Again with the breathing

I only have fifteen minutes before I have to shut down my mockputer, so this post is going to likely be a tad Jotty McJottersen.

• I went running yesterday afternoon and had to stop 2/3 of the way back from McCarren Park to the Billyburg bridge because my nostrils hurt. At first I thought this was a function of 76 degree weather, pollen, and the fact that it was around five. "Morning runs!" I thought.
• But then I noticed my nostrils feeling prickly and sensitive this morning, 3/4 of the way towards McCarren Park from the Billyburg. I had to stop again. "Holy crap," I realized. Pollution.

Yup, the building orgasm going on in Billyburg right now is spewing lots of dust and man-made nano-building-materials directly into my lung-holes, and it hurts, and makes it hard to breathe, and that makes me hit the pause button on my workout, which makes me angry about the environment, and makes me wish for congestion pricing.

I'm also thinking about how we as a society, as industrials, what-have-you, optimize our systems for a given equation with certain variables. Then, over time, we realize, "Oh snap. I didn't realize about these variables over here." Such as: nostrils that hurt. (What is this, Ciudad de Mexico?!?) So, 2.0, we tweak the equations (ideally).

This is related to a smoothie I made after my run. I'll post that on Foodums.com.

I like to breathe

Lesson learned from my run this afternoon: NYC air with a lot of particulates in it hurts my nose and makes me hit the "pause workout" button with a quickness.

Yet another data point in support of morning runs.

Garmin, you sad little thing, you

I've been running like a non-calibrated maniac as of late with my iPodplus (I loathe Nike and intend to avoid acknowledging its association with this product as much as possible) but have finally been re-issued a PC raptop at the office.

So, I tried to install the Garmin, since it's supposed to work and all.

The stick can't find my associated watch. Still searching for devices, it says.

Lesson learned: technology devices that are not optimized for Macs are technology devices that ride the short bus.

(I can say that. I used to ride the short bus.)

I've got the runs

I went for a run on Monday afternoon and just cranked a quick one out today. I caved and after seeing a demo of its power went ahead and got the Nike footpod thing for the ippid nanner. So, if you'd like to see for yourself just how stop-and-start-and-stop-and-start I am as a runner, my username is xoxoANP on nikeplus. Not sure how to link directly to my profile and/or if that's even an option, else I'd link directly.

I have more thoughts regarding sprinting vs. marathoning that perhaps I'll crank out later, but for now I am enjoying my new Mac OS interface and trying to figure out what I can delete from my startup disk to make it less full.

My startup disk just threw up a little bit into my recycle bin.

NYSC weekend yoga classes

Rest assured, I have not simply spent the past six weeks fuming about my Garmin. I've gone running a few times over the Billyburg bridge and back, to Union Square and back, etc. I've even tried out the moonlight yoga sequences on a Shiva Rea DVD I purchased while at The Standard-Miami. Also went swimming a couple of Saturdays ago.

But, have been working 12 hour days (blech) so am only down to, on average, one workout a week. Am trying to get in some hot yoga action this weekend. Here's a list of all NYSC weekend yoga classes, filtered to get some pilates and "reservation required" classes out. If you paste into a word .doc with 1" margins at Lucida Grande font 10, this prints out one page.

