Lisa came over last night for our first official training session. Any doubts I may have entertained about whether a friend would train me as hard as a person I didn't know and just hired out of a gym were entirely alleviated. Not even 20 minutes into it after a set of squats and plyometrics, my head was spinning and I thought I would puke. Fortunately, that didn't actually happen.
What did happen is that I realized how out of shape I've become, which just supports my decision to hire her to train me instead of trying to go it alone. This has the potential to be an excellent investment.
The kids and I are going running/riding tonight. I don't intend for us to go very far at first, but that just means they'll have more time on the swings & slide before we have to go home. Saturday morning I've planned to attend a 90 minute Qigong class, and I'm really excited about that. It's been ages since I've practiced, and I can use the centering it provides.
Must work now..
Running towards fitness and never, ever, away from a challenge!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Last night I worked my legs & glutes. ouch! Well, ouch today. It felt relatively easy while I was working out. Tonight's bodyparts were back & calves. Then I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill. I ran some but walked most of it on a steep incline. My legs were just so sore. I can't complain, as this is the good kind of soreness. FINALLY! Tomorrow I'll work biceps & triceps. Talk about anticipating the pain!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
I'm back..
Bigger than ever, and yes, that's literally bigger than I've ever been, but I'm back and working on it.
Yes, that's all for now.
Yes, that's all for now.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Time Flies!
Not much time to post lately, but I've been keeping up with my jogging and my cycling. We rode 55 miles this Saturday. The first 17 went fairly quickly and were a really pretty ride. We spent about 10 minutes at the first rest stop, and I downed a hammer gel and half a banana. That seems to be all my stomach tolerates at the stops - unless I'm fortunate enough to find vanilla wafers. (no wonder Nicholas is such a fiend for them! He gets it from his mom!!)
Anyway, feeling good after the first break, despite knowing we'd likely be facing a headwind the entire way back, and we decided to take the longer route - 55 miles v. 41 miles. To date, my longest ride had been that walk through hell called 44.5 miles in Cat Springs. I was not looking forward to a repeat, but considering that the actual 2-day, 160 mile ride is quickly approaching, my mileage needed to go up. So, off we go!
I suppose this is where I admit a bit of an ego stroke in even being able to tackle the longer ride. We're still seeing people being brought in on SAG vehicles during each of these rides, and even as out of shape as I am, I've managed to complete each ride, stand up afterwards (ok, it was TOUGH after Cat Springs), and maneuver myself up and down our stairs the next day with no lingering soreness. The scenery was nice, even the section where we had to cross some rather funky streets with loads of traffic and a stoplight where drivers varied between wanting to let us turn left across the street on a green light rather than waiting on our green arrow. Little did they know, they only pissed off other drivers who were stuck waiting behing them when we wouldn't venture out into the intersection and the very same drivers remained stuck at the light when we did get our green arrow. ouch! BIG trucks, small shoulders, pissed off folks - it could have made for difficulties, but instead, the people of the town were really cordial and quite accommodating. I think we were in Bellville, but I usually end up so out of it that I don't know where I am unless I'm looking at a map or a street sign. At any rate, yay for the locals who didn't run us over! :)
The second half of the second leg was the absolute worst stretch of road I've ever cycled on. Imagine being in your car and riding directly down the drunk-bumps. bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump
Holy cow - my quads were screaming by mile 33! Consequently, the second rest-stop wasn't until mile 39, so I had more screaming quads to live through. My legs cramped, and we spent what was probably too long at the stop, but within .5 mile of getting back on the road, it was finally smooth again. I so badly wanted to scream - yahoo! - upon reaching the 50 mile mark (after all, this was my first time!), but when I hit it, all I could think was, "5 more miles.. c'mon, you can do it!" There was one final climb at the end of the last leg. Approaching a stop sign, climbing up a slight incline, seeing the odometer read 55.4 and thinking, "will this EVER end??" and finally, turning right at the stop sign - THERE IT WAS! The high school where we'd parked our cars that morning.
Thank God! I lived through it!
Hope you're all doing well - keep running, spinning, or whatever it is that you do!
Seek the joy! !
Anyway, feeling good after the first break, despite knowing we'd likely be facing a headwind the entire way back, and we decided to take the longer route - 55 miles v. 41 miles. To date, my longest ride had been that walk through hell called 44.5 miles in Cat Springs. I was not looking forward to a repeat, but considering that the actual 2-day, 160 mile ride is quickly approaching, my mileage needed to go up. So, off we go!
I suppose this is where I admit a bit of an ego stroke in even being able to tackle the longer ride. We're still seeing people being brought in on SAG vehicles during each of these rides, and even as out of shape as I am, I've managed to complete each ride, stand up afterwards (ok, it was TOUGH after Cat Springs), and maneuver myself up and down our stairs the next day with no lingering soreness. The scenery was nice, even the section where we had to cross some rather funky streets with loads of traffic and a stoplight where drivers varied between wanting to let us turn left across the street on a green light rather than waiting on our green arrow. Little did they know, they only pissed off other drivers who were stuck waiting behing them when we wouldn't venture out into the intersection and the very same drivers remained stuck at the light when we did get our green arrow. ouch! BIG trucks, small shoulders, pissed off folks - it could have made for difficulties, but instead, the people of the town were really cordial and quite accommodating. I think we were in Bellville, but I usually end up so out of it that I don't know where I am unless I'm looking at a map or a street sign. At any rate, yay for the locals who didn't run us over! :)
The second half of the second leg was the absolute worst stretch of road I've ever cycled on. Imagine being in your car and riding directly down the drunk-bumps. bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump bump
Holy cow - my quads were screaming by mile 33! Consequently, the second rest-stop wasn't until mile 39, so I had more screaming quads to live through. My legs cramped, and we spent what was probably too long at the stop, but within .5 mile of getting back on the road, it was finally smooth again. I so badly wanted to scream - yahoo! - upon reaching the 50 mile mark (after all, this was my first time!), but when I hit it, all I could think was, "5 more miles.. c'mon, you can do it!" There was one final climb at the end of the last leg. Approaching a stop sign, climbing up a slight incline, seeing the odometer read 55.4 and thinking, "will this EVER end??" and finally, turning right at the stop sign - THERE IT WAS! The high school where we'd parked our cars that morning.
