A 'guest' post in the Angry Rambling category:
Twitching by Mark Twight
I think this is quite inspirational as it resonates with me.
Describes pretty much how I feel at the moment...
It's easy...'just' change!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
This weeks workouts
Another good week in workouts!
After the bouldering/crossfit session last Sunday, I went climbing at Planet Granite Sunnyvale with Ben on Monday. It was a good session! I did 10 climbs, most of which were 10c's. Towards the end I threw a few low 11's in, and ended the workout with two crack climbs...
We both had the impression that the ratings at PG were a little tougher than they used to be. Which is good! It's more likely to correspond to the 'real world' now.
Tuesday was the first 'scheduled' run in my 10k/half-marathon/marathon trainings plan. I ran last Friday and felt super weak... mostly due to the jet-lag I was experiencing upon my return from Germany. The prospect of doing a 'tempo run' after a night of only three hours of sleep were quite scary. Anyway, I gave it mu best shot: The plan asked for a 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles at 7:26 pace and a 1 mile cool-down. I headed out from my place to the SCT at a very moderate pace as the warm up, and picked it up for the last quarter of a mile. After a short walking section I started the 3 mile tempo run. I haven't really run at a controlled pace yet, so it was hard to find the right stride, and rythm. The strong head wind didn't make things easier.
I stayed in a pretty good average until 2.3 miles, where I hit a wall...I am definitely not used to run at that pace. I got way slower and finished the 3 miles in 23:28 (a 7:49 pace...so I missed the targeted 7:26 :-(), the fastest I ever managed for that distance. I ended the workout with a very mellow jog back to my place (another 1.2 miles.) The next day I definitely felt a surprising feeling in my legs...my quads are a little tight and have a slight sore feeling, which feels actually good...
Wednesday saw the second run on my trainings plan. An easy run of two miles at 8:54. Since I couldn't drag my behind out of bed early, and since my legs had a slight heaviness to them I decided to do the run on the treadmill at PG Belmont before my yoga class. Running on the treadmill is horrible though... even two miles seem to take ages...
Although the yoga class was not very hard I was completely shot afterwards. Perhaps because of the three climbs (10c) I did between running and yoga...
Tomorrow is definitely a rest day.
After the bouldering/crossfit session last Sunday, I went climbing at Planet Granite Sunnyvale with Ben on Monday. It was a good session! I did 10 climbs, most of which were 10c's. Towards the end I threw a few low 11's in, and ended the workout with two crack climbs...
We both had the impression that the ratings at PG were a little tougher than they used to be. Which is good! It's more likely to correspond to the 'real world' now.
Tuesday was the first 'scheduled' run in my 10k/half-marathon/marathon trainings plan. I ran last Friday and felt super weak... mostly due to the jet-lag I was experiencing upon my return from Germany. The prospect of doing a 'tempo run' after a night of only three hours of sleep were quite scary. Anyway, I gave it mu best shot: The plan asked for a 1 mile warm-up, 3 miles at 7:26 pace and a 1 mile cool-down. I headed out from my place to the SCT at a very moderate pace as the warm up, and picked it up for the last quarter of a mile. After a short walking section I started the 3 mile tempo run. I haven't really run at a controlled pace yet, so it was hard to find the right stride, and rythm. The strong head wind didn't make things easier.
I stayed in a pretty good average until 2.3 miles, where I hit a wall...I am definitely not used to run at that pace. I got way slower and finished the 3 miles in 23:28 (a 7:49 pace...so I missed the targeted 7:26 :-(), the fastest I ever managed for that distance. I ended the workout with a very mellow jog back to my place (another 1.2 miles.) The next day I definitely felt a surprising feeling in my legs...my quads are a little tight and have a slight sore feeling, which feels actually good...
Wednesday saw the second run on my trainings plan. An easy run of two miles at 8:54. Since I couldn't drag my behind out of bed early, and since my legs had a slight heaviness to them I decided to do the run on the treadmill at PG Belmont before my yoga class. Running on the treadmill is horrible though... even two miles seem to take ages...
Although the yoga class was not very hard I was completely shot afterwards. Perhaps because of the three climbs (10c) I did between running and yoga...
