Monday, December 25, 2006

Saturday, December 16, 2006

A year of Crossfit

I've been doing Crossfit for a little more than a year now. It's time to post my experiences.

I found the program in late 2005. I searched blogger for "fitness" and found a mention of the Crossfit site. I checked it out, and found some great pictures of pit bulls. I looked around to find more pictures of the dogs (Fudgie and Athena), and noted that everybody shown was incredibly fit, and able to do some really cool things like handstand pushups. The videos showed some truly amazing athletics. It piqued my interest.

My background up to that point had involved some strength training and a fair bit of (long, slow) running. I thought I was fit when I could run 20 miles and not be completely destroyed. I'd never managed to break the 10 minute pace on a marathon (though I did pull off a 1:52 half marathon as a total fluke once.) I just didn't seem to be able to get any faster.

In fall of 2005, we had a flag football tournament at work It was humbling. While our team won, I found myself in serious pain in all sorts of places that I didn't know I had muscles. My core, particularly the obliques, got so sore that I had trouble sleeping. Every time I rolled over, I woke up in pain due to the soreness.

So you could say I was well primed when I stumbled upon Crossfit for the first time. I'll leave the bulk of the explanation to the Crossfit site itself (just check out the FAQ and read the postings on the message board.) In short, the program is 3 days on, one day off, including holidays. It's free, it's posted to the site at night, and it changes every day. There is a variety that you don't find in any other fitness program. You never just go through the motions- everything is for time, number of reps, or some score. There is running, olympic weightlifting, gymnastics... you name it. The one thing you won't find is "go spend 40 minutes on a treadmill, pace doesn't matter, just make sure you're reading People magazine or talking on a cell phone." Every exercise is functional. There are no "isolate the third head of the medial so-and-so." There are also very few machines involved.

At first, just doing the workouts was incredibly difficult. I had to scale severely just to be able to complete things, and even then my time was ridiculously slow. One of the benchmark workouts (workouts that are repeated periodically so you can gauge your improvement) is called Cindy:

"Cindy"
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

I first did this workout in December of 2005. I managed 6 rounds, and I had to use the assist machine with 28 pounds of assist to help me with the pullups. It wiped me out.

We kept doing "Cindy" every month or two, and my score gradually improved. I even managed to wean myself off the assisted pullups after about 8 months on the program. I finally stalled out at 12 rounds about 2 months ago. I hadn't improved much recently (10, 11, 11-1/2, 12), and was actually a little down on the whole thing. Crossfit teaches you to expect massive gains in a short amount of time. You just...well, you just do the workouts and the gains happen. It's hard, but it's rewarding.

Last night, I attacked "Cindy" for all I was worth. At the halfway point, I had finished 9-1/2 rounds, and I could tell I still had gas in my tank. On previous occasions, I'd done 8 rounds in the first 10 minutes, but completely blown up and been unable to go much further. This time felt different. I just kept going. "Could I reach 15? That would be great!" I thought to myself as I started on round eleven.

40 seconds later, as I'm catching my 5 between-rounds breaths, I think to myself... "well, I'm not done yet, and I've got time to get to 15 rounds by the 16 minute mark..."

It went on like that till the end, doing math in a severely winded state, trying to figure out how to keep pace. I launched into round 18 with a minute to go and finished with 10 seconds to spare.

That was 90 pullups, 180 pushups, and 270 squats in 20 minutes. A year ago, that would have taken me 20 hours, and I would have been sore for a week. I just made a 50 percent performance improvement in slightly less than 2 months.

I've dropped about 10 pounds in weight, but gained at least 10 in muscle. I'm closing in on being able to deadlift twice my bodyweight. I haven't been running outside Crossfit, but I'm about to kick off training for next year's Grandma's marathon. I'll post more about how that goes later.

There's a joke among the Crossfit following about "drinking the kool-aid." One affiliate sells a t-shirt that proclaims "it's not a cult, I swear." Crossfit has been condemned as dangerous, wrong, etc. The philosophy and approach of the program make total sense once you try things and see what they can do for you.

I'm hooked.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Time Machine Ballistics

Time Machine Ballistics

On the other hand, things that take next to no time at all can be powerfully revealed with a still photograph. This site features the work of Harold Edgerton. He was a pioneer in high speed photography. If you're ever in Boston, stop by the museum at MIT: The Edgerton Center

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Noah K Everyday

Noah K Everyday

I'm interested in things that are elemental. Things that come from first principles. Basic measurements of physical quantities that can not be distilled down into anything more real are interesting to me.

