CompuTrainer Class: Aerobic Training I

Today's class was a repeat of Tuesday's. I am going twice a week now so that I get on my bike more and continue improving. Both days will be great, but if today was any indication, I will be stronger the second day. There are great people in both classes too: teammates Anna, Lisa, Parri, Shelly, and Cali on Tuesday's along with other strong people; and Anna (and Lee today), Chatty, Vickie, Michael, and more strong people again on Thursdays. Today was especially great with Lee and David in the class--they are both super strong, and stronger people definitely make me stronger!

During the 10-minute warm up, Todd explained a little about how to move your ankle correctly while pedaling. Then we did 13 minutes of aerobic work with two 1-minute sections of higher-intensity work thrown in; rest; 1-leg drills (30, 45, 30 sec); 3 spin ups; rest; 2x2 minutes at 110, 1x3 minutes at 105, 2x1minute at 110, each with 1 minute at 100 between; rest. I had to finish before the final set of spin ups, which means that I missed the second set of 1-leg drills as well. But it was a good hard workout, I felt great, I upped my watts 3 from where I'd been on Tuesday, and rode well. Even Todd said I looked strong. My HR was up pretty high according to my HRM, but it really wasn't hard at all and I definitely had no trouble talking during the entire workout. It must be the lunge that I've been doing daily, working toward 5 minutes on each leg (currently at 4:33 and 3:10 R/L, which means I still have a long way to go!).

EDIs

I headed to DHY at lunch today to do a quick workout: 1 set of 10-6-3 EDI. I was supposed to have done 2 sets, but I wanted to get through all exercises. Will says to cut out exercises if you don't have time for everything, but I didn't today. I wanted to work hard at all of them and do them all well since I don't have to lift this afternoon, so 1 hard set was it.

• Lunge with RL
• Squat with stick
• GHR to arm's length
• Curl with 30-lb bar
• Bench with 45-lb bar
• Plate front delt with 10-lb plate
• Crate crunch

CompuTrainer Class: Aerobic Training I

This morning's class was the start of a new series: Aerobic training. We did a 10-or-so minute warmup while Todd explained where (or how?) we were supposed to put force on the pedal. I didn't get it at all—maybe he'll do so again on Thursday and it will make more sense. After that was 13 minutes of aerobic work with two 1-minute sections of higher-intensity work thrown in; rest; 3 spin ups; rest; 3 times 1 minute at 100, 2 minutes at 110; rest; then 3 spin ups again. I had to finish before the final set of spin ups, which means that I missed 1-leg drills as well. But it was a good hard workout, rewarded with birthday cake for Anna made by Parri. She is a great baker!

Christmas

My Christmas weekend was wonderful—full of celebrating with family, remembering Jesus birth and His reason for coming, relaxing, and enjoying my new presents.

Robin cutting "flowers" for her new vase napkin holders

I made a birthday cake that I took in to work Thursday before I left

Jason wrapping presents on the ping pong table—it's something of an Acheson tradition

The stockings, overflowing, ready to be opened

All the presents, also ready to be opened, and Robin's well-decorated tree and the kissing ball

One of my new presents—a bike rack for my car!

I did ride my bike once while at Robin's, 30 minutes on the trainer, doing some 1-leg drills to Christmas music. But we played a lot of ping pong, round-robin style, so we definitely weren't idle all weekend.

CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills IV

Today's workout was exactly the same as two weeks ago, though today I'm pretty sure I had my watts down 10. I've been upping the wattage because I just don't want to be below 200 (and shouldn't be), but I also didn't want to be up too high since I was already frustrated from yesterday:

• 1:22 total, 153 HR (177 max), 26 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 10 minutes)
• 10 min warm up, 146
• 13 min aerobic work, 161 HR
• 2 min break, then 9 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 60 sec each leg, 30 sec each leg, then 45, then 30, then 30
• 2 min break, then 6 spin-ups where we started at 85 RPM for 30 sec, worked our way to 110 for 30 sec, then stayed at 110 for 2 min (HR 169)
• 3 min break, then 1 min at 95 RPM (149), 2 min at 105 RPM (168), 1 min at 100 (169), 3 min at 110 (173), 1 min at 95 (166), 3 min at 105 (169), 1 min at 100 (169), 2 min at 110 (175), 1 min at 100 (170)
• No cool down

I didn't count pedal strokes and I'm sure I didn't make it to 40 every time, but I was able to continue pedaling at a close-to-normal cadence and I stayed at or above all the high-cadence intervals. So even with all my frustration yesterday, I did well in class today. Afterward, Todd showed me the files from the 2-mile time trials we did last week and back in November. My left leg is dominant and my right leg is lagging, especially between 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. So to try to make them both the same, I should do lots of right-leg 1-leg drills to strengthen that leg. I know my left leg is stronger and more consistent in the 1-leg drills, but this showed it in the stats.

Also, I was 13 seconds slower, all of it coming from the climb over the second mile. I didn't have Parri's stats to look at, which meant I wasn't looking at the screen and was focusing only on riding. My legs were working better together, and my watts for each leg were much closer to each other. Interestingly, my average overall watts in November was 223, whereas my average overall watts last week was 208 but I was only 13 seconds slower. Todd surmised that, rather than racing, I'd given a true 7 out of 10 effort.

After class, Parri and Anna had treats for us all. Yum!

In the Pool

I did get in the pool today, as has been my Monday habit (I also ran 1mi at BFY this morning; for whatever reason, I can't seem to manage any long workouts lately, though this morning was definitely time-related rather than energy-related). Short swim, not real fast, actually pretty slow. So far that's all I've done today that's been OK-good. The lunge was frustrating. I don't know why my legs are so tired—I haven't been doing anything!

Jonell, Valerie, Anna, and I met to lift at MFY in the afternoon. 25 minutes on the step mill, lunge, squats (115 lb), glute stuff with Anna, arms, core, and stretching. I wasn't really into it, which means physically it didn't go well. It was fun to be with the girls, though!

Tired!

Today I tried to get a workout in. I'd aimed for my 5-minute lunge in the morning and made it 3:53 on my right leg. My left leg was over 2 minutes behind, and then I just felt worthless the rest of the day. I managed to run a mile around the track at MFY and do a little bit of another workout, but it wasn't a complete workout and it wasn't pretty. I was definitely wishing for Will or another training partner to push me even though I was super tired.

