<p>Spending Thanksgiving at our vacation home–no Turkey Trot here; however, there’s a Turkey Plunge–you dive into the Atlantic Ocean (which was about 47 degrees) and come running out and you get a towel and a tee-shirt. I walked to the beach with my crazy family members who participated–no plunge for me. I was the official towel and clothes holder and photographer.</p>
<p>On Friday we did a 5.5 mile walk along the beach. Walking in semi-soft sand is tough–got my heart rate up and I burned calories, which was good.</p>
<p>28:05 - PB 5K on a treadmill, was trying to get below 25:00. I still think I could do it, but will take some help. It is, afterall, all mental.</p>
<p>After 2 days resting, the legs are fresh and the stomach is full. I started the run at 6.6 MPH for the first mile and then kicked it up to 7 MPH. After mile two, I still have leg but felt the HR was too high. Slow down to 6 MPH, but coming back too slow. Finished the last 0.1 mile at 8 MPH speed with HR of 165. </p>
<p>Lesson learnt: Have a big cup of coffee and a ton of carb just before the run helps. Also, finding a bouncing treadmill helps greatly.</p>
<p>Back to the basement. New Rules of Lifting for Life. Nice solid workout. I got the bear, today. Squat jumps (I even got a little air!) and single leg dead lifts (after two years of working on them, I feel like I can finally do these!) were the highlights. Walking lunges with DBs were pretty good.</p>
<p>I exercised my willpower, too. Chucked the rest of the stuffing and gravy. Threw the turkey in a stock pot for soup. And, I’m having one of my world-famous dinner salads for dinner.</p>
<p>My exercise was taking D to a few running stores by Greenlake, (& i didnt move the car!)and getting a lecture from D on the accomplishments of Scott Jurek.
I was tired just listening!</p>
<p>Did an indoor cycling workout today consisting of the protocol for a Functional Threshold Power test. FTP testing provides wattage and HR metrics used for structuring wattage based workouts. The results of the testing are used in calculating wattage and related HR training ranges. It took 1:25 to complete the test. No standing, no coasting, just sitting and pedaling through each test stage. By the time I was done, I wasn’t sure what was creamed worse, my legs or my butt! I think I managed a 12% increase in my FTP wattage since the last time I did the test about 5 years ago. If so, I will be very pleased since the typical trend after hitting 45 is to backslide.</p>
<p>I hit the gym once again today. Worked on some snatch work and KB-weighted lunges. Short workout though because I had to work again tonight. Should get up and go to one of our other gyms tomorrow and do some actual Olympic lifting. We don’t have the equipment in the gym I work at. :(</p>
<p>The DB snatches are killing me. I hadn’t done them in several months, actually probably for about six months. I’m really struggling to develop any “explosiveness”. I’m using the same 30 lb DB I was using the last time.</p>
<p>On the other hand, squat jumps were really good today. I’m doing those with two 20 lb DBs at my shoulders. That’s a little light, but I’m trying to get actually get some air…</p>
<p>I went up in weight on the curl, squat, press combo lift today. Two 20 lb DBs. Not much weight for any one of the exercises, but a set of 12 in combination will get the ol’ tongue hanging out!</p>
<p>I hope you are enjoying the weighted lunges as much as I am. I’ve learned on the walking lunges that it’s OK to start at less than full depth and increase it. Now, by the third rep, I’m touching my knee to the ground on each lunge.</p>
<p>Another day of rest for me yesterday. Went for a wonderful steak dinner with DH and DS. Ah, the restorative powers of a good piece of red meat. Today I feel a stirring of energy to exercise. </p>
<p>Will perhaps go swim and do some weights. My walk/run neighbors are afield and I don’t like doing it alone because there are wild turkey and the occasional black bear in our 'hood and they scare me.</p>
<p>Here is what my typical routing at the GYM. </p>
<p>Stretch, stretch, and some more stretch. After yet some more stretch, I would do two fast laps on the 20 meter track to warm up. </p>
<p>Following that, 3 groups of push up with feet elevated 2 foot. Then 30 minutes several different machines, depending on availability. </p>
<p>With the body fully warmed up, I would do a 30 minutes run on treadmill, 5K on one day and interval on the other.</p>
<p>Waist size is down total of 8 inchs but same weight for the past month or so. </p>
<p>BMI wise, I am safely in the “overweight” zone, down from obesity. Need to lose another 8 lb or so to get into “normal”. Don’t think that is possible at this stage.</p>
<p>Took WildChild to the park for his first 11.2 loop. I ran 8 miles (5.8 loop plus some add on). He liked the part but agreed it was really hard and he thought the downhills were too steep to be very good for your legs. He thinks training much in there might beat you up too badly. (no kidding- try a marathon there…) It was 28 to start and got up to about 38 but it was sunny and beautiful. I made it up all the hills without walking, but had to take a couple of recovery breaks at the top.</p>
<p>A mile on Friday and weights yesterday. The Y has some new weights by Troy. These are polyurethane covered and the weight parts are at the end, 12 sided and smooth and flat on the outside. They also have a fairly big diameter. This is nice when you’re doing bench presses. After doing bench presses, you can either drop dumbbells on the floor (I don’t like to do this) or put them on supports (if you have them), or do a situp with the weights to a seated position. I usually put the dumbbells on the front of my thighs but I have to be careful if the bar is protruding so that I don’t get stabbed. The Troy weights make this fairly easy.</p>
<p>Picked up a pair of Marmot Gloves at Marshalls this morning. They’re still fairly expensive, even at Marshalls. I gave my son the option of taking them or I’d take them and he likes them (they are really warm) so I’ll just use my older stuff. They only had one XL remaining so I’d have to go somewhere else if I wanted a pair. I didn’t see anything otherwise interesting - they’ve shoehorned in the coats with the tech sports stuff so there’s a lot less there now. I don’t see anything interesting going into deep discount which means that they’re doing a good job in moving inventory.</p>
<p>Today I’m starting a training plan for a 10k in March, so just a 20 minute run for me. I love how easy these things are to start…finishing is another matter :)</p>
<p>Stretching and weights for me tonight. Found out recently, purely by accident, that my husband’s watch, the one I use for timing, is waterproof. It’s also very clean now…</p>
<p>Rode 40 miles today. 34 degrees out. Add in the wind chill and it was cold!! Reconfirmed something I’ve been in denial about. I don’t recover from extreme exertion the way I used to. The FTP test I did yesterday totally trashed my legs for riding today and the youngsters I rode with dragged my sorry rear end up the hills. Nothing that some chocolate vodka won’t cure tonight :).</p>
<p>I never stretch. Just swim for 1.5 hrs and then do weights for 15 min, and then walking. Works like a charm. My hand was somehow injured, healed without any break in exercise. Swimming seems to work so far for pains, still do not know how I injured it, but sometime random pains happen in right arm/leg and then the next thing you know, they are gone.</p>
I’ve learned on the walking lunges that it’s OK to start at less than full depth and increase it. Now, by the third rep, I’m touching my knee to the ground on each lunge.</p>