Back on the Wagon

After 10 days off, it felt good to get my blood moving again. There is something about being at my in-laws' that just really causes me to drag. Some of it is the cold weather and snow, which makes me want to stay curled up indoors. And there's something about my MIL's house that just makes me tired. I don't know if it's the temperature in the house (about 72) or what, but it really has a sedative effect on me. Even after 9-10 hours of sleep, I spent most of the days feeling like I'd been drugged. Maybe it was a combination of the heat and all the food I consumed. Number One Son felt it as well - he said "Being at Grandmother's makes me want to sleep all the time."

Anyway, it was great to get back home and start trying to get back into a routine.

Buy-in: Arm swings, shoulder dislocates, hip and knee rotations
5:00 rowing (1019m)

WOD: Strength work

Back squat 5 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 45#, 65#, 85#
• 5 @ 95#
• 5 @ 95#
• 5 @ 105#
• 5 @ 105#
• 3 @ 105# fail Last two reps were not full depth

Push press 5 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 45#, 55#
• 5 @ 65#
• 5 @ 65#
• 5 @ 70#
  
• 5 @ 70#
• 5 @ 70#

Thoughts: After the bar-dumping episode from my last squat workout, I thought it might be prudent to start a little lighter (95# vs 105#). It turned out to be a good idea - there's so much to concentrate on during the exercise. Chest up, knees out, lumbar curve, etc, etc. It's easy to tell which reps had everything working, because I just seemed to pop up out of the hole on those. By the last set, though, you could stick a fork in me. Fail for the last two reps.

I have no 1 RM for the push press (I know, I need to get one), so the 70# was a SWAG based on my 1 RM for the push jerk. It seemed to be about right, as the last few reps were quite ugly. I need to get KAD or Son to take some video of me - using my spiffy new camera - so I can get some feedback on these lifts. I know, I keep saying that...

Cash out: 3 rounds of:
5 pullups
15# DB snatches (10 ea arm)
10 pushups

Also got my first piece of unsolicited advice from a gym rat. He approached me in the middle of a set, while I had 105# of weight sitting on my upper back, and waved to get my attention (I was wearing headphones). I just glared at him and said, "Do you MIND?" He waited until I finished the set and re-racked the weight and the said, "You're going too deep on your squats. You're going to tear up your knees." I went off on him for interrupting my workout - it's the Y, so no F-bombs or other choice words, but I think I got my point across.

He said, "I was just trying to help. I don't like to see anyone get hurt." He then proceeded to load up the Smith machine with 6 plates across and do about 15 quarter squats.

Dude, where's your clue?



Options for tomorrow are looking slim. Y is on holiday hours and we have dinner with the folks right after work. Might be time to break out the awesome new KB.

The End of Food-a-palooza...

...which is also known as "the Christmas Trip to the In-laws."

Major accomplishments:

1) Consumption of at least my body weight in steak, ham, potatoes, cookies, cake, alcohol, etc, etc, etc.

2) Acquisition of a kettlebell (kudos to sister-in-law), a new digital camera (yay hubby) and new work-friendly clothes that look good (claps to mom-in-law and sis-in-law)

3) Awesome pictures of kids in snow.

4) Survival of all family members after a week cooped up together. Heck, we all even still like each other.

Failures:

1) Did not acquire Starting Strength.

2) Did not find an affiliate to visit within reasonable distance - this means there wasn't one in town and I was not willing to drive to Ann Arbor, even if it hadn't been snowing.

3) Did not complete a single WOD.


Time to climb back on the wagon. Will post pics when I get around to getting them off the camera.

It's a "Bear"

After racking my brains for "heavy" metcons, I decided to torture myself with a Bear Complex for time. No thanks to Melissa Byers for this crazy idea. :p

Warmup: 3 x CFWU (pushups instead of dips, no Sampson)

WOD: "Bear Complex"

One round = power clean, front squat, thruster (or push press), back squat, push press
AMRAP in 10:00 @ 65#

Total: 16 rounds + PC

Thoughts: If I had the energy, I'd bitch-slap whoever came up with this waterboard of a WOD. Of course, that means I really like it and will probably do it again before too long. Maybe not a good idea to do it the day after a press session - getting the weight overhead was the limiting factor here. I tried to do as many of the rounds with a thruster as I could, but I'd guess I did at least 4 with a push press after the FS, just because I didn't drive up from the squat hard enough to get the weight overhead. I looked like this after this - just lay on the floor in the rack for a good 5 minutes after I finished.




Cash out: 2:00 plank, 10 x swiss ball rolls to quasi-handstand position. Anything more than that was completely out of the question.

Deadlifts and presses and a much better day

After my meltdown last night, it really wasn't too difficult to have a better day.Of course, the fact that today was my last day at work until the end of the month helped my mood immensely. I got off an hour early and went to Y to beat the crowd.

