Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Moving along

I had an epiphany at Zumba last night.   Ok actually I had a few epiphanies!

Let me start by saying that I have a rather large gap of time between work and my zumba class on Monday nights.  Enough time to go home....for 20 minutes (but would I leave home to go back out?)  There is nothing between work and zumba...it's countryside.  So I end up going to the parking lot and sitting there reading or napping for the hour and a half.  It wasn't too bad in the summer or early fall.  But let me tell you, last night I got COLD and I realized that I couldn't do that too much longer.  It left me wondering how to deal with that time.   

Welcome epiphany number one!    I would drive by zumba and go the extra 10 minutes and go to the gym!   I could get to the gym by 4:15-4:20.   I would have an hour at the gym.....If I left by 5:15 I would have MORE than plenty time to get back by 5:30 which would leave me a half hour before class to rest and shoot the breeze with my com-padres.   Brilliant!

Yes, the thought of doing a workout at the gym and then immediately following it up with a zumba class did make me step back for a few seconds (minutes?) and think.  But I quickly decided that of course I could do it.  I could do a lighter workout at the gym for that hour. I'm not sure I would want to run for the whole hour but maybe a ride on the exercise bike?   Walk on the treadmill?  Something less vigorous for sure.  Why not?   Our bodies are capable of a whole lot more than we give them credit for.   As I squatted, lunged, jumped and danced my way through the class, my mind was going a mile a minute.  Why?   Epiphany number two!!!!

My second epiphany was this?   If I run in the morning there is nothing to keep me from doing a lighter workout in the evening.  If I'm paying for the gym, why not immerse myself in it fully.  I'm usually awake by 6AM.   I usually lay around being a bum until such a time that I am required to get up to get ready for work (a few hours sometimes) or until it is do or die time...meaning I have to go run right then and there or risk not having time to complete it and shower before working.  (And yes, my coworkers usually appreciate when I shower before work).  So get my butt out of bed and to the gym. (On run days if it is nice definitely run outside!)   But why can't I swing by the gym some evenings and pick up a second little workout?  I'm not saying to go and do anything outrageous and crazy and hurt myself....but why not?

You see.....a few weeks back I drew a line in the sand and said I was going to lose a set amount of weight before Christmas.  It was a lofty goal of 25 pounds in something like 10 weeks.    I have 6 weeks and about 18 pounds left to lose to make that goal.   YIKES!  I better get cracking!

So last night before turning off the light and calling it a night, I set my alarm for 6AM.  I knew running outside would be iffy because they were calling for rain....but not worries, the gym is just a few minutes away.   I woke up and boy did I NOT want to go.  I was feeling miserable and sorry for myself (yeah yeah yeah...shush up...I'm allowed those days...the cycle affects it somewhat too!).  But after just a few minutes in bed I drug myself up and got ready to run.   I had checked the weather and it looked like I would have a window until about 8AM to avoid the rain.....I was running on the roads!  WOO HOOO!    I made it upstairs and looked outside....drizzling.  Hmmmm...I don't mind running in the rain when it's 80 or 90 degrees outside...but when the temp is 40 degrees?   When I have access to a treadmill?   I changed my plans and went to the gym. 

I had set a plan of 3 miles.  I started and ran the first two miles at my normal pace.   I so wanted to stop when I hit the two mile mark.  In fact, I actually slowed to a walk and had almost mostly decided to call it quits, or at the bare minimum walk out the last mile.   But then I started to think about how long it would take to walk that mile.  I also started to think about how I had set a 3 mile goal.  So after just a tenth of a mile of walking I cranked it back up to my running pace.   The minutes were dragging.  And then I had another wonderful epiphany!!!   If I run faster, I can get the torture over with that much quicker!  So I cranked up the speed even further!  One more time I cranked it up further.   Admittedly, I would run at my fast clip one or two tenths of a mile and then I would have to back it down a bit....but after just a few seconds of respite, I would crank it back up.  I wanted to be DONE!  And done I was.....after a little bit of sweat and torture.  But ok, I can see how this will be to my advantage to push myself faster to get it done with as I have to fall back on treadmill runs! 

5 comments:

Lynn said...

It's so hard to get up and exercise when it's dark and cold! Good for you.

Denise said...

you are rocking.

Lori said...

Interval training is supposed to torch the fat. You may have accidentally done yourself a huge favor.

Good for you for getting up and out. I love staying in bed when it is drizzly and cold.
Lori

MyStalkerIsFat said...

I try, at least once or twice a week, to double up my workouts and do one in the morning and one in the evening. It seems to help with weight loss.

I had the same epiphany about going faster when I was running a hill! Running faster meant it would be over faster :)

Lori said...

Great job! I love your epiphanies.