Easing Back

My hubs and I decided to use the long July 4th weekend to take a trip to Gettysburg. This is the time of year when there are reenactments every weekend, and since the actual battle was fought for the first three days of July over 150 years ago, we knew there would be a lot of activities and attractions. Traveling on July 4th itself wasn't bad traffic-wise and there were many places serving dinner. We even managed to catch the fireworks display without too much hassle. (Back where we live, venturing to see fireworks entails endless negotiating for parking and viewing spots. Most years we just stay home.)

When not on a tour bus, we spent a lot of time walking around, except for the Segway Tour of the battlefields. It was a chance to be outside without hiking in the blazing heat for miles while getting a guided tour of some of the monuments and historical sites. It's not a lot of exercise but it is surprisingly taxing in that you have to stand upright with hands on the handles at all time and your weight evenly distributed. There's no shifting back and forth between legs. The fastest speed is 12.5 miles, which doesn't sound very fast, but it's a lot quicker than walking!

It was great to smell the fields and wildflowers as we zipped by, but we also had to obey all traffic laws, i.e., stopping at stop signs, etc. The tour company has you watch a video and then practice maneuvers in an indoor obstacle course. It makes zipping down the road seem easy by comparison. When you dismount, you have to remember how to bend your knees to walk! Kidding. Or not. 

1.5 hours to get to
where the red arrow is

What really hurt was sitting in traffic on the way home. A four-and-a-half-hour drive morphed into six when we spent over an hour stuck on I-78. For unknown reasons, all three lanes of traffic were made to funnel down to a single lane exit, tractor trailers, car carriers, buses and tow trucks included. My husband mused about running out of gas while we idled. We didn't get home until after 11 pm and then there was unpacking the car and running laundry. I didn't get to sleep until 3 am. But at least I made it to the gym today. I let my son sleep in since we'd been dragging him out of bed all weekend. 

My lower back is sore today, no doubt from sleeping on a hotel bed with pillows that are too squishy for my head, yet too billowy for my knees. I've overindulged at meals and not exercised enough. After my warmup HIIT cardio, pull-ups are hard because I feel heavy. (When I get on the scale later, the weight gain is confirmed!) Core is easy. Then I do more cardio. Then another set of pull-ups. I would like to say that was easier but I don't know because I lose count of my reps. Ugh. The gym is not as cold as I'd like it to be so I'm drenched and thirsty. At least the shower will feel really good. I told my son he's coming to the gym tomorrow before we go to the movies. It's a toss-up between Toy Story 4 and the Secret Life of Pets 2. This morning, I saw a trailer for the new Disney live-action Mulan film. Now that's a film I really want to see! 

Monday After a Long Weekend

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 299
Miles 2.71
HR 144-182 (110)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 20

Crunches Legs Up 40
Bicycles 50
Crunches knees bent 60
Horizontal Scissors 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

20 min elliptical + 5cd
Program 3
Miles 2.05
Calories 228
HR 146-183 (95, 137)

HGPU 23
Mat Stretch