CrossFit Total is one of my favorite workouts at CrossFit. First of all, it's a test with very tangible results. And, everyone is doing movements they can handle with no scaling. Comparisons are easy.
Many CF workouts are scaled, at least by me. I can't do lots of unassisted pull-ups or push-ups. So, I alter those movements. I can't do muscle-ups or unassisted ring dips or handstand push-ups. But, with CrossFit total, the workout is simple, and there is only one real place where you can cheat - by not doing squats to full depth. Well, you could introduce some illegal movement into the strict press, but that's easy to feel and for others to see.
Also, I'm stronger than most people my age, and I'm not a skinny guy. So, my CF Total tends to be pretty solid with respect to other people in the gym. Yeah, my competitive past as a runner is not gone, only transferred to a new sport. The workout itself is simple:
Build to a 1 rep max back squat
Build to a 1 rep max strict press
Build to a 1 rep max deadlift
Add the three numbers together for your final score.
We just completed a 12 week cycle at the gym focusing on squats. One of my major weaknesses in the squat is my lack of mobility, especially ankle dorsiflexion. I have done a back squat as heavy as 375 pounds in the past, but I know that my depth was not good. I did not reach the point where my femurs were parallel to the floor. It's legal to go lower than that, but with limited mobility, I've struggled to get that deep.
For the past 12 weeks, I changed my approach to squats. Each workout used weights based on your current 1-rep max weight. Instead of using 375 as my max weight, I pretended that 315 was my max. That meant I would lift lighter each workout. I also bought Olympic lifting shoes, which help with depth and the ankle dorsiflexion issue. And, I spent a lot more of my warm-up time on mobility issues.
All of this allowed me to go through the 12 weeks working on my form and squat depth. If I had used higher weights, my form would have degraded as I was at my strength limits. By using lower weights, I was able to focus much more on form. And, it helped a lot. Last week, another member of the gym commented that my front squats were much improved. A number of coaches noticed better form at depth on my back and front squats.
So, last night was a chance to put it to the test.
I warmed up for the squat at 45 pounds, then 135, 185, 225 and 275. After that, it was time to do single reps at higher weights. I did one rep at 305, focusing on form, and it was hard but I got it. From there I moved to 325 and then 335. That 10 pound increase was difficult, but I was pretty sure I had one more rep in me. I moved to 350 - a nice "round" number and hit the rep. I was a bit worried about my depth, but before I could even think much about it, one of our coaches complimented me on the lift and my depth. So, that might be my legitimate PR - highest weight lifted to full depth.
From there, I moved to the strict press. This is a major weakness of mine. Years of running and skiing, plus a shoulder injury that I fought in the past year haven't helped much with my upper body strength. I've lifted 140 a couple times, but never higher. Yesterday, I warmed up at 45 and 95, and then moved to 115. That went fairly easy, so I moved to 125 and 135. The latter was a struggle, but I was sure I hadn't maxed out. From there, I decided to go for a minimal PR - 142.5. And, I nailed it. I later failed at 145, but I had a new PR.
Next was the deadlift. I had lifted 435 in June and 440 in July, but I've done very little deadlifting since then. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew I needed to get a little beyond 400 to get to a total of 900. And, I needed 427.5 to equal my previous CF total of 920. I warmed up at 135, 185, 225, 275, and 325. From there, I jumped to 375 for my first working rep and that was a struggle. I then moved up to 405. I was able to lift this weight, but it was incredibly hard. I knew I was done at that point.
So, I got to a total of 897.5, which was 22.5 pounds less than last time.
But, given the craziness of my life over the past few months, I'm not really unhappy with that effort. My 920 last time was probably based on a bogus 365 in the squat. I have a new "legit" best there. And a new strict press PR. And, I hope to get back over 900 the next time we do this.
Also, my wife managed to beat her previous best by a single pound for this workout, so we each went home happy.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Last Day of Trout Season in Vermont
I wish I could get out fishing today to celebrate the last day of the season. Regretfully, I'm swamped at work and the weather is a bit iffy anyway.
My last few fishing days this year were either cold or wet or both, and I only got one fish in total my last three days out. But, with my new fancy rod and reel this season, I easily had my most successful fly fishing season I've ever had in Vermont. My first couple days out were very cold and didn't produce anything. On the first of May, I finally caught my first fish on the season - a very nice brown trout from perhaps the single most popular fishing spot on the New Haven River near Middlebury, Vermont.
