You Can Taste The Bright Lights But You Won't Get Them For Free

Eating: yet another Harvest Cobb

Drinking: making some Taiwanese oolong

Listening: Schubert

 

20' hill climb, 3 rounds of 3 pullups (actually two rounds were chinups) and 5 knee lifts, 50 bosu tucks, 5 dips, 5 rounds of 5/side 15# overhead and 5 standing rows (40#) plus an extra ten standing rows on a balance board, 15-breath tuck on the balance board ... I feel like I'm forgetting something.  A very good workout.  I went down there unmotivated, shinsplinty, and kind of lethargic, and I ended up doing more than was on the routing.

 

A thought about squats.  They are getting easy, and it's time to max out the reps completely each time and/or to start adding weight.  I still found the jump squats murderously hard so maybe those should figure in more heavily. 

 

Also, my shin splints are pretty bad (they certainly kept me from running today, or would have if work hadn't) but walking uphill doesn't bother them at all.  I also hit the hot tub and did some ankle turns in there, which was nice.  That super creepy gay Italian guy was hanging around, which kind of spoiled the experience.

 

I'm reading Mind of Clover now.  I bought it based solely on the title - I never would have imagined being interested in a book on ethics - but I am finding it quite profound. 

Inglorious

Eating: some Indian food, soon
Drinking: water (had some more puer before)
Listening: nothing, because the monster is sleeping

Just did my sissy version of Bustin' Glory.  5 x (8 air squats, 3 precision box jumps, 5 situps), 5 x (10 side-to-side jumps, 3 pushups) 1 x (10 jump lunges, 10 jump squats).  Whew.  Doesn't look like much when you write it down.  The jump squats were fucking evil.  Pure evil.  I could just barely finish the tenth. 

Just occurred to me that side-to-side jumps were really the only think I ever liked about dryland training.  That and the smell of fall in the air. 

I Never Went South

Eating: just had a banana

Drinking: water

Listening: Ligeti

 

Went running last night, 4 x 4 block sprints.  Fucking awful.  I could feel the outline of my lungs in my chest, and I burned out at the two-block point each time.  This morning I have mild shin splints, which probably means that I was slapping my feet.  No idea what to do about that. 

 

I'm going to do the Bustin' Glory again tonight.  The pussy version, of course, but I do plan to put my boots on for the step-up.  I also want to make sure I have enough in reserve to do the blasters.

 

Obsessed with skiing.  I found a company that does sail/ski tours to Iceland and I am considering actually trying to talk the boss into letting me go. 

Nothing to Report

Eating: just had bagel and lox, apple

Drinking: water

Listening: GOCJ 1 (yesterday was kebyar day and today is Java day)

 

So last night, before meditating for the first time in a week, I decided to do pushups 9 11 8 8, which was the same set I had tried and failed to do as part of a combo, crossfit-type workout last week.  I got six of the first eight done and gave up.  My arms did not feel strong.  I don't totally understand this.  The run yesterday went very well.  I hadn't had any caffeine, I had been sitting at my desk all day, and dinner was kind of heavy, but I still don't understand.  So, I think I'm going to once again drop back a week.

 

Meditation last night (only ten minutes) was pretty awful.  I fidgeted a lot and checked the time once (before throwing the watch over my shoulder).  I have been feeling the lack of meditation lately, so I think it's time to bring it back.  I just did five minutes sitting at my desk and feel pretty good about that.  Probably shouldn't be keeping score ... I was also just looking at the Brooklyn Zen Center website (very close by). 

Another Sunday Run

Eating: had some cereal

Drinking: water, had some coffee

Listening: Grayfolded

 

Ran the loop this morning.  Felt great and even passed a bunch of people.  My legs feel kind of tight and I am looking forward to taking it easy tomorrow and maybe doing some stretching. 

 

I am in the office again, and really in no mood to be here.  I have a lot to do so I hope I can focus. 

 

Getting Serious About Skiing

Eating: nothing yet today
Drinking: 1994 Menghai
Listening: nothing

Just did a shortened, modified version of this.  5 x (8 air squats, 3 box jumps (onto a little stool), 5/side x 2 crunches), 3 x 20 side to side jumps with a leg stretch in between, 3 x (1' stepups (barefoot), 30" tuck, 30" rest).  Tucks are hard.  Side-to-sides are fun.  I am ready for breakfast.  Going to make some bread and do some hip stretches. 

That Achy Lung Feeling

Eating: had some cake and a Larabar at work
Drinking: water
Listening: nothing

Just did pushups 9 11 8 8, no problem (a little tired, insulin?) and the xfit endurance WOD, 4 (should have been 6) x 2' sprints, with 1' breaks.  I feel kind of barfy.

Mirror Ashes

Eating: a Lara bar, having just eaten one of those natural Clif bars

Drinking: Nothing, but I sure should be drinking some water

Listening: Grayfolded

 

At the gym: pulldowns 3 4 2 3, OH barbells (only 10 pounds) / pushups 9 11 8 8 (although I collapsed after 4 pushups on the second-to-last set and did not do the last; lame), knee lifts 10, deadlifts / bosu squats 9 11 8 8 (40 pound bar), crunches 10 / side.  I warmed up by rowing 5 minutes (1098m).

 

I have a new Chinese teacher, whose first act was to assign me a 15 page article, which I haven't read yet.  Ugh.  Off to a good start. 

Ca Commence

Eating: just had some cereal
Drinking: water, but not enough
Listening: La Femme d'Argent

Just ran the Prospect Park loop in exactly 30 minutes. That is three minutes faster than last time, a nine-minute pace. I felt good. I went quite a bit faster at the beginning, then my breathing got a little ragged and I slowed down. Also, it was cold as hell.

Another thing - my calves are very sore. I read somewhere (maybe Vancouver Barefoot) that this would happen, and it did.

Trois Pistoles

Eating: going to have some pot au feu that I fucked up last Sunday
Drinking: water (see below)
Listening: Kebyar

Just did 3 x pistols / side, 3 x pushups, 5 x squats, 10 x single-arm overhead presses / side holding my Sigg (filled up, of course), repeated over 10 minutes.  I feel quite buzzed.  Great, actually.  This is basically a super-pussy version of a Crossfit routine, and also fits with a running program I found (will post later) where Friday is the strength day and Sunday the long run (which in my case will just be 3.3). 

My right knee felt a little crunchy when I went too deep on the pistols. 

I think the whole routine could have been either harder or longer or both, too.  I didn't feel at all sore from the gym yesterday, and that's kind of a sign that it wasn't hard enough.  Well, live and learn. 

Back to the publishing agreement!

Timeless

Eating: just had pulled pork at Ted's

Drinking: just had a Boddington's at Ted's

Listening: My Favorite Things

 

No time to discuss, but I just did 20' climb (3.2 and 3.3), pulldowns 2 3 2 2, pushups on ball 8 10 7 7, lunges 12/side, one-leg squats 10/side, knee curls 12, bosu squats with bar 20 (more like 2 x 10), deadlift bar 10, standing row 10, overhead press 10.  This last was horribly hard and I was sloppy around number 8. 

A Test

Listening: Long Island Wildin'

Eating: another Chop't salad

Drinking: bad old oolong and water

 

Just got back from the gym.  I hill-climbed for only ten minutes, and then ran at a slightly under eight minute pace.  I had planned to do that for a mile, but I was pretty kicked after two minutes and behind schedule, so I stopped.  I failed to hit the goal in both pulldowns (4, 4) and pushups (10, 12, 3), did ten one-leg squats each leg (very hard, esp on left), ten deadlifts, ten standing rows and ten overhead presses.  The last were very hard.  I felt weak and tired.  The best thing I can say about this episode is it's better than not going to the gym. 

 

Meditated for 19 minutes last night.  It went pretty well.  I looked at the time twice, then tossed the watch over my shoulder.  I don't know why I never thought of that before.  Generally today I'm feeling pretty alert and organized.  I've moved the computer so that passerby can see my screen, which is a powerful disincentive to fucking around. 

A Sunny Day in the Office

Eating: nothing
Drinking: water
Listening: Music of the Gamelan Gong Kebyar

I am on a real Balinese music kick these last couple days. Tenzer came off the shelf while my parents were here, I think because I wanted to show my dad what a gamelan looked like, and since then I've been going through my gong kebyar and gong gede CDs and listening to the new kingklik / rindik CD I just bought.

I didn't get as much done yesterday as I wanted to, but that's how it goes. I was reasonably focused all day, but it wasn't enough. I did manage to meditate. After a while I succumbed to the temptation to look at the watch, and it said eight minutes. Not bad, it had felt like about ten that I had been sitting there. After a while I looked again (lame). It said 12. I had hit stopwatch instead of timer. If I was better at this shit, I would have just sat there all night.

