toozdy

Haven't worked out on iron since coming back, and i'm still wasted tired. Can't seem to catch up on sleep. But i did go to climb tonight. Got a hard v6 i've been gunning for. That was a serious shot in the arm. m' projects are all gunna be pulled down for the comp coming up, and i hadn't been making much progress. So it was nice to snag that one. And it was a cool climb too--cool movement.

Spent my first day in the cath lab today. Very cool watching caths under fluoro, and i got to scrub in for several of 'em. But it's amazingly tiring standing there for hours with 30lbs of lead on. And it's even more tiring being right in the middle of everything, and having absolutely no idea what to do. Anyhow, very cool learning experience.

And i got a v6. So not a bad day.

gray

Did deads today. Went all right, i guess. 5 x 340, 3 x 385, and 1 x 430. The last one felt pretty easy, so i piled on 30 mo' and tried 460 just for grins. Did get it to my shins, but the force was not with me--i failed. Funny, but it tore m' wee morale down. Funny 'cuz i really wasn't planning on maxing anyway, and i didn't do the right workup to max. But i ripped 430 up, and i imagined it would go. Could'a' used some ammonia up the nose i guess. i can see that i could use some speed work and rack work. Think i'm gunna shift the 5/3/1 thing to heavy pullups for a round, and do some rack pulls and straight leg deads too. On p'lups i managed a set of 20 bw, then 10 with +25, and 3 x 6 x +45. Then i did 3 x 30 on straight leg raises and call 'er a day. i'd like to climb on wed, and i have a project nagging me, and i want some vestiges of my back intact for it.

Also found out i probably won't be going to Roswell. That's fine. Only i don't have a clue where i'll be going instead. Little bit stressful, that. Biggest fear is that they'll swap my rotations around, leave me here next, and send me to BFE for when my baby's due. That'd bum me royally.

shoulders and such

On fri i worked shoulders. Overhead press did 170 x 5, 180 x 5, then 195 x 5. Then did a set of 10 x 100. Oh, wait! That was your workout. Actually, i did 120 x 5, 135 x 3, a double with 150, and a single with 160. (That was a new pr). super-setted the other shouldery stuff. 


Yesterday i clumb. This was after most of a week off. i still have some biceps tendonitis, and it was an odd session. Flashed a new "v4" first thing. Then got shut down on a sick-hard v5. So i went upstairs to the roof, and got shut down on a "v4". i think it would actually be a v4 if it were about half as long as it is. Then started working on another 5 that i'm not actually sure is physically possible (unless you can span 7 feet with your full splits). So i started working a v6 right beside the other two, and i worked out most of the moves. The grades have left off any sort of contact with sensibility or intuition. 


Ah well: It was a good workout, and my hands are thrashed. Wish i could come to 'marillo next weekend, but i leave for alien town then. i tol' daddy he's got some nearly perfect timing. But it turns out i'll be closer to the Big Yellow from down there than i am from here. So maybe two weeks out? 

Chesterday

As i mentioned before, i've left my weights the same on chest. Did the 3 x 3 yesterday. Got 'em all this time.Lesee...it was 185, 200, and 210.

m' hands still creak from mon's workout. Good medicine, that.

The power of negative thinking

So we finally did go to the mts yesterday. Went to Los Conchas with the fam and some chicks from my class. Very good time. i was afraid the place would be blackened and crispy after the big fire there, but it seems to have spared the actual climbing area. The hills across the street, on the other hand, were charred ash trays.

i did three climbs, of which i led one. One of the girls had never been climbing, and she wanted to lead, so she led this 5.7/8 thing. Annie followed that one and got the whole thing. i was very happy 'bout that. Another of the girls also wanted to lead, so she led the 5.6. i just cleaned up afterwards. But i did do this 5.10d/11a thing. It's kinda my strength gauge. i've sent the thing before, but it's really bouldery at the bottom, and really sustained and pumpy at the top. Always before it was a matter of whether or not i could pull off the moves through the first three bolts. But they were, like, easy-peezy. But the top killed me. Well, the top, and the fact that i had a chick belaying me who'd never held a rope before. i was over-gripping everything, and every time i'd get the last bolt at about ankle height i'd imagine myself taking a 20-footer if i popped. But i made it to the top after a couple of hangs. Li'l bummed, but mostly i was amazed at how much stronger i am than last summer, and how little endurance i have. i mean, i was destroyed after one semi-long, not-particularly-difficult climb.

