The Highland Hippie's Grand Adventures

[Mick]

14 hours ago, pogo69 said:

I had completely forgotten about him.  But yes!

I have a copy of 'Pain Free', but haven't looked at it in quite a while.

Yeah I like that book. I even bought an Egoscue Tower and used it consistently for about 6 months. Helped to release a lot of chronic tension in my lower back.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Day #31

Returned to assisting Claire with back-bend.  Greatly improved her subsequent sit.

Relax/release very useful after back-bend assist, to allow me to release tension prior to sit.  Another good one for me, and this time also a pretty good, focused meditation session.  Quite a decent sleep followed.  One wake-up, very quickly back to sleep.  Otherwise slept deeply.

Also found the relax/release quite useful as a resting position after deadlifting yesterday, and again at the cessation of strength training.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #32-35

Mostly business as usual.

Very stiff in the back and hips throughout most of the weekend.  No obvious reason why, but it seems to have eased as of this morning.

As planned, got some CR intervals in during last night's hip mobility.  Much deeper hip-flexor stretch resultant; not so much with the piriformis.  Might be time to try the Advanced Piriformis stretch again, I think.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Day #33

21 hours ago, pogo69 said:

Might be time to try the Advanced Piriformis stretch again, I think.

Nope.  Just didn't feel right.  Back to the floor piriformis.

Going to try to re-watch some vids for the hip-flexor and piriformis stretches today, to make sure I am observing all of the relevant cues.

[jaja]

13 hours ago, pogo69 said:

Nope.  Just didn't feel right.  Back to the floor piriformis.

Have you tried massaging the area with a hard ball, prior to the stretch?

[Pat (pogo69)]

15 hours ago, jaja said:

Have you tried massaging the area with a hard ball, prior to the stretch

No, but I'll give it a go, this evening.

I am making progress with the piriformis, but I think it better to work both ends a bit more.  So, I would rather not give up on the Advanced Piriformis stretch.  Might play around with bolsters a bit more, too.  I require quite a bit of support for most stretches around my hips - much more so on one side than the other.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Day #38

Managed to make use of Advanced Piriformis, by increasing bolster height (several firm cushions).  After I get myself up into a useful position, it is so much easier to play with pelvic tilt, hip rotation, and spine lengthening, to influence the strength and focus of the stretch sensation.

Hips and back have felt a bit creaky and sore for the past couple of days.  Will attempt to make sure that the next couple of days' mobility work are very gentle limbering.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #39-41

Situation (as) normal (as anything can be right now).

Mostly took it quite easy. I have been sneaking in semi-regular bouts of Daily 5 practice.  Seems to be helping to ease the aches and pains that have been accumulating from where, I know not.

Day #42

Quite a big day of mobility.

Got a session of HtSfM done, in the morning.  In the evening, Claire and I got our first session of partner stretching in!!  Hoping, that this will now continue (it's on the bi-weekly calendar, so that is a step in the right direction.

Partner stretches consisted of:

• Hip-flexor.  Started with the one we both most dread.  I cannot imagine ever looking forward to this.  But my goodness, the after-effects are so well worth the dread.
• Tailor Pose against the wall.  I don't know whether this was ever documented anywhere in Stretch Therapy materials, but I saw it on @Cherie Seeto's Instagram a while back, and kinda love it.  Actually, both Claire and I loved the way this felt.  Shown below.
• Floor Figure-4 Piriformis.  Also found on Cherie's Instagram.  We both needed very different positioning for support for this one.  Really need to play around to find what feels right.  Links below.
• Stick Pec Stretch.  This always felt good for me, but all the more this time.  Made sure not to attempt too wide a grip.
• Partner Shoulder Depress.  This "can" feel really good for me, as I tend to carry a lot of tension in my traps/shoulders/neck.  But this time, it was a bit of a fail.  Claire finds it difficult to apply enough pressure/weight.  So we got one of her girls to help, as she is very strong.  But her hands were slipping off my shoulders.  Think I either need to start wearing a shirt, or getting people to "chalk up".
• 'Frog' sit.  I absolutely LOVE this.  Felt so good, and even better afterwards.

