Wednesday, September 3;
So, sometimes I do things that are kind of stupid. Last night was certainly one of those stupid things I decided to do. I thought it would be fun to drop in on a free class at Potomac Crossfit. I haven't been over to see their space, so I figured this would be a good chance.
I got there a little early. I thought the class started at 7pm when it really started at 8pm. Thankfully, I refrained from joining in on the mini Cindy workout. They have a foundations class where they teach basic movements and proper standards. There was some really great information packed into an hour. At the end of the foundations class, they did a short little Cindy workout. I think it was AMRAP in 10 or 15 minutes. The highest scorers got about 9 rounds.
8pm rolled around and I was ready for the second workout of the day. I had my first run-in with Michael. I was excited, because I've heard how deceptively awful this workout is. I was pumped to be able to hit it with the back extension machine. First we hit a little warmup.
Warmup:
3 rounds
10 pullups (fixed bar.. I got 3 callous tears by my third round)
10 pushups
10 KB swings
10 lunges (20 in total)
Sampson Stretch
I wrapped up my hands and got ready to hit Michael for the first time.
Workout:
"Michael"
3 rounds
800 meter run
50 situps w/ Abmat
50 back extensions
Total time: 22:00
I don't know if this is a good time, but I finished before some and after others, who also did the workout as prescribed. I guess we'll see next time once Jerry gets back extension machines at the new place! :) Also, I'd just like to point out that I did 150 situps for Filthy 50 on Tuesday. For the record, doing 300 ab mat situps in 2 days is a bad idea and it hurts... really badly. Also, it hurts getting out of bed the next morning.... really badly.
I felt like death by the time I got home. Every piece of my body was hurting. Taking a shower and washing my hair last night hurt. Getting food to eat hurt. Laying down in bed hurt. It all hurt. All that being said.. it may have been smart if I stayed home this morning and slept in. Of course I didn't do that.
Thursday, September 4;
I woke up at 4 this morning. My sore muscles woke me up, and I couldn't get comfortable with my shoulder. I took out a book and read for a little bit, and I was able to get a few moments of sleep before my alarm went of at 5:30am. God help me.
Today's CFOT workout wasn't terrible at all. It was just rowing and ring dips. No time, just 4 rounds of the exercises. I think rowing was the only thing I could have pulled off this morning. Truly, I have no idea why I went in.
Workout:
4 rounds
15 ring rows
500 meter row for time
This actually turned in to...
2 rounds
15 ring rows (floss)
4 rounds
500 meter row for time
Total time: 2:09, 2:12, 2:11, 2:12
Sucky times, but consistent. This hurt. I'm not sure if I'll make it in tomorrow. The 2-a-day, was kind of dumb and painful. I'd love to make it in though. I'll just see how I feel.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Too Much Time on My Hands... or Jerry Gets Strict
Wednesday, September 3;
I was going to write about something else today, but I overhead a conversation in the lunch room and then inserted myself into it. I've decided to go ahead and write about something else. As I just mentioned, I was in the lunchroom today preparing my lunch. A co-worker of mine said this.. get ready, "people who workout have too much time on their hands."
I couldn't believe it! Too much time on their hands? At this moment I jumped into the conversation and asked, what she meant by that statement. She repeated in and then said people who work out must not have anything else more important to do. I asked her how much time she spent watching television. Her answer was even better! She said, "I didn't watch any tv yesterday. I spend my time smoking cigarettes."
Obviously, she was kidding with her last remark. I explained that it took me just 20 minutes to work out this morning (actually this morning's workout took a little less than 20 minutes.. and then took 15 minutes to add up my final score).
To get back to the original statement, "people who workout have too much time on their hands." We've all heard this in some shape or another. You know your friends who say, "I don't have enough time to workout." I have always thought that this answer was a load.. Of course you have time to workout. You have 20 minutes to do some pullups, pushups and squats before hopping in the shower in the morning. It's easy to cut out an hour of television watching or an hour of sitting at a bar drinking a beer. The truth is that people aren't willing to make working out a priority. I'd much rather hear someone say, "I just don't want to make my body a priority right now." That statement is full of honesty. It doesn't put value on your priorities and it doesn't devalue working out. It's just the truth.
