Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Monday, January 1, 2018
Resolution success!
409 miles completed for 2017. It would have been more if I were not sick these past 2 weeks. Either way, Resolution success. New year.. new miles.
Saturday, December 2, 2017
365+
New Years Resolution 2017 achieved!!! Back in Jan this year, I committed to 365 logged running miles for 2017. It didn't matter the frequency.. whether it was 1 mile/day or 365 miles in one day.. I just needed to run 365 miles by the end of 2017. I opted to keep accountable by focusing on 1 mile/day and to keep a log of the miles monthly.
Certain days and months, I went over the 1 mile/day.. Jan, Feb, and March. If I felt like I had extra time or energy, I would run extra miles to "cash" it for rainy days. Other times when life was overwhelming, such as August/Sept/October when I put 110% of my effort into job hunting, those months lapsed in running miles. However, now towards the end of the year, I'm happy to have achieved 365 miles for 2017 on the day after Thanksgiving.. Nov 24th.
In fact, an ex co-worker took on this challenge as well... but he's a runner, and he achieved the mileage in June/July time frame. A way that I connect with my ex-coworkers are through Fitbit Challenges, and it's nice to know that there are other OCD crazies like me. I'm definitely missing my old work environment, my former co-workers as I am still adjusting to my "new life" as I call it. But we still get together on occasion for Happy hour, Fitbit challenges, or messaging.
This week we had a work-week hustle. I've retained 1st place, logging in 163,309 steps in a 5-day period. It required running about 10 miles a day which I would do in the wee hours (4-6am) of the morning before work, and late into the night after work (9-11pm).
Here's a photo I took to show evidence of such endeavors. Me and my slow-man companion late one evening after putting the kids to bed.
Certain days and months, I went over the 1 mile/day.. Jan, Feb, and March. If I felt like I had extra time or energy, I would run extra miles to "cash" it for rainy days. Other times when life was overwhelming, such as August/Sept/October when I put 110% of my effort into job hunting, those months lapsed in running miles. However, now towards the end of the year, I'm happy to have achieved 365 miles for 2017 on the day after Thanksgiving.. Nov 24th.
In fact, an ex co-worker took on this challenge as well... but he's a runner, and he achieved the mileage in June/July time frame. A way that I connect with my ex-coworkers are through Fitbit Challenges, and it's nice to know that there are other OCD crazies like me. I'm definitely missing my old work environment, my former co-workers as I am still adjusting to my "new life" as I call it. But we still get together on occasion for Happy hour, Fitbit challenges, or messaging.
This week we had a work-week hustle. I've retained 1st place, logging in 163,309 steps in a 5-day period. It required running about 10 miles a day which I would do in the wee hours (4-6am) of the morning before work, and late into the night after work (9-11pm).
Here's a photo I took to show evidence of such endeavors. Me and my slow-man companion late one evening after putting the kids to bed.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
The Lil' Beast
Kiddo wanted to join in on the workout session. The little beast held her own.
Whaddya know...kiddo likes Muy Thai, more than judo/jiujitsu...
Whaddya know...kiddo likes Muy Thai, more than judo/jiujitsu...
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Winning or Learning
In competition, there will be a winner and a loser, but there is no losing (unless you quit), only learning. This was a lesson from a recently kids library book that we picked up and read. The simple point of the story followed the emotions and thoughts of two young siblings' journey into competitive sports as they joined a soccer team. It went through the ups and downs of emotions, thoughts, insecurities, and struggles of the siblings as they learned about perseverance, to work hard to develop in skill, and to understand a bigger, personal concept of competition and winning through the game of soccer. They were guided by their dad to view each challenge and loss as an opportunity to learn, and that true winning is about what you can gain through attitude and perspective. Great simple kid story that was so direct with the message.
When my kids struggle, whether they are frustrated with not being able to do something right, or they want to give up, I remind them that there is no losing, just learning and to find what they can learn from the situation to become better.
The story we read coincidentally came at a great time, a few weeks before Emilia's first jiujitsu competition!!
Let's start at the beginning. Our dojo hosted a local jiujitsu competition and encouraged the kids to participate. It would be good experience in a kid-friendly format and have more kids from our own dojo attend. I thought it was a great short term goal for Emilia to keep focused on as we encouraged her to practice and learn in her BJJ classes.
One of the moms at the dojo made signs for all the kids.
Competition experience is so different than regular practice at the dojo. When we walked into the gymnasium, there were so many people there - People in the stands, kids in their Gis warming up or playing on the 6 competition mat areas, people going about with a purpose, getting ready for the competitions... the referees, the coaches, photographers, nervous kids, parents, etc. The feeling in the air was that of excitement and nervous anticipation. I could see my kids looking around and observing, taking it all in.
