also, i cannot believe that it has been 10 weeks since i started my tri training.
improvements i have noticed:
- gasping less at swimming
- better body roll at swimming
- can run 5 miles without too much difficulty
- ran 9 minute mile last week!
- less ankle pain with ankle braces while running
- legs seem to be able to handle more resistance for longer distance at spinning
- increased weight while lifting
- able to hold plank for 30 seconds without too much shaking
- get faster at swimming
- get faster at running
- get faster at cycling
- actually cycle on a bike outside
- weight loss
i am still kind of annoyed, because i know that obese people can drop weight just by doing something. anything. i'm doing A LOT of something, and some VERY HIGH intensity something, and still no loss. i was sure that i would not have to modify my diet that much, seeing as i don't eat large portions of anything, especially not fatty foods or pasta or bread or dessert. it would seem that if the input was less and the output was more, then there should be a net loss. not in this body. big sigh.
mon 12/3/2012 - bodypump and swimming
bodypump
it was, as usual, the teacher telling us to hurry up and get ready so we can "get everything in". this bothers me because it used to be you could get your fit pass 30 minutes before class, which gave you enough time to change and get set up. however, this was bias against people who couldn't get there 30 minutes before class.
so they changed it to giving out the passes 15 minutes before the class, but often there isn't someone there to do the card swiping at 15 minutes before class, so it turns into 10 minutes before class, and then - if you haven't already gotten dressed, you're screwed - you have to run upstairs and assemble all the necessary accoutrements for class - including a bench with risers, a mat, a bar, some screws to hold weights on your bar, and a variety of weights both with extra space holes in them and without, to put on the bar. all this takes time, and there are other people trying to do it at the same time as you.
add onto that the teacher saying, "let's get going, let's get going, we need to get it all in!" and there's no real feeling of calm before you blast into this class. in fact, it feels rather frantic and uncomfortable. maybe that's the point.
nightswimming
since there is no late night spin class tonight, i've decided to do the swim workout at night instead of in the morning (also i did not feel great this morning when i woke up). the pool is dark at night, as they turn off all the overhead lights and just have the lights in the pool on to illuminate you while you swim. it's a nice ambiance, and i didn't think it affected my swimming either positively or negatively. i did notice, at one point, that my untrained swimming friend from a week ago's swim on sunday was once again in the pool in the lane next to me. i could feel him eying me, possibly working up the courage to ask how to swim again. i realized my inability to teach him, and decided not to engage him in conversation.
after the workout i went to the hot tub, where probably 10 guys were sitting in there, sort of spread out, not leaving a lot of room for newcomers. i sat on the steps until 2 guys left, and then i went over to the corner to get my below the neck soak on, at which point 2 more guys showed up and i had to sit up again. overall not a very rewarding experience. i prefer tubbing alone or with people i want to talk to. not all these random students who are just sitting in there cause it looks cool.
| 200 swim | |
| 100 drill | 300 |
| 3x150 en1 | 450 |
| 6x50 drill | 300 |
| 2x150 ns | 300 |
| 6x50 drill | 300 |
| 1x150 fast | 150 |
| 6x50 EZ | 300 |
| total | 2100 |
tues 12/4/2012 - spinning and weights
spinning
this was the last spinning class of the term with laurie, and it turned out to be SUPER popular that the only 2 seats left in the place that were TOGETHER were in the back corner. there was no breeze from the fans back there - so there was a lot of sweating going on, but laurie got the bike that lets you feel awesome about yourself when 12 is your base gear. i felt like i worked hard, and again we had a different teacher as the other one had a final or something. this girl didn't let us take any breaks at all between sets, so we were pedaling hard the entire time. many times i was very out of breath. she kept saying things like, "this should feel uncomfortable" and "keeping yourself in the discomfort zone is how you build your fitness". i suppose she is right, though it is definitely NOT comfortable.
average rpm - 84
average watts - 145
total kilocalories - 330
total distance - 15 km
total time - 35 minutes
weights
today at the gym there weren't as many people as there usually are. i also went a bit earlier (5pm) so i could get out of there by 6 and home to have pizza with my labmates as our "happy holidays, have a good break" dinner. there are 2 stations where you can sit and do military press with an overhead rack so you can place the bar there. since i only use a 30lb bar with rounded weights on the end of it, i usually set it in my lap so i don't use the overhead rack. anyway there's one guy parked at one of the stations, looks like he'll be there for awhile. behind the second station is a guy playing on his phone.
me: are you using this?
him: what?
me: are you using this?
him: yes, i'm using it.
