Had a meeting up in Columbia today which meant I had a good excuse to hit the indoor pool at the ARC this afternoon before a meeting across town at 6:00. Yay! My workload has been kind of light and I haven't been going to my friend's office up there as much so it is good to have an excuse to make the drive. The lap lanes were crowded most of the time I was there. I shared a lane with a crazy older oriental woman who had the most bizarre swim form and also did some walking backwards in the water in the lap lane.
I tried again to get the hang of the bilateral breathing. I did a little better, but felt like I got a little water up in my sinuses that didn't feel too nice (nor did it seem to want to come out!) It wasn't quite as good of a swim as last week (which felt awesome), but I felt pretty strong. I hopped out after 35 or 40 minutes. I'm guessing I did 1500 yards give or take. I was pretty pleased that it was again nearly all freestyle only resorting to a few breast strokes when I had to cough up some water from not quite managing the breathing and thinking at the same time.
Headed out to a meeting with some of my favorite women engineers, but ate a way too large dinner that has me feeling kind of ill right now. Stupid!
OK - so changing gears - I joined Columbia Multisport Club about a month or so ago. They have all kinds of group training (although 30-45 min from me so it isn't super convenient except when I am working up there more) and they have great discounts (my membership has already nearly paid for itself although my credit card hurt after my trip to The Starting Block). Got a very nice, personal email today from the VP of the club talking about USAT Club Nationals. Each participant can earn points for their club at the competition in Myrtle Beach in October. I never really considered it because I thought it would be too expensive plus I'm still pretty fat and slow. But this email today talked about how CHEAP the club makes it for our members to go (like crazy cheap for a trip to SC). And I looked up some info tonight and just by showing up and participating, I could add a point and some change to my club total. This small town club (which does have a lot of members) has RULED nationals five times - beating out teams from much larger metros! How cool is that? With my husband laid off and my workload not where I would like it to be (plus a pretty big project of mine being put on hold), I hate to spend any money I don't have to, but this is so cheap it is super tempting. However, another problem is the timing. It is the 8th and 9th of October and I am supposed to be at one conference in St. Louis the next Wed and then fly out early Thur to Chicago for the national Society of Women Engineers conference (my section's delegate - ugh) through the next weekend. I basically would miss seeing my kids for a good chunk of the first part of October! And, if all goes as we hope, my husband might be working the nuclear plant shutdown (72 hour weeks - night shifts) by then. My mother-in-law and father-in-law will probably help us with childcare as much as they can, but timing could definitely be better for me to be gone. So - something to think about. I think it would be a fun trip to get to know some of the CMC gang. The sprint distance is definitely doable and the course looks great. Ugh - so hard to choose between what I want to do and what I should do!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Bike 5 Easy Miles
Also known as, kids slow me down but it is better than nothing. Kids wanted to ride up to the local burger/ice cream joint tonight with the neighbors. We went to head out and the neighbors said to go ahead that they weren't quite ready to go. Took both kids (7 and 10) with me and since we had time to kill I suggested we add a couple miles of relatively flat road to our ride. I got some whining from the 10 year old, but just rode on and they followed. We went from home to Windriver, back to Daisy Delight (stopping to meet up with neighbors so kids could each have a cone), back home (to drop off the kids) and out and back to each of the Wakodas. Mapped it and it was about 5 miles, but it was mostly flat - very easy mileage. Really need to kick it in gear and get a long ride figured out.
Oh, and as a follow up to the 5k - MAN I WAS SO SORE!! Geez! I had no idea those hills would kick me in the butt, quads, hamstrings, arms, back - you name it! Wowser!
Another side note: I finished reading "Slow Fat Triathlete". It was ok. I may have appreciated it more if I had read it last spring before I had already tackled my first tri. Jayne has an easy-to-read, cute writing style. But there wasn't much I didn't already know. Guess it did accomplish the mission to inspire me to do more than I think I can no matter what my current weight is. Just keep training towards the goal. I started a book called "Everything Running". It seems very elementary so far, but I am only in the first couple of chapters. My guess is that one of the CMC folks will be a better source of info, but it is worth a shot. Free from the library so I'm not out anything other than my time.
