we on fire - #powerhot25 shall continue

The only complaint I have is instead of losing weight, my arms are getting more buff and I can’t fit into more and more of my clothes, especially my dresses, which I have to give away, and I’m not losing weight.

But at least I’m getting a better paddling benchmark time.

Looking forward to the international dragonboating competition in Italy in September 2024!

Summary: https://imgur.com/OA9naoM

• Got to 25 miles for 4/7 weeks
• Got food poisoning but bounced back after 2.5 weeks
• 5-10 second improvement on 500m paddling benchmark both left and right side, despite food poisoning interruption
• Made it easy for myself by getting free ERG (rower), getting membership to gym next door that has a heated pool (been regularly using, and swam multiple times)
• Keeping myself accountable by checking in regularly with coaches, my partner, and my communities (such as doing this dk30)

Up next

• Improve another 5-10 seconds by January on both sides
• Get a nice time at time trials
• NOT FALLING OFF THE TINY ASS ONE PERSON BOAT DURING TIME TRIALS (For those of you who do not know, Lake Merced is fucking disgusting and it will be fucking end of January which yes I know I live in the Bay Area but the water is still freezing I guarantee it)
• Enjoy the massage and spa day my partner is getting me for Christmas
• Keep up the #powerhot25 and replace more Zone 1 exercise (walking) with Zone 2-3 exercise (jogging where you can still talk easily, ERGing, etc.)
• Purchasing a light carbon fiber paddle for myself so I don’t always paddle with the water-logged wooden paddles from the rentals that all the dragonboating teams can use for free if we paddle with the teams, because that might be why my arms are getting too buff.
• Follow my next steps, getting a good time trial in this new DK30 project!

back on it

With double practice Sunday (today) at 7am and 9am which means about 11 miles, I hit 25 miles without an issue this week. I will conclude this project in the next post and open a new project for next month as I work towards our Time Trial end of January - where we paddle on the single boat (OC1) to put in a time so that the coaches can place us initially on the Italy boats. Honestly feeling rather proud of myself, and my coaches consistently let me know I’m really doing great.

Total: 27.7 miles of exercise

Highlights

• Went to Benchmark at pERG practice Monday night and got a Personal best on both sides again - 3 minutes 1 second on my left, and 3 minutes 7.8 seconds on my right, for 500 meters on the paddle machine. This means I’ve improved on my time by literally 5-10 seconds EVERY MONTH since early October, which is crazy because I got food poisoning mid-November but that didn’t even matter apparently. Once again I gotta remind myself I’m doing really well putting the work in, and it’s clearly showing when we do our regular check-ins.
• Consistently back on top of getting my 25 miles in a week now and really putting in the effort to make it easy for myself and spreading out the mileage across all 7 days. Food poisoning was no joke - multiple teammates groaned in solidarity when I mentioned that I got it when we were talking about obstacles to training on Monday night. DON’T GET FOOD POISONING FOLKS. Good to be healthy and hope to remain so.
• Love that I can always rely on the day9 chat to help me relax after practice with a video of pigs racing, which is basically me, except I’m a cute water race piggy.

I DID IT!

Despite still not getting enough miles in during the week, I pulled through on the weekend and just got to 25 miles of exercise this week. I mostly did walking, and I really had to push it today, Sunday, because I am extremely tired from going to my dragonboating team’s end of the year potluck celebration last night. I chose to skip practice and it was extremely hard to get myself to the gym, but I did it with my partner’s help and I got back to #powerhot25, and I feel great about it.

Total: 25.1 miles of exercise

Highlights

• The head coach of the dragonboating team once again told me how he is very proud of all the work I’ve been putting into working out and practice last night.
• It was really nice to celebrate another year of community and exercising last night with everyone on the dragonboating team. I don’t think I would be as healthy if I didn’t join the team because the community has really helped me focus on working out. I’m extremely grateful to have chosen this particular team as I wouldn’t have the opportunity to train to go to Italy for dragonboating if I were with other teams, but I also don’t feel compelled to do more than I, or anyone on the team, want to, because everyone’s very respectful of each other’s lives and how busy everyone is.
• My partner is making a Pizza with prosciutto and arugula as my reward right now and I can’t wait.