Outside

Today's ride was outside and freezing. At least I had company in Valerie, Jeremy, Cali, and Anna, and we picked up Max along the way. Somehow I managed 2:15, but I couldn't feel my fingers by the time I finished, and I couldn't even unbuckle my helmet!

After church, I headed to Cozymel's in Franklin for the BEAT Christmas party. I knew Anna and Lisa would be there, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Angela and Charles as well. I hadn't talked to Angela in quite a while, so I definitely enjoyed the evening. Janet handed out some fun awards (for things like the most races during the season, the slowest marathon, and the most people in a hotel room) while we ate, and then we had a white-elephant gift exchange. My first gift was this sweet shower cap, but someone stole it from me and I ended up with some good race nutrition—sport beans and gu. Definitely a fun night.

Light Rest Day

Today has been a nice, needed rest day (well, light rest, that is). No lunch time workout, no evening lifting, just a quick post-work run, relaxing, and getting to bed early. Wonderful!

Long Day

Today at work seemed like the longest day ever. I don't know what it was about it. We did have a few meetings (abnormal for a Wednesday; well, for any day, really) and I even came in a little late, but when I looked at the clock and realized that it was 11am, not the 3pm that it felt like, I knew the day was going to continue to crawl. It did, unfortunately. It's not that we didn't have things to do, it's that the day just dragged.

When I finally left the office, I was so happy to be heading to the Y to meet Valerie and Anna and getting in a good workout. And good it was! My workout, which I really wanted to do, was 10x30sec. I mostly did those exercises and interspersed one of the exercises Anna and Val were doing.

• Wall squat
• Crate crunch (with A and V in place of their planks)
• Squats: 105 lb
• GHR, reps to the top
• Lunge
• Altitude drop curl

CompuTrainer Class: 2-Mile Hard Effort II

Today's class involved only 45 minutes of work followed by the 2-mile hard effort. It seemed pretty short compared to the 1:30 we usually work, but with warm up and cool down I still got in a good 1:15 ride.

When we did the same effort on November 16, we had a significantly shorter and easier warm up and the hard part of the class followed the effort. I pulled out a 6:04 effort then and was hoping to better that today. Unfortunately that didn't happen. I'm pretty sure I went out easier on the downhill 1.2 miles (took me 2:30), which means I had less time to make it up the 0.8 miles (took me 3:45). I also know that I was affected by being on a different screen than Parri and Anna, which meant that I couldn't see what either of them was doing, nor could I race or keep pace with them. Will said I need a bunny in front of me at every race so that I have something to chase after; either that or I need to know that someone is chasing me, which will make me work harder to keep them away from me for longer.

My time today was 6:16 and my HR was a ridiculous 193 bpm. Yikes!

On the plus side, the spin-ups were easier than they have been, and we did only half as many this week as we did last week so it was even easier!

The majority of the class looked like this: 1:15, 165 HR

• Warm up: 6:24 (definitely got to class a little late), then 10:00
• Aerobic work: 8:00
• 2 min break, then 8 minutes of 1-leg drills
• 3 min break, then 3 spin-ups (85 RPM for 30 sec, increase to 110 over the next minute, hold 110 for the next 1:30, repeat)
• 4 min break, then 2-mile hard effort, 6:16
• 16 min cool down

The afternoon workout was a 3-mile run on the treadmill (first time running in two weeks according to my logs—this cycling thing is really cramping my run style, but I don't mind much at all!) to warm up, iso lunge (2:41 L and 3:05 R—a big milestone!) and standing ham, and then a little relaxing time in the steam room. Then we had our company Christmas party at Ellendale's in Donelson. Kelly took lots of pictures, so I'm hoping to grab a few to put up here. I was pleasantly surprised at the food choices and taste, and we'll get to enjoy the desserts today as well. Yum!

Snow Day

Today has been kind of a strange day. Normally I'd be at work, but with the snow we received yesterday, most of us stayed home instead of driving to Nashville. I was one of them, which meant I got a lot more flexibility to train, too. So already today, I've done a cardio/sculpt/aerobics/weight/circuit class with Kellie (not sure what it's really called, but it involved all that), attempted my 5-minute lunge, and lifted 3×30sec isos:

• (skipped lunge)
• GHR at 60* (25lb because it's the easiest to hold)
• GHR at bottom (no weight)
• Standing ham (45lb)
• Push up (no weight, on feet)
• (postponed scap pull up until later at home)
• Preacher curl (20lb dumbbells)
• Crate crunch (25lb)

Memory

My teeny-tiny Christmas tree--just big enough to remind me of Jesus' birth!

I am going to try to remember everything I did this weekend:

• 2h trainer ride with Lisa Friday
• Isos, 10×10 sec, 2 sets, altitude drop curl (manual hold) and glute ham
• 1h spin class with Parri, Jonell, and Valerie Saturday
• Lifting with Jonell and Val Saturday
• Actually I did 10×10 sec, 2 sets, push up, crate crunch, and lunge (iso)
• 30min step mill Sunday
• Iso lunge

Not a bad weekend work-wise, actually. Far too much time on the trainer, since I took my own bike to spin class, but I'd much rather use my own bike than a spin bike that doesn't fit me. But more hours on the bike this weekend than normal, so that's good.

I also went to opening night of CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia movie The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We bought the tickets early anticipating a sellout, but the theater wasn't sold out, not even half-full. However, that was the highest-grossing movie for the weekend, so it was a valid anticipation.

Saturday was baking day at Farkases', and Lauren was dancing so I went to church with them to watch. Sunday was a snow day and I enjoyed it. I also put up all my Christmas decorations and decorated a gingerbread house.

Gingerbread house

5 Minutes of Work

I go back and forth among workouts deciding which one is the hardest. They pretty much all are hard, each in its own way. Today's was hard because of the mental aspect: You have to do some hard, physical work for 5 minutes without a break. Just doing it to do it, that's not so hard. But when you add the work part in, that's where it gets hard.

