Move/make: Week 9

Today's weight: 180.0 pounds.

Workouts:
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Biked 5 miles, weights for 45 minutes (abs, legs)
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: Biked 3 miles, weights for 30 minutes (abs, back, chest, arms)
Friday: Off
Saturday: Biked 10 miles
Sunday: Off 

Thoughts on food:
I honestly haven't thought a lot about food lately. I've been eating out less, and making healthier decisions when I do go out. I've been eating a lot of fresh fruit, which has been good. As usual, though, I've been terrible with cooking. 

Overall reflections:
It's been three weeks since I gave this much thought. Between finishing final assignments, turning in grades, graduating, cleaning out my office, and then immediately starting a new job, I haven't had much time to breathe. Eating well/working out fell by the wayside for a while, especially because my training schedule has meant that I've been busy until 7 p.m. every weekday. My mental health has not been the greatest, and I'm still dealing with some unresolved physical health problems. I'm not going to beat myself, though. I'm just going to move forward.

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow (more training), but I don't want to keep making excuses for myself. This week was the first week I started really working out again, and it felt good. I've been stressed about this summer job, and working out has helped me feel better. So, I want to make sure I remember that and don't neglect taking care of myself. Lifting weights, in particular, has helped take my mind off the fact that I can't run. 

Goals:
This week is going to be strange. I'll be traveling through Sunday, but the hotel I'm staying in has a kitchenette and pool/gym (I believe).

So, even though I'm on the road, my goals are: work out at least four days this week, and avoid eating fast food. I'll have a rental car, so I plan on going grocery shopping when I arrive, and stocking up on healthy food for the hotel room. It will also help me save money, since eating out is expensive.

Working out/running/biking has been an antidepressant/therapy session for me many, many times. I know I'll have ups and downs, probably for the rest of my life, but I want to make sure I don't neglect things for too long. I owe it to myself.

Long-term:

• Continue lifting weights at least once a week (if not more).
• Have more workout days than off days each week.
• Continue training for long bike rides (I have a new bike coming that's actually suited for long rides, as the current one I have really isn't). 
• Call my doctor and make an appointment to look at my foot.
• Get into the 160s by sometime this summer.  

Life Goals

An ever-changing list of my life goals:

• Hike/trail run in the Ozarks. 
• Hike/trail run in Washington or Oregon. 
• Run the Big Sur Half Marathon.
• Learn to play the banjo.
• Bike 100 miles in one trip. 
• Find a job that allows me to combine teaching, tutoring and feminist theory. 
• Get published.
• Get a Ph.D.
• Volunteer regularly at an animal shelter.
• Volunteer or work for a women's shelter or Planned Parenthood.

And, no less important, the things that will always be ongoing:

• Find the beauty in something, big or small, every day. 
• Give back more than I take. 
• Show gratitude to the people who love and take care of me. 
• Be honest.
• Work hard.

Move/make: Week 6

Today's weight: 176.4 pounds.

Workouts:
Monday: Bike 5 miles, walk 1.5 hours
Tuesday: Bike 3 miles, walk 1 hour
Wednesday: Bike 26 miles
Thursday: Off
Friday: Bike 12 miles
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Off

Thoughts on food:
I only went out to eat twice, which is one more time than my goal, but still better than before. My eating habits have been better overall, minus a junk-food binge yesterday that ended with food poisoning. Needless to say, I am cured of my junk-food cravings for now. I can't even think about food.

Overall reflections:
My foot is still numb. I got sick of staying off of it, and went for a couple of long walks at the beginning of the week. I plan on staying off of it until my doctor's appointment this coming Friday, though, since I really need it to get better before I don't have insurance. My summer job also requires me to be on my feet a lot. Hooray.

My long bike ride on Wednesday was incredible; I'm looking forward to more of those as soon as I'm feeling better. Reading Born to Run hasn't been helping my running restlessness, though. I see people running while out on my bike, and I get a pang. I've even been dreaming about running. I know it's already doing a number on my joints and foot, but I still miss the way it feels. I'm so desperate to fix my foot, I've been considering these abominations. These shoes bum me out whenever I see them on someone, but if they work, who knows?

Goals:
I ended up using my car quite a bit last week, because it rained off and on almost every day. I did get a long bike ride in, like I wanted to.

For this week, I just need to survive finals. My goals are to eat healthy, get a lot of rest, and go on at least a couple of shorter rides. But my focus now is writing papers, grading papers, and graduating (!).

Look/hear: We're gonna see a movie called "Gunga Din"

One of my all-time favorite songs is "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," by Bob Dylan -- though I first discovered it by way of The Byrds. The lyrics don't make much sense, but there's something about it that makes me happy every time I hear it. It's a good sing-along song, too.

My absolute favorite version is the one The Byrds did with Earl Scruggs, because I am a sucker for banjo.

There are two versions of the lyrics. The first version is what The Byrds covered, but apparently they got some of the lyrics wrong. When Dylan wrote a second version of the song a couple of years later, he added a line that called out Roger McGuinn by name.

This is the Swell Season covering that other version. So sweet.

 

And here's The Byrds' album version, off of "Sweetheart of the Rodeo."

 Any time I need to be cheered up, I listen to some version of this song.