a few times, before turning it off. He’d show the whole class, and then the top 5 riders or maybe the top two. I guess he didn’t want people to obsess about their ranking during the ride.

When I looked around, most people were wearing a plain tank top with no writing on it. I couldn’t tell if they had bike shorts or regular shorts on and had a bike pad under their shorts.

The air conditioning was cranking when we first walked into the place and it felt cold in the front rooms, but about 15 minutes into the session I was wondering if he was going to turn on the fans. Granted, I sweat a lot, but there were an awful lot of people in one room working out and it was one very hot Labor Day weekend here in Northeast Ohio.

At the 45 minute mark, the ride was over and while we stretched, one of the staff members passed out damp disposable wipes for each person to disinfect their bike. They mentioned that another class was about to start in 30 minutes.

The bike that I was assigned to was up against the mirror. There were four of us in this position. While it looked like I had lots of room – because of the mirror – when it was time to stretch at the end of class, my arm was hitting the mirror.

The instructor went over near the exit door of the cycling studio and greeted each person with a fist bump as they left. He left the scoreboard up on the screen so everyone could read it as they cleaned off there bikes and left the room.

When we walked into the locker room area, another staff member handed out face clothes. I think the thing I liked very best about the entire experience was these little face cloth towels, all rolled up, smelling like lavender, wet and cool when we walked out. It reminded me of the Japanese custom of passing out little cloths after a meal and also on the airplane on the way to Japan.

Because it was a full class, the locker room was extremely tight as we got our belongings out of the lockers. At first there wasn’t enough room to switch into street shoes, so we waited a bit for things to clear out. I’m not sure why, but it reminded me of a ride at an amusement park that I had just completed — Maybe it was the flashing colorful lights and loud music. And that the theater room was so dark. By comparison, the locker room was very bright and cheery. The distinct difference between the two reinforced that Cyclebar is set up to be a very well-planned experience, not just a workout.

It was fun to do this over the holiday weekend. They mentioned that they had a special running – monthly unlimited memberships are $99/mo which compares favorably to their drop-in rate of $20 a class.

After I got home, found an email sent to me with my results. You can also log into their website to see how you did. Here is the screen captures.

Truthfully, I’m not exactly sure the significance of the numbers, except for the calorie burn. They never asked for my weight, so I’m not sure how accurate the calories are. By comparison, my FitBit showed I only burned 311 calories during the 45 minutes of the actual ride, but it also showed another 97 calories in the first 15 minutes after class too. So I’d say my actual total calorie burn for the class was 408. Not too bad for a Monday morning!

Later I noticed on their website, you can go back to your class to click on the instructor’s play list and it is connected to Spotify. I don’t have a Spotify account, but if I did, I’m sure I would like being able to do this.

Do you have a Cyclebar studio near you? If you’ve tried it, what did you think? What new workout have you tried lately? Anything out of the ordinary?

What I’ve Learned During Six Years of Yoga Practice

September 1, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

The thought of a “Yoga Practice” used to intimidate the heck out of me.

I had a lot of preconceived notions about yoga. For most of my life, I thought that yoga was made up of lot of impossible poses that looked very possibly painful. I pictured a session filled with an instructor calling out unusual animal names for poses and routines like dolphin, cow, alligator and up dog/downward dog… and me flopping around on a mat trying to get into odd positions. In my minds eye, all the others in the class would be tall, thin, limber people, who would immediately go into the routine without looking around trying to figure out what the heck we were doing. And there would be weird music. Weird incense smells. And maybe even some weird religious stuff.

In 2006, after I had hurt both ankles and was moving less and less (and gaining more & more weight), my marketing firm was asked to help develop a marketing program for a new local yoga studio that was moving into town. There were a couple women on the staff who were very excited to work on this, as they loved yoga.

Not me! Since I had never ever done yoga before, I would make that squinty-up-nose face with a slight shake of my head at the very thought of yoga. NO WAY will you ever drag me into a yoga class. I was more than happy to leave the whole yoga project to someone else!

It didn’t help that the owner was a thin, incredibly muscular woman who insisted that power yoga was not for sissies as it was “incredibly challenging.” She confirmed for me that I didn’t want anything to do with the project and definitely didn’t want to think about developing a yoga practice of my own.