Then i went again to the climbgym today. Went mostly to study, and i did get a lot of studying in. But i thought i'd at least snag that v5 i'd failed on last time. Over about 4 hours i probably put 25 burns in on that problem. It's something like a four move v5, and i kept popping going for the finish. So as far as my nubbins were concerned, i'd climbed this v5 like 20+ times. There is only this translucent, pinkish, flesh-like fascia stretched across my fingers now. i gave up on the problem in despair after all these burns, and i went to the boulder to read a while. Got a v4 and several v3s and 2s. Then i gave up and went to get my Chacos, but i saw a group of guys working stuff in the cave where my project happened to be. So i thought i'd give 'er one more burn. And it went! (and light shone from Heaven, and there was an angelic choir). Funny what the threat of looking like a wussy baby can do for the motivation. Then i repeated that "4+" i'd done a few days ago, and finally got this "4-" all-sloper prob that was significantly harder than the 4+. Then i went home, ate some raisins, and went to the gym for deads day.

It was 3x3 day, so i got 360, 385 and 405. Hard, but we had that conversation. Thanks for the encouragement, btw. Very nice to have a partner, even if only by cellular network. Was definitely doubtful 'bout whether my hands would hold that bar, but it wasn't so bad. P'lups...i suffered on. 20 x BW, then 10 x +25. But the 2 x 6 with +45 i did last week turned into 2 x 4, and i tried a fifth rep on the last set and couldn't get my butt to budge. M' lats tol' me, "Nope. You've got plenty outta us for the day, thank you very much." The BB rows hurt. The good-mornings actually felt kinda therapeutic. Straight leg raises sucked the chrome off a tailpipe. 3 x 30, but i didn't actually get 'em in 3 sets...more like 1 x 30, then as many sets as it took to get 60 more without vomiting.

Really not a bad weekend, all said and done. If i could just shake this sinus infection and get my floor tiled things would be downright blissful.

Blame it on my ADD, baby.

This is how i show my love
i made it in my mind because....

Right. And i did shoulders last night. Really not a bad workout. 3 x 125, 3 x 135, then that felt easy, so 4 x 145. Then i supersetted the other stuff. Then i went to the grocery store, and that put me in a filthy, murderous mood. But in the absence of anyone to talk to or anything to break, i've opted to take it out on my own renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

But we're off at lunch today, and i'm hoping to go to the mountains. Maybe that'll clear the darker clouds away. i'm planning on not doing deads 'til monday. i wanna be nice and healed, and i'm hoping to have a strong climbing day this weekend without the iron breakdown. Got some projects i wanna lay a lilly on.

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But then, all of a sudden...

