Yesterday I did the final two fitness tests for the SISU Challenge: the CrossFit total, and the 1000 meter row. I expected the CrossFit total to go OK; I had probably sandbagged the initial testing due to having no spotter and no clue about what I was doing, so I figured there was room for improvement. I was much less sure of the row, given that I had gone all out in the initial testing and I'm pretty sure my cardio fitness has declined a bit in the 5 weeks of no skating that has taken place since.
So I was a little disappointed when the first lift in the CrossFit total, the strict press (pushing the bar straight up overhead) was harder than I expected. I tend to suck at overhead movements (perhaps a legacy of my two rotator cuff injuries, or perhaps just because I haven't done arm workouts in, oh, ever), so my original PR of 60 pounds was pretty unimpressive. And my post-test PR of 60 pounds was just as unimpressive. Still, I wasn't too bummed; my shoulders are pretty sore from the WOD's last week, so I really think I could do more given a bit of rest.
The second lift, the squat, went much better--I managed to improve on my previous 110 pound PR by 20 pounds. 130 is still not much compared to what others are lifting--a girl in the gym squatted 200 yesterday--but I'm happy with it. I think a bit more hip flexibility would help me drive my knees wider and thus use more of the appropriate muscles, but for now I'm quite happy with 130.
In the final lift, the deadlift, I was again able to PR--180 pounds, up 30 pounds from my check-in weight. Again, I'm very happy with that--and happy that I now have some accurate one-rep maxes, so when a WOD calls for "70% ORM." I'll actually know what to lift.
On to the row. The row did not start out well--my inhaler chose that moment to be empty, and I maybe managed to get half a dose of my asthma meds. Oh well. Nothing to do but get started, so I did.
Rowing sucks in a unique way--you can see your exact pace and how far you've gone every second of the way. This should be beneficial to exerting maximum effort and pacing oneself, but instead it has a spectacularly demoralizing effect. "What?! I've only gone 180 meters?! Damn, I'm tired already!" I tried very hard to only look at the pace--which I needed to keep under 2:00/500 meters if I wanted to beat my previous time of 4:01--but my eyes kept sneaking down to the "meters rowed" display. And by 700 meters my pace had climbed over 2:00 and my spirits were taking a considerable nosedive. But when I saw 850 meters on the display I got the "the barn is in sight" second wind and managed to bring in my 1K at 3:56--5 seconds faster than my pre-test...and no penalty Burpees for me! (By the way, this "oh, now that I'm only 100 meters from the finish I guess I do have more in the tank after all" phenomenon has clearly followed me from skating. I thought that being able to see my pace every second of the way--rather than just getting lap times every 40 seconds or so--would make it easier to avoid the "mental die"--but apparently not.)
Post-row was not fun. My lungs were burning and I was wheezing...that will teach me to not keep track of how full my inhaler is. There was quite a bit of the classic CrossFit "lying flat on the floor wondering if you'll die and kind of hoping you will," but despite that I was quite happy with my row.
So the challenge workouts are done. I achieved success on all four tests, and avoided all penalty Burpees. As far as I'm concerned, it couldn't have gone better. The only thing left now from the challenge is the final "Bod Pod" body composition testing, which I'll do tomorrow--after which I'll report on my overall thoughts on the challenge.
(Oh, and not to worry....I'll get back to skating stuff soon. The 2014-15 season will start next Monday, April 7, and while we won't be inlining until Mother Nature takes care of the snow drifts on the trails, I'm sure the will be some Dryland Horrors to report.)
photo by Steve Penland
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Bye Bye Burpees
Sure, I could have written this in yesterday's post...but what fun is that? Two victories deserve two separate posts.
Immediately after achieving the elusive "two consecutive dubs" yesterday, I successfully completed another component of the SISU challenge fitness testing and thus removed the specter of another 100 Burpees from my future. This means two things: the maximum number of penalty Burpees I can be assessed tomorrow is 100; I am apparently better at performing athletic tasks than I am at predicting how I will perform them.
Before we go any further, I must explain (to the best of my limited knowledge) the CrossFit Open. Apparently, every year, around March, something called the CrossFit Open happens. For five weeks, a WOD is posted once a week and athletes all over the world then can perform the WOD (with a coach or other qualified athlete judging/scoring them) and then submit their score, which will determine who qualifies for Regionals--a step towards qualifying to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games. Since the WOD's are posted on Thursday nights, many CrossFit boxes (mine included) choose to make the official Open WOD their WOD for Fridays. If you're in the Open you can do it Friday or any other day up until the deadline for that particular WOD; if you're not in the Open, well, then you get the fun of performing your own (in my case heavily scaled) version of what the big boys and girls will be doing.
The whole concept of "Open WOD's" sounded pretty intimidating, so I skipped WOD's 14.1, 14.2, and 14.3. For 14.4, though, last week, I happened to be at SISU anyway for some personal coaching (I need to figure out the Olympic lifts and a couple hundred other things). CoachBoy 3 is very persuasive and convinced me that as long as I was there I should do the Open WOD , so I did and it was fun. Having actually experienced the workout also made it much more fun, the next day, to watch some of the Open competitors at SISU do the WOD "for real."
Yesterday was the last WOD of the Open, 14.5. It looked intimidating, everyone said it was long and nasty; and worst of all, it was exactly the same as one of the Challlenge fitness test--only more so. For the fitness test we had to do 15-12-9 thrusters/Burpees; 14.5 consisted of 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 thrusters/Burpees. I added up the "long and nasty" factor and the "I'll be exhausting exactly the same muscles that I need to use on Sunday in the fitness testing" and quickly decided that, as much fun as 14.4 had been, there was no way I'd let myself be talked into this one. But I had to be at SISU on Friday for personal training again, and there were two persuasive coaches there this time instead of one, and one thing led to another and I ended up doing 14.5. I did, however, get the coaches to agree to two things: I could alter the order of the WOD and do the 15-12-9 first, then go on to do the 21-18-9-6-3 (this way I could time the "fitness test" part of the WOD first, before I was tired out from the 21-18 part); and I could do "regular" Burpees, as we did in the initial fitness test, rather than the "jump over the bar" version that 14.5 required. (Since I was only lifting the 30 pound bar, without any weights--Rx, or the prescribed weight, for women is 65 pounds--we would have had to come up with something else for me to jump over anyway, since a naked bar doesn't sit very far off the floor.)
