Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I'm moving this to Shop Talk temporarily so those who aren't Knifemaker members can see it and post. It is mainly about health and a longer life. I'll move it back to ATG later.
OK, the race is called The Shamrock Marathon, but I only did the 8K ... and I walked instead of ran.
I did the 8K/5Miles in 88 minutes at a pace of 17:39. That was my fastest race pace yet. I was pretty happy with the results.
My daughter, the grandkids/partners, and a few other relatives all walked the 8K with me on Saturday. The 8 of us all wore Irish fedoras and called our team "TNT - Try Not to Trip" The five youngsters ran the 1/2 marathon Sunday. Tina was happy with her first 1/2 marathon time. My grandson, Zephen, was an early finisher in the 1/2 marathon. His time of 1:48 for 13.1 miles was only 20 minutes longer than my times for 5 miles. The fastest 8K time was over an hour faster than mine - he ran 5 miles straight at 4:49 minutes/mile which is 12.9 mph! The fastest 1/2 marathon time was 18 minutes less than my 5-mile time. The fastest full marathon runner (26.2 miles) ran it in only an hour more than I walked 5 miles. I was a snail compared to those folks. But as they say in running - I was still faster that the guys behind me and we were all faster than the folks who didn't come at all ... or as they say in Canada ... "I outran the bear."
The rest of this post is a friendly reminder to anyone who needs to get healthier and stronger - do it NOW.
I see an obit every day for someone I knew. I hear of surgeries and illnesses of friends and neighbors. The one factor that sticks out is most were not active or healthy. I have heard friends say, "I am too old to get healthy" ... "It's too hard to lose weight." "I'm OK just as I am." or " You can't change when and how you will die."
Yes, we can't guarantee good health, but we can help improve it and keep it as long as possible.
Don't say you are too old or heavy. There were 250# women and 280# men in the race. Some were faster than me. There was a 90-year-old woman who was just a few steps behind me across the finish line.
Get out, get fit, and get healthy. You or I may never have the abs we had in out 20's, but we can live to enjoy our 90's (B"H) with a little extra work.
Up to the race I always walked at 3.3mph/18:11 pace (18-minutes 11-seconds per mile). I was happy with that and thought it was my "good" pace. I knew this race would be a little faster, but was surprised how easy it was to maintain a faster pace. I chalked it up to the competition effect of a crowd of people you are trying to be faster than. To test the increased speed/time, I went to the gym today and started a treadmill walk at 3.4mph/17:39 pace. At 30-minutes, I upped it to 3.5MPH which is a 17:09 pace. At 40 minutes I upped it to 3.6/16:40, at 45min to 3.7/16:13, at 50min to 3.8/15:47, at 55min to 3.9/15:23, and the last minute at 4.0mph/15:00. I was definitely pushing at 4.0mph and dropped back to 3.5 for a 5-minute cool down. When the treadmill auto-stopped, I was at 4.07 miles walked in 65 minutes. Definitely my fastest walk in 20 years. I'm looking forward to trying it again on the outdoors oval track at Mt. Trashmore on Friday.
Part of this is my "75th and 76th Trip Around the Sun" goals. I started setting them and getting ready last year. The main goal was to lose weight and get as healthy as possible before the ravages of time made improvement unlikely or impossible. Anyone who has seen me in action knows that I am strong for my age. I haven't been fast for a long time. I also picked up a few pounds and was 195#. I started walking occasionally as well as cut back on sugars and unnecessary carbs (an occasional beer is a necessary carb). I thought all my yardwork and knife work was plenty of exercise. Last summer my daughter Tina, who is big on walking/running/good diet/exercise, started coming over and walking the neighborhood with me in the early morning. Two years ago, she was 205# before she started running and hitting the gym. Now she is 145# and still working on it.
We started with a mile once a week, then twice a week, then 3 miles. Last fall, she booked me in a little fun charity 5K race called "No Gnome Walks Alone" It was fun. I joined her gym and kept on losing weight and getting stronger. We've done a few other races and the Polar Plunge since. We upped the distance to 5 to 8 miles a walk. We go to the gym or the oval track two or three times a week now. I am looking forward to more races and maintaining my health a long time. I'm down to 176-177#. New goal is to add a 10K soon, and try to walk a 1/2 marathon next March in 4 hours.
At my orthopedic surgeon's a week ago, He did the X-rays and measurements in preparation for a left-hip replacement in May. We have been planning this for a year. After all the pre-surgical consult and a long discussion over my exercise and upcoming race, I asked him for a truthful answer to - "Do I need a hip replacement". He said, "Do you need one - Yes ... Do you have to have one, No! You'll know when you have to have one." A year ago, when we started planning this surgery, I felt like I had to have one soon. Now the muscles are stronger, and the hip joint is improved, and I feel little or no pain. It is still bone-on-bone but smoother and rotating better. Compared to last August's X-rays, the condition has actually improved. My right hip is also very worn but gives me no problem at all, so fingers crossed on it staying pain free for a long time. My back is also much better. The metal knees are old and will need replacing sooner or later, but don't hurt even after a long walk, so they are in the same category as the hips ... I'll know when I have to have them fixed.
Some shots of the race.
1) Me crossing the finish line at what I like to call running (I run funny-looking, like Walter Brennan). I broke into a run the last 50 yards.
2) What isn't in the previous photo was Tina, who blew past me at the last second to beat me across the line laughing at my horrible running style. Got to love her "Alien" tights.