Thank God! I lived through it!
Hope you're all doing well - keep running, spinning, or whatever it is that you do!
Seek the joy! !
Monday, March 12, 2007
Seeking joy..
... in every step and/or pedal stroke, and FINDING IT!
This was such a great weekend. The weather was perfect, Joel was so supportive and helpful on the ride Saturday, and I ran on the dreadmill Sunday and got the benefit of those glorious endorphins. Add to that the joy of watching Hunter and Nicholas running around the yard like little crazy people Sunday morning, and I don't know how it could have been any better. Seriously, it was just about perfect. [hmmmm.. of course, now I'm wondering if I left clothes in the laundry for the nanny to find! ack!! yea, doing laundry puts a damper on things, but hey, maybe I didn't start any and will get to do it tonight?? that's better than the thought of our wonderful caregiver having to find my undies in the washing machine!]
Saturday's ride was 41.4 miles in Columbus. See the map here. I've decided that my earlier boasting to a couple I met on the Cat Springs ride about how I didn't mind the uphill bits but the downhill ones were the frightful parts for me was nothing but novice-talk! N-O-V-I-C-E-T-A-L-K!!! I've learned to love the speed of going downhill, and I maxed out at 38.8 mph this weekend! woohooooo!!!!!
As for the uphill climbs, especially the long, slow tedious ones, there's not much to say about them except "ouch!" Good grief, I actually had to come out of the saddle on one of them. Talk about burning the glutes!! I did, however, see other folks who had to walk their bikes up the same hill, so it could have been worse, I suppose.
Sunday's run was inside since I wasn't really sure how far I wanted to go, and I was certain I needed to get downstairs and do some ab work on the ball. I ran 1 mile (no walking - go me!), walked 1/8 mile, and ran another mile (no walking!). This, too, seems very novice, I'm sure. I'm okay with that.
In talking to Joel on Friday evening, I realized that I don't have any desire to be an elite athlete (yea, like that's a huge surprise to anyone that reads of my sporadic attemps at athleticism! haha). I simply want to do fun stuff. I want to be healthier. I want to pattern good habits for my kids. My running and riding won't save the world, but if it puts a smile on my face, it'll go a long way toward making life more pleasant for the people around me. Having him better understand my goals and why he shouldn't push me toward goals that are NOT mine is a huge step forward for us. I have to give him credit - he really listened to me when we talked. He HEARD what I was saying. The whole conversation began because he wanted to let me know he'd try to be more "tolerant" of my weaknesses this weekend. That might seem a bit odd, but he's been pushing me to achieve what he thinks I can - and who knows, maybe it's possible? But the result has been that it's made me feel attacked and subsequently, angry, and I've been ready to throw up my hands and walk away from it. Things have been tense and I haven't enjoyed the experiences like I'd like to.
I do think I shocked him when I said I wanted to do the long rides, but I'll go at my pace (and he can go at his much quicker one - I don't want to hold him back) and probably stop and take pictures along the way. He got this dumbfounded look on his face and explained that the people he knows who ride do it to go train and then get home. Okay, good for them. They compete. This is part of a regimen for them. I'm not competing, and I don't want to. My work life is so stressful and I compete so hard to be *elite* there that I want some place to just have fun. Running and riding is that place for me now. Thanks to Joel's finally understanding and accepting my approach to it all, it was even more fun than I'd imagined. To his credit, I don't think I'd ever tried to tell him what I hoped to get out of this. We really screw up the communication bit of our marriage sometimes, but boy, when we get it right, we do it so well!
I love my husband. He's a good guy (and he's pretty hot in his cycling gear!)
This was such a great weekend. The weather was perfect, Joel was so supportive and helpful on the ride Saturday, and I ran on the dreadmill Sunday and got the benefit of those glorious endorphins. Add to that the joy of watching Hunter and Nicholas running around the yard like little crazy people Sunday morning, and I don't know how it could have been any better. Seriously, it was just about perfect. [hmmmm.. of course, now I'm wondering if I left clothes in the laundry for the nanny to find! ack!! yea, doing laundry puts a damper on things, but hey, maybe I didn't start any and will get to do it tonight?? that's better than the thought of our wonderful caregiver having to find my undies in the washing machine!]
Saturday's ride was 41.4 miles in Columbus. See the map here. I've decided that my earlier boasting to a couple I met on the Cat Springs ride about how I didn't mind the uphill bits but the downhill ones were the frightful parts for me was nothing but novice-talk! N-O-V-I-C-E-T-A-L-K!!! I've learned to love the speed of going downhill, and I maxed out at 38.8 mph this weekend! woohooooo!!!!!
As for the uphill climbs, especially the long, slow tedious ones, there's not much to say about them except "ouch!" Good grief, I actually had to come out of the saddle on one of them. Talk about burning the glutes!! I did, however, see other folks who had to walk their bikes up the same hill, so it could have been worse, I suppose.
Sunday's run was inside since I wasn't really sure how far I wanted to go, and I was certain I needed to get downstairs and do some ab work on the ball. I ran 1 mile (no walking - go me!), walked 1/8 mile, and ran another mile (no walking!). This, too, seems very novice, I'm sure. I'm okay with that.
In talking to Joel on Friday evening, I realized that I don't have any desire to be an elite athlete (yea, like that's a huge surprise to anyone that reads of my sporadic attemps at athleticism! haha). I simply want to do fun stuff. I want to be healthier. I want to pattern good habits for my kids. My running and riding won't save the world, but if it puts a smile on my face, it'll go a long way toward making life more pleasant for the people around me. Having him better understand my goals and why he shouldn't push me toward goals that are NOT mine is a huge step forward for us. I have to give him credit - he really listened to me when we talked. He HEARD what I was saying. The whole conversation began because he wanted to let me know he'd try to be more "tolerant" of my weaknesses this weekend. That might seem a bit odd, but he's been pushing me to achieve what he thinks I can - and who knows, maybe it's possible? But the result has been that it's made me feel attacked and subsequently, angry, and I've been ready to throw up my hands and walk away from it. Things have been tense and I haven't enjoyed the experiences like I'd like to.
