Disrupting the Rut

The pups had another disappointing morning at the park with no one to play with except an older dachshund they'd never met before. So once the novelty of new scents wore off, they were back to digging and ingesting dirt (geophagia). Ugh. One of the pups pooped something akin to actual rocks -- it was so firm and compact! Luckily, they don't actually eat rocks, just dirt. Someone surmised it was earthworms or a buried critter, but I haven't seen them eating little wriggly things or anything corpsey. Just actual dirt. 

Which meant I leashed them up and took them home because waiting around for an additional 30 minutes just for other dogs to show up is time enough for them to be horribly bored. Even the promise of "cookies" isn't always enough to sway them from digging. And once the cookies are all eaten, then they're back to the dirt. Unless there are other dogs to distract them with play.

At least I got some decent coffee to drink this morning. My husband ordered a new variety from our standby whole bean company, CoffeeBeanDirect.com. Zero Dark Thirty is a military term meaning too early in the morning. We got a pound just to taste test it and it's a good strong brew that stands up to cream and sugar (how I drink it) or black (how he drinks it). Some days I pour hot coffee into a thermos and bring it to the park with me, but lately it's been too hot for anything except a chilled beverage. Which means I make it the night before, filter out the cafestol, and put it in the fridge for the morning.

It's "hump day," the middle of the working week, and time for me to climb out of the abbreviated "routine rut" I find myself in. Coincidentally, nearly all the standard cardio machines are in use, including all three cross-trainers, the elliptical, and the sweaty dude dripping all over the ClimbMill. Both stair machines work but one is missing any semblance of a cup holder so there's no place to put your water bottle or the cleaning spray/towel everyone is issued upon entering the gym.

I look around and see that both Octanes are available. I haven't used one since before the pandemic began. I mostly remember everything about it except that if I slow down too much during the 3-minute cool down, the machine ends the program. So instead of 20 plus 3 minutes, I have 20 plus maybe a minute. I work up a good sweat and reassurance that my heart rate falls within normal range, starting at 60 bpm and then hovering around 130, with a max heart rate at 142. (None of that crazy 184 bpm heart rate that the Precor screams at me.)

I also check out the Expresso bike for 15 minutes of fun chasing dragons. There's 4 bikes and I choose one at the end. The Dragon Island game is just as fun as I remembered. But I'm not done yet. Since I have no intentions of doing core or any stretching, or push-ups or air-squats, I look around to see what other machines are open. 

The step mills are now both vacant. I always wipe down cardio equipment before and after use, and the smell isn't as bad as the last time I used this machine. But there's still an odor. Sometimes a sweaty stench just lingers around the machine, making me wonder if I shouldn't be wearing a mask for protection because obviously the ventilation is lacking in this particular area. When I'm done, it's time for me to change and shower. I have time to pick up some groceries and the $5 sushi that my son is fond of. Being a camp counselor for 8 yr olds is exhausting and he prefers not to eat lunch there! By the time I pick him up, he's tired and hungry.

14 July 2021
Cardio Wednesday

Octane LX8000
20 min +1 cool down
Program Manual 1
HR 69, 123-142
Cal 145
Distance 1.95

Expresso bike
15 min
Dragon Island
Distance 2.81
Cal 82
Points 113733

Matrix StepMill
10 min
Speed 6 (52 spm)
HR 109
Cal 74
Steps 523
Floors 32