So. The workout. In the fitness "pre-test" the thrusters/Burpee combo had taken me 8:01 minutes. It was the third of the three fitness tests, after the CrossFit total and the 1K row, so perhaps I was a bit tuckered when I did it. At any rate, my first set of 15 thrusters was surprisingly easy (a thruster is basically a squat with the bar in the "front rack" position--on your chest, rather than on your back as in a traditional squat--then when you stand up from the squat you immediately push the bar straight overhead). The Burpees were OK as well, although some left arm pain caused problems until I took CoachGirl's advice and kept my elbows in more on the pushup part of the Burpee. Incidentally, my Burpees are definitely the "old lady" version; CrossFit standards dictate that your entire chest hit the ground on Burpees, but doesn't specify how you get down or back up. In my case, instead of a "jump the feet out" descent, I typically do a "step the feet out" to spare my weak arms/shoulders; I'm then able to jump my feet back in. Fun times.
By the time I started my set of 9 thrusters I knew I would beat my pre-test time, and by a lot. And I did. I finished the "test section" of 14.5 in 5:56--more than two minutes faster than my pre-test. Bye Bye, Burpees!
Of course, I still had 57 thrusters and Burpees to finish. So I started on the set of 21 thrusters, breaking them up into sets of seven. At some point before the 21 a cool song came on, and I spent the rest of the 21 thrusters wondering what it was--I need fun new stuff for my iPod "drive to and from workouts" playlist. So when I finished my 21 thrusters I ran across the box to check the iPad on the wall (I assume it's an iPad, anyway) for the name of the song--and got there just as the song changed. The coaches gave me strange looks for abandoning my bar mid-WOD; I'm pretty sure this is not what serious competitors do.
The rest of the WOD went surprisingly well, except for some PVC's mid-18-thrusters, causing me to break the 18 into sets of 6 rather than the 9 I had been planning. I finished in 17:47, just in time to cheer on Awesome Older Guy on his final thrusters and Burpees (he's 57 and is doing very well in the Open. He was also lifting more than twice what I was).
And now, I'm halfway done with the fitness post-testing, and haven't incurred any penalty Burpees yet.
Life is good.
Immediately after achieving the elusive "two consecutive dubs" yesterday, I successfully completed another component of the SISU challenge fitness testing and thus removed the specter of another 100 Burpees from my future. This means two things: the maximum number of penalty Burpees I can be assessed tomorrow is 100; I am apparently better at performing athletic tasks than I am at predicting how I will perform them.
Before we go any further, I must explain (to the best of my limited knowledge) the CrossFit Open. Apparently, every year, around March, something called the CrossFit Open happens. For five weeks, a WOD is posted once a week and athletes all over the world then can perform the WOD (with a coach or other qualified athlete judging/scoring them) and then submit their score, which will determine who qualifies for Regionals--a step towards qualifying to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games. Since the WOD's are posted on Thursday nights, many CrossFit boxes (mine included) choose to make the official Open WOD their WOD for Fridays. If you're in the Open you can do it Friday or any other day up until the deadline for that particular WOD; if you're not in the Open, well, then you get the fun of performing your own (in my case heavily scaled) version of what the big boys and girls will be doing.
The whole concept of "Open WOD's" sounded pretty intimidating, so I skipped WOD's 14.1, 14.2, and 14.3. For 14.4, though, last week, I happened to be at SISU anyway for some personal coaching (I need to figure out the Olympic lifts and a couple hundred other things). CoachBoy 3 is very persuasive and convinced me that as long as I was there I should do the Open WOD , so I did and it was fun. Having actually experienced the workout also made it much more fun, the next day, to watch some of the Open competitors at SISU do the WOD "for real."
Yesterday was the last WOD of the Open, 14.5. It looked intimidating, everyone said it was long and nasty; and worst of all, it was exactly the same as one of the Challlenge fitness test--only more so. For the fitness test we had to do 15-12-9 thrusters/Burpees; 14.5 consisted of 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 thrusters/Burpees. I added up the "long and nasty" factor and the "I'll be exhausting exactly the same muscles that I need to use on Sunday in the fitness testing" and quickly decided that, as much fun as 14.4 had been, there was no way I'd let myself be talked into this one. But I had to be at SISU on Friday for personal training again, and there were two persuasive coaches there this time instead of one, and one thing led to another and I ended up doing 14.5. I did, however, get the coaches to agree to two things: I could alter the order of the WOD and do the 15-12-9 first, then go on to do the 21-18-9-6-3 (this way I could time the "fitness test" part of the WOD first, before I was tired out from the 21-18 part); and I could do "regular" Burpees, as we did in the initial fitness test, rather than the "jump over the bar" version that 14.5 required. (Since I was only lifting the 30 pound bar, without any weights--Rx, or the prescribed weight, for women is 65 pounds--we would have had to come up with something else for me to jump over anyway, since a naked bar doesn't sit very far off the floor.)
