I Hate Gatorade

Where's Waldo?

2011-10-16T15:33:00.000-05:00

So far this is the only picture that I have found of myself at the Middle Half.

How well do you know me?

If Ke$ha and Bono were to procreate....

2011-10-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

In spite of my lack of training I completed the Middle Half this morning to surprising results.

I haven't blogged much about the prep for this because there was basically no prep after the Warrior Dash. I did try a 10 mile long run last week but only got 4 miles in before I was walking more than running. I finished up with 6 miles total and I said to myself, "my God, what have I done?"

There was no other "good" time to squeeze in further training so I consider my taper a three week taper. That's good right? No?

Anyway, I hydrated well and ate well the night before. Except I don't think I'll carb load on Mexican food again because the combo of that and the Gu Chomps is not treating my bowels well.

Got to the race that started at 7:00 and NOT 7:30 with no problems this year. I had pre-race nightmares that I once again screwed up the start time. I put myself way back in the starting line - around the 3 hour group because while I hoped to do much better than my training run things didn't look promising. I hung out with some people from work in that area so a nice social time was had. I used a hand-held bottle of Nuun this year. It was the first time to use the hand held bottle. It was much nicer to use once I figured out how to loosen the strap so the blood wasn't cut off to my fingers (took me until 1.5 miles to figure that one out...). I also brought a pack of Gu Chomps with me. I did bring an iPod with me (allowed) but kept one ear bud out for most of the race. I love my music but I do like to hear things around me too.

I won't bore you with mile by mile details. I felt good for the first 4 miles. Started to feel the struggle 5-8 and then just trudged through 9-13.1. There was a mishap at this year's race. Around 1.5 miles a police car blocked off the turn so a LOT of runners kept running down to the next street to turn. This ended up adding almost half a mile to their total distance. I lucked out in that they figured out the error about 15 seconds before I got to that turn so I got to go down the right way. Let me tell you, people were pissed when we suddenly pulled out of a street in front of the group that went the extra distance. I felt bad for them and good for me.

I kept 11 mm splits until mile 6 and then started slowing down but around mile 9 I saw that I was still on track to finish with 12 mm (even) splits which would be faster than the first (and only other time) I ran the half. I had no expectations of beating my previous time so this was a good boost towards the end.

The last 1.5 mile stretch was painful. I listened to Ke$ha's "Blow" twice and then tried to find an inspirational finish song. (okay, I've never actually watched that video before - how hilarious that the Dawson's Creek guy is in it, "Muenster is like edible lactose gold." *ha*)

As I turned onto the last bit before we hit the stadium the boom boxes were playing their own song so I cut off my iPod. Just after I passed the nice group of Jr. High cheerleaders this song started:

I'm not ashamed to admit that a little sob escaped from me. I do love that song. And I finished strong to the finish line and finished 2 minutes faster than my previous attempt. The official time was 2:38:47. Even though I know I'm capable of a better time I am quite proud of that one.

Grabbed snack food for my kids because my stomach wanted no part of it and eventually got home to a bath and rest. I feel pretty good. Sore, of course, but not dead. Around mile 5 I started to feel a blister close to the demon blister from three weeks ago. It got worse and then better. Here it is post race:

The new blister on top and the old on the bottom.

If I didn't have the stomach/bowel issues I'd feel pretty chipper. But don't let my family know because I'm totally taking advantage of laying in bed for as long as I can.

About as clever as giving a balloon to a hedgehog.

2011-10-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Link stolen from: http://www.dietgirl.org/dietgirl/2011/10/cycling-tips.html

CYCLING TIPS

Click on the video to open in up in another screen to play.

Didn't get the planned miles in this weekend. Whatever. I'll pay for it later.

I did ride a wee bit on the bike we do own. I was always afraid of riding this bike because it's bigger than what I'm used to. Turns out now that I've gotten used to biking again it's not too scary. I'm now viewing this bike as a fixer-uper instead of buying a brand new road bike. Heck, it already has aerobars (that are like 15 years old and not put on straight but again, whatever...)!

Instead this is how I spent my weekend:

I think the kids are horrified that I didn't get a long run in....

Sometimes life gets in the way

2011-09-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

So even though I did survive the Great Warrior Dash of 2011, I did manage to receive a rather nasty injury. That blister I talked about in the last post turned out to be a bigger problem than I first realized. I had to keep it clean so that meant a multitude of hydrogen peroxide washes which are not all that pleasant. But there is just no good way to walk on a foot that has a quarter sized blister on the bottom of it.

Actual picture of the demon on my foot.

After two days I still couldn't walk regularly on it. Then it was rainy. Or I felt lazy. And well by the end of the week I could finally walk semi-normally but I hadn't done any exercise. I had to work on Saturday then I got into a house cleaning/redecorating mode and Sunday was gone too. This week hasn't been much better with my schedule so I've pretty much lost two very essential weeks of training before the half (just 8 days away now).

So here's the deal. I'm going to run/walk a 10 miler tomorrow morning and see how it goes. I know I'll have to run/walk the half. It doesn't make me happy because I know my time will probably be worse than my first half and I had previously vowed to never do worse than that time. But life is what it is and I won't skip out on this half for two years in a row.

Next week I'll bore with the mundane details of my slow 10 miler and how to cram for a half-marathon.

I am the Warrior

2011-09-18T11:19:00.000-05:00

At the starting line - still clean and innocent...

So a few weeks ago a co-worker/friend convinced me to sign up for the Warrior Dash because there was GroupOn for half price and "wouldn't it be fun to run it together!" I said sure, why not and bought the GroupOn deal. Her starting times got all screwed up though and I ended up being all alone in my wave - at 8:30 in the blessed morning.

Hay Fever

I quickly came to the conclusion that 8:30 was an awesome starting time because the course was still fresh and the crowds were relatively small - only a couple of thousand people rather than several thousands...

The course was in the same fields where they have Bonaroo every summer so it was well organized and staffed. Getting into parking wasn't a big deal at that time of the morning. I was able to park, check in, and hang out for a few minutes even though we only arrived a half hour early. I had spent the evening before looking at Facebook pictures of the dash and reading comments so I was a bit nervous but also better prepared by wearing gloves for all the rope climbs that would be involved.

Given that I have no "old" pairs of running shoes I didn't want to ruin my $100 pairs of shoes. I elected to wear my Teva sandals which I've worn several times before to hike and go through wet/muddy conditions. However, I have never ran in them and that turned out to be a problem as the race went on...

Barricade Breakdown

So here's the race with many borrowed pictures. I have pics of myself at the beginning and end of the race but didn't bother to bring a camera with me along the race because I didn't want to fool with it. However, many other people on Facebook and through Google images have contributed to this post.

My wave started promptly at 8:30 with about 700 people in it. Lots of people were in costumes and about 90% were there just to goof off - not to run their fastest race. I was definitely one of those 90%. The distance of the race was 5k and we ran a good 1/2 mile or more before the first obstacle.

Road Rage

The hay bales were pretty simple to climb up but were already starting to disintegrate by our wave (which was the second of the day). They had ropes to hold onto but they made it worse to climb up. So up and over - no big deal.

Then another 1/2 mile run. We came to a water stop and saw the next obstacle in front of us. First there was a big tree blocking the path with enough room to go under it or you could go over. I elected to go under. Then about 50 yards or so after that we had the next real obstacle, called the Barricade Breakdown.

Blackout Tent

The walls were about 4 feet high and then you had about 3 feet before you had to get down and crawl under the barbed wire. There were at least 6 of these walls and then wire crawls. Thankfully being a taller girl it wasn't a big deal to hike my leg up on wall and then boost myself over.
Once again, no biggie so I started to feel more relaxed about the obstacles and had some fun. We had another little bit of running before the next obstacle which was called Road Rage.

I don't know this person but it's a good pic of the
inside of the Blackout Ten.

There were tires in front and behind. You went through the tires, football drill style, and then walked over the cars. I walked slowly through the tires because I didn't want to trip and screw up my ankles while I'm in the middle of training for the 1/2 marathon. I also watched a girl in front of me try to run through and saw her fall flat on her face so I considered her ordeal a cautionary tale. Despite my fear of falling through one of the cars it was kind of fun to walk all over a car and not worry about denting it.

Great Warrior Wall

After this one we had a longer run and I could start to feel the beginnings of a blister on my foot. I ran when I wanted to and walked when I wanted to. I wasn't tired but I also wasn't aiming for a great time.

We came up to the Blackout Tent and I hoped to God there wasn't any poison oak or ivy laying about. The tent was only 3 feet high or so and you had to crawl on your hands and knees through the whole thing (maybe 50 yards total). Once you were inside there were flaps about every 5 feet or so. After the first couple of flaps it was almost pitch black inside. You just had to crawl slowly and hope you didn't run into the person in front of you or get a foot in your face.

Rope Crawl

Shortly before entering the tent I was passed by the guy that's behind me in the first picture of this post - look for the guy in the robe holding a cup of coffee and newspaper. He was also wearing slippers and had an unlit cigar in his mouth. I really wondered what he did with his coffee cup while he was in the tent.

Right after the Blackout Tent we came up to the first obstacle that I wondered, "Am I able to do this?" The wall had little ledges to use for your feet and long ropes with knots every couple of feet. So you climbed up and over. The back side was more like a ladder to climb down. I was afraid my arm strength would be too weak for this one but I made it up without too much of a struggle. I was very happy for the gloves because it was much easier to get a solid grip on the ropes without tearing up my hands. It was more difficult to get over the top and back into a position to climb down - that's what felt precarious and awkward.

Giant Cliffhanger

After I made it over that wall I was having fun. I felt like I could at least try every obstacle - whereas at the beginning I felt sure there would be some obstacles I would just go around.

There was still a lot of running in between obstacles but at this point of my memory I can't really identify the distances between obstacles. I do remember that the obstacles were closer in the second half of the course than the first. My blister was getting worse as the race went on and I stopped even trying to run through the thick grass we were going over.

The next obstacle was the rope crawl. In some of the comments I had read people said to not crawl on your knees and that rolling was an easy option. However, there were too many people trying to go over it so there wasn't room to roll. Plus it dipped down in the middle of each section so it would have been difficult to roll UP into the next section. I positioned myself near the center plank and at first crawled crab style over it which was okay but slow and a bit awkward. Soon I got more into a spider position and went sideways and that was much better. They took official pictures right after this obstacle but those won't be available for at least another week. If I find myself in the thousands of photos I'll post them later.

I called this one ladder drop.

The next obstacle gave me a moments worry when I realized there was nothing for your feet to grip onto. But someone commented that it was okay because of the angle. Turns out they were right. I climbed up pretty quickly but got a little hung up at the top when the rope ran out. The back was ladder like and easy to get down.

More running - more awareness of the blister on my foot.

Assassins Escape

The next one (Ladder Drop) was easy to climb up but you had to jump off the back. I did this most gracefully by hanging on for dear life and letting my body slide down like a slug until I felt more comfortable dropping (like half a foot at that point).

Shorter runs now between the obstacles and we could see the end. Also we had music to keep us going and get us psyched up.

Assassins Escape was just climbing up and sliding down the pole fireman style. I wasn't scared of it but I had fairly short shorts so I dreaded the sound of sliding down... :) But that was done without a layer of skin coming off so all was good.

Rope Tower/ Cargo Net Climb

Then the last obstacle before the finish line (rope tower). This was made more entertaining by someone singing the Spiderman Theme Song as we went over. After this one we had about a 1/4 mile run to the finish line. My foot hurt so badly at this point that I took off one sandal and hobbled over the grass. I had to put it back on when we got to a gravel portion of the road. And then we were at the finish and I could see hubby waiting for me.

At the finish line was the fire and mud.

Approaching my gazelle like leap over the fires.

I admit that I was most scared about jumping over fire. I'm not a big pyromaniac so fires tend to worry me. I knew they weren't high but I still feared tripping on something and ending up on the coals. I gave it a running start and jumped over it twice (in my mind completely gracefully and there are no pictures to prove otherwise).

Do I have to get dirty?

And then came the mud pit. I really didn't want to get covered in mud so I gingerly got down into the pit and tried to stay as high as I could. But you did have to go under barbed wire so and the pit was a couple feet deep so there was only so much of me I could keep clean. The girls in front of me were swimming through the pit but I couldn't bring myself to that. Instead I crawled through and felt every little pebble on my knees.

My sandals were coming off of me as I crawled through so before I climbed out I spent a couple of minutes trying to get my left shoe back on. I couldn't make it work so I just took it off and climbed out. There were more "official" picture takers at this point so I tried to raise my hand in a triumphant victory pose and promptly slide/fell on my butt in a very ungraceful like pose. I can't WAIT to see those pictures. Sigh.

Graceful Exit

Then we went through the finish line, got our medal, and were offered cups of water and bananas. I really had to keep myself from being sarcastic to the nice, helpful people that were volunteering. But really, who on earth is going to pick up a banana when their hands are caked in mud?

That's my shoe in my left hand...

They said the showers were just "right in front of us" but in reality it was another 1/2 mile walk. I couldn't put my shoes back on because of the amount of mud they were covered in plus it just hurt my foot to rub that blister even more. I hobbled down to the fire hoses only to finally get down there and they ran out of water. The only thing they had was a sprinkler truck tha a hundred people were trying to use. It was as useful as a spray bottle. I got my hands somewhat clean and figured it was the best I could do. There was one gal in the crowd that was wearing a bikini top and she commented, "would anyone judge me if I took this off so I can get cleaner?" The men assured her that no one would judge... I'm not sure if she did or not.

As I was leaving the crowd was starting to use a small run off stream since it would be a half hour before the fire hoses had more water. I too used the nasty stream to clean off my shoes, gloves, and my legs as much as possible. I brought a change of clothes so I didn't care as much about my clothes getting cleaned.

I hobbled back down to the rest of the crowd and could not find my husband anywhere. At this point there were a lot more people in the crowd and finding him was like looking at a "Where's Waldo" puzzle. After a few minutes I heard the announcer say, "Judy, you're husband is waiting for you at the stage. He looks cold, hungry, and in need of a beer." I figured it was my husband and thought that was a very clever way to find me. We found each other and headed over to the porta-pots so I could change.

Finally in cleaner clothes and in a better mood I put on my Viking Hat (which I do plan to wear on a daily basis now) and posed for one last picture. We found where to get our one free beer - the timing chip was your free beer token (clever way to get those back eh?). We enjoyed our Coor's Light at 10 a.m. in the morning and eventually headed back home. It did take us a few minutes to figure out how to get out of the parking lot. Once again it was well organized and there were cops at every corner directing you back to the main road. I wore my hat all the way home. Once home, my children stole it from me and my son proclaimed that he was a moose when he wore it.

I showered and cleaned up my quarter sized blister. It hurt like hell for the rest of the day. Thankfully it's better today but I won't be doing any running today or tomorrow most likely. Hopefully it heals up quick enough that I won't be out of running for too many days. And there were no other injuries that will keep me from training so all in all it was a fun day. But it was the first and hopefully last time I'll ever run a 5k in Teva Sandals.

Middle Half Video

2011-09-13T16:10:00.000-05:00

Needed a break from the monotony of doing paperwork at work today and found this online:

I have to admit as I first started watching it I thought - man, it wasn't that dark at the beginning when I ran it two years ago. But if you look back to that post you'll see I barely got to the race with about 5-10 minutes to spare. This year I will remember that it starts at 7 a.m. (not 7:30).

Now back to paperwork and preparing my mind for my run today in warmer temps (they're back!). Although it's not 100+ so I now can't complain too much.

Weekly Results, Harry Ol' Chap

2011-09-12T14:01:00.000-05:00

In my never-ending quest to entertain my handful of blog readers I found this jewel and had to share.

I'll do an extended time period of my weekly results since I got a little off schedule this week.
Sunday 9/4 - post triathlon laziness. Thought about going to Zumba since it's been a while but I just couldn't get enough motivation.
Monday 9/5 - really planned on doing something but still nothing.
Tuesday 9/6 - 4 miles in the rain. Had a blast.
Wednesday 9/7 - hour spin/abs class. Good stuff.
Thursday 9/8 - nothing
Friday 9/9 - lots of wine
Saturday 9/10 - almost 4 mile slow run. Painful.
Sunday 9/11 - 27.83 mile bike ride with an overall average of 13.25 mph for speed. I split the miles into 3 portions with a few minutes of rest in between the portions.

The first part was 6.45 mi. I stopped, ate a power bar, and gave my sit bones a rest for less than 5 minutes.
The second part was 9.2 mi. Once again I sat and rested for a few minutes (probably over 5 but less than 10).
The third part was 12.18 mi. This was a surprise. I had never gone the full length of the newer portion of our greenway but I didn't think it would add up to that total mileage (roundtrip and this actually included getting back to my house as well).

So it was an okay week for exercising. I should have done more overall and definitely at least one other day of running at least 6 miles but now my mind is back to "running is hard - boo hoo". Stupid mind.

I've changed my thoughts on my weekly schedule (going back more to my tri schedule) so here's my thoughts for this week:
Monday - swim & strength training
Tuesday - run (3-4 miles)
Wednesday - spin & abs
Thursday - long run (7 miles)
Friday - rest
Saturday - Warrior Dash - Craziest frickin' day of your life! (it's a 5k with obstacles)
Sunday - bike

Long Run Fail - Wine Consumption Win

2011-09-10T15:41:00.001-05:00

Perhaps it was unwise of me to plan a long run after a evening out that involved 3+ glasses of wine. Perhaps....

What I look like when not in running clothes.

I got to sleep in this morning which was amazing and much needed. I had thought about going to a 2 hour Zumbathon but I had already missed a half hour of it by sleeping in so long. Then I thought - "hey the temps are still down (now in the upper 70's) so even a later morning run will be workable." But I didn't even make it a mile before I realized though my mind was ready my body wasn't. I ended up going a slow 4 miles which involved plenty of walking.

At first I thought I wasn't pushing hard enough but then I remembered that I was probably pretty dehydrated. So instead of pushing through it I instead eased up. I'll try again for 6 miles tomorrow. And I'll drink more water today.

One other issue on today's run was that I tried to run in my spandex shorts (the ones I bought earlier this summer) and they rode up the whole time. Really annoying. Good thing the weather is getting to where I can comfortably wear capris again.

Running in a hurricane

2011-09-07T13:18:00.001-05:00

Which sounds cooler than the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee...

After posting yesterday I knew I had to get my run in somehow. The first plan was to run home, get exercise clothes (since running in knee high boots and a long skirt would have been awkward), and go back to the rec center for the inside track or treadmill. But when I walked outside it was no longer really raining - just this steady fine mist. I thought to myself, if I've run all summer in blistering heat surely I can survive a fine mist.

