Final workout of 2009

The year in review, unoriginal. I know :-)  I have had a pretty fantastic year workout wise!  I have made it through without injury, oh sure, I have had my fair share of aches and pains and one or two bike crashes, but no significant injuries, I will now knock on wood as I know that I should not have said anything.

I did decide to set some New Year's Resolutions, they are more goals than resolutions. I track my workouts and the time and distance spent and I am pretty pleased with how things turned out.  I originally set my goal at 175 hours, thinking this would be a stretch but better to stretch than to set my sights short, right?  As it turns out on 12/29 I have 215.7 hours, I should have gone for 225 but I didn't,I could have cheated a little and put in the hours and miles that I tracked with my Garmin (I know I am a dork) while at Disneyland in early December but decided not to, so I will mention here that we walked 48 miles in 4 days!!  Here is what the breakdown looks like: 

Bike     1,112 miles - 69.8 hours
Run         385 miles - 72.5 hours
Swim 45,695 yards - 24.3 hours
Various other (P90X) - 49.1 hours

I think I will set my goal for next year at 225 hours, I hope to ride 1,500 miles, run 500 and swim 100,000 yards.  Yikes!  When I write it out like that it seems really scary but I think it is attainable, the worst that can happen is that I don't make my goal, better to go big!!  2010 is going to be a good year, I am really looking forward to it, I am stronger and healthier than I have been in a long time, maybe ever!

I am going to resolve to get a pair of Lululemon pants this year, they are too cute to pass up and from all the reviews I have gathered they are totally worth the money, perhaps a birthday present to myself, yeah, I really like that idea!


Happy New Year!!

Training week 5 - Brick!

I actually love brick workouts now, I feel so strong on my runs after a good bike workout!  I ran a 9:56 pace today, not too shabby but it was only for 15 minutes...

My great friend and training partner signed up for the Boise 70.3 in June, she sent me an official email this morning.  That race is so fun I can't wait to go and cheer her on!  It will be strange being a spectator rather than a participant, I will get a great idea of what my husband is going through when he supports me on long races.  Hopefully the weather will be kinder than it was last year, rain and 58 degrees, burrrrr!

We were supposed to get a big dumping of snow last night and it never came, I was so excited to go sledding with the kiddos, maybe tomorrow...I will be very disappointed if we go an entire Christmas vacation and never go sledding, it just wouldn't be right!

Finally, we went to a party to watch a football bowl game today, I brought hummus and veggies, the hummus got great reviews so I thought I would share the recipe.

1 can garbanzo beans with half the liquid
1 clove of garlic
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. tahini
salt and pepper to taste

mix it all up in a blender or food processor until smooth, you could add a table spoon or two of plain yougrt for added creaminess.  Serve with veggies and a little olive oil on top.  Enjoy!

Harry Potter, New Year's Resolutions and Purging my house...

I am officially in week 5 of my Ironman training, and I am feeling surprisingly good, not run down (probably because I am coming off a taper week) and still excited about it all!  I ran for 45 minutes today and got in 4.35 miles, I am slow I know that but I am not too slow, if I was running 14 minute miles I would be concerned!  A snow storm is on it's way so the temperatures have come up a bit but now it is just going to be snowy and icy and I will still not be able to run outside, that is okay though because I am passing my time by watching the entire Harry Potter movie series, I know I am a huge nerd but I don't care I LOVE those books and movies!

I don't typically make a New Year's resolution but I am considering it this year, I have already started on a project where I take a picture of the kids everyday, but what else?  I have considered donating/throwing something away everyday for a year, I think I might do this, I need to simplify!  We have been working to simplify for the past year and it feels so good, I want to keep going and simplify even more!  It is amazing how much you gain by eliminating things from your life, but that is a discussion for another day.  I would really like to make a fitness/weight loss resolution but I feel that I would set myself up for failure if I did that, if I say I am on a diet, I pretty much want to eat everything!  I will have to come back to this one.

Finally, my dad called me tonight (again)o about getting a bike, we are going to visit them for New Year's and he wants to take me into the shop where he buys, ay carumba!  I guess it can't hurt t get measured, right?!?!  We will see, it is a long time between now and June, the economy might pick up and a bike might be in order, I doubt it, but we will see...

I officially did not gain weight over the holidays!

Hallelujah!  I am not really one to weigh myself all that often but I do weigh myself often enough to know if I have gained a significant amount of weight, and this fall I gained 6 pounds.  Here is the crazy part, I decided to do the P90X workouts as a way to get in better shape, to get prepped for "official" training when it started in early December, well I promptly gained 6 pounds!  You can say it is muscle (it wasn't) and all that other bull but at the end of the day I was 6 pounds heavier and I am still going to have to haul that extra 6 pounds up every hill on every bike ride and every run and therefore I need to drop it!  So I am being sensible and working to slowly drop the ugly 6 pounds (I am down 2,) and hopefully drop a few more, I would like to race at 135 or 136; we will see if 14 pounds is in the cards, I suspect it is not, my hips seem to really like their cushion :-)  My sister in law who is in town for the holiday's looks fabulous and she told me that she and her husband had been doing Isagenix (?) since October, I am not willing to go to that extreme (or spend the money for that mater) but it did inspire me, not enough to to keep me from eating a movie sized box of Good-n-Plenty over the past two days however, curses!!

I have been trying to sell my daughter's bunk beds, they were an impulse purchase that really didn't work out the way that I imagined.  We thought we had them sold and I was going to use the money to purchase a new camera, the deal fell through because the people who were going to buy it thought the mattresses were included.  Am I insane that I wasn't including the mattresses?  I cannot imagine wanting to purchase a used mattress, maybe it is just me...it doesn't really matter because the beds are still here and so are the mattresses.

On that topic (sort of) I have decided it is time for a new camera.  I bought one a few years back that had all of the features that I wanted, unfortunately, it is the most un-user friendly camera I have ever used, so I am back to the drawing board.  I am considering a Canon Rebel XS 1000 or something like that, my mother in law has one and I think it might be nice to have the same camera for learning and teaching each other things.  I will probably have to think about this one for the next year or so, apparently I only buy bunk beds quickly :-)

Gotta go clean the bathrooms and make a salad, tonight is the last night with the family from out of town so it could be a late one!!

Christmas is over, and I mean OVER!

The tree is down, the decorations are down and packed away and I feel very peaceful, very, very peaceful! I absolutely love the holiday season, we break out our decorations and have the entire house decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving, you could say that we maximize the season, but when it is over, it is OVER! My husband and I have actually taken the tree down on Christmas night before, but that was before kids and we realized it was a bit extreme!

Tonight is a good night, the kids are already nestled, all snug in their beds (uh oh, Christmas reference, sorry about that) and I am finishing the laundry, trying to sort through what to keep and what to donated prior to the end of 2009. We have had family in town since the 21st so it really feels great to be hanging out with just my family in my own home. The kids have not been to bed before 9:30 PM in 8 days, they are exhausted and I am exhausted from all of the whining that I had to endure this morning while getting them ready to take a picture with all of their cousins; fortunately they were on their best behavior once we left the house. I love the people who are visiting but we just need to get some rest!

I was very spoiled on Christmas this year, we don't go over the top but we do okay, I got a big 9-quart canner and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, awesome, great for riding on the trainer! I got my husband some compression running tights from 2XU and I am a bit jealous of them, he says they are FABULOUS! He had lots of trouble with leg and muscle cramping last year so I really hope these will help him.

