Treading Lightly
Treading Lightly

May Miles

swimming, swim cap, goggles, pull bouyWhile I originally thought of May as the month I would build my monthly running milage, my body might have other plans for me. I’m currently battling a bit of tendonitis in my knee, and I have to first rest and rehab before I can really be running much. I’m hoping that by the second or third week of the month I will be back to slowly adding miles, but it doesn’t look like it will be the massive running challenge I had imagined.

But that doesn’t mean that my May Miles challenge will go to waste. Instead I will use it to increase my swimming and biking miles. As frustrating as an injury can be, every injury is an important reminder or lesson, and it provides an opportunity to improve. For me my lesson was to listen to my body sooner instead of waiting for it to develop into a full-blown injury. And since my legs can’t pound the pavement as much as I used to or lift heavy at CrossFit, I am taking the opportunity to get back into swimming for the summer months and work on some technique and upper body strength at CrossFit (all while doing some super fun rehab exercises to get back in action). And with such beautiful weather, who could be upset about going for a swim?

WOD of the Week: 3 rep max back squat

Crossfit woman back squat
Got to love the blurry cell phone photo of being a beast in the gym

Strength:
Find your new three rep max back squat

WOD:
30 box jumps
then 4 rounds every three minutes of:
30 second L sit
30 second flex arm hang
50 air squats

At first glance this workout doesn’t seem so bad, but how sore I was the next day certainly changed my mind. Back squats are not super fun, but being able to squat 20 lbs. more than I weigh three times is empowering. That and I sure do love box jumps.

WOD of the week: a traveler’s burpee paradise

Since I was home for spring break my schedule had to change a bit. I didn’t get to go to CrossFit three times this past week like I normally do, but I was able to squeeze in a quick drop-in at the gym I was at over the summer. With the sudden spring showers and my lack of equipment, getting a work out in has been difficult. But this is one that you can do from anywhere without needing anything more than your running shoes, or not.

CrossFit San Mateo Team Elite Burpees

WOD
21-15-9
Hand release burpees (lift your hands off the ground every time your chest hits the floor)
Between each set run 100m, 200m, and finally 400m
(so 21 hand release burpees, 100m run, 15 HR burpees, 200 m run, and finally 9 HR burpees and 400 m run.) If you can’t measure out exact meters just stagger your run. Maybe you run half a block, the full block, and then two blocks in your neighborhood instead.

The entire workout is for time and should push your heart rate. For six minutes of work, it sure did leave an impression. Best of all, you don’t need a gym or anything fancy. Too bad I wasn’t running on the beach.

Photo courtesy of Coach Manny.

WOD of the week: CrossFit Open WOD 13.1

I am not competing in the CrossFit Open. After a year of CrossFit I just started being able to do some workouts at RX, and if today’s workout was any inclination, I am far off from ever being able to compete.

13-1_SnatchTop_web Julie Foucher
Image courtesy of CrossFit Games
With that said, after watching the amazing video of Julie Foucher demonstrate the WOD, I went to the gym thinking it wouldn’t be too bad, except for the fact that I have been insanely sore for the last few days. I knew I would never be able to do the weights for women, or even the weight for masters women. I still haven’t done a 1 rep max snatch (I’m working on it), but I’ve never done more than 5 reps at 65 lbs, so the 120 lb snatch for the last set of the women’s most definitely wasn’t happening. Nor was the 75 lb snatch. 

Instead I scaled the workout to my less than stellar ability.

CrossFit Open Wod 13.1 Women’s:
Proceed thorugh the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 17 minutes of:
40 Burpees
45 lb Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
75 lb Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
100 lb Snatch, 30 reps
10 Burpees
120 lb Snatch, as many reps as possible

My scaled version:
40 Burpees
35 lb Snatch, 30 reps
30 Burpees
45 lb Snatch, 30 reps
20 Burpees
10 (it was as many as I could finish in the time) Snatches at 55 lbs
Score: 160

1 lb weights weight lifting 2

I was so sore coming into this workout that the warmup had me cringing in pain. The burpees made my tight, aching glutes very angry. I felt completely pathetic sliding on the 1 lb weights to make the women’s bar 35 lbs, but I think I did scale it well to my ability. Overall, I also did pretty well pacing myself. For the most part I kept up with the people in my gym who were actually competing, just at a much lighter weight.

But really, the biggest reason I got up this morning was to eat breakfast with my friends after CrossFit. I really, really wanted waffles, but I got a tofu scramble instead to help my aching muscles and keep me on track with my goal of reducing my sugar intake.

