Have I mentioned that we have a fabulous new recreation center here on campus? Well, we do. When I first started working here, I went to the old gym on campus that had about 10 treadmills and 10 ellipticals and no locker rooms and was made of cement block walls and smelled like feet. And I liked it. I don’t need anything special, right? But then I joined a real gym and got a little spoiled and then I quit my real gym to help pay for my dog’s surgery and then I missed it. I missed all the little niceties I’d gotten used to, like group fitness classes and a nice facility and so on. Enter: the new rec center, just in time.

I’ve been trying out new classes and enjoying being able to use the treadmills and the fancy, cushiony indoor track and it’s just lovely. There are even towel swans in the faculty locker room. (I KNOW.)

So, in part because I’m jazzed about the new rec center, I’ve been mixing up my workouts. I’ve also been trying to jump start my metabolism a little bit after quite a stretch of doing nothing but running 3-4 times per week. I have a few vanity pounds I’d like to lose in the next 6-8 weeks (um, no particular reason why), so I think the changes to my routine should help. I’m also back on the Fitbit (add me if you use it) and counting my steps and calories.

And that, friends, is why I’m back to posting my workouts every week. I’ve been checking out Holly’s “Week in Workouts” posts and enjoying those, so I decided to jump right on in with my own. This is fun for me and keeps me accountable — if you find it boring, I’ll understand. Feel free to skip it! I’ll catch you next time.

Still around? Okay, here’s what went down this week.

Monday: Spinning on the bike trainer for 45 minutes while watching an episode of Psych. I did high-intensity during all the commercial breaks and eased off when the show came back. Nice and sweaty.

Tuesday: Boot camp class. This was my first time trying the class, and I was a little relieved it was only 45 minutes. We did a lot with the bosu ball (my first time trying that), weights (I need to go up in weight next time; I took it too easy), planks, squats, lunges, and so on. Great class! Also, two easy miles on the treadmill.

Wednesday: Rest day.

Thursday: 3 mile tempo run. Relieved to see my pace back down near where it once used to be. I’ve still got a ways to go getting my pre-hip-injury speed back, but I’m on the right track.

Friday: Kettlebells. I went up to the 20-pound ball and felt fine with it. We learned a half get-up in class by practicing with a shoe. I think we’ll be doing it with a real kettlebell next time. Other than that, we did plenty of the swings we’ve already learned (two-hand, one-hand, and switch), a strength section with lots of abs/planks, and a high-intensity section with more swings, deadlifts, smashballs, and burpees. Phew. Oh, and I did a two-mile walk/run warmup beforehand.

Saturday: Rest. Mostly I ate a lot of food and drank a lot of beer and watched Auburn lose to LSU.

Sunday: Long run, 8 miles. This run went so well! I had a small bite to eat first and I think that staved off the fatigue I’d been feeling on a few long runs the last few weeks. The weather is cooler now and I had some tunes playing and I felt like I most definitely could have run farther. This is a good thing and a sign I should sign up for the local ten-mile race coming up in October. Musical MVP of this run: Britney’s “Work, Bitch.”