Mini Golf ... Not the Ultimate Workout

Today, after a second more successful attempt at sleeping in, our son and I decided to go play mini-golf. We had a few fun filled afternoon hours in the sunshine not keeping score, after which he played a couple of video games and then we got an icee. Yummy and cool.


By the time we finished with golf, it was almost time for our workout. I decided to pick Duane up at work, so we could drive to Foothill College in one car, thus saving ourselves $2 in parking fees.

As we neared the track and drove into the parking lot, we could see that there was an unusually large crowd of people gathered. It turns out that the summer hike team was just beginning their workouts and we would be doing our workout with them. They had lots of questions. Unfortunately, this meant that our "workout" was more mixer and ice-breaker than it was a workout. Fun, but nevertheless disappointing.

What was also interesting is that, besides mentors and our coach, Duane and I were the only members of our team at the workout. Where was everyone else?

Catching Up

My desk is not quite this bad, but it's close. I was supposed to be somewhere else this morning, but I decided that I really needed to use today to catch up on all of the paperwork that I haven't been paying attention to. It never ceases to amaze me how much running a household is like running a business.



In addition to my desk, the laundry was undone and my kitchen looked like a disaster area. Both needed a lot of work. So my day was spent doing the mundane and the unimportant.



This evening we had our Tuesday night workout. Lots of bleachers, laps, stretching and strengthening exercises again. I did planks again tonight and still lost out to Mentor Bowman. He's really good and in much better shape than I.

Planks

Tonight we had another track workout at Foothill College. We did the usual laps, bleachers and stretching and strengthening exercises.

There is one of our core exercises in particular that I really hate. We've been doing it most of the season, but I just hate it. I do it anyway, but I hate it. Did I mention that I really hate it?

This exercise is called "planks". You make your body like a "plank" supporting it on your toes and elbows (see the above photo). The idea is to maintain this position for as long as possible. I have usually been able to manage this for about 30 seconds and no more. Tonight I managed it for almost three minutes. Mentor Bowman beat me by ten seconds.

I'm still not sure how I did that. Muscles are weird.

The other big news is that our trail assessments were due today. We put in for Half Dome as our first choice and the Panorama Trail as our second choice. If we don't get Half Dome, the Panorama Trail offers better vistas than Yosemite Falls or Dewey Point. Yosemite Falls is more strenuous than the Panorama Trail, but it it up and down with not much of a view (comparatively). The Panorama Trail passes Nevada Fall, Vernal Fall and Illilouette Fall, so there is much more to see on this trail.

Tuesday Night Workout

Tonight was another workout at Foothill college. More bleachers, more laps around the track, and this time, we hiked the circumference of the college. That was a pretty nice trek through the woods.

We also did more core, strengthening and stretching exercises. We did as many situps as we could in a couple of minutes, several stretching exercises and "planks". Planks are done by raising your entire body up on your toes and elbows and holding it there for as long as possible. So far, I've been able to do this for about 30 seconds and that's it. I'll try for a longer period of time next week.

Tuesday Night Workout

Today was a work filled day. I spent a lot of time catching up this blog and doing household chores. Our son had a T-ball game at 4:30 pm and after it was over, I raced off to get him to the babysitter and then to the Foothill track. I was about 20 minutes late, but apparently didn't miss too much of the workout.

We did several laps around the track as well as stretching exercises and a core workout. We also did about 20 or so repetitions of the dreaded bleachers. This was, however, a more relaxed workout then we've had in weeks past.

After collecting our son, we met at a local restaurant and I had a spinach salad with salmon for dinner. Healthy and yummy!

Back On Track

Tonight it was back to the track and field at Foothill College! It felt good to be back, but at the same time, I noticed that it was less easy than the last time. I definitely need to get back on this!

We did several laps around the track, stretching and core exercises, as well as sixteen repetitions of the now infamous bleachers. It was not a difficult workout and probably perfect for getting back in after a hiatus.

Learning to Walk... Again

I've been learning to walk in my new orthotics today. It's not totally comfortable as there's this bump under my major arch that isn't usually there, but on the other hand, it's not totally uncomfortable either. What's interesting is that I can feel one of the bones in my foot pushing up as I step down. What's more, there's no pain in the ball of my foot. That's amazing!