Emilia was simply being Emilia.. which I love! I tried to get her to warm-up, maybe spar with some of the kids that she knows, but she was really just taking in the surroundings, eating some snacks, and practicing her version of "cartwheels". Competition environment? It didn't change how she goes about things.
Emilia's version of "Cartwheels"
The competition was soon starting, and the kids were lined up and sat on the edge of the mat where they would be competing on. Emilia's bracket was the TODDLER DIVISION, AGES 4-5. We did not sign up Liam for this because even though he qualifies in age, Liam just doesn't have the base concept down yet. However, he wanted his Gi on and wanted to be a part of this too.. so we let him sit with the rest of the kids.
Emilia's first match was the 2nd one on the mat. The first match were two kids from her dojo, Henry and Cohen. This is representative of what I expected from kids in the TODDLER division. Well.. okay.. maybe not as much spinning around...
Henry and Cohen's Match
Then Emilia was up. Her match was with an unknown kid, not from our dojo. I had watched the kid during pre-comp practice and was already nervous because the kid seemed more serious and aggressive than the kids Emilia is usually paired up with in class. I was hoping that it would be a good learning experience that would drive her to understand why she goes to practice and learns these skills.
E's Match
The match, actually most of it, turned out to be quite unexpected. Emilia impressed me as I can see her focused determination. Kudos for trying! However, at the end of this video, I stopped filming because I could her her little voice crying. It was just loud enough where I could hear how hurt she was.. combined with gasps of breath in between, I also knew she was trying so hard not to cry. What happened was the boy did an arm bar maneuver on her and the referee did not stop it in time. The arm went into full extension, and hyper-extended the elbow joint. Actually, even when the ref did stop the match, the boy didn't let go. The ref had to pry the kid's hands off of Emilia's arm. I have never had an arm bar done to me before, but from what I hear, it is pretty painful.
Luckily Ryan was there to help check on Emilia. That particular sound of Emilia's cry, one that she rarely ever makes, hits a deep mama instinct. In fact, the mama next to me put her arm around me. No parent wants to see their kid hurt.
At TODDLER bracket, I thought it was ridiculous that someone teaches a kid that's only learned bladder control for 1-2 years, how to do a highly skilled and potentially harmful move, and to use in competition. Emilia has not learned the arm bar move nor how to defend it or how to get out of it.
I was beyond mad and upset, not because she lost, but because she was hurt in such an unprepared and unfair way. I could hear the other kid's dad in the background yelling "Arm bar! Arm bar!" while my brain was processing "Wait... kids do arm bars at this age? Emilia doesn't know arm bar!".
However, Emilia amazed me. This is PROUD MAMA MOMENT... she obviously didn't win, in fact, she was utterly crushed...(had to forfeit her 2nd match). But after we iced her elbow, filled her with the best medicine - candy, and gave into her every request the rest of the day, I asked her what she thought of the day's event and how she felt. She said to me "My arm hurt a lot. I really tried my best, but I didn't know the arm bar. I'll need to learn more and maybe next time I can win a gold necklace. Can we go to the beach?" (Note: She wants the gold medal because it is a pretty necklace!)
That's it. She didn't blame me, nor her instructors, nor the boy, nor the unfair match-up, nor the boy's parents that kept yelling for the arm bar during the match (and again at the sandbagger's 2nd match!), nor the judge (who felt really bad), AND she didn't blame herself (unlike me with lots of guilt). She was happy with her effort, and the rest of the situation, she accepted it as "it just is" and moved on to enjoy a beautiful sunny beach day.
As for mama, I learned as well. I spent the next week researching the culture of jiujitsu, learning about the different dojos and their teaching philosophies. Many dojos, non-Gracie affiliated, are geared towards sport jiujitsu, which is winning competitions versus a more practical nature of self defense in a nurturing environment. The dojo we go to is more focused on character development, which is why Emilia has not learned arm bars and chokes yet. This puts the kids at a disadvantage for competitions. That should have been stressed and made aware to the parents! However, apparently the topic of teaching young kids technical and potentially dangerous moves of joint locks and choke holds are highly debated, even though it is common in sport jiujitsu.
My kid's journey and experiences will be her own, no matter how much I try to control the situation and protect her, life is life. It will be unfair and unexpected. Situations like this only help prepare her better to face the unknown future. Somewhere, somehow... my little girl already inherently has the right attitude and perspective. She takes a loss as an opportunity to learn. In fact, she was mimicking the arm bar move at home the other day, solely learned from watching and observing because again, she hasn't been taught. Her heart, her mentality, her attitude.. is pure gold. She doesn't need to win one. She knows how to approach life, at 6 years of age, more than most people. Way to go baby girl!
