Lifting week of 22 Jan

 Great week!

22 Jan (H)

• SQ: 3x4 @265
• OHP: 3x5 @102.5

265 is still hard, but doable. Spoiler alert: I manage 3x5 the following week.

24 Jan (L, H)

• SQ: 2x5 @215
• db BP: 3x12 w/30# db
• DL: 275x5

Continuing the dumbbell bench press with 30lb dumbbells. The DL was incredibly hard. 

26 Jan (M)

• SQ: 2x5 @230
• OHP: 2x5 @95

Not easy but not H day. 

Songs this week: "Same Jeans," by The View; "Mythological Man," by Coco. 

Books last week: Spook Country by William Gibson. 

Last week's swimming, orienteering, lifting...

 Almost did three days in the pool this week, or at least that was the intent, but weather cancelled Tuesday night's session. And Saturday's session. Of course, I wasn't going to go due to QOC running an O meet on Saturday. I was going to try my first advanced course (beige). Alas, QOC cancelled Saturday early (on Wed) so okay, I'll go swim. 

But no. Due to Friday's snow and cold temps, the rec center where we swim decided to open late Saturday, thus cancelling my morning plans. Oh well, only 2600 yards last week in the pool.

Sigh...

This weekend another O meet is sked. Unsure if I'll try the advanced or not.

But, got a lot of cold walking in (come on, brown fat). 22+ miles specifically with the wife and dog. In the cold. 

Lifting went well.

Monday, 15 Jan (H)

• SQ: 3x3 @265#
• OHP: 3x4 @102.5#
• CR: 4x15 with 24kg kettle & 20# vest

Wednesday, 17 Jan (L)

• SQ: 2x5 @215#
• db BP: 3x12 w/30# db
• CR: 4x12 (same as Monday)

Decided to mix it up on L day with respect to overhead press. Tried dumbbell bench press. Goal 3x12-15, started with 30# dumbbells. Next week I'll try 3x15 and if I do it, then I'll go up to 35# dbs.

Friday, 19 Jan (M)

• SQ: 2x5 @230#
• OHP: 2x5 @95#

Edit after I published the above: So, my wife. She's joined the Y recently. Up to this, she'd been deadlifting with a hex bar in our garage. The Y doesn't have a hex bar. So today she loaded 185#, which she can lift for multiple reps (she weighs all of 108 pounds soaking wet). She's really strong. Today she lifts and the one rep is hard. But she completes it. Then she deloads the bar, only to discover she had just lifted 205#. (Her PR from years and years ago is 210#.) My wife is incredible.

Great songs listened to last week: "The Indigo Streak," by Greta Van Fleet; "It's Saturday," by Marcy Playground; "Le Disko," by Shiny Toy Guns; "Who Put You Up to This?" by Sunflower Bean.

Books read: Finished Hyperion by Dan Simmons; Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by Angus Wilson; and an author's second book due to my editing it.

Lifting week of 7 Jan

 Great week!

Monday, 8 Jan (H)

• SQ: 3x5 @260#
• OHP: 3x3 @102.5#

Heavy but doable for squat. The OHP was heavy too, but again, doable. Intended on doing calf raises after, but wife was taking dog out so went on a 2-3 mile walk with her instead.

Wednesday, 10 Jan (L)

• SQ: 2x5 @210#
• OHP: 92.5# x 5, 87.5# x 5
• CR: 4x12

Squat easy. OHP was too much after the first set. Dropped to 87.5 pounds. Calf raises as usual with 20# ruck and 24kg kettlebell. 

Friday, 12 Jan (M, H)

• SQ: 2x5 @230#
• OHP: 2x5 @95#
• DL: 3x4 @275#

All good and a challenge, but the deadlift. Oy. So heavy. 

Great songs this week: "Bug Like an Angel," by Mitski; "Take What You Need," by Film School; "I Got the Fear," by TORRES. 

QOC Fountainhead

 On Sunday I attended QOC's Fountainhead orienteering meet. I ran the Orange course; still running the intermediate courses until I'm well under 2 hours. Don't want to try and jump to Brown/Beige (advanced) until then. 

Well, got my second under-2 hour Orange under my belt, despite my 40+ minutes trying to find control 4! One, two and three went so swimmingly I got cocky and thought "Maybe I'll be at an hour thirty!" Then control 4. 

If you can see, there was a trail between 3 and 4, along the river. Coming off 3 I got on the south trail (near the number 8 in the map) so backtracked and got on the trail. But where I was, counting the reentries, I was way off. I tried to cut south to cut the times but then thought I was on the wrong trail again. Finally I got on the right trail but began to worry as I couldn't find the right spot to head NE to the rootstocks. Then I saw a flag on the right and damn, wrong side. Sure as crap, it was control 5. Well damn.

So I got back on the trail and went up to 4. Instead of turning around, I took the trail south toward control 6, took a gander at it so I'd remember, then went back to 5, turned around and quickly to 6. Control 4 to 5 I did in 10:31, 5 to 6 in 4:58, then nine minutes to 7. Control 8 was fun as that little loop coming off the main trail was for mountain bikers, large wooden mini-bridges and boom, there's 8. Nine took a while since we had to go around the water. Control 9 to the finish took 8 minutes, lots of contour lines to go through and then when I got near the start, I couldn't find the finish at first. Of course, I saw someone starting with a basenji (like our dog!) but hadn't finished yet; once I beeped done the basenji was gone. 

Final time 1:50:26. If I could have found 4 in a decent time (10-ish minutes) that would have brought me down significantly. From 25 out of 37 to 16 out of 37! 

Back in the pool

 Started back in the pool this week, Thursday night specifically with Alexandria Masters. Pool is in Franconia Rec Center, which is very nice. Lots of lanes and even a diving well that gets used (as opposed to the one at Long Bridge, apparently). 

Thursday night the coach was an old buddy of mine, Tim, who welcomed me with only one 25 fly, thank the heavens. And no kick sets. Which I can't say for this morning, where Coach Hannah had us do 10x50 kick after the main set. Had to use flippers or I'd still be in the pool. 

Ran into a couple of swimmers I remember when I swam with Alexandria years ago (2012-2014?). Jenny and Doug, great to see you again!

Yards swum this week: 5900 yards

Lifting week of 31 Dec

 1 Jan 2024 (H, and happy new year!)

• SQ: 3x4 @260#
• OHP: 3x5 @100#
• CR: 4x15

Squat heavy but doable. OHP good, next H day will be 102.5# and we'll see. Calf raises as always. Need to get a heavier plate for the ruck or maybe use a backpack.

3 Jan (L and H DL)

• SQ: 2x5 @210#
• OHP: 2x5 @90#
• DL: 275# x 3

Squat and OHP no issues, but deadlift was heavy! 

5 Jan (M)

• SQ: 2x5 @230#
• OHP: 2x5 @95#
• CR: 4x15

Everything went up easy enough. 

Songs this week: "Liquid Spells," by The Great Leslie; "Obscurity Knocks," by The Trash Can Sinatras; "Mythological Man," by Coco. 

Books this first week of 2024: Started Hyperion by Dan Simmons and Anglo-Saxon Attitudes by Angus Wilson.