Hello Again (with Photos!)

Wow, it's been forever since I updated this blog. I'm too tired to post much of anything substantial, but I've taken various pictures since I got my new phone, so I'll share some good ones.
Some people in Wisconsin still haven't gotten over the whole Favre to the Vikings thing.

Great way to get fit. Seriously!



A treadmill for your abs! Finally!

Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin...mmm...

My post-Thanksgiving setup in the Outer Banks

Traveling

I've not updated in ages, but having a little downtime while traveling means I can finally update this blog...

Today (Friday) I took the day off work to fly to Boston to watch my alma mater (Boston College) play a football game on Saturday.

I decided to sneak a hotel room WOD in, despite getting in both a regular WOD and a rowing workout in yesterday. There's no gym in this hotel in the South End, but hey, there's floor space and a wall. I decided I hadn't worked squats nearly enough in the past few weeks, so the on-the-fly WOD was:

7 rounds for time of:
-10 pushups
-15 situps
-15 squats

Result: ~13 minutes (not really sure, just glanced at the clock a few times).

Was able to knock out all 7 pushups sets unbroken; can't say the same for the situps or squats, at least not as smoothly as the pushups.

For dinner I went to a place called B Good's, which looks a lot like a Chipotle, both inside and out. Turns out it's more of a burger place. However, it wins huge points in my book by allowing you to substitute steamed veggies for the bun on the burger. So I was able to order the "West Side" burger, which is your basic burger with guacamole, cilantro, salsa, and tomato, along with some steamed carrots and broccoli. I also had sweet potato fries with the burger, which are a great substitute for french fries.

Had dinner and drinks with a friend from college and law school. He looked at me a bit askance when I ordered a paleo margarita after a couple light beers, even going so far as to call me "high maintenance" (jokingly...I think).

Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in a run around Boston tomorrow morning...

Frustration

Yesterday's WOD was not particularly daunting at first glance. However, I was starting at a disadvantage from my running jaunt on Monday. I must've been pushing it too hard or not focusing enough on my footstrike, because the inside of my left arch, near my instep, was hurting most of yesterday. Add to that I slept funny on my back/shoulder Saturday night so my upper back and shoulder blade have been hurting for two-plus days.

The WOD was:

Power Snatch
3-2-1-1-1

then

AMRAP in 6:00 of:

-25 Double Unders
-10 burpees (minus the pushup)
-100m sprint
then rest 1:00

3 rounds of that.

Power Snatch:
I need to continue being diligent on my squat therapy and hip work, because my trouble came from not getting under the bar fast enough and resetting my knees before locking out. The weight didn't feel like it was too heavy, but I was having trouble nonetheless. Bill reminded me of the squat therapy stuff, so it's just another thing I need to be sure to hit before every WOD and at home when I've got a few spare minutes.

Result: 30-30-30-35-35

DU/Burpee/Sprint:
Ah yes, here's where everything came unraveled. I generally suck at burpees, and my double-unders are getting better, but I still can't rip off more than 15 in a row with any consistency. Running is usually my forte.

So on the first round, I got through the DUs okay, nothing special, though it's easy to feel pathetic when Jennie is next to you ripping off 25 DUs before you can blink. Burpees were slow, as per usual. Then came the first 100m sprint. Well, my foot and ankle were sore, but I figured I could get through this. About 50m in, I realized I was going to regret running, period. I hobbled back and managed to complete the 6:00 round, but my frustration led me to screwing up my DUs every rep or three. So when the round was over, I stalked into the Fort (this part was outside in the parking lot), ripped off my shoe and sock, and threw them down in disgust. I probably used some non-family friendly language too. Okay, not probably.

Bill came over asked what my deal was and I explained. He asked if I could still do the DUs and burpees, which I didn't want to do, but saw no reason not to. I simply let my frustration over my foot get the best of me, so I only did about 4 minutes of the second round instead of sucking it up and figuring out how to modify the workout and get something out of it. I continued to screw up my DUs, enough so that Zach and Bill had to repeatedly tell me to stop letting them get into my head.

I finished the workout, but all in all, it was a pretty big disaster. The physical problems were bad enough, but letting myself get overly emotional about it and hurting my performance even further was just plain stupid. If I hadn't had two of the coaches reminding me, I probably would have quit entirely after round 1.

