Cal's Big Log II: The Revenge

That is great that your parents are doing better. Best of luck with the run tomorrow!

might already be morning there, so good luck today!

Glad to hear the storm over your parents blew over for now.

Eye of the hurricane, I think.

Anyway, it’s a lovely autumnal day (hmm, how to confuse an American…use the word “autumnal”) - reasonably warm, blue skies, trees changing. A nice day for running. I didn’t do a brilliant time - I think it was just over an hour. I pushed for the last km too. I’ll get the official time tomorrow. It was about 1.01 when I went through the finish so it all depends on what time I went through the start.

My performance does seem to have dropped off in all areas over the year (as in I’m slower and weaker) but I guess I’ve had a lot going on. I’m not too disappointed with the race. It was a nice day, as I said. And I’ll do better next year.

I think you’re underplaying your performance. You’ve not been in tip-top shape, and you busted your ass anyway. On a scale of 1-10, gague how you felt before you started, and subtract 10 minutes for every point under 10. (if you felt 7, subtract 30 min from your time.)

also, how to confuse an american? speak english, rather than american (ah-merr-eh-kin, with 1 syllable removed). I regularly confuse my patients by using multisyllabic words with not a whiff of a colloquial accent. Sometimes its intentional.

Heh, I have a friend in Maryland who maintains that there is no such word as “autumnal” in American spellcheckers. “Fall-ish” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it though, does it?

Time came in at 1:00.25. So not brilliant, but it was better than the September time. And I can still shoot for my “five 10Ks in under an hour” goal next year, if I feel like pursuing that again. I would have liked to have ended this year’s series on a high note, but hell, the T-shirt was cool.

Yesterday, did fuck all (I couldn’t even be arsed to go to yoga) but today I hit the gym, did some assisted pull-ups, dips, straight arm pulldowns, dumbell cleans, a few other things and a shitload of stretching. I would have taken my kettlebell but I was planning on picking up my washing (I get service washes done at the launderette as my flat is too small for a washing machine) on the way back, and didn’t want to be lugging a big bag full of clothes and towels and a kettlebell.

Back to school tomorrow.

Gym - warm up stuff followed by:

Standing Press

bar x 10
25kg x 8
30kg x 6
32.5kg x 4

Dips:
8, 5, 6

Body rows (done on locked Smith machine):
8, um I forget the second set.

Assisted pull-ups (-30kg, parallel grip):

8, 8

Straight arm pull-downs:
10 x 20kg (one set only).

Lot of stretching.

Those are nice dips. Apparently your shoulders cooperated…all good!

Thanks. I’m working back up to my old levels. I realised I was actually aggravating them with the dumbell rows. Strange eh? So I’ve dropped those for a while.
Now if only I could fix my lower back…
Oh I forgot to say, weight is 10 stone 10 (150lbs) so 2lbs down on last week.

Today: 5K run. One of those chilly but sunny autumn days - lovely blue sky. Went out in a T-shirt. Was pretty damn cold, but that made me run faster. Felt like I had a lot of energy. This is probably down to the enormous potato I ate yesterday. I’m thinking my previous runs have been less than stellar because my previous day’s food hasn’t been adequate. So yeah, big potato next time I do a race.

I’m considering entering a 15K in November. I was due to run the same race, which is in aid of a stroke charity, last year, but sprained my ankle badly and had to drop out couple of months before. The location is good (Richmond Park, which is reachable by public transport…and off road and very nice to run around) and the charity is appropriate given my parents have had strokes. The only problem is sponsorship and how much they’d expect me to raise. Not to put too fine a point on it, I’m a bit of a lone wolf. Only child, no close relatives beyond my parents. A few friends I’m very fond of but no one I see more often than every few months. And as I’m new at my job I wouldn’t feel comfortable asking the teachers there for money. Obviously I’m only working part time now and haven’t worked since July so covering the sponsorship myself isn’t an option. I am trying to find out how much they’d expect me to raise before I commit. Want to do it, though.

maybe contact the facilities that helped your parents so much. I’m sure lots of people there couldnt be bothered to run themselves, and will feel as though theyre doing good (bc they are) by sponsoring you.