A week or two later, the New Haven was stocked, and my son had a memorable evening fishing for the non-native fish. I think I caught 13 fish that night, mostly stocked, and my son caught 7 more. After that day, we only caught a few more stocked fish all season.
Shortly after that day, water levels started to rise as we got lots of rain for weeks. Some of the bigger rivers remained tough to fish for weeks. At one of my favorite spots on the White, I took a spill while wading alone, which was somewhat scary. But, I also managed to catch a couple trout and my only smallmouth bass of the season that day:
From there, the fishing started to improve just about everywhere. I had a productive Sunday evening on the upper part of the main branch of the White River. I had an OK day way downstream the day before. My son, who has only been fly fishing for a few years, started to do better.
When I lived in CA, I fished dry flies a lot. I've seen someone estimate on the web that fly fishermen from the Rockies and west spend 50% of their time with dry flies, 40% with nymphs and 10% with streamers. Here in VT, I probably do 70% with nymphs, 10% with dry flies, and 20% with streamers. Regretfully, for the less experienced fisherman, fishing with nymphs is the most difficult of the three. The strikes from the fish are often subtle and easily missed completely. Or, they might be detectable, but the fisherman reacts too late to hook the fish. My son is getting better, but there is still a huge experience gap between him and me. Even I would say that it's only been the past few years that I have considered myself a decent nymph fisherman. And that's from someone with over 30 years of fly fishing history.
I had some days through July and August where I didn't catch any fish, but there weren't many. It seemed like the fishing just got better and better as the season progressed. By the time my son and I got to a week of vacation in September, fishing was as good as it had been all season.
On the first fishing day of our vacation, we hit some weird weather. Intermittent clouds led to intermittent insect hatches, which led to fishing that would be good one minute and terrible the next. Fishing was tough that day, although I did manage a few fish, including one on a dry fly. I think I only caught 3 or 4 fish on dries in VT this year, so that last one was a treat.
The next day, we fished the same river a few miles downstream. It was a sunny day and fishing was generally slow, but I did manage to catch my "fish of the year" that day - a wild rainbow about 20" in length (I use the size of my net to get a quick size estimate before releasing the fish as quickly as possible.)
The next day, we fished Otter Creek and the Middlebury Rivers. It was my son's day to shine as he picked up a few browns on the Otter and lost a few more. I managed one brown on the Otter and later caught my first ever rainbow on the Middlebury - an amazing subtle strike on a tiny nymph that I managed to detect.
The next day, we got skunked on the Upper Lamoille River. Those kinds of days happen. But, the following day made up for that, when I had an amazing day on the Black River. I was into rainbows upstream and later, browns downstream. Regretfully, for my son, this was a day that really highlighted the difference in our experience levels. I was following him downstream, giving him first access to every spot. At one point, he walked past a spot that looked somewhat promising, opting for a bigger hole downstream. I hooked 4 fish in fewer than 10 minutes in the spot he skipped. Later, I walked in right behind him in two different spots and caught a fish on my first cast in a spot he'd just abandoned. But, he managed some fish as well, and we'd had a good week. We tried to get out the next day, but it didn't work out. Here is a photo of my son landing one of his fish for the week.
A few days later in PA, I caught four wild browns in a stream I'd fished as a teenager. A few days later, we were back in Vermont, and I asked my son if he wanted to sneak out on a Thursday evening for some fishing. He declined, and later regretted that. I had one fish after another hitting nymphs really hard. I caught my second biggest fish of the season (18"), and had three other nice fish snap me off.
The following weekend, I got out with a friend from my gym while my son worked. He is a very talented and experienced fly fishermen, and perhaps I shouldn't have shown him one of my favorite "secret" spots. I got skunked that day, but he picked up two very nice rainbows. One was very similar to the 20" fish I'd caught in that same spot a few weeks earlier - lots of bright red colors. That fish was close to 18". The second fish was much like the photo above - much more silvery in color, and about 16" in length. It was a tough day for me, as we were fishing in a raw, cold rain, and going fish-less in conditions like that wasn't a lot of fun. We also lost some fishing time that day when I accidentally locked my keys in my car, necessitating a rescue by my wife.
