Narrative: (Duration – 60.00 mins) → My Nike Line
Really good run today; probably the best that I have had a few days now. I pulled back a bit on the intensity but racketed the incline (15-25°) and kept the step up in the high 70s to 80s. Slow down a bit to the end, but nothing like my last run. That’s it for today… Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 48.28 mins) → My Nike Line
Took a day in between my last run, but it appears I still have not gotten my full wind back as yet. Started getting side cramps at the 4 mile mark – most likely due to dehydration. At any rate, run at a 2.0 resistance between 15-20° incline and stayed well within the 78-84 steps per min (SPM) range. Started to slow down noticeable at the 3.5 – 4mi mark. That’s it for today… Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. By Ta-Nehisi Coates
My thoughts:
This is a seminal piece of writing by one of the most refreshing and bright young black thinker/writer around today. This is certainly a must read for all peoples of conscience (notice I did not say only black folks). It will or should cause us all to think about the vicious damage that the hateful scourge of racism, in its myriad forms, has caused and continue to cause in the black experience in America. The conversation must be started, this certainly is an opening.
Narrative: (Duration – 34.57 mins) → My Nike Line
Well, it has been a few days since my last run. I was hard down since Monday with the cold which came on pretty hard and heavy. I was able to get in a 3 mile walk today; body’s about 75%… hould be back to the high 90’s in a couple of day. That’s it for today… Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 46.17 mins) → My Nike Line
Really good run today after a good day off after my 9 miler a couple days ago. I have been pretty sore since Saturday afternoon it is not even funny. Today I had some trepidation but I got over it and had a really good time. I ran pretty hard on the elliptical keeping the tension at 2.0 but the steps at 78 – 82 spm. I was able to complete 5.0 miles in just over 46 min at a 9:15 pace. Wore the JBLs again; it felt aaight. That’s it for now… Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 90.00 mins) → My Nike Line
Early run on a cool Saturday morning. Damn it feels good to have a treadmill. Ran a solid 90min run so roughly at a 10min pace; actually I varied between 9:25 and 10:35 pace. Got really tired at the 5mile mark – guess that is just due to lack of experience and anticipation of going on longer runs. Still having issues with my Nike+ dongle…will just have to work through it. Wore some bluetooth earphones by JBL, they were solid for the most part; will have to give them a quite a test before I will say I like. That’s it for now… Good livin’…just keep on movin’
So, I finished up my round of health checks for the year over the last few weeks. Here is where I stand. By virtue of race, I am predisposed to a few things like high cholesterol, high cholesterol, high blood pressure. Additionally, I have been suffering (more or less) from lack of sleep. So here is where this 40-something stands in these areas; you might be familiar with some of the medical jargon, while not so much with others:
* Overall assessment is good. Doctor advise going back on statin to get down my Total and LDLs. I have been off them for a few years now.
I suppose my overall general status would be somewhere slightly above good; so between my daily workout schedule and pushing myself to eat properly, I hope to improve my numbers above over the coming days, weeks, months and years. I have to, in order to early my retirement…smile!
