- Thursday: 3 miles around the pond
- Friday: ~40 minutes of spinning and 20 minutes of free weights, abs, and stretches
- Saturday: ~4 miles in the morning on my favorite Norwich loop
And if I had written before this morning's run, I would say that I'm finally getting comfortable with this running outside thing. Last weekend I did the same Norwich loop and maintained the same pace throughout, while the 3 loops around the pond felt like nothing and I felt that I could run around that pond forever while listening to Neil Degrasse Tyson interviewing Chris Hadfield on the newest podcast episode of Startalk. And I thought, okay, maybe it just takes about 2 months to get used to running on a surface that doesn't move, and now I get to improve my distance and maybe even speed instead of teaching myself how to run on concrete again.
And then I went for a run this morning. And I felt like shit.
To be fair, I only felt terrible for the first 2 miles. I was out of breath after the first mile, and my body felt like lead. I slowed to a walk twice, and seriously questioned my decision to get up at 6am after a poorly rested night so I could run while no one's watching. And that didn't even work; there were way too many runners (and their dogs) on the road, and other random people who just happen to be up ridiculously early on a Saturday morning. Throw in the outside folks who gathered here for graduation weekend, who happened to be the only people who stared at my matching color outfit (other runners don't care), and the beastly sun who decided to come out strong before 9 am, I might as well run in the middle of the afternoon when everyone else is out.
Anyways, I had a hard time this morning because I was poorly rested, and that's that. Still put damp on my nice running streak this week but oh well. I started listening to audiobooks on my runs now, since I'm all caught up on my runnable podcasts. Currently I'm listening to the dramatized version of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, which features Sir Derek Jacobi as the narrator, and Neil Gaiman, among other people, doing the voices for the different characters. I can just listen to Derek Jacobi's voice forever. I like it when his voice is outright gay, and I like it when it's less camp. It's silky smooth and so endearing, and if I didn't care about the story I could just zone out and just bask in his voice. But the story is interesting too, and since I don't really read fiction anymore this is really a good chance for me to immerse myself in a fantasy world.
On Friday morning I went to a morning PE class offered by the college. The instructor was kind enough to let me try a class before I officially sign up for the summer term. I really did this so I don't have to pay $200 for a summer yoga pass that would give me nothing but extra pressure to schedule my summer around going as many classes as I can to get my money's worth. So instead after much agonizing thinking I somehow convinced myself that getting up early 4 days a week to attend a 6am morning class that include spinning, free weights, and weight training is the best alternative. There are many reasons that led to my decision but it still sound like a crack of an idea. It's only for the summer and I think it will do me more good.
But what it boils down to is this: I'm running as much as I can now and I really love it. I don't know if I will be running in the upcoming half-marathon in October, or exactly what my goal is, but I don't want to give it up. And in order to run as best as I can, I need to improve on other areas of my fitness. Flexibility is very important, and thankfully I do yoga regularly so I've got that covered. But I also need to do weight lifting to strength my muscles and core and areas that are not directly affected by running, so I need to lift weights, or something along that line. And since I have no self discipline and no ability to clear enough space out of my pigsty of an apartment to even roll out a yoga mat, I have to do it in the gym, and I don't know how. And that's where the classes come in.
It just really sucks that all the available PE classes offered in the summer term happen during crappy time. In order to attend most of them you either have to skip lunch or ditch work early, and I don't want to do either. And that leaving late afternoons and early mornings. Since none of the anaerobic classes are offered in the late afternoons, I'm forced to make the decision that I will just have to enjoy the summer mornings more and take a morning class. And why take two classes so I'll have to be up early 4 days a week? Because doing only 2 days will probably kill me since I will never develop a workable routine this way. We still got 2 weeks before the classes start, but it's pretty much settled, and I want to get up early in the summer anyway.
I better look fabulous after this summer.
Plantar fasciitis is still bothering me after every run, and I ice my foot afterwards each time. Because of this it hasn't set full on, but I really hope I can keep it at bay so I don't get cripple for another summer. Stretch! Strengthen! I really don't need the inflammation and the pain thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment