Rest week....over....back to it. This week, not a rest week...that is for sure. It was a good week. This weekend has been a challenge - my allergies have really been bothering me. Yesterday morning after our bike ride, I could barely keep my eyes pried open - they were so swollen and red. I felt totally out of it. Ack. This time of year can be tough depending on the pollen levels!
Here is what the last week has been like:
2 hrs of swimming
4 hrs of cycling
3 hrs and 50 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 11 hours and 50 minutes.
Of course, this week is another week. One more week closer. After this week, we'll be half way there. That is hard to believe. Time sure does go fast. I'm working on enjoying the journey, not just focusing on the destination.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Too much time to think.
This morning, Trevor and I got up at 5 am to get in our bike ride before he needed to head to an event that we are sponsoring. As we were leaving the house, I said to him "this is wrong on so many levels". Seriously, what the hell is with us? The plan was to make two big loops - the scheduled ride was 2 hours and 20 minutes. I figured the loop plan would bring us back by the house in case we had to use the bathroom. Plus, we wouldn't be too far away from home if we had a flat tire or an issue.
We actually saw two newspaper carriers right when we started our ride. Wow. We WERE out there early!! There were almost no cars on the first loop and we saw no other bikers or runners. Towards the end of the first loop, Trevor said he was going to head for home so that he wouldn't be pressed for time and stressed out. That left me on my own for the last hour and twenty minutes of the ride.
The loop we rode was extremly hilly. I have been reading about the bike course at Lake Stevens and it is apparently, really hilly. I had a lot of time to think about things during my solo second loop. I thought mostly about August 16th and this crazy thing that we have decided to do. I thought of everything that could go wrong and worried about each other those things - flat tire, bike crash, injury, illness. Blah, blah, blah. The hills on my route started to scare me - I was concerned that being tired would make them that much harder. I finished the second loop with no problem in the same amount of time that I did the first loop.
I still had about 20 minutes left on my ride, so I went a little further and did one more big hill. By this time, the rest of the world was waking up. I saw several bikers and a few runners. I felt a little less alone. Overall, the ride was great and I felt like I could have kept going. But I didn't. Because I had to run.
I stopped at home and switched my gear from biking to running. I started off on my 20 minute run. About five minutes into my run, I had this thought "what is it all for?" Out of the blue, I started to wonder why I was doing all this. Seriously. Why? Why would I not be satisfied with sleeping in on a Saturday morning. Why would I not be satisfied with going to the gym a few hours a week. What is it that makes a person want to push themself to these limits?
I wondered how I would feel at the end of the 1/2 Ironman. Would I find the answer to the question then? Will it make sense to me? I came up with a few reasons why I think I wouldn't be satisfied with those other things, but I honestly have to say that I am not sure if those are really the reasons.
I know there is a reason and I know eventually, it will be clear to me. This question "what is it all for", didn't slow me down today, I kept on going and finished up my 2 hour and 40 minute workout. Tomorrow, an 11 mile run awaits. I feel great and am looking forward to the run. Maybe the reason is waiting for me there? I don't know. But I'll keep looking until I find it.
We actually saw two newspaper carriers right when we started our ride. Wow. We WERE out there early!! There were almost no cars on the first loop and we saw no other bikers or runners. Towards the end of the first loop, Trevor said he was going to head for home so that he wouldn't be pressed for time and stressed out. That left me on my own for the last hour and twenty minutes of the ride.
The loop we rode was extremly hilly. I have been reading about the bike course at Lake Stevens and it is apparently, really hilly. I had a lot of time to think about things during my solo second loop. I thought mostly about August 16th and this crazy thing that we have decided to do. I thought of everything that could go wrong and worried about each other those things - flat tire, bike crash, injury, illness. Blah, blah, blah. The hills on my route started to scare me - I was concerned that being tired would make them that much harder. I finished the second loop with no problem in the same amount of time that I did the first loop.
I still had about 20 minutes left on my ride, so I went a little further and did one more big hill. By this time, the rest of the world was waking up. I saw several bikers and a few runners. I felt a little less alone. Overall, the ride was great and I felt like I could have kept going. But I didn't. Because I had to run.
I stopped at home and switched my gear from biking to running. I started off on my 20 minute run. About five minutes into my run, I had this thought "what is it all for?" Out of the blue, I started to wonder why I was doing all this. Seriously. Why? Why would I not be satisfied with sleeping in on a Saturday morning. Why would I not be satisfied with going to the gym a few hours a week. What is it that makes a person want to push themself to these limits?
I wondered how I would feel at the end of the 1/2 Ironman. Would I find the answer to the question then? Will it make sense to me? I came up with a few reasons why I think I wouldn't be satisfied with those other things, but I honestly have to say that I am not sure if those are really the reasons.
I know there is a reason and I know eventually, it will be clear to me. This question "what is it all for", didn't slow me down today, I kept on going and finished up my 2 hour and 40 minute workout. Tomorrow, an 11 mile run awaits. I feel great and am looking forward to the run. Maybe the reason is waiting for me there? I don't know. But I'll keep looking until I find it.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Time for a new suit.
Last year, when I decided that I wanted to learn to swim, I bought a swimsuit. I bought the cheapest suit I could find at the first place I saw one. It has served me well over the last year. The last few weeks, I have noticed that this suit is showing some wear. Its a little too big, a little stretched out and when its wet, the crotch wants to be at my knees - I pull it up so that doesn't happen, but that's what it wants.
Yesterday morning I finally decided enough was enough and I needed a new suit. I have 11 more weeks of training - two pool swims per week - until August 16th. I have bought just about everything else I could get my hands on - swim cap, bike, bike gloves, sunglasses, new helmet, new bike shorts (my favorite purchase - I LOVE THEM), a new bike shirt....so why not give some love to the swim.
