Week 11: Climb for Clean Air – The Worst

Plan for this week:

Monday:  Interval Training

Tuesday: Strength Training with Weston

Wednesday: Long Cardio

Thursday: REST

Friday: Strength Training

Saturday: Long Cardio

Sunday: Camp Muir Hike!

This is by far the worst week of training I had since I started this journey.   Even though I ended up the week with a great training hike to Camp Muir, I felt like I really let things slide.   This week – I did NOT make my training as priority and choose to have other things happen in my life take priority over it.   Did I feel bad, absolutely.  Did I dwell on it?  Absolutely not.   I moved on.  I’m going to focus on the upcoming week and make my training priority again.   I’m inside the 5-weeks window to my climb.  Am I ready?  I am.  Very.

Monday – Saturday:

I did NO work out at all.   No excuses here.  As I mentioned above, I did not make it as priority.  I choose to tend to other things and make that priority while trying to take it easy on my lung.   Did I regret it?  No.   Did I wish things differently?  Absolutely, but doing should’ve, could’ve and would’ve will not change a thing.  The only thing I can do is to promise myself is use the upcoming week to train even harder.

Sunday:

It’s Father’s day weekend, and we are up early and head out to the mountain again.   I’m a wee bit nervous since I didn’t really do anything in the past few days.   My brother-in-law, Aaron, joined us for the hike.   We started around 10am.   It was slightly rainy and cold.   I had my layer on and feel pretty decent.    I started walking and within 10 minutes I was overheated.    I only had my base layer and vest, plus my soft shell and I could barely breath.   We stopped for gear checked, clothing adjustment and keep on walking.    I made it to the bottom of the avalanche chute without any problem.   We took our first break there and climb on the chute.   I know I did a waaaaay better than a week before since I didn’t even feel that I was struggling when I get to the top of the chute.   Please note, avalanche chute is like a 80% angle snow wall.   It’s soooooo steep!

Our next stop is Pebble Creek (7,000ft) and we had lunch there.   I started to feel tight on my chest again but decided to keep on walking.   About 8,500ft – I barely can breathe.   My chest felt really tight and I knew that if I pushed it, I will make more damage on my lung so we turn around.   We got down fairly quick since we slide on most of the hill.   It was rainy and almost white out when we walked down.   I wasn’t as winded.  Overall, it was a good hike.   I got 8 hours of hike, altitude adjustment and great company

Fundraising:

Keep on coming people!  I think I’m going to break $9,000 limit this week!

Week 10: Climb for Clean Air – Deal With Sickness

Plan for this week:

Monday:  Interval Training

Tuesday: Strength Training with Weston

Wednesday:  Long Cardio

Thursday:  REST DAY

Friday:  Strength Training

Saturday:  Long Hike – Camp Muir!

Sunday:  Interval Training

This week is really rough.   Both of my girls were sick and I caught whatever they have and pretty much shut this week down.   I have a hard time to do anything with less than 6 hours sleep, let alone less than 4 hours.     With both of my girls sick, I slept roughly 2-4 hours every night.   I can handle the physical stress, but the emotional stress due to sick child was bringing me down slowly.   Thursday came around, I was as sick as my children.   Luckily I bounced back quite fast and able to join the training hike on Saturday.    I felt a bit down because I didn’t do what I was planning to do but ended up to make peace with it because life happen and you have to make the best out of it.

Monday:

I was starting to feel under the weather on Monday.   I woke up at 5am, with the whole intention to leave the house at 5:30 to go to the gym but I really can’t make my body move.   This is not just mentally, but physically.   I was exhausted and feeling really blah.   I ended up staying home and get a few more needed sleep.

Tuesday:

I literally feel like I was dragging my feet to go see Weston, my trainer.   I did it tho and worked out with him, even though I feel like I was going to faint multiple times during it.   We focused on my lower body exercise and I can’t actually remember what were the routines, but one thing I do remember – we did a hard work out.   Overall, it was a great work out.