Tomorrow is definitely a rest day.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
I really should stop making plans!
Alright...all the nice ideas related to the trainings schedule in my last post are irrelevant...
I will spend the next three weeks in Carlsbad, NM... No climbing, probably limited running...
Perhaps a gym? (Depends if they sell weekly memberships or have trial memberships).
Update (approx. 1 hour after original post): Damn it I am going to climb a big wall this year!
And I will chip away from my tick-list!
I will spend the next three weeks in Carlsbad, NM... No climbing, probably limited running...
Perhaps a gym? (Depends if they sell weekly memberships or have trial memberships).
Update (approx. 1 hour after original post): Damn it I am going to climb a big wall this year!
And I will chip away from my tick-list!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Brutal!
Just got back from the gym, where I tried two new training methods I found online in one session...
Well, the one was bouldering, which was intended as a warm-up, the other a WOD posted here.
The bouldering followed a point system though. Before the workout one picks a number, say 20, and the climbs as many boulders until the V-ratings add up to the chosen number. So 20 V1's, 10 V2's, 6 V3's and 2 V2's, etc. pretty fun... and a nice way to quantify bouldering, which was always a problem for me... Too bad V0's don't count at all, neither do failed attempts.
It took me the better part of an hour to reach 15. Didn't manage to finish a single V3... Bummer!
The WOD was last week Wednesdays:
Finding the one-rep max for the bench press: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
followed be three rounds for time of:
Surprisingly that's not too far of my PR from way-back-when (I played football and was a fair bit heavier than I am now (198 vs. 180). So the goal is obvious...press body weight...without bulking up!!!
The three rounds were quite tough! I am glad my new roomie Albert joined me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished this one...Time: 21:59.
I hope I am not too sore tomorrow, when I'm meeting Ben for some climbing!
Well, the one was bouldering, which was intended as a warm-up, the other a WOD posted here.
The bouldering followed a point system though. Before the workout one picks a number, say 20, and the climbs as many boulders until the V-ratings add up to the chosen number. So 20 V1's, 10 V2's, 6 V3's and 2 V2's, etc. pretty fun... and a nice way to quantify bouldering, which was always a problem for me... Too bad V0's don't count at all, neither do failed attempts.
It took me the better part of an hour to reach 15. Didn't manage to finish a single V3... Bummer!
The WOD was last week Wednesdays:
Finding the one-rep max for the bench press: 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
followed be three rounds for time of:
- 500m row
- 15 bench press 95#
- 15 pull ups
Surprisingly that's not too far of my PR from way-back-when (I played football and was a fair bit heavier than I am now (198 vs. 180). So the goal is obvious...press body weight...without bulking up!!!
The three rounds were quite tough! I am glad my new roomie Albert joined me, otherwise I probably wouldn't have finished this one...Time: 21:59.
I hope I am not too sore tomorrow, when I'm meeting Ben for some climbing!
mid term planning
Alright, as announced in the last post I am going to sign up for a few races in the next months.
As a first I'll try to stick to a trainings plan...
The weekly plan looks roughly like this:
Mon: rest or climbing
Tue: Tempo-/Speedwork (PM)
Wed: easy run (AM)/ Yoga (PM)
Thu: climbing / crossfit
Fri: long run (AM)
Sat: rest or climbing (trip)
Sun: easy run /crossfit
Where easy runs are between 2 and 5 miles, so are right in the avenue I've been running anyway. Prefered places will be the SCT and campus loop, perhaps the Dish to throw in some hills...
Lately the idea of doing a bigwall seems appealing again as well. But before committing to that I'll have to sort out some other things...
As a first I'll try to stick to a trainings plan...
The weekly plan looks roughly like this:
Mon: rest or climbing
Tue: Tempo-/Speedwork (PM)
Wed: easy run (AM)/ Yoga (PM)
Thu: climbing / crossfit
Fri: long run (AM)
Sat: rest or climbing (trip)
Sun: easy run /crossfit
Where easy runs are between 2 and 5 miles, so are right in the avenue I've been running anyway. Prefered places will be the SCT and campus loop, perhaps the Dish to throw in some hills...
