Another 2-a-day day!
First was lunchtime spin class - Richard immediately got us going on hills right after the warm up. Then we did lots of jumps, followed by one leg at a time and then some speed intervals. Whew, I was sufficiently sweaty after all that!
Next was my swim! I headed over to the Y after work only to find out that the pool was closed "due to a chemical imbalance." Yeah, and I thought only people had those. So, I trekked it back to my car and headed home. Not before stopping at Walgreen's to pick up teething tablets and orajel for the munchkin though. Damn molars! Apparently, he was crying at school all day because of his teeth...teething sucks!
Once it was the kiddo's bedtime, I headed over to the neighborhood pool. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the pool was pretty empty compared to previous weeks. Score! I actually got in a good, quality swim without having to dodge kids! I started with a 100 yd warm up, then did 400 yds with my usual mix of freestyle and sidestroke. I recovered for a minute and did some of the TI drills for the next 50 yds. Finally, I started to think about how one of the ladies I've seen at the pool always looks so relaxed when she swims. I decided to focus on relaxing for the next 50. I finished it with no problems. ALL FREESTYLE - NO SIDESTROKE! I thought, "Okay, let's keep going with this and see if you can get in another 400". So I kept going.
And going.
And going.
Before I knew it, I had finished 400 yds. ALL FREESTYLE. So I paused for a minute and decided to keep going.
And going.
I finished 600 yds. ALL FREESTYLE - NO SIDESTROKE! There was no struggling, no gasping for breath every time I turned my head. And when I did start to feel breathless, I told myself to relax and concentrated on my rhythm - stroke, stroke, breathe....stroke, stroke, breathe.
Actually, it was more like sssstttrrrroooookkkeeee, sssstttrrrroooookkkeeee, bbbbrrreeeaaaattthhheeee. Slow? Yes, but still - it was ALL FREESTYLE! Until yesterday, the most I've managed to do without slippin' in a little sidestroke here and there was about 100m. For the first time, I felt like I was really getting "it" - whatever "it" is. :-)
Holy crap, I wanted to keep going! But then a parent mentioned something about seeing lightening off in the distance, and if you know me - I don't play with lightening. So I swam (FREESTYLE) to the side of the pool and got out.
So I had a breakthrough in my swimming...now if only the munchkin's teeth would breakthrough too! :-)
I hope this is the beginning of goodbye to sidestroke! Good riddance!
Workout Stats
Spin class - 50 minutes
Swim - 40 minutes - 100yd warm-up, 400 yds (freestyle & sidestroke), 1 minute recovery, 600 freestyle!!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Pizza! Pizza!
I left work a little early yesterday because one of the kiddo's friends was coming over for a play date. Not only did I have to pick the kids up from my parent's house, I needed to stop to pick up pizza and I wanted to throw some cookies in the oven (yeah, refrigerated cookie dough - that's how I roll!) . After picking up the kids, we went to Little Caesar's...sad to admit, but this is pretty much a weekly occurrence in our house. So, I ask for a cheese pizza and some crazy bread, pay and off we go! About 1/2 way home, I realize that the smell wafting through my car is not that of a cheese pizza. Hmmmm, is that onions, bell peppers and sausage I smell? When I stopped at a red light, I looked inside the box and sure enough - a deluxe pizza! Don't get me wrong, I love this kind of pizza....the problem is that Riley and her friend only eat cheese pizza. What do you expect from a couple of 4 year olds??? And Riley can tell if I've just given her a slice of pizza that previously had onions, bell peppers and sausage on it, lol!
So, once I get in the house, I started scrambling for the domino's pizza number (yeah, I forgot we have a Papa John's nearby too! Doh!). It's been years since I actually ordered a pizza for home delivery, because Little Caesar's is just too close and too cheap to not get.
$12 + tip for a medium cheese pizza?
Yeah, I'll stick to Little Caesar's from now on thankyouverymuch! Not that I can't appreciate a pricier pizza, but seriously, if I'm going to pay that much I'd rather go to Star Pizza! (yeah, I dunno when I became so cheap either...maybe when the munchkin started daycare with the kiddo and I felt like I have been paying a 2nd mortgage since???)
Once the kiddo's playdate was over and both she and the munchkin were both in bed, I finished getting everything together for the next day - you know, lunches, clothes, etc. Did some other stuff around the house and then hopped on the treadmill. It was getting pretty late, so my scheduled 40-minute run actually ended up being only 30-minutes and some change. Sorry folks, but once the 10 o'clock news comes on, I am pretty much done for the day!
I do have to say that I am pleased that my pace is staying below the 11 minute/mile pace that I had been doing on the treadmill for the past couple of years. I've been working on shortening and quickening my stride, and those treadmill intervals may be helping a little too. Now, we'll see how this translates into my outdoor runs...I imagine since I've been doing almost all of my weekday runs indoors that I will be much slower outside in the heat and humidity.
Is it October yet???
Workout Stats - Wednesday, July 29
Treadmill Run - 3 miles, 31:48, 10:36 pace
5 minute warm-up, 3 min x 5 - with 1 min recovery, 6+ minute cool down
So, once I get in the house, I started scrambling for the domino's pizza number (yeah, I forgot we have a Papa John's nearby too! Doh!). It's been years since I actually ordered a pizza for home delivery, because Little Caesar's is just too close and too cheap to not get.
$12 + tip for a medium cheese pizza?
Yeah, I'll stick to Little Caesar's from now on thankyouverymuch! Not that I can't appreciate a pricier pizza, but seriously, if I'm going to pay that much I'd rather go to Star Pizza! (yeah, I dunno when I became so cheap either...maybe when the munchkin started daycare with the kiddo and I felt like I have been paying a 2nd mortgage since???)
Once the kiddo's playdate was over and both she and the munchkin were both in bed, I finished getting everything together for the next day - you know, lunches, clothes, etc. Did some other stuff around the house and then hopped on the treadmill. It was getting pretty late, so my scheduled 40-minute run actually ended up being only 30-minutes and some change. Sorry folks, but once the 10 o'clock news comes on, I am pretty much done for the day!
I do have to say that I am pleased that my pace is staying below the 11 minute/mile pace that I had been doing on the treadmill for the past couple of years. I've been working on shortening and quickening my stride, and those treadmill intervals may be helping a little too. Now, we'll see how this translates into my outdoor runs...I imagine since I've been doing almost all of my weekday runs indoors that I will be much slower outside in the heat and humidity.
Is it October yet???
Workout Stats - Wednesday, July 29
Treadmill Run - 3 miles, 31:48, 10:36 pace
5 minute warm-up, 3 min x 5 - with 1 min recovery, 6+ minute cool down
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
3rd swim day in a row and a little torture from Richard
Another 2-a-day day for me….This time I met June at the pool for a swim at Memorial Park. This is the 1st time I’ve been to the Memorial Pool since I attempted to take lessons there during my 1st summer of grad school. And, this was the 1st time I’ve been to this pool in the morning, so I had no idea what to expect.
There was a bit of trouble with the lane divider thingy, so June and I ended up sharing a really narrow lane but it was all good – we both got in some good laps. It was great to swim outdoors again and it was great to swim with a friend. Afterwards, I got ready for work at the tennis center…lemme tell you, it was hoppin’ over there! I used to run in the morning at Memorial when we lived closer and it was never very crowded! I actually had to hang out and wait for a shower. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to get ready and still make it to work on time. I even had some time for some Smoothie King!
During lunch, I headed over to spin class at the Y. Many thanks totorturer instructor, Richard, for all the grueling jumps. Oh and the “raise the roof” thing kicked my arse as well. But, I have to admit, there’s nothing better than going back to work with Jello legs.
