I am simply swamped. I haven't had time to write an update here in weeks.
I'm working out like crazy. My workouts at the gym are getting better. My deadlifts, bench presses and squats are all improving rapidly. I'm still far from my lifetime bests, but I'm back in the 70% range. Hopefully, this improvement will continue. I've been at CrossFit 3-4 days per week, walking or running on most days I'm not at CrossFit, and even on my rest days, I'm often spending hours fly fishing.
I'm doing more running and walking than I've done for years. I am even on the waitlist for an ultra in NH in October. It's a 36 hour long race, and my goal is modest - 45 miles over the 36 hours. I simply hope to walk (run a little maybe) 30 miles on the first day, get some food, a shower, and some sleep and then walk 15 more the next morning.
I've been losing sleep to the hockey playoffs, which doesn't help me in terms of time management. Being a fan of a west coast team who is finally going to the Stanley Cup finals has been draining. I can't tell you how many games I've managed to miss because I fell asleep on the couch watching them. If Pittsburgh wins their game 7, I may have a shot to go to a game in Pittsburgh next week. No matter which team wins, the finals will mostly be in the eastern time zone, so I might be able to stay awake to see a few games.
On the down side, I still seem to be slightly anemic. I have to get my chemo port flushed next week (they do it every 6-8 weeks to make sure clots aren't developing in the port where it enters your vein. I'm going to have the lab draw blood for a CBC next week, to see if the anemia has resolved at all. And, I'm still dealing with pain. I see the doctor about that tomorrow, but I'm guessing the answer is going to be to "deal with it". I'm not sure there is a better answer after three major abdominal surgeries in the past 30 months. I'm guessing there is just going to be pain at times. Regretfully, every workout, especially running, leaves me in some level of pain. It hasn't stopped me from working out, but it takes some of the fun out of the training, knowing I'll be hurting after it's over.
Life is also crazy with my daughter. She is winding down her senior year of high school. Last night was her final lacrosse game in high school, and the end of her high school athletic career. She had her best season ever, although the team didn't do great. They got doubled up by an arch rival last night, which left her pretty unhappy.
Tonight, we get to see her completed senior project. There are a few awards events to go to. Graduation is in just over 3 weeks, and she's mostly done with classes and tests, but the events for the seniors are coming in waves.
But, I'm excited for her to get to this point, and I know she's excited about heading off to Syracuse in the fall.
And soon, we get to go on our first family vacation in years. We'll be off to Lake Tahoe for a week. I'll get to fish in the Sierra Nevada, we will hike a lot, and I'm guessing there will be plenty of mini golf. Plus, we will get to see some friends that we haven't seen in years.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
More training stuff
I ended up skipping CrossFit last Monday night. After being very active all weekend and the week before, I was tired. I walked for just over an hour while my wife did the CrossFit class.
On Tuesday, I felt a lot better, but for strength work, I opted for the squats I'd missed on Monday instead of Olympic lifting. I did sets of 2 reps from 95 pounds to 155 pounds, and then singles from 165 to 225. That last lift was my heaviest back squat since last May and it didn't feel too bad. I could have gone higher if I hadn't done so many reps by then. My lifetime max is 375, and I'm guessing I could do 245-255 right now. After the squats, I did a scaled version of the "Hero WOD" DT:
"DT"
Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps
I used only 73 pounds. My time and barbell weight were nearly identical to the last time I did this workout.
On Wednesday, we started off with push presses and I started at 75 pounds and increased until 120 pounds. My best here is 188, so I was far from that number. After that, we did a variety of things - ring rows, dumbbell floor presses, sit-ups, box jump-overs (I did step-overs), and wall balls.
By Thursday, my wife was exhausted, and I'd worked out at some level for 10 straight days, so we took a rest day.
On Friday, we started with deadlifts. I did 5x5 at 235 pounds - more than I expected I could do. I'm sure I could pull 315 for a single rep right now, but I was happy with this weight for 5x5. Then, some superman holds, rope jumping, goblet squats and sit-ups. The sit-ups were my first since surgery and they were a bit uncomfortable.
