Discriminatory Fatigue

It's Friday with changeable weather, one minute overcast and rainy, the next sunny and warm. Weekend temps promise to quickly strip away all hope of another Indian summer by blasting us with arctic winds. Should feel like single-digits, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 or 4°F. I'd finally better bring in that rosemary shrub on my front steps. I have half a mind to go back to bed after walking my son to the school bus stop, but I'm already dressed in my gym clothes, and my gym bag is already in the car. Looks like I'm going to the gym.

I've brought a few toys my son never opened and he's since aged out of them. It's for the Toys For Tots bin at the front desk that has stood completely empty for the past week. But when I get to the gym, the bin is so full that it verges on overflowing with plush toys. I gingerly stuff the Buzz Lightyear Fishing Game and a Lego Ninjago set into the box while giving F a quizzical look. "It wasn't like this yesterday," I say to him. "Yeah, some guy showed up with a big garbage bag and just dumped all this in there," he replies. I wanted to ask if he was wearing a red suit and had a big white beard, but I didn't.

The locker room is packed with half-dressed bodies, women blow-drying wet hair and gym bag contents scattered about like the remains of a sample sale. I've timed this badly. Eventually I manage to put my gear away, swap boots for Asics and head out to the cardio area. My gray hoodie has been consigned to the rag bin because I discover this morning that the zipper-pull has disappeared. The garment is too rag-tag to repair, so I dig out a hoodie I bought at Costco. It's also gray. It has wonderfully deep pockets that no cell or tissue will fall out of, but the hood itself is short and doesn't shield my eyes from the harsh lights overhead. The zipper, while study, has sharp edges and I leave it only zipped halfway in order to avoid being pricked in the neck.

I'm not sure whether it's just the fatigue of being sick, or whether my Slacker Leg Day workout really just kicked my butt. My glutes and hammies are sore enough to impede decent mileage on the elliptical. Still, I punch in Interval 7 for 35 minutes. I can't get up to my normal speed and instead lope along between 170 to 180 Strides Per Minute. Normally I'm cruising at 190 to 220. I am nicely warm and sweaty when time is up, but I don't make four miles. It's okay. I stretch at the Cage, adding another movement for hamstrings while keeping the kicks fairly brief. I'll be kicking at the Nexersys, and my knees definitely feel it the next day when I have trouble getting down the stairs.

Boxing the Nexersys
makes a good arm workout.

I sit on the floor in front of the Nexersys, wrap my hands and stuff them into those pink gloves. My hoodie, towel, water bottle and cell are neatly piled underneath the station. Twelve rounds today. Just Avatar Follow Me, and no sparring. Maybe I'll add sparring back next week when I'm not so tired. Magically, my fatigue melts away as I get into the boxing program. I've never done 12 Follow Me rounds before. Sparring is harder because you have to pace yourself or risk burning out before the round is up. Follow Me is easier in that respect, but harder in that sometimes you anticipate a move that isn't and lose accuracy points. Mostly I lose accuracy points when I whack the pad too hard, the Warning Buzzer goes off and the hit isn't registered. I find that there are certain strikes I have to hit Open Hand, or rather, with a limp fist, in order to pull the punch, otherwise I'm hitting waaaay too hard. So contrary to what we're all taught: tight fist, punch from the body, use torque from the hip. But since I'm improving in accuracy while maintaining power, I'm pretty happy.

Between rounds, I see some of the regulars moving between Cybex stations or up into the cardio area. But I'm more focused on the Nexersys than anything else. I take a moment to wipe myself down before plopping onto the Mat for my last stretch of the week. It feels good to just flop over like a rag doll. If I'm not careful, I'll find myself waking up there. The gym scale reads 110.4 lbs and I'm good with that. I need to do a few quick errands before heading back to the house where I can mix up that vaguely strawberry-flavored whey protein with milk, eat a few clementines (just came into season!) and get on with my day.

Friday Workout
35 min Interval 7 = 3.90 miles Bleah!

Nexersys: 12 rounds Avatar Follow Me, beginner female
  Accuracy 88% / Strikes 102% / Power 123%

Yes, the recommendation is to add rounds because I'm over-power and over-striking for my level. I could move up to the Intermediate Level but I'm leery of the elbow and knee strikes required for that. But I suppose I could give it a 3-round try next week. Oooh, something to look forward to.

photo posted for actual stats: