Diamond in the Rough

There are some workouts that feel like you're chewing gravel.  The kind that you just want to put your time in so you can claim to have done it.

Tonight was NOT that night.  Tonight was one of those strangely fulfilling workouts that was more than the motions.  From the moment it started to the moments shortly after, it made me smile.  A real smile that wasn't all teeth or a cute expression you'd make for a picture.  It was a smile that held excitement in the pit of my stomach as I started pedaling with the sun on my face.  To breath in the smell of leaves and grass and flowers.  A smile that felt like breathing in the smell of springtime crabapple blossoms.

On my warm-up ride to the gym to do some weights I came across my favorite crabapple trees of all time.  They are in full bloom and they did not disappoint as I approached them.  It's that blink of a moment in the spring when the flowers are full-bloom and smell so sweet and fresh and deep.  Tomorrow they'll probably start to blow away petal by petal in the wind.  Tonight they held on so beautifully for me to take in.  Thank you, pretty trees.

My 30 minutes of weights felt good.  After a weekend of literally lopping evergreen branches (that was a lot more work than expected) I felt a little sore and my sets of reps were a welcome ache.  After I did some upper body, a few squats, and some inner & outer leg work I hopped on my bike-cycle.

If you know where I live, you might have a deeper understanding of this statement.  My town smelled like flowers tonight.  It doesn't always smell like flowers.  I'm not simply being corny and artistically ridiculous, either.  The town literally smelled like crabapple blossoms and lilacs every turn I took. That is something to behold!!

All in all, I wanted to remember this workout tonight.  To save for a rainy day.  That next time I find myself chewing gravel I can remember how worth it, and rewarding a hard workout is.  So that the next time, I might find myself with a diamond in the rough, like tonight.

This is what it's all about folks.

Oh!  and I biked 11 miles at an average speed of 14.45 mph.  My biking app says i burnt 863 calories not including my weights!  That's kind of neat.

Now it's time to drink my Post Workout Recovery shake and watch the season finale of the Voice.  Woo!

Will I Be Able To Move Tomorrow?

There's a little country road that I used to run on regularly. It's a plain old gravel road, but it's my road. Sure, other people use it, they throw their garbage along the ditch, and the river kind if smells. But it's my road. One solid mile to the next intersection, a mile and half to where the road makes a T.  Plus there is a big hill that never gets easier.

I used to live within a quick warm-up walk from my road. It was an easy hop, skip & jump to squeeze in a friendly jog.  That is no longer the case.

Today for the first time in... literally years, my road & I had a reunion. It took me three miles of jogging/ walking to simply get to my road!! And about a half mile into the reunion I realized I probably won't be able to move tomorrow from being so sore!! It even crossed my mind to have someone come and get me as my muscles were tensing up!! But that doesn't matter. I was determined, and frankly it felt so damn good to be back.

The sky. The air. The sweet little spots along my road that burst with character  made my two hour long workout the most fun I've had in a long time.

Looking down at this gravel brought back sweet dejavu but also memories of the sweat and tears I worked on this dirt. And I plan to do it again.

What a beautiful fall day for a run <3