Social Workout

Workout

sun sun sun sun sun

YAAAAAY sunshine!! We see it so rarely in Portland in the winter & spring, but it's been sunny for a day or two and today was GLORIOUS. I didn't have to work today (I'm at work now -- night rehearsal) and so I got to spend most of the day outside. YEAH.

So today! I did sprint intervals! Because that's how I celebrate sunshine! I warmed up for a mile and then did 8x100m intervals, sprinting the straightaways and 'resting' (jogging like a snail) in the curves of the track. I thought it would be no sweat -- I like track intervals and in my competitive running days I was a sprinter -- but I was a total baby and SO GLAD to be done after 8 reps. I had considered doing 16 but I'm glad I didn't. Then I cooled down for another mile. 

I had been thinking that there was a pull-up bar at the little 'fitness station' up the hill from the track, but as I was stretching before my intervals I realized the pull-up bar was right next to the track. Which was a) good; I was glad to see one at all, and b) horrifying, because now I was going to have to do my sorry pull-ups in front of god and country. I sort of paced back and forth, eyeballing it for a few minutes. Scrutinizing the adversary. Also calculating whether or not I could even jump to reach it. I should also remind you that I'm recovering from 27 sun salutations and every muscle between my skull and my hipbones is sore. And I'd just run 3.25 miles. And I'd forgotten my water.

Anyway.

If you had asked me in advance, I would have told you I could probably do 2-3 pull-ups as my baseline. I would guess this because at around this time last year I stayed with a friend whose roommate had a pull-up bar in his room, and I asked if I could try it. I didn't know at the time if I could even do one -- they seem to be a hurdle for many ladies -- but I did one, then dropped to the floor, then out of curiosity did another one. I'm stronger this year than last year, so I would have said at least 2.

Wrong! One pull-up. One puny pull-up. But can I tell you something? I was a little relieved it was only one. After all, that's fewer pull-ups I have to do over the next 13 days.

So, I did 3 reps total. I did one, then ran my last cooldown lap, then did another, then went and stretched, and then did one more before I left the track. Knowing the bar is there is a great reason to do more track workouts, too.

After that I went to the barn, where I shoveled poop for an hour and a half, and then tried to manage the disastrous poo pile. I very nearly took a picture to show to all of you, because I talk about that damn poo pile a lot, but I didn't. Maybe tomorrow, since it's not close to finished. 

So, great workout day. Tomorrow I might be running a 5-mile scramble -- very feralicious! -- or I might be bailing on it to instead go to the farmer's market for some local produce. The scramble is a 90-minute drive away, and it starts at 9 tomorrow morning. I work until 11 tonight, so WE WILL SEE. I only paid ten bucks for the race so I'm not all that fussed about missing it. Although I did want to run a scramble this year.