"Ummm...it was actually 10 AM, but I'm up now! Want to do 9 AM?"
She had asked me at our last session if I had weightlifting gloves, which I brought along this morning, and I have to say, they made a real difference. When the weights get high, they're really good to have!
Today's workout:
10 minute row (2100 meters)
10 minute run (intervals between 6kph and 9kph)
Incline chest press (25kg - 4 sets, 12 reps each)
Walking lunges (about 20-22 lunges down the hallway with a 10kg weight in each hand, down and back for approx 44 lunges total - 4 times)
Bench chest press (32.5kg - 4 sets, 15 reps each because I was showing off)
Sidestep squats down the hallway (holding a 10kg weight, do a side step, squat down, come up, step to the side again, all the way down the hall)
Straight leg deadlift (60kg - 4 sets, 12 reps each)
And then we got to the funniest part of the workout. She said we were going to do calf raises, and so put 5kg weights on the machine. When I got on and bounced up and down a few times, she said, "Wow, you really have a lot of definition in your calves!" To which I replied, "Yeah, a childhood of riding horses. We could easily quadruple this weight, you know..." So she threw on 25kg weights on each side. Still easy. Another 25kg? Yeah, still easy. It became comical as she just kept wandering around the weights room, finding more weights to throw on. Finally finished at 170kg (NOT a typo!) where I finally conceded that it was ever-so-slightly challenging. 4 sets, 12 reps each.
Finally finished with core, which totally schooled me from all my previous showing off...why is that particular exercise still so damn hard? Barely managed to hang on for 60 seconds of plank. Final stats: 920 calories burned, Avg HR 146, max HR 178. In the end, I noticed my trainer spent nearly an hour-and-a-half with me, instead of just our usual hour session. But I think she enjoys working with me, because I'll do anything she asks me and push hard the entire time. And working with her, I actually enjoy it (as hard as it is!)
The hash run this evening was scheduled to be down in Balham, which is normally way too far south for me, but given that Matt, Cookie and Caroline said that they would all be there, I made the effort to go.
I chatted on the phone with the Tall South African the entire way there, who was talking to me about his plans to come down the following night to talk to Caroline in person and tell her that he just didn't see them having a relationship right now. Pity for her, but I do admire him for wanting to do it in person.
I had scheduled myself to take a particular train, but it was so crowded that I was unable to get on it when I arrived, meaning I was running late. As I was on the train, I was surprised then to get a text from Navy Boy (who I hadn't heard from in ages), announcing his engagement to a girl he'd often been seen with, but who he insisted was just a friend. I felt bad as I know this girl and had promised her I'd write to her during her most recent deployment to the Gulf of Iran, but I'd been a terrible correspondent. What on earth had I missed, that they were just friends when she left, and now they were engaged? I didn't know what to write back, as the news was just so surprising!
I finally made it to the pub, thankfully before everyone set off, and was able to join the crowds for the entire run. 58 minutes, 6.68 kilometers, except the "Map My Run" app that I'd been using to track my run failed to save my data, a hugely frustrating outcome of the evening! Particularly given that I was so proud of myself for surviving the entire run, I'd really wanted to show off to my personal trainer!
Once we were back at the pub however, it was good to be able to catch up with Caroline, Matt and Cookie. We talked quite a bit about how Qatari Boy just doesn't have his sh*t together, and how frustrating that is for me, but perhaps a sign that I need to look elsewhere. We actually agreed that Caroline would take over my online dating profile and see if she could set up dates for me, given that I'm so rubbish at it myself. We'll have to see if she has any luck at it!
I also got a bit of an update on Cookie's romantic life, as she's still having an affair with her married boss, although she suspects that his wife now knows that there's something going on (although not with her specifically). I found it weirdly touching, that apparently most mornings, her boss gets up early at 5 AM, and goes to her flat, and climbs into bed with her to snuggle and sleep in those early hours before Cookie has to get up at 7 AM. I remember early on in their relationship, he was reluctant to have sex with her, although apparently that's over now. Of course, I'm not thrilled that Cookie is having an affair with a married man who might break up his family for her, but she does seem to still be trying to be sensible about it. We'll have to see how this one turns out...
I found Caroline again talking about how much she liked the Tall South African, and knowing what was coming, I tried to caution her a bit. "Imagine if you had a job that was pretty good, although it could use some improvement, and then you got a new job offer that sounded amazing, but you knew nothing about it. Would you try to fix what you knew was wrong at your old job, which was very familiar and you knew what it was about? Or would you take a risk on the new job? You have to admit, a lot of people might be scared to make the leap to the new job." Yet she didn't seem to hear it, simply saying, "I would take the new job!" Oh well, I did try...
Finally, it was time to head home, so I walked back to the station with a random new guy who had apparently learned about our group through playing dodgeball with Caroline. He seemed nice and was good company back to the station, where I just caught the last train home. Phew, just in time!
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