Cal's Big Log II: The Revenge

Training
861

[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
Not so much rocky as stagnant. I guess we’ll see what happens.
Meanwhile, as I’m too beaten up to train again today, I’m off to see the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. On my own. A bit sad, that, but if I waited around for someone to go with me, I won’t get to see it. This is the problem with all my good friends being outside London.[/quote]

I have this same problem with not having many friends in town who are single with no children, for some reason having an SO and/or kids means never leaving the house. :frowning:
So yeah I’ve gone to the movies alone, it’s either that or miss out on a movie you want to see.

862

I actually love to go to the movies alone. Eating out is tougher, I’ll bring a book along, but movies are fine.

863

Glad to hear the man is alright. That’s some scary shit!

864

It was fine, actually. I saw it at the IMAX, which is the largest screen in the UK, possibly even Europe. Being half term there were lots of kids there but fortunately the film was loud enough to drown out their chatter and popcorn munching.

No popcorn for me. Weighed myself the other day and had put on 2lbs (and I was already a fair bit heavier than I’d like). Didn’t bother me today when I realised I couldn’t zip up my favourite combats. Two weeks until my birthday. Emergency diet needed. Shit! I hate dieting but exercise alone won’t shift it.

It’s also going to start getting hot. It’s already very warm today which doesn’t bode well for my 10K on Sunday. I hate running when it’s hot. I’m hoping that, as it’s at 10am, it won’t be too warm, but I’m not counting on it.

865

I’m really liking the hard training even though body parts are grumping at you. Nicely done.

Other than wanting to see your guy a bit more, it seems like the relationship is by and large working for you. Stagnant, however, isn’t a good word. Its a truism, but probably actually true, that any relationship that doesn’t have an element of growth and change to it is not a strong one.

866

So sorry to hear about your man’s illness. Fucking scary how sick you can get, no?

I LOVE that you did the OH bulgarians! Did you enjoy them? And yes, I’m willing to bet that the medial delt DOMS that you felt were from them… I had a similar experience.

Good luck with that snarky elbow. Hoping it heals up soon because I can’t wait to see you back at the gymnastics training.

867

Sorry to hear about your fellow. Glad he’s on the mend. Good luck with your 10k. I die in the heat. Really, the summer is my least favorite time to run. Today my feet were so damn hot. I felt like I could feel the burn of the black pavement through my shoes. Totally sucked.

868

I love going to the movies solo. It’s liberating.

Sorry about your guy too =(
You’re a strong pillar Cal, I’ll tell you that.

869

And I’m with you on running in the heat. In the summer months I do it super early in the morning, or not at all. I just WILT.

I sometimes admire the single people. I’ve been with my husband since I was 20. That’s all of my adult life! I’ve become very dependent. I sometimes imagine the freedom of being on my own, and sometimes envy it a bit. I have a dear friend who is in her 50’s and has never married. She has such a vibrant and interesting life. Spends a month or so in Paris every summer. And she’s done all kinds of things on her own, or with girl friends, while I’m tied to chores and schedules, and children. sigh. :slight_smile: I know she sometimes looks at my life in the same light, with a bit of envy. There are always trade-offs, no? “I’ve looked at life from both sides now, from win and loose and still somehow, it’s life’s illusions I recall. I really don’t know life at all.” Joni Mitchell.

Damn! I must be in a philosophical mood tonight! Good luck on Sunday, Cal!

870

good luck on sunday. fingers crossed the weather is pleasant and that your body holds up well.

871

Thanks everyone.

Due to the run on Sunday, I’d planned to train yesterday and rest today. But yesterday when I woke up I just felt so flat I didn’t want to go to the gym. I blame it on the downstairs neighbours who were chatting in the garden outside my window. I was tired enough I wanted to go to bed at 9.30pm but I realise most people view that as freakishly early so I went back to playing my computer game and eventually just leaned out of the window and asked them to be quiet at 11pm. They did, to be fair, but I could have done with sleeping much earlier. It’s a difficult issue because they have every right to sit out in their own garden when it’s warm, but it’s really fucking annoying for me. I’m a total lark, so no matter when I go to bed, I’m going to wake up at 5.30, sometimes even 4.30am. And I really need more than 6 hours sleep.

Anyway, as a result I did nothing yesterday and went to train today. So, not wanting to give myself lower body DOMS, I trained upper. I’m watching those dodgy shoulders so really it was just back and arms.

Glute 'hab:

20 hypers
20 reverse hypers with V at top
20 single leg hip thrusters (foot on high bench) (per leg)
20 clams (per leg)
20 side leg raises
20 bosu ball squat/sit-up thing

Upper body/shoulder warm-up (using 2kg dumbells):

20 lateral raises
20 front raises
20 overhead presses
20 dumbell curls
20 hammer curls
20 bent over raises
20 L raises

No rest between those.

I wanted to do the waiters walks but the gym is too busy on a Saturday to make that feasible. So instead I did windmills.

