My (previously injured) back is fine. I had some good workouts late last week.
Then, I went to Boston for a few days with my wife and we met up with some college friends for part of the trip.
We had a nice lunch with my niece and her fiance.
We ate a world class meal at L'Espalier, which I'll detail later. We found a couple little gems in Boston - food and drinks - and I'll mention them later as well.
We saw a really good concert (Adam Ant) that I'll write about later.
We had some waiters in Boston's Chinatown deliberately try to rip us off, which was infuriating. I won't bother to write about that unpleasant experience. The food sucked there anyway, to be honest.
And, we had a really nice lunch by the ocean in Gloucester, MA before we came home.
Regretfully, that meal, which included a variety of raw and cooked seafood, seems to have led to a bout of food poisoning. I haven't been able to eat much for the past two days and going to the gym is out of the question. I feel better today than yesterday, but that's not saying a whole lot.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Injury Follow-up
I made it to CF on Monday and took it mostly easy. Tuesday, I made it again and we had some more complex movements (Olympic lifting). I barely made it through the workout, and I was not standing or walking straight after the workout.
So, Wednesday became a rest day. I was afraid it might be the first of many rest days. But, yesterday morning, I felt just fine when I woke up. I went to CrossFit. Within an hour, I'd done some running, some push-ups, rope jumping, rowing, wall balls and kettlebell swings. And the SI joint was just fine: absolutely no problems.
I finally got around to donating blood today. It's been a busy week. And right now, I'm feeling a little sleepy. I shouldn't get within 10 miles of the gym tonight, but I'm thinking of going for the sole purpose of doing some stretching and mobility work.
My wife is running in a 100 mile relay race tomorrow, and I don't have much planned. Maybe I'll get to fish if I'm lucky. After the weekend, I'm taking a few days off work, primarily to see a concert with some college friends. This will be my third time seeing Adam Ant. I never saw the very original band (before the Bow Wow Wow spin-off) and I never saw the version of Adam and the Ants that released Kings of the Wild Frontier. But, this will be my third time seeing Adam Ant, and the last time was over 25 years ago. His set lists on the tour have been pretty impressive, so I'm excited to see him.
And, today, at our weekly company meeting, I scheduled a 12 day vacation for the end of next month. It looks like we are about to hire someone else here, which will free me to finally take a real vacation.
Well, back to work if I can just stay awake.
So, Wednesday became a rest day. I was afraid it might be the first of many rest days. But, yesterday morning, I felt just fine when I woke up. I went to CrossFit. Within an hour, I'd done some running, some push-ups, rope jumping, rowing, wall balls and kettlebell swings. And the SI joint was just fine: absolutely no problems.
I finally got around to donating blood today. It's been a busy week. And right now, I'm feeling a little sleepy. I shouldn't get within 10 miles of the gym tonight, but I'm thinking of going for the sole purpose of doing some stretching and mobility work.
My wife is running in a 100 mile relay race tomorrow, and I don't have much planned. Maybe I'll get to fish if I'm lucky. After the weekend, I'm taking a few days off work, primarily to see a concert with some college friends. This will be my third time seeing Adam Ant. I never saw the very original band (before the Bow Wow Wow spin-off) and I never saw the version of Adam and the Ants that released Kings of the Wild Frontier. But, this will be my third time seeing Adam Ant, and the last time was over 25 years ago. His set lists on the tour have been pretty impressive, so I'm excited to see him.
And, today, at our weekly company meeting, I scheduled a 12 day vacation for the end of next month. It looks like we are about to hire someone else here, which will free me to finally take a real vacation.
Well, back to work if I can just stay awake.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
A bizarre and hopefully minor injury
Saturday, I was mowing my lawn. Using my lawn tractor. I hit a minor bump and suddenly felt a pop in my right hip and lower back area. It hurt immediately. I was shocked. How could I get hurt riding a lawn mower? Yeah, bad things can happen with lawn tractors, but this isn't one of them. At least not normally.
