Wednesday, January 31, 2018

The new January

The weather in Boise has been unseasonably warm. This morning, my weather app insisted that the high for the day would be 49 degrees, despite the fact that it was 51 at 5 in the morning. And, as the day went on, and the temperature continued to rise, the app would change its high to match the current temperature until we hit the actual day's high of 60 degrees.

This is NOT January in Boise. We have, in the 12 or so years I've lived here, had times when we get a warm spell in February or March, and sometimes the trees bud or flower, but then we get a cold snap and they die. I wish I could tell the trees that they shouldn't be budding, because I'm pretty sure we'll get at least one more week of cold temperatures.

But I'm not sure. Maybe we're getting a super mild winter and it's just going to keep getting warmer. That wouldn't be good for the backpacking season. A shorter winter means less snow pack, which means less water, especially later in the season. And while that does tend to mean a low mosquito season, I'd rather deal with mosquitoes than not have enough water.

Especially because I've got a new pair of hiking pants. My husband has long extolled the virtues of RailRiders pants. He had, for me, a very specific idea in mind of what I should get, namely the kind that had reinforced knees and seat. As fate would have it, in the women's selection only one pair of pants had that reinforcement and it happened to be the same pair that had integral bug protection.

So I have tough pants that protect against bugs, and I'd like to be able to use them for that purpose.

So, hey, Weather, it's still January. Cool it!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Off Season

At this point, Ambrose and I backpack between May and September - and the May and September trips are few and far between. Our season is more concentrated between June and August. But that doesn't mean we can just sit back in the off season. We both continue to work out in various ways. I do Crossfit and hiking when the trails are dry enough or frozen enough. We both go to the gym.

One of the questions I've been getting lately is if my husband and I have any big trips planned for this summer. As a matter of fact, we do, and I've rattled those trips off to those who asked whether they actually wanted to hear it or not. But the biggest trip, the one longest in the making is our return to the Washington Coast. We didn't do the trip we planned last time, and this time we are both determined to make it all the way. To that end, Ambrose has added something new to his off season routine.

He has challenged himself to walk on a treadmill and burn a set amount of calories in under an hour. The first goal was 700 calories in under an hour and he has been hitting that for a while now. But last Saturday was his first sub-50 minute 700 calories, and I happened to be on hand to record the moment.

He just got to 700!

Close up of the numbers. 

He's really glad I'm driving us both home.
Next is to try for 800 calories in under an hour. He is working hard on his endurance and ability to sustain speed in order to prepare specifically for the coast. He already figured out which dates would be best for us to travel on with regards to the tides. We are being set up for success - we just need to do the work to get there.

This may be our off season, but the work we're doing is important to the play we want to do during backpacking season.

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

What Happened to January?

My husband and I have both been sick essentially since New Year's. He pointed out yesterday that half of January is gone and we've spent that half month buried under the death cold from hell.

This season does seem to have been hitting us harder with colds minor and major. I've missed exercising for at least one five day stretch for the last three months straight. Five day stretches without exercise really get to me, but with these illnesses, I haven't had a choice but to rest in bed.

And yet, I've managed to continue getting to CrossFit classes at a good rate. I'm at a point where I easily slip back into the habit of waking up at 4:30 in the morning to get to a 5 am class. I like being up early and getting in a hard workout. It feels comfortable and right, even when I'm tired and just want to go back to bed like yesterday.

I was dragging during yesterday's workout. After being sick, I was overdue for a rest day, but I wanted to take it today, because on Tuesdays I do a second workout so skipping CrossFit doesn't make Tuesday a real rest day. I sometimes do yoga on Wednesdays, but I don't count that as a workout. It's "active recovery."

I pushed myself through that workout and I pushed myself through my lunchtime workout. Because I'm driven and maybe a little obsessed. I'm never going to be competitive in CrossFit. I'll consider myself to have reached a great milestone if I ever get to the point where I'm doing Rx weights on a consistent basis in the WODs.

I do CrossFit because I like the work. I like discovering what I can do, and getting stronger and fitter and better able to perform what I can perform.

There was an article encouraging people to sign up for and participate in the CrossFit Open even if you don't think you can. I thought it was a good message, but I didn't particularly cotton to her claim "even" coming in 69,870th place was okay. Because I came in 85,953rd place. Nothing wrong with that, but it's a big difference, and I didn't think the article struck the right tone in citing that placement. (Although I did beat her on 17.5 where I took a mighty 50,522nd to her 57,962nd.)

I do agree with the point of it. To me, everyone should do the Open. It's fun, it's community, it's a chance to really have your performance rated and graded and scored. Of course, I also liked taking standardized tests, so that part may not be incentivizing for everyone.

Still. It's hard to know you've improved if you don't make measurements. And the Open is about making those measurements along with the largest fitness community in the world.

After losing half of January, I'm really hoping this season of illness has run its course, because I want to be ready for the Open this year. On to measurement season.

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Goals 2018

The new year being the typical time to set goals, I thought I'd record a few fitness and backpacking goals here.

1. Do two or more CrossFit Open workouts RX.

2. Complete a set of 10 linked kipping pullups. (Current record is 7.)

3. Hike the section of the Idaho Centennial Trail that links the prior two segments I hiked (Hammett to Willow Creek Transfer Camp).

4. Complete the Boise Spartan Sprint in June (already signed up, I'm committed now).

I figure if I can do those, then I'll be pretty darn fit.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Toes to Bar Proof

Lately, my toes to bar have been doing really well. Part of it, I put on using the skinnier bar to hold on to. I get a better grip on the skinnier bar and it helps keep me from tearing my hands up.

But part of it is because I've been working hard this year. I attended a lot more crossfit classes than I ever have before and I have improved in so many ways. Back in 2015, before the Crossfit Open, I went to a class where the workout involved doing toes to bar.

It was actually an open workout from 2014, 14.4, which starts with 60 calories on the rower, then 50 toes to bar, 40 wall balls, 30 cleans and 20 muscle ups. In that particular class, I didn't even think to scale, because there was no scaling option for the 2014 open. I rowed 60 calories, and then I tried for the remaining time of the 14 minute time cap to do a single toes to bar.

I couldn't do one.

I tried, and I tried, and I tried, but I couldn't do it.

And yesterday I did a workout with sets of 15 toes to bar. I did one set unbroken and two more broken sets in that workout. I even got a complement on my work from another athlete.

I was not athletic to start. I never did sports in school. But I've been working hard, and it shows. The proof is in the toes to bar.