I decided to change it up a little yesterday and since the sun was shining it wasn’t raining, I decided to go for a jog in the fresh air. We have a beautiful park about 3 blocks from our house that has a 4.8km trail running around it, all mulchy and bouncy and completely woodsy (you can’t see a street or hear a car!). I donned toque and mitts (couldn’t find running cap or Nike gloves, it’s been awhile!) and off I went. I was so excited to go and so worried that if I waited too long I would talk myself out of it and/or that it would get dark in the park before I was out that I didn’t bother to give myself a snack before I went out.
It went alright, better than I expected at the beginning, worse than I thought during the middle and the last quarter was great! It was fairly chilly outside though and the combination of my lack of jogging and the cold gave me fairly significant muscle stiffness in my calves. I was exhausted at the end though and while it wasn’t as intense of a workout as spinning is, I was working hard the whole time, I got a good sweat on and this morning I have some muscle stiffness. So I think that there is enough light at the end of a non-gloomy day now that I can get into the park as I want to and add back jogging to my routine. Plus, it was sooo nice to be in the outside, alone, rather than in a gym a foot and a half away from another sweaty person on a bike. My gym isn’t stuffy at all but sometimes you just need to be outside!
What I find interesting (and it goes back to what I posted the other day about how I only remember the easy and good feeling parts of my weight loss journey, not all the struggle and upset) is that when I think back on the jog, which was only yesterday, all I am thinking of is the joy of completion, the feeling of cool air on my skin and the sound of my feet on the mulchy trail. Not the burn in my legs, the ache in my chest, my running nose, cold crampy calves etc. And so, because it was all just bloody glorious yesterday, I may do it again today!
I did have to stop to walk a handful of times which is what I expected. I may be able to spin an entire hour class but it’s different muscles, different breathing etc. No worries there. What I did decide during the run yesterday was that stopping for walking breaks is fine and fully acceptable….but I have learned from myself that if I can stop anytime I want, I want to stop all the time. So…..Bob Harper-style, I made a little reward-punishment system. You can stop to walk….but you have to do 20 walking lunges if you stop. It makes you really think twice about whether you really NEED a walking break or if you can just push through the pain. Walking lunges SUCK! And since improvement only comes with personal discomfort, it’s an incentive to experience that personal discomfort a little more than I might otherwise. 😉
My honey came home sick last night, woke me up at 10:45 to inform me that he puked in his lunch kit on the way home from work. Ummm…OK, gross? He then laid in our bed fevered and groaning and coughing (he has a chest cold as well) and puking all night. So I have had no sleep and am thinking that if I go for a jog tonight after work then I don’t have to go to spinning tomorrow morning and can sleep in a little. Sounds like a decent deal to me!
I’m on Day Five of no grains and since Ray is sick we won’t be going out for dinner tonight and he won’t be eating much this weekend so I ‘ll be on my own for meals….I predict smooth sailing this weekend. I think I’m going to make a big salad for dinner tonight, mixed greens, pine nuts, goat cheese, fresh blueberries and topped with……I’m not sure, maybe some sauteed turkey breast?
Happy weekend! Feel free to click the link on the side and follow me on Twitter!
Fitty vs Fatty 
That sounds like a beautiful place to run. Good idea about the lunges!
Sounds like you had a great day, not so much for the hubby. Thanks for the motivation! 🙂