...we didn't end up going to the mts, 'cuz we're so unbelievably slow. Not a battle-ready platoon we got us here. So i went to the climbgym. i really, really meant not to; it just happened. i was geared up for a day of chillaxin' on 5.6 in a grassy meadow, so it took my brain a while to rev up to projectin' speed. But it ended up not being a bad workout. Didn't 'xactly pull down impressive numbers, but it edified, nonetheless. And i got a lot of assent to my feeling that the grades have gotten way stiffer on the new round of routes. But i worked with a pal who usually just makes me look bad, and i out-climbed him on several routes. Flashed a 3+, and i finally ticked a "4+". And (even though i didn't get it) i finally put the moves together on a v5 that, when it went up, i didn't actually think i could do. That should go first thing on the next fresh session. Anyhow, it showed me a few things. i think i'm actually getting stronger, for one. i've been sick the entire week. In fact, i ended up waking up at one of the less-holy hours this morning and puking. Still haven't fully shaken the sinus infx either. But i climbed pretty well in spite of it. Then also, the scale this morning said i'm at about 194. Which might account for the strong climbing. And it might be a good reading--i've been eating about half what i usually do 'cuz i can't taste anything. But it amazes me how much better i climb when i drop maybe 5 lbs. i get down into the southern hemisphere of the 190s, and i climb like a different person. And in spite of not eating quite as much, i haven't felt weaker, or lost any muscle. i mean, i haven't missed any iron workouts, and i'm still healing just fine and making progress on that front too. It shows me how neurotic i am about a "positive nitrogen balance". i really think i could go on what i consider a starvation diet and i'd just lose a bunch of lard. And if i could get down to the vicinity of 180, and i could climb v8+. At 200, i'm climbing with folks 40-50 lbs lighter than me. And there's no way i'm under 14% body-fat. That means i have 28 lbs of blubber i'm hauling about. 8% ain't exactly ripped, but that'd have me down to 188 lbs. And that's assuming i'm at 14% now...could very well be i'm higher than that, which means i could lose even more without feeling it.

All that's to say the Yank'n'Yard's coming up in a month. And i'd like to rock it. You should come compete with me. It's a good time.

i think i'll go do deads today. Might get to go to the mountains tomorrow. And that'd be fine.

The wages of sickness

Today my aura is: hammered doo-doo colored. You see, my li'l cold a couple o days ago turned into a full-blown, righteous bronchitis.

i worked out after work yesterday, and did chest. Didn't bump my max up for this cycle. Never really nailed any of my workouts last time 'round. But i got 'em all yesterday. The bronchitis did not help. i've been giving some serious thought to changing the focus of that workout. There's something cool about the thought of pushing a bunch of weight on bench, but it has nearly zero crossover value for me. Although i do think it's helping my shoulders. Dunno. Anyhow, i've thought about switching the heavy focus to weighted dips. Anyhow. Got 5 x 175, 5 x 185, and 5 x 200. And i feel like it would'a' been easier if i could have breathed. Did everything but the pushups. i was just sapped after that.

Today i climbed. i (again) mostly went in to study. But, dude, i was tired on v2s. i mean, i'd do a climb, and i felt like i'd have an admittable serum lactate. Couldn't breathe and couldn't shake the burn. It did get better after a while. i did repeat this v5 i did last time, and i got a big slew of 4s and 3s. But i got shut down on a project again. Now i'm tired to my spine. Feel like i could fall asleep on the keyboard here. 'Bout had it with coughing. Bleh. May sickness not fall upon your houses.

The Undulating Path To Monsterhood

Did deads on fri. It was in line with yer prophecy: it was...different lifting off of 450 than 410. On the order of, it sucked like a black hole. 5 x 340 was easy enough. 5 x 360 was eye-opening. 5 x 385 was not in the tea leaves. Got three in rapid succession. Then i backed up, rallied the boys, and got number 4; but i nearly shot blood outta my eyeballs. (And in fact, it took a while before i regained the vision in the right hemi-field of my right eye.) M' knees actually wobbled, but i locked that sucka' out. Backed up and gave some soul-searching to picking it up again, but i was afraid i might wake up paraplegic. So i moved to p'lups. Changed it up a tiddle. Did 20x BW, then 10 x +25, but then did 2 x 6 x +45. Rest of the workout i left the same, but it felt harder. Didn't do curls. Oh, and only did one set of hanging leg raises x 30. i was taking too long, and i thought i'd dedicate a workout (or stack it in one of the shorter workouts) to a hard ab session.