• Push up
• Lunge R (1:46), L (1:36)
• Curl
• Standing ham

That was all I got in at lunch, and then I met Valerie at MFY to do her workout, 10 or 12 reps, 2 sets:

• Squat (105lb, up 5lb and 2 reps from Monday)
• Lunge (25lb)
• Step up (20lb)
• Step over
• Alphabet
• 1-arm row (25lb)
• Push up
• Triceps push up

And, since I had to finish my workout, instead of doing the planks and other core stuff with her, I did the following, 5 minutes, finishing everything on my list except scap pull up (and 1-leg squat, which I don't even write on the list):

• Crate crunch
• Wall squat

CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills III

Similar to last week, we practiced 1-leg drills and high-cadence drills, but today I felt so much better than last week. Partly because I knew exactly what was coming (Valerie had told me everything yesterday), partly because of my sweet new socks,

and partly because I had a great mindset about the high-cadence drills: If I can spin at a higher cadence but the same gear as my competition, I'll out-ride them in general and pass them when I shift gears. I still had to get off the bike a little early (which is OK because then it leaves me time to chat when we're done and I'm not worried about being late to work) but managed 1:30 with a warmup before the workout started.

• 1:30 total, 153 HR (181 max), 26 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 17 minutes)
• 10 min warm up, 148 HR
• 13 min aerobic work, 156 HR
• 2 min break, then 9 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 60 sec each leg, 30 sec each leg, then 45, then 30, then 30
• 2 min break, then 6 spin-ups where we started at 85 RPM for 30 sec, worked our way to 110 for 30 sec, then stayed at 110 for 2 min (HR 169, 172, 171, 171, 174, 176)
• 3 min break, then 1 min at 95 RPM (149), 2 min at 105 RPM (168), 1 min at 100 (169), 3 min at 110 (173), 1 min at 95 (166), 3 min at 105 (169), 1 min at 100 (169), 2 min at 110 (175), 1 min at 100 (170)
• 4 min cool down (well, my cool down)

My HR was a lot higher today than last week, but I also performed way better today. Instead of only 25 pedal strokes at a strong cadence for all the 1-leg drills, I was able to do at least 40 pedal strokes for each interval—a huge improvement over last week!

The afternoon workout was 5 on, 5 off thru 40 (which seems short compared to through 60). The lunge was by far the hardest.

• Lunge on crates
• 1-leg squat
• GHR
• Squat with stick
• Push up
• Scap pull up
• Preacher curl
• Crate crunch

Swim-day

Monday's seem to be the days that I'm the mostly likely to get in the pool, and today was no exception. I swam 500, my typical swim of late (just enough to get wet and remind myself how to swim), 8 minutes (slow, I know).

Then, after work, it was back to MFY for a workout with Valerie preceded by a warm up on the step mill (not the one you just step on, but the one with the rolling stairs so you actually have to work to step). That's a much tougher machine than I realized! We added another 10 together and then did the following, 2 sets of 10 or 12:

• Single-arm row: 25-lb dumbbell
• Push ups
• Triceps push ups 
• Squat: 100lb 
• Lunge: 25lb, quick-style 
• Step up: 25lb 
• Step over 
• Alphabet
• Planks
• Crunches
• Take-aways
• Reverse something
• Some hamstring thing

Sunday with Team B

Before meeting the rest of the team not for our typical Sunday afternoon ride (thankfully, since it was snowing all morning!) but for team pictures, I made it to BFY for a short treadmill run (not my fave, for sure) and some isos. I did 1:23 iso lunge R, 1:20 iso lunge L, and 5:00 iso standing ham. I am hoping to increase that 1:23 and 1:20 to 5:00 by the end of March with Will's help. He's doing this 90-day fitness challenge that he wants us to make goals for, and that's one of mine. So we'll see where Iron Will can help me go!

Two Days and Two Parades

I have never had so many people say something about a hat before—everyone loved these hats, which we wore all day (to Home Depot, the mall, and more!)

Yesterday Josh, Anna, and I went to downtown Nashville to enjoy their annual Christmas Parade.

The loot from Friday night; Saturday we got pocketfuls of candy that Lauren took home

Today Lauren and I went to downtown Franklin to enjoy their annual Christmas Parade. I have pics from today's and not yesterday's (though I did get pics on my phone of the fireworks), but you wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference between the two since both parades contained pretty much the same floats.

Mini semis and cars 

The Ashbusters--my favorite float, and they were playing Mary Poppins songs both days

Yesterday was also a beautiful day for a ride, which I did with Anna M, Lisa C, and Alli. We got in a good 28 miles. I didn't mind the ride through the city with cars around, I never do, but the others were a little less excited about the traffic, so we'll probably try another route next time. It was great to have company, and I don't mind changing routes if it means we'll have a bigger group! I ran about 2.5 before the parade and it was still nice then.

Today I headed to BFY after church for 3×30sec heavy. It's been almost a month since last time, but weights were pretty close and I skipped only 1-leg squat (that's normal for me since I don't like it and it only frustrates me):

• Scap pull up: body weight
• Push up on feet: body weight
• Preacher curl: 15-lb dumbbells
• Crate crunch: 45lb plate
• Lunge: 45lb bar + 15lb on each side = 75lb
• GHR: at 60*, 25lb (only I wasn't even close to 60*)
• GHR: at bottom, no weight
• Standing ham: 35lb plate

Good Deals at Publix!

I haven't even looked at this week's ad but had to go get some veggies, so I wandered the store to see what I could find. I found some good deals!

Not the best pic—apologies!

For $24 at Publix and $7.25 at Walgreens I got the following:

• $6.00: Stouffer's Family sized meals, 2, $6.99 each, on sale for $3.99 – two $1/1 Qs
• $8.00: Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chips, 8, $2.99 each, on sale for $1.49 – 4 $1/2 Qs
• $0.02: Publix American Cheese Singles, 2, $2.79 each, on sale for $0.01 if you buy $10 worth of groceries and I did two transactions
• $5.00: Vegetables
• $2.43: Publix eggs, $1.49 each – $0.55/2 Q 
• $2.55 tax
• $6.48: M&Ms, holiday, 4 bags, 2.91 each (on sale for 2.50) – 15% friends and family discount – 2 $0.50/1 and 1 $1/2 Qs
• $0.78 tax

It should have cost me $70 total, which means that I saved 53%. Usually I can save more but don't always get real food, so this was a good shop! 

