JaK'ed

Crossfitesque

2009-06-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

WOD

50 sit ups
20 air squats
10 push ups

200 skips

50 sit ups
20 air squats
10 push ups

200 skips

50 sit ups
20 air squats
10 push ups

100 skips

After yesterday's run I am a little bit sore. Not enough to really complain about, but I do notice a little bit of burn. This could be a prelude to delayed onset soreness for tomorrow, or just the cost of doing business for my 5k jaunt yesterday.

Today I couldn't stomach working that hard, so I did a shorter but still taxing workout. ( For a girl who hasn't moved in a month and a half.) Workout written above.

I do love my skipping rope. I own an Aerospeed Hyperperformance Gold rope that is way easier to skip with than your standard leather one.

Linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/Aero-Speed-Hyperformance-Jump-Rope/dp/B00017XHO8/ref=pd_sim_sg_3

Weight Watchers update: Today I am tracking well with points, but tonight I have a wrap party to attend that can seriously throw me off kilter. Finger foods and Booze galore. It is a super special occasion, but darn I want to keep my momentum.

It's come to this has it?

2009-06-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I noticed that I only have two more daily points left.

That cappuccino I had this afternoon, swapped for 4pts! I had no idea.

So.. I called the cafe and asked if they made their cappuccino's with whole or skim milk. She said they make it with whole milk unless I specify. DAMMIT!

So far I haven't gone more than one or two points above my daily amount. I have 29 weekly points remaining, not including my daily allotment. Also logged 4 activity points with my run. ... and the kicker.

I have a nutritious but regular portioned dinner to eat socially as part of a birthday meal. I'm obviously going to go over my points. * sigh*... I guess I just gotta aim not to use any more of my weekly points.

Damn the points!

But I did learn that cappuccino's are quite indulgent.

Hoping to develop a routine.

2009-06-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Special K just went out for a 5k run in kitsilano, perhaps even in the heat of the day. No big. Preceding this run, has been a month and a half of non activity. Prior to that was a glorious stint of cardio training and the Vancouver Sun Run which I'll post about later.

Not moving your body at all, for a month and a half does not feel good. I feel kinda like a person who's been laid up in the hospital. The very definition of atrophy and weak. My cardio is shot. My hip flexors don't like me to do anything but sit. I don't feel terribly motivated. Its indeed difficult to start up a routine the longer you stay sedentary. Here's hoping I stick with it. So... for accountability. I'm back on Jak'ed represent'n with my homegirl JBean.

* Oh.. and why was I not moving my body for that long? The lion share of it was because I was working 6 day weeks, 10 hr days. My best intentions weren't enough to keep me training when I was that mentally drained.

And.. I gotta give a shout out to B. My geek bud, for giving me a little nudge to go for a run. Thank you.

Also ... an honorable mention needing to be made... Due to D's example , I decided to try out weight watchers. * shock* * gasp* * jaw drop!*

" But its not zone!!"
" But its not Crossfit."

I'm three days into the points tracking programme and its going okay. I haven't had any beer or sweets, not counting cappuccino. I might have a sweet tonite, as its a friend's birthday and there might be pastry. I haven't decided yet. Okay... I wanna have this said. I tried zone before. It wasn't the magic bullet for me, but I know I could have followed it stricter. I think this online system and methodical logging of what I eat, and the novelty of trying a new program that I don't associate with " that doesn't work for me" might help me out. Which isn't to say, if I didn't tweak zoning and stay loyal to portions, that it wouldn't work. Maybe its thinking in terms of points and cups , instead of grams simplifies it. Dunno.

But if its anything that inspires, its a friend who's had parallel experiences with similar fitness program's and diets, and finally has dropped a noticeable amount of weight.

I guess I just gotta come to terms with the fact that , unless you're very overweight, or just lucky, significant weight loss comes from good diet. Good = correct portions and nutrition.

So here I go, doing what I was trying to not do.... be strict with diet.

I gotta say, I'm currently in between jobs, and I really think that the fact I have a controlled environment and routine at home, is why I expect to have a shot of pulling this off. If I was working, I know there would be more social pressures to deviate from diet, potential overtime dinners to lure me to deviate, and more situations where, because of convenience or time, I eat something that would deviate from plan. The past three days, everytime I eat something, I immediately go log it. I even caught myself having lunch with a friend and writing down what I just ate, and the portions, so I could log it later.

And now time for a rant: Weight Watchers USA costs less. Those PUNKS! WHY DOES EVERYTHING COST MORE IN CANADA! * sigh* Why does the zip code on my credit card determine if I get monetarily exploited? I should really keep a mailing address in the states.. * sigh* ... I digress.

Oh.. Weight Watchers goal. 20lb loss. - on the scale. This says nothing of body comp ratio.
Current Weight: 150 lbs ( I'm 5ft, 7) . I feel I need to say that, cause I think 150lb is heavy. * insecure*

J's Double Up Wednesday

2009-06-10T23:43:00.001-07:00

I hit 6am crossfit today, and got a great hit from a long partner workout:

Warmup:
30 dowel OHS
30 situps
30 walking lunges

Tech: Push Press

Workout:
5 rounds with partner: alternate exercises but run together (at least that's how we did it at 6am)
5 pullups
10 wallballs 8/16
15 box jumps
20 push press 45/65
25 air squats

mods: I thought that 5 rounds of 5 pullups wouldn't be too bad for me, but instead I chose to do light PP (22# bar) and v-sits instead of pullups

I started feeling a pain somewhere in my right quad (like I pulled something) during the workout the night before, but wasn't sure what from. I really felt it in the walking lunges part of the warmup, but kept doing them hoping that it would at least stretch it out. I am not sure if that was good or bad, but it didn't give me much trouble in the workout.

Volleyball tonight was a different story :( I guess with the movements in the sand, the quads are doing more work than with regular running, and jumping... so I was suffering quite a bit. Also, during the first game I found myself hitting a lot which irritated my shoulder of course (as usual). I was hurting in 2 places but kept on playing -- probably NOT a good move, but for the last 2 games I ended up staying at the net as the designated setter so that a) I wouldn't get myself caught in the hitting position and b) I wouldn't have so much running around as I would in the hitting and receiving positions. The rest of the team was really happy with that rotation and I was happy to be a setter again -- which is the position I played all throughout high school. I hope that we will continue to work this 3-1 system, it will be good for both my injury and my volleyball!

Now back to the workout. It was awesome! A great burn, and a doozy... we ended up with a time of 37-something, which was partially due to the fact that we ran an additional 1K than the other classes because of a bit of a mix up between the coaches. Fine by me though! I haven't done such a long workout in a while, so it felt great.

It just felt good to be moving the shoulder, even though it was such a light push press. I hope I don't regret anything tomorrow. I do have an appointment with my RMT, which I am definitely looking forward to :)

J's Diet Entry, 10-Jun

2009-06-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

I escaped the Marble Slab ice cream at work and beer at volleyball. Its official, I'm no fun.

.5 blocks pre-workout, 5:30am: whey protein, gatorade, almond butter
2.5 block breakfast7:30am: oatmeal, strawberries, milk, cottage cheese, turkey bacon
3 block lunch, 11:30am: elev8me bar, cheese, almonds
1.5 block snack, 3:30pm: whey protein, milk, strawberries, cherries, almonds
3 block dinner, 10:30pm: broccoli, grilled chicken breast, cherries, strawberries, dark chocolate, walnuts
=10.5 blocks

misc: 1 coffee, 14c water, fish oils & multivits, 1x fats

Notes:

dinner was FAR too late, wow, 7 hours after last snack :S
must remember to pack something for vball in case I don't plan on going out with the gang afterward
a bit of a rush this morning to prepare lunch/snacks, so had to depend more on supplements for protein :(
0 unfavorable carbs, altough ingredients in elev8me is likely to be higher GI

J's Diet Entry, 09-Jun

2009-06-09T23:14:00.000-07:00

all small meal-snacks today

2.5 block breakfast, 9am: turkeybacon, 3:1 scrambled eggs, oatmeal, milk, walnuts
2.5 block lunch, 12:30pm: egg salad wrap w/veggies, soy beans, cherries
2 block snack, 4pm: chopped apples, cottage cheese, cinnamon
2 block post-workout/"dinner", 7pm: whey protein, milk, fruit-to-go bar, almonds
1.5 block late snack, 10pm: cheese, cherries & strawberries, walnuts

misc:
1 coffee, 12c water, fish oils & multivits, 1.5xfats

Notes:

not enough veggies! my sweet tooth has me choosing fruit for most of my carb choices... must strive for more greens
late workout, haven't done that in a while but was a good breakdown/timing
should have tried for a REAL dinner though :(

J's No Mod WOD!

2009-06-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Big win for me today... only one modification and it WASN'T in the workout!

Warmup:
AMRAP in 10 mins
3 KB swings
6 box jumps
9 vsits

Workout:
3 rounds for time
Deadlifts 135/225
50 Double Unders

mods: 20# KB swing

The warmup was a KILLER for me. I had so much trouble with the run, I think my breathing was pretty audible near the end of each leg. I wonder if I was getting my ass kicked even more because I was hitting the box jumps hard (did full jumps again :). I blasted through the movements (was very pleased with my vsits today!) but suffered with the running. I tried to make it to 5 rounds but didn't finish the last run in time.

I didn't think I'd actually go for the RX deadlifts, perhaps because I half expected girls weight to be 155? Anyway, I was surprised that I found 135 doable when we were figuring out the weight. I also knew that I have a fairly strong DU so I can take my sweet time with DLs. I did all 3 sets at 4+3+3 reps.

Well I guess I *thought* I had a strong DU! My legs felt like LEAD after the DLs that I could BARELY knock off sets of 10. Oh well.

My time wasn't great (8:28) mainly because I needed a lot of time to recover my breath. It didn't fair well compared to the elite daytimers... BUT I still managed to come in first (by 1 second!) out of the 8 people at 6pm today. And that was at RX weight. It felt good. I felt like a shark :D

J's Rest/Recover Day

2009-06-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today I didn't make it to the gym. 2 reasons:

"Recovery" from the weekend: am still in a lot of pain from Saturday (doing the slow hobble-walk all day)
Even though I went to bed near 11pm, I was tossing and turning until 2am! Well, not literally cause that would have been painful (lats hurt a lot too, not sure why)

But that's OK, I plan to rest 1-2 days of the week (and as needed, as it was today), and Mondays and Thursdays have been pretty consistent lately.

Usually "rest" days are matched up with "slack eating" days, but so far today hasn't been too too bad:

2.5 block breakfast, 9am: oatmeal, milk, whey protein, walnuts
3 block lunch, noon: tuna salad wrap w/veggies & cheese, cherries
1 block snack, 3:45pm: soy beans, cherries, almonds
4 block dinner, 6:30pm: salmon, rice, veggies
no bedtime snack

misc:
1 coffee, 1 diet coke, 10c water, fish oils & multivits, 2xfats

Notes:

4.5 blocks bad carbs, 1 block 6" whole wheat wrap, 3 blocks rice
feeling very sleepy right now so I may not need a bedtime snack, especially with such a big dinner (will update if I do)
even if I remain within 10.5 blocks today I will still consider it "slack" because I went over my max bad carb limit
yeah I'm a freak

J's Diet Entry, 07-Jun

2009-06-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

10.5 blocks, strange breakdown today

no pre-workout snack
1 block, post-workout snack, 8am: 1/3 elev8me bar, cheese, almonds (and yes, I took a piece of cheese up a mountain)
3 block brunch, 11am: goat cheese & mushroom benny (left about 1/4 of the eng. muffin), fruit instead of hash, tiny salad (topped off with a bit of cheese and almonds when I got home)
1.5 block snack, 3pm: whey protein, milk, cherries, almonds
3 block "dinner", 5:30 pm: grilled veggies (green pepper, mushroom caps, onions, zucchini), hummus, grilled chicken burger patty, cherries & walnuts for dessert
1 block snack, 8:30pm: cottage cheese, cherries, walnuts
1 block snack, planned for 10pm: cheese, applesauce, nuts

Misc:
1 coffee, 12c water, fish oils & multivits, 1.5xfats

Notes:

I don't eat anything before heading up Grouse but I always have a .5 block pre-xfit snack, something I may reconsider
~2 blocks unfavorable carbs (english muffin)
too much time between post-workout and breakfast: should have had another block in that gap
not aiming for a lot of extra fat at this point (re-evaluate as the month goes on), just making sure I get the 30% in and munching on a bit more here and there

The 4-week J-Plan

2009-06-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

OK, so my NY trip is about 4 weeks out. I'm not using a trip as the end date in order to get in shape i.e. physical appearance (as I usually do) because I think that is under control. Instead, I want to be confident that my metabolism is in good shape to be able to take a week off and then get right back into my workout schedule without taking too big of a leap backward.

As for a measurable goal, I will not be aiming too high for this first stretch, and instead use the next few weeks to set myself up for what I really want to attain (e.g. for longer term I'd like to aim for particular benchmark times, maxes, etc).

Goals:

cardio: hit under 58 mins GG time, maintain sub 1-hr
rehab: improve and get to state of less (or zero!) modifications, get on track to being able to go golfing or climbing
...and I guess my biggest goal is to get back to a routine and stick with the plan!!!

Here is my weekly plan for 4 weeks:

Activity:

4-5 crossfit
1 Grouse Grind, if not (rain) do 1hr cardio at gym
1 Volleyball

Rest/Rehab:

at least 6 hrs sleep/night, try to be in bed by 11
1-2 days of FULL rest from activities
at least *some* physio exercises daily, full routine every other day
modify all workouts that have push movements and overhead lifts
listen to my body: don't push too hard, take extra rest days if needed, skip vball if shoulder is bothering, etc..

Diet:

10.5 blocks/day strict zoning, 5 days --> strive for 0, but no more than 2 blocks of "unfavorable" carbs in the equation
allow for up to 2 "slack" days (usually means a few more blocks and less restriction on the unfavorables)
at least 3L water daily
daily supplements of fish oil and multivits

Progress:

log all workouts and meals on blog (sorry folks!)
try to capture both positive and negative aspects about the workout
monitor recovery

At the end of the 4 weeks:

re-evaluate my physio progress/workout modifications/activity limitations
decide on a realistic end-of-summer goal for Grouse Grind time
no weight loss
reward myself on my trip to NY :)

Ready? 3, 2, 1... GO!

Breaking Down the Grind

2009-06-07T09:47:00.000-07:00

This morning I hit Grouse Mountain for the 3rd time in 3 weeks. I've stuck to a routine of taking a trip up to North Van bright and early on Sunday mornings.

On my first hike of the season, I was surprised to have hit 1:01:29. I didn't think that I would come anywhere close to the times I was hitting last summer, but when I saw that I was at 33 minutes at the halfway mark I decided to go for a decent time to kick off the season.

The second time up I hit 58:26, and today 58:54. I'm happy to be climbing at a sub-1-hour pace, but a bit disappointed that I didn't continue on the improvement. Time for a bit of analysis.

The first and third quarter of the hike are grueling, and leading up to the halfway point and the final stretch are a lot better. I know what I am aiming for to get under an hour: 18 mins at the 1/4 mark, 30 mins 1/2way, and 45 mins at the 3/4. I usually take a decent rest at each milestone mark, but this time was slightly different. Any sort of rest (at the marks to check the time) was maybe only a few seconds. Also, I just started to carry my water bottle up with my hands (rather than in my hipsack), and don't really need to stop to rehydrate, only to slow down the pace a little when I find a stretch that isn't too challenging.

So then... why didn't I improve this time, if I saved a lot of time from my usual rests? My pace was quite "comfortable" (if you can consider anything comfy up the grind :/), which was probably the main reason why I didn't need as much rest as I did over the previous weeks. Also, this was the first time that I didn't have my eye on someone to help me keep my pace.

I recall being ecstatic at the 3/4 mark last week when I checked in at 45mins, but so jazzed that I picked up the pace a bit *too* quickly and needed to take an extra bit of a rest. This time I hit 3/4 at 45:30 and just continued to stroll thinking "don't be stubborn this time". I'm sure I could have pushed myself a bit harder, especially on the last stretch. And this time I was letting people pass me instead of trying to keep up. But for some reason I thought I'd still finish closer to 58 on the dot. I guess not.

But hey, without someone keeping up the pace for me I guess I've found *my* pace :) Should I be upset about coming in 1/2 minute shy or happy that I've got a comfy sub-60?

Wrapping up Day1 of Blog Posting

2009-06-06T23:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my first return-of-JaK'ed workout:

Warmup:
5 rounds for time:
3 pushups
6 v-sits
9 box jumps

Workout: "Jeremy"
21, 15, 9
OHS 65/95
burpees

Mods: pushups/burpees on knees, front squat, and I did an additional 150 slow situps while waiting for the first heat to finish up

So I hate box jumps. I learned to do box jumps with the "jump, extend-at-the-top, then step down" method. Sometimes I try to do the jump-down technique but find myself so winded and weak that I end up breaking down sets and resting a lot to catch my breath... so I usually resort back to the step-down method to maintain a rhythm (while STILL having to cut down to sets of 5!).

I was totally shocked during the warmup: I felt like I was flying onto the box and the jump-off method was really working for me. I did all 5 sets this way, did not have to break up the 9 reps into mini-sets, and felt so strong! This was my big win for the day, I finished with a really good time.

For the workout I had to do front squats. 65# is fairly heavy for me, and 21-15-9 ends up being quite a few reps. I ended up doing the first 21 without having to re-rack, but ended up wrecking myself for the rest of the workout. 15 was broken down into 3x5, and 9 int 5+4. Worst part was probably the burpees, that went VERY SLOWLY... I felt that I had to shake off my legs more than usual, and by the time I got to the front squats my breathing was so hurtin' that I needed a lot of time to recover before the lift. Ankles were really hurting near the end. Time was OK but could have been much better.

Big take-away lessons: Don't be too stubborn at the get-go... re-rack and split up if needed! Stretch or loosen up the ankles before squat workouts (my right ankle ALWAYS ends up bothering me but I never did anything about it!). Cardio sucks ass (burpees) but that's what we're working on ;)

[I can't recall my times, and will edit this post when I get them...]

Prelude to the OCD-ing

2009-06-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this all day and I think I've come up with what I'd like to work towards. What do I feel I should aim to improve on? Where do I want to be in the next few months?

There are 2 key things I need to hone in on: rehab and cardio.

I'd like to work towards being able to get back to normal workouts without having to modify: My shoulder is a lot better now but I jumped the gun a little when I first got back and ended up taking a step backward in rehab. I need to ease back into the CrossFit workouts.

The 1.5 months away from the gym hit me very HARD in terms of cardio, and I'm really feeling it. While I'm taking it easier on shoulder-related strength exercises I should be focusing on working up my cardio base and aiming for endurance gains.

The reason why I wanted to get back to the blogging is because I found myself slipping quite a bit over the past few weeks. I never fully got back into the swing of things, and I'm hoping that this will help me out! Sure, although not as often, I've been working out fairly regularly and staying *mostly* zoned (damn sweet tooth!), but I just haven't been feeling like my usual fit, healthy, upbeat self. I think it's a few things:

Irregular sleeping patterns
More recent re-injury (gets me down, feel gimpy having to modify so much!)
Snowball effect: don't feel good because of lack of sleep -> sleep in and don't work out -> loosen up on diet -> don't feel good...

So... now what? Well what I do know is that it really helps me when I have a definite goal to work towards. In the past I've used upcoming events - trips, a scheduled BodyComp Scan, Crossfit Certification, the beginning of volleyball season, etc. - to help me formulate a plan. I have a few things coming up this summer, the first one being exactly a month away. What I'd like to do is come up with a plan and stick with it, then re-evaluate and tweak as needed for the next "mini-goal".

Geez, that's quite a prelude to my fitness plan for the month of June. I think I'll sleep on it and figure it out after the Grind tomorrow morning. Sleep on it *after* I blog about today's workout first ;)

JaK'ed is Back!

2009-06-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

WOW. I just realized that I haven't written anything in this blog in over 6 months! So much has happened since then:

Crossfit Level 1 Cert
First BodyComp Scan
1 major injury, the j-shoulder
6 weeks off of CrossFit because of said injury
4 weeks of Starting Strength
Volleyball added to the activity equation
Grouse Grind back into the routine
Pilates and Yoga dropped from the routine

And the one thing that hasn't changed:

Still zoning strong

So perhaps I'll throw in a bit of banter about the deets as I go back into post-o-rama, but I think I'll just be moving forward with my current goals and progress.

Why am I getting back into JaK'ed?

Accountability. Say it, do it, write about it... PWN IT!
I miss K! This is one avenue that we'll be keeping in touch... hopefully many others as well :)
P isn't always there to blah blah blah to after my workouts :D This way he can listen to me at his convenience.

Enough of the re-intro... Let's just dooooo iiiitttttt!

Trying to Stick with It

2008-11-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

My quickie lunchtime workout played out like this.....

20 minute cardio based on Body for Life 20 Minute Aerobic Solution

4 rounds 4 minute runs... starting running at 5 intensity (out of ten) and ending at 10 intensity. Not a true 10 intensity but a hard slugging run that I can safely do on a treadmill without losing balance. A real sprint is hard to maintain for a minute, if I did this workout outside I could do a full sprint without feeling wary....

Just to explain how the intervals go:

Minute 1 - 50% intensity
Minute 2 - 60 - 70% intensity
Minute 3- 80 %
Minute 4 - 100% intensity

1 minute walk break

Repeat 4 times

After this I did

20 air squats
10 push ups
20 air squats
10 push ups
25 lunges

.... This wasn't as much of a workout as I'd like. Not really a 5k distance which is my usual benchmark, but I felt pretty guilty for not having exercised since this past Tuesday and really just wanted to get in a workout. I knew that aiming for Friday night was unlikely to happen and the weekends tend to be hit or miss for me. So at least I got in there and continued the momentum for today.

Another One in the Bag!

2008-11-25T12:40:00.001-08:00

So last night after I left work I managed to get more exercise in. I had to fix something that I broke and finally left at 8pm.. so it was a bit of a testament to willpower to get into the gym before my nominal commute home.

I ran 5k again, this time on a treadmill. I did 10/1 intervals... starting at speed 5, then increasing to speed 5.5, and for the last bit, 6. It was a comfortable run, and I really enjoyed chilling out to my musical selection. Maybe I'm getting old, but right now I've got some Pavarotti and European Madrigals on my itunes as well as a slew of more mainstream artists. I'm just loving the awesome vocal and timeless music. If any of you in blogland have music suggestions in that vein, please post ! I need a music education!

After my run, I did a situp test, maximum reps in one minute. My total was 40. I'll take that.

After the sit up sprint, I did three rounds of push ups and sit ups alternating until I got to 40 sit ups again and 20 push ups. During my fitness hiatus , my push ups have really suffered. I use to be able to cruise up to a 20rep max ( in one go) and now I only make it to about 15 or so , but after 10 reps I'm really working hard. Strength goes fast... apparently.

So I'm still really hoping I keep up the momentum. Right now I've got a nice level of leg fatigue/mild soreness, and it really feels good. My legs are tight. I feel like I used my body, and once again I'm reacquainted with the sensation of vitality.