Saturday 09:00AM 62nd & Broadway Power Yoga Studio 2
Saturday 09:00AM Mercer Street Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 09:00AM 16th & 8th Power Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 09:15AM 34th & Park Club Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 09:15AM 76th & 1st Vinyasa Yoga Studio Annex
Saturday 09:30AM Varick Street Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 10:30AM 51st & Lexington Kundalini Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 10:30AM 14th & 5th - Union Square Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 10:30AM Battery Park City Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 11:30AM 73rd & Central Park West Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 11:30AM 115th & 5th Power Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 11:30AM Irving Place Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 11:30AM 59th & Park Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 11:30AM 36th & Madison Astanga Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 12:00PM 94th & Broadway Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 12:00PM 23rd & 8th Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 12:30PM 36th & Madison Power Yoga Studio 2
Saturday 12:30PM 16th & 8th Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 12:30PM Tribeca at Reade Street Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 01:00PM Mercer Street Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 01:45PM Broadway & Spring - SoHo Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 03:00PM 73rd & Central Park West Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 04:00PM 91st & 3rd Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Saturday 06:00PM 94th & Broadway Club Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 08:00AM 86th & Lexington Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 09:00AM Mercer Street Yoga Sculpt Studio 1
Sunday 09:30AM 16th & 8th Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 09:30AM 14th & 5th - Union Square Hatha Yoga Studio 2
Sunday 09:30AM 73rd & Central Park West Astanga Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 10:00AM 23rd & 8th Power Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 10:00AM Broadway & Spring - SoHo Kundalini Yoga Studio 2
Sunday 10:15AM 23rd & Park Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 10:30AM 14th & 5th - Union Square Pilates-Based Mat Studio 2
Sunday 10:30AM 7th Avenue at 10th Street Hatha Yoga Studio 2
Sunday 11:00AM Mercer Street Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 11:30AM * Irving Place Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 11:30AM 41st & 3rd Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 11:45AM 34th & Park Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:00PM 125th Street - Harlem USA Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:00PM Tribeca at Reade Street Kundalini Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:00PM * 94th & Broadway Pilates-Based Mat Studio 1
Sunday 12:00PM 36th & Madison Power Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:15PM 76th & 1st Vinyasa Yoga Studio Annex
Sunday 12:30PM 23rd & 8th Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:30PM Mercer Street Pilates-Based Mat Studio 1
Sunday 12:30PM 14th & 5th - Union Square Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 12:30PM 91st & 3rd Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 01:00PM * 76th & Broadway Pilates-Based Mat Studio 1
Sunday 01:30PM 91st & 3rd Meditation Studio 2
Sunday 04:00PM * 80th & Broadway Pilates-Based Mat Studio 2
Sunday 05:00PM 34th & Park Vinyasa Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 05:00PM * 80th & Broadway Hatha Yoga Studio 2
Sunday 05:00PM Tribeca at Reade Street Hatha Yoga Studio 1
Sunday 05:00PM 23rd & Park Pilates-Based Mat Studio 1
Sunday 06:00PM 86th & Lexington Kundalini Yoga Studio 2

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Garmin Forerunner 50

I am so worked up right now at my stupid Garmin Forerunner 50, which I just dropped $107 on plus another $125 for the footpod. I've spent the past two stupid hours trying to get this stupid shit connected to my MacBook which, according to their stupid file-way-too-large sitelet is supposed to be stupid easy. Then come to find that I can't even use the stupid connect website since it's not Mac compatible. Which is stupid. What kind of fitness enthusiast uses a damned PC anyway? And who the f--- are these Garmin ignorami who can't make their instruction manual and help files more, gee, I don't know, helpful?

If I pay for a product whose sole purpose it to easily download workout info to my computer, then it better be f---'in easy for me to DOWNLOAD WORKOUT INFO TO MY COMPUTER.

I've been deep in computers for the past TWENTY FIVE YEARS, have ALREADY OWNED A HEART RATE MONITOR FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS, and HAVE NEVER MET SOFTWARE I COULD NOT INSTALL CORRECTLY.

F--- you, Garmin.

Oh, I went for a run today. I WOULD TELL YOU MORE ABOUT SAID RUN BUT I CAN'T GET MY F---'ING WATCH TO TALK TO MY MACBOOK.

Recap: this week's workouts

Sunday 3/2:

Walked from my apartment on the Lower East Side over to Soho, around Soho, and then to the Angelika Film Center to watch The Counterfeiters (just okay). 1.2 miles, give or take.

Thursday 3/6:

Basketball game. We had six players and no point guard until about 7 minutes into the first half. I was 0 for 97 from the field. I definitely need to hit an open gym or just practice my outside shot for about seventeen hours straight.

We lost, but by less points than the previous time this team beat us. However, no angry fight with them at the end of the game, and the ref was less egregious than before. So, that's something.

Friday 3/7:

Clubbing. Dancing for a good 2+ hours straight to Benny Benassi. I remember the days when I'd club until 7 a.m. and pack Icy Hot. Ah, to be in one's twenties ...

To do list:

• I'm trying to make my own version of lightly flavored, gently sucre'd post-yoga water in order to put all these plastic bottles roaming around my apartment to use and save on Vitamin Water. Test recipe at Foodums.com.
• Need to upgrade my running system and get new sneaks, decide on whether I am going to run with socks or run barefoot (need to get advice of my former basketball teammate Erica, who is now a manager at Jackrabbit Sports on 14th street), and get the Garmin GPS heart rate monitor Awesome Machine. Why do I feel like triathlons are in my future?
• Prep for yet another Miami trip. This one's a week and I'm staying the weekend. Considering packing my snork gear. (Why not?)

