A marathon swimmer lifts so he can swim long

[IronMike]

Light day today.

SQ: 205x5x2
Arnold press: 10# db's x 10, 15# db's x10x2.
Weighted walk: to the mailbox and back (70 steps each way) with 45# db's. Twice.

Bench press is over for me. Just like in 2018, shoulder killed me. Felt pain for days after last week. Don't want it to affect my swim in October. Going to do OHP ancillary stuff on light day (arnold press, bradford press, those sorts). Loving the weighted walk. Maybe next week I'll do suitcase carry.

Won't be able to swim on Sunday at Nat'l Harbor due to the wife and I (and dog) going orienteering at Lake Fairfax. Will swim indoors (yuck) on Saturday to make up for it.

Songs during lifting: Bunch of '90s stuff which got me onto Smashing Pumpkins' album Siamese Dream.
Book read while lifting: A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine
Show watched while writing this: "The Five"
Miles swum this week so far: 5.9
Miles walked with ruck so far this week: 1.77

[IronMike]

Great day and great weekend!

Heavy today, and I'm lifting based on BB℞ table 22-1.

SQ: 230x3
OHP: 102.5x3, 95x5x3
DL: 250x3, 225x5

Next week will be:

SQ: 230x4
OHP: 102.5x4, 96x5x3
DL: 250x4, 227.5x5

Didn't swim on Saturday as I had planned. Shoulder still hurt. These few two-a-day workouts might be getting to me. Took a day off, didn't even wear the ruck. But wife and I (and dog) went Orienteering on Sunday. It was so much fun. It was free as it was an intro to orienteering given by Quantico Orienteering Club. I've O'd before, just needed a reminder. Didn't get in a group class but wife and I ran through the 4 control beginner course, so I could get my bearings. Then we did the White course (short, 2.5k or so, 13 controls, only 90m of elevation change) and ended up in 6th out of 37. Would have placed higher but I tried to take a short-cut. Doh!

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Shoulder still hurting, but minimizing. I think on Friday I'll do Arnold press again and maybe smthg else for my OHP. Maybe press from pins.

Songs during lifting: Liz Phair (what happened to her? What is this eponymous album of hers from 2003. Not liking it).
Book read while lifting: A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine
Show listened to while writing this: "The Chris Plante Show"
Miles swum this week so far: 1.25 (Lame-o!)
Miles walked with ruck (sorta) so far this week: 4.3

[IronMike]

Forgot to write yday. Light day.

SQ: 210x5x2
OHP: 95x5, 85x5x3
Arnold Press: 8,8,8 with 15# db's.

Didn't swim Thursday night. Ear hurt at work during the day. (Pain in ear and radiating up the side of my head.) Swam on base that morning (only 2000y) so thought it might be an ear infection (got one several years ago and that shit's no joke). Took ibu and the pain in my ear/side of head diminished a bit. About 2am woke up with my nose feeling stuffed, so took a Claritin. Slept great after that and felt fine when I woke. At work Friday my ear hurt once and hours later I had pain again (like an ice-pick headache) in the side of my head, but nothing after that.

Here we are Saturday and right about when I was to take my requisite weekend dad nap, my daughter asked to go to the emergency room. She had pulled her back Friday night and woke up this morning pale and with blurred vision (!!!) but those two symptoms quickly resolved. But here she was hours later (~1pm) and her pain wasn't subsiding. Emergency room fun (~3 hours, maybe 3:30) but looks like a serious lower back pull. She's got a couple pills (muscle relaxant and pain killer) as well as 5% lidocaine patches. And of course she goes back to college on Monday (senior year!) so she's stressing. Thankfully mom has offered to drive her to/from school till her back feels better.

Only one ruck walk this week (2.57km) but plenty of walking, averaging over 10K steps daily.

Songs during lifting: Don't remember, but right now I'm listening to Smashing Pumpkins' album "Adore"
Book read while lifting: Esperanto and Languages of Internationalism in Revolutionary Russia, by Brigid O'Keeffe
Beer drunk while writing this: Hardywood Peach Tripel
Miles swum this week so far: 4.1 (pathetic)

[IronMike]

Great week! Lots of swimming.

Tuesday, heavy day:

SQ: 230x4
OHP: 102.5x4, back off: 85x5x3

Then the wife and I walked to the nearest coffee/beer/wine place, made it with 5 minutes to spare. Deadlift will have to wait till Friday.