It rained much of today, right up to the time of our Tuesday night workout. Since I'm still coughing with lots of congestion, I opted not to go to the workout tonight. Duane went and, fortunately, it cleared up enough that it didn't rain on him. But other than having happy feet, I'm still not up to snuff.

New Boots at Tuesday Night Workout

Though still tired from this weekend's hike and carwash, I felt I was beginning to recover today and was looking forward to our track workout at which I could give my new boots a good try.

After helping out at our son's TBall game, we rushed up to Foothill College. Our son came with tonight, due to a conflict in our babysitter's schedule.

Tonight's workout consisted of walking fast around the track, interspersed with 18 sets of bleachers. After that, we did stretching exercises and core training. It was a good workout and I felt good about it. The hiking boots seem to be working out much better, though I may still need a metatarsal arch to keep the toes in my left foot from getting slightly numb.

Bones, Muscles and Body Mechanics

We arrived at Foothill College, per usual, to do our Tuesday night workout. Tonight's workout consisted of:

going up and down the bleachers 14 times, 6 of those sideways;

stretching exercises;

core exercises (for strength training);

"funny" walks (on tiptoes, heels and with feet pointed inwards and then outwards;

one half mile around the track going slow; and

one half mile around the track going fast (although still walking);

Tonight's workout at Foothill College was shorter than usual due to a presentation given by a chiropractor on body mechanics and stretching. For the last 45 minutes, we learned about what is going on when certain muscle groups start to cramp. I learned that the lower back pain that I had for a short while during the Alum Rock hike last weekend was due to my gluteal muscles locking up. We learned some good stretching exercises to do. I also learned that calf stretches are good for keeping the Achilles tendon healthy. (I figured this one out on my own, but it was a useful confirmation of what I had already learned.)

The most interesting thing I learned tonight had to do with the mild pain and numbness that I've been having in the toe of one boot. I've been at my wit's end because my shoe is wide enough, yet if I go any wider my toes will hit the front of the boot on the downhill. It turns out that this symptom is caused by a fallen metatarsal arch. What to do? The chiropractor recommended metatarsal arch supports, so I will go down to the specialized shoe store and see if I can find some and where to place them in my boot. Superfeet are also recommended as a replacement insole for hiking boots, as they give more support in all of the right places.

All in all a very productive night for me, although I think Duane could have used the information a week earlier. He didn't do the workout tonight because his foot was still hurting, so we saved some money on a babysitter and Duane watched our son, who ran around the track as fast as he could. The little guy was thrilled when I told him that he was going to be running a foot race in two weeks. He started running around the track even faster in practice mode!

Tuesday Night Track Workout

Tonight we met again at the Foothill College track and field for another fun filled hour and a half of laps, stairs, hills and stretching. We started with a couple of warm up laps (half mile) around the track, then did some stretching. After that, we did 6 sets of stairs, and another 6 sets of stairs walking sideways up and down. Apparently some trails are narrow or steep and it's easier to hike on the trail sideways. Since our legs don't normally get much sideways movement, this muscle group isn't used and isn't as strong as the muscle that control the normal back and forth. I notice that it's becoming easier to do this sideways walking, although I also notice that one side is usually easier than the other. So I wonder if the brain's left/right dominance is at work in this like it is in handwriting.

After the bleacher stairs we walked over to the hill in back of the track and field. We walked up and down the hill three times. We spied a coyote running across our trail. We had a beautiful clear night with a bright, full harvest moon. In fact, this was our first Tuesday night meeting that it hadn't been raining. Consequently, I forgot to bring my exercise mat.

After the hill, we walked back over to the track and out onto the football field to do our first core exercises. Since I had no mat, I did my exercises on the AstroTurf, which fortunately wasn't wet. These core exercises involved laying down and then trying to do what was essentially one push up, and then hold it up. We did this facing up, down and on both sides. This was not as easy at it looked!

After that, we did a couple more laps around the track (another half mile) and then it was time to go!

