Posted onMarch 31, 2022|Comments Off on 10 Years Of A Union (or I’ve Been A Part Of A Lot This Past Decade)
Yesterday marked 10 years since SAG and AFTRA merged into one union. I remember the merger vote so clearly. I wasn’t a member of SAG or AFTRA when the vote was announced. I had been a member of AGVA, which is a sister union, and was planning on joining SAG soon. But when the vote was going to happen and it seemed very likely that it would pass, I joined AFTRA so I could be a part of the newly merged union. I did it that way because it was less expensive, but if I had to join SAG to do it, I would have done the same.
During the merger vote, even though I wasn’t able to vote, I was very lucky to be invited to different events that were discussing the merger and I learned a lot before I was a member. And I got to meet a lot of people who were in union service and so many of them were happy to discuss things I should know as a new member. It was really an amazing introduction to the union even before I joined.
When the merger passed, I was so happy because I knew that I was automatically a member of SAG-AFTRA, which was my goal. And even though I didn’t start my union service right away, I was making sure I was informed and learning from the moment I joined. And it was only a few years later that I was asked if I wanted to be a part of Unite For Strength and run as a delegate in the election. From that moment on, it seems like I have only gotten more and more involved in SAG-AFTRA and it’s been an amazing journey!
I know that I’m very lucky that I’ve been elected as a delegate 4 times now. Even though I haven’t been elected to the local board yet, I’m grateful I can run and I do get votes each time. And one day, hopefully, I will be elected. But even without being on the local board, I have been able to do quite a bit. I have been on different local and national committees. I’m a vice-chair of a national committee now. I have participated in a lot of different events through committees that I’m not necessarily in but are open to all members. And I have found ways to help other people to get involved as well.
The past 2 years have been tough for me since I have felt very disconnected from my acting career and the industry in general. But my union service has helped me feel involved and like I am still a part of something that I love so much. Things are continuing to return to how they used to be, but I know they are going slowly because we aren’t sure yet if things will have to shut down more again. But I think everyone is ready to get back to the old normal and I hope that I can get back to how I used to be involved before. But even if it takes time for that to happen, I know I’ll get back to doing that again one day. I’ve only started with my union service. Just like the union has only just started.
Posted onMarch 30, 2022|Comments Off on Watching The Oscars With Friends (or Another Thing That Is Almost Back To Normal)
Even though the pandemic started just over 2 years ago, there was only 1 Oscar ceremony that was really affected by Covid. The 2020 ceremony was one of the last “normal” things that happened before everything shut down. Somehow, that feels like it wasn’t really 2 years ago but also so long ago. And I don’t think any of us were that worried about Covid at that time. I know we were all aware of it, but it still seemed so far away from us and not something that would affect us. We really had no clue what was about to come.
The Oscars last year was an odd experience to watch. There was no party to go to but the group that I normally see for the Oscars was together on Zoom. So we all watched on our own and then during the commercials, we unmuted our computers and talked about what we just saw. It was nice to be able to still be a bit connected for something that has become a tradition for us, but it was also a reminder of things that we were missing out on. And the ceremony itself didn’t feel the same as it normally does, so I think the entire evening felt a bit off to me. But I still was grateful that I was able to have something that reminded me a bit of what I used to get to do.
And for this year, my friends did a small gathering to watch the awards. Everyone who was there has been vaccinated and boosted and most of us are somewhat in a pod together or we don’t see others. I know that it would have been amazing to have a big party like we used to, but this was the way we had to do it to stay safe. I just was grateful that I am in this small protected pod so I was able to go. And I think also a bunch of people took Covid tests leading up to the party to be extra careful.
Because I was going to go to an in-person party, I had to think of a costume. I know that it would have been ok if I didn’t have one, but I wanted to take advantage of being with my friends and doing something that I used to do before the pandemic. But the problem with thinking of a costume was that I really didn’t see that many movies in the past year. I didn’t even see all the screeners I got for the SAG Awards. I hate how disconnected I have become with movies, but I’ve had other things taking up my time and I just don’t love watching movies at home as much as I do in theaters, and I don’t feel ready to go back to movie theaters just yet.
