1.75

This morning I went to the gym like it was a part of my daily routine and it felt good. Imma get right to the point here because I need to get in the shower.

Treadmill : 20ish minutes
I actually jogged 1.75 miles today without stopping, and then I walked the other .25 miles. I'm slowly trying to get up to 2 miles of straight jogging. I know that I've got to be patient with myself - if I go too hard, too fast I'll hurt my knee.

Weights: 15ish minutes
I did four machines today:

Quad-press: 3 sets of 15, 90 lbs a piece
Vertical Chest: 3 sets of 15, 35 lbs a piece
Deltoid Fly: 3 sets of 15, 30 lbs a piece
Seated Dip: 1 set of 15, 30 lbs; 2 sets of 15, 65 lbs a piece

I had originally wanted to bike a bit after the run, but there was a spin class. So weights it was. It was a relatively short workout that ended it a strawberry peach smoothie, but I feel ok about it.

February 1 brings a new Tri

Quite literally (and figuratively)

I signed up for a new Tri on Saturday - the Mini Mighty Triathlon. It's shorter in distance, will come faster in the semester (a whole month early), and does not require any fundraising. I made the switch mostly because of the funds issue. Raising $2,100 at the same time Nick is trying to raise $1,500 seemed less and less feasible by the day. So here's the break down:

Swim: 400 meters; Bike: 6 miles; Run: 2 miles

It's shorter than I originally I wanted, but as Nick keeps telling me: it's my first tri. I can build from here. As Jean says, "I feel excitement."

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5:10am came early again - MUCH earlier than I wanted it to come. But again, just as I did last week, I rolled out of bed and put my warmest warmies on and walked out to start the car. It wasn't as hard as it was last week and it didn't require as much effort. Overall, I'd rank my time at the gym a 3 out of 5. I didn't accomplish exactly what I wanted to do, but I think I still ended up with a decent workout. While I wanted to start on the elliptical and finish on the treadmill, I went harder on the elliptical and finished with weights.

Elliptical: 30 minutes, 2.8miles
I kept my arms moving about half the time through the "random hill" mode this morning. I kept my focus on speed/distance over heart rate/intensity, but of course making sure not to break my maximum heart rate.

Lat Pull Down: 3 sets of 15 at 45 lbs
Vertical Press: 3 sets of 15 at 35 lbs
Chest Press: 3 sets of 15 at 30 lbs

Total workout: 45-50 minutes.

The Early Bird Gets... the worm?

I gotta be honest. Getting up at ten after 5 this morning was NOT something I wanted to do. I had zero motivation go to the gym, except for the Nick, who had already made us pack a gym bag the night before. All I kept thinking about on the drive to the gym was how I'd rather be sleeping - gaining a precious few extra hours before my first long Tuesday night of the semester. Even as I pulled into the parking spot, walked in the doors, changed and filled my water bottle, I couldn't decide what I even wanted to do at the gym. Nothing seemed all that enticing. I checked out the stairmaster, but thought that might kill me... so I ended up on the elliptical. It's a pretty decent failsafe. I put on my "Workout 12.30" playlist and casually started at a jogging pace. I went through the first couple of "hills" and finally gained momentum around the last 10 minutes or so. It was a hard battle against myself today.

Elliptical: 33 minutes. 2.5 miles.
I actually kept my arms moving the whole time today - via the moving arm "things" for a lack of a better word. It's the first time I've done that. Generally I try not to use them, leaning towards improving my balance instead by not holding on to anything. But today I figured my arms could use the extra jolt.

Weights 10(ish) minutes
Calf machine - 3 sets of 15: 90lbs each time.
Quad machine - 3 sets of 15: 105lbs, 90lbs, 105lbs.

It Shouldn't Be This Hard

... but it is. I think that's the hardest part about these days at the gym. They just prove how out of shape I've let myself become. The half-hour I spend on the treadmill is a helluva a lot harder than it was a year ago at this point. I just have to keep telling myself that it'll get easier. With every workout, it'll get easier.


Today's was short, and late (9:30-10pm). Traveling in MN at a hotel... not the best workout conditions. But at least I did it.

Treadmill, 30 minutes.
Mostly jogging, some sprints, some walking uphill. 10 Minutes specifically walking uphill backwards. Was probably more difficult than it should have been. And my legs will FEEL it tomorrow.

Small bit of stretching afterward... perhaps 5ish minutes. Need to work on that part. It's never been a strength of mine.