So. The workout. In the fitness "pre-test" the thrusters/Burpee combo had taken me 8:01 minutes. It was the third of the three fitness tests, after the CrossFit total and the 1K row, so perhaps I was a bit tuckered when I did it. At any rate, my first set of 15 thrusters was surprisingly easy (a thruster is basically a squat with the bar in the "front rack" position--on your chest, rather than on your back as in a traditional squat--then when you stand up from the squat you immediately push the bar straight overhead). The Burpees were OK as well, although some left arm pain caused problems until I took CoachGirl's advice and kept my elbows in more on the pushup part of the Burpee. Incidentally, my Burpees are definitely the "old lady" version; CrossFit standards dictate that your entire chest hit the ground on Burpees, but doesn't specify how you get down or back up. In my case, instead of a "jump the feet out" descent, I typically do a "step the feet out" to spare my weak arms/shoulders; I'm then able to jump my feet back in. Fun times.
By the time I started my set of 9 thrusters I knew I would beat my pre-test time, and by a lot. And I did. I finished the "test section" of 14.5 in 5:56--more than two minutes faster than my pre-test. Bye Bye, Burpees!
Of course, I still had 57 thrusters and Burpees to finish. So I started on the set of 21 thrusters, breaking them up into sets of seven. At some point before the 21 a cool song came on, and I spent the rest of the 21 thrusters wondering what it was--I need fun new stuff for my iPod "drive to and from workouts" playlist. So when I finished my 21 thrusters I ran across the box to check the iPad on the wall (I assume it's an iPad, anyway) for the name of the song--and got there just as the song changed. The coaches gave me strange looks for abandoning my bar mid-WOD; I'm pretty sure this is not what serious competitors do.
The rest of the WOD went surprisingly well, except for some PVC's mid-18-thrusters, causing me to break the 18 into sets of 6 rather than the 9 I had been planning. I finished in 17:47, just in time to cheer on Awesome Older Guy on his final thrusters and Burpees (he's 57 and is doing very well in the Open. He was also lifting more than twice what I was).
And now, I'm halfway done with the fitness post-testing, and haven't incurred any penalty Burpees yet.
Life is good.
Friday, March 28, 2014
How Learning to Juggle Saved Me From 100 Burpees
As I mentioned described in excruciating detail in yesterday's post, on Sunday I need to do some post-testing for the CrossFit challenge. In addition to the three different workouts that we have to perform, we each set our own individual goals that we'll be tested on. My personal Challenge Goal, two consecutive double unders, had seemed achievable when I set it--but by last night, despite lots of practice every time I went to CrossFit for the past 6 weeks, things were looking grim. The 100-Burpee penalty that would be assessed for failure to achieve one's Challenge Goal was looming.
So last night (actually, while I was lying awake at 3 am) I did some serious thinking. By now I had realized that just continuing to do what I had been doing was not going to be successful. I had gotten some great advice from several of the SISU coaches, but I still was not able to get past one dub. I had progressed from "feet completely stop moving after executing one dub" to "feet keep moving, but in single jumps"--and there it stopped. It was just too hard, after landing from the first jump, to coordinate the slow, high jump with the quickly-spinning hands. So I decided I needed to replicate my experience from learning to juggle as a 12-year-old.
My dad was a woodworker who sold his wares at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival every year, and thus my sister and I spent a lot of our childhoods watching jugglers and other performers. At 12, I decided that I must learn to juggle. So I bought the (very well-titled) book "Juggling for the Complete Klutz," which came with three little bean bag cubes to practice with, and I got going.
I achieved the first step, throwing two blocks from hand to hand in an "X," relatively quickly. And then, as with the dubs, things ground to a halt. Try as I might I could not get the third block properly into orbit. As soon as I tried to throw it I started freaking out about catching the other blocks, and instead of a nice "one, two, three" throwing count, my attempts always went something like "one, two, AAAAGGGH!"
I thought about it, and realized that I needed to separate the throwing pattern from the catching attempts, and get my hands used to the throwing pattern first. In retrospect, I'm extremely proud of my 12-year-old self for figuring this out (and in retrospect I also see the seeds of what attracted me to special education, where I've spent the last 29 years of my employed life--I love figuring out how to teach something so someone can learn it). So anyway, for days I just threw the blocks, one, two, three--and made no attempt to catch them. Once the motor pattern of throwing was completely ingrained, I began attempting to catch--and it worked. I could juggle!
So I brought this knowledge to bear on the dub situation. I realized that I needed to separate the motor pattern from the actual act of jumping rope--and the only way to do this was to lose the rope. I also realized that I needed to be able to see myself--my kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses do a poor job of telling my brain what my body is doing, so I needed to employ vision. Thus, I would make my ropeless attempts in front of a mirror. And with the plan firmly in place, I finally got back to sleep.
The next morning I got in front of the mirror, sans rope, and began jumping. Two "phantom" singles, then a dub, then I watched myself in the mirror and told myself when to jump again--and it worked! I was able to jump slowly, in synch with my quickly spinning hands. Well, at least, it worked without the rope. So then I went out to the garage and tried it with the rope--and on my first attempt I did three consecutive dubs. Sweet! (As another benefit of the SISU challenge, I had to stop after three dubs because my pants--which had been too small for me to fit into when the challenge began six weeks ago--were falling down.)
Of course, it wouldn't be official if a coach didn't see me, so I was glad I was going to CrossFit later in the day so I could attempt my dubs in front of a witness. And despite my fear that I might "choke" and regress to "single, dub, single, single, dub," I managed to do five in a row in front of not one, but two coaches. Multiple times. So as of today, I have achieved my Challenge Goal.
And that's how learning to juggle saved me from 100 Burpees.
So last night (actually, while I was lying awake at 3 am) I did some serious thinking. By now I had realized that just continuing to do what I had been doing was not going to be successful. I had gotten some great advice from several of the SISU coaches, but I still was not able to get past one dub. I had progressed from "feet completely stop moving after executing one dub" to "feet keep moving, but in single jumps"--and there it stopped. It was just too hard, after landing from the first jump, to coordinate the slow, high jump with the quickly-spinning hands. So I decided I needed to replicate my experience from learning to juggle as a 12-year-old.
