Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Stop the presses!

miles: 3.1 indoors
total program miles: 213.2
pain level: mild, with stiffness and light cursing

I had a good three mile run yesterday! I can't believe it. I ran on the treadmill during my lunch hour, and I kept waiting for that familiar discomfort to rear its ugly head after the first mile - and it never did! I felt rather elated.

Today, on the other hand, I feel like crap. I'm fighting an icky cold that's going around the office and I basically feel like a lump, plus I'm really sore (still) from my Monday exercises. There is an explanation for that, and like most explanations in my life it has its origins in unabashed laziness. On Sunday my plan was to go the gym and lift weights. Yeah, didn't happen. I spent most of the day sitting on the couch eating waffles. So instead I lifted weights Monday, and tried a new approach. I had a nebulous idea that free weights were better for you than machines; I'm not sure where it came from, maybe I just absorbed it via osmosis from breathing in gym air.

Anywho, I read an article in Health over the weekend about machines that aren't really good for you because you can easily use them incorrectly & hurt yourself, or they induce movement that is unnatural. Most of the machines I use were in there, natch. I've never hurt myself lifting weights but I thought I'd give a new approach a try, shake things up a little. (I know! I'm a crazy person, somebody stop me.) Also, in the interest of full disclosure there is another reason why I resist free weights: I don't like the free weight area. It intimidates me, with its wall of mirrors and 10-to-1 guy/girl ratio. I'm just not comfortable standing there staring at myself lifting little ten-pound weights with what I'm sure is unfortunate form. And I know its paranoid but I always get this feeling like someone is watching me, which I think is rude, but in order to check I'd have to look around at all the other lifters and thus be that rude person and, well, basically the free weight area is a shame spiral waiting to happen. I tried Monday but I still felt very awkward. The end result is that I spent most of the time doing squats and forward lunges. Um, ouch. Yesterday I was walking almost bowlegged, it was comical. But to come full circle, I think that it helped me have the good run yesterday by really stretching out my hips and glutes. We'll see how the six miles goes today.

<--This is from the Ho-Ho 5k back in December. I finally got around to looking at the pictures. Note my festive, seasonally appropriate attire and deep discomfort at having my photo taken.

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