Since I thought the blog might be quiet while I was in Vegas, I wrote this review and decided to try the schedule feature on Blogger. Fingers crossed! Enjoy!
Recently, the most seriously awesome Christi (Pedestrian Runner), sent me a little surprise out of the blue (although I knew something was coming due to her asking me for my snail mail address). Can I just say now that the demise of the postal service will take away one of the absolute best mechanisms for making my day? I love getting mail - not junk mail, but stuff that is actually for me, to me and about me. And a gift? OMG! That sends me just over the moon. Many, many thanks Christi for making my day a few weeks ago.
Sorry...off track there a minute...Christi sent me a fabulous autobiography (since she must have noticed I really enjoy reading true stories about incredibly inspirational people) by Kathrine Switzer called "Marathon Woman". While I expected this book to be all about how Kathrine registered for the Boston Marathon in 1967 as "K.V. Switzer" claiming she didn't know women weren't allowed, etc., that really was just the introduction to the story. It really was an incredible story about following your life's passion and sacrificing some of your personal goals for the greater good.
What struck me along the way was really how recent women's liberation in society crossed paths with the world of sports. How incredible that in my (relatively short) lifetime there were still people convinced that our uterus would fall out if we ran long distances. That race directors and sponsors couldn't imagine that women would event WANT to run these distances. And worst of all, that sometimes it was our fellow women that resisted the change most of all. To think that in the first 11 years of my life, women couldn't compete in an Olympic marathon race. And to learn all about the fight/sacrifice that Kathrine and many of her friends and colleagues went through to change minds and attitudes and to accomplish these dreams - not for themselves - but for all the women coming behind them.
I could tie many of the stories into my own experiences in a male-dominated field. I remember coming out of college (1995) and hearing older women engineers (some only 10-15 years my senior - so not "old") talk about how rough it was when they came out of school. Vendors that wouldn't talk to them because they couldn't believe a woman would have any authority to make a purchasing decision or be a project manager at all. Coworkers who thought sexual harrassment was perfectly fine. Management that looked the other way over blatant discrimination. I was young and naive and completely convinced that as the new millenium dawned, these were times of our past. It wasn't until my own bumps with discrimination and the glass ceiling that I found that it all still exists - just much less blatantly. Even with all the strides our bra-burning mothers made, there is still a long way to go and often, it is still women that are standing in the way as much as men.
To tie these ideas together, the book "Run Like a Girl" (reviewed previously) illustrated how girls/women can build their self-esteem and self-efficacy through sport. Meanwhile, ongoing research indicates that the success of women seeking STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) degrees is directly correlated to their self-efficacy (their belief that they CAN do it). Do we see how important it is to teach our daughters that they can do whatever they set their minds to? Maybe someday, women will comprise 50% of the engineering classes just like they do med school and law school. But in recent years, there has actually been a slight decline in enrollment numbers (less than 18% of engineering students are women).
A bit on my soapbox here, but I think it is easy to look at how far we've come as women and forget that there is still a ways to go. While I don't intend to burn any bras (they cost way too much and I'm way to practical for that), I do think there is value in reminding people that we aren't at the finish line of equality yet. Thankfully, there is something about covering the miles swimming, biking and running that is a great equalizer.
To pay this forward, I would like to send one of my "blog friends" this book to read and enjoy as well. Tell me something about how getting involved in running and/or triathlon has "built you up" and made you believe that you could do whatever you put your mind to.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Swim, Drive, Fly...Vegas Baby
I took Friday as a rest day - trying to listen to my body and make sure I don't end up injured which I fear could completely derail me. Had planned on hitting the pool on Saturday, but forgot all the other obligations that filled the day (piano lessons, scouting for food flyers, piles of laundry, finishing my slides for my presentation, finish working with my daughter on her scout religious award that had to be turned in by Monday, prepacking a bunch of lunch items to speed up prep for my mother-in-law, trying on a pile of business clothes to try to find what didn't look too huge on me, packing, party for neighbor's birthday/retirement that ran half the afternoon and all evening, etc, etc, etc). So no formal workout yesterday either - though I did manage to hook up at the party with another potential workout buddy. Yay!
So this morning, after dragging out of bed in time for 8:30 mass, I took a separate car to head to the pool right after church. I changed quickly and was in the pool at 9:40. I had a mixture of feeling strong, then feeling tired/weak, then feeling a bit faster, then slow - but I knocked it out. What is "it"? That would be 1850 yards! Wahoo! Enough to make up for being slightly short on my mile last time and knock out another mile. Yay! Only 0.38 mi to go - easy peasy! One more quick workout and I'll have my iron swim finished.
Although I felt like I was going pretty fast most of the time, I must be slower than I thought and pause a bit too much at the wall because I averaged 3:14/100. Yep, took me right at an hour. Still nice to know I can get the job done if I have to.
So to update my CTER 140.6 numbers:
Swim: 2.02/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 21.06/26.2
Heading out this afternoon for the long drive to the airport (KC) and the evening flight to Vegas so that I can speak tomorrow morning. I have no idea how much internet access I'll have so the blog might be quiet. I packed workout gear to try to get in a run or some time on an exercise bike in the hotel. Don't want to lose four days if I don't have to. Leaving my kids in the capable hands of my husband and mother-in-law, but I know everyone will be glad to have me back Thursday night.
So this morning, after dragging out of bed in time for 8:30 mass, I took a separate car to head to the pool right after church. I changed quickly and was in the pool at 9:40. I had a mixture of feeling strong, then feeling tired/weak, then feeling a bit faster, then slow - but I knocked it out. What is "it"? That would be 1850 yards! Wahoo! Enough to make up for being slightly short on my mile last time and knock out another mile. Yay! Only 0.38 mi to go - easy peasy! One more quick workout and I'll have my iron swim finished.
Although I felt like I was going pretty fast most of the time, I must be slower than I thought and pause a bit too much at the wall because I averaged 3:14/100. Yep, took me right at an hour. Still nice to know I can get the job done if I have to.
So to update my CTER 140.6 numbers:
Swim: 2.02/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 21.06/26.2
Heading out this afternoon for the long drive to the airport (KC) and the evening flight to Vegas so that I can speak tomorrow morning. I have no idea how much internet access I'll have so the blog might be quiet. I packed workout gear to try to get in a run or some time on an exercise bike in the hotel. Don't want to lose four days if I don't have to. Leaving my kids in the capable hands of my husband and mother-in-law, but I know everyone will be glad to have me back Thursday night.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday Post Script
Jumped the gun a little on my post. I realized after I wrote it and moved on to other afternoon activities that I hadn't updated my CTER 140.6 totals. And then Stacy wanted to go running again tonight and I stupidly agreed. I think I overdid it with more mileage this week. We didn't go for very long before my shins were screaming. So we called it good at 2.41 mi (and the wind was insane making everything else totally suck about the run). Then I stretched and stretched and a took a hot shower (and a handful of ibuprofen). Probably need to ice in there somewhere too. Ugh. Oh well, live and learn.
