September

I am proud of what I have done throughout the month of August. I have gotten more running in than I have the past couple of months and I feel a lot healthier and confident because of it. I have recently had a lot more time on my hands with classes being out and working a part time job. While I am sure all of this has helped in my motivation to run, I believe my mindset has also played a role in this.

Towards the end of August I got back into running longer distances. As I started running a consistent 3 or more miles, I stopped worrying about my mile time. It finally dawned on me that every time I would go for a run I felt like I needed to race myself. I think this comes from my cross country and track background in high school. I finally stopped worrying about how long a run was taking me and instead am learning to enjoy the freedom of being outdoors in the sunshine, slowing down when I need to, and pushing myself to go longer distances at a longer pace.

Taking the pressure off myself makes me excited to go for a run and find new routes to take. I am continuing to enjoy all the running I am able to do outside and am already starting to dread the treadmill running that I know is around the corner as fall approaches.

Before laying out my goals for September, I want to take some time and reflect on the goals I set for myself for August. As a refresher, here were my goals for August: sign up for a race, run at least one four mile run a week, and keep arms toned at the gym.

Alright, signing up for a race did NOT happen! I looked into quite a few, but couldn’t believe how expensive they are!! Right now, I do not have an extra $50-$60 to drop on a race… Maybe once I have a more solid income this will change. Towards the end of August I was getting 3.5 to 4 miles in. Finally, keeping my arms toned at the gym was a hard one to accomplish due to the fact that the cyst on my wrist came back and was actually starting to cause me some pain. Instead, I tried to incorporate some ab workouts that would also work on my arms (like planks and mountain climbers).

As I look back on my goals for August, most of them did not get accomplished until the end of the month. I am hoping this changes in September! I want to start working towards my goals right away. With this being said, here are my September goals:

Run AT LEAST every other day, hitting 3 or more miles
Keep up with abs on the days I am not running
Really focus on keeping a positive and motivated mindset
STRETCH after run and make sure to take care of muscles

Monthly stats

September was a good month for working out. Week 37 was a little on the lazy side with four rest days, but other than that I am happy with the work I put in this month!

Week 23

June 3rd- 2.7 Mile Run

Lake Padden Run BABY!! I was able to get out and enjoy the nice weather today by doing a quick loop around Lake Padden.

Today I decided to run the trail the opposite way I normally do. It was interesting to see how new the route felt and how fast it went by because of a new perspective of all the scenery.

This is also the first time I have ran in awhile and I couldn’t believe how freeing it felt. I’m not sure if this was exactly the “runners high” or just because I haven’t run in awhile. Either way, it felt really good to get out and enjoy the fresh air and sun.

I could definitely feel my lungs were unconditioned. This was apparent after my run when I got in the car to leave and my diaphragm felt like it was burning. This is normally the feeling I get when I haven’t run in awhile…. something I need to break the habit of!

GET OUT AND RUN!!!

This is going to be my motto for the week and I am going to stick to it for this whole week and the following week of finals.

June 4th- Rest

Today, again, was filled with group meetings and finishing up group projects. I met with one of my groups for three hours to work on video we need to submit Wednesday night. Before I knew it, it was 5pm and I was headed home to finish up some work for another class. It is that point in the quarter where crunch time starts to take over my entire day. I have been on the go since 9am and the time is starting to catch up with me.

I am the type of person who likes to get things done early, unfortunately a lot of people don’t function this way and it is starting to get to me and stressing me out. Once this week is over I will be home free for a couple weeks before the start of summer quarter hits. I can’t wait to have some time off to refocus and get on a solid running schedule before summer quarter hits.

June 5th- Bike and Run

This morning was a weird mix of a workout. I rolled out of bed and reluctantly headed straight for the gym. I got there feeling tired and not fully awake yet, so I decided to hop on the bike for a bit. I got about 10 minutes in and was feeling board of not moving anywhere and staying stationary. I decided to move to the treadmill and got a little over a mile in. This transition from bike to treadmill felt really weird on my thighs and made my legs supper tired for my run.