Wow, did I just type that? :-)
Workout Stats - Tuesday, July 28
AM Swim - 35 minutes, ??? yds
Lunchtime Spin class - 50 minutes
There was a bit of trouble with the lane divider thingy, so June and I ended up sharing a really narrow lane but it was all good – we both got in some good laps. It was great to swim outdoors again and it was great to swim with a friend. Afterwards, I got ready for work at the tennis center…lemme tell you, it was hoppin’ over there! I used to run in the morning at Memorial when we lived closer and it was never very crowded! I actually had to hang out and wait for a shower. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to get ready and still make it to work on time. I even had some time for some Smoothie King!
During lunch, I headed over to spin class at the Y. Many thanks to
Wow, did I just type that? :-)
Workout Stats - Tuesday, July 28
AM Swim - 35 minutes, ??? yds
Lunchtime Spin class - 50 minutes
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Monday, Monday...
Bright and early at dark-thirty, I made it to the nat for a swim. I dunno what my problem was, but I was really struggling with my freestyle. I did get to swim long-course (50m), which is awesome for the endurance! But, I couldn’t seem to make it an entire length with freestyle and spent most of the lap doing sidestroke!
Help! Somebody kidnapped my freestyle stroke!
Coach Steve mentioned that it must have been taken by my sidestroke and he’s probably right. My sidestroke was smokin’, lol! I did manage to hammer out a few 300s and some drills, but the freestyle never “clicked” for me….better now than on race day!
Monday evening I never thought I’d get my run started. My sweet kiddo just refused to go to sleep! At one point, around 9:15 pm, she asked if I would close her door before I started the noisy treadmill. I told her that I would after I finished making my lunch. I walked to her room 10 minutes later and she was fast asleep. I got on the treadmill for a quickie 20 minutes….I know, hardly more than a warm-up, but better than nothing.
Workout Stats – Monday, 7/27
Swim - 40 minutes, 200 m warm-up, 300x2 w/1 min rec, 50m drills, 150m misc crap
Treadmill run - 20 minutes, 10:48 pace
Help! Somebody kidnapped my freestyle stroke!
Coach Steve mentioned that it must have been taken by my sidestroke and he’s probably right. My sidestroke was smokin’, lol! I did manage to hammer out a few 300s and some drills, but the freestyle never “clicked” for me….better now than on race day!
Monday evening I never thought I’d get my run started. My sweet kiddo just refused to go to sleep! At one point, around 9:15 pm, she asked if I would close her door before I started the noisy treadmill. I told her that I would after I finished making my lunch. I walked to her room 10 minutes later and she was fast asleep. I got on the treadmill for a quickie 20 minutes….I know, hardly more than a warm-up, but better than nothing.
Workout Stats – Monday, 7/27
Swim - 40 minutes, 200 m warm-up, 300x2 w/1 min rec, 50m drills, 150m misc crap
Treadmill run - 20 minutes, 10:48 pace
Monday, July 27, 2009
Busy Weekend
FRIDAY
Friday was not quite what I expected.
I expected to leave work at 3 pm, head to the grocery store sans kids, then head home to hang out with the family before my cousins from Florida arrived.
Instead, I received a call from the kid’s school letting me know that the munchkin had a fever. So, I headed to his school around 1 pm, took him home and waited for the hubby to get home from work so I could go to the grocery store. We found out that the cousins had decided to stay with another family member, so the hubby and kiddo went to visit our nephew to celebrate his 13th birthday, while I stayed home with the feverish munchkin. All is well that ends well I suppose, because the unexpected changes allowed me to do a 4-miler on the treadmill after the munchkin was in bed. Not exactly my Friday night, outdoor long run, but I’ll take it! And, I didn’t trip the breaker this time either.
Workout Stats, Friday 7/25
Treadmill run, 4 miles, 43:16, 10:49 pace
SATURDAY
Saturday was a fun-filled family day! The hubby had to work, so the kiddos and I met my parents, the cousins and my uncle for breakfast bright and early. Next, we headed over to Market Street so the kids could play in the water. They had a blast, but I got heatstroke…not really, but it was damn hot! Afterwards, we headed back to our house to get in a little r&r before the rest of the family came over for dinner. We had a great evening…it was so great to see the Florida family, because we rarely get to spend an entire day together.
Workout Stats, Saturday 7/26
No workouts to speak of on Saturday, unless you count chasing the kids around as a workout!
SUNDAY
Sunday funday!
I started Sunday with a drive out to 288 Lake to meet up with some fellow tri-folk for an OWS practice. For some reason, my stomach was feeling all weird – must have been all the terrible, not-so-nutritious food I ate the day before! I don’t know if it was the stomach thing or what, but I wasn’t feeling terribly ambitious with my swimming. I swam around the boat 3x before getting up the courage to swim out to the buoys. I really need to get my arse out to the lake more often, because everyone I had met out there a few weeks ago had really made some great progress…they were all swimming to the dock on the other side of the lake and back! Overall, I felt good about my swim…I am definitely more comfortable about open water than ever before. Now, if I could just control my breathing and heart rate on race day, I’d be great!
After the swim, the hubby and I took advantage of his day off and headed to the playground with the kids. We ended the day with a trip to our friend’s house where they were hosting a party for some friends who were in town from New York. It was so awesome to see dozens of people that we hadn’t seen in YEARS! People we used to hang out with weekly B.C. (before children). Some of them haven’t changed a bit, but for the most part we have all grown up, gotten married and had kids. It was crazy to see the “next generation” all playing together…maybe one day they’ll be hanging out at somebody’s beach house waiting for some waves to surf or going fishing. Ahhhh, the good old days!!!
Workout Stats, Sunday 7/16
OWS, 288 Lake - not sure how many meters?
Friday was not quite what I expected.
I expected to leave work at 3 pm, head to the grocery store sans kids, then head home to hang out with the family before my cousins from Florida arrived.
Instead, I received a call from the kid’s school letting me know that the munchkin had a fever. So, I headed to his school around 1 pm, took him home and waited for the hubby to get home from work so I could go to the grocery store. We found out that the cousins had decided to stay with another family member, so the hubby and kiddo went to visit our nephew to celebrate his 13th birthday, while I stayed home with the feverish munchkin. All is well that ends well I suppose, because the unexpected changes allowed me to do a 4-miler on the treadmill after the munchkin was in bed. Not exactly my Friday night, outdoor long run, but I’ll take it! And, I didn’t trip the breaker this time either.
Workout Stats, Friday 7/25
Treadmill run, 4 miles, 43:16, 10:49 pace
SATURDAY
Saturday was a fun-filled family day! The hubby had to work, so the kiddos and I met my parents, the cousins and my uncle for breakfast bright and early. Next, we headed over to Market Street so the kids could play in the water. They had a blast, but I got heatstroke…not really, but it was damn hot! Afterwards, we headed back to our house to get in a little r&r before the rest of the family came over for dinner. We had a great evening…it was so great to see the Florida family, because we rarely get to spend an entire day together.
Workout Stats, Saturday 7/26
No workouts to speak of on Saturday, unless you count chasing the kids around as a workout!
SUNDAY
Sunday funday!
I started Sunday with a drive out to 288 Lake to meet up with some fellow tri-folk for an OWS practice. For some reason, my stomach was feeling all weird – must have been all the terrible, not-so-nutritious food I ate the day before! I don’t know if it was the stomach thing or what, but I wasn’t feeling terribly ambitious with my swimming. I swam around the boat 3x before getting up the courage to swim out to the buoys. I really need to get my arse out to the lake more often, because everyone I had met out there a few weeks ago had really made some great progress…they were all swimming to the dock on the other side of the lake and back! Overall, I felt good about my swim…I am definitely more comfortable about open water than ever before. Now, if I could just control my breathing and heart rate on race day, I’d be great!
After the swim, the hubby and I took advantage of his day off and headed to the playground with the kids. We ended the day with a trip to our friend’s house where they were hosting a party for some friends who were in town from New York. It was so awesome to see dozens of people that we hadn’t seen in YEARS! People we used to hang out with weekly B.C. (before children). Some of them haven’t changed a bit, but for the most part we have all grown up, gotten married and had kids. It was crazy to see the “next generation” all playing together…maybe one day they’ll be hanging out at somebody’s beach house waiting for some waves to surf or going fishing. Ahhhh, the good old days!!!
