Meryl's Tuesday

Normally I go to the gym on Fridays, but because we'll be gone over the weekend, I wanted to make sure I still got in my gym workout for the week.

I did my usual routine.

15 minutes on the bike at 8-18 resistance

22 minutes of circuit training (22 machines, 1 minute each, continuous exercise until bell chimes).

No free weight exercised on the bosu ball today because my arms are killing me from all the window scraping I've been doing on the garage doors.

30 squats while balancing on bosu ball.

10 minutes of stretching.

CBH Monday

I was able to do an easy 5 mile run with no aggravation of the sore hips/back. I hope to be ready for speed work by the weekend. Any interest in running on Sunday?

Meryl's Monday

Normally Chris and I run together on Monday nights, but he's got a job after work and he's coming home late, so I ran on my own (with the start of a new semester, I have a new schedule: Mon and Tues off).

I ran at Mills, 9 laps around the track (a bit over 2 miles). I sprinted the lengths and jogged the curves for all 9 laps and almost passed out at the end. I finished in 19:01, which is slower than I would have hoped, but towards the end my "jogs" were pretty slow because I was so tired.

CBH Work and Hurt

I over-did it at Crossfit, but hope not to stall my efforts. Friday was a 21-15-9 workout doing deadlifts and pushups. Deadlifts are just lifting a bar off the ground and standing up straight with the bar by your thighs. For the workout I used 135lbs. Unfortunately, on Saturday Crossfit in Napa we also did deadlifts-I worked up to 205 lbs. I did it, but that was a mistake. My lower back(hip flexors) are trashed and it is hard to stand-up straight. I intend to run today just to stretch out.

Meryl and Chris' Saturday

Ran Pine Top.

Chris: 1 lap, strength exercises, a bit of running after

Meryl: 2 laps

Meryl's Friday

Today was a gym day.

15 minutes on the bike at 8-18 resistance.

22 minutes of circuit training (22 machines, 1 minute each, continuous exercise until bell chimes).

6 free weight exercises on bosu ball while balancing on one foot, 10 reps. Then switch and do same 6 exercises while balancing on other foot, 10 reps also.

30 squats while balancing on bosu ball.

10 minutes of stretching.

Coach CBH

At this point I won't address the team configuration issue. I have studied the course legs. They average 2.9 miles, so a 5K is a perfect standard to consider as a base run. If we are serious about doing this, I want to propose the following:

1. Run hard and often
2. In late June we will enter a 5k race somewhere close and we should all be able to run it in under 28 minutes.
3. In late July we will enter a 10K race and all be able to run it in under 1 hour.

In most races, training gets you up to 80% of the expected distance. If we have 5 people, we need to train to get to 8 miles. If there are only 4 of us, we need to be able to run over 10 miles.

4. By the end of August-before we start to taper, we would plan a run that would be either 3 5k's, or 2 4-5 mile runs with an hour rest between each.

5. Training runs need to include serious hill work-both up and down hill. The hills need to be long-at least one mile of continuous up to get used to it. Also speed work. Given the average distances of the runs, 1/2 mile and mile speed runs are crucial. Everyone digest this and then we will talk about it and get some agreement.

I believe that with 5 runners we can finish between 7 and 8 hours. Under 8 would definitely be my goal.

Chris and Meryl Wednesday

I forgot my watch, so I don't know how fast we did it in.

We ran Pine Top together once.

Chris then ran three laps around the track without stopping between to rest.

I ran Pine Top again, and another 2 laps around the track when I was done without stopping between to rest.

Meryl's total: 4 1/2 miles
Chris' total 2 1/2 miles

Looking like I'm out of this

Confluence of several things at once -- seeing the the rigors of the race for sure; lack of posts; my previously-expressed reservations about whether people have enough time for the significant training commitment necessary -- is leading me to pull out.

The reality is that there is no way four or five of us (whatever ended up being the case, depending upon Sept. 11 scheduling conflicts that will inevitably develop for at least someone) operating at this level of training/commitment will be able to complete the run in the 9 hour cut-off time. If only four of us: that would mean two people would have to do FIVE LEGS, with two other people doing FOUR LEGS. No way people are running their last two rounds in the requisite time.

I'd rather make the choice to bow out now rather than doing running training all summer at the expense of other training I'm doing -- and be disappointed at the end.