Trying to Start Up Again

2008-11-22T19:47:00.001-08:00

Special K has been on a crunchtime/busyness hiatus. I'm not proud to say that its been about two months since I've done any exercise. For various reasons relating to my schedule my appetite was affected and I lost about 8lbs on the scale. What ratio of fat and muscle, I can't say, but I know my pants all fit me loose and other people have noticed my weight loss.This does not result in a good feeling. At times I feel weak, not at my best, and mentally less fortified. I miss the endorphin hit.. the " neuroendocrine response." I miss the high and feeling strong and capable. I miss how super alert I feel when I've had a great workout and the cycle of soreness and recovery. There were a few, very few, mini workouts during this time, but mostly weeks of sitting at a desk.

At long last I got a solid workout in. This morning I went out for a 5k run. Now let me preface this with the fact that I've surely lost muscle mass, my cardio is shot, and I haven't been moving my body much at all. So... the run took me about an hour where it would usually take me something over a half hour. I did it with 5 walk breaks, mostly sticking to 10 minute intervals, but not always. Some of the breaks were two minutes but most were one minute. After the run, I did 4 rounds of 20 air squats, and 10 v sits. I really need to do some push ups as I know I've lost some upper body strength. Maybe next time.

The day was great. The sun finally came out and my run was mostly pleasant over all. I ran slow, and was just happy to get my heart working for that long and to feel physiologically reanimated.

"Rest" Week

2008-11-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

With the Certification coming up I knew that I'd need to sneak some rest into my schedule. Normally it's a hard thing for me to do, but the lousy weather does favor non-activity.

On Monday I scored really high on the workout:
"Dirty Laundry"
5 Minutes Double Unders
5 Minutes Clean & Push Press 65/95
1 Minute Rest
3 Minutes Double Unders
3 Minutes Clean & Push Press
1 Minute Rest
1 Minute Double Unders
1 Minute Clean & Push Press
Add all reps for total score

Obviously it was my DUs. I'd like to say that I had a trick, but I really didn't. It just happened to be one of those good DU days. Perhaps the longer rope size contributed to it. Regardless what the "recommended" size is for jump ropes, I always tend to do better with a rope that is slightly longer than what it should be. I set a new PR for max DUs in the workout: 35, which is 10 more than my last.

On the other hand, I wasn't happy with my cleans. After focusing on it over the weekend, I guess I still need more practise. On top of that, the push press was bothering my shoulder so I had to clean the bar, narrow my grip, then dip-drive.

On Tuesday I did a really nice pilates class. I am really beginning to appreciate what Pilates does for me, especially my core and hips.

On Wednesday the WOD was quite different:
"Movember"
Complete 5 Rounds of the following sequence, then run 200m. Repeat 5 TImes. 65/95
1 Snatch Grip Deadlift
1 Hang Snatch
1 Overhead Squat
1 Barbell Pushup

I was of course worried about the snatch, but my shoulder is only getting stronger :) I was able to do the workout with a 33# bar... yes, I not only went higher than a dowel with the snatch, but I went further than the baby bar! The lift sequence was not too hard on me, besides taking extra care on the snatch, so I didn't feel like it was too touch of a workout. Looking back now I realize that I should have pushed myself harder in the running portion. Crossfit workouts should always feel like it was a tought workout!

And that's it! I stayed clear away from any fitness activity all of Thursday and today, and will be making out way down to Portland for the Level 1 Cert...

Cleaning up the Cleans

2008-11-02T16:03:00.000-08:00

On Thursday the workout was “Power Elizabeth”
21, 15, 9
Power Cleans 95/135
Ring Dips

I went a bit heavier than I normally would, and focused on my technique. I thought I was doing OK, but Coach KT kept telling me to stand up and that I was too early on the shrug. He showed me some shots that he took that showed how my technique was off. It was a good workout, but I was upset with my performance. P suggested that I join him at a Clean and Jerk Clinic at the other gym.

And that's what we did on Saturday. For 3 hours we broke down the different parts on the clean and push jerk, then put it together. The clinic really helped me understand the technique. Although it will take a long time to get it to a decent level (apparently 3000-5000 reps before it is retained in muscle memory), I am extremely happy that I am finally getting it.

I am fascinated now with lifting. I think the moves are beautiful and it's such a good feeling when you it right. At the end of the clinic I even purchased a set of 3 of the Rippetoe books. I think I'd like to start strength training... once I get all my ducks in a row. I think it's time for another J-activity evaluation!

So today is a rest day... because looking back over the last week and a half I realize that I've done 8 out of 9 days of crossfit!

[Between these two clean days I also did a nice 31 minute burner Halloween workout: every minute on the minute do 3 thrusters followed by 3 DB pushups 20/30... it sounds easy but it ends up pretty gruelling!]

First Max Day

2008-10-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable... since I am now in love with 6am classes and walking into workouts blind, I knew that soon I'd have to face a max day.

Next to Snatch, this was probably the worst one for me to have to do, but I'm glad I did it.

Overhead Squat:
5,3,3,1,1,1

I concentrated on my technique with both holding the bar up int he OH position as well as focusing on my core for the lift. I felt really good about the technique. In the end, coming from injury, I actually set a new PR by 17 lbs!

After the workout, however, I was not happy about such a feat, but a bit disappointed. On the last attempt I should have bailed properly, instead I held on and wouldn't let anything stop me from making the lift. This could have ended up disasterous but fortunately it didn't.

It's funny how I can easily resort to dowels on one day and then stubbornly go heavy on another day. J-stubbornness at its worst :S

JBean Triumphs Over P

2008-10-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I couldn't believe it myself.

Workout: "Grover"
# Rounds In 20 Minutes
5 Pushups
10 Lunges
15 Situps

I hadn't even heard of this one before. When I saw it on the board I was pretty excited! I was happy to be able to put my new pushup technique to action!

The rest part were the lunges. This is when I caught my breath and took it a bit easier.

The most painful part were the pushups. Because of my new technique, I didn't fail on them, nor have to break them down into mini sets. I did, however, start letting out a yell during my last rep of each set. Coming closer to the end, the grunts and screams came out after nearly every rep :S

The hardest part was getting through 15 situps. With close to 3000 situps for the month you'd think it was easy, but the number of reps in the set made it difficult. I wasn't having any problems with the situps themselves, in fact, I could whip them out pretty quickly and didn't find myself slowing down too much... I did, however, have to break it up in sets of 5 in order to take some quick short breaths in between. My breathing was getting pretty bad, but my strategy was actually working, so I continued on...

I was so happy to even remain within the same round as Pole, but when I actually started to move past him I got a second wind! I couldn't believe I was actually beating him... and there was no scaling done because it was all calisthenics. Shark on top, who would've thunk?

That was totally a 1-off. Pole is my hero, and I'm just happy to be in his realm at least once in my life!

More Running Over the Weekend

2008-10-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

I continue to amaze myself with how I'm performing in workouts that inolve running. First of all, it doesn't phase me when running is involved i.e. I don't mind it! There was a time when I used to cringe, get nervous, and even try to get out of the running component of the workout. Not anymore!

On Saturday it was a partner Phoebe. Sure, I did 1/2 the amount of reps of the last brutal attempt, but it was a far different experience. My partner and I decided to work with 45# which is actually 3 lb heavier than the last go. We worked in sets of 5 or 6 each, which didn't have to be further broken down. Finally, not only did I feel good about the running, but I actually felt like my running got stronger at around the 3rd round! I was even able to push hard at the end and came in a close 2nd in time, behind coach KT's team.

On Sunday it was an AMRAP in 20mins:
5 DB Thrusters 25/35
5 Block Jumps (top to bottom box jumps)
5 Ring Dips
5 Squats
5 Pushups
200m Run

A run once again. I went lighter on the thrusters and had a hard time with the reverse box jumps (a reason why I step down in regular ones). Nonetheless, it was a decent go, and running didn't phase me!

What I was most happy about in this workout is that my pushups never weakened. During the beginning rounds, Coach Bookwork would tell me to go "all the way to the ground" and "touch my chest to the floor". I thought this was much harder to do, but it in fact made my pushups much stronger. There is a bit of momentum when touching the floor, as well as not having to spend energy trying to slow yourself down to a certain position. Whatever it is, it works!

First Strength Day

2008-10-24T15:02:00.000-07:00

It wasn't for max, but it was a heavy lifting day. We started off with an awesome burner warmup:
3 dead hang pullups
6 jumping squats
9 side-to-side DB ab crunches
12 double unders
I did Norris-style jumping pullups and tied for fastest time of the day... would have been faster but I surprisingly tripped on the DUs!

The workout was
Deadlift: 5 Rounds of 5 Reps @ 80% of Max

I don't have a 1-rep max but based on my 5-rep max I chose a weight that would be challenging but not stpid for me to attempt. I was on a mission to work my technique with this one, as P says "Deadlifts for style".

And that I did! I retained a good form throughout all the lifts except for the last one (i.e. 24/25). The beauty is that immediately after the final rep I KNEW it wasn't good technique. That in itself shows me that I am fully aware of what's going on throughout the lift... and far less chance for me to wrench my back in the future :)

New Classes

2008-10-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

This was a week of new classes at CFBC. Coach Bookworm led Sunday 2pm, and Mon/Wed 6am.

On Sunday I walked to the gym without expecting to workout because of my torn hands. It turned out that the workout would be fairly palm-safe and modifyable :)

For the warmup we did 10 rounds of Chelsea (5 pullups 10 pushups 15 squats every minute in the minute), but I substituted the pushups with situps and pullups with double unders.

The workout was a variation of "Michael"
800m Run
50 v-sits
50 deadlifts 65/95

I scaled my deadlift down due to a weight that wouldn't be too hard on my hands. It was a GREAT workout, far harder than a regular Michael, and my time was pretty decent (came close to my regular Michael time back in July). And compared to that first 2.4K of Michael the running felt pretty good! I felt very comfirtable and was keeping a pretty steady pace (was always the same distance from Cav). That 5K experience really did affect me!

On Monday I had to do a complete modified workout. The warmup was fine, in fact, I was quite happy with it regardless of the burpees!

Tabata Mashup:
Medball Cleans
Burpees
for total score

I have a lot of trouble with regular barbell cleans, but always feel good about the MB ones. The burpees weren't so bad in this Tabata mashup either, I was trying to incorporate the Kip into getting up as Flub described... don't think I quite got it but I stayed steady at 5 and even increased to 6 on my last round (during Tabata Hell I tapped out at 4). There was a lot of shaking out my legs near the end... it sure was a burner!

The workout was
21, 15, 9
Snatch 65/95
Knees to Elbows

I thought I'd be able to at least try with a 22# bar snatch, but could barely make a 1/2 effort as I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder on the very first one. Dowel it is. I taped up and tried to hang from the bar (really wanted to be able to do it, since I haven't done a workout with my new KTE swing!) but it was far too painful on my hands so I did v-sits (again). It was far too easy, but I'm glad the warmup was a good 8 minutes of work :)

On Weds it was a private session since I was the only one who showed up for 6am!

The warmup was 1000 skips... the hardest part of this was counting!
The workout was:
800m Run
21 Shoulder Press
800m Run
21 Push Press
800m Run
21 Push Jerk

Running again! Once again, I felt really good about the running. In fact, I asked what my time was for the first go: it was 8 seconds faster than the last time I ran an 800m for time which KILLED me. This time I felt good and was even ready to pick up the bar for my first set! I stayed with the baby bar again, and kept my grip narrow. This became a bit strange with the push jerk, but I was not about to risk it!

I think I'll stick with 6am classes! It's nice to be in such a small class, and I know that both Pole and Cav are planning to stick with it too. I can see the 3 of us making up the attendance for most, if not all the classes!

Partner Strategizing

2008-10-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

I teamed up with Rubix to BEAT Pole and Phat Al :P

It was an awesome workout today:
"REALLY DIRTY 30"
30 squats
30 Situps
30 KB Swings (50/35)
30 Box Jumps
30 burpees
30 Wall Balls (20/12)
4 Rounds with a partner. Perform the exercises in order and split it any way you like.

And that we did! We played on our strengths and weaknesses... Rubix is far stronger with KB swings (esp with my injury), and is a bit weaker on box jumps. I am by no means strong at box jumps, but relatively I was the stronger one in this workout. We knew that the burpees would be horrendous, so this is exactly how we worked it:

Squats:
Rubix 15, Shark 15
Situps:
Rubix 15, Shark 15
KB Swings:
Rubix 10, Shark 10, Rubix 10
Box Jumps:
Shark 10, Rubix 10, Shark 10
Burpees
Rubix 5, Shark 5, ... x 3
Wall Balls
Rubix 15, Shark 15

It worked beautifully. We came in first. Team Rubishark ROCKED it!

After the workout I was keen on the pullup bar again, despite the 100 pullups I did the day before. The silliest thing happened: I went up in a jumping pullup off of a box that wasn't positioned properly... fell off the box, scraped my shin, and ripped a huge chunk of skin (along with a callous) off of my hand. GRRRR! I hurt myself in the silliest way, and the gash in my hand will definitely affect my workout week :(

The EXdorphin Surge

2008-10-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

That's what I'll call it -- the opposite of the post-workout rush, or just the low feeling you get when you're in a bad mood and the endorphins are spilling through you.

I think it was a series of workout events and RAIN that caused it. Yesterday I did my planned Thursday: skip out on Crossfit and hit up Pilates and gymnastics classes.

Pilates was OK... was very limited on shoulder work (and there was A LOT of it) but the I was having no trouble with my back at all. I was able to do full situps and lower back exercises normally. In fact, I was the only person in the class that was able to do a full situp-to-standing move :)

Gymnastics that night, however, was a different story. I was having so much trouble with my shoulder that I was limiting myself to what exercises and moves to do. The beauty about my shoulder injury and gymnastics class thoug, is that I can still practise handstands. Or at least I thought I could. Everytime I went up I would get a sharp pain drive into my right palm/wrist, something that USED TO happen with pushups. I believe it has something to do with working with the mouse/keyboard while on the computer. This was upsetting, because I had to sit out on most of the gymnastics class not only because of my activity-related injury but also a work-related nuisance :(

The next morning, as Rider was writing the WOD on the board, I was ecstatic:
It was Double Unders and Pullups... my two favorite things!
10 rounds of Double unders starting at 100 and decereasing by 10 to 10, with 10 pullups after each set of DUs.

I chained all my DUs, and my pullups had to be broken down to sets of 3. I finished off with a very decent time, but I felt horrible after the workout. I think that I pushed myself pertty far with this that I felt dizzy during and after the workout.

For the rest of the day I was pretty down... the Vancouver rain was really getting me down and the endorphins (or EXdorphins) from the crazy workout were making it worse. It's funny how I believed that morning workout were the way to go because of the rush, but I guess that sometimes it doesn't give a kickstart to my day!

The Run of My Life

2008-10-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

I missed Chuck Norris yesterday, grrr!

I woke up incredibly early this morning so hit up my apartment gym for a situp-free J-fit workout. After a short warmup onthe machines and Tabata skips (singles), I decided to do:

5 rounds:
20 DUs
10 DB shoulder press (15)
10 lat pulls (40) - something to work some of my pullup muscles :)

I decided to do this instead of the morning class so I could wait to hear about the workout in case it was a strength day. Far from it. It was what was at one point my worst fear: a long-distance run.

I heard about the 5K run at about 9am. I actually didn't dismiss the idea from the get go. However, it did take about 7 hours to finally decide to go. Some things that finally pushed me to going: it wasn't a max day, I haven't been to crossfit in 6 days, and... well, it's time to face my biggest fear. Heck, if Rubix was in, there was no backing out ;)

I was so worked up, nervous, and anxious... I fully expected to aim for a 40 minute effort, walk a bit here and there, and, well... die. It turns out that it wasn't the case at all!

With 7 hours of anxiety build up, we started the run. With no idea how to pace myself on such a run, I simply just started going with a flow. I knew who would soar past me and did my best to stay a fair distance between. About 2 K into the run, Kelly asked how I was doing. I thought that me breathing sounded a bit rough but I was feeling quite comfortable. She and I chatted as we ran, and as we hit the halfway mark to turn around I felt like I was soaring! At about the 3K point I was ecstatic about how far I had gotten already! I didn't have to stop and walk at all, and knew that I'd be able to run the rest of the distance.

As we moved past the seawall and faced the streets again, I made sure that we made one of the lights that was ready to turn red. This gave me a boost to go hard at the last2 blocks, about 400 m or so. I think this was the first time I had EVER pushed harder at teh end of a workout that involved running, let along a workout that was entirely running! When KT gave me the time I was thrilled when I thought he said 34-something. I heard him wrong, I actually finished in 30:48! Contrary to what I thought at the beginning: I beat 40 minutes by a long shot, not once resorted to walking, and actually felt GREAT from beginning to end. Part of me even felt like doing it *again* immediately after. It was a huge feat for me, and I am so glad that I conquered it!

Eat, Sleep, and Situps

2008-10-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

That's the gist of what I did over my 5 day trip home for the Thanksgiving weekend... a lot of good food, a lot of rest, and 200 butterfly situps a day!

On Friday I wanted to continue my mission of opening up my hips by incorporating squats in the workout. I wanted to throw in some cardio but couldn't quite do DUs in my parents' basement. This is what I concocted:
8 rounds,
25 situps
25 squats
75 single skips

On Saturday I did about 30 minutes of Series 1 Ashtanga and then decided to switch up the workout with something to work the soulders:
8 rounds,
75 single skips
25 situps
10 handstand pushups - modified with elevated pike

On Sunday I had no rope at my sister's place and was a bit limited on time so instead did a simple one:
8 rounds,
25 squats
25 situps

And Monday was even more pressed for time so I just hammered out 200 situps before getting ready for dinner.

Tuesday I was reunited with the rope at my parents' so redid the workout from Friday:
8 rounds,
25 situps
25 squats
75 single skips
Since I had a bit of time, I finished this off with an easy 15 minute treadmill run followed by a lap around the block before picking up my niece from preschool.

Although I did J-fit for 5 days straight and knocked off another 1000 situps for my challenge I also felt like I had a nice long rest. I look forward to my return to the gym... and to add the count to my total.

Prime Time

2008-10-09T23:54:00.000-07:00

My huge leap from the dowel decision led to an only slightly modified workout today :)

"Prime Time"
19,17,13,11,,5,3,1
Wallballs 12/20
Pushups
Box Jumps
Pullups

I used an 8lb wall ball instead of the RX that I would regularly use. Otherwise, I pushed full moves on the others and finished proudly in my mid-range of the spread :) Pushups were tough to grind through after wall balls, and pullups needed quite a bit of rest between the mini-sets especially after the box jumps. Other than trying to make sure each set had the right number of reps, it was a pleasantly brutal workout!

The workout ended up with a pleasant chat among the 7am crew and I was able to knock off another 200 situps :) My streak of situps this week motivates me to get on track for the month and work on the challenge while I'm away from the gym over Thanksgiving weekend. Stay tuned.

Dowel Workout

2008-10-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize how badly the shoulder was from Monday's thrusters until yesteday's pilates class. I actually had trouble with some exercises and we didn't even work on arms! Some exercises that required twists with arms held out, or even just holding myself up for leg raises had to be modified by bending my arm and holding it in. This was a big eye opener and quite frustrating.

I never thought I'd ever resort to a dowel in a workout, but today it had to be done:

5 Rounds For Time 85/135
15 Deadlifts
12 Hang Power Cleans
9 Front Squats
6 Push Jerk

KT suggested I use a dowel, incorporate 200 m runs after each round, and NOT time myself. It was a great workout and I was able to concentrate on my form.

This was an ultimate gimp workout but in a comparison to Mondays workout I felt that it was a huge leap toward recovery :) In addition, I was able to knock off 250 situps (since I didn't require any setup time and finished comparatively early). 400 down, 2600 to go! Easy peasy ;)

A Slight Step Backward

2008-10-06T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hmm. Perhaps my workout streak is calling for a real rest day... I thought that the workout today would be alright since I've progressed to working with slightly higher weight lately, but in the end felt my shoulder in a bit of pain :(

The running-light-Fran-like workout was:
800m Run, 21 Thrusters 45/65, 15 Pullups
600m Run, 15 Thrusters 45/65, 12 Pullups
400m Run, 12 Thrusters 45/65, 9 Pullups

We also worked on pullups in the tech, which I was very happy with since I was helping out Cav and also felt that I surprised some of the other people with my Kip :) I haven't been doing many evening classes so it felt good to show new eyes my progress.

The shoulder, however was likely affected by the thrusters. I took KT's advice and made sure I was using the strength of my legs more instead of my shoulders, but the downward movement still has to be controlled so the slightly heavier bar may bot have been the best idea.

Not happy, but lesson learned nonetheless.

J-fit Sunday

2008-10-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

Stay tuned for a load of back posts (~3 weeks?) but for now I just want to talk about my apartment-gym silliness.

After 5 crossfits this week I woke up this morning feeling like I need a cardio hit. Sunday morning, like last Sunday, I decided to take the rope down to the apartment gym.

Warmup: 10 mins elliptical trainer (for a laugh and to get my body moving), Tabata skips (singles)

Workout #1:
20-2 ladder (count down by 2's)
DUs
Situps
Squats

I wanted to do v-sits but my back isn't quite ready. Instead I did some situps which I can add to my challenge of the month (for October it's 3000 situps!). I decided on 20-2 because 10-1 just wasn't enough.

I'm proud to say that I did every set of DUs chained (i.e. no skips in between) and without tripping :) Although I did keep track of time, I didn't rush the rest of the workout because a) I need to be careful on my back in full situps and b) to ensure good form on squats.

Since I've been pushing lower weights due to my injuries, I've started to really concentrate on form and technique. I am now on a mission to open up my hips more... although they've come a long way from evaluation and A's diagnosis of "muted hip function", I know that my technique on some of the lifts (cleans, etc.) and moves (i.e. Kipping) can really benefit from a bit of work in this area. Coach P suggested more air squats... so I started today. I did 260 squats... not quite Murph but 2 workouts worth.

Workout #2:
"Annie"-style with squats:
50 40 30 20 10
DUs
squats

I love this workout with situps, and wanted to gauge how I'd do on time with attempting to chain my DUs. I think squats are somewhat comparable to situps in terms of difficulty/time to complete for me as well. (I could be wrong, but at least it's a lot closer than burpees or pullups ;)

It's interesting to see that my time was somewhat close to my last Annie with 1-skip-between DUs and anchored situps. With chained DUs I need a bit more time to recover my breath, and there is more of a risk of tripping... and this is why I never attempted them in a workout. With a comparable time it tells me that it's getting a lot better. I was able to do sets of 20 for the first go in the first 3 rounds, and wrapping up each with set(s) of 10. I was so tired by the time I got to squats that I needed a bit of rest between sets of 10. Good stuff though.