I do think I shocked him when I said I wanted to do the long rides, but I'll go at my pace (and he can go at his much quicker one - I don't want to hold him back) and probably stop and take pictures along the way. He got this dumbfounded look on his face and explained that the people he knows who ride do it to go train and then get home. Okay, good for them. They compete. This is part of a regimen for them. I'm not competing, and I don't want to. My work life is so stressful and I compete so hard to be *elite* there that I want some place to just have fun. Running and riding is that place for me now. Thanks to Joel's finally understanding and accepting my approach to it all, it was even more fun than I'd imagined. To his credit, I don't think I'd ever tried to tell him what I hoped to get out of this. We really screw up the communication bit of our marriage sometimes, but boy, when we get it right, we do it so well!
I love my husband. He's a good guy (and he's pretty hot in his cycling gear!)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Cool Stuff!
Sunday I spent an hour on the trainer doing the Spinervals Recharge workout. It's designed to get the legs spinning after a tough day on the bike. Saturday more than qualified as TOUGH! This particular workout felt good, even if it did have me sweating bullets! Oh wait.. I must have been glowing, of course!
Monday, I planned to take a spin / trainer class at Acme Bicycle Co. Unfortunately, due to their rough training in LaGrange this weekend and an unexpected personal obligation for the trainer, the class was canceled. No worries; my legs were thanking them for the rest. Moving right along and tonight I was able to attend the class. WOW! Carl is the Wednesday night instructor, and he was great. The class is relatively small. Most of us bring our bikes, with a few also lugging their trainers along. The convenient thing about Acme is that they have quite a few trainers available (for only $5 per session) for use, if needed. Today's workout was focused on pushing the lactate threshold. I think the Spinerval workouts have benefitted me because I did much better than I expected. It's about time, right?
So, I first heard of these classes from a co-worker who's a member of Team Acme. I joined the team, and once the ConocoPhillips training rides have ended, I'll now have a team to ride with. Yay! I met some really nice people and can't wait until Monday night when we train again.
Hope everyone out there is doing well!
Monday, I planned to take a spin / trainer class at Acme Bicycle Co. Unfortunately, due to their rough training in LaGrange this weekend and an unexpected personal obligation for the trainer, the class was canceled. No worries; my legs were thanking them for the rest. Moving right along and tonight I was able to attend the class. WOW! Carl is the Wednesday night instructor, and he was great. The class is relatively small. Most of us bring our bikes, with a few also lugging their trainers along. The convenient thing about Acme is that they have quite a few trainers available (for only $5 per session) for use, if needed. Today's workout was focused on pushing the lactate threshold. I think the Spinerval workouts have benefitted me because I did much better than I expected. It's about time, right?
So, I first heard of these classes from a co-worker who's a member of Team Acme. I joined the team, and once the ConocoPhillips training rides have ended, I'll now have a team to ride with. Yay! I met some really nice people and can't wait until Monday night when we train again.
Hope everyone out there is doing well!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Everyone feels like Lance [with a tailwind]...
This Saturday's ride was 44.5 miles, starting at Cat Springs. It led us along some beautiful country roads with some nice rolling hills. We started at a bit chillier temp than one would have liked, but in August we'll all miss the few days of cooler weather we're experiencing now.
We also began the ride with a tailwind. That's the way to enjoy a ride! You should have seen the folks out there just bearing down and pushing to max speeds they usually see only on downhills. Okay, I admit I was one of them. What can I say - it was fun!
I anticipated a couple of pretty significant downhill bits on the ride; however, if we encountered them, they were completely beyond my notice. I spent so much time focused on the awareness of the hill profile that I consciously chose to cycle slower than normal because I didn't want to end up going much too fast downhill. This led to a realization.
I'm timid. I've always been timid. People who know me say I'm a risk taker. They're wrong. People who know me well know that I'm timid. Or maybe I just am riskier in some areas than others. At any rate, I have a new mantra.
Be Bold.
Timid sucks. It's not fun. It feels old. And I'm not old yet!
We also began the ride with a tailwind. That's the way to enjoy a ride! You should have seen the folks out there just bearing down and pushing to max speeds they usually see only on downhills. Okay, I admit I was one of them. What can I say - it was fun!
I anticipated a couple of pretty significant downhill bits on the ride; however, if we encountered them, they were completely beyond my notice. I spent so much time focused on the awareness of the hill profile that I consciously chose to cycle slower than normal because I didn't want to end up going much too fast downhill. This led to a realization.
I'm timid. I've always been timid. People who know me say I'm a risk taker. They're wrong. People who know me well know that I'm timid. Or maybe I just am riskier in some areas than others. At any rate, I have a new mantra.
Be Bold.
Timid sucks. It's not fun. It feels old. And I'm not old yet!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
More of the same..
Despite my best intentions to work out at lunch and during the evening, meetings cropped up, resulting in my having to do resistance training and cardio in the evening. Goofing around online and just basically veg'ing out resulted in my starting the workouts later than planned. However, by midnight I was finished, showered, and sleeping. :) All is well with the world!
I had a great lower body workout that I can somewhat feel today, though not as badly as the upper body felt the day prior.
Then I ran. On the treadmill. Again. Just over 2 miles in just under 34 minutes. Go me!
I had a great lower body workout that I can somewhat feel today, though not as badly as the upper body felt the day prior.
Then I ran. On the treadmill. Again. Just over 2 miles in just under 34 minutes. Go me!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Two a Day??
Today turned out to be really nice, despite a small diversion in the form of my doggies busting through our fence and hanging out in the neighbors' backyard with their dog. It's a good thing all the dogs know each other (and the people) or we could have had a problem. My darling rottie looks a bit scarier than she actually is. As it turned out, the female half of the neighbor couple thought the dogs were so cute, she suggested that we get them out together for playdates soon. Too funny!