Warmup: Arm swings, shoulder dislocates, hip and knee rotations, air squats, walking lunges.

Buy-in: 5:00 rowing (967m)

WOD: Strength

Deadlift 3x5

• Warmup sets @ 65#, 95#, 115#
• Work sets 3x5 @ 132# (80% 1RM)

Press 5x5

• Warmup set @ 45#
• Work sets 5x5 @ 52# (80% 1RM)

Cash out: Short metcon - 3 rounds of 15 DB swings (25#) and 5 pullups
Time - 3:17

Thoughts: This workout went a long way toward helping me figure out some things about form, especially on DLs. Since I didn't have to worry too much about actually getting weight off the floor, I was able to concentrate on some of the pointers I picked up at the Starting Strength wiki. Mainly I worked on starting with my shoulder blades above the bar, keeping my lower back arch and driving through my heels. I also tried to work on keeping the bar close to my shins. Note to self - long pants or long socks on DL days! I could tell when everything was clicking, because the weight seemed to come up more easily.

The press was pretty much the same. The weight was not extremely challenging, and allowed me to concentrate on a tight core and full extension at the top.

Overall, much better day today. I'm going to try to get some videos up before too long, to get feedback on form.

Three Days In, and Already Glitching

Today was one of those days where nothing, I mean nothing, seemed to go right. I couldn't work out at lunch because of our office Christmas party. After work, I had to feed KAD then take Number One Son to High Point for soccer practice. After dropping him off, I went to the Y in High Point to work out. When I got there, I realized that I had left all of my cash in my jeans - at home. No money for the guest fee. Shit. No lifting.

I was irritated, but not angry. It's not the first time it's happened. So back to the soccer park I went, with the idea that I would just run around the field. No go there - the only part of the place without any standing water was the part Son's team was using. Deep breath, because now I'm starting to get a little upset. Then I spotted the playground and thought, "Well, I'll just do a Tabata Something Else."

Jackpot! The playground, unlike the field, was mostly dry (amazing when you consider how wet the weather has been here lately). So I warm up and...well...

Warmup: 5 minutes of jogging around the playground. 2 rounds of 10 picnic bench jumps (~18") and 10 bench pushups.

WOD: Tabata Something Else

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. One minute rest between exercises.

Pullups: 9 5 6 5 5 6 5 5 Low - 5 Total - 46
Pushups: 16 15 11 10 10 10 10 10 Low - 10 Total - 92
Situps: 20 20 19 19 19 19 19 19 Low - 19 Total - 154
Squats: @&#*$*@&!***

Thoughts: I was in the middle of the last situp set when the field lights went out. Apparently the coach decided that the conditions warranted moving the boys indoors to practice.

Cash out: Grabbing my stuff and sprinting from the playground to the main gate of the field to keep from being locked in.

At that point, Son informed me that he needed to go home early because he has an English essay due tomorrow. And I decided "Fuck it. I can't even finish a fucking Tabata today." It's been one of those days. I'm going to bed.

Fran, Programming and Goal-setting

I was a little leery of trying Fran the day after back squats and bench presses, but I figured if I'm going to start down the strength path, I need to get used to doing heavy metcons after strength days. I'm glad I did, because it helped bring some things into clearer focus - I'll elaborate more on that in a bit.

Buy-in: Arm swings, dislocates, hip/knee rotations, donkey kicks (basically anything to loosen up my DOMS-racked body). Three rounds of 10 squats, 10 situps, 10 pushups, 10 supermans.

Skill: Medicine ball cleans: 3 x 5 @ 20# (I suck at these - add to goat list)

WOD: "Fran"

21 - 15 - 9 of:
Thrusters (45#)
Pullups

Time: 6:25

Last Fran time (9/16/08) was 7:31.

Thoughts: Ow. This hurt. A lot. I was surprised I went so much faster than last time, given how tired I was from yesterday and the fact that I was pushing more weight on the thrusters this time (45# vs 40#). Pullups needed an assist from my toes after the first 10. I actually did the CrossFit Flop^TM afterwards, and someone came over to make sure I wasn't dying. Paperwork, you know.

Cash out: Not much. 3 x hollow holds (:23/:22/:27)

Okay, so how does this tie in to my programming needs? Obviously I'm not doing Fran as Rx'd, even for women. I can probably do several 65# thrusters, but 45 of them? Nuh-uh. Not happening right now. Ergo, I need to be stronger if I ever want to do Fran as Rx'd. Not to mention Diane, Linda, Grace....yadda, yadda yadda.

That brings me to goal-setting. What are my strength goals? What kind of weight do I want to be able to toss around and why?

Well, f*** if I know (just kidding). I want to be stronger. But "getting strong" is not a good goal - not specific. Maybe it would be better if I just deferred to Melissa's recent posts on the importance of strength. She says it way better than I can. Short version - being stronger makes everything else easier. And it lasts longer.

