After a really enjoyable evening on Friday night, Saturday morning came a little too quickly. And yet, to my surprise, it wasn't difficult to wake up. At seven o'clock, my eyes shot open, and I was out of bed. I'm still not entirely sure how that happened, but it was pleasant.
My wife and I had heard about a free Crossfit workout downtown, and we always jump on those whenever we can. If I had a larger budget for working out (see my post about free workouts), then I would probably spend it on Crossfit. It's a great gym atmosphere with impressive functional workouts. Unfortunately, it's also very expensive, and for the time being, it's not in the cards.
So, when we hear that there is a free boot camp or workout, and there have been several, we try to get out there. The only issue with this one was that I also had a six-mile run scheduled for Saturday morning.
We put together a plan, my wife and I. Figuring out the expected completion times, we determined that I would leave, do my six miles, and then return to the apartment. At that point, my wife would be waiting for me, and we would jog down to the free bootcamp together. All of this went according to plan.
As usual, however, I had underestimated exactly how my body would feel WHILE doing the workout. I'm used to being sore after working a different group of muscles, but I was surprised at how difficult it was to simply get through the different exercises. The basics - pushups, sit-ups, wall sits - aren't the problem. It's things like crab walking and jump-squats, things that aren't that difficult but that certainly are unusual, that really hurt. I was using lots of muscles in ways that they just don't get used, and they were not amused by it.
After the workout, we walked back home. It hadn't been the kind of Crossfit that we'd been exposed to in the past, but it was still a good use of muscle strength. In general, our only issue was that it seemed like more of an aerobic workout than muscle-intensive. Rather than being high-impact, it was high energy, which is great in certain circumstances, but not the best after a six mile run.
What impressed me most about the whole thing was my wife. She's trying to get into running, but her schedule for the last few weeks has not been conducive to starting a new training program. Still, at the first mention of a Crossfit opportunity, we were committed. We both pushed through most of what was asked, and both finished strong, despite the fact that we were kind of miserable by the end. It's a testament to what you can do with someone you love standing beside you.
After all this, the wife dropped me off at my first rehearsal of the day. It was scheduled to last 4 hours, but actually only went for about 90 minutes, so I called off my ride to rehearsal number two and just walked. It was a little too warm, but otherwise it was a lovely day, and the streets of Austin were crowded with laniard-wearing SXSW-ers. I got to the second rehearsal space with two hours to spare, and just sat outside enjoying all of it.
Once the second rehearsal was over, I figured I might as well keep up my streak of activity, and I walked the two miles home. So, my total from the day was six miles intensive, two miles jogging, one hour Crossfit, and 8.5 miles walking (2 + 4.5 + 2). I saw that today's schedule called for cross-training. I think I've got that covered.
I enjoy having my long runs on Saturdays now. The schedule change occurred because the Seattle marathon is on a Saturday, and for the sake of continuity, most training programs recommend getting into the routine of having your long runs on the day you'll eventually need to perform. What makes this plan great is that it gives me Sunday to sleep in, so that the end of my weekend is relaxing instead of the beginning.
And what makes it even better is that the INCREDIBLE soreness in my muscles right now only took up a Sunday, and (hopefully) won't be an issue when I'm trying to work tomorrow.
Or when I'm trying to run three miles.
P.S. I hate daylight savings time. I want my hour back.
Saturday's Run:
55 Degrees / Clear
6.01 Miles
41 Minutes, 59 Seconds
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