When I was in third grade, I played in a kickball league. I don't like to brag, but I was the recipient of the sportsmanship award and the "bunting Belinda" award. In an effort to revive some of my former glory, I joined up with an adult kickball team called "Orange You Glad Its Wednesday" and have spent the last eight Wednesday evenings at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Tonight was our last game of the season.
My main contribution to the team has been my two X chromosomes. There is a rule that you have to have at least four girls on the field at all times, so I was recruited by a new friend from book club. For the record, I suck. I completely suck. In the whole season, I caught one fly ball and only made it on base a handful of times. I mostly specialized in kicking short pop-up flies that were easily caught and doing as little damage as possible playing pitcher and catcher. I usually didn't drink any game beers and I never really felt like I was making friends with my teammates. Regardless, I LOVED it! I don't know exactly why, but I always felt sooooo good after a game. It was really helpful for clearing my head after a long day. It's a feeling I usually associate with coming in from a run or bike ride, but kickball isn't really exercise (especially the way I play). I think it goes to show how mood-lifting it can be just spending some time outside after sitting at a desk all day. The excuse to yell and cheer and the whole team effort thing probably had something to do with it, too. Anyway, I'm going to miss it.
But . . . next week I'm starting another after-work, outside, fun activity! I'm joining up with a new team for running and triathlon. FastForward Sports has a holiday running group that involves low-key work-outs at Wash Park and participation in all the fun (short!) holiday races (Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell 5k, Resolution Run). The plan is to get running again and in January start training for the Canyonlands Half in Moab! That will take me right in to tri season and training for my second half-ironman! (Probably the Boise 70.3.)
It was pretty chilly and windy at kickball tonight. Must get some cold weather running gear this weekend!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It's Not You, It's Me . . .
As I wrote in my last post, I am not doing any more triathlons this summer and am taking a break from training. I thought I would still swim, run, and especially bike just for fun, but I really haven't. The truth is I haven't touched my road bike since getting back from Austin. I feel a little guilty because it's such a nice bike and I LOVE it.
At the same time, I want to be honest with myself. If I'm not feelin' it, I'm not feelin' it. And, it's not like I'm not getting exercise. In fact, I go to the YMCA (err...the Y) so often that I'm the Mayor on Foursquare! And, taking some time away from my Orbea might just lead to us having a stronger relationship in the future.
I actually have been riding, just not on my road bike. I borrowed my neighbor's hybrid to ride the Moonlight Classic and basically never gave it back. I started riding it around everywhere. It was so fun and really nice not to have to deal with parking and traffic -- especially great for trips downtown and to the gym. I never felt comfortable riding my road bike in street clothes (not to mention street shoes) and I was always so paranoid about it getting stolen that I rarely used it to get from point A to point B. I know I'm way late to the game, but I finally get why people are so enthusiastic about biking as a mode of transportation! I'm kinda like people who started watching DVDs of Lost after it had been on for a few years and were like "Whoa... this top-rated, critically acclaimed show that everyone's always talking and blogging about is, like, good!"
I knew I couldn't keep free-loading forever. I got home from the gym one night (using my neighbor's bicycle, of course) and decided that the next day my mission would be Project GettaBike. Then a friend called to see if I wanted to join her for a walk to Whole Foods to get a popsicle. Always! When we reached the end of my block, I saw a mountain bike chained up to a tree with a flashing neon sign (in the metaphorical sense) that said: "Bike for Sale." It was a Giant bike with Shimano gears, so I knew it was a solid bike (not a Wal-Mart POS). It was in good condition and road nicely when I took it for a spin. I googled it (thank-you Droid!) and the seller was asking for about 1/5 the retail price of the 2010 model of the same bike.
This reminded me of how my neighbor (whose bike I had been borrowing) got her new puppy. An unexpected sequence of events caused her to end up at the Dumb Friends League where she met a woman who was bawling because she had a newborn baby at home and couldn't take care of both the baby and her puppy. The woman decided she had no choice but to give the puppy up. My neighbor hadn't planned on getting a second dog, but she immediately thought of the Yiddish word "b'shert" or "meant to be." She was so convinced that adopting this puppy was meant to be that she named the dog B'shert (BiBi for short).