So I went home, put on exercise clothes, and hit the streets outside my house. It was brilliant. No, not the sky - that was dark and ominous. But the run was brilliant. I didn't really sweat - or if I did I never knew because even fine mist will get you pretty wet after a few minutes. But I wasn't struggling through 11/12 minute miles. I was happily going along at 9:30/10 mm. I went through hills and a full 2 miles before I even thought about walking. I went a full mile longer than I had originally planned. It felt so good. I was worn out by the end but recovered pretty quickly.

I really needed this good run. Mentally I was stuck in the "running is hot and hard and I don't like it" mode and could not see myself increasing miles to prepare for the 1/2. Now if our weather stays cooler I think I can make it through the next six weeks. It won't be 55 degrees again (at least for this month) but it shouldn't be 100 either.

As always though my brain has random thoughts during my runs and here's the gem from yesterday:

Tri withdrawal

2011-09-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

I have something major to train for (1/2 marathon in just 6 weeks) but I'm lacking in the motivation department at the current moment. Partially because I'm better motivated by joining a group or having someone, like a trainer, that I'm accountable to meet with on a regular basis. And partially because the remnants of tropical storm Lee are going over us and it's dark and dreary out. We've gone from 100+ degrees to less than 60 degrees in 48 hours. It's a bit of a shock to the system.

So to help motivate myself I need a plan. I need to run and cross-train. I looked at my rec center's aerobics groups but didn't see anything I was too interested in (besides one spin & abs class). I have some good workout DVD's at home that are fantastic for cross-training but I have the hardest time getting myself to do a workout after 8 pm. I also want to keep up with swimming so I don't have to start from scratch for the next tri.

So my plan for the next six weeks (at the moment):
Saturday/Sunday - Rest or Long run (6, 8, 10, 12, 8)
Monday - EZ run (3 miles, easy pace)
Tuesday - Spin & Abs class
Wednesday - Tempo/Speed work (4-5 miles)
Thursday - Weights at gym or at home DVD
Friday - Swim

I have a couple of Saturdays where it would be hard to fit a long run in so for those days I'll do my long runs on Sunday.

Of course this first week is all screwed up so here's my modifications:
Monday - didn't do anything
Tuesday - EZ run (if I can get out of the house)
Wednesday - Spin & Abs (if I can get out of the house)
Thursday - EZ run (I need a week's break before starting tempo work)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Long run - 6 miles
Sunday - Swim (drills and 200 yard stretches at least twice)

Part Deux

2011-09-05T08:06:00.001-05:00

Breathe!

When we last saw our blogging hero she had just survived the swim and was struggling to put on her watch and not fall over while putting on socks and shoes.

The bike ride. Ah the bike ride.

It started off with an uphill. A long steady uphill. The mountain bike I used was borrowed from a friend at work who was kind enough to lend it to me. As her name is Peggy I named the bike Peggy. Except when I say the bike's name it's more like this Peggy:

Coming into T2

As I've gotten used to biking again I grew more knowledgeable about myself on a bike. I have decent quad strength and do OK on a heavy bike. But I don't stand a chance against the road bikes on a hilly road. So I got through that first hill and thought - "whew, at least that's done". There was a downhill where I picked up speed and then a short uphill again. I did not realize the monster of a hill that was just around the bend after another nice downhill. It was steep and I was CRAWLING to the top.

Then when the steepness ended it was still a steady climb to get over an interstate overpass. After that I was wiped out. There weren't any more hills but there were some areas of long inclines and not too many declines. A ton of people passed me during the first 1/2 of the bike (all on road bikes I might add).

I got to the halfway point at 31'ish minutes according to my watch so I knew I was mostly on track for time. I hoped the ride back would be faster since it didn't have as many hills/inclines. I think I did go a bit faster but I also think my legs were worn out too. There was one decent hill right before the end that caused me to curse a little bit. I saw several of my teammates already on the run. I also saw that I would have to be running most of those same curse worthy hills.

About to hit the finish line.

I got back to T2 right around the hour mark and couldn't see my husband anywhere. I ditched the bike and helmet. I grabbed my handheld bottle and visor and left the transition area. Of course every leg muscle had forgotten how to work and my "run" was more like an 80 year old's shuffle. It was blazing hot at this point but the run started off in some shade. I already knew at that point that I wouldn't be doing 11 min miles. My pace felt slower than a 12 mm pace even while I was running. I didn't even get a mile before I took a walking break. Right at one mile we came out into the sun and faced a long uphill (about 1/4 of a mile worth of uphill).

The hill ended at a Jr. High which we were to run around and then circle back. There was a water break there with delightfully cold water. One cup I drank and the other was dumped on myself to cool myself down. I had to walk around most of the Jr. High. I was so exhausted and hot that even 10 seconds of jogging made me feel like death. There was a second water stop at the back of the Jr. High and I drank another cup, saved 1/2 of the 4th cup in my water bottle, and dumped the last 1/2 on my back - which was quite chilly. In retrospect I'm SO glad I dumped the water on myself because I think I would have gotten overheated otherwise.

Waiting for team pics.

I ran the long downhill and mostly ran the shaded part back to the finish line. Most of the team was at the finish line and it was fun to be cheered in. My husband was still nowhere to be found. I stopped my watch and it was at 1:47 something so I knew that run was a epic fail according to my goals. But I was also realistic enough to know that it was hot and hilly so things aren't always as you hope they'll turn out.

I eventually found my husband who was wondering if I was still on the bike since he didn't see me in T2. I dunked my hand towel in the ice water holding the water bottles and downed a bottle of water pretty quickly. I started to eat my power bar as well and then went back to find the team. They had just cheered in the last couple of gals from our group and were talking about getting group pics. We got some nice group pics and then I left before the award ceremony because my husband had already sat around for 4 hours and I knew I wouldn't get any awards for my age group. The results were posted for some of the runners and two gals had already placed one and two in my AG. I didn't expect to be #3.

The group before the run (minus a couple of people).

We drove home and I was beat for the rest of the day. My butt still hurts from the bike seat - my top priority for my real bike is a wider seat. I checked online all day for results and more pics and finally got the results at 11 pm right before I crashed for the night.

I am a bit mad that I was only 2 minutes behind the 3rd place finisher for my AG. I think back to what I could have done a bit quicker. Mostly it was the run portion that I'd like a do-over for.

But to end - since this should be my weekly results post I will leave you with the song that was stuck in my head for most of the run:

The first part

2011-09-04T10:45:00.008-05:00

Still waiting on pictures but I do have my official results now. So I'll start things off with the pics I do have.

Pre-Race
My body woke me up at 5 am but I stayed in bed until the alarm went off at 5:30. I made some breakfast (2 Eggo waffles, one with peanut butter and honey and the other with an egg). As always it was a bit hard to eat all of it in the early morning. I fought nausea for most of the morning. Getting out of the house was easy as I had already packed everything the night before. We left a few minutes earlier than planned and started the 1/2 hour drive south to Manchester. About 1/2 way down I almost lost my bike when a gust of wind came off of a semi that I was passing. It picked the bike up a little off of my rack. I saw it lift in my rear view mirror and about had a heart attack. Thankfully it didn't come off. We pulled over and secured it again. Also on the way down I saw a couple of deer frolicking along the highway. I watched them with caution in case they decided to bolt across the road. I later learned that they did jump across the road and someone behind me received some serious damage to their truck. Dumb deer.

Look at the big ol' mountain bike, second from the right.

Check in was easy. I got my numbers, body markings, and timing chip. The chips were awful. The strap wasn't big enough for my ankle and the extenders were ridiculously long. Then I was too dumb to put it on the right way so I eventually had to get someone to duct tape it on my ankle. This turned out to be a good thing since several people started to lose theirs as they got into the pool.

There were a couple of people there already from my group already but most of them came a few minutes later. So my transition area wasn't close to the rest of the group but that was fine. After fixing my chip, going to the bathroom, and listening to pre-race instructions it was time to line up for the pool.

About to jump in

The blue hat in the middle (about to be passed)

I was number 85 (out of 150'ish). Our numbers were given based on our expected swim times. Everyone around me thought 4:30-5:00 minutes so I knew I was in the right spot. Everyone entered the pool one at a time and we had to jump in the deep end (12 feet) before pushing off. So it took 30 minutes until I finally got to the pool.

Jumping in was really awkward. We never practiced that since we all assumed we'd start the time in the water and be able to push off the wall. So I started off in an unexpected position and while I tried to recover and concentrate on form I felt awkward throughout the swim.

I quickly found that I was going to be able to pass the lady in front of me but as I tried to keep my eyes on her I would lift my head and get out of a pattern. I ended up lifting up my head about as much as I did when I was first learning how to swim properly. Sigh.

About 5 laps in I started to wonder how the hell I was going to make it through this thing. At this point there was another lady right behind me and I eventually had her pass me at a wall. I got to the end of lane 7 and walked for a few steps to regain my breath. Then I realized I only had one more lane to go down and I was very happy. I tried to do better with my form and ended the swim much better than I started. But at the end I got stuck behind that woman I had let pass me. She took her sweet time getting up the ladder to get out of the pool. In retrospect I should have just jumped up on the side of the pool and climbed out but I wasn't thinking clearly. I probably lost about 20 seconds waiting for her to climb out. The swim time didn't officially end until we crossed the mat that was by the door.

The transition was about 1/2 a mile from the swim. I only exaggerate slightly. We had to run around the entire building to get to the transition area. I saw one of our coaches outside and I told him, "well the swim was only semi-awful."

My swim time ended up being 4:57 (stupid delay).

Transition was fine. I probably could have shaved some time off of it but I was still a bit shaken from the swim. One thing that slowed me down a bit was putting on a watch but that was the only way I was going to keep track of my time on the bike and run and the watch wasn't water proof. But I did remember everything I needed so that was good.

About half-way through the bike ride I lifted my hands up to check to make sure I put my helmet on the right way. Thank goodness I had. I really didn't want the backwards helmet pictures.

My total transition one time was 2:46 but about a minute of that was the run from the swim to the transition.

I'll post the bike/run reflect as soon as my team posts the additional pictures. My husband lost track of me after transition one so I don't have any other pictures on my camera. But I know my coach took several other pictures while I was on the bike/run.

But here's the final results (which were finally posted around 11 pm last night):
Total time: 1:51:50
Swim: 4:57
T1: 2:46
Bike: 1:01:38
T2: 0:48
Run: 41:43 (ended up being a full hellish 5k not an easy/breezy 2.6 miles)
Age Group place: 4 of 5 (The fifth didn't finish but I was about 2 min shy of getting 3rd place)
Overall all place: 131 (Far lower than I had hoped. Oh well.)

The Power of Positive Thinking?

2011-09-03T15:20:00.000-05:00

About mile 3 on the bike. Not really helpful as you're huffing and puffing along. Especially on the way back when you realize just across the street from this sign is a cemetery.

But I survived. I'll post a full recap tomorrow. I didn't stay at the race long enough to get my results since my hubby was ready to go home (not as thrilling to hang out for 4 hours doing nothing). They only had the top two in my age group posted but I was way back in the group so we'll have to just wait and see how I end up. I'm also waiting for more pictures to become available so I can finalize the posts.

I will say that I was pretty close to my bike goal and way over my run goal - it was way more hilly and hot than I had hoped for. But overall I was happy with my performance - though my hopes weren't too high for the swim to begin with.:)

Top 5!

2011-09-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

This race is so small that there is currently only 5 people in my age group. So when you hear me brag about being in the top 5 you'll know it's a bit of tongue in cheek. I'm actually fairly confident I'll be the last in my age group given that most people in the 30-34 range are much faster than me. I usually like to hide in the middle of a large pack but there's no chance here. There's no other females from my training group in my age range so I won't really know who I'm competing against while I'm out on the field. But in the overall picture I think I'll be somewhere in the middle (at least based on last year's results).

So I thought I'd get some pre-race thoughts down since I have some down time this afternoon to think about it.

SWIM - I will survive the swim. I might have to stop for a few seconds to breathe or walk along the lanes (depending on depth) but I will get through it. I've had increasing problems with calf cramps while swimming but I think it's from pointing my foot too much as I kick so I'll watch that in the pool tomorrow. Once I get through the swim I think I'll relax more for the rest of the race. I'm still planning on my goal of 4:30-5:00 m:ss. This time will put me towards the back of the group time wise but I shouldn't be the slowest one there overall.

BIKE - I love biking now. It is my favorite part of training. I truly wish I had a road bike instead of a mountain bike because I do have to work much harder on the mountain bike to keep up. But I've gotten used to my bike and will do fine. Goal is still 55-60 minutes for the bike with a hope of going faster. I'll just use my watch to keep an eye on things since I don't have a computer/GPS on the bike. However, I don't want to kill my heart rate by going too fast and then crashing for the run. So it is a matter of balance.

RUN - The run has been reduced from 5k to 2.6 miles (due to construction on the regular route). This means I can push myself a bit harder. I'm not entirely sure I'll be faster than 11 min/miles but my hope is race day adrenaline helps me go a bit faster. Unfortunately for me, for most people the run is their best part so the reduced distance helps them too.

Accessories - I have tri shorts and a top that I'll be swimming in. I have not yet tried them out for swimming but I have biked and ran in them at least a couple of times. Given that it will still be very warm on Saturday morning I think the wet clothes while on the bike won't be a problem. All I'll have to do in transition is put on socks and shoes (and helmet of course) which I've practiced for during bricks so that's not a problem either (except I'll be more nervous than I have been at practice).

Nutrition - I will use GU Chomps during the bike and run (if I feel I still need it at that point). I've gotten used to getting my water bottle out of the holster and drinking while on the bike so I'll rehydrate with Nuun on the bike. I'll have a smaller bottle with just water in it for the run. I'm more worried about eating breakfast in the morning since I get race day jitters and hate eating that early in the morning. I've done fairly well with Eggo waffles with PB and honey in the past so that's my plan. Maybe some type of breakfast shake as well.

Most of all I want to have fun at this race while pushing myself to do more than I think I can. There will be some moments of misery but I want to remember the fun parts more. After this my training will go back to mostly runs so that I can prepare for the half marathon. A part of me is not looking forward to it but I know I need to get more comfortable with my runs again so this will also be a good thing.

The problem with apps

2011-08-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Forget all I wrote about in the last blog post about my speed according to the Runtastic app. I now know the thing is completely unreliable.

Unless I really can run 18.8 mph....

Which would be awesome!

(BTW - my legs look exactly like that when I run)

I used it again last night on the group run and it had my max speed as 18.8 which is just ridiculous. The overall time was 35 minutes and it says I went 3.59 miles but I think it was closer to 3.2 miles. Even with the correct data I had a decent run. Though I learned an important and valuable lesson (which should have been obvious).

Never, ever, eat Burger King onion rings 5 minutes before a run. Especially when it's still over 90's degrees out.

I won't disgust you with the results of my error in judgement.

Weekly Results 8/21-27

2011-08-28T17:50:00.001-05:00

One week left until the Star Triathlon. The first part of these results will be long so I can document the brick. The rest as you'll see will go pretty quickly. My husband is out of town and we're about to start classes at the Uni so there hasn't been a lot of focus on working out this week.

Sunday 8/21 - Second group brick. Went MUCH better than the first brick. Same distance on the bike and run (just under 9 miles bike and 1.5 mile run). The heat was a bit better. I used my gears more effectively. I didn't try to keep up with the road bikes which killed my heart rate before. I used Nuun and Chomps during the ride to keep energy levels up. I tested out the Runtastic app on my BB and while it was a bit cumbersome to get set up while I was biking and then switch it to running it was the first time I could get real stats on my ride.
Bike - Mileage 8.85 (but I missed a couple hundred feet while trying to get it started), time 37 m 38s, Avg speed 14.1, & Max speed 19.2. It didn't give me a mean speed but on the chart I spent the majority of my time between 14 and 18 except for the hill (small but deadly especially after 5 loops) which dropped me down below 10. Finally I feel confident enough to say my goal of 14 mph on the race is realistic and could be a bit faster with a flat course and no wind.
Run - Mileage 1.37 (once again it took me a bit to get it started), time 15:38, Avg speed 5.3 mph, & max speed 6.7 mph. I had two short walking breaks on this run but overall felt much better about it than the previous week where I couldn't run at all.
Monday 8/22 - Should have been swim but I didn't get to it.
Tuesday 8/23 - Group run - intervals. Ended up going a little over a 5k for distance. Used my app again:
3.21 mi, Time 35:47, Avg speed 5.4 mph, max speed 11.5 mph (I have a very hard time believing that one - it might have been while I was going down a hill) I think my real max speed was about 8 mph. The intervals were 1 min fast run and 2 min recovery. In the end my recovery times were walks.
Wednesday 8/24 -Group swim. Did a time trial. I struggled, and I mean struggled, through the 200 yards and had a time of 4:43. So I wasn't far off with my swim goal of 5-6 minutes. I don't plan on going faster than 4:30 for the race.
Thursday 8/25 - So tired. Nothing.
Friday 8/26 - Another busy day. Nada again.
Saturday 8/27 - Cleaned my house - does that count?
Weight - only God knows.

Song of the week: This week's mental cadence song for our brick. I don't remember this video from the 80's but like most videos from the 80's it has very little to do with the actual song...

Darn you GroupOn and your low, low, prices!

2011-08-27T11:29:00.000-05:00

Just added a fall race (for 1/2 the price of regular registration fees):
http://warriordash.com/register2011_tennessee.php

After this one I just may be tempted to drink beer in the morning...

Weekly Results 8/14-20

2011-08-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Another week closer to the tri.

Sunday 8/14 - 16.4 mile bike ride with a couple of "real" hills. Had good company with one of my group mates that made the ride very enjoyable. The temps were awesome. Growing realization that I do not want a mountain bike or even a hybrid.
Monday 8/15 - Swim drills. Epic fail at flip turns. Felt like the first time in the water. Somewhere around 600-700 yds.
Tuesday 8/16 - 35 min run. Back to miserable hot weather. Ran at even 11 mm splits. Enjoyed my music since I was on my own for the run (people either faster or slower than me).
Wednesday 8/17 - Group swim. First time to swim 200 yards in one try. Felt a bit scared. Wasn't as bad as Monday's swim. Survived and even survived when she made us do it again. Still planning on taking this part as slow as I can (6'ish minutes for the swim).
Thursday 8/18 - Felt wiped out so I didn't bother to wake up early for a bike ride. Kind of planned to bike after work but then the time was spent buying things at Fleet Feet to use my 10% tri discount and then at B&N with my husband. Didn't feel too bad about an extra rest day when all was said and done.
Friday 8/19 - Regular rest day. Thought about a workout but wanted fresh legs for the 5k
Saturday 8/20 - 5k race. 75F with about a 10 degree increase with the heat index even at 7 am. Lots of fun though. Good route (out and back along a flat, mostly shady road). 1st mile was 10:30, 2nd mile was 10:32, didn't have a marker for the 3rd mile but knew I would have 10:30 splits. Finished at 32:30. Though it was slower than previous 5k's I was still happy with my time given my current fitness level and the heat. However, I was so sweaty my earbuds wouldn't stay in my ears - kept sliding out at the end of the race.
Weight loss - about 1 pound but I'm not being good about my diet. Don't have enough time between work and home to track my calories.

