2015 Exercise Log/Challenge

That sounds like a good plan. No sense in getting hurt doing something you want to continue doing.
We went with the local ski plan today and it was perfect. It's snowing very lightly on and off, so we got up, I ate a bowl of buckwheat oatmeal (my new thing) and we were skiing by 8:45. Got done around 10:00, after doing the usual 10K loop. Part of the trail wasn't re-groomed from what fell early in the AM, but it was fine. Conditions were perfect and we hardly saw anyone. When we got back to the car, the parking lot was filling up quickly. I was a little clammy from skiing in falling snow, but I didn't want to wear my soft shell, it's so warm. Headed off to a local café, close to home and had a second breakfast of a mocha latte and an upscale version of bagel, lox, and cream cheese. Plan to hole up and relax, get some work done for the rest of the day.

This morning I did a 10 min warm up on the trainer and then 3 sets of 4-7 core/body weight exercises on my DVDs, each set interspersed with 10 minutes on the trainer (with a couple of hill intervals). Then did the flexibility portion of the DVD, followed by my PT stuff. Then this afternoon, I shoveled snow for an hour, sort of cleaning up around where DH snowblows. It was good to be outside.
Rest tomorrow.

Went for a nice mid week ski at our local touring center. It's sunny out, so I ignored my sinuses and did the same 10K loop I did Sunday, with just a bit added on at the end. Once I got to the ridge/climbing part, I saw no one. Came home and did 15 minutes of my PT stuff.

Last night I went back to my KB group after our competition Saturday. No competition work, right now our coach is turning up the conditioning level for all three of us. We will have to consider carefully what I will do next and the timing giving my thumb/wrist arthritis problem (and shoulder), have to be smart about this! Very proud of one of my training partners, she has real talent, and is 28 with NO broken bits (unlike me). She is unusually strong for a female her size, and she shows real promise of being able to do KB lifting professionally. Time will tell but it will be fun to watch/encourage her!

Rest day tonight after our session yesterday, and we have training again tomorrow night.

I sure wish I had started all of this stuff in my 20s. I did start with group exercise at 28, thankfully, or I'd be in real trouble! You are so lucky your coach knows how to keep you healthy.
I am proud of myself. I've definitely been fighting a small version of my annual February illness, but I read my body right yesterday, and the skiing did not make me sicker. I feel better today, actually. I've been getting more sleep, drinking at least one cup of green tea a day, and doing yoga at least once a week.
Anyway, today I did half an hour of power yoga with my dvd and then about 15-20 minutes of my PT stuff. Boot camp tomorrow.

It was hard to get up for boot camp and my body rebelled a bit when I got there, but my lumbar issues were not so bad, so I guess the amount of time I am putting in on the stretches is working.
We are going to western MA for x country skiing tomorrow morning. We will drive to Notchview, a touring center we've never been to, ski, eat lunch, then drive about 45 minutes north to a B and B. The blizzard should begin around dinner time; hoping everything stays open, as we have dinner reservations Sat. and Sunday night in Greenfield. On Sunday, we plan to ski at Northfield Mountain, one of my favorite places. It's a recreation area created by a power company. We may not be able to ski until later on Sunday... the blizzard is supposed to be done by noon, probably earlier out there, as less snow is predicted than in the Boston area. Let's not talk about the sub zero temps and wind! But, I'm prepared.

Crankin, I commend you for getting out in those temps, I couldn't. I hope you both have fun!

I do wish I had discovered my activities long ago. My hand treatment on Tuesday flared everything up and it impacted my training session last night. I can't even write right now, but it will pass. I did what I could that didn't hurt and modified what did. Onward and up!

Hand recovered from Tuesday's treatment, another next Thursday. Good conditioning workout today, I and my training partners return to competition training next week. I think my next comp will be in Chicago on Aug 2.

I AM looking forward to when the weather warms enough to hit the hiking trails and get some fresh air. Until then, it is back to the rowing machine - though in more moderation than what I did in December. I was racing then, basically, it was part of an overall challenge.

Had fun cooking tonight, had some pastured ground lamb and made some bangers and roasted veggies for dinner. I misread the spice part of the recipe and added WAY too much to the ground lamb - but it turned out fine! A bit on the heavy side spice wise, but I think I would have found the prescribed spice level to have been a bit bland, so it worked out well.

