And Now for Some Aerobic Action

A Weekend in Motion: Saturday’s Bike Rides and Sunday’s Run (3/19-3/20/11)

I’ve made an important decision about the 40 Days of Yoga Project: I’m going to post yoga updates on Mondays.  That way, I can keep tabs on the project without bombarding myself with posts-to-be-written.  I’m not very good at posting every day, as you may have figured out.  (Exhibit A: this post in which I’ll cover a weekend’s worth of motion in one fell swoop.)  The last thing my sanity needs is yet another thing on my to-do list.  But my sanity definitely needs yoga, so I’ll keep that on the list for the next 38 days or so.

This weekend was the perfect mix of busy and not-busy.  On Saturday, I rode my bike to the lab, ran a quick experiment, cursed the data for not giving me what I wanted, and then rode my bike home for lunch.  After lunch, I headed out a second time to stock the kitchen.  Sometimes I feel a little resentful that it’s practically required that I do my grocery-shopping on Saturday because Brazos Natural Foods is not open on Sundays.  On weekdays, they are only open until 6 PM, so it’s tough for me to go there after work unless I hustle.  This weekend, I was missing Whole Foods pretty bad, especially their wonderful evening and Sunday hours.  I also miss their gorgeous vegetables, like their crisp Romaine and perky fennel.  Most of the time I think I do okay in this Texas town, but these days, I am longing for a bigger city.  Some day, some day…

On Sunday morning, I went for an easy run.  There’s a nice loop that runs along campus and the golf course.  One of the guys in my lab told me that it’s a three-mile loop, which sounded good for today.  I wanted to run for about 30-40 minutes but no more than 40.  This loop gave me 40 minutes with a 5-minute walking warm-up and about 12 minutes of walking cooldown—perfect.  My right knee—the same one that’s been bothering me—was hurting a little during this run, and as I was walking home, the answer hit me: it’s time for new shoes.  I’ve had the same pair of Brooks for over a year, and I did most of the training for two half-marathons in this pair, so I think the knee pain is probably shoe-related.  My knee only seems to hurt during the run; I can feel just the faintest twinge when I walk around or do squats.

But gah, this exercise hobby of mine is starting to add up!  My bike repairs cost $92, and now I need a new pair of shoes.  I suppose I should look on the bright side: a bike is way cheaper than a car, and Brooks shoes only cost about $100 a pair.  There are worse ways I could spend my money, like buying insects for my new roommate to feast upon.  He has a very particular palate with absolutely no interest in the soup/bread/cheese diet that I maintain.  Ah well—to each her own!  But that lizard is going to have to find his own insects.