5k row

Wow. Back to exercise. One day off turned into two, then (yikes!) three. Anyway, didn't make it to the gym today so I rowed in the living room, 5k for time. Didn't hit the 20 minute goal, but big improvement nonetheless.

Exercise: 5k row
Time: 20:18
Sub-twenty is still the time to shoot for. Damper was around 7. Not really sure where that thing should be.

Food:
7
-2 eggs and 2 slices bacon
-coffee + milk
1
-tuna (about a can?) + carrots, celery, onion, mayo
-salad greens
-carrot sticks + 2 Tbsp hummus, olive oil
-nuts
3
-coffee + milk
-nuts
-.75 oz cheddar
6
-coffee + cream
-raspberries, blackberries (about a cupful)
9
-4 oz lamb steak
-spinach in olive oil

Thanksgiving Lunges

Note to self: next year, do workout BEFORE Thanksgiving dinner.

Exercise: 400m walking lunges
Time: 12:30

Food:
10
-2 eggs scrambled in olive oil with cauliflower, cheddar cheese
-2 slices ham
-coffee + milk
4:30
-Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, gravy, roasted vegetables (carrot, beet, sweet potato), turnips, scoop of mashed potatoes
-glass of Prosecco
-slice of pumpkin pie + whipped cream
-coffee + cream

5x5s

Not my best morning. Glad I made it to the 6am class, though. I think it was good for me to work presses and pull-ups when I was a bit tired. Definitely exposed some weaknesses, and I need to do more (stretching, water, good food, sleep) to recover.

Workout:
5x5 of weighted pull-ups, press, and back extensions
Press:
#65, 75, 83(4), 85(3), 85(2), 85(1)
Pull-ups:
Chain (broke set into 3,2,1)
Body weight
Body weight
Chain (unbroken set)
Chain (4, 1)
Extensions (weighted, on GHD):
#10, 25, 25, 30, 40

Eating:
5:30
-coffee + milk
10
-leftover chicken
-almonds
-spinach sauteed in butter
-coffee + milk
3
-salad: lettuce, tomato, red pepper
-half an avocado
-2 slices turkey
-almonds
8
-a piece of lasagna (my mom made it.)
-salad (lettuce + vinaigrette)
-red wine
-coffee + milk

Angie

(Tuesday.) Felt sluggish all day, maybe because of school and tiredness catching up with me, maybe because no exercise the past couple days. Also, I think the H1N1 nasal vaccine gave me a cold. Slept the whole train ride from New Haven to New York, sleep-walked to CrossFit. It felt great to actually get moving, though.

Workout:
100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats
Time: 23:22

Eating:
6:30
-oatmeal with butter, pecans, cinnamon
-coffee with cream
-2 oz roast chicken
10
-coffee with cream
1
-2 oz chicken
-2 fried eggs, 3 slices bacon
-1 avocado
-5 strawberries
2
-coffee with cream
-handful of almonds
8:30
-spoonful sunflower seed butter
-2 slices turkey
-2 fried eggs
-handful of baby carrots
-1/2 cup cream-top yogurt

Eating, no workout

Sunday, Monday were both crazy/busy days with no exercise. Sunday I drove down to Baltimore with my family for a football game, was gone early morning until midnight. Monday was school from 8 until 5, hospital and homework after that. In retrospect, I should have woken up really early to work out. Anyway, here's eating:

Sunday
6
-2 eggs, 2 oz steak
-coffee + cream
12
-more scrambled eggs + bacon
-berries and canteloupe
-coffee + cream
4
-coffee + cream
7
-vegetable "chips" (best snack at gas station)
9
-chicken tikka

Monday
6
-cream-top yogurt + blackberries
-coffee + cream
12:30
-almonds, almond butter
-more blackberries
-tea + cream
5
-buffalo burger
-salad: lettuce, red pepper, cucumber, balsamic vinaigre
-1/4 avocado
-cream-top yogurt with strawberries
8
-coffee + cream
-3 oz roast chicken

Power Cleans

Workout:
Clean complexes up to 95#
Power cleans up to 135#, failed x2 at 145#
then . . .