End of the year busy and cold cutting into #Powerhot

A bit lower than I want to be this week, but it’s been rather busy with everything. I know I’ll be back on top of everything in 2 weeks, so this week is going to take an extra push for me to get that 25 miles exercised. I’m going to do a plan for the next 4 days so that I can make sure I hit the target tonight.

Total: 17.9 miles of exercise

Highlights

• I got myself to the gym last Tuesday on 11/28, which was great. I didn’t go yesterday on 12/5, which is why I need to make a plan to make sure I hit my miles.
• Sunday I honestly had 3 workouts: the actual practice with the dragonboating team, me volunteering to help put the boats away and that turning into a whole adventure, and the most chaotic white elephant that has ever been because we were simultaneously eating all you can eat hot pot. That and more about Sunday, a day I thoroughly enjoyed, below for your reading pleasure.

A Sunday of 3 Workouts, 2 Trash Pandas, and 1 Perfect White Elephant gift

Putting the boats back

After dragonboating practice, there was 1.5 hours before our hot pot/white elephant lunch, so I volunteer to help bring the boats back to where they’re tied to each other on the water. The team used one of the very heavy, big boats (called the Hong Kong Boat) for 24 paddlers. My teammate and I are fairly new, and we struggled for 15 minutes to turn the boat and move it with all of our might, paddles and no brain, chaotically, of course. I end up laughing maniacally for about 5 minutes loudly in this heavy boat when the other 4 volunteers, all with more experience finally decided to come help us move the boat with one of theirs. We successfully do so with their help, but that was quite an adventure.

White Elephant and All you can eat hot pot (the style of eating, not my cat)

Now I thought that was going to be the most intense workout, but when you have 30 people at all you can eat hot pot doing white elephant gifting, and I also decide to print everyone a photo of Hot Pot, my cat, to commemorate the occasion, you then realize that this was top of the 3 workouts I did today. Also I gifted away my old heater and got back a karaoke microphone and i can’t ask for a better white elephant exchange And yes, I ate (mostly meat and noodles) until I was ready to explode lol

Literal Trash Pandas

Before driving over to Hot Pot, when I was changing in the bathroom, a couple of raccoons (default giant size), decided to help themselves to the open trash can in the restroom at the boathouse where we meet for practice - the door to the women’s is usually propped open. All I hear is people shouting “THERE’S A RACOON IN THE WOMEN’S RESTROOM”, then the trash can being tipped over by one of them, so I just go “uh sirs can you hurry with your item selection so I can exit the restroom please?” I keep changing and people keep talking about them outside. Then I heard the other stall’s door close after a minute so I confirmed with the woman inside that they’ve gone outside. They were definitely still there as a couple of folks were still giving live updates on how big they are. I exit the bathroom and need to wash my feet because my socks were soaked with the disgusting Lake Merced water during practice. Lo and behold, the 2 big racoons show up from the side of the building close to the restroom and starts walking toward me where I’m sitting on the bench. Caught a bit of them on the video Now what you didn’t see after I stopped recording is me turning my head over to my left and seeing that the first racoon that wandered into the bushes has appeared on the other side of where I was sitting to come over and sniff the stinky towel and jacket I had laid on it to see if he can swipe some food. I just go “sir, there is no food here. Only stanky clothes sir. My mom’s not here sadly, otherwise she’d DEFINITELY feed you, but you’re going to have to find food elsewhere” After staring at me for a bit, both of them calmly walked away into the bushes again.

Getting back into #Powerhot

Not hitting 25 miles this week but got back into it, including doing 2 hours at the gym and 1 in the pool Saturday morning. Sunday morning dragonboating practice was freezing but I made it out and I did it. Rewarded myself with a Philz Mint Mojito.

Total: 21.1 miles of exercise

Highlights

• Did a lot of walking as well, and saw a lot of neighborhood kitties. https://imgur.com/0Xh3uEv

Food poisoning = #restandrecover

Welp my stomach didn’t like room temp tuna mac and cheese Tuesday night so I am still recovering from food poisoning Saturday morning. Hoping to be 100% by Monday so I can hit 25 miles of exercise next week, but just happy to like food and have energy to stand up again. If I still don’t feel 100% tomorrow, I may not go to practice.

