Chicks dig not being the only chick in the weight room

After I get out of my ballet class, I hang my coat in a dented locker and make my way back to the "light" weight room. It's been too long - five days, to be exact - since I've hoisted some heavy things. I'm on to stage 2 of NROLFW and can't wait to start off with some front squat/push presses. There's a piece of posterboard with the markered words "WOMEN ONLY FROM 4:30 to 9:30". Normally when I use this gym, a city-sponsored club two blocks from my apartment that costs $70 a year, this room is empty. But tonight, it's hard for me to make my way to the old-fashioned squat rack to grab the bar. This pleases me, for some reason.
This is no Sports Club LA. The Nautilus equipment is newish, but everything else is dusty and there is only one clamp for the barbell, making squats and bench presses even more sweat-inducing than usual. I fear gaining strength, because the dumbbells only go up to 20lbs, and to use any heavier ones, I'd have to go to the "heavy" weight room. We can hear the meathead grunts from the other side of the gym.
The best thing about tonight is the variety of women lifting, pressing, pulling, and laughing. I see several pairs of women guiding each other through a series of moves written out on pads of yellow legal paper. Two older Hispanic women in second-hand track suits take turns doing cable machine pulldowns, one doing her set while the other one dances to the radio, laughing with a toothless cackle.
I hear "excuse me" and "may I work in?" and girls walk considerately around me as I do step-ups onto a bench.
When I jog home in the cold to make sure to be on the couch for the LOST premiere, I feel invigorated and happy, so far from the mess of nerves and blue I was while I was in Florida (yeah, Florida. I'm that ungrateful.)
I need to remember that I need this. I NEED THIS. If I don't move, I will stop.
It's that simple.

I wish race photos of me did not exist

Being photogenic is not one of my strong suits. Never has been. And when you add in sweat, pain, ill-fitting tshirts, and a hot sunny day? Very unpleasant.
I'm always so excited to get look at my race photos, because I continue to keep up hope that one day I will be one of those delightful looking people who can look lovely and spry midrace, maybe with a dapper little wave or thumbs up at the photographer. Maybe when I'm older, and closer to the demographic of people who can be called "spry", this will happen. Until then, I must resign myself to being caught mid-breath in an ill-fitting t-shirt and sweat-soaked pigtails under my Trot Nixonated Sox cap.
One upside to race photos is that it gives me a chance to critique my stride and running form, which is always a good time. My stride is always terrible. Either the camera always catches me in the moment where I look like a duck, or I just have a terrible stride and run only from the knees down.


Exhibit A

Anyway, in this one I actually look like a runner, though I still have T-Rex hands.


Make. It. Stop.


And of course, the best part of race photos is looking at the crowd around you. See below. I'm just about to run out of the frame, but get a load of the chick in the back of the pack in this one. She's on her phone. During a half-marathon.

You have got to be kidding me

I fear for the future of the world.

If a speedwork session is done on the treadmill and noone is around to hear it...

First speedwork session EVAR today. 2 mile jog and then 4x400 @ 8:34mi. Not too bad. I have to say, I think I kinda like it. I certainly felt great when it was over.
But does it count if it's on a treadmill? Team Legs 'n' Lungs say YES.
When it gets warmer, my bum will be at the track.

Also at the gym I ran into
-my boss, right after I told him I was trying to get out a few minutes early
-one of my work study employees, in the locker room
-one of my grad assistants, also in the lockers room.
Awwwwwwksmo.

Today's workout (see above)
2 miles @ 10/mile
4x400 @ 8:34/mile
2min jog/walk breaks between intervals
Total 40 min running
3.6 miles or so

These are the people in my gym-orhood

Since we're still on break, the gym is blessedly free of awkward undergrads and lots of people I work with who I don't necessarily want to see me in my sweatshorts (nor I them, in their sweatshorts). It is not, however, free of "characters".
Today's highlight was a slightly older gentleman who I see frequently. Judging by his age and sweet 80's-mullet-lite, I'm guessing he's probably a Media Arts professor or something. Anyway, he refuses to pull back his lionesque mane with a hairband, and runs quite quickly on the treadmill without moving his arms at all. Today I noticed he was actually holding 5lb dumbbells by his sides, running bolt upright, probably faster than I was running. Huh. I mean, hardcore, but strange.

Today's workout :
4x8 sumo squat with 12kg kettlebell (alt right and left arm)
2x30 Russian Twists with 12kg kettlebell
5min warmup on treadmill, 20 min tempo run at 9:13/mile (woohoo!), 5 min cooldown
Week 1 day 2 of the Hundred Pushups Challenge - 6,8,6,6,7 with 90 sec rest between each set.
I couldn't quiiiite finish the 7th rep on the last set but it was a good effort.