May Exercise

[Texaco Shirley]

I am in a hotel in Birmingham drinking coffee and watching people head to the start of the marathon. Rather them than me

[wendy james]

I went to the gym for a treadmill run, though dithered about going out in the sunshine but I didn’t have water with me and hadn’t planned a route. It would have been cooler with a breeze outside I’m sure!

So a run, some cycling and lower body.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I had a walk into town and back yesterday and am planning just gentle walking today too.

[Estrella]

Run rest day today. I did a full body weights session with a shoulders add on.

[Topcat]

I did a c25k with some proper old biddies tonight, so not much running and when there was it was slower than a drunk tortoise.

But it's what I wanted, my knee seems to be ok so I'll hit the trails tomorrow night. They are going to be properly grim.

[Estrella]

30 mins easy this evening for me. The heavens opened halfway through and I got drenched and the footpaths got so slippy. Did 5.2km.

[Topcat]

Just over four miles of trail tonight and it was full on lovely. Nothing like as bad underfoot as I was expecting and as ever, the trails were amazing. The first run without a jacket since I can't remember when as well.

My knee did twinge slightly toward the end so I have to watch that, it obviously isn't completely mended but is also clearly way better for the rest.

Oh, and I almost had a fight with a tit of a PE instructor from a private school. The tennis racquet waving fucking bellend.

[Pippedydeadeye]

I went to HIIT, am full of regret.

[Disco]

2.9 mile run. Maiden voyage in my new trainers. It was very bouncy and faster than normal.

[Pippedydeadeye]

Oh, and I almost had a fight with a tit of a PE instructor from a private school. The tennis racquet waving fucking bellend.

I hate all PE teachers. I don’t care if anyone knows one who is all right. They’re not.

[wendy james]

It was very bouncy and faster than normal.

Monday was a treadmill run and a bit of upper body
Tuesday was lower body
Today was upper body and I have a group run tonight.

I'm probably binning off the group coaching at the end of this block. My assigned coach is obsessed with giving me daily calorie targets to stick to and I'm sick of telling her it doesn't align with the goals I've clearly stated (plus she clearly doesn't read what she fed back the previous week and repeatedly contradicts herself).

It's a shame, as I like the 'face' of the programme but she has 3 other coaches supporting her and I just don't get on with mine. I made a comment in my check-in last week about how I'd reduced some of my weights this block as the rep range had gone up i.e. last time round it was 3 x 6-8, this block is 3 x 8-12 so I've gone in lighter. She told me to take the rep range 'with a pinch of salt'. Like, WTF does that even mean when a key element of what I'm paying for is the strength programme?

[Estrella]

2.9 mile run. Maiden voyage in my new trainers. It was very bouncy and faster than normal.

Yay

That sounds frustrating, Wendy!

40 mins easy run for me today (6.84km)

[Texaco Shirley]

That does sound frustrating Wendy but my mental image of TC being chased by a PE teacher waving a tennis racquet is highly entertaining

I have a cold which seems to be threatening to turn into a chest infection so have done nothing this week.

[Disco]

That's annoying, Wendy.

How are you feeling today, Tex?

2.91 miles this morning. Faster again. Yesterday and today all of my mile splits have been faster than normal.

[Texaco Shirley]

I’m improving thanks Disco. I have ignored today’s scheduled training run in hope of being well enough to do Parkrun.

[Estrella]

Yay for beating yesterday, Dic! That sounds like a sensible plan, Tex.

Thursday was a running rest day. I did shoulders and biceps training. My favourite.

[Estrella]

Stride repeats for me today. I went 400m further than last time and it took me 20 secs less to do the workout.

[Disco]

Glad you’re feeling a bit better Trx and hope you’re tiptop for tomorrow.

Well done, Estrella!

2.95 miles in 27 minutes this morning. Again faster. I do expect to be getting slightly faster anyway as I’m only at the start of this season’s running :fairweatherfriend: but the trainers are definitely helping compared with my old pair.

[Loralei]

How long have you felt meh? Sometimes I might go a couple of weeks without it...probably end up doing this once a year in dark winter and then I end up feeling shit about not exercising and galvanise myself into action.

Could you switch up what you do? Like cycling outside and feeling the air and seeing blossom on trees and stuff?

Probably about a month. In my 30s, I ran a lot and enjoyed it, then I kinda fell out of love with it. I started going to spin at that time (about 10 years ago) but I now feel about that, like I did about running, just bored of it. I need to find something else, I don't have a bike and tbh, I don't think I have the confidence to cycle on city roads, drivers in Glasgow are awful.

I also have that nagging thought that I should be doing weights because bones, strength yada yada. I just find it massively boring though, everyone else seems to love it and is all "yay, strong women".

Really, I just want to be rich enough to have a PT who would make me work out every other day

I have this constant battle with exercise, Sal. I ran for ages and hoped to be the kind of person who grew to love it, but never did. I loved running with two friends, but life got busy and they morphed from regular run buddies to occasional wine buddies The only thing I've found that works is changing what I do. I'm currently going to the gym on a fairly regular basis, but mainly because Betty motivates me (although having a child is a fairly extreme/expensive way to gain a PT.) Routine is probably helpful but my shifts don't allow for that. I have found a gym membership helpful though, as I have a choice of what to do without paying more (swimming and classes are included). Does yours offer similar?

[sally maclennane]

How long have you felt meh? Sometimes I might go a couple of weeks without it...probably end up doing this once a year in dark winter and then I end up feeling shit about not exercising and galvanise myself into action.

Could you switch up what you do? Like cycling outside and feeling the air and seeing blossom on trees and stuff?

Probably about a month. In my 30s, I ran a lot and enjoyed it, then I kinda fell out of love with it. I started going to spin at that time (about 10 years ago) but I now feel about that, like I did about running, just bored of it. I need to find something else, I don't have a bike and tbh, I don't think I have the confidence to cycle on city roads, drivers in Glasgow are awful.

I also have that nagging thought that I should be doing weights because bones, strength yada yada. I just find it massively boring though, everyone else seems to love it and is all "yay, strong women".

Really, I just want to be rich enough to have a PT who would make me work out every other day

I have this constant battle with exercise, Sal. I ran for ages and hoped to be the kind of person who grew to love it, but never did. I loved running with two friends, but life got busy and they morphed from regular run buddies to occasional wine buddies The only thing I've found that works is changing what I do. I'm currently going to the gym on a fairly regular basis, but mainly because Betty motivates me (although having a child is a fairly extreme/expensive way to gain a PT.) Routine is probably helpful but my shifts don't allow for that. I have found a gym membership helpful though, as I have a choice of what to do without paying more (swimming and classes are included). Does yours offer similar?

Thanks Lora, could you send Betty up here to motivate me please?

My gym does offer all different stuff, although I hate swimming so wouldn't do that. They do stuff like body pump, but no actual weights classes. I emailed them and asked them to consider a women-only class as the gym is so male dominated, with wee guys dicking about and big guys hogging the machines and being all when you ask if they're finished. I worded it a bit differently to that obviously! Anyway, they didn't reply

I just struggle to motivate myself, I book classes and then cancel them. I tried a local weights class the other night, and although I quite enjoyed it while I was there, it had some of the same issues as the previous one I went to, with an instructor who assumes that you don't need much help, and a fair bit of hanging about between reps.

Anyway, I think its one of those things that there really isn't an answer to, other than making myself do it. I should probably just accept that I'll never love it, nor will it ever just be part of my daily life in the way some people describe it.