bruises on my shoulder

50 mins strength training
20 mins treadmill, 6.3

I blew through my strength training workout today, probably because I skipped the warm-up (which is bad). However, I did cycle to the gym so that counts as warm-up. I somehow got bruises on my shoulder, which I think are from the dumbbells I used when doing power squat shoulder presses. Running felt good today too - I think the orthotics make a difference for my body alignment.

yesterday cycle

Yesterday:

I cycled with the marathon team. Apparently we do about 22kms in a practice each evening. I led the half-marathon team up the hill to Prospect Point. I was racing with a few people here and there (just in fun, nothing serious), and I now realize how thrilling it is to race with other bikes. Cycling with others is a challenge because I push myself harder when I know I need to stay out front or keep pace with someone else. Incidentally, this one guy was quite keen on (and a bit of a blowhard about) maintaining a particular pace up the hill, so he went blowing by me at the bottom of the hill, but gave out about halfway up, where I passed him handily. Slow and steady wins the race.

cardio yesterday

Yesterday:
45 mins, stairmill, level 6
Abs and stretching

I'm getting bad at posting! Yesterday, it was just a short cardio session and then abs and stretching on the floor.

back at it

60 mins strength training

My focus this morning was upper body and abs, as I didn't feel like tiring out the legs before tonight's bike ride. Tonight, I will join the escort cyclists for our usual practice ride around Vancouver. It's probably about an hour and a half of leisurely cycling.

bike ride to burnaby

Yesterday, I headed out for a bike ride out to Burnaby and back so I was on my bike for a little more than an hour. Coming home was a pain in the ass as there was a direct headwind. I was going down hills and gearing down! Going out to Burnaby was like flying though.

best day ever

Saturday, best day ever on the mountain in thigh-burning powder and crystal clear blue skies. I am sunburnt.

Also, no exercise last week due to the fact that I had a respiratory infection of some kind. I finally went to the doctor, and she said that the reason I have been getting sick every four or five weeks is because I've had some kind of bacterial lung infection that never fully left my lungs. How lovely. Now I'm almost done a course of antibiotics and I'm hoping that means I am done with this.

why me?

Yesterday:
60 mins strength training

I was planning on adding cardio as well, but I wasn't feeling well. As the day progressed, I felt worse and worse. Today I feel achey and I'm coughing. Lately it feels as if I am constantly getting sick! It's probably a result of all those germs at the gym (or at work). I'm going to muscle through this one though, as it feels relatively mild.

saturday evening workout

60 mins, strength training
25 mins, hill intervals, stationary bike

Worked out Saturday evening and I am sore now. It is a different dynamic in the co-ed side of the gym on weekends in the late afternoon - it's busier that my usual weekday morning visits, and there are absolutely no women. I stuck out like a sore thumb in among the juice monkeys and lechers. Although I used to avoid the co-ed side of the gym like the plague, it now doesn't bother me at all to be over there.

on the elliptical

60 mins, elliptical trainer, reverse intervals

Just a boring cardio day, reading Maclean's magazine.

strength plus stretch

Strength training, 50 mins
75 mins, cycle commute

I'm getting through the routines faster because I now know them pretty well. They're getting easier, so I've been adding reps and/or extra weight to sets. I also like that the time I spend on strength allows me extra time for stretching at the end. It's always been an idea of mine to get some flexibility back into my body, but I've never committed because of time constraints. Now I spend time at the end of all my strength workouts stretching. It is good.

In the evening, I rode out to BCIT and back. It took about 35 minutes to get there, and a bit longer to come home because there was a slight headwind.

the time in between

60 mins, stairmill, level 6

Almost finished The Time In Between while on the stairmill this morning. My hamstrings are sore from yesterday, but it feels good. My ass is firming up - of all my body parts, my butt responds best to exercise. It may sound vain, but it's a fact. Tonight, I go with the marathon cycle team for our usual practice, typically a couple hours of fairly leisurely cycling with the only real exertion from doing the half-marathon route up the hill to Prospect Point.

1.5 hrs leisurely cycle with marathon cycle group in the evening. Cranked up the half-marathon route up Prospect Point.

no strength arms

60 mins strength training

It was a rough morning. Today, by my third set of chest presses, I could barely get the dumbbell in my left hand up to engage the muscles. My hamstrings are going to be sore again. I don't understand why my hamstrings are sore every time I do this particular strength set. I thought it was supposed to get easier. Of course it all felt good, but I feel this whole body weakness right now. Yesterday, I held a baby for about half an hour and when her mom took her back, I could barely lift up my cup to take a drink. Moms are strong.

stairmill saturday

Saturday:
60 mins, stairmill, level 6

It was just straight cardio, reading Macleans, and sweating. My shirt was completely soaked at the end.

gym workout

1 hr, strength training
15 mins, elliptical trainer

As expected, my hamstrings are very sore. Last night, I couldn't even pull my foot out of my shoe without pulling with my hands. I hit the gym this morning and did another strength training day. I'm definitely seeing gains in my strength and there is definition in my upper arms. One of my goals was to get skinny sculpted arms, but I'm realizing that my body isn't built like that. I'm getting definition and bulk, although I'm still pretty puny. I also weighed myself today on the usual scale at the gym, and I seem to be about 5lbs heavier than I was in December. Physically, I don't think I look any different, so I don't think I'm gaining fat, but that seems like it is a lot of muscle to have gained. Could it be muscle? Probably partially, but I'm guessing it is also at least partly due to the massive Chinese dinner my mom cooked for us last night still sitting in my digestive tract.

sore hamstrings

60 mins, strength training
70 mins, bike ride to Burnaby and back (combined total)
45 mins, brisk walk at lunch

I wouldn't normally count the walk, because I don't count my walking to and from work every day, but today I went at a pretty brisk pace and actually felt my heart rate go up. My hamstrings are already sore from this morning's workout, so I can't imagine how sore they will be tomorrow. And the bike ride was great. It took me about 35 minutes from my house to BCIT and about the same coming back. I like the feeling when I get into a rhythm on my bike, as if my blood is scouring my veins and arteries clean. Kind of weird, but it feels like my body is being cleaned when I ride.

bird alarm

60 mins, stairmill, steady pace

It looks like the bird outside my bedroom window is going to be a primary motivator over the coming weeks. I almost didn't go to the gym again because I was so tired this morning but then the tweeting started, and I couldn't sleep anymore so I made it to the gym. I am going faster on the stairmill than I was two weeks ago, thanks to my lungs finally catching up with my mental motivation. My butt is sore from these bench squat things I did yesterday. And my face looked like a beet after my hour of cardio, which I am certain freaks out all passersby ("Somebody call this girl an ambulance!").

weights

Strength training - approx 1 hour

Big break over the weekend. I almost didn't make it out of bed this morning with the time change and all, but after my alarm went off and I decided not to go to the gym, all I could hear was this stupid bird outside the window tweeting over and over. So I got up and headed down to the gym to race through one of my strength training workouts. It was hard work today. I'm hoping to get cardio in this evening.