Dumbell Windmills (14kg)
2 x 5 reps per side

Surprisingly tiring but I guess the shoulder is under tension the entire time.

Straight arm pulldown:

15kg x 20
2 x 20kg x 10

DB Rows
2 x 22kg x 10

Rather embarrassing to notice I got 12 reps on these last time, but I only felt I had 10 in me today. I guess that’s because I did them after the SAPs so my lats were already fatigued.

Then into the free weight room.

Superset:
Skull Crushers: Bar x 20, Bar + 5kg x 15, Bar + 7.5kg x 12, Bar + 10kg x 10
Hammer Curls: 4kg x 20, 6kg x 15, 8kg x 12, 10kg x 10

Same as last time, basically.

Superset:
Rope tricep pushdowns: 7.5kg x 20, 10kg x 12, 12.5kg x 10
DB Curls: 4kg x 20, 2 x 6kg x 12, 8kg x 10

Added two reps on the middle set and then added weight on the third set.

Left shoulder felt OK (right shoulder was a bit cranky, but I tend to ignore it as it’s been cranky for the last 20 years. And I’m not exagerrating about the 20 years) so I did some handstand work. I’m developing more control - I think it’ll be some time before I can kick up into one and hold it but I’m less prone to overcooking it now.

Also a fair amount of leg stretching. Then home for some canned tuna and raw vegetables (sigh).

872

congrats on your handstand progress :slight_smile:

have you tried sleeping with ear plugs? or with an i-pod if you can sleep to soothing music at just enough volume to drown out the voices?

doesn’t work for me personally, but some people swear by it.

873

I can’t bear sticking things in my ears. I sometimes use a thunderstorm CD to drown out background noise but the neighbours sound as though they’re in my room. That’s not so easy, especially the female ones laughing due to the pitch. Ugh.

874

I’m with you on the sleep thing…anything less than 8 hrs and I’m miserable. I don’t know how I made it through 2 babies.

I’m sometimes envious of the single life as well. I’m with pPuff. Been with my man since I was 18!! I’d say I’m still pretty independent but the spontaneity is definitely less.

you’ve been doing a lot of glute-y stuff…without trying to purposefully recomp back there have you noticed any difference?

I noticed almost immediate results when I started giving specific attention to my butt. :slight_smile:
I somehow forgot that they are muscles of there own.

875

Yeah, even though I haven’t lost weight, my butt is higher. At least I’m pretty sure it is. I’m better able to isolate the glutes during certain exercises too. Sciatica still comes out to play when I run, but is not as bad, which is basically my aim.

I enjoy my single life too, but not because I’m out having fun a lot - more because I’m a bit of a loner (only child syndrome) and need my space. I don’t think I’d cope with a family, I really don’t.

876

keep working the booty!!

I’m an only child too and you’ve read some of how I grew up…but I’m doin it!!

I can definitely tell though, when I just need a break. My brain needs the quiet. My hubby is good about it and I don’t feel guilty for needing alone time. I used to feel that way which made it worse. But I’ve grown to learn thats just how I am.

877

I must admit I’m a tad pissed off right now. I’ve just got back from my 10K. I ate well yesterday, slept well (actually I woke up at 5am, decided 6.5 hours sleep was insufficient and made myself go back to sleep for an hour) and felt pretty much fine. Weather was not as hot as yesterday adn there was a nice cooling breeze, so it was comfortable. Sciatica was there, but not bad. Knees and ankles didn’t hurt.

I pushed myself all the way. I wasn’t running until my throat was on fire but I pushed myself out my comfortable jogging speed. I pushed harder when I hit the last KM. Finished at an almost sprint.

I ran 1.02.something. Fuck! I don’t understand - I felt good, I felt like I ran well (for me). Last year on what was ostensibly the same course my times ranged from 57.something (my best) to 1.01.something (my worst). Yet both my races this year, where I’ve felt pretty good, have come back slower.

The course is marked out with tapes on grass, so I’m starting to wonder if there’s some slight variation which has added time. Or if the chip timing was off, this year or last. Or if the fact I’m carrying about 7lbs more is slowing me down, even though I feel as though I’m running quite strongly.

I guess one way to find out is to pick a different 10K and see what kind of time I record there. If I really am a slower than 10 minute miler then so be it. It just seems odd, and frustrating, that I’m quite a bit slower this year than last.

Anyway, I guess I will view it as a good training run and move on. I haven’t even looked at my medal. Pfeh.

878

I’d bet you just paced it a little off, Cal.

Glad you felt good.

And that’s just such a tiny difference in speed, I wouldn’t let it get ya worked up.

Good Going!

879

Cal: Sorry about the 10k time. I bet you’re right that the course was off. You’ve been running for awhile, I’m sure you have a pretty good sense of pace. Either way, feeling good is feeling good.

880

Hmm that is strange. Sounds like all the conditions were perfect.

Er… more muscle makes you slower? Heh that’s all I got.
I think it’s great though that you felt better and strong with the 10K you ran today. Celebrate that victory.