I felt the same way about this bike. Even though it was a somewhat impulsive decision, it just felt like it was meant to be. I considered naming my new bike BiBi, but I think it's against Jewish tradition to name someone (or something) after a living relative (or neighboring puppy). Even though I had planned to get a hybrid not a mountain bike, it is pretty easy to turn a mountain bike into a speedier commuter by switching out the tires. I took it to my LBS and they put on new tires and tuned 'er up (which together ended up costing more than the bike itself). The new tires work great and I'm loving riding it!
See you out there!
 |
| Nobody puts Orbea in the corner |
I actually have been riding, just not on my road bike. I borrowed my neighbor's hybrid to ride the Moonlight Classic and basically never gave it back. I started riding it around everywhere. It was so fun and really nice not to have to deal with parking and traffic -- especially great for trips downtown and to the gym. I never felt comfortable riding my road bike in street clothes (not to mention street shoes) and I was always so paranoid about it getting stolen that I rarely used it to get from point A to point B. I know I'm way late to the game, but I finally get why people are so enthusiastic about biking as a mode of transportation! I'm kinda like people who started watching DVDs of Lost after it had been on for a few years and were like "Whoa... this top-rated, critically acclaimed show that everyone's always talking and blogging about is, like, good!"
I knew I couldn't keep free-loading forever. I got home from the gym one night (using my neighbor's bicycle, of course) and decided that the next day my mission would be Project GettaBike. Then a friend called to see if I wanted to join her for a walk to Whole Foods to get a popsicle. Always! When we reached the end of my block, I saw a mountain bike chained up to a tree with a flashing neon sign (in the metaphorical sense) that said: "Bike for Sale." It was a Giant bike with Shimano gears, so I knew it was a solid bike (not a Wal-Mart POS). It was in good condition and road nicely when I took it for a spin. I googled it (thank-you Droid!) and the seller was asking for about 1/5 the retail price of the 2010 model of the same bike.
This reminded me of how my neighbor (whose bike I had been borrowing) got her new puppy. An unexpected sequence of events caused her to end up at the Dumb Friends League where she met a woman who was bawling because she had a newborn baby at home and couldn't take care of both the baby and her puppy. The woman decided she had no choice but to give the puppy up. My neighbor hadn't planned on getting a second dog, but she immediately thought of the Yiddish word "b'shert" or "meant to be." She was so convinced that adopting this puppy was meant to be that she named the dog B'shert (BiBi for short).
 |
| BiBi the puppy (because popular opinion is that puppies are cute) |
I felt the same way about this bike. Even though it was a somewhat impulsive decision, it just felt like it was meant to be. I considered naming my new bike BiBi, but I think it's against Jewish tradition to name someone (or something) after a living relative (or neighboring puppy). Even though I had planned to get a hybrid not a mountain bike, it is pretty easy to turn a mountain bike into a speedier commuter by switching out the tires. I took it to my LBS and they put on new tires and tuned 'er up (which together ended up costing more than the bike itself). The new tires work great and I'm loving riding it!
 |
| Mountain Bike Tires |
 |
| Zippy Street Tires (Look, Mom - reflective safety stripe!) |
See you out there!
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Cap Tex Tri Race Report
Pre-Race
My Dad dropped me off near the race site around 5:30am. They had us leave our bikes there overnight, which made packing up the car and walking to the transition area a lot easier. After I got my body-marked, I made my way into the transition area to find my bike. The race takes place in and around downtown. When I walked into the transition area and I was struck by how cool it was to see the Austin skyline emerging from the sea of bikes in the night sky. I didn't have a camera with me, so I took a mental picture. *CLICK*
The race started at 7am, but my wave was not until 8:05. I grabbed my wetsuit, goggles, and some cliff shot blocks, and wandered down to the lake to watch the start of the race. Since it was Memorial Day, the race honored active military and veterans. There were a bunch of Texas A&M students at the race. My first thought was "boo," until I realized that many of them were volunteers assisting athletes in the "wounded warrior" category and decided that the Aggies deserved a free pass for the day. At around 7:30, I put on my wetsuit (for the first time this year), ate my shot blocks, and drank some water. Shortly after that, I ran into my family and got to give them all hugs before the race.