Here's where it gets tricky for me. I suck at setting specific goals, at least for something like this, where I'm not sure what's realistic and what's not. Swimming goals are easy - I want to go 1:11.83 in the 100 IM, because that's the qualifying time for Master's Nationals for my age group. It's a tough goal, but also attainable if I work my ass off for it. Lifting goals I'm not as sure about. What's tough but attainable? Should I use the Athletic Skills benchmarks laid out here?

Melissa was kind enough to share her programming with me, and I'm using that as a starting point as I try to figure out my own specifics.

1RM as of 12/15/08:

• Back squat 135#
  
• Shoulder press 65#
• Deadlift 165#
• Power clean 95#
• Push jerk 95#

Need to get 1 RM for the following: Bench press, push press, front squat, OHS, weighted pullups, weighted dips.

Back to some strength...maybe

It occurs to me that it's been damn near a week since I last worked out. Last Wednesday I did about 4-5 hours worth of dragging a ladder around to various points in a building and climbing it (strangely enough, I will do that WOD again tomorrow, except this time I will drag the ladder around the outside of the building). That's very functional, as CrossFit is supposed to be, but not really much fun. Especially the part where insulation and ceiling tile shit rains down on your head.

Anyway, it looks like the whole "sneaking out at lunch" thing is going to be the only way I get in any workouts for a while. Christmas is really putting a crimp in my schedule. :p

Buy-in: 2 x 500m row (2:31/2:11); 1 round CFWU

WOD: Back squats 5 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 45#, 65#, 85#
• 5 @ 105#
• 5 @ 105#
• 5 @ 105#
• 4 @ 105# Couldn't get out of the hole on the last rep and had to dump the bar
• 5 @ 95#

Bench Press 5 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 45# and 65#
• 5 @ 85#
• 5 @ 85#
• 5 @ 85#
• 5 @ 85 #
• 5 @ 85#

Cash out: 2 rounds of 10 hanging KTE, 15 back extensions.

Thoughts: I need to get going with Starting Strength. I got myself into the mindset that I was going to pile on more and more weight every time, and that's a recipe for injury even if my ego does enjoy the constant PRs. I believe I have form issues that I need to address. 105# is not even 80% of my 1 RM for back squats, but when I concentrated on proper depth and form, I went to failure fairly quickly. The 5th rep of each set was a real struggle to finish, and that's the first time I've had to dump the bar. That got me some unkind looks from the training staff even though I was in the rack. Warming up with the rowing was probably a dumb idea, because it made my legs a little tired even though I felt really loose. My strength training needs some sort of structure, although I hate to give up too much CFE and metcon work.

Birthdays and sleep deprivation.

My workout for Friday/Saturday was much more tiring than my normal WODs and thankfully only comes once a year. KAD's birthday. The WOD? Feed and entertain a group of 10 and 11 year-old girls for 17+ hours. A long slow distance, to be sure, and very bad nutrition along the way.

KAD's not happy I'm making her wait for the picture:




The gang at about midnight. I think the last one finally dropped off to sleep about 3 AM:




I'm still making up for the sleep I lost that night. It didn't help that KAD, Hubby and I had to roll out at 5 AM Sunday for KAD's swim meet in Rock Hill. It may take longer to recover from what we ate - we still have cake, ice cream and soda left over. I can't even get Number One Son to finish eating it!

Back to the Main Page, kinda...

Missed working out Sunday and yesterday due to family commitments, but was determined to hit the gym this evening. Then I find out that Number One Son has a scrimmage tonight, and I am going to have to drive him to Greensboro.

(Side note: I've gotten used to him being able to drive. Now I'm ready for him to be allowed to drive after 9:00 PM. That will cut back on my chauffeur duties immensely.)

Anyway, I skipped lunch today and went to the Y, determined to get at least some kind of WOD done. This was actually the WOD posted for yesterday. Well, half of it is, anyway.

Buy-in: 2 x 500m row (easy/medium pulling) - 2:41/2:14
2 rds of CFWU

WOD: Clean & Jerk 1-1-1-1-1

• Warmup sets 5 @ 45#, 5 @ 55#
• 1 @ 65#
• 1 @ 75#
• 1 @ 85#
• 1 @ 90#
• 1 @ 95#

Weighted pullups (max reps each weight)

• Warmup sets 5 @ 10#, 5 @ 15#
• 4 @ 20#
• 3 @ 22.5#
• 3 @ 25#
• 3 @ 25#
• 8 @ no weight

Thoughts: I'd like to claim PR for both these exercises, but since I've never done weighted pullups at all and never done C&J for a 1-rep max, I'll call these baselines. Before I read Melissa Byers' post today, I probably would have called them PRs. Since I am really in still in Newb-land, I'll go with baseline. Next time I'll call it a PR. Maybe.

