Friday, March 4: 60 minutes stationary bike in motel "fitness center" (windowless room in Best Western with a treadmill, a bike, padded thing to stretch on, a TV that kept losing its reception & no wipes of any kind). Walking in Charleston, mostly along the Battery
Saturday, March 5: 60 minutes bike, or just about, as seat dropped beneath me toward end. After wedding of cousin's daughter, a relief to lose the shoes & slip into jeans & walk in Charleston again.
Sunday, March 6: Ran 30 minutes on treadmill, because bike wouldn't work, at a steady 4.5 mph, grade of 2.5. I think I went a little over 2 1/2 miles. And walked & walked in the city, touring Fort Sumter & two houses.
Monday, March 7: 60 minutes on bike, as knees were sore from previous day's running & walking. More walking, this time on a plantation, then in the afternoon, walking in the city, seeing three more houses.
Tuesday, March 8: 60 minutes on bike, then walking a lot around two different plantations.
Wednesday, March 9: 60 minutes on bike, with seat again dropping out from under me (this machine is unsafe) and walking around one plantation, then inside a museum at the city, then at a large antique shop with maybe 100 dealer booths.
Thursday, March 10: Home, arriving far later than planned due to a flight delayed five hours, and made myself get out to the gym at 8:30 PM for 60 minutes on the elliptical, resistance at 8, half backward.
Whew.
I'd describe this vacation as stimulating, rather than relaxing. The flight delay -- so many unplanned hours at the airport -- at least allowed me to start reading a fascinating book from a small academic publisher about the women who ran the plantations, which I'd picked up from the Drayton Hall gift shop.
It's good to be back, though mostly because of how pathetic the Fitness Room was. (The stationary bike had lost the plastic straps that hold your feet to the pedals. Now I know that it is impossible to do sprints if you don't have those to steady you.) Otherwise, I just loved Charleston & the remaining countryside not yet taken over by subdivisions. I'd never before been to the Low Country. It's as beautiful as a dream.
Friday, 11 March:
15:08 rowing on the Concept 2, doing 3,006 meters at 2:25 per 500/meter, 41 s/m, for a projected total of 6,085
60 minutes weights
60 minutes yoga
45 minutes on arc trainer, intervals, resistance at 9
That's a lot of gym time, even for me. I'll explain. I was at the gym to distract my mind. My car was on a little rise in the pavement on a flooded parking lot. The escape route was even deeper than the water by the car. There was nothing I could do. I could either stay at home, staring at the car, watching the water come up, or go to the gym. So I went to the gym. And while I was gone, a truck with a pump came & started pumping out the floodwaters. I found it there when I returned. Stood there with my yoga mat in its holster over my shoulder & was thankful. My car is safe. I can drive it to the grocery store. Other neighbors two blocks away were not so fortunate.
My legs are sore today & so are my hip flexors. That's what we were working on in yoga yesterday: Opening up the hips. Mine apparently prefer to remain closed.
15:07 rowing 2,989 meters on the Concept 2 at 2:38 for 500 meters, at 39 s/m, for a projected total of 5,812
60 minutes weights
45 minute spin class, with hill sprints at the end
Hard to get up an hour earlier on the first day of Spring Forward time, but I made it. And rowed poorly due to... TMI alert ... TMI coming ... here's the TMI ... I rubbed a bit of skin off my butt while rowing, due to my underwear developing a wedgie, and this pain definitely affected my time. Now my butt is all slathered in ointment & in a moment will hunt down my donut cushion. (Once I remember where I put it.)
March 10: two 15-min dog walks
March 11:
- 18 min elliptical intervals
- 18 min strength
- 5 min stretching
March 12: two 15-min dog walks
March 13: swim intervals, 30 mins total. I finally managed to make it 50 yards in less than 1 minute! (barely, but still!)
Good to have you back, saef. 