3) The two of us after getting out metals. (Of course, mine is on backwards)
4) And how pretty and always smiling Tina is at almost 50.
OK, the race is called The Shamrock Marathon, but I only did the 8K ... and I walked instead of ran.
I did the 8K/5Miles in 88 minutes at a pace of 17:39. That was my fastest race pace yet. I was pretty happy with the results.
My daughter, the grandkids/partners, and a few other relatives all walked the 8K with me on Saturday. The 8 of us all wore Irish fedoras and called our team "TNT - Try Not to Trip" The five youngsters ran the 1/2 marathon Sunday. Tina was happy with her first 1/2 marathon time. My grandson, Zephen, was an early finisher in the 1/2 marathon. His time of 1:48 for 13.1 miles was only 20 minutes longer than my times for 5 miles. The fastest 8K time was over an hour faster than mine - he ran 5 miles straight at 4:49 minutes/mile which is 12.9 mph! The fastest 1/2 marathon time was 18 minutes less than my 5-mile time. The fastest full marathon runner (26.2 miles) ran it in only an hour more than I walked 5 miles. I was a snail compared to those folks. But as they say in running - I was still faster that the guys behind me and we were all faster than the folks who didn't come at all ... or as they say in Canada ... "I outran the bear."
The rest of this post is a friendly reminder to anyone who needs to get healthier and stronger - do it NOW.
I see an obit every day for someone I knew. I hear of surgeries and illnesses of friends and neighbors. The one factor that sticks out is most were not active or healthy. I have heard friends say, "I am too old to get healthy" ... "It's too hard to lose weight." "I'm OK just as I am." or " You can't change when and how you will die."
Yes, we can't guarantee good health, but we can help improve it and keep it as long as possible.
Don't say you are too old or heavy. There were 250# women and 280# men in the race. Some were faster than me. There was a 90-year-old woman who was just a few steps behind me across the finish line.
Get out, get fit, and get healthy. You or I may never have the abs we had in out 20's, but we can live to enjoy our 90's (B"H) with a little extra work.
Up to the race I always walked at 3.3mph/18:11 pace (18-minutes 11-seconds per mile). I was happy with that and thought it was my "good" pace. I knew this race would be a little faster, but was surprised how easy it was to maintain a faster pace. I chalked it up to the competition effect of a crowd of people you are trying to be faster than. To test the increased speed/time, I went to the gym today and started a treadmill walk at 3.4mph/17:39 pace. At 30-minutes, I upped it to 3.5MPH which is a 17:09 pace. At 40 minutes I upped it to 3.6/16:40, at 45min to 3.7/16:13, at 50min to 3.8/15:47, at 55min to 3.9/15:23, and the last minute at 4.0mph/15:00. I was definitely pushing at 4.0mph and dropped back to 3.5 for a 5-minute cool down. When the treadmill auto-stopped, I was at 4.07 miles walked in 65 minutes. Definitely my fastest walk in 20 years. I'm looking forward to trying it again on the outdoors oval track at Mt. Trashmore on Friday.
Part of this is my "75th and 76th Trip Around the Sun" goals. I started setting them and getting ready last year. The main goal was to lose weight and get as healthy as possible before the ravages of time made improvement unlikely or impossible. Anyone who has seen me in action knows that I am strong for my age. I haven't been fast for a long time. I also picked up a few pounds and was 195#. I started walking occasionally as well as cut back on sugars and unnecessary carbs (an occasional beer is a necessary carb). I thought all my yardwork and knife work was plenty of exercise. Last summer my daughter Tina, who is big on walking/running/good diet/exercise, started coming over and walking the neighborhood with me in the early morning. Two years ago, she was 205# before she started running and hitting the gym. Now she is 145# and still working on it.
We started with a mile once a week, then twice a week, then 3 miles. Last fall, she booked me in a little fun charity 5K race called "No Gnome Walks Alone" It was fun. I joined her gym and kept on losing weight and getting stronger. We've done a few other races and the Polar Plunge since. We upped the distance to 5 to 8 miles a walk. We go to the gym or the oval track two or three times a week now. I am looking forward to more races and maintaining my health a long time. I'm down to 176-177#. New goal is to add a 10K soon, and try to walk a 1/2 marathon next March in 4 hours.
At my orthopedic surgeon's a week ago, He did the X-rays and measurements in preparation for a left-hip replacement in May. We have been planning this for a year. After all the pre-surgical consult and a long discussion over my exercise and upcoming race, I asked him for a truthful answer to - "Do I need a hip replacement". He said, "Do you need one - Yes ... Do you have to have one, No! You'll know when you have to have one." A year ago, when we started planning this surgery, I felt like I had to have one soon. Now the muscles are stronger, and the hip joint is improved, and I feel little or no pain. It is still bone-on-bone but smoother and rotating better. Compared to last August's X-rays, the condition has actually improved. My right hip is also very worn but gives me no problem at all, so fingers crossed on it staying pain free for a long time. My back is also much better. The metal knees are old and will need replacing sooner or later, but don't hurt even after a long walk, so they are in the same category as the hips ... I'll know when I have to have them fixed.
Some shots of the race.
1) Me crossing the finish line at what I like to call running (I run funny-looking, like Walter Brennan). I broke into a run the last 50 yards.
2) What isn't in the previous photo was Tina, who blew past me at the last second to beat me across the line laughing at my horrible running style. Got to love her "Alien" tights.
3) The two of us after getting out metals. (Of course, mine is on backwards)
4) And how pretty and always smiling Tina is at almost 50.
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