Oh, and as a follow up to the 5k - MAN I WAS SO SORE!! Geez! I had no idea those hills would kick me in the butt, quads, hamstrings, arms, back - you name it! Wowser!
Another side note: I finished reading "Slow Fat Triathlete". It was ok. I may have appreciated it more if I had read it last spring before I had already tackled my first tri. Jayne has an easy-to-read, cute writing style. But there wasn't much I didn't already know. Guess it did accomplish the mission to inspire me to do more than I think I can no matter what my current weight is. Just keep training towards the goal. I started a book called "Everything Running". It seems very elementary so far, but I am only in the first couple of chapters. My guess is that one of the CMC folks will be a better source of info, but it is worth a shot. Free from the library so I'm not out anything other than my time.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Heart 5k
Enjoyed opening night of Helias High School football last night. Visited with a friend for most of the game. Watched as the boys tripped up a little late in the game, but pulled out a win by a couple of field goals. Got home and got everyone cleaned up and off to bed, but I couldn't get myself to sleep for anything! Grr....Got up this morning about 6:20 after just a few hours of solid sleep and a lot of tossing and turning. Got dressed and woke my daughter up. I have no running shorts (having trouble finding the coverage I'm after and really haven't shopped enough for them) so I wore my tri shorts. It was either that or denim (that are getting too big)!
We got to the site of the Heart walk and were told the 5k was starting on the other side of the park by the pool. We had plenty of time so we hiked through the park to the sign in table. It was pretty loosely organized, but I went ahead and signed both of us in. Paid the extra $20 for my daughter to have an official race number. Happy to donate to AHA so not a big deal. Weather was gorgeous!
Started at the top of the hill (intersection of Binder and Main) at 7:30. Ran down Binder (and back up), down Livingston (and back up), across Boonville, down Belair (and back up and up), down Hillsdale (and back up), across Ridgeway and down a little more of Livingston, back onto Binder and up a long ass hill to the finish line back by the pool. We walked all of the UP portions of this course (and there were a lot - yikes!) and mostly ran the downs. My daughter got a bit of a side stitch she fought about half the distance and so we didn't run some of the flats that I think we probably otherwise could have. She was a trooper though. So proud of her! Seven years old and already knocking out a 5k! She finished a tenth of a second ahead of me (sprinted through the finish) at 46:27.0.
I really thought we'd finish faster than that, but such is life. So I guess that is my new PR for a 5K. Kind of sad, but better than the 54+ min I took to do it in Pewaukee (after swim & bike). Guess I'll see what I can do to whittle it down from here. I really have to figure out how to run at least some of the distance on my tri's or I'll be facing a lot of last place finishes that are so disheartening.
We got to the site of the Heart walk and were told the 5k was starting on the other side of the park by the pool. We had plenty of time so we hiked through the park to the sign in table. It was pretty loosely organized, but I went ahead and signed both of us in. Paid the extra $20 for my daughter to have an official race number. Happy to donate to AHA so not a big deal. Weather was gorgeous!
Started at the top of the hill (intersection of Binder and Main) at 7:30. Ran down Binder (and back up), down Livingston (and back up), across Boonville, down Belair (and back up and up), down Hillsdale (and back up), across Ridgeway and down a little more of Livingston, back onto Binder and up a long ass hill to the finish line back by the pool. We walked all of the UP portions of this course (and there were a lot - yikes!) and mostly ran the downs. My daughter got a bit of a side stitch she fought about half the distance and so we didn't run some of the flats that I think we probably otherwise could have. She was a trooper though. So proud of her! Seven years old and already knocking out a 5k! She finished a tenth of a second ahead of me (sprinted through the finish) at 46:27.0.
I really thought we'd finish faster than that, but such is life. So I guess that is my new PR for a 5K. Kind of sad, but better than the 54+ min I took to do it in Pewaukee (after swim & bike). Guess I'll see what I can do to whittle it down from here. I really have to figure out how to run at least some of the distance on my tri's or I'll be facing a lot of last place finishes that are so disheartening.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Got some T.i.t.S.