My dad was a woodworker who sold his wares at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival every year, and thus my sister and I spent a lot of our childhoods watching jugglers and other performers. At 12, I decided that I must learn to juggle. So I bought the (very well-titled) book "Juggling for the Complete Klutz," which came with three little bean bag cubes to practice with, and I got going.
I achieved the first step, throwing two blocks from hand to hand in an "X," relatively quickly. And then, as with the dubs, things ground to a halt. Try as I might I could not get the third block properly into orbit. As soon as I tried to throw it I started freaking out about catching the other blocks, and instead of a nice "one, two, three" throwing count, my attempts always went something like "one, two, AAAAGGGH!"
I thought about it, and realized that I needed to separate the throwing pattern from the catching attempts, and get my hands used to the throwing pattern first. In retrospect, I'm extremely proud of my 12-year-old self for figuring this out (and in retrospect I also see the seeds of what attracted me to special education, where I've spent the last 29 years of my employed life--I love figuring out how to teach something so someone can learn it). So anyway, for days I just threw the blocks, one, two, three--and made no attempt to catch them. Once the motor pattern of throwing was completely ingrained, I began attempting to catch--and it worked. I could juggle!
So I brought this knowledge to bear on the dub situation. I realized that I needed to separate the motor pattern from the actual act of jumping rope--and the only way to do this was to lose the rope. I also realized that I needed to be able to see myself--my kinesthetic and proprioceptive senses do a poor job of telling my brain what my body is doing, so I needed to employ vision. Thus, I would make my ropeless attempts in front of a mirror. And with the plan firmly in place, I finally got back to sleep.
The next morning I got in front of the mirror, sans rope, and began jumping. Two "phantom" singles, then a dub, then I watched myself in the mirror and told myself when to jump again--and it worked! I was able to jump slowly, in synch with my quickly spinning hands. Well, at least, it worked without the rope. So then I went out to the garage and tried it with the rope--and on my first attempt I did three consecutive dubs. Sweet! (As another benefit of the SISU challenge, I had to stop after three dubs because my pants--which had been too small for me to fit into when the challenge began six weeks ago--were falling down.)
Of course, it wouldn't be official if a coach didn't see me, so I was glad I was going to CrossFit later in the day so I could attempt my dubs in front of a witness. And despite my fear that I might "choke" and regress to "single, dub, single, single, dub," I managed to do five in a row in front of not one, but two coaches. Multiple times. So as of today, I have achieved my Challenge Goal.
And that's how learning to juggle saved me from 100 Burpees.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Predictions
Before I get into the post, I just have to show this picture...proof that I did, indeed, run a 5K in under 8:30 miles!
The nutrition and fitness challenge that I've been doing through CrossFit SISU the past 6 weeks is coming to an end this week. On Sunday we get together to do our "post" fitness testing, which consists of: the CrossFit Total (total pounds lifted in the strict press, squat and deadlift); the time for a 1K row; the time for a workout consisting of 15-12-9 thrusters and Burpees; and the results of our personal Challenge Goal. Improvement in any of the tests leads to extra points in the contest; three of the four tests also come with 100 penalty Burpees for those who fail to improve.
I sense a lot of Burpees lurking in my future.
So, for what it's worth, here are my predictions for the SISU Challenge Test-Out.
1. CrossFit Total. This is the test where I have the most likelihood of improving--not because I've been working on those lifts, but because (due to a cabin trip that conflicted with the Pre-Test date) I had to do the lifts in the back of the gym during a class, with no supervision or encouragement. This probably led to me wimping out and doing less weight than I should/could have, because I've never attempted maxes in these lifts before and I was cautious. So I should be able to improve on this test--unfortunately, this test is the one of the four that apparently does not come with penalty Burpees.
2. 1000 meter row. I predict suckage in this one. My pre-test time was 4:01, and it was pretty much everything I had. Since I've been off skating for the past four weeks I'm quite sure I don't have as much in the cardio area as I did for the pre-test. We've done lots of rowing warmups the past few weeks, as well as a couple rowing WOD's (Workout of the Day), and I even did one rowing workout at home...and I was struggling with the pace I'd need to hold to break the 4:01. Burpees, here I come.
3. Thrusters/Burpees workout. Same deal here as the rowing; I don't think my cardio is up to what it was at the beginning of March. This, of course, is as it should be for the "rest season" for skating--but it could mean more Burpee Hell.
4. Challenge Goal. The Challenge Goal I set for myself is to do two consecutive double-unders (spinning the jump rope under twice while jumping once). I guess I should have known better than to set a coordination-based goal for myself, but since I hadmastered achieved the "one at a time dubs" back in January, I figured that with a little practice I should be able to figure this out. Nope. Despite practicing every time I've gone to CrossFit in the past six weeks, I have not yet achieved two consecutive dubs. I can now do two singles/a double/two singles/a double for up to four doubles, but I'm guessing that doesn't count. More Burpees.
So there you have it. I predict 300 Burpees. Of course, there's the chance the coaches are just kidding about the Burpees...but this is CrossFit, after all. So that's doubtful.
Still, however the Challenge Tests turn out, I've loved these past six weeks. I'll do my "Body by Paleo" post once I've completed all the aspects of the challenge (the tests, the post-body fat measurement, etc.), but to spare you the suspense, the short answer is that this has been a phenomenal experience and I'm so grateful to the SISU coaches for setting this up, and so glad I decided to do it.
Now, just remind me of that when I still have 299 Burpees to go on Sunday.
I'm on the right in the CrossFit SISU shirt. Duh.
I sense a lot of Burpees lurking in my future.
So, for what it's worth, here are my predictions for the SISU Challenge Test-Out.
