Laughing Wolf
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Embed Prep: Physical Training Report 2
Okay, I was right. In the first report, I said I thought I might need Tiger Balm. That and large amounts of Aleeve, though I didn’t think so at first.
The first real session after the assessment was so light, I was questioning how much I would get out of the effort. Sure, there were trunk rotation, dead lifts, crunches, and a step exercise, but they didn’t seem like a lot. Didn’t feel it to be very honest.
The second session, well, there is an expression “Be careful what you wish for” and I did get it. We started out in the nice air-conditioned gym on a Free Motion machine, doing “axe chops” up and down. Not sure why one would do them up that way, but that is indeed the motion. We then went to a specialized room that was warm, as in no air conditioner and open to the heat outside, as he wanted to start preparing me for the heat in Iraq as best he could—bless his heart. He also fully introduced me to the fact that he regards my balance and coordination as needing serious improvement (and he’s right), so… We did fast feet, push-up/leg back on the core board, front raises, planks, bungee row, box jumps, ball walkouts, and more.
The third session was also hot and equally intense. Front raises, fast feet, bicep curls, side box jumps, leg lifts, med ball smashes, side planks, overhead med ball tosses, walking lunges, and a few other things in the heat. It was very hot, and I did have to take a break in the middle for a couple of minutes. I also learned that I need to drink lots of water before starting, and maybe a little less coffee close to our start time…
One of his goals is to push me up into performance cardio range, which for me is 165-170. A little higher periodically is not a bad thing, and he has succeeded with that according to the Polar as I peaked at about 180 bpm at one point. According to the Polar, we are burning close to 5,000 calories each session now, and I like that. Less thrilled with the stiffness and soreness that shows up. Normally, when I work out I feel things a couple of days after I do them. With R, not so much. I’ve been feeling some of this almost as soon as we finish and the next day finds me quite stiff and sore. Which is good.
Word of the day: ouch. 
LW
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Some Thoughts On Gear: Boots
Outside of doctors doing interesting things to my person, I think the most pain in life I’ve ever had came from shoes or boots that were not quite right or not quite broken in.
Not quite right encompasses several things, both from the quality of the boot to the fact that I had odd sized feet (long and very narrow) for most of my youth. Not quite broken in, well, that speaks for itself.
Once I find good boots or shoes, I tend to wear them until they fall apart. Part of it is my personality, in that I don’t like change just for change sake, and I also don’t believe in getting rid of something that is still good or works unless there is a compelling reason. This is doubly so for boots, as a good pair of boots are worth their weight in gold.
Growing up, I tried several brands of hiking boots. Most of the changes had to do with growth spurts that had my family despairing of the expense until Dad figured out he could wear my hand-me-downs. The ones I found that I liked were Dunham Continental Tyroleans—an all leather hiking/mountain climbing boot that no longer appears to be made. They were comfortable, had Vibram soles, sturdy, and not too heavy.
Better than that, they were faithful. With care, they lasted and my feet stayed dry, warm, and comfortable. In the summer, my feet did not get too hot, and using the old three-sock (thin inner, athletic middle, and rag wool outer) method, the feet also stayed reasonably dry as sweat and such wicked away.
If you are going to be doing a lot of walking, hiking, backpacking, or other activities that have you on your feet doing and moving, good boots are going to mean more to you than most lovers. They will know your feet much better than any lover, and while a lover gives you pleasure a good pair of boots will save you from pain—which is a pleasure in its own right. I never again want to have to crawl across a floor because my feet were in too much pain from a shoe/boot not being broken in properly. All I can say these days is thank goodness for Aleeve, as it saved me the last time I was foolish enough to do something like that.
My pair of boots lasted me a good 20 years, and even had the Philmont brands on them. Alas, all good things come to an end, and I discovered that my boots were no longer faithful at the top of Ben Vrackie in late January/early February a few years ago. Having snow come into one’s boot and not from around the ankle does tend to wake one up. I’ve been searching for a good replacement since.
For my embed, I had bought a pair of boots from Soldier’s Angels when a very kind anonymous benefactor caused a wonderful pair of desert boots to appear on my doorstep. I don’t know who you are, won’t try to find out, but appreciate them tremendously. No offense to the other pair, but these are just plain wonderful. They fit well, wear well, and have been getting broken in out at the fabled Wolf Park Proving Grounds, where they have been checked out by Echo, Wotan, and Wolfgang. I am doing all I can to get them well broken in before I go, as I can and do learn from past mistakes.
For what it is worth, think of boots and shoes as lovers; try them out and get comfortable with them; and, then treat them well. It will be the start of a great relationship.
LW
Friday, August 31, 2007
Embed Preparations: Physical Training, Pt. 1
Well, I know I’ve been promising to blog, but life has been a touch hectic of late. That said, I want to start recording some of what is going on as I prepare, from activities to thoughts. Given that I oft self-describe as a fat old cripple, one thing that may be of interest (or not) is my preparing physically. There is nothing I can do about age, and it would be better to say that I live in a well used [abused—author’s body] form that has done things from climbing up mountains to jumping out of planes. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I felt some of that use some days, but I can, do, and will get around.