I love that abbreviation. Probably going to make my blog following explode though, right? But alas, as much as a trip to the plastic surgeon isn't totally an awful thought to me - my tri friends will understand that I just manage to get out the door and spend some time with my bike. Yes, I wish it was a fancy tri or road bike, but alas - again - just my trusty mountain bike that sits in the "better than nothing" category until the money Gods drop a big fat bag of cash in my lap.
Woke up feeling a little under the weather today. I'm probably getting a bit of the sinus cold my daugther has (love how starting school brings all the germs back with a vengeance). A little scratch in the throat, an "off" stomach, kind of a general "blah" feeling. It was a gorgeous day and I basically hung out at home and worked on a project I'm fairly behind on. But come this evening I couldn't let another day go by without some kind of workout (yesterday I didn't git'r done). So I drug my butt out the door telling my husband I'd be back in under an hour (so he could go froggin'). I did my "usual" ride, but added stubs up to the interchange, up by Fabick, up by the quarry entrance. This made the ride about 9.5 miles (plus a little) - just right. I'm waiting for the day when I don't hate the big hill as much - man it sucked it out of me! But I got home and then went for a super short walk to shake out my legs.
Then it was back the usual "mom" duties - checking homework, running everyone off to the shower, reminding them to brush their teeth, giving cough medicine to the daughter who has been hacking at night so much that I haven't slept worth a crap for a week and now seems to have given it to me, etc.
Tomorrow night is the home opener for the high school football season with the Central Bank tailgate (free food and t-shirts - we go every year). Might try to get a walk in sometime during the day, but if not - my daughter and I are doing a 5K for the American Heart Association on Saturday. I have no record so I will establish a slow baseline to work up from. We don't really intend to run it - but we might jog bits of it. Still haven't gotten anyone to tell me the route.
Woke up feeling a little under the weather today. I'm probably getting a bit of the sinus cold my daugther has (love how starting school brings all the germs back with a vengeance). A little scratch in the throat, an "off" stomach, kind of a general "blah" feeling. It was a gorgeous day and I basically hung out at home and worked on a project I'm fairly behind on. But come this evening I couldn't let another day go by without some kind of workout (yesterday I didn't git'r done). So I drug my butt out the door telling my husband I'd be back in under an hour (so he could go froggin'). I did my "usual" ride, but added stubs up to the interchange, up by Fabick, up by the quarry entrance. This made the ride about 9.5 miles (plus a little) - just right. I'm waiting for the day when I don't hate the big hill as much - man it sucked it out of me! But I got home and then went for a super short walk to shake out my legs.
Then it was back the usual "mom" duties - checking homework, running everyone off to the shower, reminding them to brush their teeth, giving cough medicine to the daughter who has been hacking at night so much that I haven't slept worth a crap for a week and now seems to have given it to me, etc.
Tomorrow night is the home opener for the high school football season with the Central Bank tailgate (free food and t-shirts - we go every year). Might try to get a walk in sometime during the day, but if not - my daughter and I are doing a 5K for the American Heart Association on Saturday. I have no record so I will establish a slow baseline to work up from. We don't really intend to run it - but we might jog bits of it. Still haven't gotten anyone to tell me the route.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Back to the Indoor Pool
Been almost two weeks since I swam. Hard to find the time and location for swimming as compared to how easy (logistics wise) it is to jump on my bike or go for a brisk walk. Had hoped to hook up with the CMC folks and do another group open water swim, but timing was tough with some other stuff going on in our lives so I figured I'd better just suck it up and hit the ARC instead. It has a 25 meter/yard? lap pool with three lanes. They close in the middle of the day for maintenance that you have to dodge, but today that wasn't a problem.
I did 30-35 minutes of laps. The first time for me to be in that pool with goggles! Pretty handy since I ended up sharing a lane and one of my fears has always been running into the other person and looking like a dork. The swim felt really good. I can never keep track of my laps, but I felt fast and strong. I worked on some drills that Lise from CMC had shown me - fingertip drags and catch ups (though I continue to struggle to remember to breathe while I trying to remember to do the drills). I also briefly attempted to practice breathing on the left (very awkward and choked a couple times). Unlike training I did earlier in the summer, I did push off the wall some (to practice the gliding) and I did put my feet down to rest here and there (something I didn't do when I was training for the tri's as I was trying to create the concept of open water swimming). But I did nearly the whole workout freestyle! Earlier this summer, I couldn't do half the length without stopping to catch my breath by doing the breast stroke or back stroke. Did nearly injure myself trying to hoist my big butt out of the pool without using the ladder - not strong enough for that yet. Ouch!