When my kids struggle, whether they are frustrated with not being able to do something right, or they want to give up, I remind them that there is no losing, just learning and to find what they can learn from the situation to become better.
The story we read coincidentally came at a great time, a few weeks before Emilia's first jiujitsu competition!!
Let's start at the beginning. Our dojo hosted a local jiujitsu competition and encouraged the kids to participate. It would be good experience in a kid-friendly format and have more kids from our own dojo attend. I thought it was a great short term goal for Emilia to keep focused on as we encouraged her to practice and learn in her BJJ classes.
One of the moms at the dojo made signs for all the kids.
Competition experience is so different than regular practice at the dojo. When we walked into the gymnasium, there were so many people there - People in the stands, kids in their Gis warming up or playing on the 6 competition mat areas, people going about with a purpose, getting ready for the competitions... the referees, the coaches, photographers, nervous kids, parents, etc. The feeling in the air was that of excitement and nervous anticipation. I could see my kids looking around and observing, taking it all in.
Emilia was simply being Emilia.. which I love! I tried to get her to warm-up, maybe spar with some of the kids that she knows, but she was really just taking in the surroundings, eating some snacks, and practicing her version of "cartwheels". Competition environment? It didn't change how she goes about things.
Emilia's version of "Cartwheels"
The competition was soon starting, and the kids were lined up and sat on the edge of the mat where they would be competing on. Emilia's bracket was the TODDLER DIVISION, AGES 4-5. We did not sign up Liam for this because even though he qualifies in age, Liam just doesn't have the base concept down yet. However, he wanted his Gi on and wanted to be a part of this too.. so we let him sit with the rest of the kids.
Emilia's first match was the 2nd one on the mat. The first match were two kids from her dojo, Henry and Cohen. This is representative of what I expected from kids in the TODDLER division. Well.. okay.. maybe not as much spinning around...
Henry and Cohen's Match
Then Emilia was up. Her match was with an unknown kid, not from our dojo. I had watched the kid during pre-comp practice and was already nervous because the kid seemed more serious and aggressive than the kids Emilia is usually paired up with in class. I was hoping that it would be a good learning experience that would drive her to understand why she goes to practice and learns these skills.
E's Match
The match, actually most of it, turned out to be quite unexpected. Emilia impressed me as I can see her focused determination. Kudos for trying! However, at the end of this video, I stopped filming because I could her her little voice crying. It was just loud enough where I could hear how hurt she was.. combined with gasps of breath in between, I also knew she was trying so hard not to cry. What happened was the boy did an arm bar maneuver on her and the referee did not stop it in time. The arm went into full extension, and hyper-extended the elbow joint. Actually, even when the ref did stop the match, the boy didn't let go. The ref had to pry the kid's hands off of Emilia's arm. I have never had an arm bar done to me before, but from what I hear, it is pretty painful.
Luckily Ryan was there to help check on Emilia. That particular sound of Emilia's cry, one that she rarely ever makes, hits a deep mama instinct. In fact, the mama next to me put her arm around me. No parent wants to see their kid hurt.
At TODDLER bracket, I thought it was ridiculous that someone teaches a kid that's only learned bladder control for 1-2 years, how to do a highly skilled and potentially harmful move, and to use in competition. Emilia has not learned the arm bar move nor how to defend it or how to get out of it.
I was beyond mad and upset, not because she lost, but because she was hurt in such an unprepared and unfair way. I could hear the other kid's dad in the background yelling "Arm bar! Arm bar!" while my brain was processing "Wait... kids do arm bars at this age? Emilia doesn't know arm bar!".
However, Emilia amazed me. This is PROUD MAMA MOMENT... she obviously didn't win, in fact, she was utterly crushed...(had to forfeit her 2nd match). But after we iced her elbow, filled her with the best medicine - candy, and gave into her every request the rest of the day, I asked her what she thought of the day's event and how she felt. She said to me "My arm hurt a lot. I really tried my best, but I didn't know the arm bar. I'll need to learn more and maybe next time I can win a gold necklace. Can we go to the beach?" (Note: She wants the gold medal because it is a pretty necklace!)
That's it. She didn't blame me, nor her instructors, nor the boy, nor the unfair match-up, nor the boy's parents that kept yelling for the arm bar during the match (and again at the sandbagger's 2nd match!), nor the judge (who felt really bad), AND she didn't blame herself (unlike me with lots of guilt). She was happy with her effort, and the rest of the situation, she accepted it as "it just is" and moved on to enjoy a beautiful sunny beach day.
