Strawberries and other good things

Part of the Artist’s Way is writing “morning pages” — 3 pages of stream-of-consciousness catharsis. The idea is to get all the crap out of your head first thing in the morning, so you can think clearly and positively about your life during the rest of the day. Sometimes, the morning pages help me solve problems. On page one of my three, I’ll write something like, “OK, MPs. You’re so smart. How am I going to have time to workout every morning AND make healthy food AND do my job AND get enough rest AND spend time with Dave and still have the energy to write my book and practice the piano?”

Then by page three, I’m writing something like, “Maybe I can write at lunch a few days a week and practice piano on Tuesday nights and Saturday afternoons…” It’s both annoying and awesome.

This morning, my MPs were a litany of complaints. I just let it rip:

• I have cramps.
• I have a raw spot on my butt from doing 150 situps yesterday.
• I don’t feel like doing the laundry.
• I still haven’t written more of my book.
• I didn’t lose any weight this week.

That’s a select sample. The list continued for 2 1/2 pages of my notebook.

But now, properly hydrated and fed (grilled chicken with mango, roasted poblano peppers, and salsa verde; almonds; strawberries), I’ve got some good stuff to celebrate.

Strawberries
I ate the most delicious, sweet, juicy bowl of strawberries at lunch. Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more Vitamin C than citrus fruit, and a 1 cup serving has almost 4 grams of fiber.

According to legend, Madame Tallien (circa French revolution), was famous for bathing fresh strawberry juiced. It took 22 pounds of fruit to fill her basin. I wonder if she crushed them with her toes. I went the more traditional route and ate mine with a little sprinkle of sugar.

Spartan 300
My workouts yesterday were completely badass.

Spartan 300 Solo Workout

3 rounds:

• 50 situps, full range
• 50 squats
• 50 pushups, chest to the floor, on my knees
• 400 meter run

My times for each round: 10 min. / 9 min. / 10 min.

I did a lot of creative counting to get through the rounds of 50 pushups: sets of 10 counting up, sets of 10 counting down, counting out loud, counting in my head in French. The most successful was the last round: 20 at a steady pace, then 10 quickly, a little rest, then 20 at a steady pace. My chest touched the floor almost every time.

And in case you want help with the math, total reps, including the warm up:

• squats: 200
• pushups: 180
• situps: 150
• run: 3/4 mile

Then, I went…

Running with Dave
12 minute run + 1 minute walk + 7 minute run.

We had a really good time, although it was quite hot and crowded at the hike & bike trail. Dave is a fucking champ, and I love when he runs in front of me ’cause then I don’t feel lonely. Plus, there were lots of cute dogs, and my iPod served up some Social D just when I needed it.

Planks!
Back in October when I joined CrossFit Central Bootcamp, I struggled to hold a plank for 30 seconds. It was awful. There’s even a page in my workout log where I wrote I HATE PLANKS in red ink and underlined it with harsh, cold scribbles.

On Friday morning, Crystal had us wrap up Bootcamp with planks: “Hold it for a minimum of 40 seconds, then we’ll see who can keep going.” At the 1:15 mark, it was just Michael and me. I promised myself I could hold on ’til 2 minutes, and I did. Michael kept going to 2:30. Damn him. I wish I’d challenged myself to go to 3 minutes, ’cause know I would’ve made it.

But what’s really important:
New plank personal record: 2 minutes.

My new favorite workout top
Under Armour makes affordable workout clothes that wick away moisture, fight nasty smells, and make you look like a superhero. Yesterday at Academy, I found my perfect summer workout top: sleeveless with a racer back and not-too-long/not-too-short. I will soon own it in black, white, and pink.