Swim
The swim was in Town Lake (which has since been re-named Lady Bird Lake, but I just can't get used to that) and the 1500 meter course was shaped like one of those cork puller wine openers. It was a treading water start and my wave was wearing blue caps. I have no idea what the water temperature was, but I was really glad I wore my wetsuit! The gun fired and I began my first open water swim of the year.
I felt good during the swim. I didn't want to start too fast, so I settled into a pace that felt sustainable. I focused on swimming with long, strong strokes. I didn't feel like I was going very fast, but it wasn't long before I started seeing yellow caps from the wave ahead of me. The buoys marking the turns were also yellow, which made things a little confusing. I just thought to myself that it was a good sign every time I saw yellow - I was either passing someone or approaching a milestone in the course. When I swam under the Congress Avenue bridge, I rolled over briefly to look for the famous Mexican free-tailed bats, but didn't see any. I saw my Dad cheering as I headed out of the water and into T1.
Bike
The bike course for the Olympic Distance was 4 loops, which went around downtown and the Capitol. I felt pretty discombobulated during the first loop. When I grabbed my water bottle for my first drink, the cap fell off. The rules are that you can't discard anything on the bike course. Luckily I caught the bottle cap and was able to screw it back on pretty easily. Next, the auto-multisport function of my Garmin got confused and after about three miles on the bike, it instructed me to start running. I wanted to see my cadence and average mph so I quickly re-set my watch to the bike function as I pedaled. Then, the number on my bike came undone, but fortunately it hung on by a thread for the remainder of the course.
The course had rolling hills and lots of sharp turns. This was my first race with aerobars and I think I used them for most of the course, except during the turns. I stayed in the big ring for the first two loops, but by the third and fourth loops, I figured out the spots where it made sense to drop into the small ring. I saw my Dad at the end of the first and second loop and by the time I finished the third loop, my Mom and brother were there, too. It was hot out and there were no aid-stations, so I knew I had to make a real effort to stay hydrated and electrolyted. When I finished I had drunk my entire bottle of water and half of my bottle of Gatorade. I was pleased about this - sometimes I'll come back from a ride with two almost completely full bottles. I averaged 18.4 mph (total time 1:21), which is really good for me!
Run
When I got into the transition area, racked my bike, and took off my helmet, I realized I was drenched in sweat. I'm not used to humidity anymore, so I decided to take my time and downed a little bit more Gatorade before heading out onto the run. The run is usually the most challenging part for me and the challenge is often as mental as it is physical. I tried to get myself really excited to run while I was still on the bike, but I'm not sure it worked. I started out easy and told myself not to look at my watch to see my pace until after the first mile. I cheated twice and caught myself at 9:41 and 10:02. I was happy about this as I was aiming for a 10:30/mi pace. I had given myself full permission to walk through each and every water station, but I ended up not really wanting to. Austin knows how to plan for the heat, so there were water stations about every half mile and one of the stations had a tent with sprinklers to run through. I ended up only walking through the two stations that had Gatorade so I could fully imbibe those electrolytes and I also walked through a station at Mile 5 so I could recharge and finish strong.
