Running with Whitney

I took the red eye flight back to NC on Wednesday night (unfortunately following UNC blowing a big lead against dook). As usual I didn't get much sleep (none of it solid) on the plane. I landed and suddenly had some energy when I saw my sister and niece for the first time in 5 months.

We went the The Little Gym in Clayton. It was awesome to see Natalie running around on the equipment (pictures and maybe video to come). She had so much energy. She loved the rings (and I guess just the swing in general). I liked seeing her do flips and rolls. Afterwards we went to the Bojangles drive-thru (mmmmm... sweet tea and biscuits). Back to my parent's house and I did a little work before laying down to take a nap (Natalie and I were co-conspirators on that one.)

Whitney and I had planned to run, but a couple of things were working against us. I had very little energy after the flight and was not very motivated after the nap. The weather also wasn't helpful. I've been spoiled with the Southern California sunshine. We decided to put it off until Friday when it would be warmer.

Whitney's sister-in-law arrived from Ohio (through all the snow and inclement weather) to see Whit and Nat. We ended up getting dinner from Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ (mmmm... more sweet tea, hushpuppies, and bbq). I think you may see a theme in these NC posts (and a detriment to my training). It was a low-key night in which I watched some TV and did some work before bed.

Friday morning brought T-Mart biscuits and play-time for Natalie. Whitney's friend Marcia came down from Garner with her daughter Maddi. One of Whitney's friends from high school (well actually I guess it was as much middle school as high school) brought her two daughters over too. The girls colored, dressed up as princesses, watched some cartoons, and played outside. I cooked lunch (grilled cheese sandwiches) for the entire crowd. Later in the afternoon it was nap time.

After all the guests left, Whitney and I finally got a run in. It was a 4-mile run around Dunn. It was pretty cold to me, but Whitney thought it was warmer than what she has been used to. That shows the difference between our current climates.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

That night was dinner at the bowling alley/arcade cafe with mom, dad, whitney, beth, jeffrey, aunt cookie and natalie... Guess who was the center of attention at that one (especially in her squeaky shoes). After the food was done, it was off to the arcade. Natalie ended up with quite a few tickets thanks to Jeffrey. She of course didn't want to leave, but it was really close to bed time. Nothing exciting after getting home. I crashed pretty early.

Saturday was family lunch at my grandparents' house. I got there early to help my granddad with the cooking. He was a lot further along than I expected him to be when I got there, but I manned the grill at the end then chopped the BBQ. We all ate lunch and hung out for a while. Then the UNC game came on and my food coma started to kick in. I ended up with a quick nap during halftime, but caught the end of an ugly win. I'll take it.

I started feeling a little sick (cold and flu type stuff) before we got back to my parent's house. So I took some medicine and took a longer nap. Dad and Natalie also laid down for a nap, but Whitney and mom went to Smithfield for some shopping. I woke up from my nap much later than intended, but dad and Nat were still asleep too.

I finally got up and motivated to shower then headed to Garner to pick up my friend Billy. We drove up to our friend Gary's house in Raleigh and hung out for a while. It was the first time all three of us had been able to get together since October (which was a wedding, so not the normal hanging out situation). I got back home a little later and went straight to bed.

Got up in the morning and went for a 6-mile run with Whitney. We ran down to the trail that used to be the railroad track, then ran the trail out to the country (I think it's technically in Erwin.) It took me a while to get warmed up in the cool morning weather, but the sun came out and helped me out.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

After the run I had to shower and pack for my flight back to San Diego. We drove up to Raleigh to run some errands and grab food at McAlister's Deli. We went out to the fountain to let Natalie throw some coins. She was pretty entertained with that. Then it was time to get back in the car and go to the airport. I said my goodbyes to the family and went into the airport. It's always tough to say goodbye to them, but I am very thankful for the days I got to spend with them.

Love you Angel Ryan!

Last day before trip to NC

Work has been crazy this week because of the upcoming trip. I have two days in which I'll be "working" from NC. That really means I'll be spending time with my sister Whitney and playing with my niece Natalie. So I was hoping to get in a really good workout prior to the traveling and inevitable fatigue... on to CrossFit Invictus.

This week's class was a little different than last week's. The owner of the gym was leading this class with help from one of their national running coaches. There was some running and stretching exercises to start out; then the squats and lunges began. They taught us proper squatting technique, then it was quick squats and lunges to all sides.

Next we formed groups of three for "relays". These started out with 10 jumps onto an 18" box then proceeded to a suicide run. It finished with 10 squats while throwing a 12 pound medicine ball up to a 10-foot line on the wall. Then we tagged in the next person in our group. This went on for 18 minutes (at least we were told it was 18 minutes, but it felt like 30.) I ended up getting four reps in with the breaks in between. It was still tough. That ended the workout, and I came home to pack for my trip.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

Love you Angel Ryan!

