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Islands are just mountains surrounded by water - the hard water (as in frozen) alternative would be to ski around a mountain. (oops, you live in the midwest, no mountains )
HAHA… that was good!! The funny thing is there are no HILLS either!! If our kids want to go sledding, they go to the neighborhood detention pond!! (This is why Illinoisans are called “Flatlanders”.)
The good news is that it is in the mid-50’s today… so the snow has almost completely melted!! YYYYYYAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!
The weekend didn’t quite go as planned. The weather didn’t look too bad Saturday morning so we loaded the kayaks and headed to SF Bay for a paddle. About half way over the Richmond bridge we realized that the wind was blowing really hard, and it was raining. When we got to the launch point we decided that 50 degree air temps, water about the same, high winds and pouring rain weren’t the conditions of choice. Time to implement the backup plan.
We decided to do some shopping at the local REI store. I could never have too much kayak gear. Then we drove out to Marin Headlands to look at the ocean. A few people looked at our boats on top of the truck with a look that implied that we were totally crazy. Actually it was a good way to give the boats a fresh water wash without having to use the hose. We took a short walk along the coast in the rain, watched the waves for awhile - very impressive, huge swells, breaking waves.... It looked like we were standing at the edge of chaos. We talked about paddling in that kind of rough conditions and decided that if it was about 90 degrees outside, the water was over 70 degrees, and there were no rocks to kill us, it might be fun to give it a try. It would have been combat conditions for sure.
Combat rolls aren’t scary, depending on what capsized you to begin with. I’ve been knocked over by a gust of wind, breaking waves in or near the surf, tripped over my paddle, fell over while watching a bird through binoculars (fortunately waterproof), fell over while practicing strokes, fell over once reaching for a hat in the water..... The hardest part of rolling is rough water is that when you get right-side-up, you have to keep dealing with the same stuff that knocked you over in the first place.
After our walk, we decided to have lunch, then I went home for an afternoon of aerobic housecleaning - took down the Christmas tree, and put the orchids back in their window. Not much for dinner since we had a big lunch out.
Today the weather was still far from ideal for paddling. My BF is still recovering from a cold so we decided not to go. I did an extended homework session, looked at my goals, and did some serious thinking about what this next year should be like. Then I hit the gym. I intended to sign up for personal training, but there was no one there who was available to talk with me. That’s a change from many gyms, where they descent on you like a swarm of vultures before you can finish saying training. Having a trainer always works better for me when it comes to weight workouts. I know what to do, but it gives me that little extra motivation, and since I work hard to earn money, why not treat myself to something good.
While I was in the gym, I spend 60 minutes doing a long slow burn on the elliptical. I still need to stretch more, my back and hips were a little stiff after, but nothing major.
Actually, I haven’t done a combat roll yet. All my rolls have been practice. The times I capsized by accident, I had to do the traditional wet exit get out of the boat, swim, get it back upright, climb back in, and remove the excess water that wound up in the cockpit, all this being either assisted or unassisted. Before I could roll, I really worked on my bracing skills - this minimized the need for both the wet exit and the roll. I have a friend who always says that a good brace is better than a great roll. I think she’s right. I’m sure I’ll get my chance to do some combat rolls since I will keep pushing my limits, although this weekend (gale winds and 20 plus foot waves) wasn’t the place to test my skills
Sounds like you still had a good weekend and got a lot of things done, regardless if it was what you had originally planned. It’s a great trait to be flexible. I hope you get to do your combat rolls this week. I’m with Gina, tho. I’d much rather have Spicy Tuna Rolls!
Another gym day - I started the SMSM program (third time now) for a little added motivation and to jump start the new year. Today was a 50 minute LSB on the ARC trainer. My back is still OK, better when I stretch after the workout. (did that at home). The gym was packed (mutter fume… I hate January at the gym) even at what I considered an off peak time.
I’m still waiting for the Personal Trainer to get back to me. I was going to sign up for the long package - as in more sessions, more money for the trainers. I’m going to have to rethink now, and I’m going to let him know my thoughts. If they can’t respond to a potential customer, how responsive will they be to an existing customer. Maybe more, maybe less. I want someone to push me and hold me accountable, even thought I know I could take responsibility for the sessions, I might not want to. That’s part of why I’m considering paying a trainer. We’ll see how this plays out. There are several other gyms in the area that would already have had my credit card in their hot little hands.
