Going for the Pull Up

It's time to stop thinking about doing pull ups. Wanting to do pull ups. Thinking I could never do pull ups.

It is time to start working on a plan and adjusting based on the results of concentrated effort. It is time to stop thinking that I am incapable of doing a pull up.

So, after extensive reading, I'm going to start a program, work on it for four weeks, and evaluate. If I feel that I'm getting results, then I'll keep working. If not, then it will be time for a different course of action. So, three days a week I will be doing body weight rows, 3 sets of 8 with a 1 to 2 minute rest between sets. I will alternate between chin up grip and pull up grip by day.

Since I'm limited in the height to which I can raise the bar, I'll start with bent leg assistance and try to move to straight leg and then single leg before lowering from the backs of the chairs to the arms, and then to the seat.

Yes, I am turning two chairs in my office into a gym. Because otherwise I won't get this done.

I'll keep on doing Crossfit  and running and training for backpacking by hiking up to Lucky Peak with a loaded pack. But I'm going to make a focused effort on getting my chin over that bar by means fair or foul.

Just kidding. I'm all about the fair means.

Breaking a Sweat

I recently traveled to Nashville, TN for a conference. I considered participating in the conference sponsored 5K, but decided not to add it to my plate since I would be presenting two sessions. I did, however, want to get some exercise. So I headed to the gym at a leisurely mid-morning time and hopped on one of what seemed like way too many treadmills.

I didn't go for speed, instead trying to just do my time. I don't know how I'm going to get rid of that tightness that my right hip gets when I don't run regularly, but until I do get rid of it, I have to run at least once a week. My normal run day has been Tuesday, but I doubted I would have time for running on that day, the last full day of the conference.

As I ran, I felt the humidity of the place envelope me. I wanted more air conditioning, some fans, some ice dumped on my head... but I just got hotter and hotter, soaked with sweat and aching with an unexpected fatigue. Even so, after I finished, I went to the Smith machine and worked on trying to do pull up negatives. I'm better, for now, at chin up negatives, but I could use work on both.

I also managed to make it to the workout center early Monday morning, but not early enough. The overabundance of treadmills were all occupied at 6:10 in the morning. I snagged one after a few minutes of waiting, but didn't run. I may have been just the teensiest bit hungover. So I upped the incline as high as it would go and kept my pace between 3 and 4 miles per hour. A fast hiking pace.

I admit, I had to laugh at the man next to me. He was scoffing the suggestion that patrons limit their cardio machine time to 30 minutes as a courtesy to others. When I left, he was still walking and getting close to 60 minutes. But the funny part was that he was walking on the flat, and I, in half the time, burned nearly as many calories by using the power of the incline.

Other than copious amounts of walking, including stairs and occasional speed walking, that's all the exercise I got done during my conference. And, once home, I was too tired even to do Crossfit Friday morning as I had planned. Clearly, in the future, I need to plan these conferences a little better - both in regards to blogs and exercise.

Training as I Mean to Travel

I admit, I felt a little silly putting on my weekend pack, brimming over with weighty and unnecessary items, for a day hike. I felt silly to put on my gaiters when I knew I wouldn't need them for the trail I was hiking. I even felt silly knowing that I carried spare clothing that was far warmer than I'd conceivably need on this altogether lovely day in early March.

But I want to do a radical increase in my distance this summer. I want to do 20 mile days, three or even four days in a row. I'll need to carry a lot of weight in food and I'll need to be prepared, even in August, for the possibility of snow.

I repeated to myself, though no one else asked, "I am training as I mean to hike."

On this hike, in addition to schlepping 30 pounds to the top of Lucky Peak, I also tried a route variation. I took Hornet Loop, which adds about half a mile to the one way trip. I thought that since it was a non-motorized vehicle trail that it might have a gentler grade going up.

The start of Hornet Loop

And at first, it did seem that way. The trail was pretty, if a bit overgrown, and meandered below Shaw Mountain Road in a way that made me wonder when it was going to get to the business of climbing, and how.

I came upon a four way intersection and made an educated guess as to my route, based on the direction of Lucky Peak. I also checked my map on my phone, but the trail did not show up on it, so I still had to guess. I will have maps on my trips in the summer, though they'll be a little bit harder to pull up than the one on the phone.

I picked the right direction, but the trail did not switchback its way gently to rejoin Shaw Mtn Road. Oh no, it chose the direct route - nearly straight up.

Going up!

I think it's called Hornet Loop because it stings you in the end. . . 

This is almost vertical! 

Of course, at the end of the loop Shaw Mtn Rd just keeps going up. 

Part of the reason I was taking that route was to extend my distance, but I also wanted to explore new terrain with a heavy pack. I will not be scouting my trail beforehand, and so I must get used to encountering new landscapes and navigating through them.

I made it to the top of Lucky Peak and settled down to wait for Ambrose to catch up, because this day we decided he would make the summit. I chatted with a few other intrepid day hikers before he showed up and then we feasted on the food I had packed. The weather was fine, sunny and on the warm side of cool. The breeze had a bite, but the sun's heat compensated well for it.

Ambrose's final approach to Lucky Peak

Ambrose, conqueror of Lucky Peak, with his foot on the benchmark

We also learned how Ambrose's new running shoes handle snow. 

On the way down, Ambrose got a head start, because I stopped to use the toilet. And he had an advantage, because I was going to take a route with an extra half mile. I dared him to beat me to the car, and then I dared myself to catch him.

Hornet Loop does offer some nice views. 

The four way intersection is easier to see from the top. 

As I headed down, I told myself that I would have to catch him in the last mile. I kept my steps quick, but not so quick that I would trip or slide on the loose dirt of the trail. I might have gone a bit too fast, considering my hip is still sore days later, but I caught him. So it was worth it.

Almost got him...

Got him!

And I know that despite soreness or mild feelings of embarrassment, I'll be back, kitted out for a bigger hike than I'm taking. Training as I mean to travel.

The Open

Last year, I didn’t participate in the CrossFit Open because I had to take some time away from going in order to save up enough money to start again. When I restarted, I wasn’t as strong and I just doubted myself. So I didn’t do it. I completely avoided it, not even going in on Fridays since my gym did the open for the WOD.

This year, I wasn’t going to do it because I had taken a couple months off of CrossFit to try and stop feeling so ill. Before I took the time off, I was able to put together two or three consecutive toes to bar. After, not even one. So I thought, no, not going to do it.

And then I talked with some other people who were doing it. People who, like me, were not in the ideal athletic shape. And I heard that scaled options would be offered this year, so I wouldn’t be coming home from the workout crying in frustration at not being able to do any of the movements well enough to progress.

So I signed up. I’m participating in the CrossFit Open. It helps me to think of it like entering a 5K race. I’m not signing up to win the race, or even place. I’m signing up to finish. To prove that I can perform the challenge, and to perform my own personal best.

Bonus: Arbor CrossFit knows how to party!