Squad Day 38: Workout in the Rain
It began raining yesterday evening at around 6:30pm, and it didn’t stop. It didn’t stop all night, and it was heavy, pounding rain, that came on swift harsh wind. I slept like a rock. Rain always has this way of lulling me to sleep in a deep, impossible to disturb me, kind of way, I cherish rainy nights because it means that I wont be bothered by anyone.
The flip side to that though, is how I wake up: groggy, a little swollen, stiff, and feeling like if I could just sleep for another 4 hours all would be well. I don’t need more sleep though, and working out every morning has taught me that movement is the best medicine for an achy body. So I shuffled through the house in my llama pajamas and slippers, and drank my water and my hot tea, all the while telling myself, that we were still going to get outside and work out.
It’s a soggy mess outside, and upon further inspection, it was still kind of raining. A light sprinkle, over top of the already soaked through world. I truly despise working out inside, especially when the heater kicks on halfway through my routine and chokes the life out of my panting, sweaty self. I got dressed with some extra layers, got on my Ninja Shoes, and gathered the things I needed to work out in the rain. My Ninja Shoes aren’t actually Ninja shoes, but they look and feel like they could be. I grabbed a pair of Vibram Furoshiki shoes a few years ago, they’re usually my go-to summer shoes. Hyper Flexible and light, super adjustable, and a thin, thin sole, that is more like wearing a sock than wearing a shoe. I knew they’d be perfect for feeling the ground, feeling the mat, during my workout, while still providing me a little traction on the wet ground.
Today is Total Body Strength, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. This is the hard hitting workout that I was looking for. This is the one that absolutely kicked my butt, the one that made me crave my rest day, that made me sore for multiple days last round. This workout made me see how much I crave to be strong, as exhausting as it was the first time I did it, I remember feeling like I was buzzing all day long because I was so excited to get to a harder workout, and get through it. I’m pretty stoked to see how I do with it today, and yes, in the rain.
The first of the Autumnal rains arrived the next day, and Cassian half-expected the priestesses not to show up for practice, but they were already waiting in the cold and wet when he entered the training ring. None bothered to use magic to keep dry. As if they wanted the grit, the extra effort. In the center of the group stood Nesta, her eyes already focused. page 405 A Court of Silver Flames
Cassian is right, I want the extra grit.
I picked out a Mindstilling Audio and focused on my breathing for a few minutes right before I headed outside. I didn’t want to be distracted by any lingering thoughts or stresses in my head before I went outside in less than ideal weather. It’s going to rain all day, literally, all day, so if I’m going to work out, I need to do it now while the rain is on the lighter side.
During the warm up we did Windshield Wiper Knees, and I noticed immediately that my hips were not in mobility mode. There was some major tightness in the joints, and especially in my hamstrings. I pressed pause for a minute and wiggled around on my mat, going through some hamstring stretches and a few hip openers to try and relax those tight spots. After a few minutes I pressed play again and we moved into some twisty things. I could actually move through these, so I knew the extra stretches were a good idea.
From there, we did some Standing Marches, which are a favorite of mine because I don’t feel them immediately, I feel them 4 hours later, so they’re a great starting move because they warm everything up without wearing me out.
Lateral Lunges came up next, with 10lbs in my hand. I remember being so clumsy about these the last time, and today I got into a rhythm with each move and was able to move through them with ease. The burn ramps up quickly though, so I was definitely sweating about halfway through.
Low Lunge Rows were next, and my glutes were screaming at me by rep 5. The burn was intense here, and I found myself gasping to try and keep going.
Squat Twists were kind of fun, and I was smoother through these than the first time I did them. Though towards the end of the set I had to slow down, because I was wobbling pretty hard.
Planks. Stupid, hateful planks. From our forearms we planked, and did toe taps out to the side. I swore a lot. Then we did the same Plank, but with baby knee drops. I low core was on fire, my shoulders and arms shaking, my thighs and glutes twitching and ready to fail. I counted 14 drops of sweat coming off my face and hitting the mat.
Sit Up and Press, I was actually grateful for these because I knew I could do them. I grabbed my pilates ball real quick and held it between my knees for each rep to make sure my knees didn’t kick out wide as I sat up. Holy crap, that kicked it up a notch. I still would rather do these than planks any day.
When we finally reached the end, Sam combined a core move with a glute stretch, and I glared at my screen for her being sneaky about this one. My obliques ached, my low core was literally spasming, I could feel individual muscles moving over one another and begging me to just lay down.
Mindstilling had to happen as I caught my breath, and I laid down on my mat and just breathed the wet air. I beat the rain, but it doesn’t matter anyway because I got so sweaty today, I’m a soggy mess regardless of missing the rain storm. I had a few thoughts to chase away, something along the lines of “I asked for this, I asked for a harder workout week….” and right before I called myself a dumbass, I breathed deep and slow and exhaled and let it go. It’s not dumb to want a challenge, or to feel like you want to work hard. Some of us really like it, even if we complain while doing it. It’s me, I’m “some of us,” and I’m good with that.
It’s still black as pitch outside, and since we still don’t have any kind of reflector or light situation for outside, I gotta wait to walk Yrsa when the sky lightens up a bit. Hopefully it wont be raining, but I can hear thunder rolling overhead, so we shall see. Hopefully next week I can get our reflector/light situation settled, and maybe even a ridiculous rain coat for Yrsa.
Photo by Brett Sayles on Pexels.com
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