The excuses not used

177.2
15:00 rowing machine
35:00 stationary bicycle

Today I am proud of myself for working out after my long day.  I worked 8-5 (I vaguely remember lunch at my desk with my phone on my ear) and then had to be downtown for a MOB (Making OKC Beautiful) event from 5:30-7.  I planned ahead and brought my workout clothes with me so I could go to the YMCA just a few blocks from the restaurant. 

This was my first time at this location, and I have to say I liked the Downtown Y.  My back was sore when I was rowing, but not the "STOP NOW!" type of hurt, so I continued on as planned.  I was surprised to find that I could not locate any small free weights for lifting, the lightest being 12 pounds.  I was tempted to call it a night at that point as I don't like to use machines for upper body workouts, but instead I decided I was going to get in a full workout by using the stationary bicycles.  I didn't get quite the workout I had in mind, but I got in a solid 50 minutes of exercise in spite of all the reasons not to.

Excuses I did not have to write in my "Lame Excuses" journal tonight:

• too busy today
• tired
• too full of food that is less than workout friendly (the Fire Burger anyone?)
• the equipment is different than I am used to

Stopped by progress

176.9
17:47, 2.51 mile bike ride

The weather was so perfect this evening that I decided to go for a bike ride on the lovely walking paths by the river in the OKC Boathouse District.  I have been excited by all the cool stuff going in down there, but not today. 

I ran along the south side when I was training for the marathon, but I was excited to try out the north side, so I parked by the Chesapeake Finish Line Tower and headed west on my bicycle.  I got as far as the River Cruise boarding area and had to turn around due to the whole area being cordoned off for construction. I headed back east, but just past the Devon Boathouse the sidewalk was blocked off for more construction.  I had to ride through the grass and around the construction to get back on the path, but there really isn't much east of there. 

I am excited to see these kinds of improvements going into our city, but today I was just cranky about not being able to ride along the river on such a pretty evening.

Squeezing in exercise so I don't have to squeeze into my jeans

182.5
50:41, 8.1 mile bicycling

I managed to mess up the department's schedule at work.  So instead of having my planned day of trail running in the morning, and working from noon to 9, instead I need to be at work at 8:30 in the morning and still closing at 9!  I hate letting being too busy derail me from working out all the time so instead I squeezed in some cardio by commuting to and from work.

Exhausting day, but glad I was able to fit in that exercise. And super proud of not eating the cupcakes that Suzanne brought to work!

A bit of perspective

46:38, 8.13 mile bicycling

Since I got sick last week, I have just been exhausted!  I had trouble getting up this morning, even though I slept in past 10.  I decided that I was going to ride my bike to work (another 6 day workweek) since it was doubtful I would get in a workout otherwise.  My heart rate stayed higher than I would have liked it to on the way to work, possibly because I am out of shape or because I am still sick. It was frustrating to feel like I had lost so much of the fitness gains and regained so much of the weight lost.

All of this left me feeling really discouraged this evening.  Unfortunately this has been too normal lately, and I get frustrated that I am not where I want to be (that Jessica's not done yet).  I laid on the couch after dinner, pondering my excessive schedule this week and how in the world to fit in exercise when there are so many other demands on my time and energy, then  for some reason I decided I needed to look at my finisher's medals.  So I took them all out of the box and lined them up. 

I thought about the woman who was so out of shape in 2009 that she couldn't keep up with her mom when they took the kids to the zoo.  I thought about those first laps around the track at the gym, when running always made me puke.  I thought of how frustrating my first 5k was in March 2011.  I thought about the other races, the ones without medals.  Jessica's not done yet, but she is a long way from where she was!  Looking at these tangible representations of miles run, and the blood and sweat that accompanied them, my optimism is restored.  Yes, I have hit roadblocks, yes I have failed at my own rules, yes I am not there yet.  But I am a runner, and I will continue to keep pushing forward.

A couple weeks ago I came across a quote that has stuck with me:

"There will be days when I don't know if I can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime knowing that I have."

- Unknown

And what a sweet knowledge it is.

Healthy choices

176.4
9:46, 1.22 miles bicycling
55 minutes Zumba

I'm so cool and fit that I rode my bicycle to the library for a free Zumba class.  What could be more green and hip than that?!  Ok, so really I'm not cool or hip, I just wanted to have fun.

The relentless heat wave that has kept us under its' thumb for weeks didn't show up today.  It was a really beautiful evening for a ride, and no one even honked at me!

I think this was only my 4th attempt at Zumba in all of recorded history (my fitness journal starts in September 2010), but it was my best by far.  To say that I am not naturally graced with dance would be an understatement.  But tonight I was able to keep up more and felt like I was getting a good workout.  It is fun to dance, even when you can't.

