It's a Heat Wave

ON boy shorts

I'm not a happy person when it's blazing hot outside. Neither is the dog. At least I don't have tons of fur that blow around the house like tumbleweeds. I poured water on his ramp and the walkway to cool his feet, but he got all freaked out and walked around the wet spots. Silly old dog. My son went to camp today, and I went to the gym wearing my new silver Old Navy boy shorts. I like how lightweight and silky they feel. The waist is a bit high, but in general I have no complaints. Because I'm whacking the machine today, I clip my iPod to the back of my waistband and thread the headphone wires up the back of my tank top. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this tank: I don't usually wear anything with white in it because I sweat so profusely, I'm worried that the white just under my armpits will become tea-colored. Not at all attractive. (After kickboxing, the white tape around my knuckles are all sweat-stained!)

Either I slept funny or doing a modified side-stroke kick in yesterday's Adult Swim class did a minor number on my left hip. It twinged all morning, and then it didn't. Actually, it felt like it got fixed during the 30 min elliptical session I did after kickboxing. Normally I do 20 minutes, but since I'm down to three days of working out, and I'm skipping my usual Friday Intervals, I figure an additional 10 minutes would be good. Performance Program 3 has a series of hills and valleys that's more interesting than Program 2 (which I call the Grand Tetons for reasons made obvious once you view the course). Pedaling forward for 7.5 minutes, then backwards for another 7.5, then forward, then back, as the course changes elevation, sometimes dramatically, feels really good. At first my hip twinges going forward, then settles down. Then it twinges going backwards, and then it settles again. And then, it doesn't hurt anymore! Fixed!

I'm exhausted from my workout, but there's still pull ups to do. If I were doing more than one set I wouldn't be so worried, but I'm not. My arms are tired from whacking the machine and I barely get my nose to the bar for the last few reps. But I'm not tired from yesterday's swim class, which I'm enjoying greatly. Now it's just the instructor and three middle-age women. Of course, the instructor tells me that my muscularity makes buoyancy a bigger issue for me than the other two. I struggle to stay afloat. The instructor tells me not to worry, that you don't need to be on the surface, just close to it. On the other hand, I seem to be picking up the instructions a lot quicker. Rolling from face down torpedo-shape to face up is actually kind of fun! We've added arm motions so next week we'll be doing actual backstrokes. I've only ever done a backward "breaststroke" so this should be interesting.

Even sold in supermarkets

I've got to put more cushioning on the bunion though. I have two pairs of black leather trainers for kickboxing: Rykas and Asics. The Asics actually fit too well. They're comfortable, but there's not enough room to cushion my toes when I front kick the pad. My toes are bruised afterwards, but the shoes are comfortable enough to wear during cardio. The Rykas are a tad bigger so my toes don't get quite so beat-up. But my bunion chafes painfully against the side-seam of the shoe during cardio, forcing me to change my gait as I pedal. I do own a "bunion sleeve" but felt as if it was strangling my toe. Maybe I'll try it one more time, because using moleskin isn't quite enough protection and I'm unsure about the double-thick moleskin. I'm starting to develop a callous there! Uh oh.

I'm surprised by how salty the sweat is trickling down my face. On the elliptical, I suddenly sense an ocean breeze and realize that the briny odor is probably coming from me! Yikes!

Friday Workout

10 min elliptical
0.85 miles

15 rounds Nexersys

30 min elliptical
Prgm 3
278 cal
2.48 mi

Hammer Grip Pull UPs
31

Photos for actual stats:

5 rounds Beginner
(totally awesome warm up)

5 rounds Intermediate
(only blanked the screen once today!)

5 rounds Advance
(I don't know why it insists I'm over power for my level, but I'm making good use of the session. I guess they have to say something.)