subtle and steady goes it…

2:1 schedule still going ...

5 rounds @ 10:48
• 10 Box Jumps @ 20"
• 10 pullups
• 10 pushups
• 10 situps
• 10 squats

kept box, situps, and squats unbroken, pullups in 3-4's, pushups in 4-5's, and breaks at no more than :05 ... goal was to do sub 2:00 rounds, so i still have work to do

Post:
• 3x10 TTB
• 2x250m row @ sub 2:05
• 5x7 GHD

... i'm sure DOMs from yesterday's masochist-fest will set in tomorrow ... get some!

keeping with the paleo diet, I’m finally getting into the swing. I let myself become such a junkfood junkie that getting myself to cheat only 1 day a week was a struggle

for me, it’s helping me recover more efficiently and lets me work harder (ie, less suffering during workout). got a routine finally and now matt is on board… more on that laer

Week of 8/8: glug glug glug

Did Monday on Tuesday...

T = toughed it out @ 08.09.2011 at 8:28 pm

WOD @ Home

30-20-10 reps of: (5:00 – 9:00 Finish Time)
Wall Balls (14#)
Burpees
Box Jumps (21″)

these 3 movements are on my suck list top 5 … esp wall balls since anything with a squat in it is a PITA… literally.

saw the cap and promised myself I’d finish sub 8 … um … not so much … 8:31 … i was moving along steady until i hit the wall at the end of round 2 (of course) … then it became a dog fight … in mud … this WOD was deceptive, brutal, and rather awesome.

Tanked Wednesday, Made-up on Thursday

T = tanked the diet @ 08.10.2011 at 5:04 pm

oooh…. i ate a snickers, a reeses, a whole whopper meal (bacon, cheese, fries, soda, you name it), 2 ice cream cones, and then a pack of zingers … feel kinda sick now.

I have 51 days until my wedding, 19% body fat, and raging headaches from no coffee/caffeine for the past week… I am dreading the WOD because I am a raging addict now and am having trouble staying “clean”… help.

Front Squat

Intermed – 6×3 @ 73% of 1RM Back Squat (125# ... I know it’s light, don’t judge me! I have work to do!)

I really struggled with the last few on set 6 … my rear is gonna be sore so I’m guessing I did something right… grow baby, grow!

PS: of all the squat movements, i really like front squats … not sure if it’s balance or the elbow thing, but I seem to move better here?

WOD for Time @ home

50 Double-Unders
10 Overhead Squats (55#)
40 Double-Unders
8 OHS
30 Double-Unders
6 OHS
20 Double-Unders
4 OHS
10 Double-Unders
2 OHS

6:34 ... I made a typo on the CFC blog by :10 ... but on the grander scheme of things, this should make no difference given how much work I have to do for the next 9 months.

This was fun. My double-unders have improved enough to makeup for my OHS weaknesses in terms of buying time back (unbroken until the last round) ... the shock was actually feeling strong enough to get OHS to depth without bottoming out each time and remembering all the cues from Kurt and Glenn ... "turn the dinner plates and pull the string up!" ... it's wierd, but it worked, it was tough, and it was (finally) ... legit

OHS still needs a lot of work, but I'm getting there. I liked the front squats. They seem the most comfortable. I hope I start to like them as much as I like double-unders now.

Saturday 8/13

30:30 x 4 of:
Box Jumps (20)
Push-ups (strict)

Rest 5 minutes

30:30 x 4 of:
Row (Cals)
Push Press (55)

Rest 5 minutes

30:30 x 4 of:
Pull-ups
Burpees

Score = Total Reps Completed = 314

T = Take care of this, T  @ 08.13.2011 at 2:38 pm

I glugged through 314 reps … I kinda expected that given how bad diet and undisciplined I’ve been as of late. Box jumps weren’t as steady and consistent as I’d like, pushups kinda died off a little early, pushand burpees just wouldn’t go faster.

Sunday 8/14

Expedition training and rescue tech stuff ... we were actually pretty good today. We moved along - anchors, fixed line ascents, 3:1/6:1 pulleys, heavy hauling, sandbag stuff, and knots ... we’ll start doing everything for time soon as well as with full gear on ... I’m still concerned about my size and the additional weight I’ll be carrying, but all I can do is keep working at it for the next 9 months.

