Okay, not so much. I was actually swimming with children. Lots of them!
Our pool officially "closes" at 8 pm - meaning the lifeguards leave. Our neighborhood pool does allow residents to swim anytime they please, but in the "off" hours and everyone there is swimming at their own risk. So I head to the pool at 8 pm.
Holy crowds Batman!
The pool was full of people!
I swam a little, but decide to hang out a bit and see if people start leaving. A few do, but for the most part there are still a lot of kids there. I finally see an open space in the "lap lane" area (no ropes just the line at the bottom of the pool), so I go for it. I get in about 200 yards before kids overtake the area. Then, I spot another open area close to the wall. I head over there and hammer out 350 non-stop yards. Woohoo! I do have to dodge a couple of kids along the way, but I figure that's good practice for Sunday's tri. LOL. My goal is to do this 3 times, with a recovery in between. I rest for a couple of minutes and begin again. Two girls who were standing in the middle of the pool talking, decide they want to talk in the lane I am trying to swim in. Grrrrr....so, off I move to a different area. I get in about 200 yds non-stop and then have to stop so a kid can grab his beachball.
Next was the worst part. Since the lifeguards are gone for the day, a bunch of kids felt the need to climb up to the lifeguard chair and jump off of it into the pool. Since I am swimming, I have no idea this is happening. And, I just happen to be swimming in the lane closest to the lifeguard chair. All of a sudden I hear the sound of someone who has jumped into the pool. From the life guard chair. About 1 inch from me. That was it, I decided to call it a day. I understand that our neighborhood pool is a recreational pool. From now on I will stick to the Y. However, I do not understand why parents allow their kids to climb all over the lifeguard stand (which is pretty high up) and allow them to jump off. Our pool at it's deepest is only 4 feet 6 inches...
Oh well.
So that was it. My last swim before the tri on Sunday. Not really what I was hoping for, but live and learn.
Workout Stats
Swimming - around 800 yds? Lost count.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Rest Day...
Totally unplanned, but it happens.
Yesterday there was a big after work party...our company has been named one of the "Best Places to Work" by a local business magazine. It's a pretty big deal! The awards ceremony took place last night, so by the time I picked up the kiddos from my parents, got them into bed and got everything ready for the next day (lunches, bottles, clothes, etc.) it was after 9:30 pm. I have been known to run on the treadmill at 9:30 pm when necessary, but that's usually because the hubby was at work. Well this week, the hubby happened to get home around the same time I was finishing up. Sooooo, no late night treadmill run!
No sweat, it's technically a "taper" week for me due to the MHSLT race this weekend. I'll get in good swim workout tonight, a short (easy) run on Friday and call Saturday a rest day and just take the kiddos for a walk. Can't wait til Sunday!
Yesterday there was a big after work party...our company has been named one of the "Best Places to Work" by a local business magazine. It's a pretty big deal! The awards ceremony took place last night, so by the time I picked up the kiddos from my parents, got them into bed and got everything ready for the next day (lunches, bottles, clothes, etc.) it was after 9:30 pm. I have been known to run on the treadmill at 9:30 pm when necessary, but that's usually because the hubby was at work. Well this week, the hubby happened to get home around the same time I was finishing up. Sooooo, no late night treadmill run!
No sweat, it's technically a "taper" week for me due to the MHSLT race this weekend. I'll get in good swim workout tonight, a short (easy) run on Friday and call Saturday a rest day and just take the kiddos for a walk. Can't wait til Sunday!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Spin
Thanks again to Richard, who felt compelled to begin the torture immediately after our warm-up yesterday in spin class. Yep, "15 minutes" of uphill at 80%+ was so much fun. I put the time in quotes, because he said 15 minutes, but what he really meant was "don't stop until I tell you to, even if it is more like 20 mintues." Torture!
Actually, I loved every minute.
I sweated my arse off, felt it in my quads and went back to work feeling like a bad ass.
Gotta love that!
No swim last night though...we used our free Astros tickets from the Race for the Pennant and took the whole family to the game. It was fun, even if we were only there for an hour. :-)
Workout Stats
Spin class, 50 minutes
Actually, I loved every minute.
I sweated my arse off, felt it in my quads and went back to work feeling like a bad ass.
Gotta love that!
No swim last night though...we used our free Astros tickets from the Race for the Pennant and took the whole family to the game. It was fun, even if we were only there for an hour. :-)
Workout Stats
Spin class, 50 minutes
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
One more workout...
So Monday night, the kids were actually in bed, I had made my lunch and gotten clothes ready for the next day....and it was only 8:30 pm! How'd that happen?
I wasn't in the mood for watching tv or just sitting around, and I'd already gotten in my scheduled run. So what'd I do?
P90X of course!
I miss my P90X workouts, but tri training (even for a sprint) doesn't leave much time for those hour long P90X workouts. I knew I wouldn't be swimming on Tuesday night, so why not get an arm workout in? I chose my favorite dvd of the P90X series - Shoulders and Arms. According to P90X trainer, Tony Horton, this workout works on the "glamour muscles" - the bis, tris and shoulders. Yes!
However, I had to stop after only 30 minutes. Just cuz the kids were in bed, didn't mean they were asleep!
Kiddo: Moommmmeeeeeee.....
Me: What kiddo?
Kiddo: I need to go potty!
Me: Okay, go ahead and potty! (wondering how old she will be when she no longer feels the need to inform me of this)
Kiddo: I need you to turn on the light! (she can reach, but doesn't like going into a dark bathroom)
Me: pause video, go turn on light, wait for her to finish so I can flush and turn off the light for her
I go back to my workout. Approx 3 minutes pass....
Kiddo: Mooommmmmeeeee.......
Me: Yes?
Kiddo: I heard a strange noise!
Me: It was probably just me, I am exercising. I'll try to keep it down.
Kiddo: Okay
Back to arms and shoulders. 1 minute passes...
Kiddo: Mooommmmmeeeee.......
Me: Yes?
Kiddo: Will you come lay down with me?
Yeah, it's then that I know my workout is over. Oh well, 30+ minutes of shoulders and arms is better than nothing I suppose!
Workout Stats
Running - OUTDOORS!, 7x2 minutes w/1 minute recovery, 10:39 pace
P90X - Shoulders and Arms, 30 minutes
I wasn't in the mood for watching tv or just sitting around, and I'd already gotten in my scheduled run. So what'd I do?
P90X of course!
I miss my P90X workouts, but tri training (even for a sprint) doesn't leave much time for those hour long P90X workouts. I knew I wouldn't be swimming on Tuesday night, so why not get an arm workout in? I chose my favorite dvd of the P90X series - Shoulders and Arms. According to P90X trainer, Tony Horton, this workout works on the "glamour muscles" - the bis, tris and shoulders. Yes!
However, I had to stop after only 30 minutes. Just cuz the kids were in bed, didn't mean they were asleep!
Kiddo: Moommmmeeeeeee.....
Me: What kiddo?
Kiddo: I need to go potty!
Me: Okay, go ahead and potty! (wondering how old she will be when she no longer feels the need to inform me of this)
Kiddo: I need you to turn on the light! (she can reach, but doesn't like going into a dark bathroom)
Me: pause video, go turn on light, wait for her to finish so I can flush and turn off the light for her
I go back to my workout. Approx 3 minutes pass....
Kiddo: Mooommmmmeeeee.......
Me: Yes?
Kiddo: I heard a strange noise!
Me: It was probably just me, I am exercising. I'll try to keep it down.
Kiddo: Okay
Back to arms and shoulders. 1 minute passes...
Kiddo: Mooommmmmeeeee.......
Me: Yes?
Kiddo: Will you come lay down with me?
Yeah, it's then that I know my workout is over. Oh well, 30+ minutes of shoulders and arms is better than nothing I suppose!
Workout Stats
Running - OUTDOORS!, 7x2 minutes w/1 minute recovery, 10:39 pace
P90X - Shoulders and Arms, 30 minutes
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday, Monday
Bad news - I had a dentist appointment yesterday morning.
Good news - It gave me time to get in a morning, OUTDOOR run before taking the kiddos to school! Yiiipppeee!
Since the tri is this weekend, I decided to go ahead and do my speedwork today rather than wait until Wednesday. It's been a couple of weeks since I've done speedwork of any kind, so I decided not to get too crazy.... I was going to do 6x2 min with 1 minute recovery, but felt pretty good after the 6 and added one more. The 1st thing I noticed was the cooler temps...then again, anything is better than the 90-degree evenings I've been running in. However, I also noticed the increase humidity! It's definitely less humid in the evenings. Oh well, you can't have it all!
I started with a nice, easy 10-minute warm-up, then did my intervals, followed by a 10-minute cool down. I focused on shortening my stride and taking quick steps. In fact, I was repeating the words "quick. short. steps." in my head over and over, although I didn't realize it until I was almost done, lol! My overall pace? 10:39.
Funny how my "speedwork" pace for 3 miles is slower than my 2-mile brick pace!
Why is it that when I hop off my bike and then run, I feel I must start at a 9-something pace? But when I just run, I can only start at a 10-something pace?
Weird.
Good news - It gave me time to get in a morning, OUTDOOR run before taking the kiddos to school! Yiiipppeee!
Since the tri is this weekend, I decided to go ahead and do my speedwork today rather than wait until Wednesday. It's been a couple of weeks since I've done speedwork of any kind, so I decided not to get too crazy.... I was going to do 6x2 min with 1 minute recovery, but felt pretty good after the 6 and added one more. The 1st thing I noticed was the cooler temps...then again, anything is better than the 90-degree evenings I've been running in. However, I also noticed the increase humidity! It's definitely less humid in the evenings. Oh well, you can't have it all!
I started with a nice, easy 10-minute warm-up, then did my intervals, followed by a 10-minute cool down. I focused on shortening my stride and taking quick steps. In fact, I was repeating the words "quick. short. steps." in my head over and over, although I didn't realize it until I was almost done, lol! My overall pace? 10:39.
Funny how my "speedwork" pace for 3 miles is slower than my 2-mile brick pace!
Why is it that when I hop off my bike and then run, I feel I must start at a 9-something pace? But when I just run, I can only start at a 10-something pace?
Weird.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Brick
I realized about a week ago that I hadn't had a brick workout since TriGirl! Yikes! I didn't get in my long run this week, but I could not let the week go by without a brick!
Since Sunday was Father's Day, I figured I better get the workout out of the way on Saturday. So I took off around 7:30 pm for a 12 mile ride and a 2 mile run. There was some headwind, but not too terrible. And there was a short stretch where I had a tailwind - that's always fun, because I could get my speed up to 23 mph. Too bad it was only for a minute or two though. Overall speed for 12.3 miles was 17.0 mph. I stayed at 16.9 mph for most of the ride, but was determined to get it to 17, so I gave it a final push at the end.
Next, I put the bike in the garage and took off on the run. I could definitely tell it had been awhile. My legs felt like bricks! But somehow I still managed to start out too fast. Overall speed for 2 miles - 10:27. Slower than my previous bricks, but it is warmer than it was back then.
Not a long workout, but overall it felt like a pretty good one. Guess it's the whole quality over quantity thing. I do want to get out for a longer ride soon! The Tour de Pink is coming up, so I'd like to see if I can do the 60-miler this year. The problem is getting the longer rides in. I'll have to figure something out!!!
Since Sunday was Father's Day, I figured I better get the workout out of the way on Saturday. So I took off around 7:30 pm for a 12 mile ride and a 2 mile run. There was some headwind, but not too terrible. And there was a short stretch where I had a tailwind - that's always fun, because I could get my speed up to 23 mph. Too bad it was only for a minute or two though. Overall speed for 12.3 miles was 17.0 mph. I stayed at 16.9 mph for most of the ride, but was determined to get it to 17, so I gave it a final push at the end.
Next, I put the bike in the garage and took off on the run. I could definitely tell it had been awhile. My legs felt like bricks! But somehow I still managed to start out too fast. Overall speed for 2 miles - 10:27. Slower than my previous bricks, but it is warmer than it was back then.
Not a long workout, but overall it felt like a pretty good one. Guess it's the whole quality over quantity thing. I do want to get out for a longer ride soon! The Tour de Pink is coming up, so I'd like to see if I can do the 60-miler this year. The problem is getting the longer rides in. I'll have to figure something out!!!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday Long Run
Didn't happen! I had more important things to do....like see my sweet girl perform in her 1st dance recital! The kiddo and her class did terrific. They were the youngest group to perform, so there were a lot of awwwwws during the performance. The kiddo really seemed to enjoying being on the stage, but her favorite part was getting the trophy at the end. She was also one of two students in her class presented with a perfect attendance award. When she came of the stage with her trophy, she said "Look Mommy, it's my first trophy!". So cute. What surprised me most was the munchkin's reaction to the show....from the moment the 1st dancers took the stage, he was squealing with delight, clapping his hands and swaying to the music. The hubby and I were cracking up the entire time! Hmmmmm, maybe he's going to be the dancer in the family..... :-)
Hanging out with friends...
