Got in a run during Wonder Boy's soccer practice tonight. As much as I enjoy watching him at practice, I have to say I particularly enjoyed tonight's run. I didn't make note of how long I ran, but I just felt GOOD while I was running. It was like a deep breath you take before settling down into a familiar routine. I dunno. The words are failing me here.
It's not like it's been a bad day. It's been busy, but not at the kind of pace where I feel like I'm drowning. And while I did (and continue to) have to do some after hours work, it's not really difficult work, it just has to be done during off hours. So I don't have anything much about which to complain.
But this run ... it just ... I don't know ... settled me down. I had some good tunes on my iPod. I had nice open sidewalks (only passed a few folks/dogs). The weather was a touch cool (around 55F at start time), but I like to run in that kind of weather. I was able to clear my head. And I spent much of the time thinking about my family.
Good times!
In addition to the fun run, I got my planks, squats, and burpees in for the Planks A Lot challenge. 1 min 5 seconds for each side plank. 2 minutes 5 seconds for a regular plank. 100 air squats and 6 burpees. I *hate* burpees. But I'm doing them. I hope someone, somewhere cares. :+P
Showing posts with label planksalot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planksalot. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
March 4 - WOD
Monday workouts are never easy. And today is no exception to that little rule. But we pushed though it and all in all, I'm pretty pleased with the results.
Today we did 3 rounds of the following:
** 20 Kettlebell Swings (25 lbs)
** 100 Jump Rope revolutions
** 20 Push Ups
** 20 Goblet Squats (25 lbs)
** 10 Bent Over Rows, Right and Left (25 lbs)
I managed to finish in around 14 minutes and 19 seconds. And I was seriously huffing and puffing by the time it was done.
This morning, I did 1 minute side planks on both the right and left side and followed that up with a 2 minute regular plank. Then I did 100 air squats. And when I got home from work I added 5 burpees. All of this is for the March continuation of the Planks A Lot Challenge over at One Tough Mother Runner.
I haven't had the chance to publish this next thought here on this blog, but (for the record) I *despise* doing burpees. *sigh* Burpees are NOT my favorite. But burpees I will do for the next month. Too bad she didn't add these back in February (since it's the shortest month of the year).
Today we did 3 rounds of the following:
** 20 Kettlebell Swings (25 lbs)
** 100 Jump Rope revolutions
** 20 Push Ups
** 20 Goblet Squats (25 lbs)
** 10 Bent Over Rows, Right and Left (25 lbs)
I managed to finish in around 14 minutes and 19 seconds. And I was seriously huffing and puffing by the time it was done.
This morning, I did 1 minute side planks on both the right and left side and followed that up with a 2 minute regular plank. Then I did 100 air squats. And when I got home from work I added 5 burpees. All of this is for the March continuation of the Planks A Lot Challenge over at One Tough Mother Runner.
I haven't had the chance to publish this next thought here on this blog, but (for the record) I *despise* doing burpees. *sigh* Burpees are NOT my favorite. But burpees I will do for the next month. Too bad she didn't add these back in February (since it's the shortest month of the year).
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Feb 28 - Opening Night
Tonight we had our first soccer game of the spring season! Wonder Boy had practice that overlapped buy a bit, so I missed most of the first half. Wonder Dad got there on time and represented for our family until the Boy and I could join him.
I simply ADORE soccer! I didn't really play as a kid. It wasn't offered in my hometown until my senior year in high school. But Wonder Dad played as a boy and he introduced me to the beautiful game and it's been my favorite sport to play ever since. In the months leading up to Wonder Boy's birth, we found an adult league in town that was just getting started and they even had an "old folks" division. We had found our soccer home!
We play on a team of "mature" folks, many of them friends and coworkers. We bring our kids and spouses - in many cases both mom & dad play on the team, but in the case where only 1 parent plays, the rest of the family acts as cheering squad for us all. It's a wonderful atmosphere in which to play, I must say!
While I enjoyed each and every minute of tonight's game, it was C*O*L*D out there tonight! By the start of the 2nd half, my toes were completely numb. But despite the frigid temps, I stayed vertical throughout. And to put the cherry on top of a great, fun night, our team pulled out a 2-1 win! In fact, Wonder Dad scored the go-ahead goal (off of a beautiful pass/assist to boot)! So to say I "enjoyed" our game tonight seems like such an understatement.
I felt GREAT! I don't know ... it just felt so good to get back out there on the soccer pitch. Back with our friends. Back to running and playing. Just ... fun. Ya know?
Another thing about tonight is that I was able to feel some positive changes due to our workout routine. The crossfit workouts are definitely helping in my ability to recover more quickly. A couple of good sprints up and down the pitch was enough to get me asking for a substitute in seasons past. But I really felt great tonight. In fact, when I came out of the game to take my time in the cheer squad, it was because I wanted to make sure all my teammates got some playing time - not because I needed to collapse on the sideline. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up such efforts once the temperature warms up, but for now, I'm feeling good. And I'm going to soak it up!
And one final note - since this is the last day of the month, I made it a point to remember to do my plank. My shoulder is still bothering me, but it felt wrong to not at least TRY to get a plank in today. So I held my breath, counted sheep in my head, sang the words to every silly kids' song I could think of (in my head, still) and manged to hold on for a new PR of 3:30 on my plank! And then I did 100 air squats as well.
