More exercise!

Ooh yes, getting back into the swing of it now. No pun intended.

Went to the gym at work before swing dance yesterday. Did:

• 3 x 10 reps 17.5kg on the chest machine (this is the one which I forgot the name of last time)


• 2 x 10 reps 15kg shoulder press (very hard)


• 3 x 12 reps 25kg pull down (easy - must go up next time)


• 10 mins cross trainer level 6 to warm up


• 3 km on the treadmill, incline 2%, in 20 minutes (annoyingly hard considering this used to be a doddle)


• 15 mins upright bike, hill setting, level 7

Whilst running, I tried very hard to think about how I was putting my feet down, concentrating on rolling from the heel to the toe and keeping my toes pointing out. Or rather, it feels like I'm keeping them pointing out, like a duck, but actually that's just making them straight because I usually run with them pointing in, like a pigeon. Quite hard to see them in the mirror because the front of the treadmill was in the way, but I think I did ok. Certainly felt like I was using my lower leg muscles in a way they weren't used to. Hopefully I can keep this up enough to avoid injury this year.

Then went to swing dance where we practised our Christmas show routine without mirrors or instructors to follow! This went surprisingly well, and I actually felt like I was dancing instead of following a series if steps.

There's a body pump class at the gym at work on a Friday lunchtime. No time today but I might go next week: I never do any exercise on a Friday usually so it would be a bonus session. And I know I say this every year but I do want to improve my overall fitness, not just running. I say that and then when it gets to the stage that I have to run an hour each session I give up on everything else. Need more hours in the day.

Going back a bit to Al's duathlon at the weekend, he went with his friend Matt. Al's signed up for the whole series of three, but Matt was only signed up to the first one. He wasn't sure about doing the others but I there's a team option so I said I'd do the running if he did the cycling. It's on 27 January and is about 5km of hilly trail running, so that gives me something to aim for. Matt cycles faster than Al so I will have to make sure I don't let him down in the running stakes.

In other Exciting News, my new surf board has arrived! Oh, it's so beautiful, just how I imagined. So beautiful that I have learned how to upload images directly into a blog just to show you. Should be small waves, light winds tomorrow so I will get to try it out!