I had a hard time with the first three miles. It's not that I wanted to stop and walk, but I didn't really want to run either. For some reason, the image that popped into my head was a scene from one of the worst movies ever made. (I watched Bride Wars on HBO this winter.) There is a part where Anne Hathaway (whose character's name happens to be Emma) is running in Central Park. She is hooked into her blue iPod shuffle and we astute viewers are supposed to remember that she said at the beginning of the movie, "iPods are for people who can't be alone with their thoughts." Now she is distraught about fighting with her best friend and not getting along with her fiance and she can't hear Kate Hudson calling after her through her headphones. Something about watching her feet hit the pavement in that scene made me really want to go for a run. So for the rest of the run, I pretended that I was Anne Hathaway. I also repeated over and over in my head, "This isn't supposed to be easy, dig deep." I start to feel a lot better by Mile 4. Just as I was thinking that I hadn't seen my family on the run yet and that I could really use their support, there they were at the halfway point of the second loop.
I kept an eye on my pace and saw that I was hovering around 10:30/mi, which was my goal. As I ran across the Congress Bridge for the second time, my Garmin beeped to signify the 6 mile mark. I was excited for the final 0.2 until I realized that either my watch was off or the course was long, because I was definitely more than 352 yards away from the finish. (When I crossed the line, my watch read between 6.5 and 6.6.) I felt good about the run and my overall time when I finished the race, but I confess that I was really disappointed when I got my results and saw that my run pace was actually only a 11:04/mi (a 1:08:44 10k). The man who won the overall race PR-ed in the 10k, so I concluded that the discrepancy was with my watch, not the course. It was hard not to think that I could have pushed myself a little more, but in the end I think I just need to trust that I did the best I could on that day, in the heat of the Texas sun.
Finish
When I picked up my race packet the day before, I noticed that they had be down as being from Cypress, Texas instead of Denver, Colorado. It wasn't a big deal, but they usually announce your name and town when you cross the finish line and I really wanted everyone to know that I had descended from on (mile-)high for this race. I heard other people talking at the expo that their cities were wrong, too, so I thought they would correct it for race day. Well, they must have re-run the excel spreadsheet (or whatever) because when they called my name I was not from Cypress, but I wasn't from Denver either. Instead they said I was from Crawford! Ew! I definitely did not want to be confused with any other residents of Crawford, Texas!
They finally got my city right when they published the results. The most exciting part of seeing the official results was how I placed in my age group! When I race in Boulder, I'm lucky if I finish 71st out of 78. This time, I was 26th out of 83! That's like top-third! Woo-hoo!
My overall results were:
Swim - 36:17
T1 - 5:54
Bike - 1:21:00 (18.4 mph)
T2 - 3:39
Run - 1:08:44 (11:04/mi)
Total: 3:15:35
T3
Now my season is over, and I head into what some on the blogosphere refer to as "T3." I am planning to keep biking on the weekends, do the occasional open water swim for fun, and run at least a little, enough to satisfy my inner-Anne Hathaway. I am looking forward to enjoying each discipline again without the pressure to put in a certain number of hours or miles. I am also looking forward to having the freedom and flexibility to spend the weekends doing something else entirely or nothing at all!
Yee-haw!!!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
BRICK!
I did my first brick work-out of the season tonight and, man, was it tough!
For the uninitiated, a "brick" is a back-to-back work-out with two disciplines, usually cycling and running. After wondering about the term's origins in the car ride over and googling to no avail once I got home, I think I've concluded it's because they are both HARD.
Here is the (run-focused) brick work-out I did earlier:
- Warm-up 8 minutes running
- 1 mile time trial running
- 2 X 2.75mi time trial biking
- 1 mile time trial running
- Cool down
Seeing it in writing makes it looks so easy, but I promise it was a challenge. Those mile time trial runs are killer on their own! Usually triathletes talk about how weird your legs feel when you start to run after finishing the bike. Tonight I got to feel the extreme burn in my quads trying to bike after a pushed-run. The goal was to have the two 1-mile runs be consistent despite the bike in between them. I ran the first mile in 8:28 and the second in 8:38! I was sooooo proud of myself (a) because I didn't think I'd be able to run at all once I finished the bike and (b) because I was pleased with my 1-mile pace, brick or no brick. I averaged 16.4 mph on the bike leg, which I guess is alright considering the state of my legs. I didn't time the two laps separately, but I am pretty sure the second loop was much slower.