A good day. A GREAT night!
I simply ADORE soccer! I didn't really play as a kid. It wasn't offered in my hometown until my senior year in high school. But Wonder Dad played as a boy and he introduced me to the beautiful game and it's been my favorite sport to play ever since. In the months leading up to Wonder Boy's birth, we found an adult league in town that was just getting started and they even had an "old folks" division. We had found our soccer home!
We play on a team of "mature" folks, many of them friends and coworkers. We bring our kids and spouses - in many cases both mom & dad play on the team, but in the case where only 1 parent plays, the rest of the family acts as cheering squad for us all. It's a wonderful atmosphere in which to play, I must say!
While I enjoyed each and every minute of tonight's game, it was C*O*L*D out there tonight! By the start of the 2nd half, my toes were completely numb. But despite the frigid temps, I stayed vertical throughout. And to put the cherry on top of a great, fun night, our team pulled out a 2-1 win! In fact, Wonder Dad scored the go-ahead goal (off of a beautiful pass/assist to boot)! So to say I "enjoyed" our game tonight seems like such an understatement.
I felt GREAT! I don't know ... it just felt so good to get back out there on the soccer pitch. Back with our friends. Back to running and playing. Just ... fun. Ya know?
Another thing about tonight is that I was able to feel some positive changes due to our workout routine. The crossfit workouts are definitely helping in my ability to recover more quickly. A couple of good sprints up and down the pitch was enough to get me asking for a substitute in seasons past. But I really felt great tonight. In fact, when I came out of the game to take my time in the cheer squad, it was because I wanted to make sure all my teammates got some playing time - not because I needed to collapse on the sideline. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up such efforts once the temperature warms up, but for now, I'm feeling good. And I'm going to soak it up!
And one final note - since this is the last day of the month, I made it a point to remember to do my plank. My shoulder is still bothering me, but it felt wrong to not at least TRY to get a plank in today. So I held my breath, counted sheep in my head, sang the words to every silly kids' song I could think of (in my head, still) and manged to hold on for a new PR of 3:30 on my plank! And then I did 100 air squats as well.
A good day. A GREAT night!
Friday, February 22, 2013
Feb 22 - WOD
Friday. Even the word looks optimistic. And today has been a pretty good Friday. It's been a busy day, but still a good one.
Decided to skip the side planks because they are hurting my rickety old shoulder. But I managed to hold on for a 3:11 regular plank. And, as usual, I finished up with 100 air squats.
But the real workout came after our day jobs were done. Today's WOD featured power snatches and Burpees, as follows:
12 - power snatches
12 - Burpees
9 - power snatches
9 - Burpees
6 - power snatches
6 - Burpees
3 - power snatches
3 - Burpees
When I look at it listed like that, it really doesn't look like much. But the reality is, again, it is much more difficult than it looks. This effort took me 9 minutes and 30 seconds, but I think I stayed gasping on the floor for at least that long afterward.
We finished out the day with 50 "21 crunches". I don't like that exercise at all. And I hope never to try it again. But at least today I can say I finished every part of our workout.
Decided to skip the side planks because they are hurting my rickety old shoulder. But I managed to hold on for a 3:11 regular plank. And, as usual, I finished up with 100 air squats.
But the real workout came after our day jobs were done. Today's WOD featured power snatches and Burpees, as follows:
12 - power snatches
12 - Burpees
9 - power snatches
9 - Burpees
6 - power snatches
6 - Burpees
3 - power snatches
3 - Burpees
When I look at it listed like that, it really doesn't look like much. But the reality is, again, it is much more difficult than it looks. This effort took me 9 minutes and 30 seconds, but I think I stayed gasping on the floor for at least that long afterward.
We finished out the day with 50 "21 crunches". I don't like that exercise at all. And I hope never to try it again. But at least today I can say I finished every part of our workout.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Feb 21 - Staying Busy
I had one of those rare, truly productive work days today. Not a lot of time spent in meetings and very few interruptions during my day. It never fails to amaze me how productive I can be when left to my own devices. ;+) And it feels REALLY good to leave work with fewer items on my to-do list than I started with that morning.
ANYWAY ... with no other interruptions to get in the way, working in my plank and squats for the Planks A Lot Challenge was a snap. I held on for 1 minute and 15 seconds for each side plank (left & right) and the same for a "regular" plank as well. And I topped off those efforts with 100 air squats. My shoulders are really not liking the side planks. Not sure what to do about that.
This evening after work and before Wonder Boy's soccer practice, Wonder Dad and I made the loop around our street (X 4). I really enjoy these little jogs. We keep our pace pretty sedate and nice and even. The weather was beautiful (though a touch humid) and Wonder Dad made me giggle when he mimicked the ballet moves of a young girl practicing in her yard. The girl and her sister were THRILLED with the attention. And it gave me something on which to focus rather than my labored breathing. I do adore my dear husband. He makes me smile every day. And he knows how to turn even a less-than-exciting loop around the neighborhood into play time. And in the end, we shaved just under a minute from our normal pace. Not to shabby, I'd say!