Workout Stats, Sunday 7/16
OWS, 288 Lake - not sure how many meters?
Friday, July 24, 2009
Swimmy, Swim, Swim
Again there was a lunch meeting at work, so no spin class. Boohoo! But, I headed to the Downtown Y once again for my swim. This time there were no naked old ladies. Whew! But, I discovered that even the 1st floor dressing room was a maze...I had just not gone far enough into the dressing room last week. I was worried I'd get lost just finding the bathroom stalls.
All the lap lanes already had people in them, so I paired up with a guy who appeared to be the hairiest guy I've ever seen. Really. (Gag) I didn't realize this when I first hopped into the lane, because he was at the other end of the pool. But, he was nice enough and we stayed out of each others way and that's what counts. Right?
I warmed up with 150 freestyle - really slow, really focusing on my breathing and form. Next, I did 300 freestyle a bit faster. Then I did 200 with the pull buoy, another 200 without, then another 100 with and another 150 without. I've used the pull buoy before, but never for more than about 50. For some reason today, I really liked using it. I felt like I could work on my stroke and breathing and then when I swam a few laps without it, I felt like I was actually swimming more efficiently. So, I'd swim awhile without it and then with it and then without. On that last 150, I told myself that the 1st 50 would be my last lap. Then, that lap felt good, so I decided to do one more. Then, that one felt good to and I decided to do another. :-)
Overall, it was a good swim and I made it home in time to listen to the munchkin "singing" in his crib (so stinkin' CUTE!) and play "Little Einstein's Blast Off Bingo" with the kiddo and hubby while watching Beauty & the Beast.
I don't know what the weekend holds as far as workouts go. I have family coming in from Florida, so I imagine my long run tonight is not gonna happen. The hubby has Sunday off from work, so I am hoping to sneak away on Sunday morning for an OWS!
All the lap lanes already had people in them, so I paired up with a guy who appeared to be the hairiest guy I've ever seen. Really. (Gag) I didn't realize this when I first hopped into the lane, because he was at the other end of the pool. But, he was nice enough and we stayed out of each others way and that's what counts. Right?
I warmed up with 150 freestyle - really slow, really focusing on my breathing and form. Next, I did 300 freestyle a bit faster. Then I did 200 with the pull buoy, another 200 without, then another 100 with and another 150 without. I've used the pull buoy before, but never for more than about 50. For some reason today, I really liked using it. I felt like I could work on my stroke and breathing and then when I swam a few laps without it, I felt like I was actually swimming more efficiently. So, I'd swim awhile without it and then with it and then without. On that last 150, I told myself that the 1st 50 would be my last lap. Then, that lap felt good, so I decided to do one more. Then, that one felt good to and I decided to do another. :-)
Overall, it was a good swim and I made it home in time to listen to the munchkin "singing" in his crib (so stinkin' CUTE!) and play "Little Einstein's Blast Off Bingo" with the kiddo and hubby while watching Beauty & the Beast.
I don't know what the weekend holds as far as workouts go. I have family coming in from Florida, so I imagine my long run tonight is not gonna happen. The hubby has Sunday off from work, so I am hoping to sneak away on Sunday morning for an OWS!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Catch-Up
Monday, 7/20 - Swim
Monday morning = swimming at the Nat. I finally got into the groove of swimming an additional day, going to the Nat and still making it to work on time....too bad that the Nat is going to be closed for the rest of the friggin' summer!!! Next week it is open on Monday, but then it will be closed until school starts in late August/early September for maintenance! Doh!
Monday also happened to be Mom's birthday, which meant I had to pick-up a cake during lunch (which meant no lunchtime running at the Y). It also meant that I would be having dinner with her, so no evening workout either. Good times!
Tuesday, 7/21 - Swim
Had a work lunch meeting, so no spin class. Grrrr. But, the lunch meeting went well so that was good! I did make it to the Y to swim after work though and had a great swim workout! For the 1st 15-20 minutes, I had the lap lane to myself. I was able to slow down my stroke and concentrate on form and breathing. It felt great. The next thing I knew, there were people coming into the pool for laps. One after the other after the other. Before I knew it, I was circle-swimming with 3 other people! And, there were also 4 people in the lane next to me. This is when I felt like I began to do speed intervals. I would start the lap by going slow, but then speed up on the way back. I did this over and over again for my final 15 minutes and felt like I did pretty well sharing the lane. I can remember when the thought of sharing a lane made me feel completely intimidated. I have no idea how many laps I did though...something about all the people made me forget to count! I also noticed a guy taking breaks between each length of the pool, looking very winded. Yeah, that was me just a few months ago. I've come a long way baby! :-) But, I still have a long way to go!
Wednesday, 7/22 - treadmill run - 3 miles, 31:16, 10:25 pace
Run day for me! Another working lunch meeting (and a very productive one), so again no run during my lunch break. I didn't want to run after the kiddo was in bed, but I managed to find my mojo once I hopped on the treadmill and got going. I started to do intervals, but after a few of those I decided that I just felt like running. After a couple of miles, I did throw in a few more intervals, but I wouldn't exactly call it speed work. Overall, it felt like a good run with a decent effort. I am getting teeny bit speedier. Baby steps!
On the agenda for today? Another work lunch meeting, a training class actually, and then it's swim time after work! Yeah, no spin class, but I am hoping to go 2x next week.
Monday morning = swimming at the Nat. I finally got into the groove of swimming an additional day, going to the Nat and still making it to work on time....too bad that the Nat is going to be closed for the rest of the friggin' summer!!! Next week it is open on Monday, but then it will be closed until school starts in late August/early September for maintenance! Doh!
Monday also happened to be Mom's birthday, which meant I had to pick-up a cake during lunch (which meant no lunchtime running at the Y). It also meant that I would be having dinner with her, so no evening workout either. Good times!
Tuesday, 7/21 - Swim
Had a work lunch meeting, so no spin class. Grrrr. But, the lunch meeting went well so that was good! I did make it to the Y to swim after work though and had a great swim workout! For the 1st 15-20 minutes, I had the lap lane to myself. I was able to slow down my stroke and concentrate on form and breathing. It felt great. The next thing I knew, there were people coming into the pool for laps. One after the other after the other. Before I knew it, I was circle-swimming with 3 other people! And, there were also 4 people in the lane next to me. This is when I felt like I began to do speed intervals. I would start the lap by going slow, but then speed up on the way back. I did this over and over again for my final 15 minutes and felt like I did pretty well sharing the lane. I can remember when the thought of sharing a lane made me feel completely intimidated. I have no idea how many laps I did though...something about all the people made me forget to count! I also noticed a guy taking breaks between each length of the pool, looking very winded. Yeah, that was me just a few months ago. I've come a long way baby! :-) But, I still have a long way to go!
Wednesday, 7/22 - treadmill run - 3 miles, 31:16, 10:25 pace
Run day for me! Another working lunch meeting (and a very productive one), so again no run during my lunch break. I didn't want to run after the kiddo was in bed, but I managed to find my mojo once I hopped on the treadmill and got going. I started to do intervals, but after a few of those I decided that I just felt like running. After a couple of miles, I did throw in a few more intervals, but I wouldn't exactly call it speed work. Overall, it felt like a good run with a decent effort. I am getting teeny bit speedier. Baby steps!
On the agenda for today? Another work lunch meeting, a training class actually, and then it's swim time after work! Yeah, no spin class, but I am hoping to go 2x next week.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Happy 40th Anniversary & Happy Birthday
Just a quick break from the normal workout posts...I just wanted to say it's an exciting day today! First, it's my Mom's birthday...happy birthday Mom, I love you!
