Clean & Jerk / Swings Fran-style

21-15-9

95# Clean & Jerks (from floor to overhead, natch)

55# DB Swing (Russian style, to shoulder height)

20:39 Was breaking the C&J into 2 and 3 rep sets by number 10 of the first round. Had to bread the swings even, cause my grip was abandoning me. :( Still, good clean (& jerk) fun.

Then: .5 mile run x2 with 90 seconds rest between runs.

Uphillish leg: 4:42

Downhillish leg: 4:06

This is super super sad. I'm not a runner but I should be able to run a half-mile in sub-4. My total lack of any running at all in the past five months is really showing. Course I was pretty fatigued from the C&J/Swing thing and my left knee is all twingey again. But still--4:42? Grr.

Run 5K

The Crossfit WOD today was run 5 K for time.

I warmed up with about 500 meters on the rower (maybe more, not exactly sure) then moved over to the treadmill for an interesting hill workout.

I'll try to explain what I did....

Started the treadmill at 15% grade (REALLY steep) and 5.5 mph. I ran 1/10 of a mile like that, then decreased the speed to somewhere around 4 mph and recovered for 1/10th of a mile. For the next 1/10th, I decreased the grade to 14% and increased the speed to 5.7. Ran for 1/10, recovered for 1/10. After every run/recover cycle the grade went down by 1% and the speed went up by .2 mph. This went on for 3 miles, until by the end I was sprinting at 0% grade.

Total time was around 30 minutes, but I didn't write down the exact time.

PM: 400 meter + Squat WOD

Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
50 Squats

12:40

Ran first two rounds barefoot, stopped to put on socks for rounds 3 & 4. My goal was 12, so this isn't too bad, but even accounting for the socks I was running about 5-8 seconds slow per round. Every second counts, right? But, I love running in socks! It felt good.

Alison did this with me. She came in just a breath over 14:00. Mary timed us as we ran around behind childcare. She says we are inspiring, but I think she thinks we are kookie. Fun times.

Oh, and before I clocked out and did this WOD, I did some skill practice in one legged squats. I got two consecutive full depth squats on my left leg and one on my right. I was pretty stoked about this, because (a) one legged squats are badass and I have not yet been able to do them to depth and (b) I think it will look really cool in a photo in a few weeks.

PM: Crossfit Endurance 40:20 x 5

40 seconds on: 20 seconds off. 5 rounds, all out sprints.

Did this on the path behind our house with Nick calling "start" and "stop" to me. I have no idea how much distance I covered. On the first round I ran clear off the path and got most of the way up the hill of our street before I got to rest. Then I had to come down the hill, which was very fast. For rounds 3-5 I just ran back and forth over the flat part of the path and the road, which I think was a better way to go. Sticking to the path allowed my to try and beat the number of out and backs I did, too. I was averaging 4 out and backs, but got almost 5 on the last round! (No idea of actual distance, though!).

800 meter repeats

This morning I wanted to get a bit of a workout in before I started my party day, and luckilly crossfit came through for me with a simple and fast WOD:

Four rounds, each for time of:
800 meter run

Rest as needed between efforts.

I was running at 8 mph, holding a 7:30 pace pretty much the whole time, so the first 3 rounds were right around 3:45, with a 2 minute rest between rounds. Had to take a slightly longer break after round 3 (potty break, what can I say?) so I kicked up the speed to 8.2 and shaved a few seconds off the last round, ending with a 3:39.

Then I went rock climbing, but that's another post.

3-in-1 day: Grace, Intervals & a Swing-Row Fran

Really antsy today....too much time off. So I managed to get in 3 micro workouts:

AM: Crossfit WOD - Grace

Grace
135 pound Clean and Jerk, 30 reps
Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.

So I did Half-ass Grace. Used 65# and did hang power cleans instead of power cleans or squat cleans. My time was...hm...a bit over 3 minutes as I recall...I'll see if I can find that paper and get a proper record. Next time I'd like to keep the weight the same but do the full squat clean to better develop my front squat strength.

Edit: found that paper. My time was 3:17

Afternoon: Crossfit Endurance 1:1 Intervals

Ran this on the treadmill.

