V-necks Are Better

The forecast projects temps to rise into the high 60s so I put on a pair of shorts. These old Danskins were my favorites, but no one carries them anymore, and the waistband is fraying. I can see white elastic through the thin black fabric. They don't have pockets either and eventually, the legs do ride up my thighs a little. Because I plan to just do Cardio, which naturally involves legs, I toy with the idea of not wearing a sports tank. I have a black Reebok T-shirt I bought at Marshall's for $5. It says it's a Medium, with a loose boxy fit, and extremely soft fabric.

It doesn't occur to me until after my workout that this is probably a Men's or Boys item because it's only then that I read on the label that it's "underwear." (I tend to wear undershirts or tanks under my flannel because I hate having a draft up my back, but women in general usually don't.) It's actually fairly comfortable, except for the round crew neck. It'd be so much better with a V-cut. I find myself yanking the neck down a dozen times during my workout. I'm sensitive enough to hate anything around my neck so no turtlenecks—mock or not, no scarves, no chokers... they all make me feel like I'm gagging. It's also harder to adjust my sports bra straps off my traps with a T-shirt on. Plus one for the sports tank.

I know Intervals are going to suck since the elliptical is the first cardio machine on my circuit today. I always tell myself I can quit in 20 minutes, but by that time I can see the goal line, so I plug on. Stretching at the Cage and then some pull ups. Ugh. I make sure to do the basic Core exercises, then scan the Cardio platform to see what machines are available. StepMills! I do 15 minutes at Level 6, which has me gasping slightly. The Mayor has been on the treadmill with his buddy SquareJaw since he came in. But he hasn't stopped talking. I'm not happy with my right ear bud even though I've replaced the ear pad with the smallest one. My ear is tender and ambient vocals still leak in. I'm going to return to the memory foam for that one. The left side fits fine with the larger silicone earbud pad. So weird.

After the Step Mill, I decide to stretch out my shoulders. The Smith is occupied, but the Max Rack® isn't. And since I only need a stationary bar set about chest height, I'm good with that. The bar is still fairly high on my back, but at least it's not on the base of my neck. My right elbow and wrist don't hurt as much as last time either, a promising sign!

The Expresso Bike is free so I clamber aboard. There's an old guy two bikes over. I scroll through the different rides until a titillating title catches my eye. I'm not happy with the gradient rise on it, but I can always just stop the ride whenever I've had enough, and that happens to be after 15 minutes. Part of the problem is that my girlfriend texted me in the middle of the ride and I had to respond. She'd like to see the Orchid Show, which ends next weekend, at the NY Botanic Gardens. I wouldn't mind either, but I might have a Jeet Kune Do class. Or not. The Parks and Recreation Dept hasn't contacted me as to whether the class has registered enough students yet. Sigh. I've only gone a bit over two and a half miles, which means this ride would take me closer to an hour to complete. Hhhmmmm. Maybe next time I'll just play one of the Games instead! I think I'd like that better. The only thing I don't like is that you have to actually log in for most of them. There might be one or two you can ride just as a Guest. And yes, I do have a login account, but that doesn't mean I want anyone to know that.

Happy Friday the 13th!

At the Mat, it occurs to me to try a few Pistol Squats. I'm slightly worried that my legs will be too tired and I'll fall on my face. But in reality, I'm so warmed up that the Pistol Squats aren't a problem. Normally, the quads of the extended leg clench a bit as I push up. But not today. I also tried to focus on having my glutes and hammies assist in the rise. Weird, right? The gym scale tells me 111.8 lbs. Well, it's not horrible. But it could be better. It can always be better.

Cardio Friday

30 elliptical
Intervals
Calories 298
Miles 2.62
Average Heart Rate 141/180

HGPU 26
Push-ups 60
Elbow Plank 60s
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s
Elbow Plank 60s

15 min StepMill
Level 6
Calories 120
Total steps 819
Floors 51

Low bar shoulder stretch
5-10s x 3

Expresso Bike
(Falcon flight 227 ft / 8.3 miles)
Time: 15 min
Actual miles: 2.62

Pistol Squats
5 each leg