Narrative: (Duration – 64.00 mins) → My Nike Line
Started a bit later than I intended to and did not go as long as I intended to. At any rate I did get a pretty good workout in on the elliptical. I am started to become distracted by my Nike+ measuring device. It simply is not as responsive as I would like it to be and as a result it is taking away from workout. That being said, I am resolve to replace it with either the Fuel Band or a Garmin device. I have not totally made up my mind as yet. I would also not discount MIO. Today I kept the resistance to level 2, cranked up the incline to 17 and went for just over an hour. The level of intensity to moderate – I was too distracted with the freaking Nike+ device. So, I am still in for my 90+ workout for this week. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 49.00 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 3: Got a bit back on track as hoped to last night. Pretty good 5-miler on the elliptical, wife got the treadmill today. Pretty much hit a low resistance with high step count – roughly between 77-82 per minute with a 2-resistance and a 15degree incline. I did experience some hiccups with the dongle, but not as bad as last night. I will play it by air tomorrow. I do need a long workout (90min) in there somewhere. I don’t feel like skipping a day to rest up for it, so I will play it by ear. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 52.26 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 2: Pretty late workout in the dark, but got it done nonetheless. The female unit was on the elliptical so I settled down on the treadmill, got into a pretty little groove and just got it done. For some reason I think my Nike+ dongle is messing up, but that is ok, I will have to look into getting something a bit more reliable soon for me and the female unit. I felt a bit sluggish, but pushed through. Will try to get back on schedule tomorrow – meaning earlier workouts so that I am not revved up before my sleep. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 54.36 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 1: This is the beginning of Phase 2 (120 miles in 6 weeks). The 1st phase, as I stated in my previous post was to push myself to remain active at least 4 times per week over a 6 week period. I was successful in that endeavor, so I decide to move into a more directed phase; so this is it. Today I started on the elliptical for 30 minutes and then finished up on the treamill for a total of 5mi. It felt ok all around. I think tomorrow I will go for a 90-minuter; I haven’t had one of those in awhile. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 45.0 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 13; Really great treadmill run after a 2 week break to the elliptical. I started with a 6mph 0 incline, but had to restart the machine due to improper set up. At any rate Nikeplus continues to jip me (grin!). So today is my final run for Phase 1. The goal for Phase 1 was to be active (run/walk) at least 4 times per week for 6 week. I achieve that without issue. Now Phase 2 will be to cover 20 miles/week for 6 weeks. This journey will start today (23OCT14) thru 4 DEC 14). I intend to squash this goal…wish me luck! Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Intense, highly demanding exercise has many health benefits and one signal drawback. It can be physically unpleasant, which deters many people from beginning or sticking with an intense exercise program. An encouraging new study, however, suggests that listening to music makes strenuous workouts feel easier and may nudge people into pushing themselves harder than they had thought possible. Read on at NYT…
My Thoughts: I learn many years ago that working out with music pushes me to great results. I also usually alternate stamina (long 60-90 min) with short intense (30-45min or less).
Narrative: (Duration – 33.0 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 12; Okay elliptical today. Nike+ keeps cheating me on my mileage, but that is ok. I will just have to push through. Pretty much did the same workout as yesterday, but in an abbreviated fashion. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 60.18 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 11; Did the early run today by default. Got up at 0530 and hit the elliptical at 0603. Went at little to no resistance for first 20, then kicked it up to a resistance of 2.0 and alternated with various position/movement through 60 mins. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 91.41 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 10; Not terribly stressful, just a nice long workout on the elliptical again. Really great on the knee. Set it at a resistance of 2.0; I did go up to 4.0 for a very very short period but when back down quite soon thereafter. Body does feel good tho already a long slog. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 45.32 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 9; Another good workout on the elliptical today again. I just set it at resistance of 2.0 and plugged away at a roughly 70+-step per minute pace. Not sure how many steps I did , but needless to say, had a blast. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 60.34 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 8; Pretty good workout on the elliptical today. I just set it at resistance of 4.0 and plugged away at a roughly 70-step per minute pace. I think I covered about 8,000 step through the workout, but don’t quote me on it. This is another favorite cardio routine of mine. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
So, you’ve accumulated what seems like a sufficiently sized nest egg coming into retirement. The next step is to figure out how to get your money out of it.
At first blush, the answer seems simple: Buy income-producing securities–bonds and dividend-paying stocks–and call it a day. When yields are higher, so is your payday; when they’re lower, you have to get by on less. Continue reading
My thoughts: I find Christine Benz’s columns on all things investing and retirement very informative and accessible. Here is one on retirement withdrawal strategy.
