Lifting

Ah, I was overcome with dread beforehand - I haven't squatted FOREVER, and Thursday is traditionally squat day - but it was foolish, really we're in a period of conditioning more than anything else (GPP - general preparation?) and there were no squats scheduled! I love my teammates so much, I really have to make sure I can get to all three workouts in the week - I see why I failed on Monday and Tuesday but we will try and have that be an anomaly rather than a pattern. General prep for at least a couple more weeks still, so that will mean that I'm not missing anything huge while I'm in Cayman.

circuit x 4: (a) 10 med ball slams (b) 10 plank with banded row each side (c) (instead of prowler) low step-ups, 50 each leg

walking lunges: 3 x 15

band hip thrusts x 100

gunshow (triceps, biceps) x 150

1hr total

Day 22, run 21

Yesterday went well (interview at Cambridge UP downtown for forthcoming Austen book publicity, then a day spent with G. so his carer could spend time with his family) but by the time I got home c. 10pm I was just DONE. And a slow start today inevitably. Have not done an iota of packing or tidying (early flight tomorrow, will book a car for 6am pickup I think). Need to get downtown in a bit for allergy shots and powerlifting - it is pretty pitiful that I will have only made it to one out of three sessions this week, that is just the week that I'm having...

:40 very easy as 1:1 jog-walk

Day 21, run 20

:42 as 2:1. Beautiful running weather - first cool and overcast, then sun came out, but NYT website still gives weather as 67F and humidity is low! I should live in a climate where it's like that year-round....

Day 20, run 19

:30 easy, on a beautiful evening in the park (yes, absolutely should have gotten out earlier, but it was a day when it proved hard to get out of bed!). Canceled powerlifting, weekend of so much friends and family just wiped me out. Very good to have day of no human interaction (Brent left mid-morning for airport).

(I did run yesterday, miraculously, before we went downtown for breakfast and thence to NJ to visit my brother's family AND PUG. It was just :20 but without Brent's presence I doubt I would have been able to get up and make it happen - commitment structures/accountability!)

:30 easy

Day 18, run 17

And good example of a day in which I would not have run at all without the double accountability of (a) 100 in 100 and (b) David's coaching! I am ashamed to admit it, but much of the afternoon will now be occupied with the project of Ladyfication for Amy's wedding...

:30 easy but warm/wet (there is SO MUCH WATER in the park! And a lot of damage to trees - yesterday I saw one of the big weeping willowesque ones in the bit of park north of 59th St. completely uprooted...).

double/long

Wait, I never blogged by second one yesterday! Made good choice to stay home rather than going downtown to lift, let me get some errands done in preparation for Brent's arrival and Amy's wedding this weekend and also got out for short SECOND run - Day 16, run 15. Breakfast with Brent, how nice; and got out middle of the day for my long one, as tomorrow is less propitious for it. 90 minutes easy, w ith first hour as 2:1 then switching to 1:1 for remainder. My back d idn't hurt at all! Glute-hamstring thing felt a bit funny at first, then increasingly not quite right (more tender, less numb, and running further down leg), thus pull back to lower ratio. Glad to feel I am so much on the mend tho. That's day 17, run 16. Won't be able to do another double I suspect before traveling to Cayman at the end of next week, but have a plan for how to do a couple each week there (and a LOT of yoga...).

Day 16, run 14

A legitimate one this time. Flying to Cayman a week from tomorrow and really need the reset - intending to do yoga every day. I am not at all in the zone of intense daily writing, unfortunately, and not sure I will have time next week to do the library/prep work that is needed in advance, but will make sure I have SOME kind of daily intellectual/writerly task...

:45 easy

LONG DAY - final PT, walk subbed for run

Ah, I put finishing my index above running earlier, I can't say I regret it though it was probably not the right choice in an absolutely abstract balanced sense. By the time I was done (printed out draft! full of glitches, will fix tomorrow and send by end of day so that I can ignore work for the 3 days Brent is here - he's flying in Thursday and back out Monday for my friend Amy's wedding, and there are inevitably a lot of party and family obligations in any case - but I will be in a better mood if index is sent!), I had to get downtown for PT. Good session - my FINAL PT, I am promoted! Must continue to do core stuff, but being back at lifting is a huge help.

