Spin class - a report

Well, add that to the list of "things I never thought I'd do a year ago"...

I started spin class in my new bike skort, which is super-cute, so that made it all the more fun.

I met Alisha and Rob at the Y, and we jumped right in.  We started out pretty fast, and then, the instructor said, "Oh yeah, this class is hills."

*gulp*  I shot a nasty glance at the architect of this plan - Alisha.  (Sorry, A!)

The theme was movies, and it was pretty intense.  The idea was to stay with the cadence of the songs while increasing the resistance and coming out of the saddle as instructed.  There were more than a couple of times that I wished I had started at the bottom of the hill a little easier!  I was glad I didn't have to back off though.  A few times I did have to slow it down a smidge.

I can say that spin class was definitely a challenge.  My heart rate was super-high, and I think that's a good thing.  I sweated like crazy.  My butt is sore. 

According to My Fitness Pal, I earned 763 calories.  Not bad.   I'll definitely do spin again, but probably not every week.  It was a nice change up from what I'm used to!  And thank god I got all those calories - we visited my grandmother and she insisted I eat a dove ice cream bar... 250 calories later... eep.

This hurt leg thing isn't so bad!

Sarah

Two weeks down...

Two to go.  Thankfully, my stress fracture doesn't hurt much anymore, so I think the rest is working.  In the mean time, I've been rocking the bicycle, elliptical, and upper body/abs weight lifting.  Fun?  Ok, maybe not, but it'll do.  It's gorgeous outside and I keep thinking how nice it would be to head out for a run.

Today I'm trying spin class - I'll report back later.  I'm super-scared.

Also, I cancelled weight watchers today.  It isn't working.  I'm going to try My Fitness Pal for a while and see if it works.  Since I'm in the habit of tracking already, I'm hoping it'll just be a slight change, but will make me more aware of what kind of balance I'm eating. They have these great pie charts that show the breakdown of carbs/fat/protein.  It also shows other nutrients - something WW kind of ignores. 

The good news is, if this doesn't work, I can rejoin WW without the joining fee.  I feel a little strange abandoning it, but I'm realizing that WW isn't really made for people that are as active as I am.  I just don't think the activity points balance out and I think I'm eating a lot more calories than I should.

Of course, I'll keep you posted!

Sarah

This is feeling less scary already.

I'm thankful for friends and the encouraging words I've gotten in the last 24 hours.  I feel like folks get it - it's not really about the injury.  It's trying to make sure I stay with my healthy habits since the one thing I've been able to stick with is off the table.

Since I'll be experimenting with alternatives to running, I'll share them here.  It's really a good thing... if zombies strike, I'll be able to swim, bike, and elliptical away from them in addition to running.  :-)

Also, when I'm cleared, I'm going to be really careful about getting back into it.  I hope you all won't have to do that in your running lives, but we'll all know how to reintroduce running into our routines.  Guess that makes me the guinea pig!

So, runners, if you couldn't run, (or walk, for that matter) what would you do?  Anything I have to try during my hiatus?  I want to try yoga (great suggestion, Jodi!  I'm in!) and maybe some pool aerobics at the Y.  Why? Because I can.  And switching up a routine is a good thing - even when it's forced.

Many thanks, all!

Sarah

ARGH!!!!!

Balls.

So. I've had some shin pain. Very localized.  I just thought I was being a wimp, but it's been going on for kind of a while.  Like, 3 months while.

Yesterday it hurt a whole lot.  So today I went to the orthopedist.

And I have a F&#%ING STRESS FRACTURE.

I cried all the way home.  It felt like getting punched in the gut.  Here I am, 25 lbs lighter mostly because of running and weight training, both of which are completely off limits for 4-6 weeks.

My awesome husband pointed out that I can still bike and swim, which I needed to work on anyways for a possible run at a tri.

But it STILL SUCKS.

Sarah

10k PR!

So, I have like, definitely not been running distance for a while.  4 miles, MAX.  Until last weekend, I hadn't run 6 miles since the half.

So I was a little nervous heading into today's 10k.

It was the Wake Med Scrub Run - the shirts were actually scrubs! (it's the little things in life.)

Poor Alisha wasn't feeling well, but she rallied, and off we went.  The weather was perfect - a nice 60 degrees but sunny.  The course was OK - it was 2 big loops with the second one adding a bit on the end.  I find these a little more cumbersome, just because you know what's coming (and thereby, which hills to dread.) 

Because we were in downtown Raleigh, it was a smidge hilly for my taste.  Nothing too steep, but there were some very long steady inclines. 

But, ya'll, we killed it.  Sure, we were close to the end, but we made it back before the kids did their fun run, and even got a race 10k PR!  We finished in right at one hour 20 minutes... a good 90 seconds off of the bridge run in April for which we trained A LOT.

I'm feeling pretty good about our weight lifting plan - I think it is actually improving our running.  Frankly, we would have done even better if the finish line wasn't uphill... WHY do they do that?  It's just cruel.

Anywhoo, time to kick the back door open and watch some football (pumpkin ale, you say?  Don't mind if I do!).

I LOVE October!

Sarah