So I decided to look at a list of movies that came out last year to see if anything inspired me. I was willing to dress as either a character in a movie or something that represented a movie. And as I was looking down the list, I figured out what I should do pretty quickly. Even though I didn’t see this movie, there was a movie that came out last year called “Licorice Pizza”. And I knew I could do a fun thing with that movie name.
In one of my grocery deliveries a while ago, I ordered something that wasn’t available and they swapped it for these microwave french bread pizzas. So I had a pizza box. And it was very easy for me to go to the store and buy some of my favorite licorice. And my friend suggested I should find a way to make it a purse, so I took the strap off of a water bottle holder I had and used a hole punch to make holes in the pizza box.
It wasn’t a crazy or elaborate costume, but I thought it was fun and I was happy with how it looked. And I think other people really liked it and thought it was funny because it got a good reaction at the party! I didn’t place in the costume contest (but I never expect to) but I did get a few votes!
And this party was really so nice. It wasn’t exactly like the pre-pandemic parties, but it was close. I sat in the quiet room as usual to watch the Oscars, and there were only 3 of us who were in there most of the time. In the other viewing area, there were a lot more people watching but I like being in the quiet room. And a highlight of the evening was that one of the people at the party was in a commercial that aired during the awards! That was so much fun and I can’t remember that happening at another party.
Before and after the awards, a lot of us were trying to guess the movies in the pictures that Marie and Chris made. I wasn’t able to guess a lot of them, but that was more about me not knowing the movies that came out. I guessed some of them based on the picture and then was surprised that it was a movie title and I guessed it correctly.
Overall, I had such an amazing time at the Oscar party. It was something that I missed so much the year before and I am so glad that we were able to do something that felt so close to normal. I can’t really forget that we are still in a pandemic and that this had to be an acceptable risk for me, but it was still a bit of an escape from the real world for a few hours. And I just hope that things still keep getting better so that we can continue to have things get closer to the old normal as we did for the Oscars.
Posted onMarch 29, 2022|Comments Off on Another Hair Appointment (or Still Not Quite The New Normal)
Getting my hair done is a regular part of my life and before 2020 it was a very routine and normal thing to do. Sometimes I changed up my hair a lot and that was exciting or I had something else crazy happened at my appointment, but for the most part, it was something normal and it didn’t mean much more than me just getting my hair done and feeling more like myself when I left my appointment.
But since the pandemic, my hair appointments meant a lot more to me. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was doing my hair at home and that was a very odd thing for me. It was really a sign of the times and how we had to all be isolated from each other. I remember the first time my friend Erin brought some hair dye over for me and she put it at the end of my driveway while I stood away and then she backed away so I could pick it up. That’s how worried we were about being near each other.
Then it transitioned to me going to Erin’s apartment for my hair to be done. Salons were not open at that time, but she had everything needed at her apartment to make it a normal appointment for me. I was able to have her dye my hair properly (instead of me doing it at home) and she could also cut and style it. I know the first time she cut my hair, I really needed it because it had been so long since my last haircut. And those appointments at her place also changed throughout the pandemic. We started both being masked up and staying away from each other when we could (which was mainly when we were letting the hair dye set). Then after we were vaccinated, we weren’t being masked while in her place, but we both knew that the other was being careful so it was a risk we were willing to take.
And then finally, salons reopened and I was able to go to get my hair done in a salon again. It wasn’t that different from the appointments at Erin’s place, but it was still another step toward what felt like normal life again. And I’ve been lucky that whenever I have booked an appointment, it hasn’t been that crowded at the salon. Even while wearing a mask, I do feel better not being around a ton of people that I don’t know especially if they aren’t requiring proof of vaccination.
I went to get my hair done again this past week and it’s another transition toward what the old normal was like. Masks aren’t required, but both Erin and I were wearing them. The salon only had 2 other people in it, but I still wear a mask most places I go in public. It’s a very simple thing I can do to keep myself safe, especially when there are debates happening now about how long the booster vaccine keeps everyone safe.
But just like every time I’ve done my hair, whether at my home or in a salon, getting my hair done really boosts my confidence and how I feel. I don’t like seeing the gray hair I have as it grows in and I do have things I can use at home to help cover it up. But getting my hair dyed always makes me feel more like myself and I am always so happy when it’s done.
