The Other Side of the Rink

And for the other side of last night's skaing adventure, I direct you to J'Alissa's blog:

Pain in the J'Alissa

Enjoy! 

Jess... Skates?

Honestly, not really and certainly not well!  I went with my derby girlfriend (read more about her HERE) roller skaing last night.  I actually ASKED her to take me.  What?  I knew it was going to be really, really hard.  So I'm not going to say that it was harder than I expected, necessarily, but I will say that, yes, it was really, really hard. 

J'Alissa picked me up and we headed to the Oaks Park Skating Rink.  We were early so there weren't too many people there yet.  I gave the man my five dollar bill and got an original pair of roller skates.  As we walked to the benches, J'Alissa was absolutely giddy with anticipation of the hilarity that knew was to ensue.  I laced up my skates and she helped me get her knee pads and wrist guards on.  Believe it or not, I wasn't the only person there who was padded up...  but most of the skaters didn't bother.  Then she grabbed up her stuff and told me to grab mine and SPEED RACED to a locker.  This is when I knew I was in for it.

I Bambi legged it to the locker, put my stuff in and then approached the rink.  Nervous doesn't begin to describe it.  I kept one hand on the wall and jerked my way down the first straight away.  Constantly having to find your center of gravity takes a lot of concentration.  Like, total concentration.  After my first stilted lap, I asked J'Alissa how to break and she told me to use the toe brake thing...  so I tried and promptly fell flat on my ass.  It hurt, don't get me wrong, but now the worst case scenario was over and behind me!! 

I got up and headed for the retard lane in the back.  After I'd gone up and down that at least a dozen times, I wasn't even using the wall anymore!  J'Alissa showed me how to do a real derby stop and I practiced the foot work for that - but it'll be a while before I'm brave enough to try to execute that at any speed!  Then, she suggested that we try a lap on the rink.  I tried to argue but she generally doesn't take no for an answer.  We actually did several laps and I was well away from the wall.  I even thought I was hauling ass at times until I realized that I was being passed constantly and had yet to pass a single skater. 

We ended up being there for about an hour and that was plenty for my first time.  I knew that I would be pretty sore today and in some new places so I didn't want to overdo it.  Plus, anything that takes that much concentration is exhausting in other ways too.  As we were leaving, I did promise that I'd skate for an hour and a half next time...  so I guess we'll be going back on Wednesday.  And I'll be wearing hot pants and knee highs.  You have been warned. 

Bootcamp Day 4

Yesterday was my fourth day at bootcamp and I am still loving it!  Everyone in the class is so friendly and inviting.  And the workouts are seriously challenging!  We worked in pairs again and did 'partner relays'.  Basically, one partner did a 'stay' exercise while the other did a 'travel' exercise.  The girl who I partnered with on Monday, Jenny, was there again so we immediately decided to be partners.  Here's the routine that we did:

   S:  low jacks
   T:  lunges with twists

   S:  squats with kicks
   T:  alternating lateral lunges

   S:  wall sits
   T:  backward lunges

   S:  shoulder bridges
   T:  over/unders and sit stands

We did each for two minutes with quick water breaks in between.  Then we did it again, each for two minutes, but without the water breaks.  It was tough.  I think, though, that I'm getting in better shape because I wasn't nearly as sore as I had been on Friday!  So that must be a good sign. 

I emailed on Friday asking for their pricing after my $20 month unlimited is over.  If the price is right, I think I'll keep going twice a week. 

Bootcamp Day 3

No, I didn't make it to bootcamp on Saturday.  BUT, I did go this morning so that already gets me to a better start than last week!  Bootcamp is taking the place of yoga if you're referencing my training calendar.  Since I didn't get my 30 minute bike ride in yesterday, I'm hoping to do it tonight after work. 

This morning's bootcamp was AWESOME!!  We had a different instructor...  I think her name is also Emily?  She was also super friendly and welcoming but she introduced herself when I was only 1/2 a cup of coffee in to a Monday morning.  So, really, I shouldn't be expected to have registered and remembered her name, should I? 

We did a differnt warm up where we were jogging the length of the space and doing different things each time.  Skipping with forward arm circles, skipping with backward arm circles, lunges with side twists, you get the idea.  Then we partnered up and grabbed a resistance band.  We did exercises 1, 3 and 5 with 5 reps each and taking turns.  We did 2 and 4 for 30 seconds each and taking turns.  For all of these except the rows, we were both in the band, if that makes sense. 

   1.  Inside leg toe touches (side by side)
   2.  Sprints (running away from stationary partner as fast/hard as you can)
   3.  Lunges (facing away from stationary partner)
   4.  Sprints (again)
   5.  Row (facing each other each holding the band with palms up)

We did that routine two times.  I loved the sprinting...  it was the oddest sensation and also funny to watch but it felt amazing.  I think it would be worth it to get a resistance band because I think Ty and I could do the toe touches, lunges and rows at home together.  I don't think I could hold him for the sprints, though! 