Tailor Pose

Piriformis

Day #43

Some interesting after-effects of the partner stretching.

I went for a run in the early morning, the day after.  I have barely done any running recently (one run, two weeks prior, which followed 7 weeks with none at all).  It was quite "spirited", with lots of technical ascents and descents - exploring some local trails with our dog.  I noticed in the hours afterwards, that I felt tension/soreness in my shoulders.  Had no idea why.

During weight training this morning, my warm up - a relatively light weight barbell circuit - felt ridiculously difficult.  Particularly anything overhead.

It only dawned on me this morning: the CR intervals during the partner stretching, while relatively short-lived, are much more of a workout than I realised, as we're applying strength in the unfamiliar territory at the limit of our ROM.

Other insights: daily hip-flexor and piriformis have been MUCH deeper and MUCH more "engaged" after the partner stretching.  Will try to take note of how much this effect is retained, or retarded over the coming days.

[Kit_L]

On 4/14/2020 at 11:27 AM, pogo69 said:

Both Claire and I are having better days than others.

This will always be so. No problem. As I have written elsewhere, there's no such thing as a "bad" meditation session. If you notice how distracted you are, that's at least part of what it is about. And don't have a shred of aversion about bolstering: use whatever you need to use to sit—sitting is the real purpose, after all. And what no one mentions is the strengthening of one's resolve in this extended process (the 300 days). This is especially so when you don't want to sit!

Sloth and Torpor: what worthy foes.

[Pat (pogo69)]

20 hours ago, Kit_L said:

As I have written elsewhere, there's no such thing as a "bad" meditation session. If you notice how distracted you are, that's at least part of what it is about.

Indeed.  I have been having some realisations about this, with respect to the improvement in my sleep, also.  Even on days when my sit and/or focus were not great, the effect on my sleep remains.

I have a generally very active, very scattered mind.  So, even the short periods (5-10 mins breath practice, 10 mins mobility, 10 mins sitting meditation) of "downtime", every single day, is giving my brain (and to varying degrees, my body) a chance to relax.

20 hours ago, Kit_L said:

...don't have a shred of aversion about bolstering...

This has been one of the main revelations for me, in the process of finally adopting a consistent mobility/meditation practice.  Appropriately bolstering is my pathway to progress.

20 hours ago, Kit_L said:

what no one mentions is the strengthening of one's resolve in this extended process (the 300 days). This is especially so when you don't want to sit!

Sloth and Torpor: what worthy foes.

This!  I am generally very disciplined, but only when internally/innately driven.  There have been (very few) days that we have arrived at the end of a very long day, and I don'y have a single fuck left to give.  For Claire, the same.  But we still get it done, and that is making a difference all its own, on our daily lives.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #44-45

I have been quite sore in the hip flexors.  Still feeling quite "switched on" since Sunday's partner stretching, but I think that various other activities - Monday's run and strength training - have conspired to keep them "firing".

Finding it ever easier to engage both the hip flexors and piriformis in their respective stretching/limbering.  Key factors, other than consistency and the recent addition of CR and/or partner stretching, have been attention to pelvic alignment.  Tucking and/or untucking, squaring, dropping, as appropriate.  Also ever easier for me to play with these, to change the targer and/or intensity of the stretch.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #46-50

50 days!  Went surprisingly quickly.

Mostly the bare minimum, but still including the additional 5' box breathing more often than not.

Occasional bouts of elephant walks, and Daily 5.  Also got through a session of HtSfM sometime on the weekend.  Cannot remember which day.

No partner stretching on Sunday.  Life got complicated.

Forgot to compensate with CR intervals in nightly limbering, so I added them in last night.  Had a very good sit last night, afterwards.  Also had a pretty good meditation session the past couple of nights.  Indeed, the night before last, the end was upon me in what felt like moments after beginning.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #51-53

Snuck in an extra CR session during last night's hip mobility.  Had a wonderful sit, afterwards.  Only the first time, but I think two CR sessions per week is my sweet spot.  Will keep the mid-week and see how it goes.

