Friday Fitness Follies

I have no reason to title today's post as such, I just appreciate alliteration.

Sunday- I can't even remember but it seems we did a whole lot of hanging the house, putting up a christmas tree and lights (the poor tree STILL doesn't have ornaments) and some shopping.

Monday- back to reality
A good warm up with core work and mountain climbers
20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest (read that MOVE your lazy butt to where you need to go next)
8 intervals of each = 4 minutes total time at each station:
box jumbs 12"
full sit ups
plate push 25lb
push ups

I felt the need to punish myself with a 9th round of box jumps, sit ups and plate pushes at 4 intervals/ 2 min
Didn't think I could do more pushups but squeezed out 2 sets of 5 before collapsing :)

Tuesday - Nada. SO busy at work and home. Late night from visiting Central High School thinking we might send the small one there next year.

Wednesday- Sprints. OMG I HATE sprints. Mostly because I have no speed and I suck at them.
15 sec x 10 @ 10mph,  15 sec x 5 @ 11 mph
Then we had a "competition". Whoever came off the treadmill first had to do 5 burpees. We had 3 women today, I lost all but 1 sprint- and I'd RATHER do burpees than run!! Hear me!

Thursday-missed my morning class but hit 15 minutes on the treadmill walking hills and 25 minutes of step aerobics at work before I had to bail out for carpool. Add in about an hour of Wii Fit- we tried the Biggest Loser game tonight. I think the decision was the family likes the hula hoop game on Wii Fit Plus more than anything else.  I should post video. Joe Daddy has the high score in super hula hoop right now.

Friday Friday- core work to warm up and a little treadmill warm up
3 circuits of:
20% incline sprints at 7mph x 15 sec
plyo jumps @ 100lb x 15
box jump 18" x 15
single leg box jump 6" x 15
plate push 25lb x 15 yd
tractor tire flip x 15
no rest between sets!

I know I need an endurance workout this weekend but it's so cold. I just don't know. Does marathon house cleaning count?

Christmas in Candlelight

Christmas in Candlelight at Washington State Park was absolutely awesome again this year. This year we were a quartet, having invited one of the small one's friends along for the ride. The girls had a busy morning of placement testing for High School. Terrifying Tales of Adventures in Arithmetic and Literacy kept us entertained thru a quick lunch before we left Little Rock for the drive to Washington. A lecture on reading instructions before beginning a test was served up for dessert.

The first thing the girls found inside the old courthouse was this checkerboard. While J and I were perusing the gift shop and visiting with folks we only see once in a blue moon, the girls took on a marathon checker game. We had to go prod them out of the seats and force them out into the very cold but sun filled day.

One of the small one's favorite things in the park is this beautiful old Magnolia tree. I know it might not be proper grammar to capitalize Magnolia but look at it? It deserves a capital M.

It was planted in 1839 and is on the Register of Historic Trees. I know, I didn't realized there was a registry for historic trees either.


This lovely maid has "knees" that surround her, keeping her upright, and  leaving enough room for a multitude of children and adults to play in her shelter.

Go ahead and say "WOW".

Just WOW.

In the evening, more than 3000 luminaries line the sidewalks all thru the park. It is absolutely breathtaking.

I don't have any night time pictures to post because we were oh so busy doing things like this. Shoveling EarthQuake Cake in our mouths following the dinner of ham, dressing, potatoes both white and sweet, corn, green beans, mmmmm biscuits and 2 count them 2 kinds of gravy at the buffet at Williams' Tavern. Before and after dinner we were serenaded by a quartet and a choir. Lovely! Last year there were carolers in period costume singing while we waited.

Lest you think it's all about food, because I know that with our family, it sometimes is...

Elsewhere in the park is a working blacksmith shop, several historic homes, a candleshop and a print shop that contains some very old and interesting printing machinery. They have a press that was actually unearthed in Murphreesboro that people thought was a headstone because the only part showing above the earth does indeed resemble a tombstone. Cool. There is also a weapons museum at the park and the park is home to a School of Bladesmithing.