If -- a huge, gigantic, enormous "if" -- people could convince me of their commitment by working out and posting their workouts four times a week for a month, I would consider continuing.

But let's get real: everyone is too busy to do that.

But that is what it would take to do this relay, people.

And I am more than a little cranky that, as the mom, it has apparently fallen to me -- still, at this old age -- to say, "This is not going to work." Really, it is fine that it will not work . . . other things are more important, and that is okay. But let's get real.

A cranky mom

Where the heck is everyone?

Gotta let you know . . . my enthusiasm for wanting to take everyone on a free trip to Hawaii wanes regularly . . . . I am just as busy as everyone else, and I am on this blog more than anyone. If a nearly-50-year-old woman with multiple gigs can do this, you electronically-plugged-in pups can certainly do it, too.

Hana Relay Entry Info

All the info is up: www.virr.com/home/races/upcoming/hana. (I don't think this is live/hot/whatever-it's-called link . . . could not get my screen to copy and paste it from the address.)

There are 18 legs. Shortest is 1.9 and longest is 3.5. Most are in the high 2s, or low 3s.

There is a 9 hour cutoff. Roughly, that means no legs should take longer than a half-hour (but we'll even out longer with shorter, of course). Log on to the site to see the mileage and description of each leg.

The earliest start time is 5:30 a.m., and the latest is 6:45 a.m.

Top finishing team from last year was in the 5+ hour range. Holy cow.

Food and music at the end of the line run from noon to 3 p.m.

I printed out the entry form and will send it to LHB with Clarke later this week for Meryl and Chris's signatures. Then, we need to get it to Erik.

Sunday 5/16

Illustrative of yesterday's post . . . this is what a deadlift looks like at the top of the move.  You start on the ground, squated forward, and lift it right up your legs.  This is one of the TJ's Gym team members at last year's CrossFit games.  She's doing 30 reps of 135# as fast as possible.

This morning, Clarke and I ran at the lakes.  We did one lap of Lagunitas (1.75 miles) together, then he split off and did Bon Tempe (4.5 miles) while I did two more laps of Lagunitas without stopping.  So, 5.25 miles for me, and 6.25 miles for Clarke . . . and he still finished before I did. Damn the old man.

See y'all at the barbecue!!!!

CrossFit Saturday Morning

Clarke and I went to CrossFit for the 9:00 a.m. class.   That is so fun!!!  

Lots of warmups working with a 20# dumbbell, practicing many different squats and lifts one-handed.  Then, a 400 m run.

WOD:  five rounds of a) 3 "bears" (see below); b) 200 m run; c) 12 deadlifts.

For the "bear," you clean a weightlifting bar (i.e., heave from the floor to your shoulders), then front squat down with the bar on your shoulders, then press the bar up over your head all the way, then place it on the backs of your shoulders and squat down that way, then lift back up all the way over your head.  Don't let the bar touch the ground any time, except for 1/2 second when you start the moves all over again for the clean.

Clarke started with 53#, did the full WOD, and then did the last round with another dude in solidarity, and did 73#.  I did it with 65#.

After class, we stayed for another 1/2 hour (we are the geek extra credit students) and Clarke did a 163# deadlift, as well as practicing his double-unders, wall balls, and jumped on the gigantic 24# box.  I did 10 x 3 sets of 95# deadlifts, with the bar strapped to the ground with enormous resistance rubber bands in a cool contraption.  Also, worked on ring dip, muscle-up and handstand technique.

Then we spent four hours this afternoon watching CrossFit friends and coaches compete in an Olympic weightlifting meet.  ("Olympic" signifying the styles of lift, not qualifying for the Olympics.)  Some chicks could fling 175# straight over their heads from the floor.  

We are geeks.  And we like it that way.

Chris and Meryl's No Good Very Bad Run

We couldn't run at Mills this morning because it's their graduation ceremony today (Nancy Pelosi is their commencement speaker, WAY better than our lame lady). So we ran at Joaquin Miller park and TRIED to find a good trail on a map. The one we ran sucked and was pretty dangerous (LOTS of rocks, and jumping over fallen logs). I was too pissed to keep running after we finished the loop (a little less than 1.5 miles). Chris ran for another 5-10 minutes.

