Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Reverse Brick

Progress. Slowly. Something of a reverse brick, today. Started with 300 single-under jump ropes. Added banded stretching for The Worst Hamstrings in MS. Ran inside for 2 miles @ 18:24. And hopped on the trainer for 18 miles @ 42:20. Happy with that, despite being inside. Wrapped up with half an hour in the sauna and 15 minutes in the cold dip.

The Knee Recover is on day 32. Feeling better. Less wonky. With the cyst gone, there is an unknown time frame for all the mechanisms in my knee to return to their normal position and function, In the meanwhile, just gotta keep picking up the pace and prep'ing for 2016. Gonna be VERY hard to do better than last year. It can be done. But it won't be easy. Then again, when has EASY ever been a part of Your Humble Narrator's agenda?

Monday, January 11, 2016

Warming Up

The cycles take decades. Sometimes.But everything comes around again. Check the picture. Guy in Green? Your Humble Narrator. Teaching yoga poses to a bunch of avid Crossfitters. 

Creating space. Lengthen. Reach, up. Palms ascending. Stretch. Present your chest. Outward. Breathe in. First from the diaphragm. To the top of the lungs. Get long. Exhale the old stress. Inhale the new intentions. 

Not sure if they're ready for advanced backbends, but we'll see how far these folks want to go down the rabbit hole. Yoga's always trendy!

Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Racing Thoughts

Woke up tired. Couldn't sleep. Stupid brain. Wouldn't turn off. Filled to the brim with racing thoughts. Would-be plans for upcoming adventures. Incessant concerns about the plausibility of achieving my goals. Uncertainty. Doubt. So much easier to do things the same way for another 20 plus years. Just accept my role and take the safe path into eventual silence.

Have to try, regardless. Failed before. May fail again. But at the end of this mortal journey, there will be no regrets. My life will have been a long series of: tried it. Rather than a disappointing tale of:never dared to take the risk. 

At least that's the plan...

Tuesday, January 05, 2016

On The Run

Twenty five days after clearing up a few issues with my right knee. Ventured to the gym. First serious attempt at going any significant distance on the knee. Wanted a 30min 5k. Ended up with 31:26. And that was a not so easy effort. Significant sweating and panting involved. But, got it done. And felt some degree of pride in returning real training.

After that, tried a little MetCon. Some push press and chin-up action. But was already gassed Barely finished half of it. Pretty stupid of me to have tried. Far too aggressive. And, lesson learned.
Followed with a half hour of torture in the sauna then a quarter hour in the cold dip. Therapy far easier these days than training. But one step at a time. And I'm on the run again.

Monday, January 04, 2016

First Jam

Monday. Work sinks its teeth into soft soft neckmeat. Temperatures drop. Forecasts say: Nearly freezing by morning. Ran my first mile since The Knee was "fixed." Didn't suck. Quick workout: 100/50, 80/40, 60/30, 40/20 on jumps/situps. Couple of weighted Good Mornings. Helped coach a large class of sweaty Argonauts. The Bride is nearly delusional with fever after her third day of The Crud. And like rude, neo-urban ninjas, Your Humble Narrator & Son are off to Irish Coast Pub for the first jam session of 2016.

Lo and behold, Kidd Maestro leads off the very first song! Diggs joins on the drums. Then Zach tickles his keyboards and crafts some vocals. Just the three of them, with Liam at the helm of the FunkBoat. Few things can exceed the beauty awe of witnessing one of your children unleash their natural talents upon the world.

Despite the long hours and frequent shortages of appreciation for my efforts, in this life, my blessings are numerous. They shall be enjoyed while they last. Until there is silence.

Sunday, January 03, 2016

Under Pressure

 A pressure cooker appeared under our tree. Experimental kitchenware. Courtesy of the Jolly Ol Fat Man Himself. The Bride didn't trust it. Thought it would explode. Wanted to send it back. To the North Pole. Your Humble Narrator, however, saw his opportunity to shine!

Grass fed, bone-in shoulder roast from Country Girl's Creamery. Some giant carrots. Purple sweet potatoes (yes, PURPLE!) And an onion from the Biloxi's Farmer's Market. Seared the meat in some coconut oil. Kids pealed cut up the veggies. And away we went! Of course, being the maiden voyage, it didn't go eeeexxxxacctly right the first try. Meaning SOMEBODY only set the timer, and neglected to pressurize Ye Ol Beast. But we got past that without pointing any fingers and it didn't take long before everything was firing on all cylinders.  And THEN away we went...

Normally, when a fine fine McDougal Roast is crafted, it spends eight hours in the crockpot. On this glorious day, the total cooking time was a mere forty minutes. Roughly 10% of the normal endeavor! And it came out every bit as succulent and tasty as the traditional method. Actually, we should have cooked the meat for the first 10 minutes, by itself, and then added the veggies for 30 minutes. The carrots and onions were SUPER tender, but the poor sweet potatoes ended up as mashed potatoes.

The Bride cobbled together some bacon & green beans as well as a batch of rice. Mom brought Dad and a carrot cake. And we all feasted.

Wonderful contraction, this new pressure cooker. New recipes must be discovered! And we're all happy nothing exploded. Except our taste buds. And there're more to come.

Saturday, January 02, 2016

Post Polar Bear Plunge

Mobility, warm-up, and strength training in the morning. Followed with some grooming of entirely-too-long nails. Treats for an ailing bride. Took the kids by GameStop for some new hotness. And then the rest of the day was spent working on coaching-related materials. So much to do, but it is slowly coming together, one piece at a time. All new. But all exciting. Hoping 2016 will be a break-out year for Your Humble Narrator. If not, there's always a return to being a pudgy master of ancient geekery.

Friday, January 01, 2016

A Busy 2016


Started off a busy year with a busy day. Despite the weather and a terrible mood. drove by Long Beach to visit my Grandparents. Weird tangle of emotions visiting them "together," for the first time nearly a decade. Today would have marked 96 years for G'Pa. And G'Ma crossed over exactly a year ago. Brought flowers. Couldn't breathe for a while. Finally put them on his grave. Something bothered me about marking her passing with flowers. Next year, one for each of them!

Skipped lunch, picked up Kidd Maestro and headed to our local 3rd Annual Polar Bear Plunge. Couple of dozen folks: Luke, Jack, Onnie, Lisa, Dean, and Rachel, to name a few. Air temperatures in the high 40s. Water temperature in the low 60s. Actually warmer than last year. And good to have a Sherpa with me for a change. Video below as proof of my stupidity.

Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch at The Dock (good sammiches but the water tasted like melted plastic) then went to see a 3D viewing of Star Wars. Better character development than I thought. Less campy. Great special effects but not overwhelming. Couple of loop holes that bothered me, but it was a good start. It pleased more folks than it disappointed, and that has to count as something. 

And here's hoping the rest of the year is as fulfilling!