But, before I could have fun at the grocery store, I had to get in a good workout. It's always fun with Valerie! I beat her to MFY and got 30 minutes on the elliptical before we added another 15 and then did the following, 2 sets of 10 or 12:

• Squat: 80lb 
• Lunge: 15lb, quick-style 
• Step up: 15lb 
• Step over 
• Alphabet 
• Single-arm row: 15-lb dumbbell
• Push ups
• Triceps push ups 
• Inverted pull ups (palms facing) 
• Bicycle crunches
• Take-aways

Boson Holiday Promo

Today is a good day to promote the company that is currently my biggest sponsor: Boson Software. They're in the middle of a little holiday promotional campaign, and I want you all to get in on it! Boson is the company I work for, which means they pay for all my race entries (in exchange for my services, of course, as I work for them full time). I am truly grateful that God has provided me with this job—I get to do something I am good at for a company I enjoy working for with people I trust to provide the best practice exams and curriculum on the market.

If you want to learn more about who we are and what we do, visit Boson.com. We have top-quality ExSim-Max practice exams for certifications like CCNA; CCENT; BICSI RCDD or RITP; Cisco ROUTE, SWITCH, and TSHOOT; and tons more exams. We also just released our network simulator software, NetSim 8, which will help you practice building a network. To get a 25% off promo code, like us on Facebook and click the Holiday Special tab. Then let me know what you think and whether you passed your certification exam!

CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills II

This week felt close to a repeat of last week's class, but it was the only time I've ever felt like I was going to throw up on the bike. I tried something different for breakfast and it was not sitting well—I will not be having that for breakfast again! It wasn't even a hard workout, and I was struggling to keep it together. During one section of one of the high-cadence intervals, I was about to check out—just wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, fell way below the required 110, and didn't notice. Then Parri pulled me out of my haze with a little encouragement; it was just what I needed at the time, especially because I know that if she can do it (as a super power rider), I can do it too (as a sprinter).

I did need some explanation, though, and asked Todd why we are practicing so many high-cadence drills when we never spin that fast on the road. He said that if we can spin at a higher cadence but the same gear as our competition, we'll out-ride them in general and pass them when we shift gears. That put it into perspective and I managed through the rest of the workout I did. I still had to get off the bike a little early (which is OK because then it leaves me time to chat when we're done and I'm not worried about being late to work) but managed 1:30 with a warmup before the workout started.

• 1:30 total, 133 HR (174 max), at least 20 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 17 minutes)
• 10 min aerobic warm up, 153 HR
• 3 min break, then 10 min slightly more aerobic work, 152 HR
• 2 min break, then 8 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 45 sec each leg, 60 sec each leg, then 45 then 30
• 2 min break, then two 2-min and two 3-min 110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between
• 4 min break, then 4 minutes of 1-leg drills, 30 sec each leg, 45 sec each leg, 30 sec each leg
• 2 min break, then three spin-ups where we started at 90 RPM and worked our way up to 110, which we held for another minute or two

My other conversation with Todd was regarding training. I love getting opinions from skilled, knowledgeable people, and Todd is definitely that. I will probably (soon) have to add another day to my current 3-days-a-week riding plan, and I'm definitely game for that. I want to help Team Belladium as much as possible, and being strong and in good riding shape is the way to do it! So I got on the bike tonight, on the trainer, 45 minutes, basically just to get the legs moving--this won't be counted as another ride during the week, but it is preparing me for night-time rides on the trainer, which is what's going to have to happen at least one day per week since it gets dark here before 5pm. Thankfully Valerie and I can ride during the day most Fridays!

EDI Exercises

Today we went to church and lunch, stayed at the house and played games during the afternoon, then did a little workout before dinner. Mom and Dad both joined in the 10-6-3 EDI fun, 2 sets:

• Lunge with RL (I did reg reps on the second set)
• Squat with stick (no stick so I did wall squat)
• GHR with reps to arm's length (I did standing ham)
• Curl with reg reps, 8lb
• Bench with light bar, 8lk dumbbells
• Plate front delt, 5lb dumbbell
• Crate crunch

My list didn't say 2 or 3 sets, so I went easy on Mom and Dad and did 2 sets. Tomorrow is 6-6-6 EDI, so I'll probably be happy I went with only 2 today. Back home tomorrow, back to the real world of working, eating at normal times, drinking enough water, and training. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanksgiving Vacation

The fam (minus Mike)

After working and traveling yesterday. I made it to Orefield, PA, to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents, sisters, one brother-in-law, Robin's in-laws, and another of Jason and Robin's friends. Thursday morning, Mom, Dad, Rich, Gretchen (the in-laws), and I went to Nazareth to run a 5K Turkey Trot. It wasn't my fastest run, but it was right around where I've been running lately so I was pleased that I haven't lost any fitness. My time was 24:02, but the race wasn't chip-timed so I might not even include those stats. Here are the results, PDF. I'm pretty sure I was 6^th in my age of I don't know how many, 24:10 on the clock.

Mom and Dad finished

I did find a few more-readable results: 6 of 43 AG; 50 of 361 females; 173 of 706 total finishers.

After the race, we all headed back to Robin's, had a great meal, played some fun games, and enjoyed the afternoon.

Thanksgiving dinner

Friday morning, we had to take Michelle to the airport early so Mom, Robin, and I went to see what kind of sales there were. We all found a couple little things, but we sure weren't the black Friday shoppers most retailers hope for.

Bye, Michelle!

Dad and I worked out a little later: 10-10-10 EDI, 3 sets: standing ham, lunge, wall push up, and curl (8lb). We skipped wall squat and crate crunch.

Training with Dad

More turkey for lunch, a nice long walk, time to relax in the hot tub, dinner, and more games were on tap for the rest of the afternoon.

Oh, yeah—it snowed here, too!

Early Morning Workout--Travel Day

Thanksgiving is this weekend, and I plan to spend it with my family. That meant getting up early this morning, doing a good workout, picking up a friend, taking her to the airport, and getting to work all before 6:30. It's amazing how much you can get done early when you have to get it done!

The morning's workout was 5 on, 5 off, thru 40, which I'd thought was supposed to be Monday's and then thru 60 today. However, I would not have had nearly enough time to get thru 60 done today (I got to the Y right as they were opening the doors) and still hustled through the thru 40 workout that I had to do. But, I did everything well, fast (that is, fast between exercises), and with a fair attitude.