Hard not to get carried away and try too much too soon. I have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow to get ready for the conference next week before I have kids underfoot all weekend. I will probably call it a "rest" day. Took note of Matty O's post today about listening to our bodies.
Total side note - got blood drawn this morning for my physical in a few weeks. I'm a little curious to see how my various metabolic numbers compare to my last blood tests over two years ago. I am kind of excited to tell my doctor that I'm finally getting exercise regularly. Brag much?
CTER 140.6
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 21.06/26.2
Hard not to get carried away and try too much too soon. I have a ton of stuff to do tomorrow to get ready for the conference next week before I have kids underfoot all weekend. I will probably call it a "rest" day. Took note of Matty O's post today about listening to our bodies.
Total side note - got blood drawn this morning for my physical in a few weeks. I'm a little curious to see how my various metabolic numbers compare to my last blood tests over two years ago. I am kind of excited to tell my doctor that I'm finally getting exercise regularly. Brag much?
CTER 140.6
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 21.06/26.2
New running friends
So I think I've mentioned that last summer I joined the Columbia (Missouri) Multisport Club - affectionately referred to as "CMC". I mostly joined because I was interested in learning more about my new crush "Triathlon". But frankly, the 10% discount at the running store didn't hurt either. I also was interested in their group workouts though I only managed to get to one open water swim in the late summer.
I signed up for their "Biggest Loser" contest with some other folks. I haven't been a very good team member here either as I have dropped very little weight and have missed some of the speakers and special workouts they arranged for the group because I seem to be on mom duty every Sunday when they have them. Boo! But I did join the group's Facebook page and have been in touch as the group cheered me on when I managed to get in a good workout.
The other day I suggested they do a lunchtime (workday) workout so I might be able to join in. One of the ladies (Betsy) said she'd do it with me even if no one else was available. So I agreed to meet up with her today for a run (warning her of my slowness). I got to her house and we went out for about 20-30 min with her dog (fairly slow with some walking on my behalf as much so the dog could sniff and pee as anything). Then we went back for a cup of water and to meet up with another guy (Ben). Apparently, they were scheduled to do an "Insanity" workout together over lunch too and he was game to warm up with the tail end of our run. We headed out to the main road and about 0.5 mi or so in, another CMC gal joined in (catching up with us when she was headed to Betsy's house and saw us so she parked at Walgreens and jumped across the street to join - name was Kelly I think). After we got back, they did another workout, but I was a sweaty mess as I had pushed the pace some to keep from feeling like I was holding them way back. They were very nice about it, but I still felt bad every time I had to walk.
Betsy also offered to loan me her road bike to try out until I can afford my own. We didn't get it out to see how it fit, but we aren't much different in height so I think it would work with minor adjustments. She even had toe cages on it so I don't have to run out and buy cycling shoes (though I intend to get some eventually). So next time I head up there she wants me to bring my truck so I can get it home. How nice is that! Even if it is a bit of a band-aid fix to my lack of bike issue, it would maybe get me to spring!
I got back to the office and mapped the run the best I could given we did a bunch of neighborhood roads that made it confusing to remember. Best guess was that we did about 3.5 miles. The sun had come out and the wind died down a bit and it was gorgeous! Weird enough the wind and clouds returned right as I was toying with the idea of a quick bike ride late this afternoon.
Betsy is also self-employed and has a flexible schedule so she invited me to come by anytime I was in town to get in a run. She also teaches a spinning class and said to let her know if I wanted to try it out. So looks like I have yet another person to kick me in the butt when I need it! Yay! Better get my CMC membership renewed (which apparently runs on a calendar basis - oops). Maybe later this spring I can finally do some of the group workouts I see on the listserve emails all the time.
I signed up for their "Biggest Loser" contest with some other folks. I haven't been a very good team member here either as I have dropped very little weight and have missed some of the speakers and special workouts they arranged for the group because I seem to be on mom duty every Sunday when they have them. Boo! But I did join the group's Facebook page and have been in touch as the group cheered me on when I managed to get in a good workout.
The other day I suggested they do a lunchtime (workday) workout so I might be able to join in. One of the ladies (Betsy) said she'd do it with me even if no one else was available. So I agreed to meet up with her today for a run (warning her of my slowness). I got to her house and we went out for about 20-30 min with her dog (fairly slow with some walking on my behalf as much so the dog could sniff and pee as anything). Then we went back for a cup of water and to meet up with another guy (Ben). Apparently, they were scheduled to do an "Insanity" workout together over lunch too and he was game to warm up with the tail end of our run. We headed out to the main road and about 0.5 mi or so in, another CMC gal joined in (catching up with us when she was headed to Betsy's house and saw us so she parked at Walgreens and jumped across the street to join - name was Kelly I think). After we got back, they did another workout, but I was a sweaty mess as I had pushed the pace some to keep from feeling like I was holding them way back. They were very nice about it, but I still felt bad every time I had to walk.
Betsy also offered to loan me her road bike to try out until I can afford my own. We didn't get it out to see how it fit, but we aren't much different in height so I think it would work with minor adjustments. She even had toe cages on it so I don't have to run out and buy cycling shoes (though I intend to get some eventually). So next time I head up there she wants me to bring my truck so I can get it home. How nice is that! Even if it is a bit of a band-aid fix to my lack of bike issue, it would maybe get me to spring!
I got back to the office and mapped the run the best I could given we did a bunch of neighborhood roads that made it confusing to remember. Best guess was that we did about 3.5 miles. The sun had come out and the wind died down a bit and it was gorgeous! Weird enough the wind and clouds returned right as I was toying with the idea of a quick bike ride late this afternoon.
Betsy is also self-employed and has a flexible schedule so she invited me to come by anytime I was in town to get in a run. She also teaches a spinning class and said to let her know if I wanted to try it out. So looks like I have yet another person to kick me in the butt when I need it! Yay! Better get my CMC membership renewed (which apparently runs on a calendar basis - oops). Maybe later this spring I can finally do some of the group workouts I see on the listserve emails all the time.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Warm Temps = WIND
In order for Mother Nature to provide 60° in the end of February in Missouri, she has to BLOW it in. Oh well, still always better to be outside on the bike than staring at the walls of the Y. I left home and headed to the interchange, then did loops around Scholastic and up to the interchange twice and then came home. I was a little disappointed to see that it was only 15.1 miles after it took me damn near 90 min. But such is life - and wind. It was coming out of the west and my route is mostly east/west and I could really feel it. Still good to chip away at the 112 I'm trying to finish by 3/10.