A few days later, I got out midweek for an hour or so. I went back to where I caught the fish shown above, and it was as if the lights had been turned out. The blue winged olives were gone. The isonychia were gone. The caddis flies were gone. And the fish weren't very interested. I did manage one rainbow - what would turn out to be my last fish of the season. It was caught within 20 yards of where I caught my last fish of the previous season.
My son and I got out one more time - late in the day and we only had an hour to fish. He hooked two fish and landed one. I missed one strike. That was on October 16th. And then, I had two really busy weekends. I went to a college football game with friends. I traveled out of state on Sunday. I spent two days prepping for ski season. And suddenly, it's over.
I'm still in search of my first ever truly big brown trout in Vermont. I caught a brown about 19" in 1997, while visiting on vacation (we lived in Alaska at the time). My biggest browns ever have been caught in CA and PA. I caught a brown of 16" this year in VT. But, a brown of greater than 20" or maybe even greater than 24" is still one of my primary motivations for getting out there. I know guys who get to fish more than I do (some of them are guides) and they catch multiple fish like that every single year.
This year was an interesting contrast to last season. I caught at least 80% rainbows this year after catching at least 80% browns last year. I didn't catch a single brook trout this season - Vermont's state fish. Part of that has to do with the best quality river that is closest to my house. The White is primarily a rainbow river. The New Haven and Otter and Dog hold more browns, and I fish them all, but less frequently than I fish the White.
But I caught more and bigger trout in Vermont this season than I've ever done before. I really enjoyed the new high end rod and reel I bought before the season. And, while I'm looking forward to ski season right now, I'm already thinking ahead to trout fishing next spring. Between now and then, I hope to spend a number of winter evenings tying flies and dreaming of big brown trout.
My last few fishing days this year were either cold or wet or both, and I only got one fish in total my last three days out. But, with my new fancy rod and reel this season, I easily had my most successful fly fishing season I've ever had in Vermont. My first couple days out were very cold and didn't produce anything. On the first of May, I finally caught my first fish on the season - a very nice brown trout from perhaps the single most popular fishing spot on the New Haven River near Middlebury, Vermont.
A week or two later, the New Haven was stocked, and my son had a memorable evening fishing for the non-native fish. I think I caught 13 fish that night, mostly stocked, and my son caught 7 more. After that day, we only caught a few more stocked fish all season.
Shortly after that day, water levels started to rise as we got lots of rain for weeks. Some of the bigger rivers remained tough to fish for weeks. At one of my favorite spots on the White, I took a spill while wading alone, which was somewhat scary. But, I also managed to catch a couple trout and my only smallmouth bass of the season that day:
From there, the fishing started to improve just about everywhere. I had a productive Sunday evening on the upper part of the main branch of the White River. I had an OK day way downstream the day before. My son, who has only been fly fishing for a few years, started to do better.
When I lived in CA, I fished dry flies a lot. I've seen someone estimate on the web that fly fishermen from the Rockies and west spend 50% of their time with dry flies, 40% with nymphs and 10% with streamers. Here in VT, I probably do 70% with nymphs, 10% with dry flies, and 20% with streamers. Regretfully, for the less experienced fisherman, fishing with nymphs is the most difficult of the three. The strikes from the fish are often subtle and easily missed completely. Or, they might be detectable, but the fisherman reacts too late to hook the fish. My son is getting better, but there is still a huge experience gap between him and me. Even I would say that it's only been the past few years that I have considered myself a decent nymph fisherman. And that's from someone with over 30 years of fly fishing history.
I had some days through July and August where I didn't catch any fish, but there weren't many. It seemed like the fishing just got better and better as the season progressed. By the time my son and I got to a week of vacation in September, fishing was as good as it had been all season.
On the first fishing day of our vacation, we hit some weird weather. Intermittent clouds led to intermittent insect hatches, which led to fishing that would be good one minute and terrible the next. Fishing was tough that day, although I did manage a few fish, including one on a dry fly. I think I only caught 3 or 4 fish on dries in VT this year, so that last one was a treat.
The next day, we fished the same river a few miles downstream. It was a sunny day and fishing was generally slow, but I did manage to catch my "fish of the year" that day - a wild rainbow about 20" in length (I use the size of my net to get a quick size estimate before releasing the fish as quickly as possible.)