Finally, I did not miss a single workout this week, it felt awesome, even with the holiday, I managed to get the miles in. I am already sick of riding on the trainer in the basement but I just gotta do it since it was 21 degrees here today. I tell you what though, my lady bits are a bit angry with me, my seat and I are not good friends right now. I gotta figure out what is going on and soon because the 3, 4 and 5 hours ride I have ahead of me are going to be torture!

Of course now that the holiday is over and I have the basement biking to look forward to, I want a power meter for my bike. I sound like a bit of a nut with this one but I think it would be really interesting to see if I could match the power output when I am outside to what I am doing when I am inside, or vice a versa. This is kind of funny coming from somebody who just hopes to finish my big race with a goal finish time of 16:59:59 :-)

Well the dryer just let me know it is time for me to get back at it. I hope everybody out there had a wonderful Christmas filled with Peace, Love and Happiness!

Christmas vacation!!!!

Yahoo, it is Christmas Vacation!!! I had a long day, didn't leave the office until 6:30 but got everything done to completely enjoy no work until next year!! I have metrics that I need to meet for the year and before I left I checked to see where I was and 6 months in to the fiscal year I am spot on with where I need to be, I poured it on in October and November and today I realized it was totally worth it! The kids are with their dad, grandparents and cousins so I am all by myself finishing up some sewing, trying to finish before they all come home. I made each of the kids and their cousins a fleece blanket (picture to the left) with their name on it, it was a lot of work but they turned out so cute, it was worth it! I seriously considered buying them each a Snuggie or a Slanket but I just couldn't do it, these turned out way better, anyway, I am just a bit tired of sewing them after 9 blankets!

I had a good workout this morning, only had to go for 30 minutes so I pushed myself a bit. I would LOVE to get faster but two good friends who have ended up sidelined with injury told me that slow isn't a bad thing if you are never injured, I think I might agree with them, what is worse a 2:15 half-marathon or not being able to participate? I'll take the slow time, thanks Nicole and Anne, your words of wisdom were heard!

I have to tell anybody who reads this about the soup I made the other night, I already mentioned it but I have to put the recipe out here for all to enjoy, I had leftovers for dinner tonight and it was even BETTER!

Vegetable and Bean Soup (I made mine with organic ingredients and I added up the cost under $10 for a double batch!)
1 eggplant (sliced in 1/2 inch rings then cut into 4 pieces)
2 large tomatoes diced
1 potato peeled and diced
1 carrot cut into 1-inch sticks
1 leek cut into rings (white and light green portion only)
15oz can cannellini beans
3 3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp dried porcini mushrooms soaked in hot water (only enough to cover)
1/4 cup dried pasta (I used bowties)
3 Tbsp pesto (store bought or recipe below)

Place the beans and their liquid in a large pan, add the vegetables and vegetable broth, bring to boil over medium heat, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Add the basil, mushrooms (with soaking liquid) and past simmer until pasta is done (approx. 10 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in pesto and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you wish. Delicious!!

294 calories; 2g sugar; 11g protein; 30g carbohydrates; 16g fat

I can't believe it is almost Christmas!!

Well, I am pretty much done with shopping and now I am doing a little baking, that is not going very well, I don't know what the deal is but, and I know this sounds crazy, it's as if my flour isn't working, I have needed to use about an extra cup to each of the last two recipes I have made, it's crazy!

My mom and dad came to visit last night, my dad is signed up to do Ironman with me in June so we always have LOTS to talk about. A lot of the discussion lately has been my bike, and last night was no different. My dad feels strongly that I should get a new bike, my bike is not nice, it is a bottom of the line Specialized men's road bike but it works for me, I added pink tape to the handlebars and it looks quite cute! I am not that finely tuned (on somethings, on other things however, I would venture to say I am VERY finely tuned). He has a very nice carbon fiber bike and tells me how great it feels to ride, which is why I have never tried one, carbon fiber is really not in my price range right now, a new bike for that matter is not on my radar. A quick a side note; seeing the bikes that people were riding at the world championship gave me a bit of bike envy then I got over it. I am sure the bike saga has not ended but for now discussions have stopped...

I get the day off from working out today, there is a part of me that wants to do something but I have to remind myself that days off serve a purpose they are not just for being lazy, they are for recovery and if I want to get through an injury free season I need to remind myself to follow the prescribed plan! Perhaps just a good stretching session would be beneficial.

Alright, now I have to go clean the bathrooms, they have been neglected for far too long!

Quick recipe note, I made a bean and vegetable soup last night that as I was making it I was a bit skeptical about, it turned out amazing, super hearty and everyone at the table ate it, inconceivable!

Just watched the Ironman World Championships!

Man alive, if you need inspiration that is the most AWESOME way to get it!! I sooooooo want to cross that finish line, I know that it is going to be hard, I know that I am going to truly find out what I am made of but I am so excited! Watching the age groupers finish is what I find most inspiring, the pros are remarkable and great fun to watch; but it is the 79 year old man finishing his 20th Ironman, the cancer survivor crossing the line, the double amputee getting pulled off the bike but having the guts to go out there and try and every other story that really get me going, many tears were shed today!

All I want to do is finish and if I have to do that by carrying my leg I am going to! For some people setting a goal of 16:59:59 is probably so lame, but when I finish, even if it is only with a few minutes (seconds) to spare it is going to be right up there with the top moments in my life! :-) I am not going to wish my life away however, I need all the time I can get at this point!

Okay, just a quick side note as I finish this post; first and foremost I am a mom and there are times when I just have to laugh at the things that I say, things I could have never imagined myself saying. Just now, as I was about to publish I hear a little voice from down the hall say "K, come here and put your head in the dryer!" to which I have to respond "NO, do not put your head in the dryer, nobody can put their head in the dryer." What response do I get? "Can I put my monkey in the dryer?" Of course, go ahead and put your monkey in the dryer.

Christmas program and an Interresting workout...

We attended a "Cowboy Holiday" program at school today, the kids were so cute and they put a western spin on the songs, very creative and fun! I also got to leave work early so that was a huge bonus, I love when I gather a little extra time :-)

I find that I cook a lot since I have converted to my new way of eating, luckily I like to cook, my husband is getting tired of cleaning up after me but I am trying to be a little bit neater, lucky for me he supports my new efforts, I can't imagine how hard (impossible) it would be if I didn't have his support!

Tonight I made a great organic quinoa dish that I made up, not at all complicated but really good!
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
vegetable buillion
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas

Put all of the first 4 ingredients into a rice cooker and wait, once it is finished I added the frozen peas. I like radish's so I thinly sliced one and added that as well, not many people like them so I left them out of the "official" recipe.

Okay, so all of a sudden I am seeing a recipe pattern, I guess it is not a bad thing, at least when I forget them I have a place to reference back to!

My workout was a bit taxing, forty-five minutes of riding that took me, oh...about 2 hours, there was a lot of off and on, fortunately the last 22 minutes were constant! One of the distractions was my poor youngest, ,she slipped when she was running into the bathroom and hit her nose on the wall, ouch! I didn't notice any bruising or anything but I think she hit it pretty hard, poor thing, I hope she doesn't wake up in the morning with a black eye because she broke her nose! I wonder if kids can even break their noses? They're so small and I think the cartiledge is pretty elastic. I just hope it doesn't hurt her through the night!

Is there a Santa Claus?

My eight year old asked me this question at dinner tonight, really? I was not ready, so we talked about how just because we don't see something doesn't mean it's not real and plus Santa always brings the presents that mom and dad can't afford :-). When my kiddos were babies I thought it was soooo hard, not getting enough sleep, etc. that was nothing compared to now, I hope I can handle it!