However, in 2012, when some of my good bike-riding friends mentioned that we should all take a yoga class together, I remember thinking “UGH-OH, I don’t know the first thing about yoga.” That was enough for me to explore what yoga is all about. I fully expected to hate it. But I didn’t want to look foolish in front of my friends. (Many of my friends never did go do yoga, but it got me going!)

So I started with a yoga “fusion” class that was part work-out with a little Pilates and a little yoga thrown into the moves. It was in a closed room with about four other women. The instructor was very friendly and not at all intimidating. The music was fun. That gave me the courage to try other classes. Vinyasa Flow. Restorative Yoga. Power Yoga.

Over the next six years, I’ve taken different types of yoga classes at different places/studios with different instructors.

And guess what? Some of the things I dreaded about it, I love now.

Things I have grown to love about my yoga practice:

music
breathing
learning how to relax
trying new things
building mental toughness

I have come to understand that EVERYONE is in a different phase of yoga. That is the practice part.

I also know that there area some instructors I really love and there are some that I just won’t take a class with. There seems to be as many different types of yoga experiences as there are different types of studios and people.

Some of the things I worried about are the things that I really enjoy now. Getting calm and centering my mind. Paying attention to my breathing. Adjusting where my body is in a pose to get a little deeper or straighter or stay a little longer with it.

I still don’t like instructors who try to intimidate you with their knowledge or attitude. (But that feeling is not limited to yoga!)

I’ve only encountered two of those. I’ve taken many classes now and over the last 6 years I have found about 15 instructors who are amazing, kind, thoughtful, and earnest in providing a wonderful experience.

I found out that you don’t have to be perfect to start. In fact, you shouldn’t expect yourself to be good at all to start. And learning to silence that constant negative voice in your head that is judging yourself is all part of learning yoga and improves with practice.

I also learned that it is called a practice because you’re on a continuum. Always learning. Always improving. (It’s kinda like BECOMING ELLI… we’re all on our way to becoming!)

I have also learned that it is a good opposite to running, Yoga has become part of my cross training for muscles, joints and ligaments that are over used and not stretched enough.

There are still plenty of hard parts:

Sitting cross-legged at the beginning of class (if you’re not familiar with it, go ahead and google lotus position for beginners) is still hard for me and I keep my ankles on the mat and don’t get my foot up on my thigh.
Although I love to relax in child’s pose, my big toes don’t exactly touch each other and my knees are still a bit tight, making it hard for me to get deep into the pose. But that is okay.
All the poses: I’m still learning. Balancing. Stretching. Adjusting.
And doing corpse pose at the end of class, where you just lay there, is still challenging because you-just-lay-there. But it also feels so good.

So, if you don’t do yoga, my challenge to you is to try a yoga class. Be open to it. To remember that EVERYONE who currently does yoga, also had their first day. Select a gentle yoga class to begin and arrive early to check out the instructor. Get the vibe to see how they may react to you.

If you are currently doing yoga, what are you working on right now? What do you like most about it? What still bothers you?

-Chris

A Workout Wrap up from Last Week’s Fitness

August 27, 2018 / Chris Brown / 7 Comments

Most weeks I have a plan for working out but sometimes my week just rolls along. That’s how I felt about last week’s workouts.

Monday – rest day – restorative yoga

After lots of driving for sister weekend, Monday’s workout consisted of a restful day. I find that weekends are usually a busy time for me, so having a Monday yoga class at my gym fits well into the schedule. Restorative yoga is a workout for the brain where you help your body learn to relax. I am learning how to let go, focus on breathing and getting my body to relax.

Tuesday – slow jog

The goldenrod are just starting to open up in this field near my run/jog/walk.

The weather wasn’t cooperating very much on Tuesday, but I did manage to get a few miles in. Tricky with my Achilles Tendonitis acting up, so I keep the pace very slow and tried not to think about the 13.1 miles coming up the end of September.

Wednesday – 17 mile ride

This is my screen capture from Strava, an app on my phone that tracks miles, elevation and speed.

