Lydia, my hamstring is pretty good today, and I'm guessing I'll be back to 'good sore' in another day, and lift again the day after. Mmm, sweating garlic smell.

Nelie, how was your long run? I've been thinking about you.

Tiki, seriously yucky water bottle story! Hope you didn't get sick.

Anne

Anne,

My long run was depressing and wasn't so long. I made it about 25 minutes/2 miles or so and walked the rest of the way. (I had told my husband that I'd meet him 3 miles away at the dog park so quitting wasn't an option.) My legs were just tired and didn't want to carry me. Also looking at an elevation map, the route I thought was flat is actually a slight uphill the entire way.

I made up for it yesterday though when I ran for 2 miles, no stopping although very very slowly.

Today I'm not feeling very well and think I may have been fighting something for the past few days which may have affected my saturday run. I was supposed to swim this morning but I woke up and knew I wouldn't make it. Tomorrow, I'm supposed to run 2 miles so I'm hoping I'll feel better by tomorrow evening. The 5k is 2.5 weeks away... It will also signal the end of my running class so now I'll have to self motivate to run which is a scary prospect

Silver,
I wish we had a rowing machine at the gym. All I can do is a seated row. Not quite the same.

Today is my cardio day, so Zumba tonight. I am supposed to be doing legs tomorrow but I purchased 3 training sessions with a trainer (I need to make sure that when I do my BFL exercises my form is correct) so I may skip the leg workout and do treadmill instead so that I am not all achy on Thursday for the first session with the trainer.

[QUOTE=Lydia227;2457993] I will print your suggestions out and secure them in my lifting book just for laughs as I'm practicing. If I should ever be so fortunate to assist anyone else with their rowing I will quote you directly. Midrow the conversation would be "I learned how to row from a woman in Wales..."

I'm flattered! It would be good to meet up for a session in the gymn - I thought you might be over with the rowing machines this morning when I was doing chest and arms but you'd gone when I got over there!

Pat! Good to see you! We mention you every few months and think we should send you some suggestions for children's books to buy. (Astrosaurs series by Steve Cole - dinosaurs which are also astronauts, the Cat Royal series by Julia Golding, the Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence all spring to mind ... )

Tomato - keep on with the seated row and your time may come.

Hello everyone else. It's good to know you're here.

Good morning gang! Wishing you a happy Wednesday.

Lydia, I woke up at night and could not sleep and I realized that I wanted to ask you a question [seriously - I need a life! LOL] - I think you mentioned in one of your posts that you had a "gym cleavage" - can you pls explain that term to the uneducated masses (that would be me). :-)

Alena

Hi all,

Nelie, hang in there. one foot in front on the other, does the trick. and you KNOW you have a cheering section in your corner for the entire run.

Silver, I haven't rowed in YEARS!! My gym only has one rowing machine and it looks funky and decrepit. Sounds like you should be captain of a rowing team.

How did ZUMBA go? And I'm so envious of your sessions with the trainer. Hopefully the workouts will be AWESOME!

I got in a late night work out last night - chest, tris and two miles on the treadmill. My previous workouts have been more cardio, less weights so I'm trying to flip it and put more emphasis on weights. Like an idiot, I tried to do dumbbell presses AFTER I'd done several chest exercises (including a few supersets) on the machines. My poor noodlly upper body PROTESTED like crazy and I was only able to lift the 20s. Ah well, it will get better, stronger, tighter with time.

Have a good day all!

Alena: Gym cleavage develops when the body fat is low enough to reveal well developed pectoral muscles. Think about the chest of male bodybuilders. I'm not masculine huge and the effect if very feminine IMHO. Having a little more developed pectoral muscles adds a little shape and contour onto my upper body where I ordinarily wouldn't have any. Trust me, I didn't exactly trade having breasts for pecs. I've just always been made that way as well as all the other women in my family. Now, I look a little more filled out at the top of the chest/breast instead of just flat skin. Man, I can't believe this kept you awake last night. But I love your questions. Does anyone else have a better definition of this slang term. I tried to wiki it but believe it or not it wasn't in there.

Nelie: (speaking of people thinkin' of people) You crossed my mind this morning. At the end of my lifting I got a quick treadmill run in this morning. After the first ten minutes I was ready to quit. (The warm up part is always the most difficult) But I hung in there thinking about you. Really, though I only lasted a few more minutes. The clock was ticking and used it as an excuse to hit the mats for core work before I needed to scramble. Point is, Running is difficult! Some days more so than others and every course takes a different toll on our bodies. Inclines even slight are tough as well as weather conditions and wind... You are doing and will continue to do just fine. (barring an injury) Keep trying and at the end of the day, (even though you have joined a group) it's all about you and your success. Just don't quit. Tiki's right. Think of us cheering for you as you do these runs/swims/rides.