I did enjoy the sidelong glances being sent my way during the weighted pullups. Guess I looked pretty funny with a dumbbell stuck inside the belt around my waist. Especially because the belt came from the weight-assisted pullup machine.

Cash-out: 2 rounds of 10 Russian swings and 10 hanging leg lifts.

Star Wars Geeks Rule

You know, I've been working with Cisco switches for years and I just now noticed this:



My membership in the Jedi Order could be revoked over this failure on my part...

Mistletoe 5K

Yeah, I know I kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a few days. Seems no matter how hard I try sometimes, I can't keep to a consistent posting schedule. Or workout schedule, for that matter.

But anyway. Number One Son and I ran in the YMCA's Mistletoe 5K on Saturday (there is also a Mistletoe Half Marathon, but that's farther than I want to think about running anymore). Kick-Ass Daughter had originally said that she wanted to run the 1-mile fun run, but upon finding out that it was starting at 8 AM on a Saturday morning, she changed her mind. Which also gave Hubby an excuse not to get up and do the Fun Run.


These ladies dressed the part!



Here is Son trying to stay warm before the race (start time temp was 30 degrees):



Starting line. The guy in the blue tank top must be impervious to the weather...



Being the polite (and honest) person that I am, I started the race back in the middle of the pack so that the faster runners would not have to dodge me at the start. I started my watch when I crossed the starting line in order to get an accurate time. The course was great. The start was flat to slightly downhill for just long enough to get loose. Then there was about a 3/4 climb, which was not as steep as I had originally feared. The course flattened out just before the halfway mark, which meant the last half of the race was mostly downhill. I had a strong kick at the end, which made me wonder if I had started out too easily. My official time was 27:02. My watch time was 26:47. I was expecting to run about 28:00 - 28:30, so I was very pleased with the race! Not a PR, but certainly the fastest I've run in a long time.

Number One Son and I after the race. He finished well ahead of me, and as you can see, he doesn't even look tired!



Afterward we gorged on pizza, fruit and cookies inside the Y, and listened to the Wake Forest Men's A Cappella Christian Chorus (sorry, forgot to upload their picture) while we waited for the awards to be announced. As close as I can figure out, I finished 5th in my age group. The 3rd place finisher's official time was the same as my watch time. Lesson learned - screw politeness and get your ass up the starting line so you can race!

Death by Pushups

I've wanted to try one of the "Death by..." WODs since I read about Daniel and Rebecca's "Death by..." week at CFEB. Having recently done Lynne, I wasn't in much of a pullup mood, so I decided to go with pushups instead.

Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 OHS w/dowel, 10 incline situps (ow, I still have DOMS from floor wipers), 10 back extensions, 10 pullups.

WOD: "Death by Pushups"

With a continuously running clock do one Push-Up the first minute, two Push-Ups the second minute, three Push-Ups the third minute... continuing as long as you are able. Use as many sets each minute as needed.

19 rounds + 16 pushups (Total 206)

Thoughts: Argh, I wanted that 20th round so bad! My arms just gave out completely and I almost fell on my face. By the last few rounds, I was down to sets of 2-3 and form was shaky, but I managed to avoid doing any cobras. Otherwise, though, I can't complain about this at all. Pushups were my PT test goat when I was in the Army, and now I can knock out almost as many in one set as I used to be able to do for the entire 2-minute pushup test. I may not be able to raise my arms tomorrow, but damn, it was worth it!

Cash-out: One mile run (8:35)

Deadlifts and push presses....and a new benchmark

Having recovered sufficiently from brunch earlier, I decided I needed to drag myself to the Y. It's been a cruddy day, rainy and in the mid-30's, the kind of day that begs to be spent curled up inside with a good book. Fortunately, the kids started arguing over something and that gave me the little boost I needed to get out of the house. :P

It was a good day to be at the Y - not too crowded, occupied mainly by treadmill denizens. I was able to monopolize all the equipment that I needed.

Warmup: 2 rounds CFWU, easy 500m row.

Buy-in: 500m row for time - 1:59 (Level II benchmark)
I knew I was due for this soon. I still had some gas in the tank at the end, so I know I'm capable of a faster time.

WOD: Strength - Deadlifts and Push Presses

Deadlifts 5 x 3

• Warmup sets @ 65#, 95#
• 3 @ 135#
• 3 @ 155#
• 3 @ 155#
• 3 @ 155#
• 3 @ 135#

Push presses 3 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 45#, 55#
• 5 @ 65#
• 5 @ 75# (PR)
  
• 5 @ 80# (PR)

Thoughts: Deadlifts were okay. I wasn't as aggressive as I needed to be with them. 155 matches my previous PR for 3 reps, but I could feel my back starting to round on the last couple of reps at that weight. That makes me nervous, so I backed down to 135 for the last set. I think I need to back off the DL weight until I'm sure I have my form issues worked out. And maybe I need to get Lil John back on my iPod for DLs!