Did a brick workout tonight, felt pretty good, I ended up on the bike way too late, JP wasn't home and nobody wanted to go to bed. Anyway, I felt great changed my shoes and headed to the treadmill for the running portion of the workout, felt fantastic until I hit 11 minutes, my heart rate spiked to 176 and I had to slow down to 4.5 to get back into Zone 2! I didn't feel weird except for the hammering in my chest but that was a bit strange, hopefully it won't happen again.

Made a big batch of pumpkin muffins, hopefully the kids will eat them if I pack them in their lunch, today I was told that the apple sauce wasn't smooth enough...I figure at some point they are going to get hungry and have to eat, right?

Back from Vacation; Ironman training week 3 begins!

Missed all of last week due to vacation, totally worth it! I got a little exercise in though, I wore my Garmin and walked just under 50 miles in 4 days (betcha can't guess where I was :-)), I call that endurance training!

I have yet to make it to the pool since I got my new fins, I plan on getting there tomorrow; Jennifer probably thinks I am so lame, I won't consider myself lame until I actually miss the workout.

Okay, now I have to comment (again) on my new organic/vegetarian eating, I cannot tell you how fabulous I feel, it is amazing and I am not shy to tell my friends and co-workers about what a difference "clean eating" (I heard this term and wanted to use it) is making. I haven't lost any weight but that is not why I am doing it, although it would be a nice bonus! My only complaint is the bloating, I am pretty sure from the fiber of all the whole grains and the veggies but somebody recommended "Beano" and that is helping things to subside, lucky for me. I think that was an over-share, oh well!

Finally, I had a break through with the kids too, tonight they ate the dinner I cooked with hardly any complaints, woo hoo! With that I will share the recipe that I used to make my own homemade, organic pesto:

4 oz basil leaves, washed, dried and de-stemed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (I like to toast mine)
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil

Pulse in a food processor after you add each ingredient until relatively smooth and let set for 45 minutes to an hour--yummy!!

I have biked 1,024 miles this year!

After today's ride I checked my miles and couldn't believe it, 1,024 miles! If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would ride my bike over 1,000 miles in a year I would have laughed at you, now here I am and it feels great!

We are getting ready to head out on vacation, I am going to accept that we will not be able to eat organic and just live with it, there are no absolutes in this world, right?

Off to prepare for a family birthday party. Oh, I have to mention the cake and icing that I made, it is amazing! You can find the recipe at the food network, it is a Barefoot Contessa recipe, I didn't have the instant coffee powder for the frosting but it still tastes delicious! I am glad a I got a work out in so I can truly enjoy eating a piece!

Triathlons and Vegetarianism

So I am now in full swing of my 30 week Ironman training and I am struggling with the balance of training and vegetarianism since I am new to it. My shift to it was rapid, one day I could eat meat and the next I couldn't and at this point there is not compromise, I am not going to eat meat. The turkey on thanksgiving smelled so good, I thought "I am definitely having a bite of that" and when I went to grab some, I couldn't even put my fork on a piece of it, I just can't do it anymore. I need to find a good vegetarian cookbook, I have found a few but they aren't very practical--very long and involved recipes, I work fulltime, I don't have hours to cook each meal. All of the pre-made vegetarian fare is good enough but over processed is overprocessed, just because it is vegetarian doesn't mean it is made from organic ingredients and isn't full of all kinds of preservatives. I sound like a whiner(sp?), I know that I am a wine-er, ha!

I got my TYR split fins today and I am so excited to add them to my drills! The should help me to be more motivated to get into the pool, 21 degrees and foggy makes it awfully tough to slide into the cool water...

Triathlons with crappy swims

I get it, there are lots of very active towns out there that want to hold triathlons, and I also get that there are a lot of triathletes out there that just want to race but I have to say that I have to draw the line at swimming in a muck filled "reservoir." I use "reservoir" loosely because I have swam in some nice reservoirs and the one that I am referring to is not nice (I know this only from stories not first hand). My girls friends are trying to get me to travel to "wine country" in Washington state to compete in the "Onion Man", I understand that this is an awesome triathlon (with the exception of the swim) and a little wine tasting afterward sounds great, BUT and that is a big BUT from what I have gathered the swim is atrocious, as in the gals last year were concerned about giardia after they got out of the water and my brother-in-law said he stood in ankle deep muck waiting for the cannon to go off. I am definitely going to have to pass on this one! Let me just throw this out there however, aside from the swim (and I am a huge swimming wimp) that doesn't seem to bother about 90% of the people in the race I understand this race to be outstanding; they sell out every year and I guess the community is awesome!

On a completely different topic, I got new riding pants which I love, love love! Terry is an awesome brand and I am so excited to have some new pads to sit on! Two of the pairs are capris and are a slick type of material, a little tight when putting them on but the compression feels great when riding! Next, I got two new pairs of shorts, one shorter than the other, especially good for those long rides indoors :-) Finally, I have added arm warmers to my arsenal, we will see if I ever use them, my sister picked them up for me and from what I understand they are fabulous to have. I talked to a lady in Kona while vacationing last year and she told me that there is no such thing as a riding jersey with long sleeves, you just use arm warmers. I would expect a statement like that from somebody in Kona where the weather is beautiful and warm year round, in the great white north where I live, not only do we wear long sleeves when riding, we wear a couple of layers of long sleeves, hats, gloves and long riding pants; we also pray that the snow plows have hit the trails be fore we do-oh dear I need to go back to Kona!!

The best of intentions

I had every intention of swimming at noon today but I had a meeting that literally went almost 2 hours over when it was supposed to end. I was supposed to meet Jennifer, luckily I had my computer in the meeting and was able to send her a note that I was going to be late (or completely absent.) I will hopefully be able to make it tomorrow, that would be a real drag if I didn't make it again.

I have decided not to buy a new bike before Ironman, my bike is not fancy but it is a good bike, I am comfortable on it so I think it will do. I think that the last piece of equipment that I need is a pair of split fins for swim training, that would be crazy if I didn't have to spend too much on training this year!

I went back and reviewed my training log from two years ago and WOW, I am way ahead of where I was in 2008. I HAVE to be more committed to swimming, I think having a swim partner as well as a much greater idea about what it takes will make a huge difference on race day. I am actually really excited to start training next week!

Magic number 200

Today I 200 hours of workouts for the year, yea!! I set a goal for myself that I would log 175 hours and I wondered if that was even possible, I guess it was since I still have 5-6 weeks left in the year, I wonder if I can get to 225, should I try? I think so!!

Side note, I have started taking probiotics in the morning and really stressing whole foods, I don't know if it is psychological or if it is truly happening, but I am feeling healthier, physically and mentally, something else I should mention is that I have really cut back on the wine. JP and I had a glass last night, it had been a hectic week and it was Friday night so we opened a bottle, I had a glass, it was good wine, but I really didn't miss it, no wonder it was so easy to cut it out of my diet :-)

I gotta get back to the pool next week, I sure hope I can remember how to do my flip turns!!!

improving my eating and some other stuff

So I have a new obsession, is has been brewing for about 8 years or so but it has reared it's ugly head and I can no longer deny it, I cannot bring myself to eat meat. It is actually going a bit further than that, I am having a hard time eating anything with more than 10 ingredients and it has to be organic. I have been doing too much reading (story of my life) and I just am believing more and more that this is the way to go. Okay, it is kind of a lie, I can eat things that are not organic I just want to eat the right things that are organic, apple, etc. and I really want to feed organic to my kids, now that my daughter is almost 8 I am fearing the early puberty thing and estrogen overload. I know, I am crazy, but this is serious stuff!