Here are a few pics from the evening:
Before the show...being silly in the dressing room...
Hanging out with friends...
Me and my girl...
On stage...
He enjoyed the show, but passed out about 1/2 way into the 2nd half
Showing off her trophy and perfect attendance award...
Friday, June 19, 2009
I need structure!
I was just telling the hubby the other day that I really need structure in my workouts.
I kinda feel like I am just doing whatever, ya know? This is especially true with my swimming. Before TriGirl, I was just wanting to cover the distance in the swim any way I could. I wasn't concerned with time, because lets face it, I am a pretty sucky swimmer (but improving!). Now, I think I have improved and should maybe work on getting faster with what I've got. Does that make any sense at all?
Here's my current schedule:
Monday - progressive/tempo run (generally on dreadmill during lunch or after kids are asleep)
Tuesday - lunchtime spin class & evening swim
Wednesday - "mock speedwork" (again lunch or evenings on treadmill)
Thursday - lunchtime spin & evening swim
Friday - long run (evening)
Saturday - rest day (family time!)
Sunday - bike ride/brick (usually can't fit in more than an hour...ugh!)
Any suggestions for making the most of these workouts? How about some suggestions for the swim? And of course, this schedule is subject to change...life happens, kids/family always come first and of course work even gets in the way from time to time with those lunchtime spin classes...the last 2 weeks of workouts have been a pretty good example of this!
I'm not sure what to expect at next weekend's tri. I don't feel like I've been the workout Nazi that I was before TriGirl...probably because I was skeered of the OWS and the whole tri-thing in general. I will practice my transitions again next week, that's a given. It will be warmer, so that's always a factor in the run. And let's face it, we had almost perfect, wind-free conditions on the TriGirl ride which was awesome! I can only hope next weekend goes as well. I do feel stronger on the swim, but I'm not too sure about the run and bike....
I kinda feel like I am just doing whatever, ya know? This is especially true with my swimming. Before TriGirl, I was just wanting to cover the distance in the swim any way I could. I wasn't concerned with time, because lets face it, I am a pretty sucky swimmer (but improving!). Now, I think I have improved and should maybe work on getting faster with what I've got. Does that make any sense at all?
Here's my current schedule:
Monday - progressive/tempo run (generally on dreadmill during lunch or after kids are asleep)
Tuesday - lunchtime spin class & evening swim
Wednesday - "mock speedwork" (again lunch or evenings on treadmill)
Thursday - lunchtime spin & evening swim
Friday - long run (evening)
Saturday - rest day (family time!)
Sunday - bike ride/brick (usually can't fit in more than an hour...ugh!)
Any suggestions for making the most of these workouts? How about some suggestions for the swim? And of course, this schedule is subject to change...life happens, kids/family always come first and of course work even gets in the way from time to time with those lunchtime spin classes...the last 2 weeks of workouts have been a pretty good example of this!
I'm not sure what to expect at next weekend's tri. I don't feel like I've been the workout Nazi that I was before TriGirl...probably because I was skeered of the OWS and the whole tri-thing in general. I will practice my transitions again next week, that's a given. It will be warmer, so that's always a factor in the run. And let's face it, we had almost perfect, wind-free conditions on the TriGirl ride which was awesome! I can only hope next weekend goes as well. I do feel stronger on the swim, but I'm not too sure about the run and bike....
I found it!
My mojo that is!
Sorry Jamoosh - now that I got it back, it's staying here! Besides, you seem to have some good mojo going without needing mine. :-)
Yesterday after work, I took the kiddo to her swim class only to discover it had been cancelled. Umm yeah, thanks for the phone call. Even worse, they tend to schedule the make-up classes during the day in the middle of the week. So, I let her splash around for awhile before heading home.
The in-laws came into town for the kiddo's dance recital, so we ate dinner and visited for a little while before I headed out for my run. It never fails....when my in-laws come into town, I always have a workout scheduled and it's always one I don't wanna miss. I know they think I am an obsessed work-out-aholic who never sees her kids. Well, the 1st part is true...not so much for the 2nd part. Of course, it would help if I KNEW when the in-laws were coming. I thought they were going to be at my sister-in-law's house on Thursday, our house on Friday. I guess not - SURPRISE!
My run was a 3-miler in the 'hood. It was hot (91), but overall not too awful. As usual, I started out too fast (for me) and then was feeling the heat at the end. My overall pace - 11:01. I did see 3 rabbits along the way, so I felt at one with nature, lol!
Next was the swim...I was going to run in my tri top and tri shorts and then just jog over to the pool after my run. I decided against that since I had nowhere to put my swim cap and goggles during my run. So, after my run I changed my sweaty self into a swimsuit and headed over to the pool.
There were still a few families there when I 1st arrived, but after a few laps I noticed people had begun to leave. (Maybe I scared them away???) That left just me, a couple of teenagers who were all lovey-dovey in the corner and a dad teaching his son how to swim. After a 100 yd warm up, I did my 300m just to see how well I could do the distance non-stop (since that's the distance of my next tri swim). Then, I did some drills, more laps and even more laps. It's exciting to me when I realize that I am doing a lot more laps in my 30 minutes than before. Yes, I am taking rest breaks between 50s and 100s, but it's getting easier. Yes, I am using the sidestroke as my "backup" stroke, but not as much as before. I am not panting at the wall after every 50 and only rarely do I get a mouth full of water...progress! It may be occurring in tiny baby steps, but it's progress! One thing I did notice was that I got a lot of foot cramps for some reason. Maybe because I ran before? I dunno, but that sorta sucked!
Workout Stats
3-mile run, 11:01 pace (outdoors)
1,200 yard swim
Sorry Jamoosh - now that I got it back, it's staying here! Besides, you seem to have some good mojo going without needing mine. :-)
Yesterday after work, I took the kiddo to her swim class only to discover it had been cancelled. Umm yeah, thanks for the phone call. Even worse, they tend to schedule the make-up classes during the day in the middle of the week. So, I let her splash around for awhile before heading home.
The in-laws came into town for the kiddo's dance recital, so we ate dinner and visited for a little while before I headed out for my run. It never fails....when my in-laws come into town, I always have a workout scheduled and it's always one I don't wanna miss. I know they think I am an obsessed work-out-aholic who never sees her kids. Well, the 1st part is true...not so much for the 2nd part. Of course, it would help if I KNEW when the in-laws were coming. I thought they were going to be at my sister-in-law's house on Thursday, our house on Friday. I guess not - SURPRISE!
My run was a 3-miler in the 'hood. It was hot (91), but overall not too awful. As usual, I started out too fast (for me) and then was feeling the heat at the end. My overall pace - 11:01. I did see 3 rabbits along the way, so I felt at one with nature, lol!
Next was the swim...I was going to run in my tri top and tri shorts and then just jog over to the pool after my run. I decided against that since I had nowhere to put my swim cap and goggles during my run. So, after my run I changed my sweaty self into a swimsuit and headed over to the pool.
There were still a few families there when I 1st arrived, but after a few laps I noticed people had begun to leave. (Maybe I scared them away???) That left just me, a couple of teenagers who were all lovey-dovey in the corner and a dad teaching his son how to swim. After a 100 yd warm up, I did my 300m just to see how well I could do the distance non-stop (since that's the distance of my next tri swim). Then, I did some drills, more laps and even more laps. It's exciting to me when I realize that I am doing a lot more laps in my 30 minutes than before. Yes, I am taking rest breaks between 50s and 100s, but it's getting easier. Yes, I am using the sidestroke as my "backup" stroke, but not as much as before. I am not panting at the wall after every 50 and only rarely do I get a mouth full of water...progress! It may be occurring in tiny baby steps, but it's progress! One thing I did notice was that I got a lot of foot cramps for some reason. Maybe because I ran before? I dunno, but that sorta sucked!
Workout Stats
3-mile run, 11:01 pace (outdoors)
1,200 yard swim
Thursday, June 18, 2009
That kinda week...
I dunno what the frick my problem is, but my mojo is missing this week.
If you find it will you return it to it's owner please?
Monday I rested. I probably didn't need to, because my 5-miler on Sunday was so full of slackage that I didn't really need a rest. The parking lot at the Y near my work has been such a fiasco due to the construction going on, I opted to eat lunch at my desk rather than go run on the dreadmill....well that, and I gotta work a little extra to get outta here early on Friday for the kiddo's 1st real dance recital. :-)
Tuesday, I did spin class and as always it kicked my arse. But, I opted to skip my evening swim in order to have tex-mex and 'ritas with the neighborhood mom's group. Muy bueno!
Yesterday, I had a working lunch. No biggie, it's all good. But, I have sooooo gotten out of the habit of getting in a late night (read: after the kids are in bed) treadmill run, that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The munchkin was asleep my 7:15. Next, the kiddo was in bed and I was in my workout clothes by 8:30 pm.
No problem, I could get in 3-miles and still have some "me" time before bed.
But, I wanted to make sure she was asleep first. You see, she's a sneaky one. She wants to get up multiple times and come see what you're doing if she knows you're awake. On Monday, I was watching TV upstairs and she must have come in the room 10 times. I don't think she was asleep until almost 10 pm, which might be why she had a mini-meltdown when I took her to school the next morning.
So anyway, today I will have to pay the price of being lazy and do a brick! Sort of...I am going to run my 3-mile loop around the 'hood despite this frickin' heat and hope that all the kids are out of the pool by the time I'm done, so I can get in a good swim.
Workout Stats
Spin class, 1 hour
If you find it will you return it to it's owner please?
Monday I rested. I probably didn't need to, because my 5-miler on Sunday was so full of slackage that I didn't really need a rest. The parking lot at the Y near my work has been such a fiasco due to the construction going on, I opted to eat lunch at my desk rather than go run on the dreadmill....well that, and I gotta work a little extra to get outta here early on Friday for the kiddo's 1st real dance recital. :-)
Tuesday, I did spin class and as always it kicked my arse. But, I opted to skip my evening swim in order to have tex-mex and 'ritas with the neighborhood mom's group. Muy bueno!
Yesterday, I had a working lunch. No biggie, it's all good. But, I have sooooo gotten out of the habit of getting in a late night (read: after the kids are in bed) treadmill run, that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The munchkin was asleep my 7:15. Next, the kiddo was in bed and I was in my workout clothes by 8:30 pm.
No problem, I could get in 3-miles and still have some "me" time before bed.
But, I wanted to make sure she was asleep first. You see, she's a sneaky one. She wants to get up multiple times and come see what you're doing if she knows you're awake. On Monday, I was watching TV upstairs and she must have come in the room 10 times. I don't think she was asleep until almost 10 pm, which might be why she had a mini-meltdown when I took her to school the next morning.
So anyway, today I will have to pay the price of being lazy and do a brick! Sort of...I am going to run my 3-mile loop around the 'hood despite this frickin' heat and hope that all the kids are out of the pool by the time I'm done, so I can get in a good swim.
Workout Stats
Spin class, 1 hour
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Spin Class
I just wanna give Richard a HUGE thank you for those lovely 1:00 minute speed intervals today at spin class. There were many of them. And while I'm at it, thank you for all those intervals at 90% tension. By the end of class I was a jello-y, quivering quads, sweaty heap! I don't think I've ever sweat that much in spin class...maybe not ever. I'm sure my co-workers thank you too, as I was still sweating after I showered off and put the work clothes back on. Yuck.
Why do I keep going back for more?
I wanna be faster. tougher. stronger. That's why!
I love this stuff. :-)
Why do I keep going back for more?
I wanna be faster. tougher. stronger. That's why!
I love this stuff. :-)
The latest of the kiddos...
So here are some pictures from the munchkin's 1st b-day photo shoot. He was not too happy to be there, so we ended up having more pics of big sis than of the munchkin!
Nooooo, I don't wanna take pictures!!!
Finally, a smile!!!
Nooooo, I don't wanna take pictures!!!
Okay, we'll take of few of the kiddo while Mommy gets the baby all calmed down...
Finally, a smile!!!
Hmmmm, still not too sure about this...
Okay, this isn't so bad...
Wow, this is even more fun when I get to climb on my sister...
Big hug from big sis...I think he likes it :-)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Could it be any hotter???
Wait. Don't answer that. I know the answer and unfortunately, I don't like it.
