The Grand Return

I felt recovered enough yesterday to try a Balance class. Or rather, I NEEDED to try a Balance class. I took along some tissues, but in the end needed only needed to use them once. At the start of the class I thought it might be a break-through type of day, but instead it was just a fairly ordinary kind of hour.

I probably shouldn’t have expected anything otherwise. My chest was still full, my sinuses still a bit clogged. I was feeling lumpy and couch potatoed, and I knew exactly where every gram of the weight I’ve put on was sitting. However I made it through class. I took it easy, didn’t push any of the moves too hard, got through to the end. It wasn’t much, but it was enough, and I took it for what it was worth.

This morning was a different story. I snapped awake at 7.00 and knew instantly that I wasn’t getting back to sleep. I was still feeling too couch potatoed to contemplate running, and I was theoretically still supposed to be taking it easy. So I booked into an RPM class instead. Go figure.

Ironically, I continued to feel good until I got to the gym, when I met up with the Jog Squad as they were waiting to leave on their first Saturday run. At that point my chest clogged up again and my nose started running. Suddenly I wasn’t feeling so recovered after all! I don’t think Sarah was too impressed with my RPM plans, but I still thought that RPM would be easier on me than a run.

I was a bit too early for class, so I decided to warm up with a fast walk on the treadmill. That was ok for the first four minutes, then a stonking house track came over the speakers. I ended up running – not fast, and not for long – but I was running. Oh, and it felt GOOD. My heartrate was a little higher than I would have liked, but I felt a lot better than the rather rapid beat might otherwise have suggested.

After around 10 minutes the 8.30 RPM class finished, and I thought it would be a good idea to get off the treadmill before someone caught me running. I reminded myself I was supposed to be taking things easy and resolved to keep the dial light on the bike. My resolution to take things easy lasted for around half the class. My lungs just couldn’t keep up with my legs. I was left coughing at the end of each track, attracting weird looks from Stefan. To add to that, my thermostat seemed to be a bit bung, and I found myself overheating.

I soldiered on until track five, which was one of the latest release tracks, Painkiller. Since neither Duck nor Dee are particularly big on the latest release I hadn’t heard it before. I loved it! I actually put some dial on, and my lungs let my legs share the pain for a while. Track 6, the sprint track, was an oldie but a goodie, and suddenly I could feel my body remembering what this whole exercise thing was about. I started to be able to squeeze out a smile through the pain. I actually started to enjoy myself. Track 7 was almost joyful. I could feel that my fitness levels haven’t suffered too much during my enforced vacation. I realised that it won’t take much to get back up there. Which isn’t to say that I wasn’t left gasping like a goldfish on the carpet at the end of it all, just a comment that things might not be as bad as I’d feared.

The interesting thing with the weight that I’ve gained is that a little of it has gone on my hips, but most of it has gone on my bust. I have my chest back! I guess that’s not all bad, but I’m keen to deflate the balloons again and get back to fighting weight. I have to remember that I can’t go too hard this week, otherwise I’ll wear myself out. However I’m going to try a run on Monday, and we’ll play it by ear after that.