15-12-9
95# power cleans
HSPUs with 2 abmats
(length of court in between)

TIME: 9:03

Food:
Talked with Mike over breakfast #2 today . . . do I need more calories? Giving it a try today.
6
-2 eggs + red pepper and broccoli
-2 strips bacon
-coffee + cream
10:30
-2 fried eggs and ham
-coffee (2 cups) + cream
1:30
-4 oz steak
-12 strawberries
8 (dinner at gluten-free restaurant)
-gluten free "breadstick," weird
-meatball + sauce
-salad: spinach + parma ham + balsamic vinaigrette
-bite of gluten free tiramisu
-red wine
10 until very late
-drinks with my team . . .

Cindy

Workout:
"Cindy"
(max rds in 20 mins: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats)
Rounds: 14

Trusty standby workout: simple, hard, and perfect for this evening - when a track workout was foiled by an alumni dinner at the gym (closed!!). So Cindy instead. By the end of the 20 minutes, the push-ups were actually harder than the pull-ups. I can't really kip (I have one of those "Iron Gym" doorway bars), so that maybe slowed me down a little, but let's face it: my kipping is not all that great.

TIME:

Food:
8:30! (slept late)
-2 eggs + broccoli, mushrooms, a little cheddar cheese
-2 slices bacon
-coffee + cream
11 (tried to "zone"the samples at Sam's club)
-sample cup: a few mixed nuts
-sample meatball
-sample of cheddar cheese
-sample of greenbeans
12:30
-egg salad (2 hb eggs, 1 Tbsp mayo)
-handful of baby spinach
-small tomato
-half an avocado
5
-coffee + cream
-half an apple with almond butter
10
-buffalo burger (5 oz) + cheddar cheese + 1/4 avocado
-green beans and mushrooms sauteed in olive oil
-lettuce and tomato salad + balsamic vin.
-glass of red wine

Off

Felt exhausted, sluggish, dehydrated the whole day. Less coffee than usual? Not drinking enough water? Tired and sore from workout day before? Probably; probably; yes. Took the night off from workout, caught up on schoolwork, went to a hockey game. Nice relaxing night.

Food:
6:30
1 cup cream-top plain yogurt + a spoonful of almond butter
2 cups coffee + cream
12
2 slices turkey
3 links chicken breakfast sausage
celery stalk + almond butter
handful of cashews, handful of almonds
3
2 oz cheese
handful of almonds
spoonful of almond butter
4
hard boiled egg
herbal tea
9:30
steak tacos
glass of red wine

Workout buddy

I'm introducing Amy to the joys of CF. Tonight I picked one from the CrossFit Gotham archives (posted under "2.23.09." I scaled weight to 95# from 115#). First I made Amy test-drive this workout, which I'd never tried, while I did pull-ups in the doorway. Then I tried the WOD. Afterward lay on floor until my heart stopped pounding so much. Wow! Good one, Mike.

Workout:

5x5 weighted pullups: 15#, 8#, 8#, 15#(3), 15#(3)
[incomplete sets finished bodyweight only]

then . . .

Row 500m
95# Push Press x 21
Row 500m
95# Push Press x 18
Row 500m
95# Push Press x 15
Row 500m
95# Push Press x 12

Time: 17:57

Food:
6
-oatmeal + pecans, a little butter, cream, cinnamon
-coffee + cream
7
-coffee + cream
10
-coffee + cream
1:30
-leftover roasted chicken
-cheddar cheese 0.75 oz
-handful of almonds
-banana + almond butter
3
-tea + cream
-2 slices turkey
-date/cashew bar
5
-tea + CREAM
8:30
-omelette: 3 eggs, spinach, mushrooms, cheese + 3 strips bacon

Home gym

Turned the living room into CrossFit Downtown New Haven tonight. Tried not to bother downstairs neighbors too much.

Workout: 21-15-9
SDHP
Thrusters
65#
TIME: 6:28

Tried not to skimp on the warmup tonight. Did two rds lunge stretch and 10x push ups, sit ups, extensions, o'head squats w/ broomstick. Only 5 pullups in each round, dead hangs because I was sharing one doorway bar and wanted to get going. From now on sets of 10 pullups, + handstand push ups (regular or negatives on plates).