So, workout stuff... resistance training in the form of the first workout from the Muscle Audio Professor series today at lunch. Nothing too harsh, just upper body (chest/shoulders, lats, biceps, triceps). Tonight after the kids went to bed, I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill. I still don't get the difference in running outdoors versus on my treadmill. I always heard outdoors was supposed to be tougher. It usually has been for me since I suck at keeping an even pace. BUT, there just has to be something screwy about my treadmill since it thinks I only ran 2.4 miles in 40 minutes. I did a 5k on the track in 39 minutes just a couple weeks ago, so what the heck is wrong with that picture?
This is frustrating; however, I did still enjoy the run. Even if I was slower than I ever thought possible!
So, workout stuff... resistance training in the form of the first workout from the Muscle Audio Professor series today at lunch. Nothing too harsh, just upper body (chest/shoulders, lats, biceps, triceps). Tonight after the kids went to bed, I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill. I still don't get the difference in running outdoors versus on my treadmill. I always heard outdoors was supposed to be tougher. It usually has been for me since I suck at keeping an even pace. BUT, there just has to be something screwy about my treadmill since it thinks I only ran 2.4 miles in 40 minutes. I did a 5k on the track in 39 minutes just a couple weeks ago, so what the heck is wrong with that picture?
This is frustrating; however, I did still enjoy the run. Even if I was slower than I ever thought possible!
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The weekend
This was a crappy weekend. Joel's return flights got all screwed up, so instead of arriving back in Houston at 8:00 ish, he wasn't home until past 2:00 a.m. That meant we didn't ride on Saturday morning. We switched the sitter to Sunday morning, and upon waking and finding out it was in the low 30s, we canceled that ride also.
I feel like a fat bum. I swear I've got a freaking food hangover, and I got NO exercise this weekend.
Oh, and to top things off, Girl Scout cookies arrived this week. Hunter sold over 200 boxes, so my dining room looks like a distribution center right now. I'm so close to taking the boxes we ordered in to the office and setting them up at the coffee bar so I don't have them in the house for temptation. That's hardly fair to the kids who don't have my binge issues, but it would sure make life easier for me.
On a better note, I really enjoyed working out at lunch with V this week. I intend to continue, as much as practical. Maybe getting in two workouts a day - one short one at lunch - will help fight off the extra calories I can't seem to help but consume.
Now, about running.. I'm supposed to do a 10k on Saturday. I'm thinking of dropping back to the 5k so I can still run and not be concerned about keeling over at the end. Any thoughts?
Off to feed the family then do the Brownie meeting. Go Girl Scouts! :)
I feel like a fat bum. I swear I've got a freaking food hangover, and I got NO exercise this weekend.
Oh, and to top things off, Girl Scout cookies arrived this week. Hunter sold over 200 boxes, so my dining room looks like a distribution center right now. I'm so close to taking the boxes we ordered in to the office and setting them up at the coffee bar so I don't have them in the house for temptation. That's hardly fair to the kids who don't have my binge issues, but it would sure make life easier for me.
On a better note, I really enjoyed working out at lunch with V this week. I intend to continue, as much as practical. Maybe getting in two workouts a day - one short one at lunch - will help fight off the extra calories I can't seem to help but consume.
Now, about running.. I'm supposed to do a 10k on Saturday. I'm thinking of dropping back to the 5k so I can still run and not be concerned about keeling over at the end. Any thoughts?
Off to feed the family then do the Brownie meeting. Go Girl Scouts! :)
Thursday, February 15, 2007
whew!
Today's workouts (yes, there were 2!) kicked my bum today. I'm also convinced now that my treadmill is calibrated incorrectly and that I'm actually running faster than it says. At least that's how it seems after running on the 'mill at work!
I walk/ran 2 miles at lunch today. Mostly I walked it, but it was at a decent pace. This evening, I put the bike up on the trainer and began pedaling again.
I'm beat... more to follow tomorrow! Happy Valentines' Day, everyone!
I walk/ran 2 miles at lunch today. Mostly I walked it, but it was at a decent pace. This evening, I put the bike up on the trainer and began pedaling again.
I'm beat... more to follow tomorrow! Happy Valentines' Day, everyone!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Running again
Today was a good day. My legs were super sore, and sitting down was quite uncomfortable (boy, could I feel those sit bones!), but it just felt great to feel my muscles again!! I woke up early enough to do some ab work, then immediately (this evenign) after getting the kids bathed, I ran on the treadmill for a bit. My legs felt good, although not as strong as I'd like. That will come in time. At least that's what I tell myself It's been two weeks since I've run, so I can't complain much. Tomorrow I'll run another 2 miles at lunch, then during the evening I'll spend some time on the spin bike.
I finally found the courage to submit my name to the guy putting together our company team for the Texas Independence Relay. At this point, it seems I'd be the fifth runner showing an interest, but we've got plenty of time to add a few more. He's hoping for eight in total. In order to do this, I'll have to be prepared to run five legs of 5-miles each over a 2-day period in early March of 2008. I think that's plenty of time to train for it, and hopefully the conditioning benefits of the cycling will work to my advantage.
Back to work for me. I've got stuff to finish before I drag myself into bed.
I finally found the courage to submit my name to the guy putting together our company team for the Texas Independence Relay. At this point, it seems I'd be the fifth runner showing an interest, but we've got plenty of time to add a few more. He's hoping for eight in total. In order to do this, I'll have to be prepared to run five legs of 5-miles each over a 2-day period in early March of 2008. I think that's plenty of time to train for it, and hopefully the conditioning benefits of the cycling will work to my advantage.
Back to work for me. I've got stuff to finish before I drag myself into bed.
Today's Workout
8 Minute Abs
10 Minutes Stretching
Running - 2 miles, treadmill
Sunday, February 11, 2007
First Training Ride for BP MS150
My cold of the past few weeks turned into something more closely resembling a bronchial and/or upper respiratory infection, resulting in my having to work from home 3 out of 5 days of the week leading up to the Rockets Run. In the spirit of not making myself worse since the weather was still cold & wet, I stayed home and slept all day instead of running. I was able to return to work last week, and yesterday, I rode in my first training ride for the BP MS150.