• 1-leg squat
• GHR
• Squat with stick (only, without the stick for most of it)
• Scap pull up
• Preacher curl, 20-lb bar
• Push up

Off to get Anna, off to the airport then to work, back to the airport, and on to Pennsylvania!

Ragnar Relay--Recap Video

Todd, singer from the 80s band Rubiks Groove and the 40-miler member of our Ragnar Relay team, put together a great video of our Ragnar Relay excursion. Enjoy!

CompuTrainer Class: 1-Leg Drills

Today's CompuTrainer class was a fun one. Lisa, Anna, Parri, and I (and Shelly if she weren't injured) are the Team Belladium representatives in this class, and we always enjoy seeing each other and chatting before, during, and after class (especially when Parri bakes!). But we also know how to work hard. Today was no different, and Todd definitely kept us pedaling hard all class! Though we didn't have a 2-mile effort at the beginning of the class like we did last week.

I started out with a 15 minute warm up. The sooner I can get on the bike the better, because often I have to leave early to make sure I get a shower and then to work on time. Then the real workout started.

• 1:30 total, 139 HR (185 max), at least 23 miles (plus whatever I did in the first 15 minutes)
• 10 min aerobic warm up, 156 HR
• 3 min break, then 10 min slightly more aerobic work, 167 HR
• 2 min break, then five 2-min 105–110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between, 134 HR (pretty sure that's not right)
• 4 min break, then four 2- or 3-min 110 cadence intervals with 1 min rest between, 140 HR (definitely wrong)
• 4 min cool down

I'd wanted to swim in the afternoon, but I also wanted to go to the CSY, which has no pool. So I called Will for another workout:

• 1-leg dead lift, bar only, 30 reps each side, 2 times each leg
• GHR, 10×3
• Leg extension, 200 tonic (smooth, keep constant tension)
• Leg curl, 200 tonic (smooth, keep constant tension)
• 1-arm bench press, 20 lb, 10 deep breaths, 1 rep, 20 times each arm
• Curl to press, light bar, 5 minutes

This workout was ridiculous. The dead lifts were more mentally taxing than physically taxing, and I felt like I spent more time trying to get and keep my balance than do any work. The bench press, the 14 I completed on each arm, took me 30 minutes. The arm I was using started to go numb, my face started to go numb, I was having difficulty pressing up, and my arm was shaking. I made it through 14 on the first arm before I collapsed, then I forced myself to do 14 on the second arm (with at least 3 breaks) only because that's how many I'd done on the first arm. I was hungry and not happy when I finished but felt much better after eating something.

One of the Hardest Workouts Ever

Tonight I made Anna do with me one of Will's hardest workouts: 5 on, 5 off thru 60. When I pulled the workout's post-it off my wall, I thought it was thru 40 (with thru 60 being Wednesday's workout). When I looked at it as I was walking into the Y, I realized that it was thru 60 (with thru 40 being Wednesday's workout) and knew that it was going to be brutal for both of us. For me because I know it's hard, and for Anna because she had no idea what she was getting into. But she was a trooper and did super well, nearly putting me to shame with her ability to push through everything.

I've realized that I really enjoy doing these workouts with others. It makes me really think about what I'm doing, makes me do so much better, keeps me accountable, forces me to focus, and gives me the chance to help some other people. I just hope I haven't scared Cali and Anna away from them all--maybe the variety will draw them back.

• Wall squat
• Standing ham
• Lunge R, L
• Push up (we did wall push up)
• Curl, 10lb dumbbells
• Crate crunch

It took around 1:15 to do all this, even though the work time is 390 seconds (6.5 minutes) and the rest time is 55 seconds: 7:25 total per exercise, which adds up to 51:55 total. But Anna knows so many people at the Y and since I wouldn't let her chat while we were working, we used the in-between times to chat.

It was also beautiful outside tonight, full moon, 65*, and amazing. I had to run to Farkases' to drop of some Qs, but as soon as I got home I went out for a walk with God. It was so peaceful and nice.

Weekend Report

Mmmmm...peanut butter!

I'm going to have to wrap up the weekend's activities in one report. I don't have time to write multiple blogs, plus I might have forgotten all that went on and don't have pictures from everything. Friday morning was a great workout with Cali and Anna: 1 minute of isos, 50 phasic reps, repeat for 3 total sets.

• Lunge, hip flexion
• GHR, hip extension
• Push up, bentover row
• Pull up, bentover front delt

Then after lunch with Will I was off on a beautiful 1:15 ride with Valerie (and Jeremy and Brett, who we ran into on the road). Then dinner, which was kind of like a meeting that God had prepared me really well for.

Saturday morning, Catherine and I were going to ride but ended up not. Instead, I did a little baking for work Monday when we have our Boson pie bake off. Unfortunately no pics of the pie; maybe they'll come Monday. But I did take pics of my other treat: Peanut butter rice krispie bars.

It was really nice all day, and I was happy to sit outside with Sunny and Bailey and watch Will and Zack play their annual turkey bowl flag football game. They won, which made it even more exciting. Oh, and I did 2 minutes of isos, lunge, while playing. Didn't accomplish a lot training-wise today!

Saturday after church we went to Todd's house to celebrate our Ragnar accomplishment. He put together a great recap movie that we all enjoyed (which I'll try to put up if I remember), and then Todd, Rebekah, Brad, Andy, and Todd's kids and I played a little rock band. It's impossible to face the singing part when you don't know the song, but I got pretty good at faking the drums and guitar.

Sunday morning's activity was so much fun. Valerie and Lisa S were racing in a cross race in Murfreesboro that I went out to watch.

Valerie getting up the hill--it was a short, steep monster

David, Lee's husband, was racing too

Anna, Lisa C, Cali, and I (and a bunch of others) went out to cheer them on. They both ended up second in their respective races, and both put on a great showing, crossing barriers, navigating through mud and some single-track paths, and climbing hills all while riding fast.

Valerie and Jessica about to hit one of the barriers

I did end up finishing my 5 minutes of work throughout the day (legs in the morning and arms in the afternoon):

• Lunge
• Standing ham (was supposed to have been GHR at top, but I was at home)
• Z-squat
• Push up
• Plate front delt, 5lb
• Curl, 10lb dumbbells

Matthew 5–7

Today was a rest day. My favorite. It involved work, a short walk, and a lot of reading.