Workout:
5 Rounds of 5 reps, you have 90 seconds to complete each set, and 30 seconds to move to the next set. Total score is amount of weight moved:
Strict Press
Strict Pullups
Round 1: 65lb Press, 138lb Pullup
Round 2: 65lb Press, 127lb Pullup
Round 3: 65lb Press, 127lb Pullup
Round 4: 65lb Press, 138lb Pullup x 3 / 127lb Pullup x 2
Round 5: 66lb Press x 4, 127lb Pullup
Total Weight Moved: 4,827
I was going to write about something else today, but I overhead a conversation in the lunch room and then inserted myself into it. I've decided to go ahead and write about something else. As I just mentioned, I was in the lunchroom today preparing my lunch. A co-worker of mine said this.. get ready, "people who workout have too much time on their hands."
I couldn't believe it! Too much time on their hands? At this moment I jumped into the conversation and asked, what she meant by that statement. She repeated in and then said people who work out must not have anything else more important to do. I asked her how much time she spent watching television. Her answer was even better! She said, "I didn't watch any tv yesterday. I spend my time smoking cigarettes."
Obviously, she was kidding with her last remark. I explained that it took me just 20 minutes to work out this morning (actually this morning's workout took a little less than 20 minutes.. and then took 15 minutes to add up my final score).
To get back to the original statement, "people who workout have too much time on their hands." We've all heard this in some shape or another. You know your friends who say, "I don't have enough time to workout." I have always thought that this answer was a load.. Of course you have time to workout. You have 20 minutes to do some pullups, pushups and squats before hopping in the shower in the morning. It's easy to cut out an hour of television watching or an hour of sitting at a bar drinking a beer. The truth is that people aren't willing to make working out a priority. I'd much rather hear someone say, "I just don't want to make my body a priority right now." That statement is full of honesty. It doesn't put value on your priorities and it doesn't devalue working out. It's just the truth.
Workout:
5 Rounds of 5 reps, you have 90 seconds to complete each set, and 30 seconds to move to the next set. Total score is amount of weight moved:
Strict Press
Strict Pullups
Round 1: 65lb Press, 138lb Pullup
Round 2: 65lb Press, 127lb Pullup
Round 3: 65lb Press, 127lb Pullup
Round 4: 65lb Press, 138lb Pullup x 3 / 127lb Pullup x 2
Round 5: 66lb Press x 4, 127lb Pullup
Total Weight Moved: 4,827
I may venture to say that this workout may have been my fault. I apologize to all of you light weights out there! It looks eerily similar to another workout I have done. What made this workout worse was that the two movements we did today were strict. That means no kipping in the pullup and no push in the press. Yowzah!
I felt pretty dialed in on the strict press. My 5 rep max used to be heavier than 65lbs, but I'm solidly here now. The 5th rep was a struggle each round, which tells me I've picked the right weight. I even failed when I went up 1 pound from 65 to 66. Crazy! The press felt good though. Before I pressed I'd get a good deep breath. I tighten up from my heels through my legs.. tighten the butt and then tighten up the back. Then I'd give a good strong push. I felt so solid! Loved it.
Thinking of dropping in on Potomac Crossfit tonight. I'd love to get a look at their space.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Getting Dirty with the Filthy 50
Tuesday, September 2;
I think my weekend of activity blew my shoulder big time. It was a little sore last night and it hurt when I woke up this morning. I got in some decent warmup time, but honestly it was kind of a mess. What's so aggravating about this thing is that some days it feels just fine. Other days it feels horrible. I can't ever really tell how the workouts are going to feel. Sometimes the most bizarre thing hurts it too. Like today, the box jumps killed me. It's the jarring of jumping up and jumping down. It's not like that stopped me though.
