Recovery Week Revisited

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Ok, what day is it? Yeah, I'm that tired. I've been staying up way too late these past few nights. So tonight, 11pm curfew. It's 10:40 now. Yikes!

Quick workout rundown... I recently looked at My Current Workout page and noticed I said I do a recovery week every four weeks. Uhh...right. I haven't done one of those in quite a while. No time like the present! So starting yesterday I did less cardio and fewer reps/less weight for strength training. Yesterday was the bike, I did 15 minutes on level 5. Easy stuff, though I did break a sweat. Then I did legs/shoulders/core, recovery style. I was in a cranky, cranky mood (which I now know was due, in part, to TTOTM starting up) so doing less was good.

My mood was better by today's gym visit. At least I wasn't hostile about being there. Today I ran outside, had a plan to run 15 minutes but once I got going, this loop around my gym seemed like a good idea. Except it was 80+ degrees out and the loop includes a giant (but short) hill. So to make the run easier I walked the steepest portion of the hill. I was out there for about 25 minutes, 10:30-something pace. After the run I did back/biceps/core, light.

One of the "big" weight lifter guys was there so I asked him about this recovery week concept. We chatted for a bit and in the end he recommended I take a week off, no weight lifting at all for 7 days, every six weeks. Whoa. That's deep. I don't know about that, "read up on it," he tells me. Ok, I will. He acknowledged he's sore when he comes back after the week off, "but it's the good kind of sore." Hmm, we'll see. The good thing is, you can up your cardio during that week if you need the buzz of a good workout, though he said really you should take it easy, give your body a break.

Random pre-workout picture from yesterday. Note the cranky smile.

Ok, exercise is going well. On to food. I'd give myself a solid B+ if I had to grade myself. It was be an A if not for last night. I blame my menstrual cycle. I started snacking - first I polished off the chips, then a protein bar, a string cheese...maybe more that I can't remember. I was hungry when I started eating the chips but not after that. I intervened on myself, sort of, but not really.

Even with that, I still get a high B because #1, I'm still tracking. That is a victory in-and-of-itself. Tracking can be a pain in the ass. And #2, it's the first time since I started that I totally blew away my calorie goal (4th of July doesn't count because it was intentional). Oh, and the biggest thing, #3, I'm feeling better about everything. The scale hasn't changed but I my clothes are a tad more comfortable and I feel better just knowing I'm taking back a little of the control that I'd lost, or given up really.

Uh oh, it's 11:01pm. Signing off...