I haven't been hiking in a while. When the air was bad and I had to workout indoors, one of the things I did was stair intervals , two steps at a time. It was a good workout but unfortunately irritated the piriformis muscle in my right leg, which caused sciatica symptoms (pain down the … Continue reading Coyote Open-space With a Friend on a Crisp Fall Day →

I just finished reading Jessie Diggins' inspirational autobiography Brave enough. She is most famous for the historic first Olympic gold medal for the US women's cross-country team, which she won in the team sprint with the great Kikkan Randall in 2018. I think the call of the finish by Chad Salmela, former member of the … Continue reading Jessie Diggins- Brave Enough →

It's finally starting to feel like fall. Until about a week ago we were still getting temperatures into the 90s. I couldn't figure out how the trees were changing, maybe it was because it was getting cool overnight. Now it has cooled off nicely during the day too. This is pretty typical in Norcal, we … Continue reading Holiday Lake Estates On a Nice Fall Day →

I've never been a fan of multi-set strength training. I suppose it was because strength training wasn't my favorite to begin with and I liked the idea of getting it over more quickly. A single set of an exercise takes a lot less time than multiple sets, and the recommendation of the American College of … Continue reading Time Efficient Multi-Set Strength Training For Fat Loss →

The marine layer rolled in this morning so we couldn't see nearby El Toro mountain: I was out walking when it burned off and forgot to bring my camera. This is about an hour later after it burned off, quite a difference: The early morning fog kept it from getting hot today, high if 80 … Continue reading Working Out in The Fog →

Ryan Hall's story is an interesting illustration of the argument about too much cardio interfering with strength and muscle gains. He is the Boston Marathon American record holder, where he ran the fastest marathon time ever by an American. It is not the American record for the marathon because Boston is not a ratified course … Continue reading Ryan Hall: Transformation From Marathoner to Strength Trainer →

A nice rural ride of about an hour one way takes me to Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park. This was historically the village of Chitactac, the dwelling site of members of the Ohlone tribe of Native Americans for more than a thousand years. It was later the site of the one room Adams schoolhouse, which was … Continue reading Country Bike Ride and Visit to Chitactac-Adams County Park →

Day to day challenges like fighting off indulgence in junk food and having the discipline to exercise regularly provide plenty of opportunities for working on our willpower, the importance of which I reviewed here. This is a key aspect of training our brains so we can live free from compulsions. For this reason, Eknath Easwaran … Continue reading Training the Senses: Freedom From Compulsions →

About a month ago, I described a visit Mt Madonna park to which I vowed to return. But the fires and bad air intervened, so I did not get a chance until yesterday. Again I rode out the beautiful Redwood retreat road. This time I left enough time to get some hiking in, an out … Continue reading Finally- Return to Mt Madonna →

I recently read Mimi Anderson's fascinating and inspiring account of her ultramarathon achievements. The story is told in an interesting flashback fashion: The main narrative is recounting the 12 plus days of her attempt to set the Women's world record for running the length of Great Britain from north to south, from John O'Groats in … Continue reading Beyond Impossible- Mimi Anderson’s Story →