My body is feeling the extra load though. I had trouble falling asleep last night due to some soreness and woke up a few times feeling tight all over. Hope I can sleep better tonight. Almost time to go pick up the kiddos and I'm sure they'll want some outdoor time too.
CTER 140.6:
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 15.15/26.2
My body is feeling the extra load though. I had trouble falling asleep last night due to some soreness and woke up a few times feeling tight all over. Hope I can sleep better tonight. Almost time to go pick up the kiddos and I'm sure they'll want some outdoor time too.
CTER 140.6:
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 46.5/112
Run: 15.15/26.2
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Fat Tuesday...with Redemption?
Ended up spending most of the morning on a job site with a young contractor who apparently had never laid out grade stakes before (and couldn't seem to calculate percent grade anyway). This small project has turned into kind of a pain in my ass and I hope it is over soon.
Susan did a solo run to burn off some steam before a meeting at the hospital, but agreed to a short bike at the Y with me after lunch. We both got interrupted by phone calls and were "that" girl that was trying to not stop a workout, but take care of a work call while riding. Oops. She only did about half my ride with me which helped the boredom factor of indoor cycling. My music helped me power through the rest. Got in 15 miles.
But the weather has warmed a bit and I wanted to get outside too. Unfortunately, mom duty that included supervision of homework and piano practice (lately my daughter wants me to sit with her while she does it) precluded the ride. That and the fact the kids talked their dad into "kids eat free" at Pizza Slut. So yet again, I had a big salad and a lot of greasy sauce covered dough that was horrible for me and sat in my gut heavy. When will I learn? Definitely a FAT Tuesday. Hopefully I can get some redemption on the scale with Ash Wednesday's "fast" and some more exercise. I dashed off from dinner to take the girl (and one of her friends whose parents got to go watch MU get beat by KState again) to Brownies which ran long.
Stacy called and decided we should get in a run before bed. We did the same 3.51 miles we did on Feb 1st according to MapMyRide. It was cooler tonight (low 40's), but less windy which was nice. Tomorrow is supposed to be the warmest of the week so I'm holding out hope to get some outdoor bike time in. Shaved my legs tonight on the off chance I can get motivated to swim tomorrow too.
Running update on finishing the CTER 140.6 (by March 10):
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 31.5/112
Run: 15.15/26.2
Happy Engineers Week! Erin go Bragh!
Susan did a solo run to burn off some steam before a meeting at the hospital, but agreed to a short bike at the Y with me after lunch. We both got interrupted by phone calls and were "that" girl that was trying to not stop a workout, but take care of a work call while riding. Oops. She only did about half my ride with me which helped the boredom factor of indoor cycling. My music helped me power through the rest. Got in 15 miles.
But the weather has warmed a bit and I wanted to get outside too. Unfortunately, mom duty that included supervision of homework and piano practice (lately my daughter wants me to sit with her while she does it) precluded the ride. That and the fact the kids talked their dad into "kids eat free" at Pizza Slut. So yet again, I had a big salad and a lot of greasy sauce covered dough that was horrible for me and sat in my gut heavy. When will I learn? Definitely a FAT Tuesday. Hopefully I can get some redemption on the scale with Ash Wednesday's "fast" and some more exercise. I dashed off from dinner to take the girl (and one of her friends whose parents got to go watch MU get beat by KState again) to Brownies which ran long.
Stacy called and decided we should get in a run before bed. We did the same 3.51 miles we did on Feb 1st according to MapMyRide. It was cooler tonight (low 40's), but less windy which was nice. Tomorrow is supposed to be the warmest of the week so I'm holding out hope to get some outdoor bike time in. Shaved my legs tonight on the off chance I can get motivated to swim tomorrow too.
Running update on finishing the CTER 140.6 (by March 10):
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 31.5/112
Run: 15.15/26.2
Happy Engineers Week! Erin go Bragh!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Miscellaneous Monday
Sunday ended up pretty lazy. Mass, breakfast with my family (bacon baby!), afternoon nap, 2 mile walk with husband, leftovers for dinner. I'm going to count the 2 miles with my husband towards my 26.2, but I am becoming more and more convinced that it isn't the swim or the run miles that are going to kill me, but the stupid bike.
Monday Morning Naked Weight (MMNW which I think I've forgotten to record for a while) = 172.4 lbs down slightly, but I've been bouncing around the low 170's for several weeks and know that I haven't been eating cleanly enough to really break out of this weight rut. Stacy told me today she would like to split a weekly produce food co-op basket with me she was getting. It is like $50 worth of produce for $25 (give or take) and I'd pay half. Sounds like the good Lord is nudging me towards some healthier eating!
Spent most of today on a shopping trip (down to the Osage Beach Factory Outlets near Lake of the Ozarks) with my friend Tania and my daughter. She was mostly looking for children's clothes. We struck out on finding new school pants for the girl, but got her a cute tank and a skirt at Children's Place for next to nothing (like $8 total), a pair of Gap jeans for my boy (who wears men's clothes) for under $9 plus a cute Gap jean jacket for my girl for $12 and best of all - cool gear at the Nike outlet (40% off clearance prices oh yeah!). We got a cute running shirt and dry fit capris for my girl and two compression bras ($12/ea!) for me plus a new running jacket. Yee Haw!! I love bargains!
Tried out one bra and the jacket tonight. They are pretty SWEET! Stacy and I did a little over a 4 mile run (Walmart 5K plus down to the intersection the other way and back). It was super windy, but high 40's even at 8:45. I ran more of it than I usually do. I realized my biggest issue when I run with friends is talking. I can't talk and run! I shut up more on the way out and managed to run (aka jog) more. She pushes the pace too which makes it even harder, but she is good for me to get better.
Weather channel shows warmer weather the next two days so I'm going to cross my fingers that I can get some bike time in outdoors. I have to meet a client in the morning and am trying to figure out when I can get together with Susan for our Tuesday workout (and if I can convince her to do some biking). Not to mention I have a crapload of work to do for my presentations next week. Ugh - really should have dug into that this weekend.
