Gaining Momentum

Since I've moved to California, I've had a touch of the blues, something that usually happens to me when I move to a new assignment. I miss the people it took me so long to get to know, I find it hard to settle into a routine, and I close myself off to an extent until I start to feel more comfortable. I feel myself snapping out of it, however. I think people believe it's glamorous to be able to move every few years, but it can be really difficult. I'm thankful I've been able to move to such a beautiful area with so much to do though.

Today's workout:

Warm up:
pathetic...did a few L-sits on the rings and brushed my dog's coat

Five rounds for time of:
15 pound dumbbell in each hand carried overhead, walking lunge, 10 alternating steps
25 pound kettlebell, swing, 15 reps

6:51

That was much more difficult than I expected. I gained momentum all right; I almost ended up with my face planted in the floor when I started to tire. After I was finished, I rested on the floor, and my stupid dog wouldn't let me catch my breath. She jumped all over me, especially on my stomach, which pushed the air I so desperately wanted to suck in out of my lungs. She really needs better manners.

I'm glad that's over.

Having that damn promotion test off my head is nothing short of a catharsis. Now I can move on to more training, physical and spiritual, and read whatever I want to. I started my new book last night, as a matter of fact, The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. I enjoyed his previous two books, so I'll give this one a whirl. I'm an avid reader by nature, but I've gotten into a bad habit of reading a good chunk of a book and abandoning it for another--sounds a bit like my experience with boyfriends as well. Hmmm...a pattern?

Today's workout:

Warm up:
5 pull ups w/ assistance band
5 ring dips w/ assistance band
200m row
10 KB swings w/ 25 lbs
x 3 rounds

Shoulder press:
3 x 55
1 x 60
1 x 65
1 x 70
1 x 70
1 x 75 (fail)
2 x 65
1 x 65

Hmmph. Nothing thrilling here. I'm still about 20 or so lbs off of last year's numbers. It'll come.

I hate amazing.

I firmly believe that back in the 80s the valley girls stole the words “awesome” and “totally” from the English language, made them their own to misuse and abuse and injected them into the vernacular of the unknowing population without regret. Walk up to a man in his 60s, start up a conversation, and don’t be surprised to hear him spout off “awesome” once or twice to describe the good things in life. Jeff Spicoli is also to blame, but his “Awesome, totally awesome!” in Fast Times at Ridgemont High was rather endearing if you ask me. What is less endearing is the current attempt to steal “amazing” from our language.

Case in point: I did a search for the word “amazing” on a blog I frequent; the blog belongs to someone I met only once in person, but you know how the internet works now—you live vicariously through just about everyone. The search returned seven instances of the word in a total of about five posts.

Not a big deal, you say? Okay, turn on a replay of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, specifically pay attention to the red carpet show which features vapid discussions of “who are you wearing?” and “what star would you most like to meet?” Just watch this vile abuse of our language:

MTV Shows

I think I proved my point that we are on track to lose "amazing" if we don't do something about it fast. Would it help to point out the word's definition? According to Merriam Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, of which I'm a paying subscriber, amazing means to "cause great wonder or surprise, astonishing." Okay, with that said, it would seem to me that saying someone is "amazing" would mean that the person bestowing that would-be compliment actually thinks that the person is or has been incapable of such grandeur in the past, and that this display of general awesome-ness is not to be believed. In short, it's an insult!

Okay, enough of my tirade about language trends. It just pisses me off.

Today's workout:

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. There is no rest between exercises.

I have no idea what my total score was, but I would bet it's significantly less than 300. Pull ups were done with assistance band, and push ups started out strong but regressed into knee push ups. I just don't have the upper body strength I had a year ago, but I'm confident it will return--especially if I keep "tabata-ing." Just had to take my jab at destroying the language for a sec.

Life is amazing, er um, good!

Lifting Heavy Stuff

Felt a bit primal today lifting heavy. Today's workout:

Warm up:
200m row
Turkish get-up practice (I'm trying to learn how to do these for shoulder therapy)

Deadlifts:
3 x 125
3 x 135
3 x 145
3 x 165
3 x 175

I felt pretty strong today; if this had been a 1-rep max effort, I would have gone a bit heavier. Hope to get in a metcon tonight.

Back to studying...

Six-day Break

My boss gave me the rest of the week off after working Monday so I can study for my promotion test, which is 1 December. I should do well...

Today's workout got cut short because it started raining...well, and I got pretty tired. I did feel kind of primal doing deadlifts and running in the rain. Too bad I pooped out.

