Or it might be that nearly four weeks into my four month holiday I am finally starting to chill out and just enjoy the moment.
Or it could be the after effects of a great weekend.
Whatever it is I FEEL INSPIRED and rejuvenated again.
However I don't LOOK rejuvenated. I got home last night - drove myself home in Dallas rush hour traffic!!! - so I was feeling like a champ but when I looked in the mirror I resembled more puffy tramp than champ.
Seriously I am well aware that I am no Mona Lisa but honestly if I could resemble a little less of a train wreck every now and again I would be over-the-moon happy.
Before I left for my mini trip I spotted that the double chin was reappearing. Nooooooooo!! If I'm honest too, the belly is definitely making it's presence known in a much bigger way than is decent (I don't have scales here but I guessing that I've put on 6-8lbs *insert swear word of your choice*). Plus even after four weeks of no discernible work stress my skin is still 'H' to the orrendous. The icing on this big beauty bonanza has to be the blistered skin on my shoulders from catching a few too many rays by the pool this weekend.
I am seriously SEXY right now. No man can possibly resist. ;-)) I read somewhere that fugly is the new pretty. I am NOT convinced!
As shocking as my fugly reflection was last night. My head is finally in the right space to seriously do something about it. The junk food has been banned - it's PALEO to a P from here on in and Fitness is top of the agenda again:
There's no time like the present (it's a gift you know - hahaha!!). So this morning was round two of Crossfit and 'Dorothy' was the name of the game - aka:
- 10 pull ups (with the green band)
- 20 press ups
- 30 sit ups
- 40 air squats
- 3 minute rest then repeat 3 times and collapse
By round three of pull ups I no longer had the strength to even pull the band down enough to hook my foot in it, let alone pull myself up to the bar so the last 10 reps were 'interesting'! Plus did I mention that the skin on my shoulders is blistered? Well this adds a special dimension to pull ups as burnt skin fiercely resists any movement. Now you know.
Plus I also got around to downloading my Fitbug steps at long last and for a power walker extraordinaire like me, the results are a bit shocking:
These is my average daily step total each month since I got my FitBug mid Feb:
No facts don't lie: June has been a MASSIVE fail.
Since I've been in the US I've only hit my step target three times.
Fortunately the weekend just gone is starting to show a bit of an improvement.
And I really know it cos I feel so much better, mentally and physically.
Want to know the main reason why Sunday was so good step wise?
2km run on the treadmill at the Hilton Gym at a 10km hour pace!!!!
Although maddeningly this profile doesn't show it, I was running consistently fast (I had to - I was on a treadmill!!) and I ran over 2km WITHOUT stopping.
Well I'm EXCITED!! xx
Q&A Time!!!
Q: WarriorWoman recently sent me a question about how often I maintain my Running School learnt running form? (Thanks WarriorWoman I heart questions ergo I heart you!!)
A: Anytime I run on a treadmill, which admittedly is almost NEVER, I feel obliged to keep consistently good form as I instantly feel like I'm back in my running lessons ;-)) But seriously running on a treadmill does make concentrating on your form more seamless as you don't have to worry about uneven surfaces, pedestrians, traffic or battling the weather etc. Keeping consistent form 100% of the time is impossible, unless you possess a mind not full of it's own musings or with a constant stream of inane questions and wandering thoughts like mine. So the best thing to do is pick a visual cue - like silver cars, lamp posts, fire hydrants or dog walkers - something you see regularly when you're running and every time you see your selected visual cue that's your own mental cue to check your running form and whether you are driving your arms enough and picking up your heels etc? Eventually, and as with anything, good technique becomes more seamless with practise especially as your previously underused running muscles get stronger. Another trick I learnt is to find a slightly slower running buddy - almost an impossibility as I am ridiculously slow as it is!! - but while you are running alongside you can take your time to concentrate more on your running technique.
So to answer your question!! I feel like I am running well if I am a mindful runner c. 40-60% of my run. But most importantly remember running perfection is not the aim of the game, just injury free running and above all some ENJOYMENT. Even if the feeling of enjoyment comes post run when you can sit down again!! Good luck on your Learn to Run Journey - I'll be checking up on you. xx
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