Chipping away at the CTER 140.6 - (trying to finish by March 10):
Swim: 0.97 / 2.4
Bike: 16.5 / 112
Run: 11.64 / 26.2
Happy Engineers Week!
Monday Morning Naked Weight (MMNW which I think I've forgotten to record for a while) = 172.4 lbs down slightly, but I've been bouncing around the low 170's for several weeks and know that I haven't been eating cleanly enough to really break out of this weight rut. Stacy told me today she would like to split a weekly produce food co-op basket with me she was getting. It is like $50 worth of produce for $25 (give or take) and I'd pay half. Sounds like the good Lord is nudging me towards some healthier eating!
Spent most of today on a shopping trip (down to the Osage Beach Factory Outlets near Lake of the Ozarks) with my friend Tania and my daughter. She was mostly looking for children's clothes. We struck out on finding new school pants for the girl, but got her a cute tank and a skirt at Children's Place for next to nothing (like $8 total), a pair of Gap jeans for my boy (who wears men's clothes) for under $9 plus a cute Gap jean jacket for my girl for $12 and best of all - cool gear at the Nike outlet (40% off clearance prices oh yeah!). We got a cute running shirt and dry fit capris for my girl and two compression bras ($12/ea!) for me plus a new running jacket. Yee Haw!! I love bargains!
Tried out one bra and the jacket tonight. They are pretty SWEET! Stacy and I did a little over a 4 mile run (Walmart 5K plus down to the intersection the other way and back). It was super windy, but high 40's even at 8:45. I ran more of it than I usually do. I realized my biggest issue when I run with friends is talking. I can't talk and run! I shut up more on the way out and managed to run (aka jog) more. She pushes the pace too which makes it even harder, but she is good for me to get better.
Weather channel shows warmer weather the next two days so I'm going to cross my fingers that I can get some bike time in outdoors. I have to meet a client in the morning and am trying to figure out when I can get together with Susan for our Tuesday workout (and if I can convince her to do some biking). Not to mention I have a crapload of work to do for my presentations next week. Ugh - really should have dug into that this weekend.
Chipping away at the CTER 140.6 - (trying to finish by March 10):
Swim: 0.97 / 2.4
Bike: 16.5 / 112
Run: 11.64 / 26.2
Happy Engineers Week!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wanting more??
Yesterday was beautiful - warmish and sunny. Too bad I spent half the day driving and the other half of the daylight hours with a client. Always good to work, but I was bummed to let such a nice day get away from me (especially with Susan off work too). I got home only about 20 min before dark and stiff/exhausted from driving straight back from KC. Ended up a vegetable on the couch.
Today was a bright sunny day. It started a little rough as I hadn't realized my husband set the alarm for my normal 6:20 wake time so he could be up and out of the house early. Ugh. He wasn't in bed when it went off (often moves to the couch when his back is bothering him) so I had to get up and wake him up. Grr...I was annoyed even further by the fact he intended to be gone all day leaving me stuck on mom duty AGAIN. It is great that he is helping a friend wire his new house, but I felt kind of stranded.
Got a crap ton of laundry done and took the girl to piano lessons this morning (and shamefully admitted she'd only practiced once after another crazy week - need to get that better organized). Worked on an assignment my marketing guru friend gave me for a while and picked up a crap ton of girl scout cookies (99 boxes) and monitored at least part of their delivery. Spent some time visiting with a friend at one dropoff (oops). Before I knew it, the day was nearly over and no husband in sight with dinner still to fix (sloppy joes).
He finally got home after it was pitch black out, but I didn't want yet another day/night to get by me without a workout so I figured a short run along the sidewalk was better than nothing. I also added the 1st Wakoda to make sure I got at least a couple miles in (the entire sidewalk is slightly less than a mile one way). In total, it was 2.58 miles (according to MapMyRide) and I did it in 31:34 min. That is a good pace for me!
The other cool part? I ran (aka jogged) from my house to the end of the sidewalk (about 0.95 mi) - NO walking! Yay! It is generally flat on a ridge and some downhill (with one steep downhill which is actually hard to go too fast down without your legs hurting), but still - I haven't run this far at once before I don't think. Maybe my husband is right (shhh...don't tell him) - I haven't been pushing enough. I tried to do some running back, but returning up the big hill was rough. Did what I could.
Once I got back home, I found myself actually kind of wishing my route was longer. I felt like I had some in the tank to give, but the darkness (and late hour) was really limiting and I didn't feel like I had it in me to do reloop the whole route. I found it a little odd that I was wanting more. Maybe I don't think running sucks as much any more. Wouldn't that be cool?
Slowly chipping away at the 140.6:
Swim = 0.97/2.4
Bike = 16.5/112
Run = 5.58/26.2
I'm going to have to get back to the dreaded stationary bike at the Y (regardless of how accurate the stupid thing is) and do some more miles or I'm never going to finish the bike.
Today was a bright sunny day. It started a little rough as I hadn't realized my husband set the alarm for my normal 6:20 wake time so he could be up and out of the house early. Ugh. He wasn't in bed when it went off (often moves to the couch when his back is bothering him) so I had to get up and wake him up. Grr...I was annoyed even further by the fact he intended to be gone all day leaving me stuck on mom duty AGAIN. It is great that he is helping a friend wire his new house, but I felt kind of stranded.
Got a crap ton of laundry done and took the girl to piano lessons this morning (and shamefully admitted she'd only practiced once after another crazy week - need to get that better organized). Worked on an assignment my marketing guru friend gave me for a while and picked up a crap ton of girl scout cookies (99 boxes) and monitored at least part of their delivery. Spent some time visiting with a friend at one dropoff (oops). Before I knew it, the day was nearly over and no husband in sight with dinner still to fix (sloppy joes).
He finally got home after it was pitch black out, but I didn't want yet another day/night to get by me without a workout so I figured a short run along the sidewalk was better than nothing. I also added the 1st Wakoda to make sure I got at least a couple miles in (the entire sidewalk is slightly less than a mile one way). In total, it was 2.58 miles (according to MapMyRide) and I did it in 31:34 min. That is a good pace for me!
The other cool part? I ran (aka jogged) from my house to the end of the sidewalk (about 0.95 mi) - NO walking! Yay! It is generally flat on a ridge and some downhill (with one steep downhill which is actually hard to go too fast down without your legs hurting), but still - I haven't run this far at once before I don't think. Maybe my husband is right (shhh...don't tell him) - I haven't been pushing enough. I tried to do some running back, but returning up the big hill was rough. Did what I could.
