Sun 5th - rest day
Mon 6th - chest & triceps; 20 mins yoga/stretching.

Easing myself back in gradually. If I leap in I'll get starving hungry and terribly tired (not at all compatible with real life as lived here).

Mon. Sept. 6: 60 minutes arc trainer, resistance at 8, hill intervals
45 minutes Pilates routine

I let myself sleep in on the holiday & got the gym at nearly 8:30 AM. There were more people there than I'd thought I'd see, and a trainer working with a client.

Sept. 6: 65 minutes spin class

Totals:
6 days
337 minutes

Tuesday 7th

5 mins warm up on the Concept 2 rower (thought of you, saef)
15 mins intervals on the X-trainer
20 mins yoga/stretching. Hurray! Heels on floor in downward dog. For me, crux seems to be stretching the calves before going into the pose.
10-15 mins catching up with friends

All good. I can feel yesterday's and today's work so I'm right to build up slowly.

Tuesday, Sept. 7:

15 minutes rowing on Concept II: Trying to meet you midway on the Atlantic, Silver my friend
45 minutes weights
45 minute spin class

Tonight the Irish woman on my left peddled harder & sang along aloud when U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" came on the instructor's mix CD for the class. This turned out to be a wonderful song choice for spin class. Very militant, marching-like, with that one very aggressive guitar riff. I think I must add this to my little iPod Shuffle for the gym.

Had to do a lot of fire fighting first thing this morning so got to the gymn late. It was just before I usually have my mid-morning snack so I felt less well fuelled than usual, and rather done over (trsl: exhausted) by the fire fighting.

Warm up of 6 mins on the Concept II rower. I hit heavy weather between minute 5 and 6 in the shoulder dept so gave up. Sorry, I should have said "made a sensible and rational decision to stop for the sake of my health and well being".

It was meant to be back and biceps day today. I had had no time to review what I was to do so I took an old workout plan and had a go with:

• plate-loaded lat pulldowns. 10kg each side, 3 sets of 6.
• upright rows with the 10kg barbell. My shoulder moaned so I gave up after 3.

20 mins of yoga and stretching. Here I excelled. My heels hit the ground fairly easily during the downward dog. Lesson is to stretch my calves in advance and it's pretty straightforward. Hey, you know what I mean!

Overall assessment. Well done, me, for getting to the gymn and putting in some time. Things will calm down and I'll be back to where I was, fitnessly, before too long. And beyond that. But I've got to be patient.

Sept 6:
3.2 mile run
32 minutes

Sept 7:
2.8 mile walk with stroller
47 minutes

Sept 8:
3 mile run with stroller
32 minutes

One more run til 13.1!

ETA: Silver, when you say "fire fighting," do you mean actually fire fighting? Like putting out house or brush fires?!?!?!

Thanks for starting the new thread guys! Now I just have to see if anyone else is interested in a new food accountability thread too, since everyone fell off the wagon on the last one.

Let's see how good my memory of my vacation is... When we last left our heroine, she was about to board a plane for Los Angeles.

Aug 26:
- I think I walked the dog in the morning...

Aug 27:
- 45 min run around my parents' neighborhood, slow

Aug 28:
- a couple hours of helping set up stuff for my sister's wedding

Aug 29:
- more setting up for the wedding, plus wandering around at the wedding itself

Aug 30:
- drive up to Yosemite, nothing really

Aug 31: (in Yosemite)
- NRLW S1W4A in a local park in Oakhurst
* 15 min jog to the park
* 2x20 squats using two water bottles as weight
* 2x12 push-ups on the back of a park bench, alternating with
* 2x12 "rows" (I pulled on the springy toys on the playground)
* 2x12 step ups on a park bench, alternating with
* 2x10 leg lowers/lifts
- walk back to hotel
- in Yosemite, 2 mile hike around Mariposa Grove
- in Yosemite, 4.8 mile hike down from Glacier Point (2.5 hours, 3200 feet down)

Sept 1: (in Yosemite)
- hiked 1 mile on a flat trail from Tuolomne Meadow to Soda Springs
- hiked 2 miles round trip to Gaylor Lakes, ~600ft elevation gain (took a couple hours)

Sept 2: (Yosemite + drive back to LA)
- ~1 mile walking/hiking

Sept 3:
- brief walks through airports and between public transit transfers

Sept 4: (in Seattle)
- NRLW S1W4B at hotel gym
* 5 min warmup walk
* 2x12 deadlifts with 2x25# dumbbells
* 2x12 shoulder press with 2x10# dumbbells, alternating with
* 2x12 lying arm raises to sub for lat pulldowns w/2x5# dumbbells
* 2x12 lunges with 2x10# dumbbells, alternating with
* 2x10 swiss ball crunches with a 3# weight
- 15 min run on treadmill, first mile at 5mph
- walked about 7 miles total all over town, including hills

Sept 5: (in Seattle)
- walked another 6 miles or so including some big hills
- an hour walking in an art museum
- an hour walking in a botanical garden

Sept 6: (coming home from Seattle)
- none to speak of, just walking through airports

Sept 7:
- 20 min dog walk in the park

Sept 8:
- none planned, skipping NRLW today since I have a bit of a cold

Sept. 7: 60 minutes elliptical
I really didn't want to go to the gym-- I worked 2 jobs starting at 7 am and finishing at 7 pm. But whenever I don't want to work out I try to remind myself that I am fortunate that I am healthy and my body allows me to exercise. Then I thank God for being healthy and haul myself off to the gym. It seems to be working!

Totals:
7 days
397 minutes

I think Silver means "putting out fires" -- those moments in the working world when something unexpected happens & upsets what you've planned, or throws a wrench into a process that usually goes smoothly, and you must immediately react & take care of the little crisis that's upon you. Then all the routine tasks pile up. And your plan to exercise gets postponed or canceled, or your food plan gets disrupted.

But I could be wrong. If so, then I'm going to have to imagine that Renaissance beauty in her avatar wearing a helmet & a heavy black rubber raincoat.

(I already subvert it enough when I imagine her black lace sleeve as a really cool, elaborate Goth tattoo.)

Saef - I love your images of SB with goth tattoos. I have to admit that I also picture her lovely avatar doing the things she describes in her posts. Glad it isn't just me.

SB - love you and your posts, by the way. Your wisdom is often one of the high points of my day. And love your plan.

In obviously feeling all sentimental tonight.

9/1 - 45 mins weights, 10 miles on stationary bike, 40 mins pre bed yoga.
9/2 - 3.3 mile interval run at the park, 40 mins post run yoga
9/3-9/7 - 5 day break to try to heal my overtraining symptoms. Lined up nicely with no AC and hot as **** in my house over a holiday weekend.
9/8 - 30 mins weights, 10 miles stationary bike, planning 40 mins yoga before bed.

Weds. Sept 8: 15 minutes rowing on Concept II
45 minutes Pilates routine
45 minutes spin class

Sept. 8: 45 minutes spin class

Totals:
8 days
442 minutes

Amy, my fire fighting was as saef described. (I had wanted to post a picture of a fire engine [trsl: fire truck] but ran out of time.)

Saef and Shannon - you go ahead. I can take it.
And I'm pleased my burblings help sometimes or entertain.

TM 7 mins @ 3.1mph, 1.0 incline
Concept 2 rower: 6 intervals, 200m, 30 second rest
20+ mins yoga/stretching.

Shoulder whinging a bit. I must tell you about competitive kayaking. Tomorrow perhaps.

Ah well. SB, perhaps I will imagine you putting out workplace-related fires with a giant, high-pressure hose. Sure would surprise your co-workers I bet.

September 9:
3 mile run, untimed

Training is complete!