Better luck Monday.

Fight Gone Bad

That's the name of today's CrossFit workout.  (It is indeed geek-oriented, with many "WODs" ["workouts of the day"] having names.  Most are a boy's or a girl's name, however -- named after military folks killed on the job.)  

"FGB" is 60 seconds each of 1) 20" box jumps; 2) 55# push presses (a weight-lifting move); 3) rowing; 4) 14# wall balls; 5) 55# sumo deadlift high pulls (another weight-lifting move).  You count each rep that you do in the five minute total drill.  A great number is 100.  Then, you rest 60 seconds -- and do it all again another time, counting your reps.  Then, you rest 60 seconds -- then do it again for a third time.  If you make 300, you are fabulous.  

I got 229.  That's 11 points better than last time I did it, and I used a heavier medicine ball for the wall ball today.  

Then, stayed after to practice techniques on muscle ups, ring dips, and hand stands.  I can get a couple of seconds when I am completely off the wall now, "standing" on my hands unsupported and balanced.   

More pics from CrossFit

No workout for me today - yay!  A rest day.  Which is great, because I'm pooped from yesterday's killer.  

Got home from Fairfax:  Clarke practicing his double-unders at home.

More photos from yesterday.  

This is our favorite trainer and gym-owner, Michael (the only human who was able to teach me to do a pull-up):

Here is Clarke doing box jumps on the 20" box, which is pretty darned fabulous for his second class ever doing box jumps as part of the workout.  The other dudes are on 24" boxes, and have been in Crossfit for way longer.

These are folks doing kettle bell swings.  Or watching me take a picture of them.  But see Clarke, second from the end?  With his perfect form?  And perfect focus on the activity at hand? That's how he rolls.  And he is 10 years older than the next oldest person in the class.

Meryl's Thursday

Ran Pine Top (backwards). Had a hard time (took me 19 minutes), but I did make it all the way up the death hill without stopping! Woo-hoo!

Didn't feel like I could do it two times in a row, so I ran 4 1/2 laps around the track (at least a mile, maybe a bit more) in 9:10.

When I pulled into Mills and said I was "running Pine Top." The security guard said, "Man girl, you in SHAPE, no one RUNS Pine Top. Good luck." Gave me a little pep to my step :)

CBH Wednesday

After the usual Crossfit warm-up (hard), we did the hardest work-out I've done to date:

12 Kettle bell swings(I used 35 lbs.)
6 Box Jumps (20 inch box)
3 burpees

We did these for 30 minutes. The theory was to try to do them on the minute, but soon you can only do them on the 2 minutes or 3 minutes. It is a killer. I did 13. But I did everyone of them correctly and never used a lower box or weight. Lots of people who got tired would go from Box Jumps to Step ups(hard, but not as hard). That means I did 156 Kettle bell swings, 78 box jumps and 13 burpees in 30 minutes.

CrossFit Date Night

Clarke and Tamara now go to CrossFit together on Wednesday nights.  These photos are of some of the fun.  The blood blister is on Tamara's hand, at the end of a monster workout day.  Clarke running with the medicine ball is just a part of his warm-up, before a hellacious workout.  

And here is a photo of our house of pain (before everyone gets there for class.)

Tamara did a 2 1/2 hour blitz, to see how she would have done if she had competed in the Masters' regional qualifier held last weekend.  Turns out, not  so very terrible -- would have come in 12th place on the first two WODs.  Third WOD, not there yet  . . . cannot do chest-to-bar pull-ups.

First WOD:  3 rounds of 50 double unders, 21 35# kettle bell swings, 12 pull-ups.  Must be done within 15 minute cut-off.  Tamara got to the last round of pull-ups by the cut-off.

Second WOD:  within 8 minutes, complete your heaviest thruster lift possible.  (Lifting the bar from the "deck" [ground], come down into a full front squat, then shoot up and lift the bar completely overhead until elbows lock out.)  Tamara got 100# (The heaviest weight in the weekend competition was 125.)

Third WOD:  as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats.  Tamara got 10 2/3 rounds.  (Tired-assed by this time . . . .)

