angledge | Entries tagged with exercise

I didn't formally set a New Year's resolution this year (whatever that would mean), but informally I have a goal of doing 200 Phoenix 30-Minute Full Body Workouts this year. Coach Melissa offers a Workout every morning from Monday to Friday starting at 8:00 AM Mountain Time. They are the starting gun for my workdays & my most important source of recovery fellowship. Last year, I did 167 workouts with Melissa & our Phoenix tribe.

So far this year, I did 18 workouts in January out of 23 weekdays. In February, I only did 12 workouts in 21 weekdays, but I was traveling for a big chunk of the month. That's a total of 30 There are 262 weekdays in 2024 & (21+23 =) 44 of them have elapsed.

30 workouts * (262/44) = 178. So I'm not on pace to hit my goal, but I am on pace to beat last year's total.

218 weekdays left in 2024. Can I make 170 workouts? It could be tough, considering that I do have some travel still upcoming.

Current Mood: calculating
Current Location: The Kingdom of Winter

Sleep: Went to bed early thanks to jet lag. 9:30 PM – 4:50 AM. 7 hours 20 minutes. I stayed in bed until about 6:20 AM, but never really fell back asleep.

Program: Kneeling prayer this morning, meditation after the team meeting. I used SH to measure “stress” immediately after meditating, & my pulse was 60 BPM & blood oxygenation was 96%. My blood oxygenation is usually lower than that & my pulse higher, so…. Hey! Meditation helps with stress! #WhoKnew

I need to contact Pastor R* to see if he knows anyone at HFASS who might be willing to sponsor me. I think I need a new approach.

Work: I got to work early – about 7:45 AM. I got a decent amount of stuff done.

Food: I got some quick kitchen tasks done this morning (unloaded dishwasher, started another batch of bone broth). I had early coffee w/cream, then ate standard breakfast (casserole, keto biscuit) around 11 AM. A handful of cashews around 2:00 PM. Then M* came over for dinner, & I made keto fish sticks & tartar sauce. They were SO GOOD. Between the two of us, we ate 1+ lb. of fish, then split a bowl of salad. I am going to make more fish sticks later this week to use up the rest of the tartar sauce.

Exercise: OK, the plan was do the pre-hab & Day 1 of the new yoga routine this morning. But when I woke up, my arms were still so darn sore that it just didn’t seem like a good idea. So instead, I packed a simple workout bag & brought it to the office. I walked/jogged on the office treadmill for 20 minutes, making it 1.43 miles. Baby steps. 1,764 steps / 39 minutes active, not counting the treadmill time. That will improve when the doggos are here.

Mood: I had a headache again today – third day out of the past four. It’s wearying. But M* & I had a good evening hanging out – talking, sharing photos, laughing.

Grats: 1. Headache cleared off in the afternoon. It might be a hydration issue plus Shark Week. 2. Delicious dinner with a friend. The most basic of pleasures. 3. I managed to overcome a reason to NOT work out & still get in a little bit of exercise. That’s five days in a row now.

Current Mood: full
Current Location: Haert-bed
Current Music: "Jealousy" by Liz Phair

Sleep: 11:30 PM – 4:50 AM, 5 hours 20 minutes. I had trouble winding down last night, even though I knew I had to get up early this morning. I didn’t sleep long, but at least I slept well.

Program: I prayed at the gate at the GSP airport. I meditated in the afternoon.

Tasks: Travel day, then reset day. I made two grocery runs, started making bone broth to use in soups for next week’s AA Ladies Dinner, made a breakfast casserole, unpacked my suitcase, ran some laundry, & was generally productive all day.

Food: Before getting on the plane, I chugged a coffee w/half’n’half & ate three taquitos. When I got to Union Station I ate a second breakfast at Snooze: a 3-egg omelette with sausage, bell peppers, & spinach, a bowl of (really good) fruit, & a thick piece of rye toast with a thin smear of jam. More coffee. Pre-church snack: celery w/almond butter. Hot chocolate at Advent service. Dinner was chicken involtini & a green salad w/Primal Kitchen Caesar dressing.

Exercise: I bought a 28-day yoga program off of a Facebook ad. Today I practiced the “bonus pre-hab exercises”. They are pretty hard! I’m hoping the program isn’t way above my ability level. 9,711 steps & 96 minutes active – mostly walking to King Soopers & church/Natural Grocers.

