Hello Friends!
This week I thought I’d recap by illustrating different parts: a high point, low point, and then finishing positively with another high. So here goes…
High:
I finished 3 full weeks of training with my coach! 6 workouts/week – 2 swims, 2 runs, and 2 bike rides. I’ve been getting up early, or getting in a run or a ride after school. I have to say even though I am busier because of this my mood has been pretty good. Except when Cobra Strike, who now has a cold, mistakenly uses my new toothbrush. Again. I love the man, but really?! Sigh…Anyway, I don’t think I’ve lost any weight yet, which is ok. I’m not doing this for the weight loss. Mostly these three weeks have been set up (masterminded you might say) just to get me back in the habit of daily exercise. The exercises themselves haven’t been super specific, except the swim because I am going back to the beginning to work on my freestyle form. They’ve been half-hour bike rides or half-hour runs or walk/runs. I really like that my coach has gone pretty easy on me so far. I know that will change, but for now the whole thing has worked really well.
{Just as an aside this coaching thing has been fantastic. Absolutely no complaints. I think I lucked out with this guy because he really seems to understand who I am and what I am capable of right now.}
Coach had me double up workouts on Thursday: swim before work then ride my bike after work. It made for a long day, but I was able to get the whole weekend off – no workouts! Friday morning I had a half hour run scheduled before I was supposed to get in the car and go to Boston for a 2-day work conference. Which leads me to…
Low:
On Wednesday’s half-hour run I noticed a little soreness on the inside of my right shin. It went away after a few minutes, but I still mentioned it to Coach. Friday I went out again and I felt that soreness again and it then started in my left ankle too. Hmmm… so my entire run went something like this:
Me (in my head): Ow. This isn’t right. Is the pain in my ankle? I’m scuffing my shoe against my leg again. That’s hip weakness. He’s going to make me do some strength exercises now. Crap! How do you strengthen ankles? Why am I braking going down this hill? Does this car see me? Hi, puppy dog! Ow! My damn shin hurts now…
Needless to say after I reported my self-diagnosis I will be getting strength exercises next week. I knew he was just getting me in the habit and didn’t want to overwhelm me with too much to do. But it’s time to get some good lunges, push ups and pistol squats back in my life. Sigh…
After my run I went into work for a meeting, and was supposed to leave for Boston right afterwards. As our new President Elect would say: WRONG! Major drama with a group of students. I ended up staying at school to counsel these kids. Missed my whole workshop. Probably won’t get my money back either. I was so disappointed that I missed it, but really quite glad to be able to provide some help to what was a pretty tense situation in the classroom. Teenagers. Sigh… Despite this disappointment I was able to turn my frown upside down, which leads me to…
High:
I got the whole weekend off, baby! Here I was thinking I’d be traveling back and forth to Boston all weekend, but no. I got to go home at my usual time, have dinner with Cobra Strike, relax and get to bed early (as is my way these days). Then I had all day Saturday – no plans! What to do? Fun fact about triathletes: 9/10 of them have dirty houses (the 10th probably has a housekeeper). I just made that up. But it’s just not possible to work a job, get all your workouts done and keep on top of the dusting and vacuuming. Not for me with 2 messy but loveable dogs and an equally messy but loveable husband. So I spent the morning cleaning. I washed my floors! I cleaned my closet! I did laundry! Shopping! Organizing! And demanded that Cobra Strike not walk into my house with his dirty work boots (and he listened). I am so grateful to have this weekend. It really feels like a gift.
It does feel strange to have 2 days off of the exercise though. I will turn on a yoga video and just get some good stretching done today. I have more cleaning and organizing to do too, as in, I want to take our old desktop computer off of our desk and turn that into a crafting area. I have my knitting projects as well as some art journaling and card making that I want to have ready for me when inspiration strikes. Ya know, because I need one more thing to keep me distracted from all the fur and nose prints around the house!
As for next week… I imagine lots of burpees in my future. Sigh…
I’ll also be baking and Christmas shopping, and enjoying my new crafting table, I hope.
Until next time…
ROTH
Running Over the Hill 