Stopped by for what I thought would be a brief visit with G., but it was the most beautiful day and we sat outside for a long time by the water, went back upstairs and then to my utter surprise he suggested going out for dinner! Which I could not refuse - I really did not think we would ever be able to do that again, wheelchair or no. Anyway, by the time we were back post-dinner, it was 7:45, I was full of dinner and only wearing sandals with no running shoes. So I decided I'd take the one-off "exemption" and do a brisk walk to substitute for the run. Will not abuse this privilege, but today it just had to be that way.

Next week is not propitious for doubles, arghhh....

:45 brisk walk as sub for day 15, "run" 13

Bench!

Josh has us more on conditioning-type stuff, but really I like that. Skipped final prowler (it came, uncharacteristically, on its own at the end rather than as part of circuit). As much as I don't feel currently in good shape (overweight!), I run so regularly that base aerobic fitness is very solid, I can see I cope with the wall-bounce stuff as well as most of the others.

Medicine ball side slam: 6 x :40/:40 plus (only!) :20 rest

Circuit x 5: (a) 10 x bench @ 65 (supposed to be 65%, but I am still lowballing as I get back into it); (b) floor press x 15 @ 17.5; (c) 5 pushups; (d) 15 x medicine ball chest bounce.

Then I just did some stretching.

1hr upper body miscellany

Day 14, run 12

:20 easy. Day for usual grumpy "I hate summer, the weather and the season" sentiment. Much-loved family member's ongoing health situation continues to make me glum, I don't think there's any getting past that! Trying to lower expectations of myself re: work and life in general till times are better.

Monday lower-body workout

Ugh, I have been barely functioning today - I guess I can blame it on the weather? The trouble with running so late last night was then this morning it seemed like I'd just done it and I truly couldn't face going out again into that humidity, took a zero and will have to see where I can make it up (this weekend is not promising in that regard). Felt utterly uninspired for powerlifting - very intense allergies in eyes and nose and face, so much so that I really sorta felt like I was sick - trudged through the workout without enjoying it much. Thunderstorm ongoing, if it's less humid tomorrow everything should seem better....

1hr lower body (circuit of 5 x 15 medicine ball slams, 10 x walking lunges, 10 x each-side plank with band row [I skipped prowler]; deadlift 6 x 3 @ conservative 141 with no miniband; 100 hammer curls with 12.5. Some PT stretching.

Saturday & Sunday

Hmmm, I guess I only wrote in my log yesterday and didn't log here? Anyway: "90 min easy to explore. Mostly walking! JMD: disgusting weather, super-rainy earlier so I kinda ill-advisedly spent day in bed partly reading but mostly napping. However did finally get out - it's not hot, just DISGUSTINGLY humid. Did my normal out and back along the river - outgoing :45 as 2:00/1:00 jog-walk, then switched to 1/1 for wway home. As I walked up hill into "my" bit of park i realized that my right hamstring/glute were by this point really not feeling great (not painful, but with a lot of twinges of the overstretching variety - back OTOH was great!), and decided to just walk the last bit home. So about 100 minutes total, mostly mix of jog-walk, pretty good! Day 11, run 10."

And just now, also better late than never edition - it never did get less humid, it's still utterly disgusting, though nice to still have a bit of light as I finish just after 9pm (and fireflies!) - :30 easy. The daily run ritual is suiting me very well, and new step counter helping as well - makes it slightly more appealing to walk bits and bobs around town that I otherwise might do on a bus or in a taxi...

Day 10, run 9

:30 easy. Lower back rather sore on both sides, maybe from something in yesterday's workout? Very glad I am on the 100 in 100 - currently suffering from a good deal of distraction/lack of productivity/stress re: my elderly dear family member's ongoing health situation, and doing even a very short daily run counters the unwanted (and largely irrational?) feeling of being a useless layabout!

Thursday lower body

I am exhausted! Not from working out as such, just from day out and about doing misc. bits and bobs. Seems like Josh has everyone doing a lot of conditioning stuff right now. He and I are on the same page re: me not overdoing it (PT was stern the other week about not just suddenly doing tons of lunges just because it's how the workout is written, and easing back into things sensibly!). So I skipped the whole middle bit, which was an evil workout (I actually thought Rob was going to throw up!) involving 3 sets of Bulgarian split squats with 8 @ 52.5s then straight into 20 with no weight on the same side. Lethal! Used rest of the time to do my PT exercises - easier to do them properly when I am at a gym-like place, clearly.

