Holy shit, I need to do collabs more often. Thirty-three readers yesterday, and it
was a slow week up 'til then.
Again this morning, I couldn't convince
myself to go to the gym. So I didn't: I did 2500 meters on the erg, a short
callisthenic routine, a few weights with some little dumbbells we have around, and
some stretching. I really ought to do the stretching no matter what else I do or
don't do on any given day.
This is consonant with my view of exercise
in general: you have to know when not to force it. Some days, your body says, "No,
no gym, please!" Some days it's best to Just Do It (one of the better motivational
slogans for athletes, because thinking too much about exercise can turn you into a
couch potato, stat). But other days, giving yourself a break can help prevent more
serious burnout in the long run. So you fool your body, by changing up: it cries
at the thought of the gym, so you put on an aerobics tape at home. Or you cop out
of a rowing machine workout and swim laps instead. Some days, I don't mind the gym
but I'm bored with my routine, and all I need is to try out a new weight machine.
Certainly, if you're training for a for a specific challenge you may
need to force things -- when training for a marathon, you will need to force
yourself to run a certain amount of distance. Even then, though, a little bit of
cross training may be a good thing.
And some days, extra sleep will
do your mind and body more good than all the exercise in the world. This one
should be used with extreme discretion, however.
Today, not going to
the gym, coupled with a light workout yesterday (we were doing drills, rowing by
sixes with square blades, so we in bow pair ended up sitting out a lot) left me
with n unexpected burst of energy. I did a much faster erg time than usual, and
plan to get more done today than I have been. All this weekend traveling has left
me a bit tired and lazy during the week. I really need to be more diligent about
the job applications, especially since the company that wanted to do the phone
interview still hasn't called back. On Monday I spoke to the HR person, who
had been out a lot last week and who had consequently sat on my app for almost a
full week -- this after telling me they were in a hurry to bring someone in before
the holidays. Grrr.
Otherwise, now that the siege of regattas is
ending, I've decided to go to Philadelphia for my brother's 30th birthday party --
except I just realized that conflicts with a small regatta out here. Oops. Oh
well.