Food log:
6
-2 chicken sausage links
-2.5 scrambled eggs + spinach, mushrooms, cheddar cheese
-coffee + cream

11
-coffee + cream

1
-leftovers: chicken, a carrot, some onions
-almonds
-string cheese
-coffee + cream

3
-apple + almond butter
coffee + cream (this is too many cups of coffee)

8
-can of tuna in oil
-lettuce, tomato, carrot, celery, cucumber
-2 Tbsp hummus
-3 oz red wine

Room to improve

Sunday was a huge driving day to run a far-flung errand. I spent 12h+ in the passenger seat (W'ern PA and back), got home late, and only did negative HSPUs on plates when I got home. My back was incredibly stiff and tender from the DL workout Saturday.

Monday night, gave the 2K row a shot. Time: 7:47.
Not so good, but I know I can do better. Legs felt tired from the start. I skimped on warming up and it showed. Anyway, sub-7:30 is the new goal.

Food Sunday:
-oatmeal (1 c) + pecans, half a banana, cinnamon
-coffee + cream
-cashews, apple in car
-food at a truck stop buffet: ham/cabbage soup, salad veggies, turkey + gravy, broccoli/cheese bake, half a slice pumpkin pie
-coffee + cream
-string cheese
-steak (4oz) over salad greens with sesame-ginger dressing

Food Monday:
-2 fried eggs, 2 strips bacon, coffee + cream
-date/peanut bar
-chicken soup, 2 slices turkey, apple
-coffee + cream, banana + almond butter
-roast chicken with roast carrots, onion, mushrooms, potatoes
-4 oz red wine

Deads/burpees

Workout:
5 rounds for time of
-5 x 225# dl
-10 burpees
Time: 6:47

Eating:
8
-coffee with milk
12
-3 eggs with ham
-coffee with milk
1
-banana with sunflower butter
6
-string cheese
-2 handfuls almonds
7
-buffalo burger (5 oz)
-with mushrooms and onions in oil, cheddar cheese
-lettuce and tomato with sesame salad dressing
-red wine

Resting my shoulder and thoughts on PaNu

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent Wednesday in the gastrointestinal special procedures unit of my local hospital, mostly watching colonoscopies (for nursing school, not for fun). Everyone -- every single person whose colonoscopy I observed -- had diverticuli: little, infection-prone pockets where the large intestine had pouched out. One GI surgeon told me not to "believe that old wives tale about nuts and seeds. I've never found a nut or a seed in a diverticulum." The real culprits (what causes the diverticulum in the first place) are chronic dehydration, lack of fiber, and slow-digesting foods like meat that sit in the gut for a long time.

I've been reading the PaNu blog -- it's awesome, and I've started avoiding sugar and grains more religiously. However, I'm a skeptical about eating so much red meat, and I don't quite understand why the author has such a low opinion of vegetables. A couple of the concerns with eating lots of red meat are
-colorectal cancer: risk factors are red meat, charred foods, high-fat diet; and
-diverticulitis: risk factors are low-fiber diet, lots of meat, chronic dehydration (+ sedentary lifestyle).

And then there are the benefits of vegetables . . . nutrient density, fiber, phytochemicals. From a "now vs. then" standpoint, the antioxidant properties of vegetables might be more important to modern humans (compared to paleo ancestors) because we live in such a carcinogenic environment. So, for the time being, I'll eat plenty of vegetables, and try to keep red-meat portion sizes reasonable.

Workout: OFF. I decided to give my shoulder one more day to rest; I've had some sharp paim in there since the game on Sunday.

Eating:
6
-2 fried eggs with 3 slices bacon
-coffee + cream
12
-bowl of chicken and vegetables with soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil
-handful of almonds
-coffee + cream
7
-fresh mozzerella
-tilapia with vegetables cooked in oil
-1/4 cup rice
-white wine
-half a piece of flourless choc. cake
-coffee with milk

Big news, catch up, back on track

Took a weeklong break from CrossFit and the workout log to finish up the rugby season. And my team ended on a high note: we won a national championship!!