I had waited a bit longer than normal between appointments this time, so it was even nicer to feel like my hair was refreshed and the way I want it. And I also really needed a haircut so getting that done felt great too. I didn’t do anything drastic, but it needed a trim and shaping. I clip my hair back most days so I don’t notice how scraggly it can be sometimes, but now it feels polished and much better.
When I go for my next hair appointment, who knows what it will be like. Every time it is different with how normal or not normal it feels. And I never can predict what will happen since things are constantly changing and also can change so quickly. But I guess I will see what it’s like and see how close or far to normal it is like then.
Posted onMarch 28, 2022|Comments Off on A Shorter Workout Week (or I Feel Like This Was A Good Recovery Week)
I ended up only working out 3 days this past week. There were a few things in my schedule that made it need to be that way and I also felt like in a way the Dri-Tri counted as a workout this past week as well as the week before. So it didn’t really only feel like 3 workouts for the week. But I also needed to be a bit easier on myself. I was still dealing with some pain and nausea plus I knew I’d be recovering from pushing myself so much on Sunday. So having a slightly easier week plus fewer workouts was probably needed.
Monday’s workout was a strength day and I was pretty tired after the Dri-Tri. I was also still dealing with some pain and nausea, but it wasn’t as bad as the week before. But I knew that I needed to take things a bit easy since I was still recovering from the Dri-Tri. This workout was a 5×5 themed class, so there were a lot about 5 rounds throughout the workout.
Cardio and rowing both had 5 blocks and they did work a bit together. For cardio, we had a push pace and an all-out for each block. The push pace started at 90-seconds and at no incline and the all-out started at 30-seconds and at a higher incline. And each block, the push pace got shorter and higher in incline and the all-out got longer and lower in incline. And after each all-out, we had a minute of recovery. I tried to keep working with the resistance levels on the bike the way that I normally would, but for some of the higher resistance levels, I decided to bump it down by 1 just to make it a little easier on my legs.
Rowing also did the push paces and all-outs along with cardio, but instead of having the regular recovery time we had medicine ball exercises. We did 5 bicep curls, 5 overhead presses, and 5 tricep extensions. And any time we had leftover after that could be used to recover before the next block started.
On the floor, we had one long block with 2 mini-blocks. For each mini-block, we were supposed to do 5 rounds before moving on to the next one. And all exercises were either 5 reps or 5 reps per side. We had deadlifts and front squats for the first mini-block and shoulder presses and single-arm low rows. I probably could have gone heavier with some of the exercises, but it was the end of the workout and I was feeling pretty exhausted.
Wednesday’s workout was a mix of endurance, strength, and power and I was finally feeling better for this workout. I wasn’t completely better, but it’s always a relief when I no longer feel sick throughout the entire workout.
For cardio, we had 3 blocks. For blocks 1 and 3, we had a 4-minute distance challenge. For both of them, I set the resistance level on the bike to be between my base and push paces. And for block 2, we had a 2-minute distance challenge followed by a 30-second recovery and 30-second all-out. For that block, I used my push pace resistance level for the distance challenge.
On the rower, we also had 3 blocks. The second block was a 3-minute distance challenge and that was a bit tough for me to keep going the entire time. I know I can row longer than that and I did that for the Dri-Tri, but it’s different when it’s not the first thing in the workout. For block 1, we had a 90-second row for distance, 60 reps of high knees (which I did as standing marching), a 45-second row for distance, 30 high knees (or marching), and then held a squat until the block was done. This was still tough since we were constantly moving, but I liked having the shorter rows. And for the last block, it was the same idea as the first but we did the 45-second row and 30 reps of high knees first.
And on the floor, we had a single block. We had 4 exercises and the first time we did them for 20 reps. Then we split them up 2 and 2 and did the first 2 exercises for 10 reps twice and then the second 2 exercises for 10 reps twice. And we were supposed to keep them split up and do each set for 5 reps 3 times before moving to the second set, but I didn’t make it to the 5 rep round. We had chest presses, hip hinge reverse grip low rows, hip raises, and toe reaches. I tried to do the hip raises, but I was starting to have issues with my hip so I did as many as I could and then switched to crunches.
And my last workout this past week was on Thursday. I took Friday and Saturday off, but I wasn’t originally planning on doing that. But my schedule ended up that way so I went to this class instead. And it ended up being one of the signature workouts, The Chipper. I’ve done this workout before, but I think I normally have done it as a 2 group class and not a 3 group class. So it was an interesting experience for me.