As for mama, I learned as well. I spent the next week researching the culture of jiujitsu, learning about the different dojos and their teaching philosophies. Many dojos, non-Gracie affiliated, are geared towards sport jiujitsu, which is winning competitions versus a more practical nature of self defense in a nurturing environment. The dojo we go to is more focused on character development, which is why Emilia has not learned arm bars and chokes yet. This puts the kids at a disadvantage for competitions. That should have been stressed and made aware to the parents! However, apparently the topic of teaching young kids technical and potentially dangerous moves of joint locks and choke holds are highly debated, even though it is common in sport jiujitsu.
My kid's journey and experiences will be her own, no matter how much I try to control the situation and protect her, life is life. It will be unfair and unexpected. Situations like this only help prepare her better to face the unknown future. Somewhere, somehow... my little girl already inherently has the right attitude and perspective. She takes a loss as an opportunity to learn. In fact, she was mimicking the arm bar move at home the other day, solely learned from watching and observing because again, she hasn't been taught. Her heart, her mentality, her attitude.. is pure gold. She doesn't need to win one. She knows how to approach life, at 6 years of age, more than most people. Way to go baby girl!
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Promotion!
Today was a great day at BJJ. Emilia has been dedicated and worked hard to learn and grow in judo and jiujitsu.
She had her first belt promotion/ceremony today! Moving from a White Belt, earning stripes along the way, to now being a new fledgling Yellow-White belt.
I asked her how she felt getting her new belt, and her response was "shy." Happy and shy. =) I guess it is being in front of a lot of people, clapping and cheering for her. And then she needs to go down the line, respectfully bow and shake hands with all the black belt senseis.
A special thing the kids witnessed too, was Sensei Paulo getting his promotion. Sensei has been a black belt for the past 28 years, and today he was promoted to what he calls, the last belt he will ever receive, the red-white belt.
Sensei also had a great talk about how the stripes are just regular tape that you can buy from Home Depot. A belt is just a belt you can order online. But to those that practice and put in their hard work, their effort.. each achievement is about the cumulation of their hard work, effort, wins and loses, and skills and experience that the belt/stripes are symbolic of. That's something that one cannot simply buy, so be proud of where you are at, with each and every achievement.
Sensei, of course, was emotional, as this is his life's work and passion. Not sure the kids really understand all that much at this age, but I think it is great for them to see their Sensei getting promoted and re-iterate his dedication towards the sport and development for future generations.
After the ceremony, E with her new belt.
And her official promotion certificate.
The BJJ familia, group photo.
Super proud of E and celebrating the moment today, but back to consistent hard work and dedication. Yellow-white belts will definitely now be more challenging for Emilia to spar with, but open up more opportunities to learn and hone her skills more. At the same time, I'm hoping that Liam will get that spark of understanding that will help him grow. Emilia knows what this is all about.. you can see her observing and processing during practice. Liam.. it is still fun and games. He has improved since the early days though, there is definitely less lying on the mats now.
She had her first belt promotion/ceremony today! Moving from a White Belt, earning stripes along the way, to now being a new fledgling Yellow-White belt.
I asked her how she felt getting her new belt, and her response was "shy." Happy and shy. =) I guess it is being in front of a lot of people, clapping and cheering for her. And then she needs to go down the line, respectfully bow and shake hands with all the black belt senseis.
A special thing the kids witnessed too, was Sensei Paulo getting his promotion. Sensei has been a black belt for the past 28 years, and today he was promoted to what he calls, the last belt he will ever receive, the red-white belt.
Sensei also had a great talk about how the stripes are just regular tape that you can buy from Home Depot. A belt is just a belt you can order online. But to those that practice and put in their hard work, their effort.. each achievement is about the cumulation of their hard work, effort, wins and loses, and skills and experience that the belt/stripes are symbolic of. That's something that one cannot simply buy, so be proud of where you are at, with each and every achievement.
Sensei, of course, was emotional, as this is his life's work and passion. Not sure the kids really understand all that much at this age, but I think it is great for them to see their Sensei getting promoted and re-iterate his dedication towards the sport and development for future generations.
After the ceremony, E with her new belt.
And her official promotion certificate.
The BJJ familia, group photo.
Super proud of E and celebrating the moment today, but back to consistent hard work and dedication. Yellow-white belts will definitely now be more challenging for Emilia to spar with, but open up more opportunities to learn and hone her skills more. At the same time, I'm hoping that Liam will get that spark of understanding that will help him grow. Emilia knows what this is all about.. you can see her observing and processing during practice. Liam.. it is still fun and games. He has improved since the early days though, there is definitely less lying on the mats now.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Little Ninja Training
E had the opportunity to participate in a special kids ninja warrior workshop with the pros. Yup! She got to learn ninja skills from Kacy Catanzaro, Brent Steffensen, and Flip Rodriguez! Of course, Kacy is E's favorite.