1:10 or so altogether, with work as 5 x (10 medicine ball slams, walking lunges x 10 on each leg, 10 x planks with one-arm row with band); 100 hamstring curl swiss ball.

Day 9, run 8

Just :22 easy. No PT later, but squats, so good to keep it light.

Run!

Temperature dropped to more reasonable range overnight, though by the time I got out it was midday at 80F and sultry, so it was still pretty hot, just not sweltering! Finally got Garmin vivosmart HR+ device set up - it took a couple tries, I hate that sort of fiddling! Will possibly go to the gym later for yoga and/or (gulp) Pilates - I need to get more core stuff built into my exercise schedule so that back stays mostly better.

:45 with 4 x 1:00 hills

PT/bench

OK, my day today went much better than yesterday. Good PT session, it was all just me doing exercises and then some heat/stim at the end - John says that I am basically as fixed as he can get me, we'll have one session next week and one the week after but really I'm graduating! This is good not least because it solves the Thursday workout problem - now I can just do regular 5pm squat workout on Thursdays without worrying about trying to do it after back pummeling.

Then a nice hour with the team at Chelsea Piers.

(1) medicine ball tempo wall bounce, 10 x :20 high-intensity, :40 recovery
(2) circuit x 5: (a) bench x 8 @ 60-70% (I went a little lower than that @ 65lb); (b) floor press x 10 @ 17.5; (c) eccentric pushup x 5
(3) single-arm rows, 5 x 15 @ 32.5
(4) gunshow (100 each of banded triceps, curls)

Day 7, run 6

Just :20 (I have PT later and lifting). It is really hot here!

Deadlift!

I couldn't get out to run earlier, I was exhausted from a long day out yesterday at G.'s and just couldn't force myself out the door - in fact went back to bed and felt utterly useless! Did pull myself back together midafternoon and made it downtown (hahaha, psychological emergency mode plus heat wave, I am allowed to take a taxi!) to lift at 5 with the team. Which has made me feel much, much better. I slightly overdid it last week, PT sternly tells me not to feel like I should be doing all reps all sets as assigned, so I tailored workout as needed.

(1) conditioning circuit assigned as 6 x (20-yard prowler @ 50lb, 15 x medicine ball slam, 15 x walking lunges). I did no prowler (it has always bothered my knees and back, and given that it's for conditioning I feel OK just skipping it, generally I am doing more outside conditioning stuff than many of the other lifters), all 6 slams and 3 sets of walking lunges - I can feel the weakness on the right side towards the end of the set, and that is where I really shouldn't overdo it. Did some of my back exercises to fill out the timme (bird dog, piriformis stretch).

(2) DL set. Assigned, appealingly, as (a) 1 x 4 @ 82.5%; (b) 1 x 8 @ 65%; (c) 2 x 10 @ 72.5%; (d) 1 x 3 @ 80%. For future reference! The high reps I am really doing at low weights, I played around with the other numbers as appropriate - I am looking forward to being back in proper lifting shape!

So, anyway:

1 x 4 @ 161
1 x 8 @ 111 (10kg bumpers on bar, this is lowest it goes)
2 x 10 @ 111
1 x 3 @ 161

(3) 100 abs. Did some side and front planks as per PT instructions and finished out the rest of the essential stretches, including using lacrosse ball to open up lower back.

1hr and a bit. Will go home now and ice back, it's not painful as such but that is clearly the best thing to do after using the lacrosse ball so aggressively. I'll lift tomorrow with the team, it's fine having 2pm PT and 5pm bench, but will try and set up a daytimme session with Josh for the third workout - last week showed me pretty clearly that after having back painfully pummeled at PT (whatever we are doing that day, it's going to be something sore that should be following by going home and icing), it will not be sensible to go and squat - hopefully we can do Wednesday or Friday day.

