Regular as clockwork

Biking: 13km a day minimum
Climbing: pretty consistent on the grade 14s
Swimming: 1600m each Sunday.

Next challenge is to get a gym session in with the biking to work. Hmm, getting up with the first alarm & going before work, or going after work & then having to bike home afterwards?

Nearly there

So, I've cycled two days this week, can I make it to my semi-goal of 3? I'll report back tomorrow. Also had the first day back at the climbing gym - not too bad. Attempted 4, completed 2, got 2/3 of the way up the other 2 & probably would have completed the final one, but C came over all dizzy while belaying & P had to take over, while I hung off the wall. The arms were a bit tired after that & I missed a few holds. Oh well, next time.

Weekend activities

Saturday
Activity: climbing

Sunday
Activity: swim
Distance: 1200m
Time: 30min

Climbing felt great - some longer climbs, managed to complete them too. Swimming was a bit of a let-down. Just tough.

How far behind am I this time?

Thursday
Activity: climbing

Sunday
Activity: swimming
Distance: 1300m
Time: 35min

Monday
Activity: spin bike
Time: 35min

Lazy weekend, but a few activities in there. Even bought myself a chalk bag so that I'm not the only one of us who has to borrow one! Tried the gym at Centennial - very busy, jumped on the spin bike 'cos that was the only machine free. Would be a good place to do a weights circuit, I think, but there's no arc trainers and the treadmills & ellipticals are really popular. Even the Stairmasters were full. And parking's free after 5pm :)

Win, lose, come out even.

Monday
Activity: run
Distance: 2.5km
Time: 25min

Thursday
Activity: climb

Yeah, a bit slack about logging the run on Monday. It wasn't the best one, so I wanted to put it behind me. The mornings are dark, so I haven't been cycling, but I do need to get back into it. The afternoons/evenings have been warm, so running after work feels kind of sluggish.

Climbing tonight felt really good, I completed a 15 & a 16, tried a 17 but didn't quite succeed. I got a couple of sequences, but had to use some other holds in between. We think we're plateauing a bit - possibly we need a jolt, like an intensive course or a change of location (thinking the Roxx).

In joyful news: Ramona Quimby in movie format!

Go girls!

Activity: rock climbing

So only 2 climbs each tonight, but we did all complete 1 long & 1 short climb. Even if my long one was only a grade 12 (my old favourite red one, which has been changed about & naturally now has a tricky bit about 3/4 of the way up). With the cramp still in my legs from yesterday's running, I'm feeling it all over now. Funny how aches & pains can feel good.

Slacker

Saturday & Sunday
Activity: cycling
Distance: 27.5km
Time: 1hr 10min

I managed to lose my stuff of my bike on the 20km ride on Saturday, but got it all back. The bike's currently in the shop, getting a new chain & rear sprocket cassette. Guess I've done a fair distance on it, that's OK!

Climbing on Monday was good, I arrived late but managed a couple of grade 15-16 climbs. Otherwise I've been pretty slack with the tri training. It's week 2 & I'm yet to start running.

Feeling the effects

Activity: cycle
Distance: 10km
Time: 30min

Activity: climbing

Adding in the 8.5km I did on Friday on the bike, I'm now only 18km behind J in the Bike Wise Challenge. I'm planning on adding 5-10km to my commute each day by biking round the park in addition to the standard distance, just to make sure I overtake her!

Climbing went well - the regular cycling has obviously helped, as well as the swimming with my arm strength. P & I stuck to one rope which had 3 good climbs, one each of grades 15, 16 and 17. I did the 15 and 2x the 16, P did each once. We weren't perfect, but we got there & felt pretty good about it. Onwards & upwards.

Too much weight, not enough power

Activity: climb

Time: 1hr

I think I lost my groove a bit during our break (which doesn't bode well for our enforced Xmas break while the climbing wall is closed). I'm having trouble doing any moves which involve shifting my centre of gravity laterally & not having my feet right under me. Hopefully some strength work will help convince my mind that I can actually hang on while I move my feet!

Step 2

Tuesday

Activity: climbing

The trouble with not climbing for about a month is that the staff have plenty of time to reset the routes - all our favourites had gone! We managed 3 climbs each, which is standard, but they were all on the short walls, so we were done in about 1 hour. Not too bad though. 1 more week before the wall closes for Xmas, then C will probably drag me out for some day tramps. I was silly enough to express interest, so I can't really complain too much.

Buggered

Monday

Activity: climbing

Just C & me this week, but it was a good one. The climbing room's getting warm up at the top! I finished the night off with a couple of hours of gardening with D & her mum, then did the inside of the house tonight after Guides. Hopefully we pass this inspection first go, then it's the home straight to the final inspection after moving out in January! I think this is the first time ever that I'm actually looking forward to moving. Take that Jannu Rentals, you've managed to motivate the slackest house mover in the world.

Come back mojo!

Activity: swim

Distance: 500m

Pain: about an 8

Wednesday

Activity: climbing

Pain: about a 5, more annoying than painful

Injuries - gotta love them. Nothing amazing, I slept on my shoulder funny on the weekend, and now I have the mother of all neck cricks. I've tried rest, I've tried exercise, I've tried massage. All solutions appear to be temporary.