Rain and Shine

The weather doesn't seem to know what it wants to do. Today we had down pours and cloud bursts, punctuated by bits of blue sky and rainbows. And then, 10 minutes before we were supposed to be at the Foothill College track and field, there were flashes of lightning. I wondered whether we would still have our workout.

Undaunted, we arrived on time, parked the car and attempted to get our parking pass. None of the machines were taking any more $1 bills, so we saved $2 tonight. Yeah!

Despite the miserable weather, there was quite a group of hikers this evening. Our workout was not cancelled. I did the entire workout with my backpack, which had some water, G2, gloves, and other stuff in it to give it some weight. I didn't put the poles and matt in my backpack tonight because it was so wet.

Tonight we broke out our rain ponchos for the first time. We've been lucky so far at squeezing in hikes and workouts in the hours between showers, but tonight was not our night. Because I was cold, I also wore two pairs of pants, two shirts, and a rain jacket underneath. I was pleased that the poncho wasn't flapping all over the place. It was less cumbersome than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised.

Tonight's workout consisted of several laps around the track at varying speeds, stretching exercises, as well as going up and down the bleacher stairs 12 times. We still haven't had dry enough weather to do the core exercises on the mats. Going down the bleachers is more difficult for me than going up. I take smaller steps going down the stairs, which are quite wide, so I sometimes do two steps per stair. I am, however, getting better at some of the other exercises. There is one exercise that we do called a "funny walk". You place your feet on either side of a line and then walk, but putting each foot on the other side of the line. (Think of a really bad model going down a catwalk hips swinging wide). Everyone looks really silly doing this, but it strengthens muscles that aren't often used. This was difficult for me to do at first, but I noticed that tonight it was a lot easier. I could do the walk without feeling like I was going to fall down any moment.

At last it was 8:00 pm. Another workout completed. I was a little tired and very wet, but happy!

Boots & Packs

Every hiker needs good boots. Today, Duane and I went to REI and tried on about 5 or 6 pairs of boots each. It's amazing how many different kinds of boots there are. Some have flexible soles, some are more stiff. Some are more lightweight than others. Some breathe more than others. Some of them are quite stylish and others are downright clunky.

REI has a pseudo-rock on which you can try out the boots you are wearing. You walk up one side and check to make sure that your heel isn't coming out of your boot, and down the other side to make sure that your toe isn't jamming at the front.

But it's not enough to just try on boots. You also have to put on the right kind of socks. I picked out a pair of silk liner socks, and then a pair of acryllic socks with the thickest padding. One saleman suggested I get wool socks. He was less eager to sell me wool socks when I told him that I was allergic to wool and the last thing that I wanted was foot rash while hiking up Half Dome. Once I picked out and put on the socks, I tried the boots once again.

I finally settled on a pair of Asolo boots. They came in two different colors: rust red or brown. Since the red ones were $70 less, I figured I'd continue to make a fashion statement. Duane picked out a pair of Vasque boots, in a nice earthen shade of brown.

Since our first hike is on Sunday, we also picked out backpacks. The packs need to be small for a day hike, but able to carry the largest hydration system possible, which is 3 liters. The packs are designed with air gaps between your back, so that your back can breathe, as well as a padded belt with pockets at the waist, so that you don't have to take your pack off for every little thing. We tried out the packs, loaded with 15 and then 20 pounds. I think I have discovered that the less weight I take on this hike the better. I'm aiming for 15 pounds total, and the water I take with me will be about half of that. I'll let Duane carry the new tiny Canon Digital Elph camera. We both settled on the same rust red color backpack, the only difference being size. Unfortunately, once I took the tags off the backpack, I wasn't able to tell them apart. Perhaps Duane can figure out which one is the medium and which one is the large. While there, Duane also found some hiking pants and I found a couple of shirts. And all of this just in the nick of time! Our first Tuesday night workout was this evening.

I dropped our son off at the babysitter where we also met up with a friend of mine, Victoria, who has also decided to join Team in Training and attempt to do the Half Dome hike with us. Way to go Victoria! Victoria, who is from Chile, was a South American champion in the shotput and javeline. Wow! I'm impressed!