For cardio, it was similar to the 2 group class with having rounds of a push pace that got shorter each time with a 1-minute base pace between them. We had a 3-minute, 2.5-minute, 2-minute, and 90-second push pace. And we ended the block with a 30-second push pace and 30-second all-out. I kept my push pace resistance level the same for all of them, but I tried to pedal faster as they got shorter.
The rower was a bit complicated, but the coach was helping us make sure we were doing the right thing every time. We started with having 3 minutes to do 20 squats, a 250-meter row, and then doing bicep curl to overhead press to tricep press with a medicine ball. We did the medicine ball exercise until the time was done. Then we had a 100-meter row and held a squat until that time was done. And we repeated that work with fewer squats each time but the time in the first section got shorter each time too. But because of the shorter time to get the work done, I only did the medicine ball exercises once and never made it to those again. And at the very end, we also had a 30-second all-out along with the cardio side.
And on the floor, the exercises were very similar to what I’m used to with the 2 group class for The Chipper. We had 40 bench tap squats, 35 leg raises, 30 sumo squats to upright rows, 25 low rows on the straps, 20 palms to elbows (which I did as plank shoulder taps), 15 chest flies, and 10 step-ups to bicep curls (which I was going to do as lunges and bicep curls separately, but I only had time to do the bicep curls). Between each exercise, we were supposed to do forward and back hops for the same number of reps of the exercise we just did. So 40 squats and then 40 hops. In the 2 group class, you have rowing instead of hops. I did the hops after the squats, but they were starting to make me a bit nauseous and hurt my hip. So I decided just to do one exercise after another. And I’m glad I decided to do that because I didn’t quite finish everything by the time the workout was done.
I think that being a bit easier on myself (although not that much easier) plus having some extra days off between workouts from this past week to this week will hopefully set me up for a great week of workouts this week. I guess I’ll have to wait and see!
Posted onMarch 25, 2022|Comments Off on Getting Ready For Some Job Changes (or Switching My Job Responsibilities)
I’ve been at my customer care job for almost a year and a half. And in that time, there have been a lot of changes for me. I started part-time and doing 2 different types of jobs. That transitioned to just doing one of those jobs. And then that went from part-time to full-time. And while this isn’t a job change, I did also recently go from hourly to a salary which also came with a bit of a raise. All of these changes have been positive things and have been connected to me being better at my job and some increasing responsibilities.
And one of the good things about the company I work for is that it is growing very rapidly. When I started, we had a fraction of the clients we have now. And with more clients, there is a lot more work. But as I’ve been working, I’ve noticed a lot of things outside of working directly with clients that needed to be handled by someone and I couldn’t necessarily take on those tasks because of my regular work. So at the end of last year, I put together a job proposal for a new position at the company that would be more administrative focused and less work directly with customers. And I was told at the beginning of this year that I was going to start transitioning to that job.
Originally, the idea was that I would split my time up and do the administrative work for part of my day and my regular customer care work for the other part of the day. But I think the executives at the company have realized how much more work the administrative side would be if we wanted to be as efficient of a company as possible. So this week in a meeting, it was discussed that hopefully within a month or two, I would no longer be doing any direct customer care work and just the administrative tasks. That would still involve helping the clients, but it would be more of the back-end work setting up systems and less of directly answering their questions. Once I transition into the administrative role fully, I probably won’t have any direct interaction with clients other than possibly sending them some of our standard onboarding follow-up messages.
This will be a pretty drastic change, but I’m excited about it. While I have liked working the variety of customer service type jobs that I’ve had for a long time, it can also be a bit draining. It’s tough when a customer is upset with you over something that is outside of your control. Or have dozens of people ask the same thing and have to find new ways to say the same answer. I have this same issue at my box office job, but I’m only working that job a few hours a day compared to full-time work with this job. And I have been able to handle the stress, but I think it will be nice to have work that isn’t as time-sensitive and I can find the best workflow for me to get the work done instead of having to be extremely mindful of doing everything in an order that may not make sense to me.