I may have to dial the daily squats back a bit on the days we are running. My knees were tired and achy during the run and the only thing I have really done as of late that hits the knees is the squats. We'll see how my weekend run goes and make plans from there.
Not a bad effort overall, imho. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow already. :+)
ANYWAY ... with no other interruptions to get in the way, working in my plank and squats for the Planks A Lot Challenge was a snap. I held on for 1 minute and 15 seconds for each side plank (left & right) and the same for a "regular" plank as well. And I topped off those efforts with 100 air squats. My shoulders are really not liking the side planks. Not sure what to do about that.
This evening after work and before Wonder Boy's soccer practice, Wonder Dad and I made the loop around our street (X 4). I really enjoy these little jogs. We keep our pace pretty sedate and nice and even. The weather was beautiful (though a touch humid) and Wonder Dad made me giggle when he mimicked the ballet moves of a young girl practicing in her yard. The girl and her sister were THRILLED with the attention. And it gave me something on which to focus rather than my labored breathing. I do adore my dear husband. He makes me smile every day. And he knows how to turn even a less-than-exciting loop around the neighborhood into play time. And in the end, we shaved just under a minute from our normal pace. Not to shabby, I'd say!
I may have to dial the daily squats back a bit on the days we are running. My knees were tired and achy during the run and the only thing I have really done as of late that hits the knees is the squats. We'll see how my weekend run goes and make plans from there.
Not a bad effort overall, imho. And I'm looking forward to tomorrow already. :+)
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Feb 20 - Rest
Today has been (mostly) a down day. We had some business to take care of this evening and then I had to put in a short amount of time on actual work work. But since we've managed to stick to our workout plans for the past 4 days, a rest & recovery day was much in order.
We don't actually plan most of our rest days. We try to keep on going until life gets in the way or until our bodies cry out for rest. It usually works out that life will pop up and say "time for a break" before our bodies get too beat up.
With that said, I did manage to get in my planks & squats for the day. I did 1:10 on each side (left, right, regular) for the planks and followed that up with 100 air squats. That was plenty for today.
We don't actually plan most of our rest days. We try to keep on going until life gets in the way or until our bodies cry out for rest. It usually works out that life will pop up and say "time for a break" before our bodies get too beat up.
With that said, I did manage to get in my planks & squats for the day. I did 1:10 on each side (left, right, regular) for the planks and followed that up with 100 air squats. That was plenty for today.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Feb 19 - plank, jog, sprint
Each day I am starting to feel a bit more like myself. And that feels good!
Today I managed to squeeze in my planks between meetings. I am still trying to work on the side planks, so I held on for 1 min 5 seconds on each side and then did a regular plank for 1 min 5 secs as well.
After work, Wonder Dad and I did a quick 4 loops around our street. We finished in just about 20 minutes. We kept up a good place for most of the run, but the last lap was a bit slower (despite the fact that I felt like I was trying a lot harder). Oh well ...
Then we capped off the night with some sprints up and down the side lines during Wonder Boy's soccer practice. Our first game is just a week and a half away, so we figured we better start pushing the pace a bit.
We also have our first 5K of the year coming up in just under a month. We've decided to run the Warrior Dash again. We ran one last fall. And while we both completed the run as well as every obstacle, our times were ... well ... let's just say "less than spectacular."
I felt bad for Wonder Dad as he could have made better time, but he chose to stick by me throughout. And I'll be honest, I had to walk a bit of it. I had trained running the 5K distance, but the obstacles took a lot more out of me than I had bargained for. I am hoping to be better prepared this time around.
Today I managed to squeeze in my planks between meetings. I am still trying to work on the side planks, so I held on for 1 min 5 seconds on each side and then did a regular plank for 1 min 5 secs as well.
After work, Wonder Dad and I did a quick 4 loops around our street. We finished in just about 20 minutes. We kept up a good place for most of the run, but the last lap was a bit slower (despite the fact that I felt like I was trying a lot harder). Oh well ...
Then we capped off the night with some sprints up and down the side lines during Wonder Boy's soccer practice. Our first game is just a week and a half away, so we figured we better start pushing the pace a bit.
We also have our first 5K of the year coming up in just under a month. We've decided to run the Warrior Dash again. We ran one last fall. And while we both completed the run as well as every obstacle, our times were ... well ... let's just say "less than spectacular."
I felt bad for Wonder Dad as he could have made better time, but he chose to stick by me throughout. And I'll be honest, I had to walk a bit of it. I had trained running the 5K distance, but the obstacles took a lot more out of me than I had bargained for. I am hoping to be better prepared this time around.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Weekend Round Up
I'm afraid I had another one of those "need to unplug" weekends. It started with an awfully long work day on Friday (6am-ish to 11pm). And that just took the steam out of me.
I'm happy to report that, while I didn't do any blogging over that period, I still got in most of my workouts.
On Friday, the long work day caused us to forgo our crossfit work out, but at least I managed to work in my planks/squats. I decided to mix things up a bit since I had actually met my goal of a 3 minute plank on Thursday. So this time, I did a 1 minute side plank on my left, a 1 minute side plank on my right, and a 1 minute "regular" plank. The side planks are H-A-R-D. I guess they will be my new challenge. I followed that up with 90 squats. The squats felt pretty good.
