Rolf Rolf Rolf Rolf Rolf

Today was my first Rolfing session. I really like the guy - he spent almost two hours with me in consultation and treatment. Lots of good advice, and lots of deep, deep, deep, painful, painful treatment. Followed by lots of pain and soreness afterwards. -PLUS- I got a Jogo discount on the price. Hooray!! Next appointment 5/5 - Happy Birthday to Me! :)

Wednesday. Mojo. Yay!

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my Core workout today at Jogo. Wednesday Mojo days should be required for everyone on any kind of exercise routine. Truly reinvigorating!! Today was 2 rounds of:
25 V-Ups
25 Super Mans
25 Hollow Rocks
25 GHD Back Extensions

A good quick workout that left plenty of time for stretching, foam rolling, and hitting up the grocery for more zone-friendly foods on the way home!!
Happy Happy Hump Day!
:)

Padden Revisted

Carlo and I have had quite a lovely morning. We went for a nice little trot around Lake Padden this morning. I felt OK - I'm a bit sore from yesterday, and, of course, my hips were tight, but not too painful. I got a little outsmarted by the new iPhone, so I was music-less , but I had plenty of people to say hello to along the way. It was amazing how much quicker 2 1/2 miles went compared to 8!
It was a nice little workout for me. Of course, for Carlo, it was nothing. So, we went to the dog park, where he sprinted the whole length of the park time and again for about half an hour. Then, he got to go for about 45 minutes worth of a swim. What a lucky guy!!

A New Week & A New Adventure

I like that Mondays are typically longer, hard days a Jogo. Such a lovely way to start off the week! We did a workout Em lovingly titled Dirty Sunday. She "borrowed" the workout from the Atlanta, GA affiliate (Dirty South) - thus the name. It was:
1000 meter Row
25 Overhead Squats (I did 35#)
100 meter Run
50 Kettle bell swings (12kg - supposed to be 16kg, I just grabbed the wrong one. Oops.)
100 meter Run
25 Burpees (Ugh to Burpees!)
200 meter Run

I got done in 16:45. It felt pretty good, except, of course, the recurring theme of the sore hip flexors. Again, not such a problem during the workout, but some serious stiffness afterward. Lots of stretching and foam rolling does a body good!
...But not as good as my Rolfing appointment is going to do! My first treatment will be Thrusday afternoon. I honestly have no idea what to expect - mostly a deep, myofascial massage type thing, but we shall see what it actually brings. Hooray for therapy!
More soon!

Warm and beautiful. And hard.

So, today was my first long run in a couple of weeks. I missed the 7 mile run when I was in New Mexico, so I jumped up to the (almost) 8 mile run today. Starting off, I felt great. My legs were feeling pretty good, it was a lovely, sunny afternoon, and I was plenty hydrated. (You know us Orcas - we require a LOT of water!) I kind of messed up pretty quickly - I missed the turn off for the out-and-back 1.2 miles that I was going to add on at just past the first mile or so. I ended up turning up a different trail that allowed me to climb up the streets that parallel Alabama hill. Only higher up. It was a lot of very, very slow climbing. The journey back down was pretty quick, though!
I got back into my rhythm after that, kind of trudging along with Carlo really hoping that I was going to hit warp speed some time soon. Bless his little heart, he's much faster than me. But he's plenty patient. I'm sure the harness and leash have something to do with that, but it still works out pretty well. At about the one hour mark, I really started feeling it. I was losing motivation, and just not feeling too great any more. And I was barely over half way. Ugh.
Anyway, we made it back, and it wasn't too bad. Partially because it's much more of a gradual down hill on the way back. Always a nice way to finish out a run.
It's got me questioning myself, though. I'm just not sure how the sound of doing another hours worth of running on top of what I did today feels. I suppose we're still two months out, but I'm feeling kind of overwhelmed. Hmm....
On a fun note, I got a fun new gadget that's going to work a lot like the Garmin Forerunner, I think. Here's the stats from today's run (let me know if you think it's a bit much for the blog. I don't have to post anymore if you don't like them here):