And as I have said before in other aspects of my life, I like to feel helpful and that gives me a purpose. And the tasks I’ll be doing in the administrative role will be things to help the customer care team to be as successful as possible in responding to clients as they ask them questions directly. These are things that I wish had been set up for me to have available as I’ve been working. And I will also help in creating some new systems we are having made for the company to make things easier for us. I’ve never worked a lot in these behind-the-scenes types of positions, but I have always had ideas of how we could change things to make them better for us. And soon, I’ll have that exact opportunity and be able to be a voice for the rest of the customer care team to make sure they get what they need out of the sites we use for work every day.
I’m not fully doing the new job yet, but I’m only doing an hour or two a day right now of the old customer care work and then the rest of my day is starting to do the types of tasks I’ll be doing for the new job. Right now, it’s focused a lot on correcting and updating things that were never done before. And I had wanted these things to be fixed but I couldn’t step away from helping clients to do them. So I’m glad I have this time to do them now.
And once I’m fully in the new job, I do hope I’ll have a bit more flexibility with things. I haven’t needed that flexibility yet, but I do want to start planning to do things like go to Tahoe to see my family or maybe have a weekend away with friends. And I just haven’t felt that freedom yet (both from my work situation and being worried about the pandemic). But I hope that this new job responsibility will be the perfect thing to help me get set up for what will be my full post-pandemic life.
Posted onMarch 24, 2022|Comments Off on A Transition Of What Feels Like Home (or Getting Even Closer To Moving)
It feels like I’ve been getting ready to move for months now. In a sense, that is accurate. It’s been almost 5 months since we closed on the condo. But the renovation is only been happening for about 7 weeks now, so it hasn’t been as long as it feels and we are still somewhat on schedule. I think things won’t be done exactly on time, but that is to be expected and it should only be maybe an extra week longer than what we were hoping.
But I have been preparing to move pretty much since we have closed on the condo, and that is just continuing to ramp up. I have been getting rid of stuff as often as I can and I have started to list things for sale that I know I won’t be taking with me. Some of the sales are taking longer than I would like, but I know that I have time. And there are other sales that I have to delay, like selling my current mattress, since I am still using those things. But there has been progress and I also have had progress with getting the stuff for my new place. Right now, I have boxes of things all over my house. My new bed is in a box next to my mattress. My new mattress is in my living room. I have my new barstools next to my dining room table. I don’t love having all these boxes all over, especially because it’s making it tough to clean, but I know it’s temporary and it’s a sign that I’m getting closer to moving. But as I add more boxes and box up my current stuff, my home for the past 12 years doesn’t feel exactly like my home anymore.
But as my current place feels less like my home, my condo is feeling more like the place I have helped to design. There are still some big things that need to happen. But this week they have been painting and the guest bathroom has been getting all the tile installed. And the kitchen cabinets are coming in soon too! The list of things that needs to still be done isn’t too long, but it’s a lot of the stuff that will make the biggest impact.
As I see more things coming together, I am getting more excited about moving and feel more certain that everything I decided on was the right choice. It was overwhelming picking things like tile and paint, but when I thought I found the right thing I felt pretty good about what I picked. But until it was put up, you never know. But as I watch things happening, I know I picked the right stuff and that this is really going to be the perfect home for me.
I’m really getting antsy to move, and it will be coming up next month. It will have to be next month since I’m putting in my 30-day notice to my landlord! I’m getting closer and closer to the end of this transition and I can’t wait until I’m done and can just look back at this time instead of living through it.
Posted onMarch 23, 2022|Comments Off on Time For A New Meditation Plan (or Over 2000 Days Later And I’ll Be At Day 1 Again Soon)
Several years ago, I set a monthly challenge to try to meditate every day. I had tried meditation in the past, but I just couldn’t stick with it. But I was really hopeful that by setting it as my monthly challenge, I could keep it up for a week and maybe start a new regular habit. I don’t know if I really thought I could keep it up every day after the challenge was over, but I knew even if I could do it most days of the week after that first month, I’d be doing better than I was without any meditation.
I was successful in meditating every day during that challenge, and I have been successful in continuing that every day since! I was very lucky that I found an app that I really clicked with when I started my challenge and that I was happily using it so I could just continue after the month was done without having to test out new apps. I think that was just luck because this wasn’t the app that most people use for meditation but it really worked for me. And I’ve been very happy using it ever since then.
