Whirlwind tour

I sort of feel like the past two weeks have been a trip down the memory lane of exercises I used to love but forgot existed in the tunnel vision of marathon training. I LOVE running, but there are a ton of other fun kinds of exercise. Let me give you a look at my whirlwind tour:

In the past week, I have done:
Jillian Michaels Boost Your Metabolism
Zumba
Spin Class
Body Attack
Bikram
More Zumba!

Exercise classes are so much fun and I love making a total fool of myself "dancing" at Zumba. I used to go to Body Attack and Spin religiously and hadn't been since probably June. I'm glad I decided to mix it up, a lot of runners seem really tied to just running but I know for me, I need some variety. I have been using muscles that were basically ignored all summer and last week I seriously felt nearly as sore as after the marathon (well, maybe not). Bikram yesterday was so intense my muscles were shaking like a leaf for the majority of the 90 minutes, but I forgot how great I feel after. I was planning on Body Pump this morning but I think I'll save it until next week - plus I have more Zumba today after school!

Some people have asked if I didn't just want to take a break after the marathon. The truth might make some people want to punch me in the face, the same way I feel when people say things like

• "Oh I lost all track of time cleaning" - um really, you weren't moving at light speed and counting the seconds until you could stop?
• "I completely forgot to eat today" - wow my body has this built in sensor to avoid that, it's called hunger
  
• "that dessert was so rich, one bite was enough" - I have yet to experience this phenomenon. I have met very few desserts where one (giant) plate was enough, much less a bite

Anyway, those are statements that make me want to punch people, but I guess they are true for some. Mine is, I truly love exercise and don't feel "right" unless I get some each day. Not all types, but I have found plenty that are fun. If I ever can't exercise for a prolonged period of time for some reason, the best thing for society would be to send me to do some research project in Antarctica. I get really irritable and basically bitchy, and it would be impossible for even the most patient person to deal with me.

But, despite my reawakened love for aerobics and yoga, I still plan on running at least once a week - training for a spring marathon starts next month!