The alarm went off at 6:30 this morning, but I didn't get out of bed until 7:15, which is still not bad. I ran the 3.3 mile loop in the park, mixing it up a bit by hitting the dirt trail that runs next to it for maybe a quarter of the way. I did it in almost exactly 33 minutes, so about a ten-minute pace - not bad, but room for improvement. My left ankle did feel a little tight, although I relaxed it and did ten circles with my hand before running. I started out feeling groggy, with a headache, but that was all gone after about a mile and I felt fine the rest of the way (but did not get into that state where I feel like I can run forever). Some guy passed me, easily, before the hill and I cranked on the uphill so well that I almost caught him. Almost, but not quite. My breathing was getting pretty ragged too, so I was probably going max speed. I feel great now, although my quads are burning from yesterday.

I had hoped to hit the gym today too, but seeing as it's quarter to 11 and I haven't done anything, that may have to wait until tomorrow.

The Solitary Life

Eating: some old roast chicken and a salad of mixed microgreens from the Greenmarket.

Listening: Musique pour la Gong Gede

Drinking: water, not enough

So, I have about ten hours worth of work and maybe five hours to do it in?  Something like that.  Obviously, an all-nighter is out of the question.  Anyway, I have so much work that the Wife and the Baby have gone to the In-Laws for the night.  I am being less productive than I should be, but more productive than I might be expected to be or than I would have been a year ago.  The delights of the internet notwithstanding.  

I had a very, very good meditation last night.  The only analogy I can make is to balancing on a rope, or maybe riding a bike.  The sensation was sort of like using my breath to pull in a line, but combined with a sense of careful balance.  

Being that I'm here alone, I got some good exercising done today.  Pushups 9 11 8 8 (week two of 100), crossover situps just ten per side, and then a Twight workout where I did 60 squats (20-20-20 first round, 6 of 10 second round) and ran 800m at what felt to me like a eight-minute pace.  It felt good.  There is still (still) some tightness in my left ankle that I don't like.  At worst it feels like I'm peglegging, kind of poling myself along.  Not a good feeling, but I'm not really doing anything about it either.  

Tomorrow morning I plan to do the park early, if I can get up early that is.  I think just the three-mile loop, but who knows, maybe I'll feel really energetic.  

back at it

Eating: coconut Larabar
Drinking: nothing
Listening: Rocks Off

Finally made it back to the gym. I only managed to do a 20' climb and 2' of running at an 8 minute pace before I was called back to the office, though. Still, it felt great to stretch out a bit. Back on the wagon!

Another dream and no exercise.

Eating: just had half a Clif bar and going to Insieme for an interview lunch
Drinking: nothing
Listening: some guzheng

We just had another TAP meeting. I am finally getting some summaries done but not enough, and I told YC I'd send them to her tomorrow. On top of that I am probably going to have to turn the PSA tonight.

I had a funny dream last night, that we went en famille to Beijing and turned out to be staying in the same nice but dilapidated hotel as ZA and her husband and kid, and some of their friends. Her husband (who in the dream was an English guy) was kind of a dink, but otherwise the dream left me with a pretty good feeling. I love getting to dream about the Little Monster, it makes me so happy.

No exercise happening today, but I am going to do the desk stretches now.

OTSC

Eating: just had half a Clif bar (pumpkin flavor?) and about to go to OT supper club
Drinking: some kind of gushu chawang from I think 06, it is very very good
Listening: Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur

Yesterday (Rosh Hashanah) I ran 2.3 miles with the little rodent. We ran into one of the wife's mommyfriends but I don't think she noticed the Five Fingers.

Was just at the gym. Treadmill only. 30' 3.2 at 15, then I ran for 2' at 7.5 mph (8 minute miles). I felt like I was made out of lead and on the verge of asphyxiation during the climb. It was really miserable from a psychological point of view. No energy (or time for that matter) to do any pushups.

RH was good. We had the whole team (incl. CZ) over for dinner. The brisket was ... beyond. And I must say my harira was very good too. The FIL completely behaved himself. I mean, he outshone himself. I wouldn't have thought ever that he had it in him to be so nice. The BIL in contrast is being a douche, but it's kind of easy to see why - he feels generally threatened (fear and anger are the primary motivators of most minds) and he's freaking out over being a dad.

I had this odd dream where I was a passenger in my own car, and it was being driven, through a hillier, snow-covered dream version of VT, by JB. Eventually I kicked him out of the driver's seat and drove myself (terrified, of course, that I would make a mistake). There was something to do with a gathering at his property too. Also, I made MM cry, bitterly, but I don't recall how. I wouldn't have described myself as being attracted to her, but her appearance in my dream makes me think otherwise, maybe. I mean, I've always entertained the fantasy of fucking her and thereby cuckolding JB, but something about this dream makes me think that I might in fact be actually interested in her for her own sake.