The next day, we fished Otter Creek and the Middlebury Rivers. It was my son's day to shine as he picked up a few browns on the Otter and lost a few more. I managed one brown on the Otter and later caught my first ever rainbow on the Middlebury - an amazing subtle strike on a tiny nymph that I managed to detect.
The next day, we got skunked on the Upper Lamoille River. Those kinds of days happen. But, the following day made up for that, when I had an amazing day on the Black River. I was into rainbows upstream and later, browns downstream. Regretfully, for my son, this was a day that really highlighted the difference in our experience levels. I was following him downstream, giving him first access to every spot. At one point, he walked past a spot that looked somewhat promising, opting for a bigger hole downstream. I hooked 4 fish in fewer than 10 minutes in the spot he skipped. Later, I walked in right behind him in two different spots and caught a fish on my first cast in a spot he'd just abandoned. But, he managed some fish as well, and we'd had a good week. We tried to get out the next day, but it didn't work out. Here is a photo of my son landing one of his fish for the week.
A few days later in PA, I caught four wild browns in a stream I'd fished as a teenager. A few days later, we were back in Vermont, and I asked my son if he wanted to sneak out on a Thursday evening for some fishing. He declined, and later regretted that. I had one fish after another hitting nymphs really hard. I caught my second biggest fish of the season (18"), and had three other nice fish snap me off.
The following weekend, I got out with a friend from my gym while my son worked. He is a very talented and experienced fly fishermen, and perhaps I shouldn't have shown him one of my favorite "secret" spots. I got skunked that day, but he picked up two very nice rainbows. One was very similar to the 20" fish I'd caught in that same spot a few weeks earlier - lots of bright red colors. That fish was close to 18". The second fish was much like the photo above - much more silvery in color, and about 16" in length. It was a tough day for me, as we were fishing in a raw, cold rain, and going fish-less in conditions like that wasn't a lot of fun. We also lost some fishing time that day when I accidentally locked my keys in my car, necessitating a rescue by my wife.
A few days later, I got out midweek for an hour or so. I went back to where I caught the fish shown above, and it was as if the lights had been turned out. The blue winged olives were gone. The isonychia were gone. The caddis flies were gone. And the fish weren't very interested. I did manage one rainbow - what would turn out to be my last fish of the season. It was caught within 20 yards of where I caught my last fish of the previous season.
My son and I got out one more time - late in the day and we only had an hour to fish. He hooked two fish and landed one. I missed one strike. That was on October 16th. And then, I had two really busy weekends. I went to a college football game with friends. I traveled out of state on Sunday. I spent two days prepping for ski season. And suddenly, it's over.
I'm still in search of my first ever truly big brown trout in Vermont. I caught a brown about 19" in 1997, while visiting on vacation (we lived in Alaska at the time). My biggest browns ever have been caught in CA and PA. I caught a brown of 16" this year in VT. But, a brown of greater than 20" or maybe even greater than 24" is still one of my primary motivations for getting out there. I know guys who get to fish more than I do (some of them are guides) and they catch multiple fish like that every single year.
This year was an interesting contrast to last season. I caught at least 80% rainbows this year after catching at least 80% browns last year. I didn't catch a single brook trout this season - Vermont's state fish. Part of that has to do with the best quality river that is closest to my house. The White is primarily a rainbow river. The New Haven and Otter and Dog hold more browns, and I fish them all, but less frequently than I fish the White.
But I caught more and bigger trout in Vermont this season than I've ever done before. I really enjoyed the new high end rod and reel I bought before the season. And, while I'm looking forward to ski season right now, I'm already thinking ahead to trout fishing next spring. Between now and then, I hope to spend a number of winter evenings tying flies and dreaming of big brown trout.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Six weeks of not posting
Wow, life can really spin out of control at times.
When I last posted, I was going to write a review about a magnificent meal at L'Espalier in Boston. I was going to write a review of an Adam Ant concert.
I was in the process of hiring a new employee at work. Hoping to take some vacation in September to do some fly fishing. My new employee started the day after Labor Day, which gave me 14 work days to get him trained to cover for me while I was gone. So far, I have to thank IBM for laying off such a smart and energetic developer. If you think your company is better off without him, I'm really confused.
He picked things up really quickly. I did a lot of last minute work so things would hopefully be fine while I was gone. And then, one hour before my vacation started, I got a phone call from the nursing home where my mom lived. She had died that afternoon.