And since my last attempt at max chained DUs, I guess I increased by 2 today... didn't try for a max, and each time I hit 20 I stopped vs tripped. I am curious to see what my new max is but I think I'll wait until it comes up again in class. I'll save the whip marks for when it counts :)

Sharkifying Workouts

2008-10-04T22:22:00.000-07:00

I had a good crossfit-filled week with so many modifications that I am beginning to think that modified workouts are almost synonymous with me. This week, however, my modifications were mainly just keeping weights low, showing some progress. So instead of considering them modified I'm proudly calling them Sharkified for this week :)

The week actually started off with an early morning start on Sunday with a bit of playing around with the rope at my apartment gym. I hit the machines for a bit, worked my chained DUs and then ended up with Tabata DUs (1 skip between). I was happy to have increased by 2 since my last attempt. After this I checked out a yoga class but was a bit disappointed in the instructor's style. It was abit hard on my shoulder too, and made me realize that scarecrow-type movement was not good for my recovery.

On Monday we were given workout that was potentially dangerous for me:

10 SDHP 45/65
10 weighted walking lunges 10/25
10 DB thrusters 25/35

I decided to go with it but with very light weights. I still got a crazy workout out of it. It was a tough one, and can't imagine doing it with RX weight even if I were 100%! Kudos to everyone who did it!

I had a great pilates class on Tuesday that really worked my hips, and easily decided to skip out on "Grace" at crossfit. I did, however, make it to "CPR" on Weds which was CRAZY:

200m Run
25 Push Press 55/75
200m Run
50 Pullups
200m Run
75 Situps
200m Run
100 Squats
200m Run
75 Deadlifts 65/95
200m Run
50 Burpees
200m Run

I kept the weights low and anchored my situps, and had an awesome time with the crazy workout. What I was most proud of were my pullups: I often strung 5 in a row, and enjoyed my time on the bar, where others found it the hardest part of the workout!

I considered hitting Grouse because it was so gorgeous out, but figured that CPR was a hard enough hit ;)

On Thursday I wasn't feeling so well so we decided to skip out on gymnastics. In the evening I got a second wind so we hit the 8:15pm class:

This one wasn't timed: 7 Rounds
3 Ring Dips
6 Knees To Elbows
9 Box Jumps

I LOVED it because I was able to work my KTE and fnally figured out the swing! Having the right swing definitely helped me to actually hit elbows... it felt GREAT.

Then on Friday it was a partner workout:
"Team Wacky Wendy"
21,15,12,9,6,3,6,9,12,15,21
Pullups
Back Squat 65/95
Shoulder Press 65/95
Situps

I went light on the weights again but was pushed by Coach KT to increase to 33 lb bar. I was terrified at first but it ended up being safe. I was feeling OK to do situps as long as I kept a towel under my lower back for a bit of support. What really threw me off was that after working my KTE the night before... my Kip swing was off! It was pretty discouraging, I often did singles :( It gets a bit tricky because it sort of works oppositely... Ahh well, something to think about.

Finally on Saturday I walked into my favorite type of workout:
"Saturday Gone Bad"
Wall Balls 12/20
Weighted Situps 10/25 Plate
Box jumps
DB Straight Leg Deadlifts 35/50
Jumping Ring Dips

3 Rounds of 5 Minutes of work with 1 minute of rest. One minute of each exercise. Add total # of reps for all exercises.

I kept the DLs light, and realized that I also had to modify the wall ball weight due to the possible impact on my shoulder. Box jumps and jumping ring dips were tough on my breathing, but I still managed to stay consistent. I ended up with a pretty decent score... and realized that I am actually quite strong with my situps, yay! This especially good news since the new challenge of the month for October is 3000 situps!

So it was a great Sharkified week... I didn't get stubborn with anything... unless, of course, you might consider 5 crossfit + gym workout + pilates + yoga in a week might be pushing it :P

Legs Day

2008-09-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Back in my gym rat days I HATED working legs. It was soooooo boring that I often skipped leg days and worked the upper body push/pull routine instead.

Today's workout was an 800m partner lunge. I lunged it with 3 of the boys and had a great time. It was so much easier than the 400m individual lunge because we had rest time with partners. On top of that, we had some great conversation and enjoyed a great autumn morning around the block :)

Since I hadn't been to a workout in a couple of days (skipped Crossfit Total on Thursday and a work event got in the way on Friday), I had the drive to do some more. With the leg theme and a gorgeous day, I decided to call a friend and hit up Grouse Grind. It was his first time, and my intention was to just take an "easy stroll" to the top since climbing stairs can be hard on the lower back. Surprisingly we made it in great time! It took 61 minutes, and I was feeling VERY comfortable. I think I could have easily beat my PR of 58 minutes if I were on my own. I don't think I'm quite ready to hit Grouse in sub-optimal weather, but will try to catch the odd sunny day if I can. Otherwise, I want to aim for sub-50 next summer! I wonder...

A Surprisingly Strong Return

2008-09-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to go and see a physiotherapist on Monday, who did some treatment on my back and gave me some exercises for therapy. At this point my shoulder wasn't a worry, but we did speak about looking at it in the next scheduled session. The next day, however, we were moving desks at work and an abrupt movement sent me the familiar feeling in my right shoulder. It started to bother me but only slightly.

After 2 days of rest I decided that today's workout looked doable.

The warmup was 50 chair-to-box jumps. They were supposed to be hip openers, and I was surprised at how I seemed to be having the least amount of trouble with them... as we got past the halfway point, the others were finding it hard and starting to experience pain. For some reason I wasn't, and even questioned if I was doing it correctly! Perhaps the rest was doing me good?

The workout: "Bob"
21, 15, 9
Box dips
Weighted walking lunges 25/35 DBs
Knees to Elbows

The only thing I had to worry about were the KTEs: at first I was thinking to modify with v-sits, but then decided that I could get on the bar but aim for knees to chest from the beginning so that I wouldn't push it too much with bar work due to my shoulder situation. I whipped through the workout and actually came only mere seconds behind the best time for the day. Rest certainly was good!

On to the Next Injury

2008-09-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

On Saturday after the heavy-deadlifts-for-time mess, I had my first massage. My RMT is a fellow crossfitter, and she was great. I was glad to have that appointment considering what went wrong that morning, and she worked it well. I rested for two days and then hit the gym again on Tuesday morning. Shoulder was fine, back wasn't bothering me... I was ready for a workout... at least I thought I was.

Warmup: Max
Workout: "Team Hairy Badger"
In teams of 2:
3 rounds:
30 squat cleans 65/95
30 pullups
800m run

I thought we could go decently heavy, so we did 55. I realized how bad it was after the first round yet still kept going. My shoulder was fine... cleans were OK and so were the pullups, but I could not squat because my back was in pain, and then could not properly Kip because I was having trouble with the back bend in the swing. We kept grinding through it and at the end I knew I was doomed.

I had a lot of trouble at work that day. I realized that regardless of how I'm feeling, I shouldn't go full out in a workout so soon after an injury. I should be modifying.

But I still decided to go on Wednesday, and boy did I nodify that one.

Warmup:
30 KB swings for time.

Workout: "Team Murph"
With a partner:
1 mile run
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
1 mile run

I picked up a 20# DB for the KB swings... barely half the RX. I felt the pain in my back immediately and knew that there was no way I could do the workout. I sat out and cheered them on instead.

It was a bit of a waste of my time, so I decided that I'd find out what the workout is first and then decided if it was workth it to show. Thursday was Max OH squat... needless to say, I skipped that one.

Friday was "Jacob's ladder":
Starting at 10/20# DBs:
5 DB deadlifts
5 DB cleans
5 DB front squats
5 DB push press
Increase weight by 5lbs and see how far you get in 10 minutes.

I modified this one and called it "JBean's Stepladder". I started at 10 and went back and forth from 15's and 10's. It felt kinda silly, but it was a smart move. Great workout, awesome burn.

Finally on Saturday I did a "Team Fat Fran":
42, 30, 18
Thrusters 65-95
Pullups

I partnered with someone who was going through squat therapy, so we stuck with a 22# bar. I was able to Kip in sets of 3.

Then I did a beginner Power Yoga class with P. This is when I really started feeling it. I a of how to modify some poses, but the pain was happening in the transitions (i.e. Warrior 1 to plank). I was in extreme pain when I was walking home and looked forward to my 2nd RMT appointment.

Today I laid in bed all day on my stomach with a heating pad on my back. I really messed up again :(

Fitness Roadblock

2008-09-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

Special K is in "crunch time" and has frozen her crossfit fee payments for about 2 months. The idea there is to avoid paying nearly 200 dollars a month when I can't attend the classes regularly, and this is fine and a wise fiscal decision. In the meantime, when I get a chance, I have a skipping rope, a free primitive gym to use downstairs from work, a city with many a bike path and seawall running paths. So... there are still options. Now I just need to squeeze in the time.

... consequently this post also represents an explanation of the diminished amount of posting. Stay tuned.. JaK'ed is not dead.

Recovery! Kind of.

2008-09-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

I was soooooo happy when I got to the gym this morning... I LOVE Saturdays even more now because the class is a mixture of people from the 7am, 5pm, and 8:15s that I've been mixing up lately. This got me so excited that I didn't even mind the 1 mile run for a warmup.

It wasn't too bad, except for the fact that I started getting stomach cramps about halfway. I guess 11am is an odd time for me to work out if I still wake up early that morning. Nonetheless, I knew it was alright because I knoched of 43 secs from my last time, even though we hit about 4 sets of lights.

Tech: Pullups
Workout: 10-1 ladder
Deadlifts 95/135
Pullups
Box Jumps

I felt really good today so I went for it... and was able to get at least a few Kips strung! I was ecstatic about it, first because my shoulder felt great, and secondly because I was so afraid that I wouldn't even be able to do 1 after the injury.

For the workout I did the first sets with Kips, but resorted to jumping pullups (Kip progression) when I felt it was too much. It ended up that the danger wasn't actually in the pullups...

But instead in the deadlifts. I wrenched my back. Pole and Rubix always told me never to rush deadlifts but noooooooo... JBean goes and motors through the RX weight, which is far too heavy for her, in the worst form. I ended up with a sharp pain in my back but luckily I had a massage appointment set up for later that afternoon.

I was quite upset with myself.. not just about this workout but the last few weeks. I'm thinking of changing it up again and hitting some morning classes again. I don't know how, but perhaps that will help me get out of this losing streak.

Broken Bear

2008-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

I knew about this workout the night before, and was quite upset knowing that it would be dangerous for me to try to max on anything that required shoulders... the push presses were especially threatening because of having to take the bar to and from the back position. I've always wanted to do this workout, but for a real max :(

Warmup: 100 Med Ball Situps
Workout: "The Bear Complex"
7 sets of the following sequence:
Power Clean
Front Squat
Push Press
Back Squat
Push Press
... without putting the bar down to rest or regrip.
5 total rounds to get max load

7 days prior to this I wasn't able to do the MB situps with 6#, but today I partnered up with X and was able to do them. Great sign!

For the workout I started with a 22# bar, then went up by 5#. At 32 it started looking iffy so the trainiers told me that I should stop. I finished the workout by repeating the 32 for the last 2 rounds. Even though I've been modifying and taking it easy all week, I felt really silly being the weak one :( Next time...

The Baby Bar

2008-09-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

More modifications today.

Warmup: 200m man carry
Tech: Clean & Jerk
Workout: 7 rounds for time
3 C&J 95/135
6 Dead Hang Pullups (or 12 Kips, 18 jumping)
9 KB Swings 35/50
200m run

My mods were DUs 20# DB for KB swing and 22# bar for the C&J. I knew that I could clean far heavier, but the Jerk part of it forced me to keep the weight this low. It felt silly working with the baby bar, but I at least tried to do it with good form. This was yet another workout with the DU/running combo, so a great cardio go.

Back to Business...

2008-09-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

I do need to generate some posts from workouts during my vacation, but...... for now, I'm going to deliver posts on my workouts from this Monday and Tuesday.

Monday

2x 100m sprints
Deadlift Max 10,5,3,3,1,1,1,1
New Personal Record 270lbs.

Part of me is all " yay!". Honestly it was a personal rivalry that got me to the gym in the first place, which I was initially uninclined to do since the workout wasn't really a workout. Anyway, it was a good idea, if only to discover that I'm not getting weaker in my favorite lift.

Tuesday

Warm up: Rounds for time, 10min
10 v sits, 10 push ups, 200m run
Front Squat
10,5, 3,3, 1, 1, 1, 1,

125lbs Max. I doubt this is a PR, as I have to consult my log from the other Xfit gym I use to attend, but damn this was hard. Front squat is a bear. Feels awkward, and really hurts my wrists to get the weight on my shoulders with my elbows up. Definitely needs improvement.

It was a good time tho, sharing a rack with C. and R. who are pretty awesome crossfit athletes and there was plenty of support and hollering to go around,to push for those higher lifts.

And now.......my lower back is stiff/sore, my groin muscles are sore, my hip flexors are tight, my quads are screaming.My right wrist is aching.

Max's... there's always a price to pay.

... Even More Pushups

2008-09-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

After Tabata Hell I had a hard time getting to sleep, so I was far too tired to do deadlift for max yesterday. Today, however, I was determined to make it...

Warmup:
10 Vsits
10 pushups
AMRAP in 11 minutes

Workout: Front Squat Max
5, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1

After Tabata v-sits and pushups, today's warmup was a killer. I got through it though, and refused to modify to knees or regular situps.

This was my first time going for Front Squat Max, and I think it was decent go. I was aiming for 80% BW and actually cleared 90 :)

Special K....

2008-09-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

Has been on vacation and will write soon.

Stay tuned...

She is still JaK'ed. There have been runs... there has been soreness...

The fitness masochism continues.

Tricep Hell

2008-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the 5pm with 4 of my fellow work-crossfit crew members... Coach P was back after a month of vacationing, and the others were returning after a 2 week absence.

Warmup: Ball Toss around the block
Workout: "Tabata Hell"
Rowing (calories)
Push Press 75/55
Box Jumps
Knees to Elbows
Burpees

I had to modify most of these! Instead of rowing, push press, and KTE, I did double unders, pushups, and vsits. I was happy with my overall score, but the end of it was a killer... shortly after a round of Tabata burpees, I was doing Tabata pushups. My triceps felt frozen for good few minutes. L laid on the floor and couldn't move them if my life depended on it. I don't think I'd ever felt that much of a burn in one area so badly after a workout.

More Partner Mods

2008-09-06T12:08:00.000-07:00

This time I partnered up with J, who has a back injury.

Warmup: Partner ball run
Tech: Med Ball cleans
Workout:
50 Med Ball partner Situps
50 Med Ball partner Wall Balls
50 Med Ball partner Burpees
50 Med Ball Cleans

Instead of the situps, we did Good Mornings with the ball held at our stomachs. J had trouble with his back on the situp part, while I couldn't do it because of the OH throw part. This was quite discouraging, considering that it was only a 6# ball :( He also had to resort to pushups when doing the burpees, but I continued doing them on my own. IT was a great burner of a workout, and I'm glad that J and I got to partner up.

We were given some free gym time. What do I always do when given free time? Work the pullup bar. Not this time, but EVERYBODY ELSE DID. This added to the frustration, especially since they were having so much fun! After talking to Phat A we started working some DUs together so it was good that I could at least do something :(

The challenge of the month is to do 1000 pushups, and when I got there I immediately wrote my name on the board with a bit fat zero beside it. While stretching I did 2 sets of 10. Immediately after the workout we did Tabatas and I managed 7 for 7 rounds then lost one on the 8th. Finally after whipping out quite a few rounds of strung DUs I was able to find 5 sets of 5 to reps in me to round out 100 pushups for my first day of the challenge.

At least I can do pushups.

Back After 7 Days

2008-09-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today was my return to Crossfit after what would be the longest rest period since starting Crossfit: I took 7 days off, while still in town!

The reasons were many: my J-shoulder injury, the lack of motivation and/or absense of other fellow crossfitters, and being sick for 2 days. I finally decided to return only to be put in the Cripple Corner! A number of us had to modify, but it was a great workout.

"Team Phat Helen"
Between pairs of 2:
Run 800m
21 KB swings 35/50
12 pullups

My mods were DUs and pushups, but was fine for the run. Medic and I were paired up because we are both injured (she hurt her back). She rowed and did pushups with me, but did the KB swings. We came in with a great time.

It was good to be back!

Closed for the Long Weekend!

2008-08-29T16:43:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness!

After claiming "officially injured" yesterday, I still went to class today:

Warmup: In teams of 3:
While 1 person rows 400m, the other 2 do burpees and mountain climbers. Switch.

Workout: "Running Sasquatch"
SDHP 55/75
Push Press 55/75
200 m run after sets

And Coach KT confirmed my injury by modifying the workout. This is a first! I was given Double Unders instead of push press. This killed my breathing and really tested my endurance... despite the bunk shoulder, it actually went alright. I think there would be a decent chance that I would actually RX this workout if I were in 100%.

But I'm not. And I have 3 entire days to rest up before hitting it hard again next week...

Did Someone Say "Stubborn"?

2008-08-28T22:20:00.000-07:00

Here I go again...

Warmup: 4 Hollow Rocks, 4 supermans: travel one length of the dojo
Tech: DUs
Workout:
10 V-sits
10 Weighted Box Step-ups
10 Pullups
10 Double Unders
10 Kettlebell Swings 35/50

7 rounds... NOT for time

Once again, a great workout. The best part about the workout not being for time is that people feel better about working on the actual moves so they can move on from their progressions. In this particular workout, people were working on Kips and DUs. I am happy to say that I was able to chain every attempt at DUs and for Kips I increased the J-sets to 5 consecutive reps!

But I ended up getting hurt. My shoulder was already killing me: first from the Snatch/Kip day, and likely because of the 65# power cleans from the day before. But nooooooo... JBean just has to Kip. Coach L noticed that something was bothering me early on, and suggested that I switch to jumping pullups. I agreed to... for half the set. I was too excited about stringing 5 in a row that I just couldn't stop completely, so I did 5 Kips and 5 jupus for the remaining sets. It killed me, and the 35# KB swings were hell to get through.

At the end I knew there was a big problem with my shoulder. OK, so I may have knowingly worsened my injury... stubbornness is certainly something I need to work on! I ended up in pain, but it was still an awesome workout nonetheless. Aside from my shoulder problem, I know that this one gave us a great ab workout, thanks to the warmup and the V-sits :)

This was the second 8:15 class I attended this week, and I certainly do enjoy them. I think I will make it a point to work them into my schedule for the fall.

Wicked WOD

2008-08-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

I loved this workout! This is my first time doing a workout designed in such a way:

Workout:
3 Power Cleans 135/95
6 Pushups
9 Squats
AMRAP in 3 minutes (count rounds in full 1/3rds), rest for a minute, 5 x for total score.

There is something about doing a small number of reps in each set that makes this type of workout more fun. And because you have a minute to rest, you are going HARD throughout the 3 minutes of work.

It certainly was a burner. I was actually feeling good during the tech portion, so I went ahead and did the power cleans at 65#. The squats became extremely tough in EVERY round, and it was funny, because the pushups seemed to be the breezy part!

The warmup was a 400m medball run. Just like Tabata Squats, this was another horror from eval... my time was as horrible as the experience. The run today was brutal, to a point where I swore every time I adjusted the ball, and even more (and louder) when I was hunched over at the end of my run, trying to catch my breath. My time, however, was a huge improvement. It was a great workout overall.

Getting Psyched to Snatch

2008-08-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

With my work schedule becoming extremely busy, I decided to get ahead and come in early today. Instead of the 7am class, I joined the night owl crew at 8:15. I found out the WOD ahead of time: I wasn't to excited about a strength-to-max day, but I was looking forward to the warmup:

3 rounds:
10 Turkish Getups
10 Knees to Elbows
200m row

Well, the only part I looked forward to were the KTEs. I never really worked on them, but knew that I was able to connect at times. I feel a lot stronger with them, but can only connect the first few in a set. This time, instead of resorting back to knees to chest as I usually do, I tried to hit the elbows every time (usually only making it to triceps). It was good practice, and I hope one day I'll feel confident about them.

The workout:
Snatch 10, 5, 5, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1

The last time I did this for max I got to 45#. The snatch is such a dangerous lift that requires good technique. I'm not that confident about my technique yet but I was determined to beat my last max. After the first few rounds, I began to feel better about my form, but I started to fail at 45. Coach L said that he knew I had it, but something in my head was preventing me from succeeding. He told me to go for a short walk, come back, and snatch again.

Instead, I went to the bar to do a few pullups! I was upset about failing on the lifts, that I wanted to do something that made me feel better about myself. I came back and snatched the 45 :) But I could not shake the block that I had in my head... it took several attempts for the 50 and 55, but I finally did it.... after a number of Kips.

My silliness caused a bit of pain to start in my right shoulder. But hey, I accomplished my goal for the day, and snuck in some pullup practise. It was so worth it.

Coach A's DOW

2008-08-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

DOW = Workout of the Day... backwards!

So it was my Trainer's last day. The theme was "A's moving forward, while leaving us behind". The workout (described here) was a series of exercises that were reversed from what she had to do (rows, lunges, skips, situps, wall balls, ring rows, broad jumps and running). Our part was partnered, while she did the entire workout... although Rubix and I came close, nobody was able to beat her! In fact, her time improved throughout the day!.

And to play more on the "behind" theme, she gave us the warmup afterwards, Bottom to Bottom Tabata squats. Now, Tabata Squats are what killed my (and everyone else's) legs after the eval, and the experience itself was horrifying for me because it was the part that I nearly gave up on. My last score was a measly 5, and I was terrified to give it another attempt.

But this time they weren't just Tabata Squats, they were Bottom to Bottom: for the 10 secs rest, we had to stay in the static hold at the bottom of the squat! After such a fun workout, this was B-R-U-T-A-L! I had no idea what to aim for, and A said that people usually score 5 less than their normal Tabatas. What the heck, I aimed for 12.

The first couple of sets weren't bad, but soon the static squat started getting extremely tough. For another couple of rounds I just continued on, in pain during the static hold and then slowly hitting up my 12. Around the 5th round (halfway), I started needing the first few seconds of the 20 second work period to shake it off... and the time needed for this increased as we worked toward the 8th round. By the last few rounds, I was going much faster on the squats to try to hit my mark, but they actually felt better doing them at a faster pace. I lost 1 at some point and my score ended up being 11. I was extremely happy with that.

It was awesome seeing A in action (she did the Tabatas with the last class): she was amazing at the squats, and set a new PR at 14. And of course, she was still coaching as she was in her static hold: pointing and yelling "lower!". Coach A, you gotta love her. She will be terribly missed.

Girl #5 - Fran: The Benchmark Queen

2008-08-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

I originally couldn't make it this day because of an all-day company trip in the mountains. I worked my schedule around this workout. I knew she'd give us Fran, and I knew I just had to do her.

21, 15, 9
Thrusters 65/95
Pullups

My quads and traps were dead from both Cindy and Phoebe. My hands were torn in several places and I attempted to tape them up. I guessed that I'd do 45# before A even suggested it, but this time I actually thought, for a split second, that I'd have to resort to jumping pullups. I told A that my body was destroyed, but she said I should stick with Kips. It was a nice suggestion, she didn't urge me or force me to do anything. I didn't feel good about it, but I knew I had to do it.