Bootcamp Day 2

I know, I know.  Why is this just Day 2 when it should be Day 4?  Because Day 1 kicked my ass so hard!!!  I couldn't walk after Day 1 and just getting out for a measly two miles on Saturday was near to impossible.  But I did it.  My Monday excuse was that it was supposed to snow.  And it was Monday.  I blame Pubes for both.  Even today was hard...

My alarm sounded, I promptly turned it off and asked Ty if I should go to bootcamp or stay in bed.  He replied that I'd feel better if I made myself go to bootcamp.  I replied that I wasn't feeling bad at all!  But, then, I did get up.  Only to find out that Ty had changed the timer on the coffee (WHY? WHY? WHY?) by 10 minutes.  So, it was just starting to brew instead of just finishing.  But I was early to my first camp so I decided to wait a couple of minutes and drink really strong coffee on my drive there. 

With my really strong coffee in hand, I headed out to brave the deluge.  As I was hydroplaning my way along I-5 South, alla sudden, I see that the Macadam/Ross Island Bridge exit is closed!!!  WTF?!?!  Don't they have a reader board before the Corbett exit specifically for communicating things like this?  So, I end up having to get on I-84 and taking the OMSI exit with 5 minutes to go before class starts... and I end up running in exactly at 6am!  Whew.  So glad I got up and cursing Ty under my breath. 

But then class started.  And it DID feel good to be there.  And the instructor/owner, Emily, addressed me by name - which I found super impressive after meeting me just once.  Again, we had a nice warm up.  Then the workout began...  we had 20 minutes to do as many circuits of THIS as we could (I did 1 1/2):
            10 assisted pull-ups
            15 burpees
            20 hanging leg pull-ups
            25 half burpees
            30 double time jump ropes (or 90 regulars)

Holy crap.  Guess who won't be shampooing her hair for the next few days!  My arms are already sore.  I consider myself to have T Rex arms so I suppose this is good for me.  And it did feel good to already have had a killer workout under my belt when I arrived at work.  Will someone remind me of that when my alarm goes off at 5:20am on Monday?

Bootcamp!!!

I had my first bootcamp this morning at 6am.  Last night, I was very good and got things all ready.  I packed a bag with work clothes for today, bathroom things for showering here at work after bootcamp and workout clothes for today's run.  I also packed my breakfast and morning snack - banana, instant oatmeal, Clif bar.  I set out my bootcamping outfit and shoes as well and set my alarm for 5:20am. 

Upon arriving to Fit Body Bootcamp, I was greeted by Emily.  She was warm, friendly and inviting.  Class started exactly on-time, which I always appreciate, with jump roping.  Let me tell you, it's been a LONG time since I've jumped rope!!  We then did a series of warm up activities before heading into the core of the workout...

The first set was 20 seconds of activity followed by a 10 second rest.  We started with our hands on the ground and our feet to the right.  We then threw our feet up and to the left, then back to the right, then back to the left.  Then, we did two split leg push ups, pulled our legs back together on the left and repeated the jumps.  And we did this 8 times. 

Then, we did squat burn-outs:  half squats for 10 seconds, full squats for 10 seconds, pulsing half squats for 10 seconds and a 10 second rest.  We did this 5 times. 

THEN, we repeated the jump split push ups 8 times and THEN we repeated the squat burn-outs 5 times. 

Holy crap.  That was followed by some stretching and we were done. 

The class is 45 minutes long and I was dripping sweat by the end - which is always a good sign!  I'm super excited about this class because, so far, it seems just my style and speed.  I will be going Monday, Thursday and Saturday for a month and I know it's going to make me feel GREAT! 

Jess Bikes Too!

Who knew?!?!  The last time that I was on a bike was about 2 1/2 years ago...  and the last time before THAT was probably 20 years prior!!  If you follow this blog, you know that I'm trying be more well rounded during 2012 - the year of balance.  I've decided that I need to do more than just run so, until Shamrock, I'll be incorporating two biking days into each week.  Then, after that, I'll cut back to just one day so I can add a day of running for marathon training. 

I was pretty nervous about my first ride and it was compounded by knowing that I had to do it solo.  I could have bagged the whole thing for a couple of reasons...  first, it was lightly sprinkling and, second, my bike tires were flat.  Seriously, though, you shouldn't count as a Native Oregonian if you can't do things in the rain.  I got the bike pump out and, after a little trial and error, figured out how to pump my tires.  So, I headed out...

I debated which route would be best/easiest all day today and then I totally abandoned my plan in the heat of the moment in favor of a route that I am familiar with.  I ended up riding for 28 minutes when my training plan called for 30 minutes.  All in all, I consider the entire endeavor a win.  Here are some things that I found are different than running:

• I need to dress much warmer for biking than I would for running.  My car said mid-50's on my way home so I donned some capris, my fingers, a cute biking Icebreaker (short sleeve), a sleeveless rain slicker thing and my running gloves.  I was freezing the whole way and, 50 minutes later after a hot shower, I'm still freezing!  Although, I'm sure the deluge that started about 5 minutes in and lasted the duration didn't help.
• Fenders are necessary.  I'll be purchasing one ASAP because the cold, rain and being under dressed was seriously compounded by my sopping wet butt!  BRRRR...
• Bikes are even less visible to drivers of luxury SUVs than runners - who knew!?!? 
• I need a few supplies besides just the fenders - a light, a rack, a small pack...  bike shorts, a visor for my helmet to keep the rain from blinding me... 