On Saturday, we made it to the gym for the first time in what feels like eons. We did a "traditional" strength workout featuring squats and bench presses. We made gains on every exercise! This made me feel really good as I know we are not losing any strength with the switch to our home-based workouts.
And on Sunday, we wrapped things up with 5 loops around our street for a total of 3.5 miles. We picked up the pace considerably from our Valentine's Day run and did the 3.5 miles in 26 minutes. And except for the last lap, we shaved almost a whole minute off of each lap compared to what we ran on Thursday. THAT made me feel pretty good!
Let's hope we can keep this momentum going into the new week.
I'm happy to report that, while I didn't do any blogging over that period, I still got in most of my workouts.
On Friday, the long work day caused us to forgo our crossfit work out, but at least I managed to work in my planks/squats. I decided to mix things up a bit since I had actually met my goal of a 3 minute plank on Thursday. So this time, I did a 1 minute side plank on my left, a 1 minute side plank on my right, and a 1 minute "regular" plank. The side planks are H-A-R-D. I guess they will be my new challenge. I followed that up with 90 squats. The squats felt pretty good.
On Saturday, we made it to the gym for the first time in what feels like eons. We did a "traditional" strength workout featuring squats and bench presses. We made gains on every exercise! This made me feel really good as I know we are not losing any strength with the switch to our home-based workouts.
And on Sunday, we wrapped things up with 5 loops around our street for a total of 3.5 miles. We picked up the pace considerably from our Valentine's Day run and did the 3.5 miles in 26 minutes. And except for the last lap, we shaved almost a whole minute off of each lap compared to what we ran on Thursday. THAT made me feel pretty good!
Let's hope we can keep this momentum going into the new week.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Feb 14 - Happy Heart Day
What can I say? It's been a good day! I actually stayed in bed ALL NIGHT last night. I can't say I'm caught up on sleep, but dang it, it felt good to not spend half the night on the couch hoping to not disturb the rest of the family with my coughs.
Then this morning I decided to push a bit harder and get all the way to the 3 minute mark for my daily plank. It hurt like heck, but I figured it would lessen the guilt I would feel after a Valentine's lunch date with Wonder Dad. I followed up the plank with 80 squats and went to lunch feeling pretty pleased with myself.
At lunch I ate only a portion of my entree. That means I have some great leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
To cap off the day, we did one of our little "couple runs" here in the neighborhood. We did four loops around our street. Took us 24 minutes to do 2.8 miles. Not a tough pace, but enough to feel like we're starting to move again. I know Wonder Dad was ready for a more brisk pace, but my lungs were just not ready for it yet. We had a good time though. And after so many sick days, it was good to get moving again.
All in all, there was quite a bit today that made my heart happy.
Then this morning I decided to push a bit harder and get all the way to the 3 minute mark for my daily plank. It hurt like heck, but I figured it would lessen the guilt I would feel after a Valentine's lunch date with Wonder Dad. I followed up the plank with 80 squats and went to lunch feeling pretty pleased with myself.
At lunch I ate only a portion of my entree. That means I have some great leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
To cap off the day, we did one of our little "couple runs" here in the neighborhood. We did four loops around our street. Took us 24 minutes to do 2.8 miles. Not a tough pace, but enough to feel like we're starting to move again. I know Wonder Dad was ready for a more brisk pace, but my lungs were just not ready for it yet. We had a good time though. And after so many sick days, it was good to get moving again.
All in all, there was quite a bit today that made my heart happy.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Feb 13 - WOD
Another sleepless night, an all morning meeting, and a couple of 11 year old boys = one worn out old girl.
But I am oh so pleased to let you know that we stuck to our workouts today. We went looking for a WOD with some running in it since we missed our run yesterday. Thought we would get a two for one out of it. So today we did "Nancy."
"Nancy" consists of 5 rounds of the following:
400 M run
15 - overhead squats
"Nancy" took me just over 20 minutes to complete.
I am still doing my overhead squats using only a PVC pipe instead of a weighted bar. And while I hate to admit that little fact, I am really happy with how they are starting to feel. I am confident in the form I am building and plan to try some light weight bars at the gym the next time we get there for a workout.
In addition to the WOD, I did my plank (2 minutes & 50 seconds) and squats (70) for the Planks A Lot challenge and even completed 50 "penguins" for the February Fab Abs challenge. Ths was another silly sounding exercise, but at least I felt it a little in my oblique abs.
Is it too much to hope for a restful night tonight? I just know I am beyond done with all this coughing.
But I am oh so pleased to let you know that we stuck to our workouts today. We went looking for a WOD with some running in it since we missed our run yesterday. Thought we would get a two for one out of it. So today we did "Nancy."
"Nancy" consists of 5 rounds of the following:
400 M run
15 - overhead squats
"Nancy" took me just over 20 minutes to complete.
I am still doing my overhead squats using only a PVC pipe instead of a weighted bar. And while I hate to admit that little fact, I am really happy with how they are starting to feel. I am confident in the form I am building and plan to try some light weight bars at the gym the next time we get there for a workout.
In addition to the WOD, I did my plank (2 minutes & 50 seconds) and squats (70) for the Planks A Lot challenge and even completed 50 "penguins" for the February Fab Abs challenge. Ths was another silly sounding exercise, but at least I felt it a little in my oblique abs.
