Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Next update Jan 3rd - until then
50 minutes water aerobics  tonight- 45min spin class tomorrow morning- one last water aerobics’ class of the week Thursday evening - plan to walk about 5-10 miles thru next 3 days then shutting down for the holiday season (will try to mix in walking whenever possible) - I send my love and best wishes  to anyone tuning in and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
HO HO HO !!! - Old Guy

A Brown Christmas!

Not looking good for a White Christmas folks, my kids are still hoping upon hopes for a snowman - so come on Mr Winter do your stuff!

Anyway short update today-  I have been pushing hard this week to combine walking and aerobics (water & Spin) and so far so good with my knee.  Over 15 miles walked and over 4 hours of aerobics. 

I have started piecing together my entire route (over 32 pages) and once crosschecked for accuracy I will post it to this site. Still hoping for any idea's on logos/t-shirt design to help promote this fundraising effort.  My wife Jen came up with an outstanding idea of getting large font promotional magnets to stick to our truck and van. Anybody willing to help out by letting me temporarily have one stuck to their vehicle please let one of us know.

I now believe God works in mysterious ways- (just look at this Tim Tebow fad) so I pray somehow the good lord will keep me in one piece for at least the next 7 months.

Lastly as a devoted Cheesehead my beloved football team is still undefeated- I have the playoff tickets and can't wait!

Everyone keep your sanity with the hustle and bustle of preparing for next weekend!

OLD GUY

Let's get this Party Started!

Just added a couple of visual snapshots of the route I plan on Walking & Biking  across the Wisconsin next June.  Take a look at the top right side of the blog for the entire trip and look at bottom of page for the 1st day. 

I continue to update my training efforts daily on the facebook link so please peek in to see how I'm doing. 

With the Holidays fast approaching I will ask all that have tuned in to find time to consider donating to my charity.  direct link http://events.lungevity.org/site/TR?type=fr_tribute_fund&fr_id=1030&pxfid=23162&action=reply&parentid=21010&return=rlst&bpg=post&bpg=post&pg=fund

I also welcome any and all suggestions to make this memorial trek more visible.  I am looking for anyone with a creative touch to come up with a LOGO I can apply to items like t-shirts, hats, even coffee mugs just to get the word out.  Also if anybody has connections to Radio/Television people or idea's how to get this idea out front thru the digital world  PLEASE HELP! Like my page indicates I am by no means an expert.

OLD GUY

Can you believe it's almost Christmas?

Wow time fly's by. Kind of looking forward to that first wet snowfall and making a snowman with the kids.  With Christmas fast approaching we already have begun the whirlwind of gift giving . My wonderful wife purchased some medallion style tree ornaments in memory of my Mom which we have given to Dad and will be giving to my Aunt Joan (Mom's youngest sister) along with my Brothers. Speaking of - my younger BRO- Mike and his wife made it back from their cross country drive from AZ on Thanksgiving weekend , driving right thru and getting back to WI by Saturday night. They did not kill each other thank goodness but wow, that's gotta be a tired couple of people.

I have been pretty active in tuning my body up for the trials I will be putting it thru this coming June (see facebook for updates). I hope to start posting the Map route on my journey soon, just need to figure out how best to post it. FYI- if you are curious how I plan to map my trek -Please check out this site- www.mappedometer.com -pretty decent free tool that I find useful when hiking around locally. If anyone who is reading my blog has a better charting tool (s) for generating a walking map please let me know. 

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

OLD GUY 

Happy Thanksgiving

We are all gathering at my Mother in laws tomorrow. She was kind enough to invite my Dad to join us. So we can all cheer on the packers win or lose and enjoy breaking bread and eating turkey to celebrate.

Good week of workouts- starting slow walking short 3-4 mile stretches, hoping to build this up to 5-6 miles by end of winter and continue the non impact spin and water aerobics classes at the YMCA.  My goals have to be adjusted now and I hope to be walking around 10 miles per day adding another 30-40 miles of biking to the daily activity on my trip across Wisconsin next summer.

Old Guy

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

SEE BELOW FOR MY MOM-ISM'S posted this past week on my facebook page

Today marks what would have been my Mom's 75th Birthday. Just last October she was sitting with us at Red Robin celebrating my sons 5th birthday. She appeared to be ready to spend more time with my kids after missing allot of time because of several health related issues. But life isn’t fair and just before Christmas she was told by Doctors that they found a large spot on a x-ray of her lungs. Within a week after New Year’s Day they told us she had terminal small cell lung cancer and before the first week of February was up she had passed away. Sure it saddened all of us but one thing that will never change are the loving memories we will carry with us. Because of this a part of her continues to live on in me and my brothers. I hope I was able to shine a little light on who Joyce Marie Plamann was with my latest postings.