I feel like I somehow deserve some exercise credit for the flight home - I swear, there was NO heat on the plane! I've never been so cold on an airplane. I had my hat & gloves & coat on, & I was still cold for the entire flight. No love, United.

Also -- I am really, really sore.

Mood: Decent. I’m glad to be home, I got a good amount of stuff done around here, I’m looking forward to December’s activities.

Grats: 1. Made it home safely & didn’t spring for a Lyft (yay sticking to mass transit plan!). 2. It was good to see some familiar faces at church tonight. 3. I’m full, clean, safe, warm, & ready to sleep then go to work.

Current Mood: content
Current Location: Haert-bed
Current Music: HFASS hymns

Sleep: SH reports 11:00 PM - 7:00 AM. That seems about right.

Program: I texted lots & lots of people today. I've focused on being of service today - helping prepare food, cleaning up, etc. My dad offered me a glass of wine *sigh*

Food: Heh. A small bowl of Rice Chex & tea before the 5k, & a yogurt after. Salami & cheese. Then THE MAIN EVENT: TurkeyStuffingMashedPotatoesGreenBeanCasseroleCranberryJellyYamsRolls OMG. Then, two slices of Bobo's apple pie with cheddar cheese melted on top. YUM.

Exercise: Bobo & I did a Turkey Trot 5k this morning. I finished... last (37:39). I am really, really, REALLY out of shape. 8,287 steps / 67 minutes active.

Mood: I'm doing OK, but I'm getting to the end of my patience with Mom. Oh dear, I have 2 1/2 more days to go.

Grats: 1. I was at least able to finish the 5k. That's... something, I guess. 2. All the delicious food! 3. Time spent with my Bobo.

Current Location: Exclusive Ledgerwood Resort, Carolina Resort
Current Music: Audible app

So I swam yesterday & walked dogs today & I've got an appointment to do yoga with K* tomorrow. I also have an appointment with D* tomorrow. And I'm leaving for another rotation to Gold King on Thursday. So things are moving, finally, on several fronts.

I want to maintain some momentum. I think I need to find some AA meeting alternatives to the 7 AM Attitude Adjustment meeting. I'm not getting as much out of that meeting as I used to, & getting there every morning at 7 AM means I can't exercise in the morning. I think I might start going to that meeting on Wednesdays (for the 12&12 study group upstairs) & on weekends. I'm going to try a noon meeting near the office (at the place I went to my very first AA meeting off Alameda in Lakewood). I might also start hitting that women's study group on Thursday nights again. I need something different, or I'm going to slack off.

If I go to the noon meeting on Tuesday, I can swim in the morning on Tuesday.

Other classes I could try to hit: CrossFit at the Phoenix, 7 PM Tuesdays, 7 PM Thursdays, 10 AM Saturdays. Yoga for Strength at the Phoenix, 6:15 PM on Mondays.

Possibilities.

Current Mood: improved
Current Location: Haert
Current Music: farting dogs, sadly

I'm in my third week of my new job with Weston Solutions. It's going well - which, really, is no surprise. It's environmental consulting, which I did for decades before going to work for ER. And it's supporting EPA, which is what I did for ER. So, all facets are familiar.

I'm also in my approximately fifth week of transitioning to the keto diet. I'm following Mark Sisson's version, which emphasizes the importance of leafy green & cruciferous vegetables. I've lost some weight, generally feel good, & the food is delicious.

I've been off all SSRIs for over two months now. I have a new psychiatrist, who is using diet & supplements as the first line of treatment. We're focusing on good sleep. I feel.... OK. Not fantastic, but not awful. I think I'm slightly stressed about working full time again. I had gotten really bad at time management while unemployed.

I need to recommit to going to bed early, so I can get enough sleep while still getting up early enough to attend my 7 AM AA meeting. And by "early", I mean, "Screens & bright lights off by 8:30, showering soon after, in bed by 9."

Dagmar yoga. And lots of walking dogs with M*.

I need running shoes.

music link

Today I decided that I want to work out every single day for the next six months. February 20 to August 20 is 181 days. Today is Day 1.

Swimming / Carla Madison Recreation Center

WU 300 free easy ~6:00

300 yards 6:00

12 x 75 kick/swim/kick with fins
Fly/back/free by 75 1:30 (in on ~1:05-1:08) (could probably do a 1:20)

900 yards 18:00

5 x 200 free swim 3:40 (in on ~3:10) (could probably do a 3:30)

1,000 yards 18:20

WD 200 easy

200 yards ~5:00

Total workout: 2,400 yards ~48 minutes. Not great, but not bad! Lots of fins in that though.