I find most recipes have way too little spice.
Laying in bed at the B&B and looking out at a true winter wonderland. The place we skied at yesterday was good, but not thrilling. We skied about 10K, not a lot, but I find the first time I go to a touring center, it's some work to figure out the trail system. It was snowing the whole time we skied, which actually made it harder. The snow has stopped here, but it's really bad at home still.
Had a great dinner last night, in a blizzard, at an amazing place in Gill, MA, a teeny, teeny rural town.

Yesterday's skiing was awesome. We did about 14K, most of it, climbing up to the summit of Northfield Mountain. Despite it being 12 degrees, the only place it was cold and windy was at the top. We made the mistake of skiing down on the road, which is an easy green trail, and it was slow because it was open to the blowing snow, unlike the woods. After we ate, we did another small climb, so we could ski down some blue trails. Fun. Today is a rest day. Will drive home and deal with snow clearing and getting food.

Spin this morning. Hadn't been in awhile, so it was tolerable!

Yesterday I dropped into a session with my coach at another location. It was a good one! Tonight it is back to my usual group, and a return to competition work. I am excited to return to it after doing lower intensity fitness kb work since our competition last week.

I was going to snow shoe with a friend, but she had to schedule it around taking her dog to various appointments, so she said just go ski!
I could have gone on a ski with my cycling group, but they were doing the usual romp through various trails around Walden Pond and in Lincoln, and given that the winter participants tend to be a slower group, I bagged that and went alone to the local touring center.
Bad idea, it's school vacation week here. However, once I got even 500 feet away from the start, it was not crowded. Conditions were OK, mostly packed and slick from a lot of wear, not ice. Saw no one on the "hard" trail, but I did see lots of people my kids' age teaching their 2 year olds to ski and lots of groups of moms with older kids, as well as lots of groups of women, who were obviously teachers.
I like this place much better when it's not invaded by others. I skied for about an hour and a half, did a little extra at the end. It's much warmer out today, around 32.

I gave myself 30 minutes today, for going to the PT and him definitely putting me through my paces. It was work...
My SI joint was locked, again. Big sigh. I have to get better at the home "gapping" technique. I can't move Walter in with me.

Had my usual Thursday night KB training group. My partners and I are considering a team name, currently playing around with "High School Gym Class Rejects" :-) Interestingly enough, all three of us were!

Playing with wraps and wrist braces to help my thumb and wrist out at the advice of my ART guy - not so much during training, but I might need to. Feels darn good though, was told I might want to sleep in it to allow those joints to rest in the right position. Training doesn't hurt, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. Certainly makes me think about those who have crippling hand pain!

I can't imagine crippling hand pain, either. I have a strange hand issue when I put on gloves/mittens. Not just really tight ones, either. My hands just ache and feel like they are being squeezed. I solved this by buying bigger cycling gloves, but I've been buying different gloves/mittens for x country skiing and it just makes no sense. Same brand, same size, different style, and the difference is startling. The thing is, the gloves fit, are even roomy, but I still feel the pain.
I went to boot camp this morning, another class where we did stations. One was to stand on a Bosu ball and do kettle ball swings for a minute. This was the first time I've ever managed to stand on a Bosu, and the challenge of the kettle ball swings made me mighty shaky, but I did it. Then, we had to do a second set! We also did jump over the Bosy, squat things, as well as other nasty stuff.
I was a gym class reject, too.

It's been a wake-up call in this flare-up for sure. There have been days when my thumb hurt so bad that I couldn't even write! I found ways around and through, but I can't imagine this being permanent.

Do the gloves that cause the problem hit your wrists differently? Could be referred from the wrists.

I think the gloves that I tried on last night had a tighter wrist area than the lobster mitts of the same brand. It's just slightly tighter. Once I get them on, the squeezing eventually goes away. And, after wearing lobster gloves for skiing on Wednesday and driving to the gym early this morning, I know why I couldn't wear them riding. My hands feel totally weird, claustrophobic, and when I can't touch my 3d and 4th fingers together in the skin, it freaks me out. It was fine for skiing, but I definitely could not shift with those types of mittens. I have this with several other aspects of my body, causing me to be able to only do things from one side, or one way. I feel like I'll absolutely kill myself if I do it differently.
Off to pack for the 5 AM ride to the airport tomorrow.,

Glad you were able to figure it out! For me, while I wear skiing lobster gloves (separate thumb) for the frigid 4 block walk to the office from where I park, I HAVE to use regular gloves to drive, can't have my fingers together like that to drive. Wish I could, my hands would stay warmer. I am the only one I know who routinely needs two pairs of gloves to go to/from work - but it is such much kinder to my hands. I am hoping that my thumb will calm as the weather warms. Assuming that happens.

