Fitness Editor Blog

Yup that’s right, set myself a new PB in last weekend’s Cape Town Marathon 10km race in 1h08m. Which is a whopping 8 minutes faster than the last 10km I did in August, so I’m pretty chuffed with myself. Hopefully gonna break that one hour barrier soon…

The irony of course is that in the last 10km on Women’s Day I walked a lot of it because my legs were so sore from the trail run the day before, and this time I pretty much ran the whole way except for about 3 stops where I walked but only for about 5 seconds to catch my breath. And I only ran it 8 mins faster… I’m sure some running boff out there could tell me why though?!?! Anyone?

(Left – the girls that I run with from the WCAC – Carin, Glenda, Janine and Toni – after the 10km race on Sunday, in all our sweaty glory!)

After that I was feeling pretty invincible and on Monday morning went to a spinning class and then CrossFit - which turned out to be a gruelling class of deadlifts (in which I topped my maximum weight and lifted a staggering 79kg!! Woo hoo!!).

However, the workout nearly floored me with 3 rounds of the following:

30 deadlifts (I used a 23kg weight)

15 burpees (STILL hate them…)

150 jumps with skipping rope

At first glance not too hectic – but remember, it was THREE ROUNDS. By the time the third one rolled around I was pooped. But what a way to start a Monday (red-faced, sweaty and trembling a little) – it was invigorating!

However, my plans to do a run tonight with the West Coast Athletic Club have been thwarted a little since last night I was out walking my dogs and some other guy couldn’t control his dogs and they attacked mine.

Long story short, in what cannot in any way be described as a graceful breakaway from the ensuing dog fight I somehow stood on my own foot (I know, right? WHO does that?) and twisted it. Needless to say I didn’t cut a very authoritative figure as I tried to call my dog to safety and we both limped home with our respective tails between our legs.

Fortunately I was the only one that was hurt though – although Mojo’s ego took a bit of a battering, but being a dog he has swiftly moved onto thinking about more enjoyable things like rubbing his bum on my pillow, chewing socks that fall from the washing line and re-arranging offending plants in the garden.

My ankle however,is still a  bit sore. Which poses a problem as I only have les than 2 weeks to train for the Gun Run Half Marathon…

It’s not swollen or bruised, and to walk on it doens’t really hurt, it’s more when I sit down and cross my legs. So what do you think? Rest it or run on it?

Short weeks always throw a spanner in the works – especially if you’re going away for the weekend, like I am. So working out this week has been a bit strange…

I managed a spinning class on Monday morning with the always-pushy-but-delightful Cheryl at my gym… I’m not sure what it is about her but she evokes the child inside me that is eager to please the teacher and I actually found myself getting a bit upset that my heart-rate wasn’t what it was ‘supposed’ to be at when she came roung to check.

She admonished me with a very stern look and a small shake of the head that made me feel like I’d really let her down.

Ridiculous I know, but whatever it is she does, it works. Cause I’m always exhausted after her spinning classes!

Then on Tuesday I kinda went a leeeetle overboard and went to Cheryl’s Pilates class in the morning which was really tough (she’s a lot more calm in her Pilates classes but still pushes you to the limit) and then I decided to go to CrossFit as well.. there we did some handstands – which I still can’t do in any kind of style that is even loosly linked with the word ‘graceful’ – before we did a not-too-hard but very tiring workout of one-armed presses and sit-ups for 5 minutes.

However, insanity now had me completely in it’s grip and was having a grand old time so when I finished work I found myself at the West Coast Athletic Club for the Tuesday evening run.

As luck would have it, the chairman had decided that the very flat and pretty route we usually take along the Blouberg beachfront was ‘boring’ and had instead created a new route which involved so truly horrible hills and a stint on a sand-dune which really had the old chest heaving like a university student on R1-a-beer night…. not a good look!  

It took me a good 3/4km’s before I really started enjoying the run but as soon as the runners high kicked in it was amazing. So worth every aching muscle!

And I got to say, I slept like a LOG that night…

Wednesday I did another of Cheryl’s spinning classes – but fortunately managed to please her with my ‘work’  everytime she came past. Phew… it’s so hard being teachers- pet

Then this morning I went to CrossFit again and was amazed at how many people were there, more people than I’ve been in a class with in a while. Quite a cool vibe though. We did something totally new to me as well which might SOUND easy but believe me, it’s not. It’s called a Turkish-get-up -here’s an illustration below:

Except we did it with dumbells. Still, it was freaking hard!

Then for the workout we did one-armed overhead squats and knees-to-elbows on the bar. I think I’m gonna feel it tomorrow…

Anyway, I’m off to Jozi for the weekend for a wedding, gonna see all my old friends and I think I can safely say there’s not much chance I’ll be fit for exercising after that!! At least the weather will be better than it is here in CT at the moment… seriously summer, where are you???

Oh wait…anyone doing the Cape Town Marathon on Sunday? I am doing the 10km race which starts bright and early at 6.30am. If you’re going don’t forget to wave!

Have a super long weekend everyone and enjoy braai day tomorrow!

