Hitting My High

Gearing to go! Not 5am--this was actually yesterday, ha!

No, the title is not a drug reference, and yes, it has everything to do with my training and nutrition. Yesterday I decided to go into this week full force, and I'll be damned--I'm not taking any prisoners! Yes, this morning it was a little bit of a struggle to get out of bed after Kevin texted me and decided we should train in the afternoon instead of before the crack of dawn. Yes, I did set my alarm 3 times in separate 30-minute increments (5:00, 5:30, 6:00). No, I did not sleep in past 6am and no, I did not miss the gym this morning. I know what I have to do this week, and this is an especially crucial week because I have family coming into town this weekend and I'm nervous about my meals.

So first, this morning--I have to admit, sometimes I really want to run on the treadmill but the thought of doing 35 minutes in one sitting seems BORING!! Did I let this stop me though, heck no! Being the math-y kind of person I am, I kept breaking down into fractions how much of my time I had run and how much I had left to go. Not necessarily the most fun thing, but it kept my brain busy :) Also managed to increase speed toward the end before my cool down. This was immediately followed by abs and calves and then I was outta there! Not that I'm always itching to leave the gym...that's not the case.

I'm trying, I'm TRYING! Wahhh!

Fast-forward through a day of job-hunting and errands and relaxing and I was ready for round two. Let me pause here for a moment and just say job hunting is terrible! I'm desperate and right now I'm applying for anything! However, there's a huge lack of entry-level positions in the area. All these companies want people with like 5+ years of experience and all I have is my internship to show them. It leaves me frustrated and I try so hard not to think about it because it gets me down. At the same time though, these feelings give me fuel for my workouts, but I'm sure I'd be entirely happier with a real, full-time job!

5pm rolled around and I hit the gym again--this time for 20 minutes of cardio (as prescribed by Pleasants). Hopped on the treadmill and--let's just say, if we were in a boxing match, I totally beat the crap outta that machine! Made another little contest with myself and this time I started out at speed 7.5 for the 1st mile, 8.0 for the second mile, then increased to 8.5 for half a mile and 9.0 until the last minute and 10.0 for the remaining minute (hope you kept up with me there, I know that seems a lil' confusing...). Then shoulders--went pretty heavy and feeling pretty good because of it. At one point we were doing ascending sets with wide-grip upright rows and I accidentally started with my middle weight. Which resulted in me going up for the entire set and the following one as well. It's funny because I didn't actually think it was that much heavier--which is proof that half of lifting really IS mental.

And of course I decided to wait til after my meal to shower, and now there's a crazy awesome thunderstorm rolling through. Or rumbling through. Unfortunately, I do not want to be electrocuted, so I must stay stinky for a while longer. Aside from that, all is good and my meals have also been spot on. And for once, I was NOT TIRED around 2-4pm today! You have no idea how happy this makes me! I'm not normally a very tired person, so the midday slumps were really bugging me!

Archie does enjoy the 2-4pm sleepy-times though!

How do you pass the time during cardio? Do you play any mental games or make challenges for yourself? And any advice for my job hunt (I have an environmental science degree as of Sunday)? Any advice is much appreciated!!