I had a nice ride with my bike riding group through Cuyahoga Valley. We started at Brandywine Falls and rode up to the lookout above Tinkers Creek. Two minutes into my ride, my Catseye mileage thing popped off my handlebars so I turned around to find it. Then I spent the next 5 miles really pedaling hard, trying to catch the front group. That got me breathing hard and it felt good. There’s one pretty big hill that also got my heart pumping hard, so by the end of the ride, I felt I had earned our potluck supper.

Thursday – missed a run

I had planned to run with a running group that I found through a woman at my gym, but ended up having to work late. Boo. 🙁

Friday – gardening

I didn’t get all my steps in, but managed to burn over 2000 calories anyway. Did a bit of gardening, but I feel can’t really call it a workout because I didn’t do a whole lot of heavy breathing. I did get some bending and stretching in.

Saturday – walk/slow jog

I notice when I walk instead of run, I tend to see more things. How many times have I run past this little mini garden without noticing?

When I woke up my ankle was acting up again. Feeling stiff mostly. So Saturday’s workout consisted of an hour of walking and slow jog. I listened to an upcoming podcast of Becoming Elli after doing some production work on it, so I was able to multi task to use the time to do an audio proofread of the podcast. I’m psyched about the one that is going to be published on Tuesday. I’m eager to hear your comments on it.

Meanwhile, I did some icing on my calf and ankle when I got back home, followed by heat from the rice bag. It felt better.

Sunday – 51 mile ride
My big cardio workout of the week turned about to be a bike ride instead of a run, which was more fun and a better workout than I would have gotten on my sore ankle. Four of us took the Valley Parkway up to the marina near the lake, had lunch and rode back. There was a big steep hill at about mile 48, but I managed to ride it all the way up for the final push. Definitely a big effort and a great way to start this next week.

After I got home, my husband and I went to the gym to go swimming. Definitely loosened up my muscles! A great way to finish the weekend.

Workout Wrap Up

This link goes to other women fitness bloggers who do a weekly workout wrap up accountability link up. The Weekly Wrap is organized by the rope-climbing Wendy and Holly, who’s starting a new empty-nest normal. I’m also linking to Liz, a writer who runs in ~~London~~ actually in Birmingham, in the Midlands. – Chris

Rejuvenate with a Hike along the GAP

August 25, 2018 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

If you’re like me and your legs get stiff from driving too long, you might enjoy taking some time and rejuvenate with a hike. This little waterfall treasure is an oasis located in Rockwood, Pennsylvania, which is about 10 miles south of the Somerset exit #110 on the PA turnpike.

Why was I in the middle of Western PA taking a photo of this little waterfall? It was part of an annual tradition of Sisters Weekend. You see, I grew up with three sisters. We are close in age – my parents had four daughters within five years – and even now, we are still close to each other, although the miles separate us.

The four of us try to meet up once a year to reconnect. Usually we pick a place that is about halfway from our houses. This year only two of us could make it, so we skipped the regular routine of a Somerset hotel and instead experienced the fun of a vintage Bed and Breakfast.

The Gingerbread House has a beautiful wrap-around porch. Our B&B was a good place to stay for a hot shower, cozy bed and delicious breakfast in the morning.

The Gingerbread House B&B has little outdoor sitting area with a bike stand just behind the house.

The B&B we selected is just a few steps off the GAP – the Great Allegheny Passage – which is a bike trail that runs 150 miles all the way from Pittsburgh, PA to Cumberland, Maryland.

I think it is pretty neat that the GAP connects to the C&O Canal trail and you can ride all the way to Washington DC. The other B&B guests told us it is generally a 6-day bike riding trip to do the whole thing.

Although I didn’t bring my bike on this trip, my sister and I did get a chance to experience it, when we walked along the GAP.

Like many small towns, there wasn’t a lot of activity – just a couple of small restaurants, some small town shopping and a convenience store, but it had a bike shop right off the trail!

This bike shop is where the GAP crosses Rockdale Road in Rockwood, PA.

The hike was just what I needed. It felt so good to stretch my legs and do some walking and talking… especially after sitting in the car for hours to get there, followed by even more sitting at the restaurant for lunch.

The cool waterfalls send off a mist that felt so refreshing. I find there is something really soothing and relaxing about running water!