Matthew 5–7

And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!" shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, "You fool!" shall be in danger of hell fire. Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Furthermore it has been said, "Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce." But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord." But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No." For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?" For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me remove the speck from your eye"; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Panera

Some of the other ladies at work were hungry for soup (it has definitely been the weather for it), so today for lunch we went to Panera to enjoy some good soup. Or, salad and sandwiches. And bagels. Yum! Then, of course, the workout with Valerie (and part solo).

10×30 seconds, 1 set, manual holds (if possible):

• Lunge R, L; I can't seem to get past 6 reps on the first leg and 4 reps on the second—I did them all, but not consecutively since I stood up at the end of any rep I had to put my knee down for
• GHR reps to arm's length
• Push up
• Crate crunch (done in the middle of the next workout)
• Altitude drop curl, 12lb bar (done at the end of the next workout)

2 sets of 10 reps:

• Squat: 85lb 
• Lunge: 15lb, quick-style 
• Step up: 15lb 
• Step over 
• Triceps push ups 
• Inverted pull ups (palms facing) 
• Single-arm row: 15-lb dumbbell, 4×3 rebounds 
• Alphabet 
• Plank: 1 set, front, side, side, back, 50 sec each

CompuTrainer Class: 2-Mile Hard Effort

This morning's Endeavor Performance CompuTrainer class involved a few different elements of the workout. First, we warmed up a bit. Then we did a 2-mile effort, which wasn't supposed to be hard but when I'm sitting next to Parri and able to see her numbers and when I notice that Anna is creeping up on me up the hill, I'm going to put in a hard effort. Then we did a little easy spin while Todd discussed form. The next element was five 2-minute high-cadence (110) efforts, and the last was 4 spin-ups, where you start at a lower cadence (90) and increase it over a minute and then hold that cadence (110) for a minute. It was fun and a bit challenging, but we didn't have the watts set up quite at what they had been last year so it was slightly easier than it could've been.

• Warm up: 31 minutes, 136 HR
• Two-mile effort: 6:04, 185 HR; I was 4.5 seconds behind Parri and 0.5 behind Anna; I might've been able to catch them both had I been able to shift into my big chain ring, but I'll get another chance.
• Easy spin: 17 minutes, 155 HR
• Five 2-minute high-cadence efforts: 171 HR avg
• Four spin-ups: 164 HR avg
• Cool down: 3 minutes, 149 HR
• Totals: 1:40:00, 155 HR (193 max)

I definitely feel more fit than I did at this time last year on the bike, so that's encouraging. Also, now that my seat is more properly adjusted, I wasn't fighting as much with my quads and was letting my hamstrings pull their own weight. Felt much better being balanced. I'm excited about being in class with my teammates Anna, Shelly, and Parri, and the other people in the class seem strong too, so I am looking forward to continued improvement throughout the winter.

My lunchtime swim was nice and short, 500 with two 25-yard sprints at 18sec each and a little recovery between. I wanted to do more, which is good, some next time I get in I'll go longer.

Fun with Weights

Sometimes I do really well and keeping a consistent schedule, and sometimes I go forever without doing workouts. The span between today and Sept. 7 isn't as long as the one between June 28 and Sept. 7, but it was still long enough for me to not remember how much weight I'd used for the previous workouts. I did what I thought was the heaviest I could, and it turned out to be pretty close to what I'd done before. 3×30 seconds heavy:

• Lunge: 45lb bar + 15lb on each side = 75lb
• GHR: at 60*, 25lb (only I wasn't even close to 60*)
• GHR: at bottom, no weight
• Standing ham: 35lb plate
• Push up on feet: 25lb plate
• Preacher curl: 30lb bar
• Scap pull up: no weight, but neither did I take off any weight
• Crate crunch: 25lb plate because it was easy to hold, and since it wasn't as much weight as I could've done I just worked really hard

Team Belladium Wedding Ride

Katie, Lynn, Jen, Sarah, Olga, Alanna, Shelly, Anna, Lisa S, Jonell, Cali, Allie, Parri, Catherine, Valerie, me
Not pictured: Shawn and David, who rode; Lisa C, Lee, Todd, and John who didn't ride

Today we were celebrating teammate Jonell's wedding during and after our ride, and that made for a fun afternoon. We met at Lisa's for what was supposed to have been a 2-hour ride, but Parri, Valerie, and I turned around right after the half-hour mark and headed back. I needed something of a recovery day (as did the other two), and that was our way of getting it.

• 1:05:04, 18.86 mi, 17.4 avg (28.8 max), 1,080 cal, 164 HR (190 max)
• 32:08, 9.95 mi, 18.6 avg, 158 HR
• 32:55, 8.91 mi, 16.2 avg, 171 HR

Interesting that my HR was much higher during the slower, easier ride back..

Back at Lisa's, we admired her daughters' decorations before digging in to the munchies and delicious cake. I looked in on the Titans' game once to see that they were losing, but for the most part we just hung around the food (we definitely know how to eat well!) and chatted, meeting a couple new women and making a new friend. These kind of days are the best!

Lynn, me, Allie, and Lee

Lynn, me, Alanna, and Allie

Oh, yeah, and I went to Farkases' to help Lauren learn a little about coupons and find some good deals on canned goods for her school's canned food drive. Not training-related at all, but it was fun for me and hopefully for her too!

Midday Riding

This is the route from my afternoon ride with Valerie:




It was beautiful out, and we were thrilled to be in the sunshine.

Sunset Ride

I was able to leave work just a few minutes early today, which meant that I didn't have to worry too much about losing daylight during my ride. It was the same ride as Tuesday, but I managed to complete it 45 seconds faster. Woohoo! Though overall it was faster, my trip up Lynnwood, all 1.18 miles from the middle sign before South Berrys Chapel until the top at North Berrys Chapel, took me 17 seconds longer today than Tuesday. Some day I'll become a real climber, but I'm definitely not there yet.

• 11-11-10: 44:40, 12.27 mi, 16.5 avg (39.8 max), 747 cal, 152 HR (176 max); 8:52.20 up Lynnwood
• 11-09-10: 45:25, 12.29 mi, 16.2 avg (37 max), 765 cal, no HR; 8:34.58 up Lynnwood

For fun during work, I did 3 minutes extreme slow: leg curl, leg extension, and hip extension. I should've done hip flexion too, but I forgot. After my bike ride, I did 5 minutes of work, iso extreme: scap pull up, lunge, and standing ham. Then I headed to Inversion.