1. CrossFit Total. This is the test where I have the most likelihood of improving--not because I've been working on those lifts, but because (due to a cabin trip that conflicted with the Pre-Test date) I had to do the lifts in the back of the gym during a class, with no supervision or encouragement. This probably led to me wimping out and doing less weight than I should/could have, because I've never attempted maxes in these lifts before and I was cautious. So I should be able to improve on this test--unfortunately, this test is the one of the four that apparently does not come with penalty Burpees.
2. 1000 meter row. I predict suckage in this one. My pre-test time was 4:01, and it was pretty much everything I had. Since I've been off skating for the past four weeks I'm quite sure I don't have as much in the cardio area as I did for the pre-test. We've done lots of rowing warmups the past few weeks, as well as a couple rowing WOD's (Workout of the Day), and I even did one rowing workout at home...and I was struggling with the pace I'd need to hold to break the 4:01. Burpees, here I come.
3. Thrusters/Burpees workout. Same deal here as the rowing; I don't think my cardio is up to what it was at the beginning of March. This, of course, is as it should be for the "rest season" for skating--but it could mean more Burpee Hell.
4. Challenge Goal. The Challenge Goal I set for myself is to do two consecutive double-unders (spinning the jump rope under twice while jumping once). I guess I should have known better than to set a coordination-based goal for myself, but since I had
So there you have it. I predict 300 Burpees. Of course, there's the chance the coaches are just kidding about the Burpees...but this is CrossFit, after all. So that's doubtful.
Still, however the Challenge Tests turn out, I've loved these past six weeks. I'll do my "Body by Paleo" post once I've completed all the aspects of the challenge (the tests, the post-body fat measurement, etc.), but to spare you the suspense, the short answer is that this has been a phenomenal experience and I'm so grateful to the SISU coaches for setting this up, and so glad I decided to do it.
Now, just remind me of that when I still have 299 Burpees to go on Sunday.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
I'm Afraid I Might Be Having Too Much Fun
For the "off season," I mean.
Long track skaters typically use the month of March, and perhaps part of April, as their "off" or "recovery" season, before starting up the training again with dryland and endurance. It's a time to let the body recover from the stress of 10+ months of training and an intense competition season; a time to sleep more and eat worse and stress less. It's a necessary part of the yearly skating cycle.
For me, it's a necessary evil.
For a recap of how I usually feel during the off season, check out my whining from March 2012. Typically in the off season I'm feeling fat, unmotivated, bored, and frustrated. I miss my skating routine, I miss exercise, I have lots of free time but no motivation to do anything with it, and I have no hesitation in whining about all of the above to anyone who will listen. In short, I'm just a joy to be around.
This year is different...and I'm hoping it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt later in the season.
My usual off season workouts are easy Dome or trail skates, maybe a little biking, and not much else. Coach TieGuy's instructions for March used to consist of "keep moving a couple days a week." Some years I would skate the Dome marathon in March, but that was typically one of the few "real" workouts during the off season. The only exception to this was 2008, when an Achilles injury prevented me from skating. Since I could do dryland (in backless shoes) without aggravating my Achilles, TieGuy had me do a couple dryland workouts a week that year. Looking at my handy "workouts per month since 2006" chart that I made back in January, I can see that my average number of "real" workouts in March since 2006 has been 5, with a high of 10 and a low of 0. March also typically includes about 5 "easy" workouts. Most years with a higher number of "real" workouts were Dome marathon years.
This year, though, things are different. The Dome is gone and the "Epic Winter of 2013-14," while technically over, in actuality still has Minnesota in its grip. It's 9 degrees as I type this, and there is still about 12 inches of snowpack in the back yard. Clearly there will be no inlining for a while. I have a nice spinning bike and a nice rower that I could use for easy recovery workouts...but who am I kidding, I hate spinning and rowing, so that isn't happening.
Instead, I'm doing CrossFit twice a week. Oh, yeah, and there was that 5K last weekend. Neither CrossFit nor a 5K race can be considered "recovery" workouts, so my workout count for March so far consists of 10 "real" workouts and 0 "recovery" workouts. The plus side of this has been that I'm really enjoying the off season. I've got enough exercise to keep me happy mentally, but with only 2-3 workouts (even though they're hard ones) a week, I have a lot more recovery time than usual, which is keeping my legs happy. I'm heading into the final week of my CrossFit gym's nutrition/fitness challenge, which has kept me from the usual "off season sugar binge." In short, March has been a lot of fun.
Hopefully not too much fun. Recovery time is important for anyone, but especially for those of us who now qualify for an AARP card. As I said to another older athlete at CrossFit yesterday, when you're over 50 the line between "training" and "overtraining;" between "warmed up" and "tired out;" between "intense" and "too hard," becomes razor thin. I'm hoping my "fun March" doesn't put me over that line for the start of the 2014-15 season.
In the meantime, though, I'll just continue to enjoy one of the most pleasant "off seasons" I've had in a long time.
Long track skaters typically use the month of March, and perhaps part of April, as their "off" or "recovery" season, before starting up the training again with dryland and endurance. It's a time to let the body recover from the stress of 10+ months of training and an intense competition season; a time to sleep more and eat worse and stress less. It's a necessary part of the yearly skating cycle.
For me, it's a necessary evil.
For a recap of how I usually feel during the off season, check out my whining from March 2012. Typically in the off season I'm feeling fat, unmotivated, bored, and frustrated. I miss my skating routine, I miss exercise, I have lots of free time but no motivation to do anything with it, and I have no hesitation in whining about all of the above to anyone who will listen. In short, I'm just a joy to be around.
This year is different...and I'm hoping it doesn't come back to bite me in the butt later in the season.
My usual off season workouts are easy Dome or trail skates, maybe a little biking, and not much else. Coach TieGuy's instructions for March used to consist of "keep moving a couple days a week." Some years I would skate the Dome marathon in March, but that was typically one of the few "real" workouts during the off season. The only exception to this was 2008, when an Achilles injury prevented me from skating. Since I could do dryland (in backless shoes) without aggravating my Achilles, TieGuy had me do a couple dryland workouts a week that year. Looking at my handy "workouts per month since 2006" chart that I made back in January, I can see that my average number of "real" workouts in March since 2006 has been 5, with a high of 10 and a low of 0. March also typically includes about 5 "easy" workouts. Most years with a higher number of "real" workouts were Dome marathon years.