Today: was to have been yoga. I actually had to bully myself into going, not because I don’t enjoy the class but because warm flat + computer game is more enticing. Thing was, when I got there, the instructor didn’t show, so I ended up going home. Put on Faithless, did a bunch of funky sun salutations to Insomnia, swung my kettlebells (16kg and 20kg), did some dislocates with a stick, two sets of ring push-ups, a set of KB snatches (12kg) and some stretching. Probably got a better workout than I would have at the class. Plus my flat is warm. The studio was not.

[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
Today: was to have been yoga. I actually had to bully myself into going, not because I don’t enjoy the class but because warm flat + computer game is more enticing. Thing was, when I got there, the instructor didn’t show, so I ended up going home. Put on Faithless, did a bunch of funky sun salutations to Insomnia, swung my kettlebells (16kg and 20kg), did some dislocates with a stick, two sets of ring push-ups, a set of KB snatches (12kg) and some stretching. Probably got a better workout than I would have at the class. Plus my flat is warm. The studio was not.[/quote]

Sounds like you found your mojo on the return trip. Good work! And Insomnia…love that one. I remember hearing for the first time so long ago…

I usually do my KB swings to Rammstein, but that didn’t feel appropriate for the yoga stuff, somehow…

[quote]Cal Jones wrote:
I usually do my KB swings to Rammstein, but that didn’t feel appropriate for the yoga stuff, somehow…[/quote]

I don’t know…it could work. I’m prone to listening to “wrong” music for things. If you’re familiar with Apocalyptica, then listen to their track titled “Beautiful.” I did a majority of my cardio and lifting to that track. Just as I can cool down, meditate, and sleep to Slipknot and the like.

Well, plan was to have been yoga yesterday, gym today, but since yesterday turned into a kettlebell and ring push-up workout, I woke up very sore. So I’ve done nothing, in all honesty.

I have, however, taken the plunge and entered the 15K in aid of the Stroke Association. As I mentioned previously, both my parents have had debilitating strokes, so the cause is a very poignant one for me.

If anyone would like to sponsor me, I have started a page at Just Giving: Cal Jones is fundraising for Stroke Association

(I believe they take PayPal).

No obligation, of course - but any incentive to get me through nine miles of mud during the arse-end of November would be much appreciated.

hi Cal!

glad to see your new log and you keeping at it. bonus points for throwing a workout together at home when you really weren’t up for it in the first place. i might have taken that as a sign that the original enticement of warm flat and gaming was meant to be.

best to you on the 15K. that’s great you’ve found a cause that’s close to your heart. i’ll have to check out the link. in the meantime, i’ll just have to Echeer you from across the pond so we can see you get through 9 miles of mud in November…brrrr.

Thanks Talenaah - much appreciated. I’m hoping the weather isn’t too horrible. At the moment it’s beautiful but cold - blue skies, which makes the autumn colours come out beautifully, but chilly. I don’t mind the cold except when I have to be out in the playground because I’m not running around like the girls I’m teaching. Anyway.
Had year 2 yesterday and decided to teach 'em the forward roll (which I’d learned in the one adult gymnastics class I’ve managed to get to so far). They’re small girls - around 7 years old, so it’s still the “rolypoly” to them, and they don’t get to their feet after, but I managed to get three girls who couldn’t do it to do it fairly well, which was very gratifying. Year 2 is a tricky class as they are rowdy and all seem to have a problem with attention, so whilst I had to do my share of yelling at them to be quiet, it was nice to get the three girls to do their forward rolls.

Good afternoon, Cal. Kids are definitely “fun” to manage, aren’t they? How many are in your class? Just checked out the link. That mud run sounds like something I would probably do, just because it’s different from normal running. You best believe I’ll be rooting for you as well from sunny Afghanistan!