Day 889

Challenges:
​​​​ Easy Core Challenge Day 24
​​​​ Plank Hero Day 23
​​ Glutes of Steel Day 12
Exercise bike. I really wanted to go for a bit of a ride today (my bum's sufficiently recovered) but I left it a bit late and didn't have much time left so I only did a 23 minute/4.6m (7.4k) ride today with an average pace of exactly 12mph (or a less exact 19.3kph!), but that was nice.

Taekwondo training. Last session of the term. "Jog 2 laps, now jog 5 laps, now we'll spend a couple of minutes doing the joint warm-ups, and now jog 2 laps. I want to test your fitness, so run 10 laps in under 1 minute 30 seconds." Eh, what?! I hadn't got my breath back from the last lot of jogging yet! Still, did it. Then we did push-ups - as many as we could. And that was it for our fitness and strength testing today! Partner stretches against the wall, then paddle kicking. Holding is as much as skill as kicking, and my partner was a really bad holder. The paddle was supposed to be held just below knee height (yeah, mind the back!) so the person can do fast kicks, but my paddle kept rising up over hip height. Really slows it down. When she was holding for down kick, I barely gave it a glancing blow because she was holding it parallel to the floor (instead of at a slight diagonal angle) so there was nothing for my descending foot to hit! As for turning kick - well, my poor insteps! She did get better, though, but thankfully by then it was all over! Then we got onto patterns. We did patterns 1 - 4, then the coach-in-training just told us to do our grading patterns or any pattern we wanted. And after I'd gone through pattern 8 today, and all! My partner is a third dan, and asked me if I could help her with her pattern, being Pyongwon, but we didn't even get through the first station before it was home time. Three weeks off now. Still not sure about Poomsae...

Day 890

Challenges:
​​​​ Easy Core Challenge Day 25
​​​​ Plank Hero Day 24 Plank jacks.
​​ Glutes of Steel Day 13

A day that was disappointing in a number of ways but quite alright in others. Firstly, as my girls have "pupil free days" today and Monday, I thought a nice treat would be a trip to the tea shop. Only it's not there any more!! Now, it's not a short trip and to have wasted the petrol... I needed to fill up the car anyway, and the price of petrol was - what?!! Okay, so far, no tea and expensive petrol. Next. Went shopping, just to pick up a few things. There was a food drive for those in need so I put some extras in my trolley and dropped them off. That was okay. I bought myself a new pair of wireless ear buds because my other pair liked to power off for no reason, after only a minute. Not very useful. Got home, charged up the ear buds - and one doesn't work so I'll have to take them back tomorrow. Grrr. Some days are just like this. On the upside, had a lovely dinner and chat in the evening with my girls, and that doesn't happen so often any more. But then, just to end the day the way it kind of began, my brother sent me a text saying his cat just had to be put down. At least there were plank jacks.

So sorry to hear about a very rough day :/ I'm glad plank jacks were a positive... sometimes the best thing for pain is more pain it seems

Some days just are like this. If it weren't for the cat, I'd say it's one of those you should laugh about because what else can you do, but...

I'm sorry you had such a crappy day... good to hear there were also nice things.
How long are the laps you ran in Taekwondo training?

calendula But plank jacks are a positive joy, not a pain! Have you ever tried doing them with sliders? Man, that hits the inner thigh!
lofivelcro Daughter reminded me of the hot salami sticks we bought that were not at all hot but were rather soft, tasteless and greasy. That just added another negative. But yeah, everything was just an irritation and disappointment, but for the cat...
NancyTree Sometimes you've just got to vent! The laps aren't long (fortunately!), just the length of a basketball court - however long that is! I could do better at running if it weren't for the fact that we have to turn sharply to run back, so I start slowing down almost as soon as I've hit a decent pace.

Day 891

Challenges:
​​​​​ Easy Core Challenge Day 26
​​​​​ Plank Hero Day 25
​​​ Glutes of Steel Day 14
Ankle exercises

Okay, so today started off instantly better than yesterday! I headed out fairly quickly this morning and swapped over the ear buds and they seem to work - except they won't connect to my (old) phone, which is what I wanted them for, but they paired nicely with my android, and I suppose that's useful. Ah well. It was a beautiful day, if a bit breezy so I went for a walk. Took about an hour and a quarter, and I walked 5.2k, so a nice easy pace.
​
On the way back, I decided to follow some 'roo trails. There is one straight ahead (see that dark patch just to the left of the curved stick? That's where the path goes) and another that veers off to the left. Bit of adventure. Fortunately, I seem to have a great sense of direction and never worry that I've gone astray. Sooner or later I'll get home again.


I've mentioned before that I do occasional exercises while doing stuff, and other people have asked about how to include movement - well, this just came out so I thought I'd post it here.​

Your pictures don't work with me
glad today was better!

Same here, only white boxes

NancyTree lofivelcro Don't know why that sometimes happens. I've reposted them - did it work?

Day 892

Challenges:
​​​​​ Easy Core Challenge Day 27
​​​​​ Plank Hero Day 26
​​​ Glutes of Steel Day 15

Another beautiful day too good to waste. Okay, so there was a bit of a breeze and it's always windy at the Arboretum, but I went anyway. There was quite a number of people out having picnics in the sun - because it was really cold with that wind in the shade! Even the trees were wearing scarves!

This is an annual thing called Warm Trees where people knit (and I noticed some crochet) scarves to wrap around the trees, through July (though it's just started now). Adds colour through winter, and at the end of it, the scarves are washed, some are made into rugs, and all goes off to charity, here and overseas. It's very pretty and I'll go again next month to see how it's expanded. These are the Himalayan Cedars.
I went to the Cork Oaks which, I was surprised to see, all still had their leaves. I thought, being oaks, they'd have lost them, but perhaps not all quercus lose their leaves in winter.

I just love the texture of these trees! Anyway, not a quick walk (too much tree-fondling! ) but a nice amble of around 2km. Quite chilly when I got home though, so really enjoyed a hot pot of tea.

Yes, they work! Also on your new post!
Cool scarfs! And indeed awesome texture, looks like it has multiple small stems in it.

Beautiful color! Feels so cozy and autumn-y...

Photos work for me, too. And that tree trunk really looks interesting.

Day 893

Challenges:
​​​​​ Easy Core Challenge Day 28
​​​​​ Plank Hero Day 27
​​​ Glutes of Steel Day 16

One of those days when I'm sure I did other stuff but I can't remember what. I do remember, though, that I spend an inordinate amount of time working on another of those Impossible puzzles! Ah, and after I promised myself I'd not do another. But it's not my fault that a few months ago, Aldi had 4 new ones and they were a decent price and now they're in my cupboard...
Oh, and I ordered myself a little present, too. Can hardly wait until it's delivered!

Yay for presents!