Fran. And then some

Ah, the Crossfit Standard. Fran. I think this is actually the first time I've done traditional Fran. I've done "Fran All at Once", where we did 45 thrusters followed by 45 pull-ups. Regular Fran is:
21 Thrusters, 65#
21 Pull-ups (jumping pull-ups in my case)
15 Thrusters (I dropped down to 55# in this round)
15 Jumping pull-ups
9 Thrusters
9 Jumping pull-ups

We then got a 2 minute rest, and then:
400 meters carrying a 25# plate bearhug style
200 meter sprint (or faster jog-ish pace, in my case)
100 meter hustled walk/jog with the 25# plate overhead

It was nice to stretch out the legs a bit with the running/walking combo after Fran, but it was REALLY hard to hold that plate overhead. My shoulders were TOAST!

It took me 8:55 for Fran. The second part was not timed. There was, again, lots of foam roller love at the end of the workout.

Big week at Jogo this week - the workouts I missed on Tuesday & Thursday were mini-Nicole (only 10 mins), and Cindy II (30 mins of traditional Cindy w/ an added 200 meter run in the mix). Tough week! Several people are gearing up for the Regional Qualifier for the Crossfit Games, so I think there's going to be a few more weeks of these brutal work outs. Fun for all!

Thursday-4-23

Hooray for medicine...Had a shot in my knee to day. Euphexa, more natural than the ground up rooster they put in synvisc. Strict instructions, take it easy today!!
OK, I have a perfect spot mapped out on the couch..if I can get the cat to move..hee, hee

Pilates - Wed 4-22

I went to Pilates for the first time in about 6 weeks. Respiratory illness followed by mental illness--the lazy, can't get motivated, mental illness--then the fear factor--I know it will hurt. But I did it--it did hurt--but Kate was right. Having done it made it easier to do it again. I am looking forward to goinng again. Work those abs..and I have lost 5 lbs in the last two weeks!!

Be Smart

I was planning on a nice jog this evening when I got off of work. Unfortunately, all day long at work, both of my hips just felt really really tight. I'm not having as much pain and weakness from my left hip flexor any more, but I have now moved to bilateral hip TIGHT-ness. It's like I've been guarding my hips for 4 weeks now or something...
Anyway, it was another great, sunny evening, so I had James take Carlo & I for a nice long & easy walk. It was really nice, really refreshing, and loosened me up for a bit. More foam roller fun at home before dinner. Turned out to be a really nice night, although not terribly cardiovascularly taxing. Sometimes you just gotta listen to your body. Sometimes...

Mojo Mojo Mojo

I actually started out my workout for today with a bit of a jog from the hospital. There's lots of great routes that I used to do when I could go on lunchtime jogs. I chose a pretty flat 25 min route through the neighborhoods & Cornwall Park. I felt kinda slow & tight, but it felt good to get out there for a jog.

Today's core workout at Mojo was really fun. It was called the Countdown, and consisted of the following:
20 reps Ab Wheel Tucks
18 reps Ab Wheel Bridges
16 reps Ab Wheel Pikes
14 reps GHD Sit-Ups
12 reps Knees-to-Elbows (still SO BAD at this!!)
10 second L-sit hold (holding your legs up in a pike position - or as close as you can)
8 reps GHD Back Extensions
6 reps Hanging Leg Raises
4 reps Ab Mat Wall Ball (sit-ups with a weighted ball thrown to a 5-foot mark on the wall)
1 min Handstand Hold (I had to break this up into 2 30 sec reps - my shoulders were giving out)

It was a fun work out, with plenty of time for stretching and foam rolling afterwards. Lovely!