Hiking in Western Pennsylvania is especially enjoyable. For walking on the GAP, you only need some sneakers or walking shoes, not hiking boots. They do a great job of maintaining it. There are lots of little streams along the trail and the experience makes you feel like you are in the middle of the forest… but without the challenging terrain of rocks, roots and trees to dodge.

Bike riders take this path because the surface is a crushed stone and asphalt, built on top of what used to be the path of the railroads.

Bikes and trains in one piece of art sculpture on the trail.

During our hike we actually saw a lot more walkers than bike riders, but I think it was because we walked during late afternoon.

It’s funny, after doing a lot of driving, I felt tired when I got there, but soon after going for a 3-mile walk with my sister, I got my energy back. Does that happen to you? – Chris

Do you find that using energy gives you back more energy? Have you had good experience staying at a B&B instead of a hotel chain? How do you work in some exercise during a weekend away from home? Who else has a family tradition to stay close to siblings? Leave a message below or more privately on Facebook group.

Mid-August: Run Run Walk Run

August 18, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I’m back to training for the Akron half marathon at the end of September. The MS150 ride is a great cross training for running, but nothing really prepares you for a long run than… well… running.

Despite the humidity, I love a mid-August run:

It is still officially summer
Lots of flowers along the trails
Time to reflect during the run
Great feeling of accomplishment after a good run

When I started this training run, I remember feeling a bit out of breath and had to remind myself, “Start slow. Give your body a chance to warm up.”

It’s funny. All these times I’ve been running, there is something that makes me want to go too fast at first. My blood has to start pumping a little more. Heart beating a little harder. And then about 7 or 8 minutes into it, I’m not sure what it is, but my arteries feel like they are open and I really like running again.

I’m pretty sure it’s not just me. Does this happen to you too, when you start exercising? I feel the most like quitting during the first 8 minutes. And then it’s not too bad.

It really gets good about a 30 minutes into it. The endorphins start pumping and I get that “You are rocking this” feeling. I guess that’s the runner’s high they talk about. I think that’s one of the many reasons I love running.

Knowing that feeling is coming helps me keep going to get over that starting hump that I’ve got to break through to get to the good part!

For this run, I forgot to bring my head phones, so I just let my mind wander a bit:

Was it only a year ago, running on this same trail and running a little more than 7 miles — that I farther than I ever did in my life! What a feeling of accomplishment.
What is a good mantra for today? Click thru to get the Becoming Elli list of mantras. I wanted to pick a simple one to say to myself during the beginning of this run. I ended up just using a two syllable mantra that I chanted to myself: “Elli! Elli” EL (left foot down.) LI (Right foot down.) EL (left foot.) LI (Right foot.). EL (left.) LI (right.)
I daydreamed about how in the heck did she beat Thor anyway? It must have been the training! Bet she was lifting weights and doing one legged squats.
Maybe doing more one legged squats would be good for me. Good for balance. Good for strength. Good for my Achilles. (I use straps, still working on “just” me.)

By this point I had captured my breath. Since the last few weeks have really been devoted to riding, not running, I didn’t want to over do it on my Achilles, so I adopted a run, run, walk, run pattern.

It was actually three minutes running, one minute walking, but I tacked the last run on after the walk, just because it helps me psych myself out by breaking up the run with a walk in between. I look at those four minutes as a set and then keep repeating it throughout the workout.

I tried not to think about the humidity. But I know my heart rate is faster and my pace is slower with the same amount of exertion, when the humidity is high.

Mid-August seems early for school to start, but it started around here this week. There were lots of kids standing at the end of their driveways, waiting for the bus.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t see very many people while I was out doing the run.

Over the 45 minute period, I saw one walker, one bike rider and one other runner. Ironically, I actually recognized two of the three people. They were from my gym. That makes me smile. Having the routine of regularly going to the gym keeps me staying fit, doing my exercise and expands my friendships. And I guess that works for other people that go to my gym too.

The more you do… the more you do. The more you can do.

All in all, I didn’t run extremely far. And I didn’t run extremely fast. But I was out there, putting one foot in front of the other.

