Gym closed

It appears that the gym closest to me has closed. This morning, I got there about 7:30, and it wasn't unlocked as it usually is at 7:00. I'd heard that it was closing May 18, then that it was going to stay open a couple of weeks longer while the Chapel Hil location worked on its pool. WhenI asked the front desk staff earlier this week when they were closing, they said they didn't know. Today, nothing. No sign on the door or anything. (I don't know if it was open yesterday or not, as I worked out at the Duke Fitness Center yesterday.) *sigh* I'll miss the convenience and pretty decent hours of this gym that's closed.

I decided to hit the cross country trail instead this morning, and it was great to get some exercise outside. Did the 3-mile trail in 58 minutes. Nothing great, time-wise, but I didn't sleep well last night, and that probably factored in.

Monday morning workout

This morning I did a pretty vigorous 65-minute workout on the elliptical. Missed using my iPod, though, because the battery had run out and I didn't realize it until I got to the gym!

Saturday I did 70 minutes on the elliptical, and yesterday the gyms were closed for Easter, so I had a morning walk around the cross country trail, and an evening walk around the East Campus (of Duke University) wall. It was a little chilly yesterday, but it was nice to "have" to walk outside.

Monday workout

I did 60 minutes on the elliptical this morning.

The regular early morning crowd at my gym is getting pretty sparse. I wonder if New Year's Resolutions are dwindling, or if people are starting to switch gyms, due to the branch I'm going to closing down next month. I made it over to the next closest branch of this gym chain yesterday afternoon, and it seems pretty nice. It'll be fine, but just farther away.

Yesterday morning, I walked around the cross-country trail, and it was lovely! The trees are blooming, so it's beginning to look quite lush.

Back on the elliptical

Saturday morning I walked the cross-country trail, and yesterday I took an ususual break from exercising. This morning I returned to the gym refreshed, and did 65 minutes on the elliptical, hitting the 5 mile mark and going beyond 700 calories burned for the first time in a while. Now I'm a little tired, but it felt great to have a hard workout this morning.

Yesterday (in my tiredness) I found myself grumbling a little about having to work so hard at losing weight. Sometimes I wish it were easier for me! The extra rest I got yesterday helped relieve this bad attitude shift. Another thing that helped was that I ordered something different from my usual supper at the Rice House. A little variety helps a lot!

New week of training

Had a good weekend of exercise, with a walk around the cross country trail Saturday afternoon (beautiful weather for it!) and 60 minutes on the elliptical machine yesterday.

This morning I did 5 minutes on the treadmill and 65 minutes on the elliptical. I have a strong feeling about this being a fresh week on several fronts, including exercise and diet.

Morning walk

I decided to walk outside on this cold morning, so I headed over to the cross country trail about a quarter to 8. Since it was so cold, I picked up the pace and finished in just under an hour, so I walked around in the parking lot to get an hour of exercise in. ;-)

Outside

I finally got back outside this morning to exercise! It was a beautiful morning, a little brisk but not as bad as it's been lately. I walked the Duke cross country trail, which is 5K, in 65 minutes, and it felt great!

A Different Route

This morning I set out for the gym, but I had a gut feeling that I wouldn't last an hour on the elliptical today, so I turned the other way and headed for the cross-country trail at Duke. It's a 5 km (3.1 mi) trail near Duke Forest, and walking it would take me a little over an hour. Once commited, I knew I'd want to finish the thing, and I did. It was COLD (about 35 degrees), so I walked fast. :-) It felt good to complete the trail. Although most of it is wooded, it also goes around part of the Duke Golf Course. Here is one of the views:

I took my iPod with me, but opted not to suit up today, so I could listen to the sounds of nature and other joggers/walkers.

In other news, there's no news on my car today. I hope to get an estimate on the damage tomorrow.

Weight Milestone

I've lost 50.2 lbs on the Rice Diet! I'm psyched to have made this mini-goal before my birthday on Monday. :)

I did the cross-country trail before breakfast this morning. I jogged a little more of it then last time, including a half mile stretch without stopping, and a couple of hills. I finished about 3 minutes faster than the last time I did the trail and watched the clock. I've come to appreciate every little bit of progress!

Today's Workout

This morning, I walked once around Duke's East Campus Wall (35 minutes), then did 15 minutes on the elliptical at MetroSport with George. (Afterward, we got in the pool for a while until I had to go to the Rice Diet for lunch.) Not the hour I usually do, but I enjoyed the change of pace and scenery. Tomorrow, George and I are thinking about doing a Turkey Trot 5K over at the Duke cross country trail.

Morning walk

This morning, since the gyms are closed for Thanksgiving, I walked the cross country trail (5K long) near the golf course at Duke. The ground was still wet, and it was cloudy and cool, but it was still a nice morning to be out. The course is fairly hilly, so it was a great workout for me this morning. ( I finished the course in 65 minutes.) There were a few others out and about on the trail too, so it was nice not to be doing it all alone. There was a tree down in the trail from the recent storms, so it lent a woodsy atmosphere to my walk. The mile and kilometer marker signs are also a wonderful touch and helped keep me going. Since I have the rest of the week off, I may go back to the trail again before the week's out.

I missed being able to watch "The Biggest Loser" last night. It was prempted by a Madonna show. I passed on that, as I'm not really a Madonna fan.

Today I'll be eating lunch at the Rice House. George will be eating with me, which is very nice of him! Afterward, we'll be going to visit his family in Cary for a bit. His parents are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at their home this year.


Happy Thanksgiving, all!

More weekend exercise

I continue to get up every morning to exercise for an hour. Even with hard workouts, I feel like I get on with my job and other responsibilities okay. It's a great feeling to have that accomplishment under my belt every morning.

Yesterday after supper, I walked on the Duke cross country trail for 3o minutes. It's in Duke Forest, and part of it goes along the Duke golf course. It's quite beautiful, lots of trees and woodland sounds. There were a number of athletes out, mostly runners and bikers whizzing by. I felt a little too bashful to try jogging among the fit company around me, but in time, I will. There are some good hills on this trail, so it's a nice workout. The whole thing is 5K, which is a distance I'm trying to improve on. I would LOVE to be able to jog the whole thing some day. I WILL run the whole thing one day.