Clarke's WOD with the 6:00 p.m. class was "on the minute" for 30 minutes, do 12 kettle bell swings, 6 20" box jumps, and 3 burpees.  "On the minute" means that if you finish all that in 60 seconds, you can rest until the next minute begins.  If/when you go past the first 60 seconds to complete that, then rest for the rest of the second minute you're using, and wait until the next time the full minute begins.  Clarke got 13 rounds.  He was kicking ass.  His form was awesome.  Lots of people were half-assing the burpees, and it was Clarke's first night on the 20" box.

Tamara's Tuesday 5/11

Crazy-assed 75 minute yoga class.  Tied-in-knots poses.  Yesterday = rest day.

Chris is Back on the Track

Chris and I just got back from an evening run together. We did two laps around the track as warm-up, then we each did our own speed work.

I ran 6 times around the soccer field - odd laps sprinting the length and jogging the widths, even laps sprinting the widths and jogging the lengths. It took me 11 1/2 minutes.

Chris ran around the track, doing maybe 4 laps (I wasn't paying super close attention to how many times he did it), jogging the first 3/4 of each lap, and running a slower sprint for the last 1/4. He ran my last lap around the soccer field with me.

Then we ran one lap as a cool down and stretched. Glad Chris is back!

Family Run!

Meryl, Tamara and Clarke were extremely responsible this Mother's Day morning and ran around Lake Lagunitas twice. According to Google pedometer, it's about a mile and three-quarters around. The first lap we did in 16:49 (adding a hill from the parking lot), and the second in 15:20. That was Tamara and Meryl. Clarke ran the two-time loop with no stopping, and went faster.

Parental Units' Saturday CrossFit

Warm-up: 400 meter run, then 10 push-ups, 15 med ball cleans and 25 jumping jacks-3 rounds. Then we worked on either Overhead squats or front squats. I did 5 rounds of three front squats with 65 lbs. Mom did 5 rounds of 3 overhead squats using various weights up to 58 lbs.

Then the work-out: 10 ring dips, 10 wall balls(throwing a 10lbs ball up 10 feet) and 10 hollow rocks, as many rounds as possible for 12 minutes. We both did 5 rounds.

New Shoes and Chris Update

Chris doesn't have pneumonia, so that's GREAT news. The doctor says his lungs sound clear, and that she thinks that because he had so much phlegm before and was coughing so much, that he likely aggravated his lungs, and so they're just trying to recuperate (and apparently that means more coughing). She gave him an inhaler like device to take, so hopefully that helps and he feels back to normal soon.

I went to Fleet Feet in Pleasant Hill last night. They have a cool program where you get to try out the shoes for 60 days to make sure they work for you. If you don't like them, you can bring them back and they can try different shoes, etc. Pretty cool. Mine were $109 with tax, which in the grand scheme of things really isn't too bad


I normally wear and 8 1/2, so I was shocked when she told me I should be wearing a 9 1/2 or 10! Apparently you get running shoes 1/2 a size or so bigger than normal. I always like to feel my feet on the ends of my shoes (I guess from having that with soccer cleats and just getting used to the feeling). They do feel very comfy though. I'll try them out tomorrow morning!

Tamara's Friday 5/7

WOD with class at Tamalpais CrossFit: 8 reps of 70# front squats, then 100 m dash. Do it 5 times. That was a fun workout. We got to rest a few minutes in between rounds, which gives you time to recover and run fast again. It feels good to sprint flat out as fast as you can, which is something we rarely do in CrossFit, because usually it's just a grinding-it-out thing where you're slogging through and just trying not to cry or keel over.

After class, practiced ring dips (almost got one), muscle-up form, handstand push-ups (can almost do a handstand with feet off the wall); pull-ups. And did 5 sets of 3 shoulder presses, at 60#, 62#, 65#, 65#, 70#.

I Need New Shoes

It may be on my to do list today to go get better running shoes. I've been talking about this with CBH lately.

Since I've been running on trails and not on treadmills, my feet have been KILLING me, so bad now that it has spread up to my legs :(

Today I had planned on running Pine Top backwards twice in a row without stopping (I'm feeling better, I do think the crap feeling yesterday was a result of mowing the lawn the day before and the allergies having a delayed reaction). Halfway through I had to stop because my legs were cramping so bad I had to stretch. It was not fun. And at the end they hurt really bad again, so I didn't make it twice :( (once took me 19 minutes, including the stop).

