A quickie...

And now for a super-fast post, since I needed to be asleep 30 minutes ago, given my ridiculously early projected wake-up time for tomorrow: 

Bed time? 

Today's workout sucked. With a capital SUCKED. The reason? My stupid ankle. I don't know what I did to it, but it's swollen and it hurts to put pressure on it. So of course I ran a mile and then did a plyometric workout that involved lots of jumping. 


I actually made it through the run thanks only to the fact that I didn't wear my New Balances...I think they're part of the problem. I actually wore the Vibrams, and they definitely made running easier. What I like about the barefooting is that I can have somewhat of a conversation with the ground, and make adjustments to my footing with every step. That, and not dealing with heel strike does wonders for my ankle pain. 


So anyway. 


I did my plyometric workout (see: below), and felt myself getting progressively weaker. It was also getting progressively hotter, so part of my inability to not suck might have to do with the fact that the humidity level was at suffocation and the heat was steadily creeping toward fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk. 


To "cool down" after the workout, I took my little dog on an "explore." I'd call it a "walk," but it's more of an exploratory pulling session. (She pulls me for the first half, tires herself out trying to absorb all of the new smells, and then I have to pull her home.)  You see, I've started walking her whenever I'm home from work before sun down or I have a day off. It's super-necessary, since she spends all day sleeping on my bed, and I don't want her to become a "hamburger" again. (My little dog is part dachschund--aka a wiener dog--but when she gets chubby, my sister makes fun of her and calls her a hamburger.) 

Becoming a hamburger...

Anyway...No real news here, other than the fact that I had a completely useless day off in which I accomplished very little of my to do list. Publix, my favorite grocery store on the face of the planet (more about that some other time), had a *MAJOR* fail, and so after visiting not one but TWO different stores I returned home without my extra lean turkey breast & ground chicken breast, both of which I needed in order to get my meals prepped for the upcoming week. 


At least I did get to spend a few moments with my grandparents, who are off to Chicago for a few months....


Okay, off to bed. More substance to come. 


Kaila


1 mile warm up run ("barefoot.")
Plyo Set 1 (repeat 3x w/ 1 min break):
    Lateral Ski Jumps (1 min)
    Cross Behind Step Up & Over on Bench (1 min)
    Sit up & Squat on Bosu (1 min)
    In & Out Squat Jumps (1 min)
90 s Break
Plyo Set 2 (repeat 3x w/ 1 min break):
    Walking Lunges (1 min, 15 lb dumbbells)
    Single-Leg Squat Thrusts (45 s)
    Spiderman Push Ups (15 s)
    Box Jumps on Step (1 min)

A Quick Update (Or, Why I'm Not Finishing My Story Tonight)

Hey all.

Just wanted to throw in a quick fitness-related update, since it's already 10 pm, and I have an early date with the gym in the morning. I'd have posted earlier, but I spent the ENTIRE DAY cleaning my house. With bleach. And Clorox. And other harsh chemicals.

At least the kitchen no longer smells like rotting food. (Thanks, roommates!)

I also prepped all of my meals for the week (hooray chicken and turkey breast, tilapia, sweet potatoes, & veggies!), baked a small batch of cookies (Chocolate Chip Espresso Shortbread...mmmmm), and did laundry.

And I tried out my Vibrams at the gym. I didn't do any lifting--that's tomorrow's endeavor. Today was SUPPOSED to be a long run with my dad in the morning, but I ended up being woken up around 1:30 am and not getting back to sleep. So I set out to do 45 minutes on the revolving stairs at the gym. Usually, this is no big deal. However I could barely make it to 35 minutes before I felt like collapsing. I was using muscles I didn't even know I had. (Which wasn't hard, since I'm still relatively new to functional anatomy, what with my English major and all.)

So. I already know that a) my legs are going to HATE me by the morning (time for some foam rolling, methinks) and b) tomorrow's squats/deadlifts/step-ups/whatever are going to an experience I'm not likely to forget. I'll let you know how that goes.

Until then,
Good night, sweet prince(s), and flocks of angels sing thee to thy rest.

-Kaila

PS Here's an interesting article on the Science of Barefoot Running.