I love how it’s become a regular part of my daily routine. I’ve completed a meditation on the app every day for over 2000 days in a row now. This is something I never expected to be possible. I was shocked when I was able to do it for the entire month that I had the challenge. And I have noticed a difference in my mood and how I feel after completing my meditation each day (which I typically do in the mornings now).
But the other day, when I opened the app to do my daily meditation, I saw this alert on the welcome screen.
I’m really sad that the app is shutting down because it has been a regular part of my life for so many years now. And I also have to think about how I want to continue my meditation practice. I know there are so many apps out there, so I might need to start testing them out and seeing which ones I like (and which ones don’t cost me too much). I’m still planning on continuing my meditations in my current app through the last day. I think in a way, I’m holding out hope that maybe they will change their mind and will not close down. And because my daily streak has been going since the day I started, I don’t want to lose my streak!
But if I do have to switch apps or if I decide to do meditation on my own without an app, I know the thousands of days I have done in this first app will still count. Even if a new app starts me off with a 0 day streak, I will remind myself that it’s not a fresh start. It will just be the start of a new phase and I will be building off of the meditation practice I have worked on building for the last several years.
Posted onMarch 22, 2022|Comments Off on A Dri-Tri Sunday (or I Didn’t Realize This Was A Milestone)
I’ve done the Dri–Tri at Orangetheory multiple times before. I’ve done the regular one in the studios, I’ve done 1 relay, and I did the at-home Dri-Tri when the studios were still shut down. It’s always a challenge, but it’s also something I look forward to. I might be nervous and sometimes question why I’m doing it before starting or in the middle of the event, but I’m always proud of myself when I’m done and I have never really regretted doing one after. I am always proud of what I can do, even if I’m disappointed in not getting a PR or having a big improvement from my last one. And it’s a great way for me to prove to myself that I am strong and I can do a fitness challenge as hard as the Dri-Tri is.
But they don’t always go smoothly for me. I’ve had some not-so-great luck with a few of the ones in the past. I’ve had one that was after a night that I wasn’t able to sleep so I was exhausted and really didn’t feel ready. My first post-shutdown Dri-Tri seemed to have multiple issues such as me having the wrong time written down so I almost missed it plus I was dealing with a burst blood vessel in my eye. And when the Dri-Tri this time was announced, I realized right after signing up that it was going to be on what would likely be one of the worst pain and nausea days for me. That’s just how it happened and there was no way I could have prevented that.
But I’ve done workouts while I’m hurting and I figured this would be another challenge for me. I also knew that since it was a bit later than my typical morning classes, I could take some pain and anti-nausea meds a few hours before it started so they would have time to kick in. I wasn’t going to go into the Dri-Tri with any super crazy goals. I really just wanted to finish in under an hour (if possible) and I didn’t want to have to leave to be sick. I also had a real stretch goal of finishing in under 55 minutes, but I knew that was going to be very difficult since I haven’t done that for my most recent ones.
The 2000-meter row is always first, and I think that might be what worries me the most each time. That’s a really long row and I have learned from Dri-Tris in the past that I can’t go too hard or I will be too tired for the rest of it. So making sure I pace myself is important but also I need to try to push myself a bit and not go as easy as I might for a regular workout. I knew I would need some breaks during the row and some would be out of my control (if I get too nauseous, I have to stop or it will get much worse). But I wanted to limit the breaks that weren’t necessary so I could get off the rower as fast as I could. I only ended up taking 3 breaks total. 2 of those breaks were ones that I picked and 1 was due to being nauseous. And I didn’t take my first break until I had done over 1000-meters, so that was a big accomplishment for me. I was able to do the row in just over 11 minutes, which was much better than I expected. I had a goal in my head of trying to be under 15 minutes.
The floor was extra tough this time because there are a few exercises that are face down and those make me extra nauseous. I just took my time with those and modified things where I could so I didn’t get too sick. I know we aren’t supposed to modify much, but my studio and the coaches there are really good about being ok with me having to make those changes so I can manage things. The one tough thing each time with the floor is that you do the exercises twice. So you always know when you are halfway through and sometimes it feels like I have so much more to do. This time felt like that, but I was focused a bit more on not feeling sick so that, in a weird way, was a nice distraction.
