ﾏﾗｿﾝﾗﾝﾅｰﾘﾊﾋﾞﾘ体幹ﾄﾚ (04072022)

ﾋﾞﾝﾃｰｼﾞ爺さんへの道 (How to be a vintage 爺さん)

ﾘﾊﾋﾞﾘ体幹ﾄﾚｰﾆﾝｸﾞ/ Rehabilitative Core Training (3/28/2022)

Midnight Calorie-Burning Solo Cycling Party for Rehabilitation

Nov. 25, 2021

22.15 K: 1:06:44

Ave: 19.9 km/h

Max: 43.5 km/h

Cal: 305 kcal

It was such a productive day. I woke up at 8 and went to my office in Akasaka 11:30. I had a corporate seminar to teach between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. It went well. I started preparing for a new seminar for next January. It feels good to be ahead of schedule. 

On the train back home my eyes were heavy, partly because I woke up an hour earlier than usual (I usually get up at 9), and partly because I have come to naturally feel sleep before midnight ever since I started cutting down on caffeine in-take. The effect of reduced caffeine in-take is quite remarkable. I fall asleep more easily than before. My sleep is less fragmented. I dream a lot. And I generally wake up refreshed. It feels good. I will continue to reduce caffeine in-take, especiallly in the afternoon, because the effect of afternoon caffeine in-take lingers on 6 hours to 12 hours after the in-take. Twelve hours after you take a cup of coffee, 25 % of the caffeine contained in the coffee is still in your blood system. Some of its molecules block adenocine receptors. Adenocine is a natural sleep inducer. It attaches to an adenocine receptor, and makes you sleepy. And once you fall asleep, the absorbed adenocine is used to synthesize ADP, AMP, and ATP. But if you take in caffeine, adenocine recepters are all blocked by caffeine molecules, a lot of adenocine remains in your blood system. It still remains in your system even after you wake up. This is why you often still feel sleepy when you wake up the morning after you had too much coffee on the previous day.  Many people drink more coffee immediately after they wake up. But it only makes the already vicious circle even worse. I learned this from a book called "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker. It helped me start a new habit. I believe many people will benefit from it if they want to improve the quality of their sleep. 

Though I was fairly sleep when I got home, I wasn't too sleepy to get out and do some workout. So, I quickly changed into my cycling outfit and hit the road. Tonight I put on a pair of Temres gloves, and had shoe covers on. They worked like a charm. I didn't feel cold at all. It is a great improvement from the previous night. I even had a headband on to keep my ears warm. So, I felt pretty comfortable throughout the ride. 

The below is my usual training course. It is rich in undulation. There is a long straight good for a steady cruise. It is quite a versatile course that is exciting to ride. But I may explore a new route soon for a change, because variety is the spice of life.

 

Midnight Bike Ride for Rehabilitation

Nov. 24, 2021

21.8 K: 1:04:13

Ave: 20.1 kｍ/h

Mx: 40.7 km/h

Cal: 294 kcal

It's been a while since I last hit the road on my Calle. It was generously given to me years ago by a friend of mine from my childhood, Dr. Furumoto of the Furumoto Orthopedic Clinic. "Calle", by the way, means "street" in Spanish. I learned it a few months after I started learning Spanish on a language learning app called Duolingo. 

The "Calle" is pleasant to ride, because it's lighter than my chrome molybdenum steel bike. The lighter weight is mainly because of its material: aluminum. Aluminum is a common material for beginners' bikes. The only downside is its limited ability to buffer vibrations and impacts that the tires pick up from the road surface. But as long as you are going on relatively well-maintained roads, an aluminum bike is a pleasant choice. It's sturdy and won't easily break.

Anyway, back to talking about my ride tonight. It was awesome. So refreshing. I love riding late at night. The air is cold, but crisp and clean. Traffic is little. I feel safe riding at night, because approaching cars can be noticed very easily way before they come right behind you because of their bright head lights. 

The only downside is the low temperature makes your toes and hands so bloody cold that they almost feel numb. Next time I will put on better gloves (防寒テムレス) and  nylon shoe covers that I wear when I ride my motorcycle. They are oversized and wrap your whole shoes and cover your shins too. Hopefully, the cold won't bother me on my next ride. 