E was just short of the minimum age requirement by a month, so the gym made an exception and let her enroll for the workshop. The spots were filling fast so I signed her up, though I wasn't sure if she *could* hang with the bigger kids.
Smallest kid on the block.
The workshop started off with 4 main stations that focused on training a few specific obstacles. The kids were broken down into groups of 12 (12 kids per station), which then were broken down into smaller groups depending on the obstacles at that station. E tended to be last or close to last in line for most of the training. I was the helicopter mom that hovered around as much as I could just in case the instructors were not watching closely and/or if E needed help on the obstacles.
Her first station was with Flip Rodriguez and his crew of instructors. Skills learned were climbing up structures, down short walls, rope climbing, and fireman pole slide.
Actually, E's rope skills were not too shabby at all. Not completely assistance free, but definitely she had enough confidence to try it on her own.
This station also had training for the mini-Warp wall. They did a few drills for the kids to get comfortable with forward climbing, backwards climbing on the warp wall. Then moved on to practicing running up and sliding down.
Single file line and on to the next station, with Brent Steffensen.
Station "2" had a version of the Quintuple steps, cliffhanger traverse, and climbing/jumping over barriers. E initially got tripped up on the Quintuple steps, but the 2nd time through, Brent gave her some tips that helped her out.
Station "3" was with Kacy Catanzaro & crew. This had a bar traverse, balance obstacles, and a rope traverse.
Station "4" was trampoline practice and rope swing into a foam pit.
Ryan and Liam show up to watch E ninja.
After the stations were all done, the kids had a break while the instructors set up 2 obstacles course for the kids to line up and try. Kids getting a course briefing.
E's run on the first obstacle course.
E was 2nd to last in line, so she get's lots of spectators and cheering for her finish.
E almost missed running the 2nd obstacle. Of course, she was last in line again. Time was up and the instructors did not realize she didn't get to do the 2nd obstacle course. As they started ushering the kids, good ol' helicopter mom stepped in. Kacy made sure E got her 2nd obstacle course and cheered her along the way.
Super fun event for E and I. She had a great time doing obstacles with the ninja warriors. I loved watching her try the obstacles, figure things out, and really hold her own. That grip strength is definitely coming along!
Ryan's super proud of her too. Happy smiles all around this day (except when we all got pelted with windy rain storm after lunch!).
E was just short of the minimum age requirement by a month, so the gym made an exception and let her enroll for the workshop. The spots were filling fast so I signed her up, though I wasn't sure if she *could* hang with the bigger kids.
Smallest kid on the block.
The workshop started off with 4 main stations that focused on training a few specific obstacles. The kids were broken down into groups of 12 (12 kids per station), which then were broken down into smaller groups depending on the obstacles at that station. E tended to be last or close to last in line for most of the training. I was the helicopter mom that hovered around as much as I could just in case the instructors were not watching closely and/or if E needed help on the obstacles.
Her first station was with Flip Rodriguez and his crew of instructors. Skills learned were climbing up structures, down short walls, rope climbing, and fireman pole slide.
Actually, E's rope skills were not too shabby at all. Not completely assistance free, but definitely she had enough confidence to try it on her own.
This station also had training for the mini-Warp wall. They did a few drills for the kids to get comfortable with forward climbing, backwards climbing on the warp wall. Then moved on to practicing running up and sliding down.
Single file line and on to the next station, with Brent Steffensen.
Station "2" had a version of the Quintuple steps, cliffhanger traverse, and climbing/jumping over barriers. E initially got tripped up on the Quintuple steps, but the 2nd time through, Brent gave her some tips that helped her out.
Station "3" was with Kacy Catanzaro & crew. This had a bar traverse, balance obstacles, and a rope traverse.
Station "4" was trampoline practice and rope swing into a foam pit.
Ryan and Liam show up to watch E ninja.
After the stations were all done, the kids had a break while the instructors set up 2 obstacles course for the kids to line up and try. Kids getting a course briefing.
E's run on the first obstacle course.
E was 2nd to last in line, so she get's lots of spectators and cheering for her finish.
E almost missed running the 2nd obstacle. Of course, she was last in line again. Time was up and the instructors did not realize she didn't get to do the 2nd obstacle course. As they started ushering the kids, good ol' helicopter mom stepped in. Kacy made sure E got her 2nd obstacle course and cheered her along the way.
Super fun event for E and I. She had a great time doing obstacles with the ninja warriors. I loved watching her try the obstacles, figure things out, and really hold her own. That grip strength is definitely coming along!
