Hurts So Good

Monday Jan. 10
Lola & I both wake up tired and bleary eyed this a.m. but I drag both our asses out for a pre-work 4 mile run on the Foothills Trail. Lucky for me the prairie dogs are still asleep. Lola eyes the park wistfully as we run by; she'd much rather be there chasing balls and there were some other dogs doing just that. She mopes her way up the last hill and when I turn us around she stars pulling like crazy to get back to the park only to be disappointed again. Life is rough for those with no opposable thumbs.

Normally I have swim practice Monday nights but tonight is my monthly chiropractic and massage appt. The doc. cracks my back then the massage therapist works her magic. While she kneads away I stare at the patterned carpet and try to drive out the opera music that's playing. The carpet is like a Rorshach test and images of happy bunnies and kitties come jumping out of the carpet at me. That is until she gets to my right calf. I've got some issues with it from last week's spinning class and as soon as she digs into it the happy little critters turn into horrible screeching monkeys. I have a terrible phobia of monkeys. My two rules of travel are I won't go anywhere where:
1. The bugs are bigger than my fist
2. I may be in danger of getting monkeys in my hair.
The therapist asks if the pressure is too much and I lie and say no. Up to this point she's been a bit too gentle. I must be some sort of sick masochist but somehow I figure it's not doing much good unless it hurts. By the time I get out of there I feel wonderful and figure I deserve a rest so no more workouts today.

Tuesday, Jan. 11
My standard 3 mile Wonderland Lake run in the am with Lola. It's dark and there's a heavy dense fog that freaks her out so much that at one point she sits down and refuses to go further. I try coaxing her with a treat but she's having none of it. Finally I manage to get her moving with a happy 'Let's Go!' tone to my voice. She's such a freak.

Tonight is Master's swim night since I missed last night. My regular coach Jane is back so it's a really good workout. I've only been going to the pool once a week or so for the past few weeks due to pool closures so I'm still struggling a bit. I need to go at least twice a week to keep up and improve. Today's workout is 2700 yds. total and I'm tired but not toast by the end of it. The pool is so mobbed that I end up in a lane that's a little too slow for me so I end up getting too much rest between intervals. I don't mind though since I'm still struggling a bit to get back into it.

Wednesday, Jan. 12
I wake up to a snowstorm and decide Lola deserves a romp in the park and I'm too tired for running after last night's workout. I walk her a mile in the snow to the park and she loses her freakin' mind running around like a lunatic. The park is the last bit of flattish land before the foothills start rising up so I get to enjoy the snow covered hills while Lola tears around the field.

Tonight's workout is meant to be an hour on the bike trainer with some 10 minute intervals with 2 mins. rest in between. After a 20 min. warm up the first interval goes o.k. but feels really hard, harder than it should for the heart rate I'm at. I take this as a sign that I'm still tired from last night's swim workout. I simply can't go very hard for the second interval despite all the rousing punk rock music I have blaring to motivate me. I finally decide that if the Clash can't get me going it's to give up and cool down. 50 mins. total, I'll put it down as 12 miles but that's just a guess.