Yesterday I was plagued by a 24-hour, non-stop case of the Mondays. Today, I think I might have what I affectionately refer to as “bad day hangover.” It’s icy and rainy outside, the last day of winter, and it is an easy day to let myself feel blah.
Luckily, yesterday was scheduled as a light recovery day and I only had three miles on my training schedule. Thank goodness, because to add insult to injury, my shins felt terrible! I set the treadmill to 8:20 pace and while the pace itself didn’t bother me, my legs were screaming. I took a 30 second break between each mile to work my thumbs into that tender spot between the front and side of my leg, trying to release the pressure. My shins felt like an overstretched rubber band, threatening to snap.
Here’s a question for you: when you run on the treadmill, do your neighbors throw you off your game? Are you competitive?
Nik was complaining last night that the guy next to him seemed to be racing him, which I’ve noticed before. What I find really challenging is trying to focus on my own workout and staying in my own rhythm when the person next to me is really cranking miles out. I was happily running at the 7.2 setting when someone jumped on at a 9.0 last night. He only put in a mile or so, but for that entire time, it was hard to stay in the zone. Is it just me?
I finished three miles, walked for a little while to cool down and burn a few extra calories (I helped myself to a few too many Taza chocolate covered cashews for snack) and headed home. With the pantry and refrigerator virtually empty, Nik suggested breakfast for dinner, a sure-thing when it comes to turning my cranky mood around.
I scrambled an egg and two egg whites with some shredded jack cheese, two slices of turkey bacon, an English muffin, and a pile of cantaloupe. I was starving.
I’m a big fan of turkey bacon, by the way. It’s 20-35 calories per slice for the brands I prefer (Butterball Thin & Crispy or Jennie-O Extra Lean) and, even though there’s still a really high ratio of “calories from fat” to overall calories, it’s still low-cal and satisfying. All in moderation, right? (Same goes for the chocolate covered cashews!)
For the rest of the afternoon I’m going to work on busting out of this funk, getting amped for the gym, and hoping that tomorrow the sun rises to a first day of spring with 60-something temps, crocuses abound, and not another trace of snow. Ever.