Song of the week:
I know I've posted this video on here before (maybe a year or so ago) but I love it and I used it for this week's mind cadence for our brick since I don't use music while on the bike.

'Such passion'

2011-08-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

I saw this story on the news this weekend and was mesmorized. I hope you are too.

http://www.nashvillekidstriathlon.com/assets/docs/16.%20Tennessean%20Article%20cayden%20connor.pdf

So I won't be doing flip turns...

2011-08-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

My attempts at flip turns were comical. I'd get upside down and be completely confused as to which direction I was supposed to go. After a few tries I stopped and went back to drills (which were also awful). The pic to the side is not my own but yet another stolen image: http://triandfinish.blogspot.com/2011/01/flippin-flip-turns.html kind of funny that they also stole it. We discussed flip turns at the group swim on Wednesday. We have a couple of really good swimmers in our group and I made the comment that I kept waiting for the girl in my lane who used to competitively swim do some flip turns. She and the coach agreed that Tri's are no place for flip turns since you're most likely going to run into someone since everyone is sharing lanes.

So there you go. I got a nose full of water and some humiliation (as I'm sure I entertained the lifeguards) all for nothing. Or maybe I was just mad because drills on Monday did feel so awkward and awful. It was as if it was my first time in the pool. I didn't look forward to Wednesday very much.

Tuesday night was the group run. Hot again but not as hot as it has been.Solid 11 mm for 35 minutes. Ran by myself this time as I was slower than the the 3 or 4 people in front of me but faster than the 3 people behind me. All the time thinking - these slow pokes better show up to the brick on Sunday so I'm not coming in last again. My pride can't take flip turns and coming in last all in the same week.

On Wednesday we were informed that we would be going the distance that night - 200 yards at once. I was terrified. It wasn't fun, it wasn't smooth but I did survive. Then we had to repeat it. And actually the second time was a bit better than the first. When given the choice to finish with another 200 or 100 if we felt tired I wussed out and took the 100. I was tired.

I end every single swim with a massive craving for a strawberry shake. I haven't given in yet but it sounds so yummy.

Tomorrow is my first race since last Thanksgiving and that ended up being a 4 mile walk since I woke up fighting a stomach bug. It's a local 5k and I have no plans for time. I'm treating it as a training run - just with a lot of other people. I'll keep my 11 mm pace and have fun. This is also a test for the new bungee ties I got for my shoes. I seriously need to make a post to highlight all the crap I've bought in order to do a tri. One day - one day I'll get to it...

In case you were wondering...

2011-08-15T16:24:00.000-05:00

This is what I'll be working on in the pool today:

I have not yet even attempted a push turn. It may mean I come up choking on water for the first few times.

Bienvenido a la jungla

2011-08-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

I did all my workouts this week and had good intentions of updating the blog but I never got the time between work and home. So here's everything in an extended weekly review.

Sunday 8/7 - First Brick. 10'ish miles bike and 1.5 mile run. 30000 degrees F with 4209644.25% humidity.
The day started off a little stressful. I spent the morning working on a project for a graduate class and my husband and brother in law (who's visiting) were trying to help by getting the kids out of the house. Unfortunately they took both cars and neither had plans to be back by the time I needed to leave to meet the group. Thankfully I was able to track down my husband at Gold's Gym and told him to get home "right now". Unfortunately (again) the car he had was not the one with the bike rack and the trunk was full of kids' toys and junk we're eventually going to get rid of. I didn't have a lot of time so there was a lot of throwing things around and muttered curses as I cleared the trunk and back seat (so it could fold down) to get the bike in the back of it.
I made it on time and we started our loops. It's a good road with no really big hills but steady inclines and declines. The loop is almost 2 miles around and we did 5 loops. Then we started on the run. I've never done a "real" brick before. The closest has been 10 miles on a stationary bike at the gym and then a 5k afterwards. I would have called that a real brick before last Sunday but I now know that your muscles do NOT get the same workout on a stationary bike (no matter what kind of hills and level you put on it). Suffice to say my legs were like jello when I started my run - which quickly turned into a walk. For the first half I walked/ran but then I just got too hot and walked the rest back. I wish I could have pushed through it but I knew I was overheated. Unfortunately NONE of the slow runners in our group showed up to the brick so I was the only one walking that much. Misery does love company after all.
Monday 8/8 - Swim drills on my own. 600 yards. Found out I can do one length (25 yds) in 30 seconds but that I can't do more than 6 lengths at a time right now (actually I learned that on Wednesday). I'm really working on finding a slow pace that will keep me steady through 8 lengths (200 yds, race distance). I don't care what my time is - I'd rather get through without feeling like death. I still estimate 5-6 mins for the swim.
Tuesday 8/9 - Group run, 30 mins about 2.75 miles. Not too many showed up for the group run on Saturday. I ended up running with the coach - who's nursing an injury so she was fine with going "slow". Her "slow" kind of pushed my "comfortable but not slow" pace. But it was good to be pushed. Still hot but not miserable. Also I got my tri clothes!! So I ran in those - tri shorts and shirt (tank with zipper). I'll get a pic and review of them up sometime next week.
Wednesday 8/10 - Group swim. I think around 600 yards (I lost count). I did well and continue to improve each week. Too bad I need another 2 months before the tri instead of 3 weeks. We did some ab work afterwards and my underused muscles are still sore...
Thursday 8/11 - Bike on my own. 7.14 miles at 36 min. This one was tough. I started off and it felt like going through sludge. My legs were so not into it (I actually had planned a blog post titled: "She's not that into you."). Eventually I felt more warmed up but I never did go "fast" on the ride. I thought I was over 8 miles (didn't really pre-plan the ride) so I was disappointed to learn it was just barely over 7. I did an out and back route that will probably become my norm - just that I'll go farther out. It was the first time to test it and while it's on a busier road it does have wide shoulders so I don't feel close to traffic. If I get out before 7 the traffic isn't too bad. The road will be very much like what I'll ride for the tri so it's good practice.
Friday 8/12 - Rest day, hooray!! And I dared to weigh myself and found that I was down 1 pound.
Saturday 8/13 - Run on my own. The training plan was for 35 min (EZ) but since I now have a 1/2 marathon coming up in mid-October I knew I needed to start looking at long runs. So today was 5 miles. I purposely kept it slow - 12 mm. Forcing myself to slow down on pace. Taking walking breaks when I found myself reaching a mile before the 12 min mark. I didn't want to crash at the end. Even so the last 1/2 mile was hard to keep going but I ended at 58 min. I did stop the timer when I was blocked by a train. I ended up having to crawl under a bridge to get past it because it stopped and there was no other way to get around. I've done it before but it kind of creeps me out (bugs, animals, weirdos hiding out - there was none of that in reality but my imagination runs wild).

So a good week but I keep wondering if it's enough to get through the tri. The brick was disappointing when the run was so hard. Forget what I said about times in last weeks posts. I'm back to just wanting to get through all three portions without too much walking at the end. In any of the three areas I'm not the slowest one (of our group) but once you combine everything I'll be at the bottom of the finishers. However, I love this training. It's so much more interesting than just logging miles every week. I'm happy to be attempting a new kind of race because the excitement of just being able to finish something that I once thought impossible still motivates me more than trying to beat a PR. I definitely will do more tri's in the spring and next summer.

And here's the song of the week. Brought to you by Pandora who thought I needed a little bit of 80's awesomeness on my run today:

This one was the first one I found that I could embed - plus I knew you always wanted to know how to sing this song in Spanish.

Weekly Results 7/31-8/6

2011-08-07T20:56:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to recover from our first brick today but I'll save the agony of that story for a future post.

Sunday - 10 mile group bike ride. Still forgot to bring a watch so I don't know the time but it was a good ride. My legs/arse was quite numb at the end and it was super hot again. Afterwards I felt okay enough to go to Zumba
Monday - 600 yard swim, drills. Felt pretty good about it.
Tuesday - 8 mile bike ride. Did remember a watch so I was able to calculate a pace at the end. Turned about to be 12 mph once you counted all the stops and such (was mostly in neighborhoods so there were stop signs, turning, lights, etc.). The nice thing about that ride was that the air was actually cool. I felt chilly when I started. Delightful!
Wednesday - supposed to be group swim night but a major thunder storm rolled through and we got 40 min of spin. Good workout. Diet had completely crashed by this point in the week.
Thursday - morning run, 3 miles, about 11 mm. There was a group run that evening but temps were going to be high and I'm over this heat.
Friday - rest and margaritas (it was just that kind of week)
Saturday - tried to walk/run outside but more rain. Did walk 2 miles then got to the gym were I ran another 2 miles with intervals = .25 mile at 5.0 and .25 at 6.0 for two miles.
Weight Loss: not looking at the scale, if anything it will go up this week.

This week's music selection might not be in your normal running mix but I happened to listen to it earlier today and it stayed through my mind on the bike ride. Good cadence for a bike ride...

Everyday I'm shuffling...

2011-08-04T21:56:00.000-05:00

If I hear that song it never gets out of my head. And I heard it about an hour ago. Should make falling asleep especially annoying tonight.

But I shuffled along this morning for my run. There was a group run at 6 pm tonight but there was still a chance of a heat index around 100 so I bowed out and did my run at 6:30 am instead which was only 74 degrees but very humid. I had to change my route mid-run due to a very large dog that scared the crap out of me. I had planned to go 4 miles but ended up getting 3 miles in with 11 mm averages. My legs were shot from doing spin the night before.

Usually Wednesday nights are swim nights but we got a decent thunderstorm in our area that started right at the same time our swim practice did. So everybody got kicked out of the pool. Since we swim at the Y and our coach also teaches spin at the Y our backup plan has always been to bring stuff for spin in case we can't swim. And thus last night we did a 40 min spin class instead of 600 yards of swim. It was a good workout. I definitely needed the cardio burn since I've completely gone off the wagon with my diet.

I had planned to get some laps in this afternoon after work but I ended up working until 6 pm (August is the worst month to work at a university) so that didn't give me enough time to get a swim in before getting home to the family. Tomorrow is my son's first day of 1st grade so it was definitely more important to be at home. I've thought about getting some laps in on Friday or Saturday but we'll see how that works out. Saturday will be an EZ run and Sunday is our first brick workout.

Why the diet has failed this week.

The time has come...

2011-08-02T09:44:00.001-05:00

The Walrus said - to talk of splits and goals.

I really haven't timed myself in the swim or bike yet so these are very rough estimations based on what I've done on a stationary bike and how people did last year at the same triathlon. You know, a "scientific way" of figuring it out...

Swim - last year the winner completed the swim in 2:15 and the slowest person was 8:20. My brain is telling me that my pace will be around 6 minutes but who knows. We'll do a time trial at some point. Then again, I haven't been able to complete more than 50 yards in one stretch yet so I might be over 8:20...

Bike - My goal is for sub 60 which is only 15 mph. If it is a fairly flat course (which is how it's advertised but they are probably liars) I may be able to go faster than that but at this point in training I feel comfortable in saying 15 mph.

Run - Sub 35 (11 min/mile). Yes, I used to run much faster than that but I haven't really been able to go much faster recently and after the swim/bike portion I don't see myself surging at a faster pace.

Not counting transition times this puts me at just over 1:36 for a finish time. I'll come back to revisit this calculation after our brick next week. Maybe I'll finally remember to bring a watch so I can time the bike portion (I'm still GPS free on my rides/runs).

Fortune Cookie Says...

2011-08-01T09:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, it really said something about my "life affecting many others" but I thought the "B" side was more appropriate for the weekend.

Sunday's group bike ride was 12 miles on a more hilly road. They weren't really hills but it was some rolling terrain - at least more "rolling" than I've been on thus far. I felt like I did well. Not fast but I stayed in the middle of the pack. But it was nasty hot again and most of it was in the sun. Sweat poured off of me. I was once again thankful for Nuun. There was some roadkill along the way and the vultures were out en masse. It wasn't really a place you wanted to stop at for long. Unless you felt up to joining a nice barbershop quartet.

Weekly Results 7/24-30

2011-07-31T08:19:00.005-05:00

Another week gone by. Summer is almost over since my son starts school again at the end of this week. The college students don't come back until the end of August so work will still be summer like but I won't have the luxury of easy mornings anymore since we'll have to get him to school by 7:45 every morning. But enough about my end of summer lament. Onto the results...

Sunday 7/24 - 60 min bike, 60 min Zumba. Group bike ride for tri training. About 10 miles at an easy pace for most of them - a moderate pace for me. My borrowed bike does not gear well for any kind of hills so the slightest incline is a bit of a pain. I had enough energy to go on to Zumba afterwards but considering how hard I crashed the next couple of days I now think I should have called it a day.
Monday 7/25 - 30 min swim, easy drills. Felt bad that day.
Tuesday 7/26 - Rest day
Wednesday 7/27 - 60 min swim drills (approx 600 yards total). Seeing much improvement on technique but still very worried about endurance and finishing a full 200 yards without stopping to breathe at the end of each length.
Thursday 7/28 - 35+ min on the stationary bike (set to hills and level 9, I tried to keep the RPMS around 100). Was happy with that pace and made it just over 10 miles. If I can bike the 14 miles in under an hour for the race I'll be happy. Finished up with 10 min of a 5.0 jog/run on the treadmill.
Friday 7/29 - 35 min run with cool down. 30 min swim drills (approx 400 yards)Made it 3 miles at slightly less than 11 min/miles for the run. Improvement continues but still a ways to go.
Saturday 7/30 - 43 min run/walk & 30 min swim. Woke up slightly hungover from my medicines. Typhoon like weather outside so I went to the gym with hubby and suffered through the dreadmill while watching Evan Almighty. I mostly ran for 33 minutes and walked for another 10 (mostly beginning and end but I did take two walking breaks in the middle). Energy was not there. In the afternoon I felt better so I went back to the pool and did more drills.
Weight loss: just a little over a pound this week. The steroids I'm now on have me snacking more but I'm still trying.

Since I caught the end of Evan Almighty while on the dreadmill I was able to catch their ending credits song and I also had this song on my running mix on the ipod shuffle that got put in wash a few months back:

I like running to this song and it brings me back to the early/mid 90's. Good times. Good times.

Hooray!! Wait.... Hooray?

2011-07-30T18:29:00.001-05:00

The Facebook is a tricksy little hobbit.

On Friday afternoon I was ~~surfing the web~~ working diligently and happened to see a chance to enter a contest to win a free entry to the 2011 Middle Half race. You know, the one I couldn't run last year, the one I didn't even bother registering for this year because there was a good chance I would be in Morocco, plus I haven't run more than 5k in a while. But on a whim I entered said contest sponsered by Murfreesboro Magazine. The race sold out in 11 days back in May so the only spots left were from sponsors. All I had to do was get added as a friend to their Facebook page and then leave a comment begging for a space. I beg quite well.

And I won one of the Golden Tickets. A FREE entry to a sold out race in my own backyard.

Glee quickly turned into the realization that I would have to start doing long runs again. But since I am invested in my tri training I can wait on runs of more than 6 miles until after September 3rd.

But I am excited. I'll talk to my tri coach about how to incorporate mileage in a smart way - she's qualified for Boston before so I trust her opinion. And this will give me something to keep working for after September 3rd.

Epic Lung Battle

2011-07-29T16:02:00.002-05:00

This is how my lungs feel.

I'm a little better at the end of this week but I got an added steroid pill to help the inflammation. I felt awful on Monday but did a little swimming. It wasn't the full drill that we were asked to do but I did get out there for a little bit. At the end of each length of the pool I would come up coughing and gasping for breath. I wasn't really sure in the end if it was worth going out there and struggling through it.

On Tuesday I did skip out of the group run. I still felt awful. It was over 100F again with the heat index. I felt bad about backing out but there was nothing in me that could convince myself it was worth it to run in that heat. I made Tuesday my rest day.

Wednesday, same battle ensued. The dementors sucked the hope and eagerness out of me. I came home from work and took a nap. But for some reason I got out of bed and made it to swim practice. And it was good. Hope won out.

So maybe I'm over the worst of it. I certainly hope so. I do so wish this heat wave would break but I don't have high hopes for that either.

The thing about groups

2011-07-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

This is my second attempt at group training. I must say it's going much better than the first attempt. The first time around we only met once a week and were given a distance to run. Then everyone took off at different speeds and I spent most of the run by myself wondering why did I spent money on this adventure?

The thing about training by yourself is you only compare yourself to well, yourself:

How did I do the last time I ran this distance?
How have I grown over these last few weeks of training?
Ha! I'm totally beating that 70 year old walking slowly ahead of me!

But in a group it's more like this:

Hmmm they look like they're in much better shape than me.
Yep, I'm definitely the fattest one here.
They say they're a slow runner but they just lapped me for the second time.
Why is no one else sweating as much as I am?

No really, it's good for your vanity. It keeps you from getting too cocky about your awesome (to only you) 28:40 5k. When your PR is their easy run it helps put things in perspective. I guess it can initially be soul crushing to realize you aren't as good as your mind thought you were. But you can also approach it as another goal to reach for and a motivation to keep pushing.

For some this is the drive of competition but for slower runners we have to find our own competition because we know we'll never place in any race. All we have is our own PR's. However, if I surrounded myself with people that were only as "fast" or slower than me than I could start to be content in my abilities. Or if I continued to run alone I would think a 10 mm was the best I could do.

So I encourage people to join a group at least once even if you are the slowest one there. In this particular group I have one bright spot - there is at least one slower runner than me. She can totally kick my butt on the swim and bike but running is not her thing. Then again maybe she's just messing with my mind and on race day she'll zoom past me while yelling, "sucker!"