It probably wasn’t the best mix of exercises, but I was having a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do at the gym today! I also finally made my June calendar for the month, so I am hoping that will help alleviate some of the uncertainty and lack of motivation to workout.

June 6th- Rest

I decided to take my rest day today instead of Saturday. I got done with my presentation and decided to take the rest of the day off. It was. It was nice to get this break, but I need to make sure I hold myself accountable this weekend and hit the gym!

June 7th- 2.7 mile run

I ran to Fairhaven Park and back this morning. I got out of the apartment around 10:00 am and was surprised at how good it felt to run somewhat early in the day. The cold air felt good as it hit my face and filled my lungs.

When I got back home, I felt refreshed and ready to start my day. This was the best feeling! As it starts to get warmer out, I am hoping to try and get more of these morning runs in. I usually have a hard time getting up in the mornings, but if I get on a good schedule I am hoping it will become a part of my everyday routine.

June 8th- 20 min bike ride and weight lifting

Today was gym day, as I decided to take my rest day on Thursday. As I was biking, I decided I wanted to try and lift weights again to see whether or not that cyst would be affected.

I decided to use 10 pound dumbbells and do my normal bicep workout. It felt really good and I didn’t notice my cyst hurting. I am hoping the cyst doesn’t get bigger and I can continue to tone my arms again.

Overall, today was a good workout day. I felt accomplished picking up the weights again and am looking forward to hopefully integrating dumbbells back into my workouts.

June 9th- Rest

I ended up spending most of the day studying for my final on Tuesday and tying up loose ends in another class. It was a day well spent preparing for Tuesday. I can’t wait to get this test over with and have a week break until summer classes begin!

Week 19

May 6- Rest

Today was stressful and instead of doing what I told myself I would when I get stressed (i.e. go to the gym) I skipped and continued to stress for my OPS 360 test I have tomorrow.

I ended up studying most of the day in between my classes. I should have made time to go to the gym and run off my stress, but I thought studying was more important. As I look back at my previous months, this seems to be something I continue to struggle with: figuring out when I should run because I am so stressed. Instead I tend to hone in on how stressed I am and often forget that running with make me feel better. Just the idea of going on a run stresses me out even more… How do I get out of this mindset? I need to work on this and really be mindful of it in the next couple of weeks to try and make a habit out of it.

May 7- 2.54 mile run

Today was so beautiful out!! It was mid 60’s and sunny which means time to run outside! I actually ended up convincing Alex to run Lake Padden with me. We took it slower (as he isn’t as much of a runner compared to me). It felt really good to get outside and soak up the sun. I know Alex wasn’t too thrilled about the run, but it felt good to have a running buddy for once.

To treat ourselves, we ended up going to a movie later that night and saw the new Avengers. I am not caught up with the other movies, but overall I thought it was pretty good.

Today felt really good to not only get outside, but also spend time doing something we both wanted to do: I got my run and Alex got his movie.

May 8- 30 minute bike ride

Tonight I opted to bike instead of run. I ordered new running shoes, which were delivered today, but I wanted my first run with them to be outside and not on a treadmill. I can’t wait to try them out tomorrow!

One thing I want to do with these shoes is track how many miles I put on them. This is something we would occasionally do in high school, but I think it would be fun to do again. I have a feeling it might be a good motivational tool to use in the future!

May 9- 2.54 miles

Wow was it warm out today! As I sit out on the deck in the sun to write this, I am starting to sweat which is actually a bummer as I just got out of the shower after my run around Lake Padden.. Might need to take another one later tonight.

I got done with classes around 4 and texted Alex asking if he wanted to go on another run around the lake. To my surprise, he said yes! So him and I headed over to the lake and ran the 2.5 miles. It was fairly warm out when running, but luckily most of Padden is shaded.

As it starts to get warmer out, it is going to be important to start drinking more water and staying hydrated throughout the day. While this is something to keep in mind, I do want to take a second to acknowledge my difference in my workout habits this week compared to the last few. I have been trying to hold myself more accountable to getting out and being active everyday. I am going to try and keep this habit up for the rest of this quarter and into summer as well.

