What I Wore: Blue 4 Ways + Shorts?! + Jerks + Not Being Eaten By Bears

The inevitable schedule-thwarting that is the holidays has turned this post into 2 parital weeks of OOTDs all mushed together:

Alala flash tee in black
Splits59 nova trailblazer capri in hyper

Heavy squat day!  We did the 10-8-6-4-2 rep scheme, with ascending weight such that every set feels difficult.  The first time I did a rep scheme like this, I was hoping that decreasing the reps would make each set feel a little more bearable than the last.

NOPE.  They all suck.  A lot.

Splits59 vail cutout pullover in mariana blue
YogaSmoga my racer back in lime lite
YogaSmoga tippy toe leggings in violet twilight

Some days, I grab something colorful and then something in my brain snaps and I just pile on obnoxious layer after obnoxious layer.  This was one of those days.

We did a workout with squat cleans and strict handstand push-ups.  This was the day after the heavy front squat situation–GOD WHY.  On the plus side, even though I had to scale the crap out of the cleans, I was able to do all 30 of the HSPU strict as prescribed–not very many other people did.  I can’t beat people at many things in crossfit, but darn if I can’t crush me some HSPU.  I take what I can get.

Lululemon forme jacket in mini check pique
Lululemon cool racerback in bumble berry
Alala victory bootcut pants in black

Another heavy day, this time deadlifts.

Deadlifts continue to be the bane of my existence.  I have no idea why.  I just cannot PR the stupid lift.  Go die in a fire, deadlift.

Lululemon chai time pullover in pigment blue
Lululemon wunder under pants in coco pique
DV by Dolce Vita “Nathan” suede OTK boots

A friend invited me out to the casual restaurant-bar-thing that has my favorite burger, and of course I didn’t reach for real clothes, because who needs those.  Plus, heeled tall boots make up for a multitude of sartorial sins.

Also, pigment. <3

Lululemon forme jacket in mini check pique
Lululemon cool racerback in bumble berry
Lululemon speed shorts in fatigue camo

I must’ve changed my outfit like 9 times before finally settling on this one.  I wanted to wear my camo speeds, but couldn’t decide if it looked weird with bumble berry or not.  In fact, I still can’t decide.  I think fatigue camo definitely does better with brighter colors.

But yes, I wore speeds.  In December.  And it was awesome.

I decided to skip town and make an impromptu drive down to Sedona with my dogs.  It was an unseasonably warm day, with a high of 65 there with full sun–um, yes please.

We went to Fay Canyon, a short, flat hike on the west side of town.  My dogs are not particularly young, have short legs, and are really anxious about new environments, which makes for slow going.  2.5 totally flat miles was the best option with them in tow.

The Fay Canyon trail essentially hikes out and back in the hollow part of a “U” formed by these red rocks.  The trail crosses a lot of dried up creek beds that water rushes through during the summer monsoons.  As you hike further in, the plants progressively become taller, denser, and greener.

By the end, things were pretty lush and wet by Sedona standards.  The air smelled wet, fresh, and crisp, and even in December, there was some bright green vegetation (and even some GRASS, holy crap!) hanging around.  The vibrant green created a nice contrast against the red rocks.

Also: at the beginning of the trail, there was a sign that said a bear had recently been seen in the vicinity.  Hence part of this title: Not Eaten By Bears.  Always a good day.  Thanks, guard dogs.

Lululemon swiftly long sleeve in space dye pigment blue
Alala captain crops in cobalt

The last dose of blues is a double dose–I love this combo.

We were working on a new 1RM jerk.  Jerks have always been tough for me because the primitive part of my brain thinks placing your head squarely underneath a large and rapidly moving weight is a bit of a horrifying proposition.  Ah, the mental battles…

I hadn’t done a heavy single jerk in a very long time, so I wasn’t quite sure where I’d be.  I crushed my old PR of 80# with a new split jerk of 95#.  That means I’m incredibly close to reaching my goal of a bodyweight jerk, a goal I’ve had for a long time. (I finally landed a bodyweight clean a couple months ago.)

The best part was that one of my trainers told me she was really impressed with my speed under the bar.  It always feels good to hit a PR with a solid lift, and definitely makes me feel like I’m making progress with my olympic lift technique.