Today’s Hot & Sweaty WOD

Today’s workout was brutal:

5 rounds, for time

200 m sandbag run (40 lbs)

14 pull-ups

24 goblet squats (25 lbs)

34 double-unders (90 singles)

I don’t even remember how long it took me to finish…38:22 maybe? It was about 95 degrees in the Box, and I had greedily positioned myself in front of the fan in hopes of keeping my cheeks from getting bright red. Fail. On a more positive note, I did a couple of real life kips with the bands!

Hubby also got signed up today, after his third trial class. I know the trainers can whip him into shape real quick, and I was proud of his hard work today. He was quite a trooper, and actually finished BEFORE I did (plus he took a bathroom break in the middle). He’ll be in the Crossfit Games in no time.

Today’s workout was MUCH better than Friday’s. I hate to end the week with a bad workout, but I couldn’t get up in time Saturday to get in for class and redeem myself. I was a DNF on Friday, and was close to tears from being so frustrated at myself. It was just one of those days where I couldn’t lift, I couldn’t do cardio, and everyone else could without a problem. On top of that, I tweaked my arm/shoulder again, and spent the weekend forcing Shayne to give me deep tissue massages with the lacrosse ball. Starting the week with a more positive gym experience is definitely a good thing.

It’s only supposed to get hotter this week, so I’ve got to turn myself into an all-weather fitness buff!

Movie Watching on a Sunday Afternoon

Hubby had put the Hood to Coast documentary on hold at the library, so we sat down and watched today. SO motivational, it definitely got me even more excited for the race. It also gave me a strong desire to run (they didn’t highlight the walkers). They featured some really amazing teams, including one lady who had experienced heart failure during the previous year’s race, who came back (against her doctor’s better wishes) a year later, and a team that was running for their brother/son/husband, an avid runner who had passed away unexpectedly. The whole film really highlighted the fact that people run for so many different reasons…some are trying to prove something to others, some trying to prove something to themselves. Some are running in remembrance. Some are running to settle a score. Some are running to shake things up in their day to day lives. It was really interesting to think about. Anyways, I highly recommend watching Hood to Coast if you’re a runner, or if you’re not. It’s a great look at the race from its beginnings through present day, and focuses on some great individuals.

Then I felt motivated to run, but it was too damn hot.

I’m watching the end of the Closing Ceremonies at the moment, always bittersweet to me. London really pulled out all of the stops for this show, and called in every favor with every British celeb, EVER. I’m loving it. Hoping to keep my composure when they extinguish the torch.

Portland to Coast – Walking on Sunshine!

Two weeks from today, I will be in the midst of walking from Portland (Oregon) to Seaside, on the coast, as part of the Hood to Coast Run/Portland to Coast Walking Relay, for the second year in a row. This is such a big event locally, because people come in from ALL over the country and converge upon these small country hill towns, running and walking and sweaty and having a blast, and it’s amazing to be a part of it. We’ve been lucky enough to get a team at work two years in a row, and they pay for the ungodly expensive entrance fees, so we just get to skip a day’s work and exercise for 28-34 hours on their dime. It’s awesome.

The running race is almost 200 miles, and the walking race around 130 miles. Teams of 8-12 run three legs (or walk two), all while cramming into two vans, subsisting on trail mix, bananas, and whatever the grange halls decide to sell at the exchange points (or the drunk high school football players out in the woods, who cooked me a DELICIOUS chicken sandwich at 11:30 PM before I crashed for four hours of sleep on a tarp in a field full of other people). Last year, I got to a point where I just couldn’t WAIT for it to be done with, but the truth is, there’s something about it that’s addictive. Here’s a breakdown of some of my favorite things about the Relay:

-The camaraderie. Not only did I make some pretty great work friends last year that I hadn’t really known before, everyone you meet while walking is super nice. People pass you and give you encouragement, you start to get to know the teams that are on a similar pace with you, it’s all very social. There’s still a competitive aspect, definitely, because EVERYONE keeps track of their “roadkills,” talleying the people they manage to pass on their legs, but with 1500 teams of 8-12 people (yeah, you read that number right), unless you are SUPER competitive, it’s mostly about fun. There’s costumes, music blasting, random people with cowbells around random corners…just pure awesome.