Second, it's the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11's lunar landing and Neil Armstrong's 1st steps on the Moon. Since I am a total geek, I will have to watch "From the Earth to the Moon" tonight after my Mom's birthday dinner. :-) I am still amazed at how much the US accomplished during the 60's - the 1st American in space, the 1st orbit around the Earth, putting men on the Moon. Amazing stuff indeed. I even remember writing a report about the space program in the 8th grade...back then, NASA predicted we'd have a man on Mars by 2005. About a month later, the Challenger exploded. Gee, guess we're a bit behind schedule now. Sigh.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bricks, Weenie Dogs and a Sunset
Saturday was my rest day...thank God for that!
Sunday, the goal was to get in a brick. I had planned on riding for an hour and running 3 miles. However, life can get in the way and it did. I promised to take the kiddo to the pool, but that was delayed until late afternoon because of some errands I needed to take care of (i.e. find a birthday gift for my Mom...nothing like waiting till the last minute!). So, late trip to the pool = late dinner = late getting the kids to bed = late start on the workout. Since it was quickly approaching dusk, I only managed to get in a 30 minute bike ride and a 1 mile run. It worked out okay because I got to see the most awesome sunset. And, I still got to practice getting the legs running after the bike. Well, sort of...while I was putting my bike in the garage, the neighbor's dogs escaped from the backyard. Of course, I herded them back to their house which took a few minutes...weenie dogs aren't the smartest dogs, are they?
Next brick, the goal will be 12 miles on the bike and a 2 mile run. The final brick goal will be 15 miles on the bike and 3 mile run.
Workout Stats
Bike - 10 miles, 36 minutes, 16.5 mph (not very impressive)
Run - 1 mile, 10 minutes
Sunday, the goal was to get in a brick. I had planned on riding for an hour and running 3 miles. However, life can get in the way and it did. I promised to take the kiddo to the pool, but that was delayed until late afternoon because of some errands I needed to take care of (i.e. find a birthday gift for my Mom...nothing like waiting till the last minute!). So, late trip to the pool = late dinner = late getting the kids to bed = late start on the workout. Since it was quickly approaching dusk, I only managed to get in a 30 minute bike ride and a 1 mile run. It worked out okay because I got to see the most awesome sunset. And, I still got to practice getting the legs running after the bike. Well, sort of...while I was putting my bike in the garage, the neighbor's dogs escaped from the backyard. Of course, I herded them back to their house which took a few minutes...weenie dogs aren't the smartest dogs, are they?
Next brick, the goal will be 12 miles on the bike and a 2 mile run. The final brick goal will be 15 miles on the bike and 3 mile run.
Workout Stats
Bike - 10 miles, 36 minutes, 16.5 mph (not very impressive)
Run - 1 mile, 10 minutes
Saturday, July 18, 2009
TGIF!
Friday = long run day!
So, I set out a tiny bit earlier than normal for my long run. Apparently, I left the Garmin on all day, after charging it all night...doh! So, I have no idea of my time or pace. I hate that! I've become so freaking dependent on my Garmin for my pace, time, etc. that I feel naked without it. I almost didn't want to run without it!
But, I set off on my run anyway and just decided to run at whatever pace felt comfortable. And that's what I did. I even took walk breaks when it felt necessary...I only took 5 walk breaks total and one of those was because I got a mouthful of gnats, lol! Yuck! For me, only 5 walk breaks is pretty damn good...since I had been doing 5/1s for YEARS and never in a million years thought I'd stop doing that. But for whatever reason, I HAVE decided to stop. I've been doing 9/1s for about 2 months, with the intent of eventually getting to a walk break at each mile. Then eventually only doing walk breaks at the water stations at races. So, I am making progress...slowly but surely!
Once again the neighborhood water sprinklers were a Godsend! As I was completing my 1st 3-mile loop around the 'hood, I felt pretty good...but, I felt even better after running through a few of the sprinklers! It put some pep in my step for my 2nd 3-mile loop and I finished it with no problem. In fact, it even felt like I had sped up a little at the end. Of course, I have no proof of this without the Garmin. :-)
Workout Stats
Neighborhood Run - 6 miles, 1 hour, ? minutes, ? pace
So, I set out a tiny bit earlier than normal for my long run. Apparently, I left the Garmin on all day, after charging it all night...doh! So, I have no idea of my time or pace. I hate that! I've become so freaking dependent on my Garmin for my pace, time, etc. that I feel naked without it. I almost didn't want to run without it!
But, I set off on my run anyway and just decided to run at whatever pace felt comfortable. And that's what I did. I even took walk breaks when it felt necessary...I only took 5 walk breaks total and one of those was because I got a mouthful of gnats, lol! Yuck! For me, only 5 walk breaks is pretty damn good...since I had been doing 5/1s for YEARS and never in a million years thought I'd stop doing that. But for whatever reason, I HAVE decided to stop. I've been doing 9/1s for about 2 months, with the intent of eventually getting to a walk break at each mile. Then eventually only doing walk breaks at the water stations at races. So, I am making progress...slowly but surely!
Once again the neighborhood water sprinklers were a Godsend! As I was completing my 1st 3-mile loop around the 'hood, I felt pretty good...but, I felt even better after running through a few of the sprinklers! It put some pep in my step for my 2nd 3-mile loop and I finished it with no problem. In fact, it even felt like I had sped up a little at the end. Of course, I have no proof of this without the Garmin. :-)
Workout Stats
Neighborhood Run - 6 miles, 1 hour, ? minutes, ? pace
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday Spin & Swim
I've been staying up too late, which makes for a very sleepy day. Fortunately, lunchtime spin wakes me up for the afternoon at work and my after work swim wakes me up for the commute home!
Spin was the usual grueling hour. Thanks to Richard this week for the "hillwork"!
Another new thing this week - I went to the Downtown Y for my swim. It took me a little while to figure out the logistics...where it's located, where to park, etc. I've driven past it hundreds of times, but never really paid attention to its exact location. Once I got inside the building, I asked where the pool was and where the dressing rooms were...what I didn't know is that I didn't have to go all the way to the dressing rooms on the 3rd floor, because there are dressing rooms on the 1st floor - attached to the pool area. Doh!
Let me just tell you - the 3rd floor dressing rooms are huge - think: labyrinth of lockers. Seriously, I was afraid to explore too much for fear of getting lost. I was one of 2 people in there and I'll admit, it was a bit creepy. I changed clothes then went to the restroom and as I was walking out, I saw a much older lady (think little silver-haired grandma), crawling out of the showers.
Crawling, as in on the floor.
Naked!
My 1st instinct was to run the other way...sorry, too much Twilight Zone as a kid I guess! Instead, I asked her if she was okay (while trying not to look at her). She insisted that she was fine, she was just trying to look at the clock on the wall to see what time it was. I walked out of there as fast as I could...before running into anymore butt naked people crawling on the floor.
I made it to the 1st floor, found the pool...and the 1st floor dressing room. This dressing room was much smaller and less creepy. I entered the pool area and noticed it was much smaller than I thought it would be. There was a really cool-looking mosaic on the wall and a 4 or 5 lane lap pool. There was a water aerobics class going on in a couple of the lanes, so that just left 2 lanes for lap swimming. There was someone in both, so I decided on one and hopped in. I don't know why, but the water seemed different to me - it tasted and smelled different...maybe because the place is so old? I dunno. The pool served its purpose - lap swimming - and that's all that mattered! For whatever reason, I have no clue whatsoever of how many laps I did. And while the downtown Y is old, the architecture of the building is amazing! I know they're building a new Y, but I hope they don't tear down this building completely!
Workout Stats
Spin Class - 1 hour of hell
Swim - 40 minutes
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Green Monsters and a Lack of Energy
This is a week of new stuff for me...first it was Nighclub Cardio and today it's the GREEN MONSTER! A big thank you to both Michelle and Jenna for posting about the Green Monster. Here's what I used for mine:
1 cup skim milk
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
4 cups spinach (from the produce section...don't use frozen!)