After one week of not doing CrossFit I realised that I missed it way too much to give it up. So out came the pen and the calculator and I worked out my budget and am now going to join.
Couldn’t resist! As I said before, it’s the only exercise regime I have done where I have noticed such a physical difference in such a short time that I think it would be daft to not continue doing it.

Especially since I have now signed up for a triathlon…..

I know…. WTF was I thinking?????? In December too, which really isn’t much time to get prepared.

Anyhoo, after I’d paid to enter and then sat in a dazed OMGOMGOMG state for a few minutes I realised that it was good to have a another goal. I have the Gun Run Half Marathon in October which I have entered and am training towards but once that is over I will need something else.

Admittedly a triathlon might be a bit of a big jump, but it’s not a BIG triathlon, it’s still a relatively do-able one as far as triathlon’s go. See the how nicely I justify things? I can virtually talk myself into anything… I’m a dangerous person to know.

So anyway, the triathlon is the BSG Energade Triathlon Series, the last of which is held on my neck of the woods in Big Bay, Cape Town. It consists of a 20km cycle (which I’m hoping is a relatively flat ride), a 600m swim (which is the part that makes my mind jump out my body and run around in circles screaming in tongues before leaping back into my head and sitting in a corner sucking it’s thumb and rocking back and forth) and then a 5km run.

Right now all I’m sure of is the run.

They cycle I can work towards and I am fit enough to handle that and my 3-times a week spinning classes together with a few road rides will sort me out.

But the swim…. 600m isn’t THAT far, but the catch is that it’s an OCEAN swim!! A swim in the sea! And while I know this is irrational and I should be more worried about the fact that the water will be colder than a bucket of penguin poo – there are sharks in the sea!!!! And I really like my limbs…

And let’s not forget that swimming out will be the hardest part because you’re swimming into waves and out to the big blue sea.

Anyway, I have entered and will just have to train as best I can. I’m hoping that CrossFit will contribute a lot towards that and it’s not like I’m entering with any grand designs to take the trophy – just finishing with limbs intact and before it’s dark will be enough for me!

So… anyone else doing it?

In the meantime….. I am training for the Gun Run Half Marathon and at the West Coast Athletic Club they also have a challenge on at the moment where you have to run six 10km races before the end of the year and estimate your best time overall and the closest person to their time wins. And as you can see, I have a serious inability to walk away from a challenge… it’s a problem!

Anyhoo, baby steps for now. I’m hoping to do the Beachcomber Race Against Crime tomorrow but I can’t find enough info on it – namely how to get to it. So if anyone else is doing it please let me know how I get there…

Have a super weekend y’all!

So it has now been one week since I finished at Cape CrossFit and if there was ever any doubt that I am addicted to it, the withdrawal symptoms I have felt sure sorted that out. Not that I wanna broadcast this or anything but I had a strange dream about dead lifts the other night..I know, weird!!  

Anyway, I have not been lazing around, I have been doing a lot of spinning and swimming at the gym in-between and running with the girls I have met at the West Coast Athletics Club while Aimee was off cycling around the Western Cape. This morning I also went to my first Pilates class in a while.

I figured that since I needed to do more stretching and loosen up my as-flexible-as-a-wooden-plank muscles, Pilates was the way to go. I used to do it a while ago but haven’t been in a few months. And HOOOOOOLLLLY cow. It shows.

The warm-up class started with us lying on the floor with our bum’s against the wall and our legs up against the wall. Then we had to lower one leg down along the wall towards the floor. Or at least, that was the idea. Naturally the girl next to me was as supple as a slinky (those born after 1990 will not know what that is but it’s your loss – AWESOME toy you play with on steps).

My legs however, were not on their best behaviour. Perhaps it was the 5am start. Perhaps not.

Either way there were 60-year-old men who were more flexible than me. I lay there with my bum against the wall, legs all akimbo and muscles stretched to the point of aching and making me emit weird high-pitched squeaks every now and then.

Then the instructor came along and frowned – at least I think it was a frown, she was upside down – and then gently but firmly stretched me further. I felt like my body was ripping in two.

The irony was that this was just the warm-up. Clearly I need a few more of those classes.

The REALLY good news is that the Pilates instructor is also the spinning instructor and now knows my name…. because there’s nothing worse than sweating and grunting and being all red-faced and stinky at 5 in the morning when no-one knows who you are! It’s MUCH better when the instructor yell your name out from the front of the class….

Dignity – wherefore art thou?

Yesterday morning was the final of the Fight Gone Bad challenge – and my time at Cape CrossFit.

The eight-week challenge was exactly that – a challenge. There was not one class which was easy or predictable, but at the same time there was not one class which I wouldn’t have done again. Not only was a really fun experience, it’s also the only fitness regime I have done (and I have done many check here) where I have actually SEEN some serious results.

Physically my body is ten times stronger than it was before I started; and I was fit when I started. But now I am strong and fit, which is a really cool combination. My attitude towards certain exercises has also changed (no, I still hate burpees…) in a very subtle but significant way.

And I really think CCF is the reason for that because every class was challenging and more often than not I would find myself standing in-front of the board with the day’s workout written out and my mind instantly went “Uh-uh, there’s NO way you can do that….”