Is it too much to hope for a restful night tonight? I just know I am beyond done with all this coughing.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Feb 12 - Taking It Easy
Had high hopes for today. Despite another night with no sleep, I had big plans to fulfill all my challenge items and to then have a nice light run to cap off the day.
Sometimes my best laid plans just don't work out.
I did get in my plank and squats. I hit a new personal best on my plank: 2 minutes and 45 seconds! And I followed that up with 60 air squats.
But I'm afraid the highlights end there.
Wonder Boy had a late dentist appointment and quite honestly, the sleepless nights are just wearing me down. So we took it easy tonight. Wonder Boy got caught up on his homework and even had time for some fun time. Wonder Dad and I rested and laughed and got some quality "unwinding" done. I even made a Valentine card!
So even though it was not the efforts I had planned, I think it was just what I needed. And at least I got in my plank and and squats.
Sometimes my best laid plans just don't work out.
I did get in my plank and squats. I hit a new personal best on my plank: 2 minutes and 45 seconds! And I followed that up with 60 air squats.
But I'm afraid the highlights end there.
Wonder Boy had a late dentist appointment and quite honestly, the sleepless nights are just wearing me down. So we took it easy tonight. Wonder Boy got caught up on his homework and even had time for some fun time. Wonder Dad and I rested and laughed and got some quality "unwinding" done. I even made a Valentine card!
So even though it was not the efforts I had planned, I think it was just what I needed. And at least I got in my plank and and squats.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Feb 11 - WOD
Doing a little better today though still coughing a lot more than I would like. Despite that, we managed a full compliment in our workout.
First, I managed to hold a 2 minute and 30 second plank followed by 50 squats for the Planks A Lot challenge. I was only shooting to hit 2 minutes today, kind of a break in day, so I felt pretty good that I made it to 2:30. The 50 squats weren't too bad either. Could have kept going but I've been low on energy and didn't want to push it.
Our WOD for today was 7 sets of hanging squat cleans, 2 reps each. If you have never seen a hanging squat clean, check out this quick video. I started at 65 lbs and worked my way up in 5 lb increments, ending at 95 lbs. I'm good with that for today. I barely managed the last rep. But I think that's good. I pushed myself, but not so hard that wasn't able to finish the WOD.
Finally, we finished up with 50 Sumo Crunches for the Feb Fab Abs Challenge. I'll admit, I felt like this one was pretty dorky and am glad only Wonder Dad was watching me get through them.
I really hope I can manage some sleep tonight because tomorrow is a run day and I really don't want to wimp out on it after being sedentary for so many days.
First, I managed to hold a 2 minute and 30 second plank followed by 50 squats for the Planks A Lot challenge. I was only shooting to hit 2 minutes today, kind of a break in day, so I felt pretty good that I made it to 2:30. The 50 squats weren't too bad either. Could have kept going but I've been low on energy and didn't want to push it.
Our WOD for today was 7 sets of hanging squat cleans, 2 reps each. If you have never seen a hanging squat clean, check out this quick video. I started at 65 lbs and worked my way up in 5 lb increments, ending at 95 lbs. I'm good with that for today. I barely managed the last rep. But I think that's good. I pushed myself, but not so hard that wasn't able to finish the WOD.
Finally, we finished up with 50 Sumo Crunches for the Feb Fab Abs Challenge. I'll admit, I felt like this one was pretty dorky and am glad only Wonder Dad was watching me get through them.
I really hope I can manage some sleep tonight because tomorrow is a run day and I really don't want to wimp out on it after being sedentary for so many days.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Feb 6 - Down But Not Out
Woke up this morning feeling like my head was going to explode. Looks like I am coming down with the bug Wonder Dad has been struggling with.
I made it into work, but I didn't last long.
But before throwing in the towel and heading home, I completed my challenge tasks for the day:
* 2 minutes 40 seconds on my plank
* 50 squats
* 50 Russian twists
That's all I could manage today and I sucked wind throu it all. But I did it. Now I am off to try and find a comfy spot on the couch.
I made it into work, but I didn't last long.
But before throwing in the towel and heading home, I completed my challenge tasks for the day:
* 2 minutes 40 seconds on my plank
* 50 squats
* 50 Russian twists
That's all I could manage today and I sucked wind throu it all. But I did it. Now I am off to try and find a comfy spot on the couch.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Feb 5 - Crazy 8s
Today has been pretty good. Managed 2 minutes & 35 seconds on my plank and followed that up with 45 squats mid-morning. I have been doing this challenge at the point of the morning when I normally start to get the munchies. It happens that it is at this time of day when I am often getting out of meetings. It has just worked out this way but I am really thankful. I end up getting the challenge work in, it breaks up my morning, and staves off my sweet tooth.
This evening I was able to squeeze in a run between judo class and dinner. I was just running the loop that our street makes. And to mix things up a bit, I ran it a bit differently. Ya see, our street makes a loop, but there is another street that cuts the circle almost in half, so I used that to turn my circuit into a figure eight.