I was able to do the first 21 thrusters in 2 sets. The first go at Kips were done in sets of 2 and 3, it was tough because the tape just wasn't working. I soon ripped off anything that was an attempt to protect my callouses and palms. Kips started feeling weak during the 21, chin was usually only getting over on the first rep of the set.

On the next go at thrusters, I did sets of 5, 6, and 4. The pullups were taking so much out of me. I could feel the bar rub against the rips on my thumbs. From here on I kept the pullups to sets of 3, as horrible as they were. I just had to get through it.

On the final set I knew I was the last one standing. 3 sets of 3 thrusters. Much recovery time between the 3 sets of pullups. I was breathing heavily, completely winded but had to finish.

And I did. I was the only one in double digits. I felt horrible about it yet proud at the same time. I tore another area of my right hand, but it wasn't too bad. I stumbled to the dressing room and was so messed up that I fell into the door frame and banged my hand, cutting it pretty deeply. Yet another wound, but this time post-workout. This is the effect of Fran. I can't wait to do her again.

Girl #4 - Annie: Redemption

2008-08-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

After Phoebe I thought I'd take today off. I had a hard time getting to sleep and then jumped out of bed at 6am. I wasn't deathly sore, but my head was still in a bad state. I knew I had to go.

Blue skies started appearing when I saw the board.
Warmup: Inch Worm and Crab Crawl x 3 lengths
Tech: Jumping: broad jumps, vertical jumps, DUs
Workout: "Annie" 50, 40, 30, 20, 10
DU's and situps

The warmup was nice. The tech was fun. The workout was a blast.

I am still working on my endurance, but my technique for DUs seem to be strong. At first I was chaining my DUs (sets of 10), but eventually had to resort back to the one-skip-between rhythm. It isn't as intense, won't get me as winded, and I could easily do much longer sets. Sure, it may have been a cop out, but I was still RXing! I tried to keep up with Rider, who is relatively weak in DUs, but it was still good for me to challenge. Situps weren't a problem, they gave me the chance to catch my breath.

I know I should work on the chained DU's, especially since it will help with my endurance. For some reason I still feel that this is one of my strengths, and am happy with the progress even though I haven't concentrated much on it. I think I'm more interested in working on other things for now that I'm just beginning to RX... I'm sure that being comfortable with doing chained Double Unders in a workout will come in time, I'm not too worried ;)

I felt really good about this day, and felt a lot better about myself and crossfit. More relief about the Phoebe disaster came when KT and Rider spoke about how they were destroyed as well... I really wasn't alone. People think I'm crazy for going after getting my ass kicked the night before, but I'm so glad that I went.

Girl # 3 - Phoebe: Destroyed and Discouraged

2008-08-20T22:46:00.000-07:00

So today's workout was truly a killer. Since I had a 9am meeting, I decided to come into work early and make it to the 5pm class instead of 7am. I haven't done this class in about 5 weeks or so, and was looking forward to working out with the old crew.

Warmup: 20 KB Situps
Tech: Hang Squat Cleans
Workout: "Phoebe" - 5 rounds for time:
21 Hang Squat Cleans 65/95
400m run

It was H-E-L-L. I knew what the workout was all day, and didn't flinch. It didn't seem like it would be tough, but it was a killer. We went through the tech portion quickly, so we weren't given too much time to get a feel of what weight we should use for the workout. Everyone simply started off with what A prescribed for us individually: The girls on 45 and guys on 65.

After only the 4th rep I wasn't feeling comfortable. There were 17 more in that round. Then running. Then back to horrible reps of HSC. Then fucking running again. There was nothing good about this workout at all. By the third round, C asked if she should remove some weight. I said yes, and she said she would after the round. After completing it, I don't know what came over me, but I told her to hold off. By the fourth round my thumbs tore and I had to wrap up, and I think I was wheezing through the run. On the last round I was dizzy, but hey, it was the last round. There was no way I was going to get a DNF after 84 reps and 1600m. I got through it and fell to the floor shaking.

This was the absolute WORST workout I've ever done. What happened? Here are some thoughts.

- I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I was terrified when I first conquered Michael, Fight Gone Bad, and Chuck Norris, but for some reason 5 rounds of this didn't seem like it would be bad.
- Perhaps my body is now used to working out at 7am
- Is it my diet? I have been a teeny bit loose on it... perhaps a block or two unfavorable carbs instead of favorables that week...
- The horrible repetition of terrible exercises. The number of reps didn't even decrease, it was a horrible 21 the whole way through.
- My weight was far too heavy and I was too stubborn to go lighter. Then again, I'm happy that I didn't.
- It was simply a killer workout. Both Dash and Big Daddy were as upset and frustrated as I was, it wasn't just me.

The one positive thing that came out of this workout is that Coach C was helping to lead and it was the first time I'd worked with her. She was a tremendous support and was very helpful and encouraging.

After the torture I stocked up on more sport tape, bandaids, and anticeptic wash to keep at the office, and questioned why the fuck I do this to myself.

Girl #2 - Diane: Ménage à Trois

2008-08-19T22:20:00.000-07:00

BWire and I did Diane together...

21, 15, 9 (but in teams, 42, 30, 18)
Deadlifts 155/255
Handstand Pushups

The warmup was farmers and waiters walk. Rubix, BWire, and I braved the RX 35# and took far longer than the rest of the group that we didn't even do the waiter's walk! It was a killer, but we all wanted to work on our grip strength. Something has come over us, and we're ready to attack anything... especially when we're together! I love it!

The tech was HS pushups. I was only able to do a partial one (could only get down about 2 inches), and had a bit of help when Specimen grabbed my ankles: I did 2. Later Rubix offered to spot, but it was a bit awkward having someone wrap their arms around my waist (I think it threw off my balance), so I think I will continue to work on it on my own. In fact, over the following weekend (this is a back post) I was able to do 3! Dash can do quite a few in a row, yet he does the progression in a workout, boo. I think if I can feel comfortable doing sets of 3 or 4, I would definitely do it in a workout... just like Kips. I'm determined to work on this!

The last time we did this workout, it was a "Little Diane" which was with BW deadlifts. This time the RX calls for more weight, and the workout is meant for the DLs to be heavy. On the last go I did 85# and felt that it was a bit light. This time I wanted to aim for 115 but we only did 95. I felt pretty strong with the HS pushups and tried to keep more of a vertical pike position throughout. I love this workout and would have preferred to do a solo workout, simply because it's a benchmark.

But we rocked it as a team and game in mere seconds behind Rubix and Rider! Way to go Sharkwire!

Girl #1 - Cindy: Pleased With the First RX

2008-08-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

It's Coach A's last week and she decided to go out with a bang! It's "Girl's Week" and we'll be seeing benchmark named workouts 5 days in a row...

Today we did good ol' Cindy:
5 pullups
10 pushups
15 air squats
AMRAP in 20 minutes

A told me that I should do it with real pullups and pushups... even if I can get only 3 rounds in. I was able to do 9! The pullups were split over 2 sets, usually 3 and 2. Once again, my chin didn't always get completely over the bar near the end, but I was pleased with the Kips overall... I was even able to connect 4 twice!

The pushups were a bit of a surprise... at this point, they don't feel harder than when I was on my knees with the modified "girl" pushups. I was able to do all 10 in a row for 3 rounds, then started splitting them down to 2 sets of 5, and they continued to get harder and harder... but this is how I recall doing it back when we did Cindy in June. In fact, my time for 30 burpees (the warmup for that day) came within 5 seconds of the last time when I did 29. I guess I should have switched to real pushups a lot sooner!

The squats gave me a bit of rest in the workout. 15 squats are quite easy to do, and I tried hard to put more weight on the left to even things out. During the previous week, I mentioned to A that I was starting to feel a bit of pain in my right ankle when doing deadlifts, squats, and cleans in a workout, and it was likely because I was still very right-dominated. She gave me a few exercises to do, including the one-legged squat... and she made it the tech for this day! She is so sweet and caring, I'm going to miss her so much!

Overall I was pleased with my first RX Cindy. When I did it the first time, which was only my 5th class workout, I was able to finish 13 2/3 rounds. I think I can conclude that the 4+ round difference is solely due to the pullups. Jumping pullups are far easier than my Kip attempts, and I know that I rested long between each mini-set. I would stand and stare at the bar to psych myself out before each go! In the end I could have knocked off another 5 pullups to get the 1/3 added, but my hand tore... this time the left one :(

Teamwork Week

2008-08-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

This week was a solid week of 5 crossfit workouts in a row... and all week I experienced a great deal of teamwork :)

On Monday night I was returning from my vacation. The flight was delayed by 3 hours... I landed at 4:30am, got home at 5:20, alarm went off at 6:00, I hit snooze twice, then made it to 7am class. Why? Not only because it was planned, but mainly because I told my partner in crime, BWire, that I'd be there. I couldn't let her down!

Warmup: 30 DB shoulder press 20/30
Tech: 3 rounds of
10 DB bent rows 20/30
10 ring pullups
10 renegade rows 20/30
10 upright rows 20/30
Workout: 2000m row

Now, on barely any sleep, I was already having a hard time with the warmup. The class was so big that we did the workout and tech concurrently, so the 7AM femme-trio of myself, BWire, and Hamilton, decided to get the row out of the way first. I was unsurprisingly disappointed with my row, but it was a good workout which I considered a warmup for the "tech".

Since A said that the exercises would help with pullups, I was determined to complete them all, and with prescribed weight. 20lb DB for ANY exercise for me is pretty tough, but I got through it. Renegade rows were the hardest (1 rep includes all the following: real pushup, row right arm, real pushup, row left arm), but I didn't give up. I was doing them in sets of 3, but it felt really good. I took an additional 15 minutes past the end of class just to finish :)

On Wednesday we said goodbye to trainer JO:

"Jordan Gone - Bad!"
3 Rounds for total reps, 1 minute of each exercise continuously with 1 minute rest between rounds

Deadlift 95/135
Pullups
Ring Dips
Box Jumps
V-Sits

I paired up with BWire for this one again (of course). We can really team up with anyone for Fight Gone Bad-style workouts (partner is merely there to keep count of your reps), but the support and motivation between us two are key :)

Unfortunately I wasn't too happy about this workout... I didn't Kip. I felt that I couldn't get my swing right on the first go, and with the minute counting down I made a quick decision to resort to jumping pullups :( After this workout I was feeling like my week was complete opposite of the last week of glory. We did, however, stick with the deadlift RX, so that was a tiny win for me :)

Thursday was a team day in several ways. First of all, BWire was having major back pains but still decided to show up... with me in mind :)

Warmup: 1 mile run
Workout: "Dan"
100 Shoulder Press 65/95, 200m run between sets
Do as many as you can in as few sets as possible

I was ecstatic to see my favorite strength workout! With our streak of RX-ing, I took the initiative to slowly make my way to RX by increasing my weight from last time. On the last go (approx. 5 weeks prior), I did this workout with a 33# bar. This time I picked up the 45#. Once again, last one standing, long after class ended... but the crew stuck with me to coach and encourage me :) Teamwork!

More comeraderie followed that evening... We were out for drinks and convinced the crossfitter-of-honer to show up for his newly-named workout... after several pitchers of beer and a huge dinner! 4 crossfitters from our company headed down to the gym for the evening class...

Not just to cheer him on, but to workout for the second time that day alongside of him as well: Big Daddy did the entire workout, Special K ran the warmup and pushed most of the presses, and I did a number of shoulder presses and ran the 200 shake-off with him for support. YAY TEAM!

Friday was a partner workout:

Warmup: Total number of Knees To Elbows in 5 Rounds
40 Seconds Work
20 Seconds Rest
Tech: Medball cleans
Workout: Total # of Medball Cleans in 5 Rounds
While Partner "A" does 10 Burpees as fast as possible, Partner "B" does as many Medball Cleans as they can. Switch!!

After the festivities of the previous night, I didn't think I'd make it to the AM workout, but I sent BWire a text anyway. Sure enough, we decided to show up!

It was an excellent warmup. In my condition, I had a hard time giving it fully to the KTE, so I resorted to knees to chest. With the Kipping swing and a good rhythm, I was able to hammer out quite a few.

The workout was a killer, and BWire and I rocked it! We did the burpees with real pushups, and since we knew that in itself it was a challenge, we didn't approach the workout in a competitive nature as it was designed: we did it as a team. After each step we gave each other a mini-break and only started the next set together. Awwwwww.

On Saturday it was a MASSIVE team workout:

Warmup: DB Pile
Workout: In teams of 3:
1200m run
400m farmer's walk 35/50
100 Double Unders
75 assisted pullups
100 cross chops 25/35
200m weighted OH lunges 25/35
400m double ball run 8,12/12,20
450m Medball toss

And the femme-trio were once again reunited. It was a killer workout, and we were able to play on our strenths and take it a bit easier on our weaknesses. We suffered through the entire workout carrying, supporting, and laughing. It was a great workout to end the week...

But the icing on the cake was how I witnessed BWire's first Kip! Way to go, girl! A few weeks ago she was there to see mine, and Saturday it was her turn for the glory.

Week of Many Wins

2008-08-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

My last post was about the sub-1hr Grouse Grind feat, but that was just the beginning of an amazing workout week.

On Monday the crossfit femme-trio met up at the park to do a stat holiday workout. BWire and I have been working out a lot as a duo lately, and it was great to complete the triangle again -- yay RubiSharkWire!

Warmup: 10 burpees, 10 squats, 10 situps x 4 sets
Workout: 400m walking lunges

The big win from this workout was the push to make sure that we stayed off of our knees for the pushup portion of the burpees. I've had the pushup for quite a while now, but never had the courage to attempt them in a workout. I've stayed off of my knees in warmups before, but after this workout-like warmup (which I realized wasn't too bad!) , some post-workout motivational chatter, and my promotion from A last week, I decided that it was time to move on and "graduate" to real pushups.

My ass and thighs are thankful for the 539-some-odd lunges too. It was a nice little sunny park workout, topped off with a round of zone snacks and some awesome girl talk :)

Tuesday was a huge day for me:

The photo says it all: dead fucking last and proud of it! When Angel asked everyone who needed a box for jumping pullups, then told me to put my hand down, I nearly died. That fear only lasted a second, because I felt that I was up for the challenge. I hadn't had much time on the bar to practise the week before, so I didn't know what to expect. I also knew that I had the option to switch back to jumping pullups, so there wasn't too too much pressure on me. When I got up for the first time I nailed 3 in a row! I was absolutely floored... I wasn't able to connect 2 prior to this day, and here I was kipping sets of 3 in a workout! Mind you, I didn't get my chin completely over the bar for a number of attempts in the last half of the workout, but A told me it's part of my progression and she knows that I'll work towards it. By the last 3 rounds I was on my own, dead last by a long shot, and I even tore my hand open... but I was feeling great. I finished it up, and tossed another 2 great Kipping firsts in the bag 1) first time connecting 2 in a row, and 2) first time in a workout. Who knew that I could do this merely 2 weeks after my first pullup, and barely 3 months into crossfit? A huge win for me, and the icing on that cake was that I even did the RX weight for clean & jerk :)

Wednesday was a strength day:
Warmup: Burpees, KB Swing 35/50: Climb the ladder as high as you can in 6 minutes i.e. 1 burpee, 1 KB swing, 2 burpees, 2 KB swings…
Tech/Workout: Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 reps i.e. max for a set of 5 touch-and-go reps

Thanks to Sunday, for the warmup BWire and I RX'ed the weight and did real pushups. We rocked it with 7 for our score.

This is the first time I'd ever done deadlift for max. When we hit the 105 mark, I thought I'd fail because it was pretty much my body weight. All attempts besides the last one were actually easily accomplished! After hitting 135 with ease coach A started commenting about my performance, and how she can tell that I'm bang on with my diet, and then even started making an example of me. I stopped at 155, not because I failed at a higher attempt, but A could tell that my achievement was a bit more of a struggle. I was VERY happy with this max because it's nearly 1.5 x my BW and for a max 5 that means that my actual max looks very promising. Later in the locker room A kept telling me how proud she was of my progress :)

By the time Thursday rolled around, my entire body was aching in pain: arms and upper body from my Kipping-workout debut, lower body from DLs, grind, and lunges. Most people would think that it would be a good idea to rest, but I was determined to fit a last workout in that week (I was flying out for a weekend vacation that afternoon).

Warmup: 2mins situps
Tech: weighted lunges (OH, front, side)
Workout: "Karen": 150 wall balls 12/20

My win from this day is mainly the fact that I got through it in the condition I was in. First of all, I was surprised at the number of situps I could do in 2 minutes. At first I wasn't giving it as hard as I could because something was continuously cracking in my back, but when I started to push at 100% I was shocked with how easy it was to pop up into sitting position when giving it hard. When situps are part of a workout, I usually just maintain a good steady rhythm because it's a chance to catch my breath, so this is an eye-opener. The tech was brutal simply because of my soreness, and the workout was tough to take in when I first saw it, but and awesome workout which I think I'd look forward to doing again in the future. Oh, and again - another first-time RX for us: BWire and I jumped from 8 to 12# for 150 f'ing reps!

It was an incredible week :) While on vacation I thought I'd give myself a nice break and pat on the back, and I had a zone-free wicked time. Judging from my first 2 workouts this week, I'm paying for it, but that's for the next blog post ;)

Another Solid Run!

2008-08-13T17:52:00.001-07:00

I felt guilty Tuesday for not having exercised since the Saturday prior. This situation was remedied on the treadmill, with a 3.6 mile run. I ran at 1percent incline most the run until the last interval, which I ran at 2 percent incline.

The run itself was 44 minutes, done with 10/1 intervals. I ran at speed 5, as I'm trying to just be comfortable and get the run done. This was pretty cool. I did have to push a little at the last interval, but it wasn't terrible. I do find it a bit dull to use the treadmill and really question if I can do this consistently. Obviously I need to run in Vancouver's public spaces for a little more mental stimulation and aesthetic experience. Luckily my ipod helps me with that extra stimuli, but only for so long.

Ya know, today I'm marvelling at how good I feel.

Running makes me feel good.

There... I frikk'n said it. Its true. I feel light and limber and strong and solid and just healthy. I feel sleek and agile. I feel like fat has been burned, although its probably just wishful thinking, since the process doesn't work that fast.

I feel like I have my sh*t together the day after running. This is the way things should be...

I should perpetuate this. So I had to post about it.. and if one day, I need some motivation, maybe I can coax myself with remembrance of good feelings past.

... oh one more note. I see the most slacker workouts happening in the building gym while I'm running on the treadmill. These middle aged women yapping on and on to their trainer, barely, if at all, sweating or breathing hard. I mean seriously... if your paying, shouldn't you be working hard? How can a trainer show up for this, session after session, of standing and yapping, and how much progress does this ever effect? The life of a trainer... is it that rewarding? I wonder. ( Not that I'd want to be one...)

Man Carry Personal Record- 165lbs

2008-08-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Warmup: 8lb medicine ball toss
2 rounds of: overhead toss, underhand toss, sprawl

Team workout
Group of 3

1000m row
100 jumping ring dips
60 burpees
75 kb swings
100 lateral jumps
12 sprints
2 lengths bear crawl with weight
400m man carry

This workout was pretty hard at moments but ok. Even tho I must have built some kind of cardio base running, the lateral jumps to sprints got me totally winded and I really needed recovery time. Just goes to show that distance running and sprint training are indeed two different things. I guess I need to run sprints.

The man carry was pretty funny. I thought it would be, you carry someone and then switch off at the point where you stop and keep going. Turns out the whole team has to get to that point. You carry someone, and then a person goes back to get the other team member and carry them to that previously established point. This made for funny times. I can say my new man carry piggy back max is 165. Good to know. or not.

I'm sure we looked funny and goofy to whoever was passing bay Davie and Seymour this Saturday. The absurd things we do at crossfit :/... The last event was a real team builder. Everyone stopped to hang with the last group and cheer them on. We had two people who were in their first group class, so it was cool to hear their impressions. I think that was a rather crazy group workout, and for a newb.... I'd imagine it would make an impression.

Now here's another crossfit usefulness I've discovered: It gives you something to talk about at parties, when folks are fishing for some smalltalk to keep things moving. What you can tell people, like the man carry, tends to lend itself to self deprecating humor... which in turn invites others to jump in ,make fun, and make this " elite" fitness debacle something even a sedentary person can enjoy. Lovely.

I mean, I've always known that what we do flirts with the absurd.

Attempt at sunrise run - semi successful

2008-08-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

So I got this silly idea in my head that I should, at least once, see the sunrise from where I live. I do live near a beach and the view is indeed gorgeous. Add that to the fact that I need to log some training runs in, and finally got to bed by 10pm last night, well I went on my first morning run.

I got up at 6:18am. Apparently I did miss the sunrise. I will have to get up early for that, so I might have to try this again,but i did do my run. I ran from the end of kits pool, along the path through Vanier park to right under Granville Island Bridge and back. It was a solid 5.3kilometers/3.29 miles. Yay.

This run was a push. I definitely feel that my cardio base has decreased. Perhaps the heat also affected me a bit. Vancouver has been uncharacteristically warm these days. I found the run rather tranquil and made a mental note to include more slow and tranquil musical selections on my ipod. At 630 in the morning, I just don't have a taste for the Ramones, and that's fair enough.

So.. yay me for getting up early! Yay me for running! Yay me for doing more than just 5k!

All this was followed be a nutritious zone friendly breakfast.

I wish I could say I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed and ready for work. I wasn't sleep deprived. However I did feel tired. I wonder if it takes a few days of this habit to start feeling invigorated. I mean people say that exercise in the morning is suppose to give you energy. I felt quite the opposite.

Anyway, another deposit into the hot ass bank! Cha-ching!

Special K's Super Proactive Monday

2008-08-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

Okay I'm gonna pat myself on the back for getting things done... well exercise anyway.

Lunchtime Crossfit workout:

10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

All these exercises below, reps per round.

Clean and Jerk Dumbell Push Jerks
V sits
Pull ups

Preceded by a light jogging warm up. And... Tumbling/Forward Rolls

Evening Running:

3.5miles/5.6kilometers

Ran this on the treadmill. Time to get back into training. I lost some cardio base from the slacker pre-triathlon week and the slacker post triathlon recovery week. But at least I'm on the warpath.

This run was a sweater. Vancouver is rather toasty these days, and the gym wasn't the coolest place ever. The occasional drops of sweat ran down my face... it was so uncivilized. :/

Now its almost 9pm and I'm very tired. Whats with that?

Special K and Running at the Running Room

2008-08-04T12:33:00.001-07:00

I wanted to do a post about my experience with the 10k running clinic via The Running Room.

Overwhelmingly I feel that the running room program was of great value and even more so a great value for the cost. I paid, I believe it was in the neighborhood of 70$, to do the 10 week program. I also bought a suggested heart rate monitor which put me back another 70$.