Weekly Results 7/17-23

2011-07-24T19:48:00.000-05:00

A visit to the Dr on Saturday morning confirmed that I do have bronchitis. So now I have an abuterol inhaler, codeine cough syrup, and an antibiotic. Here's hoping my lungs and windpipe clear up soon. Since I've been lucky enough not to get a fever or other cold symptoms it hasn't been too bad. It's easier to breathe during cardio than it is just hanging out on the couch or in my bed.

Results:
Sunday, 17th: 6'ish mile bike ride with group and Zumba
Monday, 18th: 500 yard swim
Tuesday, 19th: 30 min run (12 mm) and 60 min Zumba
Wednesday, 20th: 600 yard group swim
Thursday, 21st: 400 yard swim, 35 min stationary bike
Friday, 22nd: Rest day
Saturday, 23rd: 30 min treadmill run at 5.1 mph
Lbs lost: 2.5

I did everything according to our training schedule except for strength training but I did add in extra cardio. I had first planned to swim on Saturday as well as run but I just did the run because of spending time doing other family obligations. It is interesting fitting in the time to exercise. I wish I was happier to wake up early. I did go early on Thursday which was easier (for my family) than coming home late or missing another kids bedtime. I often dream about not having to work and being more flexible to work out but not working would mean the kids wouldn't be at daycare and suddenly I wouldn't have so much time anymore. :)

It will be the same schedule next week but I'll increase miles on the bike and speed on the run (not by much but I need to get used to going a bit faster again).

This week's song comes from a mixture of Zumba and my love of Glee:

And on the seventh day Judy rested...

2011-07-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

Until I had to do yard work. Our house is currently for sale and even though the prospects don't look good to sell it for a price we're willing to take we occasionally will get a "looker" and have to keep appearances up.

But never was I so happy for a rest day. I'm still fighting what I now fear is bronchitis. I'll know tomorrow after I visit the Dr. Good news is that I don't feel sick and have kept up with exercise all week. Bad news is that my lung capacity is decreasing as I type. I've tried the OTC stuff and am now ready for the good stuff from "behind the counter".

Last night was a rough night and I awoke feeling a bit like this:
(Despite actually taking Mucinex before bed.)

I thought I would be able to take the afternoon off of work but that didn't happen. I was glad that there was no exercise on the schedule. Tomorrow's schedule will include a 30 min run (inside because it's still gross outside) and a swim as long as I'm given the "all clear - except for your lungs which need better 'behind the counter' medicine" from the Nurse Practitioner.

Wednesday's swim went much better than last week but I still need so much work. As I told the trainer: "I'm about 3000% better than last week but I got 40,000% to go." I never exaggerate to make a point... I'm still worried about my ability to swim 200 yards and have the ability to move on to the next portion of the race. That's why I'm upping my time in the pool. It will probably help when my lungs don't feel so constricted and congested. Ya think?

On Thursday morning I got in the pool again and then used a stationary bike for my 30 min of bike. I set it to hills and tried to keep the RPMs up. Even at 7 am the heat/humidity was gross.

And now it's time to go drug up again on the semi-useless OTCs. Somehow the Mucus demon in my lungs isn't trembling too much...

Nuun Tip

2011-07-20T15:25:00.000-05:00

Kona Cola is much better than the Citrus Fruit flavor. Especially when one is trying to give up their diet cola addiction... Diet cola I love you so.... I'm cutting down to once a week. I don't know what it is about the fizzy stuff but I crave it just as bad as any other food indulgence.

Or maybe anything tastes good after a run in 100+ Heat Index weather... Seriously though, Nuun is good stuff after a hot sweaty run.

Also Blueberry Pomegranate Gu Chomps are pretty darn awesome. I usually wouldn't use them on these shorter runs/rides but I've given myself an extra energy kick because of the heat.

This week is going well (least you think my two day absence is a sign of another fall off of the wagon). I had a good swim day on Monday. I've made progress with keeping my head down and finding a pace that won't kill me. I've also become a big fan of pull buoys and wish I could use one in the race. We meet again for group swim tonight so I hope my new positive feelings towards swimming remain.

Tuesday we ran about 2 miles (25-30 minutes) but it was hot and humid so it was a slow run. I was drenched in the after stretch. Downward facing dog is a bit difficult when sweat is pouring into your eyes.

I went to Zumba afterwards to get a little more calorie burn. The a/c was broken in the main dance room so we all crowded into a smaller studio. We still had a lot of fun together. It's a great group. I'll probably do bike work inside tomorrow since the H.I. will stay high through this week.

I avoided cake at home, biscuits at a breakfast this morning, and croissants/muffins as well. The diet is working for now. I'm eating plenty but watching content and making sure there's a balance. I'll blog about it a bit more later when I can't think of anything else to write about.

Enough random musings for now though.

Week in Review: 7/10-7/16

2011-07-17T08:49:00.010-05:00

A good week back:
Sunday 7/10 - 20 minute run with a heat index of 107
Monday 7/11 - 30 minute strength training, 200 yards swim
Tuesday 7/12 - morning 30 min run (no group run due to heat), 60 min zumba in the evening
Wednesday 7/13 - 45 min swim (about 400 yards total)
Thursday 7/14 - 20 min bike before work, 5 min bike and 10 min walk after work, 60 min zumba in the evening
Friday 7/15 - rest day
Saturday 7/16 - 3 mile run (35 min), 2 mile bike ride (easy), later in the day another bike ride 4 miles (easy)

Weight went up 4 lbs after our anniversary dinner on Monday but seemed to go down 2 lbs overall by the end up the week. I'll start tracking my weight loss more carefully this next week but I have been tracking my intake to keep an eye on things and to make sure I'm getting a good balance (carbs/protein/fat).

I'm also fighting a bit of a cold right now so my hope is that it will run it's course quickly. So far it's not keeping me from the exercise but it is making me feel more tired afterwards.

Future weeks:

Strength training is a series of squats, lunges, weights for arms, and planks.
Sundays from now on will be bike rides and I'll continue to get Zumba afterwards until we start doing bricks.
Tuesdays will be runs of increasing distances/time - my focus is to stay within 3-4 miles but increase my speed again. I've fallen back down to struggling for a 12 mm. But this week was 3 minutes faster than last week so hopefully that will improve to closer to 30 minutes by the time race day comes.
Wednesdays will be group swims. I'll try to get my own time in the pool when I can.
I got the stuff to sign up for the Fenton Payne 5k race in August. It starts at my work and will be a good pre-run to the tri. No aspirations for a PR - just a goal to work towards.

And now a new addition to my weekly results - my favorite workout song of the week:

Thigh envy

2011-07-16T15:12:00.004-05:00

It's hot here this summer. Much warmer than last summer. The past week has seen several days of heat indexes in the 100's. Now I grew up in Arizona so I'm used to heat. But there is something to be said about "dry heat" compared to humidity + heat. Every summer I've always let the heat be my excuse to not be outside.

Last summer when I completed the RC Cola Moonpie 10 mile run in mid June I finally convinced my brain that I could survive if the temps happened to be above 75 degrees. Then during my few weeks of 1/2 marathon training we also had quite a few runs in temps much higher than my normal comfort zone.

All that to say, I now know I won't melt or perish in the summer heat. However, since my legs don't look like this:
(picture stolen from this website - "Thanks!": http://www.runningwithmascara.com/tag/strength-training-for-women/)

I've always gone for cropped, or knee length capris/pants.

I've tried a couple of different products to help with chaffing but running was still majorly uncomfortable in shorts.

This summer I found a pair of spandex shorts to wear underneath regular shorts and I had a great experience running in them last week. I still feel a bit self-conscious running next to people that are much skinnier with better looking legs - and most everyone has much tanner skin than I do. But I try to comfort myself with the fact that I've reduced my risk for skin cancer.... (it doesn't help much).

I avoided spandex shorts because of my traumatic adolescent experience wearing bike shorts underneath my gym shorts for freshmen P.E. The shorts they made us wear were super short and the largest size they had still barely squeezed over my thighs. I felt much worse about my thighs when I was 14 than I do now. The other girls looked great (at least in my mind) in those shorts while I looked awful and somewhat dorky with the other spandex shorts beneath them. I hated P.E. It's taken me a good 19 years to get over that memory.

Anyway, my wardrobe has expanded and the shorts feel great on these awful hot days. Remind me, why did I sign up for training that lasts through July and August?

You are the weakest link - good bye.

2011-07-15T09:11:00.000-05:00

I was enjoying a nice ride home on my borrowed bike yesterday. I stopped at a light and when I got going again I heard a little pop and suddenly my pedals were free spinning and I was going nowhere. A quick glance down and behind me and I noticed that my chain was no more.

It was pretty rusted. So what was a nice ride home became a hot, boring, walk home while pushing the bike. My husband tried to help me out (after I had walked about 3/4 of a mile) but there was no room to put the bike in the trunk of our compact car. Once we finally made it home I figured out how to put the bike rack on the trunk of our car and made a quick trip to our local bike shop so they could fix it.

It took them all of 6 seconds to install a new one and I got to look at pretty Trek bikes while I waited. I should have watched them put the chain on so I knew what to do in case it happens again but the Treks were very pretty.

Have Diaper Bag: Will Bike to Work.

2011-07-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

I lucked out and was able to borrow a bike from a co-worker for these 8 weeks of training. Now I have more time to shop for a bike to keep. Today's workout called for a 20 minute bike ride and I can make it from my house to work in about that time (maybe less) so I decided to bike it to work today.

The problem came in how I was going to bring my clothes to change into and my lunch. We only have one backpack in our house and my husband uses it for his work stuff - thus it was in his office at work. My only other option was to use a diaper bag that I still had hanging around in the coat closet. It's plain black and not too diaper-bagy looking so I decided to take it rather than come up with an excuse to not bike to work. I slung it around my shoulders/chest and made it to work just fine. I'll do strength conditioning at the rec center after work and then bike it back home.

But let's step back to yesterday's group swim. My nostrils can still feel the chlorine burn almost 24 hours later. Since my goggles didn't magically help me swim better I decided to try a swim cap. Surely the magic is in the swim cap! My daughter thought it was a pretty fun thing:

I'm saving this photo for her wedding reception.

We got to the YMCA pool and were told to go down and back (50 yards) so they could see our techniques (or lack thereof). I think we then did another 50 yards and then some practice being face down in the pool learning how to breathe out and then turn to the side to breathe in. I was winded at this point so even that exercise was tough. Then we did 100 yards of kick board laps. I can keep my head in much better with the kick board - it's my arms flailing about that throws my breathing off I guess. At this point every time I got done with 50 yards I would feel a massive headache starting to pound in my head.

We were told to do another exercise, something like an alligator snap to keep your arms in the right position, and that was 50 yards. On the way back I choked on water and my head really felt awful. I got out of the pool to sit on the side for a moment and one of the coaches came to check on me. He told me that I was basically feeling the side effects of moving my head so much in the water plus being winded. He compared it to the feeling you get after the Tea Cup ride at Disneyland and I couldn't agree more. The rest of the group did another 100 yards to finish but I called it a day for myself. My head hurt badly for the rest of the evening. My calves also started cramping up. I had serious doubts about my ability to do this triathlon.

But then again, this is just week one of eight. Things always get better. I will need a lot of practice time in the pool. My plans are to spend some time just swimming super slowly to practice getting/keeping my head down and how to breathe better so I'm not spinning around like the Mad Hatter.

Swimming is serious business.

Crucial swim attire

2011-07-12T14:09:00.003-05:00

I'm pretty sure this is how awesome I looked in the pool yesterday:

Or not.

Monday's schedule called for strength training and 400 yards in the pool (16 laps). I had goggles and my new sports swimsuit (because I think halter top tankinis are frowned upon in triathlons) and I was ready to go. I think one part of my brain thought the goggles would make me a better swimmer.

I made it 50 yards (2 laps) before I was ready to pass out. Useless goggles.

My problem is I can't keep my head down in the water and only come up to breathe every few second. I'm huffing and puffing on each stroke. Since I wear contacts the goggles do help me not have to swim blind but I tried to keep my head down once and I came back up choking on water. Definitely glad for the swim portion of our training - I'm sure there's exercises for this kind of thing. And I'm not so blithe about a 200 yard swim anymore.

As mentioned above I needed to buy a new swimsuit since I only have 2 tankinis (one for fatter me and one for smaller me) and a one piece with straps that tend to fall off when you swim laps. Since I am back to fatter me it wasn't a pleasant thing to look for and try on swimsuits. I actually kept my spandex shorts (another post in my head about clothing that I might post later) and sports bra on while trying the thing on. I don't spend a lot of time looking at myself in it so I really don't know how it looks on me. I had to really shop around to find a sports swimsuit. The normal stores don't carry them anymore. I looked at Zappos.com but they didn't have any I liked (both style and price wise) that were in my size. I finally lucked out at Dick's Sporting Goods but still didn't have a ton to choose from. I'm eagerly awaiting my new cover-up as well: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Women-s-10-in-1-Convertible-Cover-Up-Dress/15819522 I'm also pretty sure this won't be needed for the triathlon but it was so cute and versatile.

The strength training involved a lot of squats and lunges so I'm horrifically sore today - Heloise is not happy with me. I did my 20 min run this morning (already in the 90's with the heat index at 7 am today - gross) and will do Zumba tonight to make up for an awesome hibachi dinner and strong drinks last night. The diet starts again - today, not yesterday.

Well that's a hell of a welcome back

2011-07-10T20:30:00.004-05:00

Literally hell. Read on my patient blogging friends - who probably got notified of a new post and thought, "who is this person?"

Yes, yes it's been very quiet in the fitness world of Judy. Only an occasional Zumba class thrown in whenever we didn't have t-ball, house selling madness, and just plain laziness. My husband recently got back on a health kick and has been hitting the gym everyday. One can only live with such smugness for so long before one gets the gumption to show him that he has nothing on you.

So Zumba increased and I made it to the gym a few times but it still wasn't enough to blog about. "Oooh I did 40 min on the elliptical" - that's the stuff of exciting blog reading...

Then an opportunity popped up and I said yes.

A training group for this triathlon: http://www.startriathlon.com/ (200 yard pool swim, 14 mile bike ride, and 5k run). I had my eye on this triathlon before but when things didn't work out with Schwinny, and I never got into the pool, and then my gallbladder/whatever thing...

But now I'm officially training for my first triathlon and I'm going to get back into the grove of a regular exercise routine again.

Today was the first meeting and the coach said we'd go on a short run. No biggie says I until temps started going up to the high 90's and the heat index was inching closer to 110. Never a fan of hot weather running to begin with; this was particularly disturbing to me. But I went to the meeting thinking surely they wouldn't be crazy enough to make us run at 4 pm with a HI of 107?

Surely?

I went in my running duds (more on that in a future post) because since we weren't running (surely) I'd hit the gym afterwards. After a nice meet and greet - I like this group more than the 1/2 group I was in last year, probably just because it's smaller and there's other slow runners so I don't feel as bad about my skills (or lack thereof) - the coach said, "ok let's go 10 min out and 10 min back."

And no one else had a panicked look on their face or protested because of the heat so I just kept my mouth shut too and tried not to give the coach my mom "look". It was awful, hellish, but it was only 20 minutes (and less than 2 miles with my current super fast speeds) so I survived.

We meet three times a week: Sundays = bike, Tuesdays = run, and Wednesdays = swim. I'll get in other workouts on the other days. I got 20 lbs that snuck back on to work on as well. This week you'll also get to hear about clothing adventures and buying a new bike (which will hopefully work out better than Schwinny. Sigh... Schwinny - I loved her so.

Yes those are crickets that you hear.

2011-03-24T09:34:00.002-05:00

Loved this post about Boot Camp from Carly at Chubby Chicks Run Too:
http://fatrunnergirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/thought-timeline-through-bootcamp.html

My boot camp is over - it only lasts 6 weeks at a time and my work stays too busy in the latter part of the semester for me to commit to boot camp.

I should be running but I'm not.

Basically it will be quiet on here for a while until I finally get my mind back into the grove.

Pandora caters to my ecleCtic side.

2011-02-21T22:11:00.004-06:00

Ecleptic: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ecleptic or you're just too lazy to make sure that's the word you're really looking for... Sigh - worthless Master's degree...

I'm blessed to get the opportunity to spend a couple of days on the beach for a professional development institute. I happily set my alarm to wake up early for a run along the beach since most of the day would be spent sitting inside the hotel. Sigh.

But the sun doesn't come up as early in Florida as in Tennessee so it was 7 am before I got outside. The moon was just about to set and it was very serene. I just couldn't put on my newest play list craze - the B.E.P. station on Pandora.

So for the first time (and quite possibly the last time) I started off my run with Enya (or at least the Enya station). And it was good. It wouldn't get me through a treadmill run but it flowed better with the environment than hearing Fergie proclaim, "I'm so 2008 - you're so 2000 and late.... Boom boom boom."

It's a tough world out there for thumbs

2011-02-15T09:03:00.006-06:00

Didn't make it to boot camp yesterday since the campus was on lock-down after a shooting incident. I did go exercise later in the afternoon and got 40 min on the eliptical (500 calorie burn). I had to do something to balance out the Valentine's Day indulgences.

And that's my philosophy on dieting and holidays - a diet should never ruin a holiday. Life is too short. Just make up for it by exercising or cutting some calories the day after.

A girl must have her chocolate.

Weekly Review 2/7-2/13

2011-02-14T08:03:00.002-06:00

Another good week of exercise and a good week of watching my calories. In the end I actually didn't eat enough calories (even though I did eat quite a bit and never really felt hungry) but I figured I needed a week to trick my body into weight loss mode and then I'll do better about getting enough calories per day once I count my exercise.

For example my typical caloric intake last week was between 1400-1800 calories which is good for weight loss without exercise but not enough with exercise. However, I'm finding it hard to find foods that don't just add some calories if I'm short in that category without adding too much fat and carbs. I'm trying to increase my protein as well so I think that's what is helping me not feel too hungry.

But here are last week's totals:
Monday - boot camp lunch, 30 min. Katrina is one of the hardest trainers this boot camp - she's way high cardio and never stops. But I know a session is good if I hate the trainer about 20 minutes into the class.
Tuesday - boot camp lunch, 30 min. Nate - does good weight and toning exercises with bursts of cardio in between.
Wednesday - no boot camp since the girl was sick but I got a little over an hour of cardio between bike and running.
Thursday - no exercise
Friday - boot camp afternoon, 45 min. Christina - circuit training including spin, weights, and loads of gluts and ab exercises. I also kind of hate her during the session. I ended with 20 min of the elipitcal to help make up for La Siesta at lunch - chips and salsa strike again.
Saturday - 5k (a little under 33 min again) and a good 45 min of weight machines (arms, legs, and abs).
Sunday - 45 min eliptical and hour Zumba

Weight was down 4 lbs since that awful weigh in. So a good week.