And the last part is the 5K run, which is 12.4 miles on the bike. I’ve done the bike for the last few Dri-Tris and I think I’m getting better on the bike each time. I do still need to make improvements with how fast I pedal. I probably need to put the resistance level lower than I’m used to so I can keep going fast and not get too tired. I did try to do a few small bursts of sprints so I could pedal really fast and then went back to a consistent pace. That helped a lot with getting a lot of distance quickly on the bike.
When I got on the bike, I knew I could make a guess for how long it would take before I was done. I know approximately how long that part will take, but the variable is how often I might need to rest or drink water. So I had a good feeling that I probably would finish in under an hour, but I wasn’t sure how close to that hour mark I would be. I think those sprints helped me a lot because I ended up finishing in 55:24, which was 27 seconds faster than my last Dri-Tri! I wasn’t expecting to beat my last one, especially with how I was feeling. I guess this is a sign of how much stronger I am than I was back then. I’m still over 6 minutes away from my PR, but I know it’s going to take time to get close to that old time again. But I’m so thrilled with a 27-second improvement!
I was celebrating my improvement while I hung out at the studio to cheer on the next group of people working on the Dri-Tri. I didn’t stay the entire time for the next group because I was starting to feel really nauseous and wanted to get home, but I was there until most of them got onto their treadmills.
And then when I got home, I figured out something else I could celebrate. This was technically my 10th Dri-Tri! I have now done 8 full in-studio, 1 relay, and 1 at-home. I don’t know if I want to necessarily count the relay and at-home ones, but a friend told me they should count since I did a fitness challenge no matter which one I did. So I’m going to celebrate that and then celebrate doing 10 in-studio ones after completing 2 more.
I really went into the Dri-Tri this past weekend worried I wouldn’t do ok and that I might feel like I missed a chance to prove to myself I could do it. Instead, I went above and beyond what I thought I could do and I proved to myself even more than ever that I am an athlete who can take on challenges like this!
Posted onMarch 21, 2022|Comments Off on The Week Before The Dri-Tri (or I Hope I’m Going To Be Ready)
I’m only going to write about my first 3 workouts this past week since the 4th workout was the Dri-Tri! I’ve done a bunch of Dri-Tris before and I’ve done them in situations that weren’t always ideal, but I still am always nervous before going into one. And this time, I knew there was a good chance I was going to be dealing with a lot of pain and nausea when doing it. So I wanted to make sure my workouts leading up to it were the best they could be even if I wasn’t feeling great.
Monday’s workout was a power day. I was dealing with nausea that day, and it annoyed me because I thought I had at least another day or two before it became an issue for me. But as I have done every month when I’m dealing with pain or nausea, I just had to push through and do my best.
Each section of the room had 3 blocks and the cardio and rower sides worked a bit with the same format. For cardio, we started with a 45-second push pace, 45-second base pace, and 45-second all-out. Then we had some walking recovery and another all-out. The walking recovery got longer each block and the all-out got shorter each block. On the rower, when cardio had the first 3 45-second intervals, we had 200-meter rows and squats with medicine ball front presses. When cardio had their recovery, so did the rowers and we did the same all-out as the cardio side. My rowing was very slow and I only got 1 round of the 200-meter row each block.
And on the floor, each of the 3 blocks had different exercises. The first block had squats to shoulder presses and bicep curls on the straps. The second block had leg raises, bicycle crunches, and supermen. And the last block had single-arm snatches and tricep extensions on the straps. I went pretty light for my weights because of how I was feeling, but I felt like the floor was probably the best section of the room for me that day.
Wednesday was an endurance day, and I was unfortunately feeling worse. Because I knew I would likely feel bad that day, I was a bit more prepared for it. And I was hoping that feeling sick that day meant I would feel ok for the Dri-Tri. And this workout did end up being a decent day to prep for the Dri-Tri.
For cardio and the rower, we had a very similar workout. For both sides, we had 2 rounds of a 4-minute progressive push with 90-seconds after each one and then ended with a 3-minute distance challenge. For cardio, I did increase the resistance on the bike each minute like we were supposed to. And on the rower, I just tried my best to row for as long as I could. I also tried to keep my speed the same the entire time. I know the goal was to get faster every minute, but I just wasn’t in the right situation to work on that. And on the rower, the 90-seconds after each row had squats and a bit of a break instead of a base pace.