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(That is a glow stick.)

Tai chi & yoga

February's activities included Feb Club for Old People,



Beach Vacation for Old People,



and, after yoga and tai chi at the Sonesta Coconut Grove (Miami) on Thursday evening, yoga & tai chi for old people. Let's just say that yoga in NYC is a very different beast.

(Quoth my friend Adrian, who lives in LA now: "Every day in New York is a war.")

I followed it up with some hot tubbing and cold dipping and rooftop pool swimming.

c________

Treadmill

On Tuesday the 26th I was supposed to lift but I don't like the kind of body I get while lifting. Plus, at an alumni event on Monday night, I spoke with two fellow crew alumna (a few years older than me) and they agreed that the kind of body you get when training for Div I sports is not exactly the kind of body you want as, say, a civilian. So I'm redlining lifting from my workout routines as a general rule.

Instead I tried the treadmill for the first time ever and must say I really liked it. I never know how fast to run so the quantifying of my mile split was important for me. I also tried running without socks which I also liked.

In sum, I think I am definitely going to pony up for the Garvin GPS workout tracker that my basketball teammate Lisa suggested, buy some new running shoes, and let this gradual increase in my physical activity go ahead and take root.

• 2 miles on the treadmill at a 9:20 mile split
• 2 intervals on erg (1 minute on, 1:30 off @ resistance = 4)
• 1 set of 8 on the lat pulldowns @ 90 lbs (couldn't resist)
• Sauna

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Walkin'

I got off the wrong subway stop uptown on my way to meet my date for the Yale - Columbia basketball game last night, and ended up walking a couple of miles around Harlem.

Luckily I was in my collegiate prep outfit which consisted of my soon-to-be-retired running shoes and my orthotics.

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Workout recap

Was in Aruba the past week sans Interwebz so here's a roundup of my recent workouts:

• Tuesday 2/12: 7:45 p.m. hoops game. I think we won. I definitely scored some points.
• Friday 2/15: Got a lot of swimming done in Aruba. It counts. My heart rate was up there. Although I definitely like the strokes that involve lying on your back better. My friend Rachel commented that my swimming is stronger and more confident this year, which we attributed in part to the swim class I took at Baruch this past fall. Even though I only made it to three classes I have to agree.
• Saturday 2/16: Went for a run on the beach for half an hour at sunset. It was sprinkling rain which felt super-nice. Must admit that the sprinting and lifting have made me thicker which I do not like, so I guess it's back to yoga and distance runs. Oh, vanity. I wonder if there's an exercise I can do that only makes the hindparts get big? I miss my sprinter booty.
• Sunday 2/17: 4 1/2 hour brunch / snorkel cruise. Ton of snorkeling in. Fishies are adorbz!
• Monday 2/18: Lots of swimming, including some snorkeling. I like feeling the burn in my thighs when I powersnork.
• Tuesday 2/19: More swimming. Burnt my back while I was at it, in an unenlightened move that involved no suntan lotion. DUH.

That's it. I'm in the market for a device that tracks distance run as well as heart rate, perhaps with an iPod synch, and also in the market for new running shoes. Am considering doing the corporate challenge in mid-June.

Looking forward to a run next Thursday while I'm in Miami for work.

\\____//

I have no idea what that is. I tried to make a snorkel fin. FAIL

\\____//

Lifting

I have an early flight to Chicago tomorrow morning, so I decided not to go to the annual crew alumni dinner tonight. However, I did get in a lifting workout. I based it on a workout that apparently I did while still working at The Bank.

There were a few exercises that I've never really liked, and I know myself well enough to know that I hate distance cardio. So, I said, you know what, I'm just going to do sprint pieces on the erg today.

I didn't give myself enough rest time, though, and combined with doing 20 reps this time, the lactic acid was killing me softly. But, I'm feeling good that this'll be the right approach for me. Sprint intervals, low weight high reps = cut and not puffy. TBD.