Year after year I ponder why we didn't move out of state after college. Someplace with a more appealing climate? Of course, it couldn't have a freezing-cold, snowy winter either. Yeah, that doesn't leave too many options now does it? California? Yeah, we couldn't afford a house there....'cept maybe in the hood or something. Okay, so we chose to stay here mainly because the hubby had a job offer and our family is here. (Yeah, we're pansies who have to be near family.) But still. It's effin' hot and I can't take it!
I don't mean to be a wuss, but dammit when you go for a run at 8:00 pm and it's still in the 90's....well, it just plain sucks. And my run sucked.
It didn't help that I hadn't run all week. Monday I was just being, well, lazy. Wednesday, I was recovering from dental hell. The rest of the week was consumed with family fun, so Sunday it was...I was planning for 5 and it's a good thing! Last week, I did 7 and I felt like I could keep going. This week, I was ready to end the agony after about 5 minutes.
First, was the Garmin. Once again, it wasn't cooperating. WTH??? Looks like I'll be sending it in! Second, I had a side stitch for the entire 1st mile. I'd try to go faster to run through it, then I'd try to go slower. I tried to change my breathing. I finally said f*ck it, and walked. Yes, that 1st glorious mile took me a tad bit over 12 minutes, lol. The 2nd mile went great, but by the 3rd mile I realized that the breeze had stopped and it was frickin' HOT. I stopped at our driveway for water, then kept going...bitching and moaning in my head the entire time. During the final mile, the left IT decided it was going to speak up. This was by far, my worst run in a really long time! Pure suckage!
Oh, and did I mention the chafing? Holy jeesus, could there be anything else?
So, this week I will not skip any runs...and I will pray that it's in the 80's when I do my next long run, although I think may be wishful thinking. Not sure when I'm going to fit in that run either, since the kiddo has her 1st dance recital on Friday night. Maybe Saturday? I hate the thought of another Sunday night long run, but ya gotta do....
I realized yesterday that there are only 2 weeks till the next tri. Yikes! I haven't done a brick since the last tri, I think! And, thanks to the logistics of getting into a pool when there are actually lap swim times, swimming is another challenge...yeah, summer sucks, but it's time to get my arse in gear.
Deal with it already!
Year after year I ponder why we didn't move out of state after college. Someplace with a more appealing climate? Of course, it couldn't have a freezing-cold, snowy winter either. Yeah, that doesn't leave too many options now does it? California? Yeah, we couldn't afford a house there....'cept maybe in the hood or something. Okay, so we chose to stay here mainly because the hubby had a job offer and our family is here. (Yeah, we're pansies who have to be near family.) But still. It's effin' hot and I can't take it!
I don't mean to be a wuss, but dammit when you go for a run at 8:00 pm and it's still in the 90's....well, it just plain sucks. And my run sucked.
It didn't help that I hadn't run all week. Monday I was just being, well, lazy. Wednesday, I was recovering from dental hell. The rest of the week was consumed with family fun, so Sunday it was...I was planning for 5 and it's a good thing! Last week, I did 7 and I felt like I could keep going. This week, I was ready to end the agony after about 5 minutes.
First, was the Garmin. Once again, it wasn't cooperating. WTH??? Looks like I'll be sending it in! Second, I had a side stitch for the entire 1st mile. I'd try to go faster to run through it, then I'd try to go slower. I tried to change my breathing. I finally said f*ck it, and walked. Yes, that 1st glorious mile took me a tad bit over 12 minutes, lol. The 2nd mile went great, but by the 3rd mile I realized that the breeze had stopped and it was frickin' HOT. I stopped at our driveway for water, then kept going...bitching and moaning in my head the entire time. During the final mile, the left IT decided it was going to speak up. This was by far, my worst run in a really long time! Pure suckage!
Oh, and did I mention the chafing? Holy jeesus, could there be anything else?
So, this week I will not skip any runs...and I will pray that it's in the 80's when I do my next long run, although I think may be wishful thinking. Not sure when I'm going to fit in that run either, since the kiddo has her 1st dance recital on Friday night. Maybe Saturday? I hate the thought of another Sunday night long run, but ya gotta do....
I realized yesterday that there are only 2 weeks till the next tri. Yikes! I haven't done a brick since the last tri, I think! And, thanks to the logistics of getting into a pool when there are actually lap swim times, swimming is another challenge...yeah, summer sucks, but it's time to get my arse in gear.
Deal with it already!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Swimming in a cesspool...
Yesterday, the kiddo had her swim lesson at our neighborhood pool. I am not certain that she is the right level, because she is the only one in her class of 4 kids who refuses to put her face in the water and blow nose bubbles. I'll try to work with her on it, but it seems like she's a chip off the ol' block because I also hated this when I was her age. Hence the not really learning to swim until I was 37 years old. Yeah, I don't want that for her so I hope she comes around.
After getting the kiddo back home and fed, I headed back to the pool for laps. I was amazed at how many families were arriving at the pool between 7:15 and 7:45 pm! I guess these kids don't have the same 8pm bedtime as my kiddo (heck, the baby goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 pm!). I guess we're the mean parents. :-) What I was even more amazed at was how dirty the pool really was! I thought the pool at the Shadow Bend Y was nasty....it has nothing on our pool! There were leaves everywhere, mildew/mold on the wall and huge effin' hairballs floating around. Disgusting!!! Seriously, I sent an e-mail to the HOA - I mean what does that huge amount of money we pay to them each year go to anyway???
I did meet a neighbor there who is just starting to swim and we did manage to get in about 35-40 minutes of laps....with a little talking mixed in. I guess I should just be happy I got in a swim, but jeeze!
Oh and can I just give some props to my vicodin? It truly is an amazing and wonderful drug! :-)
After getting the kiddo back home and fed, I headed back to the pool for laps. I was amazed at how many families were arriving at the pool between 7:15 and 7:45 pm! I guess these kids don't have the same 8pm bedtime as my kiddo (heck, the baby goes to bed between 6:30 and 7 pm!). I guess we're the mean parents. :-) What I was even more amazed at was how dirty the pool really was! I thought the pool at the Shadow Bend Y was nasty....it has nothing on our pool! There were leaves everywhere, mildew/mold on the wall and huge effin' hairballs floating around. Disgusting!!! Seriously, I sent an e-mail to the HOA - I mean what does that huge amount of money we pay to them each year go to anyway???
I did meet a neighbor there who is just starting to swim and we did manage to get in about 35-40 minutes of laps....with a little talking mixed in. I guess I should just be happy I got in a swim, but jeeze!
Oh and can I just give some props to my vicodin? It truly is an amazing and wonderful drug! :-)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
I promised...
I said I'd post pics from Saturday's Astros game and here they are... 
Here's the whole family at the baby's 1st Astros game...
The hubby and the munchkin...male bonding :-)
The juice box - pre game
The kiddo cheering for the home team...too bad we lost! She's a diehard fan though - she didn't want to leave!
The munchkin - taking it all in. He cheered everytime the crowd cheered..it was supah cute! :-)
The munchkin - taking it all in. He cheered everytime the crowd cheered..it was supah cute! :-)
Waiting for the game to start...
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Recap of the week
Monday, 6/8 - no workout
This week hasn't been a very active one for me. For whatever reason, I did not feel like going to the Y for my Monday lunchtime dreadmill run. The plan was to hop on the dreadmill at home that evening, but that didn't work out either because the kiddo had other plans for me. :-)
Tuesday, 6/9 - Spin Class (50 minutes) & Swimming (35 minutes)
Tuesday, I did do my regular spin and swim. Good stuff! However, you can definitely tell that summer is here. When I went to shower and change clothes after the spin class, there were about twenty 4/5 year old girls in the dressing room changing out of their swimsuits. Yeah, it's one thing to get dressed in front of your own 4-year old, but 20? I was in too much of a hurry to get back to class to really care, so I hurried along my merry way.
Then, when I went to the pool it was a madhouse! There was one lane open for lap swimming, the rest were taken over by swim classes and there were kids and families everywhere! To top it off, it takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get all the way to the Y. Then I find out after 35 minutes of swimming that the Y pool closes at 7 pm now! Makes no freakin' since to me, since we could swim until 8 pm when it was still cold outside, but now that it's summer and there are pool-friendly temps the pool closes earlier? Genius!
Oh well, the kiddo now has swim classes every Tuesday and Thursday starting tomorrow so I won't be going to the Y for the next few weeks anyway...I'm hoping that I can use the neighborhood pool later that night. That is, if the gate isn't locked or something. :-)
Today...no workout
This wasn't a planned rest day, but I have been having a toothache all week and turns out I needed a root canal from several years ago re-done. Yuck. I wanted to run on the treadmill during my lunch break, but we were celebrating a co-worker's birthday during lunch. The whole dental procedure went well (minus the $1100 I had to spend...aaccck!), but a friend told me to be careful about running afterwards. Apparently getting the heart rate up and all that blood pumping can make the tooth throb. Not wanting to miss a workout (especially intervals!), I confirmed this with my dental office and sure enough.... (not that I didn't trust my friend, I just wanted to see if it was the norm). So, no intense exercise for 24 hours = no spin class tomorrow either. I will still swim laps tomorrow if I can!!!
That's enough rambling for the day! Happy hump day!
This week hasn't been a very active one for me. For whatever reason, I did not feel like going to the Y for my Monday lunchtime dreadmill run. The plan was to hop on the dreadmill at home that evening, but that didn't work out either because the kiddo had other plans for me. :-)
Tuesday, 6/9 - Spin Class (50 minutes) & Swimming (35 minutes)
Tuesday, I did do my regular spin and swim. Good stuff! However, you can definitely tell that summer is here. When I went to shower and change clothes after the spin class, there were about twenty 4/5 year old girls in the dressing room changing out of their swimsuits. Yeah, it's one thing to get dressed in front of your own 4-year old, but 20? I was in too much of a hurry to get back to class to really care, so I hurried along my merry way.
Then, when I went to the pool it was a madhouse! There was one lane open for lap swimming, the rest were taken over by swim classes and there were kids and families everywhere! To top it off, it takes me 1 hour and 15 minutes to get all the way to the Y. Then I find out after 35 minutes of swimming that the Y pool closes at 7 pm now! Makes no freakin' since to me, since we could swim until 8 pm when it was still cold outside, but now that it's summer and there are pool-friendly temps the pool closes earlier? Genius!
Oh well, the kiddo now has swim classes every Tuesday and Thursday starting tomorrow so I won't be going to the Y for the next few weeks anyway...I'm hoping that I can use the neighborhood pool later that night. That is, if the gate isn't locked or something. :-)
Today...no workout
This wasn't a planned rest day, but I have been having a toothache all week and turns out I needed a root canal from several years ago re-done. Yuck. I wanted to run on the treadmill during my lunch break, but we were celebrating a co-worker's birthday during lunch. The whole dental procedure went well (minus the $1100 I had to spend...aaccck!), but a friend told me to be careful about running afterwards. Apparently getting the heart rate up and all that blood pumping can make the tooth throb. Not wanting to miss a workout (especially intervals!), I confirmed this with my dental office and sure enough.... (not that I didn't trust my friend, I just wanted to see if it was the norm). So, no intense exercise for 24 hours = no spin class tomorrow either. I will still swim laps tomorrow if I can!!!
That's enough rambling for the day! Happy hump day!
Monday, June 08, 2009
Not so long ride...
Workout Stats - "Long" bike ride - 12.7 miles, 45 minutes, 16.9 pace
I wanted to get in at least an hour on the bike. Actually, I wanted to get in about 30 miles on the bike (closer to 2 hours for me), but anything more than a hour midday when the hubby and kiddos are at home just seems nearly impossible.
But, there was also this little play date thing I had planned at the pool with the kids. So, the hour turned into more like 45 minutes. I managed to squeeze 12.7 miles into that 45 minutes. I was trying to get my average pace up to 17 mph...I was able to get up to 21.6 mph when the wind was just right and spent a lot of time in the 17-18 mph range, but only managed about a 15+ mph pace when I was going into the wind so I never quite got there. Instead, my overall pace was 16.9. I even threw in some interval training just for fun....:-)
Afterwards, the hubby and I gathered up the kids and headed to the pool. We met another friend and her kids there and had a great time splashing around. Good times!!!
I wanted to get in at least an hour on the bike. Actually, I wanted to get in about 30 miles on the bike (closer to 2 hours for me), but anything more than a hour midday when the hubby and kiddos are at home just seems nearly impossible.