Once I got back home, I found myself actually kind of wishing my route was longer. I felt like I had some in the tank to give, but the darkness (and late hour) was really limiting and I didn't feel like I had it in me to do reloop the whole route. I found it a little odd that I was wanting more. Maybe I don't think running sucks as much any more. Wouldn't that be cool?
Slowly chipping away at the 140.6:
Swim = 0.97/2.4
Bike = 16.5/112
Run = 5.58/26.2
I'm going to have to get back to the dreaded stationary bike at the Y (regardless of how accurate the stupid thing is) and do some more miles or I'm never going to finish the bike.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Y Bike >,< or = Road?
In order not to get too far behind on clicking off the 112 miles of "bike" time I am working towards (as part of the CTER 140.6), I drug my ass to the YMCA tonight. I called Susan and hinted at her going with me, but I think she thought I was nuts (it was 7 PM when I called and after 8:30 when I finally went). I did stop by her house to get instructions on taking care of her dog this weekend and then headed over to get on the stationary bike. I haven't bitten the financial bullet to buy a road bike or a trainer so unless we get some warmer weather (fingers crossed), most of the 112 miles will be done like this (ugh!).
I put on my music and just started cranking away. I had set the workout program to "random" to try to simulate riding outside. I set the "average effort level" as "10" (but I don't know out of how many that is). As I rode, I watched my RPM and MPH. When I ride on the road (on my mountain bike), I think I average 10-12 mph. I tried to go a little "faster". I don't have any way to know what my RPM is on my regular bike. And I don't own a heart rate monitor. When I ride outside, I just try to make sure there are at least a few times in the ride that I feel like I am about to die and then call it good. The bike at the Y is a really nice LifeFitness model with the little metal heart rate monitor grips. I have no idea if these are even remotely accurate, but I tried to keep it close to 160 bpm (??).
Gee, can you tell I have no idea what I am doing with this? When I finished, the screen told me that in 49:24 min, I went 12.00 miles, "climbed" 5165 feet, averaged 14.57 mph and had an average heart rate of 158. All I really know is that I was a sweaty mess and I was glad it was time to go home and shower. Part of the time I could really feel the resistance change, but I had almost no time I felt like dying. Should I change the effort level? Is this even somewhat representative of bike training? I want to get outside, but I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to freezing temps on the bike. The forecast is for warmer temps tomorrow (when of course I'll be in KC all day) and mid-40's for the weekend. We'll see what the weekend brings.
Regardless, this inches me a bit closer to the goal (deadline 3/10):
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 16.5/112
Run: 3/26.2
As an aside, tonight I signed my kids and myself up to repeat the Pewaukee (WI) Triathlon. My son will "age up" into slightly longer distances. I really should get him to at least attempt to do some training this time (last time he was in the 7-10 age group and the distance weren't that bad for him). My daughter has been stoked to do another tri since doing this one last year and coming in 4th. With a little luck, she might get some hardware this year. :) This was my first tri (last year) and my goal then was to just finish. I'd like to improve all of my times from last year which seems like it should be doable. I don't expect to be crazy fast, but just not as slow. :) My sis, her husband, his cousin, and her father-in-law are all going to do the race again this year. Kind of cool family event! I still need to sign up for some other races as I figure out schedules. Haven't plunked down money on any others yet.
I put on my music and just started cranking away. I had set the workout program to "random" to try to simulate riding outside. I set the "average effort level" as "10" (but I don't know out of how many that is). As I rode, I watched my RPM and MPH. When I ride on the road (on my mountain bike), I think I average 10-12 mph. I tried to go a little "faster". I don't have any way to know what my RPM is on my regular bike. And I don't own a heart rate monitor. When I ride outside, I just try to make sure there are at least a few times in the ride that I feel like I am about to die and then call it good. The bike at the Y is a really nice LifeFitness model with the little metal heart rate monitor grips. I have no idea if these are even remotely accurate, but I tried to keep it close to 160 bpm (??).
Gee, can you tell I have no idea what I am doing with this? When I finished, the screen told me that in 49:24 min, I went 12.00 miles, "climbed" 5165 feet, averaged 14.57 mph and had an average heart rate of 158. All I really know is that I was a sweaty mess and I was glad it was time to go home and shower. Part of the time I could really feel the resistance change, but I had almost no time I felt like dying. Should I change the effort level? Is this even somewhat representative of bike training? I want to get outside, but I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to freezing temps on the bike. The forecast is for warmer temps tomorrow (when of course I'll be in KC all day) and mid-40's for the weekend. We'll see what the weekend brings.
Regardless, this inches me a bit closer to the goal (deadline 3/10):
Swim: 0.97/2.4
Bike: 16.5/112
Run: 3/26.2
As an aside, tonight I signed my kids and myself up to repeat the Pewaukee (WI) Triathlon. My son will "age up" into slightly longer distances. I really should get him to at least attempt to do some training this time (last time he was in the 7-10 age group and the distance weren't that bad for him). My daughter has been stoked to do another tri since doing this one last year and coming in 4th. With a little luck, she might get some hardware this year. :) This was my first tri (last year) and my goal then was to just finish. I'd like to improve all of my times from last year which seems like it should be doable. I don't expect to be crazy fast, but just not as slow. :) My sis, her husband, his cousin, and her father-in-law are all going to do the race again this year. Kind of cool family event! I still need to sign up for some other races as I figure out schedules. Haven't plunked down money on any others yet.
Dance my Abs off
After a pretty busy day and even busier evening, Stacy stopped by late and we got our sweaty groove on with Just Dance 2. Then we knocked out AbRipperX. Stayed up late chatting and am dragging a bit today.
Early hair appointment has put too late of a start to my productivity and is also making me want to punt my workout until much later. Such a shame to mess up what my hairdresser just fixed! Anyway, I have a lot of stuff to get done and not much time to do it before I have to run to a quick meeting and then rush from there to pick up kids at school. Then comes housework, homework and dinner. Will see what else the afternoon/evening brings, but I really need to find some time to bike. Weather is starting to warm a bit, but may have to go to the Y.
Early hair appointment has put too late of a start to my productivity and is also making me want to punt my workout until much later. Such a shame to mess up what my hairdresser just fixed! Anyway, I have a lot of stuff to get done and not much time to do it before I have to run to a quick meeting and then rush from there to pick up kids at school. Then comes housework, homework and dinner. Will see what else the afternoon/evening brings, but I really need to find some time to bike. Weather is starting to warm a bit, but may have to go to the Y.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Friendly Sweating
I've said it before and I'll say it again - there is nothing better than working out with a friend to make the time fly by. I've been told and have heartily agreed how lucky I am to have a few friends that are willing to get their bodies sweaty while we chat about the craziness that is life with elementary school kids. Today it was Susan's turn. Since the weather hadn't warmed up enough to melt the snow from yesterday, we met at the Y right after dropping off the kiddos at school. I beat her by a few minutes and got a nice little warmup on the stationary bike (1 mi).