Today the fam went running again. i've had a cold/bronchitis for the last two days, and i didn't feel like going, but Steph made us. And i felt way better afterward. Then i climbed, and my expectations were very low because of said cold. Not to mention, i didn't really think the back workout would be helping much so soon. i mostly went in to study. But it waren't so bad. i finally sent a v4 that'd vexed me sorely--and one of the hardest v4s i've yet run  into in that gym with the rating. Seems the route setters have upped the ante a touch on a lot of new routes. And that's fine with me. Anyhow, then i went upstairs to the cave and sent a v5 i couldn't send last time i came in fairly fresh. Then i hooked up with a group of pretty strong guys, and nearly sent another 5ish thing. And one of the cooler things was several of 'em are generally stronger than i, and only one of 'em could pull off that v4 i'd got at first. Nice feeling. Then i got on this other v4ish thing i'd sent at the comp, and even though i couldn't repeat it 'cuz i was too tired, i snagged these two slopey pinches and my feet cut loose, and i took three big footless swings on these absurd slopers before i got my foot on a hold. Absolutely could not believe i held on. Wouldn't have thought it was possible 'til i did it. Might have left my finger prints etched into 'em.

Anyhow, it just struck me as funny how Monster Days can find you in spite of all your efforts to suck. i'm thoroughly sick, heavier than i've been in a while, and i fully kilt my back on friday, and i still threw down one of the best sessions of climbing i've had in a while. That's morale on a stick. And i'll take it.

atonement

we started a new p.e. regimen with the kiddos this morning. Took 'em to some reasonably flat open-space trails and we ran. The older ones have been wanting to compete in track, but a team's too expensive. But we can register them for races without the team. So we'll see how they do--if they can stick with it. The Anne is a monster, and i think i could have her in shape for some crazy distance. The boy--he doesn't like pain all that much. He's very fast, but a li'l bit lazy. If he can train through that, (and clean up the steamboat form) he'll crush some competitions.

For my part, i probably got 15mins of running in at a very low hr. But it was running. Reminded me how easily a week of slacking off can turn into a couple of months without thinking about it. Sho' did feel good to run again. Then i went climbing. That makes two days in a row. Nothing spectacular, but i've got a bunch of climbing in over the last two days. Yesterday i clumb particularly unpleasingly, but i got a bunch of fairly easy stuff, then strapped on the harness and did laps on routes. Today i actually managed to send several v4s (one which had spit me off many times) and a ton of easier stuff. Funny how big a difference it can be between when things click, and when your head and hands are off just a li'l bit.

Then i went to the other gym for shoulders. Started the 5/3/1 thing all over again without having done most of the deload stuff. i've taken too much time off, and i don't wanna lose the gains. Reset my maxes with 155 for shoulders and 450 for deads. i'm leaving bench the same. Shoulder presses were 3x5 with 120, 125, and 135. That feels a bit harder. Felt pretty good. Super-setted the DB militaries and lateral flyes. Very tired. Didn't do curls...figured 3hrs of climbing was probably sufficient. i'm looking very forward to the deads workout. Tha's gunna hurt proper. Anyhow, there's three workouts in the day, and i studied and hung out with the kids. Not a bad day at all. And fall's a coming. You uns gotta be looking forward to that some.

What camping is good for

we went camping. i didn't climb on friday cuz we had to pack for camping that night which of course we didn't do anyway. so we got up and packed saturday and were (fortunately) many hours late getting to a place in the vicinity of taos. the camping spot was built into the side of a hill and looked out over the road connecting taos and angelfire, and the mirror image of the hill we were on opposite the road. so we drove for three hours to get a view similar to the one you could get at the park behind our house. but steeper. and it rained most of the time and hailed part of the time. i think i picked up a collective 6 hours of sleep in the 2 nights of trying. now it's 5 o' clock and i'm too tired to go work out. but we were camping in the mountains by golly. and the obnoxious cousins all got to be in the same place at the same time, which only occurs a few precious times per week.

