Dead Lifts & Zola

Is it the weekend yet?? Sheesh! Why do the weeks leading up to long weekend always seem to drag on forever?

Anyway, I celebrate “Hump Day” in my usual fashion, with a trip to Man O’War CrossFit.

After a warm-up, we worked on our strength for front squats. Every Minute On The Minute, we did five front squats for 10 minutes. I squatted 55 lbs–not bad, but I can’t wait to get the go-ahead from my doctor to really start lifting and pushing myself.

Then the WOD:

10 Minute AMRAP
5 Dead LIfts
8 Box Jumps

I did 95 lbs on the dead lifts and jumped just under 20″ on the box. (I had to use the smaller box with a plate on top due to running out of regular 20/24″ boxes.) I probably should have lifted more like around 110, but I wasn’t sure how I’d get through. Taylor wanted us to aim for 8 rounds–I did 10, plus 4 dead lifts. I need to not worry about things and push myself out of my comfort zone. It’s not that I wasn’t working hard–I was breathing hard, sweating lots, and I’m already sore–but I just feel like I should push harder. I know my time will come when I’m doing prescribed weights, so I just need to be patient.

The workout was a tough one, but nothing was harder than those darn box jumps! Note to self: Do not think while doing them. About half-way through the AMRAP, I started telling myself I needed to remember to step down with my left foot, not just my right all the time. Then I got to thinking, “How many rounds have I done?” Well, all these thoughts rolling around in my head and trying to jump a box with weight plates on isn’t a good combo. I ended up hopping awkwardly, thus stubbing my toe on the plate and slamming my right shin into the box. Just some bruising (a little blood) and a lump, but how embarrassing!!

After the workout, I rushed to Marikka’s to help out a friend who needed another girl on his sand volleyball team. We split the first two games, then during the third the heavens opened up and poured on us–not fun. We ended up losing (really not fun), and I was exhausted!

But I came home to a fun package from Zola! Inside was a couple of cans of coconut water (with and without pulp) and a bottle of their acai juice. I can’t wait to try them! (The acai is in the fridge already.)

w00t!! Coconut water and acai juice! Whatever shall I make with it??

And, of course, LaMesa had to try out the fun shades:

LaMesa rocking the neon green Zola shades.

I’d love to make something with the coconut water. Do you have any recipes for coconut water?

I have my follow-up appointment with my sports medicine doctor today. Yay! Hopefully I’ll have good news to share tomorrow!

Exhausting Week

TGIF! It’s been one long, exhausting week for me! Volleyball started back up, which meant back to late nights, plus just long days at work. The Kentucky Derby is next week, so the office is buzzing with news, etc., which means we’re constantly working. Love this time of year!

I wasn’t able to go to CrossFit until Wednesday (no more Monday night classes for me now–job #2 takes priority). By the time 5 pm came around on Wednesday, I was chomping at the bit, excited to get to class!

Warm-up was a 3 minute AMRAP of medicine ball curls (10 at a time) and 5 pushups. I was really concentrating on my form–it felt awkward with the medicine ball. I think I did three rounds.

Then there was the WOD:

Our 6 pm class was pretty big (12 people), so we made it a partner workout. We did 3 rounds of 5 dead lifts, 10 pull-ups (with the band or jump-ups), and 15 kettle bell swings. While one partner did the workout, the other rested. Repeat this three times.

For our dead lifts, Heather and I did 45 pounds, used a 17.6 lb KB, and did the jump-ups. Everything felt fine (I think I could have used some more weight on the dead lifts and kettle bell, but that’s OK, since I’m just starting out), but I don’t know if I was doing the jump-ups correctly. You see, if you have just started and aren’t on the bands yet for pull-ups, you start by jumping to pull yourself up over the bar. You should still be pulling up with your arms, but using a little momentum from your legs. I didn’t feel like I was using my arms as much as I should, so I kept talking to Coach Taylor and others about my form. Taylor said I looked fine, so who knows?

It definitely was a sweat session!

During one of my rest periods, I got a text from a friend asking me to fill-in on his volleyball team just one hour after I finished with CrossFit. I have a hard time saying no to friends, so I agreed. After 24 burpees and a short stretch session, I rushed home to take the girls to the park for some tennis ball action, then back again to head to Marikka’s, leaving M on his own for dinner.

These muffins rock as a great mid-morning snack!

How good of a friend am I? Try playing sand volleyball, barefoot, in 45* weather after a full hour of butt-kicking CrossFit. Yep. My feet were so cold–they started cramping as I drove home as they thawed out! I was plumb exhausted when I got back, but had enough energy to make these awesome banana oatmeal breakfast muffins I found on Pinterest for our breakfasts the next couple of days. The muffins were a hit with me, M, and some of M’s co-workers. (I added some chopped almonds instead of walnuts, but didn’t have any flax seed. Plus a few got some chocolate chips because I knew M would like that.)

