Perhaps a new career...

On vacation again and went to my friends studio today...

First I should say I ran hill intervals on this bitch of a hill...

Then I knocked out 3 miles.

Then I went to Studio S (www.studiosfitness.com) for 'Beginning Pole Dance' which is exactly what it sounds like. This time, I got both feet off the ground!

I used to carry that around every day...

First things first...I AM ON VACATION!!! I am at our family home in Northern Michigan and I am so so so happy. This is my bliss. While I drive north from the airport, I feel all of my exhaustion/tension/stress all melt away. 

But, I had an amazing epiphany in the airport parking lot. I was walking out to our car (we leave one here all summer and trade it off in the airport parking lot) and I was schlepping a small carry on bag, my purse and my golf clubs. About half way to the car I had to pause. I was wiped out and everything was so damn heavy. I did the math in my head and realized that all of those bags added up to about the amount of weight I lost and I almost lost it right there in the parking lot of Cherry Capital International Airport.

How the F*** did I get from point A to point B when I was carrying all that weight all day every day?! Just, unreal.

So tonight I knocked out 5 1/2 miles run/walk...well more walk than run. But I kept admiring the scenery...

A day off as I prep for 'vacation'...

I was way too swamped to work in two workouts or even one today. I know, it isn't an excuse and I could have probably done it. I am going on vacation for the rest of the week. My goal is to knock out lots of working out this week and relax. It will be nice to just focus on this and not work or other obligations. But for now I find it hilarious that my 'vacation' packing involves a lot of workout clothes and not a hell of a lot of other clothes.

Not shin splints, and salty sweat in my eye is annoying...

My legs, though sore, are feeling better. I think it isn't shin splints as earlier thought just a case of 'Crap what are you doing to me' from my legs.

In other news, today was Circuit Circus class. I LOVE this class. The regular instructor was out and that was a bummer and there were a TON of no-shows (like we only had 15 people where normally there are 30-40). The class is great. It is a guaranteed 500 calorie burn. Here is how it works:

There are about 15 'stations'. At each station there are 2 exercises. You generally have two people at each station so one does one exercise while the other does the other...then after 1 minute you switch and after each person has done both exercises at the station, you rotate. By about station 4 you are working up a pretty good sweat. Today was no exception. While in plank, sweat was streaming down my face and into my eyes so I finally had to just close my eyes and deal with it. Sometimes at the end of the circuit we knock out 10 minutes of abs. Today, every few stations, our substitute instructor would stop us and have us do something painful...deep squats, deep lunges, lengthy planking etc.

If you can make it through this class and/or Switch Up on Wednesday nights then you are a damn hero in my opinion...which means I have a pretty high opinion of myself.

So yah that was a 5K well more...

This morning I got up and it was a crazy gorgeous day weather wise. We never have this kind of weather at the end of July. I was scheduled for a 9:15 Fusion class so I decided I needed to get a run in. So, off I went. The goal was to walk a minute, run a minute and repeat for 45 minutes minimum.

I started out on my usual route and a funny thing happened. The running felt good. I felt fast, I felt free I felt like somehow I was to be envied. And rather than turning left, I turned right and went further and further and further....

I should mention I use an app on my iPhone called 'Map my Walk'. You can use GPS with it so I usually start it when I start my run/walks and figure out my distance at the end.

...back to how I was going further....

If I didn't have a 9:15 class I would have kept going. But, I had to turn towards home so I could eat some protein before class. I attacked the hills between where I was and my house. And I kept running! And then, I got home and stopped my mapping app. I about died when I saw. I knocked out a 5K! Well, actually I knocked out 5.5K! And I wasn't miserable. I was warmed up and ready for class!!!

Oh no...oh no...is this the start of shin splints...

So I am enjoying running, to a degree. I mean don't get me wrong it isn't my favorite. But there is something immensely satisfying about putting on my workout gear mid day and walking out of the office across the street to run around the lakes. I like walking past folks heading out for fast food...I like feeling the sun and the sweat...I love watching my heart rate go up then down during intervals.

I don't like the hurting. My shins have started to really bother me in the last couple days. I will ice them but yah, I am afraid I am starting to get shin splints. Until now I was running on the indoor soccer field mostly with the soft cushion. I only occasionally ran outside. I have a goal to make a dent in this couch to 5k program, but this could be a different sort of challenge with regards to pushing through the pain or knowing when to stop. Time will tell, I'll keep you posted.

And all of a sudden its 1995...

My company went jeans casual. I hate it. Don't get me wrong it is cool to have the option, but, when you are losing a lot of weight clothes are expensive. And, jeans don't look good when they are too big. So I have put off buying jeans. I figure it is Summer so it's too hot for jeans.

When I left the office today, I decided I wanted jeans that fit. Just one pair. So I had some time to kill before an event so I went to a store. I don't want to 'advertise' for them so I will call the store 'New Army.' There is a lot about this trip I want to share.

First, 'New Army' is next door to one of 2 stores I could generally shop in before that carried my size. I used to walk in and glance at 'New Army' and think, 'Man, it would be nice to go in there and try things on.' Instead I would walk into the 'Big Girl' store and buy clothes I didn't love and walk away frustrated. Today I walked into 'New Army' without even thinking twice about the old store next door.

I made my way to the jeans, a foreign section to me. they have different cuts based on your body type and apparently I am a 'skinny' jeans girl. So I grabbed a pair in a number I knew should fit and just for kicks grabbed a pair a size down from that. With the jeans in hand I trekked to the dressing room.

Dressing rooms for me used to be a place to get in, get out, don't linger, don't look, don't care. If it buttons buy it, if it doesn't run away! Today, I lingered. I pulled on the size I knew would fit and well while they buttoned and zipped no problem they were baggy. I noticed this because I looked in the mirror. And then, I looked down at jeans that were a size smaller. Shrugged my shoulders and thought, 'Why not?'

I pulled em on and damn if they didn't fit. Oh my gosh they FIT! And they felt good...That is when the mental math started happening and I realized that the last time I was this size was about 1995 or 96. Talk about a Throw Back Thursday!

As I shrink out of clothes they get kicked out of my home. But, I kept one pair of my largest jeans so I can always remember where I was and where I never want to be again!