TandemHearts

Thom had the day off so he came to the gym with me to take photos while I worked out with my trainer, Shawna.  We decided we could spend the hour doing some “fun” stuff since I have two more sessions scheduled this week. We started off with some plyometrics (explosive jumps) and then moved on to boxing.  I really like the high energy of this kind of workout.   These are a few of the things we did during the hour. (more…)

Lots of people at work asked me if I was doing anything special for my birthday.  They all looked a little askance when I answered, ‘No, but my trainer has a special workout planned.”  Of course I wouldn’t pass up a trainer session, just because it’s my birthday.   We did lots of fun things though.  I dragged a sled with weights on it.  The first round was with a hundred pounds, second set was at 145 pounds and the third was 201 pounds.  That extra one pound made it really hard. 

Next I  jumped rope with the weighted jump rope.  That thing only weighs a pound, but it’s killer!  I can consistently do over 200 jumps in a minute with a regular rope.  The best I can get with the weighted is 154 jumps.  It’s my wrists that get really tired.  I did some pliometric jumps, mountain climbers and push ups.   I used push up bars for the push ups.  The first set of twenty I just came down even to the bar.  The second set I tried to go a little lower and Shawna commented that eventually I’d be touching the floor with these.    I, of course, took that as a challenge and the third set I was touching my nose to the floor.  I whipped out the first set of twenty with no problem and the second set wasn’t too bad.  But going all to the floor on the third set?   OUCH!

And yes, it was fun!

I had an absolute blast on the Tarantula Run, and it convinced me that I have the potential to be a decent runner.  However, all that steep descending injured my right knee.  I can’t put a name to what I did, since I did not go to the doctor.  At first it hurt enough to keep me awake at night and it REALLY hurt when I did a certain yoga pose, squatted or jogged.  I have spent the last six weeks doing very little of those things.  I have still been going to see Shawna, my trainer, and we have been working around all my knee problems.  If an exercise  hurt at all, we switched to some other exercise.  Six weeks of babying it and icing after every workout and it is just about better.   Yoga and squatting are absolutely pain free now.  A chest cold has kept me from running the last two weeks.  I miss it.

Amazingly, my weight has been stable through all of this in spite of my lack of cardio in the last six weeks. I’m proof that muscle really does burn more calories than fat.    At first I did not want to bike since the injury felt a lot like my overuse injury in 2007.    I’ve started doing some of the easier Spinervals videos and that has not bothered my knee. I haven’t been swimming since the indoor pool at the gym always give me sinusitis.  In fact, I’ve quit my gym membership and when the outside city pool reopens in February I’ll start swimming  there.  BRRRRR!

January third I officially begin training for my first Half Ironman of the year.  I’ve decided to do the Auburn Tri on May 23.  It has a pretty tough bike course with 6,000 feet of climbing in its fifty-six miles.   I also plan on doing Barb’s Race again this year on July 31.  I may do a few local tris in between, just for fun.  I’m really excited about what I have planned.  I printed out my first week’s training plan a few weeks ago and I keep looking at it longingly.  I know, what a dork!

And just for laughs – here are our Christmas babies.

Click on the images to see the full size pictures.