In the evening hours, many of the churches and the old WPA gymnasium play host to school and church choirs. The small one had a friend singing in the Bryant High School Choir so we stayed to watch their performance.

Oh my Lordy, peeps! 

Our evening would not have been complete if we had missed these Gentlemen (notice the improper use of capitalization again, and again, it is deserved). The Hempstead County Melody Boys made our evening. In the middle of their set, the small one leans over with her iPod Touch in hand and on it is this note:  

"The Banjo Player is the BEST Thing EVER."

Bless you Mr. Charlie Webb, wherever you are tonight.

Personal Note to The Park Wife herself...we're so sorry we missed out on fun and fellowship while we were in your neck o the woods. So to The Park Wife, Big Buckaroo and the little Buckaroos- NEXT TIME!

Weak Week

The workout schedule was weak this week.
Monday:
4 sets of 6 hang clean- 2 sets @ 45lb to warm up + 4 x 60lb
superset Straight Single Leg Deadlifts w/ 20lb dumbell + Walking Lunges w/25lb plate overhead to 60 reps each
Finish with 1 mile run with call outs. Which meant that every few yards at irregular intervals, C would call out "push up" or "mountain climber" or worse..."squat thrust" and we'd have to do those until he yelled "UP" again. The run was outside. It was chilly.

Tuesday:  warm up with 75 full sit ups
superset Push Press, Dumb Bell Chest Press, and Front Plate Raise to 75 reps each
      Push Press 1 x 15 x 45lb, 2 x 15 x 55lb, 3 x 10 x 60lb
      DB Chest Press 5 x 15 x 20lb
      Plate Raise 5 x 15 x 25lb
THEN we had to walk boxes. 8 boxes from 8-24 inches set up in a pyramid style. first 4 with hands on floor and feet on boxes- do 3 pushups then move feet to the next box without getting up- repeat- in the center, change hands to boxes and feet on floor and do the same-
at the end do pushups to failure. Which for me was 1. :) I was lucky I didn't face plant on the box pushups.

Finish: Shoulder Complex with 10lb dumb bells  7 lateral raise, 7 front raise, 7 rotator cuff, 7 shoulder press.  OMG

Wednesday: Would it shock anyone that I skipped Wednesday?

Thursday:
Warm up with killer Abdominal work led by Chris the Hun.
20 Dead Lifts @ 95 lb     run 400 m outside in the frigid air
20 Kettle Bell swings @ 20lb     run 400 m
20 Overhead Squats with PVC bar     run 400 m
20 Burpees. I heart Burpees.      run again.
20 Pullups. I can't do pullups. I jump, I strain, I try to get there. It's the best I can do.    I ran again though.
20 Box Jumps     run 400 m
20 Dumb bell Squat Clean 5 x 15lb, 10 x 20lb, 5 x 15lb     LAST RUN!!

Friday: Skipped Again. Don't pretend to be shocked. I planned a workout, but I got too busy.

Saturday involved exercisin my table muscles at Subway and William's Tavern at Historic Washington State Park.

Sunday's Plan: RUN! Outside, in the cold, on the hills.

What Happened to the Work Out Blog?

I lost my workout notebook last week. I'm heartbroken. It had 3 months of workouts, notes, and statistics (which maybe I could live without) but I'm missing being able to look up my "max" weight for lifting workouts, I can't remember everything. I'm missing my notes to self about which workouts were hard,  made me sore-what I did or didn't do afterward that contributed, etc. So to catch up THIS WEEK:

Sunday- Beer Fairies. 1 ten mile loop of single track did NOT make up for the morning playing Fairy Duster.