My sister was on the other side of the country for a wedding. My brother was on the other side of the world for business. Logistically, everything was a nightmare.
We finally decided we would wait until 11 days after her death to have the funeral. That gave everyone a chance to get from where they were to Pennsylvania.
I even managed to get in a week of fishing with my son. We fished the Mad River, the Winooski River, Otter Creek, the Middlebury River, the upper Lamoille River and the Black River. We caught fish at every spot except one. I caught the biggest rainbow trout I've ever caught outside of Alaska on the Winooski. It was a big fat pig of a fish.
Then, on to PA to visit with family and deal with the funeral. It's a long drive to southern PA from Vermont. One day was dedicated to just driving. The next day, I managed to get to a CrossFit gym and work out with my wife. I got to fly fish my favorite stream from when I was a teenager. I met up with an old high school classmate for a while. My wife and I made it to CF again the next day. We had the funeral. A small event with a small family gathering afterward. My uncle pulled out four big boxes of memories of our family - some of the records he had from the 1800s were amazing. I saw pictures of my grandparents and my great-grandparents when they were infants and teens. There were more recent items too. Someone had saved a newspaper article from kindergarten, when my picture had been in the paper. Photos of my mom in high school. She looked so happy then - completely unaware of the difficult life she would face in just a few short years.
And then, we drove home yesterday. We took a detour to deliver my niece back to her home in Boston. We got home really late. I'm supposedly still on vacation until tomorrow, but I've been working most of the day so far.
And tomorrow, it's back to work full time. Somehow, almost two weeks just didn't seem like enough. It probably doesn't help that I worked more than half of my vacation days. I'd rather be fishing. And, later this afternoon, I may very well sneak out for a couple hours of fishing. My son is off work today, and a little fly fishing may help my brain to unwind a bit.
When I last posted, I was going to write a review about a magnificent meal at L'Espalier in Boston. I was going to write a review of an Adam Ant concert.
I was in the process of hiring a new employee at work. Hoping to take some vacation in September to do some fly fishing. My new employee started the day after Labor Day, which gave me 14 work days to get him trained to cover for me while I was gone. So far, I have to thank IBM for laying off such a smart and energetic developer. If you think your company is better off without him, I'm really confused.
He picked things up really quickly. I did a lot of last minute work so things would hopefully be fine while I was gone. And then, one hour before my vacation started, I got a phone call from the nursing home where my mom lived. She had died that afternoon.
My sister was on the other side of the country for a wedding. My brother was on the other side of the world for business. Logistically, everything was a nightmare.
We finally decided we would wait until 11 days after her death to have the funeral. That gave everyone a chance to get from where they were to Pennsylvania.
I even managed to get in a week of fishing with my son. We fished the Mad River, the Winooski River, Otter Creek, the Middlebury River, the upper Lamoille River and the Black River. We caught fish at every spot except one. I caught the biggest rainbow trout I've ever caught outside of Alaska on the Winooski. It was a big fat pig of a fish.
Then, on to PA to visit with family and deal with the funeral. It's a long drive to southern PA from Vermont. One day was dedicated to just driving. The next day, I managed to get to a CrossFit gym and work out with my wife. I got to fly fish my favorite stream from when I was a teenager. I met up with an old high school classmate for a while. My wife and I made it to CF again the next day. We had the funeral. A small event with a small family gathering afterward. My uncle pulled out four big boxes of memories of our family - some of the records he had from the 1800s were amazing. I saw pictures of my grandparents and my great-grandparents when they were infants and teens. There were more recent items too. Someone had saved a newspaper article from kindergarten, when my picture had been in the paper. Photos of my mom in high school. She looked so happy then - completely unaware of the difficult life she would face in just a few short years.
And then, we drove home yesterday. We took a detour to deliver my niece back to her home in Boston. We got home really late. I'm supposedly still on vacation until tomorrow, but I've been working most of the day so far.
And tomorrow, it's back to work full time. Somehow, almost two weeks just didn't seem like enough. It probably doesn't help that I worked more than half of my vacation days. I'd rather be fishing. And, later this afternoon, I may very well sneak out for a couple hours of fishing. My son is off work today, and a little fly fishing may help my brain to unwind a bit.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
I need to catch up, but...
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.
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.
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.
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