Moving on over to workouts, JP and I went out for a run today, it was AWESOME! It was nice to be outside, I definitely felt the pain of being on the road for two days and working two 15 hours days but I don't want to make excuses. Official training starts in 11 days, yikes!! I am so excited and so scared, I have a new motivation though, JP made me motivational videos and made me a hot pink bracelet that says my new motto "Pain is Temporary, Pride is Forever," rock on!!

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

I have been struggling to get the posts that I write in my head when I am driving to and from work, or when I am working out, on to the page. Believe me, they are good posts, but then I sit down at the computer and get distracted by the Huffington Post or some other news source that talks about politics and I get all stressed out, what a worthless use of my time!

Anyway, I am about 3 weeks away from the official start of my 30 week Ironman training program, Yikes!! I am really excited, I sooooooo want to cross that finish line! JP made me a couple of different inspirational videos to watch when I need a little push and he had a band made for my wrist that says "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever" it is an awesome daily reminder of how hard I need to work and that just because something hurts while I am doing it, I shouldn't quit (ie hill repeats.)

Lately, my pre-training has suffered a bit because of my job and all of the travel that I have been doing, I gotta figure out how to balance the work, family and training a bit better. What this really means is that I need to start getting up early to get my workout in first thing, OY! Oh how I wish I was a morning person but I am SO NOT a morning person, maybe my pink bracelet will remind me that even though it hurts to get out of bed and on to the bike it will all be worth it when I hear those wonderful words "...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!"

How much wine is too much?

Seriously? Is a glass of wine with dinner, say 5 nights a week too much? How about a glass of wine with dinner and a nudge more after the kids go to bed, is that too much? Is a glass a wine with dinner 5 nights a week better than 5 beers on Friday night? I think so. Am I justifying my wine habit? Probably. I think in the grand scheme of things, I don't drink all that much, a lot more than some people for sure, but a helluva lot less than a lot of people. I guess it is like lattes for me, I go on a run when lattes taste so good and I want one everyday and then all of a sudden they don't taste as good and then they taste really bad and then it is like torture to have to drink one. I anticipate this coming with wine soon, lately sharing a glass with my hubby is plenty, soon I won't even want to drink any for a while, this will be good when I head into official Ironman training.

Damn, I am going to start training soon! Boy do I hope that my body changes, I want it to get leaner and for my legs to grow longer :-)

Well, I guess I better go clean the bathrooms now! More on my new homemade, green cleaning cleaning products later.

I learned how to do a flip turn!

So crazy, I was afraid to do it at first! But after a little practice and a few failed attempts it got easier, now we will see how it goes in an actual workout! On another note I was pleased when I was checking out my workout journal and I saw that I had swam the equivalent of 26 miles, I cannot even image when next year will bring, I am REALLY excited!!

I am back at it once again

Ok, so I really am working out, I just seem to post all of my work outs on Sweat 365, which is an awesome workout community, but I need to get back to my Tri-Fly roots. I read a really great article today on Ironman.com about "Ironman Realities" it was amazing. It helped me to come to terms with my failure at Ironman in 2008. I had actually come to terms with not finishing, but it made me realize that there are a lot of people out there with a DNF behind their name that worked as hard as I did, maybe harder, most likely harder, and still didn't hear the the words "Jane Doe, you are an Ironman!". It also made me realize that just because one of my friends who is signed up for Ironman is a kick ass athlete, it doesn't guarantee a finish; I personally don't doubt for one minute that she will finish, she is just that kind of person, but as Lee Gruenfield says "toeing the start line at Ironman isn't an automatic ticket to a lifetime of bragging rights." Man, I hope that toeing the starting line TWICE will give me the ticket to a lifetime of bragging rights!

I am really excited about training this year and while I know there are going to be times when I REALLY don't want to get in the pool, and the bike trainer in my basement is going to get the best of me, and my treadmill is not going to make me happy, and my kids are going to want to watch The Princess Bride when I want to watch the Lord of the Rings while I am on a 3 hour ride...indoors...in January...it is a means to an end, and that end will be crossing the finish line and hearing the words "B Sue Fly you are an Ironman!" And when I fall into a puddle of tears while my husbands helps me compose myself, it will all be worth it because my daughters will remember me crossing the finish line and that will replace their memory of my not finishing and they will know that no matter how many times you fall, you can always pick yourself up, dust yourself off, probably cry a little and get on with it. Because what you visualize is not always the way it turns out, and you can always learn from it, come back stronger and more determined than ever to succeed!

My friend laughed at me

So, I was talking with my friend who is an animal, lets just get that out in the open; she works out more than anyone I know and harder than anyone I know-seriously. So anyway, I was halfway through my bike ride on Saturday and I ran into her at the turn around, she of course had run 11 mile to get to that point and was getting ready to participate in a "fun run" after her "warm up". We hadn't seen each other for a while so we were catching up, in the conversation I mentioned that I had been doing P90X "you know, the one from the infomercial" and she replied "yeah, ha, so-and-so mentioned that you had been doing that". I just let it slide because seriously, I will never be able to be on the same planet as her athletically and it just doesn't matter. I did however get together with so-and-so this afternoon and mentioned the laughing at me, I told so-and-so right then that until she starts participating in the P90X program she was not allowed to laugh, I am pretty sure my point was made. Okay, now the question is, do people really need to make fun of me, just because I am doing an infomercial workout? If you have done the P90X and "brought it" the way Tony Horton (sp?) suggests, you know full well that it is no laughing matter! Anyway, I guess that is it nothing more except, I feel like I need to mention how glad I am that I am starting a recovery week, my muscles are TIRED!

P90X Day 16

Yoga X. Okay, so I was dreading the workout tonight because my arms were tired from last night’s workout and this afternoon’s swim, but once I got going I was really happy I didn’t skip it. I know that I am increasing my flexibility and I am pretty sure I am stronger. On another note, I was showing off my guns at work today and of the 3 people I showed, 2 were impressed, so I was pretty happy about that

Labor Day - Yea!!

I love three day weekends for many reasons, but this particular three day weekend is particularly fabulous! We decided to do nothing but stay in town and try to hasten my swine flu recovery :-). I am not kidding about the swine flu-they stopped testing for it because so many people have it in our area and I had all the symptoms and was out of work for a week. My girlfriend made fun of me in an email until she found out I was serious-she apologized, hardly necessary, while I may have been serious about having the swine flu, I am rarely serious about anything else.

So anyway, I told my husband that he gets a reprieve from my usual Monday morning crying until Tuesday morning and I am hoping since it has been such a fabulous weekend the crying jag will be avoided all together. I think part of why I have been off a bit lately is because I haven't been able to workout, things should get better now that I am starting to feel better and I can workout again. I just have to figure out how I am going to find the motivation to get to the pool 2-3 times a week while doing P90X, that is going to be hard! My core is so tired that I have to support my abdominal muscles when I cough so my cough is effective. I am not in terrible shape, I cannot imagine how some people must feel after starting this program!!

P90X-Day 2 Cardio X

We are doing the lean program. So far so good! A couple things that I really like, the workout countdown clock in the corner of the screen, and there is also a second countdown clock for each of the exercise sets, so it allows you to gauge your effort based on time left. I also like how he mixes up the exercises and he doesn’t do a ton of repetitive movements which I like, I tend to get a little bored with the same circuit repeated over and over. We decided that Monday would be our day off so Tuesday is Shoulders and Arms and the Ab Ripper-I am a little leary about that one!

Boring blogger

So, I am a boring blogger, I gotta stop that. Today I started P90X, oy! Core synergistics was tough, that or I am really weak! The program can only help my triathlon training, core strengthening is huge!! The kids were participating in the workout with me, I was so proud of them until they started fighting over who got the pink yoga mat, really? It was a peaceful 6 minutes with no fighting, why didn't I buy yoga mats that were the same color? I should know better by now!