This year, though, things are different. The Dome is gone and the "Epic Winter of 2013-14," while technically over, in actuality still has Minnesota in its grip. It's 9 degrees as I type this, and there is still about 12 inches of snowpack in the back yard. Clearly there will be no inlining for a while. I have a nice spinning bike and a nice rower that I could use for easy recovery workouts...but who am I kidding, I hate spinning and rowing, so that isn't happening.
Instead, I'm doing CrossFit twice a week. Oh, yeah, and there was that 5K last weekend. Neither CrossFit nor a 5K race can be considered "recovery" workouts, so my workout count for March so far consists of 10 "real" workouts and 0 "recovery" workouts. The plus side of this has been that I'm really enjoying the off season. I've got enough exercise to keep me happy mentally, but with only 2-3 workouts (even though they're hard ones) a week, I have a lot more recovery time than usual, which is keeping my legs happy. I'm heading into the final week of my CrossFit gym's nutrition/fitness challenge, which has kept me from the usual "off season sugar binge." In short, March has been a lot of fun.
Hopefully not too much fun. Recovery time is important for anyone, but especially for those of us who now qualify for an AARP card. As I said to another older athlete at CrossFit yesterday, when you're over 50 the line between "training" and "overtraining;" between "warmed up" and "tired out;" between "intense" and "too hard," becomes razor thin. I'm hoping my "fun March" doesn't put me over that line for the start of the 2014-15 season.
In the meantime, though, I'll just continue to enjoy one of the most pleasant "off seasons" I've had in a long time.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
"Luck O the Lake 5K Run" Race Report: Mind. Blown.
That's the only way to describe how much better I did than I expected: Mind. Blown.
I was pretty sure I'd have a blast, and I did. I was pretty sure I'd be sore afterwards, and I am--in fact, I seem to have Immediate Onset Muscle Soreness. I hope there's no Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness lurking in wait for tomorrow, or I won't be able to walk. What I didn't expect, though, was to run fairly fast (for me), and to actually place in my age group--both of which I did. So yeah, today was one of my more successful days, athletically speaking.
However, "wow, that went well" is not nearly long enough of a race report, is it? When I re-read this when I'm 70 (feel free to hum a few bars of "Glory Days" here), I'll want to know a few more details.
First, the pre-race breakfast. Since I'm still doing the Paleo nutrition challenge, I did a "home version" of my usual McDonald's pre-skating-race breakfast: eggs, sausage, coffee with protein powder, and for some carbs, a tasty apple-and-sweet-potato-with-cinnamon soup. It seemed to work well; the only downside was that it's not something I can eat while I'm driving, which means I had to get up earlier.
Then it was off to Excelsior to pick up my race packet, and then to walk back to CrossFit SISU, where I had parked, for some pre-race mobility. Incidentally, if anyone is looking for a great place to do CrossFit in the Southwest Metro, CrossFit SISU in Excelsior is the place. Great coaches (the same ones as at the Plymouth location), and a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. See?
I was pretty sure I'd have a blast, and I did. I was pretty sure I'd be sore afterwards, and I am--in fact, I seem to have Immediate Onset Muscle Soreness. I hope there's no Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness lurking in wait for tomorrow, or I won't be able to walk. What I didn't expect, though, was to run fairly fast (for me), and to actually place in my age group--both of which I did. So yeah, today was one of my more successful days, athletically speaking.
However, "wow, that went well" is not nearly long enough of a race report, is it? When I re-read this when I'm 70 (feel free to hum a few bars of "Glory Days" here), I'll want to know a few more details.
First, the pre-race breakfast. Since I'm still doing the Paleo nutrition challenge, I did a "home version" of my usual McDonald's pre-skating-race breakfast: eggs, sausage, coffee with protein powder, and for some carbs, a tasty apple-and-sweet-potato-with-cinnamon soup. It seemed to work well; the only downside was that it's not something I can eat while I'm driving, which means I had to get up earlier.
Then it was off to Excelsior to pick up my race packet, and then to walk back to CrossFit SISU, where I had parked, for some pre-race mobility. Incidentally, if anyone is looking for a great place to do CrossFit in the Southwest Metro, CrossFit SISU in Excelsior is the place. Great coaches (the same ones as at the Plymouth location), and a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. See?
CrossFitters limbering up before the run. This place is so new the rubber floor
doesn't even smell sweaty yet.
Then it was off to the starting line. I was hoping for some Irish pre-race music--we got treated to an Irish playlist at SISU for the warm up, and I was hoping for the same at the race start but no such luck. Old 80's standbys and one obscure Bruce Springsteen song. Oh, well. We stood around just long enough to get cold, and then we were off.
Here are some things I learned during the race: I am just as intolerant of people who "run stupid" as I am of those who "drive stupid" (really, people, if you're going to walk within the first 400 yards, perhaps the front of the pack is not where you belong); I spit when I run...a LOT; apparently I can pace myself somewhat accurately for a running race,since I didn't die or have too much left at the end; the mysterious chest pain that I get sometimes when skating also seems to happen when running; I still, as I used to do back when I did running races, find myself picking out butts that I think are bigger than mine and trying to pass them before the finish line.
So the race was fun. My hands got cold and the rest of me got hot, but I managed to remove my jacket (even though, as I discovered after the race, I'd pinned it to my shirt when I pinned my number on) and tie it around my waist without stopping, dropping a glove, or slipping on one of the many ice patches. I only saw one mile marker, although there were apparently two, and so I wasn't quite sure how much farther I had to go throughout most of the race. I had wanted to try to pick up the pace at one mile to go if I still felt OK, but since I wasn't sure where that was I just tried to hold my pace--until I heard cheering and saw a fellow CrossFitter, finished with his race, on the side of the road.
