Sunday, September 13
Today I worked a half day (plus a little bit) and then caught a shuttle to my company’s Rosh Hashanah party. The first hour was nerve-wracking for me because I still don’t know many people in the company, but in the end, it was great!
Today, it was officially announced that Israel is entering another lockdown, from 2pm on September 18 until October 9–basically for all of the holidays (Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot). People won’t be able to travel more than 500m from their homes, with the exception of essential services. Physical activity is allowed, so this time around, I will be running in circles (or technically, squares) around my neighborhood.
Monday, September 14
Today I woke up bright at early…at 5:30am. The coach who ran the twice weekly strength training I used to do closed the group…and started a running group instead! The group meets in Menachem Begin Park, in the southeast corner of Tel Aviv…it’s weird area, with a mix of shacks, hi-rise buildings…and roosters! Normally I will go to the evening workouts, but since I had plans in the evening, I decided to try the 6am workout, so I can say I did it at least once. Plus, with the impending lockdown, I want to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can before I’ll be mostly home-bound.
I took a taxi to the meetup, since I had no idea where to go, and taking the bus would have more than doubled my commute time. It ended up being me, the coach, and one other runner. We warmed up for 6 minutes and then Yoni the coach gave me my workout: 10 minutes, easy pace 5 minutes, faster (but constant pace) 5 minutes, even faster (and also constant) I ran the first 10 minutes at 6:05min/km, the next 5 minutes at 5:35min/km, and the last 5 minutes at 5:15min/km. We then cooled down and did some sprints. Overall, I ran 5.1km and felt good! I then took the bus home and was back home by 7:30am…I showered and then napped before work.
I really hope the running group becomes a “thing”, because this is something I’ve been missing in my life.
In the afternoon, I had physical therapy, and she increased my running limit to 8km! After the deep tissue massage, she didn’t give me KT tape–it’s time to see if I can manage without it. Due to the holidays and upcoming craziness, this is our only meeting this week. She can work during the lockdown and as we’re neighbors, the 500m distance doesn’t affect us.
After work, I went to my first Pilates class. I didn’t know much about Pilates, except that some of the movements are similar to yoga. I had a great time at the class, and think I prefer Pilates! There was no “spiritual” component. This is my issue with yoga–the yoga we (white people) practice is not a religion, and I do not want a spiritual component. I like yoga because it involves stretching, deep breathing, and I usually feel calmer and a bit more centered afterwards. I do not see how this relates to spirituality. For me, yoga is basically Stretching and Breathing 101. In contrast, Pilates also focused on breathing and core work, but I felt that the exercises we did actually targeted muscles, and it felt like more of a workout, if that makes sense. Anyway, I am a fan, the teacher was great, and I plan to take her classes in the future–I really hope she offers virtual classes during the lockdown!
Tuesday, September 15
Office day! I woke up tired and SORE from Pilates. At least I know it works!
Wednesday, September 16
After work, I went for a 2km walk to go pick up allergy medicine…I figured it would be best to get it pre-lockdown. Later in the evening, I went to my second running group workout! We did another tempo workout, which only ended up totaling 3.4kms. Hopefully as the group picks up steam, the workouts will eventually become longer than my commute there…
Thursday, September 17
Happy two year Aliyahversary to me!! Lior and I went and saw his family before the lockdown, and then went to a restaurant for the last time for the next several weeks.
Friday, September 18
Pre holiday and lockdown time! We did shopping (and I walked 2km), picked up some food from Lior’s family, and had a low-key evening. The Pilates instructor I liked released her lockdown Zoom schedule, and I am excited to take some classes during the pandemic.
Saturday, September 19
Today is another special day–it’s my and Lior’s two year anniversary! Lior made me a very thoughtful gift, and we leveled up our relationship by getting each other the same card!
A picture from pre-COVID times
I watched some Rosh Hashanah services online and lay low during the day–it is still very hot outside, so if I can stay indoors, I will. In the evening once the temperature cooled down, I went for a run. Since I’m now “allowed” to run 8km, I decided to give it a try and see how it felt. I felt sluggish and my legs felt heavy, but overall the 8km was okay. I’m making progress! COVID note–the streets were empty on the way to the beach, which makes sense because almost all of the stores were closed due to Rosh Hashanah, and much of that stretch is industrial. The beach boardwalk was relatively crowded, though probably not as crowded as it would normally be on a holiday evening with no work or school the next day.
Afterwards, Lior and I celebrated our anniversary with sushi!
Total Distance: 20.5km, Challenge 16/25 complete; 1 physical therapy appt; 1 pilates class
This was a lower mileage week, but I attended two running workouts and completed a long run I’m pleased with, and found a new exercise class I enjoyed, so I consider this a success. 🙂
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