But, there was also this little play date thing I had planned at the pool with the kids. So, the hour turned into more like 45 minutes. I managed to squeeze 12.7 miles into that 45 minutes. I was trying to get my average pace up to 17 mph...I was able to get up to 21.6 mph when the wind was just right and spent a lot of time in the 17-18 mph range, but only managed about a 15+ mph pace when I was going into the wind so I never quite got there. Instead, my overall pace was 16.9. I even threw in some interval training just for fun....:-)
Afterwards, the hubby and I gathered up the kids and headed to the pool. We met another friend and her kids there and had a great time splashing around. Good times!!!
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Astros!
Saturday we had the kiddo's dance recital pictures...the "loose curls" lasted through the whole photo shoot, but were pretty much gone by the time we got home. Gotta keep working on that. :-)
No workouts today. Instead, after the hubby made it home from work we headed to the Astros game. Huge thanks to my employer for the free tix! This was the munchkin's 1st time at a baseball game, so of course we have pictures to commemorate the event. I'll try to post them soon.
No workouts today. Instead, after the hubby made it home from work we headed to the Astros game. Huge thanks to my employer for the free tix! This was the munchkin's 1st time at a baseball game, so of course we have pictures to commemorate the event. I'll try to post them soon.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Long Run w/the moon(s)
Workout Stats - 7 miles, 1:19:41, 11:23 pace
I am really liking getting my "long" runs out of the way on Friday evening. For one, the humidity hasn't been too bad like it can be in the early morning hours. Yes, it's hot, but it's been bearable these past few weeks.
For whatever reason, my Garmin decided to die on me on Friday...I mean really DIE! I took it off the charger (the screen said "battery charging complete" or something like that). I grabbed my handheld fuelbelt bottle and headed outside. When I tried to turn on the Garmin so it could begin locating the satellites, it did nothing. I pressed the power button again and nothing. I did this about 10 more times, because I didn't believe it wasn't working. So, I went inside and searched for my old watch. I continued with my 9:1 intervals, but to be honest I didn't feel like I was needed them until the end. Overall, it was a great run! I felt good the entire time, even though I had eaten dinner an hour earlier. I also tried some new stuff - Luna Moons in watermelon flavor.
I don't know if they are responsible for my good run or what, but I may try them again next week to see what happens. I liked that unlike the Shot Bloks, they don't stick to my teeth. My pace was a bit slower than I'd like, but overall I am pleased with this run. And, in addition to my Luna Moons experimentation, I also got to see a great sunset and run in the light of an almost full moon...good stuff!
I am really liking getting my "long" runs out of the way on Friday evening. For one, the humidity hasn't been too bad like it can be in the early morning hours. Yes, it's hot, but it's been bearable these past few weeks.
For whatever reason, my Garmin decided to die on me on Friday...I mean really DIE! I took it off the charger (the screen said "battery charging complete" or something like that). I grabbed my handheld fuelbelt bottle and headed outside. When I tried to turn on the Garmin so it could begin locating the satellites, it did nothing. I pressed the power button again and nothing. I did this about 10 more times, because I didn't believe it wasn't working. So, I went inside and searched for my old watch. I continued with my 9:1 intervals, but to be honest I didn't feel like I was needed them until the end. Overall, it was a great run! I felt good the entire time, even though I had eaten dinner an hour earlier. I also tried some new stuff - Luna Moons in watermelon flavor.
I don't know if they are responsible for my good run or what, but I may try them again next week to see what happens. I liked that unlike the Shot Bloks, they don't stick to my teeth. My pace was a bit slower than I'd like, but overall I am pleased with this run. And, in addition to my Luna Moons experimentation, I also got to see a great sunset and run in the light of an almost full moon...good stuff!
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Spin and Swim...but without the swim
Workout Stats - 50 minutes, spin class
I hit up the spin class again. Fun, fun! As usual, I sweated my arse off. Today the instructor mixed things up a bit - several intervals going as fast as possible and one "race" against someone on the other "team". He also mixed in some time with lots of tension...ouch!
I opted to not swim after work so I could buy hot rollers for the kiddo's upcoming dance recital pictures (and besides, dh had a fly fishing meeting thing he wanted to attend). So, the kiddo's dance school wants the front to be pulled back with "soft curls" in the back. Yeah, wish me luck with that. We practiced with the hot rollers that night and the curls turned out great...but the kiddo's hair is so fine that they fell within about 15 minutes. We'll try again tomorrow, but with lots of hairspray! :-)
I hit up the spin class again. Fun, fun! As usual, I sweated my arse off. Today the instructor mixed things up a bit - several intervals going as fast as possible and one "race" against someone on the other "team". He also mixed in some time with lots of tension...ouch!
I opted to not swim after work so I could buy hot rollers for the kiddo's upcoming dance recital pictures (and besides, dh had a fly fishing meeting thing he wanted to attend). So, the kiddo's dance school wants the front to be pulled back with "soft curls" in the back. Yeah, wish me luck with that. We practiced with the hot rollers that night and the curls turned out great...but the kiddo's hair is so fine that they fell within about 15 minutes. We'll try again tomorrow, but with lots of hairspray! :-)
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
National Running Day!
It was National Running Day! It was a crazy, busy day at work but at the same time I really wanted to get in a run. So I compromised and snuck over to the Y for a quickie 2-miler on the treadmill. Not sure if it was even worth the effort, but it was good stress relief and felt good to get the legs moving. Also, it's week 6 of "Operation Get Faster"...I opted to run for time with my intervals - 6x2:00, with a 1 minute rest and worked on foot turnover. By the way, if you are interested in some speed work, Jamoosh has a great blog post about the subject here.
Our neighborhood has actually started a running group, so I am toying with the idea of see what that's all about. If nothing else, I can meet some other runners in the 'hood.
Our neighborhood has actually started a running group, so I am toying with the idea of see what that's all about. If nothing else, I can meet some other runners in the 'hood.
More spin and swim
Same workouts, different Tuesday.
Spin Class, 1 hour
Had a kick butt time in spin class. I love spin class, because I have been seeing results on the bike. I give it my all here and love it!
Swim, 45 minutes
Looks like I’ll be driving to the nether regions of The Woodlands again, as the Y near my office has changed it’s lap lane hours. The lap lanes are now closed between 5 and 7 pm. Bummer! Damn summer swim lesson! So, once again I am wasting a ½ hour getting to the pool in BFE. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
The swim went okay. I was sharing a lane with a super fast guy who continuously lapped me. Yeah, that was fun. The breathing is getting better on the freestyle, but I still have to slaps some sidestroke in there to finish the distance. I’ve noticed in my 40-45 minutes of swimming, I am doing several more laps than I used to - equating to about 300 more meters than usual. I’m wondering if I should incorporate more drills into my swim workouts, or just keep working on finishing the distance comfortably???
Spin Class, 1 hour
Had a kick butt time in spin class. I love spin class, because I have been seeing results on the bike. I give it my all here and love it!
Swim, 45 minutes
Looks like I’ll be driving to the nether regions of The Woodlands again, as the Y near my office has changed it’s lap lane hours. The lap lanes are now closed between 5 and 7 pm. Bummer! Damn summer swim lesson! So, once again I am wasting a ½ hour getting to the pool in BFE. Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
The swim went okay. I was sharing a lane with a super fast guy who continuously lapped me. Yeah, that was fun. The breathing is getting better on the freestyle, but I still have to slaps some sidestroke in there to finish the distance. I’ve noticed in my 40-45 minutes of swimming, I am doing several more laps than I used to - equating to about 300 more meters than usual. I’m wondering if I should incorporate more drills into my swim workouts, or just keep working on finishing the distance comfortably???
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Dreadmill Run
Monday, 6/2 – Treadmill Run, 30 minutes, 10:48 pace
Nothing exciting to report here…did a progressive little run. Not really feeling like a run and in a really crappy mood...something about coming back to work after a week off I guess.
I started out slow with a warm up and gradually increased the pace. I was pretty surprised to see about 30 kiddos in the dressing room…they were part of a day camp and were there to use the pool. It’s one thing to have your own 2 kiddos watch you get dressed, but 30? Not so much. Ugh, it’s summer time!
Nothing exciting to report here…did a progressive little run. Not really feeling like a run and in a really crappy mood...something about coming back to work after a week off I guess.
I started out slow with a warm up and gradually increased the pace. I was pretty surprised to see about 30 kiddos in the dressing room…they were part of a day camp and were there to use the pool. It’s one thing to have your own 2 kiddos watch you get dressed, but 30? Not so much. Ugh, it’s summer time!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Astros Race for the Pennant Race Report
Holy hills batman! I haven’t run this race since 2007 and wow the has route changed! Straight down Elysian and back – two hills up each way and one downhill.
How’d my race go?
Same story, different race. As always, I started out waaayyyy too fast and then lost steam at the end. My goal was to just maintain a 10 minute mile pace. It wouldn’t get me a PR, but it would be a pretty good pace for where I’m at right now. Plus, my quads were sore from my sprint out of the woods the day before (hehehehe).
About ½ way through the 1st mile, I looked down at my watch and saw that I was going at a 9:28 pace. Yeah for me, even in a 5k, that is much too fast. By the end of the 1st mile, I was at a 9:50 pace. I know I tend to maintain this kinda pace in a brick workout (for whatever reason), but just running…I dunno. I managed to maintain that pace for quite a bit of the 2nd mile too, but I walked at each water stop and it was beginning to get warm. At the end of mile 2, I was right around a 9:58 pace. The final hill is what did me in…I walked again. Grrrr! My final time was 31:10:02, a 10:03 pace. Dammit!
My parents had been entertaining both of the kids while I did my thing. They had never been in Minute Maid Park, so they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I grabbed a banana and some oranges…3 miles just didn’t seem to be enough to justify kolaches and PF Changs. :-) Next was the Kid’s K. We made the walk all the way around the stadium for the kiddos’ race and she was soooo stinkin’ excited. Well, until she saw Junction Jack – she was afraid of him! Even the munchkin freaked out when Junction Jack turned toward him…that had everyone around us cracking up.
Finally, it was time to race! The kiddo gave it her all. She got a little tired right before the turnaround. I asked her if she needed to walk for a second, so she did. But, before I knew it, she was going again. She did this one other time, but then ran as fast as she could until she was finished. She is proud of her medal and enjoyed her post-race popcorn and M&Ms.
Between the race and going to the pool in the afternoon, the kiddo was beat. She was asleep within 5 minutes of being tucked into bed. Hmmmm, maybe we should do this every weekend?
How’d my race go?
Same story, different race. As always, I started out waaayyyy too fast and then lost steam at the end. My goal was to just maintain a 10 minute mile pace. It wouldn’t get me a PR, but it would be a pretty good pace for where I’m at right now. Plus, my quads were sore from my sprint out of the woods the day before (hehehehe).
About ½ way through the 1st mile, I looked down at my watch and saw that I was going at a 9:28 pace. Yeah for me, even in a 5k, that is much too fast. By the end of the 1st mile, I was at a 9:50 pace. I know I tend to maintain this kinda pace in a brick workout (for whatever reason), but just running…I dunno. I managed to maintain that pace for quite a bit of the 2nd mile too, but I walked at each water stop and it was beginning to get warm. At the end of mile 2, I was right around a 9:58 pace. The final hill is what did me in…I walked again. Grrrr! My final time was 31:10:02, a 10:03 pace. Dammit!
My parents had been entertaining both of the kids while I did my thing. They had never been in Minute Maid Park, so they seemed to be enjoying themselves. I grabbed a banana and some oranges…3 miles just didn’t seem to be enough to justify kolaches and PF Changs. :-) Next was the Kid’s K. We made the walk all the way around the stadium for the kiddos’ race and she was soooo stinkin’ excited. Well, until she saw Junction Jack – she was afraid of him! Even the munchkin freaked out when Junction Jack turned toward him…that had everyone around us cracking up.
Finally, it was time to race! The kiddo gave it her all. She got a little tired right before the turnaround. I asked her if she needed to walk for a second, so she did. But, before I knew it, she was going again. She did this one other time, but then ran as fast as she could until she was finished. She is proud of her medal and enjoyed her post-race popcorn and M&Ms.
Between the race and going to the pool in the afternoon, the kiddo was beat. She was asleep within 5 minutes of being tucked into bed. Hmmmm, maybe we should do this every weekend?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Happy Trails...
or maybe not.
After getting the kids off to school, I headed out for my weekly "long" run. Today I had 6-miles on the agenda and I was excited to get it done in the cooler morning hours. And, instead of sticking to my usual neighborhood loops, I was going to check out the neighborhood nature trails. I have been really wanting to check them out since we move to the neighborhood last year...so today was the day!
