Powell's City of Books & Other Portland Escapades

 

Jared had a med school interview at Oregon Health and Science University at the end of January.  We decided, since he'd be there almost a full day, to drive down the night before and stay in Portland together.

 

I was looking for good deals and was excited to find that one of my favorite Portland hotels had a good special going!  We stayed at Hotel deLuxe a few years ago and absolutely loved it.  I'm a sucker for Hollywood nostalgia (we were raised on Abbot & Costello, Judy Garland, and Cary Grant) so a hotel with classic film themes is like my dream resort.  Plus the service is incredible, and the location is great.

 

We arrived in Portland late on a Tuesday night - and by late I mean late for us...so like 7pm.  We checked in and got recommendations for dinner nearby.  Jared was beat from the drive and wanted to get to bed early, so we asked for somewhere REALLY close by.  The concierge recommended Gilda's Italian Restaurant barely a block away.  The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect - we ended up having a really romantic date night talking over our food and wine and dessert.

 

Then it was back to the hotel to get ready for the morning and hit the hay.

 

The next morning, Jared woke up early to sneak in a workout at the hotel fitness center.  He was impressed and said it was pretty good as hotel gyms go.  He was able to slightly alter the Invictus programming for the day.  I ironed his shirt and threw my workout clothes on, then went down to Gracie's restaurant to order breakfast while Jared showered and got dressed. 

 

I snapped a few photos while waiting.

 

 

 

Our food was delish (typical eggs and bacon kinda breakfast) and the service was really fast, which we appreciated.  Got out the door in plenty of time (the valet had given us an option of finding free street parking for ourselves - always nice to save some dough) and hopped into the car to take Jared to his interview.

After dropping him off at the school, I headed over to CrossFit Excellence in Lake Oswego.  (Catch my recap here.)

Then it was back to Hotel deLuxe for a shower and packing up all our gear.  I wish I had gotten some better photos...hopefully you'll understand why I love this place! 

Jimmy Stewart on one wall...

 

Cary Grant behind me

 

 

 

Audrey and Gregory in the snacks!

 

Watch your step getting into the bathroom

You can order ice cream or an iPod...and there is also a pillow menu and a spiritual menu.  You want a down pillow with the Gideon's Bible?  Coming right up! 

 

We were on the Alfred Hitchcock floor (again).  In case you don't know what the photos in your room are, they are posted with the emergency evacuation map! 

Menu for in-room dining...and if you have a longer stay, you choose your eco-personality to determine how often they bring you new towels and such.

My new tank from CrossFit Excellence! 

 I packed up all our gear and double checked to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything.  There were at least four bags plus Jared's fancy overcoat that he hadn't needed.  Thanks to all my CrossFit, I carried it all to the lobby myself in one fell swoop.  When I asked if I could just pay their garage fees to leave my car there while toodling around downtown on foot, they were incredibly gracious and just validated for me for the day!  They also had someone assist me with my bags to the car.  I probably could have made it...but I'm working on letting go of my ego.

After loading everything in, I took a few essentials in a handbag and my water bottle.  Recently I realized I've been lugging my amazing but heavy lulu gym bag when I don't even need it, which puts unnecessary strain on my shoulders and back.

First stop?  Powell's City of Books!!!  It was maybe a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and I'm proud to say I found it just fine with the map from the concierge.  I looked around at all the wonderful books, and found what I was looking for.  A used Lord Peter Whimsey I hadn't read...for $2.50!  I picked out some presents for Jared, and got a egg and Swiss Chard quiche - delish!

I really wanted to get Jared something good for Valentine's Day.  So I got directions to the Nike store!  It was a bit of a walk, so I decided to leave my finds on hold at Powells so as not to lug stuff all over town.  As usual, Nike was not a disappointment.

So hard not to buy anything for myself...  

 

 

 

 

I found Jared a great shirt, walked back to Powells, and made a few more stops.  I went to check out lululemon, but a gal on the floor informed me I wasn't allowed to take photos.  Odd.

I also stopped at Whole Foods to get some snacks!  I don't know why but I can't go to Portland without visiting Whole Foods at least once.

Jared had asked if I would get dinner for the ride home from Portland.  He specially requested Old Town Pizza - we love their jalepeno BBQ pizza.  I walked back to the Hotel deLuxe garage and drove down to the Old Town district.  I found parking and got a little lost walking, but eventually I found the restaurant.  It was the middle of the afternoon, so I had a really short wait for my pie.

 

 

 

 
This stuff is so incredible!  It was great to have something warm and tasty on the drive home. 

 

 
We made great time getting back, and finished up the evening relaxing and reading.  There's no place like home!

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

from Team Matson & TheMeghaMix!

 

 

Workout Recap/Linda WOD

Last week was stressful but thankfully still got some good workouts in.

Monday: Overhead Press and Annie. 

