back to the gym...woot...umm, ish

Went to the gym yesterday morning after work...didn't go so well. Hadn't worked out in about a month, and only had pants with me, so I broke out in hives on my legs from the heat. And my bra was chafing like crazy. Ugh. So new rule: no full pants at the gym ever. I really need new shoes too. My feet hurt really bad on the TM, and I ended up walking the last 10 mins, and only working out for 30. Laaaaame.

I worked last night, and had a staff meeting at 7a. Work ended at 6a, so what did I do with that hour? Went for a run in the neighborhood by the hospital, of course. If I had tried to go the gym, I would have gotten 15 minutes MAX to workout, but running around by the hospital meant that I had about half an hour, which is definitely enough time for a good run. I am thinking that it was so easy, I should do it on my breaks too, and then just "dry shower" with baby powder before I go back to work....hmmm. We'll see when I get back on evenings next week. Back to the run this AM, I strapped on my blinky bike lights and hit the road. It was COLD, but it was GREAT! I need to run outside again every day for sure. Which would be good since we are trying to get a dog right now :)

So, the run was cold, but otherwise, felt good. A little slow, but good. I also felt pretty safe out there with my lights even though it was pretty dark, so I am thinking that I should definitely ride my bike to work, even for night shifts. Hmmm...that may start tonight :)

Also weird about the run is that my feet felt fine on the sidewalks, so maybe I just needed to get off the TM...still need new shoes, but it seems a little less urgent now. Phew.

Adding to how awesome today was: I am feeling very confident about my grad school application in spite of my GRE scores. I just hope all my recommendations get in soon....I am getting close to panic mode, but not quite there yet :)

And this is dumb, but for the first time EVER I got everything on my shopping list the first time at the grocery store today. We also went to Costco this week, so we really shouldn't need anything else for at least two weeks. Woo hoo!

So dog, school, work, shopping, and workout all led to a really good day! yay!

Run, run, as fast as you can

Ran outside and to the park today. Haven't done that run in a looooong time. It was great. I think I was going pretty fast, and got 3/4 up the stairs, which is way farther than I have gotten up them before. Those darn things are tough!! So started on Puget St, and then down to the short trail at Fraser St. From there went to Woburn and Iowa St. Hit the stairs, then through the park to the bridge, then went around the lower gorge trail along the water, and then back past the cemetery and home via Lakeway. It was probably about 4 miles. I feel like I was going faster than usual, and was finally able to run all of it, except the little part on and after the stairs.

At first when I got outside, I was very cold, so had to get moving to get warm. I knew once I got warm, I would have been too hot with more clothes on.

So...tomorrow the plan is to either ride my bike to run errands, or hit up the Y and do some swimming. My arms are still pretty sore from rowing on water (weird how erging doesn't make me sore)...so swimming makes me feel like I am working out and resting at the same time, if that makes any sense.

Today was the Super Bowl. I am glad I ran today so I feel less guilty about what I did eat at the party. I also ate lunch before we went to the party, so I wouldn't load up on party food. I waited until the end of the first quarter to hit the food/beer stash. I tried to eat a lot of veggies and real food, but by the end, I had loaded up on chips and dip. I don't really think that I ate too terribly, so that's good.

Outside again!

So I bought a smartwool neck gaiter that I'm using as a headband/ear cover, and I actually took it outside today. It was AMAZING! About 40 degrees out and clear, totally invigorating! Wow. I ran through the park and around to the cemetery. There's a long trail section that connects the park to the cemetery, and it used to take me 25 mins/half an hour to get there, and today, it took 14 minutes. That was great. Apparently the treadmill is working :) So now on clear days, I think I will take it outside, and do the treadmill in the rain. I still need a buddy for weights, but running alone is the thing I guess.

I ran 23 minutes all together, so apparently the section I run is about 2 miles. I used to think it was way longer because it took so long. Guess I need to add more to the run. I'll probably do a loop through the cemetery and more of the trails in the park once I am ready to add more to it. Those stairs still suck.

All together it was great to get back outside. Wore long pants, long sleeve purple, light vest, and smartwool band. I need better socks I think, the shoes ventilate a little too well for winter--smartwool for sure!