Arts as Astra

This week, I started running again after my knee injury a few weeks back. My knee never did turn spectacular colors. In fact, other than some mild swelling and a small scratch, it didn't look like I hurt it very much at all. Still, it had me limping up and down stairs for a good couple of weeks. The lack of scratching I attribute to the pants I was wearing that day. The lack of bruising, I have no idea. Still, it was good to be out running again. Yay, movement.

Saturday was a day of kids sports. Someone foolishly signed both my kids up for both soccer and baseball this spring, and has them in karate, too. (Yes, would be me.) Anyway, the soccer and baseball seasons overlapped one week, even though they assured us they wouldn't, and so we spent the day running from one game to the next. At least they were all on one of two fields within walking distance of each other. I got a little sunburnt.

I tested for my purple-belt-with-green-stripe on Sunday. Which I'm sure means nothing to any of you. It might mean more to say that I tested for 7th gup in tae kwon do, where 10th gup is the lowest rank and 1st gup is just below black belt. Somewhere in there, becoming a black belt has stopped seeming like an Enormous Huge Achievement to something that I ought to be able to accomplish in a few years. Odd, that. The most nerve-wracking part of it was being one of only three in my testing group, the other two being kids, and in front of not only my instructor and his instructors, but also grandmaster Jhoon Rhee, to boot. I only messed up a little.

I keep staggering into work the day after karate class with sore muscles all over.

This is a good thing, right?

So, I did complete my three-day triathlon. It was just too amusing an idea to pass up.

I biked about 10 miles, with a stop in there for tangy yogurt with toppings, the kind that has become really popular in California. And now my butt is sore.

I went to the pool last night to get some laps in and was told that the health inspector had come by and broken their pump but they should be opening again in a few minutes. So I hung around for a while, feeding the mosquitos, but half an hour before closing there was still no sign that they'd be opening again, so I went back home without the swim.

This morning, I fully intended to bike in to work, but it started drizzling just as I was getting the bike out, and since I drop DS1 off at camp on the way in and didn't want to subject him to the rain, I bailed on the bike ride, too.

This evening's forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms, so I may very well be thwarted at the pool again.

*grumble*

I began training for my triathlon last week!

( training log )

So far, most of the workouts have been manageable. I did them thinking, hey, this whole triathlon might be kind of do-able! And then I did the Sunday swim-run. Maybe it was the morning spent canoing, but that workout totally wiped me out. Guess I really need the training!

Yesterday, my new heart rate monitor arrived. New toy! So now I will have a stopwatch with which to more accurate time my workouts. I tried it out out my morning jog this morning, and I'll run into a bit of a problem.

( the numbers )


( This week's goals )

Future entries will be on the tri-training filter, let me know if you want to be added.

Evening jogging does not sit well with me, particularly my stomach. Some combination of running a bit faster than usual (still, 10.5 min/mile isn't all that fast!), exercising on an empty stomach, trying to eat too soon afterward, and not sleeping well for two nights in a row, meant that I couldn't keep down the three bites I did eat and laid me up in bed all evening. Feeling better this morning, but ugh.

Does anyone else out there also have this problem: ( possibly TMI ) Really, I don't need any more disincentive to go running at 6am.


ETA: Clearly, I need one of these so I can look like a total freak, instead of just a dork, when I jog.

My muscles are all sore. I don't think it's because of the jogging. I think it's because of the 20-minute walk between work and the Metro stop. That works out to an extra 40 minutes of walking each day for the last three days. And for some reason, walking seems harder on my body than running does. Hrmm.