May 10- Rest

Today was gorgeous! Not having classes made today that much better. Alex and I went out to Fairhaven Park for a picnic lunch and some time in the sun. Before we knew it, we had been out there for a little over and hour and were ready to get out of the sun for awhile.

We also went back out later in the evening to stroll around Fairhaven and check out Boulevard Park. There were a lot of people out, but is was really nice to make it back outside for a bit after dinner and walk around. Although I didn’t run today, I still feel like I got a workout in by walking so much and being outdoors. I know I took a break from running today, but it still felt good to get outside, walk around, and enjoy the sun and fresh air.

Tomorrow I am planning on doing a longer run, hopefully around 4 miles or so. This will be good as I have been mainly sticking to 2.54 miles around Lake Padden.

May 11- Rest

It has been awhile since I have updated the portion of my blog and I honestly can’t remember if I went to the gym this day. Because of that, I am going to assume I took another rest day. I need to get better at updating this everyday, but the last couple of weeks have been really busy with classes and a social life.

May 12- Rest

Again, since I did not keep up with updating on a daily basis I can’t remember what I did last week. I am going to try and get better at this.

May

I can’t believe how fast April went! As I look back at what I did this month, here are some highlights I wanted to point out:

Longest run: 3.6 miles
Increased the weight on dumbbells to 12.5 pounds on each side

With progress comes things I still need to work on: I took WAY too many rest days this month… about 2 or 3 a week. This is too many and I need to hold myself more accountable to my workouts. It is always hard to fall into a solid routine at the start of the quarter, but now that we are about a month in getting to the gym should start to become easier.

As I focus solely on running, due to that ganglion cyst on my wrist.. bummer 😦 I want to make sure I continue to increase my millage. By the end of April I want to be running around 4.5 miles consistently; meaning at least two times a week.

As it starts to get nicer out, I will be able to run outside and push myself to find new routes and easily get in a four mile run.

Another goal I have for this month is to hike a lot. I am hoping at least once every two weeks if not more. Many of these hikes will have to be local, as Mt. Baker is still too snowy.

I can’t wait to see what results May will bring me, especially as we start nearing swimsuit season!!

Monthly stats

May seemed to be full of rest days, especially during weeks 18-20. The majority of these weeks were rest days. But I did finish the month out strong on week 21 with a steady week of workouts. I’m hopeful this will NOT be the case for June!

Week 14

April 1- Rest

Happy April Fool’s! Today is Monday and the day before spring quarter starts. I decided to not go to the gym until tomorrow, as Alex has to buy the gym pass and it won’t activate until tomorrow. Today was spent reading through syllabi, getting notebooks ready, and trying to memorize by schedule.

Hoping this quarter goes as smooth as the last one did. I am also looking forward to the warmer and sunnier weather towards the end of this month and into May.

April 2- Run 3.1

The first day of classes went well, so I decided to hit the gym on my way home. I got done with classes around 4 and was done at the gym around 4:40. Usually I don’t like going around this time, as this seems to be the peak time where everyone is at the gym, but when I am only using the treadmill, it really isn’t that bad.

This run was definitely a little harder than I remember, since it has been over a week and a half since I last ran or worked out at all. This feeling is always bitter-sweet. I hate how much harder workouts become after taking time off, but when the workout is over the sore muscles is a nice reminder why I should be trying to workout every day.

I have a feeling this week will more of a challenge to go to the gym everyday as I have a whole new schedule to work around. By the end of this week, I should have a better idea of what my weeks will look like and be able to put together a gym schedule for this quarter.

April 3- Rest

After class today, I felt overwhelmed by all the information given out in classes. I decided to not go to the gym, but instead focus my time on organizing my planner and figuring out what is due when.

I still need to make a schedule for April. Hopefully I can get around to this sometime this upcoming weekend.

April 4- Full body circuit

After classes ended at 4, I hit the gym to do my arms and legs workout. I took it a little easier today since it has been so long since using weights. I used the 10 pound dumbbells and the stair climber. It felt good using these muscles again.