Meditation has been overall pretty good.  Quite focused.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #54-56

Have been using wedged wall squat for breathing for a while now.  Taking a break from the weighted tailor pose, as my hip-flexors have been mildly, but chronically sore, and that seems to exacerbate it.

More or less daily elephant walks, and daily 5.

Very pleased with my sit, lately.  It really is very comfortable, most every session all the way through.  Focus is, while occasionally otherwise, much more consistent.  I tried Burmese sitting this morning, while chilling on the floor with Mr.5, with a little less under-bum bolster.  While not comfortable, I noticed that it felt almost exactly as it used to feel for me with the regular bolster.  Another indication of progress.

No partner stretching.  Claire's Uni schedule and workload has been insane this trimester, so I think it unlikely that we will get back to it, until break.  Thus, CR intervals during hip mobility last night.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #57-59

Mid-week CR intervals during hip mobility, last night.  Felt particularly good in the piriformis.  I think I am finally making some slow progress towards getting my hips centred, and left glute on the floor with the "left knee forward" side.  Also much more centred, upright, and symmetrical with the "right knee forward" side.

Sit was really good last night.  Meditation was not.  Oddly, Claire and I both experience similar issues.  Floating between "almost dropping off asleep" and manically scattered thoughts.

In other news: I have been playing around with an almost daily session of a variation of the old GB ring routine(s).  Basically a hybrid of the three, with easier progressions for elements as necessary.  When I started, the German hang was pretty awful.  Very tight, very uncomfortable, almost claustrophobic.  It has become progressively more comfortable and unrestricted, to the point that yesterday, my feet touched the ground.  Time to raise the rings a little.

[Kit_L]

On 5/5/2020 at 11:38 AM, pogo69 said:

I noticed in the hours afterwards, that I felt tension/soreness in my shoulders.  Had no idea why.

May I make a suggestion? When you barefoot, or minimalist shoe run, the hardest-working muscles in the body are your traps—together with your arms, they are constantly trying to decrease the weight of your body on your feet—I realised this when I did my very first-ever FF run up and down Mt Barnaby in Vancouver. Remember those old cartoons showing a character walking over hot coals? The body is literally doing everything it can to reduce both the time and the intensity of the experience. 

re. meditation: the alternation between

20 hours ago, pogo69 said:

wanting to sleep and manically scattered thoughts

is common too; some teachers might say the mind is doing whatever it has to to not be seen. If you are doing a Maharsi variant, just note, notice, and name, and carry on.

[Pat (pogo69)]

2 hours ago, Kit_L said:

May I make a suggestion? When you barefoot, or minimalist shoe run, the hardest-working muscles in the body are your traps—together with your arms, they are constantly trying to decrease the weight of your body on your feet—I realised this when I did my very first-ever FF run up and down Mt Barnaby in Vancouver. Remember those old cartoons showing a character walking over hot coals? The body is literally doing everything it can to reduce both the time and the intensity of the experience. 

Quite possibly so.

I have logged a ridiculous quantity of hours, over many years, in FF.  So, I am generally very good at "staying loose" on technical terrain.  But being both very out of practise, and on unfamiliar steep technical terrain probably didn't have me at my "twinkle-toed" best.

Day #60

Another great sit.  Focus in meditation not great, but both much better at getting back on track than the previous evening, and no sleepy sagging.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #61-63

Went through HtSfM yesterday.  Held each pose a little longer than usual.  Tried another sit, afterwards, with the reduced bolstering.  Felt really good.  Not (nearly) ready for that to be my meditation position, but it was nice to feel some progress.

CR intervals during hip mobility, because no partner stretching again.  Claire is on 6 weeks break from next week, so we should be able to get a run on some regular partner stretching.  Hopefully we can make it the habit that our current commitments have become.

In contrast to the day's earlier sit, last night's sit and meditation were both pretty ordinary.  Had mid-back discomfort throughout a large part of it.  That, and a wandering mind, had my focus all over the place.