I have never hit a filthy 50. Well, maybe I have and I blocked it out of my memory. I don't think so though. For sanity sake we will just say that this was my first time. I tried to have some sort of strategy with the thing. I went back and forth from the movements that I knew would smoke me and the ones that were easier. The burpees took forever eventhough I broke them up into 5 sets of 10. The situps were also ridiculous. Have you ever tried to 150 fast situps on an abmat?? Ridiculous!! They seemed like they would never end. The rest of it was pretty easy.... just kidding!!! :)
Workout:
150 Ab Mat Situps (these things took forever!)
50 KB high pulls
50 Dumbbell thrusters (15lb)
50 Burpees
50 Dumbbell push press (15lb)
50 Double unders (I subbed 150 singles)
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 KB swings (35 lb)
50 Walking lunges (each leg)
Total time: 29:07
I was a little irritated with this time. I was hoping to bring this one in under 25 minutes. The situps and the burpees just blew my time. I guess I can speed it up next time.
About the shoulder.. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions the other day. It's not exactly if I'm going to get it, it's more like when and who's going to do it. I've been looking into some upper extremeties experts. I want someone who works only on shoulders and arms. Let me know if you've heard of anyone.
Also, I think I'll have to put the surgery off until late November. I've been accepted for a temporary political producer position at C-SPAN. I'll be working on coverage of the campaign. I'm looking forward to it, but It'll be a lot to take on. It'll be too much to do that and recover from surgery, so I'll be putting up with pain for a few more months until I can get things squared away at work. It's going to be really wonderful typing 15 page papers on political theory with just my right hand! Take that Socrates!
I think my weekend of activity blew my shoulder big time. It was a little sore last night and it hurt when I woke up this morning. I got in some decent warmup time, but honestly it was kind of a mess. What's so aggravating about this thing is that some days it feels just fine. Other days it feels horrible. I can't ever really tell how the workouts are going to feel. Sometimes the most bizarre thing hurts it too. Like today, the box jumps killed me. It's the jarring of jumping up and jumping down. It's not like that stopped me though.
I have never hit a filthy 50. Well, maybe I have and I blocked it out of my memory. I don't think so though. For sanity sake we will just say that this was my first time. I tried to have some sort of strategy with the thing. I went back and forth from the movements that I knew would smoke me and the ones that were easier. The burpees took forever eventhough I broke them up into 5 sets of 10. The situps were also ridiculous. Have you ever tried to 150 fast situps on an abmat?? Ridiculous!! They seemed like they would never end. The rest of it was pretty easy.... just kidding!!! :)
Workout:
150 Ab Mat Situps (these things took forever!)
50 KB high pulls
50 Dumbbell thrusters (15lb)
50 Burpees
50 Dumbbell push press (15lb)
50 Double unders (I subbed 150 singles)
50 Box Jumps
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 KB swings (35 lb)
50 Walking lunges (each leg)
Total time: 29:07
I was a little irritated with this time. I was hoping to bring this one in under 25 minutes. The situps and the burpees just blew my time. I guess I can speed it up next time.
About the shoulder.. Thank you all for your comments and suggestions the other day. It's not exactly if I'm going to get it, it's more like when and who's going to do it. I've been looking into some upper extremeties experts. I want someone who works only on shoulders and arms. Let me know if you've heard of anyone.
Also, I think I'll have to put the surgery off until late November. I've been accepted for a temporary political producer position at C-SPAN. I'll be working on coverage of the campaign. I'm looking forward to it, but It'll be a lot to take on. It'll be too much to do that and recover from surgery, so I'll be putting up with pain for a few more months until I can get things squared away at work. It's going to be really wonderful typing 15 page papers on political theory with just my right hand! Take that Socrates!
The Final Water Trip of the Summer
Hey guys, I'm putting together a CFOT rafting trip!! It's this Saturday, September 6.
Oar Assisted Rafting River: Potomac River
Location: Harpers Ferry, WV
Guided: Yes
Class: Flatwater or Class I-III
Description: River Riders oar rigged raft trips allow you the opportunity to plan the perfect river trip for your group. Oar rigs are ideal for families with young children or seniors, as the guide will take care of the maneuvering and paddling for you! Enjoy a full day trip on the Shenandoah or Potomac River or make it a quick outing and do a 2 hour express flatwater trip.
Date: Saturday, September 6
When: Meet at CFOT at 9am. We'll head out from there.
For More info: http://www.riverriders.com/RRMain.asp?Option=List&Activity=Rafting
Look What You Missed... Suckas!
I don't mean to rub it in your face or anything, but we had an extra ticket to the Nationals game last week, and you guys really missed it!! I won't name names, but some of you had other things to do like watching a football game on television.
Also, check out the final score in the game against the Dodgers..
I'd like to point out that Keturah and I had a blast.. check out these seats! We were in row N right off of first base.
Also, check out the final score in the game against the Dodgers..Nats win 11 to 2.. with two home runs, and a triple by Guzman in the 8th inning.
If you ask me it was a much better game and score than the 34-14 Vanderbilt win over Miami of Ohio, but what do I know?
Monday, September 1, 2008
What a Weekend
Labor Day Weekend;
Despite an unexpected solo trek down to the bay, I had an amazing time. I usually prefer spending time with my friends, but plans don't always work out as you expect. So I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while I was down on the water and set off. Topping the list was getting in a really good kayak trip and an equally good bike ride. I knew I'd do one a day, because I'd be exhausted after both. I also wanted to get down to the "beach"really a nice patch of sand down on the water. I got all three in! 
Saturday was kayaking. After my morning workout I headed out to a nice little place where I can rent a kayak. I set out a little bit before high tide. It's always a concern that I'll get stuck out in the mud. The tide goes out as quickly as you can blink your eye. It was a beautiful day. The water runs through reeds and marsh lands. It's awesome to be able to see the wildlife. Lots of blue herons, egrets and fish. Every once in a while a little fish would pop up out of the water and jumps sideways back in. They'd travel along with my kayak. I paddled out to the Chesepeake Bay.. it's about a 2 hour trek. I just hung out in the bay for a while. The water was nice and rocky. After sitting out a bit, I decided to start heading back in. I knew it wouldn't take as long because the water was heading back inland. By the time I started heading back in, I was ready for my kayak trip to be over. Unfortunately, the tide was not ready for me to return. I had to be really careful about where I paddled because right underneath the water would be the mud from the bay. Every once in a while, I'd put my paddle in and it would come back with a load of muck on it. I got nervous when the muck came up from only putting my paddle in an inch or so. Thankfully, my kayak wasn't very deep. I managed to get back to deeper water. After some serious paddling, I got back to shore. I couldn't avoid getting stuck as I doced the kayak. I had to pull my kayak on shore straight from the water. When I stepped out of my kayak, I stepped into about a foot of muck. Gross, but at the same time kind of fun. When it was all over I had spent about 3 hours out on the water, and gotten a pretty sweet tan, and a wicked are workout.
Sunday was. It's my 15 mile bike ride. After Saturday's workout my arms were pretty shot. I love getting out on my bike. It's even better down on the water, because there's tons of space and not many bikers or joggers or drivers. It's so quiet. I had a sweet little map which kept me on track. Unusually, my bike ride was pretty uneventful. No rocky roads, no falls and no flat tires. It was another beautiful day. I passed by a big black snake and a family of about 12 turkeys. I was thankful not to have anyone with me, because it allowed me to go at my own pace. I've been working on speeding up my biking. I'm slower than I would like to be right now. I'm averaging about 75 pedals (one push each leg equals a pedal) a minute. I stopped at a little warf, sat out on a picnic table and took my shoes, gloves and helmet off. This point marks about half of my ride. I headed back home. It's a ton of fun to be able to see the quiet little homes and well kept yards down by the bay. It's also a little strange to see abandoned homes and overgrown yards right next door. It's also really weird to see the confederate flags every so often. I actually almost fell over when I saw the first one. It seemed so out of place and so unusual. It's strange to think that it's such a different world just three hours from here. It was equally nice to get home. It was a little strange because my arms kept loosing feeling. Like the blood wasn't flowing properly, but it felt so good just to be out in nature that I didn't really mind it much.
