With my present repulsive volume of perspiration, my first inclination was to address the weather--it's especially humid now--but valour has spared us! There have been a few odd bumps and squeaks in the garage today, and I was envisioning a repulsive rodent or paranormal activity, or something...well, turns out that a toad somehow got in. Ever since I built the amphibian Thunderdome/koi pond in the backyard (incidentally, long story but fyi, I've been forced to research epdm-effective waterproof glue, and the answer is urethane), there have been more toads around. I don't know how one got into the garage, but maybe my activities are curious enough to transcend species.
Anyway, I still have to recap all the runs I did back home, including two long T&T runs with Gaz, including a Cinderella rip-off Asian milk tea drink called Pungency (because there's already a milk tea called Regency somewhere out there?) and South Beach, but I got to get back to cramming for a final exam tomorrow...
So, anyhow, I walked the dogs this morning, felt horribly sticky and gross but eventually got through this barrier--I call it the sauna threshold. Up to a certain point, I'm hot, sweaty, cranky, but then I accept this and my mind turns to detox and loosening up, and who doesn't enjoy a good sauna? So I came back home and decided to amp it up, yeah! 20 min tempo on the treadmill, and then shoulder exercises, and then toad rescue! And probably at least 1.5 L of water pounded. A good morning so far, probably experienced procrastination more than anything else, and I really have to sit down and study, but I'm hearing more rustling in the garage...
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
little workout buddy
Apparently, my efforts in the garage intrigue a certain little reptile. This morning, it spent about twenty minutes walking around the window and staring in. Funnily enough, this is the first green lizard I've seen here. I wonder if it's the same lizard that has been pooping in the garage.
Anyway, to sum up the week:
Monday, walk, chest
Tues: walk, shoulders
Wed: walk, legs
So, I'm focusing less on running (that 18 C morning spoiled me!) and more on power cleans--this girl does them so smoothly. I still have what seems like a massive gap between the first and second pulls--I think I need to start the second pull sooner. Definitely, I need to make some improvements before I put more weight on.
Anyway, to sum up the week:
Monday, walk, chest
Tues: walk, shoulders
Wed: walk, legs
So, I'm focusing less on running (that 18 C morning spoiled me!) and more on power cleans--this girl does them so smoothly. I still have what seems like a massive gap between the first and second pulls--I think I need to start the second pull sooner. Definitely, I need to make some improvements before I put more weight on.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
~
Yesterday: 40 min hilly run with #1, during which we were tailed by two dogs for 1/3 of a mile...that might be a new record! And then we took #2 into town for a few hours, and I failed to have chest/arm day, but that's ok. Of my three workouts, that's the least important one, and I hit the other two twice during the week, plus an ab workout (planks and pike situps).
Today: 1.5 hrs in the forest with #1, but not much more than 1 hr of that was running. The weather felt amazing, probably because it magically got down to 17 C during the night. I couldn't believe it. The lows have consistently been 21-22C...those missing few degrees really make a difference. We rolled around on a different route, and then, shortly after we went down a fire road I've rarely used, I experienced one of those thrilling moments when recognition suddenly snaps into place. I felt like one of my illiterate nomadic ancestors, trudging into a new territory, checking it out, getting lost, starting to despair--and then, suddenly, finding a stream or a rock that is familiar and close to the camp. RElief!!
Unfortunately, I also felt like the antagonist of a zombie thriller. I tripped several times, my legs were heavy, my abdomen was crampy...whatever. I enjoyed the weather: I did not waste it. I even did an extra set of shoulder exercises in the garage because it wasn't as warm as usual.
Today: 1.5 hrs in the forest with #1, but not much more than 1 hr of that was running. The weather felt amazing, probably because it magically got down to 17 C during the night. I couldn't believe it. The lows have consistently been 21-22C...those missing few degrees really make a difference. We rolled around on a different route, and then, shortly after we went down a fire road I've rarely used, I experienced one of those thrilling moments when recognition suddenly snaps into place. I felt like one of my illiterate nomadic ancestors, trudging into a new territory, checking it out, getting lost, starting to despair--and then, suddenly, finding a stream or a rock that is familiar and close to the camp. RElief!!