1 scoop of chocolate-flavored protein powder
Ice
Just put everything in the blender and you have this:
ready to roll......
Yeah, it looks weird, but I promise it is really yummy! I'd like to try different variations of this and figure out what I like best...maybe almond milk instead of regular skim, almond butter instead of PB, other types of fruit, other flavors of protein powder...the possibilities are endless! I was finding that even though I am eating 3 meals a day, plus snacks that are high in protein, I had trouble getting in all the protein I needed...so, that's why I decided to try this little concoction.
Oh and just a few tips - 1) peel the banana before you put it in the freezer...just sayin'...yeah, I am an Aggie); 2) Use fresh or bagged spinach - do not use frozen, because I read it makes the shake disgustingly thick; and 3) the GM doesn't taste so great after sitting in the fridge all day...I didn't want to drink the entire thing (too many calories), so I decided to save some for later. Don't do it.
As for my workouts today, I hopped on the treadmill after the kiddos were asleep for some intervals. I was on my 7th and final 2 minute interval and 10 seconds away from my cooldown when the power in our upstairs gameroom went off. I found myself standing on the treadmill in the dark wondering "What the hell just happened?". The lights in the kid's rooms were still on (they both sleep with nightlights) and the downstairs lights were on. I headed over to the breaker box and sure enough - I managed to trip the breaker. Okay, I'll admit - the TV was on (even though I can't really see or hear it), there was a lamp on, and the ceiling fan was going. I got back on the treadmill for my cool down and after about 4 minutes, it happened again! I don't know why this is happening now, after running on this same treadmill in the same room, plugged into the same outlet, with the same tv and lamp on for the past year. Maybe I'll try running in the dark next time. Any clue?
So yeah, I almost finished my 30-something minute run...but not quite. I know that before my cool down (@ a 10:57 pace), my overall pace was right around 10:25, but that's all I know.
Workout Stats
Treadmill run, 30-something minutes, ~3 miles, 10-something pace
1 cup skim milk
1 frozen banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
4 cups spinach (from the produce section...don't use frozen!)
1 scoop of chocolate-flavored protein powder
Ice
Just put everything in the blender and you have this:
ready to roll......
Yeah, it looks weird, but I promise it is really yummy! I'd like to try different variations of this and figure out what I like best...maybe almond milk instead of regular skim, almond butter instead of PB, other types of fruit, other flavors of protein powder...the possibilities are endless! I was finding that even though I am eating 3 meals a day, plus snacks that are high in protein, I had trouble getting in all the protein I needed...so, that's why I decided to try this little concoction.
Oh and just a few tips - 1) peel the banana before you put it in the freezer...just sayin'...yeah, I am an Aggie); 2) Use fresh or bagged spinach - do not use frozen, because I read it makes the shake disgustingly thick; and 3) the GM doesn't taste so great after sitting in the fridge all day...I didn't want to drink the entire thing (too many calories), so I decided to save some for later. Don't do it.
As for my workouts today, I hopped on the treadmill after the kiddos were asleep for some intervals. I was on my 7th and final 2 minute interval and 10 seconds away from my cooldown when the power in our upstairs gameroom went off. I found myself standing on the treadmill in the dark wondering "What the hell just happened?". The lights in the kid's rooms were still on (they both sleep with nightlights) and the downstairs lights were on. I headed over to the breaker box and sure enough - I managed to trip the breaker. Okay, I'll admit - the TV was on (even though I can't really see or hear it), there was a lamp on, and the ceiling fan was going. I got back on the treadmill for my cool down and after about 4 minutes, it happened again! I don't know why this is happening now, after running on this same treadmill in the same room, plugged into the same outlet, with the same tv and lamp on for the past year. Maybe I'll try running in the dark next time. Any clue?
So yeah, I almost finished my 30-something minute run...but not quite. I know that before my cool down (@ a 10:57 pace), my overall pace was right around 10:25, but that's all I know.
Workout Stats
Treadmill run, 30-something minutes, ~3 miles, 10-something pace
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Something New
Tonight, I decided to try something new. No swimming. No biking. No running. Instead, I went to "Nightclub Cardio". This is a fairly new class and there was even an article in the Houston Chronicle about it a few weeks ago. A friend of mine went to the class several weeks ago and had a great time, so she invited me to come along. Lemme just say, this class is very popular. When I tried to go on-line to register, the classes for the next several weeks were sold out. Tonight's class was the 1st class available.
When I arrived at the nightclub, I noticed there was a wide variety of women there (and a handful of guys too) - very fit, not so fit, large, small and everything in between. The class started a little late, but eventually the lights dimmed and the class got started - but the fun colored club lights and Michael Jackson videos on the big screen were on. The instructor was full of energy and got everyone warmed-up and pumped...unfortunately, I couldn't understand a word she was saying on her microphone, but that was okay. Honestly, if you're very fit, this may not be the workout for you. It isn't a really hard core, kick your ass kind of workout. It's aerobics with a dance club twist. There's a lot of jumping up and down with arms flailing, a lot of booty shakin', with some squats thrown it. During the "Maniac" song from Flashdance, we all did the running in place thing from the movie. There was even a "Soul Train Line" to the song JT/Madonna tune "4 Minutes" - yes, I even took a stroll down the line!
My take on it? If you're new to working out, this is a good workout that might be somewhat challenging. I'm not sayin' I am a super-athlete-fitness-goddess by any means (or even close!), but I found myself wanting to go workout afterwards. Really workout. Then again, it was my 1st time...you can probably make the workout more intense by getting into it more. I will say, it was a damn good time and yeah, I might do it again. :-)
When I arrived at the nightclub, I noticed there was a wide variety of women there (and a handful of guys too) - very fit, not so fit, large, small and everything in between. The class started a little late, but eventually the lights dimmed and the class got started - but the fun colored club lights and Michael Jackson videos on the big screen were on. The instructor was full of energy and got everyone warmed-up and pumped...unfortunately, I couldn't understand a word she was saying on her microphone, but that was okay. Honestly, if you're very fit, this may not be the workout for you. It isn't a really hard core, kick your ass kind of workout. It's aerobics with a dance club twist. There's a lot of jumping up and down with arms flailing, a lot of booty shakin', with some squats thrown it. During the "Maniac" song from Flashdance, we all did the running in place thing from the movie. There was even a "Soul Train Line" to the song JT/Madonna tune "4 Minutes" - yes, I even took a stroll down the line!
My take on it? If you're new to working out, this is a good workout that might be somewhat challenging. I'm not sayin' I am a super-athlete-fitness-goddess by any means (or even close!), but I found myself wanting to go workout afterwards. Really workout. Then again, it was my 1st time...you can probably make the workout more intense by getting into it more. I will say, it was a damn good time and yeah, I might do it again. :-)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Workouts
Here's a quick catch up. Feeling rather blah and not really in the mood to blog tonight.
Thursday, 7/9
Skipped spin class and went to the pool - total waste of time! Kids everywhere and nowhere to actually swim. I was there for 30 minutes and might have gotten in 500.
Friday, 7/10 - Run, 5 miles, 11:34 pace
"Long" run of 5 miles. Despite the heat, it actually felt great. Running through all the neighborhood sprinklers might have helped a lot. :-) I started out slower than usual, thinking that I would pick up the pace later. I did, but not much. Also, running 9/1s is getting easier...thinking about switching to walking a minute at each mile.
Saturday, 7/11 - Family day!
Was going to rest completely, but did Ab Ripper X just 'cause.
Sunday, 7/12 - Rest Day
Busy day - went to church, shopped a sale at Toys R Us for the kid's Christmas stuff, visited a friend and her new baby (welcome to the world baby Hayden!), took the kiddo to see Ice Age 3 after lunch...that was enough!
Monday, 7/13 - AM Swim, 35 minutes, ~1000 yds
Met Jen at the pool this morning. Arrived a little later than planned, but got in some good laps. Slowed down and concentrated on my breathing and form. May do this again for the rest of the week and then go back to doing drills. Gotta get faster! I timed my 300 and it was still around 8:15...pathetic!!!