"How much farther?" I wasted the breath to yell.
"Just around the corner, you're sprinting now," he yelled back, and so I did.
When I crossed the finish line I looked around and finally saw the clock--which was not, as you might expect it to be, pointed toward the oncoming runners.
25:54.
What?
That's under 9 minute miles--8:20.5's, to be exact--and I had been anticipating something between 9 and 10's, probably closer to the 10.
Cool.
I was a bit confused when no one attempted to take the tag from my race number after I finished--my last road race was a long time ago, back when they used to keep you in your finishing order in a long chute and tear the tags off your race number and then stick them on spikes in the order you finished. Yeah, I'm old.
After the race I cheered on a few more CrossFitters as they finished, then went back to SISU to change. I spent the next couple post-race hours in the back of the bar that was giving out free post-race beer (no, I didn't have any), talking to CrossFit folks and watching the SISU pullup contest that was set up in the entryway to the women's bathroom. I took my shot at the pullups, hoping to replicate my max of one strict pullup, but today was not my day; I've done a strict pullup on numerous occasions, but it still seems to be a big hit-or-miss affair, and today was a "miss." I did manage to get my chin over the bar by utilizing a half-assed kip (which is the only kind of kip I'm currently capable of), so I consider it a marginal success.
After I got home I got an email from the race informing me of my place: 25th woman out of 448; 120th overall, out of 791; and first in my age group. However, when I looked at the complete race results, it seems that I was actually second in my age group (50-59). Either way, I'm pretty happy...I think that's the highest I've ever placed in a running race. Maybe there are some advantages to getting old...it thins out the competition!
So now I have some fun memories, a lot of sore muscles...oh, yeah, and some nice souvenirs.
Tech shirt, beer mug, and yes,that's a packet of Advil. For some reason
they were giving out Advil along with the post-race
bananas and water. When you're 50 you don't turn down
free Advil.
It was so much fun I might just do another running race sometime.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Tomorrow, I Run
Or jog. Or maybe shuffle pathetically. Whatever I end up doing, I need to do it for 3.1 miles.
Yes, I entered a road race--a 5K--for the first time in...10 years? Maybe more. I did my first "road race"--which, in my case, is not a race at all but merely "paying lots of money to get a T-shirt and to jog with a bunch of other people and to try to pass people I think I should be faster than right before I get to the finish line"--when I was 15 or so. I've done lots of 5 milers and 10K's--and even a marathon--since then, but I think the only 5K's I've actually done were the cross country races I did the one season I ran CC in college, before I smartened up and realized that I really wasn't fast enough to be doing that. So I guess that means that my time tomorrow, however slow, will be a road 5K PB. Or, I guess runners call them "PR's" (personal records). Or maybe I should use the CrossFit term, "benchmarks," since I'm running the race with people from the CrossFit gym I go to (well, I'll be running with them if any of them are content to slog along at 10-minute miles).
Anyway, it should be fun. Despite it being "take it easy" season for me, I'm confident in my ability to run 3 miles. After all, I've trained for it. And by that I mean I ran 2 miles. Once.
Yes, I entered a road race--a 5K--for the first time in...10 years? Maybe more. I did my first "road race"--which, in my case, is not a race at all but merely "paying lots of money to get a T-shirt and to jog with a bunch of other people and to try to pass people I think I should be faster than right before I get to the finish line"--when I was 15 or so. I've done lots of 5 milers and 10K's--and even a marathon--since then, but I think the only 5K's I've actually done were the cross country races I did the one season I ran CC in college, before I smartened up and realized that I really wasn't fast enough to be doing that. So I guess that means that my time tomorrow, however slow, will be a road 5K PB. Or, I guess runners call them "PR's" (personal records). Or maybe I should use the CrossFit term, "benchmarks," since I'm running the race with people from the CrossFit gym I go to (well, I'll be running with them if any of them are content to slog along at 10-minute miles).
Anyway, it should be fun. Despite it being "take it easy" season for me, I'm confident in my ability to run 3 miles. After all, I've trained for it. And by that I mean I ran 2 miles. Once.
See? Here's the indoor field house where I ran.
And, of course, I've carbo loaded for it. I may not have much running talent, but I excel at spotting situations in which I can convince myself that eating a lot is actually a good idea.
In this case, a lot of pancakes. Grain free Paleo pancakes, of course, with pure maple syrup--I'm still doing the nutrition challenge through the CrossFit gym. Oh, yeah, and bacon. Normally there would be more bacon but I only had one piece left in the house. Obviously a crisis situation...
So I'm trained and carbed up and ready to get out there and have fun tomorrow morning. Stay tuned for the undoubtedly-exciting race report!
Friday, March 7, 2014
I Can't Tell If I'm Getting Slower or Faster
Since the 2013-14 speedskating season has been over for a week, I guess it's time to do a season recap.
The problem is, I can't figure out what conclusions to draw from my results this season.
On the one hand, I feel like my technique took a huge leap forward this season. There was the cornering epiphany in Milwaukee in August, and then Sprinter Boy's invaluable advice in early January. I feel (and people have commented that I look) like a completely different skater this year--in a good way, for a change. So that's got me feeling pretty positive about my progress this season.
On the other hand, cold hard data says that I didn't skate very fast this year. In fact, for the first time since 2005, I had absolutely zero Personal Bests this year. None. Last year I only had one PB...but this year none. That can't be a good thing, right?
On the other hand, my last two indoor races of the year, a 500 and a 3000, were the second fastest races ever at those distances for me, and the fastest in two years. Last year's races, except for the unexpected PB in the 500, were pretty much uniformly horrifically slow. This year most races were in the "average" range for me, and then there were those two final "pretty fast" races. That's got to be a good thing, right?