Today on my lunch break, I went to REI and picked up this baby:
I can't wait to wear her in the pool on Monday. I am sure she'll make me faster, my old one was kind of acting like a parachute.
I'd prefer to think I'll look more like this, only in the suit shown above:
Yesterday morning I finally decided enough was enough and I needed a new suit. I have 11 more weeks of training - two pool swims per week - until August 16th. I have bought just about everything else I could get my hands on - swim cap, bike, bike gloves, sunglasses, new helmet, new bike shorts (my favorite purchase - I LOVE THEM), a new bike shirt....so why not give some love to the swim.
Today on my lunch break, I went to REI and picked up this baby:
I can't wait to wear her in the pool on Monday. I am sure she'll make me faster, my old one was kind of acting like a parachute.
I'd prefer to think I'll look more like this, only in the suit shown above:
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tonight, I'm cleaning out my closet.
My husband and I are very much alike in many ways. In other ways, we could not be more different. Trevor is very unemotional. He is logical and makes decisions based on logic. In a crisis, he remains calm and cool, with all his wits about him. I, on the other hand, am an emotional wreck. My decisions are based on emotion most of the time - my first reaction is always emotional. And in a crisis, you can't count on me to remain calm.
These emotional qualities transfer to other parts of our lives as well. If you are looking for a man who will send you flowers and serenade you - Trevor is not your man. I have come to accept this, because he shows his love for me in so many other ways. He doesn't really get emotional about any people - he doesn't ever say that he "misses" someone. He doesn't cry at funerals. He's not sad when someone moves away. Its all part of life, he says.
There are, however, things he IS emotional about. The first is our pets. This is how I know that he does actually have emotions. He loves our 5 pets more than you can imagine. He loves all animals. Even stuffed animals. When he was a child - I'm thinking around 10 or so. He went to a little store by his house and there were some lamps, with stuffed bears on them. All the lamps had a bear and a baby bear - except one. That lamp had a single bear on it. Trevor felt bad for the bear because it was all alone. So he bought that lamp. And still has it.
I tell this story because over the weekend, we did a major house cleaning. We have lived in this house for 8 years. Every closest, every drawer, every inch of possible storage space was full. I don't really know where all this stuff came from. The past few months, it has been strangling me. Now that our store is open, we have less time to take care of things at home. I feel like every time I come home there is laundry to do, dirty dishes in the sink, clean dishes in the dishwasher needing put away. I feel overwhelmed. For a while now I have wanted to get a dumpster and put it in the front yard and throw out everything.
This feeling boiled over right after Christmas. Our vet had delivered us a holiday package. I'm pretty sure it must have only been sent to his top revenue producing patients, because it was a lot of stuff. One of the items was this:
Which is nice, but what the hell am I going to do with that? We had it in the front room for a while and then we were cleaning up. Trevor gave it to me to take upstairs and put in a closet. I refused. I said we should just throw it away. Trevor got really upset and started talking about how someone made this nice gesture to give it to us and we can't just throw it away - we should give it to someone. This went on for a while and ended with Trevor saying something like this "if we have to throw this away, we should throw your wedding dress away too". At that point, I was ready for a divorce. I could not understand how this person who had no emotional attachment to anything human, could have so much emotional attachment to such things!
In the end, Trevor put this present from our vet in the garage. This past weekend, Trevor surprised me by being very aggressive with the house cleaning. He didn't show emotion to things, like I expected. Few items made the cut - we took three truck loads of stuff to Goodwill and another truck load to the dump. We can now see the floors of the closet and have lots of drawers that are empty. The garage floor is clean, things are in their place. I feel lighter, more free, uncluttered.
There are, of course, a few things that we did not give or throw away....and here are two of them. And should there ever be a divorce - these are the only two things I will want.
These emotional qualities transfer to other parts of our lives as well. If you are looking for a man who will send you flowers and serenade you - Trevor is not your man. I have come to accept this, because he shows his love for me in so many other ways. He doesn't really get emotional about any people - he doesn't ever say that he "misses" someone. He doesn't cry at funerals. He's not sad when someone moves away. Its all part of life, he says.
There are, however, things he IS emotional about. The first is our pets. This is how I know that he does actually have emotions. He loves our 5 pets more than you can imagine. He loves all animals. Even stuffed animals. When he was a child - I'm thinking around 10 or so. He went to a little store by his house and there were some lamps, with stuffed bears on them. All the lamps had a bear and a baby bear - except one. That lamp had a single bear on it. Trevor felt bad for the bear because it was all alone. So he bought that lamp. And still has it.
I tell this story because over the weekend, we did a major house cleaning. We have lived in this house for 8 years. Every closest, every drawer, every inch of possible storage space was full. I don't really know where all this stuff came from. The past few months, it has been strangling me. Now that our store is open, we have less time to take care of things at home. I feel like every time I come home there is laundry to do, dirty dishes in the sink, clean dishes in the dishwasher needing put away. I feel overwhelmed. For a while now I have wanted to get a dumpster and put it in the front yard and throw out everything.
This feeling boiled over right after Christmas. Our vet had delivered us a holiday package. I'm pretty sure it must have only been sent to his top revenue producing patients, because it was a lot of stuff. One of the items was this:
Which is nice, but what the hell am I going to do with that? We had it in the front room for a while and then we were cleaning up. Trevor gave it to me to take upstairs and put in a closet. I refused. I said we should just throw it away. Trevor got really upset and started talking about how someone made this nice gesture to give it to us and we can't just throw it away - we should give it to someone. This went on for a while and ended with Trevor saying something like this "if we have to throw this away, we should throw your wedding dress away too". At that point, I was ready for a divorce. I could not understand how this person who had no emotional attachment to anything human, could have so much emotional attachment to such things!
In the end, Trevor put this present from our vet in the garage. This past weekend, Trevor surprised me by being very aggressive with the house cleaning. He didn't show emotion to things, like I expected. Few items made the cut - we took three truck loads of stuff to Goodwill and another truck load to the dump. We can now see the floors of the closet and have lots of drawers that are empty. The garage floor is clean, things are in their place. I feel lighter, more free, uncluttered.
There are, of course, a few things that we did not give or throw away....and here are two of them. And should there ever be a divorce - these are the only two things I will want.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
And on the 8th week, she rested. (aka 8 down, 12 to go)
This is the 8th week of triathlon training and it was a "recovery" week. I needed it and I feel the love that this recovery week provided. My body is much less sore and tired. I got an awesome 90 minute massage yesterday and got all the tightness worked out. I am ready for next week. I have three tough weeks, then another recovery week.
Our first event is on June 21st. It is a sprint distance - 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. The swim is in the Columbia River, which is a bit scary to me. We will be purchasing wetsuits next weekend and then starting to do at least on open water swim in the lake by our house (more like a pond, than a lake). My hope is that will cut down on the anxiety I feel getting into the open water. It is crazy to think that June 21st isn't that far away.
Here is what the last week has been like:
1 hr and 45 min of swimming
2 hrs and 40 min of cycling
2 hrs and 15 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 8 hours and 40 minutes.
See...clearly a recovery week. Here's to one more week down, one less week to go!!!
Our first event is on June 21st. It is a sprint distance - 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3.1 mile run. The swim is in the Columbia River, which is a bit scary to me. We will be purchasing wetsuits next weekend and then starting to do at least on open water swim in the lake by our house (more like a pond, than a lake). My hope is that will cut down on the anxiety I feel getting into the open water. It is crazy to think that June 21st isn't that far away.
Here is what the last week has been like:
1 hr and 45 min of swimming
2 hrs and 40 min of cycling
2 hrs and 15 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 8 hours and 40 minutes.
See...clearly a recovery week. Here's to one more week down, one less week to go!!!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I am the unicorn
I have this picture hanging in my workout room. I look at it almost every day.
The first time I saw it, it made me incredibly sad for the rhino. No matter how much work she did, no matter how long she ran on that treadmill, she would never be a unicorn. I think the reason that it made me so sad was because it reminded me of myself. It reminded me of wanting to be something else so badly - instead of just making the best of who I was and what I had.
Don't misunderstand me - I am not saying that the rhino should not try to be better or improve. I am just saying that the picture she has hanging on her wall, of what she wants to become - should at least be a fabulous look rhino - instead of some unicorn that may not even exist.
Women, are the worst at looking at someone else and wishing they could look like that too. The goal should be to be the best YOU can be, not to look like someone else. We are so bombarded with images of how we should look - magazines, TV shows, movies. We see these beautiful, blemish free, thin, non-cellulite having, never a bad hair day, perfectly clothed, unchipped nail polished women. We see them and expect that its possible for us to also look that way....all the time.
It made me sad because I get up every morning at 4:30 and workout. I workout hard. I pay a lot of attention to how and what I eat. I do research, I am educated. I am at a healthy weight. Yet, more often that not, I don't like how I look. That makes me sad. I had the picture hanging up where I will see it everyday so it can serve as a reminder. A reminder, that I need to be the best I can be and that's it. I focus more on what my body can do and has done. I focus on being proud of my accomplishments and of my effort. I focus on being the best rhino I can be, instead of giving it everything I've got and then being disappointed because I'm not a unicorn. Because really..we are all unicorns in our own way.
The first time I saw it, it made me incredibly sad for the rhino. No matter how much work she did, no matter how long she ran on that treadmill, she would never be a unicorn. I think the reason that it made me so sad was because it reminded me of myself. It reminded me of wanting to be something else so badly - instead of just making the best of who I was and what I had.
Don't misunderstand me - I am not saying that the rhino should not try to be better or improve. I am just saying that the picture she has hanging on her wall, of what she wants to become - should at least be a fabulous look rhino - instead of some unicorn that may not even exist.
Women, are the worst at looking at someone else and wishing they could look like that too. The goal should be to be the best YOU can be, not to look like someone else. We are so bombarded with images of how we should look - magazines, TV shows, movies. We see these beautiful, blemish free, thin, non-cellulite having, never a bad hair day, perfectly clothed, unchipped nail polished women. We see them and expect that its possible for us to also look that way....all the time.
It made me sad because I get up every morning at 4:30 and workout. I workout hard. I pay a lot of attention to how and what I eat. I do research, I am educated. I am at a healthy weight. Yet, more often that not, I don't like how I look. That makes me sad. I had the picture hanging up where I will see it everyday so it can serve as a reminder. A reminder, that I need to be the best I can be and that's it. I focus more on what my body can do and has done. I focus on being proud of my accomplishments and of my effort. I focus on being the best rhino I can be, instead of giving it everything I've got and then being disappointed because I'm not a unicorn. Because really..we are all unicorns in our own way.
Eyes Wide Shut
Trevor and I have lived in our house in Vancouver for almost 8 years now. We have been running for about 7 years now. We've been riding bikes for about two years now. We know lots of different paths to run and ride down in Portland. We've seen the trailhead to a path by our house several times, but have never been on it and honestly, never really thought much about it.
Last week, our marathon training group - Vancouver Fit - ran a route that went on part of this trail, only on the other side of town. The people I was running with were talking about how this trail was like 30 miles long and what a great path it is.
