Summer 2016 is the best summer I can remember in a long while. Perhaps this is because this is the first summer I have had off since I graduated from high school in 1968.
The summer has been hot, and we are suffering from a drought, here in New England.
Heat may not be good for lawns, flowers, and the water levels in reservoirs, but for a guy who is no longer stuck in an office, it is a joy.
When I retired I was given a month membership at a new CrossFit gym in the area. Ironically, it’s in the area I used to work, not in the area I live. So even though I’m retired, I’m still a commuter. But I am driving in off-peak hours, so I’m not stuck in rush hour traffic.
For the first time in two years, I am hitting the gym for at least five sessions a week again. As of July 1st, I do CrossFit three days a week and my local USAW Barbell Club two nights a week.
I have a decent start to a home gym, but there is one thing I find lacking. What I have not found in my garage is consistency and motivation. I know it is not easy for many of us to do this stuff without encouragement from our coaches and peers.
This month, however, the gym has been stifling hot. I am typically soaked with sweat before I’m even done my warm-up. You know, the warm-up I do before the class warms up together. Much of July has been in the 90’s, and the confines of a box are often miserable.
I seldom go to the gym on Tuesday, but last night I looked online and I saw the WOD was building to a heavy 1RM Bear Complex. That is a move I enjoy doing, but I admit, I have never done it heavy. So I figured I’d go to the noon class.
But someone else had other plans. This morning I came down stairs for my coffee, and Suzanne mentioned that since Tuesday is not a gym day, she figured we could take a day trip up to Kittery, Maine, and perhaps Portsmouth, New Hampshire, time permitting.
I saw my exciting noontime Bear Complex disappear into my morning coffee. I smiled and agreed to drive to Maine and spend the day together.
I waited in the car, as Suzanne perused her third antique shop. It occurred to me that if we got home early enough, I could move my stuff into the driveway and do my Bear Complex there. Then I got back in the moment and enjoyed the rest of my day.
I found a delightful deli/bakery for lunch and we had cafe seating outdoors on the porch. The food was excellent and the ambiance just screamed summertime on the coast. I’ll come back, and I’ll be sure to budget my calories before I get there so I can try the desserts.
After lunch, I grabbed a Cold Brew coffee at Starbucks, and I deliberately turned off Route 1, to get lost.
I was successful. We ditched the tourists, and the traffic for all the shopping outlets. We found some lovely coastal neighborhoods, with beautiful old New England cottages, mixed in with “big money” houses. We had harbor views to the ocean, and river views too.
We crossed the bridge into Portsmouth and found another antique shop. Suzanne was having fun, and I was content with my iced coffee and a Clif Bar. The time was 2:00 and my sweetheart told me to head home. Inside I was grinning, because I knew I could be lifting before 4:00 PM.
Traffic was light and we were home by 3:30. I had all my gear staged to play in the driveway, right on schedule. I played from 4:00 to 5:30.
My workout consisted of rowing intervals on the C2, Bear Complex, Heavy Clean Pulls, then Clean and Jerk. My Playlist? Something you’ll never hear in a CrossFit box – Jaco Pastorius.
Well it’s 11:00 PM, and it’s still 87 degrees in my bedroom. I’ve got to get a good night’s rest, in spite of the heat and humidity. Tomorrow is Deadlifts in the driveway. Then I’m going to the box for Annie, on another day in the sweltering summer heat – forecast is in the 90’s again.
Stay hydrated my friend.
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