Push presses were much better! For some reasons, I had the aggression on these that was lacking in my DLs. My previous PR was 65#, so I'm pleased with this improvement. On a musical note, "Hands Up" by the Black-Eyed Peas is great song for presses of any type.

Cash-out: Core work - 2 rounds

• 10 x Floor Wipers (45#)
• 10 x KTE (toes to bar)
• 20 x incline situps

Pushups (max reps) - 30

Some good news - I am slowly beginning to bring Hubby around to the idea of doing CrossFit with me. He has been resistent - not just to CF, but to getting back into an exercise routine in general, but today he suggested that it might be a good idea for us to get a pull-up bar and some other home equipment. I'm hoping that I can turn this small opening into a New Year's resolution.

Carb-crazy brunch

Brunch isn't something we do very often. Breakfast around our house usually consists of cereal and coffee. Well, except for KAD, who usually eats nothing until lunch time. But Hubby was in a brunch kind of mood today, so I made a big pot of coffee when I got up (about 7:30) and put off eating until we had everything made (about 10:30). You have to realize what kind of sacrifice this is for me - I'm ravenous when I wake up, and that bowl of Cheerios is at the top of my priority when I roll out of bed.

So...brunch. Or more accurately, Carb-Fest. Chocolate chip pancakes (with syrup!). Hash browns. Toast. Grits. Eggs as an afterthought. Juice. Milk.

I need to remind myself more often that there's a reason I don't eat like that every morning....

That 5K is looming large...

I'm signed up to do the YMCA's Mistletoe Run next weekend, so I thought I should hit the road to get ready. I haven't done a lot of running on the roads lately, and I have especially neglected working on hills. This could come back to bite me next weekend, as the Mistletoe includes one long hill section that's probably close to a mile.

It took me a while to get myself psyched up to run because of the weather. It was in the upper 30s, a little breezy, and the sky was gray and overcast. I didn't check the temp before I went out the first time, and I got about 50 meters down the road before I decided that my shorts just weren't going to cut it. Back into the house for my running pants and a hat. At least I wasn't the only nut out today - I passed by at least half a dozen other runners during my route. We all exchanged waves and that slightly crazed grin that runners share with each other. You know, the one says "Yay, I'm not the only lunatic in the area!" Ah, the bonds of insanity...

Warmup: Not enough. 3 rounds of 10 squats, 10 bridges, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 walking lunges. ~400m jog

WOD: Running - 4 rounds of 5:00 on/2:00 off
Distance covered: ~2.7 miles

Thoughts: Not nearly enough warmup, especially given the weather. I didn't hit any kind of stride until the end of the second round, and by the fourth round I was gassed from fighting my too-tight hamstrings. Blah.

Cash-out: 5K bike ride following Number One Son on his afternoon run. He ran it in 22 minutes and was barely winded.

Time to work off the Thanksgiving binge

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you were able to spend your day with your loved ones and all those who mean the most to you. We went to Dallas, NC for our annual family gathering, and had a day filled with food, fun, reflection, and a little bit of football.

I was starting to feel a little antsy by today, since I hadn't done anything since Saturday. Sunday was my rest day, but I was ill on Monday and Tuesday (I'm convinced it was food-related, but not sure what), and still wasn't feeling up to par on Wednesday. If any of you people work out on Thanksgiving....well, more power to you!

Anyway, I did manage to drag myself to the Y this morning, where it was not nearly as crowded as I feared it might be.

Warmup: 2 rounds of 10 OHS (with dowel), 10 incline situps, 10 back extensions, 10 pushups.

Buy-in: 1 x 500m row, pulling easy - 2:25

WOD: "Lynne"
5 rounds for max reps of:

BW bench press (subbed 90#)
Pull ups (all deadhang)

• 5 @ 90#, 12 pullups
• 5 @ 90#, 9 pullups
• 4 @ 90#, 9 pullups
• 4 @ 90#, 8 pullups
• 4 @ 90#, 7 pullups

Thoughts: Since I can't bench press my body weight (yet), I went with the BrandX scaling and used my 5 RM. Apparently 90# is still my 5 RM, because I absolutely could not get a 6th rep on either of the first two rounds. Pullups were all deadhang, with a neutral grip. Not too bad, really. 12 might be a PR - I'll have to go back and check my notebook.

CFE: Stationary bike - 5K TT
Time - 13:44
Avg speed - 24.7 kph

Thoughts: I'm still feeling out the bike riding. The bikes at the Y don't have a wattage indicator, so I try to set the resistance at a level that will allow me to maintain my desired speed when I'm spinning at about 80 rpm. Still have a lot of work to do on the bike if I'm going to "try a tri" this spring/summer.