This morning, Trevor and I went for our Saturday morning training ride. We took this path and after a bit, I turned and looked at Trevor and said, "I feel like we'vee been living with our eyes shut". How could this amazing trail be 2 miles from our house, all these years and we have NEVER been on it.
There is a trail in Portland called Leif Erikson and we found that about two years ago and felt the same way. It is awesome to find something new. I can't wait to spend more time on that trail. It is a good lesson - take the time to look around you - you never know what you might find!
Last week, our marathon training group - Vancouver Fit - ran a route that went on part of this trail, only on the other side of town. The people I was running with were talking about how this trail was like 30 miles long and what a great path it is.
This morning, Trevor and I went for our Saturday morning training ride. We took this path and after a bit, I turned and looked at Trevor and said, "I feel like we'vee been living with our eyes shut". How could this amazing trail be 2 miles from our house, all these years and we have NEVER been on it.
There is a trail in Portland called Leif Erikson and we found that about two years ago and felt the same way. It is awesome to find something new. I can't wait to spend more time on that trail. It is a good lesson - take the time to look around you - you never know what you might find!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I must be getting old...
Last night, I was flipping through channels and found one of my favorite movies of all time "Dirty Dancing". After watching it for a bit, I realized it was on the ABC family channel. I can't remember when I realized that - either during the botched abortion scene or when Johnny says, "I need this goddamn job lined up for next year", or when Baby was running her hand across Johnny's butt before they had sex. I was glad I didn't have kids, because if we were watching the family channel and this movie came on, there'd be lots of questions to answer.
Have we, as society, come so far that this is considered family programming? I must be getting old. Trevor would say that I'm being too sensitive.
Have we, as society, come so far that this is considered family programming? I must be getting old. Trevor would say that I'm being too sensitive.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
7 down, 13 to go....
The first line of the LL Cool J song "knock you out" comes to my mind right now....
"Don't call it a comeback". Feeling the way I felt all week and on Friday, I could never have imagined that I would feel as good today as I feel. As my previous posts might have given away, this has been an EXHAUSTING week. Seriously. There were a few times that I wondered how I was going to make it through this all. I kept pushing on and did not leave any room for backing down. Wednesday night, I was coming home from work, knowing that I had a 50 min bike ride followed by a 15 minute run. It was pouring rain, I had a tension headache from my neck and shoulders being so tight. For a minute, I thought "maybe I could just take tonight off". Then I realized that I could not, in fact, take it off. I needed to just get through it and soon enough it would be my rest day.
Then my rest day came and I felt like complete shit all ay long. After work, I had a nutrition seminar at a local gym. I got there about 20 minutes early and considered sleeping in my car for those 20 minutes.
Saturday morning, we had a 2 hour and five minute bike ride, followed by a 20 min run. It started at 6:30 and I honestly felt pretty good. The rest of the day, I felt good. This morning we ran 9 miles and I felt GREAT. Its almost 4 pm and I am not feeling like I need to go to bed.
This is good news, because I am now in a recovery week. Workouts this week will still be tough, but they won't be like last week. I am really looking forward to that. I am excited that I ended this week feeling so good. Especially since it all starts again tomorrow morning at 4:15 am.
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
I'll break it down by day, to give you a better idea.
Mon:
am - swim 60 min, followed by 15 min bike ride
Tues:
am - 60 min weights, 45 minute run
pm - 30 min bike ride
Wed:
am - 60 min swim
pm - 50 min bike ride followed by 15 min run
Thurs:
am - 60 min weights, 40 min run
Fri:
REST
Sat:
am - 2 hour, 5 min bike, followed by 20 min rud
Sun:
am - 1 hour and 35 min run.
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 40 min of cycling
3 hrs and 35 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 11 hours and 15 minutes.
Whew.
"Don't call it a comeback". Feeling the way I felt all week and on Friday, I could never have imagined that I would feel as good today as I feel. As my previous posts might have given away, this has been an EXHAUSTING week. Seriously. There were a few times that I wondered how I was going to make it through this all. I kept pushing on and did not leave any room for backing down. Wednesday night, I was coming home from work, knowing that I had a 50 min bike ride followed by a 15 minute run. It was pouring rain, I had a tension headache from my neck and shoulders being so tight. For a minute, I thought "maybe I could just take tonight off". Then I realized that I could not, in fact, take it off. I needed to just get through it and soon enough it would be my rest day.
Then my rest day came and I felt like complete shit all ay long. After work, I had a nutrition seminar at a local gym. I got there about 20 minutes early and considered sleeping in my car for those 20 minutes.
Saturday morning, we had a 2 hour and five minute bike ride, followed by a 20 min run. It started at 6:30 and I honestly felt pretty good. The rest of the day, I felt good. This morning we ran 9 miles and I felt GREAT. Its almost 4 pm and I am not feeling like I need to go to bed.
This is good news, because I am now in a recovery week. Workouts this week will still be tough, but they won't be like last week. I am really looking forward to that. I am excited that I ended this week feeling so good. Especially since it all starts again tomorrow morning at 4:15 am.
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
I'll break it down by day, to give you a better idea.
Mon:
am - swim 60 min, followed by 15 min bike ride
Tues:
am - 60 min weights, 45 minute run
pm - 30 min bike ride
Wed:
am - 60 min swim
pm - 50 min bike ride followed by 15 min run
Thurs:
am - 60 min weights, 40 min run
Fri:
REST
Sat:
am - 2 hour, 5 min bike, followed by 20 min rud
Sun:
am - 1 hour and 35 min run.
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 40 min of cycling
3 hrs and 35 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 11 hours and 15 minutes.
Whew.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What a great day.