And this week is so nice and warm outside so that helps the overall mood feel happier and lighter. Unfortunately the wind is also crazy so I won't be out too much enjoying the sun but it is nice to see 51 degrees when I come into work in the morning instead of 11 (which it was just 3 short days ago...).

Running baseline

2011-02-10T08:44:00.000-06:00

My daughter had a fever today so I stayed home with her and missed the lunch boot camp. Then a snow storm came through so I didn't want to stay out late on the roads. I did my own workout that was high on cardio and low on squats.

I started with 35 minutes on the stationary bike and then 30+ min of running. The running was absurdly hard. I got close enough to a 5k within my time limit of 30 min so I went ahead and finished a 5k distance at just under 33 minutes. That included several walking breaks.

Since we all have to start again somewhere I'll make this my baseline for this round of boot camp. I'm not planning on running any longer than 5k for a while so I'll focus on increasing speed and using a run once or twice a week to compliment the other cross training that I get through boot camp.

The guacamole demon

2011-02-08T14:28:00.005-06:00

Now that would make an awesome episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I finally have a "weekly results" worth mentioning so I'll start off with that:

Monday 1/31 and Tuesday 2/1 - no exercise
Wednesday 2/2 - 45 min afternoon boot camp (think aerobics and boxing together)
Thursday 2/3 - 30 min lunch boot camp (circuit training) and 60 min Zumba at night
Friday 2/4 - 30 min lunch and 45 min afternoon boot camp (both were circuit training but they did different exercises and the afternoon included some spin)
Saturday 2/5 - 40 min of elliptical, 10 min of stair machine, and 10 min of running with hills
Sunday 2/6 - 60 min Zumba

I'm back to the "pleasant soreness" after workouts rather than "please shoot me now - really now, please!" soreness. However, after checking my weight on Monday (up 3 lbs!? from the last check but it had been about 2 weeks since I checked) I finally decided to get serious about the diet. I miss myfooddiary.com. I let my membership expire since I wasn't using it. I'm trying out a free program right now (FitDay.com) which is ok but not as good as myfooddiary.com but you get what you pay for - or don't pay for in this instance. It's a pain to start off a diary and enter in every little morsel you consume but I know from experience that not tracking means I'll overeat. Or even if I eat ok calorie wise my carbs and fats are too high.

Finally, I've decided to review Women, Food, and God. It should arrive next week. I feel like I have a healthy self-esteem and relationship with God but I'm interested to see her take. I am a stress or anger eater and I definitely need more boundaries with my chips and salsa intake. Perhaps this will enlighten me to my inner Mexican food issues?

Bad news is that my side pain is flaring up but it really doesn't affect my exercise so I'm going to keep going and hope that as my abs get stronger it will go away.

Why my diet isn't working

2011-02-04T10:26:00.002-06:00

Boot camp is going well. I had a couple days off but am past the initial soreness. I did lose some weight this week but I think it had more to do with cutting 12 inches of hair off my head.

Dang it - now I want some french fries...

This is how it feels when you've been hit by a bus.

2011-01-26T14:02:00.000-06:00

Day three of boot camp and this video aptly applies to me:

I'm doping up on ibuprofen and icing my knees. Squats and lunges - you win this round but just wait. Give me a couple of weeks and I'll hop up and down stairs again. In the meantime just give me some extra time to walk across my living room, office, parking lot, bathroom, etc...

The Station Master

2011-01-25T14:26:00.005-06:00

Day Two of Boot Camp and there were no more fainting/puking spells. Thank goodness.

Instead there were many, "oh good grief can't you pay attention!" spells.

Today was interval training at 12 different stations (though many were repeats of previous stations).

The order was such (sorry I thought it would be bigger - cannot avoid adding "that's what she said" I tried, I really tried...):

You'd be amazed at how many people couldn't grasp the concept of moving through 12 stations. After being bumped out of positions during the first round (and the instructor couldn't figure it out herself) I decided to risk being annoying in the second round by telling confused people where to go next. Going from station 12 to 1, 4 to 5, 8 to 9, or 9 to 10 seemed to be the most confusing.

My second point for today's post is that I am not a fan of jump ropes (and there were 4 jump rope stations today). I'm sure jumping is a superb form of exercising but after having two big-headed kids my bladder has informed me that I should never jump - ever.

"Unless You Puke, Faint or Die, Keep Going!" ~ Jillian

2011-01-24T14:32:00.003-06:00

12 minutes into Boot Camp today and I almost puked and fainted. I took a 30 second breather which turned into a 5 minute breather (when the room didn't cease to spin around) but I went back and finished the class.

I seriously don't know why I crashed like that. The class was high cardio and while I definitely am not in the best of shape I have kept somewhat active and can get through an hour of Zumba or 40 minutes of running still. My best guess is that I need to eat something better for breakfast tomorrow (today was a banana, coffeee, and an English muffin plus a granola bar for a snack around mid-morning). Probably too much sugar and not enough protein - something was off, way off.

It's a 5 day/week program and I can go twice a day if I feel up to it. My first goal is to just get through a whole class. I joked with some fellow classmates (whom I know from other classes and previous boot camps) that I was a cautionary tale of taking a year off of boot camp.

Starting Boot Camp again will be ugly.

2011-01-08T13:45:00.002-06:00

Last weekend my husband and I had a long talk about our individual weight loss goals and work out plan. For me it was working out 45-60 minutes a day to jump start my weight loss (every pound I lost last year is back on me) and kick back the fat % which has frightened me from getting back on my fancy-shamcy scale.

But a whole week went by without much exercise and only a tiny effort towards eating better. I will be starting boot camp again but it doesn't officially start until the 22nd (or somewhere around that date) so until then it's up to me to keep a schedule. And we've all seen how well I do at that...

Sigh.

But I got in the gym today for an hour of cardio and some toning exercises. The cardio wore me out but didn't kill me (I kept the pace slower than were I was before - about 11 m/m). The toning exercises however were another story. And where I had excitement about starting boot camp before - I now have a more realistic realization of what the first couple weeks back will feel like. And that realization is not warm and fuzzy.

I haven't really looked at races yet for this year. I might do the Zoo Run Run again (3rd year in a row) but it would be with a friend and a walk/run thing since I'm nowhere near being able to run it at the same pace I did last year. I'm more serious about the 15k again since it's around my birthday and a nice excuse to get out of town and down to Chattanooga (a lovely place to visit). But I'll get through the first few weeks of bootcamp and then reconsider it.

I'm somewhat concerned about my side pain flaring up again and I don't want to lose money on race entries again so it's a wait and see. But even if I can't run in races I will lose this weight again (20 lbs) by my birthday. I'm completely disgusted with the gain and it will not stay on my frame.

I also told my husband that this was the year that we would buy me a bike - a nice bike not a Walmart/Target bike. It will need to wait until tax refund time but the plan is in the works.

Dreaming of other things...

2011-01-03T18:58:00.003-06:00

If I ever move to the beach the first thing I'm doing is joining an all-male British running cross country team.

Until then, I really need to put Chariots of Fire on my Netflix queue.

Big plans for this New Year but let's see if I can get through the first week of my resolutions before I start blogging about them. I will say that I got a body fat scale at a Christmas exchange and it's an evil thing. At least the numbers it's telling me are evil.

Pink'ish

2010-11-15T15:52:00.002-06:00

I haven't updated in a while because the insanity of my work schedule but I've still kinda been working out - last week was only twice but before that was good and I have big plans for this week...

So first a little Weekly Results quick catch-up (more for myself than for you):
Oct. 24-30 Zumba on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Rest on Monday. Something at the Rec center on Wednesday and on Thursday ( I honestly don't remember what I did). I don't remember Friday/Saturday that week so I may have done nothing on those days.
Oct. 31-Nov.6 Zumba on the 31st. Nothing through the rest of the week because of my work schedule.
Nov. 7-13 Pilates for Pink on the 7th (more below), nothing on the 8th, Zumba on the 9th and 11th. Nothing on the other days.

This week:
November 14: 1.5 hr mixed workout at rec center than hour long zumba (yeah I'm feeling it today)
November 15: rest day
November 16: Zumba
November 17: Something at the rec center (most likely a run)
November 18: Lunch time workout and Zumba that evening
November 19: Something at the rec center
November 20: Perhaps a 4 mile walk/run outside if the weather is nice

Pilates for Pink - aka Save the Ta-Ta's
The rec center had a fund raiser on the 7th for Breast Cancer Awareness month (yes, I know that was October but I wasn't in charge of scheduing). It was 4 classses from 2:30-4:30, Pilates, Zumba, Butts & Guts, and Striptease. Yes, striptease - but no poles or removal of clothing was involved. It was fun and not too difficult except for B&G. It's been too long since I've been in that class and I could feel every single muscle involved over the next couple of days.

I'm going to sign up for a 4 mile run/walk Turkey Trot kind of thing on the 25th. I hope to be able to run (albeit slowly) through the whole thing. It won't be my best run - I think/hope my splits will probably be close to 11 mm. But it really has been a long time since I've run more than a couple of miles at one time.

I did my own mixed work out at the rec center yesterday. I knew I had about an hour and a half to get a good workout in but I didn't know what I really wanted to do. I started off with laps around the track which was fine. I got a mile in and thought I'd mix it up boot camp style by running a couple of laps and then doing other exercises inbetween. So I started off with crunches and other ab exercises, then a couple more laps, then squats/lunges and some arm exercises with weights. I got a little light headed after that one so I walked a lap. Then to finish that section of my workout some more abs and arm exercises. From there I still had about 40 minutes left so I biked for 15 minutes and did the elliptical for 20 minutes. Afterwards I got some trail mix and vitamin water and went to Zumba for another hour. I managed to pull a muscle in my hip area somehow during the squat/lunge portion of my workout so that's a little tender today but I really liked going back to that style of workout that mixed everything into one session. Perhaps I'll try to get into Boot Camp again next semester (my life runs in semesters since I work at a university) but I'll have to see what my overall schedule looks like.

Boring post - but as I said above, more for my records than your entertainment. :)

Finally, the secret to your best finish time revealed!

2010-10-29T10:17:00.005-05:00

Make sure your race sponsors a petting zoo WITH a camel. It truly is the camel that makes the difference.

Today I volunteered for what is perhaps the best race of the 2010 racing season. Who needs the Boston, New York, Chicago, or Marines marathon when you got the Fox Trot?

100+ Kindergartners running (and sometimes walking) their little hearts and legs out for a half hour straight to raise money for their school.

Look at that form!

Or there's always the "keep your hands in your pants" form which I've heard makes you more aerodynamic plus keeps your hands warm.

There's even a debate among 5 year olds regarding running skirts. She made a bold choice with this one.

My son showing off his racing injury.

Mad about those costumed runners always beating you? Well just surround them by 5 year olds and that will slow 'em down.

The triumph of winning.

Rogue sheep eating the race cones.

And no sissy massage chairs at the end - give me a bounce house anytime.

Good race kids - good race.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner.

2010-10-27T08:43:00.004-05:00

Aaah Zumba. You've given so much in such a little time. Last night's treasure was the memory of Baby learning to dance and the accurate imitation I was doing in my attempts to Samba.

And the fact that Jai Ho will never ever leave my brain - it's on a continuous loop.

Today it's back to elliptical and track circles - not nearly as entertaining.

Must have triathlon bike for 2011

2010-10-25T13:36:00.002-05:00

It's on my Christmas wish list! Well if I wrote my wish list in 1891.

Week in review 10/17-10/23

2010-10-23T18:27:00.002-05:00

I had unofficially planned to get back in the game this week and I started off well, got lazy, and finished feeling a bit renewed.

Sunday - 2 mile run/walk then hour long introduction to Zumba.
Monday - 4 mile walk
Tuesday - another hour long Zumba
Wednesday-Friday - this is where I slacked
Saturday - return to the rec center; 1/2 hour on elliptical and 1/2 hour jogging on indoor track.

The weather was gorgeous today so I should have ran outside but I think I got more done (calorie burn wise) with a combo of the elliptical and jogging. I would have walked more outside. My goal next week is to get one hour of cardio for 6 of 7 days.

Sunday - Zumba (this will be my "fun" exercise)
Monday - Rest day
Tuesday - Zumba
Wednesday - Elliptical/Jog
Thursday - Spin
Friday - Elliptical/Jog
Saturday - Jog

After a couple weeks of cardio I'll add some strength and toning again but I want to get the cardio going first. Also the diet starts tomorrow. I just made some homemade granola (delish) to help us along the way. Of course my diet is doomed to fail since Halloween is also next week - but it's good to set unreasonable goals.... Isn't it?

The good, the bad, and the Zumba.

2010-10-17T20:01:00.002-05:00

Finally, the 1/2 date has come and gone. I no longer have to wallow in the bummed out mood I'd get whenever I got a reminder email, saw a road closure sign, or watched other runners training as I drove around.

The shirt is really cool. I have no shame in wearing it since I did race it last year. *ha* Of course it means I either have to lie about the race when asked, "Oh you ran the half marathon this year?" or come up with one hell of a good story about skipping it; better than "well I have this really weird pain in my abs and spent about 2 months with a recurrent UTI." Awkward conversation starter if I ever heard one.

One thing I realized was that it was probably a good thing that I didn't push myself to run through those times when I was on antibiotics for the UTI(s). A side affect of antibiotics and hard exercise is sometimes tendinitis. I got a touch of it last year after the half marathon because I was just finishing up a antibiotic then too.

But enough about the half - let's move on shall we? I took some time away to exercise today. I really need to get back in the game. I hate the loss of my abs and muscles that were just starting to peek out from among the fluff that surrounded them. I tried running first and had a horrific two mile run/walk. Sheesh am I out of shape! A friend of mine is recently gotten really into Zumba and wants us all to join her. In spite of ALL the numerous workouts I have tried over the past few years I never had tried Zumba. I wasn't against it in principle. It sounded fun - I'm just uncoordinated and feel ridiculous trying to follow dance moves in front of a mirrored wall. But today I thought, what the hell. Let's Zumba!

I think a fair comparison of me doing Zumba is to reflect upon the time when I first got Barry White's Greatest Hits (I think it was around the time Ally McBeal was on tv and they always listened to Barry). I may or may not have had a few drinks that night and spent a good hour dancing around the house to his velvety disco delights. I'm no dancer but I had fun.

This was a lot like that - minus the alcohol. But I still had fun. Heck, I might even do it again.

My innards are beautiful and tricksy

2010-10-02T22:06:00.003-05:00

Update on health and training (or lack thereof).

Since I've last blogged I've gone through several more diagnostic tests (2 ultrasounds, a CT scan, a Hida scan, several blood/urine tests, a colonoscopy, and a partridge in a pear tree) only to reveal that everything within me looks "normal". Which is good news except for the fact that my entire right side is tender and I occasionally still have bad cramps. But I will throw no more money away on expensive diagnostic tests that fill me with radioactive material - seriously I should have Spidey powers by now.

But with these tests, work, family life, etc (ad naseum) I've barely run or worked out at all. I tried a long run last weekend with the plans to go 8 miles - however slow I had to go. I got 3 miles in and had to cut it short because of pain and discomfort from another UTI. I ended up walking half of the distance back to my car. This week my son will be getting his tonsils out so it's hard to plan run times around that.

And now my husband will be out of town on the morning of the half marathon so I have to decide if it's really worth it to find a babysitter that's willing to come to my house at 6 a.m. Or should I just accept the fact that I've paid $125 this summer for two tech shirts (one for the training plan that I only got 5 weeks out of and the 1/2 marathon which will still give me the shirt even if I don't run)?

I hate to sound like I'm making excuses. Goodness knows I could have "fought" my way through the pain and time constraints. People go through far worse pain and illnesses and life stressors to run all kind of events. But in the end the only person who really cares if I run this event or not is me. I'm not giving up on running - I'm just missing out on a couple of events. I'd really rather not walk/run 13.1 miles. It's not about making the distance - I've already proven that. And I'd be horribly bored with the slowness of the race and the lack of challenge. I know that I can do better than a 2:30+ half marathon. I was willing to keep trying if I had a chance of getting below 2:30 (remember my original goal was below 2:10 and last year's half was a 2:40'ish finish). But I'm a better runner than a 12 mm pace (when I'm in good training shape) so I don't want another 12 mm+ finish time.

Really the only thing that aggravates me about bowing out is the waste of money ($50). I really wish I could sell my place to someone else. There are plenty of people that weren't able to get a spot in this race and would love to race it - it sold out a couple of months ago. But those darn race rules get in the way...

Oh well - I suppose we all have to have a DNF (or even DNS) on our race records... I'll let you know if I change my mind. Otherwise the plan is to start cross training again and build back my muscle strength and get back to weight loss - still got 20 lbs for my goal weight. And to also just wait for the pain in my abs to go away or to explode one day into something that's detectable. I'm done with Dr's offices. One can only read so many outdated People magazines.

If all else fails I think I've found a replacement.

2010-09-11T16:39:00.002-05:00

My 2 1/2 year old in my race gear.

We know what it isn't...

2010-09-01T08:46:00.005-05:00

Seven weeks into my mysterious pain issue. It's not my ovaries (i.e. cysts), it's probably not my appendix (though that's still my best guess - more later), it's not gall bladder or colon or IBS. But it's constant daily pain and I've begun to get annoyed.

I've had ultra sounds, a CT scan, and tomorrow I start seeing a GI Doctor to look at my intestines.

One theory was that I pulled a muscle by running but we've eliminated that theory since my pain is getting worse even though I've only ran once this month.

Apparently there's this issue out there called "chronic appendicitis" and my symptoms best match that but my blood work and CT scan don't indicate any appendix issues. So if nothing shows up on the GI end ("end" - ha ha) and my pain continues after a couple more weeks we'll do another CT scan.

But since I'm not running (and the weather is finally getting nicer for morning runs) I won't do the Chikin Run 10K. I will however volunteer to work at that race. It will be my first time to volunteer so I'm looking forward to this new experience.

I haven't written off the Middle Half yet but I no longer have a chance of making under 2:15. I'll still hope for a better time than last year but it won't be by much. I still have 7 weeks to train but we'll have to see how I feel.

Nice try but no dice

2010-08-14T10:24:00.004-05:00

I felt bad about skipping so many training runs so I guilted myself into joining the group run today. It was more about seeing if the pain and fatigue were real or exaggerated by my brain. I know that sometimes you can run even though you feel like crap. So even though it was 80 something with humidity at 7 a.m. this morning and the group was going 9 miles I decided I'd at least try.

