Pups and Fire Hydrants

The pups finally got to the Bark Park again this morning. They get so excited that I spend the entire brief car ride yelling "Sit Down!" as their heads lean past mine in an effort to steer the car faster. If they could talk, I'm sure all I'd hear is "Are we there yet?!" They're harnessed together with a Y-yoke (handy for walking two dogs simultaneously) and leashed to a back seatbelt. At the park, they run the entire 1/2 acre property several times, stopping to investigate fallen tree roots, branches, rocks, bushes, as well as several "wood bridges" and benches. 

There are better parks and there are worse parks, but this one is literally minutes from my house, so this is the one we go to. At 8:30 am, the place is deserted and we have it all to ourselves. After about 20 minutes, the pups have run themselves out and are ready for the quieter ride home. By 10, the dogs have been watered and fed, dishes have been washed, laundry sorted, and I'm packing my gym bag.

Today my husband is able to escape his desk. We do our separate workouts. He always finishes before I do, even with showering, etc. Mostly because I do a lot more cardio than he does, and that between having hair that is definitively not wash 'n go and needing to slather different lotions and potions on my perenially super dry flaky skin, well that all takes time. The mix of glycerin and lactic acid cream is like magic for those of us with ichthyosis vulgaris. But that's too harsh for facial skin. And the feet require petrolatum. I've discovered small tubs of it mixed with cocoa butter that smells wonderful. 

My "sciatica plus" isn't too bothersome until I do Bird Dogs. Then it reasserts itself again when I'm lying face down on an inclined bench for the DB shoulder superset. It's mostly because I'm using the Matrix Inclined Breaker Bench which doesn't allow me to adjust the angle of the bench. That means my legs are positioned oddly and there's stress on the glute and calf. Worse is the tingling numbness along the outside of the calf. 

I'm worried that this signifies some sort of nerve impingement which could lead to permanent damage. I've already got those pesky hammertoes and a bunion. The only exercise that I can truly say offers relief from the ache that runs through the glute and calf are fire hydrants. Yep. Weird, right? It's not the sort of movement that I'm going to drop and do in the middle of the gym either. But maybe I should do a few more at home? 

14Oct2020
Sunny Wednesday

Precor elliptical
35 min
Program 3
HR 115, 189, 146
Cal 316
Distance 2.84

Crunches x 60
50 Bicycles
Crunches x 60
Piriformis Stretch
Plank 60s
Fire Hydrants 25 x 2
Bird Dogs 60s x 2
Pushups 25
Piriformis Stretch
Quick Mat Stretch

DB raises supersets
lateral standing 15 lbs x 15 x 4
reverse inclined flys 15 lbs x 20 w/u
20lbs x 20 x 3

Matrix Step
Speed 5
Min 15
HR 122
Cal 109
Steps 736
Floors 46