Saturday. The day that most people sleep in, enjoy a cup of coffee and breakfast in their jammies. A day to recovery and relax. Not in my house. We were up at 6 am this morning and on the road by 6:30. 2 hours and 5 minutes of a bike ride. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out, it was a little chilly, but once we got going, we warmed up.
Trevor and I rode down by the river on a road with a really wide shoulder. I like this ride for many reasons. Mostly because we can ride side by side and talk. I like that - it makes the time go faster and it makes riding together worth it. We went about 30 miles. Not bad. On August 16th, we'll just swim for an hour before, then ride that two times, then run 13.1 miles. Wow. That puts it in perspective!
We got home, without incident, and then I ran for 20 minutes. Trevor jumped in the shower and headed to karate for 2 hours. During my run, I was thinking about the swim portion of the triathlon and honestly, I started to feel a little scared.
I took swim lessons last year in June, so I am very new to this swimming situation. Sure, before my lessons I could survive in the water if I had to, but I could not swim laps in the pool. I can get in the pool now and swim for an hour - which is over 1.2 miles, but there is something about an hour in open water that makes me real nervous. I feel pretty sure I can ride and run - its just a matter of moving forward. But the swim. Ugh, the swim.
I need to spend some serious time visualizing that swim. I've got a few months to train my brain on that one. I'll need every minute of it!
Now I am working the store, waiting for Trevor to show up with my lunch. I am STARVING. The sun is shining, I think everyone is out enjoying it. Except me. I enjoyed it at 6:30 this morning!
Trevor and I rode down by the river on a road with a really wide shoulder. I like this ride for many reasons. Mostly because we can ride side by side and talk. I like that - it makes the time go faster and it makes riding together worth it. We went about 30 miles. Not bad. On August 16th, we'll just swim for an hour before, then ride that two times, then run 13.1 miles. Wow. That puts it in perspective!
We got home, without incident, and then I ran for 20 minutes. Trevor jumped in the shower and headed to karate for 2 hours. During my run, I was thinking about the swim portion of the triathlon and honestly, I started to feel a little scared.
I took swim lessons last year in June, so I am very new to this swimming situation. Sure, before my lessons I could survive in the water if I had to, but I could not swim laps in the pool. I can get in the pool now and swim for an hour - which is over 1.2 miles, but there is something about an hour in open water that makes me real nervous. I feel pretty sure I can ride and run - its just a matter of moving forward. But the swim. Ugh, the swim.
I need to spend some serious time visualizing that swim. I've got a few months to train my brain on that one. I'll need every minute of it!
Now I am working the store, waiting for Trevor to show up with my lunch. I am STARVING. The sun is shining, I think everyone is out enjoying it. Except me. I enjoyed it at 6:30 this morning!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Good Grief
This week has been exhausting. seriously exhausting. Today was a rest day from my training, I got to sleep in about 45 minutes, then the pets were going nuts because we were off schedule. The cats were dying from hunger and the dogs were dying to pee. Thanks Guys.
This week, I have had the worst tension headache - the muscles in my shoulders, back and next have been So tight. I wanted to get through the workouts and see the dr before my rest day. I went to see Dr. May yesterday and he really worked out the knots. At one point, I believe he was standing on a chair, leaning over with his full body weight on his elbow, which was digging into my neck muscle. It took about 90 minutes, but he was able to get all those knots to release.
After the dr was done with me, I went into their bathroom and sat in a chair and tried to compose myself. All the tension and toxins in those knots were now flowing through my body. Wow, did I feel awful. I went back to work and felt progressively drained through out the day.
This morning I woke up with a headache and a twitching eye. The headache is gone, my body feels better and my eye is only twitching every now and then.
A friend asked me how I know when I'm pushing myself too hard. Here is the crazy thing...I am supposed to be pushing so hard that it feels too hard. Next week is a recovery week, so it will be much lighter. Then I"ll push again for three weeks, then recovery. The idea is to progressively improve.
I keep thinking that on the day of the 70.3 triathlon, at some point, I'll be tired and so I better prepare to push through that. Because it will be hard. So its only right that the training is hard. As Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own "Its supposed to be hard, if it was easy, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great".
Tomorrow morning, Trevor and I will set out for a 2 hour bike ride. Followed by a 20 minute run. Sunday - a 9 mile run. Can't wait.
This week, I have had the worst tension headache - the muscles in my shoulders, back and next have been So tight. I wanted to get through the workouts and see the dr before my rest day. I went to see Dr. May yesterday and he really worked out the knots. At one point, I believe he was standing on a chair, leaning over with his full body weight on his elbow, which was digging into my neck muscle. It took about 90 minutes, but he was able to get all those knots to release.
After the dr was done with me, I went into their bathroom and sat in a chair and tried to compose myself. All the tension and toxins in those knots were now flowing through my body. Wow, did I feel awful. I went back to work and felt progressively drained through out the day.
This morning I woke up with a headache and a twitching eye. The headache is gone, my body feels better and my eye is only twitching every now and then.
A friend asked me how I know when I'm pushing myself too hard. Here is the crazy thing...I am supposed to be pushing so hard that it feels too hard. Next week is a recovery week, so it will be much lighter. Then I"ll push again for three weeks, then recovery. The idea is to progressively improve.
I keep thinking that on the day of the 70.3 triathlon, at some point, I'll be tired and so I better prepare to push through that. Because it will be hard. So its only right that the training is hard. As Tom Hanks said in A League of Their Own "Its supposed to be hard, if it was easy, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great".