Meanwhile... for the geology nerds out there :-)

Ha, ha, very funny. The walls of snow look a bit less daunting out here in the "country," as compared to the city, but still. My street is down to one lane and I cannot see to turn out of my driveway. Hoping some will melt down over the time I am away.
It is 45-50 degrees in the Methow Valley, WA, high 20s at night. It was hard to pack for this trip, as far as skiing goes. Around here, when it gets to those temperatures, you can't cross country ski, unless you get out at 6 AM! The snow is just too mushy. But, I packed short sleeve and sleeveless base layers and my 2 light weight jackets. Probably will forgo the long underwear, too, but I brought a light silk pair in case. My mid layer tops are either light fleece or running tops with a thermal inside. I'm going to be a ball of sweat.
Going to sleep. Will report in Sunday, after I do my first ski.

Great workout this morning, even for us. My specific workout turned out to be 120 heavy cleans, 120 push presses, 4 minutes per hand longcycle, then 100 hand-2-hand grip work with the 20kg kb. This got my attention more than recent comp related workouts for some reason. He does something different with all of us as we have different needs. Bad weather here, so only 3 came to class, and if our coach had realized how bad the roads were he wouldn't have come as he lives over 20 miles away. He was late, but he made it. This meant that we got to work longer than usual and really focus.

After we arrived in Seattle, we took the train into the city. We walked about 4 miles, up big hills I know some of the TE members ride up!
Had wine, coffee, and Italian food. Getting ready to eat breakfast and the. Meet our trip leader for the 5 hour drive to the Methow Valley.

Looking forward to hearing about it Crankin!

I did an hours workout, including mobility work, at home with my kettlebell herd - mixed swings with pushups and goblet squats. Nothing too intense since we had our session yesterday. Often I will hit the gym for cardio work on Sundays but didn't feel like the 30 minute drive to get there.

We got to our destination around 1:30 and were out skiing by 3. Since it was later than usual, and warmer, we experienced slick trails, near the inn. DH convinced me to go on a trail we shouldn't have... icy and full of pine needles. After some yelling and screaming and falls by each of us, I convinced him to turn back as it was 3:45. Our guide, who was giving a lesson to one of the other people, was worried about us, but she was gracious. We got "spunkier" skies and it was fast. Today we are getting a skate skiing lesson from a guy who is a friend of the leader. Hopefully, if I do ok in the lesson, I will use them for a flat 12k ski today, if not I'll just get the classic skis back.
This trip is laid back and perfect for me.

Well, despite some very good instruction, I do not believe there will be skate skiing in my future. It's all technique and when done badly, exhausting! I think if I had not been classic skiing for almost 25 years, it might be easier. We got our classic skis back and did a 10k ski, along a river, with beautiful scenery. Ate lunch outside, no long underwear, short sleeved base layer, and a vest instead of a jacket. The bad side of this is the condition of the snow is pretty bad. But, I am enjoying it.

Today we skied 13K in a different direction. Very pretty, slightly more rolling, surrounded by big mountains. Ate lunch at a shelter on the trail, but by this time, it had to have been 55 degrees out. I was skiing without a jacket or headband, just glove liners.
We drove to our new location after, at the other end of the valley. Much more upscale lodge and amenities here and near a funky small town. Obviously, the snow conditions are getting icy or slushy at these temps, so we may snow shoe tomorrow.

The trails at the other end of the valley are more challenging, but the conditions were crazy icy. The hotel is awesome, though. We got out right at 9 and skied until 11 or so. Lots of climbing and descending, most of it the skating lane as the tracks were just trashed by pine needles, ice, or slush. It was a great workout.
Just came back from a massage, where she unlocked my SI joint and worked on my shoulders, as well as all of my other issues. It was great.

Had a good group session last night, more conditioning work. I've found a used 16kg KB to add to my home KB herd for half the cost of a new one, so my herd is growing. This is for fitness/conditioning exercises, NOT for sport lifting. With my shoulders as they are I am not even slightly tempted to attempt to put it over my head. I like having arms and shoulders that actually work...