so to sum up life on the health front: i'm more exhausted than i've been in ...can't remember when. which is something 'cuz i thought i was already that tired. just got a haranguing from my preceptor for being a space-monkey this last week. and i'm probably 3lbs heavier laden with lard from staring at my shoelaces and eating processed crap for three days. didn't get the tiling finished on the kitchen. didn't fix the ac. didn't actually hang out with my kids much. didn't (of course) go to a crag whilst there. didn't paint any bookshelves with fun shapes and polar dogs. BUT i didn't have a drink. yay for the home team. just don't get the draw to going camping to go camping.

and a swelling RAAAAGE...RAAAGE

Clumb with the Anne again today. She sent a v1. That was pretty cool. She appears to have a nearly unlimited strength-to-bodyweight ratio. That, i expect, might just come in handy. i was hoping mightily to put in a good day of it for my part. And to be fair, it wasn't terrible. i sent a "v6". The one i failed to send at the comp 'cuz of having worked shoulders the day before. Very shouldery climb. Three moves, i think--- a three-move v6. And it was burly. And i gorilla'd through it. Here's to the shoulder workouts. Then got  few v3s and flashed a v4. But i failed on my v5 project. That must be rectified. i was way tired today. More than i expected to be. But it ended up being a pretty decent workout.

Supposed to do the shoulder de-load today also, but i didn't get to go in for it. Prob'ly try to stack a few light workouts to make sure i stay on schedule. Also found out today that my rotation in Frisco is cancelled. Don't know how that's gunna pan out. 'Preciate the prayers. i sho' do wanna be here to meet my baby.

The Hairy, Scary, Laser, Razor Edge of Tendonitis

So friday the Anne and i clumb vigorously. i can hardly say i clumb particularly well, but i did climb with vigor. Annie, by contrast, climbed both surprisingly well and with about three times the energy of the old man. In the past, it's been mostly exhausting 'cuz she seemed more interested in doing gymnastics on the mats than climbing. Friday, however, she actually inspired me. i'd stop periodically and realize that in the time i'd been sitting on the floor staring at my problem, she'd done three or four laps on hers. Her strategy didn't seem well thought out for winning the comp, but she had fun. And she's been doing pullups during "PE" every day. She's (i've heard) been doing ten per workout. And she wants to bump that to 20. i think she'll be a monster when her arms get a hair longer. For my part, i could barely steer the car home afterwards. Hands were thrashed.

Saturday, i did the 5/3/1 session of Deads/back. Deads were 315, 360, and 400. Did 405 instead to avoid 2.5lb plates. But i was determined to hit 425. Got that, and it was surprisingly easy. So i threw 20 more on, and ripped 445 up pretty easily. So i edged up to 450, and with much straining i got that locked out proper. Then i failed at 455. So i got a new 40 lb pr at 450. Gotta say that was a touch unexpected since i'd never come even close to that kind of weight in training. 'Fact, that was the first time the workout had called for a numeral 4 in the weights. But last night i read an article by Andy Bolton, and it looks like his stock program calls for a similar approach: lots of rack pulls, and speed work, then heavy-ish reps working up to a new max. But he never seems to approximate the target pull till it's day of ME. Anyhow, i'm glad i went for the max. That was a shot in the arm. And my back is still thanking me for it. Also got 20 plups, then 2 x 10 with +25. Bent o'er BB rows were harder than usual. Bumped the Good Mornings up from 4 x 10 with 95 to 105. The 3 x 30 of straight leg raises sucked to a degree that i cannot explain. i think i had to stop twice during the last set for lactate conversion. That was a kick-butt workout.

