Jan. 20, 2010 - Wednesday

I scheduled an extra session with a personal trainer so I didn’t get up for Yogalates.
The hike I signed up for today (Intro to Intermediate!!) was changed because the trail we were going to follow was covered in snow. Instead, we hiked to Fern Gully—3 miles in and 3 miles out. The beginning of the trail was loose damp sand that almost covered my feet. It’s very tiring trudging through sand… Then the trail follows a dry stream bed (a “wash”) only the stream bed was filled with a stream! So we spent our time crawling over and around and up and down rocks above the stream. It was difficult but worth it. When we arrived at Fern Gully, it was the first time I’d smelled anything “green” since I got here. There was a very tall sort of cave and a waterfall was tumbling down one side. It was so so pretty.

I’d forgotten how much I like to hike. When Nathan had just turned 2, Dwaine, Nathan, and a friend of Dwaine’s and I all hiked up into the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Nathan hiked the entire 7.2 miles on his own. It was July and we got up into some melting ice. We camped overnight by a lake.

It feels so good to be outdoors.

I did a pool class after the hike. I wanted to do Circuit (2 mins on Cardio machine then 2 mins on weight machine) but was too whipped from the hike. I can swim 3 times across the width of the pool without losing my breath. I love to swim, too.

It was so hard swimming or going for a walk or trying to ski when I was so out of shape. I’m looking forward to learning to ski when I get home. I also asked Dwaine if he could clear the beginning of the trail up the mountain for me. I think I will try to hike that every day to keep in shape. I’m hoping to work out some time to go to the gym, too. But the hiking is exhilarating and no class can duplicate the same workout.

I had my first session with Annamarie, my personal trainer. I told her I want to be able to do a real pushup and a sit-up before I go home. I also want to be able to run on the treadmill, but I am working on that on my own. I just have to stop being intimidated by the machine!! I am getting more comfortable on it every day. I am actually kinda enjoying it.

At 2:30 I had a dreaded step class: Step and Pump. Lots of strength work with hand weights and that stupid step thing.

3:30 Mountain. I was on the treadmill. You start pretty slowly and raise either intensity or speed every 3 minutes 13 times. I didn’t hate it as much as I did last time I did it. So that’s good. But that’s the only good thing I have to say about that.

4:30 was an easy pool class. Dinner was salmon and rice and vegetables. Yum. Dessert was a skewer with strawberries, pineapple and kiwi with a drizzlie sauce on it. Mmmmm…

People tease me because I cut up my desserts into tiny pieces and then eat it. Last night we had 2 chocolate covered strawberries and I sliced them into itsy bitsy pieces so each little bite had some chocolate on it. (sorry again Jay!)

My buttocks are killing me. But this week I am just spent and my muscles are all exhausted. My muscles are not burning—they just feel like they’ve been very busy.