Body Archives - Renaissance Granddad

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A Boz Scaggs Playlist Makes Those Two Plus Miles Fly By!

Over the last year and a half I have run, to say the least sporadically! Over that time span most days my wife and I were babysitting our granddaughter Emma. Emma was born in 2023 and turned 2 in February. Most weekdays we were at my daughters from 7:15 – 4:30! So i couldn’t run either before or after. Well -, Im could have after but I was too tired and dinner to make and clean-up. Anyway -, my daughter had her second baby on May 8 and is now on maternity leave from her job. Consequently while we miss Emma dearly we are slowly reclaiming our former life! For me that means maybe I can restart blogging and most importantly running. Since around 1991, the year I turned 40 I’ve run three times per week. Twice during the week was typically a 3-4 mile run and the weekend wad a 6-8 mile run. Well today was the second time I ran this week! yeah me! Here’s how it went. The Run On Tuesday I ran 2.63 miles. Well actually I ran a little over two miles, walked for a bit (uphill) and then finished the run. Overall, I ran 2.63 miles in 40:03 for a pace of 15:14 per mile. I ran the first mile in 14:34 and the second in 15:25. And while I was slow as hell, I was pleased with the run overall! Here’s where for the first time in 2025 I bore you with The…

106 Miles to Chicago – The B Christopher Band – Keeps Me Running!

106 miles to Chicago - The B Christopher Band cover

The Nerdy Details as I Try to Start Running Again! Ok so over the last two weeks I have semii-started to run again. I say semi because I have only run three times since July 26th. Oh, and I had a stress test on August 5th. The first two runs were actually run/walks. On both of those runs I basically ran a little and then walked a little. On the July 26th run I covered 2.1 miles in 32:27. That calculates to a 15:30 min/mile pace. However, during the run I ran for 14:45 minutes and walked for 17:41 minutes. Likewise on my July 28th run I walked and ran but did a little better. I covered 2.68 miles in 39:36 for a 14:46 min/mile pace. However, during this run I actually ran more than I walked. I ran for 21:29 minutes and walked for 18:04 minutes. Finally, on my August 11 run I did better still. On that run I covered 2.16 miles in 32′:53 for a pace somewhat slower than the preceding runs. The final pace was !5:13 min/mile. The good thing though about this run was that I ran (ok,jogged) for 28:43 minutes while only walking for 4:07 minutes. I ran he whole first mile. Then I walked a quarter mile and almost ran the second mi le. Unfortunately I calculated how far I needed to run to get that last mile and came up a little short! I’m planning on running again tomorrow morning and…

My Explorations of ADHD and Dopamine

My name is Ed and I have undiagnosed ADHD. As such, I am always looking for ways to increase my dopamine levels. So in this post I’m going to explore natural methods to raise my dopamine levels. The first thing I did was google “ways to increase dopamine levels ADHD”. The first article that was listed was titled “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):The Role of Dopamine.”This article mainly discusses what ADHD is and the potential role dopamine plays in ADHD. However, in “the Takeaway” it provides several things to do to increase your dopamine levels.. They include: From:”Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD):The Role of Dopamine….. What I Do and Don’t Do to Raise My Dopamine When I look at this list I see that I already do the last three items on the list on a regular basis. Very rarely does a day go by that I don’t listen to music. I also exercise daily. Additionally, I do yoga at least two or three times a week. I will say that while I previously meditated frequently lately I have not. The first item on the list can be taken several ways. The first is to try something new to eat or try something new to do, I.e. something out of your comfort zone. My family always pointed out that the box of whatever I just bought said “New” on the front! And I still do that. Now I will say I should and will put that on my…

Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real – Bad Run Good Tunes

Lukas Nelson and the Promise of the Real – Make a Tough Run Great! Ok so I wrote in a previous post that my running times have sucked over the last two months. Most of that can be blamed on my health worries. But over the last week or so I’ll also blame the weather. (Heaven forbid it can’t be that I’m approaching 72 years old. Most days I determine whether or not I’m running by the Running rating on The Weather Channel. They rate the conditions for running from 1-10 as follows: 1-4 not good 5-6 ok condition, 8-10 good to excellent. Typically, I don’t run on days with a rating of 5 or below. Yesterday early in the morning the rating was 5 between 7-8 am after which it was dipping to 4. I was feeling pretty good so I decided to go for it. Mistake! I made it a little over a half mile before sweat started to overcome me and I said “ the hell with running!” Over the first mile and a half I walked a little and ran a little, before I had had enough and walked the remainder of the run! Overall, I walked/jogged for 30 minutes. Here are the Nerdy Details….. The Nerdy Details Total Dist: 2.05 miles Time 31:32 Pace: 15:21 min/mile Mile Splits Mile-1 12:50 Mile-2: 17:34 Avg HR 113 Max HR 139 Cals Burned: 223 Cals The Soundtrack – Sticks and Stones – Lucas Nelson and the Promise of the Real The soundtrack for the run…

Why My Running Has Sucked this Spring and Summer!