The reason for the pain measures is that the shoulder pretty much stopped me from achieving what I wanted to this week. Nothing like getting halfway up a wall & realising that if you put your arm above your head, you have no grip strength. Or almost crying inside your goggles from the pain of pulling your arm through the water. I think I might need some professional help on this one. I just feel so stupid for injuring myself in my sleep :)

Meh. To it all.

Thursday

Activity: cycling

Distance: 31km

Time: 1hr 30min

Activity: climbing

Looks like I'll be getting a car next week (fingers crossed). I know it's good for me, but this biking for transport thing is getting old quickly. Especially doing the flat shop on the bike.

We seem to be plateauing a bit at climbing - sticking around the 16 mark, not quite able to complete all 16s or move up to 17s. I think it's a combination of not quite knowing what we're doing technically, and not having the muscle conditioning to manage the technical stuff. Still, with work those should both come along nicely. It'll just take more concentration.

The next best thing

OK, so I was lazy & didn't bike to work today. And then I got distracted & was too late to bike to climbing. But I went to climbing & completed a few climbs and had a good time. Pip & I have worked out that we are at the point where grade 16 climbs are almost easy, but we're not quite strong/skilled enough for grade 17 climbs. Frustrating, but with work we should get there.

And I'm still sore from Sunday. So I shall let the genius of Stephen Fry & the gorgeousness of the manakin bird distract me:

Ow

Thursday

Activity: climbing

Sunday

Activity: run

Time: 22min

Distance: 2.5km

Does it count that after my car got rear-ended last weekend, I felt like I'd been climbing? Whiplash sucks. So does shopping for a new car when you realise that you got a really sweet deal on the previous one, and even though insurance is paying out the full agreed value, it's nowhere near enough to get a car of the quality you had. :( Roll on payday, scrimp & save for a week or two & get a nice car. And don't let some noob in his 40s on a Restricted licence crash into you.

Oh well, must go to sleep as I fully intend to bike tomorrow, but really need to get up with the first alarm in order to do so.

Setback again

Well, another week off due to illness. Having now had strep throat, I do not wish it on anyone (and apparently it was a "light" case!).

Thursday

Activity: climbing

Comments? It felt kinda like starting again. Not only had I lost some ability/strength, I'd lost some confidence too. Things like being able to trust your footholds really matter when you're on an awkward rope and falling off will result in you losing so much height and swinging out straight into the belayer's head!

Last night I biked to L & C's flat in the city and we + P went to see Scribe & P-Money. It was fun - lots of dancing - but not a lot of people. A few more & it would have been really pumping.

It'll come to me

Activity: oh, so many

The weekend up at Temple Basin was fantastic - excellent snow & a great party. On Monday I traded my sore & tired legs for aching arms & shoulders following several good climbs.

On a downer, Mum's managed to put an end to her ski season by falling on windcrust at Mt Hutt on Friday, resulting in a cracked pelvis and a chipped humerus, at the shoulder. She had surgery today to reattach the bone chip. She'll be in a sling for about 6 weeks, no skiing, no swimming, no gardening.

Pain vs reward

Wednesday

Activity: bike

Distance: 16km

Time: 50min

Thursday

Activity: bike + climbing

Distance: 16km

Time: 50min

Specifically, the pain of getting back on a bike after several weeks off. No amount of padding in the shorts can make up for just sitting there & toughing it out!

Ah well, another bike ride to work tomorrow, then two days up at Temple Basin this weekend, then another night climbing on Monday. I'm almost an active person.

Lacking the crucial part...

...motivation. Not to do the exercise, strangely enough, but to write about it.

I've recovered (mostly) from my cold, so this last week has been pretty light on the exercise. Swim with mum (short, but with aqua jogging on the end), short run during the week & lots of walks during lunchbreaks.

Climbing went well, with C in Aussie we were down to two, which is always tough on the arms, so P brought her husband along. He proceeded to show us up on every climb we did, using brute strength. Infuriating, but challenging.

I went skiing with Mum & Dad yesterday, and I'm still paying for it. The snow was great, and the crowds very well managed. Lift lines were just long enough to give a good rest! My legs gave out just after 3, which was a pretty good day.

On a different note, I spotted this toy phone in one of those cheap junk stores in the mall, and it made me laugh so hard I had to spend the $2 to get one & take some photos. I suspect I'll give it away to the Girl Guides, along with some more Barrels of Slime.

Slow going

Activity: run

Time: 22 min

Distance: 2.9 km

I think I need to plan out my running routes a bit better - I don't like crossing roads too often, so I tend to go around a large block. Unfortunately, this results in my usual route being about 2.3km, and I can do it in less than 20 min. If I'm looking to extend myself, my options seem to be limited to repeating part or all of the route, which I don't enjoy as much.

I guess the main problem is that I tend to just decide to go for a run & head on out before I change my mind, so there's not a lot of forward planning involved.

On a different note, my bruise from climbing last week is still pretty impressive!

I was chatting with D about the size of actresses on tv - we both feel like people are getting noticeably thinner. We remember a big fuss a few years ago about people's body size & how they were poor role models, but even then, they were still healthy/average size, if at the small end of the scale. Now, trying to find someone who doesn't have jutting shoulder blades or tiny arms is a challenge. People who were causing the problems a few years ago now look positively enormous next to their castmates.

The effect is pretty depressing to people who have doubts and worries about their body image already.