After I got home I finished reading Eat & Run : My unlikely journey to ultramarathon greatness by Scott Jurek.  I love reading about ultramarathoners, and I dream impossibly big dreams of one day doing what they do (Impossible dreams are the best kinds to have).  The book was interesting and focused a lot on food.  Jurek is a vegan which is exceptional because of the distances he runs.  It would take precision to get the right food balance for an omnivore to achieve what he does, and even more so for a vegan.  At the end of each chapter is a recipe, and some of them sounded amazing.  Will have to try some of them out, especially the ones for Xocolatl Energy Balls and 8-Grain Strawberry Pancakes!

Actually this book just reinforced my instincts lately that I need to change what I eat.  I spent some time on the Daniel diet in 2009 and felt amazing.  It is based off of what Daniel ate in the Bible, and is vegan but with more restrictions such as nothing artificial or "corrupted" (fermented) by man and no leavened bread.  I don't think I will go all the way Daniel again, but I am leaning towards an almost vegan diet for a while.  Not sure about giving up my post workout chocolate milk....

As a part of a family that includes a very picky 5 year old and an even more picky 29 year old, it is likely impossible that I could maintain a vegan diet without civil war, but I would like to see our menu stop being arranged around meat and cheese so often.

A whole different world

I came across a really cool New York Times story that made me so jealous of the Danish!  They have built a bike super highway connecting the communities that are up to 14 miles from the capital of Copenhagen.  These are wide, smooth, scenic, maintained, protected and well lit bike paths encouraging more people to ride to the capital instead of drive.  Interestingly was that many ride their bikes because they see driving as a nuisance that takes more time than riding! 

"Danish statistics show that every 6 miles biked instead of driven saves 3 1/2 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and 9 cents in health care costs. But many cite happiness among the chief benefits of bicycle commuting."  9 cents in health care savings may not seem like much, but what if every person in your company saved those 9 cents (my bike commute would be closer 12 cents round trip) for a month?    For our library with a staff of 33 employees, assuming we all worked 22 days in July and rode each day, that would be a health care savings of $65.34 for this month alone.  When you look at a library system that might have 300 staff, how about $7,128 in a year! 

OK, so those numbers actually mean nothing because: 1. those are based on health care cost in Denmark, 2. not all staff would ride, and not everyday, 3. some staff work more or less than 22 days in a month, 4. some staff live a lot farther or closer than 3 miles from work, and 5. my dear friend and coworker (who shall remain nameless) does not know how to ride a bike.  Really its her lack of bike riding that throws the whole thing out the window! ;)

"Superhighway users can also look forward to some variation on the “karma campaign,” now under way in Copenhagen, in which city employees take to the streets with boxes of chocolate to reward cyclists who adhere to the five rules of cycling: be nice, signal, stay to the right, overtake carefully and, rather than let bicycle bells irritate you, do your best to appreciate them. "

Chocolate in the street for riding your bike!  Yes please!  To show how different this attitude is from Oklahoma or the USA, the only feedback I get for riding my bike to work is jerks in large trucks honking or yelling obscenities at me.  They take offense (I assume) that I am riding on the road, where I am legally entitled to ride, yet don't stop and consider that their are no bike lanes or sidewalks available to me.  I would love to see a shift in our culture that valued and encouraged walking and riding bikes instead of driving.

Crosstraining 1:42- kayaking and biking

Kayaking 50 minutes, from Lincoln to Robinson and back
Biking 8 miles, 52:01

I had a great morning.  Last night I had decided that I REALLY wanted to go kayaking today, so that's just what I did.  I drove up to OKC and rented a kayak for an hour ($12).  It was warm and a little windy, and while that area is calm and scenically boring, it was just perfect!  I enjoy the motion of kayaking, and while it is demanding, I find that it is more sustainable than using the rowing machine, or even running.  And it was peaceful.  I will definitely have to take advantage of OKC Riversport again,  because exercise is so much easier when you are enjoying the activity and when you have scenery to keep your mind active.

Seth and I had a nice lunch on the patio at Chelino's, and then headed back home.  I needed to go check on some equipment at work, and I was feeling so enthusiastic from kayaking, that I decided I should ride my bike to work!  On the 4th of July!  At noon!! Thankfully it was only 95 degrees and there was a breeze, but my body did let me know that this was not the best decision.  I feel that I should also explain what my biking experience is like.  I ride a "cruiser" style bike.  You know, the kind with a basket, bell, and only one gear.  And streamers on the handlebars of course.  I always wear a helmet, and I recently acquired a Camelbak (primarily use it for running), but that is the end of my specialized biking gear.  And while motorist may not have realized it, there are several impressive hills between my house and work.  It was a good ride in that it was challenging, but of course I hated it, just like I do every time I think riding to work would be a good idea.  But I saved a few drops of gas and burned an extra 330 calories!

Oh, and I weighed 173.3 this morning!!! So nice to see it go the other direction again.