For the cost of the program I got :

2 attendance required, group runs a week.
Optional group runs on Monday nights with the running room.
A weekly seminar about topics related to running
A very good and robust Internet infrastructure with many a useful tools and information.
Access to your course instructor via email for any questions you may have etc.
Pace keeper's who run with you that know the trails in Stanley Park and organize the group.
Printed little maps that explain the route of the day , that fit in your pocket. You can refer to them easily during the run.
The people in the clinic are generally pretty nice and diverse, so many opportunities for conversation during the long runs.

First of all I really have to go off on their online infrastructure. WOW. I was so impressed. Its just awesome. I was used to keeping an exercise log with Crossfit, but this takes it to the next level

The infrastructure offers:

Training Logs - track your activity level, right down the time you spent, the weather that day, and what your heart rate max and min was.... very detailed and updates to show you your weekly mileage on the home page.
Clinic Manuals- Interesting pdf files you can read about EVERYTHING... Goal setting, Training methods, Stress and Rest, Walk Breaks, Conditioning, Stretching, Heart rate training.. you name it.
Curriculum- much like a syllabus tells you what you'll be learning when. Mentions the content of key discussions.
Training Schedule - plots out what training you should do for your goal. So in my case I wanted to Gradual Build to 10, but our clinic did the Complete 10k track, which included a more rigorous training schedule with slightly more mileage and hills work.
Calculators - find out how many calories you burned providing the mileage from your last run.
Pace Band - calculate what per kilometer pace time you need to reach your race goal with your intervals.
Various other things which I felt were less inspiring to mention, Online Shopping, Althete's dashboard, bulletin of upcoming races, etc.

Okay. Running. Let me wrap this up. I've never enjoyed running, I still think its pretty dull and mostly unpleasant to varying degree's. Before the clinic I could barely complete a 10k by having to walk many times, and it took me about an hour and a half to do it. I wanted to do this clinic primarily to force myself into a schedule and routine that would guarantee I did enough cardio to move forward with my goal to burn more fat. As a secondary goal, I wanted to be able to run a 10k more comfortably and then thirdly, I wanted to learn about running technique and training.

For the girl who didn't run regularly before this, and who always tried not to be the last one running drills on the basketball team in high school... go figure I had some pretty pleasant running experiences. The Sunday runs were lovely.. slow, relaxed, you get to see the city, enjoy the sunshine, feel alive, just lovely. I actually had moments where I liked to run. * GASP* *OMG* BIG FRIK"N DEAL!*

I also had moments where I was uncomfortable and fatigued and maybe not so much in a joyous state. But... I was way more comfortable and capable doing all of this than back in the day before I knew what an interval was, and before I did my first 5k Ground Hog day Race Run ( which I didn't train for.. screw that, that involves running.) ( Btw I would have puked after that run if I had eaten anything.)

Okay. How did my fat burning goal go? Well it went pretty good for a while there.. I lost about 5lbs... which I'm reserved to count as actually fat loss, since it could be just water weight or a body composition shift. Who knows. And actually I'm back at 150lbs again, however I can see my ab muscles way more than I did when I started the clinic. So honestly I don't know what to think. Oh and I should say that during the last half of the clinic I lost my awesome regime and diet, and what was loyal became more sporadic. I let socializing get in the way... but in a way, that's related to the fact that its Summer Time! Summer time in Vancouver is a precious 3 month time period. One should make the most of it. So I often felt the conflict of, well I want to train and devote my time to the clinic, but I also wanted to take trips and hang out and do stuff, which sometimes conflicted with me going to sleep at the right time, consuming spirits, and occasional pub food. Bad Bad me. I can forgive the rest, but not the pub food, that always makes me feel guilty but I do try to avoid the starches at least. So even when I'm indulging, I think zone and try to make calculated decisions.

Either way, I do feel confident in my expectation that, post summer, as I continue running - and God I hope I can keep the routine - I would be reasonable to expect fat loss through running 3 times a week and crossfitting, and eating Zone.

One more item. I've come to the conclusion that to really try and get at the fat loss I want, I might have to get into calculating calories. Not just knowing my zone measurements and proportions, cause we all get lazy measuring.. but actually knowing my caloric intake. God forbid. I might have to step up my diet. This is going to be hard, because I've been in a cooking lull lately, and its hell to get to the grocery store and prepare meals in bulk. Dammit Dammit.. I use to think if I just do xfit I'll lose fat, some yes.. and then If I do more cardio I'll lose fat.. some yes... and if I eat zone on top of all that... but yeah its gonna take some precision work and perhaps some actual studying.

So I'm reading about cortisol these days and rest, and have dabbled a bit reading the Starting Strength Book. I still think tho, running is a wicked good tool for fat loss.. not running precisely but sustained high performance cardio. And I mean the whole cocktail, slow distance, medium high tempo runs, and hard fast hill training. Running has done me right.

So moving forward, I don't know when I'll implement my new programming. I haven't decided what that is yet, entirely ,or what time slots it'll happen in. But I do know, its summer time, and I need to test my new cardio stamina on the Grousse Grind and keep crossfitting it up. For now I may just absorb info until I feel more decisive. Next week I need to taper back into both my fitness activities, as this week has been primarily post Triathlon rest.

The Grouse Grind

2008-08-03T23:52:00.000-07:00

No catchy title today, it's just time to talk about this beast.

When CB (my climbing buddy) asked me to do it one day, I immediately replied with the same answer I have to 5 and 5+K runs: "No no no no waaaaaaaaaaay". After a few days of thinking about it, I ended up convincing myself that it would be a good thing to try. Somehow my plans ended up changing and I went up for the first time with M from crossfit, on Canada Day, July 1st.

I'm not a hiker, nor do I think I've ever really hiked! It was M's first time up as well, and we didn't really know what to expect. We did a bit of reading about it, and our goal was to do it in less than 2 hours, stretch in 1.5 [On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, up to two hours is recommended].

For the first go we were quite happy with our time of 1:25. We rested 5 times going up, and they were quite lengthy breaks too. We thought we would have another rest in the last quarter stretch, but went straight on through. There is something about the route that makes the first part grueling, and it seems to get easier past the halfway mark.

Less than a week later, I was up for the challenge again. This time I went up with CB. The last time she went up she did it in 1:10. My goal this time was to improve on my 1:25, yet try to make it a good time for her as well. During the first quarter, it was really hard... I was trying to figure out the best way to breathe in the treachery, but after the first resting point I realized not to concentrate too much on it and just breathe. In the second stretch, I led and realized that my pace was a bit too fast... we rested again. This time we noticed that the old lady on a slow and steady pace was passing us again on our rest break. We decided that we'd just keep to her pace. We didn't need another rest for the remainder of the length! At the same time, we knew that we could have picked up the pace a bit and still remain comfortable. It was tricky to pass people during the last stretch because the route was quite congested with more hikers in the latter (and narrower) parts. We made it to the top in 1:13, shaving a big 12 minutes off the first time, and knowing that we could have gone faster.

It has since been 4 weeks, and after 3 days of rest I was determined to go up again. CB and I planned to go climbing then hit the Grind as we did last time, but unfortunately she hurt herself. I tried calling up another few people to see if they were up for it, but they all had other plans. I almost decided to trash the idea, but after spending several hours in the office that day (catching up for lost time when I was ill), I was longing the Vancouver Outdoors hit.

So I headed out to North Van on my own, when I felt that the temperature would be more bearable. I looked up the hours, and knew that they closed up at 10pm, but I only found out when I got there that the entrance for the grind closed up at 7:30 pm. I got there at 7:32 and stood there and stared, wondering "wtf?", but not for long. Another few moonlighters arrived, and soon someone who made it down the trail opened the door. I snuck in with them, but a couple of steps in realized I hadn't stretched at all and was feeling it from my return-to-yoga event the night before. I took another minute or so for a pathetic stretch, then checked the jPhone for the time. 7:35. Here it goes.

The first quarter felt a lot longer than usual. I was huffing and puffing, knowing that my pace was too fast. At the 1/4 mark I took my first rest and noticed the one older lady who snuck in with me: she caught up and was going at a steady pace. Deja vu. Let's stick with her pace, a take-away from the last experience. Who knew that this far-from-fit-looking woman, who seemed like she was having a hard time throughout the climb (yet kept it steady), was on a sub-60 minute pace?

I realized it at the halfway mark. I took my second break, but only to quickly catch my breath, chug some agua, and check the time. 8:05! I was halfway up in half an hour! I was in a bit of disbelief, because in the last go we were at 45 mins at that point. I did the math quickly and my goal suddenly changed from improving on 1:13 to making it closer to the 1 hour mark. I should be able to do this... the last half of the stretch is the easy part, right? For some reason, it didn't fucking feel like it today, but I was determined. What was going on in my head while I was suffering?

- A lot of Special K's quotes from her posts. e.g. "must keep going" "Why do I feel so heavy? step... step... step..", and a bit of a mental boost every time I passed the more touristy, non-sweating easy-goers... and then soon after I thought "WTF JBean, this is not a triathlon, and you've done this before... so get going!!"

- Trying to help myself mentally: "Just watch for the next step J, forget about looking out for the next blue marker sign!"

- Some technique stuff: my legs and low back were killing me, so I thought a lot about A's teachings with the squat and other various things: "Drive with your heels!", "use your hips!" I don't know if that really is a good thing, but the chanting seemed to help a bit.

- When breathing was hard and I was starting to keel over like a combat character in a video game who was just about to be defeated, I heard Coach P say "Chest up! Let the air in!"

- Speaking of whom, another thought was "I just need P to appear and I'll get another wind of motivation"

- Also "I wish I did K's running-heart-rate-mini-training that she offered, 'cause I'd love to know how fucking uncomfortable I am right now... ooh that means I should slow down".

3/4 mark. 8:18! I was at 43 minutes with what seems to be the shortest length left to go through. Gadz, it was T-U-F-F tough. Repeat all of the above thoughts, over and over again, and add more dangerous, steeper steps and sharper rocks. Oooh, wet and muddy too. I felt like I was going incredibly slowly and was not gaining any distance. Ahh, and then I approach a crazy guy who talked to himself and then started skipping up the rocks. Get me away from him! I think that was the final push to pick up a bit of pace. Finally I started seeing blue sky and the end was near. My pace-keeping woman friend was in sight, I managed to keep up. I climbed up the last rock and made it to the timing stand and pulled out the jPhone: 8:33! Holy shit, 58 minutes, i.e. sub 1-hour. Who woulda thunk?

At the top I sat on the first wooden step (going up to the observatory/restaurants)... a mere 2 feet from the end timing point. The sun was ready to come down, so the mosquitos and bugs were out and right in my face, but I just sat there. I caught my breath then sent a text reply to a friend who I saw earlier in the day (he was asking how the Grind went) with a 1-liner about my accomplishment. I sat for a good 5 minutes and then somehow made my way up to the ticket booth, the water fountain, then the gondola. Here's a shot of the sun coming down, taken from the jPhone:

The drive home was pleasant, but I was still in disbelief about my time. I even double checked the timestamp of when I sent out the text message (8:35) as soon as I got home.

My goal for the grind was to make it up in less than an hour by the end of the summer. I improved on the last time by a whopping 15 minutes. Have I improved that much? I think that several factors came into play.

1. This was my first time doing it alone. What does that mean? My partners slowed me down? Not a chance. That means that since I was up there alone, I was also SHIT SCARED. I think this made me hustle a bit faster than usual.

2. I started up at the latest possible time. NO CONGESTION. It was pretty busy during the first two hikes, but there was no trail traffic at this time of night.

3. I was well rested.

Ahh.. Special K. Bang on, once again. REST is my friend.

It's funny, because it sort of feels like my first Kip in several ways. a) I reached a goal that I've been working on, and a bit sooner than I thought it would take b) I was in disbelief when it happened and c) I have a fear of never being able to do it again.

Oh the crap that comes along with achieving your goals ;)

Uber-Healthy and Super-Fit... or Not

2008-08-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

Agh, so here I am in bed, missing another day of work and crossfit, overdosing on ice cream and chicken noodle soup because that's all I really care to eat right now :(

I planned on a 6-day go but that got cut short shortly after 3 days:

Monday
Warmup: 200 m row, 200 m run -- x 2
Tech: OH squat
Workout: "Jeremy"
21, 15, 9
OH squats 65/95
Burpees
(my mod: 42#)

I actually love the OH squat, but not this day. First I ripped a mat dropping the weight, then the weight that A put me on for the workout was far too heavy. That, with burpees to boot, made it a horrendous workout to go through. I swear, not only did I think I wouldn't finish, but at some point I didn't even WANT TO. But I did get through it somehow, so I'm still at a 0 count for the DNFs.

Tuesday
Warmup: 50 pushups, 50 pullups, 50 vsits
Workout: In teams of 3,
300 air squats
300 knees to elbows
300 KB swings 35/50
300 box jumps
(my mods: knees to chest (for the most part), KB 30#... oh and I did about 40 real pushups :)

I loved this one. I volunteered to work in a team of 4 (of course! fewer reps ;) with Vegas and 2 other newbies. I've never done a partner/team workout before where we could split the reps in any way... thus playing on your strengths and taking it easier on your weaknesses. I looked at the list and knew that the box jump was a weakness, but didn't realize that I actually had a strength: Knees to Elbows! I think my Kip-obsession contributed to this, where I got a rhythm with the swing... at least for a few reps. Even when I resorted to knees-to-chest I was carrying the team in that area by knocking off sets of 15-20 with each go. I was even pleased with my box jump performance... I can't say for sure that my breathing/endurance has improved in this area, but more my technique in the jump and preserving more energy.

Wednesday
Warmup: 2 laps around the block
Tech: DB Push Jerk
Workout:
Double Unders
DB Push Jerk (20/30)
Pullups
(my mods: 15# DBs, Kip-progression box pullups)

I love anything with double unders. During our tech we actually did some DUs (since everyone broke out the rope and started going at 'em!). This time, KT reminded me to make sure to keep my head up and pop straight up (I'd usually get thrown off because of losing my balance). In the tech I was able to do 10 in a row with ease and good form... and when the workout started I nailed 18 in a row in one go. It knocked the wind out of me so I resorted back to a skip-in-between for the rest of the workout, which worked out really well since I was able to knock off sets of 10-15 easily. I think my endurance is getting a bit better, and like box jumps, my technique is improving thus minimizing the wasted energy (no longer feel like I need to jump too high). I went hard with this workout, and found that my breath-recovery didn't take as long as usual. This is a very good sign. BW and I kept the weights to 15lb because the 20s were far too heavy, and I didn't want to relive the horrible experience from Monday. In the end I fell to the floor and I think I stayed there for a good 5 minutes, heh.

Then that night I ended up staying at work late and didn't get home until 10pm. I woke up in the middle of the night shivering with a fever, and the next morning extremely stuffed up, sneezing, sore throat, and the works. I've since been in bed but the flu-like symptoms are going away.

With everything I do, I wonder why my immune system is down... hey, I eat as healthy as I can, take care of my body, and pop daily vitamins and supplements. Then again, I've continued to work out hard while having a bad cough, been ridiculously stressed out with family issues, home life, and work, and never seem to give myself any rest time. Hmmmmmm. Add that all together and knowing that I pushed it pretty hard in that days's workout, I shouldn't be surprised.

Lesson learned. Well, it still has to be hammered into my head... since I'm now crying that our gym will be closed for 4 days starting tomorrow :S What to do???

Not quite recovered

2008-07-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

So its been half a week or so since I've done the Tri. I feel still very fatigued,mentally and physically. Yesterday I went to crossfit and my last running club clinic.

At Crossfit we did these exercises and this many reps:

Double Unders 50,40,30,20,10
Dumbell Push Jerk's 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5
Pullups 25, 20, 15, 10, 5, 2

This was a great workout. I was totally up for it, except that I physically and mentally was not up for it. I felt groggy and tired and not up to my best or very fresh. I just wanted to finish it. I know I'm still pretty fatigued. However, this is the type of workout I'd usually enjoy.

Now I hadn't planned to go run last night, but I thought my clinic was over last week, and I was corrected. It was over yesterday. So I thought I'd show up and finish things right.

We ran 4.5 - 5k nonstop, slow Sunday pace. The reason for this is, most people have races coming up and this is the Taper.

After this, I felt pretty damn tired. I conclude that my body isn't ready for this. I need more rest and should be hitting the vitamins. Get it together K.

On top of this, I was planning to do the Grousse Grind with some folks but now I'm thinking its not a great idea. We'll see what happens.

I've really been thinking a bit about how I'm going to continue my running regime and just my fitness programming in general. Its transition time. I also want to rest and enjoy my vacation coming up in August. I find it hard to switch from work to rest mode. Something to learn.

My first Triathlon - 400m swim, 20k bike ride, 5k run

2008-07-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

So.. my first triathlon. I’m tired. I don’t think I have the same vigor about telling this story as I’ve told all or parts of it to various people over the past few days, so my zing and zap is more pfft and pfft. Nonetheless, I’ve had more time to process the experience, and oh was that necessary. I also have more information about the event as a whole.

Overall, what are my lasting impressions? I’m glad I did it. It was,overall, a good experience. I’m glad I did this before turning 30 and know this will be one more thing that will matter to me and make 2008 special. The tri really made me feel more like I live in this area and have now participated in local culture. It was also a good friendship experience, and I’m glad I have folks to share the memories with. The Harrison Mills area was gorgeous and I found the land so very tranquil and inspiring. It’s always a special life moment to be somewhere beautiful that really speaks to your spirit.

In hindsight, I came to a few discoveries. I can’t stop thinking about this experience. It’s burned into my mind. I have these emotional sensations when I see the pictures. I remember how it felt to be in that moment.

I also discovered, which shouldn’t have surprised me,that the organization putting on the tri has had a terrible reputation for many years now and is not sanctioned by Tri BC. Just a few issues include:

The race route map was unclear and triathletes were discussing the route with each other before the race for clarification

The route was unmarked except for the run and cycle turn around points, and the finish line. There were no intermediary markers to indicate if you were going the right way, although once the route was explained, it was a non issue.

The tri was most surely not held at the lagoon indicated on the website. It was, in the body of water near Squawkum Campground which I believe is Harrison Bay. Why does this matter? They lied.. the water wasn’t near 70 degrees. It was freezing cold. And everyone was uncomfortable. And very few people wore wetsuits. I’m still trying to find a resource to see what the water temperature actually was. I’d love to know how much cold I can tolerate with only mild level 1 hypothermia symptoms.

Explained more via wikipedia – Level 1 hypothermia: Mild to strong shivering occurs.The victim is unable to perform complex tasks with the hands; the hands become numb. Blood vessels in the outer extremities constrict, lessening heat loss to the outside air. Breathing becomes quick and shallow. Goose bumps form, raising body hair on end in an attempt to create an insulating layer of air around the body.

The area after the swim and before the bike, in Squawkum Campground was a surface with many large stones that comprised the parking lot/ roadway. I didn’t feel it wise or safe to ride my bike on this area and instead lifted and rolled my bike onto the road. I’m sure I lost time here, but I thought it was a better decision than ruining a bike rim or falling off my bike after riding over a stone.

Medical stations... didn’t see any except maybe the cluster of people at the finish line.

The bike/run area wasn’t flat, as in the website. It was a flatish but steady upward incline. Its just the fact that you don’t want surprises.

I learned this lesson as well… doing crossfit and a 10k running clinic is not enough training to comfortably do a triathlon. I did swim once, and that’s where I discovered my neoprene allergy. Then again, maybe my training wasn’t the issue at all, and the frigid water just left me somewhat diminished and unable to perform like the athlete I know I can be. I mean, I felt more comfortable doing a hilly 12k run than I did doing just 1/3 of the tri. Granted I’m not a swimmer, so I muddled thru that phase. I know that the extreme cold took a toll on me physically and mentally. At one point I was too fatigued to swim or float and in an area where I couldn’t stand up, .. so I had to cultivate some mental calm and persuade myself to try and dog paddle over to an area where I could stand and rest for a moment.That moment was fearful and I did have to push away the panic sensation. My heart was racing, my breathing was fast.. the swim was trauma. I was the last swimmer out of the water. I know that it took me a while during the bike ride to thaw out and really start feeling “ comfortable” again. During most the tri, I was trying to figure out just how I felt and what I should strategically do about it.

I am, however, proud of myself for actually being able to pull it off. I have no affinity for cold water, and am not one to immerse myself quickly when at the beach or pool. So I endured my biggest personal challenge for longer than anyone should ever have to.

Anyway, the swim was endured, and I got to the bike transition. Special thanks to my friend P who hung out with me during the swim, which really helped my spirit and gave me a tangible visible marker to swim toward. Upon the transition I came to realize that changing my clothing was taking way too much time. I was clumsy, had trouble with my socks and my sports top. I eventually realized that I didn’t have full sensation in my fingers. I felt like a popsicle trying to put fumble thru a wardrobe change.

After the stony campground, I was on the road and beginning my bike ride. Things started to look up. P. passed me eventually but I didn’t mind. I was making decent time and the area was gorgeous. I was lulled into a false sense of achievement when I saw that after 3k from the campground the road just became a gradual incline. The incline wasn’t too crazy but steady nonetheless and 20k of it! Thank goodness I have a hybrid road bike. I passed a few miserable souls on mountain bikes and they were slowly making it up small inclines. Not the right tool for the job, mountain bikers. Again a topic that could have been addressed on the website. The ride was nice enough, some difficult areas but at least one good area of fast downward riding. I did eventually get saddle sore, but it was tolerable. After my turn around, coming back…. I started straining thru the hills. Many folks had already started the run, and at one point I was riding just about as fast up hill as a runner was moving during the return loop. At this point I started playing the mental game of -How many people can I pass before the finish line. Soon enough I made it back from the ride and hit the last transition for the run. It was way easier to change my accessories and trot out of the transition zone, sporting my super cute new hat and ipod armed for those eventually boring periods of cardio grinding.

Yay me! I get to start the run!
Its easy work after this! I’ve been doing a 10 clinic! I can run up to 12k now!
I’m a lion hear me roar!

….stride

… stride

… stride

Ugh..

Why do I feel so heavy?

...stride

...stride

My feet are heavy too..

...stride

I wonder how much my orthotics weigh? My shoes are so heavy

...stride

WTF!

...stride

I guess I can’t do my 10/1 intervals. Maybe I’ll just do 4/1’s and start stretching them later.

...stride

Four minutes later..

Okay that was pretty slow.

Rest 1.

Okay another interval

3 minutes into it… I gotta walk. I’m tired. I wasn’t breathing hard really. But I was physically exhausted. I probably should have eaten something by this point or had more than just a few swigs of Gatorade water. Why couldn’t I move like I know I can? My heart rate would get in the high 170’s and then I’d walk…

I ran the rest of the race overtaking overweight and elderly women, trying hard to not be last, and put as many people behind me as I could with my walk breaks. At the turn around I had a swig of orange juice and god did that give me like a 3 minute turbo boost! SUGAR! YES!

I trotted along, and finally passed two girls who weren't over weight. The easy prey was gone, and now I could pass regular people. I must say tho, I have the greatest respect for the overweight ladies doing he tri, they HAD to train just to pull this off and it was a huge feat of determination and surrendering of the ego. They have all my respect. For some people, athletic achievement doesn’t have to be paid for in blood.It comes easier. Others begin events and feel bad to worse. For them, and maybe me ( even tho I didn’t actually train for this), its not about having fun in the present but the enjoyment of having finished something in the past tense. Yay us! Sadistically we make things happen and we may never get that sense of ease and flow that other people enjoy.