Without a doubt this was the hardest work-out I've done this year. But, I was able to do it, which means I've been consistent in my training up to this point. As I type, 33 days until my race! A few more brick work-outs, aerobic runs, and long bike rides and I should be good to go. I'm not 100% sure if I'll get a chance to practice open water swimming before race day, but I feel comfortable enough in open water that it doesn't worry me.
I am moving apartments sometime in May, but I haven't picked a weekend yet. I'm thinking of moving the weekend of May 22nd since that will be my taper weekend and I won't have to worry about trying to squeeze in much training. But.... the series finale of LOST is that Sunday and I would hate for my cable not to be hooked-up in time for that. Decisions, decisions.
For the uninitiated, a "brick" is a back-to-back work-out with two disciplines, usually cycling and running. After wondering about the term's origins in the car ride over and googling to no avail once I got home, I think I've concluded it's because they are both HARD.
Here is the (run-focused) brick work-out I did earlier:
- Warm-up 8 minutes running
- 1 mile time trial running
- 2 X 2.75mi time trial biking
- 1 mile time trial running
- Cool down
Seeing it in writing makes it looks so easy, but I promise it was a challenge. Those mile time trial runs are killer on their own! Usually triathletes talk about how weird your legs feel when you start to run after finishing the bike. Tonight I got to feel the extreme burn in my quads trying to bike after a pushed-run. The goal was to have the two 1-mile runs be consistent despite the bike in between them. I ran the first mile in 8:28 and the second in 8:38! I was sooooo proud of myself (a) because I didn't think I'd be able to run at all once I finished the bike and (b) because I was pleased with my 1-mile pace, brick or no brick. I averaged 16.4 mph on the bike leg, which I guess is alright considering the state of my legs. I didn't time the two laps separately, but I am pretty sure the second loop was much slower.
Without a doubt this was the hardest work-out I've done this year. But, I was able to do it, which means I've been consistent in my training up to this point. As I type, 33 days until my race! A few more brick work-outs, aerobic runs, and long bike rides and I should be good to go. I'm not 100% sure if I'll get a chance to practice open water swimming before race day, but I feel comfortable enough in open water that it doesn't worry me.
I am moving apartments sometime in May, but I haven't picked a weekend yet. I'm thinking of moving the weekend of May 22nd since that will be my taper weekend and I won't have to worry about trying to squeeze in much training. But.... the series finale of LOST is that Sunday and I would hate for my cable not to be hooked-up in time for that. Decisions, decisions.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I'm Back, Baby!
Well, I'm working out again anyway!
Now that the bar exam is over, I'm getting more sleep and have more free time. I think lack of sleep was the main reason I had trouble getting a consistent amount of exercise while I was studying for the bar. Now that I'm not studying all day and tossing and turning about the Rule Against Perpetuities all night, I can finally start training again. My sights are set on May 31st - the Capital of Texas Triathlon! I was a little worried that this wasn't the best year to pick an early season tri, given that I wasn't really able to start training in earnest until March. Then I noticed a book on my shelf called The 12-Week Triathlete. March 8th - May 31st is twelve weeks exactly! I can do it! I actually think this is the perfect amount of time for me to train. I am beginning to realize that I am a "less is more" kind of athlete. If I train too much or for too long, I start to get burnt out and lose motivation. And, I trust that I have enough experience and base-level fitness that I will have no problem building back up to an Olympic distance in the next three months.
Work-out Summary (Mar. 8 - Mar. 14)
Monday: PowerPump class (1hr); Learning the choreography to Britney Spears, "Baby One More Time" video (1hr) (Totally not kidding, and it was tough! That girl can DANCE!)
