Day 7, Week 7: Ten random things I've learned from working out.

I tried to go for a bike ride.  I really did.  I have bike grease all over me and the couch to prove it. 

I knew it was going to be windy today, but I didn't realize it would be almost 20 mph windy.  Because I still really wanted to go on a bike ride, I plotted out a route where I would only ride into the wind for a few miles, and then I would ride with the wind coming at my side and my back for the rest of the way.  As I turned the initial corner right into the wind, I got about a quarter of a mile down the road before my brain said, "Screw this *badword*.  I'm going home."

It was bad.  I was at a crawl, and for the brief time I was riding with the wind at my side the stronger gusts kept trying to blow me over.  It wasn't worth the hassle (since I'm not training for a duathlon currently), so I slowly pedaled home and did my usual Saturday weight workout instead: Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets. 

ZOMG MUSCLES

The dogs, as per usual, were supervising.  (But they never offer tips on form.  The jerks.)

No phoning it in on the abs.  He's watching.

Making sure I go deep enough on those side-slide lunges.  The slavedriver.

As I was doing my workout, I kept reflecting on a conversation I had recently with someone about fitness, running, and working out in general.  They asked me how long I had been working out (since 2005) and how long I had been running (since 2010).  A comment was made that I must have made a strong commitment to learning how to do all this crazy fitness stuff so I could be halfway decent at it.  While that's true, I have also learned a lot FROM doing all this crazy fitness stuff.  And by "a lot" I mean "ten random things" because that's what people usually list on blogs, isn't it?  Here are those things:

10. Overeating in the name of "carb loading" the night before a marathon just increases the chances you'll need to use a port-a-john during a race.
9. Always do your tempo runs.  Always.
8. Here's another always--always carry toilet paper in a plastic bag with you on longer runs. If you think you don't need it, carry it anyway.
7. Yes, you really DO need those cute new pair of running capris. 
6. Unless you stick those big body warming patches on each butt cheek, your butt will always be cold on a winter long run.  Get used to it.
5. There is such a thing as racing too much.  If you're training for a race with a time goal in mind, lay off on the racing and focus on your training. (I learned this the hard way.)
4. If you want to run faster, you have to run faster in your training.  Not all the time, but you'll have to do some sort of speed work like fartleks (ha! *snort*), intervals, or repeats.  Yo'ure not going to magically get a ton faster by running the same pace all of the time during training.
3. I was always all "Running in a costume is STUPID" until I actually did it and it's kind of fun.  Especially if your dogs are in the same costume.

The cutest pizza I've ever seen.

2. During any marathon training cycle, you will do one of your 20 milers in the rain/snow/iced over roads/tornado/hail. 
1. Re: #2: You will also do one of those runs without dressing properly and almost drown/freeze to death/slip and fall/get hit in the face with hail the size of golf balls/come home to a husband who is really mad at you for running in that crappy weather.
0. BONUS:  Running won't ruin your knees (unless there's already something wrong with your knees).

Seems that some fitness people learn life-long, metaphysical and existential lessons from their fitness that leads them to greater understanding about themselves and how the world works...I think it's kind of obvious I'm not one of those people and that this isn't that type of blog.


Post learnings today:

• Wind.  Bah.  Always foiling my workouts.
• What's up with the Moon Pie headband in that first pic?  That's from a Ragnar I once ran, where our team name was "Dark Side of the Moon Pie" (It started in Chatanooga...home of the Moon Pie...you get the idea.)
• This year the dogs and I are going to be tacos for our Halloween race.  It's going to be el taco loco!
• I'd write more learnings, but I have to go buy that cute pair of running capris that I really, really need.

Tomorrow's workout: 20 freaking miles in the freaking rain.  Not that I'm bitter about that at all right now.