It feels good starting to get back into a good routine after taking so much time off over spring break. It makes me start to wonder what summer will be like, I am thinking I might need to get a gym membership somewhere around my house to do my weight workouts!

April 5- Rest

It’s Friday and that means no classes! Welcome to four day weeks and three day weekends!! Today I spent the day sleeping in, doing some homework, and then headed down to Seattle to spend the evening and weekend with my family. My grandma had a heart attack earlier last week and this weekend we are going to go visit her in Wenatchee.

April 6- Day trip to Wenatchee

The drive over to Wenatchee seemed to take forever, we ended up hitting some snow at the top of Stevens Pass which got the nerves pumping and after that it was dumping rain the rest of the way. We got to Wenatchee around 12, just in time to join my grandma for lunch. The afternoon was spent socializing and eventually time for dinner.

My family ended up going out to a local pub in downtown Wenatchee called Saddle Rock Pub and Brewery. The food there was SOOOO good! I would definitely recommend their pizza, salads, starters, and of course their beer. I also really liked this sign they had on one of their walls:

We got home from Wenatchee around 9:30pm. After the long day, we were all fairly tired and worn out from the 6 hours of being on the road. It was good to see my grandma, and I am glad she is doing okay after being in the hospital.

April 7- Back up to Bham

Back up to Bellingham I go. I feel like I have done so much driving lately. Between our trip to Spokane and the back and fourth from Wenatchee and Bellingham I am exhausted from driving! It will be good to be back in Bellingham where everything is accessible by bus or walking.

I used to day as a personal day. I got back up to Bellingham, did some homework, and just relaxed for the day. I am going to make sure I get on a consistent schedule this upcoming week and try to get around to making an overall schedule for April this week.

April

March was not too successful with the whole gym workout thing. As sit here and browse through my March weekly reports, two weeks of March were spent trying to recover from the flu and before I knew it, March was over and spring break was here. I only worked out about a week or two in March, but I am hoping to change that this month. With that being said, I need to work on a few things:

This month, I want to make sure I apply myself when I go to the gym. I need to make sure I continue to work hard every time I go to the gym and get the most out of the workouts I do.
Another thing I want to work on this month is staying motivated and making sure I make it to the gym 6 days out of the week. While this might seem like overkill, going to the gym acts as a stress reliever and this is something that will come in handy as classes start to pick up and midterms draw closer.

Here is my plan for the month:

Monday– Long run (at least 3.1 miles)
Tuesday– Full body circuit
Wednesday– Run
Thursday– Full body circuit
Friday– Rest
Saturday– Run/ bike
Sunday– Full body circuit

I am excited to see what this month will bring and the results that will follow!

Monthly stats

April looks like it was consistent across the board. There was a good mix of gym, run, and rest days, meaning I’m starting to find a good schedule to these workouts in each week. I wonder if the warmer weather has anything to do with this…

Week 12

March 18- Finance Final

It’s Monday and I am ready to get this finance final over with. My final is not until 3:30, so I spent most of the day studying and preparing for it. It is also one of my roommates birthdays, so I am planning on celebrating after my final is over.

Update: the final went well and now it’s time to celebrate! We took our roommate out for pizza and beer. It was chill and a great way to spend the evening.

Because of today’s crazy schedule, I didn’t make it to the gym. I was looking at the weather for tomorrow and it looks like it will be 67 and sunny. I can’t wait to get outside and run in the sun! It is going to feel so good getting out and running in the fresh air instead of the stuffy gym.

March 19- 2.5 miles around Lake Padden

WOW was it beautiful today! Alex and I started our morning off with brunch at Mt. Bakery Cafe in Fairhaven, WA. It was our first time there and it definitely didn’t disappoint! I am hoping to post pictures of it in the photography section later this week!

After brunch, was walked around Fairhaven for a bit and made our way down to Boulevard Park. It’s only 11 and already getting warm, it feels good getting a taste of spring weather.

