orngesodalampst

The Monkey Bar Gym has been closed during the week because of Summerfest, which means all my krav and boxing classes have been cancelled. My muay thai instructor and I talked about doing some outdoor exercises in its place; but it was nearly 100 degrees with full sun and incredibly high humidity these past 3 days, so that was out. In fact, I went for a walk on my lunch break on Friday afternoon and felt sick for the rest of the day from the heat. I was hoping then to get some hiking, running, or rocking climbing in on Saturday or Sunday, and to make it to a krav or hot yoga class on Sunday; but none of these things worked out. The heat prevented me from being able to do any outdoor activities, and no one was able to go rock climbing with me. Saturday I went up to Baraboo with Jennifer Koss to do some hiking and swimming at Pewit's Nest, but because it was so hot, we didn't end up doing a lot of the former. But I got home so late and was so exhausted from the heat (also, my shou...

Tonight I went to pole level 6 class, ran for 45 minutes, and then stretched/did conditioning for about 30-40 minutes. Then I spent a good 10 minutes rolling my body out with a tennis ball because I was so sore, and you know what? It worked. It got out all of my shin splits and calf pains. Woo hoo! I've been wanting to fit in a run all week so that I don't lose my progress (it's been over a week since I last ran), but it's been raining almost all week and I frankly have been too tired from other activities. I'm trying to make a concentrated effort to not overdo it, and my calves have been killing me all week. Anyway, I didn't post the progress from my last running experience, so I'll add that first. Both that time and this time I ran after a late night class around the neighborhood and down the path. Last time I averaged 8 minutes and maxed at 13 minutes, breaking the 1 mile mark . Both times I was averaging about a 12 minute mile, which has been consist...

I bought my first pair of cross training shoes last week: They're both my first pair of Nike's and first cross trainers. And they are possibly the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. It's a shame I can't use them outdoors because they're so much more comfortable than anything else I own. I bought them after seeing Naz, my krav maga instructor, wearing them, as well as a few other krav/boxing students. I figured if I was going to keep doing combat sports, I should probably get a pair; and frankly, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I freaking love them.

Lea and Maggie want me to go running with them, so I asked Lea to go out with me this weekend since Maggie is out of town with Mark. I haven't done any running in a while (2-3 weeks at least), so I figured I better do it again to make sure I don't regress too much. Lea ended up cancelling, but I decided to go out and do it anyway. I really need to get out of my headspace and make some dedicated time to just relax in nature. I literally missed all of spring this year because I couldn't get out of my own head and pay attention to what was happening around me. I remember seeing exactly 1 daffodil, 2 tulips, a few lilacs, and the magnolia trees in Whitnall park... all only during fleeting glances. I don't remember seeing any flowers, even though I know they obviously came and passed; and I never saw a single plum, cherry, or crab apple tree blooming. I apparently missed everything, and when I start thinking about it, it's really upsetting. Spring is one of my favorite...

Running I bought a new pair of sneakers a few weeks ago for running (I needed sneakers anyway) and went for a "run" last week in Whitnall Park. They opened a new trail behind the Rock that connects with the ones behind the archery range, and I decided to explore. It turned out to be a lovely trail, but it was really long and poorly labeled. On more than one occasion I was worried I was going to get stuck in the woods past dark and have to call someone. I didn't, and while I don't actually know how long of a walk it was, I'd guess about 5 miles. I ran a decent portion of that, where it was feasible. I was pretty proud of myself because I was able to consistently run non-stop for 1.5-2 minutes at a time. Considering the previous week I was only able to run 15 seconds, it was a significant improvement. I'm guessing I just needed to get my body used to it once and the strength and endurance I had built up took over after that. Pole Not much to talk about here...