Week 5

January 28- Run 3.5 miles

It seems like the longer the month goes on, the more I fall away from the calendar I put together for myself. More specifically, the mileage I am supposed to increase by each day has seemed to be a longer-term goal than I thought. Today I ran 3.5 miles and it felt fairly easy.

I want to make sure I’m increasing mileage to maintain that distance, not just a goal I hit once or twice a month. So, I think for February, I need to make my goal to run 4 miles two times a week and bike on Fridays to recover from the longer distances.

There’s so much to add to the February calendar, and I only have three days to do it! Wish me luck.

January 29- Full body circuit

I ended up going to the gym around 8pm tonight… what a mistake. The place was PACKED! Every time there was a machine open I needed to use, I would hurry up and clean the one I was on. Before I could get over there someone else had already claimed it.

This was super annoying, so instead I modified my workout: stairclimber for 10 minutes, bicep curl machine (10 reps, 5 sets on 25 pounds), shoulder press machine (10 reps, 4 sets on 25 pounds), and finally bench press machine (10 reps, 3 sets, 50 pounds). I opted to do my core workout at home, due to lack of space on the mats.

Although this isn’t my normal routine, it felt like enough to get a decent workout in. Glad I was able to compromise and come up with another circuit to try!

January 30- Run 3 miles

Today I got strategic with my schedule, and actually think I might change it for the rest of this quarter. I ended up going to the gym around 5:20 tonight and got in a 3 mile run while waiting for Alex to get done with his class around 5:50. I usually pick him up from campus anyway, so it was nice to still be able to pick him up but squeeze a run in after homework and before dinner.

I took this run a little slower, with a mile pace of 9:13. It felt good to slow it down a bit and feel in control of my breathing. I was surprised how much easier the first couple of miles were. Usually I start off with an 8:40 mile time and am winded about a mile and a half in. I’m really bad at pacing myself, especially when it comes to running longer distances. But tonight I felt in control and it felt good!

January 31- Full body circuit

After my 8am marketing class I hit the gym and got an hour workout in, focusing on arms and legs. I tried a few new arm machines this time around, working on pull ups with an assist. It’s always really intimidating to try new machines, I always seem to think “what if I mess up and do it wrong, everyone’s going to notice and judge me…” This mindset KILLS me! I hate getting in my head like that, but somehow it happens every once in awhile. I was able to talk myself out of that negative mindset and actually really enjoyed using the new machines. I’m going to continue to use these and work on my pull up form.

February 1- Bike

I am so sore from my workout yesterday. I can barely lift my arms above my chest and my legs feel so sore. After my test this morning I made a quick stop at the gym to bike for 20 minutes and used the stair climber for about 5 minutes. I can’t believe how tired my body feels!

Today was definitely an easy workout day, as I want to make sure I’m giving my body enough time to recover and heal itself. Hopefully I’m not too sore tonight for The Green concert!! Can’t wait to head down to Seattle and see them at the Showbox later.

February 2- rest

Today I ended up taking a rest day. My arms were so sore I had a hard time sleeping last night because of it. I haven’t been this sore in such a long time! I’m definitely not complaining, but I was a little worried about how sore I was.

I need to start making sure I stretch after my workouts, hopefully this will help aid in the shorter recovery period. I can’t wait to hit the gym again and try the new machines I used last time!

February 3- Rest

Today was a rest day as well, with so much homework to catch up on and balancing meeting with a couple different people to study I wasn’t able to make it out to the gym. Not to mention the snow down pour all day today, making it a little harder to get to and from campus.

It felt really good taking an extra day to recover and rest from the gym. Can’t wait to get back at it tomorrow and run for a bit!