I felt a little bit better as the day wore on, but I was glad it was a planned rest day. Sunday, I went out for an easy four miles of running with the dogs. I could feel the issue in the hip/back, but it didn't really bother me too much. Sunday evening, my son and I went fly fishing and it was really bothering me. Simply bending over to pick up something from the ground was difficult.
Monday morning, when I got out of the car after driving to work, it was really bugging me. I instantly sent an e-mail to the chiropractor I see when needed. He works at our gym on Monday afternoons, and I was hoping he could at least give me an evaluation about what I'd done, and whether or not it was safe to train.
I didn't hear from the chiropractor all day, so I assumed he was busy. Last night was a squatting night at CrossFit, so after my warm-up, I started my squats, although with a lower weight than I would have used otherwise. After my warm-up sets and my first working set, the chiropractor showed up by my side. He's just read my message and he was free right then. So, I abandoned the squats and went to his office.
I explained what had happened, and laughed that with all of the training I've done over the years, I never expected a mowing injury to be the one to end my career (I was joking, of course). He did a couple tests and basically said it was the right sacroiliac joint. He did an exam and noted an extreme difference between the right and left sides. I've always had some sort of muscular imbalance between the left and the right - the muscle right at the joint is considerably larger on the right side. He said this was probably caused by many years of distance running with things not quite in balance.
He did some Graston work on the area, which was fairly uncomfortable. Then, he did one adjustment and I felt a lot better. I returned to the workout, and completed three rounds of running (400 meters), front squats (7 light reps at 95#), and 14 burpee pull-ups. I kept the intensity low and the workout didn't bother me at all.
Today, I'm sore, but I think it's mostly from the Graston work. I'll try the workout again tonight, although we are starting with Olympic lifts. Between my recent shoulder issues and this SI joint issue, I think I'll keep the weight really light tonight.
Tomorrow, I'm donating blood, so I'll have a good excuse for a rest day after the donation.
By Thursday, hopefully this issue will be mostly or completely resolved. But, if not, I guess it will be a good reason for another couple visits with the chiropractor.
I felt a little bit better as the day wore on, but I was glad it was a planned rest day. Sunday, I went out for an easy four miles of running with the dogs. I could feel the issue in the hip/back, but it didn't really bother me too much. Sunday evening, my son and I went fly fishing and it was really bothering me. Simply bending over to pick up something from the ground was difficult.
Monday morning, when I got out of the car after driving to work, it was really bugging me. I instantly sent an e-mail to the chiropractor I see when needed. He works at our gym on Monday afternoons, and I was hoping he could at least give me an evaluation about what I'd done, and whether or not it was safe to train.
I didn't hear from the chiropractor all day, so I assumed he was busy. Last night was a squatting night at CrossFit, so after my warm-up, I started my squats, although with a lower weight than I would have used otherwise. After my warm-up sets and my first working set, the chiropractor showed up by my side. He's just read my message and he was free right then. So, I abandoned the squats and went to his office.
I explained what had happened, and laughed that with all of the training I've done over the years, I never expected a mowing injury to be the one to end my career (I was joking, of course). He did a couple tests and basically said it was the right sacroiliac joint. He did an exam and noted an extreme difference between the right and left sides. I've always had some sort of muscular imbalance between the left and the right - the muscle right at the joint is considerably larger on the right side. He said this was probably caused by many years of distance running with things not quite in balance.
He did some Graston work on the area, which was fairly uncomfortable. Then, he did one adjustment and I felt a lot better. I returned to the workout, and completed three rounds of running (400 meters), front squats (7 light reps at 95#), and 14 burpee pull-ups. I kept the intensity low and the workout didn't bother me at all.
Today, I'm sore, but I think it's mostly from the Graston work. I'll try the workout again tonight, although we are starting with Olympic lifts. Between my recent shoulder issues and this SI joint issue, I think I'll keep the weight really light tonight.
Tomorrow, I'm donating blood, so I'll have a good excuse for a rest day after the donation.
