I am totally burned out and it's only December second! It's cold, cold cold here and we are running outside. yuck. I skipped the regular CrossFit Wod today and did a yoga class. It felt great!

Mel

One FULL hour workout with the new trainer. Enough said

Got 8.4 miles in yesterday. Totally jacked up the pacing by not wearing a watch...was going way too slow, which I didn't realize until I got back to the truck and checked the time. Oh well, live and learn. I haven't run long since last June, so I imagine it will take a little trial and error to find my fastest sustainable pace. I ran part of the 50 miler course, where the trail cuts right through some of the Christmas tree farms. It was nice!

Had work today scrubbing a deck. I'm still super sore from Monday's push-up-palooza, so the scrubbing job just killed what was left of my arms. Taking a rest day from CF, in hopes that I'll feel semi-normal tomorrow. This is what I get for neglecting push-ups in my warm-ups. (can't remember the code for the forehead smack, so you'll have to use your imaginations, lol)

Timing aside I think an eight mile run is pretty awesome since it's been six months. Hope your arms recover today. Scrubbing a deck has to count for some endurance work as well.

Mel: The yoga session sounded just like what you needed. I'm such a pampered gym goer....running in the cold outdoors...brrrr,

Rhonda: An hour under scrutiny of a trainer...have you recovered yet. Looking forward to another session?

We were 'threatened' with having a running day today. Instead the workout is wallballs and deadlifts. I was thinking that I'd skip out today but he put deadlifts in the workout... how can I skip deadlifts? We'll see. My arms are sore from yesterday's pullup/ring row day.

Nelie, you and me both...I'm a deadlift addict.

Lydia, thanks! I was happy with being able to run that far without any problems.

My triceps and forearms were still so tight and sore they were just about useless last night. I finally broke out the rubbing alcohol and rubbed that into the locked up/sore muscles before falling into bed. That loosened them up overnight so I'm back in the game today.

Gym this morning, then Costco on the way home, and a few hours of work this afternoon, have a little of that deck job to finish scrubbing, then storm cleanup and some pruning. Better hit the shower and get going.

GO, Cheryl, GO!!

Lydia, I have another shorter session on Monday, then an hour again on Wednesday. I'm trying to ease into nothing but one hour sessions. I was able to do only about 1/2 of the entire session he had outlined, but now I have a goal

Go, Cheryl, go! Have you read that book....Born to Run I think it is called....about the ultra-far running people. Some indigenous folks in Mexico and also it talks about some American ultramarathoners. It's pretty inspriring.

Don't look now, but I made it to the gym today and did chest and back. Woot!

Go Midwife! (who doesn't love the dancing carrot? Pretty sure I'd have that 300# deadlift by now, if we had a dancing carrot at the gym.) Yes, I read that book last year. I enjoyed the ongoing story/race report, and the little sidetrips like the history of modern running shoes. It planted the seed and got me reading more about ultra running, since I felt there were a lot of parallels between the ultra experience the author described and the Crossfit experience...pushing through barriers like pain and fatigue, and the whole attitude of relentless forward motion and not quitting...it's very CF-ish, I think. Now, if I can just figure how to train for and run ultras on a paleo diet, without having to give up strength gains and strongman, I'll be a happy camper!

Yesterday was gym cleaning, which is a workout all by itself, so I just did a few deadlifts and push presses with lighter weight while I was putting the gym back in order.

Today I'm home, so besides the usual Sunday house cleaning and laundry-palooza, I hope to get a schedule written up for this ultra training thing, plus I want to get warm-ups written up for the next week or two. Whenever I stop writing my own warm-ups, I don't get in enough foundation work, like oly lift practice, and just basics like push-ups, pull-ups, etc., and it shows in my results (or lack of results, or on the scale...sigh). I need to drop some fat weight and I need to get rid of the strongman spare tire I seem to have grown overnight (though looking back through my logbook, it's been creeping up on me since last fall).

If you figure that out, let me know! When I eat paleo (ie MDA), I bonk on any run over 1-2 miles. So I usually end up eating beans and yams to counter that, and then I feel less paleo, but I don't bonk either. I have a book on my nightstand called Paleo Diet for Athletes or somesuch that I plan to read one of these days!

I have yet to find a way to marry weight lifting and distance running and the particular dietary guidance for each.

Tomorrow I start my weight and resistance training. YAY go me!

You've found the right spot to talk about it, Martina. Welcome, and good luck.

Rhonda

Good Morning Everyone!

Martina: Welcome to the forum! So how did your training session work for you? Are you working with a personal trainer at a new place or have you implemented a new program your really excited to begin?

Midwife: The Paleo diet for Athletes sounds like a promising book. Like you, I've got stacks of books sitting around with me with good intentions. Everything ranging from McGill's Low Back Disorders to How to Raise a Gentleman. Yeah, don't laugh Mel, there's still hope for my sons yet. Nah, they're both good boys. The oldest one is quick witted like his father. At twelve, he has totally outclassed me.

Speaking of books. I have finally finished the Martha Beck, Four Day Win. Honestly, pretty good book. One that I would consider purchasing to share with clients who are beginning or struggling with their journey.

What was it specifically... I think it's because it introduces the "watcher" skill. I'm not going to do this justice but its a way of separating yourself from the "authoritarian" side of ourselves that screams and belittles us when we over indulging and under exercising as well as understanding the "wild child" who encourages us to take that route in the first place.

She makes parallels between concepts and techniques she learned from a "horse whisperer" who calms and domesticates horses to how our minds can calm our bodies which really are routed in more "intuitive animal like responses" when we employ traditional diet and exercise techniques.

I certainly wish to read it again to take notes this time. There were many topics discussed: maintenance, over exercising, over dieting, the precontemplation through relapse phase of dieting...

The overall message was to come to terms with loving and accepting our bodies in the place that we are as we begin this process. Peace within ourselves. Certainly something that I struggle with even during my own maintenance of five years. Sometimes I have this inner peace and it's quite strong, and sometimes the evil tapes chattering about my thighs are much louder.

So. How's everyone else doing this crazy month of December? I still can't get my head around the idea it's the end of the year. The signs are everywhere, they tell me it's December and yet...there's just too much freaking sunshine and it's not cold enough for me to believe it. Time for me to get back to Columbus I guess.

Hi guys! I've missed you!

I've been kind of sporadic with my workouts, haven't run but once in 12 weeks, but have been mostly keeping up with my yoga and my weight lifting. More than anything else, at least.

Did LB yesterday afternoon, UB push this morning. Yoga yesterday and today. Woo hoo!

I can't believe it is December either - I feel like I have missed half of the year. At least all of my shopping is done, now I just have to wrap. DH & I got almost everything done on Black Friday.

to everyone!

The "wild child"...hmmm. Remember though, that child grows up to be a woman and "wild women don't get the blues!" More seriously, it sounds like a book worth reading so thanks for the reference.

Speaking of children, I felt like one yesterday with the warm-up exercises the trainer put me through. He had a whole series of kicks, jumps and skips that I did. I looked like the "Ministry of Silly Walks" and loved every second of it because it felt so free and child-like.

Today I feel a bit more creaky than child-like but maybe we ached as children and are just blessed to have forgotten it!

Rhonda