Ryan's super proud of her too. Happy smiles all around this day (except when we all got pelted with windy rain storm after lunch!).
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Little Judokas - Day 1
"Though she be little, she be fierce!" - William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream
This was first day of Judo/BJJ class and the kiddos practiced how to throw and how to sweep (not shown). Emilia took to the class pretty well and seems pretty natural at knowing how to shift her body weight in the throw. Liam took a while to warm up. He sat on the side with Ryan to watch the class the first 20 minutes, but after that, he willing joined the class on his own.
Kiddos, esp Liam, do have short attention span. By the time class was almost over, he started getting out of line and wandering around. hehe. I'm looking forward to tracking their progression and see how they do in a few months time.
This was first day of Judo/BJJ class and the kiddos practiced how to throw and how to sweep (not shown). Emilia took to the class pretty well and seems pretty natural at knowing how to shift her body weight in the throw. Liam took a while to warm up. He sat on the side with Ryan to watch the class the first 20 minutes, but after that, he willing joined the class on his own.
Kiddos, esp Liam, do have short attention span. By the time class was almost over, he started getting out of line and wandering around. hehe. I'm looking forward to tracking their progression and see how they do in a few months time.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Back in Training!
Kids coloring and having a brunch date with me while we wait for Ryan to finish his run.
Ryan and I are officially in training season since the beginning of June. We both have separate races coming up in a few months time, and we both have our own training regimen and program. So even though it is summer, our schedules are again a fine juggling act. But well worth it! It feels great to be back in training mode. Of course, seeing Ryan train motivates me even more to train!
Our conversation goes something like this:
C: How many miles are you going to run for your long run this week?
R: 14 miles.
C: Oh. Well, I'm going to do 12 miles (even though I planned for 10 miles, and am only capable of 6 miles).
R: I'm running ----- Mountain (the steepest local mountain with the highest elevation gain).
C: (thinking to myself.. I can't do that, so I'll do an alternative)
C: Okay, I'm going to do 12 miles on some kind of terrain, then another 5 miles the next day, and throw in some ninja obstacle training on top of that. Yeah.
R: (sighs. and rolls his eyes.) The kids and I want to come and watch.
So what did we do? I found a local mountain and did my 12 miles Friday, and then obstacle course training with additional running on Saturday. And Ryan followed it up on Sunday, with 14+ miles of THAT mountain.
Yup. That's just our way. It's how we do things.
Here is Ryan, at the end of his 14+ mile run, at the base of the mountain where kids and I were waiting for his return after our brunch.
We're back in the groove of training!
Ryan and I are officially in training season since the beginning of June. We both have separate races coming up in a few months time, and we both have our own training regimen and program. So even though it is summer, our schedules are again a fine juggling act. But well worth it! It feels great to be back in training mode. Of course, seeing Ryan train motivates me even more to train!
Our conversation goes something like this:
C: How many miles are you going to run for your long run this week?
R: 14 miles.
C: Oh. Well, I'm going to do 12 miles (even though I planned for 10 miles, and am only capable of 6 miles).
R: I'm running ----- Mountain (the steepest local mountain with the highest elevation gain).
C: (thinking to myself.. I can't do that, so I'll do an alternative)
C: Okay, I'm going to do 12 miles on some kind of terrain, then another 5 miles the next day, and throw in some ninja obstacle training on top of that. Yeah.
R: (sighs. and rolls his eyes.) The kids and I want to come and watch.
So what did we do? I found a local mountain and did my 12 miles Friday, and then obstacle course training with additional running on Saturday. And Ryan followed it up on Sunday, with 14+ miles of THAT mountain.
Yup. That's just our way. It's how we do things.
Here is Ryan, at the end of his 14+ mile run, at the base of the mountain where kids and I were waiting for his return after our brunch.
We're back in the groove of training!
Sunday, July 5, 2015
July 4th WOD
Thinking of our friends and family and their families, that have served our country and those that are still serving our country for all of our freedoms to live a life of our own choosing. (*Hokesters.. thinking of you!)
Special July 4th WOD.
We stay together. No man or woman left behind.
Indian Run while passing a 20# slam ball.
Broad jump burpees on an uphill incline.
Dive bomb push-ups, flutter kicks, etc.
4 man tractor tire carry while other 4-man teams are doing other exercises and waiting for us to get back to switch stations.
Gotta finish off with an SUV push.
Group pre-photo...
Group post-photo, and after ice water dunk tank!
Why do we do this? Because we can!!
Special July 4th WOD.
We stay together. No man or woman left behind.
Indian Run while passing a 20# slam ball.
Broad jump burpees on an uphill incline.