Lesson Learned: Better to modify a workout than stop completely, if the injury allows.

Tuesday 9/15

WOD:

Overhead Squats (OHS)
3-3-3-3

Results: 20-25-30-35

Comments: OHS squats are easily my weakest movement. Squats have always been a weak spot for me, but they're getting better overall. But keeping that heavy bar overhead while trying to squat just makes me feel weak as a kitten. I felt okay about my strength and depth of the squat today until I hit the 35 kg weight.

then

"Karen"
-150 wall balls (20#) for time

Result: 12:15

Comment: Not happy with the time. I went almost two minutes faster last time (July 30), but I guess there are two things I need to keep in mind.

1. Bill says my squat depth is much better than it used to be, so I'm likely getting much deeper (and doing so more consistently) than even two months ago.

2. Doing the OHS before this probably taxed my hips, as did the extensive running yesterday.

As a general matter, I need to keep an eye on my caloric intake. I was very hungry on the way to the Fort tonight, which is a sign I'm not eating enough. Which is a perfect segue to...

Food:

Lunch:
-12 oz. round steak covered in salsa

Dinner:
-Chipotle fajita bowl w/ double chicken, double guacamole, peppers and onions, salsa, and some lettuce. (Thanks Dave)

Running! (said in Jennie's purposely mocking high-pitched tone)

Yesterday I decided I had let my running get way too far down my list of priorities. I joined Crossfit originally to get stronger and learn how to do real weightlifting (i.e., not Nautilus machines and quarter-squats on a rack), but it was still with the idea of getting healthy and improving my running.

Warning: Lengthy, boring injury history ahead. Feel free to skip the next two paragraphs.

My long-standing leg problems are likely a result of my years of running thousands of miles and never really paying much attention to stretching, especially in college. Part of the appeal of Crossfit was to strengthen my hips and posterior chain so as to eliminate the weaknesses that were contributing to my problems. I am naturally not the most flexible person in the world to begin with. Additionally, all the years of running caused my hips, IT bands, and hamstrings to become so bound up with adhesions in the fascia that I did not have full range of motion while striding.

The problems began in the winter of 2005, when I had taken a long break from running after my aborted fall 2004 senior season of cross country at Boston College.
These factors caused me to make my stride longer to compensate, which led to major heel-striking. This, as any kinesiologist or biomechanical expert will tell you, not only slows you down, but puts a tremendous amount of force on your legs. That force manifested itself as pain in my soleus and weak, inflexible ankles. I've used a foam roller, trigger point therapy (at home, no provider is close enough to matter), massage, and various kinds of stretches. One thing I've heard is effective, outside of treatment, is focusing on mid-foot striking.

Whether it's using Vibram Five Fingers, Nike Frees, racing flats, or plain barefoot, there are plenty of options out there for retraining your foot-fall. I have been trying to walk around and work out in my Five Fingers as much as possible, and run in my Free 5.0s.

I ran about 35 minutes yesterday in the Frees, mostly on grass, and really focused on my stride and where I landed more than time. I definitely noticed that I would heel strike when I got tired and had to remind myself to make sure I was almost kicking myself in the butt when striding. This made it a lot easier to midfoot strike without having to focus on a landing point. I used to think a long stride was the be-all, end-all of being fast, but reading the growing literature on barefoot running and injuries related to heel-striking, I've found that a shorter, more compact stride is just as fast and leaves you less prone to injury. I found that my ankles are still not where I need them to be in terms of flexibility or stability, as I noticed them roll on uneven ground a few times.

My feet, ankles, and calves were fatigued by the end of this little jaunt, but I did not have any pain in the soleus region that has been my constant running companion for almost 5 years now. Hopefully I can continue getting this kind of running in a couple times per week, in addition to whatever shorter runs are part of the WOD at the Fort. If I can someday be able to run a half-marathon at a respectable (for me) pace, I'd consider it a success. If I can keep this up and continue using the therapy techniques and stretching my hips, low back, and hamstrings, I like to think that is possible.

Better Body Challenge

Well, I guess I need to start posting what I'm eating for this BBC thing.

Yesterday, my consumption was:

Breakfast:
-energy drink

I woke up about 5 times during the night, I think due to eating some decidedly non-paleo foods during the Bears game and drinking a bit. All around bad morning.