So… by the time I could visibly see the crowd at the finish line, I ran the rest of the way, no walk breaks. I passed the finish line, and a kid gave me a bottle of water and a medal. My friend M gave me a Guinness and my friend P gave me a hug. It was… wow. Finished. Thank God.

Kips and Whips and Cleans for JBean

2008-07-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

I got back into town last weekend. I became sick when I was away, and was just starting to get over it on Sunday. I even went to my apartment gym that morning to attempt one of the workouts I missed (DUs and situps) but it was just not going to happen.

I still have a fairly bad cough, but I managed a great workout week.

On Monday the warmup was a 1K row. I was quite disappointed with my time when I saw it up on the whiteboard, but when I opened up my book I realized that I improved by an entire minute from my training time!

It was a strength day, and we worked on cleans for max. I didn't feel like my technique was quite right, but I managed to clear 30lb over my last attempt about a month ago.

Tuesday was a lot of fun. For the warmup we walked around the block (450m) carrying a plate straight above our heads. It wasn't too difficult, but you could really feel the burn. During the tech we did windmills and DB snatch. I was already having trouble with the snatch technique on 15#, and tried a couple with the 20 (only on my right)...

The workout:
60 skips (singles)
20 situps
20 cross chops (10L, 10R) 20/30
10 DB snatch (5L, 5R) 20/30

... and A put me on 20s! I was horrified, and tried as hard as I could to go back down to 15. No go.

But I did it! My cross chop form wasn't the best, but that wasn't my concern... I was able to do the 20# snatch, and felt great about my form :) I was a happy JBean.

After the workout I hit up the chalk as I usually do and got on the bar for my daily Kipping effort... and lo and behold, the chin made its way over the bar! I was in disbelief, but A confirmed it with her scream and the sweaty hug after I landed. KT and BWire were there to share the First Kip experience with me as well. It felt like graduation day.

On Wednesday we woke up to face Chuck Norris and the Filthy 50:
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping Pullups
50 KB Swings 35/20
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees To Elbows
50 Push Press 45/30
50 Back Extensions 50/30
50 Wall Balls 20/12
50 Burpees
50 Double Unders
(my mods: knees to chest, 8# wall ball, burpees on knees)

This was the longest workout I've done so far. I was quite happy with the box jumps, since I am now finding a good rhythm, preferred technique, and pace. But then again, I started with it! The rest was pretty grueling, but the worst part was wen I finally hit the burpees. When I could only do 5 for my first set, I felt so discouraged that I thought I wouldn't make it... then P came at about the halfway mark, thank god. I was not in a good state, but managed to knock off a couple of more pathetic 5-rep sets, then finished it off with sets of 8 then 7. When I got the the DUs my legs could barely move. Finally the rope started going and I immediately found my rhythm... with barely any height in my jump! My arms were compensating so much for my tired legs that they were whipping the rope around me with incredible speed! Because I was so winded, I could only do sets of 10 to start, but tried for 20 to finish it off... I tripped at 16 then finally got the 4 in and fell to the floor. Chuck Norris surely whooped my ass, but I was so glad that I did the filthy fifty.

I ended the crossfit cycle (3 days straight) with a tough one. Good thing I planned to give my body a 36-hour rest before the next one: I somehow added a day between Wednesday and Thursday to consider it a rest... in my deranged and stubborn way of thinking, Weds 7am then Thurs 8:15pm class counts as a rest day :)

Thursday night we all met up to celebrate P's birthday. The warmup was a Swedish mile (but that day, in P's honor it was "British"), which is an Indian ball run but the person with the MB weaves between the people in line.

The workout elements were picked out of a hat by the birthday boy, and set up by clever A:
3 butt scoots
6 DUs
9 v-sits

Do a round every minute on the minute for 29 minutes.

It was a great workout, we were all sweating and fighting for a bit of rest at the end or each round. On the first round I lost the rhythm in my DUs, but it was in my favor: I did 6 in a row without the skip in between! I was a bit shocked about it, but I then decided that I would take advantage of the workout and try to do DUs straight for each round. On some rounds I would start with straight DUs then switch back to the 1-skip-between if I lost balance, in others I even had to add a few extra singles to regain my balance and end off with the 1-skip-between, and in others I was so bagged that I resorted to the 1-skip-between for the set in order to save some energy. But in the end I was able to complete about 7 or so rounds of straight DUs. Oh, and whip marks and huge gash on my back shows how I tripped 3 times. Out of 174 DUs, and attempting to do the straight runs, that isn't too shabby.

The killer part of the workout were the V-sits... which I still can't do completely correctly, but just trying to get to the V in every situp 261 times is a gruelling ab workout.. I'm still in a lot of pain from it today.

Then on Friday I decided to go to the 5pm class in which we revisited the clean. The workout was 30 weighted burpee hang clean thrusters (I *think* that's what they're called): basically, with dumbells, doing the pushup part of the burpee, getting up in hang position and then doing the thrusters. Since I did the manmakers with full pushups I decided to do these with full too... A was impressed and promoted me to full pushups in the workouts. Grrrr.

The workout:
Four Rounds:
400 M Run
Clean & Jerk 65/95
While Partner "A" runs, Partner "B" does as many Clean & Jerks as possible for individual total reps

Tech was C&J, and after a couple of weeks of snatches and cleans, I was pretty happy with my form for cleans that day. On the push jerk portion, A and N were complimenting my form. BWire and I worked with 53#, which was quite heavy, but I felt consistent with good form throughout the workout.

But the run destroyed me. I was far too winded and needed many gasping breaks to get through each round of cleans. I could only manage to do sets of 2s with the breathlessness and heavy weight. I was content with my final score, considering the weight, but I knew I could have done much better if the run didn't get me so winded.

That was my week! Oops, I should also mention that there were two pilates classes in there as well, on Tuesday and Thursday. I think the schedule this week worked really well: Mon Tue Wed 7am, Thu 8:15pm, Fri 5pm. I didn't make it to 11am xfit class today, but would have if my schedule accommodated it. Next week I plan to stick with the same schedule, including the 6th on Saturday.

6 xfits/week... is that a bit too crazy? Am I getting enough rest? Crossfit HQ sets up 3 day-cycles and the routine is 3 on, 1 off. With our gym scheduling around the calendar week, this is hard to do. Considering the 36 hours rest on Thursday, I think it should be fine... the problem is that I want to hit the climbing gym and Grouse Grind every Sunday too :S

Thats a tough one. I think I'll think it through during my yoga class tonight ;)

Special K finally lost her marbles.

2008-07-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

So its starting to sink into my head... I'm doing my first triathalon tommorrow.

Oh shit.

Slain by 11.7k - I met my match.

2008-07-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

What has Special K been up to?

Sunday 11.7run ( + Hills in Stanley Park + Lions Gate bridge inclines) + Monday: Xfit = Fatigued Lower body

Today at crossfit we did :

1000m row
Power Clean's

The row totally destroyed my legs. I don't know what I was thinking, not taking a rest day after such a taxing run, but the rowing machine made me hurt. For real. I was not feel'n so good after the row. There was perhaps some sitting still on the floor, some excessive water drinking, some hard breathing, some burning leg muscles, some sluggishness at getting up again for the technique.

It was in the realm of "ugh oh... maybe I better rest one day before I continue exercising this week.. and besides you have your "first triathlon" Saturday..what were you thinking?" Yeah I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I was thinking that since I didn't do Murph ( 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mile run)on Saturday, and I wasn't sore from the run, that I could just carry on like a machine. Well, I guess I got away with it..but my body did some complaining, and not the type where you get slapped on the wrist, the type where you get a serious, stern, " talking to." Self... I'm sorry, I'll try and treat you better tomorrow. Thanks for not slapping me.

oops almost forgot!

Since I'm complaining, I might as well give a little description of Sunday morning.

Because my last Sunday run was relatively painless, I perhaps didn't properly fear a real run, not on the seawall, but in the land of Stanley Park and across the Lion's Gate where there are actual hills. Strange, but hills make things harder. So I got up Saturday morning, after an evening socializing with friends and sharing the company of several identically,tall, dark, handsome fella's from Ireland that most assuredly contributed to my dehydration.

I popped a multivitamin, downed a Gatorade and an apple, and made my way to the running room, to crucify myself for the fermented beverages and assorted deep fried meats I'd ingested the night before. I knew I wasn't really prepared for this... but I'm a xfit girl,and I can endure quite a lot of discomfort when I committed to doing so. So that was the price.....and I got my ticket to ride, but gosh was it hilly.

I was hurting by the time we got to Prospect Point at Stanley park. Trying, as I did, to keep up with the faster pace group, I had to defer to the slower group at that juncture and admit I couldn't hack it. I wasn't really broken up about it honestly. I just wanted to burn the calories and keep my running mojo strong. So I trotted along with the slower runners and, at first, it was too slow. Across the Lion's Gate, I felt confident and capable, but returning... I started to feel my health bar getting low. I had nothing in my stomach except last nights calories.. a few chicken strips, some chicken wings, and a few divine pints of Guinness. Help me my black beauties!

I trudged onward, most defeated by the short but steep hill at the foot of the Lion's Gate, as you return to Prospect Point. The rest of the run, had a few hills - a testament to my zombie-like dissent into physical exhaustion. At that point, I was running with my heart. My heart really wanted to sit down and rest. Eff'n heart.

After the run, my legs were screaming. I stretched them out, went for lunch and honestly felt catatonic. I needed to lay down and rest for a while, which I did. I couldn't even be convinced to walk a few blocks to the grocery store, at that point in time. I honestly felt depleted, exhausted, physically taxed, pwn'd.

Salute the Pole

2008-07-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Forget the Flag, it's all about the Pole. This is my little tribute to Paul, "Pole", or to me, "Coach".

P helped welcome me to the real world of crossfit. I was very torn about it during training, and I seriously believe that if P weren't around during the first month or two, I would have quit altogether and today I'd be a fat, wimpy non-active carb-gobbling lazy boring J (i.e. not worthy of the -"Bean") that I used to be.

On my last day of training, A told me that I should join the group class that day since we ran out of time for the workout portion of our session. I did want more of a workout but was terrified of doing my first full one. I was frightened and felt extremely intimated, but I somehow convinced myself to show up. My first class was a partner sprinting workout which consisted of running, broad jumps, and skips. The whiteboard marker spin determined how we partnered off, and when it matched me up with P I immediately apologized for my predicted poor performance. P, however, was very welcoming and seemed pleased to team up with this newbie. Shortly after the first round or so I was dying and completely winded, but I pushed myself so I wouldn't let him down... he was very encouraging (although he was so fast that I barely had a rest!), and we actually came out on top with 18 rounds completed!

I pushed so hard that I somewhat pulled my left calf (recall the J-calf injury). My second class wasn't until 4 days later, which was a brutal birthday workout. I only decided to go because I thought it would be modified for me since I was injured and it was only my second class. Nuh-uh, I was told to do all the reps with RX weights. I was horrified!

It was my first workout without my trainer, so I figured I'd simply obey and follow what I was told instead of putting my foot down and setting my own modifications. P was finished quite early, and immediately after his workout started coaching and cheering on the rest of us. He came around while I was on the V-sits, and followed me to the box when I was starting the box stepups. I grabbed an RX 25# plate, and lost my balance on the first go, falling on the J-calf! I even started crying in pain :( P witnessed the horror, was there ready to help me out and make sure I was OK. Shortly after the fall I felt motivated to get back to the box (this time modified), and eventually finished the workout with P by my side.

Since then I have looked toward Paul as my coach. He's always encouraging and cheering, as well as helping me out with my form. Oh, and he continues to save my butt: he found the missing chalk for me during the workout when my hands were getting cut up, was the face that I needed to see outside when I was just about to give up (and collapse!) during the last run of the another crazy birthday workout, and recently stopped a 100+ pound snatch-gone-bad from cracking my skull to bits.

Outside of the gym P continues to be my support, adviser, and mentor. He is a great resource for all things health and fitness. He even helped me reevaluate my diet: started me looking more closely at the precise macronutrient ratio vs block-zoning, helped me find ways to increase my caloric intake while still maintaining the C-P balance, and recently made me the happiest JBean ever by pointing out how to incorporate yummy ice cream into my diet :)

He convinces me to face my fears and is a big reason why I can now walk into workouts feeling confident. He motivates me to try new things, and inspires me to push harder. He seems to really understand the way I work: how there is no way I'll cut back on my activities, how I am meticulous about my diet, and most of all, how fitness-stubborn I am.

I've been meaning to write about P for a while, and thought that this would be a good time a) since I have no activities to write about (been off for a week) b) to congratulate him on his sub-40-minute Murph and his upcoming first triathon and c) perhaps convince him to show up to the AM class tomorrow for JBean's return ;)

Sometimes you just suck.. and that's ok

2008-07-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Strain can point toward our deficiencies in performance and provide a roadmap for what to work on.

Today's Crossfit workout was:

2 dead hang pullups ( modification 4 kips)
4 Knees to Elbows/dead hang ( modification Kip Knees to Elbows 6 reps)
6 elevated pushups
(boy push ups with your feet about a foot or foot and a half above the ground)
8 Double Unders ( the jump rope passes under your feet twice in one jump)
10 walking lunges

20 minutes, rounds for time

Well.. I thought I was gonna kick ass on this workout. I only got 6.5 rounds in. The highest number of rounds was 17. I am proud to say I did the prescribed workout, except for a modification of the kips for dead hang pull ups. I can't do that many dead hang pull ups. ( Okay.. two maybe..)I'm sure if I was thinner that would help. Alas.. this workout made me feel so slow and sluggish.

Sadly, my awesome Knees to Elbow kips, which I so cultivated a few weeks ago... didn't really happen. I don't know if it was the shorter amount of reps not allowing me to get a good flow, or just the fact that I was off.

I'm a little bummed that I didn't really get my groove on any movement in this workout. I just ended up feeling slow and heavy and lacking in strength and stamina. I guess I should be somewhat proud that I had the elevated push ups in the can, although I did have to resort to mini sets in the end. Its kinda interesting to me what a total mind game excersize can be.

I left this workout really internalizing that I need to work on my cardio more, and drop weight so that I can increase my stamina and muscular endurance by not lugging so much extra weight around. I know I'm not huge, but I'm definitely not streamlined or lean. If you've ever tried doing a weighted dead hang pull up, you realize what a deal breaker just an extra ten lbs alone, can be. Its a good metaphor or experience IMO, for showing you how extra weight can hold you back on performance. .. well and the fact that I see the leaner girls fly through the air and steam through a workout. ( for a descriptive exercise, carry around bags of sugar equivalent to the weight you have to lose, put it in your backpack and see how it feels carrying extra weight around and how much lighter and capable you feel, not carrying it. )

Mantra reinforced: Must keep running, must minimize the sugars and starches.
For the record ,(and for context regarding my fat comments) my body fat percent is 27%.
Lean muscle mass = 100
Fat = 39

( the extra five lbs is bone) This info is derived from my body scan. http://www.bodycomp.ca/

Oh... and I'm five foot seven.

Deadlifts and Double Unders.....bliss and sorrow.

2008-07-17T16:12:00.001-07:00

- So, two days ago we did Deadlift Max. Mine is the same. Dammit! ( 255...ten lbs lower than my Personal Record.)

I'm a bit bothered by this, as I think I have lost strength and my friend D. is most likely capable of outlifting me on this .... finally. And really, honestly, truly, I never thought that day would come. So why is this happening? Whats wrong with me? How is she beating me? Is it because I'm running vs crossfitting so much? Was that Personal Record just a fluke? Am I losing some sass? Are my super powers diminishing? .... I'll be heading back to the mansion to ask Professor Xavior about this one. The answer will be keeping me up at night

... not.....

um...

well...

er....

maybe.

- Mkay. Today's workout. Double Unders and Situps 50,40,30,20,10.

My double under's, starting out, weren't super awesome, but as I warmed up, I started really knocking them off. I got a good flow and high intensity speed going, and for once, I actually gave a shit what my time was. ( I guess that's cause I was finally good at something cardio oriented.) My time was 11 minutes 30 seconds. Go me!

And .. to recap. My lower back is achy sore from Deadlifting. I'm getting old.
But all those situps, have fortified my abs, so now I have some tightness in both spots. I guess my core is made of steel now. ... or at least a very hard plastic.

Why?

2008-07-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

As I think back to the series of activities since my last post, I feel a need to explain WHY.

Wednesday was my planned day off. After hearing what the workout was ("Helen"), I really really wanted to do it.

Why?
- because I simply wanted to... I love going to class
- because I want to do more named workouts so I can compare results for gauging progress

I seriously considered doing the 5pm class, but decided not to because I really needed to rest up as planned.

On Thursday I looked at the workout on the board and despised it at first glance. In the end I was so happy and loved the day filled with a lot of jumping and running.

Why?
- because as much as I hate box jumps, the results from the warmup (Tabatas) indicate that my endurance is getting better (score increased by 2 from the last time)
- because the workout (7 DB power cleans, 5 broad jumps, 100m run: alternating b/w partners, as many as you can do in 12 mins) was a great partner team workout, with a great partner... and we did the entire workout alongside of another great team of great partners ;)

That night I heard some bad news from back home, and didn't get much sleep. On Friday morning I went to the workout anyway, thinking that I should be able to go on with my day regardless.

Why?
- because it was planned - part of my OCD complex
- to try to get my mind off of things
- to see some friendly faces that I knew would be in class that AM :)

The workout was OK... warmup was 10 burpees, 200 m run x 5 rounds, and we worked on the snatch in the strength training (for max). The snatch was new to me, so I was working mainly on tech.

Continuing on with my day, I heard more from home and was not much use at the office. That night was extremely hard for me... I pretty much stayed in bed all evening, but at least I did sleep through the night. I woke up at my usual time on Saturday (6am) and just continued laying in bed. Then I got a text message near 7am... it was from my climbing buddy. She was wondering if I was up for a bike ride. I said "sure".

Why?
- because I was not happy about how I felt the night before
- I had plenty of sleep and wanted to get my ass out of bed
- I thought that a nice leisurely ride would be good for my spirit
- I wanted to amuse myself with my biking abilities after not having ridden one in ~15 years or so

Unfortunately "nice" and "leisurely" could only describe about half of it. After riding through the marina and along the beach and a once-around on the bike path of Stanley Park, my buddy decided that I was ready to take the real route. We did a street route a couple of times around the park which had a crazy uphill length (keep in mind that I was borrowing her urban/path bike while she was on her new road bike). I thought it was worse that the Grouse Grind! But I didn't stop once, and tried hard to keep up as much as I could. By the time we were ready to start heading home, my butt was in aching pain.

I got back to my apartment at about 10am, and wondered if I should go ahead and make it to the 11am Saturday class. I had a quick snack before finally deciding to head toward the gym.

Why oh why JBean?
- because I'm an idiot
- because I thought it would be a nice partner workout, as scheduled every Saturday
- because I had no fucking idea it was Fight Gone Bad:

Wall Balls (reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pulls (reps)
Box jumps (reps)
Push press (reps)
Row (calories)

As many as you can do in one minute, no rest between stations but one minute rest between rounds.

It was crazy torture, but I'm glad I did it. I am pretty happy to say that I got through it with weights fairly close to the RX for my first time, and was happy with my score. Now I can wear my new Crossfit BC shirt with pride.

On Sunday my body was aching and my head was spinning. I had to fly out of town but made sure I got my yoga workout in.

Why?
- to stretch the hell out of every inch of my body
- I was craving the meditative aspect of the practise
- to help calm my emotions and relieve some stress

And that was my week since the last update. I guess this was a bit of a twist on my update post to explain why I do the things I do.

Lifetime record. Special K run's 11 kilometers

2008-07-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

I know.. its absurd.
Why would anyone do that?
I'm in denial.

But it happened. And it didn't hurt that bad.

I think it took about an hour and a half. That was at a slow steady pace...using 10/1 intervals. Our Sunday runs are just comfortable endurance runs. Sometimes they feel painfully slow,but I guess that's the way to build stamina.. or so I'm told.

Our instructor sustained a sports injury playing soccer, so instead of the much hillier Stanley Park run that we were destined for, we ran with the half marathon clinic on their route, which was down Denman to the Seawall, to David Lam park, and back. We also added on a lap around the Lost Lagoon to make that 9k into an 11k. At about half way around the Lost Lagoon I was definitely ready to stop running. I wouldn't say quit.. I wasn't thinking of " quitting" as such, just .. I rather be resting. You know that feeling.. that lackadaisical.. I rather not move urge. Its natural. Its good.. its the inner slug trying to get out.

So I suppressed the inner slug a while longer and my relief came within the next 20 or so minutes.

As of today, I feel a different sort of lower body fatigue from this distance run than I do from the weight or high intensity workouts I get at crossfit. Instead of feeling acute strain in a given area, I feel an overall fatigue and tightness. One day later, I'm not sore, but I do feel like my muscles are taxed. I do feel like I totally did something,and an overall light ache. I find myself hoping that the lean muscle mass in my legs is slaying the fat cells, and a noble battle is being fought that will drive down my body fat percentage and make me run like the wind...but then I hit one of quads with my hand and.. yeah.. still mush. ... must keep going.

Sadly I cant report as to what my heart rate was during the run, since I forgot my heart rate monitor and instead had to try and not freak out. Honestly I rely on it too much, I take too much comfort in the numbers and knowing that when I get to 180.. I should probably slow down a bit or I'll run out of gas. So I just kept with the pack and kept their pace, and it was okay.... Something I'll not be able to do when I start running on my own. * Special K prays she continues and doesn't bail out on her multi week investment in cardio stamina*

Anyway... 11k ... it was done. I was so fearful about it. I didn't want to run out of steam and then have to be the loser quitter sissy girl. Thankfully I didn't have to.

Hills!

2008-07-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my second occasion to run hills with the running room. I'm still in shock and awe that it happened. Our total distance was probably around 5k, but we did 5 hills which were broken down as follows: Easy, Medium, Hard, Easy, Medium

Our hill training consisted of repeating this one particular stretch of incline in Stanley park, which took about 6-8 minutes to complete. The incline was , I'd say, Medium. It wasn't super evil like the hills in Kitilsano or up to UBC, but it wasn't super casual either. My heart rate for the easier ones stayed in the 160's and at the peak of the Hard hill , my heart rate was at around 186. After the hard hill, I finished the remainder of the workout on will power alone. I am quite sure I couldn't do this kind of training on my own, as hearing my instructor shout motivations to us at the top, really made me push. ( Sound is a big driving force for me.)I totally wanted to stop and walk a few times tonight.

