Brace yourself...this may be a long one.
Fall is in the air. Growing up, I hated fall because it meant the onset of cold weather and school. But as an adult, I finally understand why Fall is some people's favorite season. It is quickly become mine. The air is crisp, there is pumpkin flavored everything, and the humidity has disappeared. But on the flip side, the days are getting shorter, the mornings and evenings are getting colder which makes working out outside much more difficult.
Last week, the hubs and I "cashed" in our Groupon and started our month of bootcamp. It had been over a month since we had done any strength training so the first day was rougher than I imagined. My muscles forgot how to do push-ups, sit-ups, and everything other than standing and walking (and even then it got shaky). After day 1, I could barely walk, sit, or breathe without experiencing any pain. After days 2 and 3, all my movement was severely limited. After day 3, I was glad to take a break. We took lots of walks (and even a short hike) in the following days.
Yesterday, we got back to bootcamp. We did lots of leg workouts but my since my muscles were awaken from their deep slumber, the soreness today is bearable. But today's workout was really pushed me past my limits. Today was our first run day. I had a feeling it was coming but I was not mentally prepared for the amount of running I had in store. When we first started, I imagined that we would run and then loop back to our starting point i.e. run in a full circle. I thought we'd run maybe 2.5 miles and then do something else. I was really wrong. We ran and ran and ran until I thought my legs would give out. THEN the instructor told me "OK, turn around and run back." EEK! By the time he told me to run back, I had done over 2 miles and my feet were killing me. But I ran more than I ever thought I could. I am really proud of myself. I think I ran close to 4 miles and walked about 1. The idea of running with a pack really does help me push through the pain that courses through my body and just push on. But I know tomorrow my legs are going to punish me for working them so hard.
As if the workouts weren't enough of a challenge, Jay and I have decided to make a change to our diet. Despite the warnings advice from my co-workers, we are trying to go gluten free (at least for this week). We started yesterday and I'm already ready to quit. It's amazing how difficult it is to cut out gluten. It's hidden in places I would have never imagined. After our workout yesterday, we got finished late and were starving so we went to PF Changs. We asked them if they had a gluten free menu and the cashier handed over a menu the size of an index card. Their gluten free menu literally had only 6 dishes listed! While it's really hard, I know it'll be worth the struggle. I don't think I could do it forever, but I think it'll really push me to be more aware of what I'm putting into my body.
OK, it's late, my muscles ache and my eyes are getting heavy....good night!