Lunch:
-salad with grilled chicken from BK.

Their salads have shrunk considerably from the last time I had one, which was probably 6 months ago. I was not amused and not full.

Dinner:
-3 fried eggs w/ mild chilies
-3 scrambled eggs w/mild chilies
-4 strips of thick cut bacon
-6 oz of orange juice (I know, I know...but it was in the fridge and I hadn't had any in months. Sue me.)

Sleep

It is really quite important. You can find study after study linking lack of sleep to things like higher cancer rates, depression, weight gain, slowed muscle growth, etc. I love sleeping and am notorious for sleeping anywhere, anytime. So you'd think I would be one of those people who gets at least 8 hours every night. You'd be wrong. (And just stand there and be wrong and embrace your wrongness!)

I consistently let myself stay away reading or watching TV until midnight, then realize I need to be up in 7 hours. I really need to get a handle on my sleep discipline (I think I just invented a phrase). My goal is to get to bed by or before 11 p.m. on Sunday-Thursday nights for the rest of the Better Body Challenge going on at the Fort. That's until October 31. I'm not saying I'll be able to do it every single night, but it's a reasonable goal and one that I think will definitely improve fat loss, muscle gain, ability to focus at work, and my mood.

With that in mind, I'm going to bed and sleeping until I wake up. No Team Saturday for me tomorrow.

Caleb

Friday's workout was Caleb, chosen by Brittany for her birthday. (Everyone gets to pick the workout on their birthday at the Fort.) It consists of:

8 rounds (for time, natch) of:

-400 m run
-8 lunges
-8 box jumps

I haven't been running a lot lately, although with my new magic shoes and a renewed effort to improve both my flexibility and my stride through stretching, balance work, and some barefoot running, I hope to get back to it. (yikes, I hope Brit doesn't mark up that last sentence with a red pen...)

Anywho, I got out to a nice start, but I still don't quite have the explosiveness or hip function to hit the box jumps in rapid succession. Another good gauge of athleticism, I feel, is your ability to jump, land, and quickly "re-jump." Guys like Garth, MattyLo, Tom, Pete, Kilo, and Bill are amazing to watch, as it seems like they hit the ground and automatically spring back into the air. So, that slowed me down a bit. I felt like my runs were okay, especially rounds 1, 2, 7, and 8. I didn't feel so fast on rounds 3-6, but I think I stayed well-under 2 minutes for every run.

Time: 19:11.

Good enough for third on the day at the Fort. Garth blazed the damn thing, getting 17:40, and MattyLo got 18:25 (I think). I know I can run a lot faster now that I'm not feeling bloated everyday with milk. I just need to get consistent about running some intervals every day, along with spending a couple days working on my stride and some longer running. It's always been my strength and despite focusing a lot on adding muscle mass and working on adding weight to my lifts, I don't want to neglect what makes me a slightly less sucky athlete.

Additionally, I want to knock The Garth Show off the top of the 5k record board. His time is just over 21 minutes. Okay, actually, I don't want to knock that time off the board, I want to crush it. I normally don't write these kinds of things for public consumption, but it's a point of personal pride for me and if it's out there in the open, I'm more likely to stick to my schedule of getting my running back where it should be.

Coke and a...meh

Lately, as in the past month or so since I cut the GOMAD out of my diet, I've tried to adhere to drinking only black coffee when I need caffeine. This isn't to say I haven't cheated; after about 4-5 hours of sleep on Wednesday night, I indulged in a "low-carb" Monster energy drink. However, other than that, I think I've had something other than straight black coffee once in the past month.

So, today, I decided to try a regular Coke (with good old HFCS) to see how it tasted. I've tried the new-old-new real sugar Pepsi before and didn't like it. So I poured myself a glass with ice and...I really didn't like it. Not that it was too sweet, as I've heard some people say after going sans-sugar for a while. It just didn't taste like I remember Coke tasting: satisfyingly sweet and refreshing.

I was sort of torn over this for a minute, but I've decided it's a good thing. I know now that I don't enjoy sugar in coffee or soft drinks now, so I'll be far less tempted to have CABs (crack-added beverages).

P.S. As far as the pictures go: I found the squirrel first and thought it was amusing. And do I really need to explain the other picture?

My Magic Shoes

...Mama said they'd take me anywhere.