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• Erg, resistance 4, 3 sets of 50 seconds on / 50 seconds off
• 221 meters @ 36 spm
• 224 meters @ 36 spm
• 223 meters @ 38 spm
• Stretch
• Lat pulldowns, 3 sets of 20 reps at 50 lbs. This was very manageable and assuming my lats aren't sore tomorrow, maybe I'll bump up the weight.
• Bicep curls, 3 sets of 20 reps at 10 lbs. This was the right weight.
• Erg, resistance 8, 4 sets of 2:48 on / 1:12 off
• 708 m @ 34
  
• 675 m @ 33
• 663 m @ 34
• 665 m @ 34
• 5 minutes easy on erg, cooldown
• Stretch

Good music definitely helps keep the stroke rating up. I think I am going to rest more though. Hafta remember that sprinting workouts are a different beast and the on / off ratio has to change accordingly.

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Vinyasa yoga

For the first time in four months, I went to a yoga class today. 90 minutes. My favorite instructor wasn't there but I liked her replacement.

I love yoga. I remember how afraid I was of yoga before trying it, and how much of yoga -- and life -- is squaring your shoulders to your fears and posting up strong.

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Walkin'

• Walked 18 blocks in 4" heels
• Did two real deal pushups with some contraption that involves rotating your wrists.

In other news, am looking forward to watching Rolling on PBS tonight. My sister uses a wheelchair when she has to walk more than a block, and my brother-in-law uses a wheelchair. Suddenly while blogging this I remember my older sister commenting that she needed to join a gym to lose some of the weight she's put on as a side effect of her medicine.
I remember feeling very protective of her in that moment. I didn't want the people in the gym to look at her and stare. (People always look and stare.)

I hate it when people look at her and stare. That's my sister, I think. Stop.

Hoops game

Basketball game tonight. We had 9 players on a court that was really small and didn't have a three point line, which sucks on a number of levels:

• My best game is a running game. I'm crazy quick on the court and it's the fast breaks and the full court press that differentiate me.
• Our team plays better when we're a little bit exhausted. Hard to get exhausted with a deep bench and a short court.
• We have a number of guards that can sink threes, but it's difficult to know where to stand without that line.

We should have gone full court man from the beginning of the game, which is what I suggested, but whatever.

Games like this make me wish for a good game of street ball with the boys.

We lost by one point.

Curiously, a guard for the other team was Yale '07. She, however, will not be attending Feb Club on Friday.

(_)

Basketball game

Had a basketball game on Thursday night. We won!

We also had a ringer play with us, a friend of a friend. She was incredible on the court, very inspirational in her approach to the play. I recently read something in an article about the "dumb blonde" stereotype:

And if we think we’re surrounded by the not-so-intelligent . . . .”There’s a decrease in performance after an unobtrusive exposure to a stereotype about people who have the reputation to be cognitively impaired,”

I think this can also be said for sports (and Scrabulous). You slack off a bit when your opponent's not on your level. You do not play on the balls of your feet.

Well, this ringer, allegedly a woman who has seen NCAA Tournament Play time and plays ball 2x a week, encouraged us to keep up a quick game even though they had no bench and we were winning. And you know what? It felt good.

I also begged her for workout tips after the game because she's built the way I wish I were built. The genes I was dealt will certainly limit me, but she shared her approach:

As far as workout regimen – funny because I had been lifting more lately and I’ve had some guy friends tell me I was looking so much thicker…soooo, I stopped that. I work out a lot - I am a bit all over the place with what I do, but I like it that way. I usually play basketball 1-2 times/week, practice yoga 2 times per week, lift weights 2 times per week, and run on a treadmill 2 times per wk (not more than 20 minutes tho, as I’m prone to stress fractures). Obviously there is crossover there, where I usually lift/treadmill on same day.

Yoga is the thing that made me longer and leaner.

I definitely noticed the same shift in my body when I was actively doing yoga. Yet another reason to get back on the yoga kick.

I also spoke with a trainer last night about lifting, and he encouraged me to do at least 15 reps. Which would mean lowering my weight. So fine.

I wonder if I could stick with the high weight / low reps for my gluteus MAXXXXimus, though ...

Lifting day

I lifted today, satisfying my 2008 mission to lift once a week.

