Tuesday, October 20

Obsession?

OK enough. Took that one down.... There's a limit to my ego puffery. If you missed the image.... You are among the lucky. Heh heh heh..... <- Click here

We're off for a visit to Peru in February. At least some of the adventure will be way up in the Andes at both Machu Pichu and Lake Titicaca. And I'd not been to the gym for seven years and my job has me sitting in front of computer screens, eating rich meals (not to mention the odd cocktail), well - at my age this trip can challenge this old body.

So.. so.... fifteen weeks ago I started to beat myself back into some sort of shape. Im not just dieting - I am TRAINING! Yea! There's six months between July when this started, and February when we leave. Now is about half way there. So... here's the old guy halfway back into a six month date with running, biking, swimming, and pumping iron thingees between working the gym's devilishly designed devices to pulverize fat!

I've shed thirty pounds and dropped four inches off my pants. But, the holidays are going to tease me big time and they will come at that critical time just before we leave. I know that they can puncture all will power and once lost the momentum will be hard to retrieve in January. Sooooo.... I'm determined to have such a head of steam going into the things that I'll power right through them without stuffing my mouth and body full O'fat.

All of this, scooped atop job has left my muse kind of dazed and reeeely reduced my art attention span. In fact work and training has eaten away the most productive hours leaving me sort of dimwitted in front of art projects.

Hopefully as endurance returns for the trip, it will also return for doing images. But in case you wondered why there's been less posting activity here... just take a look at my album cover and you can see where the creative time's been invested. February's just around the corner.... And by the way... it will be hot summer in Peru. More reason to be totally fit for the Andes, right? Sigh...

7 comments:

Angel Corrochano said...

It last with this training. It does well in preparing itself for that trip. Certainly the high-plane will excite to him, and that good trip deserves the effort.

Warm greetings

Andreas said...

Hey, that's funny. I'm just dieting myself, basically changing less how much I eat but what I eat. It's a slow process and at the moment I don't work out in any way. I'm still too fat for that, it wouldn't be enjoyable :)

So, all the best for your efforts, and remember, whatever you do, try to enjoy it :)

mcmurma said...

Uh, 30 pounds and 4 inches is like AMAZING. You should feel like floating around these days rather than walking. My exercise routine has been interrupted by my training partner going absent to assist an aunt in need. And I haven't had the gumption to get out and walk on my own. But I think about it every day:)

Peru would be worthy of the effort, though. I have friends that have been to Machu Pichu and they rate it quite highly on their list of things one really needs to do. I'm envious. Oh yea. Real envious.

April said...

"We're off for a visit to Peru in February. At least some of the adventure will be way up in the Andes at both Machu Pichu and Lake Titicaca. And I'd not been to the gym for seven years..."

Wow!!! What an amazing adventure this will be -- both to Peru and in preparation. Now your mention of the "gym" in another comment has an even richer context.

Or, leaner. :)

Anonymous said...

Ted, coming late to this post, I commend you one you progress and stick-to-it-tiveness. That's marvelous!

Peru! How I long to go there again. I was there in October, 1998 and loved it. But I didn't have the foresight to prepare my body - and so this practically-sea-level gal had some problems.

Machu Picchu - that was almost like "coming home" for me. You'll adore it. Plus I didn't take a camera and have regretted it ever since. Never got to Titicaca, tho - I had enough troubles breathing in Cusco - and that Lake is much higher.

Flo from TME

Ted said...

(Angel) There is a metaphorical expression in English... "I'm working my ass off to..." and then you fill in the blank. Well, that's what I'm doing here my friend. But it ain't metaphorical. My gluteous maximus has shrunken down. Wheeeee!

(Andreas) For the moment, I'm at least enjoying the measurement changes that are happening. However, I hit my weight goal last Friday (November 13) and it will probably not be as rewarding to simply maintain myself at 175 (I am six feet tall). Hopefully some other measures will change sufficiently over the next four months to continue to reinforce the will power needed to do this stuff.

(John) There is a spinning class at the gym in the mornings when I go to work out. Those people are astonishing in the way they work out. There is no way I'll ever have an incentive to push that hard. Serious biking demands a very special tenacity. I admire your commitment buddy. Whew!

(Mac) Thanks for being amazed. Given your joy over outdoorsy things... and the physical demands of hiking, climbing, and river tripping - I cannot imagine you are ever far from a condition which is WAY above my abilities. But it's terrific to have you encourage me. Thanks a LOT!

(April) Yep... we are going to get high in February :-) Denver Colorado is 5,280 feet above sea level and folks who visit there say they can feel that height in their breathing and activities. Well we will go up into the Peruvian Andes to stay in the city of Cusco and then visit Machu Picchu to the north, and Lake Titicaca to the south. Machu Picchu is 8,038 feet high, over fifty percent above Denver! But... Cusco is 11,154 feet high. Yipes! And Lake Titicaca is supposed to be the world's highest lake and they say it's 15,420 feet high or some three times farther up than Denver.

This sounds both exciting and demanding. Which explains why I started my training in June for the February trip. Besides, it is a good excuse to get back into shape. Hmmmm....maybe I've got to find a gym in Denver to work out??? :-)

(Flo) YOU WENT TO PERU WITHOUT A CAMERA!!!???? YOU??? Aargh! Okay, now you've got to go back, right? Trouble breathing? Really? Hmmmmm..... maybe I'd better pack baggies full of Lancaster air?

April said...

Oooooh boy!

One suggestion: training with your pack. :)

We took a hike up to Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park a few years ago -- from 4,000 to 8,500 feet. This was before I was taking photographs, but I did pack one(!) bottle of beer for the two of us. That bottle began to feel like a 10 ton anvil not far in. We held off drinking it until reaching our (beautiful) destination, but thank heavens for the chocolate I also packed to fuel the trek down.

You are going to have the most amazing experience!!!