---

Overall this week

• sleep: 7
• health: 6
• recovery: 6
• mental energy: 8
• stress: 8.5 ... hell, give it a 9.5 ... this wedding planning stuff is getting annoying ... really annoying ... really, really annoying ... I had to let the wedding planner go, members of my bridal party can’t help but to create drama, people trying to invite themselves or bring strangers, USPS losing mail, people not RSVP’ing at all, or people telling me what “I need to serve...” at the reception ... seriously, we really should have stuck to our first inclination to run off and get married on the mountain ... I’m starting to completely appreciate Matt’s general apprehension towards social gatherings now ... fucking hell
• physical energy: 6ish ... I’m sure my CRAP diet as of late has a lot to do with my oddball lethargy, “fluffiness”, and general gluggishness as of late 
• diet:  -2  ...  I have a serious junk food addiction. No BS, I’m having trouble controlling myself, I obsess about it, and I sneak off and eat crap that makes me really sick. A few people speculate that it’s “stress eating” ... I’m sure the wedding and deferring school a year while I take consulting gigs has a lot to do with it.

mental chipper delights

1K Row
1 Mile Run
50 CTB Pull-ups
100 Games Standard Push-ups
200 Air Squats
1 Mile Run

Ok, I gotta say this. While today’s wod was AWESOME and I’ve come a long way on rowing and pullup skills, I am once again the DORKNESS MONSTER … I took a wrong turn somewhere, then down the block and saw THAT THE BOX WASN’T THERE! So I ran back around… 48:15?

Pushups were v-slow, but steady in broken in sets of 10 doing 5 on the knees and 5 strict... breaks no longer than 5-7 seconds ... it’s the little things. Pullups are getting better and I managed to keep each attempt at multiples until the last 10 reps ... when my arms stated to give out, I had to chip it out with singles... yeah, I had to work up a good angry for those.

The real trouble were with the squats ... all squat movements tend to give me a hard time. I broke those up in 15’s and 20’s and got pretty woozy around 150 ... mentally, I was all over it. Physically? Ooh... sometimes the body refuses to do what you want it to. But I had my sights on the end and got that last mile done ... well ... after going around the wrong block and then going back to finally find the finish :)

a lil sumin’ sumin’

ok, maybe working out while still recovering from my cold isn’t the smartest thing to do, but I am addicted to the adrenaline rush and the post-wod endorphin release ... so I drank lots of fluids (with my delicious watermelon BCAAs), ate a big breakfast, and walked into our CF garage out back with Cody and Matt ... now that Big Bunny agreed to take the “CF-Nazism” down a few notches, I’m beginning to really enjoy our “family workouts” more.

Also kinda torn because I really like CFC programming

3 rounds @12:48

• 10 box jumps (21”)
• 10 HPSU (thin band, no wall)
• 10 pullups
• 10 squats
• 10 pushups
• 10 TTB

ouch... didn’t look tough, but it was (180 reps?!). What a way to brush away the cobwebs by getting the blood moving.

.. so if there’s 1 thing I could improve overall, it would be speed and staying tough in ROM.

I went pretty unbroken on everything, I was just slow ... box jumps and TTB are perfect examples of things that I could improve. This WOD capitalised on many of my weakest movements, so this was good.

Monday! Monday! Monday!

Strength: 5×2 Back Squat @ 92%

My knees got banged up from expedition skill work this weekend … so I mentally did back squats with my ice packs on them ... pretty swollen

Metcon for time @ home  11:41
50-40-30-20-10 (12 Min Cap)

• Kettlebell swings (1.5/1.0)
• Sit-ups

KBS went unbroken and steady … situps were unbroken too but SLOW as mud … my ego says “yeah, I got this” until right around 30′s … then SPLAT! HIT THE WALL!

not too much else to report other than that we have been REALLY busy here @ home with wedding stuff

Check!

These are photos of us in Talkeetna, Alaska last year. Most guide services require validation and review of all rescue skills prior to leaving for the expedition for safety and liability. Some types of climbers get insulted by it, but for us, no worries ... I think it was a fun activity to do together, we both believe that one can never practise rescue skills enough, and it was encouraging for us to demonstrate that we make a great team right before getting on the mountain :)

WOD? Check!

10 min AMRAP @ 5 rounds, 2 burpees
• 5 Burpees
• 10 Pull-ups
• 15 Power Wall Balls (14#)
  Ok, Drywall may call these "AIDS workouts", but they're helping me HTFU ... and (although I love you, Jimmy, and Derek's programming too), Bryce's programming helps me (and many others) put up some damned good numbers. I didn't see the girls there doing 10lb weighted deadhangs with us when I visited you at your box. Just sayin'. :)

Deadlift and Squat practise? Check!

DL: 5x6 @ 60% (165#) ... Matt played coach and shook his head a lot (equivalent to Bryce rolling his eyes, I think). What started out as Intermediate 4×4 @ 79% ended up being what you see above ... I struggled with unbroken multiples... pick up the bar, short rest at top, deep breath, tap down, then explode back up at tempo as fluid movements. Apparently, I have no problem keeping good form with singles, but my back kept initiating poorly when trying to string multiples... regardless of the weight (I even had a hard time practising them at 80#!). I can “feel” when I get it right, but it’s not consistent. I guess this movement is a skill I need to work on - it’s frustrating because my body just won’t do what I tell it to do. Old dog, new tricks?