I have been trying to think that shoes don't really matter and you can run in anything. There is that tribe in Mexico that will run like 100 miles in a row in BAREFEET so I was trying to think like that. I may have to succumb to technology however. Every body is different, and as we know by me getting knee surgery when I was 20, I have the body of a 60-year-old already.

CBH Keeps Trying

Double unders are rope jumps where the rope passes under your feet twice before your feet hit the ground. This is a standard Crossfit move and it is really hard. I can do one or two. Mom can easily do 10 or more without messing up. One real problem is when you don't quite make it the rope smacks you really hard because you are trying to get it under your feet. That rope hurts. Give it a try.

CBH Tuesday and Wed.

I had to go to LA Tuesday, but in my room I worked on box jumps and push-ups. I am not counting this as a work-out. Wednesday night when I got back I did run 5 miles-that counts.

I Feel Like Crap

Casa Picardy is NOT doing well lately.

I was going to go for a run early this morning before the heating guys came to work on the furnace and I woke up feeling like SHIT. Body ache, stuffy nose, sore throat. I JUST got over being sick and Chris is STILL sick.

The plan is to run tomorrow morning. God damn body.

Tamara's 5/3- 5/5

Monday = rest day

Tuesday = gnarly 90 minute yoga class

Wednesday = 1 hour personal training -- practicing handstand push-ups, ring dips, muscle-ups, and rop climbing, and weight-lifting technique.

Then, CrossFit class. Warm-up = 10 pull-ups, 400 m run, 5 slow push-ups, thrusters at 33#, 53#, 65#. WOD = 5 rounds of: 400 m run; 15 65# thrusters (65# barbell down to front squat, then stand up and shoot the bar up fully overhead); 10 pull-ups. 32 minutes, 10 seconds.

At the end of the workout in her last round of pull-ups, a girl doing jumping pull-ups feet slipped backward off the box, she fell totally forward off the box onto her wrist, and broke it. Bummer.

Pine Top Twice, Woo-Hoo!

I just came back from my morning run.

I ran Pine Top forwards once, it took me 18 minutes.

I walked once around the track for a quick cool down.

Then I ran Pine Top the opposite direction (CBH thought this way might be easier). It took me 18 1/2 minutes, though I did have to stop for about 30 second on the VERY STEEP hill so I wouldn't die. The steep hill going the oppositie direction (now uphill) is TORTURE!

Pretty proud of myself.

I think Chris will be back to running on Saturday. He went to the doctor last week to get medicine because he's sort of plateaued as far as getting better from being sick.

I"ve been a baaaaaaad boy...

I haven't posted in ages and I have no real excuse. I spent all of last week working full days in my mom's yard, so no official workouts, but I can assure you that my forearms, lower back, gluts and thighs are certainly feeling it. Today I did a light run and then a series of exercises with my total body works machine (various resistance exercises with pulleys etc.). I'll be moving to LA in a couple of weeks so I hope to get into a more regimented routine once I'm down there.

CBH Weekend

I did my first official cross-fit class Saturday morning. Warm-up included 20 burpees, 2 minutes jumping rope, standing broadjumps, squats and walking lunges. Then we practiced a move called a Turkish Get-Up. That involves laying down on your back holding a weight(I used 15 lbs) straight up. Keeping your arm straight and the weight always over your head, your Get Up. It is not easy. Then the actual work-out 6 Get-Ups(3 each side), 80 single rope jumps or 20 double unders(I can't do double unders yet) 10 pushups and 20 box jumps(it is what it says-you have a box in front of you and you jump up on to it and then jump down). Four rounds of that. It took me 21 minutes. I was last, but I did every move. No one there was over 50-most under 30.

This morning mom and I got up and went running-4 miles around Bon Tempe Lake.

Tamara's Saturday 5/1 workout

Tamalpais CrossFit gym workout. I love that place! It makes me happy just to be there, even though I know I am going to feel like throwing up soon.

Warm-up: jumping rope, 10-pull-ups, various one-handed moves with 22# kettle bell, other stuff I can't remember now.

WOD: 15, 12, 9, 6, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 sumo deadlifts at 95#, with 200 m run in between each number of reps. (So, 8 x 200 m runs.) Time: 13 minutes and change.

Clarke did his first CrossFit class right after that. I will let him post his own results.