I still can't figure out why I do triathlons-last night I asked a good girl friend of mine who is a pretty amazing triathlete and she said it is so she can look good in a bathing suit. I wish I could say first of all, that I looked good in a bathing suit, and second of all, that that was my reason, not so much, still looking...

Ho are we supposed to do it all?

Two things, okay actually three (1) I am pretty sure I have the swine flu, a mild case but the swine flu all the same, every symptoms that I have fits including the stomach part of it, the good news here is that I will not have to worry about it again ;-) I am really wanting/needing to workout but my swine flu is preventing that, makes me truly a pig, ha!

(2)My girlfriend called me to ask me how I do it all and while I was flattered that she thought I could do it all but had to break it to her that I just fake it really well. It got me thinking about doing it all and why we think that we have to. I have been fortunate that my husband has been home all summer with the kids and he is a true help around the house, this helps me to "do it all". But still I try to not let anything drop and when I do I am so disappointed with myself and feel like I am letting my kids down. This is really unhealthy in my opinion however it helped me to identify my first reason for why I do triathlons which is (3) in today's post. One of the reasons I do triathlons is because when I am training I feel like it is okay to say no and take time for myself. I still feel a little guilty but know I am a better mom because of it.

So boring post but it let me sort out some of my feelings on these topics. I would really like to expand on each of #2 & #3 but my swine flu is making me too tired, perhaps I can do that tomorrow. Good night.

I gotta get going on the morning workouts!

Aarrgghhhhhh! I cannot get my butt out of bed to get in a morning workout and I know that just HAVE to do this to make my Ironman training work. You would think that having kids would automatically make me a morning person, my daughter gets up at the crack of dawn. Why don't you get up when she gets up, you ask? Well that is because she is old enough to make herself some cereal and as she tells it make bacon in the microwave. We are not going to be teaching her to use the micrwave anytime soon but her independance really works against me when it comes to getting out of bed. Now I have a new plan...P90X in the morning. I understand it is a pretty killer program but I think it will be a great lead in to my official Ironman training, I hope. P90X in the morning and swimming 3 days a week at noon, come November I should be good to go.

It has been awhile...

Since my last post I have completed my 70.3 and an Olympic or International distance triathlon. I also signed up for Ironman Coeur d'Alene 2010, woo hoo. Now I need to figure out why I do triathlons...so why do I do triathlons? I have no idea. Talking to my hubby he says I am the least vain person he knows, I am not sure if that is good or bad but I know that it is not to brag about my accomplishments, I can honestly say that makes me feel uncomfortable. I am really going to have to dig deep on this one. Between now and Ironman I will figure it out. For now I am just going to enjoy my accomplishments!

Excellent ride!!

Picked my bike up after a tune up today and it rode GREAT!!! It actually shifted into my large chain ring on the first try, woo hoo! Now I get to have a glass of wine…

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/20/2009
• Time: 19:48:39
• Total Time: 1:00:06.00
• Calories: 947
• Distance: 19.74 miles
• Average Speed: 19.71 mph
• Max Speed: 23.6 mph

Awesome Swim

Well, the drills are finally paying off!! 1400 yards no stopping except for once to talk to my training partner. She said I looked fluid and fast (that is a relative term I know) but it felt really good too! I am so glad I took the time to stick with the TI drills. Once I get through my race I am going to go back to the drills and really try to improve my stroke but for now I gotta get some yardage in!!

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 05/19/2009
• Time: 17:02:22
• Total Time: 00:40:00.00
• Calories: 315
• Distance: 1,408 yd
• Average Pace: 2:51.89/100yd

Cycle - 1.2 hours - 05/17/2009

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/17/2009
• Time: 20:52:38
• Total Time: 1:10:09.00
• Calories: 1105
• Distance: 20 miles
• Average Speed: 17.11 mph

More drills but it is getting better!

more drills but it’s getting better!

I keep losing count of my laps so I error on the side of fewer, I am not unhappy with how things are going, I am not gassed when I get out of the pool and I am feeling more and more confident. Yahoo!

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 05/17/2009
• Time: 15:49:57
• Total Time: 00:40:00.00
• Calories: 315
• Distance: 1,100 yd
• Average Pace: 3:37.6/100yd

Run - 1 hours - 05/16/2009

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/16/2009
• Time: 13:50:39
• Total Time: 1:02:00.00
• Calories: 24
• Distance: 5.28 miles
• Average Pace: 0:11.74/mile

Cycle - 2 hours - 05/16/2009

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/16/2009
• Time: 09:21:10
• Total Time: 1:59:00.00
• Calories: 1562
• Distance: 30 miles
• Average Speed: 15.13 mph
• Max Speed: 31.4 mph

Swim - 0.5 hours - 05/15/2009

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 05/15/2009
• Time: 16:07:21
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00
• Calories: 236
• Distance: 900 yd
• Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

Very tough run!

I feel like I have never run before, tonight’s run kicked my arse, I feel like a gigantic wimp!! Lucky for me it was a point A to point B run or I may not have made it, but I did and I am dang proud!! What got me thorugh tonight’s run was my husband and the thought of all the people who wish that they could go out and run 8 miles but cannot, I am darn lucky!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/14/2009
• Time: 17:54:05
• Total Time: 1:29:00.00
• Calories: 1051
• Distance: 8.11 miles
• Average Pace: 10:58.14/mile

Cycle - 0.5 hours - 05/13/2009

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 05/13/2009
• Time: 19:19:05
• Total Time: 00:30:34.00
• Calories: 481
• Distance: 9.1 miles
• Average Speed: 17.86 mph
• Max Speed: 25 mph

Swim - 0.7 hours - 05/12/2009

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 05/12/2009
• Time: 16:17:51
• Total Time: 00:40:00.00
• Calories: 315
• Distance: 1,200 yd
• Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

Fantastic Mother's Day weekend!!

I know that I am one of the luckiest mom's on the planet!! First I woke up to the command that I could not get out of bed! There was too much going on in the kitchen so I hollered down to see if I could have a cup of coffee delivered, sure enough the cutest waitstaff showed up with a new travel mug full of piping hot coffee with just the perfect amount of half and half added. A few minutes later I am served breakfast in bed; scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, OJ and chocolate chip pancakes, awesome!

I was then treated to the most amazing help while I weeded the garden, was told to go out on my run, it was Mother's Day, take all the time I wanted. After 11 miles I was ready for a little more to eat and a little more coffee so the crew met me at Starbucks for a venti iced coffee and a pumpkin scone and most importantly a ride home!

After a short rest we headed to the pool for some swimming and playing, on the pool deck was a present, my friend got me some serious "bling" for Mother's Day, TYR "bling" goggles, they are pink and blingy and I love them!!! After swimming we were off to Baskin Robiins for some Peanut Butter and Chocolate ice cream, a perfect day of family and good food!

I sat out on the back patio smiling while I thought back on the day, it was good from end to end. It's funny, my grandfather passed away exactly one year ago today and while I expected to be sad I am pretty sure he helped to contribute to my fantastic day, in fact, I don't think that it was a coincidence that today was the nicest weather day we have had all year, he probably just wanted to be sure that we all had beautiful days, that is just the kind of guy he was; man I miss him...

I may very well be one of the luckiest people on the planet!

Why do I do triathlons?

