Thurs and Fri

Do my feet look big?

Thursday morning I found a woolly bear caterpillar in my driveway, and I was completely surprised. Normally, I see these little guys in the Fall when they're looking for a place to hide and hibernate. Apparently June is the month that they go wild and forage, at least according to a knowledgeable site called Woolly Bear Caterpillar. Click here to see the web link. Other things in my driveway include wild Japanese honeysuckle in my privet hedges, spice bush and an errant Norway maple sapling. The invasive wild roses and Oriental bittersweet are flowering and a faint soapy perfume graces the air. It's actually nice. When it's not blisteringly hot, or raining. Today it's raining.

I went to the gym yesterday for Cardio Day. And the much neglected core. I thought Intervals were going to kill me. Again. And again, I survived. Maybe if I did them more often I'd be more relaxed about them, but I've been trying to cut my gym hours. Trying to wean myself off of this addiction. I'm also testing out a new purchase. Nothing fits my feet like my old Asics but sadly, even Asics doesn't make their shoes fit like they used to. The raspberry shoes are really starting to bother my bunion so I rarely wear them now. Between interior seams and the upper cage that's suppose to lend support, my foot is usually sore afterwards, and I'm too paranoid about aggravating my black flag birthmark to continue. On Cardio Day, I test out soft, cushiony New Balance trainers.

Top: NB size 7W
Bottom: Avias size 6.5W

Yes, I have a small rectangular birthmark on my foot, right under my bunion. It's black, like a mole and very sensitive. I know there are connections between moles and cancerous cells, so my thought is best not to provoke any angry reactions. Hence my decision to forgo the moleskin patch as well. Not that the moleskin isn't protective when doing Side Sweeps. The adhesive backing has caused a nasty rash, but only on my big toe. I use the same moleskin on my knuckles under white tape, cotton wraps and gloves and no rash. So today, no moleskin on the foot. And today I'm wearing my Avias with brand new Dr Scholl ActiveWear insoles. (I had coupons!) I had the gel insoles, but those are only comfortable from the arch back to the heel, leaving the ball of the foot and the toes un-cushioned. Walking puts weight on the heel strikes, but pedaling on the cross-trainer and elliptical puts more pressure on the ball of the foot and toes. Hence, numb toes. The new insoles are a tad uncomfortable because they also have arch support, and I'm flat footed. But I'm hoping my toes won't go numb now if I use them for Cardio Day. Like the new NB trainers I got from Kohls.

I went to Kohl's to buy a Father's Day gift for my hubs, having in mind a lobster-themed Hawaiian shirt that I saw in a flyer last month. Luckily they were still in stock. Unluckily, I only looked at the size on the hanger, not the shirt and when I got home, I realized that I had actually purchased a much bigger shirt . On the return trip, this time with son in tow, I decided to also browse their sneaker department because I prefer places I can actually try the damn things on. My son was content to hunt for the right size shoes for me as he certainly didn't want to try anything on, except the plain black lounge pants we're using replace his worn out kung fu pants.

No one carries size 6.5W. If I want a wide size, I have to go up to a 7. This is what happened to me at Olympia Sports and the Brooks sneakers. So I'm not too weirded out trying on size 7W trainers. I like the running shoes but the upper support cage chafes my bunion. The soft top trainers do not. The New Balance trainers are comfy, even if there's at least an inch of toe space up front. At least I don't think I look like I'm wearing goofy shoes. My actual foot size is a 5.5, but given the width issues, make that a 6. And lately, because of the bunion, a 6.5. Now I've crept up to a 7 due to availability. My son wonders why shoe companies think only people with big feet need wide shoes? I have to wonder as well. He has wide feet as well, but he's still growing.

Thursday Cardio Day
6.38 miles

30 min x-trainer and the toes do NOT go numb!

Hilighted is the fact the shoe has a soft top

Calories 140
Miles 3.70

HGPU 30
Knee-Ins 50
Push Ups 50
Crunches 3 x 50
Bird Dog 2 x 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s

T, Y & I Raises
3lbs x 15
5lbs x 15

Mid Band Pull 15
High Band Pull 15
I angled my hands differently and my right shoulder didn't hurt as much

30 min elliptical
Intervals
Calories 307
Miles 2.68
Average Heart Rate 143

WHGPU 24



Today, Friday, I decided to test myself on the Nexersys again. Doing it once a week seems reasonable. The machine with the broken arm is now officially Out Of Service. Bummer. I ask the Gym Owner if and when the machines will ever get fixed. He tells me that he's still waiting for the company to call him back. He doesn't want to email, he wants to speak to a rep to make sure he's ordering the correct parts. I tell him to email to get them to call him. Because this is pathetic.

Friday Whack the Machine Day

10 min x-trainer
Calories 39
Miles 1.23

Nexersys follow me
5r Beginner
5r Intermediate
5r Intermediate

HGPU 31

I warm up on the cross-trainer instead of the elliptical and skip doing the T, Y & I Raises to see if that will have any impact on how my shoulder feels. My shoulder feels fine throughout the workout. My right hand feels a bit off for the first half though, as if I'd pulled or strained a ligament from my hand through my wrist. But by the middle of the first Intermediate session, the discomfort is gone. The base of my thumbs, the meaty part of the palms, however, has been getting sore lately from all the pulling and pushing. I have tiny bony hands, and they're particularly sensitive to cold and pressure.

Still, I'm able to do a set of hammer grip pull ups afterwards, and that always makes me feel like a bad-ass. Especially when I see guys struggling in the assisted pull up machine. Not that I don't remember how hard it was at first for me. But oddly, it's not really a matter of strength. It's technique and body positioning. The scale is not my friend today and calls me out at 111.0 lbs, but I don't really feel big. Well, maybe my arms...