Why My Running Has Sucked this Spring and Summer! Back on May 27th I ran my fastest 5K of the year and I felt like I was starting to get back into running form. Little did I know that would be my high point for the spring and so far the summer. That’s because shortly after that run I went to an ophthalmologist to find out why everything was gray when looking only with my left eye! First a Visit to an Ophthalmologist Anyway, the ophthalmologist didn’t know what the caused the problem. She thought I may have a tear in my retina, so she sent me to a retina specialist. Then a Retina Specialist The retina specialist had some good news and some not so good news. He said there was no tear in the retina. And aside from some age related dry macular degeneration everything looked good. However, he speculated that the cause of the appearance of the grayness was an arterial occlusion, i.e. a “mini-stroke” Next a Cardiologist He gave me some post examination “homework”, The homework included a lipid panel, two other blood tests. As well as, a visit to a cardiologist for an echo cardiogram and an ultrasound. My blood work is all good and Im still waiting on the other tests. Oh and right now I’m wearing a heart monitor for three weeks! Finally, A Return to the Retina Specialist After a return visit to the retina specialist he still doesn’t see anything wrong…

Nick Schnebelen – What Key is Trouble In? Powers a Great Run

Ok so I have been moving forward in many ways and also feeling my age (71) in others. I have been moving forward in my battle with my ADHD, as I try to do more thing that I’ve thought about doing. While doing others when I think about them, rather than putting them off ! And so far it’s working! One of those things I didn’t put off was this morning’s run! The Run I’ve been running on a regular basis over the last few months. Today I was torn between a 3.1 and a 4 mile run. I chose the 3.1 mile option. In addition I told myself I needed to take it easy. Even though I thought I was taking it easy, my time for the first mile was 11:30. Ok so I thought I’ll take it easy through the rest of the run. However, my pace hovered around 11:30 and I was running fairly comfortably over mile two. subsequently, I ran that mile in 11:26. I thought can I finish with an average pace less than 11:25 which would be my fastest time for the year! I ran the last mile in 11:21! And with an old man sprint of 9:52 pace over the last .12 miles of the run, I finished with an average pace of (drumroll please!) 11:22 min/mile! Yeah me! The Nerdy Details Total Dist: 3.12 miles Time 35:28. Pace: 11:22 min/mile Splits Mile 1 11:31 Mile 2: 11: 27 Mile 3 11:21 Mile 0.12 9:52 Avg HR 145 Max…

A Pain Free Run with Albert Cummings Ten

Ok so now that this site is about all aspects of my life and not just about the books I read or have read. And one of the things you will be reading about is my running. Now you haven’t missed much over the last month and a half because I sprained my ankle on May 28th and I have been rehab since then! The physical therapy I’ve had at NovaCare over the last several weeks has really worked wonders. Over the last few days I have had virtually no pain. So I was hoping for a pain free run.. On my last two walks, I have incorporated half and quarter mile segments of slow running. The total distance of the walk/jogs have been two miles. This morning, I thought I would try and walk the first quarter mile and then run maybe a mile or a mile and a half. However, when the lady on my Runkeeper app said begin activity I instinctively started to jog! I made the first quarter mile with no pain! I also made it to the first mile with no pain. I knew at that point I couldn’t stop because I would be just a pile of sweat that wouldn’t be able to start up again. So I kept going and altered the route I was running to maximize the shade and figuring if I could hold on I could finish the run in some shade! I was able to do just that and then…

Mike Zito -Resurrection Makes a Good Run Great!

The Run Oh, what a difference a cloudy sky and a temperature that is a few degrees lower make on a morning run! I have been making it a habit to check the running conditions each night before a run. Last night the rating for this morning was an 8 out of 10 until after 10am. And the rating was correct! The beat thing was there was no bright sun beating down on me! I ran the first mile in just a shade under 11 minutes. (10:59). The second mile was slower because much of the mile was uphill. My mile time was 11:20 and the average pace dropped to 11:09. I ran the third mile and fourth mile in around 10:56 with a little sprint at the end.As a result, I was able to finish with an overall pace of 11:00 min/mile and I was a happy runner! Here are those pesky nerdy details The Nerdy Details Total Dist: 4.14 Time 45:33 Pace: 11: 00 min/mile Splits Mile 1 10:59 Mile 2: 11:20 Mile 3 10:56 Mile 4 10:58? (I screwed up the Fitbit results by trying to edit my time and lost the exact last 1.14 miles) Avg HR 138 Max HR 152 Cals Burned: 563 Cals The Soundtrack: Resurrection The soundtrack for the run was Resurrection the latest release from Blues Guitarist Mike Zito. I’ve been a fan since I first heard his debut album Pearl back in 2010. Zito says this about Resurrection …. ….Resurrection is an album of feelings, emotions, and is very…

Tackling ADHD, Staying Strong with Running and Yoga!

So based upon my most recent posts, it’s obvious that books and music are a big part of my life. They are truly what keep me going. But to keep my reading and listening going, I need to keep my mind and body in the best shape possible. Renaissance Granddad Takes On His ADHD Last year (2020) we all had a lot of time on our hands with no particular place to go (so we parked way out in the Kokomo stop that brain!). Anyway with some of that time I set out to find out more about ADHD. I always joked that I had ADD but never did anything about it. Anyway, during the long days of the Pandemic I found Jessica McCabe and her YouTube How to ADDH. While the following episode my not be the first video I watched, it was one that helped me decided that “yes” I have many, many of the symptoms of ADHD! After watch this video the one thing that really has stuck with me is the part about “Now” , and “Not Now” which does correctly mean either never or at least a long time from now. Which is why for the last with to ten months my main mantra has been “Do It NOW”!! In addition to constantly repeating that mantra many times per day, I have been using many other strategies to help keep me on track . Things like setting timers, using a bullet journal, and setting schedules have…