Lately the idea of doing a bigwall seems appealing again as well. But before committing to that I'll have to sort out some other things...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
gym ratings
Today I was climbing indoors here in Germany. In the beginning it was quite confusing, since all the routes are rated with UIAA grades, which range from 3 (doesn't probably 1, but the lowest I've ever seen is 3) to 12, which roughly corresponds to a 5.15a. Another very unusual feature of the gym was the height: The longest climbs there were over 70ft long. As a warm-up I hopped on a 5, which looked pretty reasonable. It turned out to be a good pick...After a few more climbs (up to 7) I got pretty tired and started to think about how these things would be rated in gyms back in the Bay Area...Since the holds and the route setting were quite different, I really couldn't tell.
Upon getting home I check a conversation table and was kind of shocked: the 5 corresponds to a 5.7, and 7 is a 10c. Before I left the US two weeks ago, I was climbing 11c's! But then everyone agrees that the PG ratings are too soft... and are in no relation to ratings outside. This made me think some more and it seemed about right...the 5 felt like a 5.7 outside, and the 7 like a 5.10 outside... I guess they got it right.
On other news: I've been running regularly last week, and I will sign up for a few races...basically the ones I listed here. I will swap the distances of the Aug. and Sep. races though. Last night I played around with some websites (mainly runnersworld.com), and came up with a trainings plan, which looks quite reasonable, and which leaves still enough time for climbing and even weekend trips.
I also realized, that I haven't climbed anything on my ticklist for the year! Time to start to work on that!
Upon getting home I check a conversation table and was kind of shocked: the 5 corresponds to a 5.7, and 7 is a 10c. Before I left the US two weeks ago, I was climbing 11c's! But then everyone agrees that the PG ratings are too soft... and are in no relation to ratings outside. This made me think some more and it seemed about right...the 5 felt like a 5.7 outside, and the 7 like a 5.10 outside... I guess they got it right.
On other news: I've been running regularly last week, and I will sign up for a few races...basically the ones I listed here. I will swap the distances of the Aug. and Sep. races though. Last night I played around with some websites (mainly runnersworld.com), and came up with a trainings plan, which looks quite reasonable, and which leaves still enough time for climbing and even weekend trips.
I also realized, that I haven't climbed anything on my ticklist for the year! Time to start to work on that!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
10 and a half hours...
... on a plane brought me back to Germany last Monday.
It has only been three months after I was out here, but I needed to get away from some things.
This led to the fact that I didn't do much during the last week besides watching the Tour de France, reading (the Bill Bowerman biography is AWESOME!), and thinking about the future... My Jul. 1st post had a quite optimistic feel to it, but unfortunately that changed a bit... I really need to figure out how to proceed from here.
I went on a few bike rides last week, nothing special though. If the weather stays stable I'll go for a run in the afternoon. For the weekend I am planning on getting some outdoor climbing in...
Between now and then I have a few appointments, which require some travel... So I will be on the road for a bit before I head back to the Bay Area next week.
It has only been three months after I was out here, but I needed to get away from some things.
This led to the fact that I didn't do much during the last week besides watching the Tour de France, reading (the Bill Bowerman biography is AWESOME!), and thinking about the future... My Jul. 1st post had a quite optimistic feel to it, but unfortunately that changed a bit... I really need to figure out how to proceed from here.
I went on a few bike rides last week, nothing special though. If the weather stays stable I'll go for a run in the afternoon. For the weekend I am planning on getting some outdoor climbing in...
Between now and then I have a few appointments, which require some travel... So I will be on the road for a bit before I head back to the Bay Area next week.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
My first WOD
Yay!
just got back from the gym, where I finished my first Workout of the Day on my own.
After warming up on a few boulders I went over to the fitness area, where I reviewed the deadlift technique. After a couple of exercises with a barbell only, I loaded up some weight. For the first weighted attempt I used 95 lbs. Which were no problem at all. I did the full WOD consisting of 5 rounds of 5 deadlifts and 10 burpees for time with 115 lbs. I finished in 8:18. When I do this workout the next time, I will definitely use more weight, but I felt more comfortable with the lighter load, doing this the first time without a trainer around. Felt good though...and took quite a bit out of me!
