august fitness update
August has been a very successful month in the fitness department. I have been able to run for long periods of time with no pain in the knees or pain the next day. This has been so successful, I’ve actually conducted 5k tests seven times in a row (this occurs every other day, with a day of rest in between). At this point, I’m taking things slow so I don’t re-injure anything and so I can build up my strength and tolerance. My 5k times aren’t the greatest yet since I’m working my way up and focusing more on my form and the workout process, but I’ve consistently clocked in around 32 minutes. That’s not bad considering I’m not pushing myself the entire time like I would during a race. I would like to clock in some 5k times under 30 minutes before my Race for the Cure 5k on Sept. 26, but I’m not overly concerned about meeting that goal if it doesn’t work out. It’s more about doing the 5k then about the time I get.
After this weekend, I am hoping to work up to running at least four times a week. Right now I’ve been averaging three times a week with my every-other-day plan. I’d like to see if I can work up to four times a week but again, I don’t want to push myself too much and hurt my knees before race day.
This month, besides running, I did bike over the weekend. I had been wanting to take a tour through Humboldt Park and finally got to it. The park has a number of winding paths but a lot of the pavement is cracking. For biking, the ride isn’t smooth. Plus at high speeds, the curves are a bit abrupt sometimes. I wouldn’t want to use this for biking a lot but I was glad to tour the famous park and see some of the areas I’ve only driven by.
I’ve also been shooting for strength training sessions twice a week. That doesn’t always happen, but I’m working on incorporating some strength moves. I mostly focus on my arms and abs at this point because I’m still nervous about using any weight machines for my legs.
Next month, I’d like to add yoga back into the mix. I really like the DVD MTV Yoga, which features sun salutations and the DJ BT mixing the music in the background. It’s upbeat and thrilling.
I also got a Gaiam crosstraining fitness disk that I’d like to try. When I was doing physical therapy for my knee, I occasionally used one of these, which destabilize your center of gravity and engages more of your muscles as you maintain balance. The inflatable disk came with a DVD, so I hope to try that out this weekend.
August Fitness Summary: 12 out of 31 days, 39% of the month
