Taking Care of Myself – Day 3

Day 3/100

Monday, August 25th

Exercise:

Today, instead of getting dressed for work, I got dressed for exercise! I put on my running outfit, put my work clothes on a hanger and packed a bag for freshening up post work out. The clothes, the bag, and my work shoes all went into my car. I then made breakfast for the kids and  myself, though I saved mine for after the workout. So that also went into the car, along with my lunch. I did eat a few slices of pear and made coffee for the drive. After horrendous back-to-school traffic, I finally dropped the boys off at school and went to the park to do my 5K Your Way training. My kids have been in school since last Wednesday, but the rest of the city's schools started today, so traffic was extra crazy. Oh how I miss my 30-35 minute commute as it took us close to an hour today. I hope that settles a bit during the course of the week. We will see.


Not far from the boys' school is the a trailhead of one of several greenways here in San Antonio. The school itself is just one mile from my job while the trailhead is maybe another mile away. So I drop off the boys, walk/run on the trail, then go to work. I would not have time to go back home and shower, so I bring my change of clothes as well as some essentials to freshen up with (wash cloth, towel, deodorant) to work and lock myself up in the restroom to get ready.

I could, of course, work out before I leave to take the boys to school, but since we already leave the house at 6:30 and I get up at 5:30 for that, I really don't want to get up any earlier than that. Besides, I like that particular trail a lot and by then the sun is out while it is not hot yet. The perfect way to enjoy the outdoors, get some sun and not get scorched. You will get eaten alive by mosquitoes though, should you forget your repellent. I was glad I had mine! As soon as I opened the car door, one of those little boogers flew right in. Oh no. I was not going to be your breakfast. Let's just say I got out of the car pretty fast to access my little bag in the trunk and spray on  the repellent.


My 5K Your Way training was the same as yesterday on the treadmill: 3 minutes walking, 1 minute running, 4 times for 20 minutes total. I covered 1.1 miles this morning, plus 0.2 miles warm up and cool down. So I walked 1.3 miles total. I felt great, having started my day with exercise and outdoor time! The trail is very tranquil and relaxing. I even saw a deer, which always excites me. I actually see deer quite often when in the parks or on the trails. On Sunday I actually saw a doe with her fawn on and later on a young buck. I was glad he seemed relaxed and did not pay me much attention, I sure do not want to meet those antlers up close.


Back to Monday. While eating my lunch, I had this crazy idea: Let's go for a walk in 100+ degree heat and lots of direct sunlight. Yeah,  crazy idea. I should have known better. I actually ended up walking 1.3 miles around the neighborhood of the office in 27 minutes. I returned to the office drenched and did not have another change of clothes. I also caught a very light sunburn. Yes, I burn in less than 30 minutes of sun exposure. Again, crazy idea. Lesson learned. No more walks during lunch hours. At least not any time soon while it is hot and sunny here, which is most of the year. I live in South Texas, after all.

For Me:
My lunch walk actually was my "me time" for the day. I wanted to do something to purposefully leave my desk and work area during my lunch. Since I always bring my lunch, I tend to eat it at my desk, which is not good. I need to get away from the desk during my lunch and actually relax. So the idea was to eat my lunch at the office and then walk for 30 minutes. While it was a nice break, it was too hot outside, so I need to figure out something else for future lunches.