I started off fine. Yes, there was pain but it wasn't worse with running. But the coach decided to make us go over "the hill" (actually a bridge that's an overpass for the train) and back and then back up a real (though less steep) hill to start on the rest of the trail. After those three uphills I fell behind everyone in the group and knew I wouldn't be able to finish. So I slowed to a walk and then found a bench to sit down for a moment to cool down and slow my heart rate. I walked the mile back to my car (so my total distance this morning was about 3 miles). In retrospect I should have skipped the hill to get more distance but whatever - you run you learn.

I have an ultrasound on Thursday to check for cysts. I'm pretty sure I have one given the cramping pain and now pressure on my nerves which gives me pelvic pain as well. If it's not a cyst then I'll check into gastrointestinal problems because there's definitely something wrong/abnormal going on.

For sale

2010-08-11T16:40:00.002-05:00

Two slightly used ovaries - $0.10 O.B.O.

32 consecutive days of cramps have sidelined me from running recently - along with other problems that seem too delicate to mention on a public blog. I have an ultrasound on the 19th but until then will not be doing too much exercise wise. I'm not too sad since it's 300 degrees outside. Thankfully I still have time to catch up on my training once we figure out what's going on.

But I hope to get back on here soon so write about my last run and the important lessons I learned about not eating jalapenos before a run. It's sage advice.

Motivational Bull

2010-07-25T19:13:00.003-05:00

I've heard other runners make quotations such as "I didn't feel like running but I know I'd feel worse if I didn't run." As if to say there's nothing in life worse than a missed run. I understand the thinking, the motivation factor behind sayings like these but I'm here to declare to the world that some runs are just crap.

Such as Saturday's run in the heat and humidity. I had to miss last week since the husband was out of town and I also had to work that morning. Last week it was like 70 degrees in the morning and just gorgeous outside. Figures.

You know what this weekend looked like. I got out of the house and to the warm-up and was sweaty already even though I picked a spot in the shade. I stayed at the back of the group because I did not want to run at any kind of pace that would keep me somewhat close to the front. At first I was in good company but then we lost the 10k training group and I was on my own and kept getting slower and slower. At the end there was only 1 girl and the two walkers behind me. If we went a full 7 miles then my pace was right at 12 mm but it felt slower than that so maybe we were a bit short again.

I really was ticked throughout the run because they chose a route that was way more sun than shade. There's plenty of options for more shaded places so I don't know what they were thinking. I also started thinking (which actually I've been thinking for a couple of weeks) that I was paying $75 for this plan and all I was getting out of it were group runs where I ran more on my own than with a group. I mean the weekly plan I can get from Runner's World Smart Coach and there hasn't been anything else that's actually individualized for me. They've had a couple of seminars at times where I can't make it. So really, for the $ I'm not impressed at all. I could have paid $75 for a session or two with a trainer and gotten more info.

At the end the only thing that got me to finish was that I knew there were cold towels waiting. I skipped out of the post run stretches and went home to a cold shower and 3 ibuprofen. I wasn't proud that I finished the run. I wasn't glad that I kept up with the schedule - I just thought, "what a #$*&y run."

But I know some runs are crappy. Thankfully it's only some and not all. And in another month and a half it will feel great outside again. July can't last forever.

The definition of hot is?

2010-07-23T09:36:00.004-05:00

Gross =
This will be for Saturday's group long run of 7 miles. This morning it was already 85 by 8 a.m. and it will be hotter tomorrow. The local news stations are actually predicting 100 for the high tomorrow. If they (the group) want to keep a 10 mm pace I might be forced to wear a scowl the whole entire time.

I did most of my speed work yesterday evening (when it was still 93 outside). I did 4x400 at a 8:00-8:30 pace but then joined a friend in her C25K routine which was 90 sec runs and 2 min walks. So I definitely got in more than the required distance but those 90 sec runs felt like more of a 10-10:30 pace. But it was NASTY hot and humid outside and I was zonked after the 4x400 (probably still recovering from giving blood and I did have a stomach full of dinner) so I'm calling it good.

I'm not dead yet. Or: I did it for the cookies.

2010-07-21T15:51:00.004-05:00

Thank God I feel better today (and no one clubbed me over the head yesterday though my husband may have been tempted).

I woke up like this:

(Make sure you sing along with the bouncing ears!)

Maybe it was just a round of really evil PMS. I did my planned 4 miles but had to break it up to make it more interesting since I was inside again. So after the first mile I would increase the incline by .5 for every .05 of a mile up to a half mile and then back down again in the same increments. It made the mile go by less tediously but did produce more sweat. The last 1.5 miles was done on the indoor track.

After that I went and did my civic duty by donating blood. I hoped I wouldn't faint since I was jumping from running to donating but I did fine and enjoyed the cookies afterwards. Mmmm chocolate chip.

Tomorrow speed work! Everything is satisfactual.

My body hates me.

2010-07-20T16:07:00.001-05:00

What is wrong with me?

For more than a week I've been overly tired, cramping, pissy, and my back has hurt. Yes, all normal things for PMS but I shouldn't be there yet. No, I'm not pregnant nor going through early menopause (at the tender age of 32). But I AM really sick of feeling crappy.

I didn't get my long run in on Sunday because I felt like horse manure all day. I barely got up enough energy to go to the grocery store and that was only because the kids were threatening to revolt if we didn't feed them.

This week's plan called for a 4 mile easy run on Monday and I did force myself over to the rec center despite still feeling like a run-over frog. I thought, "hey isn't running supposed to make you feel better sometimes?" So I got my four miles in with steady 10 mm splits and felt pretty good the whole time. But about an hour or so afterward I felt worse and my back was much worse.

Today I'm laid up at my house and still wondering when I'm going to feel better.

But here's the results for last week (for my memory more than anything else):
Monday and Tuesday - made excuses not to exercise
Wednesday - easy 3.25 miles
Thursday - speed work 6x400. My sprints were at 6.7-7.0 on the treadmill (which is 8:34-7:57 mm) with 1-2 minute walks inbetween sprints. Total time was 25 minutes (included cool down walk at the end) and total mileage was 2 miles.
Friday - nothing because of work
Saturday - 1.25 miles on treadmill and another 25 minutes on the eliptical which said my distance was 2.25 so I "kind of" made up for the miles I should have done on Monday (kind of).
Sunday - should have been a 6.5 mile long run but it never happened.

This week:
Monday: 4 miles easy
Tuesday: cross train (though today it's ended up just being rest because of my back issues)
Wednesday: 4 miles easy
Thursday: 7x400
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 7 mile long run
Sunday: cross train

We'll just have to see how it goes.

Shorts are the enemy

2010-07-16T09:01:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks back I won a free sample of Lanacane's Anti-Chaffing Gel on Secrets of a Running Mom's blog. I received it and it sat on my counter for a few days but last night I finally got around to shaving my legs and I planned on taking shorts to the rec center today to test it out.

They didn't ask me to review the product when I won it but I thought I would anyway. Because I like my own opinion. But if you also like to hear other's opinions you can read some other reviews on these blogs: Secrets of a Running Mom or from Chubby Chicks Run Too. I'm sure there's other ones out there since Lanacane seems to be on a marketing blitz.

But first here's the Haiku that helped me win (actually it was a random drawing but I'd like to think it was helped because of my wit and comedic styling):

Heat Index One-Ten
Mocked for Wearing Capri Tights
Thighs too fat for shorts

Seriously where's my book deal?

True story. I was mocked for wearing capri tights only the blogger didn't single me out - rather any female at the RC Cola Moon Pie race that wasn't wearing shorts. Now I agree that due to the heat shorts make more sense but I friggin' hate shorts while running. They ride up in the middle, I always feel like my butt is about to be exposed, and my chubby thighs rub and rub until they feel on fire. Since I've never actually tried any other anti-chaffing product (such as BodyGel or that other one that has something to do with cow udders....) this was truly an experiment.

And it was a dismal failure.

I first put on the Lanacane before going to work since I was wearing a skirt today (shaving my legs opened up a whole new wardrobe of bigger sized clothes that didn't make me feel horrifically fat) and it's hot - high 90's with humidity, LOVE THE SOUTH!

For that purpose the Lanacane worked great. I reapplied before working out. I did speed work and cursed my shorts every time I did my 1/4 mile sprints (well sprints to me). Really I was glad that there was no one behind me because I swear those shorts were flying up to show my undies whenever they weren't riding up in the middle.

But I could feel the chaffing starting so the gel didn't last the whole workout. Seeing how it was only 25 minutes and 2 miles (6x400 with short walking breaks in between and at the end to cool down) this is not enough to make me wear shorts in the summer. I'll stick to my capris and feel confident that my rear is covered and the skin doesn't rub. Thankfully I have no other chaffing issues.

But I will keep the Lanacane and use it on those hot days when I wear skirts. Like Carly at Chubby Chicks I too think that this product is better used for daily activites rather than sports.

More than bloated

2010-07-15T09:09:00.003-05:00

So yesterday all my pants were tight. Not a good sign. I eventually put on a pair that used to be big on me and tried to suck it in all day - and obviously felt miserable all day as well. But it was enough motivation to get me to the rec center for my run (I skipped Monday's and Tuesday's workouts AGAIN). And also to get me back on the scale this morning.

I've gained 5 lbs in the last month. Ridiculous. There are a couple of factors that go into this.

My diet has been crap and my only workouts have been long runs. Since my diet is crap my calories are not equaling out. Thus I gain weight but still it shouldn't have been 5 lbs in a month.
Summer is a horrible time for me to fit in workouts. My husband was gone for a month, work is busier thus eliminating lunch workouts, I had family visiting for two weeks, and I don't wake up early before it gets miserably hot. I could go on and on. There's something about winter that just makes it easier for me to exercise.
I'm back on hypo-thyroid medication. For normal people this should mean losing weight and feeling better but whenever I take meds for thyroid I feel worse. I just got new blood work done this week so there might be medication adjustments in front of me.
I'm very crampy so I think there is some bloating issues too. Sometimes it's hard to be a woman... For the paranoid people out there (me included) I did take a pregnancy test which was negative so I can't blame that.

So I need to go back to being strict on my diet and better about exercising. Back in April I got so sick of dieting that I started to relax some with the idea that my exercise would balance out any indulgences and I was fine with just maintaining. Well that worked out so well that I've gained a total of 10 lbs back since then. I can't say that I'm excited about going back to a strict diet but I also want my pants to fit so I've got to do what I need to do.

Today is speed work and I'm thinking of also doing a ultimate sculpt class. Since my long run will be on Sunday my muscles will have an extra day to recover from the shock of doing squats and lunges again. They get quite lippy towards me whenever I go back to doing squats.

I knew that didn't feel like a 10:30 pace

2010-07-12T15:57:00.003-05:00

Week three of training was also derailed by the family visit and insane work environment. Oh well - it's still early on in training. Here's what I ended up doing for the week.

Sunday - Rest/Family time
Monday - Rest/Family time
Tuesday - two mile walk to walk off the Asian Dream cocktails that were consumed on date night with hubby
Wednesday - brought workout clothes to work but was unable to use them
Thursday - 3 mile walk/run with friends that are starting a C25K program. At least I did something
Friday - Crazy, crazy work
Saturday - almost 6 miles with the group

Saturday's long run was interesting. I was not excited about it at all so I arrived in a sour mood. There was fog outside. FOG in July does not invoke visions of a cool and mysterious run but rather it's so freakin' humid that the water droplets have combined forces to make this mist surrounding us that does not cool us off but just makes us wet. But the temps were only in the high 70's so it could have been worse. We started off and were keeping about a 10:30 pace through the first half. I felt ok during that half and enjoyed keeping pace with another gal that is a little faster than me for long runs but close enough that we can keep each other company. But at the halfway point I lost what little oomph I had and struggled through the second half. We got about 3/4 done and hit a hill and from that point forward I was in a very sour mood. But I was met by our peppy coach who forced me to pick up the pace for the last 100 yards or so (it was a good thing actually because it changed my mood entirely). I looked at my watch which said 1:03 and I just knew that we didn't go a full 6 miles because there was no way I kept the 10:30 pace for the entire run. The second half was just too sluggish plus I walked for a couple of minutes. I later learned we only went about 5.7 miles. Oh well - for a moment I had visions of finishing the half in under 2:10.

I really do aim to keep on track this week. Here's the schedule:
Monday - 3.5 miles easy (will do on treadmill)
Tuesday - cross train
Wednesday - 3.5 miles easy (indoor track or treadmill)
Thursday - speed 6x400 (treadmill)
Friday - rest
Saturday - skipping group run because I have to work
Sunday - solo long run 6.5 miles

I need to get signed up for my next two races - a 5k and 10k. I hope to run/walk the 5k with friends so I'm not going for any kind of time or PR there but the 10k will be a trial for my pace at the half. Last year I did a 10k at a 10:30 pace but since I've more recently done a 15k at a 10:15 pace I want this 10k to be under 10mm. I've got to do better on my weekly schedule if I'm going to achieve that goal.

What's more tiring?

2010-07-03T13:51:00.004-05:00

A five mile run or taking pictures with your family?

With a cantankerous two year old and a four year old who thought the highlight of the day was lifting up the back of mommy's skirt - I think the photo shoot was the more tiring part of my day.

I haven't done quite as well in week two of training since my family (there's now 10 of us in the house) are in town. I got in one 3 mile run on Wednesday but didn't do any other cross training or speed runs. I have been very active chasing kids and keeping people entertained. So it's not like I've rested up or anything this past week.

I did make sure to join the group run today because there will already be one run I'll have to miss for work in a couple of weekends. It was a decent run. My pace is about the middle of the pack so often I'm still running alone. Today I averaged about 11 minute miles over the course of the whole run. I think I started off closer to 10 and ended at 12 though. :) The weather was much nicer today and even in the sun there was a decent breeze blowing and low humidity. So you can't ask for more on a run in July.

Immediately after the run I rushed home to shower and get kids/husband ready for family pictures with the rest of the crew that's in town. It was then that I realized that the 5 miles were the easy part of my day.

Week One Done (at least mentally if not in actuality)

2010-06-24T21:09:00.003-05:00

I've done all my workouts this week. I know that I actually have 3 more days before this week is over (at least that's how I consider weeks on my schedule) but the hard part is done. Friday is yoga (a delight), Saturday the group run (not too hard to motivate myself for that), and Sunday is rest, GLORIOUS rest.

But it's been an interesting week. I tried out a new yoga instructor who was, well... odd. At first I was excited about more yoga times and I worked out my schedule to run and do yoga afterwards (really benefiting from that stretching). Well we spent the first 15 minutes just breathing and moving our arms. And the dude liked to breathe - loudly and with enthusiasm. We were finally getting into some stretches when I had to leave early but I wasn't sad to do so. I'll give him another chance - you can't judge a yoga class by one session - but it may not find its way onto my regular workout schedule. Tomorrow's yoga is with an instructor I know and enjoy so no worries there.

Monday's run was pretty easy - 3 miles under 30 minutes (closer to 28 min actually). Tuesday was Ultimate Sculpt which kicked my arse last time but they had a sub who was much gentler with us. I wasn't sad about this since I am easing back into a full workout schedule again. I didn't really need to feel beat up again in the first week. Wednesday's 3 mile run was hard and much slower. I got it done but with walking breaks. My legs were weak and sluggish.

Then today = speedwork. Lovely speedwork that I dreaded all day. I tried to get it done at lunch but apparently students that "MUST BE SEEN RIGHT AWAY" always choose the lunch hour to show up at your office. So it was after 4 before I got over to the rec center. I'm doing most runs either inside or first thing in the morning since the heat is unbearable. I wanted speed work on the treadmill so that I wouldn't have to worry about pace or tracking distance.

Since my legs were so tired and wondering what the hell I was doing after 2 months of little running I started off with a jog around 2 laps of the inside track and then stretched before going to the treadmill.

Then it was (no incline at all this time):
1/2 mile at 12 mm (5 speed)
1/4 mile at 8:57 mm (6.7 speed)
1/4 mile at 12 mm (repeat 4 more times)
1/4 mile walking to finish cooling off.
Total run with pre-stretch laps was about 3.5 miles.

The speed work wasn't hard which tells me I wasn't doing it right. I either need longer distances at the faster speed or shorter breaks at the slower speeds. But once again I let the excuse of, "this is your first week back" drive my decision making process. Also I felt rather smug and self righteous while running since the t.v. above me was showing "Down Home with the Neely's" and the bowl of bacon-potato salad had to be about 3000 calories per serving (and yes it looked delicious).

Not the sporty type

2010-06-22T15:11:00.003-05:00

It's hot again this week (high 90's, indexes in the 100's) so I did my mileage on the inside track yesterday. It's more boring but you're less likely to melt on the hot asphalt. This week also happens to be some type of Jr High Girls' Basketball Camp so the rec center is overrun with basketball players. It's brought back some painful memories of my stint as a Jr High Basketball player.

In 7th grade I had the unfortunate experience of going to a small private school whose only requirement for you to play in the Jr High girls' division was that you were a girl and in junior high. Skills mattered not.

So there we were, a sad group of players (some of whom were actually afraid of the ball), forced to run up and down the court against teams that actually had people who knew what they were doing. We lost. A lot.

And the running - always running.

Not leisurely long distance runs where you keep your heart rate at a certain beat. No! Up and down until you puke because we don't have enough players to ever bring in an alternative.

Not that I ever puked. But I felt like it. Needless to say, this experience did not instill a love of sports into my teenage mind. My 8th grade year we moved to a new town and I did not participate in any sports. I had enough.

So now 20 years later as I circle above the girls running back and forth across the court I feel two things. 1) Thank God it isn't me anymore. 2) I wish I would have had a better experience and not ended up a size 16-18 in high school.

Since I didn't perish...

2010-06-21T10:58:00.003-05:00

That means I'll have to go ahead with my 1/2 marathon training plan this summer. This is the first week of training and it's pretty easy mileage wise. But I'm perfectly happy with it being easy since I slacked off so much during the last month. My quads are still a little sore from Saturday's run but overall the soreness wasn't too bad. I'm going to lose a toenail again - the same one I always lose (and yes my shoes are big enough). That toe will never be the same I fear.