By Thursday, hopefully this issue will be mostly or completely resolved. But, if not, I guess it will be a good reason for another couple visits with the chiropractor.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Busy beyond belief
I'm not even really sure why I'm posting right now. I don't have much to say that isn't in every other post.
I made it to CrossFit 18 times in July - the most days ever in a month. That was in the month immediately after the PRP treatment for my shoulder, so it was very encouraging. I am still keep weights very low on anything overhead. And certain lifts I'm simply not doing.
The 18 days was the most times I've done CF in a month. Coincidentally (or not), I dropped 12 pounds in July, dropped 2" off my waist, and dropped a shirt size. My wife and I also made a very concerted effort to eat well for the entire month, and it paid off nicely. Now, I just have to find a way to sustain that into the future.
I've also started doing some jogging or hiking on the weekends again. For so long, it seemed like every weekend was a monsoon, but the weather has been better recently. I did get rained on a bit while running this past Sunday, but it was fairly minor.
Work is still crazy, which is part of why I don't have time to post much any more. I am letting a test run right now, which gives me a few minutes to spare. Luckily, our business prospects have been improving and my CEO has given me permission to look for someone new to help out. I interviewed three people this week and I liked them all. A year ago at this time, I was looking for a new employee for about six weeks. I talked to very few people last year who matched the caliber of the people I met this week. Next week, I hope to interview all three again and then hire someone to start work by the end of the month.
Maybe in September, I'll finally be able to take some vacation time. By then, the temperatures will be dropping and hopefully, trout fishing will be improving. My last two times out fly fishing have not been very productive. Actually, my last four trips have resulted in exactly one small (tiny!) rainbow. I need to catch some fish before another season has passed me by.
And, I'm starting to think about ski season. The skis I bought last season are currently for sale on Craigslist. While I like some things about these skis, they simply weren't versatile enough in off-piste terrain and I need to get a more versatile ski for this coming season. I also need new boots, so I'm starting to look around at prices on ski gear.
And, after spending over $2K for car repairs in July, and then trading in one of our Subaru WRXs on a Subaru CrossTrek, it seems like money for ski equipment might be a bit tight. Which is a good reason for me to get back to work and earn my keep.
I made it to CrossFit 18 times in July - the most days ever in a month. That was in the month immediately after the PRP treatment for my shoulder, so it was very encouraging. I am still keep weights very low on anything overhead. And certain lifts I'm simply not doing.
The 18 days was the most times I've done CF in a month. Coincidentally (or not), I dropped 12 pounds in July, dropped 2" off my waist, and dropped a shirt size. My wife and I also made a very concerted effort to eat well for the entire month, and it paid off nicely. Now, I just have to find a way to sustain that into the future.
I've also started doing some jogging or hiking on the weekends again. For so long, it seemed like every weekend was a monsoon, but the weather has been better recently. I did get rained on a bit while running this past Sunday, but it was fairly minor.
Work is still crazy, which is part of why I don't have time to post much any more. I am letting a test run right now, which gives me a few minutes to spare. Luckily, our business prospects have been improving and my CEO has given me permission to look for someone new to help out. I interviewed three people this week and I liked them all. A year ago at this time, I was looking for a new employee for about six weeks. I talked to very few people last year who matched the caliber of the people I met this week. Next week, I hope to interview all three again and then hire someone to start work by the end of the month.
Maybe in September, I'll finally be able to take some vacation time. By then, the temperatures will be dropping and hopefully, trout fishing will be improving. My last two times out fly fishing have not been very productive. Actually, my last four trips have resulted in exactly one small (tiny!) rainbow. I need to catch some fish before another season has passed me by.
And, I'm starting to think about ski season. The skis I bought last season are currently for sale on Craigslist. While I like some things about these skis, they simply weren't versatile enough in off-piste terrain and I need to get a more versatile ski for this coming season. I also need new boots, so I'm starting to look around at prices on ski gear.
And, after spending over $2K for car repairs in July, and then trading in one of our Subaru WRXs on a Subaru CrossTrek, it seems like money for ski equipment might be a bit tight. Which is a good reason for me to get back to work and earn my keep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)