Tomorrow morning, Trevor and I will set out for a 2 hour bike ride. Followed by a 20 minute run. Sunday - a 9 mile run. Can't wait.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
This is the story of my life
Yesterday, Trevor graduated from college. He had his Associates degree since right after high school. He had always wanted to go back and get his bachelor's degree. A few years ago, he went to work for a company that offered a tuition reimbursement program. He took advantage of that and enrolled in an adult degree program immediately upon being hired.
Trevor has spent the last two years, going to school one or two nights a week, doing homework on the weekends and at night after I've gone to bed. Yesterday, it was complete and he walked across the stage to accept his diploma.
As I was sitting in the audience, with his mom and dad, I started to think of all the events that we use as markers in our lives. This was one of them. Many of the people who were graduating were in their early 20s. They were just beginning their lives. Others were starting over - older people, going back to school to change their career paths. The ones like Trevor, were finishing up something they started many years ago.
The graduation served as a reminder to me, that everyday we write the story of our lives. Everyone has a story and everyone's story is interesting and important in its own way.
Here's the thing about a great story - it has surprises, twists and turns. And you don't know how it will turn out in the end. That is also the thing about a great life - it too has suprsies, twists and turns. And just because it starts one way, doesn't mean it has to end that way. It can end is so many different ways. You control your story. You write your story. You write it every day. Each day, then, becomes an opportunity to start a new page. To work towards having the story end the way you want it to end.
What will your story be?
Trevor has spent the last two years, going to school one or two nights a week, doing homework on the weekends and at night after I've gone to bed. Yesterday, it was complete and he walked across the stage to accept his diploma.
As I was sitting in the audience, with his mom and dad, I started to think of all the events that we use as markers in our lives. This was one of them. Many of the people who were graduating were in their early 20s. They were just beginning their lives. Others were starting over - older people, going back to school to change their career paths. The ones like Trevor, were finishing up something they started many years ago.
The graduation served as a reminder to me, that everyday we write the story of our lives. Everyone has a story and everyone's story is interesting and important in its own way.
Here's the thing about a great story - it has surprises, twists and turns. And you don't know how it will turn out in the end. That is also the thing about a great life - it too has suprsies, twists and turns. And just because it starts one way, doesn't mean it has to end that way. It can end is so many different ways. You control your story. You write your story. You write it every day. Each day, then, becomes an opportunity to start a new page. To work towards having the story end the way you want it to end.
What will your story be?
6 down, 14 to go
I cannot believe this training has been going on for six weeks. Time is flying by.
This week has been tough. Wow. I'm tired and right now, my throat is scratchy. I KNOW I am not getting sick, maybe allergies....or just tired. I'm sure I'll feel good after a long nights sleep tonight!
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 20 min of cycling
3 hrs and 25 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 10 hours and 45 minutes.
INSANE. My body is asking me what the hell I am thinking. I am thinking this is the way I get ready for a 70.3 Ironman.
We had a really nice long ride yesterday - just about 2 hours. It was sunny and about 70 degrees. We took a nice ride north through the rolling hills of Ridgefield. There wasn't too much traffic. About two miles from home, we turned up a steep hill, Trevor forget how the gears on his bike work, his chain dropped and he fell over. Shockingly - he does not have a single scratch on his body. Amazing. I guess it was bound to happen eventually!
This morning was an 8 mile run - I felt good, but I am pretty tired right now. No rest for the weary, tomorrow is a swim and bike ride. The start of week 7...
This week has been tough. Wow. I'm tired and right now, my throat is scratchy. I KNOW I am not getting sick, maybe allergies....or just tired. I'm sure I'll feel good after a long nights sleep tonight!
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 20 min of cycling
3 hrs and 25 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 10 hours and 45 minutes.
INSANE. My body is asking me what the hell I am thinking. I am thinking this is the way I get ready for a 70.3 Ironman.
We had a really nice long ride yesterday - just about 2 hours. It was sunny and about 70 degrees. We took a nice ride north through the rolling hills of Ridgefield. There wasn't too much traffic. About two miles from home, we turned up a steep hill, Trevor forget how the gears on his bike work, his chain dropped and he fell over. Shockingly - he does not have a single scratch on his body. Amazing. I guess it was bound to happen eventually!
This morning was an 8 mile run - I felt good, but I am pretty tired right now. No rest for the weary, tomorrow is a swim and bike ride. The start of week 7...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Now its getting ridiculous
Up again this morning to swim. My schedule calls for swimming on Mon and Wed. Monday I had my swim cap situation, so as you know, I swam yesterday - which was Tuesday. Today i was back on track - until I got to the gym at 5 am and realized I had left something at home - sitting on the bench next to my bag:
The women in the ladies locker room are going to start to complain about the cursing that has been happening there at 5 am. This makes three days this week that I've been to the gym before 5 am and only one day that I have actually worked out there.
I drove home and did my weight workout scheduled for tomorrow, today. Gus was very happy with this. I kept thinking about how good it is to be flexible....right. Then I made a mental note to put my extra swim cap in the bottom of my gym bag, so I'll have it for emergencies.
Tonight is a 45 minute bike ride, which will be done on the trainer in the garage since it is POURING RAIN out. This will be followed by a 15 min run in the POURING RAIN. My favorite.
Tomorrow, its back to the gym for another shot at the swim. Maybe I should start sleeping with my swim cap on so that I won't forget it.
The women in the ladies locker room are going to start to complain about the cursing that has been happening there at 5 am. This makes three days this week that I've been to the gym before 5 am and only one day that I have actually worked out there.
I drove home and did my weight workout scheduled for tomorrow, today. Gus was very happy with this. I kept thinking about how good it is to be flexible....right. Then I made a mental note to put my extra swim cap in the bottom of my gym bag, so I'll have it for emergencies.