Round 1: 45 sec on, 45 sec off - 7.7 mph
Round 2: 1:30 on, 1:30 off - 7.9
Round 3: 3 on, 3 off - 8.0
Round 4: 6 on, 6 off - 8.2
Round 6: 3 on, 3 off - 8.4
Round 7: 1:30, 1:30 - 8.6
Round 8: :45 on, :45 off - 9.0



PM: Crossfit with Kevin
21, 15 & 9 Rep Rounds (Fran Style) for Time:
1.5 pood Kettlebell Swing (53 pounds? 63?)
Calories on Rower

My time was 5:03 (I'm pretty sure about this, but might be a few seconds off.)

This was basically a Fran with Swings and Rowing. It was awesome. The KB was the heaviest weight I've done...used Kevin's KB and just got smoked. It was fantastic. Having Kevin there yelling at me (encouragingly) was great too...he knew when I was slacking even a bit on the row and forced me to focus and pull hard. I was pretty pleased with my 5:03...obviously if I were doing it again I'd like to see a sub-5.

Countdown to 30: 5 Days to Go

4/1: 157.0
4/2: 155.0
4/3: 155.2
4/4: 154.6
4/5: 154.8
4/6: 154.2
4/7: 153.2
4/8: 154.8
4/9: 152.6
4/10: 151.2
4/11: 153.2
4/12: 152.2
4/13: 152.2
4/14: 152.4
4/15: 153.2
4/16: 152.2
4/17: 152.0
4/18: 151.8
4/19: 152.0
4/20: 152.0
4/21: 152.0
4/22: 152.6
4/23: 151.4
4/24: 151.4
4/25: 151.6
4/26: 151.8
4/27: 151.6
4/28: 152.6
4/29: 153.6
4/30: 151.2

Wed was supposed to be a rest day, but I woke up to 153.6 on the scale, and just felt a bit derailed. Now, I know enough about trends, moving averages and the like to not freak out about a jump like this, but it was still a bit discouraging. So I did what any reasonable fitness freak would do: I called the only person I know more fitness focused than I am for a pep talk.

Hesper did not disappoint, and after a short chat with her I felt much better about my uptick. She also confirmed what I was thinking: for the psychology of it, and to help with hydration, little light cardio would do me good. So, even though it was my rest day, I dropped into a spin class at the gym.

Now on Monday, we had a sub, and that wasn't the best experience (she was nuts). My regular spin instructor was still out of town, so I was a bit hesitant about class Wednesday, but I knew we would have a different instructor, and I figured I could always just do my own thing on the bike if need be.

As it turned out, the Wednesday sub did a hell of a great job. He was motivating, had great music, and led us through a sprint and hill based workout that really wore my ass out. Took the rest of Wednesday off from training but definitely felt like I made the right decision about doing a little something. Thanks again for the advice, Hesper!

Today I was pleased to see I was back down to 151.2...that's a bit lower than my steady hold in the 151's from before my uptick, so I feel like I'm still on-track-ish, but I remain unconvinced that 150 is reachable in the next 5 days. We'll see.

This morning was super amazing spring weather: sunny, 60s, clear skys. Seattle had an uncharacteristically ugly, cold and protracted winter. So to finally see some sunshine is a really great thing. I did the only sensible thing and headed to Greenlake for a run. I figured I would do a fartlek work and just go at the speed and pace that felt good. That turned into some pretty focused Pose form work as I concentrated on pulling through and keeping my lower leg relaxed.

I definitely overused my calves -- they are so sore right now! -- but I am also really pleased with the feeling I was getting on my last two stretches of form work. I really could feel a pull from the hip flexor/core and it make a huge difference to the comfort and speed of the recovery portion of my stride. It always feels great when you get how something should feel, even if you aren't at the point where you can duplicate that accuracy over and over yet. There was also just a joy in running--I stayed off the hard surface path and ran through dirt, wood chips, grass, and a whole field that was practically white with mini daisies. Pretty hard not to smile when you are running through flowers.

This afternoon I had a WOD scheduled with Alison, who apparently is tired of waiting around for me to get her Crossfit on. She got together with another friend to do Micheal - 3 rounds for time of 800 meter sprints, 50 back extensions & 50 sit-ups - AN HOUR before she and I got together to do Elizabeth - 21, 15, 9: Cleans and Ring Dips. I heard this was her plan and texted her: "maybe you and I should just do a cardio WOD." She writes back: "Oh they use different muscles; I'll be fine." OMG, Alison has become a total firebreather. I am so happy!