Yeah. Nature girl I am not. Within a 1/2 mile I managed to roll my ankle. It only took a few minutes to recover and be on my way, but then I ran through about 5 spider webs....after that I was sure that I had a huge spider on the back of my head, lol! The last straw was the freaking horse flies! OMG, they were everywhere! And heaven forbid if you slow down or stop...once I looked down and there were 3 on my leg. Ouch!
So yeah, after that I turned around and hauled ass out of the woods! Sorry to anyone within earshot who heard me yelling obscenities. :-)
I ended up heading back to the pavement, finished up 5 miles, then called it a day. Honestly, after the trail incident, I never really got into my groove. My pace was all over the place and it was warmer than I expected. I didn't get in the 6 I originally had planned, but it will have to do. I had a date with my Mom to see The Soloist...great movie! Sad, but inspiring nonetheless.
After getting the kids off to school, I headed out for my weekly "long" run. Today I had 6-miles on the agenda and I was excited to get it done in the cooler morning hours. And, instead of sticking to my usual neighborhood loops, I was going to check out the neighborhood nature trails. I have been really wanting to check them out since we move to the neighborhood last year...so today was the day!
Yeah. Nature girl I am not. Within a 1/2 mile I managed to roll my ankle. It only took a few minutes to recover and be on my way, but then I ran through about 5 spider webs....after that I was sure that I had a huge spider on the back of my head, lol! The last straw was the freaking horse flies! OMG, they were everywhere! And heaven forbid if you slow down or stop...once I looked down and there were 3 on my leg. Ouch!
So yeah, after that I turned around and hauled ass out of the woods! Sorry to anyone within earshot who heard me yelling obscenities. :-)
I ended up heading back to the pavement, finished up 5 miles, then called it a day. Honestly, after the trail incident, I never really got into my groove. My pace was all over the place and it was warmer than I expected. I didn't get in the 6 I originally had planned, but it will have to do. I had a date with my Mom to see The Soloist...great movie! Sad, but inspiring nonetheless.
The Nat
My morning run with a friend fell through, so I decided to head to the Y for a swim. Funny, because I called my friend Jenn as I was heading to the Y and she was heading to the CISD Natatorium. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hey Jenn, it's Christy...my run fell through so I thought I'd see if you wanted to meet up at the Y for a swim.
Jenn: Do you have $5?
Me: Ummm, Yeah. Uh, Huh?
Jenn: I am on my way to the natatorium, I'm not far from you and can pick you up
Me: Actually, I am not far from there already.
So, I turned my car around and decided to meet her there. Let me tell you...after this experience, I may never want to set foot in the Y pool ever again. The pool is absolutely awesome! They had the lanes set up for 50 yds, so that was awesome in itself. No stopping at the wall every 25 yds...fanfreakingtastic!! The yards seemed to go by so quickly. And, it's so nice and clean. Spotless. No hairball jellyfish, no weird crap at the bottom of the pool...ahhhhh! All I can say is that I'll be back!!!
Oh and the swim went well too. I am getting better at breathing on the freestyle, but still have to switch to sidestroke pretty often. No worries though...it was a fun time and a great workout. Oh and of course hanging out with Jenn for the 1st time in awhile was great too!
The only downside is that I got in my car to find that it was already 10 am! Oh crap, I had a hair appt at 10:45 and still had to shower, get dressed, etc. It was a bit crazy but I made it!
Me: Hey Jenn, it's Christy...my run fell through so I thought I'd see if you wanted to meet up at the Y for a swim.
Jenn: Do you have $5?
Me: Ummm, Yeah. Uh, Huh?
Jenn: I am on my way to the natatorium, I'm not far from you and can pick you up
Me: Actually, I am not far from there already.
So, I turned my car around and decided to meet her there. Let me tell you...after this experience, I may never want to set foot in the Y pool ever again. The pool is absolutely awesome! They had the lanes set up for 50 yds, so that was awesome in itself. No stopping at the wall every 25 yds...fanfreakingtastic!! The yards seemed to go by so quickly. And, it's so nice and clean. Spotless. No hairball jellyfish, no weird crap at the bottom of the pool...ahhhhh! All I can say is that I'll be back!!!
Oh and the swim went well too. I am getting better at breathing on the freestyle, but still have to switch to sidestroke pretty often. No worries though...it was a fun time and a great workout. Oh and of course hanging out with Jenn for the 1st time in awhile was great too!
The only downside is that I got in my car to find that it was already 10 am! Oh crap, I had a hair appt at 10:45 and still had to shower, get dressed, etc. It was a bit crazy but I made it!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Ride, ride, ride
Ride - 26.12 miles, 1:40, 15.7 pace
I was soooo looking forward to getting in a good quality ride this week. When I squeeze in a ride on the weekends, it's always after the hubby gets home in the afternoon and it always cuts into our family time together. So, I can only pull off 30 minutes to an hour....not exactly what I'd call a "long ride". In fact, I think my longest ride since I started tri training has been 15 miles.
I took the kids to school and then couldn't decide if I should ride near home, or go to the far regions of The Woodlands where I rode with my running/tri peeps last year. In the end, not having to drive for 20 minutes won!
I started with my usual loop of the neighborhood. Remember all those nice roads with no homes yet? The roads with no traffic whatsoever? I had noticed the builder's "Available" signs on the lots about a month ago. Well, a couple of weeks ago I noticed three of the available signs replaced with "Sold" signs. This week I saw the wood frame of a new home....pretty soon there will be no unpopulated streets in the 'hood, sigh. It had to happen sometime!
Next, I got daring and rode outside the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the road is a busy one and I'm not sure how I like riding with card going 50+ mph as they pass me. Luckily, this road does have a wide shoulder...well, for awhile anyway. I turned into the subdivision next to ours...this is also where there are lots of unpopulated roads for the subdivision. I don't think I have to worry about houses being built here...the development opened a year ago and according to the newspaper, only one house has closed.
I headed back out to the busy street again and decided to head to the acreage community down the road. Oh crap...the shoulder ended and the 4-lane road turned into a 2-lane road! Scary! Luckily, I only had about a 1/4 mile to go. Once I was in this neighborhood I was good to go! There was a 6-7 mile loop with not much traffic and I also went down several other streets that went on for a couple of miles. I think I've found my new riding route!!! And, I passed great views of the neighborhood lake and there were tons of amazing homes to gawk at, lol!
I was going to go for a 2nd loop of that neighborhood when I suddenly realized the sky had that "it's about to pour any second" look to it. Instead, I decided to head toward my hood again...just in case there was lightening coming with that rain. Turns out that it didn't rain at all, so I finished up my ride with a few laps around the 'hood. Oh well.
So now I have a 26-miler under my belt. It was fun, but I definitely want to work on my speed. It's hard to do when there are stop signs, turns, etc, but I know I can do better. Oh, I did manage to drink from my water bottle while riding. And the legs felt like complete jello afterwards! Props to the folks who do twice that distance and run a 1/2 marathon afterwards...I don't know how you do it!
I was soooo looking forward to getting in a good quality ride this week. When I squeeze in a ride on the weekends, it's always after the hubby gets home in the afternoon and it always cuts into our family time together. So, I can only pull off 30 minutes to an hour....not exactly what I'd call a "long ride". In fact, I think my longest ride since I started tri training has been 15 miles.
I took the kids to school and then couldn't decide if I should ride near home, or go to the far regions of The Woodlands where I rode with my running/tri peeps last year. In the end, not having to drive for 20 minutes won!
I started with my usual loop of the neighborhood. Remember all those nice roads with no homes yet? The roads with no traffic whatsoever? I had noticed the builder's "Available" signs on the lots about a month ago. Well, a couple of weeks ago I noticed three of the available signs replaced with "Sold" signs. This week I saw the wood frame of a new home....pretty soon there will be no unpopulated streets in the 'hood, sigh. It had to happen sometime!
Next, I got daring and rode outside the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the road is a busy one and I'm not sure how I like riding with card going 50+ mph as they pass me. Luckily, this road does have a wide shoulder...well, for awhile anyway. I turned into the subdivision next to ours...this is also where there are lots of unpopulated roads for the subdivision. I don't think I have to worry about houses being built here...the development opened a year ago and according to the newspaper, only one house has closed.
I headed back out to the busy street again and decided to head to the acreage community down the road. Oh crap...the shoulder ended and the 4-lane road turned into a 2-lane road! Scary! Luckily, I only had about a 1/4 mile to go. Once I was in this neighborhood I was good to go! There was a 6-7 mile loop with not much traffic and I also went down several other streets that went on for a couple of miles. I think I've found my new riding route!!! And, I passed great views of the neighborhood lake and there were tons of amazing homes to gawk at, lol!
I was going to go for a 2nd loop of that neighborhood when I suddenly realized the sky had that "it's about to pour any second" look to it. Instead, I decided to head toward my hood again...just in case there was lightening coming with that rain. Turns out that it didn't rain at all, so I finished up my ride with a few laps around the 'hood. Oh well.
So now I have a 26-miler under my belt. It was fun, but I definitely want to work on my speed. It's hard to do when there are stop signs, turns, etc, but I know I can do better. Oh, I did manage to drink from my water bottle while riding. And the legs felt like complete jello afterwards! Props to the folks who do twice that distance and run a 1/2 marathon afterwards...I don't know how you do it!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Girly Stuff
I took Tuesday off. No workouts, so I could spend the entire day with the kiddo doing girly stuff. She got her hair cut, we had cookies at the mall (well she did), we saw Night at the Museum 2, did mani/pedis, etc. We tried to go to the pool, but found out that it was closed because some kids vandalized the gate. Grrrrr! Needless to say, the kiddo was very disappointed. But, she happily played in the sprinklers instead. Good times!!!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Vacation all I ever wanted...
I am officially on vacay this week! Whoot!
Monday, May 25 - Swim, 45 minutes
So the day didn't start as planned. I woke up at 6:00 am, jogged over to the neighborhood pool, swiped my access card, pulled the gate handle and nothing happened. When I looked down, I noticed that there was a chain and a padlock on the gate. Lovely! I did seriously consider jumping the fence. Really. It's not that high. But, I was afraid I'd get arrested for trespassing or something. So, I jogged back home grabbed the car keys and headed to the Y.
I swam for about 40 minutes. Freestyle and sidestroke, sidestroke and freestyle. I could really tell that I skipped my swims last week, because I never felt like I was really in the groove. Oh, and I was lapped about 10 times by a grandpa. LOL!
I spent the rest of the day with the family - playing at the park, playing board games, etc. Fun, fun!
Oh, and before I forget...just something I remembered about my run on Friday - I don't ever want to eat dinner before a long run. I felt completely disgusting for the first mile or so. Ick!
Monday, May 25 - Swim, 45 minutes
So the day didn't start as planned. I woke up at 6:00 am, jogged over to the neighborhood pool, swiped my access card, pulled the gate handle and nothing happened. When I looked down, I noticed that there was a chain and a padlock on the gate. Lovely! I did seriously consider jumping the fence. Really. It's not that high. But, I was afraid I'd get arrested for trespassing or something. So, I jogged back home grabbed the car keys and headed to the Y.
I swam for about 40 minutes. Freestyle and sidestroke, sidestroke and freestyle. I could really tell that I skipped my swims last week, because I never felt like I was really in the groove. Oh, and I was lapped about 10 times by a grandpa. LOL!
I spent the rest of the day with the family - playing at the park, playing board games, etc. Fun, fun!
Oh, and before I forget...just something I remembered about my run on Friday - I don't ever want to eat dinner before a long run. I felt completely disgusting for the first mile or so. Ick!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Lazy Lazy
It's been a lazy couple of days for me and the kiddos. The munchkin is almost well, but I am still a little paranoid about taking him out in public with the remnant of his spots still there. Instead, we've gone on walks around the neighborhood, put together puzzles, watched movies, etc. This is highly unusual for me, as I am one of those people who can't sit still in the house for any length of time! We did leave once to go to the grocery store, which was a total disaster since the baby is still a bit cranky. Probably from the ear infection.
I am excited to have the entire week off! As I might have mentioned, this is the 1st time in several years I've taken off more than a 3 or 4 day weekend. Whoot! It's kinda sad that the thing I am looking forward to most are some good, uninterrupted, unrushed workouts, LOL! Well that, and a movie or two.
I am excited to have the entire week off! As I might have mentioned, this is the 1st time in several years I've taken off more than a 3 or 4 day weekend. Whoot! It's kinda sad that the thing I am looking forward to most are some good, uninterrupted, unrushed workouts, LOL! Well that, and a movie or two.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Hot & Steamy
Since I knew Saturday would be full of activity due to my nephew's high school graduation and party, I decided to get my "long run" done on Friday night. Again.