After our food coma wears off, the plan is to do a slow jog around Lake Padden (as Alex and I are both VERY out of shape from being sick). I am excited to have the opportunity to not only spend time with Alex today, but also get out and go for a run while enjoying the sunny weather while we have it!

Lake Padden was a success, we ran 2 miles and walked the last 1/2 miles in the 70 degree, sunny weather. It was way warmer than I thought it was going to be, I was overheating in a long sleeve. I think next time I run outside I might need to break out shorts and a tank top… What a weird thing to even think about, as it was just snowing two weeks ago!

March 20- Rest

Today I decided to take a rest day as I was studying for finals and getting ready for Friday’s endeavors. I did do a quick ab workout tonight. It seemed a little more challenging than normal. I need to get back in a better routine of doing this, as it only take 2.5 minutes.

Tomorrow I am going to run Lake Padden again, I feel like I need to redeem myself from walking the last 1/2 miles on Tuesday. Can’t wait to get back out there and enjoy the sun!

March 21- 3.1 miles around Lake Padden

I decided to run the lake going the opposite direction I normally do. By doing this, it allows me to run a little over 1/2 of a mile extra around the lake before ending up at my car. I am able to rerun the flat 0.3 miles that I run at the beginning of the trail and back which gets me to an even 3.1 millage.

I was really motivated to run today and actually got really good times! I finished in 27 minutes and 44 seconds with an average mile pace of 8:55. This seemed fairly fast for me, as I am usually running a constant 9:20 mile on the treadmill. I guess this just goes to show how important it is to push myself harder on the days I am stuck at the gym on the treadmill due to weather. Fortunately, I don’t think this will be an issue as spring time draws closer!

It felt really good pushing myself. I usually try to take it slower on the uphills and speed down the downhills, but today I pushed myself on both parts. This was a challenge, as the uphill killed my lungs. I could feel the burning in my chest from my lungs trying to push oxygen throughout my body and it felt really good! I haven’t felt that feeling since running races back in cross country during high school.

I was in a racing mindset today. I could feel myself pushing past the burning in my legs and lungs and it felt really good. It made me miss racing competitively. This is the mindset I want to have during all my runs. I am not quite sure what made me more competitive today, maybe it has to do with being sick and not going to the gym as often I have wanted to these past couple of weeks.

I am excited for what the rest of this week will bring for my running, I am hoping to maintain this mindset and continue to push myself for better times and longer distances. I want to get up to running 4 or more miles again, but being sick really set me back. Hopefully by the first week in April I will be back to the longer runs.

March 22- Psychology and Marketing Finals

This morning was packed with back to back finals from 8am until 12pm. After these tests I was pretty tired and decided to take the day off from the gym. I finally made it to spring break and I can’t wait to go to Vegas with my family and then head over to Spokane to see a friend at Gonzaga!

This spring break will be very busy and I don’t think I will be able to make it to the gym most of this week… But I am excited to spend time with family and friends!

March 23- Packing day

The plan is to head home to Seattle tomorrow, so today was spent relaxing and slowly packing for my trip. I also just found a great show on Netflix called Scandal which I have been binge watching today.

I am excited to head home tomorrow and see everyone again!

March 24- Home to Seattle

Today was spent driving home and catching up with my family. I am hoping to run Green Lake tomorrow in the morning before we fly out on Tuesday to Vegas.

I can already tell this week will be too packed to make it to the gym, but I am going to make sure to run tomorrow to get one last workout in before the week picks up!

Week 10

March 4- Full body circuit

This week I am switching up my weekly routine: body circuit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and running on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

With that being said, tonight I worked on my arms with the dumbbells and legs with the stair climber. My body felt very tired from the weekend and I could tell I wasn’t putting all my effort into this workout. I’m hoping tomorrow my body will be well rested!

March 5- Run 3.4 miles

It was so sunny today, so I knew I had to run outside! Of course I had to go to Lake Padden. Last time I was there over half the lake trail was iced over to the point where I had to walk/ slide through the trail.