It's the little things, ya know. Just adding that extra turn made all the difference in the world. And I could feel an immediate change in my attitude. I even used that extra spark to push myself on the "hill" on the back stretch of the loop. Granted it's barely more than an incline, but it felt like a mountain on my 3rd loop around. And on my last lap I rewarded myself with a gentle pace after busting up that "hill" to finish my run.
And finally, I wrapped up the day's efforts with 50 oblique crunches for the February Fab Abs Challenge.
I plan to ride this new inertia wave as long as I can!
This evening I was able to squeeze in a run between judo class and dinner. I was just running the loop that our street makes. And to mix things up a bit, I ran it a bit differently. Ya see, our street makes a loop, but there is another street that cuts the circle almost in half, so I used that to turn my circuit into a figure eight.
It's the little things, ya know. Just adding that extra turn made all the difference in the world. And I could feel an immediate change in my attitude. I even used that extra spark to push myself on the "hill" on the back stretch of the loop. Granted it's barely more than an incline, but it felt like a mountain on my 3rd loop around. And on my last lap I rewarded myself with a gentle pace after busting up that "hill" to finish my run.
And finally, I wrapped up the day's efforts with 50 oblique crunches for the February Fab Abs Challenge.
I plan to ride this new inertia wave as long as I can!
Monday, February 4, 2013
Feb 4 - Inertia
Inertia, I have read, is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion.
What that means for me is, after taking yesterday off for the most part, I have had a really tough time getting my body back in motion today. But despite feeling magnetically drawn to the couch, I actually checked a few things off my fitness to-do list today.
I did my plank (2 minutes & 30 seconds) followed by 40 squats for the Planks A Lot Challenge. Not a bad effort for a sleepy Monday morning.
And then this evening Wonder Boy and I took the pooch out for a neighborhood romp and then finished up with 50 - leg lifts and 50 - 90/90 crunches for the Delta Life Fab Abs Challenge.
I really did want to come home from the office and become one with the couch. And getting up off of it once I had settled down on it was NOT an easy thing to do. But I am feeling better about myself for having managed to overcome the inertia to get my body back in motion. Here's to continuing that into tomorrow.
What that means for me is, after taking yesterday off for the most part, I have had a really tough time getting my body back in motion today. But despite feeling magnetically drawn to the couch, I actually checked a few things off my fitness to-do list today.
I did my plank (2 minutes & 30 seconds) followed by 40 squats for the Planks A Lot Challenge. Not a bad effort for a sleepy Monday morning.
And then this evening Wonder Boy and I took the pooch out for a neighborhood romp and then finished up with 50 - leg lifts and 50 - 90/90 crunches for the Delta Life Fab Abs Challenge.
I really did want to come home from the office and become one with the couch. And getting up off of it once I had settled down on it was NOT an easy thing to do. But I am feeling better about myself for having managed to overcome the inertia to get my body back in motion. Here's to continuing that into tomorrow.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Feb 2 - WOD
Today was one of those days that just wasn't quite what we had planned.
First though, we have to back up to last night since that is where we started to get off track. Our plan had been to get in our WOD so that we could take a road trip "back home" the next day to enjoy some barbecue ribs with my dad for a late birthday celebration. But as the day ore on, Wonder Dad and I both just started feeling really run down. It had been a long week both at work and in our workouts. And we were feeling it. So we decided to take it easy and rest so that we could pick it back up after our little road trip.
We turned off the alarm clock and gave ourselves a chance to wake up once we were rested. We haven't done that in weeks and it felt great! I woke up feeling e best I have in days and started in on breakfast. It didn't take long though to find out that I was the only one feeling that way. Wonder Dad had taken a turn for the worse over night.
So that changed our day quite considerably. We called my dad to reschedule and switched gears to focus on needs around the house. I don't regret one minute of it. And by late afternoon, Wonder Dad felt well enough to attempt our WOD with me.
Today's WOD was made up of 3 exercises: pull ups, dead lifts, and box jumps. For each round, we were supposed to do 30 reps of each exercise. And the goal was to do 3 rounds in as little time as possible. That breaks down to 90 pull-ups, 90 dead lifts (135#), and 90 box jumps.
In true crossfit fashion, this totally kicked my bum! It took me a bit over 25 minutes to make it through all 3 rounds. I am making some improvements on my pull-ups though. I was able to do about 10 unassisted reps in each 30 rep set. That is a fairly nice improvement for me and it makes me hopeful for future progress.
When we finished our workouts, I tried to work in a plank, but my body totally gave out by the time I hit 2 minutes. That was kind of disappointing. But at least I did something.
For the "Fab Abs" challenge, we were actually a day behind since we took the night off last night. So we decided to catch up and do a set for yesterday (50 donkey crunches) and a set for today (50 bicycles). We should be back on track for everything tomorrow, but I am pretty pleased with our efforts from today, even when not feeling our best.
First though, we have to back up to last night since that is where we started to get off track. Our plan had been to get in our WOD so that we could take a road trip "back home" the next day to enjoy some barbecue ribs with my dad for a late birthday celebration. But as the day ore on, Wonder Dad and I both just started feeling really run down. It had been a long week both at work and in our workouts. And we were feeling it. So we decided to take it easy and rest so that we could pick it back up after our little road trip.
