The workout that wasn't...

Not much to report as far as workouts are concerned. Friday I had some family obligations and couldn't squeeze in any workouts. Saturday I had class all day. Luckily, we finished up our round of business decisions by 5 pm and got to leave earlier than normal. The in-laws were at the house when I made it home, so no workouts in the pm.

Sunday, I woke up at 6:10 am in order to have time to feed the baby before heading over to the pool. I got my swimming gear and made it to the pool by 7 am. It was dreary and cloudy, but at least there was no thunder or threat of rain. I had decided that this week, I would only allow a 30 second rest between laps so that I could get a better workout.

I swiped my access card on the pool gate and heard the "beep!". I pulled the handle of the gate and nothing. I tried the access card again and again - the door wouldn't give. I tried one more time to make sure I wasn't losing it. Ugh! So, I made the trek back home and told the hubby that I would get in a run/walk instead. However, the kiddo really, really didn't want me to leave the house again. I tried to bargain with her, but it didn't work. So, I ended up walking for about 25 minutes while she rode her bike. Ummm, she's 3, so I wouldn't exactly call it a workout. We might have gone a mile, but definitely no more. I tried to "race" her, just to get her to go fast enough for a brisk walk. Toward the end she was pooped and I had to push her bike the rest of the way. Hahaha...I guess I made her go a bit too far and too fast, but hey, she slept really well last night!

So that was it. I only have a short window of time to use to workout and that was it. I did get in a Slim in Six workout while the hubby took the kiddo to the pool and the baby was in the bouncy seat. I really, really wanted to take a nap though. :-)

Workouts
Swim - didn't happen
Walk - 25 minutes slow
Si6 - 24 minutes

Blah

Feeling a bit blah and not in the mood to blog today. Hell, I really didn't feel like working out today...but I did. All I can say is that starting over with the running sucks. True story.

Workout Stats
AM - "Running", 1 1/2/1 intervals
PM - Si6, 24 minutes

Sleepy!

I have had morning issues all week. This morning was no different. I had my alarm clock set for 5:00 am and I crawled out of bed at 6:12 am! So much for a little Si6 and Finance. I was hoping for a nice upper body workout and some reading.

I need to get my butt in gear. I'm afraid I am not starting out the semester on the right foot...I still have 2 chapters to read!

Good luck to everyone running the Fired Up 5K! I'll keep my fingers crossed for some cooler, less humid morning temps and lots of PRs!

To swim or not to swim?

This afternoon, I'll have another attempt at the swim class. Will Mother Nature cooperate? I certainly hope so! After last week's interesting weather, I was beginning to wonder if maybe I wasn't meant to learn to swim. Maybe trying a tri one day, wasn't meant to be. Maybe I'm reading too much into this - let's-have- crazy-bad-weather-every-afternoon-now-that-you're-supposed-to-be-taking-swim-classes - stuff. :-)

I'm hoping to leave work on-time, so I can get in a loop around the park first. However, things at work have been interesting, so I'm not sure that leaving right on time will be in the cards today. I'm crossing my fingers!

Last night I did the ultimate workout...the Si6, 58 minute, "Burn it Up" workout. I love it, because I truly "feel the burn" when I do this one. It's kind of a Buns of Steel meets Tae Bo with lunges, squats and floorwork and some uppercuts, punches and kicks mixed in. I rarely do this workout on a consistent basis, because it is almost a full hour. Sometimes, it just seems impossible to commit to a full hour to work out. I was hoping to be nice and sore this morning, but I wasn't. Anyone else love being sore after a good workout? Or, I am I just weird? Wait, don't answer that!

Have a great day!

Party On Dude!

Have I mentioned that I work for a great company? Not only do they know how to work hard, they know how to play hard too. Last night, we had an outdoor event scheduled to begin at 5:30. Yep, that's right...it was right in the middle of that wonderful downpour, complete with thunder and an exciting lightening show. Not to worry, the storm was gone by 6:30. Thank goodness, because with the rain we couldn't have the carnival type of deliciously sinful, fried foods and the band couldn't play. For the 1st time probably a decade, I actually had a funnel cake! Well, okay, I had about 1/8 of a funnel cake...that was about all I could handle of that fried, sugary sweetness. And the band? They were great...they play a lot in Austin and College Station, and they'll be here in Houston at Blanco's in June! Check them out here.

