Running and Hiking

Last week was a super low mileage week. It was hot. I spent a lot of time in the pool and not running or hiking or even walking. It was way too hot for the Moon Dog, so I didn't even get those miles. Now that the heat is a little more tolerable, I wanted to get in some more miles.

Sunday I went for a run. It was a beautiful morning, and I did about 3 miles. It felt good. I zoned out and just enjoyed the nature around me. I remembered to stretch after, which is something I forget regularly. I've been trying to be better about it. My foot has been bothering me a little, and I know it's because my legs are tight.

Today I went for a hike with a friend. The trail we wanted to do was blocked by road work, so we went to Devil's Gulch. I haven't been on that trail in a few years. It's a really nice hike. Mostly downhill on the way out. We ended up going out to a pond instead of the gulch, and we took a different trail out to avoid going up the stone stairs. They are brutal even on the way down.

It's summer in Vermont, so there were a bunch of deer flies on our way back. Even so, it was an awesome hike. I am so happy I can be active again. I missed it so much.

There's the pond!

Leg Day and Patterns.

Happy 4th!

We decided today would be a day for home improvements and chilling in the pool. I really wanted to do a long lifting workout. I haven't done a good leg day workout in a while, so I decided on lower body lifts with pattern practice in between sets.

It was such a good workout. I love leg day, and I really enjoy patterns. I haven't done any TKD in a long time. Now classes are on summer break, and I do not want to fall behind. I remembered them better than I expected to, but it was easy to spot the ones that need the most work. I did Do San more than the rest. It is my weakest pattern. I don't know why. It just won't stick.

Now it's time for a pool workout with the kiddos. I love summer!

Slowly but Surely.

Last week was a crazy week. My last real workout was my long run on June 23rd. 

Yeah... it's been a while.

I was very active last week. I spent days working with 10-15 year olds at my summer theatre camp. No downtime during camp week. There's barely time to eat! 

I spent the evenings in the pool with my kiddos. We've been doing our "water workouts" which usually consist of running or swimming around the pool to create a whirlpool. Then we try to swim against the current. It is so much fun. 

I spent some time working on my breathing. I really want to get better at swimming. I can swim forever, but I can't crawl or breathe. I held onto the edge and put my face in the water. I tried to practice turning my head and breathing without lifting my face out of the water. It didn't go super well, but there was some improvement near the end. I would like to go swimming somewhere this week and try to put it all together. The only way I'll get better is if I practice. 

It's been super hot (for Vermont) and humid this week. Today was slightly better, and I decided to squeeze in some exercise. I took Moon Dog for a very short walk. It's still way too hot for big, black puppies to be out for very long. He was happy to get outside, though, and we stayed in the shady spots. 

I wanted to do more, but I had very little time. I decided to do terminators. Now, back on June 14th I wrote about my first round of terminators, and I said I would be doing them weekly and timing myself to see if I improved. Ha! 

It's been a few weeks since then. Oh well. Try, try again. Let's see if I can start doing them weekly. It may or may not happen, but I'll at least do them occasionally and see how I am doing. 

I wasn't sure how they would go this time. It's still hot out, and there is no AC in my gym. I wasn't expecting to do very well. 

I got it done. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fast, but I did all 165 reps. I beat my first time. By a lot. The first try I took breaks, but I needed breaks. I was breathing heard, and my heart was racing. This time my breaks were a lot shorter. I'd pause for an extra breath or two and then keep going. When I started feeling sick a few years ago, I stopped pushing, and I think gaining this back has been one of the best things about having the surgery. I can push through more and withstand more. I'm starting to feel strong again. It's a major confidence booster and something I needed very much.

My first time was 8:47. Today 6:48. Almost two minutes faster. And it felt better, too. I'm making improvements. Slowly but surely.