Wednesday:

My youngest daughter was sick the day before and warrant an ER trip at 3am, which totally shut my Wed morning work out.   I did managed to run at my neighborhood for an hour, about 4 miles in the afternoon for my long cardio work out.  I noticed how much I struggle during that run due to lack of sleep and just not feeling too hot in general.

Thursday:

My oldest daughter caught whatever her sister had, and it basically identical day with Wed.   I had very little sleep and it started to catch up on me.   My energy level dip down to zero and I did not do anything at all other than sleeping

Friday:

Lot of going on today.   I’m still recovering, and even though both of my girls are healthy again today – I’m still feeling really crummy.   I have to catch up with work as well, since I practically off in the last couple days.   My plan to sneak the work out in the late afternoon/early evening just went nowhere.   I ended up getting my gear ready for Saturday training hike.

Saturday:

 

This is a highlight of my week.   We left the house around 6am and head to Ashford.   This was the first group training hike I did with the rest of the climbers on this event.   We met at Paradise parking lot at 9am and started to walk roughly around 10am.   I struggled to breathe almost right away.   I knew it going in since the high altitude (Paradise is 5,800ft), and the fact that I just recovered from the virus that I just had, plus the 40lbs backpack would make my lung work twice as much.   I was the end of the line of team, and just walked slow and steady.   After 20 minutes, I finally able to stabilize my breathing and walk somewhat normal.   Unfortunately, I was waaaay behind from the rest of the team but kudos to the volunteer guide that walk patiently behind me and kept encouraging me to keep on going.    We met with the rest of the group at the first stop, and it looked like they were there about 10 mins before me.  Not so bad, I thought.    I sat down for 5 mins and we were already told to get ready.    I was right with the team afterwards until we were on top of Avalanche Chute, then the really steep climb on the Chute started to get me and I was behind again.    We stopped for lunch a little bit past Pebble Creek (7,000ft) and I felt my chest starting to hurt, more than usual.

 

I kept walking though, slow and steady and really focus on my breathing, did a pressure breathing and rest step pretty much all the way.    We climbed another 1,000 feet and I felt headache starting to developed, early sign of altitude sickness.   I was frustrated since we only at 8,000ft but I knew that my lung finally told me to stop.   My stubborn head probably can keep going but since I’m going with the group, we had to turn around at certain time so with a heavy heart I looked at my husband and told him that I need to turn around.    It turned out to be a good decision, since an hour after we walked down, I felt some gurgling when I breathe, which indicated that I had developed some fluid in my lung.   We were safely return at the parking lot about a couple hours later and head home.

Sunday:

I decided to rest.   After a long hike and fluid in my lung, I can’t see any other way for me to do anything.

Fundraising:

I am waaaay past my goal but generous people out there still contribute to my climb.    I’m so thankful to everybody’s support and will give my best (and more).

What gets measured, gets done

One of SQL Cruise sessions that I attended last week (I will have separate post for summary of the whole event) leave us with some homework to do.   We have to pick 12 books to read for a year that can enhance our career, read it once a month and post a review about it.   Buck Woody (blog | twitter) already post his, and even though I wasn’t tag by him – I’m going to publicly list mine and link back to his post and even tag a few cruisers so they can put their list as well

Here’s my list, in no particular order:

1. First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently As someone that is new in a management role, I am facing challenge everyday.  This books will teach me a trick or two for being, not just a good manager, but a great one
2. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams   (Second Edition) This book talk about what define a success as a company, it’s not the technology, it’s the people.   This book also highly recommended by certain people that’s been in the management for a while
3. IT’s hidden face: Everything you always wanted to know about Information Technology. A look behind the scenes Since my team is part of IT, I’m very intrigue on what this book is going to tell me.
4. Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations Internet sociology always interest me.   I hear a lot of good thing about this book and been wanting to read it for a while
5. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference Another book about social phenomena.   My good friend recommended this book to me, and I’m going to check it out
6. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains Internet is always fascinating to me and it impact our lives more than we want to admit.
7. Adventures of an IT Leader I love to read this book since even though I’m not an IT leader just yet, I’m starting a journey to get there.
8. The Little Black Book Of Leadership The title said it all.   Every leader need a black book, hot sheet or just a guidance.
9. Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World Another internet sociology book.   Internet is changing our world and for the next generation, the world will look very different then
10. Growing Software: Proven Strategies for Managing Software Engineers I’m not managing software engineers, but I think the concept is the same.   This book is on the recommended reading list by my former CTO
11. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity What can I say – I love his blog and this book is a collection of articles he ever written
12. More Joel on Software: Further Thoughts on  Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, … or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity Again, just like the previous book – his blog is always full with fantastic insights and articles.

