Like a Bald-Faced Hornet

I was surprised with the loaner car I got from the dealership's repair shop. Normally, I wind up with a base model Forester that feels cramped and low-budget. This time, I was surprised by the size of the vehicle. From the back, I can see that it has higher clearance than a normal sedan, or probably even my old Forester, which with its leather seats is a "Premium" edition. 

This loaner is the Wilderness edition and it stands taller and wider. It has weird shiny metal pedals with Swiss cheese cutouts as if it's not quite finished and missing a rubber tread. In fact, this white car with the black trim reminds me of a bald-faced hornet when approached head-on. I dare you to say otherwise. 

The car drives nicely and has a Sirius radio account because it's a "courtesy car" used to drive customers about. (Sirius keeps flashing a warning about bad weather tonight into tomorrow, but the weather app on my phone says temps will rise to the 50s with some showers. Nothing I'd consider alarming.) I sat in a Wilderness Forester at the showroom last winter when my hubs needed to buy a new used vehicle after a tree fell on his car. It was very spacious and I immediately made note of it. So far, my only complaint is about the number of buttons and options on the steering wheel and along the door. Consequently, the buttons for the lock and windows are tiny and feel flimsy. 

Weirdest pedals

The Forester Wilderness is much too expensive to purchase new, and car website reviews say that the Premium edition is a better value (cheaper) than the Wilderness, with better gas mileage, acceleration, and stopping speed. I'll keep this all in mind when I'm in the market, probably in a few years. Right now, my main concern is making sure I don't let dog hair accumulate when I take the pups to the park in the morning. The loaner agreement states they can charge me a $200 cleaning fee if there's smoking or pet fur! I remove the dog hammock and shake it all out after the park. Dog fur is insidious and transfer seems inevitable so I'm trying hard to minimize contact. No word from the repair shop today so I have no idea how long I'll have this vehicle.

I get to the gym late and am surprised that mid-week, the gym's not very crowded. The parking lot is virtually empty. Two old men take up cycling on the bikes directly in front of the ellipticals. One of them, Loud Mouth, must've gotten hearing aids because he's no longer screaming at the fellow next to him. I ignore them, close my eyes, and pedal to my tunes. Two songs in and I start singing along to myself. I'm pretty sure no one can hear me, especially with the "ambient" music blasting. Program 3 has traditionally been a bit grueling and I worry that I'm not pedaling fast enough. Except I'm able to ramp up during the last 5 minutes and actually hit that elusive goal mark of 2.9. Yaaay me!

I'm a bit breathless and very sweaty when approaching the Stretch Cage so of course I wonder if I'm going to be too tired to pull myself up. But that's silly because in my case, strength is something that doesn't wane with cardio fatigue. I get my 17 pull-ups and then head off to the Aerobics Room. I keep reviewing my exercises, wondering which ones I can modify or eliminate to cut time, especially since I added Wall Squats and think I should also try some Side-Bends or Twists since my sciatica has remained dormant for months now. Should I ditch the planks? Are they doing anything for me? I feel my abs during those 60 seconds. Just like I feel my abs when I do Dead Bugs and I attribute that to doing the "warmup" crunches beforehand. And I'm better at Dead Bugs now, being able to switch from alternate sides to same sides without the stumble.

When I emerge from the Aerobics Room, there's no one in the Stretch Cage so I get my second set of pull-ups. I've taken to just letting my legs hang down so I can focus on keeping my body straight and rigid. It's only during the last few reps that my legs start to curl up to assist. I'm trying hard not to resort to kipping. 

I've always thought that dogs recognize the noise of the car and so, don't bark when I back into the driveway. They go nuts if anyone else, including my hubs, pulls up. Which puzzles me when I drive the loaner car home and back into the driveway. Not a peep from my pups. As if they know it's me. The loaner is whisper quiet compared to my jet plane car. How do they know it's me coming home? Are they psychic? 

8 November 2023 11:30-12:56
Late Wednesday With the Loaner

Precor elliptical #1
Program 3
Time: 30+5 (5788)
Distance: 2.90
Cal: 325
Avg Hr: 155,207-85

HGPU 17

20 Hip Bridges
Crunches 60
Piriformis/Hip/Pencil Stretch
DeadBugs 20/20/20/20 alt/ss = 80
20 Hip Bridges
Elbow Plank 60s
Quick Child’s Pose
Cat stretch 12
Fire Hydrants 30 x 2
Child’s Pose / Cobra Pose
Bird Dog Planks 60s x 2
Push-Ups 26
Air Squats 25
Upper body stretch with 5 side bends
Eye yoga
Wall Squats 90s (last 30 trembling limbs)

HGPU 17