Yesterday (sun.) i clumb again. Mostly, we were at the in-laws' and i wanted to move a bit without hurting more. Didn't figure i'd get the chance to run, etc. So i went in to see how i felt on some of the problems i'd worked during the comp. And i thought if things were as bad as i 'spected, i'd just do some easy traversing for a long while. But it wasn't that bad, strangely enough. Nothing has a rating on it yet, but i downgraded some of the stuff i'd worked at the comp. Flashed a problem i hadn't even tried to work at the comp. Then i made some serious headway on a sloper problem that'd thrown some strong dudes at the comp. i'm pretty sure that'll go if i get in fresh and healthy. And i'll bet it's pretty solid v5. On the other hand, i couldn't do a problem i'd snagged at the comp, 'cuz it requires a burly biceps lock-off. My biceps did not show up for the workout. Those and the lats are hanging onto their contiguous fibers by their li'l microscopic fingernails. Ah well. i don't mind failing due to exhaustion. There's a light at the end of that tunnel.

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...And the decrescendo:

Did chest today. Did the 3/3/3 thing again since i botched it up so bad last week. Got all the second set with 200, and then got some dude to spot me on 210. Got the first one, then he started lifting the bar off if i slowed down, so i'm not sure how the last set would'a gone. i just don't seem to get stronger at bench. But now i can say pretty much every joint in my upper body is threatening raging, fulminant inflammation. And it really wasn't a bad workout. i've just lost some ground on the chest front. i think worse things could happen than that.

thersdy

Did the shoulder workout heute. Und's war mir etwas schwer. Aber war auch gut, nichtsdestoweniger. did the 5/3/1 bit today. last lift was for 145, and i got it for 3 reps. So i thought i'd give 155 a whirl. And after some serious internal prompting, and several minutes of pushing, she went. That's a good feeling. i think maybe i could get a bit more if i didn't do 3 of 145 first. Prob'ly won't get to the workout till saturdayish, but i'm gunna try 425 on deads. That'd also be a good feeling.

But first, there's a comp at the climbgym tomorrow. And i've permission to go. Didn't do curls today so i'd be a bit rosier for that, but i still have low expectations. But it should be fun anyhow. And i think the Anne goeth with me. But i'm starting to feel a little more wholesome. That's a nice turn. we'll see.

winsdy

Clumb with the Anne today. She's getting better. i think she'd take off like a rocket if she had some other kids to compete with, but she's getting better just climbing with me. For my part, i think i might be as strong or stronger than i've ever been, but i have zero endurance. i mean, i really have been feeling like i have chronic fatigue syndrome, or mono or something. i don't really think i'm sick, but i haven't been sleeping well since i came back, and i'm just worn down. Can't think straight, my pain tolerance has been that of a True Princess, and my joints refuse to heal. Had today off from work, and i got to sleep in some. i think i slept for 10hrs. Did get most of the backsplash done on the counters, and it's looking pretty fine. Li'l less ghetto than when yous were here. That saw rocks dude.

Yeah funny climbing sesh. i almost flashed this thing that'll probably go at around a v5 (and i think i would'a if the goofy rugrats on the climbing team hadn't planted themselves squarely and ignorantly in my LZ), but then i could hardly get back on the climb for a second burn. Same thing on another 5ish thing i'd tried working maybe two months ago: i finally stuck the crux move that'd been vexing me, but i couldn't repeat it for the link up. i wish i could blame you for wrecking my internal alarm clock, but i can't. i've just either been going to bed an hour or so late very consistently, or else i can't sleep when i do go to bed. And it's killing me. Hopefully i'll be back on some semblance of a schedule soon. And keep running, wouldya. It's inspiring me. i'm gonna add that back in as soon as possible.

onit

Once again i've taken a perfectly acceptable, nicely up-sloping fitness level and flushed it down the toily and hawked a loogey in after it. Never ceases to amaze (or depress) me how much i can lose in two weeks. Did chest today. 'Bout a week and a half overdue. Got to the second set of 3 with 200 and got 2 reps. That was all i had. Did do most of the rest of the workout, but it was bad. At any rate, i broke my habit of doing nothing at all, so maybe things'll look up from here. And i have tomorrow off, so i'm hoping to catch up on sleep. A week of not sleeping has not helped my motivation at all. Gunna try to get some workin' out in manana. How's the Mudder training treating you?

clumb

Done clumb with the Anne. Team tryouts are today and tomorrow. She really wanted to try out, but we couldn't afford to pay for it if she made it. Mayhaps next year. But i'd love for her to get some real training. She'd be ... just really fraggin' good. She was kinda amped about the whole thing, and she wants to go regularly with me. That'd work just fine. If she'd go in with me 2 times/week, she'd probably be on their varsity team at 10. i could make her stronger than any of those wankers.