I really didn't think I would get in a run last night. But, after having a 'rita and that funnel cake, I needed to run! And, it's not like I had to study. After the kiddo was in bed, I put on my running shoes and limped to the treadmill. Apparently that speedwork on the incline the day before was not a good idea. Thanks to my bum left foot, I had been limping around almost all day. What on earth was I thinking? I had been limping around all day and I wanted to go for a run? I opted for the 45 minute Si6 workout instead. At least lunges and squats are controlled and don't require the hard impact with the ground. Fortunately, my new medical insurance kicks in tomorrow. Looks like I'll be making a doctor's appointment!

This morning, I only had time for the 20 minute Si6 workout. Hardly seems worth it, but I figure it's better than nothing. Tonight is the happy hour with my classmates. I'm hoping to have time for another workout after that...I've really been wanting to try the Si6 abs workout!

My freedom from classrooms and textbooks is coming to an end. Sigh. I was really enjoying it, but I am ready to tackle this semester and get it done. The best part? After this semester, I will be halfway through the program. Then maybe I'll stop questioning my sanity about going back to school. Then again, maybe not.

Blah...

I don't feel like blogging today.

I got in part of my 45 minute Si6 workout this morning, but then the kiddo woke up and it was all over. :-) I managed to finish it tonight. I need to hit the books, but I'm having a hard time getting motivated. Sigh.

Another day

Nothing exciting to report.

This morning I managed to get in the 25 minute Si6 workout. Then, after meeting up with my group at school to work on our project, I picked up the kiddo and made it home around 8:45. Someone please tell me why I had to slow down to 20 mph and then to a dead stop over and over again on I-45 at 8:30 pm!?!? I just don't get it! Once the kiddo was in bed, I ran 2 miles on the treadmill. Now, it's time to hit the books for an hour. Thanks to my lack of motivation last week, I have some catching up to do.

Oh, and as I sit typing this, the hubby just called to let me know the in-laws were in town. They're staying with my sister-in-law tonight, but we're not sure about tomorrow and Friday. Guess I may not be getting in as much reading done tomorrow night and Friday night after all. Crap!

On a happier note, I received my new running skirts in the mail today! Yipee! I did try them out during my short treadmill run. I'll type more on this later...right now my marketing text is calling me.

Ho hum...

Nothing exciting to report. I am so excited that I am getting my hair cut and highlighted this afternoon! Yay, no more roots! And, the weather is looking great for Austin! Low around 32 at the start, warming up to the low 40's by the time I'm done running. I'll probably start with shorts, a short sleeve dri-fit shirt with a long sleeve on top and the all-important gloves. By the afternoon, it's supposed to warm-up to the mid-60s which makes for an awesome afternoon of shopping at the San Marcos outlets!

Last night, I did the 10-minute Si6 abs workout. Oh my God, talk about a painful 10 minutes! I wanted to steer clear of the squats and lunges until Sunday, since my knee is still hurting. I also ran for a quick 20 minutes on the treadmill. After my 1st mile, I was really feeling good. Even the knee felt pretty good. I really wanted to do 40, but I REALLY needed to do some cleaning and homework! I have to admit that our house has been a mess since school started and I just couldn't take it anymore! Between family, work, school and running, cleaning house has been booted pretty low on the list of priorities these days. I am seriously considering finding someone who can come in and clean thoroughly every couple of weeks!

Hope everyone has an awesome weekend! Good luck to everyone running Austin, I hope to see some of my fellow bloggers, Striders and Houston Fitters out there!!!

It's Tuesday! I have an eye doctor appointment tomorrow, a networking luncheon on Thursday and a 1/2 day off on Friday...so, this week is going to go by really fast! I love that!

Monday morning I did the 45-minute, killer Si6 workout again. More squats, lunges, floorwork, resistance bands...in other words, more hellish torture from the evil one. It is starting to get easier though. Before I know it, I will be moving up to the next level called "Burn it Up". That title alone scares me a bit.

