Hunting Season Workout

I love reading everyone's messages. About 8 years ago during a hog hunt, I was sucking wind pretty bad. I decided that I needed to start jogging a few months prior to hunting season. As I am sure everyone here can attest, I have found that each year it took an extra two weeks or more to get into shape. Two years ago, I started running all year long, but after hunting season I typically take a month or two off and become a couch potato :oops: . In January when I began exercising again after my 1.5 month hiatus, I was having difficulty running two miles. At any rate, I have decide to bump up my milage this year so that I can run a couple of half marathons before hunting season arrives. Saturday I ran 9 miles and this morning I ran 6 miles. I just wanted to say thanks for inspiring me.

Old Trader, don't give up. Keep plugging away! At the hospital that I work, we have a cardiac rehab program for folks such as your self with physical limitations secondary to myocarial infarction etc. I would be surprised if your local hospital did not have a similar program to help you. Good luck sir. I hope to read one of your hunting stories in the future.
 
I am pretty stubborn by nature. When I coded twice last September and pulled all my tubes including a Foley and a couple of central line catheters, breathing and feeding tubes et al. I could not walk when I woke from the 5 day coma that I was in on my birthday and they gave me a shot of Versed to forget everything about my ordeal.

The act of dying had started changing the protein in my muscles, I guess to lactic acid. I could not move my legs or stand. I figured that I would die if I did not get up and walk that day. I starting massaging and working my leg muscles and then doing exercises for about 2 hours. Then I got up and walked around the entire ward 5 times (about 400 yards maybe). The doctors were amazed that I was walking at all, let along 400 yards but I felt that I had to be on my feet or I was going to die.

I have been coming back from that and 6 more hospitalizations with a couple in the ICU, since September, but I am making progress and walking every day even when I am not feeling well, plus climbing the stairs about 20 times a day. I am going to hunt again and would not bet against it.
 
Guy, what kind of bike are you riding? My wife and I have a couple cheapo "mountain" bikes that we bought from Walmart. I'd like to bump up to something of a little better quality but gotta stick with what I have for now. Been meaning to get the bikes out of the shed and tune/oil them up so we can ride but its been snowing for the last 3 days and in the low teens to 20s.

Anyhow, my wife has been wanting a treadmill so we bought one with some of our tax refund. I started running on it last night and ran a mile before dinner and another mile later in the evening. This evening I ran a mile before dinner then ran another mile and went straight into a fast walk with quite a bit of incline. Felt good to sweat. I'm at 200lbs now and I'm looking to drop 20-30lbs before its time to hang out at the lake shirtless. Started doing 75 push ups, 250 crunches, and some squats. Best part is, I do push ups and crunches real quick with some of the kids I do speech therapy with. has nothing to do with speech but only takes a few minutes and helps the, burn some energy! It will be nice to fit back into a bunch of pants that I can't wear anymore! Now if I could just kick the nasty tobacco habit I have, I'll be set!
 
run to hunt - I'm jealous - am one of those guys who actually enjoyed longish 6 - 12 mile runs most of my life, but my doggone legs are so beat up now that if I jog three miles, I pay for it by limping the next three days! Have turned to hiking, x-c skiing in season and bicycling instead, but I still miss the simple pleasure of just going out and running every day. Dang.

Deer Tracker - My bikes are older, but decent ones. The mountain bike is a 10-year old Trek 4500, hard tail. Front suspension only. Good all around bike, mine was built in the USA but I understand that they're all built in China now. Phooey.

My road bike is about 25 years old, maybe more? A Cannondale old-style 12-speed road bike. Love that thing. It was almost state-of-the-art when I bought it, but is now called a "classic." Hmmmm... I still like it. Went out and rode 15 hard miles yesterday morning with my biking buddies. Good fun. We put the hammer down a couple of times uphill and down. I'm the heaviest guy in the bunch, with the greatest leg strength, but I don't have the stamina the leaner guys seem to have over the miles... Working on that.

Guy
 
My fitness test was today. The objective is to hike three miles, with a 45 pack in under 45 minutes. My time today was 42min , 7 seconds. 9 of us took the test, me being the oldest by 10 years. I am ready to go for the 2013 fire season.
 
Very good, Bill. You are setting an excellent example for many of us old codgers.
 
Thanks all, as you all know it is not easy! I will turn 68 this fall. But I refuse to acknowledge that fact!
 
Elkman":2ffxzog8 said:
Thanks all, as you all know it is not easy! I will turn 68 this fall. But I refuse to acknowledge that fact!

Your doing pretty well for an old fart! :lol:
 
Bill, I admire your commitment to fitness. My knee has finally reached that state that walking can be pretty painful at times. I suppose there is always surgery, but I am less than ecstatic about that prospect. Thus, rigorous climbs are receding into the rearview mirror of my life.
 
Mike

I know several folks that have had knee or hip surgery, they "all" wished they had not waited as long as they did. There are impacts on both sides when one does not work well. The longer you wait stresses the good side even more, in some cases to failure also. None of my friends who have had either of the above, wished they had waited longer, nor wished they had not done it. Its scary, but there are some remarkable success stories out there. !!!
 
Dr Mike - I was surprised a few years back when a buddy of mine had both of his knees replaced, when he was about 50 years old. Seemed so young for that. But, he'd beaten the heck out of his legs climbing and skiing when he was younger and they just gave out on him.

He was up and walking within 24 hours of the operation - I think earlier - and within months he was making short hikes into the Cascades. Now, a few years later, he skis and hikes better than ever. Hard for me to keep up with the guy. Surgery eliminated all the pain from his worn-out joints and has given him years more in the mountains. Maybe decades more. Now I think he made an excellent decision.

I'd like a fresh set of achilles tendons myself... :grin:
 
One of the drawbacks to having a background in medicine and a daughter in surgery is knowledge of the times things don't work out quite as well. That doesn't always give me pause, but it does tend to make me cautious. The other factor is that I am in the Canadian medical system. Knee replacements will require up to three years after you are in the queue. Welcome to single payer health care to all who are chomping at the bits for Obamacare to be fully implemented. I'll undoubtedly have the procedure performed eventually, and bellyache and whine in the interim. :grin:
 
I understand. Here in Washington we see a fair number of Canadians who elect to come here for medical treatment, paying out of their own pocket rather than waiting.

Meanwhile, back to the workouts - Doggone did we have a great ride yesterday! Wow. Sun was shining, a mild breeze was blowing along the Columbia, and we rode hard for 25 - 30 miles. Yahoo! What a great group. Exercise programs are easier to maintain when there's a group, committed to working out, riding or hiking together. Lots of fun along with the workout. We all grab a cuppa coffee together afterwards as well.

Guy
 
I'll undoubtedly have the procedure performed eventually, and bellyache and whine in the interim.

Needless for me to say, however I have found that the above really does not readily solve the problem. 3 years is a long time.!!! I am not a supporter of Bummer care, I believe we will be going from one of the best systems in the world to the worst.
 
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