for the past four years or so it has been pretty habitual for me to do some form of workout between 4-6 times a week. my "lazy" weeks are usually never less than four. when i was doing P90x or Insanity, it wasn't enough to just do the hour dvd. i typically ran, cycled, or hopped on the elliptical for at least half an hour as well. my body craves the cardio and i feel all sorts of anxious and overly energetic if i don't get in at least four workouts a week. i pride myself on being heart healthy and was ecstatic when i reached the point that i could run 13.1 miles nonstop without wanting to die afterward. getting to that point took a lot of work and consistency.
for the past two weeks i've been in Thailand and vowed not to workout during my vacation time. my mind was in gear to not work out for those two weeks. i told myself, "take your vacation time and enjoy it. don't worry about it, you'll just bounce right back when you get home." but somehow once that thought was in my head i put that plan in to action two weeks prior to vacation also. i still worked out three times for those two weeks prior, but that's a big decline from my normal routine.
i went to Thailand and had an amazing time. didn't think once about working out. in fact my boyfriend ran and swam once while i lounged by the pool and took a nap. i didn't feel bad. i was on vacation.
now let's talk about today and the past two days. of course coming back from vacation i knew i had to get back on track. and i know my body pretty well. i was certain that just a couple of weeks of nearly no physical activity would make my normal workouts that much harder. the first day i did an hour on the elliptical, which is normal for me but i felt more winded than normal. the second day i did half an hour on the elliptical and half an hour walking at a steep incline on the treadmill. same deal. winded. today it was gorgeous and i had every intention of running many a mile. on bright sunny days all i want to do is run or cycle outside, and that i did. however my intention to run six miles turned in to four, with a small break between miles 3 and 4. i neeeeeever walk or take breaks when i run. for some reason i feel defeated when i do that. so today i felt defeated. it makes me feel out of shape. and i know it's a result of my lack of activity for the past two/fourish weeks.
and it's not that i think i'm going to be stuck and not gain momentum up again. it's just that it sucks to have to do that. it feels like starting all over again, which i very well know it's not. muscle memory is a fantastic thing. so back to the grind. i'll be signing up for the Giants Plate to Plate Half Marathon in August for some motivation and a goal to look forward to. last year i ran it at a pretty steady 10:03min/mile pace. this year i think i'm going to aim for 9min/mile. wish me luck!! if anybody wants to join me, please do!
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