Super Sunday

I was hoping to get up Sunday morning and go for a hike, but I stayed up too late on Saturday night and slept late instead. I got out of bed in time to watch Carolina dominate Florida State, and to watch Kendall Marshall throw up 16 assists. That kid can make some great passes. He probably should have had more, but Jon Henson and a couple of others just couldn't finish or even catch.

After the game, I had a short time window to get any training in because I was making pizzas for the Super Bowl. I decided on a short and sweet run around the neighborhood. It was nice and warm so that made for an easier warm up than Saturday. No problems with this one.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

After the run I cleaned up and got started on the pizzas. I ended up making two, one buffalo chicken and one pepperoni with veggies. I think they turned out pretty well, and they were definitely fitting on Super Sunday. Speaking of which, how about those Packers? Super Bowl Champs!!!

Love you Angel Ryan!

Kicking off the weekend

I decided to join in on the free kickboxing class Friday night. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but within 10 minutes I knew it was going to be tough. The guy leading the class wasn't joking around. Any slacking at all and he was yelling. There were so many people that showed up for the class that there weren't enough punching bags for everyone. So we split up into two groups and rotated between the bags and a medicine ball. I started off in the group doing the punching and kicking. That took it out of me, and when it was time to switch to the medicine ball I was already beat.

After the medicine ball exercises came the easiest part of the workout, a lap around the building... running i can handle much easier than the other stuff. Then came some cardio/resistance drills like running with an elastic band around you as another person was trying to slow you down. At the end of the hour, I was so exhausted and glad to be done. That was a good way to start off the weekend training.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

Somehow I was able to wake up on Saturday morning and still go to the Lululemon Athletica run club at 8 am. We did a run along the harbor, which ended up being around 4 miles. It was refreshing after the kickboxing on Friday night. My legs started out like jelly, but they eventually got loose. Running next to the water is definitely helpful for relaxing. It also makes me think of something Whitney said shortly after we lost Ryan. Being outdoors and seeing the beauty that God created makes us feel closer to her. Being close to the water absolutely makes me feel that way.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

After the run I got back home and still had some energy. My roommate and I decided to play some tennis. Let's just say he is much better than me. I was able to break his serve of the first game... then he won six games in a row. On top of that, I broke a string on my favorite racket. Oh well, it was really nice outside, I got more exercise and was able to get some swings in.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday. The Tarheels play in the morning, my Packers play in the big game in the afternoon, and I'm making some pizzas for the roommates. We'll see if any kind of training takes place. GO HEELS! and GO PACKERS!

Love you Angel Ryan!

Good Morning... Owww

As I expected, no training for me yesterday. It's been a ridiculously crazy week at work. That led to non-stop work on Wednesday, including lunch at my desk. I rushed out at 5 because of my CLE course at 6. That was two hours of my life I would like to have back, so not thrilled about missing training for that.

When I went to bed on Wednesday night, I was hoping to join in another running club tonight. Upon waking up this morning I tried to get out of bed, but realized I could barely stand up. My legs were so sore from the CrossFit training on Tuesday. Getting in and out of my car to go to work was interesting. Then walking up and down stars on what might have been the busiest day since I started working at Sony. When I finally got home from work it was too late to take part in the run club.

A run was still necessary, so I put on my shoes and hit the street for a quick run in the "cool" weather. Considering what's going on with the weather on the East Coast and what my sister has been running in in Germany, I'll use that term loosely. I was able to run a quick 2.25 mile route around my neighborhood. It started out a little slow with my sore legs and a couple of hills, but I finally got warmed up. I was able to push through and run at a good pace.

MichaelNorris's Activities | RunKeeper

I'm not sure about the training for tomorrow. I shouldn't go for a run because I ran today, and I'll be doing the run club on Saturday morning. I may go to another one of the free classes my friend told me about; I think tomorrow they are for kickboxing. Otherwise it might just be a trip to the gym.

Love you Angel Ryan!

Social Training

I knew I shouldn't run on Monday after running 3 out of the previous 4 days (my knees couldn't take it.) I was planning to go to the gym at work and do some lifting and cardio. My apartment search got in the way of those plans as I was able to schedule some viewings after work. Well a day off wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Monday night I was thinking I would go for a run tonight to continue the training. My friend that told me about the Saturday morning running club with Lululemon Athletica, informed me they were sponsoring a month-long fitness event. There are free workout sessions throughout the city each day/night. They range from bootcamp to kickboxing.

I decided to take advantage of one of the classes tonight. It was a class at CrossFit Invictus in downtown San Diego. These classes are a combination of weights, cardio, and other difficult workouts. Wow... after one hour my legs were already wobbly and my arms were almost numb. I guess my body is more used to the distance running than that type of workout. It was a nice change of pace both physically and mentally. I'll definitely check out some more of the classes offered this month.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to do any training tomorrow because I have plans for lunch then a Continuing Legal Education class after work. Maybe I'll be able to get something done, but I'm not counting on it. Either way, Thursday will have training involved.

Love you Angel Ryan!