Training

After a beautiful midday walk, Valerie and I headed to MFY for a quick workout. Before she got there I did a 10-minute run/walk thing that made me realize how tired my legs really are. It's amazing what 30 miles over 24 hours will do! This workout is only slightly challenging as written, but I do my best to make it more challenging by doing things fast and aggressively. For everything, we did around 2 sets of 10 except where otherwise noted.

• Squat: 85lb—still could probably add a little more
• Lunge: 15lb, quick-style (my legs were definitely fatigued from this weekend!)
• Step up: 15lb
• Step over
• Push up
• Triceps push up (we alternated 10 push ups, 10 triceps push ups, repeat)
• Inverted pull up (palms facing)
• Single-arm row: 15-lb dumbbell, 6×3 rebounds
• Alphabet
• Plank: 1 set, front, side, side, back, 50 sec each
• Crate crunch: 30 quick-style
• Take aways
• Reverse
• Crate crunch: 30 seconds
• Repeat plank, crunch, take aways, reverse, and jack knife

Found some great deals at Publix this week and got a few comments on the 8 bags of chocolate chips I bought. But all the groceries together plus tax cost me less than those bags would have cost at full price. The only downside was that the MF Publix didn't have tons of peelies and tearpads like they normally do and it wasn't like Christmas. I'll just have to go back later this week to coupon hunt.

Swimming Laps

Today I swam a few laps at DHY. It wasn't a long swim (500), and it wasn't a fast swim, but it was a swim. Something to get me moving, but something to help my legs continue to recover. I was hoping to get an outside ride in today, but sunset was at 4:44 and I just didn't know whether I'd have time. Thankfully my drive home from work was short, and I headed out for a quick 12.25 miles, 45:25 (16.2 average, which isn't too bad considering the trip up Lynwood). Not sure of my max speed, but I am sure that it's quite scary descending Lynwood when it's nearly dark out and I was pretty much riding the brakes the entire way down.

Overage

There were some great deals at Publix this week, and I snagged a couple of them. This was probably by best shop yet: I paid $5.63 ($2.44 was tax) for $52.01 worth of groceries. And I got some real food in this trip, too!

Major savings!

Veggies, cookies, brownies, fruit, jello, chicken, and vitamins...score!

There's no doubt I was exhausted today, and besides a little walk at lunch and after work, I took another day off to try to recover.

Ragnar Relay (196 by 6)

My motivation :-)

Video Recap here

 Team Franklin Thunder is ready to run; Andy, Todd, me, Brad, Chris, and Craig

We did it! Team Franklin Thunder really covered 195 miles from Chattanooga to Nashville, on foot, as a 6-man team + 1 driver.

 We had fun decorating our van; our team name was Franklin Thunder

The 6 runners were Todd, Brad, Andy, Chris, Craig, and me, and the driver was Noland. We started running at 11am Friday at the river in Chattanooga, and we finally finished running at 3:33pm Saturday at the river in Nashville—28:33:42, which put us in 50^th out of 154 teams and 6^th out of the 17 ultra teams. I ran 32 total miles in 4h, 25 minutes at an 8:16 average—that's way faster than any marathon I've run, and if I could run a marathon at that pace I'd qualify for Boston!

We had previously assigned legs to specific runners and stayed on schedule through leg 27. Between legs 27 and 36 (the finish), we assigned legs or parts of legs to whoever felt good.

What I packed to run 6 times in all kinds of weather (I ended up taking only 2 pairs of shoes) 

My first 2 legs were great. Leg 5, 8.3 miles, took me 1:09:46, 8:21 pace (6:21 best), 1,004 cal, 179 HR (192 max). Nothing really of note on this leg except that the exchange didn't have any porta-potties and that was not conducive to a pleasant start; but I got out there and ran it.

 Ready to start my first leg...waiting on Chris who's coming up in the background

Leg 11, 5.3 miles, took me 43:53, 8:19 pace (6:51 best), 633 cal, 177 HR (198 max). This leg was great, but it was the last of my really feeling good during legs. Nothing else of note during this leg except that we knew it was going to get dark and harder soon.

Legs 16 and 17 were a double leg, 7.5 total miles, that took me 1:11:48, 9:58 pace (6:14 best), 825 cal, 167 HR (186 max) in the dark, scary night; it wasn't so much the dark that slowed me down, it was the ignorance of everything—where I was, what was coming up ahead, who was coming up behind, all that stuff. I tried to overcome that through focus and prayer, and I finished the leg (with hamstring screaming for the final 3 miles—the already 21 miles were starting to catch up to me). The guys asked me what happened when I got back way later than my projected time, and I said I fell apart. The mental aspect of this leg didn't totally overwhelm me, but it definitely played a part in the slow time, and the mileage at this point reduced me to the Ironman shuffle.

Leg 27, 6.1 miles, was 6 hours later, and during my time in the van (and 20-minute nap, all I slept all night) I was able to recover physically and mentally. I was ready to tackle this leg (daylight!), but the weather had another plan. This time of the morning was 28* (or below), and though I was dressed plenty warm—the feet and hands weren't frozen at all—I couldn't adequately breathe in the frigid air. I'd never had that feeling before and decided at mile 3.2 to ask for a reliever. Craig stepped in early and finished my leg as well as his own. My body was struggling at this point, and I knew I had a couple (nonconsecutive) 5Ks left in me but not more. This leg nearly demoralized me even though my legs felt great; my nose, mouth, and lungs weren't cooperating, and it's hard to run when you can't breathe well! I knew, however, that a lot of what I was feeling was fatigue and discomfort; I wasn't in pain, and I knew I could continue (especially since I had 5 teammates counting on me!). The part of this leg that I ran took me 26:52, 8:57 pace (6:41 best), 347 cal.

Leg 33, 8.9 miles, was not going to happen for me in its entirety. Chris flew over Lynwood Way/North Berrys Chapel and through the first mile+ of my leg before I took over and covered 2.87 miles, which was 24:32, 8:34 pace (6:39 best), 341 cal. Because of blisters and fatigue we were down to 5 able-bodied runners who still needed to cover 18.5 miles, and I got in the van after Craig relieved me and said, "That was great; I could definitely do it again, just not consecutively." There was a huge sigh of relief from everyone, and I was assigned the first part of the coming leg.