Dive bomb push-ups, flutter kicks, etc.
4 man tractor tire carry while other 4-man teams are doing other exercises and waiting for us to get back to switch stations.
Gotta finish off with an SUV push.
Group pre-photo...
Group post-photo, and after ice water dunk tank!
Why do we do this? Because we can!!
Monday, April 20, 2015
TRX and Certified!
I am TRX Certified! Yup. Somewhat on a whim, after trying to find a gym or class that would teach TRX SAFELY, I decided to get trained officially by the TRX Training Center, to ensure that I know and do the exercises correctly. As a bonus, I am certified to teach TRX too!
I can't Olympic Weight-lift heavy things anymore because of back issues, so I've been interested in switching to TRX for strength training. It will also function as an additional tool for PT/rehab to develop more core strength and control (and therefore lessen overstrain of injury prone areas). Prior to the course, I took a trial TRX class at a local gym and was hugely disappointed at all the wrong movements I was doing which were uncorrected by the trainer. I didn't find out I was doing things wrong til after taking the certification, which is EXACTLY why I took the course. TRX can be very effective, but also can cause injury if not done right. I've been injured and in recovery for the past 3 years, so my goal this year has simply been "Stay active; Don't get injured." =P
Most of the 15 people that took the course, all are personal trainers. There were 3 non-fitness industry professionals, and we are all engineers! I wasn't alone. We blend in okay I think. Anyways, give me a few months of consistent TRXing, and I'll have to report back on it then. =)
I can't Olympic Weight-lift heavy things anymore because of back issues, so I've been interested in switching to TRX for strength training. It will also function as an additional tool for PT/rehab to develop more core strength and control (and therefore lessen overstrain of injury prone areas). Prior to the course, I took a trial TRX class at a local gym and was hugely disappointed at all the wrong movements I was doing which were uncorrected by the trainer. I didn't find out I was doing things wrong til after taking the certification, which is EXACTLY why I took the course. TRX can be very effective, but also can cause injury if not done right. I've been injured and in recovery for the past 3 years, so my goal this year has simply been "Stay active; Don't get injured." =P
Most of the 15 people that took the course, all are personal trainers. There were 3 non-fitness industry professionals, and we are all engineers! I wasn't alone. We blend in okay I think. Anyways, give me a few months of consistent TRXing, and I'll have to report back on it then. =)
Monday, January 26, 2015
Spartan Indoctrinated!
We are now a Spartan family! Yup, that's right, the kiddos ran their very first race, a Spartan Jr 0.5 mile obstacle course, and they were AWESOME. Proud parent moment! Big thanks to Ryan for making this happen.
Original plan was for both Ryan and I to race, but the latest bouts of being sick sidelined Ryan. After my race on Saturday, the kids wanted to come watch mama run on Sunday. (Yes.. I did 2 races on back-to-back consecutive days.) Ryan made the effort to bring the kids to spectate. My race time was early enough that I could finish in time before the kids race, so last-minute we gave the kiddies a choice if they also wanted to run, and they did!
Attempt at a pre-race photo... can't get all of them looking at the same time.
Pre-race stretching.
Mulling around.. waiting for the race to start..
10...9...8... ...3...2...1.. GO!!!
Run! Run! Run!
Liam & Ryan, climbing over the wall.
Emilia doing the Under-Over wall obstacle.
Liam's "barb wire" crawl.
Emilia going over haystacks.
Go! Go! Go! Yes. I am THAT mom.
Waiting for her turn at the kiddie "spear throw". Kids have a 5 burpee penalty for not hitting the target.
Emilia doing burpees in the back and Liam's "spear throw" attempt. =)
The Finish line!
Post-race outfit --> Emilia tried the muddy water obstacle but did not like the freezing waters. We did not bring a change of clothing for her, so she had to sport a fashionable towel look.
Connie's Super and Sprint Summary Recap:
For the 9+ mile Super, the conditions were completely opposite from the last time I did this. There was severe winds blowing sand and dust, making it hard to see and breathe.
(photo curtesy from random facebooker in the Spartan group)
(video curtesy from random facebooker in the Spartan group)
The obstacles felt harder this time around, with a few more upper body centric ones. Even the traverse wall was a challenge. Here's a view of the Z-traverse wall with people doing the 30 burpees penalty for failing it.. And in the background is the bucket carry. One fills their bucket with small rocks and have to carry it up and down the hill in the further back.
My Super time was pretty dismal.. 4:16 (~90%). Grandmas and grandpas beat my time. However, I did go into it with no training (haven't ran more than 2-3 easy miles since last October) and lingering muscle strains. But, I did it anyways. It was more a mental game as I was not confident about any obstacles that require dynamic movement with the possibility of jumping or falling (aka rehash of the ACL injury). I failed 5 obstacles (monkey bars, Spear Throw, Thermophalea, Z-Wall, and Tarzan Swing), so that meant I spent a lot of time doing 150 burpees!