Squeezed in my week 1 of Wendler's on my strict overhead press.  Gave myself a 10 minute time cap for Annie RX...only made it through 18 of the double unders in the round of 30.  Gotta keep working on those - my situps are golden.

Tuesday: Rest Day.  Tried to eat well and squeezed in 10 minutes of mobility work.

Wednesday: Rest Day.  Spent 12 hours at the office.  Ugh.

Thursday: Deadlifts and Overhead Press.
 
Realized I had zero interest in hitting the gym after work on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I needed to start going before.  On to week 2 of Wendler's!  Deadlifts did not feel good - we'd had some conflicting technique advice last week in the box and I felt really confused and my back was tight.  Took it light on deadlifts and focused on the press.

If you haven't tried the Playtex sport wipes, you need to!  These are a lifesaver when you are short on time and can't shower.

Friday: CrossFit. 

Finally made it into the box!  Texted my girl Jess and we decided to motivate each other to hit the 5pm class.  Arrived early and worked on mobility for a solid 20 minutes while reading one of my murder mysteries.

Strength was front squats.  I think the mobility really helped me, cause I hit a two rep PR!

The WOD was a fun one...it included all the goodness of CrossFit - heavy lifting, skill/body weight work, and cardio.

I scaled the deadlifts to #115 since I was nervous about getting hurt after doing deadlifts the day before.  I scaled the press to #45 since my strict press one rep max is only #75.  RXed the chinups and the row.  I felt some serious improvement in my rowing after Tina shared this video on Carrots 'N' Cake.  I kept up a really good pace and did all my chinups in sets of 5-7 linked reps.

Saturday: CrossFit (Olympic Lifting & A Girl) and Massage.

I seriously love the 8am class on Saturdays.  I love the Oly lifts and it's always cool to try one of the girl WODs.

This week the lifting focus was on the snatch.  We got about 15 minutes to build to a good squat snatch (I really focused on form and only went to #55), and then we got to work power snatches!

30 seconds max power snatch @ 60-70% of 1rm

rest 1:00
3x

Used #45 and got 34 total reps.  Anyone who thinks CrossFit excludes cardio should give this one a try.

Then we were on to the Girl!

I knew there was no way I could do Linda RX.  I can deadlift 1.5 times my body weight...but not 55 times.  My max effort bench press (1 rep) is only 75% of my body weight.  I can clean 75% of my bodyweight...but not sure I could do it 55 times.

I started out at #140 for deadlifts, 2 #26 kettlebells for the floor press, and #75 for the cleans.  Partway into the first round I realized, "me and my ego are gonna be here all day." I dropped the deadlifts to #125 and the cleans to #65.  Linda is a killer workout and so different from what we usually do.

I was super tight from the long week and so I scheduled a massage after my workout.  Great way to jumpstart recovery!  If you lift regularly and are serious about improving, find yourself a good massage therapist.  Worth every penny.

Sunday: Rest Day.  Took it easy, ate great food, and did 15 minutes of mobility.  Good week all told!

Workout Recap/REVIEW: CrossFit Excellence

 

 

Monday: 5pm MI CrossFit.  Walked a mile from the bus stop and arrived early enough to sit in the sauna a little to warm up.

 

Skill work (not strength) was deadlifts.  We worked on form...although it turns out our coaches haven't all conferred on what they feel is good form for deadlifts, so throughout the week we got some differing opinions.

 

Kept the weight very light.

 

 
Scaled the handstand pushups to plates.  Used my kip which is helping a ton.  Can't wait until I get stronger and can do them RX from the floor!  Red band for the pullups since there were so many.  Scaled kettlebell swings to Russian swings with the #26 due to a tight back.  RXed situps and (my fave!) burpees.

Was trailing the boys for most of the WOD but knew I could make some of it up in the burpees if I REALLY pushed myself.  I did, and I was pretty happy with my time!  Loved Wodding with some folks I don't always get to see.

Got in some extra mobility at home before bed.  Always a great idea.

Tuesday: Travel/rest.  Between work and driving to Portland afterwards, not much time for moving.  Packed healthy snacks.  Went to bed early.

Wednesday: CrossFit Excellence.  I was looking high and low in Portland for a good box to visit while Jared had his med school interview.  I was surprised to find that almost every box has a drop-in fee, even for first time out of town guests!  All the boxes I've visted previously offer the first class for free, or, better yet, offer free classes to any travelling CrossFitters.  Got a little spoiled at CrossFit Amped and Graham CrossFit, I suppose.  Posted on Facebook my plea for help, and some friends from MICF suggested CrossFit Excellence in Lake Oswego.

I emailed Jen at CrossFit Excellence, who got back to me right away and was really welcoming!  She asked what class I'd like to visit and made sure I knew that they didn't charge visitors.  I told her I'd be at the 9:30 class...I had to drop Jared off at the school at 8 and I didn't know what to expect from traffic (and my own lack of directional skills).