  

Double Rehabilitation: Barefoot Jog, Karate Training, and Bike Ride

Nov. 16, 2021

I went to see my doc friend yesterday. I got my second hyaluronic acid shot in my steadily recovering left knee. The shot only takes a few seconds. The injected substance is supposed to lubricate the joints, thus making knee movements smoother. According to the doc friends, most patients report a noticeable difference after the third shot. My third shot is next Monday. Let's wait and see. 

Though I have no pain with most daily knee movements, I remain careful to avoid stomping actions and aggressive landing impacts. The doc friend says these are the main cause of the damaged medial meniscus. I should avoid them as much as I can if I want to stay active until old age. Before leaving his clinic, I said, "Will I be able to do light jogging again?" "That's for sure," he said. I was so relieved to hear it. When I got my knee MRI-ed to get the diagnosis of medial meniscus injury, he said there would not be a dramatic recovery. My heart sank at a sad prospect of never being able to have a go at a barefoot marathon. I was too scared to ask what he meant by "no dramatic recovery". He suggested a hyaluronic injection, but I didn't take the treatment on the spot. I said, "I'd like to give it time and see how it goes." Doc said, "Fair enough."

Weeks passed, and my knee was recovering steadily. I continued my "self-prescribed" rehabilitation along the way. It mainly consists of body weight muscle training that doesn't involve dynamic knee movements. Exercises that impose a lot of pressure on the injured area is also strictly avoided. For example, at one time I tried to do single-hand push-ups on my right and. It seriously strained the left knee, and I wasn't able to do even one rep. From this experience I learned to do it with the left knee on the floor while the other leg pivoting the body on the toe. Though it is not an ideal form to do the single-hand push-up, I think it a good compromise. 

I slowly introduced light jogging along the way. I never ran on concrete roads again, though. Doc strictly dissuades me from doing it. Instead, I started jogging on the grass. I am lucky to have a huge park within a walking distance from home that is covered with green grass. It even has a 500 M track. It was originally covered with wood chips. Now weeds grow all over them. But it's more comfortable on bare feet. 

At first, I was afraid that a slight increase in intensity and/or resistance could rip the meniscus again, leading to another long, and sad period of no exercise but only rest. So, I was careful not to be too bouncy. I was slithering like a snake to minimize landing impact. It's not exciting. But it is a necessary baby step. 

When I jogged 3.5 K for the first time after the injury, I was so relieved. I was even more relieved when there was no noticeable abnormality with the knee on the following morning. It was then that I felt more opened to Doc's suggested medical treatment. 

With two jabs done, I feel more confident about my recovery. I feel lucky that I have someone in my corner who doesn't only offer me a sure treatment as a professional but also give me sincere advice as a friend. 

<Afternoon Session>

Warm up: 3:20.36

3.5 K Barefoot Jog: 22:49.21

Active rest: 1:30.38

180 M sprint: 36.83

Active rest: 2:18.04

180 M sprint: 36.37

Active rest: 1:16.84

Karate training: 3:42.95

Total 36:10.77

<Late Night Session>

The late night bike ride was fun. Traffic is scarce. Even when a car or two comes around from behind, its approaching headlight is immediately noticeable in the dark. There are people who wrongly assume it's dangerous to bike or run at night. But with proper equipment it is not. I have one flickering red rear light on the bike, one flickering white light on the front. Not only that, I have a wearable light on my chest that is 5 times brighter than the headlight on the bike, and there is another red light on my back that flickers a lot more slowly than the rear light on the bike. So, I have four lights to let surrounding traffic know that I am there!

Tonight I lubricated the chain with a spray that I had bought for my Kawasaki Vulcan S650. It didn't feel like mechanical actions were any smoother, but hopefully it did some good. 

21.8 K: 1:08:42

I listened to an interview with Matthew Walker while cycling. It was organized by Google. For someone who has just finished reading his international bestseller, there was little new information. Nonetheless, it kept me spellbound all throughout the ride. Interesting exchanges between him and the interviewer are interesting added spice to what is already undoubtedly intellectually super stimulating and educationally enlightening. 

Midnight Bike Ride for Rehabilitation

Nov. 10, 2021

21.8 K: 1:03:41

I rode my chrome molybdenum steel road-racer tonight. It's heavier than my aluminum bike. But it's more comfortable as the material has greater ability to absorb shock than aluminum. 