Fixed line ascent and knots? Check!

Matt and I got our expedition training plan settled. We’ve been working on keeping our technical skills solid and making adjustments because we’re going unsupported and alone. Luckily, ascending fixed lines and practising knots isn’t a skill we have to worry too much about. Although time consuming and can wear the body down, we just do them, check them off, and move on. Cody had fun barking at us while we climbed about 20ft up the tree.

3:1 rescue pulley system? Check!

Practised getting loaded sandbags out in the forest preserve. The heat was exhausting, but we managed. Some interesting lessons learned and adjustments to be made since it’s just us 2 and there won’t be a 3rd on our rope to help make setting up initial anchors easier ... we’re still working out how we can stabilise an anchors to hold 200lbs from a self-arrest position before attempting to set up the pulley system. It’s possible, but our rescue system is going to have to be adjusted.

Time for yummy dinner. Finally.

Keeping it paleo ... but I definitely need to get more calories in (averaging about 2700 per day). I start feeling weak, lethargic, and light-headed when I go more than 2 hours. I wonder if there’s something wrong with my metabolism...?

Long day. Given how behind we are on wedding stuff and the project proposals I’ve been bidding on during the week, I wish there were more hours in it for us to be more productive ... I would be happy with an even 30. We should speak with Mrs O’Hara about this.

It’s all about the fun...

This is a photo of Abbey, Patrick, and I at the Bigfoot Triathlon... Abbey was done because she did the sprint distance (and did she ever!), I was transition sherpa and cheerleader, and Patrick was 1/2 done with his run here... total Level 1 fun!

Strength: Press
Advanced 5×4 @ 88% of last CFT
Intermediate 4×5 @ 77%

So I started at 5×4 @ from 83# all the way down to 75# ... WTF?! I honestly felt weak … not my day… and definitely not enough good calories today

WOD: Elizabeth (12 min cap) @ 9:31
3 rounds, 21-15-9 of

Squat Clean

Ring Dips
I suffered this WOD with 85# and a purple band for the ring dips … started with nice and smooth squat cleans, then by round 2, they got chopped into power cleans with front squats … minimal breaks … work in progress  

Post-WOD: 3 rope climbs (15’) + 3 skin the cats ... Rope climbing is fun! Skin the cats are fun! WOD’ing with Japirish is AWESOME!

Not my best day, but not my worst.

Another day, another WOD

Back Squat: 5×5 @ 115

Oops… I got confused and went 5×5 … I also went lower than 88% to maintain integrity in ROM (and an extra round for practise). It felt awkward, but improved… Kurt’s “puppet-string-pulling” and “turning-the-saucers” cues have helped A LOT and I was sincerely shocked to hear Coach say that they were the best looking squats he’s seen me do ... so either I’ve actually improved ... or I REALLY sucked awful before...

Metcon @ 8:17 (12min cap)

10-8-6-4-2

Deadhang Pullups

Strict HSPU

Suspended from purple bands for HSPU (in the hopes of weaning myself away from the wall). Since I was 3+ min under the cap, I think I scaled too much. I used the purple band for less than half of the deadhangs in rounds 1&2. I need to challenge myself more and stop overthinking it

Post-WOD: 1 min max cals, 1 min rest x 3 @ 16-16-15

no time, no gym, no excuse...

in-room WOD...

• 60 pushups
• 60 situps
• 60 squats with filled suitcase (maybe 20lbs?)
• 1:00 handstand holds

... doh ... frickin stopwatch reset at 5:30-something so I’m not sure what my time was... the squats burned good with that heavy suitcase! Not nearly as intense as the CFC-Wod posted today ... but no access to oly bars or pullup bar :(

... also wanted to add a run to it, but not familiar with area and not too safe at 9pm...

Double up!

Took the last 2 days off in the hopes of resting enough for a double today. The goal here is to start getting my body accustomed to long, hard move days on the expedition ... here are my goals for the week Thu 16/6 - Fri 17/6: Rest Days Sat 18/6 - here we go!

#1 WOD: CF Total @ 520
• Squat: 165 (135-155-165-175f-175f)
• Press: 90 (65-85-90-95f-95f)
• Deadlift: 265 (185-225-255-265-275f)

Not my best day and definitely no PRs earned, but I still have weight to gain and 11 months of opportunities to improve until we leave for the expedition. Matt validated that the disparity in squat and deadlift results might indicate the need to continue working at those squat movements more and build on that deadlift. There’s definitely an opportunity to fix the knee caving and foot placement... which brings it back to how engaging that glute/ham chain better will help me get more weight moving. I can turn my total into a +600! I think I may also attempt with Billy S and Mike H next time as our #s are closer and they are good to work with. The fact that I matched my deadlift PR being 20lbs lighter than last year says something about the coaches and new cues they’ve taught me. Just need to do more, get stronger, and more confident with the movements. Press is down by 12%, but that’s better than down the 25% I was about a month ago. Chip chip chip away!