Then an hour later I’d be in the shower thinking “Hmm… that wasn’t so bad….”

So for me those are the two seriously significant things that CCF has done for me; made me stronger and fitter and helped me realise that my body is capable of doing a WHOLE lot more than my mind believes it is. (Although even my mind is now contemplating things I would never have even considered before…)

That said – the CCF Fight Gone Bad challenge was not easy. It wasn’t easy the first time eight weeks ago, but it wasn’t easy yesterday either. I made quite a big improvement and wasn’t QUITE so buggered afterwards, but make no mistake, it’s a hectic challenge that my glutes are still paying for today!

Here’s what the workout looked like (exactly the same as eight weeks ago):

3 rounds that are each 5 minutes long each with a one minute break in-between. In these 5 minutes we moved from station to station and spent a minute on each. The score is calculated by adding up the number of reps you do of each exercise. I had Roland counting my reps so they had to be near-as-damnit perfect for him to count them!

• Wall-ball: 9/6kg ball (throwing the ball up against the wall and catching it in a squat position – HENCE the sore glutes…ahem!)
• Sumo deadlift high-pull: 34/24kg (with a barbell)
• Box Jump: 50/40cm box (pretty self-explanatory)
• Push-press: 34/24kg (with a barbell)
• Row: Calories (on the rowing machine, you row for the full minute and at the end it’s how many calories you burned that is counted)

Hectic. By the second round all you could hear was wheezing, squealing, yelping, grunting and the occasional four-letter expletive. And that was just me. Jokes!

Seriously though, it was hard work. I think it took a good half hour before my face returned to normal and stopped sweating and glowing bright red (it’s not a great look, let’s be honest).

But I did it and I’m rather proud of myself. The first time I did it my total score was 346…. and this time (DRUMROLL PLEASE………….) I managed 406! That’s 60 more than the first time.

Woo-FREAKING-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, I am now considering joining CCF, not sure if it’s my addictive nature or the fact that it is actually addictive, but either way I want more! I really can’t recommend it enough – and for those who are worried that they might not be fit enough or strong enough to try it, the morning class before the class I went to was filled with people in their 30s, 40s, 60s and (hope I’m not insulting anyone here…) 60s, all doing the same workouts as I did to the best of their ability.

And in the eight weeks I was there I noticed HUGE changes in all of them from not only their physical appearance but their overall confidence and happiness.

Also, if ever there was an advert for anti-aging CCF msut be it… yesterday I found out that a few of the girls who I saw regularly in classes were in their 40s…. but I wouldn’t have honestly put them a day over 32! So put that in your Q10-plus-vita-firming-r-to-the-t creams or whatever those ridiculous adverts promote as anti-aging ‘components’…

If you can, I really, really recommend trying it out. At the risk of sounding like a stinky old wrinkly cliché, you’ve got nothing to lose but weight… or fat… hang on, how does that sying go again? IS it a saying? Sorry, sounded good in my head…..

Today was my last class before the final in the Fight Gone Bad Challenge on Monday and thankfully it wasn’t as hardcore as Tuesday’s class.

I can’t believe it’s been 8 weeks since I started the challenge, in some ways it feels longer because CCF has become so much a part of my life and routine that I can’t imagine not doing it anymore. It will be very interesting to see on Monday how far I have come in the 8 weeks… it’s been quite a trip that’s for sure!

Anyhoo, so today’s class we did some walking lunges which I haven’t done in a while. Still not digging them but compared to some of the other things I’ve put my poor body through they’re not as vile an opponent in the fitness ring as they were a mere two months ago.

Then we met the awkward cousin of the burpee – how many more ways one can morph a burpee to be unpleasant is beyond me. But whoever is behind these different variations must be sitting in a padded room being treated for an irrational and unfounded hatred for humanity and an unnecessarily grim desire to see just how many ways the burpee can be exploited.

This one is called a burpee broad jump. And granted, it’s not as nasty and kick-you-in-the-teeth hardcore as Tuesday’s spine-chilling encounter with the Manmaker, it’s still from the same unfortunate family.
This is it!

It goes something like this: a normal burpee but instead of jumping up and clapping your hands above your head, you jump forward from a squat position a few inches and then go down and repeat. Doesn’t sound too bad I know… but go ahead and try it and you’ll see… go on, I’ll wait here…..

Anyway, the workout was as many rounds as possible of 10m of those and 5 ring rows. I managed three. Not awesome, I know, but I’m saving myself for Monday!

On a slightly more awesome note we also did box squats today, which I haven’t done since the first week and it goes to show how much stronger I have become in two months… today I managed to do three at my ‘new’ maximum weight of 52kg’s!

This weekend however I am going to be taking it quite easy as I’m off to Beaufort West to see family. I will be taking my running shoes but the last time I ran there my lungs almost exploded because of the higher altitude so if I do run it won’t be a long one. That said there are no route markers and it is so beautiful out there one can sometimes get a bit carried away.

For now though my focus is on Monday’s FGB challenge… wish me luck!

Have a suepr weekend everyone!