Running marathons teaches you a lot about distance. You learn a lot about time as well as more complicated qualities such as power and energy. The funny thing is, I'm more awed by the distance when we're driving back to the hotel room after the marathon. During the event, I'm experiencing the thing, and it's going by too slowly to really understand, especially at the paces I usually run (~10 or 11 minute miles.) But having to drive for half an hour or so to get back to the start of where you ran from... well, that's pretty sobering. "Hell, I ran this biatch," I usually say, or something to that effect. Everybody in the car agrees that it is a long way, but only those who ran it really feel that distance. We usually feel the distance even more in the next couple of days, then it fades and the mind glosses over and saves the good memories and blots out the pain. You don't remember what it means until about the 22nd mile of the next marathon you run. That last three or four miles is a beautiful hell. It's drug-like. Your life will never be simpler than when you're done with the preparation and the running of the first 4/5ths of the marathon. You only have one thing to do, and two physical quantities to think about: time and distance. Sure, you might be concerned about your energy level or your heart rate or the temperature or wondering where your friends are or something else... but ultimately it boils down to "how far is it, and how long do I have to get there?"

This photography project shows time in a completely different light. While not on a geological timescale, it's definitely closer when compared to the usual time-lapses we see (see my earlier posting about the movie Baraka.)

Brave New Workshop's Christmas Show

The fetal support unit and I went to see the opening night of BNW's "Christmas- The Other White Holiday" last night.

More on the show in a bit. We got there a little late, as I had to get in my workout. I'm closing in on a year of Crossfit, so I'll post my thoughts in a couple of weeks.

Back to BNW. They had food, which was good, because I was starving. So I found some munchies and commenced munching. An older gentlemen walked up, picked up a bag of tortilla chips, then inspected one of the small round tubs on the table. It was full of green avocado-ey goodness. He asks, to nobody in particular, "What's this stuff?"

You know you're in Minnesota when people don't know what Guacamole is. "Put it down sir, you wouldn't like it. It's probably too spicy for you, and it's never been near a cow, it's not made from fish, it's never been fermented, and there's no way you can make it into a hot dish. It's not for you."

Mind you, we weren't out-state... we were in Uptown. I could tell because everybody that was good looking was dressed in black, ill-fitting, frumpy clothes. Yup, these clothes said "I'm so good looking, I have to dress badly and wear clunky glasses."

I mean, I could understand if we were just west of Cowfuck, WI. Not knowing what guacamole is could be something of a badge of cheesehead/outstate pride in some areas. But in Uptown? Wow.

After that, I waited in line for the bathroom. BNW is strangely egalitarian. There are two one-holers, and one line forms for both of them. I was standing behind a black guy, who clearly needed to go because he was dancing around. He asked me "is there just the one bathroom?"

"No, there's two, but there's just one line. I guess it's fairer that way."

"What? Since when is this country fair? Since the election we're all into equal rights? Man, if this was the 1940's, I'd be finished by now!"

I couldn't much argue with him there. Given the demographic makeup of the crowd, he'd have had time to read the paper and catch up on the news, and nobody would have much cared.

The show itself was great. There was a lot of swearing, pretty much nothing was sacred, and even the Muslims got a few friendly pokes, along with the Jews, the whites, the Lutherans, the Catholics, politicians, UPS, and all of our standard Christmas stereotypes.

I laughed so much my cheeks (the ones on my face) hurt today. If you get the chance, go see the show. Last year's effort was good, but this year it's obvious the cast has matured and grown.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

YouTube - airgun tactical shooting

YouTube - airgun tactical shooting Who says the Japanese have renounced military ways? These fuckers will have our backs in North Korea someday.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

*HA* I always knew it

The Official History and Manual of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows in America

The Lord of the Dynamos

"And to James Holroyd bullying was a labor of love."

Hmph.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Monday, April 10, 2006

Drugs companies 'inventing diseases to boost their profits' - World - Times Online

Drugs companies 'inventing diseases to boost their profits' - World - Times Online

Exactly. Meaning you'll be healthier with less exposure to commercials.

Next on Fox News at 9: Your local news may be killing you by making you afraid of anything and everything. Watch the chilling footage at 10 o'clock... or else.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Amazing Rally Video

Watch all the way through- look how close he gets to the edge near the top of the run.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Megan has gas

"You know it's bad when you gross out the dogs"

-My darling wife.

Monday, April 03, 2006

http://www.runningmap.com/

This is one of the coolest things for runners I've ever seen. It's basically a way of measuring distances on Yahoo maps. Not just point A to point B, but: run to this corner and turn left, then turn right, etc.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Messing about on bicycles...

Well, Wife #1 and I just returned from our maiden voyage on a tandem. I bought the bike this week, sight unseen, from a Reverend in Iowa. I'd read a lot about tandems, and it looked like the ideal solution for me to get more mileage in, and for Megan and I to enjoy something athletic together.