Tuesday: Yoga (hard) (1hr)
Wednesday: Swim (continuous swim + a few drills) (1hr)
Thursday: Bike work-out on the trainer (1hr)
Friday: Yoga (easy) (1hr)
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: 7k (4.3mi) run -- Runnin' of the Green
Life Summary (Mar. 8 - Mar. 14)
Job Applications: 4
Networking Events: 3
Trips to Whole Foods: 2 (each time only for a carton of milk - big improvement from eating 3 meals a day there!)
I felt pretty sore most of the week, but the good kind of sore. I like being able to physically tell that I've been doing something. The St. Patty's Day-themed 7k was literally the first time I ran since the ColderBolder in early December. I viewed it as the official kick-off to my running season. I didn't wear a watch, and my official time was nothing to write home about, but I was very pleased that I was able to run the whole way and that I actually enjoyed it! I had to force my way through the Turkey Trot and the ColderBolder, but with this race I was able to just relax, run, enjoy the crowds, and enjoy running with my friend Annie. I did a track work-out this morning and enjoyed that, too. I don't want to jinx anything, and maybe it's just that raucous Irish spirit talking, but I feel fairly optimistic that I will be able to maintain a good attitude about running this year!
One week down, eleven to go!
Now that the bar exam is over, I'm getting more sleep and have more free time. I think lack of sleep was the main reason I had trouble getting a consistent amount of exercise while I was studying for the bar. Now that I'm not studying all day and tossing and turning about the Rule Against Perpetuities all night, I can finally start training again. My sights are set on May 31st - the Capital of Texas Triathlon! I was a little worried that this wasn't the best year to pick an early season tri, given that I wasn't really able to start training in earnest until March. Then I noticed a book on my shelf called The 12-Week Triathlete. March 8th - May 31st is twelve weeks exactly! I can do it! I actually think this is the perfect amount of time for me to train. I am beginning to realize that I am a "less is more" kind of athlete. If I train too much or for too long, I start to get burnt out and lose motivation. And, I trust that I have enough experience and base-level fitness that I will have no problem building back up to an Olympic distance in the next three months.
Work-out Summary (Mar. 8 - Mar. 14)
Monday: PowerPump class (1hr); Learning the choreography to Britney Spears, "Baby One More Time" video (1hr) (Totally not kidding, and it was tough! That girl can DANCE!)
Tuesday: Yoga (hard) (1hr)
Wednesday: Swim (continuous swim + a few drills) (1hr)
Thursday: Bike work-out on the trainer (1hr)
Friday: Yoga (easy) (1hr)
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: 7k (4.3mi) run -- Runnin' of the Green
Life Summary (Mar. 8 - Mar. 14)
Job Applications: 4
Networking Events: 3
Trips to Whole Foods: 2 (each time only for a carton of milk - big improvement from eating 3 meals a day there!)
I felt pretty sore most of the week, but the good kind of sore. I like being able to physically tell that I've been doing something. The St. Patty's Day-themed 7k was literally the first time I ran since the ColderBolder in early December. I viewed it as the official kick-off to my running season. I didn't wear a watch, and my official time was nothing to write home about, but I was very pleased that I was able to run the whole way and that I actually enjoyed it! I had to force my way through the Turkey Trot and the ColderBolder, but with this race I was able to just relax, run, enjoy the crowds, and enjoy running with my friend Annie. I did a track work-out this morning and enjoyed that, too. I don't want to jinx anything, and maybe it's just that raucous Irish spirit talking, but I feel fairly optimistic that I will be able to maintain a good attitude about running this year!
One week down, eleven to go!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Mentally and Physically Exhausted
I came across this article (titled "Feeling Mentally Exhausted? Maybe You Should Put Off That Run") a while back and now I think I'm living it. Studying for the Colorado Bar Exam has really put a damper on my work-out routine. It's really kind of amazing how something that drains you mentally can drain you physically as well.
I first remember experiencing this phenomenon when I was a second-year law student. I had just taken my first of four exams and thought I would go for a short run to de-stress before getting back to studying. That plan didn't work so well. If I remember correctly, I ran about three-quarters of a mile before giving up, turning around, and limping home. Since I've been studying for the bar exam, I have been too exhausted to even attempt such a feat. Even though I know that keeping up some degree of physical activity will benefit me mentally, I haven't been following my own advice.