Nancy

Monday was back to reality - back to Crossfit. A big start to the week with Nancy:
5 Rounds of
400 meter run
15 Overhead Squats

It took me 17:46. Prescribed weight for the overhead squats was 65#. I struggle a LOT with locking my shoulders out and keeping that much weight over my head. I did the first round at 45#, then jumped down to 35#. I just couldn't get the right depth with my shoulders locked out. Something more to work on! LOTS of time on the foam roller after this one!

A good (hard) start to the week. Then, because it was a BEAUTIFUL springtime evening, James and I took Puppy for a nice walk when I got home. We all got home with big ol' smiles on our faces!

An Orca in New Mexico

I had the joy of traveling down to visit Blue & Kate in New Mexico! There was a LOT of driving, but we got to see a lot of neat things. We even exercised (a little) along the way!
Thursday was a preparation & travel day. Our first stop was Elephant Butte State Park, which was more of a leg-stretching activity for the three of us. Blue had the most fun!

We then went to Silver City, NM to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings. There were several warnings about the VERY STEEP section of trail along the one mile route up to see the cliff dwellings. Turns out, in some circles, VERY STEEP means steps about the equivalent of the steps in your home. Still, a beautiful drive out to a nice walk. Again, seems like Blue had the most fun - his first ever swim!














Next, we had a looooong drive (through Texas even!) to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This one was pretty interesting - just over a mile descending over 700 feet into the 8.2 acre Big Room cavern. It was another mile or two to walk around and check out all there was to see. Overall, a pretty mellow walk, but very interesting. (You had to take the elevator to get back to the surface.) A worthwhile trip, but I'm not sure I need to go back and see it again...
Last but certainly not least was the Lincoln National Forest outside of Ruidoso, NM. This was the first place we made it to that was a real hike in a real forest along a real trail. I know I know - that's a lot to take in. There ARE forests and green trees and running water and true mountain beauty in New Mexico. It was amazing! AND - super fun fact: the Lincoln National Forest is Smoky Bear's home! He didn't come by and visit us, though. I guess our fire was appropriately sized and appropriately extinguished. Anyway, we went on a fabulous 2 1/2 hour hike that felt so good after all of the driving through all of the desert. And Texas.







Lessons learned: NM is beautiful (in parts), Kate Blue & Liz are happiest outside in the trees, Labs are natural swimmers, and Orcas do not belong in the desert. Or at elevation. Sea level - key to an Orca's happiness! :) Lovely trip!!

Squat/Deadlift/Burpee

Today's Jogo was supposed to be a max effort back squat. The trainer (Emilie) felt like I needed a little bit more work with my form, so she had me do 3 rounds of 20 reps of back squats. I did the first two rounds working on form at 45#, then moved up to 65# for the final round. My leg felt pretty good. I was focused pretty hard on keeping my weight and strength balanced. Form days are good days!
We then finished the day by doing Deadlift/Burpee workout:
5 rounds of 5 heavy Dead Lifts and 10 Burpees
I did 135# DL for the first round, then went down to 125# for the rest of the rounds. Finished in 6:42. The record for the day was 3:45 as prescribed, which was 225# pounds. Dang!
I'm now off to pack up for my adventures in the desert with the Road Runner! Hooray!!

I'm Baaaaack!!!

I ended up basically taking the rest of the week off after my disaster out at Padden. I had a few long days at work, and just generally was crabby and kind of hurting. I got my foam roller delivered (!!!!), so I tried to use that daily. Didn't feel much better, didn't feel much worse, didn't feel much different. Then, I got to help the Garrisons move to a new apartment. (Luckily, we didn't have to move ALL of their stuff. Just the heavy stuff...)
So, after almost a week of whining and being crabby, I went out to the North Shore of Lake Whatcom. It's a relatively flat 6 mile (out & back) trail. Carlo came with and got to be off leash most of the time, which means he ran more like 8 or 9 miles. Such a happy puppy!!
Anyway, I felt OK. I was slower than I've ever been, but I felt quite a sense of accomplishment for doing it. It also helped a lot that I talked to the RoadRunner on the phone afterwards and got her words of encouragement.
Thanks for being such a HUGE part of my support group, ladies! I truly need you!!