On the other hand (yes, I do realize I've exceeded the usual number of hands here), I didn't go to a high altitude (Salt Lake City or Calgary) oval this year--for the first time since 2006. And I didn't really miss it. That can't be good, right?
On the other hand (I promise, this is my last hand), I started CrossFit this summer and ended up increasing my number of workouts by 45% over last year from July-January--without getting injured. Although CrossFit is not skating specific, I'm finally doing something for my core and upper body...that's eventually got to have a positive effect on my skating, right?
So, adding up all the hands, I really don't know what to think. I'd like to think that I have not yet hit that "I'm old enough that I'll never set PB's again" stage...but I remember overhearing a conversation a skating friend was having with an ex-Olympian a few years ago, and the Olympian was saying that for she and Eric (that's Heiden, folks), the big hit to their speed came at age 50.
I'm 50.
However, I'm also not Eric Heiden, or any other skater who had mastered technique long before they hit their physical peak. So I'm hopeful that my improved technique (once I actually acquire the ability to use it at race speed) will compensate for any "slow" my advancing age is creating, and will allow me at least one more year of setting PB's. Or maybe two. A girl can dream, right?
In the meantime, I'll just have to start planning the 2014-15 season. Master's World Allrounds are supposed to be in Calgary in February of 2015, so that's a great event to focus my training on. With any luck (and a lot of hard work), I'll be able to execute some of my new technique at race speed by then, and maybe I'll be able to make a few of my personal records fall.
At any rate, it will be fun trying!
The problem is, I can't figure out what conclusions to draw from my results this season.
On the one hand, I feel like my technique took a huge leap forward this season. There was the cornering epiphany in Milwaukee in August, and then Sprinter Boy's invaluable advice in early January. I feel (and people have commented that I look) like a completely different skater this year--in a good way, for a change. So that's got me feeling pretty positive about my progress this season.
On the other hand, cold hard data says that I didn't skate very fast this year. In fact, for the first time since 2005, I had absolutely zero Personal Bests this year. None. Last year I only had one PB...but this year none. That can't be a good thing, right?
On the other hand, my last two indoor races of the year, a 500 and a 3000, were the second fastest races ever at those distances for me, and the fastest in two years. Last year's races, except for the unexpected PB in the 500, were pretty much uniformly horrifically slow. This year most races were in the "average" range for me, and then there were those two final "pretty fast" races. That's got to be a good thing, right?
On the other hand (yes, I do realize I've exceeded the usual number of hands here), I didn't go to a high altitude (Salt Lake City or Calgary) oval this year--for the first time since 2006. And I didn't really miss it. That can't be good, right?
On the other hand (I promise, this is my last hand), I started CrossFit this summer and ended up increasing my number of workouts by 45% over last year from July-January--without getting injured. Although CrossFit is not skating specific, I'm finally doing something for my core and upper body...that's eventually got to have a positive effect on my skating, right?
So, adding up all the hands, I really don't know what to think. I'd like to think that I have not yet hit that "I'm old enough that I'll never set PB's again" stage...but I remember overhearing a conversation a skating friend was having with an ex-Olympian a few years ago, and the Olympian was saying that for she and Eric (that's Heiden, folks), the big hit to their speed came at age 50.
I'm 50.
However, I'm also not Eric Heiden, or any other skater who had mastered technique long before they hit their physical peak. So I'm hopeful that my improved technique (once I actually acquire the ability to use it at race speed) will compensate for any "slow" my advancing age is creating, and will allow me at least one more year of setting PB's. Or maybe two. A girl can dream, right?
In the meantime, I'll just have to start planning the 2014-15 season. Master's World Allrounds are supposed to be in Calgary in February of 2015, so that's a great event to focus my training on. With any luck (and a lot of hard work), I'll be able to execute some of my new technique at race speed by then, and maybe I'll be able to make a few of my personal records fall.
At any rate, it will be fun trying!
Saturday, March 1, 2014
This Winter Blows
It is March first. It is zero degrees, with -18 windchill. It's also the last weekend of the 2013-14 long track skating season here in Minnesota.
At the end of the 2011-12 season I was moved to poetry. At the end of the 2012-13 season I did a boring bullet-point recap of the season's highs and lows. Today, as one of the coldest winters in Minnesota history limps towards spring, I feel the need to wax (somewhat) musical.
For this to make any sense at all, you need to be familiar with the song "Love is All Around" by The Troggs (yes, The Troggs of "Wild Thing" fame.) For those of you who don't have it running through your head, here it is.
Got it? Ok...I now present to you my Ode to the Season of 2013-14: This Winter Blows
At the end of the 2011-12 season I was moved to poetry. At the end of the 2012-13 season I did a boring bullet-point recap of the season's highs and lows. Today, as one of the coldest winters in Minnesota history limps towards spring, I feel the need to wax (somewhat) musical.
For this to make any sense at all, you need to be familiar with the song "Love is All Around" by The Troggs (yes, The Troggs of "Wild Thing" fame.) For those of you who don't have it running through your head, here it is.
Got it? Ok...I now present to you my Ode to the Season of 2013-14: This Winter Blows
This Winter Blows
I can't feel my fingers
I can't feel my toes
I think my snot is frozen
Oh, yeah, and so's my nose
The howling of the wind
The drifting of the snow
The oval's like the tundra
Man, this winter blows
(ba dum bum ba dum)
But I love skating
I always will
Though my butt cheeks are numb
And I frostbit my heel
My legs are frozen
My knees won't bend
This freezing cold
Will never end
(ba dum bum ba dum)
The hockey pads are blowing
Across the skating track
Why is this blasted wind
Never at my back?
Please slow down the headwind
And please warm up the cold
I still love Minnesota
But man, this winter blows...
Man, this winter blows
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