But Susan had some stress to work out and wanted to run so we hit the treadmills. It worked out really well because we could each do our own pace (which for me is a little slower though I pushed it a few times). I was pretty sweaty after our 3 miles. We hit the bikes for a little while and I did 3.5 more there. I had hoped to get more bike time in, but it is so much more fun to work out with someone else that I'll take what I can get.
I woke up in the night pretty stiff from the pool workout. I'm hoping that this morning's sweat will help loosen everything up. I might face a little foam roller pain before my shower here in a minute to continue to work out the kinks.
So two days into the CTER Virtual 140.6:
Swim = 0.97/2.4 (good start!)
Bike = 4.5/112 (yes, I will need to figure out how to crank out more)
Run = 3/26.2 (not too bad!)
But Susan had some stress to work out and wanted to run so we hit the treadmills. It worked out really well because we could each do our own pace (which for me is a little slower though I pushed it a few times). I was pretty sweaty after our 3 miles. We hit the bikes for a little while and I did 3.5 more there. I had hoped to get more bike time in, but it is so much more fun to work out with someone else that I'll take what I can get.
I woke up in the night pretty stiff from the pool workout. I'm hoping that this morning's sweat will help loosen everything up. I might face a little foam roller pain before my shower here in a minute to continue to work out the kinks.
So two days into the CTER Virtual 140.6:
Swim = 0.97/2.4 (good start!)
Bike = 4.5/112 (yes, I will need to figure out how to crank out more)
Run = 3/26.2 (not too bad!)
Monday, February 13, 2012
Jumping In
Well, today kicked of the Cook, Train, Eat, Race Virtual 140.6 (iron distance triathlon). This is my kind of race. The cutoff is 30 days instead of 17 hours. Surely that is well within my capabilities. I don't have to do all of the swimming at once or even before I do any of the other stuff. I can mix and match it as I need to. I'm still waiting for the spreadsheet where I am supposed to track all of this stuff, but in the meantime I figured it is good to do it here like I always do. A bonus was the low entry fee (which was a donation to Jason's charity of choice "Shape Up America").
The biggest reason I signed up is that I've kind of been slacking on my triathlon specific goals and training. I have been relatively consistent on getting in some form of exercise between Stacy (bedtime P90X and Just Dance workouts) and Susan (Tuesday runs) and a few virtual runs (holidays, freezing thorns and Remember Sherry). But actually swimming and biking has been kind of few and far between, shamefully enough. I'm stoked to have this new goal to push me to get back in the game.
So tonight, even though the weather was kind of snowy, I headed to the Y to knock out some of the of the 2.4 miles in the pool (since open water isn't an option in Missouri in the winter). I devised a new plan to deal with my complete inability to count laps. I took 5 of these little plastic tokens that go to a game the kids used to have. Every other lap, I would move a token from one pile to the other. Even with this there were a few times I had to really think as to whether or not I'd moved the chip last lap or not, but I think I got it right. I moved them from one pile to the other, then back and back again plus two more chips towards another pile move. This means I did 1700 yards or 0.97 mile. It took about 50-55 minutes though I didn't look at the clock when I got in the pool so give or take 5-10 min. No super speed here, but that is why I like this 30 days cutoff stuff!
My plan is to take the kids to school tomorrow morning and meet Susan for some time on the stationary bikes at the Y. We were supposed to run, but the snow and possible ice is going to nix that. It should melt off quickly though so shouldn't be a big issue. We could also go on the indoor track, but at 14 laps/mile, it gets a bit tedious. I kind of hit her up for some bike time since I know I may struggle to get in my 112 miles if I have to do it all alone indoors. Then we both have to work the school Valentine parties at 12:45 so the day will be pretty shot.
The biggest reason I signed up is that I've kind of been slacking on my triathlon specific goals and training. I have been relatively consistent on getting in some form of exercise between Stacy (bedtime P90X and Just Dance workouts) and Susan (Tuesday runs) and a few virtual runs (holidays, freezing thorns and Remember Sherry). But actually swimming and biking has been kind of few and far between, shamefully enough. I'm stoked to have this new goal to push me to get back in the game.
So tonight, even though the weather was kind of snowy, I headed to the Y to knock out some of the of the 2.4 miles in the pool (since open water isn't an option in Missouri in the winter). I devised a new plan to deal with my complete inability to count laps. I took 5 of these little plastic tokens that go to a game the kids used to have. Every other lap, I would move a token from one pile to the other. Even with this there were a few times I had to really think as to whether or not I'd moved the chip last lap or not, but I think I got it right. I moved them from one pile to the other, then back and back again plus two more chips towards another pile move. This means I did 1700 yards or 0.97 mile. It took about 50-55 minutes though I didn't look at the clock when I got in the pool so give or take 5-10 min. No super speed here, but that is why I like this 30 days cutoff stuff!
My plan is to take the kids to school tomorrow morning and meet Susan for some time on the stationary bikes at the Y. We were supposed to run, but the snow and possible ice is going to nix that. It should melt off quickly though so shouldn't be a big issue. We could also go on the indoor track, but at 14 laps/mile, it gets a bit tedious. I kind of hit her up for some bike time since I know I may struggle to get in my 112 miles if I have to do it all alone indoors. Then we both have to work the school Valentine parties at 12:45 so the day will be pretty shot.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Redemption of Lazy Sunday
Totally caved and ate more than one plate at the banquet last night. Thankfully, the plates were pretty small and I just got a couple spoonfuls of my favorite things on the second one (and resisted most of the dessert table). We all slept in a bit this morning since we went to the mass for scouts last night at 7 (and the boy went to the first half of the scout lock in). But truthfully, it was after 3 when my husband came back from the two or three things he did today when finally got completely out of my jammies and robe. Oops. Oh, and there was a recliner nap in there too.
But my daughter wanted to go to the Y and my husband wanted my son to go with us (apparently he consumed a week's worth of calories over the evening between the banquet and pizza at the lockin). So we all dressed and headed out. No tennis courts available when we got there and the basketball courts were being used for a middle school club team volleyball practice and some elementary school basketball games. So we took to the little track that goes around the two basketball courts (14 laps = mile). The short distance makes it kind of tedious, but it wasn't too bad walking with my son (my daughter ran part of it and rested part of it). We enjoyed half watching what was going on below. Probably walked (with a couple laps of jogging) about 2.5-3 miles. Then a tennis court was available so we spent another 45 min or so hitting some balls around (2 kids vs mom). We got some movement and made up for a bit of our day of laziness.