So here's the plan (and I'm stickin' to it):
Monday - 3 miles (easy) and yoga
Tuesday - Ult Sculpt (a truly evil and wonderful class)
Wedneday - 3 miles (easy again but I'll make easy=9:30 mm)
Thursday - Speed: 1/2 m warm up, then 1/4m speed & 1/4 m rest (repeat 5 times), 1/2 m cool down = 3.25 miles. I want my speed runs to be 9 mm this week.
Friday - yoga
Saturday - 4 miles long - the plan is for 10:30 mm but this is my first group run so I might just go with the flow to test things out.
Sunday - rest/walk (and clean house like a mad woman - family is coming to visit)

Total Miles: 13.25

RC Cola and Moonpie 10 Miler

2010-06-19T15:46:00.007-05:00

Sunrise on June 19th - heading towards Bell Buckle, TN. Home of the RC Cola and Moopie Festival and my possible death from heat exhaustion (though here's a spoiler alert - I didn't die). It's about a 1/2 hour drive from my house to this place. The race started at 7 am but there was no pre-race pickup so everybody got their stuff that morning. I had never been to Bell Buckle so I left my house way too early. But it was better this way because I never felt rushed or worried about getting things done on time.

When I got into Bell Buckle my first job was to find someplace to park. I looked through the website and race materials but never found any information about where to park. I really wish they would have included, "Parking anywhere within a mile of the race will cost you $5." I had no cash on me and the town is so tiny there's no readily available ATM's (that I could see anyway). So I kept driving up the road and finally found a parking lot for the private school that had no signs on it. It was a good 1/2 mile up the road which was no big deal BEFORE the race. But the town of Bell Buckle is charming and has a lot of cute little shops. I really should go back someday when I'm not sweaty and gross.

They had a lot of port-o-pots that were only semi-nasty and I made use of them before the race. I drank a lot more before the race than I usually do so I could stay hydrated. Normally my strategy is to not fill my bladder before-hand. As since there were no other port-o-pots on the course it became a long 10 miles and bit awkward when I starting coughing on some water.

The start and finish of the race were in two separate areas. The start line was a bit disorganized but I just joined a crowd and went with the flow. Since I had no goals for time it didn't matter to me how slow they started. I was found by another Running Mama from an online community I chat in and it was nice to chat with someone before the race.

Also before the race, as I was posting on Facebook about my questionable choice of running this race, I listened in to a conversation between this guy and his grandsons. He warned them that if he passed them they were going slow and that he was going to be running 12 mm. I figured I probably shouldn't let him pass me either. But the grandsons cracked me up - typical high schoolers that run in anything as evidenced by the shoe below.

The race started right on time and headed down the main drag of town and out into the countryside. The weather was pretty nice at the beginning but more humid than I originally thought it would be. The sun was mostly obscured by some clouds but I knew it wouldn't last long. About a mile into the race the road dipped down and I was able to get a good shot of the crowd in front of me. I normally don't take my camera with me on a race but since it didn't matter if I stopped to take pics I brought my new BlackBerry with me to take some pics to share and remembered the experience.

After the second mile the hills got worse. From miles 2-5 it was just up and down and up and down and up and down (you get the point). I found the cow crossing sign amusing. It was close to here that a local had out his water house and dosed anyone that wanted it. Blessed townsfolk!

But then came mile 4. I knew that at mile 4.5 there was one BIG hill. And here it was. I had chatted with another girl who was also looking for it and suddenly I could see some people above us and thought, "crap they weren't lying about the hill." I didn't get a good picture of the hill that truly showed its incline so I drew this picture as an accurate portrayal:

*Notice the Running Angel floating off to heaven.

I got to mile 5 right at 1 hour. I started off with 1 mile= 10:50, 2 mile= 22:00, 3 mile= 34:??, 4 mile=46:??. So you can see that hill in mile four really ruined my splits. :) But I wasn't even going to attempt any jogging up that hill. It was rotten enough to walk it. After mile 5 most of the road was flat but it was far less shady. There were some stretches that the sun just beat down on you. At this point all clouds had gone away.

But then another Blessed Townsfolk! He had some kind of farm equipment with a spray. I took off my iPod and went under that thing twice. I was just going to do it once but it felt so good that I quickly turned around and went right back under it. It raised all our spirits for a while. But in mile 7 I lost my 12 mm splits again and had to accept the fact that I would be over 2 hours. I had gotten to the point where I occasionally felt a chill (which I figured was a bad sign on such a hot day) so I wasn't pushing myself at all. I had brought 3 6 oz bottles with me (2 with Nuun tablets and one plain water) and I took cups at every water station (miles 2, 4, 6, 8, & 9). I also had GU Chomps to help with energy and I'm very glad I took them. My stomach handled them much better than the Jelly Sport Beans and they were easier to eat while I ran.

At mile 7.5 we turned onto a new road and suddenly there was shade again (Praise Jesus) but there were also some hills too (#$%@). I forwarded to my favorite songs and picked up the pace on mile 9. I passed a gal that wanted us to run together. I was fine with that but she couldn't keep up so I let her go. And then there was the finish line.

They totally screwed up my name but I'm used to that. And I prepped myself to prop one foot up on the stool to get my timing chip off. I remember the first race I did I almost fell over when I put my foot up there.

I was happy to be this close to 2 hours (2:01:02). I haven't looked at official results yet but I'm sure it will be about the same. I was about a minute behind the gun time every time I passed a course clock. It certaintly wasn't my best race ever but I really enjoyed not having any pressure on trying to finish at a certain time. I could enjoy the course and didn't feel like death at any point of the run. So upon reflection I think I should have at least one race each year that I do just to enjoy it and have fun.

Right after I crossed the finish line I went to get my t-shirt. They handed them out before the race but I didn't want to hike back up to my car or carry it with me. After getting my shirt I waited in line for food. It was some good grub though I didn't see any RC Cola's. I ate my food, used the ports one more time, and then started back towards my car.

It was at that point that I looked up and saw big dark clouds forming and thought, "Really? Now it gets dark and cloudy? Thanks for nothing weather."

Last Will & Testament

2010-06-18T10:55:00.005-05:00

It could be worse I realize that. All week long the temps have been in the upper 90's with heat indexes in the 100's. Brutally hot. So upper 70's to mid 80's with low humidity tomorrow morning sounds pretty darn delightful.

I have Nuun tablets & GU Chomps along with ultra strong (overpriced) sunscreen - apparently worn by surfers so you KNOW it's good...

This is not a race to prove anything time wise - just that I don't have to use hot weather as an excuse to not run. I will jog/walk and aim for 12 mm. I should not be the last one on the course though I will be pretty far back. And it doesn't matter because the only reason I'm still doing this race to prove that I can finish it - not to prove that I'm improving as a runner.

But in the case that I don't finish it because I'm whisked up to that big running trail in the sky; I am willing these things out to my small audience:

To Jen - my running mix on my iPod shuffle.

Uhhh does anyone else read this? :)

I guess my husband will have to dig through the shoes and race t-shirts and divvy things up himself. Ugh the hassles of not doing any estate planning. Really I should have thought ahead.

Chapeaux

2010-06-15T20:17:00.004-05:00

As promised it's time to consider the perfect hat for your summer running needs. There are many things to consider.

1) Should I go "green" and try to recycle materials I already have in my home?

2) Did you pick your hat after one too many tequilas on a Saturday night? (though I must admit the shading options given by sombreros are fantastic).

3) Do I want to win friends on the race course by showing I'm a funny person or would I risk being tripped as they get mad about being reminded that they're hungry?

4) Nothing proves you're a proud American by showing your patriotic pride. After all Flag Day was this week.

5) Or do you just go with the technical dry fit fabrics in an overpriced visor?

In the end I went with the boring practical choice (except mine is in neon green). I found that regular hats are making my head too hot but I still wanted shade for my eyes. I also wanted to get the right materials to "wick" the moisture away. So $20 later I have what I hope will be the right hat. I'll let you all know.

Strategery

2010-06-13T11:35:00.004-05:00

Today's 4 mile run (well more like 3 mile run with about 1 mile of agonizing walking breaks sprinkled in) was an experiment in "what works during hot runs?"

First, I had previously decided to only run three miles but then pushed it up to four. Bad mistake - I would have been better with three miles.

Second, I ran at a "normal" pace and let myself walk for whatever time I had before reaching the 12 mm mark. For example, I ran the first mile in 10:20 and then walked for 1:40. Then for the second mile I reached that mile marker at 20:10 and was able to walk for longer. While I enjoyed the walking breaks I was beat after that second mile. I need to really focus on running slower for the 10 mile race if I want to finish. Today's temps were close to 90 (with a heat index close to 100) while I was out running and I chose a section with less shade because the race course won't have much shade. Temps for next weekend currently are forecasted to be about the same as this weekend. Hooray....

Third, I wore shorts today and lathered up with Aquafor before the run. While I didn't have any issues with chaffing I still didn't like the feeling of shorts. They still bunch up on the inside of my thighs and my stride changes as I try to adjust the way they rub together. For the race I'll wear either my blue under armour capris (featured in most of my running pics) or my newer black Reebox capris (featured a few posts back). I don't want the black capris in the heat but they have a zipped pocket in the back which is handy. I may however, end up wearing my water bottle belt so I won't really need the pocket... There will be water stations every two miles but there may be points where I need a small sip or a chance to dump water over my head to cool down so I'll want the extra water.

As for my shirt I've enjoyed the new singlet I bought as it's quite airy. But I fear the sun exposure over 2 hours. My other tech shirts though might be too warm. I need something in between but will probably not be able to convince the hubby of the need to buy a new shirt within the next week. :)

I'll dedicate a whole post later this week regarding which hat would be best to wear.

Not so much a race but a horrifying long run

2010-06-12T19:16:00.003-05:00

Yes, a lack of posts means that I haven't done a lot of exercising in the last month. But I'm still running the 10 mile RC Cola and Moon Pie race next weekend - you know the one that's "hot as hell and has hills that make grown men cry." My only hope is not to be carted off by the DNF van or ambulance around mile 6 or 7. I have no goals for time though I hope to keep it around 2 hours total (12 minute miles). But if I go slower than that it will be ok as long as I end up finishing at some point.

I ran 5 miles today in the extreme heat and humidity. It was pretty brutal. Towards the end when I started to feel sorry for myself I was reminded that if I felt that bad at 4.5 miles then just imagine how much worse 8 miles would feel. It was uplifting for a moment. I think the image of myself at 8 miles next weekend was my body sliced open on asphalt with vultures pecking away at my innards. Made how I was feeling at that moment almost like being on a spa vacation.

After the race my 1/2 marathon training plan officially starts so I'll get back on a weekly schedule and will start group long runs on the weekends. It will be a nice change to run with other people and get some coaching. I also look forward to the accountability of staying on track over these gross summer months. My goal for the Oct 1/2 will be to run it under 2:15 (just under 10 minute miles). I was on pace for this back in April but have to get back into the grove after being lazy for a month.

But I don't feel wrecked after my 5 mile run today. It was gross while I was out there but I felt fine afterwards. So I'm going to run again tomorrow, Tuesday, and Thursday - keeping between 3-5 miles for each run. I'm not worried about getting a lot of miles this week, just getting my body adjusted to the heat more. Monday and Wednesday will be cross training and Friday a rest day (maybe yoga at lunch). Sunday will be dedicated to hobbling around while on massive amounts of painkillers - both for the pain and to kill the memories of the horrifying long run/race.

Better than the week before (Weekly Results)

2010-05-17T20:22:00.002-05:00

Weekly Results -
Monday 5/10 - 6 miles run on Greenway. Started off too fast so I tired out at the end but I was very excited to be running. Right at 65 minutes.
Tuesday 5/11 - 20 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes running on the indoor track (2 miles plus 1 walking lap)
Wednesday 5/12 - 30 minute Pilates class. (I discovered that the rec center did have lunch time classes again)
Thursday 5/13 - the plan was to leave work at 3:30 and get a run in before picking up the girl from daycare but work became a zoo.
Friday 5/14 - once again brought clothes to work out at the end of the day (lunch was not an option) but once again was derailed by crazy students.
Saturday 5/15 - 3 mile walk on Greenway while pushing the girl in the stroller. About 1 hour (included letting her walk slowly for a while).
Sunday 5/16 - nothing but I did buy an awesome size 10 dress.

My mom will be here this week so I'll have extra help with the girl and can get out of the house more for runs. I have my lunches blocked to go to the classes at the rec center but this time of year with new student orientations and continuing students with issues makes my life even more busy than when classes are actually in session.

500 ways to win

2010-05-11T19:51:00.002-05:00

I recently went blog patrolling and found some new blogs to read and link to on my blog roll. One is having a give away and there are about 500 ways to win. One of which is mentioning the contest on your own blog. So here it is. But really don't enter because you're taking away my chance to win... Kidding. Kidding.

http://www.runfastmommy.com/2010/05/tanks-tunes-giveaway.html

Day One (again) - Move beyond my excuses

2010-05-10T19:08:00.003-05:00

I went 6 miles today. Had intentions to run farther but my body was so excited to run that I started off too quick and tired out pretty quick. But i was happy to get 6 miles at a quicker pace. I was even happier to eat a Clif bar and a cup of coffee at the end. Clif bars are yummy.

The rest of the week will be rec center workouts. I came up with a great new motto during my run as I was thinking about working with a new trainer. Basically I need someone to get me to move beyond my excuses. So now when I feel the lazy beast rising up, or the side that's ready to give up once I can think of a decent justification, I will say to myself, "Move beyond your excuses."

I'm official

2010-05-08T19:06:00.002-05:00

Even though I'm not actually exercising right now I am thinking about it. I signed up for the 1/2 training program (starting mid June) and for the actual 1/2 marathon itself (Oct 16th).

My hopes are to walk tomorrow with Babelicious, run Monday morning before work, and get some rec center workouts for the rest of the week (with the exception of Friday). I think I can make it work this week.

Better blog posts to come.

Truth be told (weekly results)

2010-05-05T09:59:00.002-05:00

Last week's result was a sad pathetic tale. But I'm not focusing on it because I have a history of highs and lows and I know I'm not giving up over the long run. However, that isn't really an excuse to be lazy just a statement that I'm not going to post "woe is me" blogs about my lack of exercise.

So last week I only got one day of real exercise and that was my 5 mile run on the treadmill. I didn't end up getting outside to run because of a couple of factors including bad traffic and a bad day in general. Over the weekend we had an epic amount of rain and although my town wasn't badly affected, my Greenway was flooded out.

So upward and onward. After all I'm committed to the 10 mile race on June 19th so I can't be lazy for too much longer. ;)

The hills are alive

2010-04-29T14:24:00.004-05:00

Cross training has fallen to record level lows but I am getting my mileage in. It's not all bad.

Tuesday I did a treadmill run while watching Biggest Loser (more on BL later). I threw in a lot of looooonnnnnngggg hills on that run and ended up getting 5 miles in 60 minutes. I had about 10 of walking and more than half the running time I was only at a 12 mm pace but I was usually at a 4-8% incline. On flat portions I sped up to 6.0-7.0. The last hill I did 5% at 6.0 (10 mm).

Today, I'm mapping an outside route on hills. I'll have to loop a couple of times but it's more hilly than my typical Greenway or roads around work/home. I want to get about 4 miles in today and then 9 on Saturday. I've decided to keep my long runs to 9 miles for a couple of weeks and then bump up to 10 for the last 3 weeks before the race. Long runs won't be done for a specific time but I want to average 11 mm or less. And I won't focus on hills for long runs - those are for shorter and faster runs.

I'm trying to plan a 30 day diet (without actually buying any books or online plans). I'll allow myself some cheat days but this is an effort to keep me more on track and less on the frozen burrito diet. More on the diet as I figure it out. Also I'll be signing up for the 1/2 training plan this weekend though the actual training doesn't start until late June (right after the 10 mile race). So things keep plodding along even if the current results aren't in the "spectacular" range.

As for Biggest Loser - I L.O.V.E.D. it!! The 5k, the high school speech, the last chance workout, the elimination - everything. I wanted to hug all the 5k'ers, the girl from that high school, Darius (love him), O'Neal - it was just a love fest from me as I kept going up and ~~down~~ flat my treadmill hills. I remembered the thrill of my first 5k and the bigger thrill of the first time I made it 3 miles just on my own. It's really so exciting in the beginning when you realize that you're capable of so much more than you've given yourself credit for.

It's a Southern Thing...

2010-04-28T09:17:00.000-05:00

It's official - I've sent in the registration form and check. I'm all about the Moon Pie and RC Cola at the end of this thing...

http://bellbucklechamber.com/video.html

It makes me proud to be a southern transplant.

Shameful truths

2010-04-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

Last week my husband and I were invited over to a co-workers house for authentic Indian food. We were so giddy about it. The food was beyond delicious. I ate a lot.

So much, in fact, that I ate until I could literally eat no more and therefore made myself sick.

Repeat - I gorged myself until I made myself sick. Oink. Oink.

So ridiculous because I know better.

I'm not doing great diet wise right now. For the past couple of weeks I've felt apathetic towards the whole dieting deal. I've allowed myself to feel angry and discouraged about how much work it is to lose only a pound and how easy it is for 4 to come rushing back.

In about a week I'll have the choice to eat whatever I want for all the meals for a while and I teeter on the edge of being good or buying a ton of frozen burritos and chips and salsa. I'm just tired of the struggle.

Weekly Results - 4/19-4/25

2010-04-26T06:26:00.000-05:00

Results -
Monday 19th - 35 on elliptical (400 calorie burn)
Tuesday 20th - 38 min on treadmill for 3 miles (approx 375 calorie burn)
Wednesday 21st - 4.5 mile outside run (with some walking) for 45 min (approx 575 calorie burn)
Thursday 22nd - Ended up doing nothing
Friday 23rd - Planned Rest Day
Saturday 24th - Ended up doing nothing
Sunday 25th - 9 mile run at 1:42 on Greenway

Miles - 16.5
Days - 4
Minutes - 220

Sneaky photographers...

2010-04-25T12:27:00.005-05:00

I was waiting until my race pictures were up before I did a race report on the 15k. Well, they're finally up but the photography company is a little more high tech and I'm only able to save the thumbprints. So with all credit going to Cox Sports Photos here are the thumbprints and race report.

I won't do a mile by mile report because most of it was uneventful. There were around 1200 participants I think and as I have mentioned before it was split between a 5k and 15k. My husband and I ran together (he the 5k and me the 15k). We started off together in the 10 mm pace group. We stayed overnight in Chattanooga at a Super 8 that was less than 2 miles from the battlefield so we were able to have a leisurely morning, eat the unimpressive continental breakfast, and take a short drive to the battlefield. We only had about 10 minutes of standing around before the race started which was fine since we had all our race gear (including timing chips). This was the first time I used the disposable timing chip that only gives you a gun time and not a chip time. I'd rather know my chip time but realize that these things are far easier for the race directors to use. I did remember to borrow my husband's watch so I knew my overall time when all was said and done.

