January Focuses - How I Went

So it's the last day of January. How did I do with my goals, particularly the ones to be completed in January?

My goal to run 100km - I have run 98.1km, with a 3.38 run scheduled for this afternoon. In other words - SUCCESS!

My non-exercise focuses were to pay off a loan from my Mum and to declutter a good deal. I have completed both of these, though obviously decluttering is always an ongoing goal. I have gotten rid of 48 items so far in January, with another 27 ready to go to the op shop. This has essentially cleared off one shelf on one of my bookshelves! So I'm very happy about both of these!

My Bikram challenge - fail. I did 26 classes rather than the 30. :( In the last week I had to stay late after work 3 times (therefore meaning I missed the class I normally do), and when that was coupled with the timetable change due to the Australia Day holiday, I ended up missing 4 classes, with only enough padding to make up a potential two. In the end, I decided that it would be better for me to rest rather than attempt to make up the two classes I could, especially as I wouldn't be able to complete the challenge even if I did them. It was really frustrating to fail due to factors beyond my control, especially as I was right on target until this week, even with getting a bug, going to the mussel festival and a local fete. Still, I did pretty well.

Now to nap, then run, then work out what I want to be my focuses for February!

Sunday: Leg Day

Today I went to Bikram. I don't drive, so on a Sunday that means a long wait for the bus. As in over 2 hours wait.

Obviously, I can't just do nothing. Besides, most of the shops are shut on Sunday. Solution: gym time! For a MASSIVE leg session!

Here's my workout!
- Stair runs *6
- Smith Machine shoulder squats *10 @ 10kg, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
- Smith Machine wide squats *10 @ 10kg, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
- Smith Machine plies *10 @ 10kg, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg, 50kg, 55kg
- Smith Machine single leg squats *10 @ 10kg, 20kg, 30kg, 40kg
- Barbell Deadlifts *10 @ 20kg, 25kg, 30kg, 35kg, 40kg
- 45 degree leg press, 20*60kg, 18*70kg, 15*80kg, 12*90kg, 10*100kg, 10*110kg, 8*120kg, 8*130, 8*140kg
- Horizontal Leg Press (unit leg) 20*36kg, 18*46kg, 15*64kg, 12*73kg, 10*82kg, 10*91kg, 10*100kg
- Leg Extension (unit leg) 20*9kg, 18*13.5kg, 15*16kg, 12*18.5kg, 10*23, 8*27.5kg
- Prone Leg Curl (unit leg) 20*9kg, 18*11.5kg, 15*11.5kg, 8*13.5kg
- Single Leg Glute Bridge 20*5kg, 15*10kg, 10*15kg
- 1 tabata round of combination of jumping lunges and non-jumping lunges

And that took the entire time until my bus came! Gonna be sore tomorrow!

Triple Threat

So yesterday I did three Bikram classes (10am, 4pm, 6pm). This is called a triple. I've done doubles before, but never a triple...

And neither has anyone else! The teacher who took the second and third classes said that it's a record!

I'm going to be doing another triple next Friday (it's my day off), so I'm going to be the record holder extraodinaire!

In other good news, my arm is much improved. It's not even tender today, and I did upper body work this week.

And today I did a 'long' run of 10.7km. Not anywhere near as long as I've done before, but it's a good start. Further next week!

Fitness Diary

I've had a fitness diary more or less since I started exercising. I initially started with just a scrap of paper on which I wrote down the date and my running time. I started running at the end of September 2012, and so that was fine for the few months until the new year. I wouldn't have even thought of doing anything different. But for Christmas that year I got 4 different diaries. Yeah, four. Two from the same person no less. I re-gifted two, and decided to use one as a normal diary and the other to record my exercise progress, especially as I was planning to join a gym as well as continue with my running.

It was a great decision. It allowed me to better see where I was being consistent and where I wasn't. And especially when you're beginning any type of exercise, consistency matters a great deal.

In 2014 I didn't get any diaries for Christmas. I ended up buying a very cheap one that was similar to my one from 2013. It worked still, but as I was beginning to ramp up my training, and trying to record how I was feeling (this was as I was falling into the severe syncope) I found that I often didn't have enough space. This problem was compounded with the weekends, when I had extra time for exercise, but the two days shared a space in the diary.

Towards the end of last year I stared thinking about exactly what I wanted in my fitness diary. More space was a given, but that wouldn't be all. I wanted to be able to record the details of my weights sessions in it, rather than having them on a separate piece of paper. This would be really useful to make sure that I'm always varying my weights workouts, and progressing in terms of my strength.

I also still wanted space for my running information - the distance and the time. I didn't want it overwhelmed by the weights info.

And I wanted to record my bikram and other recovery techniques, so that I can notice which ones help me most (especially as I'm planning to try the dreaded ice-baths this year!)

Obviously, no diary is readily available that does that. I mean, I'm sure there are some somewhere, but I haven't seen them, and if I haven't seen them then I can't buy one. Conclusion, make / adapt my own!

So I bought a day to a page diary. I ruled off two lines at the top and labelled them cardio, and three lines at the bottom and labelled them bikram and recovery. The middle section is by far the biggest (18 lines) and is labelled weights. I've done this for about the first week, and then I'll rule up another week. I might end up needing more lines in one category than I've previously allocated, so not ruling up everything in advance means that I can change this at a later date if I find one space is getting a bit cramped.

Hoping this will be a great tool for me to better track and assess my workouts! Very excited to be using this!

January Focuses

On a "Sam is tough" note, I worked out why my elbow was sore. It was dislocated. Yes, I was walking around for 6 weeks with a dislocated elbow. And went to work with a dislocated elbow (I work in childcare, so that's not exactly the funnest thing to be doing with a dislocated elbow). And I spent 2 weeks being stubborn and kept on doing upper body work with a dislocated elbow.

I ended up just pulling it out and putting it back into place. It's still a little sore, but nothing like it was.

So I've previously posted my goals for 2015, but I thought I'd post about my January focuses.

I plan to run 100km over January. I ran a little over 11 today, so I'm well and truly on my way!

My other main goal is to complete a 30 day challenge at Bikram yoga. I was debating whether or not to do this, because Bikram takes a lot of time and limits the other working out that I can do. In the end I decided to go for it as I know my work schedule will allow for it, and it will force me not to do too much upper body work before my elbow strengthens itself (it's popped out another time at work, so I want to minimise that risk).

My other focuses are non-exercise. They are to declutter my room a little so that I can better focus on what I want now. I have a lot of materials that I bought a number of years ago in order to homeschool my kids. I haven't had the kids, and have since found out that I am infertile, so the materials are all unlikely to be used, especially the more specialised items, such as the Latin learning materials. It's been hard for me to get rid of them because it's letting go of the dream of having kids and raising them the way I want, but I know that these materials will be of more use if I get rid of them. It will also allow me to better focus on what is important to me now (predominantly exercise, art, writing, and my work).

My other goal is to finish paying my mum back for my uni degree (done in 2012). I just have $1000 left, so this is just about doable.

That's it! My January focuses!