Having all the other folks running as well, and trying to track with other people was a great tool. I come to realize that I'm motivated and propelled onward by the sound cue's created by everyone's feet pounding on the earth. Its just a nice collective rhythmic cadence that motivates the spirit. It could be all those group runs in high school, that have somehow trained me to move involuntarily, who knows. :)

I also swear by my spinning training which taught me two key things:

breathing
music/cadence

To cope with my high heart rate and fatigue. I tried to take deep, long , controlled breaths. This really helped me manage my heart rate and build a good flow so I could endure. We were allowed, on the down hill parts, to jog slowly and get ourselves back to a comfortable pace. Even if we had to walk, it was okay, because we were instructed to start the hill as comfortable as possible. I walked very little, but instead opted for a slow jog, and let gravity slowly trot me down the way. It worked well. Who knew... that running was about recovery! ... High intensity workouts don't teach this! And in the end, I'm building a cardio base that will empower me to do more eventually. Yay for cross training! +20 Awesome points for me.. for learning new things.

Music- Back in my spinning days, Good ole M. at Sweat Co. , and really any spinning instructor there, would have us use musical tempo to align with our cadence. So fast, sprinting intervals had fast energetic music, and slower plateau intervals had more chilled out music. (This is great, because most cardio is boring and music provides mental stimulation.) Even more importantly, now I'm conditioned to work harder to fast music that I like, and it provides this external impetus which propels me onward when my willpower is fading. I think there is a lot to be said, for linking cadence and music, and I could see this tool transferable to any type of training. I mean, our heart's have a rhythm, music does too... there is something primordial and organic about sound and the human condition. There is a link... I swear! I'll stop here, before I sound too new agy.

Also some tools that helped me cope. Good ole A. from Crossfit and her talks about the posterior chain as well as M. 's talks about using the push and pull stroke of your legs, activating the appropriate muscles in each phase, to truly move efficiently. As I ran up the hill and found my body fatiguing, I played this mental trick on myself. It tried toggling through different muscle groups, using a focused biased workload on a given muscle group at a time. To explain this... first I'd try and trot up with mostly my calves holding my weight and absorbing shock.. then I'd get tired, and try to use my quads, muscling up the hills with my bigger muscle group. When my quads tired, I tried to focus on my posterior chain and get my hams working, driving through my heels to propel myself onward. And lastly, this one's from spinning, when everything was tired, I tried to remember activating the hamstring on the upstroke, as you bring the leg upward and forward, and even raising my knees just a bit, to try and be as efficient on the passing position as I am on the contact point of my stride. ( that was animator talk, feel free to disregard.)

What does this all amount to? I learn a shit load from all the sports I do, and I think its stupid for people to think that one discipline is the only right way to do things and the only way that works. Technique is transferable, and intellectual capital from any training regime can be useful and employable.

..stepping off of soap box now.

Many things

2008-07-09T11:21:00.002-07:00

So.. Last week was a bust. Since I took a long weekend out of town, I spent most my evenings catching up on chores and professional development. What does that mean exactly : Washing clothes, cleaning the apt, doing laundry, working on animation, buying groceries etc.. real life stuff. Strange how when you plan training, work, and socializing, all that stuff takes a back seat and eventually comes back to dominate all your time. * sigh* This is what I get for actually having stuff to do once in a while.

So. Last Sunday! I got back to running with a leisurely stroll in the 2nd beach/Seawall area. I was running with a friend who is just getting back to jogging so we did a 5k with 5 and 1 intervals. It was nice and chill and a gorgeous morning. Granted I should have done 11k with my running clinic but , slacker me, was out too late socializing the night before and didn't wake up in time.

Tuesday... Did a 6k ish run, from Aquatic Center to 2nd beach pool. This was done with 10 and 1 intervals. It was ok for the first 25 minutes or so, and then I had to push. I realize that my week off really damage the cardio base I was building at the running room. Sucks how running is a super power that quickly diminishes.

There is this thought lingering in my head. How will I schedule running into my life after the running clinic?

I definitely see the value in running. I have shed a few pounds,and have seen my abs with much more definition. I can tell its definitely a good fat burning exercise. I've also had moments where I get to enjoy the aesthetic experience of running outside. But.. How can I integrate this into my regular training regime? .. AND stick to it? That's the big question.

Breakfast Like a King

2008-07-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

This week I started with 7am workouts, and I've changed my eating as well. It makes more sense to taper my caloric intake throughout the day, and following my triathlete friend's advice: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

8:30am, breakfast: 4 blocks (pre-workout snack + post-workout meal)
12:00pm, lunch: 3 blocks
4:00pm, snack1: 1 block
7:00pm, dinner: 2 blocks (this is when I get a good deal of my veggie intake, so 2 blocks is quite filling)
10:00pm, snack2: 1 cup of ice cream (outside of zoning, adding more fats to my diet)

Since starting on the Zone, I've slow-cooked my oatmeal weekly: striking/limiting bread and rice from my day seems to be a bit easier on me when I have my oatmeal fill. Since my weekend trip, I had to switch the cooking day up to mid-week. So I forgot to do that last night, and woke up this morning with no oatmeal.

Luckily it's my rest day, because for the past couple of mornings the oatmeal was a must post-workout carb choice for me. I had a bit of time to slow-cook, but nah... it was a day to switch it up a little. This is what I concocted:

Carbs: melba toast and a smudge of strawberry jam: 1 block, cherries + strawberries: 2 blocks
Protein: 1 egg omelette w/ sliced chicken breast + pt skim mozzarella: 2 blocks, 3 strips chicken bacon: 1 block
Fats: black olives in omelette, cooked in olive oil, nuts.

Yum!

Quick Update

2008-07-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to post anything, but here is my update for the past week or so:

Tuesday: Grouse Grind, xfit workout in the park
Wednesday: Crossfit (brutal workout)
Thursday: Pilates, rest day
Friday: Crossfit
Saturday: Crossfit (400 m run, 25 box jumps, 25 deadlifts - 3 rounds)
Sunday: Ashtanga, climbing, Grouse Grind
Monday: Crossfit

Today was a Crossfit strength workout (100 shoulder press, 200 M run b/w sets) and Pilates. Tomorrow is a rest day (just climbing in the evening).

I loosened up a bit on zoning last week, and am adding even more fat to my diet this week, as suggested by my coach and trainer.

Wicked Awesome Friday workout that Totally kicked my Ass.

2008-07-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

Okay this post should be backdated for last Friday

It was a day of crossfit awesome. I say this because we did exercises I enjoy and the workout flowed but was very difficult and the right balance of pushing hard, but being capable.

WOD was.. ladder 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 reps of

Dead lift ( 155lbs), Knees to Elbows, Push Jerk ( 30lbs) ( each arm)

Little did I realize until someone pointed it out to me, that we did a gross total of 55 reps per movement. It seems so easy on the board when you see the ladder, sets with a descending number of reps. You think, “ its only hard in the beginning, then its easy.” Illusions!. It was hard nearly right away… full body movements really tend to tax me quickly.

I did get to workout with my good bud D. who I haven’t worked out with in ages. We shared a station and got to Rock the Dead lift like bad girls! Yay us. I gotta also throw out some respect for my xfit hero R. who told me the secret that really helped me connect my Knees to Elbows movement with the kip and thus execute multiple reps of the movement without stopping. It’s hard to connect those. The big tip was to push forward with your chest. This created a nice stretch and the right whipping movement to get my knees up on the backward swing of the kip motion. Very had to describe this so that someone can visualize, but lemme just say it made all the difference.

I must also add, that since I’m doing running club more than Xfit these days, I really got slammed by such a lifting oriented workout. I experienced tremendous soreness and limited range of motion as a result of this workout. Only now, 5 days later, do I feel fresh and nimble. I guess my brain was writing cheques my body couldn’t cash. That’ll teach me.

…..

No it wont.

Back in the Game

2008-06-30T15:50:00.001-07:00

Last week I went away, was out of my workout routine for 7 days and ate 2-3x my usual amount of carbs and fat for 5 days straight!

I got back on Tuesday night and jumped back into my regimen right away. I managed to stay zoned and had a fitness dose daily...

Weds:
- Crossfit Workout - 4 rounds for time: Cross-KB swings (or something) 10 x each side, 15 box jumps, 10 weighted situps

Thurs:
- Treadmill run (25 mins)
- Pilates Class
- Crossfit workout - 5 rounds for time: 10 pullups, 10 V-sits, 10 DB split jerks, 200 m run

Fri:
- Crossfit workout - 10-1 ladder: Deadlifts, DB thrusters, Knees-to-Elbows

Sat:
- Crossfit workout - Part 1: static barbell hold while partner runs 200 m (15 mins), Part 2: manmaker ladder w/partner (15 mins), Part 3: pullup practise
- Ashtanga class

Sun:
- Climbing gym
- Driving range

I have plans to go for a bike ride and do the Grouse Grind tomorrow. With our gym closed today and tomorrow I know I'll want to do 4 classes Weds-Sat again for crossfit. Yesterday was a nice activity day, and I'm wanting a fitness hit today yet know that I should rest.

Not the most interesting post but I just wanted to get it down for the record...

Special K thinks She's the Split Jerk Queen! delusions of grandeur

2008-06-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

After a week or half week hiatus, I'm back with a vengeance. I had a bit of training burnout, mixed with sleep deprivation and stress from various activities, so I took some time away to do other stuff.. but yesterday I was back at Crossfit and Running Training.

So watch out Vancouver! I'm back on the Warpath!

In the evening I did a 5k run along the seawall from the Aquatic Center to the pool and back. This run was a toughie. IT was ok and I could do it, but I feel like I lost some serious stamina which was so hard earned earlier in my running clinic. I do expect my body to adapt swiftly, but I was pretty miffed that my heart rate stayed so consistently high. It was also a rather warm day which may have factored in. In addition, my legs were somewhat fatigued from my Xfit workout earlier in the day. Its just good medicine to get back to running. I so enjoyed the pleasant walk home across Burrard bridge. Running on a nice day , in a Vancouver park area is such an aesthetic experience.

I should get a t shirt made " Vancouver Foreigners Running Club, We use your city more than you do! "

Earlier that day, I did the lunchtime workout at Crossfit. It was a great workout to come back to after a week of being out. Not too hard or taxing but definitely made you work and made you integrate with thinking about technique. For a warm up we did a running Cindy for 7 minutes

I got 3 rounds in of:

5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
200m run

Then we did Split Jerk Technique and workout to our Max

The rep breakdown was 5,3,3,3,2,2,1,1,1

I maxed out at 103, which isn't my best Max. I did 110 earlier in the year, but I wanted to stop at that weight because it felt safe, and I was still getting back into things.

I do feel like tooting my own horn on this one. I think I have a pretty solid Split Jerk. It just happens to be one of those complex movements that makes sense to me. I know I've benefited quite a lot from the various sessions of technique training I received at Crossfit Vancouver East Side. I recall Craig and T Bear going over it quite a lot, and I think its great to get various sessions of instruction from multiple coaches who are so solid at a particular movement.

I see some common mistakes when executing the Split Jerk that totally make me cringe. I just get this fear for people of the weight crashing down on them, crushing their spine or banging their head. This is a tricky movement, lots of things to think about and coordinate in one fell swoop and combine that with heavy weight, its definitely high risk.

One thing I notice some people do, is try to muscle the weight up with their arms. Like many Xfit movements, the hips are key and getting your bigger muscle groups to do most the work is such a help. Honestly for this movement, I think the arms mostly just hold the weight and lock out on the downward movement. The arms shouldn't be load bearing, shouldn't be " muscling it up". The key to split jerking is getting your body underneath the weight quickly, essentially driving down, after the initial push and then creating a steady base with your whole body, from top to bottom, to support that weight. At that point, the arms should be locked out, clavicles activated,lower body in a semi lunge positoin, and just come up strong and steady.

There's a rumbling in the force and Special K is burnt out. :/

2008-06-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well I’ve been pushing myself to decide about the triathlon and I come up with a list of reasons to do it and not to do it.

To do

It would seriously eat me up to watch my friend do this cool fitness event/milestone and know that I’m capable of doing it too, but didn’t. And to know that I wouldn’t be likely to do it again until next summer 2009.
I could suck it up and get thru the swim so I can really excel at the bike ride and run
I am training for a 10k run anyway, so this would utilize the work I’ve put in already and really exploit it in an athletic event that I wasn’t planning to do.
It’s a Vancouver experience and when I look back at 2008,the last year of my 20’s I can say.. I kicked ass, I did something crazy and new, and it was a life experience.
I promised my friend I’d drive him there, so I’m gonna be in the area anyway.. why don’t I just do it. It’ll be over in a few hours. And then I can have a tasty well deserved beer and a nice streak or something and really feel like I earned it.
Its summer, this is a summer thing to do….
I could blog about it. Maybe get some nice pics out of it. Its an experience. Hmm…

Not To

Cold Water – which is all kinds of bad. I’m a delicate Texas flower… c’mon. I didn’t even know water was cold until I was 16. A nature trip in Oregon blessed me with that rude awakening. (The Gulf of Mexico is warm! That’s why we get hurricanes
Wetsuit/Swimwear dilemma - no way I’m wearing a bikini, as if… and the wetsuit, well gives me a neoprene rash. So what would I wear? Wet suit with a turtleneck underneath?
Not a great swimmer, swim would be hard work and not fun
I haven't actually been consciously training for this or scheduling it into my life…. So the mental ramifications aside. I’m already getting burnt out trying to do 3 runs a week and 2 xfits a week, plus be social with friends, dating, keeping up my nutrition ( already dropped the ball there with not enough time or bandwith to stay on top of my zone eating [ still making zone oriented dining decisions on the whole tho}), and have been neglecting my other personal goals for the past few weeks. IE. Professional development projects I started months ago that I’d like to finish.
Cash.. If I bought a wetsuit that’s 150 bucks I didn’t plan to spend ( for the cheap one), plus the entry fee 89$, plus whatever I spent on location in food and drink, Gas,Cost of accessories.. I bought some goggles for like 30 bucks, what else would I need. Already bought a heart rate monitor this month for my clinic.. cost about 70$, the clinic itself was 70$. Money Money Money.. fitness bleeds me ..Actually this one is almost making the decision for me.
Hmm.. Just thought of this one. Maybe I need to keep it real and recognize my priority fitness goal. That goal is: Loose Fat-get a hot lower body ( I'm happy with the rest). Considering I'm exercising for vanity( Hey I've got to experiement with vanity sometime in my life), and never really planned to be a high performance athlete, that's a great bonus tho, maybe I need to recognize that the triathlon doesn't per se facilitate my goal and can potentially divert me from it, if I'm burnt out or bump/thwart my primary training schedule. Musings....

8K... Over 3 Days

2008-06-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

That's right! The distance that Special K did in one go ;)

What's going on? JBean running? By choice? Yeah, pretty trippy.

So on Sunday I decide that my fitness hit will be a trip to the gym to get a good cardio workout with my jumprope while working on my DUs. After a good skipping session I ended up walking over to the treadmill. I got on... and stayed on for 30 mins (4.5K)! I don't know what came over me, I prefer the other cardio machines for 30 mins or so, and if I do run I do some HIIT for maybe 15 mins. Instead I did an unstructured HIIT where I let my iPod dictate my pace. It felt great!

On Monday I find out about the workout:

"Michael", 3 rounds:
800m run
50 Good Mornings (35lb)
50 situps

Horrified by the 2.4 K, I send a quick message to Rubix (my new-found running-hating x-fit buddy) letting her know that I'm only doing today's workout if she's going. She knew exactly what that meant: the workout involves the R word. Her awesome reply: "Crap, this sounds painful. Don't tell me what it is, just be there at 5, and we'll suffer through together."

And we did it! The workout was brutal only because of the running but we did get through it, together. Something about running alongside with someone who is sufferring through it just as badly made it that much more bearable. I faced my fear - 2.4 K in a crossfit workout is a huge thing for me to conquer, and I feel fabulous about it!

So fabulous that I didn't even hesitate when I heard about Tuesday's workout:

100 overhead squats
200m run between sets

I did a decent 8 sets for the workout, which added an additional 1.4K to my 3-day running total.

8.3K! It isn't much, but for me it's outrageous :)

8k of Glory

2008-06-17T11:59:00.001-07:00

This Sunday was an 8k run with my running clinic. The pace was super slow, or that’s how I found it. My heart rate stayed around 150 bpm. This was a pleasant repeat of my other Sunday runs. The day showered us with glorious sunshine and it was quite lovely running through Stanley Park. My only thing to complain about is the rather longish hill at the beginning. It was after maybe two or three intervals, and the hill totally spanked me. I had to walk a few times to catch my breath. It sent my heart rate skyrocketing. For a while there, I was afraid I’d get left behind and have to find my group or abandon the run, rather than get lost in Stanley Park in an intricate network of trails that I’m totally unfamiliar with.

After the evil hill of death, that almost made me lose my group. The run was gravy. It was so chilled out. Honestly I’d prefer to never run that slow again, but I went with the flow and did what the group did. Sometime during the run, I heard my phone beep. A text message. So I swiftly grabbed my phone from the pocket in my running belt. The running belt has a water jug holder in the back and an area where I can fit some plastic, (Care card, debit card, etc). I look at the text message and it’s my friends S. “You’re prolly running but would you like to meet B. and I for brunch?” Well I was running so I couldn’t go.

So I’m thinking, shit. I should just not answer and she’ll know I’m running. But then I thought... hmm... I could answer maybe. Just write “run” and she’ll get it. Well it’s kind of hard to type on a cell phone as I run on trails in Stanley Park, uneven ground, the occasional jutting rocks, and the fact I’m managing my breathing and getting more fatigued as time goes on. Hmm... Maybe I can write her back when the next walk interval happens. But that’s like 7 minutes from now. Hmm... Can I do this? I mean I’m a geek, I can type anywhere and anyway.! Suddenly the act of returning the text message becomes a challenge and I go for it.

Done and Done.

I had to take a moment and laugh at myself for having a mini technology dilemma while running in Stanley Park at 830am on a Sunday morning. This shenanigans totally wreaks of Kits girl. J

Once again I sound my battlecry… VANCOUVER!

Neoprene Update

2008-06-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

So I woke up to discover that my wetsuit debacle has taken a toll on my skin. My * gasp * rash now covers more of my chest and shoulders. Super Sexy Lemme tall ya. So I called the walk in clinic office up the street to see if they could get me in early in the AM. Unfortunately they didn't have any slots. I ended up going to the drugstore to get the pharmacist to suggest a good over the counter product to help me out.

I will soon be making friends with Gold Bond. * fingers crossed*

This is really putting me off wetsuits. :(

Maybe I'm allergic to Neoprene? Hmm..

2008-06-16T18:14:00.001-07:00

Yeah.... post wet suit existence has resulted in lots of itchy bumps on my neck, calves, chest and shoulders. This is not cool. I used some Eucerin creme and Cortisone stuff to help with the itching and redness. But today I still feel itchy. Not kewl. A friend recommended I take a baking soda soak in the tub. Apparently baking soda is good for relieving itching and irrigation and softens the skin. So here I go experimenting with bath products again. ( I count lavender Epsom salts among then, and the fancy soaps from lush)

This lovely neoprene rash reminds me of the good old days of high school basketball. I use to wear neoprene knee braces for support and for the achy knee's which were still adapting to my growing pubescent body... oh yes I'm a towering statuesque woman. Not. Anyway, I guess now that I think about it... those braces were ditched due to the wicked sweat rash I got. Or at least I thought it was a sweat rash... so maybe I'm allergic to neoprene. And if so.. why isn't the rest of me all rashy? Hmm.. maybe these were the parts of me that were most tight in the suit? I have no idea.

Apparently, I can never be a member of the Fantastic Four and save the world in a tight unitard.

Darn!

Swimming is Hard

2008-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

So, many fitness things happened this weekend, but perhaps the most traumatic was trying on wetsuits and swimming in Kits pool, which has now happened for the very first time.

Why was I trying on a wetsuit? It's the on going saga of whether or not I intend to do the triathlon. I figured the swim is my big issue, for many reasons, and if I could do the proper research on a wetsuit and if I felt I could pull off a 400m swim, then I could properly decide if this was a go or not.

I went to this triathlon/sports shop off Main with a friend of mine who is definitely doing the triathlon, and I tried on a wetsuit. First of all ,I felt lame because It was a women's Large* body image punch in the stomach.* ( This fat girl needs to keep running) Anyway I tried it on and I hated it. Okay I still hate it. I could'nt even get the suit up my calves. It felt evil. It was like putting on a pair of panty hose that are two sizes too small. I hated it. I put my clothes back on, exited the dressing room, and waiting for my friend to finish trying his on.

So I'm waiting, and this cyclist guy is standing out there. Eventually my friend P gets out of the dressing room. We discuss the suit. P's fit him, and it looked good. And we dished on how eff'd up it feels to be wearing something that makes you feel like your body is wrapped in cellophane. Not wonderful feelings of goodness. So the cyclist who is lingering around, has now joined our conversation. I declare, that I am most assuredly DONE. I tried it. It didn't fit. Lets move right along. Well P. and cyclist dude start trying to convince me to try it on again. According to cyclist guy, who has experience with wet suits, they are supposed to fit super tight. If it were to feel like it fit me, that would be too Large.

So I'm standing with the suit, waiting to leave, and P and cyclist guy are telling me how its suppose to fit and how it is supposed to be a huge chore to put this on and I should try again. (We later discover that cyclist guy is the chairman or on the board of Vancouver's open water swim club. I prolly have the name wrong but that's the gist. I can see now I never had a chance. I was gonna get in that suit no matter what... with Mister Chairman of Swimming and P. there to convince me.)

Well thank goodness I lift weights. I needed true physical strength to maneuver this fetish-like neoprene getup up and slide it up my robust Texan ass. Initially, just getting it up my calves was a strategy. And I don't have large calves. If anything, I think they could use some development. But anyway, its like pantyhose, you gotta work out the wrinkles in the material, push ,slide, maneuver, tug with your leg, grip, pull,hoist,heave...* I think I grunted a few times * I had to really work to force this garment in different directions as I tried to even out the folds and maneuver into this evil costume of Satan.

So I get into it eventually. (What felt like a good 20 minutes later) I exit the dressing room to show my friend and cyclist guy who is now part of the process. They thought it fit. Apparently looser folds of material near the inner shoulders/pec area, indicate its too small. Mine fit. I was good to go.

So off we got to Kits pool. Its my first time there, even tho I live a few blocks up the street. I get to the ladies room, put my suit on again, * cue an awkward comedy of movement and true strain* and I step out to the pool area. I've seen wetsuit people training there before, but today we were the only ones. Everyone else was wearing swim suits, and I was standing around looking like a tall baby seal. Here we go!

P exits the dressing room and we head off to the edge of the pool. COLD! WATER IS COLD! I don't like COLD! COLD is bad. Eventually after much COLD and easing in, I get fully immersed. I can feel the water inside my suit. I feel super floaty. That part is awesome. I can just lean back and float with no effort at all. In theory, if I could swim, I could just let the suit do most the work and trudge along moving forward. Goodness. So I try to swim a bit. I can swim. I took lessons as a kid, but I cant really swim. I have no grace. I cant efficiently move my body in the water, and coordinate my breathing well enough to not be tired after a short distance. This was work. I tried to swim across the pool, face forward into the water, traditional generic swim style. Damn that was tiring. My heart rate shot up. I got so winded. My calves were getting really achy. I guess I was kicking wrong with my legs. Dunno. Swimming is hard.