It was a great workout! I felt redeemed after my sucky Sunday ride. Onward and upward! Oh, as a side note - my sis's bday was last week and I just picked up a couple of small tri-related items to send her. She has a race in a couple of weeks. Go Sis! Better get my happy butt to the post office in the next couple of days!
I did 30-35 minutes of laps. The first time for me to be in that pool with goggles! Pretty handy since I ended up sharing a lane and one of my fears has always been running into the other person and looking like a dork. The swim felt really good. I can never keep track of my laps, but I felt fast and strong. I worked on some drills that Lise from CMC had shown me - fingertip drags and catch ups (though I continue to struggle to remember to breathe while I trying to remember to do the drills). I also briefly attempted to practice breathing on the left (very awkward and choked a couple times). Unlike training I did earlier in the summer, I did push off the wall some (to practice the gliding) and I did put my feet down to rest here and there (something I didn't do when I was training for the tri's as I was trying to create the concept of open water swimming). But I did nearly the whole workout freestyle! Earlier this summer, I couldn't do half the length without stopping to catch my breath by doing the breast stroke or back stroke. Did nearly injure myself trying to hoist my big butt out of the pool without using the ladder - not strong enough for that yet. Ouch!
It was a great workout! I felt redeemed after my sucky Sunday ride. Onward and upward! Oh, as a side note - my sis's bday was last week and I just picked up a couple of small tri-related items to send her. She has a race in a couple of weeks. Go Sis! Better get my happy butt to the post office in the next couple of days!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Bike Ride with DD (aka "Better than nothing")
My dear daughter (dd) was lazing on the couch in front of the boob tube hoping the neighbor boy would hurry up and finish dinner and come out and play. Then she calls out that his folks had closed the garage doors. This is usually their sign that they are not coming out to play. She was kind of bummed. So I suggested we go for a short bike ride. She said ok, but wanted me to ride too - that was kind of my plan anyway so all good (a lot of times I walk while she rides ahead).
She said she wanted to ride to "Aunt Alvina's old house" (around the corner from us - recently moved away, but it was a landmark to her). We did. Then she said "and Anna's house" and I mixed up which Anna as we have two friends near her age in the area - one slightly farther than the other. So we take off towards the other one and she said, "Well that isn't the one I meant, but ok - let's go!" On the way is her grandma's house (mother-in-law) so we stopped in and topped off the water bottle and said hello for a minute. Then we went about a quarter block down to the other Anna's house and I sat on the porch and visited with my friend (Anna's mom) while the girls played for a bit. It started getting dark and I have yet to buy blinkies for our bikes so we headed off and it got dark FAST! Oops - bad mommy!
Out of curiosity, I "Mapped My Ride" and it was 2.7 miles - way to go sweet seven-year-old girl! Not a really tough workout, but....better than nothing!
Heading to Columbia tomorrow. I want to touch base with my work friends up there and then hit the indoor pool (all our outdoor ones are stupidly closed for the season - darned college bound lifeguards!) for the first time in a month or more. No real "plan", but I should be able to do 1000 yards or a bit more. Also want to stop by the running store (we don't have one in my town) and pick up a few items as a belated bday gift for my sis who still has a tri on this year's calendar. Might peruse for my own wish list. This year Santa will bring me at least a few items from there. Been almost 2 weeks since I swam. I hope it doesn't hurt too much.
She said she wanted to ride to "Aunt Alvina's old house" (around the corner from us - recently moved away, but it was a landmark to her). We did. Then she said "and Anna's house" and I mixed up which Anna as we have two friends near her age in the area - one slightly farther than the other. So we take off towards the other one and she said, "Well that isn't the one I meant, but ok - let's go!" On the way is her grandma's house (mother-in-law) so we stopped in and topped off the water bottle and said hello for a minute. Then we went about a quarter block down to the other Anna's house and I sat on the porch and visited with my friend (Anna's mom) while the girls played for a bit. It started getting dark and I have yet to buy blinkies for our bikes so we headed off and it got dark FAST! Oops - bad mommy!