We arrived at Foothill College at 6:30 pm. I had my hiking boots on and my pack on my back with some water, snacks and an exercise matt inside. It was enough to give it some weight but not much. Just right for a starting workout. We did a couple of laps around the track, then stretching exercises and up and down the bleacher several times. We did a team building exercise in which, every time one of us got to the back of the line, we had to walk fast to the front of the line while answering a question about ourselves. It was fun and we got to learn a little bit about our team mates.

After an hour and a half, we were relased for the evening. Best of all Victoria enjoyed her first workout! I'm really looking forward to the first hike this Saturday. By the end of our workout, however, my feet were killing me. The boots were too narrow across the foot. But this is the way you find out that you need to return them. Tomorrow they are going back! One of our mentors suggested that I buy a man's boot as they usually come a bit wider.

The diet continues to go well. I've leveled off at a 10 pound loss. Some of this is due to building muscle, which weighs more than fat. And some of this is just because I'm a pre-menopausal woman during that time of the month. Eventually, the scale will edge downward once again. I can't wait!

Our Team's First Workout

The alarm went off at 6:30 am this morning. Ugh. Neither of us really wanted to roll out of bed. I supposed that is to be expected on a Saturday morning when it is barely light outside. We got up anyway. Our first order of business was to eat a breakfast rich in carbohydrates, so I fixed us both a bowl of oatmeal with dried blueberries. Then a quick shower and dressing for our workout.

But what to wear? I own very few workout clothes because I've never really had an affinity for sweat. So I put on an old pair of red track pants. My white and black tee shirts happened to be in the wash; the only clean tee shirt I had was sky blue. Because it was raining, I wore the yellow nylon pants that I usually reserve for skiing over my track pants. I looked like a fluorescent Christmas tree ornament. I kept my red jacket zipped during the entire workout in order to keep from blinding my teammates. I can't wait for the upcoming gear clinic!

We grabbed our mats, water and a snack and headed out the door at about 7:15 am. The drive to Foothill College was puncuated by rain, but at least there was little traffic. We saw a rainbow on the drive, always a reminder for me of God's promise. We arrived at the track and field right on time at 7:45 am and, after feeding the parking meter, we walked on to a very wet track.

After a few more introductions, our first task was to walk twice around the track to warm up. After two leisurely laps, we split up into teams and then did stretching and conditioning exercises. We went up and down the bleacher stairs eight times. After doing 669 steps on Communications hill, this was a piece of cake. What was difficult about this was that we did half of them sideways. Have you ever walked up and down stairs sideways? It's not as easy as it appears, but it's very much like doing a grapevine step in country western or middle eastern dancing. Then we did a series of stretches: calf stretches, knee stretches, arm stretches. We twirled each ankle ten times in both directions. Then we skipped, did heel walks, "butt kicks" in which you walk kicking your legs backwards at the knee with each step. Fortunately, we got to skip the mat work because the ground was so wet.

Next we did an icebreaker. We split into teams. One team is doing the 3 day Grand Adventure hike at the Grand Canyon. Another team is doing the 1 day rim hike at the Grand Canyon. The rest of us are hiking Yosemite and hoping to make the cut for the Half Dome team. Our team is huge, so we split into two. Each team grabbed a backpack, using it as a baton as in a relay race. The goal was to walk around the track four times, picking up some necessary hiking item with each lap. First, an hydration pack, then some snacks, then some rain gear, and lastly some electrolytes. As we walked each lap, we had to pass the backpack down the line and learn each others names. That was a fun exercise.

The final exercise was to walk four laps around the track, timed. Since making the Half Dome cut depends on speed, Duane and I kept ourselves in the front of the pack. The last sixteenth mile saw a bit of competition with various participants breaking into a jog. We finished with a time of 15:35, and first in our team.

After the workout, many of us drove to Oregano's Wood-Fired Pizza in Los Altos. Lunch reservations had been made and Oregano's donated 15% of the proceeds back to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We put all of our names into a hat to see who would get the donation check to be credited to one of our fundraising accounts and when the name was finally pulled out, it was Duane! We had a good time getting to know our team mates and enjoyed lunch with them.