For my part, i'm still not healed from deads and our climbing sesh on mon. i put some serious distance on a v5, but i just didn't have the juice today. i think i slept 10hrs last night. Just can't seem to catch up on sleep. Ah well... that's vacation. i think it'll smooth out when i start back to work.

So you guys decided to move here yet? Steph said she's gunna start looking for jobs for you. That'd be mighty fine.

Movin' on up

Haven't been on here since Denver 'cuz i'm too dumb to configure my router. Had to outsource that to tx. Doesn't much matter, 'cuz i ain't done much since then. We did do shoulders on saturday. Got a triple with my last-cycle's max. That was encouraging. Then monday we clumb. And that was a worthwhile little session. Fun climbing with the bro. Just mighty nice to have another like-minded human to throw some weight around with. Yesterday i did deads and back. Got 3 of 340, 360, and 380. And that last rep convinced me to leave it at 3. Then p'lups: 20 x bw and 2 x 10 x +25. These felt much harder than they should'a. i weighed in at a scosh over 200, which was a surprise--i'm significantly puffier than when i left last week. Again did 3 x 30 of straight leg raises stead of using the ankle weights. Those things suck. i've been just drained today. Hard workout. i wanted to do some singles on deads and feel what 420ish felt like, but i was juiced. Ah well. Still a fine workout. But i've got some sleep to catch up on.

Then the funny bit. i spent all that time talking 'bout how this town ain't just a huge ghetto, but just as i came back from the gym i found a cop car blocking my street. i figured they were at the neighbors' house as is their custom, so i went 'round the block to try a different angle of attack. But there were cops there too. Turned out some dipstick had threatened a house-mate with a machete, and had blockaded himself inside. So rather than storm the place, the cops parked in front of his house, quarantined the street so no one could come in or go out, and blasted his house (and the entire eastern half of the city) with 120db of copsounds. Until somewhere in the vicinity of 2:00 in the morning. So i was locked out till 'bout midnight, and i finally drove up and asked the cop if he could please let me through cuz i needed to take my contacts out and they were dried to my brain and clearly nothing at all was happening at an extraordinary pace. At around two they started shooting. Sounded like shotguns, but i'm guessing they were either concussion rounds or tear gas, 'cuz they didn't report any killin' and all the windows in the dude's house are gone. Anyhow, that did it. And it only took 'em 8 hours. But i still think the whole town's not a ghetto. Just mostly our street. And i still have the worst lawn on the street. :-)

update

Tomorrow's my last day on this rotation. i'm mildly bummed 'cuz i like it here, and it's been a shot in the arm motivation-wise. But i miss my wee family, and i'm amped i get to go home.

Unfortunately, i didn't have my bike up here with me at first, and then when i did bring it, i didn't ride for quite a while. But so far i've gotten four rides in from 30 July-7 August. And i've managed some reasonable density. So in the week or so that i have been riding, i've gone from doing a 12.2mi ride averaging 15mph, to doing a 20.25mi, much hillier ride averaging almost 17mph. Starting to feel like i belong in the spandex again. It was hot and windy yesterday, and i crushed my earlier times on the same loop by about three minutes. Actually held my HR at 191 for a hill climb, and dropped a whole ton of people. Funny thing is i didn't have the same trouble walking down the stairs. Really not a bad ride for a fat old dude. Funny how fast one can adapt if one puts the effort in. Also got a run in on an in-between day. i guess it's just that time of year when triathlon starts sounding really tasty. i just never make it through the winter to racing season. But it feels so good to just open it up full-throttle and time-trial.