Out of curiosity, I "Mapped My Ride" and it was 2.7 miles - way to go sweet seven-year-old girl! Not a really tough workout, but....better than nothing!
Heading to Columbia tomorrow. I want to touch base with my work friends up there and then hit the indoor pool (all our outdoor ones are stupidly closed for the season - darned college bound lifeguards!) for the first time in a month or more. No real "plan", but I should be able to do 1000 yards or a bit more. Also want to stop by the running store (we don't have one in my town) and pick up a few items as a belated bday gift for my sis who still has a tri on this year's calendar. Might peruse for my own wish list. This year Santa will bring me at least a few items from there. Been almost 2 weeks since I swam. I hope it doesn't hurt too much.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
What the...bonk!
It was an ugly workout. I got up - after a not so great night of sleep, but a lovely early morning with my husband..ahem...and went back and forth on whether I could get in a somewhat "long" bike ride before needing to shower for church (and yes, I use "long" loosely). My husband called from the shower as I stood there waffling "You going for a ride?" Um, yeah, I guess. Time was tight and I made the mistake of not really eating anything. Grabbed a water bottle and headed out. It wasn't crazy hot, but fairly humid. I brought my phone in case I got desparate to make it home.
Headed towards downtown, hoping I could make it to the Capitol and back in an hour. As I climbed the first murderous hill, I realized that wasn't going to happen. Then I thought, well maybe just the library (few blocks closer). After another couple of hills kicked me in my non-existant nuts, I convinced myself I'd turn around at the 25 min mark with some hope of getting back to the house in time to shower. I was disheartened to watch two joggers (and yes, Adam at "I Am Boring" they really were "jogging" - just above a shuffle) beat me up a double hill. Argh!
The problem? This ride was basically hill repeats! I could barely catch my breath before another hill was kicking my ass. Ahh...coast downhill....holy crap....don't know if I can make it back up the next one! I was suffering physically and mentally. Sad because I've done this ride as part of a MUCH longer ride before. But I got in just under 7 miles of hurt (walking up parts of two hills - shameful!). Would breakfast have made it better? Would going an hour sooner have helped? Hard to say. Probably wasn't officially a "bonk", but I was NOT having any fun. And as it got later in the morning, I feared people I know driving by and seeing me in what can only be described as a humongous FAIL. Got home, drug my ass in the door and 30 min later drug it to church.
Spent the first few minutes in church praying...thanking God that I had gotten through this morning even if it wasn't pretty...thanking Him that I have a body that is able to do what it can do...and praying to make my knees stop hurting. Maybe I should have tried a Hail Mary or Our Father on the bike!
Headed towards downtown, hoping I could make it to the Capitol and back in an hour. As I climbed the first murderous hill, I realized that wasn't going to happen. Then I thought, well maybe just the library (few blocks closer). After another couple of hills kicked me in my non-existant nuts, I convinced myself I'd turn around at the 25 min mark with some hope of getting back to the house in time to shower. I was disheartened to watch two joggers (and yes, Adam at "I Am Boring" they really were "jogging" - just above a shuffle) beat me up a double hill. Argh!
The problem? This ride was basically hill repeats! I could barely catch my breath before another hill was kicking my ass. Ahh...coast downhill....holy crap....don't know if I can make it back up the next one! I was suffering physically and mentally. Sad because I've done this ride as part of a MUCH longer ride before. But I got in just under 7 miles of hurt (walking up parts of two hills - shameful!). Would breakfast have made it better? Would going an hour sooner have helped? Hard to say. Probably wasn't officially a "bonk", but I was NOT having any fun. And as it got later in the morning, I feared people I know driving by and seeing me in what can only be described as a humongous FAIL. Got home, drug my ass in the door and 30 min later drug it to church.
Spent the first few minutes in church praying...thanking God that I had gotten through this morning even if it wasn't pretty...thanking Him that I have a body that is able to do what it can do...and praying to make my knees stop hurting. Maybe I should have tried a Hail Mary or Our Father on the bike!
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