Warm up:
3 rounds of
5 pull ups w/ assistance band
5 ring dips w/ assistance band
200m row
10 KB swings w/ 25 lbs

"Mr. Joshua"
Five rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
30 Glute-ham sit-ups
250 pound Deadlift, 15 reps

I did this instead:
3 rounds for time of
400m run
30 abmat sit ups
125-lb deadlift x 15 reps

16:19

I was pretty wasted. I think I wore too many layers because it was rather cold. I couldn't move right, and then the rain started fairly hard during the third round. I called it quits then. I might do a short metcon tonight to make up for my weak effort today.

I visited CrossFit Solano last night and look forward to a Thanksgiving morning workout with them. It's good to have an affiliate less than 10 miles away, and Dustin seems like a great guy.

C&Js

I really surprised myself today!

Warm up:
3 rounds of
5 pull ups w/ assistance band
5 ring dips w/ assistance band
200m row
10 KB swings 25 lbs

Clean & jerks:
1 x 55
1 x 65
1 x 70
1 x 70
1 x 85
1 x 90
1 x 95 (fail)
1 x 95 (just barely a fail)
1 x 85

I scared the crap out of my dog tonight...

Sam was gaining my trust. We had an understanding. She violated that tonight. I went so Sports Authority to buy a kettlebell, which was to be a completely joyous trip for me. A sporting goods store and a kettlebell purchase--what more could a girl want. I decided not to put Sam in her crate; she had the run of the first floor of the house, which is something I've allowed in the past for brief periods. I was gone about an hour, and when I walked in through the garage door, the rug that belongs there was missing--the same rug that I make her lie down on when she's bugging me. Accident? I think not. She had started tearing the rug up in another part of the living room. I was so pissed and let out a stream of expletives, which caused her to cower and pee a little on the floor. I was then even more pissed. I relaxed a bit and put her in her crate so I could clean up. Sheesh.

Warm up:

Assisted ring dips x 5
Row 250m
Deadlifts x 10 (85 lbs)
L-sits
Deadlifts x 10 (85 lbs)

"Nicole"
Perform as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of

400m run
Max effort pull ups

I did 5 rounds with pull-up totals of 10, 7, 10, 10, 10; all done with green assistance band. I almost puked because something I consumed today sat like a rock in my stomach.

On another note, I was walking Sam this evening and saw some scary big birds in a dead tree in the woods nearby. It was getting dark, so I couldn't see what they were. I know there are turkeys nearby, but could they get up there? They might have been buzzards--yikes--and in a dead tree, no less. I better start eating better.

Life is good.

A Course in Miracles

Many people probably haven't heard or studied A Course in Miracles, but I've found a little group that gets together here to study the "course" as it's called. Tonight a line really spoke to me:

What you perceive in others you are strengthening in yourself.

Seems like a pretty benign statement until you really sink your teeth into it. If we see others as guilty, imperfect, or less than wonderful, then that's how we will--or already do--see ourselves. Judgment stems from our own harsh judgment of ourselves. I find this to be true in my own life. In fact, I experience real clarity many times while driving, and there was a time when I was overwhelmed with the reality of this statement, stated in another way in the course. It was such a powerful moment because it became easier to overcome judging others.

Warm up:

Assisted ring dips
L-sits

Workout:

Push jerk

1 x 55
1 x 65
1 x 70
1 x 70
1 x 85
1 x 85
1 x 85

I busted myself under the chin with the bar on my third attempt and really thought I'd be spitting up teeth like a hockey player, but was okay. I took inventory of myself, tasted some blood, determined I was okay, and pressed forward with the lifts. I was doubting that I could move up to 85, but it went up easily. I considered trying 90, but I didn't want to get too greedy.

I decided to have a few co-workers over on Saturday to host a CrossFit workout. I'm thinking Fight Gone Bad would be best. I'm still thinking about it though.

Life is good.

Working on form.

Warm up:
Pull ups w/ assistance band x 3
Ring dip (attempts)
Ring holds/L-sits
15-lb dumbbell swings x 15
Repeat x 3

Back squats today:

5 x 55
5 x 85
5 x 90
5 x 95
5 x 105

My head has completely gotten into how to perform a proper back squat. It could relate to the fact that now that I work out at home instead of a globo, I don't use headphones and can hear my right knee pop. I could you not. It gets under my skin. Anyway, the weights are light because I'm working form to death on these.

I'm a lazy blogger

At least lately. I'm going to try harder to provide more details...but not today.

Warm up:

Some ring holds and L-sit attempts, which are getting better. Chased my dog a little bit too!

Today's workout:

5 rounds for time:
5 hang power snatches (55 lbs)
400m run

13:57

I scaled back on the reps because my endurance on overhead lifts still has a way to go, but in retrospect, I should have done at least 10 reps. I liked this workout.