We turned off the alarm clock and gave ourselves a chance to wake up once we were rested. We haven't done that in weeks and it felt great! I woke up feeling e best I have in days and started in on breakfast. It didn't take long though to find out that I was the only one feeling that way. Wonder Dad had taken a turn for the worse over night.
So that changed our day quite considerably. We called my dad to reschedule and switched gears to focus on needs around the house. I don't regret one minute of it. And by late afternoon, Wonder Dad felt well enough to attempt our WOD with me.
Today's WOD was made up of 3 exercises: pull ups, dead lifts, and box jumps. For each round, we were supposed to do 30 reps of each exercise. And the goal was to do 3 rounds in as little time as possible. That breaks down to 90 pull-ups, 90 dead lifts (135#), and 90 box jumps.
In true crossfit fashion, this totally kicked my bum! It took me a bit over 25 minutes to make it through all 3 rounds. I am making some improvements on my pull-ups though. I was able to do about 10 unassisted reps in each 30 rep set. That is a fairly nice improvement for me and it makes me hopeful for future progress.
When we finished our workouts, I tried to work in a plank, but my body totally gave out by the time I hit 2 minutes. That was kind of disappointing. But at least I did something.
For the "Fab Abs" challenge, we were actually a day behind since we took the night off last night. So we decided to catch up and do a set for yesterday (50 donkey crunches) and a set for today (50 bicycles). We should be back on track for everything tomorrow, but I am pretty pleased with our efforts from today, even when not feeling our best.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Feb 1 - a Challenging Month
This month, I plan to continue to try to keep up with my pal Wendy over at One Tough Mother Runner and her Planks a Lot daily challenge. This month she's adding squats to the agenda. I'm going to keep to air squats for that part of the challenge and see how many I can build up, going unbroken, after I finish my plank each day.
Today I hit another personal best on my plank: 2 minutes and 25 seconds! I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane though. And I was glad to do something different when I finished with my 30 squats. Not a bad effort in between meetings.
The other challenge for this month is another that will target my abs. It's called the Delta Life Fab Abs February. The goal is to complete 28 different ab movements in 28 days. So they pick one exercise per day and you do 50 repetitions of that one move. Today we have "donkey crunches." Wonder Dad is doing this one with me, so we plan to add it to the end of our WOD each day.
Hopefully we will both come out on the other side of February with some seriously improved abs!
Today I hit another personal best on my plank: 2 minutes and 25 seconds! I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane though. And I was glad to do something different when I finished with my 30 squats. Not a bad effort in between meetings.
The other challenge for this month is another that will target my abs. It's called the Delta Life Fab Abs February. The goal is to complete 28 different ab movements in 28 days. So they pick one exercise per day and you do 50 repetitions of that one move. Today we have "donkey crunches." Wonder Dad is doing this one with me, so we plan to add it to the end of our WOD each day.
Hopefully we will both come out on the other side of February with some seriously improved abs!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Jan 31 - Pink Cheeks & a Calypso Party
It's been a full day. Another busy day at work, but I did manage to get in my plank between meetings. It's the last day of the month and the last day of the Planks Alot Challenge. I held my plank for an excruciating 2 minutes and 20 seconds. But I held it!
My pal, Wendy, over at One Tough Mother Runner is starting a whole new challenge for February. There will still be a plank a day, but she's adding squats to the mix. I love a good squat as much as I despise planks, so I am in!
We also kept our date with the cardio machines at the gym today. My right knee hasn't been feeling very well. In fact, yesterday I went to see my doctor for a quick cortisone shot. It's an old injury and while I am by no means needing extreme intervention, I don't have much (well, any) cartilage in that knee anymore, so that does mean I need an occasional shot to bring down the inflammation. Anyway, got that done yesterday and still have about 24 more hours until I can fully feel the god effects of he shot. So I'll admit that I walked right past the old tread monster, I mean treadmill, and decided to sweat it out on the elliptical, instead. It was a good choice and I topped 2 miles in our 20 minutes.
I am not sure if it's related to the cortisone shot, but my face started to flush about midday today and it has not let up yet. Wonder Boy keeps pressing his palms to my face. It feels good - he has cold hands today. I cannot explain the flush though. I have seen people on niacin supplements flush like this, but it usually clears in a few hours. I haven't taken anything - no vitamins, no allergy meds, not even any Tylenol. It's confusing and I hope it passes soon. If not, I guess I'll be calling my doc tomorrow morning.
The end of this day has been very enjoyable, despite my burning cheeks. Wonder Boy is learning a new tune on his viola. Turned out to be "Banana Boat" as in Harry Belafonte fame. Once he was done with his practice, we fired up YouTube and danced to as many calypso tunes as we could find! Don't ya just love the Internet?! I figure I had to have burned a few more calories twirling around the living room with my boy. So I am counting that among my day's activities.
In spite of the face flush, it's been a good, productive day. I hope we can kick off February with the same energy we are ending January.
My pal, Wendy, over at One Tough Mother Runner is starting a whole new challenge for February. There will still be a plank a day, but she's adding squats to the mix. I love a good squat as much as I despise planks, so I am in!