Silver: I did get my rowing in yesterday! The Channel was darn busy that morning and after about ten minutes I was whipped. By the way, I checked. No mackerels on board my little boat.

Nice workout this morning. Upper body with some changes in my rotation. Like you Tiki I'm trying to get more lifting in during my time at the gym verses the cardio. I know it sounds insane, sick, unhealthy, I don't know but really, I could use at least two two hour workouts each week to polish off all the edges. One things suffers as I try to incorporate something else and it's driving me nuts. Balance...On the upside, being available for the rest of life during those mid morning hours has been really important this year. Ah Balance.

Real quick: I wanted to share this. The fish tank episode could so happen in my house in the next few years as my oldest begins lifting. ~sigh~ And the last one. I've seen it before but it still makes me laugh. I'm just dying to see this in real life at my own gym. Okay, maybe not really. But it's such a classic it must be staged. Why else would they have captured it on camera?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMtypKJQ9I&NR=1

Ow! The fish tank was sadly funny, but the rest of them were really painful looking!

Lydia, great description of gym cleavage The other advantage of gym cleavage is that if what you have is somewhat saggy, they hang up a bit higher

Silver- great to see you back. Sorry to hear you had such a hard year.

Tomato- Enjoy your sessions with the trainer and ask all the questions that you can think up!

This morning I did a 4 1/2 mile treadmill run with inclines and sprints for my cardio. My leg workout was yesterday and I'm really starting to feel it tonight. Unfortunately, I've missed two weight workouts this week due to lunch time meetings (I ate what I brought ), but that is fairly rare. I'm going to have to make sure I get there the rest of the week. I find it really difficult to lift after work- getting ready for the next day and making dinner seem to consume most of the evening. I really admire those of you who do evening gym workouts!

While we are posting youtube fun, here are two exercises that made my legs so sore:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyssU...eature=related

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44rf8...eature=related

I'm loving the slideboard these days. The one at my gym is too short, tho!

Mel

Lydia,
thanks for the nice explanation of gym cleavage. I kinda thought it was something along these lines, but I was not sure ("When in doubt, ask Lydia!" )
I refer to it as Goldie Hawn cleavage. I saw her a few times in very low cut evening dress with spaghetti straps (mostly red carpet moments) and that's what her chest looked like. I tried to google up a picture of her but did not come up with anything useful for this discussion.
Well, I will never have a gym cleavage - I have a plenty of cleavage already!
Mel, thanks for the assurance that chest exercises will help to get the saggy stuff a big higher. My boobs were never the perky kind.

I watched the clip with the gym blips and ouch, I find it too painful to watch. I laughed at the fish tank episode though, that was funny. I guess the rest reminded too much of the moment from the Beijing Olympics when the Hungarian weight lifter dislocated his elbow, it was awful to hear his screams. Here is the clicky - in the third rerun (from above) you can actually see clearly when the elbow pops out. Poor guy.

Otherwise, I am grumpy today. Winter arrived early and we already have a several inches of snow and it keeps coming. It is supposed to continue snowing (6 more inches in the forecast for saturday). this is going to have a very adverse effect on my workouts. If I have to get up at 5:30 to shovel, then I can't be at the gym. Besides, shoveling puts too much strain on my right arm/shoulder. We had a horrible winter last year (snow-wise) and I was hoping it will be better this year. Generally, we don't get too much snow until after Christmas. It's way too early for this. I HATE WINTER.

Oh well. Thanks for letting me vent.

Oh, I forgot to add - Mel, a coleague of mine built his own slideboard for his son, who is about 10 yrs old (but the kid is a hockey and gold whiz). He told me about it last year, apparently it is something hockey players use a lot (well, I can see why). He said it was really easy to make, so maybe you can have your own version at home. :-)

Tomato- How did he build it? What did he use that was so slippery? I love'd to make one. My dh is a hockey player (or pretends to be a few times a week ) and he would love to make it for us, I'm sure

BTW, I used to live in Toronto, and back in good old days, we had snow before Christmas. I enjoy horrifying people by telling them we also used to have a snow pile sometimes into May in our driveway...but the truth is that it was a circular drive, and the city decided we didn't need to be able to use it and used one end if it as a snow dump because we were the last house on what was then a dead end street. Wow, that sure was a run on sentence!

Good chest and shoulder workout today- my combos are weird this week!

Mel

Hello lifting chicks!

