Skip to main content

Recovery Run on Thankful Thursday

Recovery Run & Weights
This morning I slept in until just after 5:30 - crazy right? My plan was to get in an easy 3-4 "get the lactic acid out" kind of run. It sometimes sounds counterintuitive to work the legs when they're sore, but it really can help so much to get them moving. Since it was a shorter run, that meant I didn't have to be up and out the door by 5:30, and I wasn't meeting my running buddy either - though, I'm pretty sure I saw her zip on by at one point.

At first, I thought, "What am I thinking...." My legs felt tight, heavy. But once I started moving, they woke right up and it felt fantastic actually. My plan was to keep a 9 min/mile or over and avoid hills. Well, it was so dark still that I didn't feel comfortable doing in any direction that didn't involve hills. So, typical route starting with almost a 3/4 mile incline.

I must say, that stretch is finally starting to feel less intimidating. Either that or I was delusional this morning. And that's possible of course. Funny things happen when you run. The same route changes every single time. One day it's hard, the next not so bad. You never know what you might get.

In the end, my slow run ended up being an 8:49 average. Several months ago I couldn't even eke that out for a mile. So maybe it's the weather and also being more recovered from my piriformis issues?

During lunch I went ahead and got in my workout for back and shoulders. I went with a similar setup as for biceps and triceps. Supersets then a pyramid dropset.

SS#1 - 3x8
Lateral raise
Underhand rows

SS#2 - 3x10
Front raise
Single-arm row

Pyramid for Shoulders - Shoulder Press - 6,8,10,8,6 (start heaviest weight, decrease weight and increase reps, then reverse the order)

Pyramid for Back - Pullovers- 6,8,10,8,6 (start heaviest weight, decrease weight and increase reps, then reverse the order)

The pyramid was definitely challenging on shoulders. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to hit that final 6th rep with good form. I'm pretty sure I'll be feeling this one by bedtime.

Thankful Thursday
I thought I'd do something a little different again tonight. Things have been pretty hectic at work. Some days I just feel wiped out mentally and physically. There are definitely days when I have those "I want to run away moments" (not talking work, but life in general).

I definitely get overwhelmed some day - with making dinner, cleaning the house, trying to keep up with laundry, being a good wife, worrying about finances, giving the furbabies adequate attention, heck...even giving myself adequate attention. You know, life.

Rather than dwell on things and let them just pile up and weigh me down, I need to always remember to be thankful for the positives in my life. They're they. They might be something trivial, but they add up right? It's why I keep up with my Daily To-Enjoy List. A gentle reminder to find the happy things.



Right now, I feel like I really do have a lot to be thankful for. So, here's my list for this Thursday:
  • The fact that I can run, even if it's not always pain-free.
  • Having a room dedicated as a gym space since my gym closed.
  • My new running buddy (who's helping me get faster).
  • The fact that I have a husband who will go run with me (sometimes reluctantly mind you).
  • Some amazing amazing friends (you ladies know exactly who you are).
  • The fact that I do have a secure job with some pretty great co-workers on my team (I'd be underwater completely right now without them).

What are you thankful for today? Do you make it a point to remember the positives despite the many negatives? 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Love in Photos

In honor of Valentine's Day - Love in Photos Husband Family and Furbabies Friends Even if you're not a fan of Valentine's Day - I hope you have a wonderful day and remember the loves in your life.

Hump Day and More Pineapples

Full-Body Workout  I'll readily admit that getting up this morning was quite painful and almost didn't happen. I forced myself out of bed though not exactly excited about tackling a full-body Pyramid workout. Sort of daunting at 5 am really. I did the warm up from Shock Cardio Cardio Core Circuit (cardio only premix) then hit the weights. It was a pyramid up only so I increased my starting weight. I topped it all off with the first 2 1/2 drills from the cardio workout. I ran short on time and was basically spent. Squats into Plie Squats Step Ups (seriously hate these especially at 5:30 am) Incline Chest Flyes into Chest Press Pullovers into DB Underhand Rows Step Ups (freaking again) Static Lunges Overhead DB Press into Lateral Raises Deadlifts Kickbacks into Overhead Extensions Hammer Curls into Alternating Curls Calf Raises I am so excited to report that my new cross-trainers and running shoes arrived today. Can't wait to test both of them out. I waited way way way too

Hitting the Gym and Lazy Means Creative Tex-Mex Creation

Sunday, Gym Day Why do vacations and min-vacations go by so quickly? Just doesn't seem quite right. Anyway, we left Branson around 9:30 am to head back home. It was a pretty uneventful drive back, which is usually a good thing. We got home and unpacked, then I headed up to the gym. I started with a 10-minute treadmill run to warm up before hitting the weights for back and light legs then abs. I went with a giant set for back then supersets for legs. GS - 4x8 Underhand barbell rows Pullovers Double-arm rows SS#1 Rear-leg elevated lunges (Bulgarian Split Squats) - 3x8 Calf raises - 3x20 SS#2 - 2x8 Walking lunges Plie squats with low-end pulse Single-leg deadlifts - 2x8 I did some ab exercises, stretched, and called it quits. Lazy = Crazy Dinner I may have made it to the gym and washed a few loads of laundry, but I never made it to the grocery store - lounging in the pool trumped grocery shopping. This meant getting creative with dinner. We had another package