There it is.  It’s out there.   I’m ordering my first one today and will post a review by end of the month.   I’m quoting Buck here by saying ‘I reserve the right to change this list as I learn more‘.

I’m also going to tag a few cruisers here, so they can get their list going.

1. Christina Leo (blog | twitter)
2. Kendra Little (blog | twitter)
3. Ryan Malcom (blog | twitter)
4. Noel McKinney (blog | twitter)

So cruisers, you have been tag.  You’re it!

Week 9: Climb for Clean Air – Discipline during Vacation

Plan:

Monday: Interval Training

Tuesday: Strength Training

Wednesday: Long Cardio

Thursday: REST Day!

Friday: Strength Training

Saturday: Long Cardio

Sunday: Strength Training

This is the third week that I don’t have a complete work out within a week.   I’m freaking out, right now – especially after I realize that I’m 6 weeks away from my climb.  I had this week all plan and I started to do really good, but I miss 2 work out days again this week!  Not happy with myself.   Again, I am not putting my training as a priority so I have nobody to blame but myself.

Yes, I was on vacation this week.   I was on this awesome vacation and technical training on board Norwegian Pearl called SQL Cruise. It was a busy week, full with awesome material for the training and absolutely gorgeous view.    Temptation to do absolutely nothing other than attend my sessions are very high, but I manage to follow my plan.  Sorta.  I have to thank my husband, John, for being there for me and supporting me.  Without him, I probably never set foot in a gym and do any work out during vacation

How it actually went down:

Monday:

I did an hour interval training at elliptical machine.  Turn out that being in a moving ship that sway is a challenge on its own, let alone being in the elliptical machine on the ship.   I did level 15 for the high interval and level 10 for the lower interval.  I did really good, other than feeling a bit woozy afterward due to a moving ship

Tuesday:

 

I went on 4.5 miles instead of strength training.  It was beautiful scenery and the trail actually pretty streneous.  There were part of the trail that pretty steep and I felt really good afterward.   The scenery was fantastic and the company were fabulous.  I did not have any additional weight on my pack, other than my usual 10-essentials, layer of jackets, and water but I enjoyed this hike very much.

Wednesday:

I did variety of strength training, started with 4 different upper body work.   Pull down, Chest Press, Pull up and Row.   I did 3 sets of 12 reps.  Then I did conventional lower body exercise.   I started with leg press, leg curl and leg extension.  I also did 3 sets of 12 reps.   I felt really good when I’m done which is a great feeling to have after the work out

Thursday:

Rest Day

Friday:

I snorkeled!  Yes, I know – it’s not really a ‘work out’ but I was exhausted when I am done.   The guide gave us 7mm wet suit and it made the cold water in Alaska felt like a bath water.  We were in the water for an hour and a half.   It’s pretty amazing!  I was going to do a run or long cardio afterwards, but my body just can’t do that.   I had afternoon training sessions and I had no energy left in the afternoon.

Saturday:

This is when I slacked off.  I didn’t do anything or even attempted to do anything.  I had all day class and when the ship docked in Victoria, BC – we went to Butchart Garden.  I did leisure walk for almost 2 hours.  Did that count?  I’m stretching it here.

Sunday:

I knew that Sunday would be tough.  Its disembarkation day, so morning was very chaotic.  Then we went to the church, and by the time I got home – I had pile of laundry I have to do, so I skipped the work out, again.

Fundraising:

I’m very humble with the fact 70% of my donor come from SQL Community.   You guys rock!  Keep them coming, it’s all for a good cause.  Online donation can be made here.