Tonight is a 45 minute bike ride, which will be done on the trainer in the garage since it is POURING RAIN out. This will be followed by a 15 min run in the POURING RAIN. My favorite.
Tomorrow, its back to the gym for another shot at the swim. Maybe I should start sleeping with my swim cap on so that I won't forget it.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The takeover is complete
The aliens have completely taken over Trevor. He got up with me at 4:10 and went to the gym to swim. What's next? (for those of you who don't know - that picture is from the movie Men In Black - its a farmer who was over-taken by an alien)
Monday, May 4, 2009
The importance of being flexible
This morning, I got up at my normal 4:30 and headed to the gym for my hour long Monday morning swim. I got there and put all my stuff in my locker, hung up my towel and went to the shower to rinse off before I got in the pool. I got out and went to put on my swim cap and it tore into two pieces. Luckily, there aren't too many other women in the locker room at that time because I said a curse word that echoed through the tiled rooms.
I stood there, trying to figure out what the best plan was. I decided that I'd give it a shot, sans cap. After about 30 seconds in the water, I knew that wasn't going to work. My hair was in my face (even though I had it in a ponytail), my ears were plugged with water (that cap does a great job of keeping those dry) and I just couldn't focus.
I said to myself "be flexible. adjust". I got out of the pool and headed for home. Once there I did an hour long weight and ab workout. I finished up with enough time to take Wookie and Opal for their morning walk.
Today at lunchtime, I braved the pouring rain to go get a new swim cap.
Tomorrow morning, I'll get up at 4:10 to head to the gym, swim for an hour, and then come home and run for 40 minutes. Woohoo. Trevor said he was going to go swim with me. If he actually does that, it will be yet another example of how the aliens have overtaken him. The man I married would never get up that early to workout. I hope he does, it will be one more step towards utter and complete craziness.
See you in the morning.
I stood there, trying to figure out what the best plan was. I decided that I'd give it a shot, sans cap. After about 30 seconds in the water, I knew that wasn't going to work. My hair was in my face (even though I had it in a ponytail), my ears were plugged with water (that cap does a great job of keeping those dry) and I just couldn't focus.
I said to myself "be flexible. adjust". I got out of the pool and headed for home. Once there I did an hour long weight and ab workout. I finished up with enough time to take Wookie and Opal for their morning walk.
Today at lunchtime, I braved the pouring rain to go get a new swim cap.
Tomorrow morning, I'll get up at 4:10 to head to the gym, swim for an hour, and then come home and run for 40 minutes. Woohoo. Trevor said he was going to go swim with me. If he actually does that, it will be yet another example of how the aliens have overtaken him. The man I married would never get up that early to workout. I hope he does, it will be one more step towards utter and complete craziness.
See you in the morning.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
5 down, 15 to go
Wow. This week was a doozy. I didn't realize that last week really WAS an easy week. I did enjoy this week more than any of the previous ones. I feel like my body is actually getting used to working out twice a day - it doesn't expect to lay on the couch when I get home from work, instead it expects to ride the bike or run.
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 5 min of cycling
2 hrs and 15 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 9 hours and 20 minutes.
Crazy thing is that this coming week will be MORE.
It is that time of year where more people are getting outside - riding their bikes, running, walking their dogs. Its funny to see people out in the mornings. I used to be out there all alone, but now that its getting light out, please must feel more comfortable being outside.
The pool at the gym is also busier. It is alot easier to go get in the water when the temperature is over 30 degrees! It helps me to get to the gym at 5 and see three or four other crazy people already in the pool!
So, that's the update - enjoy your week!
Here is what the last 6 days have entailed:
(a total of)
2 hrs of swimming
3 hrs and 5 min of cycling
2 hrs and 15 min of running
2 hrs of weights/ab workouts
for a grand total of 9 hours and 20 minutes.
Crazy thing is that this coming week will be MORE.
It is that time of year where more people are getting outside - riding their bikes, running, walking their dogs. Its funny to see people out in the mornings. I used to be out there all alone, but now that its getting light out, please must feel more comfortable being outside.
The pool at the gym is also busier. It is alot easier to go get in the water when the temperature is over 30 degrees! It helps me to get to the gym at 5 and see three or four other crazy people already in the pool!
So, that's the update - enjoy your week!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Idiots
"Even when you are surrounded by idiots, they are still the idiots" - Daria
Do you ever find yourself seeing all the things that are wrong around you, all the idiots and the idiotic things they do and wonder to yourself "maybe I am the idiot". I wonder that every now and then, which is why I have the quote above hanging on my bulletin board at work. It serves as a reminder, that I am not the idiot, no matter how many of them may surround me. Now - you may disagree with that, but this is my blog. So I decide who the idiots are.
They last few days have not been particularly good ones as far as my newspaper life goes. As you may know, I work in a place that is being dismantled before my eyes. I work in an industry that has run itself into the ground, all the while blaming outside forces. Thursday afternoon, there were some more layoffs of part time works at my paper. The sick feeling I had in my stomach when I heard that news, is still with me now as I write it here.
Then, at 4:14 today, The Columbian, the local newspaper in Vancouver filed for Chapter 11. What follows is where the idiots come in....
In January of 2008, The Columbian completed and moved into a $40 million dollar beautiful, state of the art building in downtown Vancouver. To make the story a little more exciting, the Publisher of The Columbian and his "development group" developed the property and the building. Then leased it back to the paper (at least that is how I understand it). Shortly after the move into the new building, like the same month, they realized that their revenues were short and so what did they do....layed people off. So let's say you work for The Columbian and you just moved into your brand new office in the brand new building and now you have no job. How would you feel about that?