I tried a different tactic today. Instead of trying to do a full body weight and resistance training in 25 min, I did an upper body work out. I brought out the 5s and the 8s but I didn't get to the 8s b/c lemme tell you-- I was mightily challenged by the 5s.

I did take a motrin before the work out b/c I thought I'd get really uncomfortable if I didn't. Now, 12hours later, I'm vaguely aware that anything took place. I'm more of a day after and the day after the day after type of hurting chick.... So, I'll keep posting on the progress of the hurt. (it's kinda nuts that I'm feeling disappointed that I'm not in pain, yes?-- but I know you all get that )

But, I did feel pretty wicked fit and comfortable in my tank top (mentioned at great length earlier ) as I sat in the 1000 degree indoor pool area as my twin 4s and 7 year old were taking their swim lessons today. Last year at this time I was wearing a big thick bulky sweater whick I would NOT take off no matter how blisteringly hot the pool area got. ANd I played with my 2year old w/o wanting to drop from the heat

BTW, I did know what gym cleavage was!! yay me! and do you know who has great gym cleavage? Does anyone watch The Practice? I'm referring to the doctor who is married to another doctor in the practice and they are presently separated... there were recently episodes about which of them would be the medical practice administrator?... heck if I know her name...

anyway, thanks for bearing with my chitty chatty-ness. have a lovely night

Mel,
I'll find out from him tomorrow.

I had my session with the personal trainer today. It was so groovy! I gave him a list of exercises what I normally do (ahead of time) and he showed where I am not doing enough for my back, triceps, etc. We went over all the upper body exercises and I was quite happy to find out that for the most part, I did not need any corrections.
It was such a riot - whenever he was showing me something new, he would set the resistance and then had me try it. I would do one or two reps and then I would give him a dirty look and say "C'mon, Andrew, we can do better" and he would laugh and set the resistance higher. He said that most women say "don't make it too heavy" while I always wanted it heavier.

I think he had fun, too, because he said he likes me because I like to push myself. I am pretty sure I blushed like a 13-year old. I think he was quite impressed with the number of reps I am doing on the Gravitron.

So I had a very fun evening and I'm looking to my next session (next wednesday).

Later, chickies!

Mel: The scorpion is an interesting exercise. I may have to practice that one. The slide looks like a lot of fun. That's a toy I haven't played with.

Alena: Your session sounds like a lot of fun. I'm glad you have a trainer who appreciates your enthusiasm. And with your form. It must boost your confidence to know that you've been doing many things correctly all along.

No gym workout for me today. ~gasp, I know.~ I needed an extra day off. Not so much for physical but mental recovery. I'll be back at it tomorrow. It wasn't exactly a day on the couch though. One of my friends has asked me to join her on morning walks a couple of days a week. This will be nice. Obviously it will be in addition to my gym workouts. I see this as an opportunity to reconnect with the outdoors during the winter months and a good excuse to finally purchase the snow pants I've put off for the past couple of years.

Fran: It's snowing here. Just so ya know...It may be coming to a kitchen window near you. No accumulation and very light flurries off and on all day with sunny skies weird.

Kitty: Those indoor pool areas can be incredibly uncomfortable in a warm sweater. It's wonderful to wear the clothes we want to wear and feel good in them! Swim lessons...I love to watch my sons during their lessons. Last summer I was darting back in forth between the two trying not to miss a thing. Since there are five years between them one was diving while the younger one was in the baby pool holding hands and singing songs in a large circle. Both awesome!

~Have a great weekend everyone~

Snow was already here, Lydia and here again. This morning was a traffic nightmare. It only took me 20 minutes to get to work, usually it takes 8 minutes. Most of my co-workers spent hours in traffic snarls. Ds said that 4 school buses were in accidents on the way to the high school, luckily no kids or anyone else hurt.

I did make it to the gym and managed to take a hard tumble of a foam roller doing one of my stupid gym tricks I landed smack on a kneecap which is nicely purple and swollen now. The really dumb part is that today wasn't really a lifting day. I was just goofing around to get out of the office for a while.

I'm hungry, annoyed and generally in a foul mood. The temptation to dive into the kitchen and consume anything I can find is killing me.

So I think I'll change my signature.... It's now SEVEN years of maintenance and I really need to keep it that way!

Mel

Yay, Mel on 7 years! Be careful. It seems like just a couple weeks ago you narrowly avoided death on the choking front.

Tomato, LOL on blushing for your trainer. I think it is cool that you are so strong!

I'm getting checked out on Wednesday for a possible stress fracture in my left foot. Running and lifting on hold until then. I'm not amused.

So, swimming is plan B for running. Anybody have any experience lifting with a stress fracture, assuming I'm allowed to do so?

Sigh.

Anne