Week Three Day Four is for Boxing!

Interval 7  11July2013

I spent most of the 35 minutes aboard the Precor debating with myself how many sets of cardio to do today. If I did two, would I still have time to hit the Nexersys station? Better not chance running out of time, so I only did intervals today with respectable mileage. It's good enough for today.

Afterwards, I see R at the cable station next to the stretch cage and wonder if I should greet him. Social graces do not come easily to me. Oh f@ck it, I put my towel, cell and water down near the Cage and walk up to R to ask him about one-arm bench pressing. He spouts out how much it helps to work the smaller shoulder and chest muscles. Our conversation wanders from attitudes at the gym to injuries and recovery. The humidity exacerbates all his old injuries so he's not feeling great, but working out is salvation and pain relief. "Are you going to physical therapy?" I ask him. "I was but then I got too busy." "Busy is good," I offer, "it means you're making money." "Yeah, but then if I get injured 'cuz I'm not doing therapy, well, then I don't make money." "Well, yeah..." I concede.

He tells me that if he forgets his baseball cap, he won't come to the gym and I'm surprised. It's his shield from unwanted attention and comments, and I can relate because it's what I use my hoodie for during cardio. I'm also surprised to hear him say that people say bad things about him behind his back, deride his exercise routines but then copy them after he leaves the gym. We both agree it's probably jealousy, and I recount the stupid things people say to me, like "Why do you work out so hard every day?" or "Are you supplementing? 'Cuz how else are you getting those muscles..."
He almost finishes my sentence for me with "by working out hard and eating right." Well, he's right for the most part but I'm not going to correct him about my diet.

I find out that Ranger Rick has the same given name as R, and that perhaps it's Ranger Rick that R is referencing as a copy cat. The appearance of friendship might be misleading! But R's willingness to speak to me at length says that he's comfortable talking to me and that's reassuring. At least I feel more justified tuning out the rest of the gym when I work out. R tells me that he no longer brings clients here like he did last summer (his brother and a pro hockey player). Too many snide remarks, too much negative energy. That's too bad. I thought it was only me and my city-bred paranoia! But I'm stubborn. I know who the "girls" were making fun of last year, and I stared them down. Now they're embarrassed to show up when I'm around. I don't back down. These are the women who get upset when they see me. I'm oblivious to them, and I look a helluva lot better than they do.

It's refreshing how easy our conversation flows but then it's time for him to leave and time for me to do my stretches so I can tape up my hand and beat the crap out of the Nexersys station. As we talk, I see M peer over the railing from the cardio area. No doubt he'll run back to The Mayor et al with a full report. But I don't care.

Week Three Day Four Workout
35 min intervals #7 = 4.58 miles Yippee!
Cage Stretch with BW heel dips and side kicks
Mat Stretch with vertical splits; I don't push the horizontal split because I'm short on time
Nexersys Station: 3 rounds Follow Me avatar & 3 rounds Sparring Avatar
At least my accuracy is getting better as is my pacing (so I"m not completely exhausted before round 3 ends!) and my power is a bit more consistent, starting at 126% and only dropping to 96% by the end of the 6th round. I put little pieces of moleskin on my joints, then wrap tape around my hand and finger before donning my stupid pink gloves. It seems to work because afterwards my hands are barely pink and not at all bruised or skinned. Yay!

Great stuffed with goat cheese!

 I wait until the gym owner finishes his rounds on the Nexersys. There are two stations but I'm not comfortable boxing next to someone else. When I go to leave, I recognize the middle-age lady from last week going a few rounds with the Nexersys. She's not actually punching anything. Rather, with full boxing gloves on, she's merely shadowing the movements in a cautious manner. I'm the only one who seems to wail on the machine. Perhaps I will select Intermediate next time.

The gym scale reads 109.4 lbs and I'm good with that. I'm also starving so off to the car to suck down a cold Ensure®, and then errands... It's a good day! I've harvested zucchini blossoms to stuff with goat cheese (my son prefers American cheese), and the peas have blooms now.

Unfortunately, the day lilies are now just stubby stalks. I blame the deer that wander through the yard throughout the afternoon when no one's home but the dog napping in the window.

Tomorrow is Leg Day. And I love love love Leg Day!