Once more, I hit the streets of the 'hood wanting to get in 6 miles. I didn't leave until almost 8 pm, so I knew I needed to htfu in order to make it home before it got too dark. Last week I started out too fast, but I managed to finished my 5-miler in 11:05 pace...still a little fast for me and I was pooped afterwards. So, this week I purposely slowed down...so much for htfu, lol!
In my 1st 3-mile loop around the 'hood I met up with a rabbit, a turtle and a couple of really loud frogs, lol. There were a few walkers out, but other than that it was just me and the sidewalks. Finished the 1st loop @ an 11:32 pace. I decided to pick it up for the last couple of miles on my 2nd loop - overall pace ended up at 11:27 - negative split, WHOOT! Okay, so slower than I meant to go, but better than starting out at an 10:50 pace and then losing steam at the end. I have a bad habit of going out too fast in races, then losing it at the end. My goal is to get faster in the 2nd 1/2 and get the negative split!
Also, I've graduated from the 5/1s that I've done for the past few years. I have been running my shorter weekday runs straight through and doing 9/1 intervals on my long runs. The goal here? To graduate from 9/1 to a walk at each mile to only walking when absolutely necessary.
I'll get there. Eventually.
Once more, I hit the streets of the 'hood wanting to get in 6 miles. I didn't leave until almost 8 pm, so I knew I needed to htfu in order to make it home before it got too dark. Last week I started out too fast, but I managed to finished my 5-miler in 11:05 pace...still a little fast for me and I was pooped afterwards. So, this week I purposely slowed down...so much for htfu, lol!
In my 1st 3-mile loop around the 'hood I met up with a rabbit, a turtle and a couple of really loud frogs, lol. There were a few walkers out, but other than that it was just me and the sidewalks. Finished the 1st loop @ an 11:32 pace. I decided to pick it up for the last couple of miles on my 2nd loop - overall pace ended up at 11:27 - negative split, WHOOT! Okay, so slower than I meant to go, but better than starting out at an 10:50 pace and then losing steam at the end. I have a bad habit of going out too fast in races, then losing it at the end. My goal is to get faster in the 2nd 1/2 and get the negative split!
Also, I've graduated from the 5/1s that I've done for the past few years. I have been running my shorter weekday runs straight through and doing 9/1 intervals on my long runs. The goal here? To graduate from 9/1 to a walk at each mile to only walking when absolutely necessary.
I'll get there. Eventually.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Life happens...
Work interfered with my spin class again today...can't go into detail, but let's just say that being in HR during a down economy can sometimes suck. Big time. Darn economy!
No afternoon swim either. I felt like I needed to get home to my kiddos. The mother-in-law had been with the baby all day. While I am sure she loved every minute, I am also sure she was tired of dealing with a cranky, spot-covered kiddo and needed some relief.
I am so excited to have the entire week off next week! It's the 1st time in about 4 years that I have actually taken an entire week off. Yay me. I'm splitting the week up between time with the family and some "me" time. Is it sad when you're excited about your week off mainly because it means you can get in some good workouts???? Yeah, I have no freakin' life, lol! If all is well with the baby, I have plans for a nice 20-something mile bike ride, a lot of swimming, a few nice long runs, and maybe some shopping (I have unused gift cards from Christmas!) and movies mixed in.
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!!!
No afternoon swim either. I felt like I needed to get home to my kiddos. The mother-in-law had been with the baby all day. While I am sure she loved every minute, I am also sure she was tired of dealing with a cranky, spot-covered kiddo and needed some relief.
I am so excited to have the entire week off next week! It's the 1st time in about 4 years that I have actually taken an entire week off. Yay me. I'm splitting the week up between time with the family and some "me" time. Is it sad when you're excited about your week off mainly because it means you can get in some good workouts???? Yeah, I have no freakin' life, lol! If all is well with the baby, I have plans for a nice 20-something mile bike ride, a lot of swimming, a few nice long runs, and maybe some shopping (I have unused gift cards from Christmas!) and movies mixed in.
Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Operation "Get Faster" - Week 5
Once again, I headed to the gym during lunch to get on the dreadmill. Wednesday is the kiddo's dance night and the in-laws are staying with us, so I knew there would be no running tonight. I did my regular 5-minute warm-up, then did 8x400 with a 1-minute recovery in between. I felt like I wasn't as fast as before, but I did have a couple of minutes in the high 8's. That was fun to see on the treadmill screen, even if it wasn't for long.
The baby's rash actually got worse yesterday. After seeing the pictures below, I am sure you're wondering how that's even possible. But, he was not letting it bother him too much...he still wanted to play outside with his sister in the little playhouse on the patio. I am praying that he starts to show signs of improvement soon...I am sure our pediatrician is hoping so too, because we must have called them 4 times yesterday with more questions, LOL! Yes we are those parents!!! We are really thinking that it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin, rather than a reaction to the MMR vaccine.
The baby's rash actually got worse yesterday. After seeing the pictures below, I am sure you're wondering how that's even possible. But, he was not letting it bother him too much...he still wanted to play outside with his sister in the little playhouse on the patio. I am praying that he starts to show signs of improvement soon...I am sure our pediatrician is hoping so too, because we must have called them 4 times yesterday with more questions, LOL! Yes we are those parents!!! We are really thinking that it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin, rather than a reaction to the MMR vaccine.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
My poor baby!
Here are a few pictures of the rash the baby has, which the Dr suspects is from the MMR vaccine. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much. I think the ear infection is what is causing his fever and occasional fussiness.
These two are from Tuesday afternoon....his entire back is covered by the red bumps like the ones you see in the 2nd picture.
These two are from Tuesday afternoon....his entire back is covered by the red bumps like the ones you see in the 2nd picture.
This was him this morning...puffy face, with much more redness! I feel so bad for him, but there's not much I can do.
Slacker
Just paste a big 'ol "L" on my forehead, because I have not been posting at all!
Here's another catch-up on my workouts....
Friday, 5/15 - Long run, 5 miles, 11:05 pace
I decided to get my "long run" in, because I knew that I'd be busy on Sat. My neighborhood LR was only 5 miles, because I haven't gotten in a LR in over a month! It went pretty well - as usual, I started out too fast. At the 3-mile, I was at a 10:59 pace...these days for me that's fast for anything over about 3 miles. It didn't feel terribly hard, but I was breathing a bit harder than usual. Of course, I wondered if I could maintain that pace for the last two miles. :-) It felt like I was, but apparently not since my overall pace ended up being 11:05. I'm pretty sure it was faster than my last outdoor 5-miler and it was warmer than my last one too. I'll take it!
Saturday, 5/16 - Rest day
I took the kiddos for pictures to commemorate the baby's 1st birthday. Next it was grocery shopping and playing dollhouse. Aren't ya just super envious of the exciting life I lead??? :-) Later, it was time for a girl's night out...woohoo!
Sunday, 5/17 - Brick #5 - 17 mile ride (16 mph), 1 mile run (9:56 pace)
Sunday brought some awesome cooler weather! I took the kiddos to church, then visited my parents for a little while. Next, we hung out at home until the hubby made it home from work (yes, more dollhouse!) and watched the Rockets game. At the 3rd quarter, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore....I went out for a bike ride! (The Rockets were getting a beating from LA)
The bike ride was fun. I planned for an hour, but went a little longer just to get in an full 17 miles. The ride was just through the neighborhood. It was crazy with the wind...when I was riding right into it, I would be anywhere between 13 & 15 mph. I tried to not get slower than 14, but there were a few gusts that I just couldn't ride through. When the wind was at my back, I got as fast as 22 mph...now that was fun!
Monday, 5/18 - Tempo run, treadmill, 3 miles
This is why I should blog after every workout - I can't remember my final pace!!! Doh! It was hard to run on the dreadmill with temps at 71 degrees outside. But, I really don't feel safe on foot on the trails near my work. On bike I feel okay for whatever reason. I could have driven to Memorial Park, but that thought didn't occur to me until after my run. Oh well! And, an evening run was out - we had to go to a rosary service for the hubby's Aunt. May dear Aunt Molly RIP.
Tuesday, 5/19 - No workout (unplanned rest day!)
Hey, life happens right? No lunchtime spin class today...the baby started breaking out in a rash. When he woke up on Tuesday, it was much, much worse. And his fever had risen from 101 the night before to 103. Yikes! I left work early to take the lil' guy to the doctor. Apparently, the amoxicillin the doc prescribed last week for his double ear infection wasn't working at all. His ears looked "terrible" and that was also the cause of his high fever. The rash was another story...possibly viral, or maybe an allergic reaction to either his amoxicillin or MMR vaccine. The dr said it looked closer to measles, so she felt it was due to the MMR. Nice! MMR also happens to be linked to autism (allegedly), so that freaks me out!
Here's another catch-up on my workouts....
Friday, 5/15 - Long run, 5 miles, 11:05 pace
I decided to get my "long run" in, because I knew that I'd be busy on Sat. My neighborhood LR was only 5 miles, because I haven't gotten in a LR in over a month! It went pretty well - as usual, I started out too fast. At the 3-mile, I was at a 10:59 pace...these days for me that's fast for anything over about 3 miles. It didn't feel terribly hard, but I was breathing a bit harder than usual. Of course, I wondered if I could maintain that pace for the last two miles. :-) It felt like I was, but apparently not since my overall pace ended up being 11:05. I'm pretty sure it was faster than my last outdoor 5-miler and it was warmer than my last one too. I'll take it!
Saturday, 5/16 - Rest day
I took the kiddos for pictures to commemorate the baby's 1st birthday. Next it was grocery shopping and playing dollhouse. Aren't ya just super envious of the exciting life I lead??? :-) Later, it was time for a girl's night out...woohoo!
Sunday, 5/17 - Brick #5 - 17 mile ride (16 mph), 1 mile run (9:56 pace)
Sunday brought some awesome cooler weather! I took the kiddos to church, then visited my parents for a little while. Next, we hung out at home until the hubby made it home from work (yes, more dollhouse!) and watched the Rockets game. At the 3rd quarter, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore....I went out for a bike ride! (The Rockets were getting a beating from LA)
The bike ride was fun. I planned for an hour, but went a little longer just to get in an full 17 miles. The ride was just through the neighborhood. It was crazy with the wind...when I was riding right into it, I would be anywhere between 13 & 15 mph. I tried to not get slower than 14, but there were a few gusts that I just couldn't ride through. When the wind was at my back, I got as fast as 22 mph...now that was fun!
Monday, 5/18 - Tempo run, treadmill, 3 miles
This is why I should blog after every workout - I can't remember my final pace!!! Doh! It was hard to run on the dreadmill with temps at 71 degrees outside. But, I really don't feel safe on foot on the trails near my work. On bike I feel okay for whatever reason. I could have driven to Memorial Park, but that thought didn't occur to me until after my run. Oh well! And, an evening run was out - we had to go to a rosary service for the hubby's Aunt. May dear Aunt Molly RIP.
Tuesday, 5/19 - No workout (unplanned rest day!)
Hey, life happens right? No lunchtime spin class today...the baby started breaking out in a rash. When he woke up on Tuesday, it was much, much worse. And his fever had risen from 101 the night before to 103. Yikes! I left work early to take the lil' guy to the doctor. Apparently, the amoxicillin the doc prescribed last week for his double ear infection wasn't working at all. His ears looked "terrible" and that was also the cause of his high fever. The rash was another story...possibly viral, or maybe an allergic reaction to either his amoxicillin or MMR vaccine. The dr said it looked closer to measles, so she felt it was due to the MMR. Nice! MMR also happens to be linked to autism (allegedly), so that freaks me out!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Happy Blogiversary!!!
Holy crap, has it been THREE YEARS???? Already? I almost forgot about my blogiversary and actually did miss it by a few days.
Where, oh where has the time gone?
And to think, it all started here. Wow, back then I was studying for my PHR, studying for the GMAT, Riley was 2 years old and I was getting geared up for Chicago Marathon training. So much has changed since then - ran Chicago, got my run a little faster, got my PHR, started and finished grad school, shifted my focus to 1/2 marathons, bought a house, had a baby, sold a house, got a little slower (grrrr...), left my focus on 1/2 marathons, completed a tri...
And of course in the past three years, I have made some great friends through my blog! Thanks for reading, thanks for encouraging, thanks for even telling me what I needed to hear even if I didn't want to hear it! Thanks for everything!
Where, oh where has the time gone?