Around 11 I crashed for the night, absolutely exhausted. Thursday morning I had my third physical therapy appointment, which I’ll fill you in on later.

Right now, I’m looking forward to the weekend–M actually has Saturday AND Sunday off, so hopefully we’ll get to do some things together and hang out! (Boo on the predicted storms all weekend, though!)

What’s on tap for your weekend?

My “Evening Job”

Last year I started another second job (since I already freelance write on the side and work as a horse show secretary a couple weekends a year). This is more of a seasonal outdoor job that lasts from late April until early October, rain or (sun/moon) shine. The pay is decent, the co-workers are fun, and some times the “customer” can get a little too rowdy…

I ref sand volleyball games at a local German bar. It’s a lot of fun, but the hours can be long. Last year I worked almost every evening, which was hard on my physically and hard on M and the pups because I was never home. This year, however, I’m only working three nights a week, which is much better. However, the hours are still long. On Tuesday nights, for example, my first game starts at 6:10 pm and my last game starts at 12:30 am. Yep…I basically work my 8 am until 1:30 am. (My “career job” is from 8-5.)

It’s a fun gig to have because of the eclectic groups that sign up to play volleyball. You’ve got the players that played in college and even travel to some of the bigger beach volleyball tournaments in Florida, and then you have the group of girls who just thought it’d be fun to get a team together and drink…and every once in a while hope they score a point. There are times when the players get on your nerves–quite a few will argue calls, and some will make their own calls that you perhaps didn’t see, but you just say “OK” and go on. But, for the most part, it’s fun.

The big negative is just the toll it takes on my sleep. Monday nights I don’t get home until about 12:30, close to 1 am. Tuesday nights, it’s closer to 1:45 am. So of course, I’m dragging all Wednesday. Some times I can go to bed early that night, after my agility class, but because my body gets used to staying up so late, it’s hard to relax and go to sleep earlier.

Because of this, my whole schedule is out of whack, but more on that in an upcoming post.

Anyway, I just wanted to explain why I’ve been quiet a little lately–any extra free time at night is no longer, so I have to squeeze in time to do just about anything extra (wedding planning, workouts, etc.) when I can.

The courts at the German bar I ref sand volleyball at.

We have two courts going at once–so lots of action!

Related articles

• Will Opposition to Sand Volleyball in College Force NCAA To Reconsider? (volleyballvoices.com)
• UAB, FSU meet in NCAA sand volleyball debut (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Staying Young by Being Active

So much can be accomplished just by hitting this ball around...

Last night I played in a volleyball tournament with some friends from the sand league I ref during the warmer months. It was great to get back on the (hard, indoor) court and work with a strong team of hitters and passers. We played three intense games in the semi-finals to move onto the championship round where we played two, even tougher, games and eventually lost. But no matter the amount of floor burns, or the sore shoulder I woke up with this morning, it was a great evening spent and I can’t wait to get back to playing in the sand this spring, summer, and fall!

There was one man attending the games that sparked my interest while we were cooling down, waiting for the second semi-final game to start. This older gentleman walked by and noted that the last volleyball game he played was in that particular gym 15 years ago. “That’s pretty cool,” I commented.

He smiled and said, “I was 75 back then…I turn 91 next week.”

That made my jaw drop. He was still playing volleyball at 75, and here he was, on the cusp of turning 91, walking in front of me with his back straight, no help from a walker or cane, no sign of hearing aids or any assistance needed. Ah-MAZE-ing!

He told me stories of how, in the 1950s, the stars from the University of Kentucky basketball team would play volleyball at the downtown YMCA with him and his friends, and how those players admitted to loving volleyball more than basketball. His eyes were sparkling and his smile lit up the gym as he talked, pausing every once in a while to critique a play on the court (his son was playing in the second semi-final). I was truly in awe of how coherent and in great physical shape (at least on the outside) this gentleman seemed to me. It made me want to get back on the court to play and continue playing a sport that I loved, such as volleyball, for at least four more decades.

A blog from the New York Times discussed a study that saw delayed premature graying in active mice. The research, posted in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, said that “exercise reduced or eliminated almost every detrimental effect of aging in mice”.

So it’s studies like these, and men like I met last night (I wish I had gotten his name now) that inspires me to continue to work towards a fit life and try my best to push my family and friends to being active as well. I want to have a healthy (soon-to-be-)husband, and my parents to live to a ripe old age while still being able to enjoy life. I want to have my friends around me to keep me sane and laughing through the golden years.

So take even the smallest steps to start your journey to your “volleyball at 75″ lifestyle today…don’t wait for the weekend or Monday…start now! Go for a walk, no matter how short or long, everyday, then increase your distance. You don’t have to dive into the deep end with crazy circuit training sessions or half marathon training schedules…just get active!