Current Mood: cautiously optimistic
Current Location: Denver Public Library
Current Music: "Superposition" by Young the Giant

WARMUP = 300 yards

300 free 50 swim / 25 drill about 5:00

FIRST SET = 650 yards

8 x 75 25 backstroke kick / 25 stroke IM order / 25 free swim 1:45
50 easy

SECOND SET = 1,000 yards

10 x 100 free swim 1:55 (1:35 in) - I tried to do all the flip turns but couldn't, kept running out of air.

WARMDOWN = 150 yards

150 easy

Total workout = 2,100 yards in ~40-45 minutes
2016 cumulative distance = 64,100 yards (36.4 miles)

WARMUP = 300 yards

300 free 50 swim / 25 drill about 5:00

FIRST SET = 600 yards

8 x 75 25 backstroke kick / 25 stroke IM order / 25 free swim 2:00

SECOND SET = 1,000 yards

10 x 100 free swim 1:55 (1:35 in)

WARMDOWN = 100 yards

100 easy

Total workout = 2,000 yards in ~40-45 minutes
2016 cumulative distance = 62,000 yards (35.2 miles)

Current Location: Leadville, CO

I finally made it to the Lake County Aquatic Center here in Leadville! And who was there but my CLIENT - & he kicked my ass! I'm trying not to be sullen about that - he says he swims 2-3 times a week religiously. If I swim 2-3 times a week religiously, maybe I could kick HIS ass.

Also - swimming at 10,200 ft? It's an ass-kicking all on its own.

WARMUP

300 free 50 swim / 25 drill

FIRST SET

6 x 50 kick 1:30 freestyle kick: 5 kicks on one side, roll to other side, 5 kicks

SECOND SET

10 x 100 free 2:00

WARMDOWN

50 easy

Total workout (best guess) = 1,650 yards in ~35-40 minutes
2016 cumulative distance = 60,000 yards (34.1 miles)

Current Mood: oxygen-deprived
Current Location: Leadville, CO

I don't have a good record of this practice. It was a lot of short reps, & everything was "last 25 fast". Then we did a good deal of drilling on sculling technique. The water & air temperature was way too hot, & I skipped quite a bit.

Total workout (best guess) = 2,500 yards in ~90 minutes
2016 cumulative distance = 58,350 yards (33.2 miles)

Current Mood: forgetful

WARMUP ~ 500 yards
10 minute free swim workout.

FIRST SET = 400 yards
8 x 50 25 kick / 25 swim all free :10 rest

SECOND SET = 750 yards
3 x 250 free :30 rest

THIRD SET = 200 yards
4 x 50 kick IM order by 50 1:05 in 1:15 out, more or less

FOURTH SET = 800 yards
4 x 200 free 3:30

FIFTH SET = 200 yards
4 x 50 kick IM order by 50 1:05 in 1:15 out, more or less

SIXTH SET (includes WARMDOWN) = 750 yards
5 x 150 free :30 rest
(Last two reps were my warmdown.)

Total workout = 3,600 yards in ~90 minutes.
I did 3,550 yards (I didn't have time to finish the last 150 before we had to get out).
Cumulative distance with the SQUID = 15,300 yards (8.69 miles).

I didn't write down the workout, but Coach John said it was 3,000 yards in just over an hour. Workout highlight: a 600-yard set that was breathe every 3 / breathe every 5 by 50. This would have been challenging at sea level; here in the Mile High City, it was impossible for me.

Total workout = 3,000 yards in ~65 minutes.
I did 3,000 yards.
Cumulative distance with the SQUID = 11,750 yards (6.77 miles).

It's AWFUL that it has taken me nearly three months to make it to my first Squid practice of the year. But - it did. Alas. Strive to do better.

As it turned out, it was a weird practice, because most of the team was at a meet today. I was the ONLY swimmer there, so Coach Pat got in & worked out with me.

WU:
300 stroke (I did 50 free, 25 back or breast)
200 pull free
100 stroke (I did 25 fly/25 back/25 breast/25 back)

8 x
(50 25 drill/25 build 1:00
25 DPS :30)
odds free, evens stroke (I did back/breast)

3 x 100 free :15 R (I did ~1:30 in, 1:45 out)

BREASTSTROKE DRILLS: undulating, sculling, with flutter kick - all new-style breaststroke, which I found very challenging since I've never bothered to update my stroke.