And to think, it all started here. Wow, back then I was studying for my PHR, studying for the GMAT, Riley was 2 years old and I was getting geared up for Chicago Marathon training. So much has changed since then - ran Chicago, got my run a little faster, got my PHR, started and finished grad school, shifted my focus to 1/2 marathons, bought a house, had a baby, sold a house, got a little slower (grrrr...), left my focus on 1/2 marathons, completed a tri...
And of course in the past three years, I have made some great friends through my blog! Thanks for reading, thanks for encouraging, thanks for even telling me what I needed to hear even if I didn't want to hear it! Thanks for everything!
Catching Up
Since my last post was so freaking long, I decided to not post for a few days. LOL!
Here's an update of what I've been up to...
Sunday, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my Mother's Day. After the tri, my Dad watched the kiddos so my Mom and I could enjoy a nice, relaxing lunch together. Afterwards, I came home to a napping baby, so the kiddo and I played with her dollhouse together until the hubby made it home from work. Next, we hung out in the gameroom, watched the Rockets game and played with the kiddos. (Yay for the Rockets!) Finally, we headed over to the neighborhood pool and spent an hour or so splashing around with the kiddos.
Monday was a rest day for me...no workouts!
Tuesday, I had to skip spin class due to a work lunch meeting, but I did get in a 45 minute swim at the pool. Lots of freestyle and sidestroke!
Wednesday, I ran some intervals on the treadmill. I did a 5-minute warm-up, ran 7x400 with a 1-minute rest break in between, the did a 5-minute cool down (which turned into a 7 minute cool down so I could watch the rest of a segment on Ellen). Overall, I was a bit slower than last week. For whatever reason, I felt more tired than usual. Oh and I did my workout during lunch so I could watch the LOST season finale right after the kiddos went to bed. Good decision, since it was a 2-hour special...and it was a great show!
Thursday, hit the lunchtime spin class again! Love it! I think I pushed myself pretty hard with my pace and the tension. Fun times! Sweaty, but fun!
After work, I headed back to the pool near work. Man, summer is definitely here...or at least the summer temps. There were sooo many families at the pool , it was crazy! Fortunately, not many people were there trying to swim laps, so I did not have to share a lane with anyone. And, I made somewhat of a breakthrough with my breathing issues. I came to the realization that I was taking very big (or HUGE) gasps of air when I turned my head to breathe. Since I breathe every 3 strokes, there's no way I could exhale all that air. So, I played around a bit and discovered that I do much better taking very small "bites" of air (as Terry from the TI video says). Normally, once I get winded, I do 3 strokes of freestyle with a few sidestrokes in between. I hardly had to sidestroke at all using my new breathing technique...and I managed to get 250 meters in that way! Progress!!!! I'll take any I can get!!!
Here's an update of what I've been up to...
Sunday, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my Mother's Day. After the tri, my Dad watched the kiddos so my Mom and I could enjoy a nice, relaxing lunch together. Afterwards, I came home to a napping baby, so the kiddo and I played with her dollhouse together until the hubby made it home from work. Next, we hung out in the gameroom, watched the Rockets game and played with the kiddos. (Yay for the Rockets!) Finally, we headed over to the neighborhood pool and spent an hour or so splashing around with the kiddos.
Monday was a rest day for me...no workouts!
Tuesday, I had to skip spin class due to a work lunch meeting, but I did get in a 45 minute swim at the pool. Lots of freestyle and sidestroke!
Wednesday, I ran some intervals on the treadmill. I did a 5-minute warm-up, ran 7x400 with a 1-minute rest break in between, the did a 5-minute cool down (which turned into a 7 minute cool down so I could watch the rest of a segment on Ellen). Overall, I was a bit slower than last week. For whatever reason, I felt more tired than usual. Oh and I did my workout during lunch so I could watch the LOST season finale right after the kiddos went to bed. Good decision, since it was a 2-hour special...and it was a great show!
Thursday, hit the lunchtime spin class again! Love it! I think I pushed myself pretty hard with my pace and the tension. Fun times! Sweaty, but fun!
After work, I headed back to the pool near work. Man, summer is definitely here...or at least the summer temps. There were sooo many families at the pool , it was crazy! Fortunately, not many people were there trying to swim laps, so I did not have to share a lane with anyone. And, I made somewhat of a breakthrough with my breathing issues. I came to the realization that I was taking very big (or HUGE) gasps of air when I turned my head to breathe. Since I breathe every 3 strokes, there's no way I could exhale all that air. So, I played around a bit and discovered that I do much better taking very small "bites" of air (as Terry from the TI video says). Normally, once I get winded, I do 3 strokes of freestyle with a few sidestrokes in between. I hardly had to sidestroke at all using my new breathing technique...and I managed to get 250 meters in that way! Progress!!!! I'll take any I can get!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
TriGirl Super Sprint Race Report
Sorry for the long race report. It’s my 1st tri, so I want to capture everything if possible. :-)
The adventure begins!
Kelly, Katie and I rode to the race together. This is Kelly’s 2nd tri season, so she’s a pro at this. Katie did her 1st tri last weekend (CB&I), so she was nice enough to come cheer and take pictures for us. The ride to the race ended up being quite an adventure! I won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say that I lost my navigator rights and Kelly lost her driving to the race rights! We remembered from going to the Take a Hike Ike Tri that the directions to Deussen Park sucked. It was no different for this race. We were among many to have to turn around…when we did, we saw signs pointing to the race parking. Apparently we were coming in from the wrong way or something? Who knows. Fortunately, we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there, so no worries.
Pre-Race
Once we arrived, we headed to get our body markings. I think that’s when it hit me – when the lady was writing my number on my arms and leg, then asked me my age for my calf – I thought, “wow, I’m doing a triathlon!” We headed from there into the transition area to set up our stuff. My assigned spot was pretty much in the middle. I chatted with the other women around me – they were all 1st timers too. Once I had everything set up, I went over to see Kelly in her transition area. Next, we went over to the water to check out the temps. Nice and warm, and very flat! Perfect! I decided not to use the wetsuit (aka my security blanket). Finally, we went to pick up our chips and get our bearings on where to enter and exit the transition area for the bike and run. I did run into Kerri from beginnertriathlete.com, which was cool.
After that, we pretty much just hung out and took a few pictures. Once transition closed, we made our way over to the swim start. Kelly and I were both in the 1st wave, so it was good to have someone to talk to while we waited. That was when I realized that I completely forgot about my ½ PB&J I had brought. Doh! Oh well.
When they blew the horn, I did the dolphin dive that Viv taught me and was off! I managed to freestyle to about the 1st buoy. Even though I didn’t feel anxious, I was breathing like a mad woman! I had to do some sidestroke to get my breathing back to a somewhat normal rhythm. It never got there, but it did get better. However, every time I attempted to freestyle again, I got winded so I ended up doing a lot of the remainder of the swim using the trusty ol’ sidestroke. I even passed a few people while doing it! When I started heading to shore, I stole a look back and realized I was no where near being the last one in from my wave! Hooray! The swim was over before I knew it! The nice thing about this distance is that it is totally doable for a novice swimmer like me, and it’s so short that the wave behind us didn’t have time to pass. And, any swim would be better than that 1st ows practice!
T1 – 2:26.4
This is were I am annoyed with myself…my T1 time was 2:26! Seriously, what in the hell was I doing for almost 2 ½ minutes??? I know what I was doing – I was getting pebbles off my feet, lol. That, and since I’m not coordinated enough to drink while I’m riding my bike, I took a second to take a Gu and a drink from my water bottle. So anyway - I ran it in, but was surprised how wobbly I felt after the swim. Not bad, but a little unexpected. I heard Kelly yell out “great job” or something like that in the transition area. It was a bit of a blur though. I tried to get as many pebbles off my feet as possible, rolled on my socks and slipped on my shoes. I also decided to go ahead and put on my race belt. I grabbed my Gu and water. That’s when I started noticing people around me coming in from the swim and I thought, “Shit, hurry your ass up!” Then put on my sunglasses and grabbed my helmet and unracked my bike. I remember thinking, “STOP! Put on your helmet!”, so I did just that. I ran to the red line, mounted my bike and was off.
Bike – 8 miles, 26:38.9, 18 mph
Fortunately, I remembered to shift gears, so that it wouldn’t be hard to pedal in the beginning. My breathing was really hard for the 1st couple of miles on the bike and I don’t think I got it under control until I was well into mile 2. I checked the nifty bike computer (my Mother’s Day gift!) and was at a 17 mph pace. That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in a training ride, so it was my goal pace for the race. However, I found myself getting closer to the people in front of me and wanted to pass! My 17 increased to 18. Sometimes it was 19, but my problem is that I turn really slow and really wide…that certainly didn’t help me on the ride. I really enjoy the bike, so my goal was to just enjoy this. At some point, there was a nice downhill and when I looked at my bike computer it read 24 mph. That was fun! At first I was worried that I couldn’t hold the 18-something mph pace, until I reminded myself that it was only 8 miles. And, I reminded myself that it was a race – no regrets, so I said screw it! I know I am not a super fast runner, so what the hell? I gave it everything I could. I do think I slowed down a little too early getting into transition - another thing to work on.
T2 – 0:50.5
Since I don’t have bike shoes yet or clipless pedals, this was cake for me. Run bike to rack, rack bike, remove helmet and go! Oh, and that PB&J from earlier? I ran over it with my bike, lol! A guy standing near the transition area, said “Umm, I guess you didn’t want that sandwich?”
Run – 2 miles, 19:39.6, 9:50 pace
I started my Garmin as I was finishing the bike, but realized that it still hadn’t found the satellites yet. Ugh! I was about ½ way through the 1st mile when it finally started working. WTH? My goal was a 10:30 pace. For me that’s pretty good, even for a short 2-mile distance. After my Garmin kicked in, it read a 10:17 average pace, so I thought “okay, let’s keep it there”. It was an out and back course and I saw Kelly as I approached the water station. Hooray, I was ½ way done! I did walk as I drank one Gatorade and poured one water on my head. I ran the rest of the way in and was happy to be done! It was great to see Katie and Woodlands Fit friend, Erica, at the finish. And, I was actually surprised to see my overall pace at 9:50! As always, I go out wwwaaayyy to fast and then slow down.
So that was it - my 1st tri experience! I have to say that I loved it and can’t wait to do it again – but maybe something a bit longer? The race definitely exceeded my expectations and I even performed much better than I expected. And, TriGirl is a great 1st race to do! First of all, it’s an all women race. Second, they give great swag – a cute, pink technical shirt, pink bag, and pink pen. Third, the race is very well organized – lots of volunteers there to help a girl out. The post race party wasn’t anything extravagant – breakfast burritos, sodas, ice cream, but it pretty much meets everyone’s needs. Overall, a HUGE thumbs up to TriGirl. And, they have another race in August! It’s slightly longer than this one, but still a do-able distance…so if you’ve ever thought about doing a tri….just sayin’
The adventure begins!
Kelly, Katie and I rode to the race together. This is Kelly’s 2nd tri season, so she’s a pro at this. Katie did her 1st tri last weekend (CB&I), so she was nice enough to come cheer and take pictures for us. The ride to the race ended up being quite an adventure! I won’t go into all the details, but let’s just say that I lost my navigator rights and Kelly lost her driving to the race rights! We remembered from going to the Take a Hike Ike Tri that the directions to Deussen Park sucked. It was no different for this race. We were among many to have to turn around…when we did, we saw signs pointing to the race parking. Apparently we were coming in from the wrong way or something? Who knows. Fortunately, we gave ourselves plenty of time to get there, so no worries.
Here we are enjoying the sunrise...we look pretty awake for 5:45 am, don't we?
Pre-Race
Once we arrived, we headed to get our body markings. I think that’s when it hit me – when the lady was writing my number on my arms and leg, then asked me my age for my calf – I thought, “wow, I’m doing a triathlon!” We headed from there into the transition area to set up our stuff. My assigned spot was pretty much in the middle. I chatted with the other women around me – they were all 1st timers too. Once I had everything set up, I went over to see Kelly in her transition area. Next, we went over to the water to check out the temps. Nice and warm, and very flat! Perfect! I decided not to use the wetsuit (aka my security blanket). Finally, we went to pick up our chips and get our bearings on where to enter and exit the transition area for the bike and run. I did run into Kerri from beginnertriathlete.com, which was cool.
My transition area...can you tell I'm all proud of it? It takes great skill to set up your helmet and stuff like this, lol.
After that, we pretty much just hung out and took a few pictures. Once transition closed, we made our way over to the swim start. Kelly and I were both in the 1st wave, so it was good to have someone to talk to while we waited. That was when I realized that I completely forgot about my ½ PB&J I had brought. Doh! Oh well.