#2 WOD: 4 Rounds @ 25:40
• 800M Run
• 10 Hang Power Snatches (65)
• 20 Power Wall Balls (14)I REALLY need to improve my running, but I looooove HPS and power wall balls are easier for me to manage than that full squat in regular wall balls ... yes, yes, yes ... I’m working on that! Also, I should rest a little after doing the CF total... ouchy...

Post - TTB and ab wheel from my “Pick 2” list ... Oh yeah, the Ab Wheel of delight... not so much

Time to Grow a Pair

Busted up my toe after cleaning up the KBs on Tuesday. Putting weight on it causes awful pain.
Strength: Bench Press @ 3x 85-90-95-100-105 (3x PR = 120 ... a LOT of work to do)
WOD @ CFC: 15 + 1 pullup

• 15 min AMRAP
• 3 CTB Pull-ups
• 6 Push-ups
• 9 Squat Jumps

Unbroken except for pushups in 3's/4's after round 10. I wimped out and did pullups instead of CTB. Bad toe prevented full jump squats or pushups.

This was really fun ... but I have to be honest about something ... I worked hard, but my mental game was off throughout and I just didn't find myself pushing to failure.
Post-WOD:

10 deadhangs @ 3-2-2-1-1-1 ugh!

5 min on versa-I-hate-you-climber

---

Notes: After numerous surgeries and frostbite incidents, you'd think I'd be more careful about taking care of my feet... Glenn's article on the CFC blog today hit close to home and I really appreciated reading that. I only have a few years left to climb the big peaks and made some huge sacrifices to do so ... so without my feet, I'm in real trouble.

In 11 months, we leave for our solo Denali climb and it's time to get my head together. Climbing may not be my career, but it's been my life since I was 14. This will be my 6th season on this mountain and its time to make what few years I have left to count. Something to think long and hard about.

I remember this Army Cpt on Denali last year who lost his legs in Afghanistan ... there he was, dragging his body and his 125+lb sled up and down each cache/carry and working hard during each push ... he climbed 1/3 as fast, but that SOB was hard as nails and always smiled/waved when we passed along the route or saw him at camps. When we finally saw him come into high camp, Matt said that even though he endangers the lives of his climbing team with the handicap, he had a lot of guts for attempting this, we have absolutely no excuse for complaining, and it was time for us to grow a pair. Too true. This guy not only stood in harm's way for us, but set an example for us to aspire to.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/denali/climb/

http://www.summitpost.org/mount-mckinley-denali/150199

Wed 5/18 WOD

WOD @ home

5 Rounds @ 23:44
5 Wall Climbs
10 Burpees
10 KB Snatch (per arm)
Rest 2 minute

… the rest in between made a HUGE difference in recovering for next round … I kinda wish I thought to track time per round, though

KB Snatch was awkward at first, but when I figured it out, they went unbroken. I really like wall climbs but burpees…not so much. We have a tumultuous relationship

Skills @ CFC

Did the Foundations class with Kurt and Rachel @ 7pm to work on ROM integrity. Foundations class is really great – learned new ways of doing old things and got opportunity to nick bad habits. Really, really great!

Lesson learned: Climbing makes me quad-dominant so a few glute/ham cues (“rotating dinner plate” and “stretching the string”) made a big difference. Will have to work on this a lot so I don’t default to old habits in WODs.

Self-analysis: I can really see a difference in performance working out at CFC and @ home. I recognize the pack animal in me and the need for group stimuli to push through or get aggressive. Not sure if it’s influenced growing up in a large family or always being part of a climbing team, but I work best with at least 1 person there “mushing” me. I thought about this a lot and realise that if Matt and I are climbing solo, I need to be more self-motivating and self-disciplined. Don’t get me wrong, I can still do it, I’m just saying I observed better performance.

9 - 14 May: Skinny-fat Chick Alert! Skinny-fat Chick Alert!

Monday 5/9

Back Squat 3×3 @ 85-95-105?
Focused on ROM and getting rid of that wierd tootsie roll thing. ALL squat movements are on the top of my suck list, so I’m keeping it light and easy until I am consistent and more body-movement aware.

I’m not above scaling down if it means I can get it right EVERY time and get stronger... stronger glute/ham ROM is definitely on my list of goals. (note the skinny-fat photo of me on the left ... nice cleavage, but scary tummy pooch! eeesh!)