We also kept our date with the cardio machines at the gym today. My right knee hasn't been feeling very well. In fact, yesterday I went to see my doctor for a quick cortisone shot. It's an old injury and while I am by no means needing extreme intervention, I don't have much (well, any) cartilage in that knee anymore, so that does mean I need an occasional shot to bring down the inflammation. Anyway, got that done yesterday and still have about 24 more hours until I can fully feel the god effects of he shot. So I'll admit that I walked right past the old tread monster, I mean treadmill, and decided to sweat it out on the elliptical, instead. It was a good choice and I topped 2 miles in our 20 minutes.
I am not sure if it's related to the cortisone shot, but my face started to flush about midday today and it has not let up yet. Wonder Boy keeps pressing his palms to my face. It feels good - he has cold hands today. I cannot explain the flush though. I have seen people on niacin supplements flush like this, but it usually clears in a few hours. I haven't taken anything - no vitamins, no allergy meds, not even any Tylenol. It's confusing and I hope it passes soon. If not, I guess I'll be calling my doc tomorrow morning.
The end of this day has been very enjoyable, despite my burning cheeks. Wonder Boy is learning a new tune on his viola. Turned out to be "Banana Boat" as in Harry Belafonte fame. Once he was done with his practice, we fired up YouTube and danced to as many calypso tunes as we could find! Don't ya just love the Internet?! I figure I had to have burned a few more calories twirling around the living room with my boy. So I am counting that among my day's activities.
In spite of the face flush, it's been a good, productive day. I hope we can kick off February with the same energy we are ending January.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Jan 29 - OTM
Typically, Tuesdays are run days, but my knees are still pretty unhappy with me from last night's WOD. So tonight we changed it up a bit and stayed for the adult judo class after Wonder Boy was done with his class.
It was a really nice chane of pace and we got to use some muscle groups that have been a little neglected with our current crossfit routine.
The nicest part for me though was that I can feel the difference that the crossfit workouts have made in the last few months. Usually after a few months of being off the mat, the first class back will leave my shoulder aching for days. But tonight's class actually helped my shoulder loosen up after all those thrusters we did yesterday.
It felt good to be back "on the mat" as more than an assistant during the kids' class. And I am looking forward to our next opportunity to get some quality mat time.
And don't think I neglected today's plank! I managed to hold for 2 minutes and 10 seconds today. I listened to music while planking. I tried to sing along (in my head, as I was at work) in order to take my mind off the hold. If helped some. But it still felt like it lasted way too long. Not sure what I could do to distract me for much longer times.
It was a really nice chane of pace and we got to use some muscle groups that have been a little neglected with our current crossfit routine.
The nicest part for me though was that I can feel the difference that the crossfit workouts have made in the last few months. Usually after a few months of being off the mat, the first class back will leave my shoulder aching for days. But tonight's class actually helped my shoulder loosen up after all those thrusters we did yesterday.
It felt good to be back "on the mat" as more than an assistant during the kids' class. And I am looking forward to our next opportunity to get some quality mat time.
And don't think I neglected today's plank! I managed to hold for 2 minutes and 10 seconds today. I listened to music while planking. I tried to sing along (in my head, as I was at work) in order to take my mind off the hold. If helped some. But it still felt like it lasted way too long. Not sure what I could do to distract me for much longer times.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Jan 28 - WOD
I think I m going to christen this WOD "OMAK" (Oh, My Aching Knees).
But to be honest, this WOD had more than my knees crying for mercy. Let me explain why ...
The OMAK workout looks like this:
* 15 "heavy" thrusters (75#, for me)
* 200M run
* 20 "medium" thrusters (65#, for me)
* 400M run
* 30 "light" thrusters (55#, for me)
* 800M run
This took me 16 minutes and 15 seconds. And it was a hard fought 16+ minutes! It is so very hard to breathe during the thrusters that it makes even the short 200M run daunting.
I struggled throughout. And there was a point during the last run when I wanted nothing more than to sit down and gasp for air like a fish out of water. And though I fear I was super slow on that run, I did not stop, not even to walk.
So I am happy with today's results.
To top it off, I managed a new PR in my daily plank: 2 min 5 sec. I am not sure I will be able to continue adding 5 seconds per day, but I am very happy to have passed the 2 minute mark. I did not truly believe I would ever top that mark.
So while today was a tough start to the week, it was also a successful start.
Who could ask for more?
But to be honest, this WOD had more than my knees crying for mercy. Let me explain why ...
The OMAK workout looks like this:
* 15 "heavy" thrusters (75#, for me)
* 200M run
* 20 "medium" thrusters (65#, for me)
* 400M run
* 30 "light" thrusters (55#, for me)
* 800M run
This took me 16 minutes and 15 seconds. And it was a hard fought 16+ minutes! It is so very hard to breathe during the thrusters that it makes even the short 200M run daunting.
I struggled throughout. And there was a point during the last run when I wanted nothing more than to sit down and gasp for air like a fish out of water. And though I fear I was super slow on that run, I did not stop, not even to walk.
So I am happy with today's results.
To top it off, I managed a new PR in my daily plank: 2 min 5 sec. I am not sure I will be able to continue adding 5 seconds per day, but I am very happy to have passed the 2 minute mark. I did not truly believe I would ever top that mark.
So while today was a tough start to the week, it was also a successful start.
Who could ask for more?
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