Friday, light day + DL:

SQ: 210x5x3
Arnold press: 15# db's 4x10
DL: 250x4, back off of 225x5

Songs highlighted this week: Breeders' "Last Splash," Hole, "Celebrity Skin," The Waterboys' "This is the Sea," & The Walkmen's "You & Me."
Books read this week: Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros (blah, family book club pick, great if you're a 15-year old girl); the first five stories in the Revelation Space universe, by Alastair Reynolds.
Beer drunk while writing this: Beale's Boathouse Oyster Blonde.
Miles swum this week so far: 6.13 miles.
Steps walked this week (Sun-Sat): 79,413

[IronMike]

27 Aug-2 Sep

Crazy week! Lots of steps.

Tuesday, heavy day:

SQ: 230x5. Next week 235x3.
OHP: 102.5x5, back off: 87x5x3. Next week, 105x3.
Landmine rows: 45x10, 55x10, 65x10. Next time 65x10x3-4

Bought the landmine attachment months ago for the wife, but she doesn't really use it. Was looking for something to add so tried it out. Unsure if one adds the weight of the bar so didn't.

Friday night, hotel workout (see below):

SQ: goblet squats, 8 reps, worked down the rack from 50# to 25# by 5s.
DL: db deadlifts with 75# db's (10 reps) then 50# (2x10).
Arnold press: 15s x 10, 20s x 10, 10, 10.

Friday, wife and I drove down to Dublin, VA (5+ hour drive along the dreaded I-81) to take part in a Rogaine (Rugged Outdoor Group Activity Involving Navigation & Endurance) on Saturday. The Search for Big Mack was held in a Scout Reservation (a really nice one) in Hiwassee, VA. We had 10 hours to find as many controls as we could, which turned out to be not that many. We had naïve plans on clearing the two orienteering courses, one at the start and one over 5 miles away (through trails with lots of elevation change). We had only done white and yellow orienteering courses leading up to this, so were probably very unprepared, at least for finding the controls. But we had fun, walked over 18 miles with only one 20-min break at the far O course to eat and fill up our water bottles (besides quick 1-min-or-less stops to pee). From 8am to 6pm we were out and about; we walked 50,830 steps! Definitely hurt this morning when I woke up. Walked slowly all morning, then drove back. Thankfully much quicker at about 4 hours.

Songs highlighted this week: "The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie," by Colter Wall, "Big Shot," by Fontaines D.C., "Flying Saucer," by The Wedding Present, and "Drink and Jive," by Cosmetique.
Books read this week: Cursed Bunny, by Bora Chung (freaky); A Cold Red Sunrise, by Stuart Kaminsky, and started The Prefect, the next book in the Revelation Space universe, by Alastair Reynolds.
Miles swum: 3.57 miles.
Steps walked this week (Sun-Sat): 124,281 (avg 17,754 per day!)

[IronMike]

3 Sep to 9 Sep

Tuesday, heavy day:

SQ: 235x3.
OHP: 105x3, back off: 88x5x3.
DL: 250x5, back off: 225x5

Friday, light day:

SQ: 210x5x2.
Landmine rows: 65x8, 10, 10 and 75x10. Next time 75 and up. Still figuring out this exercise.
Calf raises: 45# kettlebell, standing on 45# plate, 3x10, both feet at same time, maybe single legs next time?
Arnold press: 20s x 10, 10, 10.

The Rogaine last weekend and my repetitive cramping on the turn buoys in the water has led me to add calf raises.

Went on Saturday to watch some cyclocross here in DC. Damn that would have been my jam in the '80s. I did BMX and later road racing/triathlon. Would have loved CX!

This Friday I'm swimming in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, swim events: 50 yard and 900 yard. Then on Sunday I'll be competing in the NVSO for orienteering. Go old people!

Songs (re)discovered this week: "Numb," by Portishead, "Back in the Tall Grass," by Future Islands, "All of Me," by Tanlines, "alife," by Slowdive, "Take What You Need," by Film School and "Feel the Pain," by Dinosaur Jr..
Books read this week: Finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (SIL's choice for family book club) and started The Ferryman by Justin Cronin on Audible. Still reading The Prefect, the next book in the Revelation Space universe, by Alastair Reynolds.
Miles swum last week: 3.1 miles.
Steps walked this week (Sun-Sat): 76,869

[Bill Anders]

Went on Saturday to watch some cyclocross here in DC. Damn that would have been my jam in the '80s. I did BMX and later road racing/triathlon. Would have loved CX!