I know she'll save me a place up there and greet me with open arms when my time comes.

Happy Birthday Mom - Love Ricky

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 In honor of my Mom's Birthday here are the past weeks daily facebook postings , just some sayings and memories she gave to us as we grew up.
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MOM-ISM #1 (You betcha - (usually ended by Babe, baby or kiddo). My mom was always trying to stay current especially dealing with 3 teenage sons. Typically saying "love you too" or "just do it" sometimes she could change it up, and when we ...asked "do we really need to do this now?" Mom in her goofy mood ended it with the "you betcha" remark- She did not know it at the time, but inside it always made me smile- thanks Ma for the weird sensiblities you instilled in me.
~~~~~
MOM-ISM #2 - "Let's scare Dad!" - When I knew Mom was a bit off (Ha-ha)

Imagine you’re 7 or 8 and your mom keeps you up past 9 at night all so you and your 2 brothers can cram in and hide in the shower with her- Why? She wanted us to scare our dad who worked 2nd shift when he came home. The result- dad walked in never said a word, sat in his favorite chair, started reading the paper, and did not even look for us. Meanwhile Mom while doing her best to keep us from giggling, starts giggling herself letting Dad know what we were up to. Boy oh Boy -That Mom!
~~~~~~~~~

MOM-ISM #3 "Remember son , The woman is always right"

This precious moment was captured on my wedding video - best advise Mom ever gave me, even if sometimes I forget that little motto of hers (wink) - I try to keep in perspective that Jen is going to be right about most things 99% of the time - enough said!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

MOM-ISM #4 - "just call me Mom"
One of my more embarrassing moments came as a senior in Highschool. I had a new buddy of mine whom I met while cruising the Ave (very popular back then) come over to go out for a Friday nite. Of course Mom had to meet him and as I introduced Jim she insisted he call her Mom. I was horrified but Jim went along and believe it or not it stuck. Pretty soon everyone o...f my friends that came over started calling my Mom- MOM! Even my younger brothers friends that came over were forced to call Mom -MOM! Now Hindsight is always 20-20 but at the time I know it made both Mike and I a bit confused. That loop finally closed for both of us when during the visitation to her funeral my old friend Jim showed up (Had not seen him for 13 years) and it gave me a sense of pride and understanding, along with recalled emotions when I heard him refer to my Mom as MOM! The lesson for me was that she had a heart that was big enough to include everyone under her umbrella of love and concern that all moms seem to possess. To Joyce it was her calling to be a mother to anyone who crossed her path in life. Even thou it was a sad day for my dad, me, and my brothers hearing this helped me warm my soul, knowing her legacy had been stamped into so many others hearts and minds.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 MOM-ISM #5 "whats in a name"
You have to wonder why oh why I earned the middle billing of 3 boys with the name I was given. You see I was born back in the time of when TV shows named 'Ozzie & Harriet' and the 'Lucy & Desi Show' were the highest rated in the country and all in beautiful and crisp Black and White! So what did my mother suggest to my father the day I was born? I can see it in my imagination vividly going something like this- "Rich what a beautiful baby boy but Roy already has your middle name so let’s call this one RICKY" !

And so it came to be that when I haul my 53yo, 6' 4' tall over 300 lb frame up from the chair at a doctor’s appointment it's always in response to the nurse calling out the name of Ricky Robert!