I made my walking cool-down really fun by taking photos of some of the blooms I enjoyed during my mid-August run. Goldenrod. Queens Anne Lace. Joe Pye Weed. These flowers are fleeting and in another month, most will be gone. Just like the summer days!

MS150 Bike Ride Recap

August 11, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

Last Saturday and Sunday I rode in the Buckeye Breakaway bike ride fundraiser. It supports the National MS Society and also the folks in Ohio who have MS. Multiple Sclerosis is not well understood. They don’t know what causes it. Sometimes it will go into remission and go away… only to return years later. And they don’t know how to cure it. My sister was diagnosed with it about 13 or 14 years ago, so I have a personal connection to this disease.

Saturday morning – sun just coming up. Preparing for the 2018 MS150 ride.

Perhaps you have someone who has had trouble with MS, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, mental illness or any number of other diseases and have thought about doing a walk, run, ride or other physical fundraiser to help combat the disease. Personally, I like these kinds of fundraisers much more than a fancy dinner or a silent auction.

The Skiers On Bikes team raised over $10,000 this year and over $120K to date to combat MS.

I think being involved in something that is challenging, something you have to train for, plan for, and raise money for gives it more meaning.

Here is my bike ride recap of the 2018 Buckeye Breakaway:

Organization: The MS150 ride is extremely organized. They have been doing this for years. I mean, they even brought extension plugs so there would be plenty of plugs to charge our phones in the gym. It was easy to know where to go with all the signs and they outdid themselves once again with the Start and Finish blow up signs at the beginning and end of each day. When you create an account you can make your own personal page to explain your reason for fundraising. And our team website was updated instantly when someone made an online donation. Checks take them a lot longer to post. We had lots of emails from the organization with instructions to what to bring, what the schedule was and options for doing different routes. One person on my team did the extra 25 miles loop before lunch for a full 100 miles on Saturday. By the way, he is 76 years old and the strongest rider of our team. He says its all in the training. It was his third “century ride” this summer.

Price: It was $20 for me to register for this fundraiser, which is significantly less than many of the races. However, before you are allowed to ride, you have to agree to raise $300 for the fundraiser. There is one team that is sponsored by a brewing company that will pay the registration for you. Of course that was the largest team! While it may seem difficult to raise $300, it is amazing how many people are affected by MS and willing to give a donation.

The ride is 75 miles from Brunswick Ohio to Ashland Ohio with 5 rest stops and an lunch stop.

Location: We started early morning (arriving at 5:30 am) at a high school that is about 1 hour from my house. I was very glad everything was packed the night before. By the time we loaded our luggage on the truck, made a trip to the bathroom, and unloaded the bikes, it was time for a team photo. We got off to an early start with the first riders at about 6:35am.

Course: The course was extremely well marked with white spray paint at the intersections before and after turns, as well as green signs. Rest stops had large signs. The ride had lots of hills, however for the most part they were rolling. It would be really tough running, but most hills would allow you to get some speed up going down and on the flat before they went back up again. This is where I was thrilled to have what’s known as a “granny” gear… a third gear in the front of my sprocket. It allows me to pedal up a hill at 3 to 4 miles an hour. The trick is changing gears at the right moment so you don’t lose momentum, but it’s not too hard to pedal. There were potholes on the route – after all, this is Ohio! But most of them were well marked. The best thing about the course this year is that it was almost all back roads and neighborhoods – not 50-55 mph highways or congested roads. While I was always on my guard, it felt much safer and I don’t think that there were any accidents.

Rest Stop Food: Throughout the day there are 5 rest stops with fresh fruit (bananas, oranges, peaches, grapes) and junk food (peanut butter crackers, potato chips, fritos, peanuts, candy) as well as huge coolers of water and Gaterade. It was the ice that made me the happiest during the hot afternoons!

Lunch Food: The lunch stop was at a school and had more food than I can list. At least seven types of sandwiches, five types of salads, four choices of fruits, six types of beverages. It’s a bit of a blur. Many people say, “This is the only 150 mile bike ride where you will gain weight!” And they are not kidding! Although throughout the year I make it a point to never eat potato chips, I did make an exception for this ride and had a bag each day for the salt.