Leg 34, 6.3 miles, was split up among 3 of us. I ran the first 2.3 miles, which took me 21:02, 9:04 pace (6:14 best), 270 cal, and ended up being my last run until the finish line. Again, I could've repeated that, just not consecutively, but I didn't need to. At this point, we all knew we were going to make it and were running on that energy.

Team Captain Brad took us to the finish line after Todd ran up to 40 miles, and we met Brad in costume and ran across the line together (Todd: Johnny from Karate Kid; Brad: mohawk man; Chris: afro man; Andy and me: ghostbusters; Craig: Michael Jackson). It felt so great to be done!

Team Franklin Thunder has finally finished; Brad, Chris, Todd, Andy, me, and Craig

After spending a little time scouting out the lackluster finish line festivities, we headed home, cleaned out the van, and ate a great supper at Cool Springs Brewery.

Here are a few things of note, things to remember if we do this again or if Ragnar asks for input:

• Bring your own toilet paper.
• Not every exchange has porta-potties, and those that don't aren't noted in the Rag Mag.
• I recover quicker after short legs and run them (multiple, that is) stronger.
• Running at night is OK; not preferable, but tolerable with enough light and with support.
• Run a better-attended race (500+ teams) or put high finish/pace times to run with more people; seeing no one on the road for 12 hours, at night, is not fun.
• We passed lots of people, or at least caught them, starting at leg 26 (just before light); it was nice to finally start seeing people!
• Grundy County food drop-off wasn't highlighted, and we missed it.
• Running 195 miles is really long, even on a team.
• Having a driver is great because it relieves one element of stress from the runners.
• Bring already-made sandwiches or eggs or something substantial so that you can eat real food if you have lots of time between legs.
• We all got little to no sleep as an ultra team, even with doubling legs at night.
• Running multiple single legs is easier than running half as many double legs (we planned a little of both and it seemed to work OK, but mentally the shorter legs are better than the longer double legs).
• Knowing the route is helpful and relieving at night (especially since signs and lights can be stolen and your van might just drive to the next exchange and meet you there).
• Prayer is essential for survival.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I loved it and will definitely do it again!

Finishers medal

Repeat

Today's workout was a repeat of Saturday's but went significantly better from start to finish:

• GHR 40 seconds; 10 quick-style squats; 1-leg dead lift RIGHT leg, 10 reps, 45-lb bar; rebound 1-leg squat, RIGHT leg back, 30 reps
• Switch legs, then repeat, doing 3 times each leg
• 1-arm bench press, 25 lb, 3 breaths at top, 3 reps, switch arms, 6 sets of 3 each arm
• Rebound bent-over 1-arm row, 25-lb bar (or less or 15-lb or so dumbbell), 3 reps, switch arms, 6 sets of 3 each arm
• Crate crunch, 3×30 quick-style reps

I did the leg work and the bench press before Valerie got there and we did the workout Todd, coach of Team Belladium, recommended. We did a good 15 minutes on the spin bikes to warm up a little, and then we started the real workout. For everything, we were supposed to do around 2 sets of 10, and that's about what I did except where otherwise noted.

• Squat: 75lb
• Lunge: 15lb quick-style (because I could)
• Step up: 15lbm, 10 times each leg for each set
• Step over: 10 times each leg for each set
• Push up: 10 push ups
• Triceps push up: 10 push ups; repeat push up and triceps push up
• Inverted pull up (laying on ground, pulling up on a 3-foot high bar)
• Single-arm row: 20-lb dumbbell, 6 sets of 3 rebound
• Alphabet: write the capital alphabet with your leg, not just your ankle
• Plank: 1 set, front, side, side, 45 sec each
• Crate crunch: 30 quick-style reps
• Take aways: 1 set
• Reverse: 1 set
• Crate Crunch: 30 quick-style reps; repeat plank, crunch, take aways, and reverse

Will asked whether I did them all fast, because I'd said it wasn't that hard of a workout and I was having fun. Yes, he would have been proud at how fast and hard I was working.

Resting Up

Today's lunchtime run was just what I needed: 5 easy miles from the DHY, in the sunshine, at a respectable, easy 8:17 pace. Time to start resting up for Friday and Saturday! Here's what I'm running; I'm most excited about my last leg, though Grassland.

Impulse Workout IV

It was so nice outside today that I did this workout outside. Thankfully I found a quiet-ish spot outside the CSY where there was little traffic so I could focus on the phasic/impulse exercises before I went in to do the last exercise. Honestly, I wanted to run today, but that wasn't on my list nor on Will's, so I did this with as good an attitude as I could muster. Similar to October 28.

These were all phasic exercises that will hopefully help me be fast (since they basically make you turn your muscles on and off as quickly as possible). It was the same methodics for all exercises: 10 reps, 1 breath, 15 reps, 1 breath, 20 reps, 2 breaths, 25 reps, 2 breaths, 30 reps, 3 breaths, 35 rest, 3 breaths, 40 reps.

• Standing lateral delt
• Bent over front delt
• Leg curl
• Leg extension
• Standing front delt
• Biceps curl
• Hip flexion
• Hip extension

The last on the list was 1-leg dead lift, 30 each side, 45-lb bar. I was not happy about having to use a bar; I don't really feel like I can control it at all and it moves all over the place. But I did it with this attitude that it will make me fast and strong. Some guy commented on what I was doing and I said just that, and he said, "Hmm, I guess I just doing it to maintain." I don't know whether he thought I was crazy or he thought he should have had a different goal

Giving

One of the blessings of couponing is giving away. For my Ragnar Relay Race this weekend, we are required to give 2 cans per van at one of the major exchanges, but I'm hoping my van will give as much as possible. There were some great deals in this week's ads and I had some stuff I didn't need, so this is what I'm giving:

I'm praying that it will make someone happy and satisfied.

I went to Farkas' for dinner and the evening, and I helped Lauren with her Halloween costume. She went as, well, a weirdo. Spelled wrong (on purpose). It was definitely wacky!

Lauren and Virginia ready to go

Rest days are the best days.