Today wasn’t much different… I got about 1.5 miles in and the trails started turning to ice. I actually ended up slipping and falling. I got back up, turned around, and headed for the clear part of the trail I had just run. After running a total of 3.4 miles, I got in my car and my shoulder and left thigh started to ache. I ended up cutting up my thigh and think I might have fallen weird on my shoulder. In the moment I didn’t notice I had injured myself, but once I got in the car and started warming up is when I noticed I might have hurt myself.

We will have to see how I feel tomorrow and figure out if I will be okay to go weight lifting tomorrow at the gym.

March 6- Rest

I woke up with my thigh aching and shoulder feeling a little worn out. Because of this, I decided to take the day off and give myself some time to rest and heal. I don’t want to turn a fall into a more serious injury. I’m hoping tomorrow I can get to the gym to complete my full body circuit!

March 7- Full body circuit

Today I switched up my routine. I still focused on arms and legs, but tried new machines instead of dumbbells. I had tried these machines back in January when first starting my new workout plan. I remember not liking them too much as I felt I was straining my muscles instead of strengthening them. This time around was was different! The machines actually felt really good and I didn’t feel like I was straining myself at all. Honestly, I think it is because I built up how much weight I can lift, so lifting 25lbs on the machines was just enough to get my muscles fired up and working.

I’m excited to see what results I will be able to accomplish this March. The weather should start getting nicer, meaning I will be able to start running outside again!! I can’t wait to take up the old routes down to Boulevard Park and around Lake Padden!

March 8- Flu 😦

Today I woke up and felt really tired. I tried to shake it off and make it to my 8am, but wasn’t able to get out of bed. EVERYTHING hurt!! I have really bad body aches, a sore throat, a temp of 102, and keep going between chills and sweats. I think it’s safe to say I will be sleeping most of the day….

Update: I did end up sleeping almost all day. I had to meet with a group from 10-12. Once that was over, I went home crawled in bed and slept from 1pm through 12pm the next day. I woke up every so often to eat and drink, but mostly spent my time in my bed.

It sucks, this is the weekend Alex’s family is supposed to come up to celebrate our birthdays. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be able to make it… sleep might be the better option in order to kick this thing before dead week this week and finals next week.

March 9- Flu Cont.

Honestly, I’m not feeling much better than I did yesterday. All I want to do is sleep and try to stay warm. I slept most of today as well, made sure I was drinking a lot of liquids, and eating some food to help keep my strength up. I’m hoping today will be the worst of it so I can start preparing for quizzes, projects, and presentations for next week.

March 10- Flu Cont.

Still not feeling too hot, I am starting to get to the point where I don’t need to take Dayquil and Nyquil every second I get. My cough it getting worse, but I guess this will supplement as my ab workout for awhile!?!? My goal is try to sleep as much as I can and get my body well before this next week picks up… I’m already getting really tired of being sick!

Week 9

February 25- 3.45 mile run

It was so nice out today! It was about 40 degrees and sunny, so of course I decided to run outside. It is so easy to get in the rut of running on the treadmill so being able to get outside was much needed. I did my favorite route from my apartment to Boulevard Park.

The route seemed shorter than I remembered. Maybe I’m just more in shape this time around while running it? It was almost 3.5 miles, and it felt good! It makes me yearn for spring and summer where I can go run outside everyday!

February 26- Full body workout

I hit the gym and was able to successfully complete my entire workout. I ran a mile around the track, did my arms, and finished off with my legs. I am still working towards doing a pull up. It is taking longer than I thought it would to build up to it. It is a little disappointing, but I know with more training I will be able to get there! I am hoping to keep the motivation to keep pushing myself to work towards this goal.

I can’t wait to see the progress I will make in March!

February 27- Rest

I didn’t take the time to get out and run today. Instead, I spent the time catching up on class work. It is that time in the quarter where classes start picking up again with finals and prep for finals in three weeks. It felt good to take time to get on top of my classes.

February 28- Full body circuit

Today I got to the gym around 5pm. It was a little busier than I thought it was going to be. I was able to finally get the dumbbells and complete my arm workout. This is starting to feel easy with the 10 pound weights, I am thinking I might need to increase to 12.5 soon! I also got a solid leg workout in with a few of the machines. I am still working towards a pull up and decided to push myself a little harder and complete another rep than I normally do. This means I did three sets of five instead of two. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot, but I am making progress and working towards a full pull up.