So Elizabeth it was, and here's how it went down:

As rx:
21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 135 pounds
Ring dips

Modified (Erica):
21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 90 pounds (Started with 6 or so full cleans, then switched to hang power cleans when the going got really tough. Sort o feel like I wussed out in that way. I'll do some full clean skill work and hit it hard next time.)
Jumping bar dips
8:06ish

Modified (Alison):
21-15-9 reps of:
Clean 40 pounds (Hang Power Cleans)
Bench dips
6:58ish

Countdown to 30: 21 Days to Go

4/1: 157.0
4/2: 155.0
4/3: 155.2
4/4: 154.6
4/5: 154.8
4/6: 154.2
4/7: 153.2
4/8: 154.8
4/9: 152.6
4/10: 151.2
4/11: 153.2
4/12: 152.2
4/13: 152.2
4/14: 152.4
4/15: 153.2

Yesterday was a rest day. Played with the Bella in the park and cleaned the car, but that was about as physical as it got. I've been on a very slight uptick the past two days and while I'm not deeply worried about it, I am aware that I have only three weeks left and there isn't a lot of margin for error.

Today I am heading off to the gym for some crossfittin' as soon as I post this picture of my delish lunch: quinoa pilaf with cherry tomato, kalamata olives, red onion and shrimp. It was fantastic, super easy & a big ol' bowl full of food for only 320 calories.

Update
Afternoon Workout: At the gym I combined the Crossfit Football WOD of 3/13 with today's Main Site WOD, "Helen," and got this:
Front Squat 5 x 5 - 3 sets @ 105; 2 sets @ 115
Push Press 5 x 5 @ 75, 80, 85, 90, 95

Then:
3 Rounds for Time
400 Meter Run (treadmill, 1% grade, 8.0 mph on the first round, 7.0 mph on rounds 2 & 3)
35# Swings, 21 Reps
12 Push-ups (Pull-ups were Rx, and I would have preferred them, but I really don't want to pop the mother of all blood blisters.)
11:17

PM Workout
Blasted out a second mad workout with Alison, who is turning into a total badass. People at the gym were staring at us. Go Alison! We did a weight modified Crossfit Hero workout....tough shiznit.

"DT" Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps

I did a 70# option, which I have to say was plenty by the end, and Alison (since she is just learning the moves) did 30# and did an awesome job of it.

After I went on and on and on to Alison about the importance of jumping the weight up in the hang power cleans, I got (very kindly) schooled by a fellow crossfitter at the gym with an awesome beard for reverse curling the weight in the hang clean. Damn it! Rip told me every time I did that, Jesus kills a little baby! Awesome Beard gave me some great pointers about keeping my chest open in the jump to get an explosive pull...I'm sure I was hunching over which killed the upward momentum of the weight as I jumped, so this is a great visual for me and I am super excited to practice my hang power cleans now.

Also, Awesome Beard and his crossfitting buddy who eats burpees for breakfast both told me I really needed to get deeper in the catch...and they are totally right. There's something about that motion: it's just a bit scary. I think working on my front squats will give me a lot more confidence in that front catch position. Yippee, I love these tips! That's just another great thing about the crossfit community...the sense of community, and a lot of knowledge to tap into. We really do all want each other to get faster, stronger, more proficient. Anyway, thank you Awesome Beard and Burpee for Breakfast Guy. Get some, go again!

So after our little technique chat/recovery time Alison and I hit up the Crossfit Endurance 90 Second Ladder WOD from 4/14...
90 on / 60 off
90 on/ 45 off
90 on / 30 off
90 on / 15 off - this sucked pretty hard right here
90 on / 30 off
90 on / 45 off
90 on / DONE!

This workout was pretty tough. I think Alison would agree that those last few 90 second sprints felt like they lasted about 10 minutes each. Still, we both pushed through and put in a good showing. I ran most of the WOD at 7.0, bumping up to 7.5 & 8.0 durring the final minute and 30 seconds, respectively. I think next time I should really go for 7.5 the whole time.

I really am loving these intense sprint interval workouts on the treadmill. I feel like I can really feel my form improving and I'm not killing it for long enough for the pose running technique to fall apart on me. It's a good feeling, given my pretty much lifelong hatred of running.

Anyway, quick after workout snack and I'm off to bed! Thanks for the workout Alison!

Countdown to 30: 24 Days to Go

4/1: 157.0
4/2: 155.0
4/3: 155.2
4/4: 154.6
4/5: 154.8
4/6: 154.2
4/7: 153.2
4/8: 154.8
4/9: 152.6
4/10: 151.2
4/11: 153.2
4/12: 152.2

Moving average is on my side, and despite yesterday (chocolate and port night at my house - oh my!) and tonight (Easter dinner with AWESOME roasted potatoes and leftover mass chocolate dessert) I've been sticking to pretty clean food, in not insane portions. Also have made it to the gym, so I feel pretty good about the program, even if I haven't been doubling up many days like I was my first week back on.

Today I did the mainsite WOD: 30 Muscle Ups for Time. Since I can't do a MU, I had to sub 1:4 and go with 120 pull-ups/120 dips. I sent in a pic that demonstrated how the pull-ups turned out for me....massive blood blister. I went for 20 sets of 6 pull-ups/dips and the blister showed up on set 18 so I gingerly worked through the rest hanging by my findertips and managed not to pop it, so that's good.

I felt good about the kip: until I got pretty fatigued I was holding a better form and not overarching my back. I found it helped to deliberately try to make the reps faster and take the "rest" of the back swing out of it....tightened up my kip a lot. Until about set 16, then everything was hard.

Still, I thought a 12:30-ish finish was pretty good since I haven't done volume pull-ups since the shoulder injury--almost 3 months, I'd guess. And speaking of the shoulder, it held up great!

After the mainsite I rested a few minutes and did the XFit Endurence WOD. I know I'm supposed to break them up, but sometimes there's not time for two gym sessions in one day, yo! So I did the lactate shuffle workout:

5 min run / 2.5 min recover - 7 mph
6 min run / 3 min recover - 7.1 mph
7 min run / done! - 7.1 mph

I notice the XFE stuff is really helping me push my speed up. And much like the kip, on the second round something just happened with the pose and the first several minutes it was like I was a gazelle - I felt like one of those people who looks comfortable running. Thats a very new thing for me. Didn't last past about minute 4, but I held on as long as I could, and got it back for about the first 4 minutes of round 3 too! This was a great workout. Just the right amount of ass kicking....a little leg and a lot mental.

Countdown to 30: 30 Days to Go

4/6 154.2/27%

Workout: Ran Greenlake with K-Lo. Prob 2.25-2.5 total run distance. Decent pace; worked on pose form.

Recovered 10 minutes or so, then Crossfit WOD, subbing push-ups for pull-ups:

Walking lunge 100 ft.
21 Push-ups
21 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
18 Push-ups
18 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
15 Push-ups
15 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
12 Push-ups
12 Sit-ups
Walking lunge 100 ft.
9 Push-ups
9 Sit-ups
Walking Lunge 100 ft.
6 Push-ups
6 Sit-ups

Countdown to 30: 31 Days to Go

4/1 Starting Point: 157.0/27% Unadjusted Body Fat (my actual body fat is probably 17%)
4/2: 155.0/27% UABF
4/3: 155.2/27.5% UABF
4/4: 154.6/27.5% UABF
4/5: 154.8/27% UABF

So far after a pretty sharp initial drop my weight has hovered right around 155, which is definitely a comfortable place for my body to be while I'm in training. Still, I am making moderate progress if you look at the trend, and all it'll take to hit my goal is a pound a week. Slow and steady wins the race, as the moral of the story goes.

AM Workout - Crossfit Football WOD:
3 Rounds For Time
Power Clean -> Thruster -> Back Squat -> Rack Jerk x 7
7 Pull-ups
Foul if you rack or drop the weight within a round. Foul = 1 extra pull up at the end
70#; 2 Fouls (forgot to time)
THEN:
5 Rounds of:
Deadlifts 8 @ 135#
Sumo Squat Box Jumps 12 @ 12" box

PM Workout - Crossfit Endurance WOD
2 x 1 K sprint with 2 minute rest between sprints. Done on road; first 1K had slight downhill grade; 2nd 1K (returning) had slight uphill grade.

1st 1k: 4:28
2nd 1k: 5:00

Countdown to 30: 34 Days to Go

4/1 Starting Point: 157.0/27% Unadjusted Body Fat (my actual body fat is probably 17%)
Today: 155.0/27% UABF

AM Workout - Crossfit Football WOD:
3 x 5 x 165 Squats
1 x 5 x 105; 2 x 5 x 110 Bench Press
Then, 7 Rounds for Time:
3 push-jerk @ 95#
6 pull-ups
9 box jumps
(7:56)

PM Workout:
Run 3 miles @ 6 mph on treadmil, 0-2.5% grade.

