Need. Coffee?

Well, my back soreness is back. Don't quite know if I can call it pain since it may just be because I had a good back workout Tuesday night. I was spot on with dead lifts and we did a circuit with stiff-legged dead lifts, bent over rows, pull-ups, and good mornings. The good mornings were new to my routine but I enjoyed them--it's nice to switch things up every once in a while. Then last night was legs, and I'm proud to say that I'm improving so much with them too! I managed to squat 175-lbs and got in a few sets of box step-ups with 15-lb dumbbells. It was the first time in at least 2 months that I've even attempted those because I absolutely hate them. Gotta give credit to Kevin--he's always pushing me past what I say I can do. Although, to be fair, half the time I'm joking about not wanting or being able to do something or just whining for the fun of it. But he sees through that, which is an important quality to have in a trainer.

No sir/ma'am, not me!

But yeah, back to the back pain--I think it's nothing, just tense muscles. But since falling down my stair back in December, I get a little wary. I could definitely use a trip to CVS to get some icy hot or a one of their back patches. Those things are HEAVENLY! I slept in one after my fall--not only was I super comfortable, but I was also super warm! So a few hours in one of those things, and I should be good to go. Regardless, I'm determined to get my workouts in. I missed cardio Wednesday night because I just wasn't feeling it, and about 5-10 minutes after getting home, I was kicking myself for my lack of motivation. Getting ready for this competition is like a deadline--there's no leniency. If I'm not ready for the stage, I've just blown a ton of money and time. And I'm just not a quitter, so that's not even an option for me.

Therefore, yesterday I made up for my lack of motivation with an extra intense HIIT workout. Normally, I run warmup and recovery at a 7.0 speed and do all my intervals at a speed of 8.5. Well, I kept that up for the first 5 of my 10 intervals (45 seconds on, 1min 15 second recovery), and from there I increased speed until I was up to speed 10 for my last couple. Felt GOOD! I really want to get out to the track here and do some sprints--it's a different feeling on actual ground than on the treadmill. And for as fast as I want to run my intervals on the treadmill, it's just harder. And I get annoyed with the pitter-patter of my own feet on the darn thing. Well, it's more than a pitter-patter, it's actually like a personal stampede. Whoops!

Why hello there, giant guy!

Anyway, Kevin and I got to talking about nutrition, water intake, etc., and we've decided I have to change up a few things. Mostly the fact that I'm not getting near enough sleep! Yesterday I woke up at 6:30 to get ready for work before class. Well, granted, I misread what time I had to work and thus awoke an hour early, but still, I didn't manage to fall asleep til 1. Five and a half hours of sleep is nowhere near enough! It's not for lack of trying to get to bed at a normal hour, but I haven't been able to wind down and fall asleep until around 1 each night. I did target the culprit though--it's my addiction to coffee! Normally it doesn't phase me to get home after class or work and have a cup of coffee at 5pm. I've even indulged as late at 9 or 10 at night. I know, I know--"No wonder she can't sleep!" Yup, I'm apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed.

However, this "discovery" elicited an experiment of sorts. First thing first, I didn't have any coffee after 4pm yesterday (and have only had half a mug thus far today!), and I also tried to put down my laptop at a more reasonable time. There's really nothing to do on it at midnight anyway, except obsess over my competition prep and update this blog. As much as I wanted to, I held off until this morning to create this post--go me! So I was in bed by 11, asleep in a few minutes, and managed to sleep for 8 1/2 hours! So what does this mean? Well, I need to keep the caffeine levels low in the afternoons. I have to look at is the way that I would look at sugar-intake. If I drink up in the afternoon, sure it will keep me energized for the short-term, but ultimately it will negatively affect my workouts and my sleep habits. So, for as much as I love the liquid "crack," it's time for us to part ways. It's okay, I'll live (and probably have greater energy than I did with it).

This captures all the great qualities of the City Market.

So for the rest of the week and the upcoming weeks, I'm looking at replacing my coffee intake with more water and sleeping for a reasonable amount of time. And I'm super excited about tomorrow morning because the Charlottesville City Market just started up last weekend (completely slipped my mind then), and I will definitely be buying some fresh produce! Today was even pay day! Woohoo! Not to mention, as of tomorrow, I will have gone 28 days without the excess empty carbs that is fondly known as alcohol! I know, I can't believe it either. Not really frustrating, but hard because I'm craving an amazing spinach salad from a restaurant called Beer Run. Gee, guess what else they sell...