Monday-
Abs- 1 min ea seated twist, toe touch w/10lb plate,  leg extensions and scissors
3 sets, 5 sec rest between exercises, 30 seconds between sets, do as many reps as you can in 1min for each:
Sumo Deadlift with High Pull 45lb (bar)
Wall Ball 10lb -  deep squat and throw the ball up to an X on the wall, catch, repeat
Box Jumps on 12 inch box
Push Press 45lb (bar)
Burpees

Tuesday-
Abs again, I don't remember exactly what we did because I have blocked it. It was hard.
Push Press x 50       1 x 10 @ 45lb (bar)  4 x 10 @ 55lb
Front Plate Raise      1 x 10 @ 25lb
Partner Curls (pass the bar between partners) 1st turn is 10 reps, then 9, then 8....down to 1. I had a spot w/45lb bar
Static 21's  3 x 21 @10lb Dumb bells held straight out in mid bicep curl position- one arm 7 reps up, switch arms, 7 reps down, switch arms, both arms do full curl   OUCH
Rope Tricep Push Down 1 x 15 @20lb

Wednesday- plans shot and ended up with a short 2.5 mile walk/jog with the dog

Thursday- 15 mile bike ride, some road and a lot of "flat" whoop dee doo singletrack FUN

Friday- a whole lotta yard work and cleaning up. Made homemade tomato soup today, it's getting chilly and I love soup in cold weather.

Saturday- well that's today. As soon as the temp is over 50, heading out to my favorite gym

OT from Visitor's Center up to East Summit, up-over and around the West base trail and back to the VC. It was a good 1 hour and 45 minutes or so. I could have done another lap. Or at least a couple more miles. Maybe next weekend I'll hit it hard.

Who came dressed as a pumpkin muffin?

Thanksgiving. What a boring holiday. As if I need an excuse to overeat? We did have a pretty good time this year. J and I went for a short bike ride, then we joined the small one for some monopoly and bocce ball. In the evening we went for a late turkey dinner at a friend's house. And ate too much. As usual.

There was all the usual fare, ham, turkey, dressing, potatoes both mashed and sweet. Pioneer Woman's Wild Rice and Corn Casserole was a big hit, at least with my family, they gobbled it. Then there was homemade pecan pie and raspberry pie. We had no pumpkin pie yesterday- but we did have pumpkin muffins. I made them from the pumpkins we managed to save from the cannibal pumpkin in the picture. He wanted to eat them all.

You never know what to expect when you invite people over for Halloween.
This is Pumpkin Pie Spice.  Looks more like Scary Spice to me but....


Poor Pumpkin Pie Spice Girl. She had a terrible time fighting the men off all night long. She's sooo hawt...impossible to resist. I think her real name is Shawnda.

Bat Chips and Squash "Brains"  Yummy Mummy!

Boogers on a Stick and Ghosties, sweet.

Luckily, the night did not end this way for any of  our ghoulish friends. Except for the pumpkin.

Beer Fairies: Figment of the Imagination?

This past weekend was the end of the Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series with the Atilla the Hun race at Cedar Glades Park in Hot Springs. I have never participated in, nor  have I even been a spectator at this race but I've heard good things about it.  We love Cedar Glades. It's one of the first trails I ever rode and it has grown and changed by leaps and bounds since then. The trails are well kept and always in great shape. There is plenty of technical difficulty and some sweet rolls here. It also has a disc golf course, BMX track, climbing wall and a remote control airfield. Nothing like getting buzzed by small (very small) aircraft while riding a bike.

There was a rumor that the famed Arkansas Beer Fairies would show up at the race. I think they have become the stuff of legends.


The fairies situated themselves at the top of a hill that back in the day was known as "Heart Attack". The trail has been changed somewhat and the hill isn't quite what it used to be but it's still a climb. Imagine the surprise those poor souls got as they start pushing and working up that hill and they hear cowbells and fairy voices screaming "huhp huhp, get on up here, we've got your beer!"

It seems the fairies weren't the only ones in wings that day. I think the wings made him ride faster. Wings and Fairy Beer. The stuff champeens are made of.



Post Race- the Fairies took a lap on the course, alas, they once again became the elusive creatures they're meant to be and no one could capture a picture. How do they ride in those tutus?

Anti Bullying Week Across the Nation

This week is Anti Bullying week at schools all over the country. As an assignment from the Student Council Mentor (and awesome composition teacher) The small one and her friends put together this video. No one, especially not their parents, expected what came of it.
The kids were interviewed by the local news tonight on KTHV. They were phenomenal. Congratulations to my small one Miss Mc, Alex, Lauren, Hannah and Lizzie!