Thursday, 7/9
Skipped spin class and went to the pool - total waste of time! Kids everywhere and nowhere to actually swim. I was there for 30 minutes and might have gotten in 500.
Friday, 7/10 - Run, 5 miles, 11:34 pace
"Long" run of 5 miles. Despite the heat, it actually felt great. Running through all the neighborhood sprinklers might have helped a lot. :-) I started out slower than usual, thinking that I would pick up the pace later. I did, but not much. Also, running 9/1s is getting easier...thinking about switching to walking a minute at each mile.
Saturday, 7/11 - Family day!
Was going to rest completely, but did Ab Ripper X just 'cause.
Sunday, 7/12 - Rest Day
Busy day - went to church, shopped a sale at Toys R Us for the kid's Christmas stuff, visited a friend and her new baby (welcome to the world baby Hayden!), took the kiddo to see Ice Age 3 after lunch...that was enough!
Monday, 7/13 - AM Swim, 35 minutes, ~1000 yds
Met Jen at the pool this morning. Arrived a little later than planned, but got in some good laps. Slowed down and concentrated on my breathing and form. May do this again for the rest of the week and then go back to doing drills. Gotta get faster! I timed my 300 and it was still around 8:15...pathetic!!!
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Running Solo (a rambling post)
Here in Houston it's time for all the marathon training groups to begin!
The fall marathon groups began a few weeks ago, but the Houston Marathon is a mere 27 weeks away and it's time to get the training going! With the exception of training for my 1st 1/2 marathon in 2001, I've always trained with a group. First, it was Houston Fit in 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2006. Next, it was Woodlands Fit in 2008. I skipped 2004 and 2007 due to a little thing called pregnancy - yeah growing a baby in the belly doesn't go well with running 12, 15, 18 or 21 miles - unless you're Paula Radcliffe.
Quite frankly, I think training alone sucks. Although I was a member of Houston Fit in 2006, I had just begun a Saturday MBA program and was forced to do a few of the really long runs alone. Like I said, it sucked!
This year, the hubby's schedule is all goofy and not really conducive to running with any of the local programs. No weekends off, plus he leaves at the ass-crack of dawn to get to work (out the door by 5 am) - that means no early morning Saturday runs with the peeps. (Unless I want to recruit my parents to be babysitters - I'd rather save that for the occasional "date nights"!) And, because I am training for tri's all the way to August (or possibly even October), I use Tuesday evenings as my swim day - that means no track workouts with the peeps. Trust me, I'm a slow runner and need the track workouts, but my swimming sucks even more than my running!
So while my running peeps are training with Strides this year (they opted not to return to Woodlands Fit for various reasons), I will be running solo. My usual Saturday morning runs will be done on Friday nights...at least for as long as I can stand this frickin' heat. I am guessing that one of two things will happen
The fall marathon groups began a few weeks ago, but the Houston Marathon is a mere 27 weeks away and it's time to get the training going! With the exception of training for my 1st 1/2 marathon in 2001, I've always trained with a group. First, it was Houston Fit in 2002, 2003, 2005 & 2006. Next, it was Woodlands Fit in 2008. I skipped 2004 and 2007 due to a little thing called pregnancy - yeah growing a baby in the belly doesn't go well with running 12, 15, 18 or 21 miles - unless you're Paula Radcliffe.
Quite frankly, I think training alone sucks. Although I was a member of Houston Fit in 2006, I had just begun a Saturday MBA program and was forced to do a few of the really long runs alone. Like I said, it sucked!
This year, the hubby's schedule is all goofy and not really conducive to running with any of the local programs. No weekends off, plus he leaves at the ass-crack of dawn to get to work (out the door by 5 am) - that means no early morning Saturday runs with the peeps. (Unless I want to recruit my parents to be babysitters - I'd rather save that for the occasional "date nights"!) And, because I am training for tri's all the way to August (or possibly even October), I use Tuesday evenings as my swim day - that means no track workouts with the peeps. Trust me, I'm a slow runner and need the track workouts, but my swimming sucks even more than my running!
So while my running peeps are training with Strides this year (they opted not to return to Woodlands Fit for various reasons), I will be running solo. My usual Saturday morning runs will be done on Friday nights...at least for as long as I can stand this frickin' heat. I am guessing that one of two things will happen
- I will become less of the social runner, forcing myself to focus more on my times and get faster, or
- I will lose some of the motivation I usually get from my running peeps, be a wuss, take more walk breaks, etc.
The goal is to go with #1, although I am sure there will be the occasional days when #2 will win. Those days better be few and far between!
I've also made another decision. I'm doing the 1/2 marathon again this year. Maybe San Antonio and then Houston. There's a part of me that wants to train for a full again, but I decided against it for 3 reasons:- Call me a pansy, but I don't wanna train for a full solo. Hours at a time on the road with out the running peeps is just not fun to me.
- I have small kiddos who are very, very active and want my full attention. Let's face it, after some of those long runs I am toast! Weekends and evenings are the only precious moments I get to spend with my kiddos and I wanna make the most of that! Maybe when they don't want me around (like in their teens), I will get back into the higher mileage.
- I am enjoying the triathlons too much. Originally, I was going to make TriGirl in August my last tri for the year and then start increasing my running mileage. But now I am leaning towards doing a Tri as late as October and probably won't be increasing the mileage a ton between now and then.
So there you have it...my decisions for the training season. Hope you have a great one!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Quickie
I waited too late to head to the gym during lunch and was only left with about 25 minutes to work out. I did a quick warm-up and cool-down, followed by 6x2:00/1 min rec. I may try to get in a couple more miles tonight after the kiddos are in bed...we'll see! Gotta fit it in where ever you can sometimes!
Workout Stats
Treadmill run - 25 minutes, 10:25 pace (yay me!)
ETA:
I got on the treadmill again once the kiddos were in bed - 2 more miles! The 2nd mile was walking, because my foot was killing me...might have a lot to do with the shoes I wore to work today!
Workout Stats
Treadmill run #2 - 1 mile @ 10:58 pace, 1 miles @ 13:57 pace
Workout Stats
Treadmill run - 25 minutes, 10:25 pace (yay me!)
ETA:
I got on the treadmill again once the kiddos were in bed - 2 more miles! The 2nd mile was walking, because my foot was killing me...might have a lot to do with the shoes I wore to work today!
Workout Stats
Treadmill run #2 - 1 mile @ 10:58 pace, 1 miles @ 13:57 pace
Typical Tuesday
Another spin and swim day!
Just another typical sweaty day at spin class. I had to leave a little early so that I could get back to work in time to set up the conference room audio visual system to watch the Michael Jackson memorial service. Yes, I am serious. Employees wanted to watch it and so we accomodated them...and yes, even I wanted to see it, but I dvr'ed it to watch at home. Turns out that it was all set up before I got there, so I guess I could have stayed for the entire class.
My swim was okay. Still some kid-dodging going on, but overall not too bad. I've learned that the later I wait to swim, the fewer kiddos there are to dodge. I did a 100 yd warm-up, followed by 350 of mostly freestyle (but some sidestroke too), 2 minute recovery, another 350 of the freestyle-sidestroke combo, recovery, then another 200 of slow freestyle to work on my breathing since that seems to be my biggest challenge. One thing I noticed is that I haven't been stretching out my stroke and rotating much...time to watch the Total Immersion video again!
And back to the Michael Jackson Memorial Service....someone please explain to me why Sheila Jackson Lee was there? Seriously. Can we say "media whore"?
Workout stats
Spin class - 50 minutes
Swim - 1,000 yds
Just another typical sweaty day at spin class. I had to leave a little early so that I could get back to work in time to set up the conference room audio visual system to watch the Michael Jackson memorial service. Yes, I am serious. Employees wanted to watch it and so we accomodated them...and yes, even I wanted to see it, but I dvr'ed it to watch at home. Turns out that it was all set up before I got there, so I guess I could have stayed for the entire class.
