Looking around

I was going on a run today.   If you don’t know I hate running.   But I run anyway.   A great friend says you should train things that you aren’t good at.   Well running is one of those things.   And today I ran for a bit longer than a mile and half.    And I thought about where I was last year.    Last year, this time, I had just started running.  I mean JUST started running.   My best friend decided I was going to run my first 5k just to get it under my belt.    And I did.  I finished under my goal of 38 minutes.   And I just barely beat that.   But most importantly, I finished.

This timelast year, I couldn’t run a mile without stopping and sucking in tons of air.   I was getting frustrated because I didn’t feel like I was ever going to be able to run a mile without effort.   Everyone talks about getting a second wind when you run…  Well to this day, I am still wondering where the heck that is…     Last year, I could barely increase my distance more than ONE THOUSANDTH of a mile at a time.   Yes, I would .56 of a mile one day.. and .57 the next day.  Because that is all my little mind could wrap my head around.    Seriously…  some days it was all I could to go the same distance I did the day before.

But today, I went for a run.   And yes, the first half mile sucked and I wanted to just stop and walk back home, but I knew better.. Just have to push through those demons that want to tell you to stop.    And after that first 1/2 mile, things got a bit easier and I got into a rhythm that I was comfortable with and I ran my predetermined route.   I still hate running by the way.

It always does me good to think back every once and awhile because it drives me forward.   Last year I couldn’t dream of just leaving my house with my earphones on and just go for a run.   Never mind a mile and half.   In fact, I probably would have put money on the table that it would never happen.   I had try running in the past and it went horribly.   I was determined that it was going to go horribly again.    (Thank you Erin and Andrew, for never giving up on me and pushing me when I didn’t think I could push myself any more.)

So on my list of things to accomplish this year is a 10k.   And quite honestly, this scares me.  It is 6.2 miles in case you didn’t know.   6 miles… which means I would be running for over an 1 hour and half.   I am trying to convince myself that I can do this.     There is a 10k in 2 weeks.    So I guess it is time to face this demon!

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Feels Good

Today was just an ordinary day at the gym.  Well sorta.  In the middle of doing my rounds, Andrew asked me if my PR was 120?  Then he remembered my last PR was 185 and asked if the weight was too light.   I said something more or less along the following lines:   “yes, you can definitely put more weight on or we need to increase reps or something as they aren’t challenging”.  Well that is what I eventually got out as I was doing burpees at the time.    So on another 20 lbs goes!    So another set or two and i realized that I was having no issues at all doing a deadlift with 120 lbs.   While that is probably nothing to most people who deadlift, this was my PR 2 months ago.   I was like… I am deadlifting my personal record 2 months ago without any issues what so ever.   I mean it is a great feeling to add more weight on to any bar and successfully lift it.  But when your PR becomes part of your normal lifting routine and it was I dare say EASY:  that is just a great feeling.    And believe it or not, burpees are becoming less challenging as well.   I need to keep working on doing pushups here at the house to help continue to master pushups.     They are looking and feeling better!   And I dreaded the dumbbell swings as well.   And even though they were hard, it was all manageable!   I had a great time at the gym today.

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Varsity Bar is all I have to say!

Woohoo!  I got to overhead press the varsity bar!   And other than adjusting to the weight the first time, it went really well.   At the end of my 2 sets, we had time to do 3 more things, and I choose to press as one of them!   So this was really like death by 10’s.

2 sets:

10 box jumps

10 pull ups

10 kettlebell swings

10 toe touch situps

10 overhead press (with 45 lb bar!!!!)

10 lunges

10 Mountain Climber

10 burpee’s

10 jumprope (suppose to be double unders…)

10 wall balls with 10 lb ball

Double Unders… the first set I just did 10 regular jump roping and then tried to do a double under…  With some practice, I got 1 completed.   Fell on my rump.. but completed it.   2nd set, I did 1 double under and stopped… then started again and completed 4 double unders.    then it all came apart and I couldn’t quite get any more!  But woohoo, it has been since Elementary school since I did any of those!   So go me!

Other than being really sore atm, it was totally awesome!   I am so freaking ecstatic that I actually used the varsity bar and that it wasn’t difficult.   I am almost afraid to mention that E word!   =)    I also never used a kettlebell either.    So that was pretty awesome too… I don’t remember what the weight was.

Burpees suck.   I need more practice with those.   Pullups were okay.

I walked easy for 20 minutes before training.  My legs were really tight.    Afterwards, I did intervals on the treadmill for 20 minutes.

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Easy… beginning to become a 4 letter word

=)   Which is totally a good thing I guess.   I have a hard time telling weight with my arms.    But that is okay, Andrew has no problem telling!  ha!

So here is what I did:

5 sets total

500 meters rowing machine (1x time, 250 every set after)

10 each arm dumbbell snatches.

15 reverse back extension

The rowing machine and I did well.   with 2 of my sets I actually hit the 1 minute mark!  Yippee!  And I was really close the other 2 sets!

dumbbell snatches we did 2 sets with 15 lb dumbbell and moved to a 20 lb.   and finished the other 3 with the 20 lb.