I took this screen grab when we were relaxing under the tent at the after party on Saturday.

After Ride Food: After the first day, there is a beer tent and you’re given 3 beer tickets. I am not much of a beer drinker and only had about a half a beer. Actually I was much more interested in the salty snacks. We had an incredible all-you-want-to-eat dinner at Ashland University’s award winning cafeteria which had a six food stations (main course, steamed vegetables, pasta bar, deli, grill and dessert) and a salad bar. Did I mention it was all you can eat?! By the time the day was over on Saturday, my FitBit said I burned 4,547 calories. Even still, I tried to make good choices. And I was feeling too tired to eat too much. Something about knowing I would be riding another 75 miles the next day made me feel very much like the food was fuel more so than just enjoying a meal.

Even with drinking one full water bottle between all five stops and at lunch, I still was feeling a bit dehydrated. I think also had parts of two water bottles with Gaterade in them. I make sure I have lots of liquid! I got some sun (my sunblock had sweated off) so I’m sure the sunburn contributed to my feeling dehydrated as well.

Massage: Several different massage therapists volunteer their time to provide massages to the riders. I always take advantage of this, especially after the first day. My shoulders tend to get tight from riding over bumpy roads and honestly, I don’t think about proper form often enough. (Shoulders down and relaxed while riding!) Most of the time I’m chatting with friends, not thinking about keeping my shoulders down. Anyway, a good 20 minute massage sure did feel good for getting my shoulders loosened up again!

Overnight accommodations: There are lots of choices. Some people take the bus home at the end of the first day to make it a one day experience. Others rent a hotel room and there are buses that shuttle the riders. On campus, there are three choices, camping, dorms or the rec center. I prefer to get a good nights sleep in air conditioning, so I selected the rec center. It’s almost brand new and has great showers. We set up in the gym and it was lights out at 9pm. Some folks were asleep already at 7:30, but I know I’d be awake at 3 am if I did that. I managed to keep my eyes open until 8:45! The AC was so cold that even thought I had a sleeping bag, I added an extra shirt in the middle of the night because I was cold. (Maybe the sunburn played a part in that!)

Weather: Our weekend weather was beautiful! Early morning had dew on the grass but no fog, which was great. Mid morning was in the 70’s which is perfect riding temperatures. After lunch it got quite hot, especially on Sunday. I ended up wrapping ice in my neckerchief and allowing it to melt down my back during the bike ride. With the hot sun and temps reaching into the low 90’s, I know that the ice kept me from getting to that overheating point.

Riding with the SOBs on the MS 150 bike ride fundraiser

Loved riding with the SOBs in the back roads of Ohio. The weather was perfect!

Team: I believe I have the best team – we’re called Skiers On Bikes (SOB’s) and we have matching bike jerseys. It makes for good conversation as riders pass us or we pass others. It’s easy to spot your friends in the crowd of other riders as well. There is a lot of good-natured teasing, silly selfies, posing along the route, and especially encouragement to keep mental spirits high. So much of this long ride is a mental game, much more than physical. I think my team members are experts at keeping it light with jokes and silly stories.

Swag – Each one of the riders received a 2018 medal and a participant T-shirt. Top fund raisers get special t-shirts and a bike jersey depending on level of funds raised.

Recovery: After I got home, it sure felt good to sleep. I had iced my Achilles and rolled my legs with the foam roller, but sleep was the real key to my recovery. Deep-beautiful-sleep in my own bed. Monday evening I took a restorative yoga class (the kind of yoga where you lay around in a position for about 10 minutes until your muscles fully relax, then move into another position.) I’ve been drinking lots and lots of water, eating my vitamins, vegetables and making sure I get enough protein. I have done some walking, but today I will get back into my “normal” routine. And I even have another bike ride planned tomorrow morning!

Funny thing, after the bike ride on Monday morning, I had gained 6 pounds over the weekend! But now, I’m not only down to my pre-ride weight a week later, I’m down two whole pounds. I think it is the salt and water retention. And all the hard work my muscles do. I’m very blessed to be fit.

Lots of training throughout the year with spinning indoors and cycling outside when possible makes this a very satifying and fun experience.