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1. Consider doing the 6:30 full body conditioning class but, upon putting on bright orange 3" shorts that were slightly see-through (eek!) and totally embarrassing (particularly with black ankle socks) (I hate black socks) (I need to do laundry), and since I'm dressed by 6:00, try to warm up on erg but some dude's already there. Stretch instead.
2. 1x8x80, 1x8x90, 1x8x80 lat pulldowns with 15 seconds of walking / arm stretches in between sets
3. 3x8x90 squats
4. 1x8x70, 1x7x70, 1x5x70 leg curls. This machine confuses me. I need to find my old workout notes because, well. I'm confused. I used to kill these. Maybe the squats made my butt sleepy.
   
5. 1x24x20 bicep curls, middle 8 on tip toes.
6. 3:00 on 1:58 split 35 spm, 2 off erg.
7. Stretch
8. Steam and shower. Sauna is worthless at the Soho NYSC.
9. 12 ounces of shake thing once I got home.
   

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Seeing this picture of me
in my crazy costume
at my 31st birthday party
gave me pause

Thoughts:

1. My body looks puffy, which is not my goal. I remember the med school team semi half coach for crew in undergrad. She had huge quads but also fat over them which really was not a hot look. I have no idea what she looked like when she was in shape but I must say, my quads and my arms are looking puffy and much like they did in college. This confuses me. Doesn't lifting make one lean? Maybe I need to mix the yoga back in more frequently.
2. All that said, my glutes look awesome. Nice and lifted which was one of the reasons I started lifting again, it was looking a tad pancakey.
3. I can't handle lactic acid like I used to. Need to figure out how to work on this.

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Future MILFs beat the Sharxxx

Basketball game tonight. In a stunning move, our entire roster showed up. We're used to playing with anywhere from 3 - 6 players (!) so oftentimes we don't give it our all when we're on the court.

From a game this past summer

Unfortunately tonight that's what we needed to do, but it took most of the first half to figure that out. The team we played against, the antagonistic Future MILFs (with whom there is definite historical beef-a-leef), is 4000% from the field, in great shape, has a killer passing game, and only had six players.

Once we switched to full court man, the game's intensity picked up and we started chipping away at their lead. Unfortunately it was 21-7 MILFs at the half, so ...

Sharxxx move to 1-3 for the Winter 2008 season, putting us in fifth place out of seven teams in our division. Eek.

____________(_)

1. Walked a mile from my hair appointment back to my apartment
2. Played a basketball game (scored two points underneath off a rebound)
   

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I did sweat, though. Does that count?

I was in Miami last week for work, and I had planned to go to at least one of the $17 yoga sessions offered by my hotel, and go on at least two runs in the 80 degree weather.

I did nunnuv (none of the above).

I did, however, take advantage of most of the great amenities offered by my hotel:

• Red earth detoxifying mud bath
• Roman waterfall hot tub
• Arctic plunge
• Hamam
• Aroma steam room
• Cedar sauna
• Personal outdoor tub
  

I also took a nice swim late at night a couple of nights.

I am going to tell myself that this all qualifies as a, uh, taper week. Yeah, that's it! I'm on my taper!

Nevermind that there's no event for which I am tapering.

Do protein shakes matter?

After today's workout, which was tough to grit through, I suspect that protein shake thingies actually do make a difference. My muscles felt sluggish even though I was doing exactly the same thing that I'd done a couple of weeks ago. Only real variable was that I hadn't had a protein shake thingy today. (I may have also failed to have my iron pill.)

??? Is it all in my head, or is there some positivist A-B split science behind this ???

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1. Walked a mile to the gym
   
2. [1 minute on (35 spm / 1:55), 1 minute off] * 3 on erg, resistance = 4
3. Stretch
4. 3 x 8 @ 80 lat pulldowns, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
5. 1 x 8 @ 90 squats, 30 second walk to find a trainer to show me how to re-set it correctly
   
6. 3 x 8 @ 70 leg curls, 30 second walk with arms above head in between sets
7. 3 x 8 @ 20 bicep curls, no rest in between sets, stood on tiptoes for middle set
8. 3 minutes on (34 spm / 1:56), 2 minutes off on erg, resistance = 9
   
9. Back stretch on the stability ball thing
10. Rest of stretches
11. Sauna / steam / shower
12. Walked a mile home

I have decided that I am totally counting if I walk without sitting for at least a mile, because, well, baby steps. Right?

I'm also considering joining a second gym because my friends keep asking me if I'm a member of Equinox (I'm at NYSC right now due to its proximity to my former office). Is that totes crazy?

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Taken en route to the gym