WOD

5 Rounds @ 7:38 of
1 Squat Snatch
4 Overhead Squats
10 Pull-ups

Went light to meet goal of a sub 8:00, but I  think I wimped out because I never really got out of breath or pushed myself to get more depth on those OHS ... Pullups in 3-4′s and nice easy snatch/OHS. I was half asleep and totally humbled by the wave 2 ladies! When I finally adjust to this schedule, I’m gonna start chasing them!

I also think I was half asleep cause it was my first workout at 6am this year! Yep, getting up every day @ 4:30 is going to be an adjustment, but I did it and I’m psyched! yay! (unfortunately, Matt is NOT a big fan because it impeded on his “morning time”, so we’re gonna have to work something out)

Still feeling the awful effects of my “see food” diet ... I am still paying for that red bull, pizzas, and 4lb box of brownie bites in more ways than 1. Coach Zack, I need you!!!

Tuesday 5/10

A – Muscle-up: skill work. worked on hip-to-ring hallowed kips, ctb, false grip, and ring dip
B – Double-Unders (3 min AMRAP): inconsistent but was able to string ‘em

WOD: 40-30-20-10 reps of

Power Wall Balls (14/10#)
Box Jumps (16″)

Ego checked @ 8:42!

I deserved that :30 penalty for not scaling appropriately! Started with 14# and broke at 15 in round 1 … ditched the b*tch and got a 10#er to get in gear …

Post – 4 x 10 Unbroken Toes-to-bar: 4-8-8-6

Wednesday 5/11

Ashtanga Yoga - primary series. Worked out a few kinks and building my isometric strength back. I wanted to go to CFC today, but I committed to 2:1, I’m sticking to it and letting my ego take a back seat. I’ll see how I feel next week when the Paleo challenge is in full swing...

Thursday 5/12

Worked on DL, presses, and hallows @ CFC and then GHD & deadhangs @ home. Weight not so much important, but getting rid of oddball movement was (e.g., tootsie roll knees, squat wannabe DL, et al). I wanted to makeup Wednesday’s WOD, but I was sore and still nursing my junk food hangover ... also I think I just chickened out... prolly more the latter.

Glutes are gonna be sore for treating my body like an amusement park for all these months. I confess I feel a little deflated being weak and looking scrawny now...

It’s actually scary. Somewhere between getting engaged and the holidays, I became this raging junk food addict alá skinny-fat chick. I look pretty good - but I feel generally crappy, “thick”, and really un-driven. I also let a lot of other things go too, but I’ll leave that for my personal blog... keep calm and carry on ...

Friday 5/13

got up @ 4am to make 7am flight for many, many meetings ... then delayed flight and getting home @ 23:45. i feel like i got robbed by united airlines in more ways than 1

… but i got in 50 situps, 50 pushups, and 10 wannabe HSPUs in a little conference room of the admiral club… not a true wod and in my brooks brothers suit, but better than nothing. I planned to get back to CFC in time and couldn’t get back... my 2:1 goal thrown out the window

food was scarce, but i managed to find a few plain burgers, a wilty airport salad, a banana, starbucks, and a milkshake i’m sure will haunt me tomorrow …

Side note, my glutes aren’t sore ... at all. I thought they “should” be given the work I’ve been doing this week (assuming I did the work right). The truth is, my lower back is a tad sore ... which means my G/H activation needs more work. It’s frustrating.

Saturday 5/14 - Paleo Challenge Day 1... kinda ...

I felt the bacon burger, fries, milkshake, and all the garbage I’ve been eating ... and it showed in my FRAN performance today. Oh yeah, I scaled it. First time ever. Ego checked!

55# @ 8:07 ... oh yeah. It was sad. I added 1:00+ to my prior Fran (7:02) and dropped thruster weight (RX=65#) . . . I’ve become weaker, still underweight, and metcon “gas tank” needs to grow before I am ready. Upside is - what a way to set the bar low for my first day on the paleo challenge! I’m TOTALLY gonna see HUGE gains!

But ... I promised myself that I would get my ROM in order and then work on “performance”. My body is used to carrying heavy weight and I know it will be fierce again pretty soon. The advantage I have this year over last year is that I have a TON more knowledge, body awareness, and skills (thanks to Coaches Bryce, Rudy, Alex, the “old box” gang, and the amazing HQ peeps at all the certs). I’m working! I’m working!

Today I ate:

- handfuls of dried cherries

- handfuls of turkey jerky

- spoonfuls of almond butter

- tuna sashimi (had 2 packages similar to package on left)

- kale salad with shrimp cocktail, onions, and herbs

- coffee (pre-wod), endurox (post-wod), and roughly 2L water (2 nalgenes)

Personal note: I woke up today feeling like a load was taken off my shoulders. I also am proud of myself for starting to open up to others about Diana. I just hope that the few things Matt & I are aiming for go through and our plans can actually carry in... keep calm and carry on ... keep calm and carry on ...