A Mile Per Pizza Slice

Last night my enthusiasm for Pagliacci's Verde Primo (hold the mozzarella but leave the little sprinkles of goat cheese; they're hardly dairy, right?) got the better of me and before I knew what had happened I ate SIX slices of artichoke & pesto-y goodness. Now, I'm a girl who can eat, but six slices of pizza may is a tiny bit excessive, even by my warped standards. So this morning after a nice healthy breakfast (of, um, left over cold pizza) I went for a run and vowed a mile for each of those six slices! Wahoo, it's a 10K day!

As I ran up and around and down and back and forth in my fair town I thought a lot about Hesper, my old workout buddy and in many regards my fitness inspiration. She is trapped in Middle-of-Nowhere Texas and does not get to run next to views of the ferry and Sound and competitive Old Lady Rose Gardens like this:



Or this:


Or this:


Thinking about Hesper and the 108 degree weather and cottonmouth water moccasins she deals with on her runs helps to remind me not to take for granted what I have: a gorgeous, temperate seaside town; a body that usually listens to me when I tell it to MOVE!; the time to go for runs that might take 90 minutes or more; and a complete lack of poisonous snakes anywhere near my running routes. These are all tremendous blessings, and when I focus on them it's harder to hate running, or feel grumbley about how it's my weak leg in triathlon.

Another nice thing I got to think about on my 70 minute long run is that Hesper is coming back to town for the Danskin Tri, and so much fitness and beer based merriment will ensue in just six days! Wahoo!

Well just over 10K took me to the door of my gym, where I made up yesterday's Crossfit WOD:

Thursday 08080
"Karen" for time:

150 Wallball shots, 20 pound ball

Blessedly, my gym does not have a 20 pound Dynamax ball, so I did this WOD with a 10 pounder. It was hard. Like, my heart monitor screamed at me the entire time cause, at 177 bpm, I was way outside of my aerobic training range. But Crossfit's not about your "Aerobic Training Range." It's about going until you puke, then going more. I didn't quite get that intense today, but I gave it a good effort and got a time of 10:52. I broke it down into 5 sets of 30, but by set 2 we were well into 10 and 5 rep sub-sets. At the end I collapsed on the floor and walked (no running! none!) home.

Hit It.

Run 3 miles (30 minutes).
Felt great with this run. Really focused on Pose form and keeping my pace up. I told myself I'd really go for 15 minutes, and the pace felt so quick for those 15 minutes. Feels like maybe there is a way to push my min/mile average up: next time I will pace run for 17 minutes, and just keep increasing.

Then, once I ran the circuitous 5K route to the gym, I did my workout:

Pull-ups 3 x 6 (just cause I need to work on pull-ups)

Crossfit WOD: Back Squats 5 x 5
Bar x 10 WU
85 x 5
95 x 5
115 x 5
135 x 5
145 - failed
145 x 3 & Called it good.

Pull-ups 3 x 8 (8 pull-ups! PR! PR! Yeah!)

So, while I'm super happy about getting 8 pull-ups before my grip gave out on me, I think these squats were rather pathetic. I weigh 155, so there is no excuse for failing on a 145# lift. Yes, squats are hard, but I can't help feeling like maybe there is a form defect in my lifting that becomes a problem under weight. Must work on this. I'm thinking about coughing up the cash and going to Rip's Basic Barbell Cert next time it's around Seattle....I want to learn perfect form on the Oly lifts and I'm beginning to realize that expert instruction is probably the only really effective way to do that. I keep nagging the trainer at the gym who is into Crossfit to schedule me for some one-on-one, but so far he's not putting me in his appointment book.

After the squats, I ran/walked home (12 minutes, mostly walking, mostly uphill).

Hit It.

AM: Crossfit WOD for Sunday 080803 (done a day late)
"Griff"

For time:
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards
Run 800 meters
Run 400 meters backwards

This was fun! Forgot my watch; would guess somewhere in the 14 minute range. Put on my track shoes and felt great, when I was going backwards. Forwards hurt...but this is a good thing for my pace improvement plan. Is it wrong to love running backwards? I much preferred the backwards sections...nice adrenaline rush from the constant fear of falling...

PM: Spin Class (45 minute, moderate intensity).