Sounds like fun Cranking, glad you found a good sports massage!

Yes, I would say working arms are good!
Today we did the most awesome snow shoe. It was about 3.5 miles, lots of climbing, and spectacular scenery. I was sweating like crazy. After that, we went into the town of Winthrop and ate lunch and shopped. Lots of stores closed, as this is the shoulder season, but I managed to buy a locally made top and a scarf for my DIL's birthday. About to head off to a wine and cheese party and then out for our last dinner. We will ski in the morning and then head back to Seattle.

We had our first training session meant to gear us up for a Penthalon later this season (which is 5 lifting exercises, 6 minutes per arm with a rest between each exercise). Scoring uses a weight-related coefficient and there is a max number of reps beyond which doesn't count - so it will be fun! Took my new (to me) 16kg kb home tonight. Very happy at the price I got it for and that was the only way I could have justified it. For the forseeable future my herd is complete.

Sounds like so much fun Crankin! I've never used snow shoes, though they have me curious. With my ankles I will never try skiing, but snow shoes sounds a more reasonable alternative given my restrictions.

Well, it was snowing when we woke up yesterday, but the temperature was about 40. That meant the snow was like paste. Good thing was we were dropped off at 8:45 and we did not see anyone else until quite near the end of our ski. We tried to enjoy the scenery, despite no glide and feeling like we should have had snow shoes. And, we did not have our soft shells, so by the end, even my Ibex jacket was wet and I was worried about hypothermia. We had the leader drop us back at the lodge to change as soon as we got back.
We had a long drive back to Seattle, but last night we stayed in a very nice hotel and had a great dinner there. Now waiting for our flight. Unfortunately, we have to fly through JFK, for a 45 minute flight to Boston.

So glad you have had such a nice trip!

More strength and conditioning KB work this morning. I've decided to add one last 'bell to my home collection to complete it. It is also a good feeling to know that I've enough kettlebells and knowledge that if something happens and I can no longer afford my coach's expertise that I can continue on my own - even with competition practice. At this point I am paying him to keep me focused, balanced, and avoid injury. Those things are priceless, especially that last one in light of all of my broken bits.

Crankin, do you want to continue this through March? Given the weather I would be fine with that. I am only 1 hour short of my goal but I would add the hours - and a column. I think I meant to add March anyway, so let me know what you think.

I am game for March. I just added up all of my ski trip hours, and I am short 7.45 hours. I am fine with that, since skiing tends to be shorter than riding. I can see that I usually do about 25 hours a month. Hoping I might have a couple of rides in by the end of March, but for now, it's still winter sports and the gym.

I've added March, and updated the formula that grabs the monthly hours to calculate the total. I've also bumped my total back up to 100 hours, I average 4 hours a week when I don't have any "outside" time. We are getting another winter storm tomorrow so I don't see any trail hiking time anytime soon :(

I will bump my total to 125.
Had a pizza to celebrate being home, something I have maybe twice a year. Now back to reality. Everything unpacked, second load of laundry on. Hope to do some exercise tomorrow. I am afraid to get on the scale!

Did a brisk 2-3 mile hike, followed by about 20 minutes of stretching at home. I was freezing during almost the whole hike, not sure why, as it's 30 degrees and I was dressed correctly. Felt good to get outside, after a day of flying yesterday.
Hopefully, I'll get to boot camp tomorrow. We are on the edge of the storm coming through, and it's supposed to end just about the time I get up.

Had a nice home workout today. I had hoped to hit my gym for more traditional cardio, some hexbar deadlifting and some other things but a winter storm changed that idea. Thankful for my KB home herd so I made good use of it. I did moderate my pace since I had a hard KB workout yesterday and recovery is vital in keeping me healthy. I am still noticing that my usual weights feel light though, time to start creeping upwards :-)

Yesterday I did a 3 mile hike, followed by stretching at home.
Today, well, I hardly slept, the roads were snow covered, so I went back to sleep instead of boot camp. I did do a treadmill warm up, an 8 minute power segment, followed by 15 minutes of strength stuff, and 15 minutes of stretching.

Went to spin this morning and tried to ignore the "aerobics on a bike" instructor, who gets me riled up just by existing! I did my own thing and got a good workout. The other people around make it easier than the trainer.
Off to PT. I think I will be making this my last visit for awhile.