Cash-out: Miscellaneous stuff

Frog stands (:20/:25)
Planks (1:00 x 2)
Hollow holds (:25/:30)
Handstand holds - kept one heel on the wall, but did manage about 5 seconds or so of free-standing.

Scheduling...again

Sunday was a planned rest day for me, or resting at least as much as one as able when shivering on the sidelines of a soccer field. Number One Son's club team had a tournament in Raleigh, and I was finally able to catch one of his games after spending most the weekend chasing around after Kick-Ass Daughter.

I had intended to do strength training yesterday, but between work, kids, dinner and unfinished chores from the weekend, I just couldn't make it happen. I guess I could count the 10,000+ steps I walked, though.

Next immediate goal: the YMCA Mistletoe Run on Dec 6. I'd like to be under 28:00 for the 5K.

Bear Complex

I picked up this WOD from Christin Street over at the CF message boards. It was the first time I'd heard of it, although it appears to have been circulating for a while.

Warmup: Shoulder shrugs, arms swings, dislocates, hip rotations, knee rotations, 100 rope jumps (singles).

Buy-in: 3 x 500m row (2:25/2:08/2:02) The first 500 was easy pulling just to get loose, the 2nd was probably 75 - 80%, and the last one 90 - 95%. The sub-2:00 500m row is close - I can taste it.

WOD: Bear Complex
One round = 7 times through of deadlift, power clean, front squat, push press, back squat, push press. No letting go of the bar during the round, only between rounds. Not timed. Rest as needed between rounds.

Round 1 @ 45#
Round 2 @ 55#
Round 3 @ 60#
Round 4 @ 65#
Round 5 @ 65#

Thoughts: I love this WOD. A full-body workout that's both strength and metcon. The limiting factor is obviously the push presses. I think I could have gone up to 70#, but getting the weight safely down behind my head after the first push press was starting to become a concern at 65#. Because it was a light weight for the DL, front squat and back squat, I was able to really concentrate on form. Squats were all ATG. This is definitely a weekend/day off type WOD, as I would hate to feel rushed.

Cash out: 3 x hollow holds (:35/:25/:32)
5 x Hindu pushups

No gas left for anything but stretching

"Hell-en" Day

I've been pumping myself up for this WOD for the last couple of days. I hadn't done it since August, and thought I was ready for a pretty decent improvement. I was even more psyched when I went to the Y a few days ago and discovered that they had re-mounted the heavy bag in the back corner of the small track. I had been using the bag's mounting bar to do pullups on WODs that include running and pullups. That way I don't have to use the treadmills in the fitness center.

I should have known better than to make such plans. I like to use the back corner of the track for WODs primarily because there is rarely anyone back there. So...wouldn't you know it? I was about halfway through my warmup when a man and his young son came up to my little corner and started playing with the heavy bag. The kid stayed for a few minutes, then Dad put on the gloves and started a workout with the bag. Damn! No one ever goes up to that corner of the gym until the one day I really want to use it. So I packed my stuff and went to the fitness room, resigning myself to doing Helen on a treadmill.

Warmup: 3 rounds of 200m jog, 10 squats, 10 situps, 10 supermans, 10 pushups

WOD: "Helen"
3 round for time of:

400m run (1:55/1:55/2:00)
21 DB swings (25#)
12 pullups

Time: 13:37

Last Helen (23 Aug 08) was 15:34

Thoughts: Almost a 2:00 improvement from last time - not bad! Especially considering that I did the last Helen on the track, and did not have to wait for the damn treadmill to get up to speed (the Y will not allow me to leave the treadmill running). Runs were exactly that - runs. I did not start counting the distance until I had the treadmill up the speed I wanted. DB swings felt good. Pullups...meh. Couldn't get more than 5 in a row during the first round. After the first round, I could get a couple of kips, but most of them had a toe-push assist.

I'm going to continue to do Helen with 25# until I can get it to the Level II benchmark time (11:30). Then I'll switch to the big-girl DB of 35#.

Cash out:

5 x Hollow holds (holy shit these are hard when you get your feet down to 5 inches off the floor). Longest hold I managed was :15

5 x bridges on the ab ball

5 x ab ball rolls, finish in modified handstand hold

15 x pushups on inverted Bosu disk

Programming...or lack thereof

I see references to programming all over the CF discussion boards - Gant's Hybrids, Starting Strength, heavy metcons, long metcons, yadda yadda yadda. So what should I think about the fact that I have no programming concept?

The main problem I have with consistent programming (WARNING - the excuse wagon is getting ready to roll) is my inconsistent schedule. Lunch time is hit or miss depending on what's going on. Sometimes I lifeguard four mornings a week, sometimes 2, sometimes none. Evenings generally involve kids' sports practices, and that is the time I'm most likely to get a workout done. Weekends, of course, are filled with kids' games, laundry, grocery shopping, (reluctant)housekeeping and the other myriad things that don't get done during the week.

