Three Things Tuesday

#1 - I've been in a bit of a funk since I got back from vacation, and haven't been very motivated to exercise (except running) or blog regularly. I've missed a few of my weekly posts, but I figured it wasn't the end of the world since they are self imposed deadlines, and I'll get back to it eventually. The truth is that some of my last few posts felt forced or rushed, so I'm just going to take my time writing upcoming posts and publish when I'm ready. I'm still blogging more regularly than I used to last year, and I don't want this to stop being enjoyable. I'm sure once marathon training starts I'll have a lot more to blog about, plus there will be plenty of race reports since I'll be doing at least one race each month. Of course, the first of these race reports ought to be very interesting since the last time I swam was a month ago.

#2 - Writing the One Green Thing series has been a lot more work than I expected, but it has taught me a great deal too, so I intend to start that up again soon. Every time I wrote one of those posts, I wanted to do a lot of research to balance my personal experiences and choices with facts, instead of just throwing up something because it was Wednesday, and that became a bit overwhelming. But as I said, I've learned a lot about how much more I can do for the environment, so I'm going to keep giving them due diligence and just post them whenever they are ready. If you have requests for a green topic you'd like to see me discuss, please post it in the comments.

#3 - Not being able to run makes me cranky. I'm not talking about skipping a run because I am tired or being lazy or overslept. When I don't want to run and make myself do it anyway, I always feel better than if I didn't run. I may feel guilty when I skip a run out of laziness, but not really cranky like I feel when I want to run and I am unable to because my body won't let me.

I ran 7.5 miles without a single walk break on Monday, and apparently it broke me :( I was super sore and tired the next day (and that night after spending the day at typhoon lagoon). This was not so much the problem, but when I went to run on Wednesday my foot started hurting. I was afraid I had injured it on Monday, but nothing seemed to hurt when I walked on Tuesday. After only a half mile of running, the bottom of my foot started hurting enough to make me stop running and cut my run short. SO FRUSTRATING!

I'm  probably being overly cautious (since I wasn't on Monday when I felt a twinge because I was determined to reach this new milestone). I think the real reason I am cranky is because if I am hurt and the foot is not better by Saturday, I won't be able to do the magic mile with my Galloway group and it would all be my fault for not listening to my body on Monday, even though it shut up and let me finish my run letting me think all was well. And if I push through it on Saturday, I may further injure myself and jeopardize the triathlon the following weekend. Arg!

*BREATH* Well, it felt good to get that off my chest. I've been icing the foot, wrapping it, massaging it on a racquetball, and not running on it, so I'm hoping it will be as good as new Saturday morning. If not, I'll deal with it then and you may have to read another post like this in a few days =P

Three Things Tuesday

1. Turbo Kick

I went to the YMCA after work yesterday for what I thought was a kickboxing class. The instructor was way too peppy and it felt more like a hip hop class, so I left after 30 minutes for a different workout. I realized this morning that it was a Turbo Kick class:

a combination of super-fun kickboxing moves, as well as dance moves, all perfectly choreographed to high energy and motivating music. It's an amazing cardiovascular workout that's a unique blend of cardio intervals, strength/endurance training and a relaxing cool-down. 

It was a good workout, but I don't care for the combination. I really prefer the traditional kickboxing moves that make me feel powerful, and help me tone and build strength. This class just made me feel sloppy and uncoordinated.

2. The Next Level - Functional Training

Instead of the rest of the Turbo Kick class, I went to the Loft (new room at the Y) and tried their new functional training workout called "The Next Level," which focuses on core, balance and strength, fast twitch power and endurance.  It was a circuit of 4 stations, with 3 exercises per station that we did twice for 30 seconds on, 15 seconds off. The exercises ranged from using kettle bells, balance dome, rope ladder, and TRX. It involved a lot of jumping and plyometrics that really got the heart rate up, and strength training such as squats and push ups. It was a nice variation for cross straining and a change of pace, so I'm going to try to incorporate this into my routine once a week.

3. Virtual Race Report

The Mordor Half Marathon is the greatest race report ever, which was written for Jamoosh’s Virtual Halfathon. I wish I had seen this virtual race before and signed up. It's all about the race report and doesn't require any actual running. How awesome! Maybe I should bandit the race and write a race report anyway ;)