Training Log Archive: possum

I didn't get my HR up like some days, but I managed to sweat a lot by the last few rounds. We had half a dozen different variations of planks (anyone for reverse plank kicks) and several Russian twist variations, which are also unpleasant, plus the usual Burpees, mountain climbers, and rockhoppers.

Sprint run at the Sunflower Games in Gage Park. Navigation was pretty easy, although Paul C. designed it with lots of route choices. This was more than I had run in a long time, but it felt pretty good, even with the humidity. The last control was on the outside of the fence, although it looked to me like it was on the inside. I could reach over the fence and I punched it, but then I had to go back to the only open gate instead of going straight to the finish, which took me an extra minute and a half, probably, at my slow pace. It was really good to get some map reading practice this summer.

Lots of leg work today.

This was more like a 4.5, just slightly easier than yesterday. I did hit the red zone for one round, and we had Burpees between all rounds. Ugh!

I had some trouble sleeping last night, and a terrible cramp in my calf when I woke up this morning. Also, my entire upper half was sore, but on to kickboxing. Today was the first time I got in the red zone since my HR was reset, and I did this on two rounds. Most of the time I was in yellow, with copious sweating.

Not that I felt like it, but the weather is nice today, and tomorrow and Saturday will be brutal. So, knowing that ElRay really needed a walk, we had some girl-bonding time at Watkins Mill, but didn't walk all the way around.

Workout with Jared. After warmup and the usual agility drills, I got to push the sled across the gym, then push backward on the short handles. This is a real quad-burner. Three trips. Then we did lots of arm stuff.

A little different time for 9Round. I managed to beat my challenge time on the sit-ups with double punch--I did 100 in 3 minutes, and felt like a machine.

C • Machine 1

Challenging, but not over the top today. We did the sit-up challenge again, and I had hoped to better my count from yesterday, but only managed 92 today.

Today was "whittle your middle Monday", so lots of core stuff. I started on Round 7, and felt very worked out, but couldn't really get my HR up doing this stuff. Then I hit the Challenge on Station 4, situps with double punching the big bag, as many as you can do in 3 minutes. Megan came by (college age, she was the trainer today) and told me she had done 90. I love challenges--I did 94. Yes, I have a 4-pack, since I am too short-waisted to have a 6-pack.

Bob, ElRay, and I went walking at Jesse James Park. We ambled some, and it was fairly hot.

A bit challenging--my HR was in the 80's for about 2/3 of the time. I did have to modify at Round 1. We were supposed to hold a tire over our heads while doing lunges--then run to the mailbox and back and do five pushups. I skipped the tire and did walking lunges, then the rest of it. Tires are too heavy to lift and focus on form at the same time.

Today rated a five, since my HR stayed around 85% during the entire 30 minutes, and this is after adjusting my HR percents to a younger person. The 30-seconds between rounds today were all Burpees, and, to top it all off, the last round was doing plank walks for three minutes. I was really glad when the bell rang.

Not too bad today except at the last round where I spent three minutes doing leg lifts with a medicine ball between my feet. And I had a few problems getting my HR monitor working.

After ElRay watched the car for me at 9Round, I took her to Jesse James Park. She wanted to sniff every tree and post today, so it was good I've been working on upper body strength to pull her along.

Workout with Jared. Several new dexterity drills.

I'm not sure if it was because I was tired from my workout this morning with Jared, or just because it was tough, but I got pretty wiped. Several had the Ali shuffle included, and the killer was the Ali shuffle while pushing a medicine ball out and then up. It really got my heart rate up.

Much easier today. I did get my HR over 80% for a short time.

After not attending 9Round for 10 days, I figured it would be intense. Then I forgot to use my inhaler and wear my HR monitor, so I can only guess that my HR was way up there because I was literally dripping sweat all over everything--yewww.

Took ElRay to Watkins Mill and walked the bike path. Actually, I did a little running at the beginning, but it was really humid, so we mostly power-walked. Then we had two stops--once at the creek and once at the lake--so ElRay could wade around and cool off.

PTOC run at South Oak Park, a new map and venue. I found all the controls ok, but could have made much better route choices going from 3 to 4 and from 7 to 8.

Since there was still plenty of time, and not many participants, I decided to try the shorter course also. Today was unusual in that we were pin-punching, which we haven't done since getting our e-punch stuff over two years ago.

The venue was very interesting, with most of the controls in the deep woods with many intersecting trails, and many route choices. I made a serious mistake in my route choice going from 1 to 2, which was about twice as long as a better route. Then, while running on open ground right next to the woods, a Malemute came up and bumped my butt with his nose. Scary. No leash in sight. I stopped and looked back for an owner, but he was about 40 feet away, on a cellphone, and looking the opposite direction. A few minutes later, when I had found the trail through the woods, the dog again bumped me on the butt, but this time the owner called him back.

I did ok then going to 2, then to 3. On the way to 4, I rounded a bend on a narrow trail with brush and poison ivy on both sides, and came face-to-face with the same dog. Not wanting to run and provoke a prey reaction, I backpedaled to a small trail, while the owner showed up and took the dog away. By then I was freaked, couldn't concentrate on the map and wandered around. Finally, I got control back, relocated, and went on with the course, although making one more poor route choice, albeit nothing as serious as the first one.

Still, I had lots of fun, and this was great practice.

Started my second session at Raintree this morning. Same as last session--took six different groups on the mapwalk. This is my fourth year at Raintree, and I have had some of these kids for four years, so they mostly knew the drill this year, although I had three classes not reading the map very well, and taking a wrong turn from 2 to 3.

I have tomorrow's maps for the Score-O printed, as well as the maps for the new maze on Thursday. Tonight I work on a new way to do the compass treasure hunt.

Back to Watkins Mill with ElRay. I had planned to go counter-clockwise, but a really yappy terrier type was going that way, so we went clockwise again. Pretty hot and muggy, but a really nice breeze and lots of shade on the trail. We set a good pace, but ran into several people I knew and stopped to chat.

Took ElRay to Watkins Mill and went clockwise. A really nice day--not too hot. Mostly walked.

Didn't seem as difficult as usual, although a couple of rounds felt like very long 3 minutes.

Took ElRay to Jesse James Park for a walk. Weather today was perfect. Cool (low 70's), low humidity, breezy but not windy. Pretty amazing for July.

Met with Jared after missing last week because of work. The hardest part was doing 5 (yes, five) trips back and forth across the gym pushing the sled with weights. I haven't done five trips before.

Sandwiched my grocery shopping in between Jared and 9Round. Three of the stations were really hard today--one doing planks up and down on a bag for the entire 3 minutes, one doing v-ups with hand weights and alternating touching the floor and the bag, and, last round, doing situps while extending a kettleball, alternating 10 on each side.

I feel very worked out, and ready to spend a couple of hours power weeding my garden this afternoon.

Good day at 9Round. Only stations 2 and 4 were brutal.