And on the floor, we had 2 blocks. The first block had sumo squats, spiderman planks (which was supposed to be on the Bosu but I did just on the floor), lunges, and running men (again, was supposed to be on the Bosu but I did them on the floor). And in the second block, we had goblet squats and plank jacks. Considering how many exercises we had face down and how that usually makes me feel much more nauseous, I was proud of how I did.
Friday’s workout was a power day and it was going to be my last class before the Dri-Tri. I wasn’t feeling as horrible as I was on Wednesday, so that helped make the workout a bit better.
For cardio, we had 4 blocks. Each block had a push pace, base pace, and an all-out. The total time was the same for each block, but we started with a short push pace and long all-out and the push pace got longer each block while the all-out got faster. Since they were all very quick intervals and then we got to recover between each block, that helped to make it better.
On the rower, we also had 4 blocks. Each block had a row and then squats. The row started at 100-meter and the squats started at 25 reps. And each block the row got 50-meters longer and we had 5 fewer squats. Since all the rows were short, I managed to do them all ok without needing any breaks or having issues.
And on the floor, we had one long block with 3 mini-blocks in it. For each mini-block, we had 4 rounds before moving on to the next one. We had shoulder presses and sumo squats with froggers, front squats and burpees, and pullovers and push-ups. I did the burpees with my hands on the bench and instead of push-ups, I did chest presses. But those weren’t that bad for modifications.
I finished this past week of workouts feeling somewhat ready for the Dri-Tri. I knew I wasn’t as prepared as I have been in the past and there were some things out of my control that I was trying to prepare for. But I did my best to get ready and I was hopeful that I would do ok. And I’ll be writing about how I did tomorrow!
Posted onMarch 18, 2022|Comments Off on 2 Years Of Movie Club (or Another Pandemic-Related Anniversary)
As I said before, there are a few different dates that can be anniversaries for the start of the pandemic. For me, the last “normal” day is a big one. Also, the last date I worked out at Orangetheory before the studios shut down for over a year is something a remember a lot. But I also have a positive anniversary connected to the pandemic. Today marks exactly 2 years since the first movie I watched with online friends through Teleparty which was the start of what we now call Movie Club.
I love that I have a screenshot of the first post that I posted in the Facebook group announcing our first movie together. Things have changed quite a bit since that first movie. Now, we have a separate Facebook group just for Movie Club although everyone in it is still a member of the group it originated from. We do movies on Saturdays and a tv show on Wednesdays. And most of the women who are in Movie Club have become some of my closest friends even though I have never met any of them in real life.
I wish I had been able to meet them this past weekend when the others were able to get together, but I know there will be another opportunity to meet up with everyone. But to think that about 2 years ago I didn’t really know anyone that well and now we are always talking and texting is pretty incredible. Most of us knew each other a bit through the other Facebook group we were in, but we didn’t become close until we were meeting each week in Movie Club.
I think everyone has a lot of negative thoughts about what happened during the pandemic, but many also have a few bright spots of what the past 2 years brought. Some people had the opportunity to spend more time with their families. Some lost their jobs but ended up finding their dream job or even creating their dream job. I think almost everyone can say they were able to find things they valued in their life and tried to focus more on that and less on the things that didn’t matter. Everyone had to reevaluate a lot about their lives since 2020, and I’m glad that a lot of people got positive things out of that. And I was lucky enough to not only have that chance but also have all the wonderful things that Movie Club has brought into my life.
I have said many times that making friends as an adult is tough, but this was the perfect way to form friendships. I don’t know if we would have been able to do this if we created Movie Club during normal times when we weren’t all isolated from others. There was something special that came together and allowed us to find a way to come together. We have all talked about how lucky we are and how this might not be able to have been done if we had tried any other time. Everything had to be aligned for it to work out the way it did and I’m so grateful for that.
I have a feeling that Movie Club will continue to have our movie and tv nights for a while. We may eventually have them less frequently (we have been skipping a few Saturdays and might go from every week to every other week one day), but I think they will still be a regular part of my life for a long time. And even if the official group eventually ends, there is no doubt in my mind that I have made lifelong friends from Movie Club that will always be a part of my life.
Sharing My Union With A Friend (or Continuing To Be Inspired And Involved)