This week, I was determined to re-incorporate some amount of physical activity into my daily life. Even though I usually prefer working-out at the end of the day, I thought I would start setting my alarm early and get to the gym before studying, so I wouldn't have to motivate myself after spending hours pouring over outlines and practice tests. I'm not going to rule this out as a strategy (it sure sounds good!), but two days in, it hasn't worked so well. I am proud to say that I did work-out yesterday and the day before, just not in the morning as I planned. On Monday, I took a mid-afternoon break to go on a short bike ride around Wash Park, and yesterday, I went to an evening yoga class. When I'm in shape and in the heart of training season, these would both be pretty easy for me, practically rest day activities. But today - I ache all over! The yoga class I went to is fairly basic and focuses more on stretching and relaxation as opposed to a power yoga practice. Rather than feeling stretched and relaxed, I feel like I spent hours lifting weights!
My plan is to take a page from the yoga book, i.e. honoring your body. I'm clearly not capable of my usual amount of physical activity, so I just need to lower my expectations and do what I can. I'm going to aim for working-out 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour, but nothing too strenuous. Short bike rides seem to fit the bill nicely (weather permitting) as does the occasional yoga class. I'm also going to get back into hula-hooping, and hula-hoop during study-breaks to get the blood flowing. And, I might break-out my hand-weights and start doing the Target Toning for Beginners from my watch-instantly Netflix queue again. (I always feel so encouraged when that peppy blond woman tells me what a great arm work-out I did!) Triathlon training season officially starts next week, so I guess we'll see if it's too much to incorporate a little swimming as well.
To keep myself motivated, I also plan to blog each week about the past week's work-outs and how I felt.
Now, back to criminal procedure!
I first remember experiencing this phenomenon when I was a second-year law student. I had just taken my first of four exams and thought I would go for a short run to de-stress before getting back to studying. That plan didn't work so well. If I remember correctly, I ran about three-quarters of a mile before giving up, turning around, and limping home. Since I've been studying for the bar exam, I have been too exhausted to even attempt such a feat. Even though I know that keeping up some degree of physical activity will benefit me mentally, I haven't been following my own advice.
This week, I was determined to re-incorporate some amount of physical activity into my daily life. Even though I usually prefer working-out at the end of the day, I thought I would start setting my alarm early and get to the gym before studying, so I wouldn't have to motivate myself after spending hours pouring over outlines and practice tests. I'm not going to rule this out as a strategy (it sure sounds good!), but two days in, it hasn't worked so well. I am proud to say that I did work-out yesterday and the day before, just not in the morning as I planned. On Monday, I took a mid-afternoon break to go on a short bike ride around Wash Park, and yesterday, I went to an evening yoga class. When I'm in shape and in the heart of training season, these would both be pretty easy for me, practically rest day activities. But today - I ache all over! The yoga class I went to is fairly basic and focuses more on stretching and relaxation as opposed to a power yoga practice. Rather than feeling stretched and relaxed, I feel like I spent hours lifting weights!
My plan is to take a page from the yoga book, i.e. honoring your body. I'm clearly not capable of my usual amount of physical activity, so I just need to lower my expectations and do what I can. I'm going to aim for working-out 3-4 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour, but nothing too strenuous. Short bike rides seem to fit the bill nicely (weather permitting) as does the occasional yoga class. I'm also going to get back into hula-hooping, and hula-hoop during study-breaks to get the blood flowing. And, I might break-out my hand-weights and start doing the Target Toning for Beginners from my watch-instantly Netflix queue again. (I always feel so encouraged when that peppy blond woman tells me what a great arm work-out I did!) Triathlon training season officially starts next week, so I guess we'll see if it's too much to incorporate a little swimming as well.
To keep myself motivated, I also plan to blog each week about the past week's work-outs and how I felt.
Now, back to criminal procedure!
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