Unfortunately, I also felt like the antagonist of a zombie thriller. I tripped several times, my legs were heavy, my abdomen was crampy...whatever. I enjoyed the weather: I did not waste it. I even did an extra set of shoulder exercises in the garage because it wasn't as warm as usual.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Some entomological confusion
I haven't run in the past few days; it's been just walking and weights. Fortunately, the mysterious ankle issue seems to be going away.
Dog #1 and I jogged for an hour. We're presently entertaining a difference of opinion in the forest. He'd rather linger in the smellier parts, but these are also attractive to bugs, as am I, and more so than the dog himself (all hail human exocrine odour). But I am sympathetic, and so I elected to linger too, as long as there weren't any wasps or bees or biting flies. Other bugs, ok.
So I didn't react when I noticed a small moth-like creature on my hand. Moths don't bite...but then this thing did. I've since looked it up, and it was likely a deer fly: its patterned triangular wings do sort of resemble those of small moths. Still, I am perplexed because I remember deer flies being larger and green-bodied. Maybe there was some confusion with horse flies? But these aren't green-bodied or as large as the bug I'm thinking of, which admittedly I did not actually see bite anyone. I was told that this green fly was a deer fly when I was visiting a farm. Yeah, I was just another ignorant city rube led astray, but I feel somewhat guilty for maligning a rather pretty fly for two or so decades. I still don't know what species it is...the closest contenders seem to be in Europe or Australia.
After getting bitten on the hand and elsewhere, I returned home and did some squats and deadlifts, etc. Leg day!
Dog #1 and I jogged for an hour. We're presently entertaining a difference of opinion in the forest. He'd rather linger in the smellier parts, but these are also attractive to bugs, as am I, and more so than the dog himself (all hail human exocrine odour). But I am sympathetic, and so I elected to linger too, as long as there weren't any wasps or bees or biting flies. Other bugs, ok.
So I didn't react when I noticed a small moth-like creature on my hand. Moths don't bite...but then this thing did. I've since looked it up, and it was likely a deer fly: its patterned triangular wings do sort of resemble those of small moths. Still, I am perplexed because I remember deer flies being larger and green-bodied. Maybe there was some confusion with horse flies? But these aren't green-bodied or as large as the bug I'm thinking of, which admittedly I did not actually see bite anyone. I was told that this green fly was a deer fly when I was visiting a farm. Yeah, I was just another ignorant city rube led astray, but I feel somewhat guilty for maligning a rather pretty fly for two or so decades. I still don't know what species it is...the closest contenders seem to be in Europe or Australia.
After getting bitten on the hand and elsewhere, I returned home and did some squats and deadlifts, etc. Leg day!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
~
Yesterday, walked (1.5ish hrs) with the dogs and chest/arm exercises:
Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell flies
7-7-7 bicep curls
Straight Arm dumbbell pullover
Tricep dips on bench
Seated Bent-Over Two-Arm Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
pushups
failed chin up
Funnily enough, though my weights for squats and deadlifts have gone down, they haven't for smaller exercises!
Today, 2 mile hilly run with #1 (I know, I know, why bother...I wasn't feeling that hot), walk with #2, then leg day:
warm up: clean
front squats
calf raises
deadlifts
lunges
pistol squat attempt
clamshells
Because I have more flexibility now, I can go deeper. The squats have become more challenging.
Dumbbell bench press
Dumbbell flies
7-7-7 bicep curls
Straight Arm dumbbell pullover
Tricep dips on bench
Seated Bent-Over Two-Arm Seated Dumbbell Tricep Extension
pushups
failed chin up
Funnily enough, though my weights for squats and deadlifts have gone down, they haven't for smaller exercises!