Katie wanted a "candid" shot, so here we are joking around before the swim...
Omg, we're skeered!!!
Ummm yeah, now I know why guys don't like latex...
Swim – 200m, 5:45.9
Honestly, I didn’t feel that anxious about the swim at all. I thought being in the 1st wave would freak me out. But, the course looked short from the shore, and I knew that I could do 200 with no problem. I just told myself to stay calm. I wasn’t in the back of the pack like I had planned, but since 80% of people in this race were 1st timers, I figured I was okay. That ended up being a good decision. As soon as they would let us wade in, I went in to get acclimated to the water.
Honestly, I didn’t feel that anxious about the swim at all. I thought being in the 1st wave would freak me out. But, the course looked short from the shore, and I knew that I could do 200 with no problem. I just told myself to stay calm. I wasn’t in the back of the pack like I had planned, but since 80% of people in this race were 1st timers, I figured I was okay. That ended up being a good decision. As soon as they would let us wade in, I went in to get acclimated to the water.
Here's my "wave" waitin' for the okay to go in...
When they blew the horn, I did the dolphin dive that Viv taught me and was off! I managed to freestyle to about the 1st buoy. Even though I didn’t feel anxious, I was breathing like a mad woman! I had to do some sidestroke to get my breathing back to a somewhat normal rhythm. It never got there, but it did get better. However, every time I attempted to freestyle again, I got winded so I ended up doing a lot of the remainder of the swim using the trusty ol’ sidestroke. I even passed a few people while doing it! When I started heading to shore, I stole a look back and realized I was no where near being the last one in from my wave! Hooray! The swim was over before I knew it! The nice thing about this distance is that it is totally doable for a novice swimmer like me, and it’s so short that the wave behind us didn’t have time to pass. And, any swim would be better than that 1st ows practice!
Heading to T1...whew, I'm soooo glad that's over! Ummm, yeah, take off the swim cap!
T1 – 2:26.4
This is were I am annoyed with myself…my T1 time was 2:26! Seriously, what in the hell was I doing for almost 2 ½ minutes??? I know what I was doing – I was getting pebbles off my feet, lol. That, and since I’m not coordinated enough to drink while I’m riding my bike, I took a second to take a Gu and a drink from my water bottle. So anyway - I ran it in, but was surprised how wobbly I felt after the swim. Not bad, but a little unexpected. I heard Kelly yell out “great job” or something like that in the transition area. It was a bit of a blur though. I tried to get as many pebbles off my feet as possible, rolled on my socks and slipped on my shoes. I also decided to go ahead and put on my race belt. I grabbed my Gu and water. That’s when I started noticing people around me coming in from the swim and I thought, “Shit, hurry your ass up!” Then put on my sunglasses and grabbed my helmet and unracked my bike. I remember thinking, “STOP! Put on your helmet!”, so I did just that. I ran to the red line, mounted my bike and was off.
Getting on the bike...ummm, I could probably do this a bit faster!
Bike – 8 miles, 26:38.9, 18 mph
Fortunately, I remembered to shift gears, so that it wouldn’t be hard to pedal in the beginning. My breathing was really hard for the 1st couple of miles on the bike and I don’t think I got it under control until I was well into mile 2. I checked the nifty bike computer (my Mother’s Day gift!) and was at a 17 mph pace. That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone in a training ride, so it was my goal pace for the race. However, I found myself getting closer to the people in front of me and wanted to pass! My 17 increased to 18. Sometimes it was 19, but my problem is that I turn really slow and really wide…that certainly didn’t help me on the ride. I really enjoy the bike, so my goal was to just enjoy this. At some point, there was a nice downhill and when I looked at my bike computer it read 24 mph. That was fun! At first I was worried that I couldn’t hold the 18-something mph pace, until I reminded myself that it was only 8 miles. And, I reminded myself that it was a race – no regrets, so I said screw it! I know I am not a super fast runner, so what the hell? I gave it everything I could. I do think I slowed down a little too early getting into transition - another thing to work on.
T2 – 0:50.5
Since I don’t have bike shoes yet or clipless pedals, this was cake for me. Run bike to rack, rack bike, remove helmet and go! Oh, and that PB&J from earlier? I ran over it with my bike, lol! A guy standing near the transition area, said “Umm, I guess you didn’t want that sandwich?”
Heading off for the run...thinking "It's only 2 miles, I can do this right?" BTW, the lady to the right passed me....but I passed her before it was all over with. HA!
Run – 2 miles, 19:39.6, 9:50 pace
I started my Garmin as I was finishing the bike, but realized that it still hadn’t found the satellites yet. Ugh! I was about ½ way through the 1st mile when it finally started working. WTH? My goal was a 10:30 pace. For me that’s pretty good, even for a short 2-mile distance. After my Garmin kicked in, it read a 10:17 average pace, so I thought “okay, let’s keep it there”. It was an out and back course and I saw Kelly as I approached the water station. Hooray, I was ½ way done! I did walk as I drank one Gatorade and poured one water on my head. I ran the rest of the way in and was happy to be done! It was great to see Katie and Woodlands Fit friend, Erica, at the finish. And, I was actually surprised to see my overall pace at 9:50! As always, I go out wwwaaayyy to fast and then slow down.
Coming into the finish...look at my freakin' stride! I promise I wasn't power walking! I have been working on a shorter stride, but apparently that went out the window at the finish, lol!
Total Time - 55:21:01
Age Group Ranking - 23 of 66
Overall Ranking - 109 of 307
So that was it - my 1st tri experience! I have to say that I loved it and can’t wait to do it again – but maybe something a bit longer? The race definitely exceeded my expectations and I even performed much better than I expected. And, TriGirl is a great 1st race to do! First of all, it’s an all women race. Second, they give great swag – a cute, pink technical shirt, pink bag, and pink pen. Third, the race is very well organized – lots of volunteers there to help a girl out. The post race party wasn’t anything extravagant – breakfast burritos, sodas, ice cream, but it pretty much meets everyone’s needs. Overall, a HUGE thumbs up to TriGirl. And, they have another race in August! It’s slightly longer than this one, but still a do-able distance…so if you’ve ever thought about doing a tri….just sayin’
Done!
So, what would I do differently?
- Not forget to eat my pre-race food
- Work harder on the swim training. Maybe get in a swim to bike brick? This is my weakest event, so it needs extra training time.
- Bring an extra towel for getting the muck and pebbles off my feet!
- Learn to drink and ride at the same time, so I don’t have to waste so much time in T1…this could be crucial for a longer distance.
- Get in longer bike rides more often. Not sure how to work it into the schedule, but it needs to be done. I think this might be my stronger area, so I want to see how far I can push myself in the distance and pace.
- Learn to turn on the bike without having to slow down to a 12 mph pace!
- Don't wear race belt & number on bike...the flapping in the wind drove me crazy, lol!
- Speedwork! There’s no reason that I shouldn’t be able to maintain a better run pace in these shorter distances.
All that being said, my challenge is still trying to fit the training in without sacrificing too much time with the hubby and kids. The hubby seems to be supportive, so we’ll see. My goal is to do a sprint tri each month until August. You know, before getting all wrapped up in the longer distance runs for ½ marathon training.
That’s right, no full marathon for me.
Again.
I’m just not ready for a commitment to the distance. Not yet anyway. I’ll get back there again, but for now I want to see if I can improve my times at shorter distances. So there.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Triathlete!
TriGirl Super Sprint Results
200 yard swim 5:45:09
T1 2:26
8 mi bike 26:19:08 (18 mph)
T2 0:50:05
2 mile run 19:39:06
Total time 55:21:04
Looks like I've joined the club! I had a great time...report to follow tomorrow.
200 yard swim 5:45:09
T1 2:26
8 mi bike 26:19:08 (18 mph)
T2 0:50:05
2 mile run 19:39:06
Total time 55:21:04
Looks like I've joined the club! I had a great time...report to follow tomorrow.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Check!
Okay, here's my checklist for Sunday....I am getting everything packed tonight, because we have my nephew's 18th birthday party to attend tomorrow afternoon/evening.
Race Belt
Race Number
USTA membership card/$10
Gu packet
Gatorade for water bottle
Water bottle for bike
Garmin
Wetsuit (just in case)
2 pairs of goggles
Swim cap
Towel for transition stuff
Sunscreen
Body Glide*
Helmet
Socks
Sunglasses
Spare tube**
CO2 cartridge**
Bike tools
Bike pump
Running shoes
Flip flops for after?
Camera
Am I forgetting anything??? Obviously, I'll be wearing my tri top and shorts...should I bring a shirt to throw on over it for the bike/run?
* MUST HAVE BODY GLIDE!!!
** Seriously, it's only 8 miles...but the time I change or repair a flat, the race will be over!
Race Belt
Race Number
USTA membership card/$10
Gu packet
Gatorade for water bottle
Water bottle for bike
Garmin
Wetsuit (just in case)
2 pairs of goggles
Swim cap
Towel for transition stuff
Sunscreen
Body Glide*
Helmet
Socks
Sunglasses
Spare tube**
CO2 cartridge**
Bike tools
Bike pump
Running shoes
Flip flops for after?
Camera
Am I forgetting anything??? Obviously, I'll be wearing my tri top and shorts...should I bring a shirt to throw on over it for the bike/run?
* MUST HAVE BODY GLIDE!!!
** Seriously, it's only 8 miles...but the time I change or repair a flat, the race will be over!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Run, Swim, no Bike
Thursday, 5/7 - Swim, 40 minutes
Just to give the legs a little rest, I decided to skip the spin class today. From past experience, it was highly likely that I would have had sore legs until Saturday and I didn't want that. Instead, I would do my regular Thursday swim.
As always life happens. I had planned to go back to the Y near work, just for convenience sake. However, the hubby got stuck at work thanks to a call out about 15 minutes before he was scheduled to leave. That meant I had to leave work early to get the kiddos and hang out with them until the hubby got home. No worries - more time with the kids is always a good thing. When the hubby made it home, I thought maybe I'd just hit the neighborhood pool. No dice. There were kids galore. Next stop - BC YMCA. Turned out to be a great idea, because Katie was there! She was just finishing up on the weights and was ready to go swim.
I tell ya, this was the best I've ever felt in the pool! I think I have totally taken the pressure off myself to try to push through the yards with nothing but freestyle. I've come to accept the fact that a little (or a lot) of sidestroke in between was a-okay for a sprint tri. (Thanks Steve!!!) When I switch back and forth between the two strokes as needed, I can swim all day! Okay, maybe not all day, but you get the idea.
So I am ready for Sunday, woohoo! I was planning leave work a little early to drive over to the tri site after work tomorrow and check out the bike course. Nice and slow of course. But having to leave early today pretty much squashed those plans. Oh well!
Wednesday, 5/6 - Treadmill Run, 2.75 miles, 25 minutes, 10:22 pace
I did my intervals on the treadmill again. 7x400 this time and I was pleased to get into the lower 9's and even flirted with the high 8's for a minute or two. The pace included my 5 minute warm up and cool down at a pretty slow pace.
Just to give the legs a little rest, I decided to skip the spin class today. From past experience, it was highly likely that I would have had sore legs until Saturday and I didn't want that. Instead, I would do my regular Thursday swim.
As always life happens. I had planned to go back to the Y near work, just for convenience sake. However, the hubby got stuck at work thanks to a call out about 15 minutes before he was scheduled to leave. That meant I had to leave work early to get the kiddos and hang out with them until the hubby got home. No worries - more time with the kids is always a good thing. When the hubby made it home, I thought maybe I'd just hit the neighborhood pool. No dice. There were kids galore. Next stop - BC YMCA. Turned out to be a great idea, because Katie was there! She was just finishing up on the weights and was ready to go swim.
I tell ya, this was the best I've ever felt in the pool! I think I have totally taken the pressure off myself to try to push through the yards with nothing but freestyle. I've come to accept the fact that a little (or a lot) of sidestroke in between was a-okay for a sprint tri. (Thanks Steve!!!) When I switch back and forth between the two strokes as needed, I can swim all day! Okay, maybe not all day, but you get the idea.
So I am ready for Sunday, woohoo! I was planning leave work a little early to drive over to the tri site after work tomorrow and check out the bike course. Nice and slow of course. But having to leave early today pretty much squashed those plans. Oh well!
Wednesday, 5/6 - Treadmill Run, 2.75 miles, 25 minutes, 10:22 pace
I did my intervals on the treadmill again. 7x400 this time and I was pleased to get into the lower 9's and even flirted with the high 8's for a minute or two. The pace included my 5 minute warm up and cool down at a pretty slow pace.
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