-The scenery. The landscape on this course is absolutely beautiful, especially when you get into the backwoods and off the major roadways. Logging roads wind through the coastal range, past farms, an elk preserve, and various granges (most of which are exchange points and sell some tasty smelling foods, especially when you’ve just got done walking  8 miles). It’s also fun to be out there at night, albeit a little creepy, but it smells woodsy, you can hear the insects, and there’s just so many stars! When we were laying out in the sleeping field last year, I didn’t want to sleep, because I just wanted to lay there in my sleeping bag and six layers of clothing and stare at the stars.

-The finish. First of all there’s a finisher’s medal, which is the best incentive for any race, but knowing that you’ve come such a long way is extremely satisfying, and the race organizers reward you with a party. A kick-ass blowout party with food and beer and live music and massages…it’s wild. Something like 40,000 people show up for this party on the beach, and crossing the finish line with that many people around is just cool. Last year, I didn’t really care to stick around (all I wanted was a shower and some flip flops, plus it was 90 degrees), but it’s definitely a great time.

 

Here’s a picture of me last year, ready to go!

We’re projected to finish in 28-29 hours this year, which is pretty optimistic, but hey, I’ll take it. Plus I got into Van 1, which means I’ll be walking at 9ish AM and midnight, instead of 5 PM and 10 AM in 90 degree heat. I’m really crossing my fingers for cooler conditions this year.

Now I just have to get my ass training, and practice my speed walking. I’m definitely in better shape than I was last year, so hopefully things will go well, but it’s still a nerve wracking undertaking. Expect a debrief after we cross the finish line!

Faster, Higher, Stronger

Confession – I’m addicted to the Olympics, and have been since I can remember, all the way back to Atlanta in ’96, when I was  seven years old. Back then, I made a “scrapbook,” which was about five pages total, with pictures and news articles about gymnastics’ Magnificent Seven. I also attempted to write fan letters to all the gymnasts, but that didn’t work out so well for me, and I never got a response from any of them.

My addiction, however, has only grown over the years. In 2008, I was working as a caterer, and was in the middle of a shift during the opening ceremonies. My friend and I BEGGED and BEGGED to be cut first that night so we could make it home before the Parade of Nations (which we did). I’m also a total Olympics crier. There’s something about this event every four years that just brings out the patriot in me, and I’m crying every time I see a fantastic vault, a new swimming world record set, or a US gold medal ceremony.

Every night this week, I’ve stayed up until at least midnight to watch as much coverage as possible, every sport I can get with my limited basic cable package. Consequently, work has been a BITCH, because I’ve spent the days trying to stay awake, and also thinking about all of the things I’m missing by being at work. They always play the cool obscure sports during the day, like whitewater canoeing or badminton. There’s ONE TV in our office that in playing the Olympics, instead of the usual CNN news, but it would be pretty obvious that I wasn’t being productive if I just parked my laptop in front of the screen for the afternoon.

I’ve watched all of the swimming and gymnastics thus far, as well as volleyball, soccer, cycling, rowing, and one of my more obscure favorites, diving. I’ve watched so much diving in my lifetime that I fancy myself a pretty good commentator. Watching all of these people in their late teens winning gold medals makes me feel pretty lame about my life accomplishments. I’m still pretty hell bent on finding my sport, something that I can become world champion at in a few years, then win gold in 2020…wishful thinking, I know.

What’s YOUR favorite sport to watch? If you were to compete in the Olympics, which event would you want to take a stab at?

One thing I’ve noted in this Olympics is the overwhelming presence of social media. It’s actually kind of ruining things for me. There’s a lot of “spoilers” floating around out there, especially when you’re on the west coast and EVERYONE gets to see EVERYTHING before you do. For instance, yesterday, Oprah ruined the women’s all-around for me via Twitter. You can hardly watch the news without something being given away (NBC at least warns you to close your eyes, or turn the channel, some stations aren’t so generous). The social media aspect kind of sours things…if you know the person you’re rooting for is going to lose, it’s kind of painful to watch. Despite Oprah’s transgression yesterday, I still watched Gabby Douglas take down Russia, and still sat there nervous about each and every routine, but the magic is gone, just a  little bit. Really, people need to THINK before they start posting stuff. I’ve tried to stay off Twitter/Facebook/news media websites as much as I can during the afternoon hours, but it’s almost inevitable that each and every day, you will learn some results prematurely. I rather liked the days of everyone glued to their television, all watching at the same time, and then mourning or celebrating together with genuine emotion, not as an afterthought. That’s my little rant for the day. It’s really hot, and my fuse is short.

In other news, I need to get better at using photos on this blog, and maybe plan out some content, if I really want it to get good. I finally learned how to use an RSS feed and link all my favorite blogs to Google, and I feel inspired by everyone’s work.