It was so cold outside. Standing around waiting for the start, I had about 30 minutes of questioning whether or not I should even be there. Joel had picked up some leggings and shoe covers/warmers for me in San Francisco, and I'm so thankful he did! Now I just need to find one of those funky bright windbreakers. Maybe a scarf/neckwarmer of sorts too... or maybe I need to just suck it up and ride.
The ride itself was great. Standing around waiting to begin was not so great, but that's to be expected when you have 100+ folks going out of the same location. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't so cold, I think. The cold, combined with the fact that I was terrified I wouldn't be able to finish because I'm so out of shape, made it all seem worse than it really was.
We started shortly after 8:00 a.m. with the "slow" group, and that was fine except for getting behind a couple of very unsure/unsteady riders. There seemed to be little reason to the slowing/stopping and even less communication of the fact that they were going to do it. On a few occasions, it was almost as though they didn't realize there were people behind them. We were able to pass them and got on a stretch of road where we could ride at our own pace, which was still, admittedly, very slow.
At one point, Joel took off ahead of me and I was left to ride by myself. This wasn't a bad thing, though. I was pedaling along and had time to think about my fear before starting the ride, my hesitance to even do it (remember how I procrastinate and avoid things since I know I can't be perfect? perfect example here!), and my crummy attitude working up to the ride because of all of the above. What I realized as I kept spinning was that I was enjoying the ride, my body felt good doing it, and I have still been allowing my fears to keep me from doing things that are good for me, as well as fun. It was time to make a decision that was long overdue.
I decided to quit being a quitter.
It felt good.
Yesterday's ride was just at 26 miles.
Next weekend we have the option to ride 29.5 or 41 miles. I'm planning to continue doing the shorter rides. I'm told what I should do is to spin at relatively high rpm's to build my cardio-endurance, with a balance of resistance training to build muscle.
Looking forward to next week!
It was so cold outside. Standing around waiting for the start, I had about 30 minutes of questioning whether or not I should even be there. Joel had picked up some leggings and shoe covers/warmers for me in San Francisco, and I'm so thankful he did! Now I just need to find one of those funky bright windbreakers. Maybe a scarf/neckwarmer of sorts too... or maybe I need to just suck it up and ride.
The ride itself was great. Standing around waiting to begin was not so great, but that's to be expected when you have 100+ folks going out of the same location. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't so cold, I think. The cold, combined with the fact that I was terrified I wouldn't be able to finish because I'm so out of shape, made it all seem worse than it really was.
We started shortly after 8:00 a.m. with the "slow" group, and that was fine except for getting behind a couple of very unsure/unsteady riders. There seemed to be little reason to the slowing/stopping and even less communication of the fact that they were going to do it. On a few occasions, it was almost as though they didn't realize there were people behind them. We were able to pass them and got on a stretch of road where we could ride at our own pace, which was still, admittedly, very slow.
At one point, Joel took off ahead of me and I was left to ride by myself. This wasn't a bad thing, though. I was pedaling along and had time to think about my fear before starting the ride, my hesitance to even do it (remember how I procrastinate and avoid things since I know I can't be perfect? perfect example here!), and my crummy attitude working up to the ride because of all of the above. What I realized as I kept spinning was that I was enjoying the ride, my body felt good doing it, and I have still been allowing my fears to keep me from doing things that are good for me, as well as fun. It was time to make a decision that was long overdue.
I decided to quit being a quitter.
It felt good.
Yesterday's ride was just at 26 miles.
Next weekend we have the option to ride 29.5 or 41 miles. I'm planning to continue doing the shorter rides. I'm told what I should do is to spin at relatively high rpm's to build my cardio-endurance, with a balance of resistance training to build muscle.
Looking forward to next week!
Today's workout
30 minutes Pilates
30 minutes Core Training/Stretching
45 minutes Spinerval 4.0 Muscle Breakdown
Monday, January 29, 2007
A cold... now??
Sniffles, coughing, aching, sneezing.. it could have resulted from any number of things, but it's most likely a combination of many of them. Fortunately there's a bit of the super-strength cough suppressant/decongestant left from 9 mths ago, which should knock this out quickly. In the meantime, it's not going to interfere with running or spinning.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Home again...
While I loved the opportunity to see new places, and of course, the work is always challenging, I'm so happy to be home. I really missed the kiddos!! Unfortunately, they've both gotten a bit of a respiratory infection and aren't feeling as well as we'd all like.
So, back to running, which is the whole point of this blog, right? As I posted earlier, I signed up to run the Rockets' Run this coming Saturday, and I've been more than slightly freaked out about running it. Not that I expect phenomenal results from my runs, especially after taking so much time off after my first year of running. But for crying out loud, I do NOT want to be the last person across the finish line! This is probably the whole reason I've never been able to be consistent about running (or anything??)... It's the fear ~ the fear of failure.
Here's where I admit that I'm a bit of a perfectionist. More than a bit, actually. In lieu of coming up short, I have often just opted not to participate in something that probably would have been fun. I'm working to change that this year.
This morning, I got up early and took Molly to the local 1k track and ran/walked 5 laps. The sole motivation was to see if I could do it, and if I could do it in < 40 minutes. To most people, that's nothing much, but considering how slow my treadmill says I run (and I have to assume I do!), this would at least be respectable for me. My time was 39 minutes flat... yes, I can live with that.
Now on to locating a babysitter and finding out where I need to be Saturday morning! Julie isn't going to be able to run again until the end of Feb for the Rodeo Run, but she's said she'll be there to cheer me on. Joel has also said he'll join me, so that will be nice, too.
Off to update logging stuff... have a great weekend!
So, back to running, which is the whole point of this blog, right? As I posted earlier, I signed up to run the Rockets' Run this coming Saturday, and I've been more than slightly freaked out about running it. Not that I expect phenomenal results from my runs, especially after taking so much time off after my first year of running. But for crying out loud, I do NOT want to be the last person across the finish line! This is probably the whole reason I've never been able to be consistent about running (or anything??)... It's the fear ~ the fear of failure.
