Lifting week of 24 Dec

 Christmas week lifting. Since Christmas was Monday and we had family over, postponed H day till Tuesday. Then decided to skip L day to do M day on Friday, to get back on my M/W/F sked. But forgot I was giving plasma on Friday afternoon. Don't like lifting right after that so just did M day today. 

26 Dec (H)

• OHP: 1RM attempt.
• SQ: 3x3 @260#
• CR: 4x15

Good 1RM for OHP: now 125#, up from 120#. 10# shy of my 2023 goal, but that's what happens. The 260# squat was hard, but it (still) amazes me how much heavy weights which earlier would have wiped me out now feel easy, like 185# and even 205# today. 

Speaking of 2023 goals, I missed them by a total of 25#. My OHP goal was 135# (-10#); Squat goal was 265# (+10#); and Deadlift goal was 325# (-25#). Still pretty happy with my 1RMs this year, totally 700#.

30 Dec (M, and happy birthday to my sis Lisa!)

• SQ: 2x5 @230#
• OHP: 2x5 @90#
• CR: 4x12

Didn't feel the 15 reps for calf raises today. Still using the 24kg kettle with the 20# ruck on my back. The squat is 5# more than previous weeks since I've gone up on H day. OHP was easy; should I have done 95#? I think the next few H weeks on OHP will help me figure out my L and M days.

Great songs while lifting: "Traps," by Bloc Party; "When New Year Comes Around," by Sophie Madeleine; "Secret," by OMD (fav album while mowing the lawn in early '80s); "Orange Crush," by R.E.M. (about the "latest" R.E.M. that I like).

Books read this week: Destination Void, by Frank Herbert; started The Art and Science of Training, by Elaine Beich and Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson. Will probably only finish the Gibson before New Years. Am also starting my friend's new book, in a copyediting mode.

Last week's lifting

 Forgot about posting last week's lifts.

Monday, 18 Dec (H)

• SQ: 1RM attempt.
• OHP: 3x3 @100#
• CR: 4x15

Instead of 3x5 @255# decided to do a 1RM attempt. My 2023 goal for squat was 265#. Killed it with 275#. Yes! OHP following BBR. CR again with 20# ruck holding the 24kg kettle.

Wednesday, 20 Dec (L, H)

• SQ: 2x5 @205#
• OHP: 2x5 @90#
• DL: 1RM attempt.

Squat easy. Moving up to 210# for L day next week. OHP to heavy; should have been 85 or even 80#. Deadlift went great. Goal for 2023 was to get back to 325# (from 2018) but no. Happy with 300# though! 

Friday, 22 Dec (M)

• SQ: 2x5 @225#
• OHP: 2x5 @90#
• CR: 4x12

Squat next M will be 230#. The OHP is what it should be for M day. Couldn't do 15 reps for CR so 4x12 was it. 

Had a great Christmas with our oldest and youngest here. SIL and BIL came over so the day really was nice with all the conversation and noise. 

Great songs that week: "To Do List," by Blossoms; "No Future," by The Meffs; "Nothing Matters," by The Last Dinner Party; and "Agua," by Porno for Pyros.

Books in the last week: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six Others, by Roald Dahl and The Mere Wife, by Maria Dahvana Headley. Started Destination: Void, by Frank Herbert.

QOC Turkey Run

 Wife, dog and I ran the Orange course at Turkey Run with QOC on Sunday. It was a great time! Way long. That 5.3km (whatever) turned into 15-ish. Yes, yes, I know they measure control to control as the bird flies, but jeez. I was all over the place. 

I have no map for you because I tried the Livelox app. I started it, but was unaware you also have to attach your run to a course, so when I got back, no map. (Besides that, the app is kinda messed up. Lots of all black screens where the font and background are black.)

But, 16K steps. So that's kinda nice. 

We ended up 6 out of 8 teams. Pretty good considering we had a dog on a leash who wanted to always walk the opposite side of the tree than my wife's chosen route. But I ended up finding all the controls without missing or passing them, which made me happy. (Almost 3 hours, so the last Orange I did at just under 2 hours is still my best.)

What I liked about this one was the first half took us far off. Made us use parts of the map that weren't trails. I aimed off going 1 to 2 and again 2 to 3. 4 to 5 was trails, 5 to 6 we took the trails then road all the way up to the rootstock then went direct southeast to 6. 6 to 7 we again took the road and trails, passing 8 which we saw (w00t!) on the way to 7, back to 8 right quick. For 9 we aimed off then up to 9, back to the creek down to 10 (which we saw on the way to 1), then 11 to finish, which I could barely find! So much fun.

This is it until after the New Year. Thanks QOC for a great start to the season. Great bunch of folks, so friendly and supportive of us newbies.

Lifting week of 10 Dec

 11 December (heavy)

• SQ: 3x4 @255#
• OHP: 1x5 @85#, 1x5 @97#, 1x4 @105#
• CR: 4x12

Squat was heavy but doable. The OHP was super heavy; the last one was 1x max aiming for 5. Couldn't get that fifth one up. Calf raises again were with the 24kg kettle and wearing the 20# ruck.

13 December (light)

• SQ: 2x5 @205#
• OHP: 100x5, 90x5

Decided to follow BB℞ for OHP. 