Abbey was supposed to meet me today to work on our ideas for adventure racing, my denali training, and her resume... but she never showed and I have to admit that I was both surprised and disappointed. I always admired her discipline and steadfastness too. Well ... keep calm and carry on ...

---

out of 10 for this week...

sleep: 2 (planning for and doing 6am and 9am WODs are going to be a serious adjustment!)
diet: 4 (not consistent or disciplined, I definitely had a burger binge this week)
health: 6 (see above)
recovery: 8 (very strange! I hit it with integrity and expected to suffer more...)
physical energy: 7
mental energy: 8
stress: 6 (better, but still there)

BEST. CHIPPER. EVER.

As I get my head back into it, I reflect on the why’s and the how’s. Rudy, AKA “Jedi Mind Trick Coach”, asked me what my general analysis was of my time management. Without going into detail, I sent a few bullet points. Now, there is a reason why I call him “Jedi Mind Trick Coach”... instead of replying with a few suggestions as I expected, he asked me what my next steps were.

Best way to mess with someone who likes to analyse and study things is to ask them an open question... ‘nuff said.

I guess I’m talking about all this because the training plan process that I’m going through with Rudy coaching me along is like a chipper. It’s not like I’m doing anything really new, but more about how I can do things better. I’m learning to do things for myself... I’m learning to keep things simple... and I’m learning to plan more efficient training so that I can keep climbing while I’m in school and after menopause.

I guess my next steps will be to (1) deal with the bullet points, then (2) define the 2 measurements he suggested: Heavy and Long (more about this later)

What I like about Rudy and Bryce’s coaching is that that they force me to keep things simple, disciplined, and focused. Truth be told, I won’t struggle with movement integrity as much as I’ll struggle with the former ... and that is why I love crossfit and the coaches at CFC. Matt says I’m a bunny because I just hop-hop-hop along in life without a care in the world. He may be right, but perhaps not for long.

---

So yesterday ...

Skill: Front Squat 3×3

Jessica, AKA “The Blond Fury”, and I agreed to take it easier (1) because we wanted to save something for the chipper and (2) because we didn’t have time to change shoes.

Having blathered that, we checked our egos and focused on quality over quantity. I don’t remember how heavy we worked up to (65-75-85#?), but it was all nice and solid. Worked the elbows, good knee tracking, and stable heels.

Unlike the skill work, the WOD was a little ... messier ...

Chipper for time @ 32:48?
100 Air Squats
90 Box Jumps (16”)
80 Sit-ups
70 Wall Balls (10#)
60 Kettlebell Swings (1 pood)
50 Push-ups (on knees)
40 Pull-ups
30 Burpees
20 Toes-to-Bar
10 Handstand Push-ups (2 mats) 

I suffered a bit but this was GREAT because this is my kind of workout. Set a pace, stay on it, and chip away at it until it’s done. Broke the air squats into 30’s and was pleased I could keep hitting depth. Box jumps started out bad as my quads rebelled, but then I got into a groove and strung 5-10 at a time. My ego wanted me to go unbroken, but my brain said to leave something for the wall balls. Had to fight for unbroken situps and got annoyed when my body rebelled against the WBs on the last 10-15 reps. Checked my ego again and did steady pushups on knees (10’s and 5’s), but I got frustrated during the pullups because my grip and lats just fell apart. Burpees and TTB were slow, but steady. Good news is that I only fell on my head only once during the HSPUs. Overall, it was very fun, but it’s frustrating when your body just won’t do what you tell it to!

Observation. I can remember play-by-play during chippers like this, but I suddenly have alzheimers during those short, sprinty WODs! Oh well. It’s all good and I was happy to get my “GRRR!” on.

BEST. CHIPPER. EVER.

Seriously, it was inspired. Bryce is sadistic, but he’s a genius. This torture session MUST have been of his doing because it seemed rather tall-people oriented (just sayin’). But no name? Personally, I thought it was epic and deserves one. So here are a few that might come to mind:

"Bryce" ... obviously
"Ultimate Failure" ... does this really need explanation?! ... really?!
"Lava Ladder" ... steady flow that burns the heck out of everything in it’s path.
"Anxiety Attack" ... because this is how you feel until you call time.

---

yesterday ...

Sleep: 7-9hrs?! wow!

Strength: 80%-ish

Mental energy: 8

Physical energy: 8

Diet: 6 ... this is annoying. I'm going to start logging today.

Health: a bit of cloggy lung... poo

Stress: 8 ... my professor is sadistic ... more like bastard sadistic instead of make-you-better Bryce kinda sadistic.

Kitty Yoga & Calendars

Actually, he’s not practising yoga, but his flexibility and strength is definitely being challenged by Matt! I might call this “Felinasana”!

