GOFC, Bike Ride and Yoga

This morning I checked the weather before heading outside. I'm glad I did as it "felt like" 0.5 degrees. I decided that I'd squeeze into my Skins instead of wearing 3/4 length pants. They seemed to fit a bit better today, which was a relief. I headed off towards Lennox Gardens, really enjoying the ride. While it was a little cold, it was a lovely day. There were lots of people out and about.

I was heading over the bridge when I suddenly realised that I didn't have my back pack with me. My immediate thought was "oh well, I won't be able to lock up my bike", which was quickly followed by a more panicked "my keys, my building pass, my phone". Yes, I was locked out of my apartment. I was tempted to go back home and call a locksmith but I realised that I wasn't even able to do that without my phone.

A quick review of my options and I realised that the real estate agent was my best bet. As they didn't open until 8:30, there was no point in going home, so I continued on to the GOFC. It was a circuit session, which involved fast steps in between the rungs of two ladders (lead with one foot then the other), jumping from cone to cone, a shuttlecock relay, jumping around a pentagram and a dodge and weave run around cones. We'd do 2 mins on an activity, then run / walk around the rectangle on the outside (run the long side, walk the short side) for 2 mins. We did the circuit once and then repeated it with 1 minute intervals.

After our warmup and before the circuit we did an activity that I can't think what to call. I feel sure that I should know its name. It involved a set of four cones. We ran up to the first cone, touched the ground, ran back and touched the ground, ran to the next cone, etc etc and then did it all in reverse. I was really slow compared to everyone else but I didn't sweat it. At the end we thought we were finished but we had to do it again. Fortunately we only had to do the first half. I'm finding that these "add ons" after we finish are teaching me that I still have energy in reserve even when I think I'm all done.

While we were doing the circuit I found myself running most of the time. I had warmed up by then and was in the zone. I really enjoyed this circuit last time so I'd arrived with a really positive expectation about this morning's session. I'm glad that I didn't allow the key fiasco to ruin my enjoyment.

Krissi rode with me the first part of the way home this morning, which was pleasant. I watched her fly up to the bridge while I went the slower, longer way. One of these days I'll be able to do that. We parted company once we crossed the bridge and I headed off along the bike path to the real estate agency. It was another 3.5 km past my place, so it was a good ride. I had to wait for a while for the staff to turn up, and then they didn't have the spare key/pass. The maintenance man had it and he thought he was about an hour away from my place. My property manager kindly gave me a cup of coffee and then I headed home.

As I had all that time to kill I decided to "steal a workout". I thought through my options. The main problem was going to be my bike as the lock was also in my missing backpack, so I decided to spend the time riding. It was such a beautiful morning that it ended up being a really pleasant way to wait for the maintenance man. Stealing a workout is a concept my brother shared with me - instead of sitting or standing around waiting, I go for a walk. This morning I managed to do an extra 60 minutes of riding on top of my usual GOFC bike ride. My legs are a little tired tonight, but it was certainly preferable to waiting for a locksmith and forking out the call out fee.

I'm convinced my forgetfulness is related to that time of the month. I missed out on Body Attack last night because I left another backpack at work. I'd changed into my runners, but I'd walked off without my exercise gear. There's not time to go home, get changed and head back to the gym so I had to miss the class. When I did get home last night I surrendered to the impulse to stay there but at least I made up for it this morning.

Tonight I was really tempted to do a yoga DVD instead of heading back out, but I overcame the impulse and went to the class. I'm glad I did, as the instructor does such interesting things. Today everything "flowed". We didn't hold the poses as long as usual. It was really pleasant and the time just flew. I feel quite relaxed now. During the class I had a couple of "oh no, my quads are going to cramp" moments but I got out of the pose and relaxed before getting back into it. I really think the yoga is doing wonders for my tight quads and hamstrings. Moments like those remind me that I've got to keep it up. There are a few other moves that I just can't do at the moment but I am seeing a real improvement in other poses.

I'm planning to run to work in the morning, if all goes well. I have everything organised at the work end. All I have to manage now is the getting up and doing it. This is the last week of the GOFC and I've decided that I'm going to try to run to work on Tuesdays and Thursdays once it's over. I have been debating about doing the Fernwood Miss Military Bootcamp, but I think I'll try to get into the regular running habit instead. I don't want to leave it until it gets too warm.

We're at the "buy the T-shirts" stage of the Dragon Boat racing. The practice sessions have been organised. I'm quite looking forward to it all.

PS The Global Corporate Challenge is over. I didn't get into it this year. My average step count worked out to be 11791, which equates to 7.5 km a day. The site is really busy, as people put in their final steps, so I'm not sure how the team went or how the leaders went. If I do this next year, I think I'll make sure I do it with a group of people I see regularly. I missed the daily interaction with the team this year. It's funny though - I'm thinking that 11.5k steps isn't many, as I did it without really trying, when a few years ago I'd have been lucky to do 3k steps a day. I love being fit and healthy.