If anyone reading this has any excess biking gear that they'd like to pass my way, I'd sure appreciate it!  Ty and I are heading to downtown LO to check out a pub and attend a Meet The Brewer event tomorrow night.  Hopefully we'll have enough time to get there early so I can check out some supplies at the bike store down the street.  And at least buy fenders! 

Riverplace Athletic Club

Last night, I started by month long Yollar membership at the Riverplace Athletic Club.  The verdict is mixed but, obviously, I'll wait until I've gone a few more times to make the final call.  

I got there half an hour before my class and had a very enjoyable tour of their facilities including the pool, indoor track (16 laps to a mile?!?!??!!), basketball court, workout studios, cardio bays and weight room.  I then headed to the first class on my agenda - Ab Lab.  Upon walking in, the instructor didn't greet me or suggest what equipment I needed to gather.  I spread out my yoga mat and grabbed a ball like everyone else had.  She did start the class promptly on time but didn't vocalize any of the moves so I had to watch her and switch when she did.  That said, it was a good, hard ab workout and I'm definitely feeling it today.


Next up was the Fit Training class.  I decided to take this class because the description on the website made it sound kind of like a boot camp:  

Fit Training - This class is designed to address your
endurance, agility, strength, speed and power. The indoor
track, stairs, push-ups and weights are incorporated into
this intensive workout. You perform a series of drills,
adding challenging, multi-level moves over several weeks.
Improve your ability to burn fat using intervals and cross
training.

First off, I was told that it met at the track...  but then I could see from the track a group of people with the instructor from Ab Lab gathering by the front door.  So I went over and asked if they were meeting for Fit Training.  She said 'yes' but still did not introduce herself or ask my name.  Everyone was excited because class was going to be outside so that sounded good to me.  We headed off to run to the Hawthorne Bridge and then do some exercises on the other side.  Then she decided, no, we'd run on to the Burnside and we'd do the stairs three times and then do some exercises.  Then she decided, no, we'd run back to the club and do some kettle bell stuff there.  Then a couple of the guys said they were going to run back the long way instead so then she decided that everyone would.  At this point, I'd already run 6 miles at lunch and with the out and back was adding another 3 or so miles.  All this coming off a marathon just over two weeks ago.  I'm pretty sure I don't need a running class...  so this class was a total bust (and irritation) for me.  

This instructor clearly isn't for me but there is a yoga class on Tuesday and Thursdays at 5 that I'm going to take instead of the Ab Lab/Fit Training combo.  Things that I really did like include the 2 1/2 hours of free parking and free towel service.  The locker room is nice and I love being able to take a quick shower after a workout.  The locker room is well stocked with shampoo, conditioner, shave gel, body wash, cotton balls, Q-tips, hair spray and body lotion.  Not that I use all those things but it's still nice that they are there.  


I'll let you know how the other classes go and what I think after a few more days of membership. 

Crosstraining!

Like a lot of runners, I really tend to fail at getting adequate crosstraining worked into my schedule.  I don't maintain a gym membership and, despite my best intentions, I find that it's really hard for me to do a video or on demand workout when I get home after work.  What I have found that works for me is Groupons!  Most of them last for 30 days and it's a great way for me to incorporate something new but it doesn't last so long that I get totally bored.  In the past, I've done them to Diva Den and RDFT Bootcamp.  I've also taken advantage when ADAPT Training has offered a free week here or there. 

I just bought a Yollar deal for 30 days at the River Place Athletic Club and I'm super excited to use it.  It is less than a mile from my work so I can even incorporate some of their lunchtime offerings into my schedule.  This is extra great because it means fewer nights away from home and fewer nights of dumping all the puppy and chores duty on my ever patient husband.  Here's my tentative weekly schedule:

Monday - 12:00 pm Yoga Fusion
Tuesday - 5:30 pm Ab Lab
Tuesday - 6:00 pm Fit Training
Wednesday - 6:30 am Yoga Fusion
Thursday - 5:30 pm Ab Lab
Thursday - 6:00 pm Fit Training
Friday - 10:35 am Mat Pilates

This will be on top of my running schedule.  I know from past months like this that it will be super, duper exhausting.  But, the results will be worth it.  I've had a couple of niggles on my last couple of runs and I know that it is my body telling me that I need to do some strengthening or else I'll be getting an injury.  Plus, we have a vacation in the Bahamas in April.  If that can't keep a girl motivated to crosstrain her butt off, I don't know what will!!!