Well, even with getting a bit confused and arriving and then leaving and arriving again (parking is below the building - look for this door which I missed), I was there by about 8:15.

Jen was doing "Gwen" and the box was pretty much empty.  I apologized for being so early, but she was really flexible and said I was welcome to work out at 8:30 if I felt ready.

 

She asked whether I wanted to do my own thing or follow their programming.  I love to see how various boxes run things, so I asked to do their programming for the day.  She started me out with five minutes of mobility.  We focused on feet and calves (partner calf mobility hurts like heck but is soooo good for you).  I mentioned Kelly Starrett and she replied, "Everything he does is art."  I knew I liked this place!  Plus I got the class to myself - gotta love personal training.

After mobility, we went into the warmup, which was preset drill/skill work.

I was a level II, so I started with 5 minutes of work on my double-unders.  So thankful Jared bought me a rope for Christmas!  I brought it on the trip and whipped it out of my bag.  Then I did paralette L-sit (for a personal PR of 0:27!) along with bar dips (holy crap those are hard), false grip pullups, and some GHD work. 

I do kinda wish there had been more of a MICF type warmup before the skill work.  I have really tight shoulders/neck and it's tough to go into something challenging like L-sits and dips without doing something light like pass throughs first.

Then, we were on to the WOD!  It didn't look too hard until I realized it was 3 rounds long.  I thought it was a once-through for time!

I love situps and kettlebell swings, but running is always a challenge for me.  I told myself I was not gonna be a wimp and I was gonna RX in under the time cap of 30 minutes.

We did abmat situps, which are different than what we do at MICF, but Jen reviewed proper form with me.  She also translated pood for me so I knew which kettlebell to use (ladies was #36).

With Jen cheering me on, I finished my first round in 9:18.  I knew it would be tight to get it done in the cap since it's sometimes hard to keep your first round pace.  I was able to do the situps unbroked, but had to break the swings into sets of 10-20 reps.  Jen said my form was great on the kettlebell swings (shoutout to the great coaches at MICF!) which was encouraging.  I really made myself push it on the runs and tried distracting myself, since usually the mental part of running is the hardest.  You know, when you tell yourself, "This is so hard.  I suck at running anyway."  Instead I counted steps, thought about good form, tried to lengthen my strides, and recited Scripture in my head.  Oh, yeah, and watched out for a train when crossing the tracks.

My second round was actually faster than my first, which really movitated me.  It was a killer workout and I couldn't do more than wave at the gal who showed up early for the 9:30.  But I finished in 27:49, which means I had negative splits for my rounds!  If that is a CrossFit appropriate phrase.

By the time I caught my breath, there were about four ladies present and doing mobility for the 9:30 class.  They were really sweet and glad to have me visiting.

Overall, I would highly recommend a visit to CrossFit Excellence!  It reminded me a lot of Mercer Island CrossFit.  Not super fancy box, but well equipped.  Knowledgeable coaching (Jen just renewed her L1 cert - she's been coaching for over 5 years and has done additional certs including going through the CrossFit Endurance seminar twice) and friendly community.  You'll get a great workout and feel right at home.  Thanks to Jen for having me and to Chris and Heidi for recommending it!

Post WOD with Coach Jen

I also got in an hour of walking toodling around Portland and did 15 minutes of mobility after our long drive home.

Thursday: Rest Day.  Got in a good little walk home from the bus and 20 minutes of mobility.

Friday: CrossFit and Racquetball.

Skill work was the 2 Minute Challenge for February: Med Ball Cleans.  Coach Jared gave us a run down of good form...and bad form.  We got one "free" warning on our form but if he had to no rep us and make us slow down to do it correctly, he would.  A good mid-range number to shoot for was 40.  I got 39!

Debated scaling the WOD but decided to try to RX...later it turned out I should have scaled since my numbers were so low.  (The point of this type of workout is a high output of reps.)

 

Had to run to the bathroom at the last minute before we started the WOD, so I missed the first three movements in the first round, hence low score for round one.  Double-unders kicked my butt...could only do a few at a time.  Gotta keep working on form.

Love love love finishing my weeks with racquetball.  I played REALLY well this week and made a stellar comeback to (almost) win on one of the games.  My endurance and hand-eye coordination continue to improve.  Fun to see CrossFit paying off in other sports.

Saturday: Mobility/Wendler's Week 1 (Deadlifts).  Started doing mobility to get in the mood to workout since all I wanted to do was eat cookies.  Realized I really needed the mobility and took like 35 minutes on it.  Yikes.  Was gonna do deadlift and strict press but only had 20 minutes left so did deadlifts only.  Highest load for the day was one lift at #185.  Nice to see the months of working on dumbbell rows pay off in my deadlift form.


You tell me: Do you pursue any other sports besides CrossFit?  Try any great boxes lately?  Ever do any less glamorous lifts to help your fancy lifts?