My swim was okay. Still some kid-dodging going on, but overall not too bad. I've learned that the later I wait to swim, the fewer kiddos there are to dodge. I did a 100 yd warm-up, followed by 350 of mostly freestyle (but some sidestroke too), 2 minute recovery, another 350 of the freestyle-sidestroke combo, recovery, then another 200 of slow freestyle to work on my breathing since that seems to be my biggest challenge. One thing I noticed is that I haven't been stretching out my stroke and rotating much...time to watch the Total Immersion video again!
And back to the Michael Jackson Memorial Service....someone please explain to me why Sheila Jackson Lee was there? Seriously. Can we say "media whore"?
Workout stats
Spin class - 50 minutes
Swim - 1,000 yds
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Run
Yeah, I'm on a roll with my very original titles. :-)
Since Monday is usually my run day, I hopped on the treadmill after the kiddos were in bed. Nothing exciting to report - just 2 easy, peasy miles.
Workout Stats
Treadmill run - 2 miles, 10:47 pace
Since Monday is usually my run day, I hopped on the treadmill after the kiddos were in bed. Nothing exciting to report - just 2 easy, peasy miles.
Workout Stats
Treadmill run - 2 miles, 10:47 pace
Monday, July 06, 2009
Operation Swim More - Day 1
Since the hubby has Monday's off and the awesome new Natatorium is open to the public for lap swimming at 5:30 am, I thought I'd give an early morning swim a try. Fortunately, my Woodlands Fit friend, Jen, is already in the habit of going on Monday mornings so I'd have someone to swim with. (Isn't the Nat pretty??? That's a pic of it up top!)
Since I have quite a commute to work, it made more sense for me to get ready at the Nat, rather than drive home to get ready. Actually, I had a 8 am dentist appt in the Woodlands this week....because of this, I felt as if I was packing my entire bathroom in my bag - shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, flat brush, round brush, hair dryer, flat iron, make-up, not to mention clothes, shoes, etc. When I arrived at the Nat, I paid my $5 and headed to the dressing room. The 1st thing I noticed were all the gym bags on the benches....yeah, that would be because all the lockers were too narrow to squeeze the bag in and even too narrow for me to hang up my work clothes! My bag was a bit narrower, so I was able to smash it into a locker, lol. Barely.
I headed out to the pool and saw Jennifer arriving. I learned that the 50 m lanes were strictly for the Masters swimmers and high schoolers there for practice. That meant that Jen and I were restricted to the dive well. That was interesting. First, I noticed that the pool was much, much cooler than the outdoor pool I have been swimming in. In fact, it took me about 100 yds to really warm up. Second, the dive well is super deep - around 14 feet. It was a bit weird to look at a line so far down on the bottom! I started with a little warm up, then hammered out 300...a lot of freestyle, mixed in with a little sidestroke. Seriously, I really need to get this freestyle-thing down! Instead of stopping at 300, I kept going and did a set of 500. After a short rest and some chatting with Jen. I did another 500. (At least I think I did...I tend to lose count when I don't have my watch!) I took a short rest and then did another 100 before calling it a day. It felt great to get in my swim so early and really woke me up!
I don't know what to think about the whole experience of getting dressed for work at the Nat. The dressing rooms were definitely not designed with the working woman in mind, lol! There are mirrors with very small shelves underneath and outlets right outside the shower area, but the floor has puddles, so it's not exactly safe for blow drying! Not to mention that there are backpacks covering pretty much every inch of the benches. Fortunately, there are a few mirrors/shelves in a couple of the not so wet area as well. The shelves are pretty small though, unlike the big counters at the Memorial Park Tennis Center. It was quite a balancing act to put on make-up, dry hair and flat iron there. But, it worked. And I will more than likely be doing this again. And again. And again. The only downside to this? I don't get to see the kiddos in the morning. That kinda sucks!
Since I have quite a commute to work, it made more sense for me to get ready at the Nat, rather than drive home to get ready. Actually, I had a 8 am dentist appt in the Woodlands this week....because of this, I felt as if I was packing my entire bathroom in my bag - shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, flat brush, round brush, hair dryer, flat iron, make-up, not to mention clothes, shoes, etc. When I arrived at the Nat, I paid my $5 and headed to the dressing room. The 1st thing I noticed were all the gym bags on the benches....yeah, that would be because all the lockers were too narrow to squeeze the bag in and even too narrow for me to hang up my work clothes! My bag was a bit narrower, so I was able to smash it into a locker, lol. Barely.
I headed out to the pool and saw Jennifer arriving. I learned that the 50 m lanes were strictly for the Masters swimmers and high schoolers there for practice. That meant that Jen and I were restricted to the dive well. That was interesting. First, I noticed that the pool was much, much cooler than the outdoor pool I have been swimming in. In fact, it took me about 100 yds to really warm up. Second, the dive well is super deep - around 14 feet. It was a bit weird to look at a line so far down on the bottom! I started with a little warm up, then hammered out 300...a lot of freestyle, mixed in with a little sidestroke. Seriously, I really need to get this freestyle-thing down! Instead of stopping at 300, I kept going and did a set of 500. After a short rest and some chatting with Jen. I did another 500. (At least I think I did...I tend to lose count when I don't have my watch!) I took a short rest and then did another 100 before calling it a day. It felt great to get in my swim so early and really woke me up!
I don't know what to think about the whole experience of getting dressed for work at the Nat. The dressing rooms were definitely not designed with the working woman in mind, lol! There are mirrors with very small shelves underneath and outlets right outside the shower area, but the floor has puddles, so it's not exactly safe for blow drying! Not to mention that there are backpacks covering pretty much every inch of the benches. Fortunately, there are a few mirrors/shelves in a couple of the not so wet area as well. The shelves are pretty small though, unlike the big counters at the Memorial Park Tennis Center. It was quite a balancing act to put on make-up, dry hair and flat iron there. But, it worked. And I will more than likely be doing this again. And again. And again. The only downside to this? I don't get to see the kiddos in the morning. That kinda sucks!
OWS
Since the hubby was off from work on Sunday, I was able to meet the "heathens" from beginnertriathlete.com out at 288 Lake for an OWS practice. Thanks to me missing a turn, I arrived a few minutes after the scheduled meet up time. There were probably already 10 people there from BT chatting it up in the water. It was great to finally put the screen names and faces together!
Honestly, we did more talking than swimming, but it was helpful talk...I got a ton of OWS tips and lots of good tri stories. My first attempt to make it to the 2nd buoy was okay. I did freak out a tiny bit, got out of breath and had to bring out the old side stroke to get myself back on track. The 2nd and 3rd attempts were a little better, but I still had to use my crutch stroke on the way in. Next, I decided to do a couple of laps around the boat (closer than the 2nd buoy), just to get more comfortable and confident in the water.
By the end of the morning, I was feeling better about the OWS, but realize that I still need A LOT more practice! Let's just say it's going to be awhile before I am doing a loop of all the bouys with the more experienced folks! There was one common theme I heard all morning - to really improve in the swim, you need to be in the water 3-4 days every week. That's something I have resolved to do starting NOW. My goal is to swim 3-4 days per week from now until my next tri in August and see what kind of change I see in my swim time. I found a good training plan in my Women's Running magazine, so I may use that as my guide. I am hoping I can meet the BTers a little more often..they're a great bunch!
I spent the rest of the day with the family just hanging out. Good times!!!
Sunday, July 05, 2009
July 4th
Here are some pics from our July 4th. We started the day with the neighborhood parade, then the neighborhood pool party. They had a huge waterslide, BBQ, Ben & Jerry's, etc. Next, our families came over and we enjoyed more food and fun. The only thing missing was the normal neighborhood fireworks show (courtesy of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac behind us who go all ape shit with the fireworks!)...maybe next year we won't be in "drought" conditions.