Then Stacy came over about 8:45 and we did KenpoX for an hour. It was sweating pretty good. It isn't as crazy hard as some of the other stuff, but a good way to burn off a few more of the weekend's calories.
Tomorrow starts my month-long attempt to complete 140.6 miles. I started figuring it up and I think the "run" will be the easiest as I could walk a mile every day and easily knock out the 26.2 (though I am going to try to do as much of it as a "run" as possible). I've been seriously slacking on getting to the pool and I'm excited that this is going to "make" me get it done. I'm planning on heading there tomorrow. The biking is going to be hardest because I don't have the gear to do it indoors at home and will have to hit the Y to get in the mileage - and man it is a lot of mileage.
Better get to bed. Lunch making time in just 7 hours and lots to get done tomorrow.
But my daughter wanted to go to the Y and my husband wanted my son to go with us (apparently he consumed a week's worth of calories over the evening between the banquet and pizza at the lockin). So we all dressed and headed out. No tennis courts available when we got there and the basketball courts were being used for a middle school club team volleyball practice and some elementary school basketball games. So we took to the little track that goes around the two basketball courts (14 laps = mile). The short distance makes it kind of tedious, but it wasn't too bad walking with my son (my daughter ran part of it and rested part of it). We enjoyed half watching what was going on below. Probably walked (with a couple laps of jogging) about 2.5-3 miles. Then a tennis court was available so we spent another 45 min or so hitting some balls around (2 kids vs mom). We got some movement and made up for a bit of our day of laziness.
Then Stacy came over about 8:45 and we did KenpoX for an hour. It was sweating pretty good. It isn't as crazy hard as some of the other stuff, but a good way to burn off a few more of the weekend's calories.
Tomorrow starts my month-long attempt to complete 140.6 miles. I started figuring it up and I think the "run" will be the easiest as I could walk a mile every day and easily knock out the 26.2 (though I am going to try to do as much of it as a "run" as possible). I've been seriously slacking on getting to the pool and I'm excited that this is going to "make" me get it done. I'm planning on heading there tomorrow. The biking is going to be hardest because I don't have the gear to do it indoors at home and will have to hit the Y to get in the mileage - and man it is a lot of mileage.
Better get to bed. Lunch making time in just 7 hours and lots to get done tomorrow.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Run to Remember Sherry Arnold
You'd just about have to been living under a rock in the blogosphere to not know about today's Run to Remember Sherry Arnold - the Montana teacher, runner and cousin of awesome blogger Beth. If you need to catch up, please go read this awesome post over at Shut Up and Run. Otherwise, it will come as no surprise that I put in a few miles to remember this beautiful soul.
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I thought about her all morning. I thought about how awful the last month or so has been for her family and friends. I thought about how the evil in this world can shake our faith to its core. I thought about how fortunate we all are to get up every morning and return from each training session. And I'll admit, I thought a little about how cold today was going to be (22° for a high).
As I thought about how to best to honor her memory and observe some moment of silence or prayer, the following verse popped right into my mind and I knew it was perfect:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil;
for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
(Psalm 23:4)
I pray that Sherry wasn't fearful and was comforted as she passed from this world at the hands of evil. That her family will be comforted as they continue the search for her body and try to make some kind of sense of this awful world. And I prayed a bit for my own safety after being more than a little freaked out as I ran past a tennis shoe in the middle of the road.
As I made it back to the safety and warmth of my home, I said a short prayer of thanks and another for Sherry and her family. It wasn't fast (around an hour), nor insanely long (3.29 mi), but it was a Run to Remember.
On completely unrelated asides:
- Thursday night Stacy and I did the hour long P90X Stretch DVD. It was ok. Felt good to work out a few kinks, but weird not to sweat.
- Punted workouts yesterday, but did check out road bike options (few) at the LBS where we got our kids' bikes (they had THREE). Back to Columbia to drool up there instead.
- Tried wearing the compression top I got for Christmas as a base layer today and it sucks. Win some, lose some. It rolls up and was like wearing a bra with arm sleeves.
- My last Blue and Gold Banquet tonight. My Webelo will be a Boy Scout in March. Will try not to go overboard on all the good food (it's a potluck).
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Bonus
After I had a rather unproductive day, Stacy came over and kicked my butt yet again with her stash of P90X DVDs. We decided to do the Cardio Intervals workout on the "Bonus" DVD. It looks kind of old school and Tony H is a bit more campy/cheesey in this one, but we got a good sweat on and hopefully it offset a little of the snacking I did today and the big taco salad I ate for dinner. Will need to foam roll in the morning.
We got a dusting of snow so the weather hasn't been great for biking. I want the spring weather back! I need to drag myself to the Y and get in some pedal time (not to mention the fact my inner shark probably is convinced I am having an affair with the road). We'll see what tomorrow brings. I really need to try to get some work done now that I have both kids back at school.
We got a dusting of snow so the weather hasn't been great for biking. I want the spring weather back! I need to drag myself to the Y and get in some pedal time (not to mention the fact my inner shark probably is convinced I am having an affair with the road). We'll see what tomorrow brings. I really need to try to get some work done now that I have both kids back at school.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
West Greenway Run
Today was mostly cloudy and cooler, but still mild for February so I didn't have to pile on too many clothes for a mid-morning run on the greenway. Susan and I met at the Edgewood parking lot and headed towards the middle school on Fairgrounds. We did 4.64 miles round trip with plenty of walking/talking mixed with some jogging. It really is cheaper than therapy. Forgot to look at my watch, but it took around an hour.
Came home for a recovery hot dog with my boy. Not the ideal post-workout lunch, but so be it. That's the leftovers we had. He did indeed have strep, but thankfully isn't feeling too awful and has just laid low today in front of the boob tube. Back to school tomorrow buddy! And back to getting some work done for me. Been a slacker with all the sick kid stuff.