Here's where I admit that I'm a bit of a perfectionist. More than a bit, actually. In lieu of coming up short, I have often just opted not to participate in something that probably would have been fun. I'm working to change that this year.
This morning, I got up early and took Molly to the local 1k track and ran/walked 5 laps. The sole motivation was to see if I could do it, and if I could do it in < 40 minutes. To most people, that's nothing much, but considering how slow my treadmill says I run (and I have to assume I do!), this would at least be respectable for me. My time was 39 minutes flat... yes, I can live with that.
Now on to locating a babysitter and finding out where I need to be Saturday morning! Julie isn't going to be able to run again until the end of Feb for the Rodeo Run, but she's said she'll be there to cheer me on. Joel has also said he'll join me, so that will be nice, too.
Off to update logging stuff... have a great weekend!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Yes, I'm in Paris!
I think I might love this city. It's rained and been fairly cold, and I've worked from 7 a.m until past 10 p.m. each night, so no time for running outdoors, but I've kept up with my cardio & crunches & band work and I feel good.
The Eiffel Tower was absolutely amazing! The picture here was taken by me (and is not up for grabs!) shortly before we made our way to the top of the Tower. The view - my goodness - it was breathtaking! I plan to head to Versailles tomorrow and then it's off to Edinburgh early Sunday morning. I'll likely spend most of that day traipsing around the town and visiting the castle, then it's work, work, and more work.
Although I'm enjoying the city, I miss the kids... a lot.
The Eiffel Tower was absolutely amazing! The picture here was taken by me (and is not up for grabs!) shortly before we made our way to the top of the Tower. The view - my goodness - it was breathtaking! I plan to head to Versailles tomorrow and then it's off to Edinburgh early Sunday morning. I'll likely spend most of that day traipsing around the town and visiting the castle, then it's work, work, and more work.Dinner was at Avenue (41 Av. Montaigne), which happens to be directly across from Dior and Jimmy Choos. It's probably a good thing we were there late. Despite the distraction of the view, it is definitely worth mentioning that the dinner was fabulous. The service and staff were excellent, the atmosphere fantastic, and yes, I'm running out of adjectives. However, it was a bit odd to see a fairly large dog of some sort (larger than a bulldog but had that look??) wander in the restaurant, but he was well-behaved and didn't bother the patrons. The staff all seemed to know him, and he simply made his way around and for the most part, kept out of the way. As we were leaving, we encountered another dog that had found his way inside. It was interesting!
There are no words to describe the heavenly desserts in this city. Fortunately, the portions are reasonable (compared to the gargantuan servings in Texas which have led to my ginormous bottom half!) and the guilt is not nearly as bad as when eating something that doesn't quite taste as good at home.
Julie advised that she can't make the Rockets Run, which is a bit disappointing since I've signed up and now appear to be running it solo. It's only a 5k, so I know I can make the distance without question. I'll just be a slow finisher. She says she'll meet me at the end and that will be way cool (having someone there this time!), but if anyone else is thinking of running it, let me know! I'll do my best to keep up!Although I'm enjoying the city, I miss the kids... a lot.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Juggling
I've been back at work for a week and a half now, and I'm still struggling with prioritizing my fitness efforts. In my defense (or we can call it a half-hearted attempt at justification), I'm leaving on Tuesday for 13 days in Europe for business, and since I just found out about the first half of the trip, I've been busting my butt to prepare for it. Still.. just an excuse.
Julie and I confirmed we are running the Rockets Run and the Rodeo Run this year, so I have no choice but to be ready. All 4 hotels I'll be at have fitness facilities, and I've purchased a good set of bands to take with me. As horrifying as this is to admit, I even plan to take the Cardio dvd I got from McD's when they were doing their promotional thing. On a whim, I tried it recently, and it's not a bad workout if you're limited on time/space/equipment.
Oh! And last weekend was the bike safety training course for Team BP (related to the BPMS150). I feel much more confident on the bike now. I'm looking forward to that training also.
Best of luck to all of you who are running tomorrow in Houston!! Go Patricia & Tina & Julie & Trish!!! I know you'll do fantasically well, and I'll be cheering you on from home.
Julie and I confirmed we are running the Rockets Run and the Rodeo Run this year, so I have no choice but to be ready. All 4 hotels I'll be at have fitness facilities, and I've purchased a good set of bands to take with me. As horrifying as this is to admit, I even plan to take the Cardio dvd I got from McD's when they were doing their promotional thing. On a whim, I tried it recently, and it's not a bad workout if you're limited on time/space/equipment.
Oh! And last weekend was the bike safety training course for Team BP (related to the BPMS150). I feel much more confident on the bike now. I'm looking forward to that training also.
Best of luck to all of you who are running tomorrow in Houston!! Go Patricia & Tina & Julie & Trish!!! I know you'll do fantasically well, and I'll be cheering you on from home.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
I think I am a turtle
Today's workout: 5 min. warm-up + 4/1 x 4 + 2 min. cooldown (total run 27:00 min. 1.6 miles)
God, could I move any more slowly? Sometimes, I think not. I can just picture some nameless, faceless stranger out there (or Joel) reading this shaking his/her head and saying, "nope, Jude... you're about as slow as it gets!"
Well, slow or not, I did the run for today. I didn't even get started until after 10:00 p.m. I considered just crawling into bed and doing it in the morning, but since I didn't drag myself out of bed to run when the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. today, I was fairly certain tomorrow wouldn't be much different. Just told myself it was only 30 minutes max, and I'm still only 2 weeks into this and can't quit just yet. I'm glad I ran. It felt good.
Now off to bed - I'm beat!
God, could I move any more slowly? Sometimes, I think not. I can just picture some nameless, faceless stranger out there (or Joel) reading this shaking his/her head and saying, "nope, Jude... you're about as slow as it gets!"
Well, slow or not, I did the run for today. I didn't even get started until after 10:00 p.m. I considered just crawling into bed and doing it in the morning, but since I didn't drag myself out of bed to run when the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. today, I was fairly certain tomorrow wouldn't be much different. Just told myself it was only 30 minutes max, and I'm still only 2 weeks into this and can't quit just yet. I'm glad I ran. It felt good.