Day 5, run 5

A scant :15 - I was actually up (for me) super-early, but needed the time to finish writing a reader report on a manuscript before heading downtown for breakfast and day at G.'s. It's shaping up to be a scorcher - dogs of NYC already pantingly hot!

Day 4, run 4

Only had time for :25, not the full hour on the schedule - will make that one up over one of the coming days.

Day 3, run 3

Just :20 easy. Gotta shower and get dressed & get to campus for noon meeting and 1pm dissertation defense!

PT!

It was very good. Back is so much better although there is still of course room for further work, including some v painful pressing on top right edge of QL, which was twinging during my morning's run. Decided afterwards (I have grown wiser as well as older) not to go to the gym for the squat workout but instead come home and put some ice on it!

D2R2

:20 easy. Hoping it sticks, but I feel like my mood has turned more strongly positive...

Day 1, 100 in 100!

It's a plan! I missed three days in a row, it's understandable given transition back to lifting this week and G.'s ongoing health situation, but it is so beneficial for my mood, I just can't let the daily running go. It was a struggle to get out the door this evening, but it was lovely once I was out there. You only notice how nice it is NOT to have a sore back when you have had many many months of it always being rather sore and trying to ignore it! Very nice weather, finally stopped raining, sunny, but with a hint of cool. Weekend forecast is for high heat and humidity, ugh - my allergies are also HORRIBLE this week, and I was wheezing the whole jog despite having used rescue inhaler in advance as I always do. Will be careful, would be a disaster right now if I get sick and can't use exercise to regulate mood...

35:00 with 6 x :20 hills

PT/bench!

No run today, my glutes are of course absurdly sore from doing lunges yesterday after several months off from lifting! A very good hour of PT - my back is miraculously almost completely better, I am still slightly amazed, it's really been so sore all this year; no short run, too tired/sore and trying to be cautious; an hour of upper-body at Chelsea Piers. Note to self: use common sense and moderation, do not suddenly try and do everything at once (I had my eye on a sprint triathlon in Cayman in July, but I said out loud to the PT guy this afternoon that I should just be a kayak volunteer if I want to be involved, that's always nice too!), just adding lifting back in and finding some slots for yoga will be plenty for this month rather than worrying about swim/bike.

(1) 8lb medicine ball, 6 x 1min on, 30sec off (this is brutal - the big soft ones, not the smaller harder bouncy ones)
(2) bench bamboo (10lb plate hung via band at each end of bar), 3 x 10 (given as 30-50 total)
(3) close-grip bench, 3 x 6 @ 60 with 6-0-0
(4) gunshow 100 total (band for bicep curls, triceps pulldown)

Back at the gym!

OK, I am really feeling happy - I forgot how important the longer exercise sessions are to my morale, I don't need to be doing anything epic but I spend so much time doing nothing it is very helpful to have these chunks where I'm occupied for a few hours doing things along spectrum from mildly to moderately strenuous! HAPPY HAPPY!

(Took a zero yesterday due to time mismanagement, didn't run today either although I meant to but it was for the best as I did a lot of s tuff later on.)

Most important - back at lifting! Deadlift day, my favorite. Gonna lift really light for a while, no point overdoing it. I have four weeks now before I go to Brent's, then 2 weeks there that will involve more yoga (but I may get a trainer so that I don't just drop off lifting altogether - much more likely to do it with some kind of commitment structure).

10mi RT bike
1hr lower body: 5 x circuit of [I skipped prowler] 10 medicine ball slams, band hip thrust x 20, shrugs x 0; (1) deadlifts, 3 x 10 @ 65-70%, but I just did 110 (less than 50%); (2) walking lunges, 2 x 20; (3) curls, 2 x 10; + PT.

Short run

Just did :30 easy, had a slightly longer one with hills on the menu but nervous stomach has continued to afflict me all week, I felt a bit queasy and figured I'd just do the default.

end of week catch-up

Life is kicking my ass! Survival mode exclusively. Wednesday I had to take a zero, simply no way I was getting out of the door; Thursday I had a pretty good one, 40:00 with 4 x :20 hills in the middle, then an effective and painful PT session (much work on everything, including some Graston on a trigger point at mid-back that was more noticeable to me while running now that lower back is rather better); today, 25:00 only, bruised from yesterday's manipulations!