I stumbled upon a great website, Trifuel, and read a really interesting article that got me thinking (which of course was the point). It was titled "Why Do YOU *Really* Do Triathlons" recently I have wondered what gets me to the pool, when I really don't like to swim? What gets me outside on the trail on Saturday mornings when my bike seat makes my lady-bits feel a little sore? Why did I run 8.25 miles when I was sick? These (plus many more) are all questions that I am going to explore, I think it will be a great exercise and lead me to some reveling things about myself that I may not have known!

Check out the article, it might get you thinking too!

Enjoy your weekend!!

37 days til race time!!

I knew that the race was coming up but 37 days seems really close! I went in to quick care today and was diagnosed with seasonal allergies and sinusitis; my ear drums are bulging but not infected so that was really good news! I started taking Claritin tonight, hopefully that will shoo all of these aggravating symptoms away; I want to feel like myself again. I have never really experienced allergies and I have to say that I do not like them!!

More than my allergy symptoms, I am frustrated with my nutrition. I am dragging a lot of the time lately and as my workouts get longer and more intense I am finding myself zapped of energy. I had hoped to lose 1 pound a week for 5 week prior to the race but I have put that on hold, I just need to find the right mix of protein, fat and carbs. I think I am eating too much fat because I LOVE avocado (and cheetos, did I say that out loud?), but that is the good kind of fat, right?

Anyway, I hope that this post doesn't sound too negative, I am not feeling negative at all, maybe just a bit overwhelmed, I want to be my best on race day!!!

PS - even thought it kind of freaked me out that the race is only 37 days away, I am also really excited!

PSS - I signed up to volunteer at Ironman, hopefully I will get to be a "catcher" at the finish line!!!

Sick week

This is the end of a tough week of training! I ended up getting sick on Wednesday and I cannot seem to shake whatever it is, I feel the same today (if not worse) than I did when I first started coming down with it. I ended up 4.75 miles short on my running distance and so far about 1200 yards short of my swimming distance...I am going to hit the quick care office this afternoon and see if they can help me. Training is getting way too intense to be laid up!!

I hope you all have a great week ahead!!

Tuesday musings

As I laid in bed last night telling my husband that I was going to be pissed if so and so beat me at the 70.3, he gave me perspective; he reminded me that it really doesn't matter what everyone else dose and that all I can be is my best on that day. People who are older and heavier will beat me, big deal, we are all going to be out there doing it and that is what is most important.

Now on to training, I spent 30 minutes in the pool today doing TI drills, I plan to hit the pool on Thursday and Friday as well. I had completely forgotten all of the good stuff that I learned last year and was happy to find my sweet spot again! I am not going to rush it this year, I am in good shape, I will be able to complete the swim, maybe not in record time but if I can do it and not be dead tired all the drill will be worth it.

I'm tired and think I am going to go and read my new triathlete magazine.

Tough weekend of workouts

But I am not going to let them get me down because for one, I did them and that right there is reason to celebrate!! My elbow is still a bit sore and I discovered a new bruise on my knee, ouch. I re-watched my Total Immersion video and am re-energized about swimming. Last year my swimming was coming swimmingly (word play!) and then I forgot all of my techniques. So I am switching gears slightly, the drills that I will be doing now are all TI, I will keep you posted on how that goes ;-)

Brutal headwind and a bike crash...

I couldn't get anybody to ride with me today, shortly after heading out I figured out why. the temperature was up to 42 by the time I left, but unbeknown to me a 21 mph headwind was kicking up. It was pretty brutal, I can honestly say I felt like I was going to cry a couple of different times throughout the ride. to put a cherry on top of the worst ride I have had in a long time I crashed, then I REALLY wanted to cry! I removed a little skin from my left flank and my left elbow is skinned and KILLING me. I almost called JP to come pick me up but decided to suck it up and power on, the ride was 35 mile and the crash was at mile 30 only 5 miles to home IN TO THE WIND! I am glad I did, but man oh man, it took some serious positive self talk to get through that one, if it is blowing like that tomorrow I am on the trainer!!

We'll see how the run goes...Have a great weekend!

more swimming drills and a bike ride

Drills, Drills, Drills; tomorrow I try out the real thing, I am not looking forward to it...On another note, I had a great bike ride tonight (on the trainer). Now I am tired and must hit the hay.

Good night!

Ran home from work

It was good and tough at the same time. I forgot to pack my light running fleece, it was mid 60's and blowing, I thought I would be cold so I borrowed a fleece from a co-worker and headed out; I regretted the fleece decision about 2/10th into the run and really regretted it at about 1.5 miles. If it had been my own I would have ditched it on the side of the trail and went back for it later but since it wasn't mine I spent the next 7.5 miles with it wrapped around my waist. I had wind at my back some of the time so that was a bonus, at times it was blowing so hard I felt like I was expending extra energy to fight against it! I think it is hard to do that long of a run late in the day... I should have eaten more than I did, so I was very happy that JP packed me a little pack of jelly beans in my fuel belt, it was a lovely treat at 4 miles--thanks JP! :-)

Biking tomorrow and probably some swimming drills, if I am going to stay true to this new commitment to swimming I just gotta do it, oy!

More swimming drills

I think I can just post the same thing over and over, swimming drills...I know they are going to pay off, BIG TIME I hope! Stroke, glide, stroke, glide, stroke, glide; maybe I should look into a masters swimming program?!?!?

How to become a better swimmer...

So, Jen and I are riding on Saturday and she says to me "I've been thinking about your swimming andyou're not gonna like me...do you want to hear what I think?" Of course I do! So she proceeds to say "the only way you are going to get better is to double your time in the pool, if you are spending 2 days a week in the water, you need to spend 4...2 days of nothing but drills and 2 days of straight swimming, no rests and if you have to rest 10 seconds...nothing less than 500 yards per set". WHAT?!?!? Okay, I already knew this, but damn now it is really real and I know that I have to do it! 2:19:42 I have to remember this time and it should push me, the 70.3 is 7 weeks away it's go time!

Pushed my Big Chain Ring!!

I tried to do the entire ride in my largest chain ring in an effort to get adjusted to pushing a bigger gear. I am the granny gear queen and I don’t want to be any longer! So I spent a beautiful morning ride really thinking about technique and form–pulling and pushing with my hamstrings, or as Jen likes to call it, scraping gum off the bottom of my shoe. It is working! I could tell when I was climbing hills that I was more efficient and climbed faster–yippee!

Moved quickly into 2 miles easy off the bike, no calf cramping, I was grateful for this. The run felt great we purposely took and semi-hilly route so the flat race route will feel easy (or at least that’s what we are telling ourselves :-).

Another brick on the books!

Swiming drills, swimming srills, swimming drills

Did I mention that I did swimming drills today? It was my first time in the water in about 10 or 11 days, I am not sure that my ears have healed completely but I really needed to swim so I took the chance, so far so good; they are a little bit plugged but not too bad. That is not what this post is about, it is about swimming drills and I did my fair share today. Jen is a very good swimmer and gives me fantastic advice, today she gave me new drills to do and do and do, but guess what? I think they are working, slowly but surely, and it is awesome, Lucky Fin might actually be gone by the 70.3!

This was a taper week and I really needed it, I traveled for work and had to do all of my workouts inside, it has been a struggle everyday...my body needed the rest. Tomorrow is 22 miles on the bike and 2 miles off the bike for an easy brick, I am actually looking forward to it!!

7 miles of running in what quite possibly could have been one of Dante's rings...

That was one seriously hard run! I kept trying to quicken my pace and just could not sustain it, it was a drag because I just wanted it to be over, after 7 miles no endorphins kicked in, bummer! Contributing factors to the pain and suffering include: 30 miles on the bike 6 hours prior, Monsters vs. Aliens (ate too much salty popcorn and refused to pay $3.50 for a 16oz water), waited until 5:30pm to head out AND I knew that JP was at home making chocolate chip pancakes, I don't care how old you are, chocolate chips pancakes are just too good!