I dreamt of pullups last night and woke up with rather sore biceps. Perhaps it’s a sign to practise them more... so I’m going to do

- 25 pullups,

- 25 pushups,

- 50 situps, and

- 50 air squats

every day no matter what.

The numbers are low enough where I can bang them out without messing up my whole day if I plan to CF or do yoga later but enough reps where I can develop some level of proficiency. The goal here is that when I have to do high reps in a WOD, I can work towards going unbroken and start challenging myself.

Having blathered all that, I don’t have a rower and am still pretty sore, so today I did the above and the primary series instead of CFC’s RX WOD.

For now, 2-3x a week is OK, but not ideal (roughly CF’ing every 2 days). I’m working towards 3-4 a week (every other day). Eventually I’d like to be able to train 3on-1off ... which is where I need to be for the expedition.

So Coach had me log my activities from wake to bed because it appears that I need to get my schedule in order before laying out a training plan. I love and hate the fact that he can spot my weaknesses with such ease.

Here it is (click the screenshot):

I looked at it ...  and yes, I lack structure. I do a lot of stuff. My days don’t seem to be very organized. Given how I have a mobile device that allows me to muck about with facebook, TXTs, IMs, and the internet, it also looks like I have too many distractions.

I am Tery and I am addicted to my computer, my android, and all the stuff that comes with them... kinda like ice cream, bacon, cupcakes, and cheese ... in that order.

When I’m supposed to be working on wedding stuff, I get a little facebook ping ... and then 2 hours whisk by. When I’m supposed to be studying or doing lab work ... I’ve got my blog, some other blog, or facebook up too.

Productivity is a problem that could become my limiting factor in whatever fitness/training goal I try to set if I don’t deal with it now.

Right. So I know I tend to analyse a lot, but I also have this niggling feeling that Rudy is giving me a Jedi-Mind-Trick hint ... in fact, I can almost hear his voice ... “get yo shit in order first, T!”.

So the $200k question is: how the F*** do I do that? A little context...

1. I no longer have a housekeeper ... and we’ve discovered that I am a LOUSY housekeeper. I really try and am committed to the lifestyle adjustment, but there’s a serious learning curve here, doing a good job isn’t easy, and boy it takes a LOT of time! Sometimes it’s a little embarassing to admit that I lived like this for many years, but I am grateful for a chance to improve my life in different ways. Work in progress.

2. I no longer have assistants ... learning to manage my time efficiently without relying on someone else is REALLY HARD because you have to be self-disciplined (which I never really had to be). It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s just that I need to develop new habits and skills ... like #1.

3. I get distracted easily ... with external things that pop up (like a phone call that turns into an hour, a facebook message that MUST be answered now, or the cat taking a crap on the laundry basket) ... or internal things that my INTJ head can’t let go of (like pontificating on my blog as I’m doing right now) ... other than getting an RX for Adderall or Concerta, I’m not sure what to do or how to deal with what could be some form of ADHD.

4. Prioritising ... in business, I was great. I was decisive. I was the boss. I had a plan and could excute the crap outta anything. But now, it’s personal. Everything is important. I am now half of a whole. I’m 40+ years old and it’s like I’m starting all over again. I can’t do things the way I used to if I want to keep this marriage. I certainly need to figure out how to prioritse in such a way that everyone wins. This is going to be tough and I realise that some things will have to give.

Run, Run, Run!

Today: http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/workout_sessions/1137963

4 rounds @ 15:22

400m Runs

Squats

(Makeup for Monday 23/3 workout) ... yikes!!! Big eyes ... little bitty gas tank! The runs felt good, but the squats were sooooo slooooooowwww ... lost most of my time struggling through them. During last round of squats, I felt my lungs close up - had to stop and use inhaler. Nothing like a little asthma attack to stop you dead in your tracks.

Post WOD of 100 situps: check! broke them into 20’s. I’m not particularly fast, but I’m steady and I was mentally doing TTB (I prefer those).

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Sleep: 7hrs

Stress: 5ish

Mental Energy: 7ish

Physical energy: 8-9 (feel good, but body is not doing what I’m telling it to! Booooo!)

Diet: 6 (which means improved, but definitely room to improve)

Health: 75% (shoulder/rib joint still irritated and minor asthma attack?! Back again?! Seriously?! WTF?!)

Beyond the WhiteBoard Log: http://beyondthewhiteboard.com/members/12929

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Mentally? I’m all there! Light snow, 35f Degrees, and kinda grey out - PERFECT! Kinda stoked to run too!

Physically? Not so much. Laziness and crappy diet have taken their toll these months off! I can make excuses all I want, but at the end of the day, it’s my own fault and my own well-deserved suffering for letting things go for so long. Blah blah blah.