Narrative: (Duration – 60.15 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 7; Pretty good incline walk today and then ran a 6.5mph last 10min. I really like this workout. I started at 5° incline at 5mph and then worked down 1° every 5mins. Then at 50min I moved to 6.5mph at 2°. With this workout I am working incline and speed. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 47.44 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 6; Said I would take it easy today but felt really good starting out. Pretty much ran a 8:11ish mile up to the 3mi point and then went down to a 9:31mi for the rest. Still no calisthenics yet…working on it. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Narrative: (Duration – 30.01 mins) → My Nike Line
Day number 5; Not sure why but felt really tired today. Promised to take it a bit easier tomorrow. I still have to work in some push ups sits up and a bit of weights. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
A 22-year-old photographer was gang-raped by five men in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Thursday, evoking comparisons with a similar incident in Delhi in December that led to nationwide protests…Continue Read @ Reuters
Thoughts: Downright friggin’ disgusting and every male within Indian society should be ashamed of this. It’s like every week you hear about this sh!t happening in India. The people (mainly women) it seems take to the street in protest, but it all dies down and a few weeks later another episode. Doesn’t the fact that this is making international news move the leadership of this huge country to take action; how about the men taking this for action. This is friggin’ out of control already – who the heck are these dudes who continue to conduct such vile actions against the women of their country? I would support public execution…it is full time this crap stops.
Thoughts: Excellent article below from USAA on preparing to retire. I don’t necessarily subscribe to tip 1 though. I think that anyone who retires as late as 70 will not have a relaying retire; most die a few years after. Yeah, I get the “we will live until age 90” bit, but that’s pretty much speculating on a future – it’s like saying, “if you get 8% on your portfolio you will become a million year”. I am a little more pragmatic in my approach to life – do keep an eye on the future, but live a little now.
More people are working longer to maintain their standard of living in retirement. Are you prepared?
In the hectic daily grind of maintaining a career, you might feel that planning for your retirement years can wait. The truth is that, without regularly setting aside a portion of your income during your prime earning years, having to work during your golden years to make ends meet could become a harsh reality. Continue reading @ USAA...
Narrative: (Duration – 60 mins)
Day number 4; Ok run today. Pretty much uphill walk/run intensity. Felt pretty tired afterwards – I did not do much after; need to work on push ups and a weights a bit more a bit of weights. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
How do expectations, particularly teacher expectations, affect students in the U.S.? Are standards high enough? Does Common Core, which has been adapted by some states, set the bar too high?
These are all questions that Center for American Progress senior fellow Ulrich Boser has tried to unpack in an issue brief (pdf), and there is a simple answer: Students do better when more is expected of them…Continue Reading
Thoughts: Teachers have a hard job – yeah, got it. That being said, however, I will never give over my kids education to the anyone. Racism still runs rampant in our society and a fair amount of racists in our classrooms.
Narrative: (Duration – 30.2 mins)
Day number 3; Pretty intense run today. Probably the hardest and fastest – I did a bit of weights and push ups. Good livin’…just keep on movin’
Q: “At what net worth should I consider getting a money manager?”
A: There is no magic number for when you need help. Similarly, you don’t have to wait for your net worth to hit a certain mark to seek out the services of a pro…MSNM
I go the index funds (Vanguard and USAA) route with a mix of 401ks from former employees and individual stocks that I have purchased over the years. I manage my own portfolio but I am eyeing the Vanguard Personal Advisor Services program that is piloting right now.
This is an absolute must read…
Tom Frieden remembers the young woman with the beautiful hair, dyed a rusty gold and braided meticulously, elaborately, perhaps by someone who loved her very much. She was lying facedown, half off the mattress. She had been dead for hours, and flies had found the bare flesh of her legs. Washington Post
In 2006, Chinese American scholar Minxin Pei published a book called “China’s Trapped Transition.” In it, he invoked the most established “law” in political science — that over time, countries that grow economically tend to become more democratic. (Oil-rich states are the exception.) China had achieved decades of growth, Pei pointed out, yet had made almost no moves toward openness…Read more