The Long (Long) Run

Well, I woke up this morning highly aware that D has been kicking my ass in training lately. (I've been sick, but my pride didn't catch anything, and hasn't been resting like the rest of me). Anyway, she's been a total inspiration and I decided today I needed to get on my running, which is definitely the weak link in my tri performance. I'm a solid 30-minute 5K girl, and my aversion to running hasn't done much to improve that time. So I decided to do a nice long run today. I was thinking of running from my daughters school to the gym (just shy of 4 miles), doing the crossfit WOD and running back.

So I checked in at the Crossfit Main Site and what could the WOD be? Oh, a nice easy 15K run. Uh, yeah, that's just shy of 9.5 miles, and about 4 miles longer than anything I've done before. But I decide this fairly unusual WOD is a sign from the fitness gods that I need a good, solid, self-inflicted ass whuppin'. So I drop my kiddo off at school, leave my car at her school (I know I have to be back to pick her up in three hours, and being carless basically guarantees that I will finish the miles, taxi's being few and far between in my town) and head out.

Before I left to drop my daughter off, I'd jotted off a quick route on mapmyrun.com that came in at 10 miles/16.1 K. I couldn't figure out a clean way to shave 1 K off the map, and needed to get going, so I took a long look at the map (didn't print it) and went with what I had.

The first 2 miles felt good. I was really working on my Pose running technique, and during a few of the earlier, gentle downhills I really connected with what it should feel like (feet just moving up and down; no particular work to make forward momentum happen). I kept consciously engaging my transversus abdominis and rolling my shoulders back and down. When I did this I felt like it was a lot easier to get a proper lean from the ankle, which felt like a leading with the chest more than a lean, but certainly made it easier to keep momentum going and foot striking under my center of gravity.

At around mile 1 I started making a plan for walking breaks. I planned on a one minute walk break for every 10 minutes of running, and kept this going for more or less the first 4 miles. At mile five, the walk breaks became more frequent, but I was back in more familiar territory. I had the Gu I brought, which seemed to help, but my renewed pep was thwarted when a very cute, small white dog started following me.

The dog was clearly well taken care of, but a quick glance at his collar revealed him to be about 5 blocks from home. Well, maybe I was just looking for an excuse to take a break, but the next 25 minutes was me wandering around this neighborhood, 20# dog in arms, looking for his house. After a consult with a neighbor, I was eventually pointed to the the right house, and returned the dog back to his not-quite-as-grateful-as-I-hoped neighbor. This caused me to change my route slightly, but after a 25 minute rest (walking up and down hills holding a dog was my rest) I was back on target, and quickly reconnected with my planned route.

Mile 6 was a flat chunk of road I run fairly regularly, so it felt really good, but mile 7 turned straight vertical and stayed that way for about 1.5 miles. I got a brief flat reprieve at around mile 8.5, but by mile 9 the hills were back. The last couple miles were a total mix: on the bad side, lots of breaks that happened because my body just...stopped...for...a...minute, and an unexpected hill at the end that made me curse quite loudly and fight back a tear, but I plodded up it in slo-mo. On the good side, I told myself to finish strong and I did, kicking it up to a respectable clip for the last .5 mile.

So I finished. My clock time was 2:33, which is approximately an hour longer than I'd like, but when you factor out the 25 minute dog return and factor in that I ended up doing 11.38 miles (18.31 K), I figure my actual run time is closer to 130 minute, or about 11.5 minutes per mile. By the way, how did I end up putting in that extra 3K, you might wonder? Well, I made an unplanned turn early in my run when I felt all fresh and shit, and ended up connecting up with one of my cross streets further down the road than I'd planned. That added some distance, as did the adjustment I made to my route do to the doggy-go-round. So when I re-drew my route after I got home, I was shocked to discover I worked a bit harder than I needed to.

All things considered, I don't feel too bad for this one. I'm tired, but not dead, and I definitely think I did the right thing taking it slow with the pace. Those knee joints don't just grow on trees, ya know. And I really don't want a repeat of "Erica goes too hard and makes herself sick." More like, "Erica goes just hard enough to make herself a better runner." Now speed work will come with intervals! Ha! Get some, go again!

That's one way to run errands

Needed to get the drivers side mirror on my car fixed; also needed to be at the optometrist (inside Costco) for an exam and new contacts. The car place and Costco were about 2.5 miles apart, so I dropped off my car and ran to my optometry appointment.