Today, 2 mile hilly run with #1 (I know, I know, why bother...I wasn't feeling that hot), walk with #2, then leg day:
warm up: clean
front squats
calf raises
deadlifts
lunges
pistol squat attempt
clamshells
Because I have more flexibility now, I can go deeper. The squats have become more challenging.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
NICE morning
Yesterday morning, due to overnight storms, was so stifling...eh, walk the dog, done.
Today, however, was much more promising. it felt almost cool. I think it was only about 20-21C, but overcast and not that humid.
Dog #1 and I set out--and ran into a loose dog. After returning it to its owner, we kept rolling. Traffic was very light because it was pre-church. I entertained thoughts of running down a certain street right into town. I've never done this because the shoulder narrows to practically nothing in some spots: I would rather not step into a ditch or up a knoll.
However, I did something to my left foot 2 miles in. I'm not sure what. It felt like something slid out of joint in my ankle and started pushing on a nerve. I have no idea what it is, but when I stopped to stretch, there was a dull interior thunk. That mostly solved it, but it started feeling tender about three miles later, so I decided to duck into the forest and go home. The dog was quite happy about getting a stream break.
Total 80ish mins for about 7? miles, including breaks.
And, then, shoulder exercises! For real! Using last summer's drill!
Bent over rows, single arm
Overhead press
deltoid raises, side front, back
EZ bar shoulder press/clean and press
bar rear delt row
Cuban press
Iron cross
rotator cuff exercises
The single arm rows were originally before the delt raises, but that was tiring for my hands. Maybe I can do without the single arm rows altogether, but I'll keep them for now. They do seem to target a slightly different muscle profile, and my shoulders are one of the parts that feel weak during tough runs. If I wanted to be extra-diligent, I would combine them with pushups...ehhhhh....maybe later. Also, the first overhead press reps are supposed to be with dumbbells, but I just used the bar throughout.
As for that Iron Cross...man, I was tapping into that today. I did a bodyweight squat challenge in May with some friends; even though I dropped out 2/3 of the way through due to the marathon, it really helped my flexibility. Now I can go butt to heels with the Iron Cross. I'd rather expend my precious reserve of diligence doing that than pushups.
Today, however, was much more promising. it felt almost cool. I think it was only about 20-21C, but overcast and not that humid.
Dog #1 and I set out--and ran into a loose dog. After returning it to its owner, we kept rolling. Traffic was very light because it was pre-church. I entertained thoughts of running down a certain street right into town. I've never done this because the shoulder narrows to practically nothing in some spots: I would rather not step into a ditch or up a knoll.
However, I did something to my left foot 2 miles in. I'm not sure what. It felt like something slid out of joint in my ankle and started pushing on a nerve. I have no idea what it is, but when I stopped to stretch, there was a dull interior thunk. That mostly solved it, but it started feeling tender about three miles later, so I decided to duck into the forest and go home. The dog was quite happy about getting a stream break.
Total 80ish mins for about 7? miles, including breaks.
And, then, shoulder exercises! For real! Using last summer's drill!
Bent over rows, single arm
Overhead press
deltoid raises, side front, back
EZ bar shoulder press/clean and press
bar rear delt row
Cuban press
Iron cross
rotator cuff exercises
The single arm rows were originally before the delt raises, but that was tiring for my hands. Maybe I can do without the single arm rows altogether, but I'll keep them for now. They do seem to target a slightly different muscle profile, and my shoulders are one of the parts that feel weak during tough runs. If I wanted to be extra-diligent, I would combine them with pushups...ehhhhh....maybe later. Also, the first overhead press reps are supposed to be with dumbbells, but I just used the bar throughout.
As for that Iron Cross...man, I was tapping into that today. I did a bodyweight squat challenge in May with some friends; even though I dropped out 2/3 of the way through due to the marathon, it really helped my flexibility. Now I can go butt to heels with the Iron Cross. I'd rather expend my precious reserve of diligence doing that than pushups.
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