Off to the shower and the bookstore...
just got back from the gym, where I finished my first Workout of the Day on my own.
After warming up on a few boulders I went over to the fitness area, where I reviewed the deadlift technique. After a couple of exercises with a barbell only, I loaded up some weight. For the first weighted attempt I used 95 lbs. Which were no problem at all. I did the full WOD consisting of 5 rounds of 5 deadlifts and 10 burpees for time with 115 lbs. I finished in 8:18. When I do this workout the next time, I will definitely use more weight, but I felt more comfortable with the lighter load, doing this the first time without a trainer around. Felt good though...and took quite a bit out of me!
Off to the shower and the bookstore...
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Hetch Hetchy
This morning I woke up feeling not too great...
So we decided not to climb today, but to go to Hetch Hetchy instead, where neither Daniela nor I had been before. After a breakfast at the TM grill (the vibes in the parking lot in front of the grill in the morning are just fantastic!) we broke camp and headed out on HW 120. Originally we had planned to TR at the Western Front, but since we both slept pretty poorly (I had crazy dreams, and was def. missing a certain person), we decided to take it easy.
The drive along Evergreen Road is really beautiful: It leads through a mix of fir forest and meadows. Just after re-entering Yosemite NP one can see the reservoir in the distance, several thousand feet below. We parked near the dam, and hiked across it and through the tunnel towards Wamapa Falls. It's a easy 5 mile round trip hike past beautiful views. I'd definitely go back to do some backpacking in the area...
So we decided not to climb today, but to go to Hetch Hetchy instead, where neither Daniela nor I had been before. After a breakfast at the TM grill (the vibes in the parking lot in front of the grill in the morning are just fantastic!) we broke camp and headed out on HW 120. Originally we had planned to TR at the Western Front, but since we both slept pretty poorly (I had crazy dreams, and was def. missing a certain person), we decided to take it easy.
The drive along Evergreen Road is really beautiful: It leads through a mix of fir forest and meadows. Just after re-entering Yosemite NP one can see the reservoir in the distance, several thousand feet below. We parked near the dam, and hiked across it and through the tunnel towards Wamapa Falls. It's a easy 5 mile round trip hike past beautiful views. I'd definitely go back to do some backpacking in the area...
A clear moon-less night...
...With a view of millions of stars ended an awesome day at Tuolumne Meadows yesterday.
Daniela and I had left the Mountain View at 6:30 in the morning, and made good time to the Tuolumne Meadows campground, where I arrived just before 11am. Surprisingly we even managed to get a site there! After setting up camp, we drove over to Low Profile Dome to climb Golfer's Route. This climb used to be a my "nemisis" I had bailed off it twice, since it's quite run out. I figured it would be a good test of my mental state, since I hadn't climbed outside in almost three months. At points I was quite nervous, but it wasn't too bad. Daniela followed the climb nicely. It was only her 5th time climbing outdoors, and the first time on granite. Being back on the ground she said:"Ok, higher!" This left me with the questions where to next?
Our choice fell on Stately Pleasure Dome, where we wanted to to The Great White Book, but a party was just starting in front of us, since there was no one on West Country, so we hopped on that. I had a really good climb there! The crux on the second pitch was no problem at all. I actually ran that pitch out quite a bit...
The descent was hideous as usual.
After five pitches of climbing and 4 hours of driving, it was definitely time for dinner at the Mobil Station. YUM!
Back at the campsite around 7pm, we decided to watch the sunset from the Meadows with a beer. Tuolumne Meadows is my favorite place ever! The light last night was perfect! I will have a really hard time leaving this place!
Daniela and I had left the Mountain View at 6:30 in the morning, and made good time to the Tuolumne Meadows campground, where I arrived just before 11am. Surprisingly we even managed to get a site there! After setting up camp, we drove over to Low Profile Dome to climb Golfer's Route. This climb used to be a my "nemisis" I had bailed off it twice, since it's quite run out. I figured it would be a good test of my mental state, since I hadn't climbed outside in almost three months. At points I was quite nervous, but it wasn't too bad. Daniela followed the climb nicely. It was only her 5th time climbing outdoors, and the first time on granite. Being back on the ground she said:"Ok, higher!" This left me with the questions where to next?
