Today’s workout: 45 minutes of cardio. Throughout training, cardio workouts will mean swimming or cycling. My plan for today was to ride my bike home from work.

I haven’t been on my bike since Plutonium Man on Labor Day weekend. A month! Not sure what went wrong that day, but it left me hurting somethin’ awful. My wrists and my contact patch took all week to recover. Also, I was pretty focused on training for the Multnomah Falls Trail Race and the Leavenworth Oktoberfest half-marathon; I’ve learned that I cannot train, ride, and recover. Something always has to give, and for me, it’s the recovery that loses out.

Perhaps it was the length of time out of the saddle, but I was strangely apprehensive about riding today. The nervousness was physical. I had to repeatedly remind myself that I was being silly.

Although the bugs were bad, the ride was lovely.

Throughout today, I grew increasingly grateful I only did one circuit of core & hip work last night: I’m feelin’ it! I can feel some delayed-onset muscle soreness in my abs and my obliques. As I said, I’m sure that starting with such a weak core means I’ll be able to feel significant changes relatively quickly – but only if I stick with it.

Wednesday is a rest day. Even though it’s only day three, I intend to rest. I can take some time to stretch and work on the knots in my shins. Gotta keep those legs happy!