Reverse back extensions were really easy until the last 3… Ugh.

Over all great day!

 

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Awesome time at the gym!

I have the most awesome trainer and friend!    They are truly good for my spirit!     Between the 2 of them, they manage to support not only getting through a workout, but also through those times when you wonder if it is all worth it!    Well, Andrew has been telling me that I have lost weight.    Erin has been telling me the same thing.   As has a ton of other people.   Do I believe them… No.   Why?   Because the clothes I wear every day, fit the same way they did a year ago.   I have a hard time seeing improvements in myself.  Always has been an issue.   Partly the reason why I started blogging about what I am doing at the gym.   So I can physically see progress.   Just go read the blog 3 weeks ago…  =)      Anyway, Erin gave me some jeans that don’t fit her any more!   Which is enough to party about on its own.    I was SO skeptical I was even going to be able to get a leg in them, never mind actually zip them up.    You see, I have been to the stupid stores looking for pants to fit, and nothing seems to.   So I just gave up and kept wearing the same stuff I have been.  I hate clothes shopping in the first place.      Well I went and picked them up and tried them on!!!    They are a bit tight on me, but they fit!!!!!   Like OMG, they fit!   I was so shocked.   They are 14’s!      I was wearing an 18 if anyone cares to know.    I don’t care who knows!       I mean like really!   A 14?   Are you kidding me?

Merry Christmas to me!!!!

So today’s training kicked ass!   I mean it was really awesome.   Well at least that is how I feel atm.    We worked on making things a bit harder which is always a good thing.    And even though it was tough, I got through it.   The elliptical is not my friend.    OMG…   I think I would rather row than do the elliptical.    Yikes.

I did 4 sets today.   I kept moving between them other when Andrew had to show up one the other guys at the gym!   And he did!  Way to Go Andrew!!!!

Each set consisted of

10 pull-ups

12 25lb sumo squat lift thingies… (yeah a Jen technical term.=P  I really need to learn what that  lift is called!)

14 25lb over head lifts thingies…. (Yeah see above)

16 butterfly situps  (with a new twist!)

 

So the pull-ups, I have to remember a few things.   Hands wider.   Like on the outside of my shoulders.   Elbows need to go up.. not out.    Chin needs to stay on the right side of the bar.    Yikes!!!   The first set was easy… they progressively got harder.     The last one I had to fight hard to get.

sumo squat thingies.    They were overly difficult today.

over head lift thingies:   These weren’t easy today.    Toward the end I wondered if I was even going to complete them.  But I did.. Mind over matter.   But they were tough.  10-14 were anyway.

Butterfly situps… I normally like these.  They are fairly easy to do now… Did you see that E word… yeah means we need to make modifications!  ha!   So before I was doing the situps with my hands over my head and the momentum of bringing your arms up over head as you sit up really HELPS alot to do your situp!   Well, I graduated from that, to crossing your arms over your chest.   Holy Sweet Baby Jesus!    They went from rather mind-numbingly easy, to struggling.     This is a good thing!

So Cardio:   I hate cardio.   I struggle with it.

Well it was suggested that I do the elliptical today.    We are not friends.   Frequent stops occurred.   My thighs burned.   Goodness gracious.   Yeah… that sucked…  But I am not going to let it ruin my attitude!  I am really feeling great.  Which is unusually after training.  I normally just want to crawl back in bed and forget the world exists for 3 hours or so.   But not today!

 

 

 

 

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Just crawl to the next set…

Yes, that is how I am moving between exercises today.   I couldn’t catch my breathe but I just pushed through it.   Well tried.   I have a head cold and didn’t feel 100%  but I gave a 100%.

500 meters on the row machine

15 overhead squats with 15 lb bar no additional weight.

18 grasshoppers

I managed to get 3 sets in 30 minutes.   The first set on the row machine ROCKED!!!!    My snatches looked good.   squats I need to stay in my heals.   2nd set was much better than any of the others.   Grasshoppers.  don’t know about them.     At the end of today, i was shaking.    But it appears my work schedule might be changing a bit.  And if this happens I will be able to get more gym time in!!!  Yippee!  How cool is that.   Yes, I am fairly excited about that new prospect.    We used the sissy bar today.  However, we don’t do overhead squats regularly so we will have to work up to more weight.

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90 lb deadlifts

Yeah!   Almost to that triple digit number!   I don’t know why that seems awesome, but it does.    So today wasn’t easy, and I did 4 sets.   But I felt good.   Andrew helped me fix what ever the issue was on the bike that was hurting my knee!   So yippee on that.

20 meter Bear walks with 20 lb dumbbells (40 lbs total)

12 -> 45 lb front squats

6 -> 90 lb deadlifts

24 -> butterfly situps

Bear walks felt really good.  Last time they made me sick.   I have to remember to keep my head looking up in front of me.   When I looked down at the weights, things got so no nice.   Front Squats:  On rep 10, it was always ugly.   I struggled to push through that one.   and seemed to recover and do the last 2 with less effort.    Deadlifts… Wow!   I have to mentally remember to keep my arms straight and not jerk the bar up to start.   Last set of those looked and felt the best.   Situps…  I was off on these today.  They were not easy.