I survived and am surprisingly not sore today :-) The Easter Bunny brought wii fit to our house last night, what a wonderful surprise! I have learned that I have really terrible balance and that JP can kick my booty in just about every one of the balance games, I've got to work on that!

Rainy days and bike rides do not go well together!

Three of us were meeting at the bike trail head for a 30 miler today, it was overcast but 42, it was going to be great! I had my jacket on, my left biking shoe was on and my right one was half way on when my cell rang, it was Jennifer and it was raining (I hadn't looked outside in a while) HARD! Now I don't know about you, but I do not have windshield wipers on my glasses and neither does Jennifer so she ducked out and I was left to meet Laura at the trail head; I went without my bike... :-( We decided next week will be better and will try again, such a bummer, but hey I got to drink a second cup of coffee on the way to the trail!

Indoors in the basement on the trainer was brutal, mental strength was the mantra I kept repeating to myself, JP even had to give me a pep talk! I made it through on a wing and a prayer and was happy it was over. Biking on the trainer must be some sort of medieval torture, I loved it last year but it is killing me this year! Off to see Monsters vs. Aliens, should be fun!

If you didn't know the Ironman 70.3 Championship is on NBC tomorrow - I am so excited, JP set the DVR, such amazing inspiration (the race, not JP setting the DVR :-))!!

Running on the treadmill

Might have been a little bit early for a 7 mile run but I had been on antibiotics for 24 hours and I felt considerably better. My run felt pretty good until about 5.5 miles and then things deteriorated quickly, I made it to the end and for that I am happy, tomorrow will be better! It was funny, because I was on the treadmill I was watching a DVD of the Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers and my heart rate kept going up on the battle scenes, I guess they are that exciting, I don't know?!?! Man those Orks sure are ugly, really creepy actually!

Tomorrow is a double day, 30 mile bike and 7 mile run, fortunately it is not a brick so I can drink coffee when I get back from the ride, I sure hope the weather holds, it was absolutely beautiful today, I didn't even wear a coat!

Double ear infection...what?!?!?

One thing is for sure, I always had sympathy for people with ear infections, especially children but now I have even more sympathy, man alive my ears hurt! So needless to say I slept terrible for the past couple of nights and today I hit the wall, I actually felt like I was going to cry at work. So I came home and slept and now I am going to be going back to bed shortly.

This ear situation has total killed my workout for the day, I was supposed to do a 45 minute ride and I made it 12 minutes and gave up--not worth it! I think after 24 hours on the antibiotics I will be back good as new with hope that tomorrow's run is kick ass!

The wheels completely came off...

so I am sitting here at the computer trying to stay away from the kitchen because I have eaten 4 or 5 brownies (at this point I have lost count) all while watching The Biggest Loser. Are you kidding me? I really want to drop 8-10 pounds by my race in June but the more I think about eating less the more I eat, I feel pathetic! This is why I never go on diets, the less I want to eat the more I actually eat. I think I am just going to try to burn more calories and forget about eating less, something’s gotta give, right? I am now back in control and am drinking peppermint tea, no more brownies!!!

Mostly swimming drills

400 freestyle, otherwise it was drills. I tell you what, only resting 10 seconds between each 100 yards is HARD!! I cheated a bit…I justify it by saying “at least I did it”.

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 04/07/2009
• Time: 15:10:43
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00
• Calories: 235
• Distance: 1,100 yd
• Average Pace: 2:43.64/100yd

Day off!!

No running, biking or swimming, yea!! I really do enjoy my workouts but the intensity is starting to increase and so is the intensity at work. Getting out of the office and going to the rec center is salvation, it is sanity and sooo necessary! I will be back at it tomorrow, I hope that I can get into the pool, right now my ears are killing me, I am not sure if I have an infection or swimmers ear but oh baby they hurt!!

I am really feeling fat, I know vacation and mai tai's will do that to you but man, I guess I am stunned that I can put in the work and not have the scale change! So today I really tried to think about what I ate, to eat only when I was hungry and think about the diminishing size of my ass. Well, apparently I really like the size of my ass because I ate plenty, including alfredo pasta, bit-o-honey, Costco brownie bites, a regular brownie and 2 poor man's mocha's, I wish I could say that was all I ate but that was just this afternoon. I think I have issues!!

April 5 -- cycle

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 04/05/2009
• Time: 10:43:13
• Total Time: 00:41:25.00
• Calories: 649
• Distance: 12 miles
• Average Speed: 17.38 mph
• Max Speed: 22.7 mph

April 4 -- I swear I was going faster than that!

Only my feet were freezing, it was nice to not have to fight the wind!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 04/04/2009
• Time: 13:15:00
• Total Time: 1:55:00.00
• Calories: 1502
• Distance: 28 miles
• Average Speed: 14.61 mph
• Max Speed: 31.4 mph
• Ascent: 1,289 ft
• Descent: 1,157 ft

April 4 -- Running with Jamie and Jennifer

Great fun! I suggested we run a long hill, not a great idea, I will chalk that one up to experience and not do that again after a bike ride!! It was great to run with Jamie, never have done it before, it was really fun

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/04/2009
• Time: 12:25:45
• Total Time: 1:10:00.00
• Calories: 823
• Distance: 6.5 miles
• Average Pace: 10:46.32/mile
• Max Pace: 6:31.3/mile
• Ascent: 1,835 ft
• Descent: 1,874 ft

April 3 -- JP inspired me to get in a run

I was lazy all week, I was just not feeling well so I am playing catch up to a point, I did an easy-ish L6 run while he did the boflex, didn’t want to go too hard I have a 28 mile ride and 6.5 mile run tomorrow, I sure hope the weather cooperates!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 04/03/2009
• Time: 16:39:25
• Total Time: 00:29:23.00
• Calories: 384
• Distance: 3 miles
• Average Pace: 9:47.28/mile

April 3 -- Swimming with Jennifer

and now I am re-inspired! She has completed Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Canada and I admire her greatly, she gave me great advice and reinspired my swimming–great day!

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 04/03/2009
• Time: 16:37:16
• Total Time: 00:35:00.00
• Calories: 274
• Distance: 1,000 yd

March 30 -- Cycling

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 03/30/2009
• Time: 19:24:47
• Total Time: 00:35:00.00
• Calories: 549
• Distance: 11.25 miles
• Average Speed: 19.29 mph

March 29 -- Good run, some hip pain

In my sartorius muscle I think, the pain is right down the front of my right leg right below the pelvic area, very difficult to stretch!

JP ran 13 today, I am so proud of him and so happy that it wasn’t me!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/29/2009
• Time: 12:52:10
• Total Time: 1:00:40.00
• Calories: 713
• Distance: 6 miles
• Average Pace: 10:07.08/mile

March 28-- Part 2

My legs felt good about .2 into it, I was relieved since I hadn’t been on the bike for about 2.5 weeks I thought for sure my legs were going to crap out on the run, I have to admit I was really glad that it was only 2 miles however

Off to buy seeds for the garden before all the good ones are gone!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/28/2009
• Time: 11:56:56
• Total Time: 00:20:14.00
• Calories: 238
• Distance: 2 miles
• Average Pace: 10:07.08/mile

March 28 -- Brick workout Part 1

All I can say is thank goodness for the “Fellowship of the Ring”! 42 degrees is WAY too cold for a wimp like me to ride outside so I was on the trainer today and in front of a DVD, an action movie is a MUST!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 03/28/2009
• Time: 11:53:29
• Total Time: 1:20:07.00
• Calories: 1255
• Distance: 25.15 miles
• Average Speed: 18.83 mph

March 26 -- Run

1 mile wu L4 4×400m uphill L9 (jog down for recovery) 1 mile cd L4

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/26/2009
• Time: 17:26:23
• Total Time: 00:41:42.00
• Calories: 490
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 10:25/mile

March 22 -- Great run!!