This morning I woke up extra early to do the 25 minute Si6 workout. I needed something quick, because I wanted to get to work extra early to prepare for a training class. I was all ready to teach when the class ended up getting cancelled. Grrrr... Oh well, at least I'm prepared to teach it next time. Tonight, I am heading to the campus to check my Stat homework, then it's on to the Strider meeting. I wish I had my Garmin with me, but that can be the subject of an entirely different post...

That's all for now. After my long rant and pity post on Friday about my diet and weight, I have decided to start a seperate blog strictly for that purpose. Feel free to check it out if you want, but I think you'll find it boring. It's more of way to hold myself accountable than anything. Now, I won't have to bore you with my guilty feelings from eating candy or breakfast tacos!!! :-)

TGIF!

Friday. Finally. I'm ready for it to be here.

Last night, I went to WW. I gained .25 lbs.

It's time to re-focus folks.

I have been so inconsistent with my diet. Here's the pattern: I do great for a week or two and lose a couple of pounds. Then, I throw it all out the window for a few weeks and screw up everything I just worked to do. Next thing I know, 2 years has passed along with 2 years of paying for WW, and I am at the same weight as when I started. I would seriously hate to see how much weight I would gain if I didn't run and workout! Most people say, "OMG, all that running you do! You should be able to eat what you want!" Yeah, you'd think so. But, I seem to remember a little something from Economics 101 called the "Law of Diminishing Returns". Funny how you do end up using this stuff in real life after all, isn't it?

So I need to make a decision.

Either get back to eating right (not dieting), or just saying "screw it" and eat whatever the hell I want. Seriously. No grey area. No in-between. One or the other, because I am tired of this cycle of "Woohoo, I lost 3 lbs", followed by the horrible guilt of eating things I know will sabotage my diet. I seem to constantly go back and forth between the two. It's not that I can't eat the bad foods at all. I can. I just have to get back to eating them in moderation and balancing them with the healthy stuff in between. I guess it just bugs me, because when I was on WW before, it seemed so easy. I ate what I was supposed to and the weight came off. Sure I had a chocolate bar or a Coke mixed in there every so often, but I wouldn't go too crazy with it. I would balance it out with more veggies at dinner or earn more activity points. So why does this seem so hard now? I know how I feel when I gain weight and I know how unhappy I am when I move up a size....so, I know what decision I need to make. Eat right. I just need someone to tell that to the part of the brain that allows me to reason with myself. The part that says "It's okay, a couple of chocolate chip cookies won't hurt" followed by, "While you're at it, wash it down with a REAL Coke". :-)

So anyway, I did workout last night. 25 minutes of Si6, followed by 25 minutes on the treadmill, followed by 40 minutes of Marketing reading. (Damn those Marketing chapters are long!)

WTH?

This has been a weird morning. First, the kiddo came to sleep with me in the middle of the night. (Bad habit, I know!) Everytime I tried to get out of bed this morning, she woke up and gave me that "Mommy!" cry and I would have to lay back down. No workout, no studying this morning! Next, I try to fix my masthead, which has not been working since I was forced to switch to the new blogger last week. It didn't work...damn new blogger. Then, I am standing at Starbucks when I feel a wave of nausea come over me. I hurried to the ladies room and I didn't get sick, but thought that was odd. It might be the new mulit-vitamin I started taking today. Who knows? I feel better now, but the stomach feels a bit off. Finally, I get to work and realize the key to my office is IN my office. I had to ask our maintenance man to let me in. All in all, these aren't terrible things, but the combination of them all on the same day make me wonder how the rest of the day will be. :-) Better, I hope.

As for my workouts, let me catch you up.

Tuesday
I decided to give the next level of the Si6 series a try on Tuesday night. This particular workout is 46 minutes. Oh my God! This workout is more of the same exercises as the first one...a lot more. Plus, the evil woman added an arm workout with a modern-day torture device and a grueling session of floor work. I swear after the arm workout my arms felt all rubbery. It reminded me of my gymnastics days when I had a good workout on the uneven bars (which I sucked at by the way!). I actually had to take a rest toward the end of the floor work, because my glutes and hammies were screaming for me to stop. Oh wait, that was me screaming. See, I had to stop...I didn't want to wake the kiddo. I just knew I would be sore on Wednesday, but was suprised to find that it wasn't as bad as I expected. And the knee felt just fine both during and after the workout...well, except for the creaking sounds both of my knees made every time I did a squat or a lunge. I've noticed that before. Is that normal?

