Putting in the Miles

Spring has sprung in Richmond it seems. We may still have a cold spell hit us but lately it has been super nice and finally drying out. The pollen count is high which has really got my allergies kicking. But I am enjoying this weather none the less.

On Wednesday, I was tempted to go for a ride but Wednesdays is my day to work my upper body and core. So I did a fast 2 mile run in my Five Fingers. I over did it a bit and my calves paid the price. More on that later. After my run, I did my upper body and core workout. I have really started to get into these workouts. Especially the post workout smoothie. The protein powder, fruit, and milk smoothie is a great motivator to work my muscles hard.

The next day I was limping along. When running barefoot, which is essentially what I am doing now, the calve muscles are engaged more so then when slogging around in shoes. Striking on the mid foot puts more strain on the calves and I should really work up to it gradually.

After work on Thursday, the weather was again super so I boogied on out to Poor Farm and did a hard 70 minutes of riding on the mountain bike. It was a great workout and afterwards I felt pretty good. Yes, I could feel it in my knees but it was nothing that some ice would not take care of.

On Friday, I was limping around work as my calves were still sore. That night I did my core and upper body workout again followed of course by the protein-fruit smoothie. We had a late dinner that night which of course puts me to bed later than I want but there was really nothing I could do about it.

On Saturday, I did not set an alarm and got up when I got up. I needed the rest. After my egg sandwich, banana and orange juice, I suited up for a long bike ride. I rode from my house down to the river which is about 10 miles on the roads in traffic. Then I rode all the trails and then rode back for a total trip of about 30 miles with about 10 on the trails. It was a pretty long ride for a mountain bike trek and I felt pretty good.

When I got home I worked in the yard for about 2 hours before heading out to dinner and then to Whole Foods to shop. Our cart was mostly full before ever getting out of the produce section. We got so many fruit and fresh vegetables. I just love the site of a cart full of fresh and nutritious food. Buying all this great stuff is the first step to eating right. We have gotten in the habit of eating better and it is really paying off. We both feel a lot better and have less and less cravings for junk food, soda, and other comfort foods. I don't feel like we are denying ourselves anything. On the contrary we are rewarding ourselves with proper food.

Now I am officially pooped.