Sleep was correspondingly ordinary.  Long time to slumber, mid-evening wakeup, and early awakening.  Yet, with all that, I still awoke feeling more rested than would have been the case a couple of months ago.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Wow.  It's been another week?!

Days #64-70

Nothing much to report.  Mostly the same old same old.

I did go through HtSfM on the weekend again, followed by some sitting in a less bolstered sit.  Still not nearly comfortable, but definitely making slow progress towards it.  Did CR session last night, because again no partner stretching.  Claire is now on a 6 week break from Uni, so here's hoping we get it going.

Did have quite a bit of stiffness on the weekend.  The week's efforts catching up, I suspect:

• Wednesday: Went on a bit of an "adventure" with our dog.  Started as a run up over the ridge above our house.  Along the road to some relatively recently discovered bushland.  Decided to try some new trails, ran out of trail, and ended up bush-bashing all over the place.
• Thursday was a strength training day.  Deadlifts and high rep back squats crushed my already tired legs.
• Friday was MTB ride.  Doesn't seem to be any way to take that "easy" on the trails.

The aches and tiredness were largely gone by last night, but I can feel quite a bit of tension in my mid-back again right now.

Good sit last night.  Reasonably good meditation, also.  Can't remember specifics throughout the week, but I do know it varied as is usually the case.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Oh, one other thing.

I was watching Kung Fu Panda with our 5yo about a week ago.  I had seen it many times before, but this time, the following phrase stuck out:

Quote

"My friend, the panda will never fulfil his destiny, nor you yours until you let go of the illusion of control."

It made me think immediately of @Kit_L and Stretch Therapy.

 

 

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #71-74

Much of the same.

Did my mid-week CR session during Wednesday evening's hip mobility.

Have had a couple of days of less than awesome sit, and focus during meditation.  Mostly due to lingering mid-back discomfort.  I think that has come from, once again, being pretty beat up by the week's activities.

Current Weekly Regimen

For context, my week currently looks (more or less) like:

• Monday - Run.  Usually around the neighbourhood, and including as much trail/bushland/hills as possible.  Although this week, I went up into the Hinterland for the first time in ages, because restrictions have lifted (and continue to do so).  Anywhere between 8-15km with lots of hills (so not ALL of it is running).
• Tuesday - Strength Training.
  • 6 mins skipping
  • Barbell complex warm-up
  • 5/3/1 - Front Squat and Weighted Pullups
  • High-rep Back Squats
• Wednesday - Rest
• Thursday - Strength Training.
  • 6 mins skipping
  • Barbell complex warm-up
  • 5/3/1 - Deadlift and Military Press
  • High-rep Back Squats
• Friday - MTB.  Local trail park.  Usually 15-20km of hilly, but not steep.

The past couple of weeks have seen me have to run on the Wednesday, instead of Monday.  My body has definitely felt the difference.  Certainly, the running both weeks was a step up from those previous, but the rest on Wednesday makes a big difference to recovery.

May have to suck it up and go easy on the weeks where the Monday run is unavailable.

Still feeling sufficiently beat up today to have ditched my MTB session this morning.  Will head out on Sunday, instead.

Claire and I have also started walking for 30 mins every day around lunch time.  Almost everything I am doing above is at medium-high intensity.  Apart from our now habitual mobility and meditation practices, I was not doing any easy movement.  It has been a nice introduction.  Hopefully another habit builder.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #75-87

More of the same, mostly.

Had a run of a few days' poor sleep, but the last couple have been good again.

Ran through HtSfM on Monday, and had another very good sit.  Would be nice if I could make that a semi-regular thing.  Nice to work a whole bunch of kinks out.

Missed my first two days.  Both Friday and Saturday night.  We went away over the weekend to a campground, and stayed in our camper-trailer.  The family mostly chilled out, while I attended a two day off-trail wilderness navigation course.  Learned lots, had great fun, but got distracted and just dis-remembered to stick to the program.

Bit bummed that we got off track briefly, but not going to beat myself up about it.

 

[Pat (pogo69)]

Wow.  It has been a while.

Days #88-142

That went quickly!  Quite the break from posting, due to a combination of a) not having much to report, b) being in a bit of a rut, and c) life getting in the way.