Thanks Mom!!! 
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 MOM-ISM #6 "lets party"
One of my fondest memories is of my mother keeping up with us during our disco, bar hopping days. You might remember those days of flare bell bottom pants, platform shoes, and leisure suits, u know all the things that made Travolta famous in 'Saturday Night Fever'. On numerous occasions I would run into my Mom getting down and funky on the lit dance floors of several dan...ce clubs with names like - The Thirsty Whale, Mr Roberts, or The Fire Alarm. I especially recall her tagging along with my friend Jim and I right after he had just bought a 4 x 4 Jeep. Sitting in the back seat, I had to give her credit as she hooted and hollered along with us as we ran up and down the hilly roads that run thru and between the river valley of our hometown of Appleton. My mom was not able to do much later in life but during that time she was one cool mama.
~~~~~
 MOM-ISM #7 "you will always be my baby"I'm guessing this is common place among most parents, but something Mom always said to me and my brothers was -"No matter what you will always be my babies" . As a youngster it was always something that made me feel secure and safe. Later on entering my teens I despised hearing that from her. Then as I moved out on my own I avoided listening altogether unwilling to accept this little fact of hers.

But as I matured, then found the love of my life, finally becoming a parent, it all made sense to me, and why she always reminded us of this. My mother Joyce would have turned 75 tomorrow and you know what -

Mom I know you can hear me-  I WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR BABY!!!!
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don't forget to keep checking out my Facebook for daily updates -

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Guy-Walk/210713898988056

as I firm up plans to make a memorial walk/bike trek across the state next June

OLD GUY

Stay away from Halloween Treats - so hard!

Sorry I've been offline for awhile. Plenty has happened since my last post -some good, some not so good.

The good:

• Seeing my Kids enjoy Halloween (9yo daughter as devil & 6yo son as Darth MAr -don't ask)
• Son's party at the Farm, included hayride, picking pumpkins, roasting hot dogs on open fire, and petting farm animals - School Bus ride was exciting
• Joined a Cycling spin class at the YMCA- wow great workout and should keep me up with fitnesss level I am trying to maintain
• Jen and I are joining a water aerobics class at the YMCA- fun times!
• My daughter will be getting a puppy in the next few weeks

The  not so good:

• As a sports fan hard to take losses by BrewCrew, and Badger football team
• My Joint Flex aquatics class was a bit of a let down - turned out to be for persons a couple decades older than me
•  Had to get my 50yo colon check-up (NEVER FUN)
• Dad spent his what would have been a 56th wedding anniversary alone this year . He put flowers on her headstone. He was pretty down from it.
• My wife and I have to deal with a new puppy in a couple of weeks

Anyway that is the gist of some of the things that have gone down these past weeks.  I plan on writing some what I will call Mom-ism's on my facebook daily and something in memory of her Birthday next Wed. for my next posting.

Lastly hope to start planing for next years memorial trek across the State - I should have a better idea on treatment options for knee issue by then. 

Take Care Guys,

OLDGUY

Finally ready to move ahead - finding what's up with trick knee!

Sorry if I have been so preoccupied lately with my knee problem folks. But hoping to finally find out what the issue or issues are with an MRI test- next Monday morning it's scheduled. Weird how this is something to look forward too, but with all the waiting since first seeing the doctor I am really looking forward to moving ahead and fixing this thing.

But you know in perspective there are much better things to be more excited about:

• My son is turning Six- wow how time fly’s!
• Halloween is coming which means treats- Yum!
• Get to drive the new truck while wife is gone- hooray!
• Also nothing like still watching some home team post season baseball!
• Last but not least - Football (BADGERS & PACK)!!

While recovering from whatever procedure is done to my knee I plan to take some time to reflect towards the end of October thru mid-November. I’ll  be sharing some thoughts and feelings of what it is I miss most without Mom. FYI- Dad and Mom's 56th anniversary would have been Oct 29th and her birthday would’ve been November 9th so it seems fitting to fill you in on who this wonderful woman was and what she meant to her family.

 

Old Guy

Another PT session - Another new exercise

Just got home from my 2nd physical therapy session and nothing new to report but was given a different exercise to try.  I hope by next weeks PT they allow me to be more aggressive or they at least diagnosis my knee problem with a MRI. At this stage thou I can begin walking short distances no more than 20 minutes. Need to be smart so will stick with their advice. With the nice weather our taking the cover off pool this week and do some swimming with the kids. Adding a little bike riding into it and not a terrible menu of activity. 

My Wife is now officially a trucking mama!! Had a speed bump of concern if the truck would be able to pull the camper of our dreams. I ended up making a complete ass of myself by losing my temper with dealership but later found out I was WRONG about the  towing hitch truck is equipped with - Sorry MR Salesman. 

We attended a Packer family tailgate party that was awesome - What a Wisconsin sports weekend, doubt we will ever see the national stage like that ever again. Plus what made it best was a sweep with wins by Pack, BrewCrew & BuckyBadger. Another check mark on my bucket list! 