Still got 25 miles in, rest week

Yeah so my body said no you absolutely exhausted after Tuesday. I yawned from the moment I got up to when I went to bed Wed-Fri. Rested those days and then walked a bit on Saturday. Still got 25 miles in doing that and a bit of indoor cycling Sunday morning before paddling practice.

Total: 26.4 miles of exercise

Highlights

• I absolutely LOVE my new Garmin Vivoactive watch. Much better user interface than Fitbit, and tracks swimming/paddling perfectly. 10/10 would purchase again, and grateful that my work has the Virgin Pulse monetary benefits that allows me to use that money to pay for this watch.

https://imgur.com/JU14PpB

• Went to pERG night Monday and practices with the team.

https://imgur.com/r2KopON

• Listened to my body and didn’t over do it
• Helped lead warmups for Sunday dragonboating practice.

https://imgur.com/XQIEscA

Plan for next week

• Definitely getting more gym and pool time in Mon-Wed since I am going to be based closer to where I workout this week for the first few days of the week.
• Planning to get a bit more miles Mon-Wed and hopefully take Thurs-Saturday off before a last hurrah on Sunday.

Got 25 miles in Fri-Sun, somehow

I thought the week would start Nov 1st, but coach moved it to Monday Oct 30th. Still got it done, and I no longer need a nap after like 7-8 miles of exercise!!!??? I used to require a nap after our 1.5 hour practices, but I just don’t need it today - though uh maybe that’s just the adrenaline haha.

Total: 26.7 miles of exercise

Highlights

• Got the free rower assembled Thursday woot! Needs some fine tuning but it should be ready for use Friday! https://imgur.com/TjxF1U8
• Friday I ran, walked a bunch, did indoor rowing, and used the gym equipment for strength training for 8.1 miles of exercise.
• Saturday I ran, walked a bunch, did indoor rowing, indoor biking, used the gym equipment for strength training, and swam for 30 minutes (but it’s so little, 0.15 miles) for 10.8 miles of exercise.
• Sunday I did indoor rowing, indoor biking, used the gym equipment for strength training, and went to dragonboating practice for 8.1 miles of exercise.

Plan for next week

• Space out my workouts to make it easeir for myself
• Try to fit some swimming in as a cool down if I am at the gym where the swimming pool is
• Going to pERG (paddling maching) gym held by my dragonboating team Monday, so that’ll be nice

Completed 90% of initial to do list!

I need to make sure my swimsuit fits. I get access to a pool starting next week, but I can’t swim without a proper swimsuit.

• Swimsuit still fits! I got access to the pool, but I’m going to test it out next week as time caught up with me this week.

I need to estimate how much miles I will get out of doing one of each exercise as noted in my weekly goals:

• 1609 meters = 1 mile

• 4.5 mi per paddling practice -> 4.5

• 4.5 miles per paddling machine -> 4.5

• 3.5 miles per rowing machine -> 2.6

• 3.5 miles per run -> 2.6

• 2 miles per swim -> 2.5

• 7 miles per 30 min Peloton ride -> 3.5

• Total not counting paddling machine = 15.5

• Repeat 3-4 exercises aka do 2 hours each day except one -> 25 miles, 2 rest days

I need to schedule my workouts to make sure I get to them within my busy schedule and move things around if I don’t

• Scheduled week 1! will schedule each week (Mon-Sun) on the weekend prior

I need to figure out an efficient reporting method to my coaches, Jacob, this project here, and dayknights discord, to save time

• I am going to just send them this project link and make all my updates here, as well as update the team tracking sheet

Also, with my partner’s help, we’ve gone and retrieved the free rower and I will be setting it up at my place today - Hopefully all is good with it and I can use it starting immediately.

Finally, I purchased a watch that can track exercise in the water such as swimming and paddling which I will have starting Friday.

I can’t believe this but someone I know online is willing to part with their rower for free, which gives me a great workout at home home. I will be going to Santa Cruz to pick it up this weekend.

As for work I need to do:

• I need to make sure my swimsuit fits. I get access to a pool starting next week, but I can’t swim without a proper swimsuit.
• I need to estimate how much miles I will get out of doing one of each exercise as noted in my weekly goals
• I need to schedule my workouts to make sure I get to them within my busy schedule and move things around if I don’t
• I need to figure out an efficient reporting method to my coaches, Jacob, this project here, and dayknights discord, to save time.

Update next week on the progress of these items.