Here's me having successfully having made it to the Costco parking lot.

Running back to the car wasn't so fun: there were a lot more cars along Aurora; it had warmed up; and most significantly I had my pupils dialated for the eye exam. I ran out of Costco (hadn't thought to bring sun glasses) and the first white car I saw was like staring directly at the sun. Before the pain of retinal burn forced me to shield my eyes, it was kinda trippy walking around the parking lot feeling like my brain was about 3 F-Stops overexposed.

About two minutes outside convinced me that I could not safely run back to my car. I would have to keep my eyes pretty much closed, and little good could come of that, so I walked across the parking lot to the Big 5 Sporting Goods and bought a Cookies & Cream Power Bar and a cheap pair of shades. ...Much better!

Hit It.

Was trying to play catch up with Crossfit.

AM: Crossfit WOD for Monday 080714
Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
50 Squats
Total Time: About 16 minutes. Would like to see this at about 13 minutes. Ran in my spanky new track shoes for the first time, and man were they great. Kept me up on my toes: the first 50 or 100 meters it felt like I was flying. Then I got a little tired, and as I came down off the front of my toes a bit, their awesomeness lessened but didn't totally go away.PM: Crossfit WOD for Sunday 080713

PM: Crossfit WOD for Sunday 080713
As Rx:
15 Handstand push-ups
1 L Pull-up
13 Handstand push-ups
3 L Pull-ups
11 Handstand push-ups
5 L Pull-ups
9 Handstand push-ups
7 L Pull-ups
7 Handstand push-ups
9 L Pull-ups
5 Handstand push-ups
11 L Pull-ups
3 Handstand push-ups
13 L Pull-ups
1 Handstand push-up
15 L Pull-ups

For time.

Subbed acute angle push-ups with my shins against a smith bar racked high.
Subbed Chin-Ups with feet in L position against smith rar. Grip was tough: my hands weren't around a bar, but around the wide rectangular metal frame of the smith machine, so it was a bit like holding onto a piece of 4x4 lumber.

Total Time: Dunno; felt like maybe 10 or 12 minutes with the mod's. Not too long. I attempted this as Rx and it would have taken me all freakin day. I am not in love with Xfit WODs that are composed entirely of things I cannot do at all, or can only do one of when I'm feeling really fresh and chipper. But I still love you, Crossfit! Kisses!

Greenlake, The Lake So Nice I Ran It Twice

Maybe I was feeling guilty about the skipped 10K from yesterdays Crossfit WOD. In any event, this morning I drove to greenlake and ran that biatch twice. Okay, so by the second half of the second lap I was talking walk breaks (5 minute run-30 second walk). So, through most of it gazelle like creatures leaped past me, comfortably chatting away with their running buddies while I cranked up the funk on the iPod to drown out the sound of my own labored breathing. So I thought really hard about turning back for my car as I passed it 1/8th of the way into lap 2. Who care, right? I had to take walk breaks not that long ago for one lap of Greenlake. There will always be faster runners. I did not quit. That's the point, right? Hell yeah that's the point.

So my not-quite-10K time trial came in at 1:01:25, and I'm pleased to say I did not foul: my first lap was 31 minutes (including a brief stop to chat with some obvious triathletes wriggling into wetsuits at the lake edge.) and I finished in just under 62 minutes. The 5.6 miles I ran is almost exactly 9K, actually, so scaling my time I would estimate my current 10K time to be 69 or 70 minutes.

Cardio, Sweet Cardio

Ran five miles in 2 chunks, with a stop in the middle at my girlfriend Deanne's place to watch her kidlets splash in the pool. Fun!

Focused on running form and feel I'm making improvements (strides, if you will) but it's going to take consistent, diligent effort to get up to the place where I'm comfortable with a 10K. In training for the sprint tri, I did multiple workouts at 2 and 3 times race distance in the swim and on the bike. I never ran more than 5K, ever. Never did overdistance training, never pushed my boundries in running. Why? Um, I don't like running. I don't feel good at it. I feel like if I push myself really really hard fr a very long time I might still not feel good at it, and that nags at me.

But then I remind myself that I used to be unable to swim two laps. I taught myself to be comfortable in the water, learned how to swim, and now I really like it. If I can learn to like swimming and can feel confident and competent in that skill, then I can learn just about anything. Maybe even how to run.