Our choice fell on Stately Pleasure Dome, where we wanted to to The Great White Book, but a party was just starting in front of us, since there was no one on West Country, so we hopped on that. I had a really good climb there! The crux on the second pitch was no problem at all. I actually ran that pitch out quite a bit...
The descent was hideous as usual.
After five pitches of climbing and 4 hours of driving, it was definitely time for dinner at the Mobil Station. YUM!
Back at the campsite around 7pm, we decided to watch the sunset from the Meadows with a beer. Tuolumne Meadows is my favorite place ever! The light last night was perfect! I will have a really hard time leaving this place!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Wunderlich Park & Skyline
Today I went for a run at Wunderlich Park off of HW84. I hiked there a few days ago, and thought it would be a nice loop for a trail run... I started out on the Bear Gulch Trail, going up to The Meadows, from there I followed a wider trail downhill back to the parking lot. The loop was 4.4 miles, where the first half was constantly uphill. My diet during the last few days hasn't been that great (mostly potato chips :-(), and I haven't slept that much, so I didn't feel that great on the run.
On top of that I did the run at the hottest time of the day from approx. 12:45 to 1:30pm.
I will definitely go back though.
After completing the loop I drove up to Skyline Open Space Preserve and hung out and read for about an hour before I headed back home.
On top of that I did the run at the hottest time of the day from approx. 12:45 to 1:30pm.
I will definitely go back though.
After completing the loop I drove up to Skyline Open Space Preserve and hung out and read for about an hour before I headed back home.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
A good start...
...into the second half of the year!
Just came back from the climbing gym, where I had a rather good session.
I tried a new approach to things: start of with lead climbs right away, and then go to the hard top-ropes afterwards. This has several advantages:
All in all a nice workout! Tuolumne on Friday!!!
Just came back from the climbing gym, where I had a rather good session.
I tried a new approach to things: start of with lead climbs right away, and then go to the hard top-ropes afterwards. This has several advantages:
- I am still rested
- I am not used to a TR
- Since I lead on a lower level than I TR, I safe the 'easy' TRs for warming up.
All in all a nice workout! Tuolumne on Friday!!!
Half a year...gone
If anyone actually reads this blog, people might have asked themselves what happened to me during the last few months. I had all these ambitious plans...Washington Coloumn, Half Dome, Mt. Shasta. I've been raving about going to Tuolumne since late April, but haven't been yet... So what's wrong?
I guess where it all started was the unexpected trip to Germany for my grandmothers funeral. From there it all went downhill. My relationship started falling apart, my motivation at work took a nose dive. On the weekends I felt just drained...Mostly because of my relationship issues. There were days (and not only on weekends) when I watched ten or more episodes of 'House'. And I am not even a big fan of TV!
Well all that ended today I guess...No more relationship issues...Although I really thought that Wendy was THE ONE...but it seems as if I have been holding on to an idea I had of us from earlier. The reality had become very different from that though, being far from a supportive relationship.
So the first half, or at least the second quarter (after a promising startin January and February) of 2008 was definitely worse than last year, although I never though that that would be possible.
But hey, today is the start of the second half of the year... It's my B-day in two days...
Onward & upward!
I guess where it all started was the unexpected trip to Germany for my grandmothers funeral. From there it all went downhill. My relationship started falling apart, my motivation at work took a nose dive. On the weekends I felt just drained...Mostly because of my relationship issues. There were days (and not only on weekends) when I watched ten or more episodes of 'House'. And I am not even a big fan of TV!
Well all that ended today I guess...No more relationship issues...Although I really thought that Wendy was THE ONE...but it seems as if I have been holding on to an idea I had of us from earlier. The reality had become very different from that though, being far from a supportive relationship.
So the first half, or at least the second quarter (after a promising startin January and February) of 2008 was definitely worse than last year, although I never though that that would be possible.
But hey, today is the start of the second half of the year... It's my B-day in two days...
Onward & upward!
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