Crepevine Tofu Scramble breakfast

Today inspired me to get stronger and cook some tastier meals for myself.

Listen to your body

“Ouch. Ouch. Bad. Ouch.”

It turns out your body speaks pretty loudly if you listen to it. For the last three weeks I have had a slight “twinge” in my right shin. I had slipped while doing box jumps at CrossFit and completely bashed my right shinbone into the plywood box. If the lump I still have (three weeks later, I swear) is any evidence, I hit it pretty hard. I originally attributed my pain to the throbbing of my new shin growth as I ran, and really, it only hurt for portions of the run on and off. I pushed through it and cursed myself for being so clumsy.
But last week while building into my four-mile run (I’m currently training for a 10k, and this was my longest distance since August) that twinge got a whole lot louder. I tripped and just barely caught myself from falling at the 1-mile mark. Something pulled down the front of my shin into my ankle and I stubbed my toe, but I figured I really only lost a bit of pride to the drivers who watched my flailing and kept going.
Bad idea, I desperately wish I had been smart and walked home then and there. My calf and shin started to hurt and cramp with every step. I took walking breaks, tried to rub out my calf (all while looking around for anything even remotely close to being a foam roller in the middle of San Jose suburbs), and slowed down. It didn’t make a difference, my whole lower leg was suddenly angry, and it was being incredibly clear about it.
I walked most of the rest of the almost three miles before going home and icing. When I woke up the next day with a leg still aching while walking down stairs, I crossed my Saturday long run (set for 5 miles) off my calendar. When Saturday rolled around and my leg was still hurting, today’s run got the ax too.
As much as I desperately want to run and I feel the pressure to stick to my training plan, I decided to play it smart and listen to my body. I want to run the entire 10k in two weeks, but it’s a virtual race and walking isn’t too shameful. I’d rather still be able to at least walk at that point, so the few days of rest is worth it.
Instead of heading out for a run tonight I will be married to my foam roller and ice like clockwork. And after some amazing yoga today, my leg feels a bit better and I’m mentally ready to sit on the side-lines for a few more days.

Moving Beyond Fear

I am worrier who is quick to fear. In the past I stayed well inside my comfort zone because everything else was just too plain scary. There have been a lot of things I almost didn’t try that I am thankful I did, most notably rock climbing, yoga, running, and CrossFit.

I started yoga in high school as part of an elective class. It took me a while to go to an actual studio, but once I got over not knowing anyone, and the teacher, I enjoyed it quite a bit. Now four years later I work at a yoga magazine and I do yoga on my own and in a class multiple times a week.

I used to stand on an eight food ladder and feel like I was way too far off the ground. After watching hundreds of other people climb at my gym, I decided it was time to stop being afraid and do something fun. For the first few weeks I would make it about 3/4 of the way up the wall before I wouldn’t be able to go any higher. Now I climb the highest walls at the gym, and I don’t let climbing next to a ledge or on overhangs stop me. I even look down every now and then. Next up, climbing outside.

But more than anything else, CrossFit has pushed every one of my limits. I nearly didn’t take the fundamentals class because I was afraid of not knowing how to do anything (isn’t that the point of a beginner’s class?) and not knowing anyone who would be there. I had lifted weights a bit as training for sports, but even the lingo used in CrossFit seemed confusing and impossible to me. It actually took me three months to finally sign up. I am so happy I did I cannot put it into words. I’ve never had so much confidence in myself or felt as great as I do now. I have met so many amazing people at the two gyms I train at, CrossFit Sunnyvale and CrossFit San Mateo.

Crossfit pull ups kipping pull ups pull-ups crossfit sunnyvale

Every day at CrossFit I have to get over a fear. I’ve learned to not count how much weight is on my bar and instead just try it (besides, I’m terrible at math, so it’s best if I count it all at once). The first time I ever did a lift at body weight I could not believe it. Never did I think I could move so much weight. I’m learning to not let a number scare me or stop me from trying. Even if I can’t move the bar, at least I tried and it becomes my project until I can. But there is nothing like the feeling of lifting a heavy weight or making it through a brutal workout. It makes me feel like I can do anything.

Things still scare me. Putting that extra five pounds on the bar, trying a new arm balance where the chance of failure or face-plant is high, just about every new climbing route, and running further, longer, or faster. But every time I let myself be afraid and then push past it I end up with a new experience and an irreplaceable feeling of satisfaction.