Here's the kiddo before the parade...
Here's the kiddo before the parade...
And the munchkin...
Riding in the parade... 
Riding in the parade... The kiddo with an award for her decorations...she just finished touring the fire engine and had about had it with the heat!
July 4th yummies....
July 4th yummies....Saturday, July 04, 2009
Friday
I know, I know - being very original again with the titles.
Friday turned out to be a really, really fun day. The hubby and I both had the day off, so we decided to go ahead and take the kids to school so we could hang out. He did want to mow they yard, since we had family coming over on Saturday, so I went for a swim while he did that and then got home in time to help him finish up.
Next, we went for a bike ride in my new favorite riding neighborhood. The hubby has a mountain bike and hasn't done any real mileage on the road in a long time, so it really wasn't fair that I was on my road bike. We got in about 11 miles at a 12 mph pace, we did slow down a few times to check out some of the houses for sale...no, we're not looking, it's just that some of these houses are frickin' HUGE and gorgeous!
(NOTE: I've since been told that only a saddistic weirdo would get all excited about working out on their day off...guess I am a weirdo, LOL!)
By the time we made it back home, we were starving! We headed over to a local eatery in Old Town Spring and had an awesome lunch. We walked around a bit and then headed to the Wimberly Winery tasting room to check out the wines. Next stop - Wallyworld and Target to check out the inflatable pools for the kiddos. Finally, we ended the day with some grocery shopping. I know that doesn't really sound fun, but it reminded me of our pre-kiddo/munchkin days. Plus, I am so used to going to the grocery store with 2 kids that always seem to get cranky after 15 minutes of shopping, so to go with another adult was awesome! It's the little things, I tell ya!
Workout Stats
Swim, 1050 yds - 100 yd warm up, 300x2, 150 drills, 100x2
Bike, 11.3 miles, 12 mph
Friday turned out to be a really, really fun day. The hubby and I both had the day off, so we decided to go ahead and take the kids to school so we could hang out. He did want to mow they yard, since we had family coming over on Saturday, so I went for a swim while he did that and then got home in time to help him finish up.
Next, we went for a bike ride in my new favorite riding neighborhood. The hubby has a mountain bike and hasn't done any real mileage on the road in a long time, so it really wasn't fair that I was on my road bike. We got in about 11 miles at a 12 mph pace, we did slow down a few times to check out some of the houses for sale...no, we're not looking, it's just that some of these houses are frickin' HUGE and gorgeous!
(NOTE: I've since been told that only a saddistic weirdo would get all excited about working out on their day off...guess I am a weirdo, LOL!)
By the time we made it back home, we were starving! We headed over to a local eatery in Old Town Spring and had an awesome lunch. We walked around a bit and then headed to the Wimberly Winery tasting room to check out the wines. Next stop - Wallyworld and Target to check out the inflatable pools for the kiddos. Finally, we ended the day with some grocery shopping. I know that doesn't really sound fun, but it reminded me of our pre-kiddo/munchkin days. Plus, I am so used to going to the grocery store with 2 kids that always seem to get cranky after 15 minutes of shopping, so to go with another adult was awesome! It's the little things, I tell ya!
Workout Stats
Swim, 1050 yds - 100 yd warm up, 300x2, 150 drills, 100x2
Bike, 11.3 miles, 12 mph
Friday, July 03, 2009
Thursday
Real original title, I know! I knew I needed to get in some kind of run this week, so I squeezed in 4-miles on Thursday night. Not really what I'd call a "long" run, but a run. It was hot as hell, but thank God the neighborhood sprinklers were on...I felt like a kid, running through as many of them as I could. :-) My 1st 2 miles held steady, just under an 11-minute mile. The 3rd mile slipped a bit at 11:00 on the dot. The 4th mile was a struggle mentally...I was hot, tired and cranky. I took an extra walk break and slowed wayyy down. Grrrr.....
Workout Stats
4-miles, 11:03 pace, 44:12
Workout Stats
4-miles, 11:03 pace, 44:12
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Tell me...
This post is inspired by a thread over at beginnertriathlete.com, also affectionately called BT.
Tell me - what's the most beat-up piece of equipment that you are still using but refuse to replace?
I'll tell ya mine tomorrow.
Tell me - what's the most beat-up piece of equipment that you are still using but refuse to replace?
I'll tell ya mine tomorrow.
The Bug
For the 2nd time in 3 months, the hubby came home from work early with some sort of weird stomach bug. Yeah, complete with a high fever and chills!
And for the 2nd time in 3 months, I managed to catch it (although both times it's been a much weaker version of his - thank God!).
Soooo...after taking the kiddo to gymnastics, I decided to take it easy and hope that I'm all better after a good night's sleep. I better be okay by Friday! I have the day off and I'm looking forward to a nice, long bike ride!!! Now let's just hope that the kids don't get it!!!
And for the 2nd time in 3 months, I managed to catch it (although both times it's been a much weaker version of his - thank God!).
Soooo...after taking the kiddo to gymnastics, I decided to take it easy and hope that I'm all better after a good night's sleep. I better be okay by Friday! I have the day off and I'm looking forward to a nice, long bike ride!!! Now let's just hope that the kids don't get it!!!
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Confession time...
First, I did get in both of my workouts yesterday! Yay me.
Spin - 1 hour
Typical leg burning spin class. Richard played nothing but MJ for the 1st half hour, which was fun. Naturally, he had a lot of "uphill" for us and lots of speed intervals. Gotta love it. Or maybe I'm just weird.
Swim - ~1,000 yds
Okay, not completely sure about the yards..could be right give or take 50 yds. The neighborhood pool was pleasantly empty...not completely, but void of the little demons running around last week. :-) I did 100 yd warm up, followed by 300, then recovery, then about 200 of drills and just working on my breathing, followed by another 300, recovery and more drills. I am still frustrated with the breathing....I try to not gasp huge amounts of air, but I'm still not doing something right because I get winded. Granted, I don't get as winded as quickly as I used to, but still winded. Grrrrr........
The confession???
After months of working with a nutritionist, I have sorta fallen of the wagon with my eating. I lost 15 lbs between October of last year and January 2009....since mid-January, I have lost nothing.
nada.
zip.
In fact, I have gained 2 lbs. The sad thing is, I know it won't take that long to get off these last few pounds. I just don't know why I don't just do it already! I'll say to myself "okay, todays the day you're gonna get back to eating better" and the next thing I know I am eating a peanut butter cookie from the catered lunch at work! Doh! Sooooo...it's time to get back on the wagon. I workout like a madwoman, so to not see results on the scale or my clothes is just plain depressing.
Spin - 1 hour
Typical leg burning spin class. Richard played nothing but MJ for the 1st half hour, which was fun. Naturally, he had a lot of "uphill" for us and lots of speed intervals. Gotta love it. Or maybe I'm just weird.
Swim - ~1,000 yds
Okay, not completely sure about the yards..could be right give or take 50 yds. The neighborhood pool was pleasantly empty...not completely, but void of the little demons running around last week. :-) I did 100 yd warm up, followed by 300, then recovery, then about 200 of drills and just working on my breathing, followed by another 300, recovery and more drills. I am still frustrated with the breathing....I try to not gasp huge amounts of air, but I'm still not doing something right because I get winded. Granted, I don't get as winded as quickly as I used to, but still winded. Grrrrr........
The confession???
After months of working with a nutritionist, I have sorta fallen of the wagon with my eating. I lost 15 lbs between October of last year and January 2009....since mid-January, I have lost nothing.
nada.
zip.
In fact, I have gained 2 lbs. The sad thing is, I know it won't take that long to get off these last few pounds. I just don't know why I don't just do it already! I'll say to myself "okay, todays the day you're gonna get back to eating better" and the next thing I know I am eating a peanut butter cookie from the catered lunch at work! Doh! Sooooo...it's time to get back on the wagon. I workout like a madwoman, so to not see results on the scale or my clothes is just plain depressing.
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