So all this means is that I need to be more consistent, get back on a regular schedule, and get a few personal things in order. There’s a lot going on right now. But I’m confident that performance improvement will be there - still benchmarking and plugging away when I can... now if I can just get my shoulder to stop bothering me...

slow going

thursday

3k row @ 14:00 something really bad? yah. i stopped twice, that should account for the extra 2:00 i added to my average time

friday

deadhang pullups. 5 attempts AMRAP @ 4-4-3-2-2 ... eesh. a little embarrassing... i miss you, guns. please come back.

today

5 rounds @ 8:28

• 10 pushup
• 10 pullup
• 10 airsquat
• 10 situps

not bad, but not great. kept pace steady throughout, but wasn't really "hustling" it. movement was good even though my knees tracked in a bit and slowed me down a lot. i wonder if there's something i can work on for that - not sure, but i'll chip away.

---

trying to work on training plan for denali 2012. i'm struggling. using coachs' template, but i'm having a tough time because climbing has pretty specific skills.

so far, i brainstormed the functional requirements for the climb. then i listed the skills for each requirement. then i tried to figure out a plan to get me to where i want to be from a performance perspective for each skill. i guess the next step is to put it into a format that works for the coaches so they can help me put the 12 month plan together. i want to make sure i hit goals for rescue skills, glacial travel-specific skills, climbing skills, acclimitisation, diet, muscle mass (weight gain), recovery, endurance, and strength.

if i start march 1st, then that gives me 2 months to baseline and get the plan right. then it'll leave me about 12-13 months (may/june 2012).

i think my biggest challenge will be mental and all the other priorities i have between now and october. non-profit side work, house renovations, and wedding planning are keeping me extraordinarily busy. something is going to have to give and i'm not sure how we're going to do it... i wonder if i can put a wedding planner or paid contractor on our registry ;)

rear in gear

today is my day off, but i worked on full cleans and front squats. then i prayed through the full primary series (ashtanga yoga - about 90min) ... i love yoga. really helps me get my head straight when i'm stressed or out of sorts.
kinda disappointed that i forgot to video given that my movement work was better today. my gluts and hips are gonna be sore, i can feel it already! it's all good, though, i'm just happy that i'm moving a little better. even my CF-nazi commented on how much i'm improving.

warming up in our lil home CF box	We warm up the bars so our hands don't freeze to the bars too!

snacktime!

breakfast: apple, lara bar, 4-egg omelette with lean bacon and kale
mid-day: handfuls of turkey jerky/nut/dried cherry mix
lunch: whey protein shake, lean steak, kale, and chicken breast
dinner: chicken breasts, kale, and mushrooms
after dinner ... um ... matt and i found these chocolates in some eastern european language that we couldn't read (or understand), but they had little pictures and were rather yummy. i ate 6 pieces. yeah. i'm going to start hurting even more if this bad diet behavior doesn't even out.
i'm up to 136lbs! ok, it's mostly D&D, popeye's, and chocolate treat weight, but i'm happy to be over the scrawny-arsed 115lbs i was. i have a nice little layer now and will enjoy every suffering moment as i transition into expedition training mode next month... 2 weeks left until i start the first month of benchmarking
* sleep: 2.5 (had several conference calls with UK around 4am)
* stress: 8 (been having nightmares ... TBD)
* health: 75% (coughy and chest felt "heavy" this afternoon when i finally got up)
* diet: -1 (great all day until the polish chocolates showed up)
* physical energy: 6 (hard to function when you're on only a few hours of sleep)
* mental energy: 8 (finished reading one of my favorite books, finished up the grant proposal edits, successfully tested my API, and got my research data compiled)

Video from yesterday's Valentine's Day WOD

5 rounds of
- 5 deadlifts
- 5 hang cleans
- 5 push jerks
- 5 squats

what i thought was 45-45-55-65-75 looks like 45-45-55-65-85 after looking at the video ... seems i'm back to being space cadet because it looks like i misloaded the bar on the last round ... i think i put the 5's back on when i switched out the 10's to the 15's ... ( i knew i was little pooped, but i also knew it felt heavy!)  whatever, i finished it whether it was 10# more or less. i really liked the workout, though.

round 4 @ 75

round 5 @ 80 (part 1) ... yeah, lost balance, kinda sat down, but managed to keep it together and get back up... only to fail on the transition to push presses. ha!

round 5 @ 80 (part 2)

i know, they looked more like push jerks... old pack mule... err, dog trying to embrace new tricks.

hmm...

5 reps each of deadlift, hang clean, push press, and squat @ 45-45-55-65-75

kept things light to focus on good movement and consistency. didn't feel bad at all.

there was a little knee tracking, over extension of head/back, and droopy elbows ... but i corrected them as i went and kept pretty consistent. last round was funny when i cleaned too low and ended up sitting on the groud ... no worries, though. i leaned forward and pushed through! ha!

video to come shortly...