3 x 100 free :15 R (I did ~1:30 in, 1:45 out)

MORE BREASTSTROKE DRILLS: snapping the elbows down & in on recovery, using kick to power over-water (or, near-the-top-of-the-water) arm recovery. How not to get disqualified for a butterfly kick in the breaststroke event.

3 x 75 (breast/free/free, free/breast/free, free/free/breast) :15 R (don't remember my interval)
3 x 25 breast ~:40

WD:
100 free easy

TOTAL: 2,200 yards (1.25 miles), plus some small amount of yardage during the drills.

YAY!!

Current Mood: tired but happy

Today I skied the blue runs for the first time! OK, for the first time on purpose - last time we went out, I skied one blue & it scared/frustrated me so badly I started crying.

But today went great! I did a couple of runs on the Peak 9 greens & then, after talking to a couple of people on the chairlift, I decided to give a couple of easier blues a try (Cashier & Bonanza, still on Peak 9). My first fall was a yard sale - skis & poles went everywhere. Then I fell two more times on that run, but they were much smaller. So I went again - two falls. Third time - NO FALLS. Fourth run, legs got tired - three falls.

Breckenridge Resort Map

LESSONS:

Ski the challenging runs early when the legs are fresh. Everything gets impossibly hard when your legs are gassed.
Going faster is EASIER. Going slow, doing lots of turns - takes so much more energy!
When I go fast, I get into less trouble - but the trouble I do get into is worse.
hotpantsgalore is TERRIBLE at judging what runs I'm ready to try. TERRIBLE. Advice from strangers on the chairlift is better than guidance from HPG. Her thought process seems to be, "Well, I can do this run, & I like this run, so angledge will be fine." This, my friends, leads to TERRIBLE guidance.
Next year, I'm definitely getting a season pass. One-day lift tickets are extortionately expensive.

Today the temperatures at Breckenridge ranged from 22-26 degrees F. I wore my Patagonia long johns, my silk thermal top, a long-sleeved shirt, my black bib snow pants, my pink ski jacket, black tortoise, & helmet. I was warm - too warm! - except for my gloves. My gloves just suck. I don't think they're even waterproof.

Current Mood: tired but happy

/* Note: I tried to post this around 1:00 PM today, but LJ was ganking on the database connection. Thus, the backdate. */

I finally got through the matriculation process today. Whoopee! I'm officially a student now. What a stupid, ass-backwards process. My basic observation of this country so far is this: Scottish people as individuals are wonderful, fun, generous people. However, Scottish institutions are bureaucratic, obstructive, inefficient, & callous.

We're finally having some stereotypical Scottish weather today too - raining, misty, cold, windy. But I bundled up & grabbed my unbrella & life's OK. I'm off to get some groceries, then I'm going to find a place to buy an answering machine so I don't have to tangle with that STUPID voice mail "service" any further.

One other task accomplished - I joined the student gym (the Centre for Sport & Exercise). So now I can start SWIMMING! Hooray! I'm also considering cross-training on weight machines, but it's been so long since I've lifted, I kind of want to talk over a regimen with a trainer.

Update on the back: it's a little better but not much. I'm getting along without any more Valium, since I simply cannot take that stuff & remain functional. I'm also still saying "No" to codeine. I'm doing my stretching exercises, so hopefully a couple more days will see me through this. I also think swimming will help, by getting my shoulders stretched out.

Current Mood: still drugged up
Current Music: "All This Time" by Sting

( Weak. 3,600 meters ~ 3,950 yards )

( 4,100 yards )

Current Mood: recumbent

( This one was nearly a puker. I was hearing voices during the set of 200s. )

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Music: the voices are humming, dammit

Profile

Angela

The Phoenix

August 2025

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Syndicate

Page Summary

Style Credit

Style: Neutral Good for Practicality by timeasmymeasure

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags

Page generated Aug. 14th, 2025 09:54 pm

Ang's Journal

Serving No Purpose Since 2003

Entries tagged with exercise

2024 goals.

Delicious.

Back to Denver.

Turkey Day.

Picking it up, mixing it up.

I should blog more often.

7/181.

Six months of working out (1/181).

Non-SQUID practice 26-2016.

Non-SQUID practice 25-2016.

Non-SQUID practice 24-2016.

SQUID practice 23-2016.

SQUID practice 6-2015.

SQUID practice 5-2015.

Squid practice 1-2015.

Ski lessons.

matricula-shon

FINS workout 08/03/03

FINS workout 07/31/03

FINS workout, 07/29/03