Monday
No workout, but I did head out to the beach and finished up my book and listened to the water lapping up against the shore. Beautiful.. Absolutely beautiful!!! I can't wait to invite some people down to join me.
I'll post up a picture of the view of the bay from our backyard. I have to admit, it's hard to leave a place like that.
Of course as soon as I leave I'm in a hurry to get back. I got a speeding ticket on my way home. At least the officer was nice. He refused to call me Ms. Hoar. I loved it!! He called me Ms. Adrienne. He said his daughter and I had the same name and spelled it the same way. This must have been why he let me off easy (I still got a $100 ticket). It could have been worse though. He lowered the speed he clocked me driving. Very nice of him.
I can't wait to get back to CFOT. Bring it on Jerry!!!!
Despite an unexpected solo trek down to the bay, I had an amazing time. I usually prefer spending time with my friends, but plans don't always work out as you expect. So I made a list of all the things I wanted to do while I was down on the water and set off. Topping the list was getting in a really good kayak trip and an equally good bike ride. I knew I'd do one a day, because I'd be exhausted after both. I also wanted to get down to the "beach"really a nice patch of sand down on the water. I got all three in!
Saturday was kayaking. After my morning workout I headed out to a nice little place where I can rent a kayak. I set out a little bit before high tide. It's always a concern that I'll get stuck out in the mud. The tide goes out as quickly as you can blink your eye. It was a beautiful day. The water runs through reeds and marsh lands. It's awesome to be able to see the wildlife. Lots of blue herons, egrets and fish. Every once in a while a little fish would pop up out of the water and jumps sideways back in. They'd travel along with my kayak. I paddled out to the Chesepeake Bay.. it's about a 2 hour trek. I just hung out in the bay for a while. The water was nice and rocky. After sitting out a bit, I decided to start heading back in. I knew it wouldn't take as long because the water was heading back inland. By the time I started heading back in, I was ready for my kayak trip to be over. Unfortunately, the tide was not ready for me to return. I had to be really careful about where I paddled because right underneath the water would be the mud from the bay. Every once in a while, I'd put my paddle in and it would come back with a load of muck on it. I got nervous when the muck came up from only putting my paddle in an inch or so. Thankfully, my kayak wasn't very deep. I managed to get back to deeper water. After some serious paddling, I got back to shore. I couldn't avoid getting stuck as I doced the kayak. I had to pull my kayak on shore straight from the water. When I stepped out of my kayak, I stepped into about a foot of muck. Gross, but at the same time kind of fun. When it was all over I had spent about 3 hours out on the water, and gotten a pretty sweet tan, and a wicked are workout.
Sunday was. It's my 15 mile bike ride. After Saturday's workout my arms were pretty shot. I love getting out on my bike. It's even better down on the water, because there's tons of space and not many bikers or joggers or drivers. It's so quiet. I had a sweet little map which kept me on track. Unusually, my bike ride was pretty uneventful. No rocky roads, no falls and no flat tires. It was another beautiful day. I passed by a big black snake and a family of about 12 turkeys. I was thankful not to have anyone with me, because it allowed me to go at my own pace. I've been working on speeding up my biking. I'm slower than I would like to be right now. I'm averaging about 75 pedals (one push each leg equals a pedal) a minute. I stopped at a little warf, sat out on a picnic table and took my shoes, gloves and helmet off. This point marks about half of my ride. I headed back home. It's a ton of fun to be able to see the quiet little homes and well kept yards down by the bay. It's also a little strange to see abandoned homes and overgrown yards right next door. It's also really weird to see the confederate flags every so often. I actually almost fell over when I saw the first one. It seemed so out of place and so unusual. It's strange to think that it's such a different world just three hours from here. It was equally nice to get home. It was a little strange because my arms kept loosing feeling. Like the blood wasn't flowing properly, but it felt so good just to be out in nature that I didn't really mind it much.