On Saturday, I had an early walk to breakfast with my wife and a friend. Then, a 4 mile walk with the dog later in the day. And finally, fishing in the evening. I registered 18,000 steps on my FitBit, but nothing was super-strenuous.
On Sunday, it was raining and chilly, but I really needed to do something. So, I put on my running shoes and went for a very slow 4 mile run. It had been close to 2 years since I'd run that far, and I was really slow, but felt OK. My HR was really high for the slow pace, but I felt pretty good out there.
Yesterday, we did a new class at CrossFit aimed at mobility and aerobic training, rather than the anaerobic work we do so often. We were supposed to keep our heart rates at or below 180 minus age for a combination of running, agility movements, and walking with kettlebells overhead. I had to really go slow on the runs to keep my heart rate anywhere close to the goal. To be honest, the workout wasn't too tough, and I wish I'd had time to do some strength work afterward. But, with an hour commute home after CrossFit, I simply can't stay in the gym until 8:00 at night.
Tonight, I'll do squats rather than Olympic lifting, just like last Tuesday.
I'm still dealing with some pain and general discomfort from the surgery, but it gets better all the time. I think I'm at the point where I'm now willing to train at my limits, rather than forcing myself to go easy. The main problem is that my limits aren't that good right now. I've got a lot of work to do to get back to where I was 14-18 months ago, before I started to get noticeably sick.
On Tuesday, I felt a lot better, but for strength work, I opted for the squats I'd missed on Monday instead of Olympic lifting. I did sets of 2 reps from 95 pounds to 155 pounds, and then singles from 165 to 225. That last lift was my heaviest back squat since last May and it didn't feel too bad. I could have gone higher if I hadn't done so many reps by then. My lifetime max is 375, and I'm guessing I could do 245-255 right now. After the squats, I did a scaled version of the "Hero WOD" DT:
"DT"
Five rounds for time of:
155 pound Deadlift, 12 reps
155 pound Hang power clean, 9 reps
155 pound Push jerk, 6 reps
I used only 73 pounds. My time and barbell weight were nearly identical to the last time I did this workout.
On Wednesday, we started off with push presses and I started at 75 pounds and increased until 120 pounds. My best here is 188, so I was far from that number. After that, we did a variety of things - ring rows, dumbbell floor presses, sit-ups, box jump-overs (I did step-overs), and wall balls.
By Thursday, my wife was exhausted, and I'd worked out at some level for 10 straight days, so we took a rest day.
On Friday, we started with deadlifts. I did 5x5 at 235 pounds - more than I expected I could do. I'm sure I could pull 315 for a single rep right now, but I was happy with this weight for 5x5. Then, some superman holds, rope jumping, goblet squats and sit-ups. The sit-ups were my first since surgery and they were a bit uncomfortable.
On Saturday, I had an early walk to breakfast with my wife and a friend. Then, a 4 mile walk with the dog later in the day. And finally, fishing in the evening. I registered 18,000 steps on my FitBit, but nothing was super-strenuous.
On Sunday, it was raining and chilly, but I really needed to do something. So, I put on my running shoes and went for a very slow 4 mile run. It had been close to 2 years since I'd run that far, and I was really slow, but felt OK. My HR was really high for the slow pace, but I felt pretty good out there.
Yesterday, we did a new class at CrossFit aimed at mobility and aerobic training, rather than the anaerobic work we do so often. We were supposed to keep our heart rates at or below 180 minus age for a combination of running, agility movements, and walking with kettlebells overhead. I had to really go slow on the runs to keep my heart rate anywhere close to the goal. To be honest, the workout wasn't too tough, and I wish I'd had time to do some strength work afterward. But, with an hour commute home after CrossFit, I simply can't stay in the gym until 8:00 at night.
Tonight, I'll do squats rather than Olympic lifting, just like last Tuesday.
I'm still dealing with some pain and general discomfort from the surgery, but it gets better all the time. I think I'm at the point where I'm now willing to train at my limits, rather than forcing myself to go easy. The main problem is that my limits aren't that good right now. I've got a lot of work to do to get back to where I was 14-18 months ago, before I started to get noticeably sick.
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