This weekend is my hardest weekend of the year. I have that deep satisfaction of knowing I did something that a few years ago sounded impossible to me. At 61, I’m feeling really proud of myself.

If you’re interested in getting a team going for something like this, I would be glad to talk to you about it. It is deeply satisfying.

What I Have Learned in 7 Years of Training for my Annual 150 Mile Bike Ride

August 4, 2018 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

I’m doing the MS150 bike ride this weekend!

Before I got fit, if you had told me that I’d be comfortable riding 150 miles on a bicycle, I would have thought you were crazy.

The first ride I took with the team I eventually joined, I remember really wanting to turn around before we had even ridden 4 miles. I was riding a hybrid-style bike with big heavy tires and a wide puffy seat. I thought it would be comfortable, but I now know that a street bike with skinny tires and a tiny seat, that fits my sit bones, is way more comfortable and easier to ride.

It all started in winter of 2011 when I tried spinning at my gym. I signed up to do the 150-mile bike ride. This year is my 7th year in a row. I ride it every year as a fundraiser for MS research with my “Skiers On Bikes” team.

Besides being a good way for me to stay in shape, build some wonderful friendships and enjoy a hobby that has become my favorite spare time activity, I’ve raised lots of money for a very important cause.

2011 with the Raleigh Record

My First Year
I knew I couldn’t make it all 150 miles on that hybrid bike, so I looked for an old street bike at yard sales. I found a Raleigh Record and bought it for $35. We put new tubes and tires into it.

That first year it took me all day for the first half of 75 miles. It was hot, hot, hot and I really wasn’t sure I was going to be able to complete it.

The second day it rained. (NO, actually it poured.) But I fell in love with bike riding. Since then I’ve since invested in a different bike, some additional equipment and have pedaled thousands of miles.

Since then, all that bike riding has taught me about fueling my body. Riding lots of training rides has helped.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in training for this 150 mile bike ride for 7 years in a row:

Weather:

You can’t control the weather, so quit worrying about it. I try to plan for bad weather, but enjoy the good weather! (Wear sun screen and sunglasses. Bring a raincoat.)
You can enjoy the bad weather too because it makes you appreciate the good weather more! (Wear a baseball cap to keep the rain out of your eyes.)
When there is snow and ice everywhere, don’t try to ride outside! Go skiing instead to enjoy the weather!

Food:

Potlucks are fun, but it is really easy to overeat.
Don’t bring chocolate covered energy bars on a hot bike ride. They melt.
Pack something that keeps (like nuts or packaged gels) so you have extra energy with you if you really need it.
Two water bottles are better than one.

Other Riders:

Don’t compare yourself to the other riders. Everyone else has their story, their training history, their injuries and their motivation for riding.
Don’t leave anyone behind. It’s important to build the confidence of new riders so they will join you again next time. And sometimes YOU will be the slow rider.
Make it more fun by riding with other people. This keeps me coming back for more. And I’ll show up even when I’ve had a bad day because I already told someone else I was riding.
Be vocal so people know what you’re doing. Ring a bell to alert people. Watch out for the other guy but make your own decisions in crossing roads, merging and deciding where to stop.

Equipment:

Bicycle pants with a padded butt are worth the money.
Learning how to fix a flat tire is a very good thing. And it’s even better when you can help someone else.
It takes practice and time to build the muscle memory so that riding a bike is more automatic. I’m talking about the toe clips that attach my sandals to the pedals, two hand breaks on the handlebars and left/right gear shifters for the front and rear gears.
Toe clips give you A LOT more power. If you aren’t comfortable with biking shoes being locked onto the pedals, baskets that you slip your toes into also help and are quicker to release.
Flashing lights helps drivers and other bikes see you.
Storage is good. I have a handlebar pack for a raincoat and a light, a seat pack for a spare tube, tools and a CO2 cartridge, as well as a fanny pack for my epipen/phone and cash.

Saturday morning (today), we leave the parking lot around 6:30 am when the sun comes up, ride 75 miles and I expect we’ll get to Ashland University around 2 pm or so. Then Sunday morning we’ll do the same ride in reverse.

I promis to write a re-cap next week with photos to let you know how it went. – Chris
Leave a comment or question below.