March 1- Run 3.62 miles

It was hard to get motivated to run today. I pushed myself to head to the gym and was really glad I did! I hopped on the treadmill, got into a good rhythm, put on a Netflix episode, and started running. This was the first time I have ever watched something on my phone while running and it made the time go by really fast. Before I knew it, I had already run 3 miles!

I was amazed at how easy this run felt today. It proved to me how important it is to train your mind when running. Many times I end my runs with the idea that I went far enough because I am out of breath and tired. In reality, it seems like I should be pushing myself further knowing my body can handle it. If I change this mindset, I believe I will be more happy with how far I am running and the results I am achieving.

March 2- Rest

Today my parents came up to celebrate my birthday a day early with me. We spent the day stocking up on food, celebrating with champagne, and going out to dinner at the marina in Bellingham.

It was a fun day spent with my family, and because of that I decided to take the day off from running. With my 21st birthday being tomorrow, I think I may take tomorrow off as well. It will be my cheat weekend, but come Monday I will be at the gym running off all the food and drinks acquired over the weekend!!

March 3- Birthday rest day

It’s my 21st birthday and it was a day well spend with Alex and friends. I went got coffee with some friends and had dinner with Alex at Boundary Bay (one of my favorite restaurants in Bellingham!)

We spent the night eating good food and tying a bunch of different kinds of beer. I’m excited for next weekend to continue the celebrations next weekend!

Week 8

February 18- Full body circuit

It’s Monday and my workout schedule has been flipped due to skipping my rest day yesterday. I added walking on the stair climber to my leg workout and it felt really good! I could feel my legs burning and I loved the little motivational blurbs the machine gave. By the time I was done, I had climbed the equivalent of the Pyramid of Giza! It was cool to compare my progress to a real life equivalent.

February 19- Bike

Today I opted to bike instead of run. I biked for about 20 minutes and called it a day. I was sweating, got my heart rate up, and the legs were burning. Overall, I would call this a good enough workout for the day.

I am looking forward to having a rest day tomorrow. My body is starting to feel like it needs one. I also can’t wait to get this finance midterm over with tomorrow and have the rest of the week to relax and catch up on other class work.

February 20- Rest day

I was happy to choose today as my rest day. I got through my midterm, got some other class work done, and took some time to relax.

February 21- 3.4 mile run

Today I went to Lake Padden to run. The sun was shinning and I couldn’t wait to feel the crisp air on my face and in my lungs.

I was a little disappointed about half a mile into this run. The trail turned into an ice rink. For the next two miles I was forced to walk, as it was way too icy and dangerous to try and run. There were a few time times where I almost fell and when finishing my run I could tell my left knee felt strained from the ice.

From the 3.4 miles, I probably only ran about 2.25 and walked the rest. It still felt good to get out, but I do wish I was able to have run the whole thing without all the ice. Below are some photos I took as I made my way around the lake.

February 22- Full body circuit

I got through my arms and legs workout. It feels good being back on a solid schedule after last weeks snow days. I was a little sore after my run yesterday, but it still felt good to go to the gym.

February 23- Rest day

Alex and I took and hour and a half road trip over to Fort Casey today. I am hoping to post some photos this upcoming week. Because of this day trip, I wasn’t able to go to the gym before it closed. I will be going tomorrow instead to get my last run in for the week.

February 24- Full body circuit

In order to get my workout routine back on track, I decided to make today another full body circuit. I believe this will help keep me motivated as well to go to the gym each day this week and complete the task laid out before me.

Today I focused more on arms, I have been trying to get to the point where I can do a pull up on my own. As of now, I am using an assist machine and can do it with about 90 pounds on my own and 40 pound assist.

I also utilized the stair climber, man was that a workout! I like being able to use different machines every now and then to get a good workout in. I’m a fan of the stair climber and want to try to start using this more often.