Pi Day Post Because 3.14

It's my birthday and I went to the gym anyway because I didn't go yesterday, and if I don't go for more than two days in a row, I start to feel bad. Not necessarily guilty, but my body gets comfortable in a sluggish torpor and I'm cold and achy all the time. I'm also meeting a friend for lunch later at a new restaurant. It's restaurant week, which is the perfect time to check out a new place because restaurants offer a special menu for a reasonable price.

Today I do my cursory warmup and then whack the kickboxing machine, starting with 7 rounds Beginner level which causes the screen to blank about a half dozen times. That's not at all encouraging. I also get a Hitting Too Hard warning several times as well. And I probably am, except how am I to earn a reasonable power score if I don't put power behind my strikes? Never mind that the machine is limping along on borrowed time, with faulty programming and damaged sensors.

My hands have fared reasonably well despite all this. I have small hands and find that the One Size Fits All model for protective gear like padded gloves does not work for me. If your gloves are loose, you will abrade your skin just from the friction of having your hands slide inside your gloves. I have tried several models and came back to the original pink Everlast Lady's Kickboxing gloves. To make the gloves more secure and add additional padding, I cut moleskin squares and stick them to my knuckles before securing them with a strip of white sports tape. I also tape my pointer finger, just covering where the fingernail begins in the nailbed because there's nothing more annoying than scraping the skin off your fingers there. Believe me, I've done it.

The gloves are still too loose, so I use cotton boxing wraps. There are YouTube videos to show you how to properly wrap your hands -- that's how I learned! The wraps also keep the white tape and moleskin in place. Now I can barely stuff my hands inside my gloves, but there's no slippage and thus, no friction burns from any of my strikes. I'll go 15 rounds and my hands look fine, with the knuckles just a tad pink, and I'm not holding back on any of my jabs, digs or hooks. Keeping your hands tight also means you're less likely to dislocate any of those delicate metacarpal bones, or worse, break them.

A trainer at the gym told me her hands were always a mess when she used to take kickboxing classes some years ago. I'm certain she didn't wrap her hands the way I do. Admittedly, this takes a certain amount of fastidiousness because it can be time-consuming. But practice makes for speed. I pre-cut the moleskin before I come to the gym. I carry the white tape and a small knife in my kickboxing glove bag. I can almost wrap my hands blindfolded.

Today I don't have the patience to deal with the flaky Advance setting so I do 5 rounds Intermediate level followed by just 3 rounds Advance. It means I only have to deal with 1 round of SouthPaw frustration. It's a good workout, but either I'm not working as hard as I used to, or I'm in better shape. Or maybe I'm in worse shape. Because I'm not thoroughly drenched when I'm done. Working up a good sweat isn't a reliable indicator of whether a workout was strenuous or even your fitness level. There are too many variables, like humidity and temperature, your fatigue level, your hydration level, etc.

Later, I meet my friend at a local new restaurant right on the big lake. I've lived in the area long enough to know this spot by several names. This latest rendition is called Blu. The waitstaff are lovely, pleasant and accommodating as is the decor. But the huge slab of country bread is hard to separate due to the thick bottom crust. It's tasty but would've been better if it was warm, although the slightly spicy dipping oil was pleasant. My friend ordered fried calamari and I got Brussels sprouts with bacon. I wasn't expecting the cream sauce it came with, but it was tasty. The calamari not so much. While the calamari itself seemed very fresh and cooked well, the pale batter coating quickly became soggy the longer it sat. We think part of the problem is that the plates themselves were cold which contributed to heat loss. The Indian lunch buffet place has plate warmers. Even college dining halls have plate warmers. Seriously.

We both ordered "pasta" dishes: lobster ravioli for her and short rib bolognese with gnocchi for me. In both cases, the overly salty sweet tomato sauce (reminiscent of a jarred vodka sauce, and I like vodka sauce) overwhelmed the dishes and did not have that "farm to table" freshness you would expect from a place advertising as such.

She drank hot tea and I had a glass of pinot noir, which I have to say was really good, especially for a "by the glass" wine (which is normally kind of oaky and not so good). She got tiramisu and I got a slice of cappuccino cheesecake. Her dessert disappointed -- she said it tasted diluted. I confess that mine had a hint of coffee flavor. Plain cheesecake would've been better but wasn't an option. Oh, we are such foodie snobs! Next week is her birthday and we will have lunch, but at the British tea shop instead.

Tomorrow I'm planning a regular Cardio Day. Got to work off all these unnecessary calories!

Birthday Thursday

10 min elliptical
Calories 93
Miles 0. 83
HR 145-182 (97)

T, Y & I Raises
5lbs x 15 x 2

Mid-Band Pulls 15
High Band Pulls 15
Cage Stretch

Nexersys FM
Beginner 7r
Intermediate 5r
Advance 3r

Mat Stretch