Though a chrome molybdenum steel bike is far heavier than some of the latest road racers made of the latest material, that is carbon, the total silhouette of a typical chrome molybdenum steel bike is sexier than that of a typical carbon bike because of its generally thinner composite parts. 

When I cruise along the road on my chrome molybdenum steel bike, I feel like I have become one of the competitors in the Tour de France in the 80s. Back then, athletes were generally more muscular because there still didn't exist a carbon bike, and it required the riders both greater leg and arm strength to drive forward their vehicles which are very heavy by today's standard. 

But as I said in one of my previous posts, heavy is good, because I mainly ride for the purpose of strengthening my legs. 

I feel more comfortable than the last time cycling with cleated shoes. Once you get the hang of them, it's a lot easier to transmit your power onto the vehicle with cleated shoes. 

I have a cycle computer on my chrome bike, so I can tell how fast I am going, and how far I have covered, and so on. The display shows the battery is low. I need to hit a dollar shop tomorrow to buy a couple of button batteries. 

Midnight Barefoot Rehabilitation

Nov. 9, 2021

Walked 500 M in bare feet in 5:56.87

Ran 3. 5 K in bare feet in 22:47.36

Total 4 K: 28:44.23

Walking in bare feet is one of my favorite activities. It feels good. It is a pure joy to directly feel the earth on your sole. What gives me even greater joy, though, is running in bare feet. But this one of my greatest joys of all had long been taken away from me due to medial meniscus injury. 

It's been more than three months since. I visited my doc friend’s orthopedic clinic to have it taken care of. Though I have little problem with most of my daily activities, I got a hyaluronic acid injection into the knee because the doc friend recommended it. It took only a second. In fact, it took me ten times longer to take off my jeans and running tights I had on under the jeans for extra warmth while riding my motorcycle. 

He says it takes 5 shots in total. And there has to be a week-long interval between shots. So, I guess I need to come back to his clinic a week from now. He says I'd feel a noticeable difference after the third shot on. We'll see...

Meanwhile, 3.5 K jog tonight was a tremendously refreshing session. I realized how much I had missed that metronomic beat of running. Covering 3.5 K in a little more than 20 minutes seem like a good start just like a 10 K bike ride a good transition from the almost no long-slow-cardio phase into some long-slow-cardio phase. 

I am planning to mix cycling and light jogging to slowly build leg strength.  

Post-Work Rehabilitation: One-Hour Bike Ride

Nov. 6, 2021

21.8 K: 1:01:00

I had another awesome day. The tremendous feeling of satisfaction comes largely from accomplishing many of what I had scheduled to do. The accomplishment, though, can, first and foremost, be attributed to making a list of things to do the night before. It guides my sub-conscious mind to focus on the top priority tasks while sleeping, and as soon as I wake up, I start getting on with them, one after another, like a plane on auto pilot. 

There was one small change, though. When the last bike session was over, I said I was going to extend my training distance. I drop the idea. I will stick to the present distance. One-hour long slow cardio seems sustainable. When I got my left knee injured, it happened when I suddenly tried to increase my training distance to 11.8 K to 16 K. I will not make the same mistake again. 

Today's Rehabilitation: Tire Throw & Bike Ride

Nov. 3, 2021

100 tire throws: 17:51.64

I did tire throws today. It had been a while since I did it last. My mind-body was craving for that explosiveness in the activity which is largely absent in long-slow cardio such as bike-ride. After the session I felt like I was engulfed in a sea of endorphin.

21.8 K bike ride: 56:11.27

I wrapped up my day off with a bike ride. I rode the same course that I had ridden two nights before. I maintained the same fast pace to cover the same distance in less than an hour like I had done it in the previous session. My thighs felt strong enough to cruise for a long time on a heavy gear. I feel increasingly confident about my steady recovery. I feel more used to speeding on downhills. But I must be careful. Sometimes the speed reaches nearly 40km/h. If I fall at that speed, it can easily lead to a major injury. I must balance between fitness and safety. 

I will continue my cycling training as a substitute for running while doing strength training and upper body high intensity cardio in order to maintain my overall fitness.

Midnight Bike Ride for Rehabilitation

Nov.1, 2021

21.8 K: 57:19.00

It's been a week since I last rode my bike. I don't remember why I didn't ride it for such a long time, but one thing that changed when I got my left knee injured is I stopped pushing myself too much when I was not in a mood to work out. Tonight I was in a mood, so I hit the road. 

I was afraid I had become a little unfit from a week of absence from cardio workout. But I was wrong. I felt very energetic. I found it easier than before to climb hills, and I cruised on flats on heavy gears with ease.

I slashed nearly 8 minutes from the previous two records for riding the same distance. I covered in less than hour what used to take me more than an hour. And I don't feel like I pushed myself that much. I feel I'm slowly recovering my cardio capacity. 

Next time I would like to cover 31.8 K and see how long it takes. Once I get used to that distance, my next milestone is riding a full marathon distance. I haven't entirely given up my hope of running a full marathon in bare feet again. So, I want to cover the distance on bike so as not to forget the feel for it.     

One Thing I Learned about How Our Knee Works: Synovial Fluid/Joint Fluid

 Oct. 7, 2021

When is my last post? I don't remember. A cursory look shows it's Sept. 13. I went out for a 6 K walk in bare feet in the still of the night. It'd been a month and a half since I felt an unusual pain in my left knee. It'd had also been a week since I had it MRI-ed at an orthopedic clinic run by a childhood friend of mine. He said it's a damage in my left medial meniscus. The doc friend says it's a sign of aging. A dramatic improvement cannot be expected. It's advisable that I go easy and do my best to preserve the slowing deteriorating aging knee element of mine. That advice I accepted humbly. 

While my issue was diagnosed at the visit, prescription was suspended. The doc friend mentioned the most typical prescriptions such as a hyaluronic acid injection, but he said, "Knowing you, you probably do your own research, and figure out what's best for you." He is right. I consider an injection of lubricant as a symptomatic treatment and you can only expect a temporary relief without, of course, suggesting that a temporary relief is bad. But I am looking for something sustainable without the injection of an external substance. 

I studied the mechanisms of how parts of a knee work together to enable smooth movements. Here is one of a number of things that I learned. Or at least I think I have learned:

<Synovial Fluid/Joint Fluid （滑液[かつえき]）>

It was a ground-breaking realization that your knee joint is filled with liquid. Not just an ordinary kind of liquid, but a special kind of liquid that lubricates many components that comprise your knee so that they smoothly coordinate with one another. 

While one of its jobs is lubrication, this fluid has another important job, which is healing in nature. When a part that makes up your knee is damaged, it is soon detected by a sensor. Detection of a sign of damage, in turn, leads to an increase in the amount of synovial fluid. I understand this is what happened when my medial meniscus was damaged. My knee sort of swell with joint liquid. 

Though I am yet to discover a good medical explanation of this phenomenon, from the perspective of someone who actually experienced a knee injury, there seems to be a practical benefit to this swell. 

One, your knee mobility is significantly limited. For example, right after the injury it suddenly became so hard for me to bend the injured knee. It became impossible for me to sit straight. I have no problem with my right knee. But since I could not do the same on the left side, I had to throw the left leg straight forward to sit on the floor while having my right knee fully bent with the heel touching the right hip with any problem. 

Immobility of the damaged knee works favorably for recovery, I presume. While no further damage is inflicted, my body's construction workers can concentrate on their repair work, procuring concrete blocks of calcium to the construction site and building them one next to and on top of another with cement. 

Compare the above situation with the same construction workers having to work in a tropical storm or scorching summer heat. Do you think they can work efficiently? Probably not. Therefore, an increase in synovial fluid achieve the dual purpose of creating inconvenient immobility for the patient and a convenient work environment for the physiological agents that are responsible for healing the damage!

Midnight Active Rehabilitation: 6 K Barefoot Walk

Sept. 13, 2021

6 K: 1:09:00 

Midnight power rehabilitation. Walked 6 K in bare feet in 1:09:00 as part of my rehabilitative effort from damaged medial meniscus in my left knee. It's been exactly 50 days since I developed the injury. Jogged a few tens of steps without feeling any pain, though I will never start running for another month or so. Patience is the key. Injury sucks. I've learned to take better care of my mind-body. I will never overdo it.