Now off to bed - I'm beat!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Run a Marathon at the North Pole??
Just saw this on www.houstonrunning.blogspot.com and felt it was worth passing along. Julie? Olga? Anyone up to this??
Got What It Takes to Run 26.2 at the North Pole?
BOULDER, Colorado (January 1, 2007) -- Who would like to run amarathon at the North Pole (for free)? Does spending several hours running in sub-zero temperatures further north than even polar bears are willing to go sound like a fun adventure? Brad Feld and YourRunning.com, a new participative online community and website for running enthusiasts, is giving away an entry to the 2007 North Pole Marathon and travel to the event -- valued at well over $12,000.
The winner will be selected from applicants who submit their running resumes to YourRunning.com by midnight US Eastern time on January 31, 2007. A winner will be selected by February 15, and run in the marathon on April 15. (Contest is restricted to athletes from the USA and Canada, excluding Quebec.)
Background
Brad Feld, an avid marathoner and an investor in YourRunning.com's parent company, the Enthusiast Group, was signed up to run in the 2007 North Pole Marathon. While initially excited about the polar run, he reconsidered the prospect of running for 8 hours (his projected time in that environment) in the sub-zero conditions at the top of the Arctic Ocean -- so he decided to pass his already-paid entry on to andsponsor another hardy entrant.
He explains: "When I came up with the idea of running the North Pole Marathon last summer, I thought to myself, 'This will be a fun challenge.' As the time (and the miles) passed, I started to think itwas a crazy idea -- which was reinforced by my friends who simply shook their heads (side to side) whenever I said anything about it. Last month, as I suited up to go for a run in minus 20 degree weather, I realized that it was a 'stupid f*****g idea.' So, I came up with a better one. Since I'd already paid for the entry fee, I'd sponsor someone instead to run for Team Feld.
"YourRunning.com is holding a competition among runners and will award Brad's entry to the person deemed most worthy and capable of succeeding at running long distance at the top of the world -- and documenting the training and actual Arctic marathon experience.
The race
The North Pole Marathon is run at ... yes ... the North Pole, making it the only marathon to be run on water! The winner will be flown to the Pole, where he or she will run on top of a thick sheet of ice on the Arctic Ocean. There should be no worries about polar bears -- they're usually not crazy enough to go this far north -- but race organizers keep weapons handy just in case.
This year, some 50competitors are expected to run.
Racers will be flown to the North Pole where a 2-mile loop will be setup, with warming tents and runner support. Depending on snow and ice conditions, marathon entrants will run in either trail shoes or lightweight snowshoes.
More information can be found at http://www.npmarathon.com.
The competition
YourRunning.com is inviting hardy marathoners to submit their runningand athletic resumes to a North Pole Marathon application. Entrants inthe contest must demonstrate not only their athletic prowess andendurance, but also their media savvy, for part of winning will be theduty to write about the experience of training to run 26.2 miles at the North Pole and to document the race itself, shooting photos andvideo, and recording audio reports.
Entrants in the YourRunning.com North Pole Marathon contest should demonstrate:
* Extensive marathon experience. The winner should be a marathon or ultra-marathon veteran, and perhaps harbor confidence of actually winning the race. This is not a marathon for beginners.
* Experience in cold-weather running. (Do we really need to say more?)
* Strong writing and blogging skills, with experience writing about adventure and sports topics, especially documenting their own athletic exploits.
* Experience with video and audio reporting. We don't expect network-correspondent quality, but the winner should be comfortable doing audio reports, or shooting a video with a small video cam.
The winner will be expected to maintain a daily blog about training for the race, the race itself and the aftermath, as well as a weekly podcast audio report. Shooting photos and/or videos of the race also is expected.
Selecting the winner
YourRunning.com will select the winner from entrant submissionsreceived by midnight EST, January 31, 2007. The winner will be announced on or thereabouts February 15, 2007.
The winner will not necessarily be the best and strongest athlete; it could be a middle-of-the-pack runner with an unusual story to tell who demonstrates the fortitude to complete the North Pole Marathon. A marathoner with excellent and creative media skills could beat out a better athlete. In other words, the selection will be subjective on the part of the judges -- and their decision is final.
In addition to selecting a winner to go to the North Pole Marathon, YourRunning.com also will choose a runner-up, who will participate inthe event that the winner falls ill (or chickens out). If the winner can't participate, the entry fee and travel will be transferred to the runner-up.
The purpose for doing this
When Brad Feld originally signed up to run the race, it was his intention to blog about preparing for the race and give publicity to the International Polar Year (2007-08), a major scientific initiative designed to draw attention to the changes occurring in the Arctic region due to global warming. With Brad not running, this competition and the winner will serve that purpose, helping educate the world's population about the situation and supporting polar research programs.
About YourRunning.com
YourRunning.com is an online community and resource for runners --from world-class athletes to passionate enthusiasts -- and a place for them to share their tales of adventure, photos and videos with other runners. The site is led by "enthusiast-in-chief" Simon Martin, who serves as community chearleader and writes a regular blog about the running life.
The website is meant as a friendly place where runners can tell their own stories and share their experiences without needing a professional journalist to discover them. It is based on the concept of "citizen media" -- which simply means that runners themselves are the authors of much of the content on the site.
About the Enthusiast Group
The Boulder, Colorado-based company was founded in early 2006 byonline media pioneer Steve Outing and Internet entrepreneur Derek Scruggs, with the goal of creating a network of citizen-media-basedwebsites serving adventure and participant sports.
YourRunning.com, YourClimbing.com and YourMTB.com are the first sites published by the company to open to the public. Sites covering additional adventure and participant sports -- including road biking, horse sports, kayaking and skateboarding -- are planned for roll-out early in 2007.
The Enthusiast Group is funded by a group of 11 investors, including Omidyar Network (a mission-based investment group founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar), DB Medialab (the new-media arm of Norwegian national newspaper Dagbladet), and Brad Feld.