Monday
No workout, but I did head out to the beach and finished up my book and listened to the water lapping up against the shore. Beautiful.. Absolutely beautiful!!! I can't wait to invite some people down to join me.
I'll post up a picture of the view of the bay from our backyard. I have to admit, it's hard to leave a place like that.
Of course as soon as I leave I'm in a hurry to get back. I got a speeding ticket on my way home. At least the officer was nice. He refused to call me Ms. Hoar. I loved it!! He called me Ms. Adrienne. He said his daughter and I had the same name and spelled it the same way. This must have been why he let me off easy (I still got a $100 ticket). It could have been worse though. He lowered the speed he clocked me driving. Very nice of him.
I can't wait to get back to CFOT. Bring it on Jerry!!!!
Playing Catch Up
Saturday, August 30;
Pictures will be incoming for this blog post tomorrow. I left my cord at work, so I'm left with a bare blog. God forbid! I saw the workout I missed on Friday on Katie's blog. I was pumped because I knew I could do the workout on my own down at the bay.
Saturday was the perfect day. It was nice and warm with lots of sun. That always means a nasty, sweaty workout. I carry my Kettlebell around in my trunk, so I pulled it out threw it out on the gravel, did a few rounds of cals, threw on my Ipod and headed out. The run down to the end of the driveway is probably a little more than 400 meters. I'd say about 550 or 600 meters. The Kettlebell is 35lbs (light by CFOT standards), and the squats were squats. I could have grabbed some rock or something to do weighted squats, but I'm thrilled I didn't. This thing turned out to be much more nasty than I ever thought it would be.
Workout:
3 rounds:
550 meter run
25 KB swings
50 air squats
25 KB swings
Total 23:45
Multiple Reasons why this workout sucked...
1. It was hot, which led to being unbelievably sweaty. Usually that's not a bad thing, but #2 explains why it turned out to be a bad thing.
2. Lots of bugs. Mosquitoes are a constant concern at the bay.. especially for me and my sweet skin.
3. Lots of mosquito bites
4. Missing my friends from CFOT... no one to compete with.
5. Throwing up after teh second round of running.
6. No one to cheer me on after throwing up... and no one to bring out the trash can either. :(
7. No Jerry to tell me to keep going when I'm sweating like crazy and feeling like death.
8. Knowing that my final score was unbelievably terrible.
A terrible workout, but a perfect warmup for an afternoon of kayaking on the bay. All in all, life is good!
Pictures will be incoming for this blog post tomorrow. I left my cord at work, so I'm left with a bare blog. God forbid! I saw the workout I missed on Friday on Katie's blog. I was pumped because I knew I could do the workout on my own down at the bay.
Saturday was the perfect day. It was nice and warm with lots of sun. That always means a nasty, sweaty workout. I carry my Kettlebell around in my trunk, so I pulled it out threw it out on the gravel, did a few rounds of cals, threw on my Ipod and headed out. The run down to the end of the driveway is probably a little more than 400 meters. I'd say about 550 or 600 meters. The Kettlebell is 35lbs (light by CFOT standards), and the squats were squats. I could have grabbed some rock or something to do weighted squats, but I'm thrilled I didn't. This thing turned out to be much more nasty than I ever thought it would be.
Workout:
3 rounds:
550 meter run
25 KB swings
50 air squats
25 KB swings
Total 23:45
Multiple Reasons why this workout sucked...
1. It was hot, which led to being unbelievably sweaty. Usually that's not a bad thing, but #2 explains why it turned out to be a bad thing.
2. Lots of bugs. Mosquitoes are a constant concern at the bay.. especially for me and my sweet skin.
3. Lots of mosquito bites
4. Missing my friends from CFOT... no one to compete with.
5. Throwing up after teh second round of running.
6. No one to cheer me on after throwing up... and no one to bring out the trash can either. :(
7. No Jerry to tell me to keep going when I'm sweating like crazy and feeling like death.
8. Knowing that my final score was unbelievably terrible.
A terrible workout, but a perfect warmup for an afternoon of kayaking on the bay. All in all, life is good!