Wednesday
Since I was planning to run, I only did the 25 minute Si6 workout. The muscles were a little achey from the previous day's workout, but not too bad. Next, I ran 3 miles at an easy pace on the treadmill. I felt a bit of protest from my right knee and left shin, but nothing bad enough to make me stop. Overall, it was a good run. Oh, and it gave me an excuse to at least watch the first half of LOST. I love that show! I'm so glad it's back on....I've missed the Thursday morning LOST meetings at work where we analyze all the hidden links between the characters and clues. Yes, dear readers, we need a life! :-)

Such a tease

It was too freaking good to be true! I was sitting at my desk yesterday afternoon, turned around to look out the window and I see something that I almost didn't recognize - sunshine! And blue skies too! I guess I should have stared a little longer and really savored that moment, because 30 minutes later I looked again and it was gone. The blue skies were once again replaced with those all too familiar grey skies. Damn tease. That's all it was. Grrrrr...

Not much to report today. I managed to squeeze in 3 on the dreadmill last night. Earlier, before picking up the kiddo, I went to WW. I lost a whopping .25 lbs! But hey, considering what I ate at the luncheon in Austin on Wednesday and my occasional snacking on Valentine's Day candy at the office, I'll take any loss I can get. My goal for February is to lose 4 lbs. I think that's a very realistic goal.

This morning, I completed Day 5 of SI6! So far, so good.

In other news, the Wallow is out for me this weekend. The hubby wants to go fishing on Saturday and the only time my Mom is able to watch the kiddo is in the morning. Since I desperately need to finish my Statistics homework, I figure it might be best for me to utilize her babysitting time to head to the library and just do my long run on Sunday. I also know there will be many Saturdays ahead when the hubby will really want to go fishing, but won't be able to because I am in class all day!

Have a great weekend and good luck to everyone running the Wallow tomorrow.

New Workout

After the Houston 1/2 Marathon, I decided that I wanted to vary my workout routine a bit just to help avoid running burnout. Since I find it difficult to make time to go to a gym, I asked for a set of workout DVDs called "Slim in 6" for my birthday. Lucky me, my parents bought them for me! Woohooo! I have a friend who has used them and loved them, so I figured what the heck. It was either that or "Yoga Booty Ballet". (If I knew how to post links with this crappy ass new Blogger, I would!) The concept with Slim in Six is that you do one workout per day, 6 days a week and you see "dramatic" results within 6 weeks. The program also comes with 3 different eating plans, but I won't get into that...2 of them are really unrealistic for long-term weight loss, so I'm sticking to WW.

Yesterday was my 1st day to try this new workout and I love it! I used the 1st work out called "Start It Up" which is 25 minutes. At first, the workout seemed really easy. In fact, I thought I might need to switch to the next level of difficulty within a day or two. But, by the time I was done with the workout, my arm and leg muscles were beginning to "feel the burn". By midday, my glutes REALLY felt it! Hooray! I love that feeling, especially in those areas that need it most. :-)

Last night, I did hop on the treadmill for a quick 2-mile run. Since my muscles were sore from the morning workout and I did my LR the day before, I decided to take it easy. The run felt good, but as always, it took the 1st 10 minutes or so to get warmed up. My shins have been quiet while running for awhile now. That's great! However, they are sore if I touch the area with my hand...almost as if I have a bruise there. Weird. After my run, it was 45 minutes of Marketing. Fun.

This morning, I got in my 2nd "Slim in 6" workout. I am planning to run at least 3 miles tonight. I'm heading to Austin tomorrow for work to claim our "Best Places to Work in Texas" award from Texas Monthly Magazine, so I doubt I will get to run tomorrow.

Running Stats
Conditions - tredmill
Distance - 2 miles easy
Run time - 23:20
Pace - 11:40