Regular readers know that I started working out again in May, as while I can’t do anything about age and prior use, I can do something about the fat and general condition. I missed working out more than I realized, found a facility and staff on par with (or even better in some respects) than the facility in Huntsville, and have enjoyed it.
That said, a very dear friend said that I needed something more—and they were right. So, I didn’t fight when they hired a personal trainer to work with me. Goals being not just to get ready, but to work on core, flexibility and other issues. I’ve got the feeling that the trainer may have a different idea about “other issues” than do I, as well as potential problem areas.
The initial session has taken place, and it is/was pure assessment. That is, figuring out what type shape I am in and what needs improvement the most. There was expected news and there were some very pleasant surprises. In the unexpected, my percentage of body fat was higher than it should be. One look at my gut told that tale, but… Sitting flexibility wasn’t quite as good as hoped (right around average), but my resting heart rate was well above average, proving that the exercise done before has been paying off.
Being one who has had some interesting things happen to his own body, the trainer modified the pushup portion a bit because I had a bone spur removed from my shoulder several years ago. He quizzed me a bit about the surgery, doctor’s orders, and what therapy had been done afterwards. While he is far too professional to say so, I have the feeling he is not impressed with what (little) was done in the way of therapy. Well, I cleaned up on the modified pushups, almost maxing the scale. I was average on curlups/crunches, and we got a surprise on VO2.
VO2 is a fitness measure developed by a Swedish scientist and is done on a special stationary bicycle. I felt good about it and so did the trainer, who noted I was in the top three of those he tested. We were both surprised, however, when the score was much lower than anticipated. I didn’t expect to match Lance Armstrong’s score on the test, but we did figure out why it was lower than anticipated. Part me, part the way the test progressed. Next time…
There were some other things done, mostly measurements of me and getting an idea of range of motion, fitness of specific areas, and where to start. There is no way at my age that I can match a 20-something fresh out of training, but we are going to try and see how close I can get in the time I have left before I leave.
From the smile on the trainer’s face, send Tiger Balm. I think I may need it… To a special friend I don’t deserve, thanks. I think.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Winning The Information War
In the comments to this post, chiropetra noted:
Yet clearly we have to respond. We are losing this battle and with it we are likely to lose the war. Someone has to stand up and fight back for America. The military can’t fight on this battlefield. The government is hamstrung. Who’s left?
There is an answer to that: Michael Yon, Michael Totten, Matt Sanchez, and—most of all—YOU!
It is you who make them possible, through your continuing financial support. Your support makes possible their long-term presence there.
It is you who can make much more possible: Wesley Morgan, Joe Talley, Bill Ardolino, David Tate, the Blackfive JSOTF-P embed, and myself. Shorter visits, but specific targets and a larger area can be covered. Each of us can only be at one place at any given time, so the more that are there, the more that can be covered.
To support this information war surge, Public Multimedia Inc. is attempting to raise $20,000 in the next three weeks. If you want to support a particular embed, simply note that it is for that person; or, you can note that it is for the Blackfive embeds. Personally, I would like to see the $20,000 not just raised, but exceeded so that other embeds can get out there as quickly as possible.
Tankerbrosbrat nailed it:
“Who’s left?”
Why, the bloggers of course..Just Sayin’...
We are stepping forward, because it is time and past time for this surge to take place. But, we can’t do it without your help.
OldSoldier54 correctly points out:
I also believe the counter battery fire from the Milblogs and others like Mike Yon, Bill Roggio, Iraq the Model, etc has been increasing in density. And folks are starting to notice.
People are starting to notice, for good and for ill. The shape of the information battlefield is changing, and you can see from some of the trolls here and elsewhere that an effort to push back is underway. Yet, the pushback is because such efforts are being successful. Detailed, honest coverage is there, and it is getting notice. We just need more.
What happens now is up to you. Please, please, please continue to donate to those doing excellent long-term coverage. And, I ask you to step up and help us mount the surge. Donate right now to the PMI fundraising effort The right boots on the ground are important to much more than COIN. Help us get more informational boots on the ground.
Also, take the time to make a donation to Soldier’s Angels. The Team Blackfive embeds are honored to represent this wonderful organization on our travels. Their support for our troops, and our embeds, can’t be overstated. Help them to help others.
On a side note, I plan to start writing soon about preparing for my embed at my site. The mundane, the humorous, the serious—even training via bison calf sprints—will be there. Also, if you made a donation directly to me at my site, my thanks to each of you once again. If you did not get a personal thank you, drop me a line as it means your donation did not reach me for some reason. If you donated directly to PMI, I don’t have your contact information, but you do have my sincere thanks.
Who’s left? You are. Your support is essential to keeping people in the field, and to our surge. With continued support, we can do more: more people, more trips, more coverage.
Please step forward. What happens now really is up to you.
Content copyright C. Blake Powers and the individual authors. Comments become the property of C. Blake Powers and may be altered, edited, deleted, and used by C. Blake Powers or the individual authors without restriction or recompense.