A few updates, in no particular order:

• It finally "feels" like I am getting somewhere with the hip flexors.  They still really need a regular (once per week) partner stretching session, but we never seem to be in the right headspace.
• Piriformis remains much more stubborn, but some small progress is being made.  My form/posture is pretty good now in seated piriformis, with left knee forward.  Not nearly so good on the other side, but I am closer to getting my working hip on the floor.  I think it is probably time to try the advanced piriformis, again.
• I missed another day (making 3 in total, thus far).  After returning home from a 10hr hike (took some newbies for a loop, up and around a local mountain), we were exhausted, so Claire and I both let the evening's commitment slide.
• Did the full HtSfM sequence again the other day.  Think it was Sunday.  I feel SO much better, every time I do it.  Would be nice to make that at least a weekly thing.
• Participated in my first mountain bike race, the week before last.  4hr XC Enduro.  It wrecked me.  Had never been on the bike for longer than about 1hr45m, so 4hrs (actually, only 3hr35m because I stopped then), had my body complaining rather loudly.  Did 5 laps (of 8km course), but cramped hard about 40m from the start/finish.  Was shooting for 6 laps, but after that, I rested until the cramp subsided, and rode the final metres to the finish.
• Am supposed to be doing (finally!) my first Adventure Race this coming Saturday.  We were supposed to do it earlier in the year, but it was rescheduled a couple of days prior due to COVID.  This time, my teammate has had to pull out (again due to COVID), as he cannot cross the border for the race.
• Hit a new deadlift PR back in July, but have since stalled in just about everything, so I have reset and am building back up again.  Not sure what the goal is overall for the lifting.  But still not happy with my front squat, so I will keep going until it looks a bit more respectable.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #143-150

• Sleep has been awful the past few days.  Possibly instigated by Saturday/Sunday's overnighter, but also having a sick 5yo.
• Missed another day's commitment (4 now in total) on Saturday night, due to above overnighter.
• Saturday evening: did the sweep (running - hiking, as it turned out) for the final 25km of a local trail ultra.  Ended up starting at 10:30pm, when the final two runners set off, and finished at 6:30am in the morning.  All up, didn't sleep again until that evening, so about I was awake for around 38-40hrs.  Hence missed mobility/meditation.
• Missed yesterday's long ride.  Horrible night's sleep, with sick boy and unsettled mind.
• Another horrible night's sleep last night.  Did this morning's strength training, but not before seriously considering ditching it.
• Have swapped to Advanced Piriformis, as planned.  Think this was a great idea!  (YAY tarnished silver linings!)  Seem to be getting much deeper into the piriformis, in comparison with both the seated version, and my previous sessions with Advanced P.
• Sit has been pretty good.  Had one night with discomfort through the mid-upper back, but otherwise quite comfortable.
• Meditation has fluctuated as always, but quite focused for the most part.

[Pat (pogo69)]

Days #151-157

• Mountain Biking
  • Current regimen is: Mon - Long Ride, Wed - Easy 40-45 min on Wind Trainer, Fri - Intervals
  • Missed yesterday's ride on the wind trainer.  Had zero fucks.  Too tired and pedalling nowhere is... not fun.
  • Went for my longest training ride on Monday.  Just over 30km w/ just over 600m D+.  Mostly easy kms.  Have been gradually increasing long ride.
  • Have my second XC Enduro Race on Sunday.  6hrs this time, up from the 1st race's 4hrs.  Hopefully, this time, I last the distance.
• Mixed bag with strength training.
  • Deadlift keeps getting stronger.  Pullups are slowly increasing in weight, if not reps.
  • Military Press and Front Squat are both a reset, after a couple of failures this cycle.
• Mobility seems to be improving.
  • Went through HtSfM last night, while Claire did some Uni work.  Pretty good "reduced bolster" sit after that.  Sit during meditation with regular bolster later on was also very good.
  • Definitely getting deeper into the piriformis now, with the Advanced Piriformis stretch.
• Meditation has been quite focused lately.  Quite in opposition to the regular state of my mind.