Today it's hopefully another bike ride, and possibly shoulder presses at the gym. i'd really like to go to Boulder a last time before i head, but i don't know if i can swing it. Gotta pack eventually.

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Tack-on

Did the ride. Did a hair over 25mi in 1'45". Averaged just under 15mph. Essentially i added 5mi onto yesterdays ride and an extra 30mins, or 10mph for the last 5mi. Strictly speaking, that's not true. For one thing it was way windy out today. Soul-crushing sort of windy. Also i managed to bonk at the hour mark. That is not a good feeling. And also i meandered a lot trying to figure out where i was going. Ah well...it's just nice to be edging the 2hour mark again. That ought'a teach my mitochondria a lesson about slacking off in procreating.

Aged

i was whining on the phone just this morning to Steph about how much my hams and low back were hurting after the deads a couple o days ago. So i did a bike ride today, and it turned out to be a boon. All i had to do was straighten my legs out on the pedals, and my hams would auto-flex my knees back to 90deg with no additional energy expense--like huge, pudgy rubber bands. Funny ride. Just over 1h15m. GPS said i got 20.36mi at just over 16mph. i didn't feel a bit bad about that considering it was all tortuous, hilly path. But i've got some muscle and it is most definitely not there to turn bike cranks. i'm drained to my bones, and could do with a good vomiting. i got out of the shower and changed and went down the stairs to get some nutriment, and if the rail hadn't been there i think i would have taken a swan-dive onto my face. Legs would not work. That was a chuckley moment in life. But it could not have been a more perfect day for riding, and it reminded me of why i like it here so much. Took the 470 trail through Bear Creek park. Very pretty ride.

Now i'm either gonna go to Boulder, or go work chest. It's chest day, but it's also the rare overcast sort of day when it ain't raining, and the sun ain't broiling. we'll see.

And i should praise my li'l Annie too: she made it to the city finals in at least three strokes from the district swim meet. And she got 4th out of about 50 8yos in backstroke. And i heard she trashed her heat in 50 free, but got dq'd for --not quite sure--an illegal turn or something. Bummer, but it thrills my soul to know she's got some distance in her. So however it turns out this next weekend, she's cranked out a pretty nice first season of competition.

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Later:

Right then. It rained after all. so i did chest. Once again i forgot to recalculate my percents, so i tried bumping all my sets up by 5lbs. Couldn't manage the last rep on the last set though. 175 x 5, 185 x 5, and 200 x 4. The rest of the workout went pretty well. Actually managed 4 sets of pushups to failure. Something like 15, 12, 8 (here i dropped on my face with nothing to stop me), and...2. Fail. Good workout though. Seeing as my back, hams, abs, and now triceps, shoulders and pecs are all destroyed, i have some nagging doubts about the quality of any climbing i might do should i head boulderward tomorrow.

Through today

So yesterday i went back to Boulder. And m' car decided to break down. So i climbed a v3 in my chacos minus the suicidal last move that would have swung me out over the road. Didn't look like a hard move; just one you definitely wouldn't want to not stick. Then my car started by the grace of God, and i came back home. So i went to the gym and started over on the 531 program. Did shoulder presses. Actually felt pretty good for it. Didn't do the curls at the end 'cuz i planned to go back today and do deads and pullups. So i did. Think it was 315 x 5, 335 x 5, and 360 x 5. Had to strap the belt on for that last un. But a very fine workout. Feel like i've lost a bit on p'lups though. BW x 20, then 3 x 10 x +25. But the last few reps were rugged and messy. Kinda kilt me for the bent o'er BB rows. Only did sets of ten with 135, then i could only get 8 for the last set. Totally spent. The GoodMornings with 95 were pretty easy. Think i could bump that up a bit. Then i forgot to take my ankle weights in for straight leg raises, so i did 2 x 30, then 1 x 20. Those hurt. m' tummy felt worked.