I celebrated with a red-eye flight, followed by two midterm exams and three days at the hospital being a student nurse. Today I decided to get back on a the exercise track after a few days of rest. Though "rest" may be the wrong word, as I was totally exhausted the whole time. Anyway . . .

Workout: ROW 5K
Time: 20:37
(Previous 5K time was 21:40, on the way to a 6K)

That's my new time to beat, though I'd really like to get under that twenty minute mark. I did this with no warm up, which was just lazy, and with my feet out of the straps. I'm saving the foot straps for when my technique is more consistent and I want to shave off some more time. Also, kept pace by trying to keep splits under 2:05 and strokes under 25/min. For the first half I did that easily, the second half I often hovered just over the 2:05 mark. Rowing 5 under-2:00 splits will be tough.

Food:

I am committed to cleaning up my diet. The past couple of days I started with sugar (getting rid of it, that is, though I ate some sugary fruit today). Here's a brief rundown of food yesterday and today. I've been mulling over the PaNu blog and some thoughts -- mostly in defense of vegetables -- are forthcoming. Stay tuned.

-Yesterday breakfast: 2.5 scrambled eggs, 3 slices bacon, coffee with cream
-No snack because I was observing GI special procedures at the hospital. Watching colonoscopy after colonoscopy is a good way to lose one's appetite.
-Lunch: 4 or 5 oz turkey, handful of cashews, coffee with cream
-Snack: 0.75 oz cheddar cheese, some almonds, tea with cream
-Dinner: chicken and vegetables cooked in olive/sesame oil

-Today breakfast: oatmeal with whole milk, pecans, cinnamon
-Snack: date/peanut bar, coffee with cream
-Lunch: leftover chicken and vegetables, almonds
-More snack: apple with peanut butter, coffee with cream, almonds, cheddar cheese
-Dinner: buffalo burger + mushroom, onion sauteed in olive oil, slice of cheese, with salad (just lettuce and tomato, sesame dressing), glass of red wine

days thirteen, fourteen

Workout yesterday: OFF
Workout today: ROWING
6K row
Time: 25:55
(5K time: 21:40)
I could have done this faster, but I wasn't trying to go crazy. Aimed for under 2:15 splits with 25 or fewer strokes per minute, though I pulled a little harder at the end.
Note: upon advice of a former coxswain, I rowed this without my feet strapped in. She said it was good to train that way so you'd get more out of the foot straps when you race.

In general, feeling pretty exhausted and overwhelmed: classes and an exam yesterday, then to the hospital to research today's patient and home for homework. Never made it to the gym. Tonight I didn't plan on anything strenuous so I gave the 6K erg a try on the concept 2. This week I'm just trying to be recovered, rested, hydrated, stretched, fresh, etc for rugby Friday and Sunday.

Also, I'm trying to get a handle on some of the whole foods and paleo nutrition blogs Mike directed me to. I won't blog my eating for yesterday and today, which has been so-so because of time crunch. However, I did just look up exactly what I fed to my first patient: a tube feeding solution considered "very-high-protein" (25% calories from protein). The first non-water ingredient was . . . CORN SYRUP SOLIDS. Terrifying!

day twelve

Day off, except for some negative handstand push-ups as a little study break. I set up some 45# plates and did 25 negatives, trying to kick up with my left leg as often as with my right (why so much harder?!). Also checked out the PaNu blog, and will give that diet a try. A little high-fat dairy makes the diet seem a lot more do-able for some reason (coffee). I'll start it off for real after rugby ends a week from today.

Workout: OFF, + 25 negative HSPUs on plates
Also, so much sleep last night!

Eating:
9
-12 oz coffee + milk
-2 eggs scrambled in olive oil +
-leftover broccoli, onions, mushrooms sauteed in olive oil
-2 slices turkey bacon

12-3
-nuts: peanuts, then some trail mix, then some cashews

8
-2 cups vegetables in olive oil: red + yellow peppers, carrots, green beans, red cabbage, onion, zucchini, yellow squash
-1/4 block tofu in soy sauce/sesame oil/ginger + garlic
-chicken broth (low salt) and white wine for cooking