Came home for a recovery hot dog with my boy. Not the ideal post-workout lunch, but so be it. That's the leftovers we had. He did indeed have strep, but thankfully isn't feeling too awful and has just laid low today in front of the boob tube. Back to school tomorrow buddy! And back to getting some work done for me. Been a slacker with all the sick kid stuff.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Super Bowl Binge
I could have equally titled this post "Ugly MMNW". My eating has totally been slipping lately. I haven't packed on too many pounds, but the scale was not particularly kind either. This morning's naked weight was 175.8. Considering how late I consumed a number of calories and how icky I felt after it, I should be pleased it wasn't worse. The chili, hot dog, chips/dip, cupcake, meatballs, crab rangoon, etc, etc - they were just too much for my weak will. I hate when I eat and I'm not even hungry. I felt so overfull last night. Thankfully, Stacy stayed after the game and we did some Just Dance 2 to burn off some of the yuck. We both worked up a minor sweat with several of the fast songs.
My son is home sick today with a low grade fever and sore throat that I'm concerned could be strep (since it has been burning like wildfire through his school). Going to take him to the doctor at 1:45 and pray that he doesn't miss too much school this week. The sun is supposed to come out later and warm us up into the upper 40's/lower 50's. I had hoped to go for a bike ride. He can stay home by himself if needed or I can wait for my husband to get home from work. In the meantime, I'll try to make some progress on my slides for Vegas.
My son is home sick today with a low grade fever and sore throat that I'm concerned could be strep (since it has been burning like wildfire through his school). Going to take him to the doctor at 1:45 and pray that he doesn't miss too much school this week. The sun is supposed to come out later and warm us up into the upper 40's/lower 50's. I had hoped to go for a bike ride. He can stay home by himself if needed or I can wait for my husband to get home from work. In the meantime, I'll try to make some progress on my slides for Vegas.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
But I Did It
I really wasn't feeling it today. I stayed up a little too late last night, slept in this morning as it was raining and cool, and then puttered around the house with laundry and out to the grocery store to stock up for the party tomorrow. But as I sat here, it seemed stupid to let a little drizzle ruin a 50° opportunity to get out and move. But my spirit was also a little crushed by some thoughtless comments from my husband about how I don't push myself enough because I should've improved faster than I have. Then again, I've been known to get out the door just to prove him wrong in the past so maybe he thought he was being helpful.
There was just barely enough time to get in 3-4 miles, shower and get ready for dinner out with my mother-in-law. So I headed out into the damp, dark day and tried to find the motivation to run (ok, jog) more than I walked. I had some tunes to help me along, but pain in my LAC (left ass cheek) and shins wasn't helping me along. So I just tried to slog through it. It wasn't pretty, but I got 3.78 miles done and I'll call that good for really not feeling like doing any (even if at 13:27 pace). I may or may not have gone to dinner with damp hair.
There was just barely enough time to get in 3-4 miles, shower and get ready for dinner out with my mother-in-law. So I headed out into the damp, dark day and tried to find the motivation to run (ok, jog) more than I walked. I had some tunes to help me along, but pain in my LAC (left ass cheek) and shins wasn't helping me along. So I just tried to slog through it. It wasn't pretty, but I got 3.78 miles done and I'll call that good for really not feeling like doing any (even if at 13:27 pace). I may or may not have gone to dinner with damp hair.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Hump Day Run/Abs
After being up half the night with a daughter vomiting all over her bed (thank you - yes - 4 loads of laundry between midnight and 6 AM), I wasn't much feeling the love on the workout front even though the weather was pretty awesome again (50's). Plus I have been falling behind on some work things so I had to suck it up and get a couple projects knocked out. Thankfully, my husband was home today and could help out. First we did the housework, then he ran some errands while I worked at home and said sick girly rested, then he stayed home while I took care of a couple of clients and then mother-in-law pinch hit until I could get home while he went to pick up our beef from the locker (our freezer is STOCKED!)
So when I was catching up with Facebook, etc and Stacy IM'd me to work out tonight I was like "Yep! Need to do that!" She came over about 8:30 with safety vests in hand and we headed out for a walk/run. We did 3.5 miles! Yay! I was struggling a little at the end. Legs were begging for some mercy. So I got off my feet when we got home and did AbRipperX! What fun!
I made a list of some things I need to do tomorrow. It looks like I'll be stuck at home with my sick daughter, but I have plenty to do. I just feel so bad for her. She is bummed about missing school. Funny, her brother would KILL to miss. Weather continues to be mild here so we'll see if I can get out after my husband gets home from work.
I'm toying with the idea of doing CTER's virtual ironman (half?? whole??) and am trying to think through how I could get in all the workouts I'd need to do in the next four weeks (the last of which I'll be in Vegas though that might work in my favor weather-wise). If the weather remains nice, it would help a lot. But February in Missouri isn't usually super conducive to a lot of bike time and I still don't own a trainer (though I'm hoping an exercise bike would count). I've been slacking at the pool so this would help nudge me to get those workouts done. I also would hope this would help me kick into gear my training for the April duathlon and the St. Pat's 5K. I just finished telling everyone this weekend how much I love virtual races. How about the mother of all distances? Spreading it over a month might be the only chance in hell I'd have of finishing it right now. By tomorrow I want to put my money where my mouth is.
Better get to bed. Who knows how many times I'll have to be up before the sun peeks over the horizon. Just 7 hours until I have to make my son's lunch and scoot him off to school. Nighty night!
So when I was catching up with Facebook, etc and Stacy IM'd me to work out tonight I was like "Yep! Need to do that!" She came over about 8:30 with safety vests in hand and we headed out for a walk/run. We did 3.5 miles! Yay! I was struggling a little at the end. Legs were begging for some mercy. So I got off my feet when we got home and did AbRipperX! What fun!
I made a list of some things I need to do tomorrow. It looks like I'll be stuck at home with my sick daughter, but I have plenty to do. I just feel so bad for her. She is bummed about missing school. Funny, her brother would KILL to miss. Weather continues to be mild here so we'll see if I can get out after my husband gets home from work.
I'm toying with the idea of doing CTER's virtual ironman (half?? whole??) and am trying to think through how I could get in all the workouts I'd need to do in the next four weeks (the last of which I'll be in Vegas though that might work in my favor weather-wise). If the weather remains nice, it would help a lot. But February in Missouri isn't usually super conducive to a lot of bike time and I still don't own a trainer (though I'm hoping an exercise bike would count). I've been slacking at the pool so this would help nudge me to get those workouts done. I also would hope this would help me kick into gear my training for the April duathlon and the St. Pat's 5K. I just finished telling everyone this weekend how much I love virtual races. How about the mother of all distances? Spreading it over a month might be the only chance in hell I'd have of finishing it right now. By tomorrow I want to put my money where my mouth is.
Better get to bed. Who knows how many times I'll have to be up before the sun peeks over the horizon. Just 7 hours until I have to make my son's lunch and scoot him off to school. Nighty night!
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