Websites:
NP Marathon application form
Contest announcement
YourRunning website
Brad Feld's 50 by 50 Blog
Simon Martin's Run Time Blog
YourClimbing website
YourMTB website
Corporate website
International Polar Year website
North Pole Marathon website
Got What It Takes to Run 26.2 at the North Pole?
BOULDER, Colorado (January 1, 2007) -- Who would like to run amarathon at the North Pole (for free)? Does spending several hours running in sub-zero temperatures further north than even polar bears are willing to go sound like a fun adventure? Brad Feld and YourRunning.com, a new participative online community and website for running enthusiasts, is giving away an entry to the 2007 North Pole Marathon and travel to the event -- valued at well over $12,000.
The winner will be selected from applicants who submit their running resumes to YourRunning.com by midnight US Eastern time on January 31, 2007. A winner will be selected by February 15, and run in the marathon on April 15. (Contest is restricted to athletes from the USA and Canada, excluding Quebec.)
Background
Brad Feld, an avid marathoner and an investor in YourRunning.com's parent company, the Enthusiast Group, was signed up to run in the 2007 North Pole Marathon. While initially excited about the polar run, he reconsidered the prospect of running for 8 hours (his projected time in that environment) in the sub-zero conditions at the top of the Arctic Ocean -- so he decided to pass his already-paid entry on to andsponsor another hardy entrant.
He explains: "When I came up with the idea of running the North Pole Marathon last summer, I thought to myself, 'This will be a fun challenge.' As the time (and the miles) passed, I started to think itwas a crazy idea -- which was reinforced by my friends who simply shook their heads (side to side) whenever I said anything about it. Last month, as I suited up to go for a run in minus 20 degree weather, I realized that it was a 'stupid f*****g idea.' So, I came up with a better one. Since I'd already paid for the entry fee, I'd sponsor someone instead to run for Team Feld.
"YourRunning.com is holding a competition among runners and will award Brad's entry to the person deemed most worthy and capable of succeeding at running long distance at the top of the world -- and documenting the training and actual Arctic marathon experience.
The race
The North Pole Marathon is run at ... yes ... the North Pole, making it the only marathon to be run on water! The winner will be flown to the Pole, where he or she will run on top of a thick sheet of ice on the Arctic Ocean. There should be no worries about polar bears -- they're usually not crazy enough to go this far north -- but race organizers keep weapons handy just in case.
This year, some 50competitors are expected to run.
Racers will be flown to the North Pole where a 2-mile loop will be setup, with warming tents and runner support. Depending on snow and ice conditions, marathon entrants will run in either trail shoes or lightweight snowshoes.
More information can be found at http://www.npmarathon.com.
The competition
YourRunning.com is inviting hardy marathoners to submit their runningand athletic resumes to a North Pole Marathon application. Entrants inthe contest must demonstrate not only their athletic prowess andendurance, but also their media savvy, for part of winning will be theduty to write about the experience of training to run 26.2 miles at the North Pole and to document the race itself, shooting photos andvideo, and recording audio reports.
Entrants in the YourRunning.com North Pole Marathon contest should demonstrate:
* Extensive marathon experience. The winner should be a marathon or ultra-marathon veteran, and perhaps harbor confidence of actually winning the race. This is not a marathon for beginners.
* Experience in cold-weather running. (Do we really need to say more?)
* Strong writing and blogging skills, with experience writing about adventure and sports topics, especially documenting their own athletic exploits.
* Experience with video and audio reporting. We don't expect network-correspondent quality, but the winner should be comfortable doing audio reports, or shooting a video with a small video cam.
The winner will be expected to maintain a daily blog about training for the race, the race itself and the aftermath, as well as a weekly podcast audio report. Shooting photos and/or videos of the race also is expected.
Selecting the winner
YourRunning.com will select the winner from entrant submissionsreceived by midnight EST, January 31, 2007. The winner will be announced on or thereabouts February 15, 2007.
The winner will not necessarily be the best and strongest athlete; it could be a middle-of-the-pack runner with an unusual story to tell who demonstrates the fortitude to complete the North Pole Marathon. A marathoner with excellent and creative media skills could beat out a better athlete. In other words, the selection will be subjective on the part of the judges -- and their decision is final.
In addition to selecting a winner to go to the North Pole Marathon, YourRunning.com also will choose a runner-up, who will participate inthe event that the winner falls ill (or chickens out). If the winner can't participate, the entry fee and travel will be transferred to the runner-up.
The purpose for doing this
When Brad Feld originally signed up to run the race, it was his intention to blog about preparing for the race and give publicity to the International Polar Year (2007-08), a major scientific initiative designed to draw attention to the changes occurring in the Arctic region due to global warming. With Brad not running, this competition and the winner will serve that purpose, helping educate the world's population about the situation and supporting polar research programs.
About YourRunning.com
YourRunning.com is an online community and resource for runners --from world-class athletes to passionate enthusiasts -- and a place for them to share their tales of adventure, photos and videos with other runners. The site is led by "enthusiast-in-chief" Simon Martin, who serves as community chearleader and writes a regular blog about the running life.
The website is meant as a friendly place where runners can tell their own stories and share their experiences without needing a professional journalist to discover them. It is based on the concept of "citizen media" -- which simply means that runners themselves are the authors of much of the content on the site.
About the Enthusiast Group
The Boulder, Colorado-based company was founded in early 2006 byonline media pioneer Steve Outing and Internet entrepreneur Derek Scruggs, with the goal of creating a network of citizen-media-basedwebsites serving adventure and participant sports.
YourRunning.com, YourClimbing.com and YourMTB.com are the first sites published by the company to open to the public. Sites covering additional adventure and participant sports -- including road biking, horse sports, kayaking and skateboarding -- are planned for roll-out early in 2007.
The Enthusiast Group is funded by a group of 11 investors, including Omidyar Network (a mission-based investment group founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar), DB Medialab (the new-media arm of Norwegian national newspaper Dagbladet), and Brad Feld.
Websites:
NP Marathon application form
Contest announcement
YourRunning website
Brad Feld's 50 by 50 Blog
Simon Martin's Run Time Blog
YourClimbing website
YourMTB website
Corporate website
International Polar Year website
North Pole Marathon website
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