Don’t let that experience prevent you from getting a trainer. If you don’t hear back from them then go find another gym. It makes a huge difference to have a trainer. Making that appointment twice a week guarantees that I’ll be there and I work a whole lot harder when I’m with my trainer. Good luck.
Don’t worry, it won’t stop me, but I will make sure that I’m with a trainer who is committed to giving me a great workout each time. If I don’t find someone in this gym, there are always other gyms and other options.
SMSM program Repeat Day 2 - No gym workout today. I had too much to do at home so I pulled out the step, and the weights and the stability ball and did a short 30 minute workout right here on the floor in my home office.
(Hummmmmmm Now that may be a good way to occupy time when the hourglass and the please wait prompt are going)
No word from the gym regarding personal training. I’m going to go back in tomorrow and let them know that I was going to sign up for the premium package, but I’m having second thoughts and ask for a few concessions. Maybe there is a madness to the method by which this is happening.
As for the personal trainers not getting back to you, I bet there was a glitch in the system and your request has been lost.
I’ve never know a gym/personal trainer to ignore potential money.
Let us know how it plays out.
And I’d take Scott’s advice to check out the personality of the trainer. I’m very lucky in getting the trainer I got. Two times other trainers filled in for him and that made me realize how much difference a different person can make. All three of them are qualified and personable but the one I have works me harder than the other two but doesn’t ever ask me to do anything that I think could injure me. (The one trainer had me trying some jumping that made me nervous.)
Wednesday, life got in the way with vengeance. Work stuff is picking up again (that’s a good thing), plus it was cold and damp out - the perfect day for a little yoga and soup for dinner.
Thursday, back to the gym. I did meet with the training manager and it turns out that the trainer that was assigned to contact me had a death in the family. I can forgive him for that. We talked a bit and as it turns out, I don’t think he would have been a good fit for me as a trainer either. I’m going to try working with Ryan. He’s a big guy, and obviously does some body building, but he understands that body building isn’t for everyone. I do like the knowledge and since I can do cardio on my own, I’m going to be focusing on resistance during my workouts with the trainer anyway. He knows his physiology, and is a physical therapist as well as a trainer. My first session is this afternoon so we’ll see how it goes.
After the meeting I stayed for a 50 minute cardio session. I had planned an hour, but with the extra time talking to Ryan, I ran short of time and had to get home in time to go to a kayak club committee meeting. Nothing like staying busy.
I had my first training session today. It was mostly a fitness evaluation. It’s funny, I’m not in as good a shape as I feel. We aren’t focusing on weight loss but more on increasing muscle. Hummmmm I had that goal last year too. Maybe it’s good that I’m doing something different.
After the evaluation I did an hour of cardio. I’m planning some paddles for the weekend, gym on Monday and a session with Ryan on Tuesday.
Momentum comes back so quickly, it’s really a wonderful thing.
I posted some photos of myself as a roll model over on my journal page. Paula’s 9 Lives in Cat Years Fortunately it doesn’t take a lot of muscle to do it.
Hey Paula glad the new trainer is a better fit for you, they don’t have bios so you can get a handle on the one that might best suit you? I know thats what they do here at the YMCA here in Montreal.
No Bios, but I did get to talk to a few trainers and I really like Ryan’s attitude. Because he is also a PT, he is very conscious of how to do exercise in a way to minimize injury and also what exercises can be used to strengthen specific areas to help minimize the impact of old chronic problems.
No training today though, no work out, just pure fun - we did a 16.8 mile paddle from Berkeley over to Angel Island, met some friends there, told Karen stories, had a pot lunch and paddled back. Time paddling (excluding the lunch stop) was just under 5 hours. I feel like I got a great workout. The tides weren’t particularly great for our course, but they weren’t impossible. We just had to work a bit more.
The sun was warm, the winds were light, the seas were calm - what more can you ask for.
)
The funny thing is there are no HILLS either!! If our kids want to go sledding, they go to the neighborhood detention pond!! (This is why Illinoisans are called “Flatlanders”.)
Let us know how it goes.
Maybe there is a madness to the method by which this is happening.
