July, with Modest Optimism

Oh, hey!

I took a little vacation from this blog because June was a trainwreck of a month, and I had little time or energy for hobbies.  I’m glad June is over, and I’m feeling modestly optimistic about July.  During the month of June, I swallowed my dislike for the treadmill and hopped back on the machine because I missed running.  The last few weeks have been inferno-like here in Texas, and I finally realized that outdoor running, in those conditions, is not for me.  Also not for me: getting up even earlier so that I can work out.  I admire people who are able to exercise in the morning, before work, but I just don’t have it in me right now to take anything away from my precious sleep.  I am too overworked and stressed out, so exercise other than my bike commuting will have to wait until evening time.

So the treadmill it is!  My modest running goal for July is to run on on the t-mill twice a week.  I’ve done a few 10-minute t-mill runs lately, running 9:05 miles, which is my “normal” pace.  10 minutes of running is not much, but during serious crunch times, like this summer, I’ll take whatever I can get.

I’m biking a lot, as usual.  Typically, I do about four bike commutes a week: two during the Monday-Friday work week, and then one on each weekend day so that I can pop into the lab for a while.  I figure I’ll keep that up because I find biking to be reasonable outdoor exercise, even on 100-degree days.

Finally, I’m building some yoga into my July goals.  Desperate times like these call for some deliberate effort put into relaxation.  And with all the running and biking on my schedule, my legs will need some downward dogs and lunges to stretch them out.

I made myself a little star chart to track my progress this month, and to give myself the visual pleasure of seeing my goals realized.  I really need all the positive energy I can get these days, so an exercise star chart is friendly motivation.

And today, I’ve already given myself a star in that “Bike 1” column for this week.  Success!  I’ve missed you, old friend.  Let’s hang out this summer.