Real talk. I did not want to do this run. But I did it, like a boss. It helped that I made myself only focus on form and not on any sort of speed or anything.
Stats:
Distance: 1.93 mi
Speed: 15:33 min/mi
Animals: dogs being walked, dog having his ball thrown
I’m back at it! I started the Couch to 5K training app over at day 1 since it’s been so long since I’ve been running. But I did it! Good work, self!
The back of my left leg is a bit weirdly sore still, probably from yard work this weekend, but it didn’t seem to interfere with my run once I got going.
Stats:
Distance: 1.91 mi
Speed: 14:50 min/mi
Animals: 1 orange cat hiding under a dumpster, many dogs being walked
It’s been too long since I worked out, so here’s getting the week off on the right foot. I did ~1mi walk yesterday night, which was nice. Just cool enough to need to bundle up slightly, but still pleasant once I got warmed up.
Probably because I haven’t had breakfast yet, but 2 rounds is plenty for my legs this morning.
| Exercise | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 squats | X | X | X |
| 5 knee pushups | X | X | X |
| 20 lunges (walking) | X | X | X |
| 10 milk jug rows | X | X | X |
| 15s plank | X | X | X |
| 30 jumping jacks | X | X | X |
ETA: I did it! I sat around for a while and decided fuck it, time to finish that third round!
This week has been very busy and very unfocused. But I got in a solid 2 rounds and did some civic participation, so I’m calling it a win.
| Exercise | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 squats | X | X | |
| 5 knee pushups | X | X | |
| 20 lunges (walking) | X | X | |
| 10 milk jug rows | X | X | |
| 15s plank | X | X | |
| 30 jumping jacks | X | X |
So that was a week. In addition to the massive upheaval of the election, a good friend hit a major professional milestone and also had to put down one of her dogs. In light of everything, and my stated goal of habit building before substantial physical fitness improvements, I’m cutting this workout a bit short.
I technically started the workout on Wednesday and also made it through the first round, and then my roommate got home and we had to yell about the election.
| Exercise | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 squats | X | ||
| 5 knee pushups | X | ||
| 20 lunges | X (walking) | ||
| 10 milk jug rows | X | ||
| 15s plank | X | ||
| 30 jumping jacks | X |
In light of recent events, I really have no idea what to do. So I went for the run I was planning on not doing because of the new weight training I started yesterday. whelp.
Stats:
Distance: 1:84 mi
Speed: 15:49 min/mi
Animals: 1 dog being walked, lots of rain
My legs were starting to feel the running a bit more than I really wanted, so my current plan is to slow that training down a bit and get started with a weight workout, which I’ve been meaning to do. Since I don’t really own any working out/weight lifting equipment and don’t have or want a gym membership, I’m starting with the Beginner Bodyweight Workout from Nerd Fitness*. I like the idea of bodyweight workout since it doesn’t require a lot of monetary investment, and I have lots of milk jugs to fill with water!
| Exercise | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 squats | X | X | |
| 5 knee pushups | X | X | |
| 20 lunges | X (regular) | X (walking) | |
| 10 milk jug rows | X | X | |
| 15s plank | X | X | |
| 30 jumping jacks | X | X |
This is a good illustration of how not-great shape I’m in, despite the running going well. My legs are in the best shape, so I started with the ‘hardest’ squats with my arms over my head, and for round 2, I did the hands behind the head. I probably could have done a third round of squats, but I’m giving myself credit for doing the workout at all in the first place, and calling it a day. My goal is consistent workouts, not super hard workouts. I’m also quite weak in the arm department, so I’m starting with 5 pushups from my knees instead of the 10 regular pushups. Hilariously, the 10 dumbbell/milk jug rows were no problem. I probably can plank for a little longer, but I’m ok with starting at 15 seconds and working up to my three full rounds of exercises first before making them harder.
I am severely unmotivated to be running right now. Also, my runs are mostly getting harder. I’m still making good progress, but uuuugh.
Stats:
Distance: 2.21 mi
Speed: 15:26 min/mi
Animals: dog walking hour
I finished week 2 of C25k! This is the farthest I’ve ever gotten without repeating a day or starting over!
Stats:
Distance: 2.27 mi
Speed: 15:25 min/mi
Animals: every dog out for their evening walk
One issue brought up by exercising more AND getting obsessed with skin care AND using ingredients that increase sun sensitivity is that I have to think a bit more about how I’m going to coordinate my exercise with my skin care routine.
For me, the easiest so far has been to exercise after work. At this point, the sun is setting (or already set if I’m getting started late), so there is minimal sun exposure, and I still have the remnants of my daily sunscreen on. By the time I’m done, the sun is basically set (if I didn’t start in the dark!), so it doesn’t matter if I’ve sweated off the remainder of my sunscreen and I can just do my usual wash routine in the shower and then go right into my nightly product(s). If it were any earlier in the evening and/or if the sun was more up, it would probably make sense to reapply the sunscreen before going running. And since it isn’t UNGODLY HOT anymore, I’m not sweating as badly either.
When it was hotter, I was liberally applying my go-to US sunscreen: Coppertone for Kids/Babies Tear Free. It’s hella water/sweat proof, and if some days I double-cleansed twice a day, so be it.