I really need to carve out some time to do pushups, pull ups (Maybe?), situps, burpees, at home on the days I am not at the gym.

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Feeling Good!

We started with I don’t know how much weight on the bar (35 lbs maybe) and it was really easy.  Okay, so lets not say easy, lets say not difficult…  That is what I told my trainer anyway.    We did 2 sets and after the 2nd set they were still really not difficult at all.   So he added weight!    Woohoo!    Up to a varsity bar.    I know most people are saying what is the big deal.  Well it is visible progress!    And I like doing clean and jerks.    And even after the 2nd set with the varsity bar.  They were getting harder, but still felt good.   =)

10 clean/jerk (2 sets at 35 / 2 sets at 45)

10 throwups with 6lb ball (wall balls)

10 push ups

100 jump ropes

I did 4 sets of these.

The cleans felt good.   Form felt good.  Need to keep remembering to pull my elbows up higher.    I get lazy with that when i start getting tired.    The wall balls actually started to feel easier after doing the 45 lbs cleans.    The ball felt extremely light.   Pushups are kicking my butt.   I am not sure why but they are getting harder again.  =(   Must do more of them in between training!    So jump rope…  This is so funny.   The first set sucked.  I couldn’t get coordination down to save my life.   The 2nd set:  all 100 in one go!   3rd set… Messed up on number 2.  kept struggling through 40.. Then did a huge set from 40-94!   Not too shabby.    The last set was touch and go.

Cardio:  Treadmill:  5 minutes at 15 resistance 2 minutes at 1 resistance.   Waled at a 3.0 speed.   Did that 3 times.   I had to stop between the 2nd and 3rd set because I could feel my pulse behind my eye balls and that didn’t seem so good.  So I sat down for a few minutes   Let my pulse come down a bit and started up again.

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Just another day in Paradise!

Well I am now officially training 3x a week at the gym!   Yeah!  My trainer drew up the paperwork today!   He totally rocks.   Then off to the weights we went!  It wasn’t a particularly noteworthy day.   It was just another day.

We used the 15kg bar (or 33 lbs) no weights.

15 Thrusters with the 15 kg bar

row machine for 200 meters:  Just Legs.

15 dips (I HATE these)

row machine for 200 meters:  Just arms

We did 3 or 4 sets.  I was trying to focus on form… So I lose count on how many sets we did.     However, I was mistaken today.  I thought there was 6k yards in a mile… there are 5200+ feet in a mile.   Or approx. 1200 or so yards/meters to a mile.  Give or take!   That makes my sore arms feel better!

The row machine just wears my rump out.   I don’t know why.   I always struggle after 100 meters.

Thrusters:  These were much easier than with the dumb bells we used the other day.  Squats were okay.   I got tired toward the end and I don’t think form was spot on.   But I finished.

Dips:  Hate them.   they hate me too.   All I have to say about them.  I need to stay as close to the bench as possible.   Yuck.

For Cardio:  I did 2 miles on the bike with a 2 minute break in between.   It was on 11 resistance.

I still need to find my heart monitor.  I am sure it is around somewhere.

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Struggled

Well my trainer said I made it look easy and my form (for the most part) was good.   But if felt far from easy.   And I wanted to just stop and give up.  I was so tired today.   I have been under immense stress lately.  I am sure that isn’t helping anything.     I struggled through most of the exercises today.    I even asked my trainer at one point if training ever seems to get easier.   I am sure you can guess what he said, “Nope.   You are paying me to push you.   So if training was easy, I have not done my job.”

So here is what we did.

I think I did 3 sets… maybe 4… I lost count.

10 Dumb Bell Dead Lifts with curls. (20 lb weights)

10 squat thrusters (I think is what they were called) (15 lb weights)

20 jumps (I jumped with both feet up onto a step being very careful to get my heals up on the step. )

With the Dumb Bell Dead Lift, form felt funny until the last set, and then it all seemed to feel better.   Yeah for better form!    Thrusters… my squats were off today… I didn’t hurt anywhere but when I was coming up out of a squat I was doing something funky with my hips.   It took a lot of concentration to fix what ever I was doing.   and then the thruster part was about to kill my arms.    The jumps on to the step just took alot of concentration and focus so that I didn’t miss the step.   We were trying to work on coordination and lord knows I need it.    Clumsy is my middle name at times.

I need to find my heart monitor so we can keep an idea on how high my heart rate is going.   I haven’t seen it for month. =/

Afterwards, I met my friend at a hiking trail and her friend was there as well.    We walked/ran one loop.   Then we started running on the 2nd loop and I couldn’t keep up.   Told them to go on.   I walked mostly the rest of the next 2 loops.   And then needed some water.    so I went to go get water out of my car.     Then we did another loop around the pond there.

Just as a note:   1 yogurt with some pecans isn’t enough to do all that.   =/

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