Okay, so the Super results were not good and very humbling. I was tempted to postpone the Sprint the next day, but I decided to Spartan it up! I already knew what to expect, and I had the extra motivation to finish faster so I could make it in time to watch the kiddos. The first 0.5 to 1 mile was hard running on tired legs, but surprisingly, the body learns and adapts. After the first mile, I felt great. I knew what to expect and it felt comfortable. I ran the course faster, did the obstacles faster, felt more confident. I did take assistance on the monkey bars, so less burpees there, but I added burpees by choosing to burpee out of doing the bucket carry because that obstacle aggravates my low back muscle strain. Z-Wall was not an issue this time. Still failed the Spear throw and Tarzan Swing, so did a total of 90 burpees. My time was 1:51 which places me in the 20-30% for age/female/overall categories. Much better results.
We achieved 4 medals, 2 from the kiddies for the Spartan Jr race, and 2 from mama... these medals were definitely 100% earned!
Super proud of the kiddos and Ryan! And motivated to train again! I do not recommend running these races without training, but it is doable. I just can't walk for the next few days... =P
Original plan was for both Ryan and I to race, but the latest bouts of being sick sidelined Ryan. After my race on Saturday, the kids wanted to come watch mama run on Sunday. (Yes.. I did 2 races on back-to-back consecutive days.) Ryan made the effort to bring the kids to spectate. My race time was early enough that I could finish in time before the kids race, so last-minute we gave the kiddies a choice if they also wanted to run, and they did!
Attempt at a pre-race photo... can't get all of them looking at the same time.
Pre-race stretching.
Mulling around.. waiting for the race to start..
10...9...8... ...3...2...1.. GO!!!
Run! Run! Run!
Liam & Ryan, climbing over the wall.
Emilia doing the Under-Over wall obstacle.
Liam's "barb wire" crawl.
Emilia going over haystacks.
Go! Go! Go! Yes. I am THAT mom.
Waiting for her turn at the kiddie "spear throw". Kids have a 5 burpee penalty for not hitting the target.
Emilia doing burpees in the back and Liam's "spear throw" attempt. =)
The Finish line!
Post-race outfit --> Emilia tried the muddy water obstacle but did not like the freezing waters. We did not bring a change of clothing for her, so she had to sport a fashionable towel look.
Connie's Super and Sprint Summary Recap:
For the 9+ mile Super, the conditions were completely opposite from the last time I did this. There was severe winds blowing sand and dust, making it hard to see and breathe.
(video curtesy from random facebooker in the Spartan group)
The obstacles felt harder this time around, with a few more upper body centric ones. Even the traverse wall was a challenge. Here's a view of the Z-traverse wall with people doing the 30 burpees penalty for failing it.. And in the background is the bucket carry. One fills their bucket with small rocks and have to carry it up and down the hill in the further back.
My Super time was pretty dismal.. 4:16 (~90%). Grandmas and grandpas beat my time. However, I did go into it with no training (haven't ran more than 2-3 easy miles since last October) and lingering muscle strains. But, I did it anyways. It was more a mental game as I was not confident about any obstacles that require dynamic movement with the possibility of jumping or falling (aka rehash of the ACL injury). I failed 5 obstacles (monkey bars, Spear Throw, Thermophalea, Z-Wall, and Tarzan Swing), so that meant I spent a lot of time doing 150 burpees!
Okay, so the Super results were not good and very humbling. I was tempted to postpone the Sprint the next day, but I decided to Spartan it up! I already knew what to expect, and I had the extra motivation to finish faster so I could make it in time to watch the kiddos. The first 0.5 to 1 mile was hard running on tired legs, but surprisingly, the body learns and adapts. After the first mile, I felt great. I knew what to expect and it felt comfortable. I ran the course faster, did the obstacles faster, felt more confident. I did take assistance on the monkey bars, so less burpees there, but I added burpees by choosing to burpee out of doing the bucket carry because that obstacle aggravates my low back muscle strain. Z-Wall was not an issue this time. Still failed the Spear throw and Tarzan Swing, so did a total of 90 burpees. My time was 1:51 which places me in the 20-30% for age/female/overall categories. Much better results.
We achieved 4 medals, 2 from the kiddies for the Spartan Jr race, and 2 from mama... these medals were definitely 100% earned!
Super proud of the kiddos and Ryan! And motivated to train again! I do not recommend running these races without training, but it is doable. I just can't walk for the next few days... =P
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