he doesn't seem to be actively using it as he is playing on his phone. i should have asked if i could swap in, since i wouldn't need to change the weights on his bar or anything and i am fast (well, i'm lightning speed compared to this guy!). instead, i skulk off and watch him while i do some shrugs. he literally sits behind the station for another several minutes, not using it. then, he sits down, does about 3 presses, and then goes to sit behind the station again. more texting or playing on his phone or whatever. he sits there for several more minutes, and then does 5 more presses, and then calls it good. i am steaming with annoyance at this guy, but maybe i need to make my motives more clear next time. instead, i went to find an adjustable bench so i could do both the military press, the pullover, and the tricep bench press all in one place. and i did. and i was happy with that.
| bicep curl | 30lb bar | 3x10 |
| deadlift | 30lb bar | 3x10 |
| bent over row | 30lb bar | 3x10 |
| fly: T/I/Y | 5lb each | 2x10 ea |
| lat pulldown | 50/62.5lb | 3x10 |
| shrug | 30lb each | 3x10 |
| military press | 30lb bar | 3x10 |
| pullover | 20lb bar | 3x10 |
| tricep bench press | 20lb bar | 3x10 |
| abs: | ||
| crunch | 30 | |
| alt toe touches | 30 | |
| plank | 2x30 sec | |
| 100s | 2x | |
| flutter | 30 | |
| supermans | 30 | |
| bridge | 30 | |
| situps | 30 | |
| crunch w/5 pulses | 10 |
wed 12/5/2012 - swimming and contra
i did manage to wake up to go swimming this morning, though the waking up was challenging. i got up at 5:30, grabbed my banana and milk that i had put together last night, and put on my suit and headed out the door. i had to drive today because i need to head to portland tonight. so this would be my first adventure in parking outside of dixon at 6am. turns out, there were plenty of spots and i need not have worried about not getting one. but, one has to worry about these things :)
swimming was lightly attended this morning, but unfortunately for me, the speedy guy in the slow lane was back so i had to share with him. he is fast and can do the "sprints" in a sprint like fashion, whereas when i try to do it, my legs go to jelly and i can't catch my breath. he lapped me so many times that i mostly gave up and just did a bunch of swimming at the end once he'd gotten out of the pool. sprinting still feels very hard to me. sort of like running hard. very uncomfortable.
| 200 swim | 200 |
| 1 x 50 drill | 50 |
| 1 x 75 en1 | 75 |
| 1 x 25 sprint | 25 |
| 2 x 50 sprint | 100 |
| 1 x 100 fast | 100 |
| 2 x 75 EZ | 150 |
| 2 x 50 sprint | 100 |
| 1 x 50 fast | 50 |
| 1 x 50 drill | 50 |
| 1 x 50 en1 | 50 |
| 1 x 50 sprint | 50 |
| 2 x 100 fast | 200 |
| 2 x 50 EZ | 100 |
| 1 x 50 sprint | 50 |
| 1 x 200 fast | 200 |
| 500 EZ (includes one 50 sprint) | 500 |
| total | 2050 |
contra dance
thankfully the band was a little peppier than the one last saturday, and i actually worked up a sweat a few times dancing to these guys. thanks joyride!
thur 12/6/2012 - sickness
this morning while i was driving back from portland, i was hit with waves of exhaustion, and also cramps. i ended up stopping at a rest area north of town and resting for over an hour. still not feeling much better, i managed to drive home and email work to say i wasn't coming in. and then slept for 5 more hours.
had a restful early evening and things were starting to get better (thanks decongestant!) when i got a call from a friend who needed to go to the ER stat. so i rushed over and got her and we went to the hospital. luckily it was not life threatening, just very uncomfortable. the diagnosis? vertigo.
sometimes our bodies are cruel to us.
fri 12/7/2012 -
seeing as i was up until past midnight at the ER, and slept very restlessly (thanks decongestant!) i decided i was not up for swimming this morning. also the cough is slowly descending and i'm not sure if it's in my lungs or what. but the thought of swimming this morning did not excite. so i attempted to sleep, which was also not great.
sat 12/8/2012 - contra dance
leaving portland on saturday afternoon, i did not feel great. we went to bend and i slept most of the way. we got to our host's house and i slept some more. then i think i looked like death slightly warmed over, but went to the dance anyway. still didn't feel great. saw some friends there, sat out, talked a bit, danced a little, monitored the sound for the band, and by the end of the night i felt slightly better but not much. i would not say i had an athletic dance experience, to say the least.
sun 12/9/2012 - day of rest
after sleeping well saturday night, people said i looked better. i slept most of the drive back to portland on sunday, and was able to enjoy some of the wintry scenery as we drove past mt hood. such beauty in snow covered trees! i was then reminded that some scenery is so breathtaking that you remember it the rest of your life. for me, the one that comes to mind first and foremost is driving to the field site in california, for my first day of field work there, and going up this mountain and the fog rolling in through the trees. it was magical. and it never happened again, in the 3 years i worked there.