I’ve been challenging myself to run faster and it is starting to pay off! today I ran 2 of my 6 miles in 8:56 and 9:00 I was very excited!!

Aloha!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/22/2009
• Time: 19:18:19
• Total Time: 00:59:39.00
• Calories: 777
• Distance: 6.25 miles
• Average Pace: 9:32.34/mile

March 20 -- Swimming in the bay and a Jellyfish sting

Swimming with my sister on the Kona ironman course, it was fun until I my right arm started to burn, it looks like a jelly fish or some other type of marine life stung me in a few different places - quite painful! The swim however, was fun and inspiring!

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 03/20/2009
• Time: 23:10:35
• Total Time: 00:20:00.00
• Calories: 156
• Distance: 600 yd
• Average Pace: 3:20.53/100yd

March 19 -- More running with J

and it is just so fun! We challenge each toher which is so nice. Swimming tomorrow

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/19/2009
• Time: 22:39:27
• Total Time: 00:29:31.00
• Calories: 385
• Distance: 3 miles
• Average Pace: 9:50.16/mile

March 18 -- Not sure I was feelin' it!

but I made it through and was darn happy I did! Challenged myself in the last mile and did an 8:25, I was ecstatic, even more so that I could go and put my head under the shower at the pool!

Aloha!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/18/2009
• Time: 20:20:53
• Total Time: 00:49:25.00
• Calories: 644
• Distance: 5 miles
• Average Pace: 9:53.08/mile

March 16 -- More hills with mom

I wore the garmin this time so the distance is accurate, yea!

Aloha!

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 03/16/2009
• Time: 12:47:45
• Total Time: 1:17:00.00
• Calories: 602
• Distance: 4.5 miles
• Average Pace: 17:05.64/mile
• Ascent: 972 ft

March 15 -- Hike Kileaua

Great fun and part of the hike back up I had a 52 pound weight on my shoulders, that had to add something to the climb!

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 03/15/2009
• Time: 22:50:51
• Total Time: 1:45:00.00
• Calories: 342
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 26:12.05/mile

March 14 -- Mom was right!

I really didn’t want to run this morning but about 7 minutes in I was so glad I did it, my mom was right, but that is nothing new! J and I were able to run together again, we decided to run hills, it was tough but fun.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/14/2009
• Time: 10:55:37
• Total Time: 00:52:23.00
• Calories: 614
• Distance: 5.04 miles
• Average Pace: 10:23.92/mile

March 13 -- Steep walk!!

Walked with my mom, great walk about a 12% grade for 1.2 miles, good workout for the quads and butt!!

Workout:

• Type: Walk
• Date: 03/13/2009
• Time: 19:41:31
• Total Time: 1:15:00.00
• Calories: 323
• Distance: 4.2 miles
• Average Pace: 17:51.43/mile

Fabulous run on Ali'i Drive!!

Great run with J, we don’t get to go together very often so we had a good time! We pushed each other, had a great kick at the end; and there was a huge bonus, one of the homes right along the water put in a shower and drinking fountain for the runners and bikers, very refreshing since we waited a little to long to head out!!

Workout:
Type: Run
Date: 03/12/2009
Time: 12:50:45
Total Time: 00:37:40.00
Calories: 491
Distance: 4 miles
Average Pace: 9:25.15/mile

Hill Training Drills

Here is the approximate workout, 10 min. wu L4 6×1 min. hill climbs L9 (coast back down to recover) cd L4.

On a completely different note, I am leaving for Hawaii on Wednesday and I cannot wait, this snow/wind/rain/sun/clouds/green grass/slippery gravel roads has finally worn me down, sun and sand here I come!!!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 03/09/2009
• Time: 19:36:55
• Total Time: 00:35:00.00
• Calories: 457
• Distance: 8.75 miles
• Average Speed: 15 mph

Triathlon Swimming Drills

I would really like to finish the 70.3 swim in 45 minutes, to some that probably sounds super slow to me it sounds like a dream, a dream where I am swimming very fast! I like the quote “Fitness is what is achieved while practicing good technique” it is so true with me and swimming. I just want to get yardage in but I have to remind myself that yardage doesn’t matter if I have bad technique that zaps my energy. I really do not like the swimming drills because they make me uncomfortable but I think that might be the point, when I am semi-comfortable, (that is all I can get, I don’t think I will ever be comfortable in the water, but when I am semi-comfortable) my form is terrible and I am exhausted! If the drills don’t work my next step will have to be a total immersion weekend…

Workout:

• Type: Swim
• Date: 03/08/2009
• Time: 16:33:08
• Total Time: 00:40:00.00
• Calories: 313
• Distance: 1,400 yd
• Average Pace: 2:51.89/100yd

Brick Workout - Part 2

I was only supposed to run 2 miles but felt good and guilty for the 2 days I didn’t workout while I was on my trip so I kept going and made up a bit of the mileage that I missed, yea!!

all in all I felt great on the run, my right quad got a little bit sore toward the end but not so painful that i had to stop. tomorrow the pool!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/07/2009
• Time: 12:16:46
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00
• Calories: 705
• Distance: 5.52 miles
• Average Pace: 10:52.17/mile

Brick Workout - Part 1

I didn’t feel great, I don’t know if it was the traveling, the morning or the fact that I didn’t have any Gatorade (ok, that is probably not it, but I REALLY like Gatorade) but I just wasn’t feelin’ it. I made it through and made a SLOW transition to the run, my stomach was a little upset and I didn’t want to start the run until things calmed down!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 03/07/2009
• Time: 12:10:55
• Total Time: 1:10:00.00
• Calories: 914
• Distance: 18.55 miles
• Average Speed: 15.9 mph
• Max Speed: 19.5 mph

Week 2 off to a good start!

I am mixing up the schedule a bit to accommodate my schedule but it feels good to be in such good shape going into my training, last year my conditioning was marginal, this year I feel great! Today’s workout was a 12 mile bike at level 5-6 with 6 30 seconds spurts at level 10, that hurts! I am really excited about the 70.3!!

Workout:

• Type: Cycle
• Date: 03/04/2009
• Time: 08:58:40
• Total Time: 00:40:00.00
• Calories: 627
• Distance: 12 miles
• Average Speed: 18 mph
• Max Speed: 28.1 mph

Run - 0.8 hours 03/03/2009

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/03/2009
• Time: 21:26:26
• Total Time: 00:49:00.00
• Calories: 576
• Distance: 4.5 miles
• Average Pace: 10:53.36/mile

queen k highway

Running at a 1% incline on the treadmill doesn't make a huge difference in effort but I will take every little bit I can get!! The 70.3 training plan actually had me swimming today but that wasn’t going to happen, way too much going on! I will plan to swim next Sunday and just flip flop the workouts.

Anybody know if there is a good place to rent a bike in Kona? I wanna go for a ride on the Queen K highway!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 03/01/2009
• Time: 16:41:35
• Total Time: 00:53:43.00
• Calories: 631
• Distance: 5 miles
• Average Pace: 10:45.16/mile

Run - 0.8 hours

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 02/28/2009
• Time: 18:05:37
• Total Time: 00:45:00.00
• Calories: 529
• Distance: 4 miles
• Average Pace: 11:15.42/mile