I had two BFD-NSVs at the gym today:
- I hit a personal best on the weight loss setting of the elliptical. The weight loss setting is intervals for 28 minutes: 4 minutes on cross ramp 4 at low resistance, 4 minutes on cross ramp 10 (the highest level) at high resistance, repeat until a 5-minute cool-down (which I use as an opportunity to run like hell instead of to wind down). It makes me sweat like a mofo while getting in cardio AND some toning in the legs, butt, and arms. I usually net around 3 miles in the 33 minutes of exercise. Tonight, I shattered my "usual" and beat my former personal best of 3.19 by .02 of a mile. My new personal best: 3.21! I'd love to work up to 3.25 by the end of the year. It sounds like it should be easy, but it won't be. That extra .02, I KILLED for it. I'm surprised I didn't make the elliptical take off and fly away for all the noise it was making going at the top speed I hit!
- I jogged tonight. I mean, REAL jogging. I haven't jogged more than 90 seconds in at least 5 years, so this is HUGE. In the spring, I was doing a little jogging on the treadmill, but it always left me sore the next day -- I was still too big to be putting that kind of stress on my joints. All these pounds later, I'm finally working up the nerve to start visiting the treadmill in a non-walking capacity again. Tonight was apparently the night. I don't know if it was the adrenaline from reaching my new elliptical PB or just that I was excited that I got the gym earlier than usual and had some extra time to squeeze in more cardio before it was time to go home, but I looked at the treadmill tonight and had a you-don't-look-so-tough moment. "I'm gonna jog for five minutes," I told myself. And then, I just did it. WHAT?
Something kind of weird/cool linked my workouts tonight. First of all, it's worth noting that they almost didn't happen; I let myself fall victim to gymtimidation more often than I should. Tonight, there was a row of skinny girls casually using the ellipticals while flipping through fashion magazines and not breaking a sweat, all without headphones in. I might have immediately abandoned my plans for the elliptical tonight had the ONE that was still available not been one with the moving handlebars. I told myself, "You know what? Let's show these pretty girls what a real workout looks like."
They were gone 5 minutes later.
Then, of course, a headphoneless DUDE got on the machine RIGHT BESIDE ME and started his work-out. I started feeling self-conscious again, but then I thought, "Oh, you wanna get all up next to me while I'm working here? OK, fella. I'm gonna outlast you."
And I did.
In the last 2 minutes of my run, which were the most intense because I had decided to break my previous PB at that point, another pretty girl hopped on beside me. This time, I grinned smugly to my sweaty reflection in the machine and amped my legs into overdrive. At the end of the workout, all self-consciousness was gone. When I saw 3.21 on the display, I raised my arms in the air in a victory pose. I didn't even notice if anyone looked at me funny for doing that.
Right after that, I grabbed a treadmill all the way against the wall, with one person directly in front of me doing her own run. I noticed 2 minutes into my jog that that person was raising her arms in a victory pose every 60 seconds. Oddly, that helped me keep going.
Oh, and the patron saint of women was watching me the whole time from the tray on my treadmill:
Someone had left a Rosie the Riveter sticker behind -- with the backing still covering the adhesive portion. After my successful jog, I stuck it in the front cover of my exercise log book (pictured).
OK, universe. I hear you! I'm raising my own bar.
Let's lose some more weight, shall we?