This doesn't bother me a whole lot. One of the things I love about Crossfit is the apparent randomness of it all. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, so it fits me perfectly. I'm never sure what's going to pop up on the main site on any given day, and if I don't like it, I pick something else. But I know there is an underlying method to the madness, and I wonder sometimes if I am shortchanging myself somehow.

The vague concept I'm toying with now is the standard 3 day on/one day off cycle, with a day each dedicated to strength, metcon and endurance. This, of course, assumes that I can even manage to get 3 days in a row to work out. It's been hit and miss on that.

Any input is appreciated.

DOMS, DOMS, OMG, DOMS....

DOMS in my quads and DOMS in my delts. Delts I can understand - I fired them pretty hard during push jerks yesterday. I'm not so sure about my quads. I'm hoping they're sore from hanging leg raises and planks, because if they're this sore from back squats, I may need to have another hard look at my form. Usually my ass and hamstrings are fried after back squats. My quads may be tired, but they're not usually sore.

Anyway, the sore quads made my CFE running WOD very interesting this evening.

Warmup: Shoulder and hip rotations; 3 rounds of 10 squats, 5 pullups, 400m jog, 20 mountain climbers, 10 pushups

WOD: CFE Running - 15 Minutes the Hard Way

5:00 on/5:00 off
4:00 on/4:00 off
3:00 on/3:00 off
2:00 on/2:00 off
1:00 on/1:00 off

Total distance - ~2.25 miles (based on MapMyRun.com)
Edit - the distance includes RIs, which I walked. Thanks, Rebecca!


Thoughts: The weather was chilly tonight, but not overly so - probably in the low 40s. Good running weather. My quads (have I mentioned they're sore) didn't really loosen up until I started the 4:00 on, so I probably could have kicked in a little more distance with a better warmup. Son's practice tonight was at Wesleyan rather than HPAC, so I ran around the soccer and baseball fields. The baseball field was in poor shape, and I really had to watch my step to keep from turning an ankle.

Christmas List

Yes, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet. So what? Christmas shopping lasts all year now anyway.

I don't usually have a specific Christmas list. I'm pretty easy to please, and I like surprises, so I leave my wishes to the judgment of my family (half the fun is anticipating what the kids will choose). But like all CFer's I know, I covet equipment and the dream of eventually having a garage gym.

Top 3 for this year:





Elite Rings




Kettlebell (16kg)















Pullup bar













I promise I've been (mostly) good, Santa....

Tech Support = Cleaning Lady?

In addition to my job with the school system, I also do tech support on a private basis, for homes and small businesses. I've come to the conclusion that working on people's home computers is a bit like being the cleaning lady - everyone has dirty little spaces that I'd really rather not know about.

It never ceases to amaze me what people will get into when they think they have the tiniest bit of anonymity. Just when I think I've seen it all, I stumble across something on an infected PC that makes me want to scrub my eyeballs.

So here's my free advice: if you like to gamble, surf porn, play in x-rated chatrooms or any other of the myriad deviant activities available on the web, make sure you use a good firewall and spyware/AV utilities. That way, when you call me in to figure out what's wrong with your computer, you don't have to worry about me peering into your dirty little corners.

Of course, if you didn't have dirty little corners, you probably wouldn't need me in the first place. So take care of your stuff. You'll save yourself $80 an hour and spare me the need for a brain scrub.

kthnxbye

Back Squats 5 x 5

Got to the Y today during lunch, which is generally a pretty good time to go. My favorite squat rack was open and I shamelessly monopolized it for my entire workout.

Warmup: CFWU (subbed bench pushups for dips)
Back squats 8@45#

WOD: Strength - Back squats and push jerks

Back squats 5 x 5

• Warmup sets @ 65#, 85#
• 5 @ 95#
• 5 @ 105#
• 5 @ 110#
  
• 5 @ 110# fail - last rep not full ROM
• 5 @ 107.5#

Push jerks 5 x 1

• Warmup set 5 @ 45#
• 1 @ 65#
• 1 @ 75#
• 1 @ 85# (PR)
  
• 1 @ 90# fail - tentative, did not go for it
• 1 @ 90# (PR) ugly but got it!

Core work - 3 rounds

• 5 x KTE
• 10 x Hanging Leg Raises
• 1:00 plank hold
  

Thoughts: I was a little ticked at myself over the first push jerk failure. I failed because I just didn't go for it. I was tentative, held the bar too long, and wimped out. So I left the weight room, got a drink and walked around to pump myself up. Then I went back to the bar and got pissed off at it. Boy, that helps a lot! It was one butt-ugly push jerk, but I got it locked out.

Track benchmark

One nice thing about that start of Number One Son's club soccer season is that his team trains one evening a week at the High Point Athletic Complex. HPAC has a decent track, and since I have to hang around for almost two hours, it's nice to have a lighted place to work out.

Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 squats, 10 pushups, 400m jog. 3 x 50m strides.

WOD: 2 Miles the Hard Way
(Rest intervals are the same as the run time)

1 mile run - 8:05
800m run - 4:01
400m run - 1:50
400m run - 1:27 (Level II Benchmark)

Thoughts: My original intention was to do this as "5K the Hard Way" with 2 800s and 4 400s. Son's practice was cut short by a flag football tournament, so I shortened it to 2 miles. Still, this was better than I expected. My 800 was slower than I wanted, but still on pace with the mile time (which is the fastest I've run a mile in a long time). I was pretty sure I could get the Level II benchmark (1:34) on a 400, so I busted a gut on that last run trying to get there.

I can't really claim any of these as PRs, since I was a pretty decent runner in my younger days (best mile ever was somewhere around 6:00), but they're the best times I've run in quite a while.

I'm a sports parent - does that make me crazy?

You'd think with the economy in the tank, traveling for kids' sports would one of the first things on the chopping block. But no....

We've spent the last two weekends on the road with KAD, one for a soccer tournament in Raleigh and this past one in Knoxville, TN for a swim meet. While we certainly enjoy these events, I know we're going to have a severe case of buyer's remorse when those hotel costs show up on the next credit card bill. Next weekend we're back in Raleigh for yet another soccer tournament, this time for Son.

On the other hand, KAD's soccer team has enjoyed a nice string of successes in tournaments, and the CASL Shootout in Raleigh was no exception. They advanced to the championship game, which they lost 2-0 to a team from Maryland that is apparently ranked #6 in the nation (don't get me started on having national rankings for 10 year-old girls...).



KAD's soccer is finished (at least until January) and that means swimming is kicking into high gear. Knoxville this past weekend, which may have been worth the trip just to see UT's new aquatic center. Wow. Fifty meter pool with a bulkhead in the middle to make two 25-yard competition pools. Lots of deck space for the swimmers and spectator seating for parents. Of course, we got all the way there before I realized I'd forgotten the camera, so no pics, dammit. The only complaints I had about the place were the cost of concessions (which rivaled a movie theater) and the grand scoreboard/timing system, which glitched and caused delays all weekend long.

Oh, and KAD didn't like the water temperature. Too cold.

I have to wonder how long it will be until economic realities catch up with competitive youth sports. In our area, it's not unusual to spend $1100+ a year on competitive soccer, and that doesn't include uniforms, tournament fees, travel costs or off-season training. We continue because the kids enjoy it, and honestly, so do Hubby and I. But I can see a time coming when we won't be able to keep it up.

Angie...STILL not RX'd

A little frustration on my part with Angie, mainly that I still can't do it Rx'd. I've been feeling pretty strong on my pullups and pushups lately, and thought for sure today would be the day.

Not.

Warmup: CFWU, minus Sampson stretch

WOD: "1/2 Angie"

For time:
50 pullups
50 pushups
50 situps
50 squats

Time: 9:20 (this is suspect, because I'm not sure if I did 40 or 50 pullups)

Thoughts: I was really pumped going into this WOD, especially on the heels of my Christine PR the evening before. I got 10 pullups into it and realized that it just wasn't gonna happen. My arms were ready fall off after the first 10 pullups and I wasn't able to do more than 2 at a time after that. Same with pushups - died after 20. So much for Angie as Rx'd. Yeah, I probably could have slogged my way through it, but it's supposed to be a metcon, not an exercise in futility.

Mean Christine

I found myself at the High Point YMCA this evening. Number One Son had soccer practice and I had a vague idea that I might run around the track at the field. But it was cold and misty and being indoors was much more appealing. I hadn't done Christine in a while, and as the Y was sparsely populated, it seemed like a good time to try her again.

Warmup: 3 rounds of 10 squats, 10 incline situps, 10 back extensions (BEs), 10 pullups, 10 bench dips.

WOD: "Christine"
3 rounds for time of:

500m row (2:08/2:11/2:14)
12 deadlifts (DLs) @ 95#
21 box jumps, 18" box

Time: 14:46 (Level I benchmark)


Thoughts: This was a 3+ minute improvement over my last Christine time (18:06), so I'm very pleased with this effort. My box jumps suck - I can't get a good rhythm going - but my improved strength really helped with the rowing and DL times. The DLs especially felt much easier than the last time I did this WOD.

Starting off...again

So I'm adding yet another site/blog/message board that I will have to keep up with. You'd think I'd have enough, with my LJ, a Facebook, a tech wiki, the family website, and numerous message boards that I post to on a fairly regular basis.

I'm hoping that this blog will give me a more user-friendly way to keep track of my CF progress online. I love the interaction of the message boards at crossfit.com, but it can be tough to sort through my workouts and keep track of improvements and changes.

So here we go!