Off Week = Check Off Side Items

Time for a refresh & reboot

This week has been an off week. Off in the terms of what I've gotten down, in the way things have been done and my training. In the end, I am taking this week off because my body just needs it. The largest contributing reason is my lack of a CPAP machine. I'm not sure if I've mentioned previously, but I have sleep apnea. I was diagnosed several years ago with it, and have used a CPAP machine since then. I'm overweight, which is the likely (and most common) cause. My dad does have sleep apnea so there is a chance it could just be genetic, but he's overweight as well so it could likely just be the same cause. Anyway, my machine broke and no longer functions. To make a long story short (that I started typing and deleted) I've been going on two weeks trying to get everything worked out and a new machine from a medical equipment company. Without the machine, sleep apnea kicks in and I sleep like crap. So I'm exhausted going on newborn with reflux territory. It's only building each day. As it's compounded, I've also begun getting more sore; both muscles and joints aching. Couple that with my wife getting pretty sick for the past week, it's been an off week in our household. I need a bit of a refresh.

What to do with an off week (or weekend?)

So I've been contemplating what I can accomplish with this off week that I've had to progress my overall training, even if I'm not doing something physically. Or in this case, what I can do this weekend before resuming my training next week. I've come up with a couple.

1. Playlist
   
   I've been looking for several weeks to update my playlist. Lately, I've been seeing a lot of posts around playlists on blogs I follow. My current playlist consists primarily of songs from an album of "running music" I purchased on Amazon when I started training as a base to work from. I have plenty of other music that I'd love to plug into the list that I just haven't yet. I even have a note on my phone to add songs to when I hear them or something comes to mind. There's more music I own and want to purchase over time to round it out. For now, I just want to start with getting my music off of my old laptop that I've been putting off doing for quite some time onto my computer so I can easily get it onto my phone. I have plenty there that my playlist would benefit from. That would be a good start.
    
2. Off day exercises
   
   One of the things I've wanted to augment my training plan with is going to the gym an extra day and doing some weights and other exercises to provide a more rounded workout regimen. I haven't gone yet, but it'd be good to have a plan going in. I've been meaning to look up some plans and exercises I can do, so I don't just go in there and do a bunch of random things that may or may not help. Yes, anything is better than nothing, but target something is better than random something. I have one I got in an email the other day, that looks promising as something to do at the gym or at home on off days: The Crunchless Core Workout For Runners. I'm open to other suggestions as well.
    
3. Gear
   
   I've been meaning to put together a wish list of gear I'd like for training. Stuff that I need and stuff that I'd like to get. WIth that comes some research that I just haven't been doing: looking into brands, pricing different sites, finding stores to try them out in, etc. I'd like to try and get a rough list together to start my research from. Plus, it's always fun to go browsing around for stuff to buy, even if you can't right that second. Or at least it is for me.

If I can even manage to come close to these items this weekend, it will be a victory in my book. Time can be fleeting, especially with an almost 2 year old at home. And without a new machine, my evening hours become self limited. But here's to making progress. One more day forward! One more day towards my goals.

What non-exercise things do you do for your training?