Summit junkie!

One of my goals this year has been to work on my abs/core at least twice per week. The last few months I have started to use a workout ball at the gym, but I haven't really been spending enough time there because I am usually focused on lifting, so I finally broke down and spent 10 bucks on a ball. :) I actually think it will be the best 10 bucks I have spent in a while. Today I did a 40 minute ab/core workout with my new ball, and it was my best ab/core workout that I have ever had. I'm excited to see my progress this year, and being able to do this at home will help me spend more time on these areas. I'm not sure if it will help me run faster, but it might make my tummy tighter.

I also did 4 on the TM.

I decided to run the track at the gym and skip the TM tonight. The gym was insane with twice as many cars as usual for a Monday, and when I couldn't find a parking spot I was kind of irritated. There were a few others running the track, but they were pretty slow. I decided to take Smooths advice and I changed directions every 5 laps. Believe it or not it actually did mix things up just enough to keep it from getting too boring, and I didn't have any pains at all.

At first I was irritated with all of the people there, but as I ran I looked at all of the faces, and everyone was trying so hard. There was one heavier lady that walked the whole time I was on the track, and she was pushing herself as hard as I was, and I changed my attitude about all of these folks. They all just want to improve themselves and get better, and I guess that is what all of us are trying to do, so I did get some inspiration from them. I hope most of them reach their goals.

My time was just around 1 hour.

Abs are still sore. Had a bad headache when I got home from work, so no working out tonight. I'm sure my body can use the rest.

Went to the gym and lifted (upper body) for 40 minutes. For some reason I was worked after about 20 minutes, but pushed it a little more. I also did 2 miles because I had time, and I finished in just over 14 minutes. I pushed it harder than normal and I really felt in in my calves. I wanted to run more tonight, but ran out of time.

Church ball-

I love playing sports, and basketball is one of my favorites, so it is very hard to not play when I can find a game. I know that church ball might be one of the more risky endeavers that a person can be engaged in, and I guess I will just keep taking my chances.

I had a guy run into me from behind going almost full speed. He was out of control, and I didn't see him coming, so I couldn't brace myself. He plowed into my back, and now my muscles are very tight and sore. I took 800 mg of Ibuprofen, and that helped some, but I am still very stiff. It's my own fault for playing, and I fully expect that sort of thing. I actually love contact, and playing hard, but when people get out of control it bugs me. Anyway!

Highlights of the game in case you're mildly interested:

Number of swear words said under my breath- I'll admit to two

Number of times the game had to be stopped by the officials (term used rather loosely) to chastise teams for poor sportsmanship- Two

Number of fouls I committed- At least 10, but was only called for one :)

Number of times players complained about a bad call- On every whistle

Number of players that had to go out of the game because of bleeding- one

Yes, we won the game :)

Barely had time to get in 4 on the TM today. Busy week.

Met Jun, Twinkies and Kam at Mueller Park for an early morning run. It was cold and the trail was covered in snow, but it was absolutely beautiful up there, and I loved the trail. It is fairly steep the first mile, but we got into a good groove, and before I knew it we were at Elephant Rock. I didn't have time to keep going because we were having a birthday party for my son who is turning five, and I had a lot to get done. I wanted to at least keep going to mile 4, so that it would give me an even 8 for the day, but the trail after Elephant Rock was not great, and it was a lot more work than I was expecting, so I turned back after about 50 yards.

Running back by myself was fun. I had some great tunes in the iPod, and the views were great. I was in a very good mood the whole time. I got back to the car at 8:53, so it took me about 1:20 to complete the run. I'm not sure how much elevation gain there was up to Elephant Rock, but it was nice and steep the whole way.

What a fun run. I would love to go back and do it again.