Anyway please tell your friends to check out the site. Send me your prayers  as I get back to being a bit more active for the next weeks and hope no set backs coming.

OLD GUY

Am I becoming a couch potato?

THE BAD - What a non-active past week I had. No walking for over a week (awaiting for PT tomorrow). Although boring - I need to start working out indoors (have old elliptical machine).  The medicine makes me drowsy and the supplements are giving me heartburn. Top it off and my knee feels just about the same every time I do any amount of activity. Hope I can check it out with an MRI soon and get this moving along. I am losing my patience for the process because I know I will need to start over building up miles on my feet and legs- it just stinks. 

 THE GOOD - Heck of a weekend with my nephews and brother in-laws. Attended GUYS ONLY 2nd annual take out the Dock weekend at the lake. I know, I know, sounds like work (IT IS), but actually it began with a Saturday golf outing of 4 man scramble (teamed up with my nephews) and ended the day with what can only be described as a drink-fest (my first in years). Good timing - Just what I needed - a guy’s weekend!  FYI - Sunday's hangover helped take mind off my knee (UGH)

Not a bad stretch for my sports viewing experiences either - GO BrewCrew (NL Division champs)and Pack beat DA' Bears!

So hope this week brings me some direction on what I can and cannot do in preparing for that long walkabout next year.   Any words of wisdom or encouragement much appreciated!

OLD GUY

Time to change my routine - try to keep from being a couch potato

Interesting  week.  Was able to walk over 20 miles, great weather if you like a chill in the air, I even saw a few trees with leaves changing orange. Walked the longest single stretch (over 6miles) since my knee acted up and recovered ok- BUT then went to the doctor today and was told to shut it down, maybe try some lower impact activity (time to get in some Biking, even indoor elliptical machine work-outs).  I see a therapy person next Monday morning and was prescribed some anti-inflammatory pills along with supplements that can help with joint aliments (taking I-Flex and Glucosamine) Biggest concerns are that I may have a meniscus tear which is part of the shock absorber for your knees- so a little scary!  Doc basically said that I need to try this first treatment to see if any improvement and then revisit with him in 3 weeks. If no good, next step is to have an MRI and see if they need to clean things out via a scope. Hope I don't need to go that way because recovery from any type of scope will cost me a bunch of time away to reaching my goal. No matter what thou I am committed to doing this even if it means doing it in the hotter part of summer.  I'll just need to bring a bunch of water!

Even thou I'm feeling a little down today, just need to get this thru my thick skull and realize bumps in the road are part of life. Time to pull out the biking shorts and hope for a nice Indian summer stretch.

OLD GUY

    

Great Sports Week - knee not so much

My 2nd post- Wow - still dealing with some decent pain on the inside of my right knee and a week away from seeing the doctor.  Made about 20 miles of walking this past week including a fun walk with my son. I got some great advice from my barber- excuse me Tammy - my hair stylist!  She said to check out a cool shoe place (Fleet Feet) and we also chatted with her friend who was waiting for her haircut appointment.  As a experienced runner she shared some thoughts on sock choices but told me not to skimp on shoes. Going to be looking into winter wear and footwear soon so I really appreciated her insights-thanks.

Aside from this really enjoyed the NFL's return - GO PACK!!  Badger's look awesome. maybe a BCS Bowl ahead.  My BrewCrew had a tough stretch but I still gotta believe.  OH Boy - the best part of Fall (postseason baseball, Big Ten opener and the Green 'N' Gold) can you tell I am a sports nut?- wish me luck in not driving my lovely wife crazy.

Anyway goals remain the same and my plan is to keep up a walking regiment even with potential health concerns. I hope to post good news on the diagnosis next week (crossing my fingers).  FYI - I try to post on my facebook daily what distances/times completed, so please peek in if curious.

As always please send me any helpful tips( thanks Otis) or ideas to make this a better adventure!

OLD GUY

Overcoming Right Knee issues

This is my first post but I wanted to let everyone who tunes in to know I will try posting weekly from this point on.

OH CRAP - My training has been slowed by chronic right knee pain so I will be seeing a doctor in a couple of weeks.

With this issue my current goal is to maintain about 15-20 miles per week with avg walk only about 4 miles while waiting on the right knee to recover.  I was up to 7-8 mile walks only 2 weeks ago when I made the mistake of pushing it to hard by walking over 10 miles in one stretch- since then only stiffness and pain in that knee.  Good things are my legs feel strong and feet no longer an issue (dealt with some blisters early on).

Stats:
Age: older than 53
Height: over 6' 4"
Starting weight was over 360 just last year- current weight under 310 (50lbs with mostly exercise not bad)
on my 5th pair of walking shoes -time to buy new ones (trying to find a water resistant one for winter walking)

My hope is if anyone checking this site has ideas on shoes, training tips, ect, ect-  please post and I will reply right away. Thanks in advance!

OLD GUY
 

Let's Get This Party Started

This is my first post as I am still learning how to do this whole blog thing.  Watch for more updates soon!  Thanks for the support!