So we did a few lengths of the pool... okay just 3, my body couldn't handle anymore.

And because it such a chore to get in and out of the suits, we decided to embrace the experience and just walk up the hill to my apt in them. Why not... its not like its a gorgeous sunny day and there are people everywhere all over kits beach and the patio at Malones. And so what if we walk past these crowded places looking like the Fantastic Four minus two. I do declare this a consumate Vancouver moment. So we walk.. people stare, I didn't mind too much since I was sharing the experience with a friend. Huge sense of novelty. IT was fun. Half way home, we get this crazy idea to stop by my local and see if R. the friendly bartender buddy is in. Why not stop in for a beer. That's a great idea. We just followed thru with a goal. Suits were obtained, tried, tested, swimming was done. Yay us. So we walk in there, luckily its not too crowded and park our neoprene assess on the bar stools. Yay! R shows up sometime later and we get hang out and show off our stupid debacle of fitness. It was fun and that's mostly how I spent my Saturday.

So.. Am I gonna do the triathlon? Can I swim this? Yeah I dint know... it was fun to do this with my friend, but yeah hmm... not sure.

J-Day Finale!

2008-06-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

This is the last weekend of my J-Day schedule... I have been doing the same routine every Saturday for 6 weeks now: xfit in the morning, golfing in the afternoon, and yoga in the early evening. Next weekend I am out of town and when I get back I plan to reconsider all my various activities and try to figure out what I want to commit to, cut down on, make more time for, etc. Lately my week consists of 3-4 xfit, 1-2 yoga, 1 golf , 2 pilates, and the odd climbing trip and visit to my gym. I suppose I can consider having more of a LIFE too :/

Crossfit workout today was another buddy-workout:
2 min L-Sit
100 partner Wall Balls
100 MB Situps
100 partner Squat Jumps
2 min Ring Holds

Each part was to be divided equally between partners. Warmup was 100 MB burpees, and there was no technique lesson today. Mandy was my partner again, we are a pretty good match. The toughest part was the squat jumps, we did sets of 10-15 that just burned! Otherwise I can't quite get on the rings yet so I did an engaged bar hang.

I really like Saturday crossfit workouts for a few reasons. First off, it's the only morning class I can actually make it to! Secondly, it's usually a fun partner workout. And finally - the part I loved most today - there is no scheduled class immediately afterward, so we can spend some time just hanging out or working with the equipment.

My trainer Angel was there today, and I worked on my Kip after class. I finally nailed the swing part, and I can just about get up there... I'm so close! It was so good to have A there, I haven't seen her all week, and her last day is next weekend which I won't be around for :( She is the reason why Special K and JBean are so JaK'ed!! I'm sure we'll have many more posts to come in her honour.

Otherwise I did a golf lesson today with Larry, which went well. I haven't seen him in a while since I wanted practice time with my irons before hitting today's class on the driver. My swing is slowly but surely improving, and Larry is the great coach who's getting me there. The Ashtanga class was good as usual, and I'm glad to hear that Chris is teaching an additional class in the new schedule. It's a day of amazing trainers!

Eating: so far so zoned, 1 last snack to go. Yesterday was a free day: went over but not by too much. For some reason I just can't let myself go anymore...

Strength Training, Take 1

2008-06-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

This was my first strengthening class. I was terrified, but in a good way.

Workout:

3 Rounds for max points:
Shoulder Press = 3 points
Push Press = 2 Points
Push/Split Jerk = 1 Point

(Rest between sets was the time it took for two people to do their round)

The weight I was pushing was less than the girls' in my group but man oh man did I ever feel it! For a scoring game, I wasn't too keen on the numbers this time. In the end I just loved how -- in many instances -- we'd think that that we were on our last rep and managed to find more! I get so motivated by this class: the encouragement from the crew is amazing, and their determination and performance is so inspiring. I've just figured out the biggest reason why I now love crossfit and keep coming back for more... it's the people :)

My goal was to hit 4 xfits this week, and with missing Monday and having plans in the way of Friday, I thought I wouldn't make it... but thanks to the new gym schedule AND my strange not-no-sore state, I hit the gym for the third day in a row. I'll wrap up the xfit week on J-Day.

I am so very tired right now, but just for the record, I did a pilates session (it was a good one today!) at lunch and am zoned with the usual stuff. I'm looking forward to rest/free day tomorrow... TGIF!

Special K's Fancy New Bionic Feet!

2008-06-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

They're in!

And please folks, do me a solid and lets not associate the word Bionic with the recently failed TV show, but rather with the original show from the late 70's. ( which I haven't seen.... but it must be cooler than the Michelle Ryan lameness that didn't even make it to 10 episodes. No offence to the actress, I blame the writing. Consequently, at Comic Con, when asked how their show would be different from Alias or Dark Angel, the panel couldn't really muster a good answer.... that was the first sign. Doomed.)

So, they feel weird. I feel pressure back at my heel, like its being cupped. I also feel my feet being forced outward. This makes sense since they err to leaning inward. I'm supposed to wear them two hours the first day and increase in two hour increments until I can wear them a full day. At that point, I can start wearing them during physical activity.

And speaking of physical activity.... Special K ran 7k Tuesday and 5k Wednesday. Let me just say how surreal it is to be running three times a week, when I use to be running ZERO times a week. Overall, its pretty pleasant. Last evening was gorgeous. A lovely Vancouver evening, not too hot or cold, quite comfortable. We ran from Chilco down to the Aquatic Center, via the Beach street and then the sidewalk, and back. It was lovely. I had a nice chat with one of my running clubbers from Bosnia. I love diversity and meeting multicultural people in Vancouver. Near the end I put my ipod on, to save me from boredom. (but I could still hear the outside world) It was a bit of a push at the end, where there was a gradual and prolonged hill, but I made it and I didn't feel like death. I did feel like pseudo death,or ... hmmm a prolonged coma. Not sure. Whats a medium phase for death?..I guess the best I can come up with is ... Living in the suburbs in the Midwest or an otherwise uninspiring and religious town of small population. Yeah that would be pseudo death for me. :)

My 7k Tuesday was a trip. It was a make up for the Sunday run that I missed. So I was in Kits Gym, on the treadmill, no incline ( I know I'm a sissy)... rock'n away my mileage, doing my intervals, and actually feeling quite strong and healthy and in the groove. Once again, it was a push near the end, but most the time I was feeling quite comfortable. I kinda made up a rule of trying to keep my heart rate no higher than 170bpm. And that works for me. At other times I have run at 180bpm and that's not very comfortable even tho I can pull it off if I want to. Maybe I'll do that for a race, but I don't run for ego or because its fun, I run because I want to look good. So really, I have no incentive to push another 10pbm. ( Okay okay yes working harder would burn more calories, but if I don't like what I'm doing.. I'll not keeping doing it, and that burns zero calories.)

After my 7k I did some ab work, some push ups, and some stretching. I could have pushed it more with my post run workout, but I had already been at the gym for an hour and I had other stuff to do. I was also properly tired and figured I'd let Crossfit make me burn and sore with weights and gymnasticy stuff. Plus, I had to run again the next day and didn't want to make myself sore. Otherwise I think I would have liked to get back to my Squat Pavels and work on getting a solid gold ass. ( like Visa, an internationally recognized currency)

Pavels.. I looked online for an explanation of this, and havent found it yet. I was taught this by my trainer A. To my knowledge, Pavels start you off lifting 60 or 70 percent of your max for a movement, and you do it 3-4 times a week, 5 sets of 3-5 reps. Eventually you get up to a max again. I understand this as strength specific training.

I was introduced to this phrase at a party once ... " Form Follows Function". Now its a great idea I'd like to believe it.. but I think it should be expanded into:

" Form Follows Function: if diet is properly tuned and consistent, if person's work ethic is consistent, if both strength training and cardio work is being done, and if your genetics aren't highly resistant to what you are trying to achieve."

There are probably more stipulations to this statement..but I just wanted to mention it, because what I think is increasingly interesting about exercising and pursuing fitness is the psychology, perception, evolution of thinking, and frame of mind behind it. More discussion on this in future posts.

Fun Class, but Disappointed :(

2008-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I got up too far away from the wall in my handstand, and actually fell because I was trying to adjust :( Damn! The only thing I can do "well" at my newbie level and I mucked it up! Ahh well, next time. Longest time in the class today was almost 3 minutes... way to go Paul!

(Really, the handstand was the only disappointing part...grr!)

Warmup was kettlebell situps -- regular kettlebell swing standing, then on its way down get into situp position then swing up over your head in reverse situp then pull down between your legs in the situp then stand up - go right into next KB swing... repeat x 30. I really really really liked it! They were tough but the work was awesome! To me the hardest part was laying down and bringing it over your head... the control you need is crazy on your abs! Great stuff!

Workout: 12 pullups, 12 burpees x 10 for time

We were supposed to be given 30 minutes to complete, but because we spent so much time in warmup/tech KT had to cut us off in 20. Awesome workout, nearly completed but only a few people did (kudos to you!). Considering the limited time, I think I did OK. I got soooo winded from the burpees. Hopefully in time my endurance will improve. Next time I'll try some pointers given to me during the post-workout chat, in terms of breathing and mini-sets.

I finally refilled on protein powder, so it's back in the equation. I went home for lunch and for some reason wanted poached eggs so I had a bit of a change-up in the routine. I'm zoned again today except for a couple of (awesome) spoonfuls of ice cream cake... I felt like a putz limiting myself (a bunch of girls having cake in a celebration), but it wasn't because of the fat/calories, it was more because I didn't want an energy spike too long before my workout (and end up being tired during...). But yeah, I guess I am a putz.

Little Ditty About JaK and Diane

2008-06-10T19:14:00.000-07:00

[forgive the corny title, the 80's kid in me just couldn't resist...]

I let the calf rest yesterday, pulled in another late Monday at work, and kept my meals zoned.

On today's workout agenda was a pilates class, which was a good session, but I didn't think it would give me enough of a fitness hit after a rest day. I packed the xfit gear in case there was a chance that the afternoon meeting would end early and I could make it on time for the 5pm class... and I did! I did a crossfit workout on a Tuesday, which is a first. I'm so glad that the gym extended their class schedule, it makes the activity-juggling a lot easier :)

Today's workout: "Little Diane":

21, 15, 9 BW deadlifts and Handstand pushups

The technique lesson was the HS pushup. I almost did one, but for the workout used the box mod. My hands were at a pretty decent proximity to the box, so I'm happy with where I'm at. Actually, the inverted V positioning of the body reminds me of the Downward Dog pose in yoga, so that might be a reason why my progression was at that level. I got through them in the workout with only a couple of breaks... it's nice to feel pushups working from a different part of my body!

This is my second go at deadlifts in a workout (the first one was 2 weeks ago), so I wanted to make sure that I am clear on form this time. Trainer-D had me try 105 lbs at first (almost my BW). I thought it was too heavy and removed the 10# plates. This is a 10# increase from last time but I think I should have tried it with a couple of 5# weights because after the workout I felt that it might have been too light (my time was pretty good overall). J told me afterward that it was a good weight for the workout because I did have to stop at some points during the sets. I'll see how it's feeling next time. Otherwise, the 2 trainers (D and KT) shouted out a few compliments about my form during the workout, so I'm really glad that I've finally got the technique down! I'm inching my way up to BW slowly but surely.

Warmup was KB swings. The girls weight was 35#, but I chose to do it with 25#, despite my trainer's recommendation from last time to move up from 20 to 35 (I thought it was too big of a jump). It was SO HARD to get through it on that weight today, but my time was relatively good. I'll move up to 30 next time. Perhaps my baby steps are too small, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

It feels great to get back into it after a rest day! Today my meals were zoned: usual oatmeal breakfast; soy beans and soy nuts, fruit, nuts for lunch; zone bar for pre/post workout snacks. Haven't had a thought about dinner yet but I'm sure I'll stick it to the zone schedule ;)

Grocery Shopping- R&D ( research and development)

2008-06-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Okay.. so I've dropped the ball on making zone meals lately. Even so, I've kept my food choices pretty healthy and zone friendly. Mostly that's because I haven't bought my groceries. There is this serious wall making me not do so. On the weekend I'm tired from the week, from training, potentially exhausted from my night of socializing Friday or Saturday.. and Sunday comes along, after my 830am run) and I think I have to do silly things like laundry, or pay bills, or clean the apartment.. etc. Grocery shopping then becomes this evil challenge.

I don't like grocery shopping at this point. I have all the wrong associations for it. I think of it as a big suck on my personal bandwith. I have to walk there, plan a list, take my backpack, enter this large place with all sorts of sensory stimuli: people, lights, multiple colors, decisions to make at every aisle, ... the daily melodrama's.. " did the ground turkey delivery come in today?" " Should I forgo that for ground beef?" " Should I pick up a zone bar even tho its so sugar laden?" .... Honestly I think its only such a huge chore because I'm doing so much right now. And this has really put into perspective that training 5 days a week, is hard to do if you have anything else going on in your life. ... anyway I think it just requires better planning.

Better planning is always a good thing to try first.

So... even tho its super lazy, I thought I'd look into having my groceries delivered. Or I could win the lottery an hire a kitchen staff,which I'd love... but unlikely.

Last night I was supposed to go grocery shopping, again, for the umpteenth time it was supposed to happen. And instead I stayed to work late on something I'm passionate about. I have other areas of personal development besides fitness, and this one impacts me professionally. So I told myself.. I MUST go grocery shopping. So I set my alarm for 630am, with good intentions. I get up, I start making a list. I decide on what foods to make and check my Body for Life recipe book for guidance. I decide on egg salad, and chili. Yum.

List grows.

I decided I might check online, just to see if Safeway delivers. Looks good. I see online shopping, I watch the " how it works" video, and I go to enter my zip code so I can register. DAMMIT! American zip codes only. Shite.

So I called customer service, to see if they had a temporary generico zip code that I could use to create an account. Sadly the woman tells me that Safeway doesn't offer this service. The broadway and commercial branch " might". So I'm thinking... EFF That! I'm going to consult Google. I do a quick Google search for grocery delivery in Vancouver. I came up with spud.ca and Stong or Strong's.( cant recall the exact name) I check those briefly but didn't want to investigate further as I had no pricing range/expectations. I just considered my brief grocery delivery nirvana-like fantasy, over for the moment.

So its about 7pm.. and I used up time window I had to go grocery shopping, and made a list and played on the Internet.

FraK!

Stubborn Sunday

2008-06-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little exhausted from the brutality from the day before (not just the xfit workout but the Ashtanga class was pretty harsh as well!) I decided not to hit the 10am yoga class and instead do some classic cardio machines in my apartment gym. I got bored of that old routine after about 1/2 hour and decided to change it up xfit-style and do a few 500m rows and break out the jump rope. Bad mistake (jumping part), especially when I decided to take it to the concrete on the patio outside the swimming pool.

I knew that there was something feeling strange this week on my right calf (i.e. not the J-calf, but the other one... B-calf?), especially after the block jumps the day before... but no, J just goes and aggrevates it some more with the double-under excitement. It doesn't stop there... after feeling the pain I tried to massage and stretch the hell out of it and go on with my day. The plan for Sunday was to meet up at the climbing gym at 2pm. I didn't even consider cancelling.

So I drive out to North Van, pay the drop-in fee and realize that I'm already in pain when sitting there trying to lace up my right climbing shoe. I gave it a shot on the bouldering wall, but the first push-off with my right leg hurt the calf so much that I couldn't go any further. I even rubbed it up with topical pain relief and popped a muscle relaxant in desperation. After sitting for a while, watching my friends work on their routes, and hoping that the pharmaceuticals would kick in, I tried climbing the training wall. I thought it felt OK and tried a V0- a couple of times before finally giving up.

I went home very disappointed and frustrated, even more upset that we decided to cancel plans to take the movement class tonight :( The calf is feeling a lot better today (despite the stubborn attempts, I don't think I made it any worse) and yes, I am considering the xfit class tonight pending the workout details.

As for eating, I don't know if it was the depression or just my body needing more after J-day, but I was always wanting to munch. Reaching for nuts was OK (since I recently decided to double my fat intake), and I made sure the rest of my munchies were balanced. I ended up eating 2 more blocks of P & C (in the form of soy nuts and strawberries) making my PCF block count 12-12-24... wooohooo! Felt like a free day but not really (rest of day was filled with J-typical zone snacks and meals).

Gymnastics Gone Bad!

2008-06-07T13:33:00.001-07:00

Love the name of today's workout:

Knees to Elbows
Block Jumps (I think that's what they're called, start on box, jump backward, down + up = 1)
Ring Dips
V-sits
Butt scoots

As many as you can do for a minute each, then on to the next station (no rest). 3 rounds, 1 minute rest between rounds. We partnered up, one partner did the whole workout first, the other one next. JMac was my partner and started off. For a newbie (we started classes on the same week), it amazes me how he doesn't mod anything. He did a great job, and was very motivating.

Besides V-sits, I hadn't done any of these. I tried KTE, and decided to mod to knees to chest. I was surprised to pull off 24 on my first go (I was worried that I couldn't even hang there for a minute!) but I just kept a slow and steady pace. Jumping killed me of course, but I was happy to see that my numbers went up over the rounds. The toughest part was the rings, esp since I was coming from jumps, and I used a box for the mod. V-sits were fine (mod w/bent legs), and butt scoots were fun, I did them backward.

I was very careful to know what I could do in terms of modifying. I think next time I encounter KTE I will actually go for it. I kept the whole workout pretty steady, numbers didn't fall much, and actually 2nd and 3rd round were the same for total.

Warmup was Simon Says which ended off with a 400m run, grrrrr! Tech was handstand in the center of the floor (i.e. no wall, but with a spotter). Thanks to yoga, I nailed that one.

The J-nastics was a great way to start J-day... I will hit the driving range soon and am looking forward to Ashtanga tonight. I am zoned so far (breakfast: omelette, cucs; snacks: zone bar; lunch will be salmon fruit nuts), and plan to have Indian tonight but within blocks (rice, no bread).

I'd Rather Take the Fat Ass

2008-06-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Seriously. That's how I much I hate running...

We had a choice to do the "Fat Ass Cindy" which is 3x the normal workout (see K's post below)... I actually would have chosen to do that rather than the frigging 400m run. Yes, that's how much I despise running... but I had no choice. Despite the hate, I'm glad I know where I stand, and can compare next time. The best part was when D said "Heyyyyy... I'm supposed to be the last one in!" haha, JBean's here, and has officially taken the slowest runner prize. Wahoo!

Of course I did the normal Cindy. It was a pretty decent first go, and I'd love to see where I'm at the next time. It's just crazy how hard the pushups get in this workout! Banging out the squats and pullups (jumping) were no problem, then the pushups were usually 3 mini-sets (at least) to get the mere 10! I didn't really push myself as hard as I could have this time, because it was my first time going into a workout still being (very) sore from the last one. A lot of people gave me the advice to just go in and do it, even if sore. I'm hoping to hit the AM class tomorrow and actually get 3 xfits in this week. My goal for next week is 4!

Eating is on track so far... breakfast: oatmeal etc, lunch: salmon cucs pear nuts, 2 snacks: J-pack and soy beans kiwi nuts. I'm a bit concerned about the rapid weight loss, so I'm going to start by first increasing my fat intake (as my trainer recommended). We'll see how that goes for 2 weeks and then reevaluate my blocks.

Cindy - The Destroyer

2008-06-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

So today's workout was Cindy.

(I believe the xfit workouts are named after women because that's the trend with hurricanes and tropical storms.)

20 minutes, as many rounds as you can
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

.. I managed 9. I was sleep deprived.. dammit! .. and not feeling high energy. So yeah sissied up. I'm just glad I made it through the workout.

The warm up was a 400m run for time. The technique was Turkish Getups. It was a good show. A handful of people in class pulled off some impressive Turkish Getups. I don't think I've ever seen people concentrate that hard. Some of the guys did them with the long power lifting bar....so balance and stability is a big factor, plus the darn thing is heavy. Kudos guys.

Food: It's been a horrific food day. I had sandwiches. totally unzone. Or I could call this a free day.. hmm... yeah anyway. Hopefully I'll cook my chili this weekend and get back on track.

Anyway.. I survived. And by the energy of this post.. ( which is none) you can tell I'm catatonic with fatigue.

It's Worse Going Down

2008-06-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

... the stairs. The impact. Recall the DUs from yesterday.

Pain from thrusters yesterday made the 60-some odd squats in pilates pretty tough. It was a good class, could really feel the ab workout... a nice surprise to break a sweat.

Was on track for eating: same oatmeal breakfast, tuna + 1 block rice and orange for lunch, 2 snacks = 1/2 zone bar and J-pack.

Then I did the Thursday free day and went out for dinner, a movie, and a few drinks.

Nipple Covers and Lube

2008-06-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

...yeah I thought that was an evocative title also. :)

So yesterday was my 2nd Wednesday running clinic. We started the evening with a half hour instructional lecture about footwear, and apparel. I found it quite surprising that our instructional portion also covered nipple covers and lube. Well... body glide.......but that means lube to me. Apparently its suggested that men use nipple covers during long runs to protect from chafing. My instructor claims she's been in races where she’s see men sporting two bloody streaks down their shirts.( Of course women have bra's that protect them) So.......very strange. And the lube, was also for chafing but.. seriously. I don't see that being a problem. I've run 10k before, and I think that’s just sissy product placement. They also mentioned running shoes and the varieties of design but.. again.. I wasn't gonna buy fancy shoes just because they suggested it.

... And today a motto is born: Nipple protection and lube are for sissies!

Having said that... I've had a friend who swears by taping up his nipples for running. And if you need to do that.. go for it. Yet another friend has encouraged me to use product for chafing during a triathlon. I could see why that might be necessary, if you consider all the friction, in the wet suit, against the bicycle etc. But seriously... PFFT! Lube for sports?!!! I'm just gonna making fun of that stuff, because I have no intention of partaking... should that ever change, I'll tote my body glide with pride. For now, ridicule is my top sporting event.

So for the run, which was 4k, I was a bit disappointed with my performance. I thought it would be a walk in the park after the 6k run Sunday, but I felt like I was drag’n ass and really didn’t want to be there that much. Eventually I got into it, with the help of my trusty Ipod. Thank god for that…… cause kids…… running is boring. Ain't gonna lie. It has its moments, it can be nice, it’s a good thing to have done in the past tense. But it’s very repetitive. And I’m a generation x geek girl who is use to fast camera cuts, montage editing, running multiple browsers at one time.. basically the proper A.D.D. sensory bombardment way of functioning. I know.. I know.. “ Suck it up Buttercup!”… well that’s exactly what I did.

So one more running clinic in the bank, deposit made toward fat loss.

And for dinner I had..
Shepherds Pie ( Damn them.. they held out on the beef it was mostly potato)
Salad
Small piece of cornbread.

Again too carby. I need to get off my butt and make the chili I was gonna cook for the week, but I have so much going on and have been deficient on getting my rest.