15 December (medium)

• SQ: 2x5 @225#
• OHP: 3x5 @90#
• CR: 4x12

A good medium day. Calf raises just like Monday's. 

Taking the daughter to work

 Took my 20-year old to an orienteering meet yesterday. It was great fun. 

The O-meet was at Patuxent River Park. There were a lot of courses available, but as this would be my daughter's first time, I signed us up for White Long: 2.3km, 30m elevation, 10 controls. 

We walked the entire course, finishing in 45:31. If we ran, my daughter says, we would have finished in 20-ish minutes. "That was a baby course," my daughter said. Yellow at a minimum from now on, according to her. 

I had fun teaching her the basics. Looking forward to the next time when she and I run a Yellow course. 

Lifting week of 3 December

  Good lifting week!

• December 4 (H)
• SQ: 3x3 @255#
• OHP: 1RM attempt

Squat felt really heavy. OHP attempt at 125# failed. So my 120# remains my 1RM. 

• December 6 (L)
• SQ: 2x5 @205#
• OHP: 3x3 @75#

Light day. Decided to do 2x5 on light days for squat. OHP was light recovery from Monday's 1RM attempt. 

• December 8(M, H)
• SQ: 2x5 @225#
• OHP: 4x3 @92#, 3x1 @105#
• DL: 1x4 @270#

Everything felt good. 

Songs this week: "The Rake's Song" and "The Abduction of Margaret," by the Decemberists; "The Hurting," by Tears for Fears.

Books this week: Finished The Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard and Butcher's Crossing by John Williams. Started & finished Changing Places by David Lodge. Started Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle by Mikael Lindnord (Audible) and Piercing by Ryu Murakami.

Drink drunk while writing this: Fresca with 1.5oz amaro.

Mid-Atlantic Orienteering Championships

 Sunday I took part in the Mid-Atlantic Championships, hosted by DVOA. QOC went en masse, even rented a huge bus (I did not ride along). I took part in the relays as part of the club, but did not take part in the classic for points for the club. Reason? For my age and sex, I would had to run a Green course, two course levels more advanced than Orange! 

So I ran the "Rec Orange" meaning no points (beyond participation points) and the Relay. The Relay was fun: three orienteers run one after the other. The first leg, mine, was a Yellow, 1.4km, slight elevation gain, 8 controls. Did it in 17-something minutes. Second was a bit longer at 2.25km, Orange, 10 controls. Last was advanced, 2.52km, 10 controls. I was assigned a relay with the QOC president and one poor advanced orienteer who just came back from running the Blue course (the most advanced) about five minutes before he had to start the third leg of the relay!

QOC put the relays together based on our per-km pace in previous meets. They also named us; we were Tortises (yes, spelled that way) and were #20 of 22 relays. No points, sigh.

My Orange was fun but I literally got completely lost between 2 and 3. I had to take a safety bearing till I could find civilization, then went back to my last known point (hello, control 2) and start over. Thus all the time it took me on those controls.

I was happy with this. Thought I'd miss the relays I was taking so long, was frankly surprised I came in under 2 hours.

Got a lot of steps in, that's for sure. Almost 19,000 for the day. Didn't get a map of my relay, but here's my Orange:

It was a two-hour drive up and due to traffic a 2.5 hour drive back, the only negative. I met a bunch of QOC folks up there and will endeavor to remember all their names when I see them again. They're all so nice!

Lots of fun. Would definitely attend again, despite the drive. Those relays...so fun.

Pictures!

Me coming in behind my new QOC friend Sharmagh

THE team. Of studs. 

QOC showed up!

Lifting, week of 26 November

 Good lifting week!

• November 27 (H)
• SQ: 3x5 @250#
• OHP: 1x3 @90#, 1x3 @102#, 1x1 @108#, 1x1 @114#
• Row: 4x6 @90#
• AP: 4x8 @25# db
• BAR: 4x8 @25#

Squat felt heavy, new PR. OHP final set was 1 x max but I could only get one rep. Row still feels heavy. Moved up to 25-pound dumbbells for Arnold press. Still using the 25-pound plate for bent arm raise. 

• November 29 (L, H)
• SQ: 1x5 @200#
• OHP: 90# x 7, 5
• DL: 1x3 @270#

Light day except for DL, which felt very heavy. Slowly creeping up to my pre-COVID 325# 1RM. OHP was 12x1 @90# but I always hate that, so do 12 reps in as few sets as possible. 

• December 2 (M)
• SQ: 2x5 @225#
• OHP: 5x3 @96#, 2x1 @105#
• CR: 4x10

Everything felt good. Again did the calf raises with my 20# ruck on and the 53# kettlebell in hand.

Songs this week: "Jacket Hangs," by the Blue Aeroplanes; "Caledonian Road," by Shop Assistants; "Beautiful James," by Placebo.

Books this week: Finished American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; started The Unlimited Dream Company by J.G. Ballard (Audible) and Butcher's Crossing by John Williams.

Pictures!

 Photos from my fourth Swim the Suck are finally in!

I'm there in the front in my terribly sexy multi-color square leg trunks!

Karah, the race director, giving us the pre-race briefing. What's she looking at? 

As discussed in my post-race posts, this guy showed up before we started. I kept waiting for this bird to land on the speaker that was broadcasting the national anthem. No such luck.

I love Swim the Suck for so many reasons, but a lot of it is the scenery. Can you get prettier?