Easter Sunday

Bummer to spend Easter with people who don't believe in Easter. Mostly we hung around and drove back to Minnesota. Not the most pleasant of drives. but tomorrow we get to go home!

Saturday the 11th

Drove to a red sandstone beach. Walked for about 30 minutes, but it was cold and Alden is sick and cranky, I am sick and cranky and Baby Stella is getting sick and Cranky, Susan has been sick nearly the whole time.

Friday the 10th of April

Small tour of Hancock and Houghton. Went to the pool, I am getting a cold and the water in the pool was verrry cold. Spent the time in the hot tub with Alden with the best intention of doing laps but really just enjoying the warmth!

Thursday, April 9

Spent the day driving across Minnesota, Wisconsin and into the upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit Sarah at Michigan Tech. By the time we got there all I wanted was rest. Day off of any excuse for exercise!!

Wednesday April 8

Walked about 30 minutes and played at the park in between. Alden had a blast on the slides and wanted to stay all day. Adults wanted to go back to eat lunch. We won!

Tuesday April 7

Swam laps and played with babies in the pool for about an hour. Turned into a prune, but not sure if it really counts as true exercise, but was as close as I could come to it. Earlier we went to the park and I did walk about 20 minutes, too bad I forgot my brace. Grandpa Bob was racing downhill after Alden and smacked into a tree. He has a nasty lump and a couple of scrapes on his head! Claims he doesn't really have a concussion, but we all wonder!

Monday April 6

Shopping at Mall of America. Need I say more? Plenty of exercise and and hours of walking and by the end of the day my knee was twice the size of a melon! But we must sacrafice.

Sunday April 5

Groggy trying to adapt to a 3 hour time change. Swam laps again. Drank a lot of wine at Olive Garden to make up for lack of exercise!! More fun that way.

Saturday April 4

Swam laps in the pool for 20 minutes and walked up and down the hotel halls with little kids, mostly to keep order, I couldn 't possibly mopve as fastg as they did!

Something Just Ain't Right

Today was the first day that I just could NOT get into a run. I left James & Carlo at the dog park at Lake Padden and planned to take a 2.6 mile lap around the lake. Planned...
My leg felt really really tight. Really. Really. Tight. So I sllooooowwwllllyyyy jogged about the first flat mile, then stopped to stretch for a good 5-10 minutes. I felt pretty good after that and tried to trot the rest of the way around the lake. Uh-uh. Not a chance. Couldn't do it - could hardly even walk. I felt kinda like my legs were disconnected from my body. So, I turned around and sulked my way back to the dog park.
Ugh. I may have to admit that I'm hurt or something. NAH!!!! Definitely very frustrated, though. Ick!

Kelly (A.K.A. Hell-y)

Another long one at Crossfit today. Tough, but a refreshing way to start the week. Today, we did Kelly, which is
5 Rounds of:
400m run
30 Box Jumps (18")
30 Wall Balls (14# ball, 10' mark)

We had a 30 minute cut-off, so I didn't quite finish the workout. I got stopped with 20 wall balls to go in the last round. 30 HARD minutes. Plus - so funny - it was HOT! I know, I know, I shouldn't rub it in. Bragging comes and bites you in the butt, but it's so hard not to! It was down right warm. So fun! In fact, it kinda makes me want to dance. Tra La La!!

~The Fox-trotting Orca!

Spring has Sprung!