The start was slow but even before 1/2 a mile the crowd had thinned out and I had already left my husband. At mile one I had caught up to a 10:15 pace which was good considering the slowness of the start. But I forced myself to slow down so I wouldn't crash at mile 5 or 6. I was running next to a guy that had a watch that kept beeping every couple of minutes. He would run and then slow down to a walk so we kept passing each other (he being a faster runner but then me passing on the walks). I finally asked him if it was a heart rate monitor or something (it was actually getting a bit annoying to hear that beep going off all the time). He explained that he was running 2 minutes and walking 1 for the course so that he wouldn't get injured. He finally got far enough ahead of me around mile 3 so I didn't hear that darn thing anymore.

I had forgotten my iPod at home which turned out to be fine. The day was so nice that I enjoyed listening to the birds, breeze, and other runners. I can understand the arguments against running with music but I haven't been converted yet. Towards the end as I was passing 3 other runners one said, "oh it's so nice to hear the runner's footsteps." And since I could actually hear this comment I joked in return, "yeah, and our labored breathing." It was a moment to chuckle as we all struggled to get to the finish line. I only really chatted to one other lady as she passed me around mile 6.

Most of my early mile splits were 10:05, mile 8 was closer to 11, and I finished with an average of 10:14. I never took a walking break but did stop for about 10 seconds to drink water/disgusting Gatorade at the water stations. Honestly, what do they do to Gatorade to make it so gross?! But I figured the electrolytes were good for my system. I brought Sports Beans with me and opened up the package around mile 5 and had about half of it. They were good but made it difficult to breathe since my nose was so stuffed up (allergies in Southern springtime kill me). But they made a big difference towards the end of the race.

The first 6 miles were comfortable. I really watched my pace and it was easy to keep at 10:05. Starting around mile 5 or 6 though they had more rolling hills and I could tell where my lack of training at longer distances had affected me. I was able to keep going but it was a lot harder. Whenever I needed something to focus on I thought about my 4th-6th grade P.E. teacher Mr. B. (I'm not protecting his identity I just can't remember his real last name since we always called him Mr. B.). He was one of those old school P.E. teachers, meaning if you didn't excel at some type of sport you weren't worth his time. Thusly, I hated P.E. And I really hated the Presidential Fitness tests where we had to run a mile (I think at that time the cut off was a 12 minute mile). I could never do it. For one, we never ran unless it was punishment or sprints so I had never had a chance to build up endurance like that. And God knows it didn't come naturally to me. Actually, one year I think I did manage to do it but every other year this thing would cause the kind of trauma that kids today would go to therapy for. So here's to you Mr. B and your ability to make me hate fitness related things at such a young age. How do ya like me now?

At the end, right after mile 9 and closing in on the finish time, I came around the corner and found the people still cheering on the slower runners. I got one of those rushes you hear people talk about. Serious shivers down my spine. It was awesome. I came across the finish line smiling and forgetting how bad the last mile or so had sucked. Then I found that their post race food was a dinner roll and organic fruit. ??? Fruit, ok good but where's the bagels or power bars or anything else good carb/protein related? I was quite put out and my stomach was beginning to tell me that it didn't really like sports beans. We hung around for some of the door prizes (didn't win any of them) and then I insisted that we had to leave to find real food. I also stopped at the visitor's center on the way out so I wouldn't have to use the port-a-pots at the race line. I found it extremely amusing that they had a sign on the wall that said, "Please no bathing in this restroom. Sinks are for face and hands only. No nudity, this is a public restroom." You gotta wonder how many times they dealt with nudity before hanging the sign.

I wanted pancakes but my husband wanted a sandwich so we ended up at Wendy's. I crashed after the race. I was extremely tired and my stomach really didn't like those sports beans. Lunch was a blah affair except for the Frosty. Mmmm frosties. And my husband started to drive us back home. I leaned the seat back and slept. And sleep was good. Otherwise recovery was fine - not unlike any other long runs I do. I did notice some shin pain so I only walked on Sunday as a recovery and didn't run again until Tuesday. I haven't noticed any other pain since then.

So it was a great race. One I want to do again (despite the disappointment over the food at the finish line). I might even consider their half marathon at some point once, or if, I'm ready to do more than one half per year.

Celebrate Earth Day by looking at my backside.

2010-04-22T17:56:00.004-05:00

The Alpine Tower My rear climbing the Alpine Tower

Oh look my rear again (and notice my head starring straight down at my hands and feet - I didn't look around at all).

Oh wow! My rear again! Getting closer.

Whew - the platform. It did take me a moment to figure out the transition.

Almost to the top - this was the easiest part.

I can see my house from here!
Actually this was the easiest part.
Because I'm the most awesome adjunct instructor ever; I took my class on a very non-academic alpine tower climbing experience. It was a lot of fun. I wasn't afraid of doing it until I was actually doing it and my foot slipped once. It wasn't hard but a little nerve racking. Next time I'll take the more challenging route.

Trudging through cardio

2010-04-21T11:54:00.004-05:00

I did a new Smart Coach training plan from Runner's World. I used my January 5k time (28:40) to train for the 10 mile run. It has me doing tempos at 10'ish mm and speed work at 9:25'ish. The miles per week would bump up to 16 at the beginning to 25 at the end (9 week plan). The max long run would be 10 miles. The end results says 10 miles @ 9:53 which would be awesome but I don't expect that with the heat and hills. I might need to do my long runs on Mondays (post daycare drop off but pre work) during the month of May. I'll also incorporate more hill running into my training either on the treadmill or picky more "hilly" places to run outside. I like the plan but "can I maintain the plan?" is a better question.

I've done my cardio this week but it's been painful. Not energy or muscle wise - but brain wise. I hated every moment of the elliptical on Monday (didn't make it to spin class) and was about as thrilled with my 3 mile treadmill run last night. My brain needs help. I know one thing would be to mix things up a little. I've been on the same routine for a while now and something new would help the enthusiasm level. This is where I miss Schwinny. I haven't been able to set aside funds for a different bike - other needs have since popped up. And thus plans for a summer triathlon have also been set aside.

Keeping trudging!

Weekly Results 4/12-4/18

2010-04-19T09:38:00.004-05:00

Results -
Monday 4/12: 30 min B&G and 45 min Yoga
Tuesday 4/13: nothing
Wednesday 4/14: 30 min B&G and 45 min Yoga
Thursday 4/15: 30 min boot camp (gym workout)
Friday 4/16: house cleaning and walking around downtown Chattanooga
Saturday 4/17: 15k at 1:35:25
Sunday 4/18: 3 mile recovery walk on Greenway (around 45 minutes)

Miles: 12.3
Days: 5 (won't count the house cleaning and walking)
Minutes: 320

Schedule -
Monday - 30 min spin and 30 min B&G DVD at home
Tuesday - 3 mile treadmill run, easy
Wednesday - 30 min B&G and 30 min yoga DVD at home
Thursday -5 mile run
Friday - rest day
Saturday -7 mile long run (depending on weather)
Sunday - gym workout (elliptical/bike and weights)

If I can't get my long run because of weather I might get to the gym twice on the weekend or do my 30 Day Shred or Ult Sculpt DVD at home. This week will be more of a challenge to make myself do the workouts at home.

Next Challenge -
My next planned race isn't until June 19th and it will be a 10 mile race (in the heat with hills). I would like to continue to work on my speed. Since I managed to finish the 15k at a 10:14 pace fairly comfortably (note the use of the word "fairly" - it wasn't easy but I wasn't dying either) I want to now improve on the time and hope for a 10:00 pace for the 10 mile race (with the hills and the heat). If I can do that then I feel confident about getting close to a 2:10 finish in the half marathon in October. I want to do a training plan for the 1/2 this year that starts in ~~July~~ June. Last year it was just about finishing the 1/2 - this year it's more about time.

But to improve on my speed it means more strength training for my legs and more speed work. This actually works out well for my May plans. I can do the shorter speed work at lunch or on the treadmill at home easier than I can fit in long runs. I'll still do weekly long runs but the focus during the week will be on shorter and faster runs. So I'm thinking about my schedule for May and will let you know more as I figure it out.

And after a week (or so) of ignoring my diet I'm back on track. I needed a break for my birthday and to get through the slump. But I still want to lose these last darn 10 lbs. I have some cake to finish at home but other than that I'm tracking my intake.

Good grief this is a big battlefield.

2010-04-17T13:49:00.004-05:00

Greetings from Chattanooga, TN.

And the Chickamauga Battlefield: http://www.nps.gov/chch/index.htm

Home of the Chickamauga Chase: http://www.chickchase.org/ (is it just me or is the web address misleading, "chick chase?")

Where your's truly managed to keep a 10:14 mm pace for 15k resulting in a final time of 1:35:25 (or around that second - I forgot to hit my watch right away and I think the results will only show gun time.) Yay me!

Other pics and a full report after my brain is fully functioning again - this one wore me out!
(I was 18 of 26 in my age group and would have done better in the 5k - around 5th place in my age group but I'm happy I stuck with the long distance.)

Delusional? Who me?

2010-04-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

Need more proof that I'm totally unprepared for this weekend's 15k?

I'm sitting here looking at dinner menus at various Chattanooga restaurants and am completely distracted by the drink selection - because you know, getting sloshed the night before a 15k is a good idea...

In other news since I won't be blogging tomorrow -
Boot camp = awesome! My left tricep muscle completely cramped up on me but my legs were like "Bring it on!!" Such a difference from when I first started boot camp and proof that despite feeling like a slug this week I've done well for the past couple of months.

Pieces of cake eaten in honor of my birthday: 1 so far!

Cha-cha-cha changing

2010-04-15T10:17:00.004-05:00

I've been "off" this week - darn thyroid and various hormones that play havoc on my system.

It amazes me how I can so quickly go from feeling like a Super Hero one day to feeling like the laziest slob the next. But I'm coming out of my slump slowly - which is good because I was really worried about running the 15k this weekend while feeling this way. I almost considered switching down to the 5k again but I knew I couldn't let fear and pride make me run a shorter easier race. If I'm the slowest in my age group so be it - the accomplishment of finishing 15k of hills is more important than my pace.

This is Ms. J's last week of working at our rec center (apparently living closer to her boyfriend is more important than training us) so I've been grabbing as many classes from her that I can. So I've done B&G and yoga twice this week and I'm going to join her last Boot Camp class today. I haven't gotten any other runs or cardio in this week but that's okay - I'll consider it a taper. Yeah - I'm tapering that's it...

But with J leaving I'll have to get used to new classes and new trainers. I know it's good to switch things up but I also know that I like her consistency and will motivate myself to go to her classes. We'll see what the summer schedule brings. The month of May will mean less running because of different family stuff going on and I'll have to depend more on my lunch workouts, DVD's, and treadmill at home. It's not a bad thing - just a change.

Weekly Results (April 5-11)

2010-04-12T08:28:00.003-05:00

Results -
Monday - 6 mile long run at 1:10
Tuesday - 2.5 miles on treadmill, included one mile at 8 min. Total time 33 min
Wednesday - 43 min run for 3.8 miles, 15 min arm exercises, 30 min B&G
Thursday - Ult Sculpt DVD (30 min)
Friday - 40 min run for 3.8 miles (10:30 pace)
Saturday - rest, play with kids, and some yard work
Sunday - lots of yard work (including digging and hoeing)

Total Miles: 16.1
Total Days: 5 or 6 depending on if you count yardwork
Total Minutes: 261 or 441 if you count yardwork

What I'm not doing this weekend

2010-04-10T13:32:00.005-05:00

Is a long run. And not because I'm being lazy but because I've already achieved my weekly mileage. The hubby is on a hiking trip and I'm not about to push about 90 lbs worth of kids and stroller while running so I arranged my weekly exercise to get 4 smaller runs (6 m, 2.5 m, 3.8 m, and 3.8 m) and still reach my goals. I even woke up early - twice - to run before work. Now there's dedication for ya!

Instead of running I've taken the kids to the sale at Fleet Feet and bought myself a singlet (my very first, do you remember your first singlet?) and some running capris:

I wore shorts on one of my runs this week and the thigh chaffing is better than last year but I'm still more comfortable in capris rather than shorts.

I also got some garden soil at Home Depot and worked on digging out our front beds to plant some flowers - so exercise was gotten.

Other new things that I got were Sport Beans. I have not tried any type of beans or Gu while running. I don't want to add calories while I'm trying to burn calories. However, I don't want to crash (energy wise) in the middle of my 15k next week so I got some for that race. These new capris have a handy little pocket in the back where I can hold them - or I'll wear my fuel belt so I can carry water. There will, however, be 5 water stops so I don't really have to carry any water with me.

As far as my race is concerned I know I'm seriously under prepared for the distance. I haven't been able to run more than 6 miles in a long time (mostly because of time constraints) so I'm not really even thinking of a time goal for this race. I would love it to be under 1:40 (1:38 is a 10:30 pace) but we'll see - there's hills on this course. I've just been thinking of this particular race as more of a "fun run" since it gives my hubby and I a chance to have a weekend to ourselves and enjoy the fine town of Chattanooga.

As for my final week of so called "training" before the race I doubt I'll get any long runs in. Here's what I'm thinking schedule wise:

Monday - B&G and yoga (this is the last week for the trainer to teach at our rec center before she moves so I want to enjoy her classes)
Tuesday - 4 mile treadmill run (easy) while watching BL.
Wednesday - B&G and yoga again - maybe some elliptical or track running before class begins
Thursday - if I didn't run on Wednesday a 2 mile run and maybe a DVD at home
Friday - rest and walking around Chattanooga
Saturday - 15k
Sunday - my 32nd bday so we'll see if I even want to exercise.

This will put me at a little over 15 miles for the week which is above my weekly mileage goal.

New speed record

2010-04-07T20:31:00.003-05:00

I got a treadmill run in last night while watching Biggest Loser (and switching to LOST on commercial breaks). I ran the first mile easy at a 12 mm pace. Then I wanted to see how quickly I could now run one mile. I started off at a 7:30 pace (8 mph) but couldn't keep that up for long so I then slowed down to 8:35 (7 mph) for about 1/2 a mile. Then I picked up the speed slowly again so I could end within 8 minutes. Next time I won't kill myself with the beginning but rather try to keep a 7.5 speed the whole time. But only benefit of this way was that the 8:35 pace felt so much BETTER than a 7:30 pace that I was happy to stay there. I finished up with a 12 mm pace and then walking to round off at 2.5 total miles.

A horse of a different color

2010-04-06T15:26:00.004-05:00

Got in my long run yesterday but ended up making it 6 miles instead of 9 since the temps were close to 90 degrees. In EARLY APRIL FOR CRIPES SAKE! I wanted to see how I did running in the heat and at close to 3 miles I knew I would have to cut it short or might have real problems getting back to my car. Even with going to just 6 miles and taking 3 water breaks I still had to take some walking breaks - I could feel my heart accelerate faster than normal and it was hard to breathe. So in all it took me about 70 minutes to finish 6 miles.

I won't give up on hot weather runs but it will take some time to get used to it. Thankfully the weather won't stay this warm for the rest of spring so I'll have a few more runs in the 60's and 70's. I got a lot of sun yesterday. While my arms will tan up nicely for the spring/summer I did end up buying a self-tanner lotion for my legs yesterday while I was waiting for my pictures at Walgreens. I've heard some co-workers talk about how much they like Loreal's products so I picked this one up "L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self Tanning Lotion." I used it this morning and am quite pleased (yes this has nothing to do with running but we all like to look tan rather than pasty white). It doesn't have the nasty smell of other tanning lotions, there were no streaks, and my palms didn't turn orange. I don't necessarily like the glitter action they include but my legs do sparkle in the sun.

Tonight I'll either get a short run on the treadmill or do my Ult Sculpt DVD. The indecision is because I'll be watching Biggest Loser so I won't get to the DVD until 9 pm which is probably too late for me to actually follow through in doing the exercise. Here are the plans for the rest of the week:

Tuesday: 2-3 mile run or Ult Sculpt DVD
Wednesday: 20 min elliptical, B&G, and yoga
Thursday: 3 mile treadmill - speed work
Friday: 8-9 mile long run
Saturday: DVD's
Sunday: DVD's

Choosing family over exercise (Weekly Results)

2010-04-04T18:40:00.003-05:00

Or just being lazy - but I'll go with the more positive excuse. I didn't do any runs or gym workouts this weekend. I spent more time at home, got stuff done around the house, and hung out with the family. The weather was great but I chose not to run. I will however be leaving work early tomorrow for an eye doctor appt so I plan on getting a long run after that appointment is over. Here's what the week looked like:

3/29-4/4
Monday - 30 min elliptical (390 cal), & last Arms class (30 min)
Tuesday - Got too involved with my camera and didn't get a treadmill run in
Wednesday - 20 min on indoor track, 30 min B&G, 45 min yoga
Thursday - yard work for 30 min (won't actually count this in my exercise results but it does burn calories) and two margaritas
Friday - 30 min Ult Sculpt DVD and 30 min Yoga DVD
Saturday - nothing
Sunday - long family walk while pushing heavy stroller and B&G DVD (30 min)

Total Days (of real workouts): 4
Total Miles: 4.5 (including walk today)
Total Minutes: 245

March Totals (including a couple days in April since I count weeks rather than days) -
Total Miles/Goal - 51.7/50
Total Days/Goal - 26/25
Total Minutes/Goal - 1592/1500
Weight Loss - 4 lbs

Not only did I meet each goal I exceeded them! And it's been a good month for weight loss. I did recently get a nutrition assessment which I'll share in a later blog post about where my diet needs work.

The only increase in April's Goals is in miles. Otherwise I'm still aiming for 5 days a week and 300 minutes a week (there will only be 4 weeks in April).
Miles Goal - 55 (going from 10 to 14 per week)
Days Goal - 20
Minutes Goal - 1200

When work and exercise collide

2010-04-02T11:46:00.002-05:00

My schedule is way off for this week. It's the time of year when my job becomes overwhelming and I can't get out for lunch or even squeeze in a workout between the end of the day and picking up kids. I declared last night a "margarita night" because I had gotten to the point of prefixing swear words to certain meeting obligations that I had, such as "that stupid *bleep* meeting was a waste of my time." (double adjectives = you know it's a bad night)

I wanted to get in a four mile run and knew it would make me feel better but the consumption of two margaritas does not meet the safety standards of operating a treadmill. Though it could be an amusing YouTube video.

See, I'm all about safety.

My hope is to make up for it today but it doesn't look good, doesn't look good at all.