Yep, CX is a hoot. I was just always too big (always straddling the Clydesdale weight line) to do anything other than constantly bring up the back of the pack. But a friend who caught the gravel racing bug recently was raving about it, and I had to laugh because I was riding a CX bike as my daily commuter back in the late '00s, since I could run wider CX waffle tires most of the year, 23C's if it was a strictly road race/ride, or my 50C studded winter tires.

One of our favorite collective memories in this house was attending the World CX championships in Germany back in 2011. Absolutely frozen, thawing out internally with spiked ciders, eating loads of pomme frites with mayonnaise, and screaming with the thousands of fans.

This Friday I'm swimming in the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics, swim events: 50 yard and 900 yard. Then on Sunday I'll be competing in the NVSO for orienteering. Go old people!

Knock all of those out of the park!

[IronMike]

One of our favorite collective memories in this house was attending the World CX championships in Germany back in 2011. Absolutely frozen, thawing out internally with spiked ciders, eating loads of pomme frites with mayonnaise, and screaming with the thousands of fans.

Knock all of those out of the park!

I'm with ya on all that. I miss Germany, especially the Christmas markets and the glühwein. Well, not with ya on the mayo on your fries. I'll stick with curry ketchup.

10-17 Sep (Sun to Sun)

Heavy day (Monday)
SQ: 235x4
OHP: 105x4, 88x5x3 back-off
DL: 255x3, 230x5 back-off

The OHP was hard. My w/u was 45x5x2, 65x4, 85x2. I think next time I'll do 65x5, 75x3, 85x1

Light day (Thursday)
SQ: 215x5
LM: 75, 80, 85, 90 each x10
Calf raises: 24k kettle 4x10
Arnold: 4x10 w/20# dumbbells

Finally got a good weight for the landmine. Will start with 90 next time.

Then Friday was the swimming event for the Northern Virginia Senior Olympics. Swam the 50 free and 900 free in the 55-59 age group. Got bronze (out of 6) in the 50 free with a time of 36.07 (in-water start for all events). Got gold for the 900 (out of 3) with a time of 14:47. w00t! Great fun. Great seeing all the old folks, including the 84 year old who swam the 900 in 18 minutes. Awesome!

And this morning ran the beginner orienteering course, got Gold out of two in the 50-59 age group with a time of 37.01. Then ran the yellow course for fun (not for NVSO); pic below.

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Steps (Sun-Sat): 70,494
Songs highlighted last week: All of Rush's greatest hits.
Books this week: Finished The Ferryman. Almost done with The Prefect.
Miles swum: 4 and a smidge.

[IronMike]

17-23 Sep (Sun to Sat)

Heavy day (Monday)
SQ: 235x5 (new PR!) Next week, 240x3. :O
OHP: 105x4, 88x5x3 back-off.
DL: 255x4, 230x5 back-off

The OHP was programmed for 105x5 but couldn't do that last rep. Barely got the 4th up. My w/u was 45x5x2, 65x5, 75x3, 90x1. I guess next week I continue the programming: 107.5x3.

Light day (Friday)
SQ: 215x5x2
LM: 90x10x4
CR: 24k kettle 4x10
Arnold: 4x10 w/20# dumbbells

This weekend was supposed to be Swim for the Potomac. I was going to swim the 10k on Saturday and the 5k on Sunday. Did that last year and was so sore from the marathon on Saturday that I only managed 3k-ish on the 5k the next day! But, this year, Mother Nature (always a partner when you're swimming open water) had other plans for us. This tropical storm hitting the area is putting too much rain (run-off is a concern) and worse, too much wind (not safe for the kayakers) in and around the Potomac. Coach was 95% sure he was going to resked the swim Thursday night when we swam. Got the word early Friday. Unfortunately, the make-up day is 14 October, when the wife and I are doing the Fall Foliage Adventure Race. Oh well; no marathon in the national capital region this year. Only marathon swim will be Swim the Suck on 7 October in Chattanooga.

Steps: 72,637
Songs highlighted last week: "Song for Zula," by Phosphorescent; "Music That You Can Dance To," by Sparks; "Everything's Electric," by Liam Gallagher; "BLAH BLAH BLAH," by ill peach.
Books this week: Finished The Prefect (finally) and The Thursday Murder Club (wife's choice in family book club). Started Heir to the Empire (my choice in the club) and am listening to COL Hackworth's About Face (excellent).
Miles swum: Bit over 5 miles.