Carlo and I did the prescribed long run for the week this afternoon, and it was down right warm! I'm thinking that spring may actually be here! (For now, at least!) We did the same 5 mile course as the Runnin O' the Green from a few weeks ago. I started at the spot closest to the house, so the hills all came in different spots, but it was still a very nice run! It took me a few minutes longer than the race did, which makes some since - not as many other people to push me a long, took a few minutes to get the hip flexor loosened up, and had to stop twice for a Carlo potty break. Over all I feel pretty good about it. I think my hip's on it's way back to normal happy healthy-ness. Phew!
In other exciting news, James cleaned out the cupboard today and found a gift card to Wal-Mart with $26 still left on it. Neither of us has any idea where it came from, but we went ahead and used it up today - on getting me my very own foam roller! Now I can have the foam roller love in the comfort of my own living room!! *So excited!!*
~The (soon to be) Extra Rolly-Poley Orca!

Sprinting in the Sun!

All of a sudden, Bellingham has decided it's spring. Apparently there were some parts of town that had some snow mixed with our obligatory morning rain. But, by mid-morning, the sun was out, the clouds were (mostly) gone, and it was warm warm warm. AND we were pretty slow at work, so I snuck out early to make the 4:30 Jogo class. This left plenty of time for James & I to meet a co-worker for dinner and beer at Boundary Bay, which was fabulous, and completely not the point. I digress...
Today we did Kaci. It's a Jogo classic named after one of our athletes. Actually a gal who graduated from Chugiak a few years after me. Such a small world! She was a track athlete and loves her some sprinting. So, the workout is a tag-team sprint consisting of:
400m X 2 (each partner runs twice, you rest while your partner is running his/her part)
200m X 4
100m X 6
I was partnered with a girl named Brit, who runs right about my pace, which made the rest breaks between the runs for me just about right. Pretty tough for me, on account of my general lack of ability to do anything quickly. My hip flexor was also quite unhappy, but it got a little foam roller love when all was said and done.
The only problem with the running was that I got to watch myself get a parking ticket. DOH! The downtown parking meters only have to be paid through 5, and I usually don't make it to class until at least 5:15, so I completely forgot to pay the meter. It's only a $10 ticket, but always kind of disheartening to watch yourself giving money to the city. Oops...

~The Sheepish Orca

YOU run like a girl!!!

My co-workers just told me about a great race this fall. It's a fundraiser for the Girls on the Run, which is a non-profit group that works with young girls to teach them to be active, happy, strong women. (Kinda like us, right?!?!??)
So, the race is called Run Like a Girl. It's a half marathon here in Bellingham on the 10th of October. It's not so much a race as it is a super fun excuse to be outside in October. At every mile there's some kind of special treat, like a tiara, chocolate, or (most importantly!!) CHAMPAGNE!!! That's right. Champagne. During the run.
It's all about fun and smiles and good times (not necessarily good finishing times, just happy times!). Apparently most participants walk the majority of the course. I imagine this is largely because nobody would want to risk spilling their free champagne!! It's limited to only 50 participants, and it's only $40. ($55 if you want the nice technical shirt.)
Check out the website, look at your calendars, and tell me what you think. I think it's right up our alleys (or canyons, or mountains, or ocean currents, or what have you...) *I think we should do it!*

Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down!

Well, really the volcano ash isn't that noticeable, I just cough abit. yesterday, (Wednesday) I did my warm-up and a 15 mminute outside walk about with the dog and the grand daughter. it was a blast. nice to see the snow starting to melt and the temperatures about 30degrees.

Love Me Some Mojo

It's Wednesday again - Mojo day at Jogo. Happy day!! I did the core workout again, which this week was 3 rounds of:
1 minute of Ab Mat sit-ups
1 minute of Knees-to-Chest (a modification of knees-to-bows)
1 minute of Glut-Ham Machine Back Extensions
1 minute V-Ups

Then there was some left-over time for working on my kipping pull-up technique (I'm still very far away from actually doing one, but technique is key...), squat technique, and, of course, some foam-roller love. Luuuuuuvvvvvvv the Foam Roller!!!!!!!!

~The Rolly Poly Orca