Since I wanted to keep up my run of working out first thing in the morning, I packed my running gear and Saturday morning I woke up, waited for it to be light out and went out for a run. I was happy to have confirmation that my gym membership is worth it. I kind of hate paying to run on a treadmill when I can just run outside (and I use the gym for other things too). But it's the cold that would make it even harder to motivate and get going. Doable, but I need to remove my road blocks not add more. I started off and it was cold out. I was glad I had my hat and had added an extra layer. I ran down to a neighbors house to drop off a note as part of my networking. I wasn't running too much - run walk combo. But in hindsight, realize I was warming up and it was all up hill mostly. I got to the end of the street and turned around and said, try running the whole way back to the Main Street. I didn't think I'd make it but that was my goal. And oh my goodness, no problem! It helped that some of it was downhill but still, earlier me from the summer would never have been able to. I was so energized that instead of turning to run home I went the other way towards town to take the long way back. As I was rounding the corner and heading up the hill to dads I noticed the gate was open at their neighbors. Their property backs up to a grand house with even grander gardens - they are often profiled in magazines and on walking tours. The front part is formal, but the back part is more wooded. I popped in to check out the back part. It was wooded but this strange manicured wilderness. Really neat. And I noticed at the top of the hill/cliff the back of dads place. I figured it was so early no one was up and I hadn't seen any do not trespass signs and I wanted to get home, this was the shortest way. I made a dash up the steep hill and came into dads neighbors backyard (opps) and I quickly made my way home quite winded with that last bit. All told, my run was 5,000 steps and 25 flights of stairs. Not bad and I felt really good after. Not tired or sore at all and energized.
Dad and I went for a hike in the afternoon and then the next morning we went orienteering together. We did the orange course like usual but man, at the end was I tired. It was longer than normal, over two hours. And looking back, it was a lot of hills and almost all off trail (instead of just half). It was really cool because there were a lot of stone walls in the forest (from the farming days) that you'd follow... Up and down and up and down hills.
The next day I was so sore and wiped out. I realized that weekend I had done too much. I think of it as bars on a ladder and I'm at one level and it's OK to push yourself a few bars further up than the usual bar, but if the gap is too far, it's too much and you just fall hard. That's what happened here. And it took a few days before my body was up for more work out and by then my hormones had swung and it was hard to motivate. And as I noted before, the bigger the gap from your last workout, the harder it is to get going.
On the upside, I used accountability to motivate me and at thanksgiving I was up at dads again. And both mornings I went for a run first thing and it felt good (not as good as that first time) and also kind of nice to non-verbally brag. Hard to brag just to yourself when you are on your own.
The first run, I went a different direction (I knew part of the run was the novelty of the route for the first time). I went south and realized it wasn't too far from some public woods that dad and I hiked after my first time running in nh at the beginning of the month. I decided to pop into the woods and run around the pond. It was gorgeous, early winter morning and so picturesque. I was able to visit my favorite spot we had discovered and I named Gnomeland. The moss and lichen is amazing in early November - super green and full - blooming. And there is this one swath of lichen or pale white green moss in amongst these mini baby furry pines. It looks like a blanket of magical snow. It's just so quaint and untouched and your imagination can run wild with something like that. I didn't dawdle though because, 1) it was cold, 2) I suddenly became aware I was alone in the woods.
I don't know about you but I've always tried to be street smart and never be in a situation that makes me vulnerable, especially as a woman. When I travel, I stay in at night (I'm exhausted anyways), and although I love the woods I never go on my end. I think what got me this time was that with orienteering I've gotten used to being "alone" in the woods, but you're actually surrounded by tons of people so it doesn't seem desolate. And I had just been to these same woods a few weeks earlier with dad so they had a familiarity and I thought of them in conjunction with dad.
Anyways, I realized dad and other orienteers were not actually with me, so I ran quickly the rest of the way around the pond, trying to take in all the picturesque beauty but not stopping or slowing down. I got back to the road and ran until the foot of the steep part of the road. And walked the rest of the way. I'll have to see if I can get a picture of the place from nick. We ended up going there later that day for a hike, me, dad and nick.
After thanksgiving. Nick spent a few nights, while visiting friends before flying back to DC and I kept up my gym visits. And then Monday hit and I got the beginning of a cold. I still went to the gym but the rest of the week I was super stuffed up. Tuesday I was drinking so much I think I visited the bathroom over 20 times. It was just drink water, toilet, drink toilet, repeat. Anyways, I didn't know the etiquette about having a cold and the gym (turns out, it's best to be considerate and stay away while your contagious), and I didn't want to overdo it again and push my weakened body too much.
I'm still stuffed up a bit, but feel on the mend, this Saturday morning. I plan to go to the early morning Tai Chi class I've been meaning to try out and if I'm feeling good, stay for the step class I usually go to Saturday mornings. It's all about thinking in terms of resets to break the cycle you are in. I. Trying out a new reset system I've been experimenting with and formalized for this month. So far so good, buts only day 2. I'll keep you posted.
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