Over the next year, things got worse - because of the economy...I mean....who knew that things would get tougher for newspapers. Here is the quote from the publisher ""Our new downtown office building, which could have been paid off with our modest profits in a normal or even a conventional bad economy, contributed to our problem. But our debt peaked at the same time the economy stumbled, and the scope of the downturn exceeded my worst fears,". Your debt peaked at the same time the economy tumbled. What an awful conincidence. How could you have known?
They spent the next year laying people off and finally at the beginning of this year made the decision to move back into their old building. Then it was reported that Bank of America had The Columbian in foreclosure.
This is the true American story. What you have works just fine, does just fine, has served you just fine for many years. But you want more, you have to have more - you have to say "look what we have" and so even though all the signs are telling you its a bad decision, you go buy something you can't afford, don't need and won't be able to pay for. Then, you blame everyone and everything else when things don't work out.
Why is it that I knew it was a stupid idea to build that new building, but the people making those decisions, the people responsible for hundreds of jobs, thousands of advertisers and subscribers, didn't know.
Do I sound mad? I am mad. I am so tired of the people who we count on to bring us the truth, the clear story, not being able to tie their own shoes. Here's another quote for you: "Despite the financial setbacks, Campbell (The Columbian's Publisher) is optimistic about the future." Christ. Are you kidding me. Maybe you should pull your head out of your ass, stop trying to make people feel better and take a good hard look at what is ACTUALLY going on.
This story I have just told you is at the root of the newspaper business' demise. We lack the ability to see and acknowledge the truth. It has been that way the entire 13 years I have been involved. It is that way in many other businesses, I know. Here's the irony...we are supposed the ones that report the truth.
And here's the thing. I LOVE THE COLUMBIAN. Our business advertises in the paper and you know what, it works. They have mentioned us in their business section every now and then and that drives business into our store. I read the paper and they hold the record for reporting things that I had not previously known. It is rare to go out and get the paper in the morning and see something on the front page the you haven't already seen online, on TV or heard on the radio. When that happens, I am excited, no matter what the news is. I believe those are the times that newspapers are at their best. The Columbian does that. I think the anger comes from the fear of losing these things that I love. Because when they are gone, what happens next. That's another post for another day.
I exhausted now.
Do you ever find yourself seeing all the things that are wrong around you, all the idiots and the idiotic things they do and wonder to yourself "maybe I am the idiot". I wonder that every now and then, which is why I have the quote above hanging on my bulletin board at work. It serves as a reminder, that I am not the idiot, no matter how many of them may surround me. Now - you may disagree with that, but this is my blog. So I decide who the idiots are.
They last few days have not been particularly good ones as far as my newspaper life goes. As you may know, I work in a place that is being dismantled before my eyes. I work in an industry that has run itself into the ground, all the while blaming outside forces. Thursday afternoon, there were some more layoffs of part time works at my paper. The sick feeling I had in my stomach when I heard that news, is still with me now as I write it here.
Then, at 4:14 today, The Columbian, the local newspaper in Vancouver filed for Chapter 11. What follows is where the idiots come in....
In January of 2008, The Columbian completed and moved into a $40 million dollar beautiful, state of the art building in downtown Vancouver. To make the story a little more exciting, the Publisher of The Columbian and his "development group" developed the property and the building. Then leased it back to the paper (at least that is how I understand it). Shortly after the move into the new building, like the same month, they realized that their revenues were short and so what did they do....layed people off. So let's say you work for The Columbian and you just moved into your brand new office in the brand new building and now you have no job. How would you feel about that?
Over the next year, things got worse - because of the economy...I mean....who knew that things would get tougher for newspapers. Here is the quote from the publisher ""Our new downtown office building, which could have been paid off with our modest profits in a normal or even a conventional bad economy, contributed to our problem. But our debt peaked at the same time the economy stumbled, and the scope of the downturn exceeded my worst fears,". Your debt peaked at the same time the economy tumbled. What an awful conincidence. How could you have known?
They spent the next year laying people off and finally at the beginning of this year made the decision to move back into their old building. Then it was reported that Bank of America had The Columbian in foreclosure.
This is the true American story. What you have works just fine, does just fine, has served you just fine for many years. But you want more, you have to have more - you have to say "look what we have" and so even though all the signs are telling you its a bad decision, you go buy something you can't afford, don't need and won't be able to pay for. Then, you blame everyone and everything else when things don't work out.
Why is it that I knew it was a stupid idea to build that new building, but the people making those decisions, the people responsible for hundreds of jobs, thousands of advertisers and subscribers, didn't know.
Do I sound mad? I am mad. I am so tired of the people who we count on to bring us the truth, the clear story, not being able to tie their own shoes. Here's another quote for you: "Despite the financial setbacks, Campbell (The Columbian's Publisher) is optimistic about the future." Christ. Are you kidding me. Maybe you should pull your head out of your ass, stop trying to make people feel better and take a good hard look at what is ACTUALLY going on.
This story I have just told you is at the root of the newspaper business' demise. We lack the ability to see and acknowledge the truth. It has been that way the entire 13 years I have been involved. It is that way in many other businesses, I know. Here's the irony...we are supposed the ones that report the truth.
And here's the thing. I LOVE THE COLUMBIAN. Our business advertises in the paper and you know what, it works. They have mentioned us in their business section every now and then and that drives business into our store. I read the paper and they hold the record for reporting things that I had not previously known. It is rare to go out and get the paper in the morning and see something on the front page the you haven't already seen online, on TV or heard on the radio. When that happens, I am excited, no matter what the news is. I believe those are the times that newspapers are at their best. The Columbian does that. I think the anger comes from the fear of losing these things that I love. Because when they are gone, what happens next. That's another post for another day.
I exhausted now.
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