We bought a forest green Burley Rumba Softride. I haven't got any pictures of it yet, but I'll post some soon. The bike is practically brand new. Fits like a glove. It's not a sexy oversized tube aluminum jobbie, just a simple, sturdy steel frame. Run of the mill components, but serviceable. Even came with one set of clipless pedals, which actually work surprisingly well.

Megan was a bit trepidatious at first- she generally approaches these things with apprehension. I would if I was married to me- I mean, I'm known to be a gung-ho idiot about lots of things... "Detangling a kite in below zero weather on the middle of a Minnesota lake? Sounds like fun!" "Running a marathon? Sign me up!" "Camping in February in Northern Minnesota? I'm there!"

So I figured I'd do what I could to make it as stress free as possible. I left the bike in the porch until the weekend, so she could see it, sniff at it, and get comfortable. Zoe and Stanley did this as well. When the weekend came, I suggested that we go for a ride, and then let that sit for a couple of hours while I helped clean up around the house. Then, once it had warmed up enough, we took the dogs for a walk.

It was time. Megan makes this cute noise when she's nervous about things, and I heard that noise a few times today. We did a dress rehearsal in the driveway, holding onto the railing on the deck for stability.

Then we went out into the road, got on the bike, and rode away. Just like that. It was sketchy for about the first 5 feet, but after that, we both settled down and and started enjoying the ride. It wasn't that different to riding my Kingpin with Megan on the back, except that things happen faster on a tandem.

After a mile, I downshifted and started spinning like I would on my single. I became aware of nearly uncontrollable giggling from the peanut gallery. I look back, and she's bouncing up and down in rhythm with the pedal strokes, and has the best grin on her face. What a hoot. Guess she's never had to develop a round pedal stroke before, and it was causing the bounce. It wasn't moving the bike at all, but every time I looked back she was bouncing. I started finding bumps on purpose to set her off, and once downshifted maliciously just to see if I could make her bounce more.

We didn't go far, as somebody forgot to wear appropriate butt-shielding and found the stock seat a little uncomfy. However, the stoker is always right, so we called it a day after about 3 miles. I can't believe how well we did as a team, and how much fun it was. Now we just have to find a way to tow the dogs along...

Saturday, February 25, 2006

My favorite boredom erasers.

Tactic 1:

Go to Ebay.
Click on "All Categories."
Click on "Other stuff."
Click on "Totally Bizarre."
Pull down Sort by: to "Price: highest first"

Voila, instant reinforcement of your self worth:

Ebay totally bizarre.

...and now this. Cragslist has a "Best of" section:

Hot Dekalb Police officer pulling into QT off Ptree Industrial

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Engadget BBS, ca 1985

Engadget 1985 - I love this. It's a good reminder of how far we've come in 20 years.

Wonder what we'll be laughing about in 2025?

Friday, February 17, 2006

Saturday, February 11, 2006

40-metre profanity spotted from space | The Register

40-metre profanity spotted from space
- The Chinese build a bloody great wall, and in Yorkshire... well, we do have a reputation for being blunt.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Nafferton in 1972

Nafferton in 1972

I haven't got a bloody clue what any of this means, but I was born and grew up here (not in Nethergate, you understand, but very close by), so it's interesting to think that I was within a mile of this apparent event. Of course, since I was all of 18 months old at the time I was totally unaware.

Come to think of it, had I been aware, I probably wouldn't have cared much either.

But it talks about Nafferton, and I'm from there, so it's important to me. Not the sort of place you hear about a lot.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

MN Rollergirls

MN Rollergirls site

Tony Nelson Photography- MN Rollergirls Pictures


We went to see the MN Roller Girls last night at the Roy Wilkins auditorium. This was the largest crowd they'd ever had- over 3000 people if the announcer is to be believed. The lines for beer and the bathroom were huge. I don't think they expected the attendance to skyrocket.

What a great time! This sport has something for everybody- chicks kicking ass, PBR tallboys, strategery, action, fights, and athletic women with nice legs, tattoos, fishnet stockings, and short skirts mooning the crowd. Hallelujah!

From the website:

The Minnesota RollerGirls are part of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), a national governing body for female-only, skater-owned, flat-track roller derby leagues. The Minnesota RollerGirls league was founded by the Donnelly sisters in August 2004 and has grown from 6 original members to a current roster of 80 skaters, 8 referees and coaches, and countless volunteers. All participants are unpaid amateurs and the league provides insurance coverage for practices and bouts.

The next bout is February 19th in St. Cloud. ROAD TRIP!!!


f r a n g i p a n i | gallery :: Manholes of Japan

f r a n g i p a n i | gallery :: Manholes of Japan

Sunday, January 22, 2006