And I ran..I ran so far away...

Forgive the flock of seagulls title. I can't help it.
I feel so damn good.

I got up this morning and RAN!
At 5:05 a.m. my alarm clock clicked on. Puff Daddy was singing something about Biggie Smalls.

I hit snooze and rolled over.
3 minutes later my eyes opened and I decided to get up and go running!

Coffee-- yum!
Dressed--pink shirt, black running skirt, Nike Triax.

Did the old 3 mile loop in 33 minutes--that includes 2 minutes of stretching calves and 1 minute of talking to a fellow runner.

It was awesome! I can't wait for trail running on Sunday.

Oh--being so inspired by my run, I registered for CIM today!

"Cause She's A Brick. House."

Did a brick this weekend. 12 mile ride and 2 mile run.

I decided to leave my IPOD at home.

My usual 12 mile loop took me 50 minutes. It was pretty cool watching all the people outside running and biking and walking their dogs.

I am very afraid of going downhill fast so I have been working on that with each 12 mile ride. I managed to hit 25 miles per hour going down hill and I did not hit my brakes at all the whole time! Quite the accomplishment.
I hammered through a yellow light and only had to stop at one light on my way back home.

Switched into running shoes and shorts and grabbed RR#2 and said, "lets go run."

She came with me, but she really wasn't up for the task. So we only did 2 miles and it took us 24 minutes. RR#2 stopped 4 times to walk and I stopped with her. I try to push her a little bit to keep her motivated, but I don't want to make her HATE running.


So overall--
BIKE 50m 26s
11.64 miles 13.85 Mi/hr
10:30 AM To Barton Road and Back
Climb: 584 feet


RUN 24m
2.14 miles 11m 13s/Mi
11:47 AM To stop sign and back
Climb: 52 feet


vs.

Two weeks ago
BIKE 50m 50s
11.64 miles 13.74 Mi/hr
5:45 PM Climb: 584 feet

RUN 35m 30s
3.18 miles 11m 10s/Mi
Climb: 266 feet

Only nominally slower, and I attribute that to RR#2.

Anyway, tonight doing Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones and TriPower Workout.. Hopefully my core is getting stronger. :)

10 Miscellaneous Things about me

10 miscellaneous things about me:
1. I do not drink or eat anything made with dairy.
2. My dad died when I was 24 years old.
3. I live in the same town I went to high school in.
4. I love all runs once I hit the 3 mile mark; before I hit the 3 mile mark I always struggle a lot.
5. I would never smoke a cigarette ever.
6. I had my wisdom teeth taken out without being put under.
7. I had braces in college.
8. Everyone used to think my younger brother and I were twins.
9. I work in the same building as my mom and my husband—but we all drive separately.
10. I always sneeze for 5 minutes after I swim.

I just signed up for Fleet Feet’s California International Marathon training class! Because I am already in the trail running class, I get a little discount.

This year is the year I conquer that marathon!

So far for 2009-2010 I have

Buffalo Stampede
Cowtown half marathon
Four Bridges half marathon
CIM
Auburn Half Iron Triathlon (2010)
XTERRA Tahoe Triathlon (2010)
Vineman 70.3 (2010)

And

St. George Ironman (2011)

Groove is in the Heart

This weekend was pretty good. Lots of family from out of town.
Lots of margaritas
lots of food


Oh, and I ran 3 miles with my mom on a newly discovered bike trail in my area.

It was really good. I admit--I DID NOT WANT TO GO saturday morning but she basically guilted me into it.. "Oh, ok. well if you don't want to spend time with your mom, don't worry. I did give birth to you and all.."

So I went.

I had a great time. It was a nice little trail--very quiet. No other runners or bikers. Just a few old people walking their dogs.


I did nada on Sunday--had husband's family over for food and drinks and laughs. Anyone see a "Christmas vacation" with Chevy Chase? Most of his family is like Clark's brother-in-law. White shoes and plaid pants. I have to drink a lot just to stop laughing at them.

Only a week until the trail running class starts. I am very excited. I need a goal--now that school is DONE I need something to strive for every day. I think running and trying for California International Marathon (CIM) again this year will do it.

So here it is-- I WILL RUN CIM this year!

I also signed up for the Auburn Triathlon for 2010.

Oh, and I also have on my calendar, the Tahoe City XTERRA triathlon.

I know, i'm over compensating. But what the hell? You only live once.

And you only die once.

So you thought I wasn't working out...& randomness

I have been working out.

A lot.

For "May is Bike Month" I logged 170 miles.
I have not managed to get up at 4:30 a.m. to run--yet. But I am running after work in the 90+ degree heat. Only 2-3 times per week and SLOW --but I am doing it.

I also started Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones".

Oh
My
Fkn
Gd.

It is really hard. I don't even use the hand weights since I don't have any but it is kicking my butt. The best part??? I have noticed my CORE getting tighter and tighter (under the layer of muffin top blubber). At one point my abs/core was so sore, I had to ask hubby to roll me over so I could get out of bed!

The only thing lagging is swimming. I have only swam twice in the last month. I am really trying to work on getting motivated for that sport. I recently found out that there is a VERY local master's swim group at 4:45 a.m. tuesday, wednesday and thursday. I have to get to that. They average about 2000 per practice. Ouch!

I am contemplating the trail running class. On the one hand it will be fun to try something new. On the other, it doesn't fit so well with my schedule and it is so freakn' hot in the afternoons.

That's it.. lots of randomness.

X-ercise Wii-Kend

Saturday morning I decided to do my first run in about 3 months. Initially I was going to do a 5 miler, but when I checked the 9 a.m. temp I realized it was almost 80degrees so I cut it to 3.2 miles.

I am so glad.

That run kicked my ass. 3.2 miles took 34:40. I purposely kept a slow pace, almost 11 minutes per mile. But it still really hurt. A lot.

I didn't look at the time or pace until I was done and I found that I ENJOYED my run. I liked watching the old people drinking their coffee on their porch and waving to me. I enjoyed seeing the funny dog trying to drink out of the gutter while his owner yelled, "Get back here!" It was nice to simply enjoy a run.

Sunday--Hit the bike trail on my bike for a 30 miler. Somehow, the day got away from me and it was 3pm before I got on my bike.

92 degrees.
Sore legs from Saturday's run.
Bike shorts a bit too big

You see where this is going, right?

I knew I was in trouble when my bike shorts kept sliding around my butt as I peddled.

By mile 10 my butt was on fire from chaffing.
But I kept going, mostly because of prodding from my husband.

Reached the halfway point in 1:06. Rested for about 2 minutes. Got on my bike and started peddling.

My chain promptly fell off the front cog.
I promptly fell on the ground.

Got back up. put the chain back on. Wiped my (now greasy hands) on my shitty bike shorts.

Rode back.
The last 5 miles were the worst.

Arms hurt
Ass hurt
neck and shoulders hurt.

Ok so I am a whiner. As I stumbled off my bike at the end I muttered, "I am never riding this thing again" which illicited laughter from my husband.

Dork.
95 degrees when we stopped at 5ish. Final time, 2:13 so almost an even split.

Rest day today. Then run Tuesday.

Patience is a virtue....Sigh... & Cal Bears Rock

I ordered the Jillian Michael's DVDs and Tri Power book--but I'll have to wait a while. :(

When will your items arrive? Delivery estimate: May 28, 2009 - June 10, 2009

I did another bike ride yesterday. 12 miles. 53 minutes. I stopped twice to rest. I'm up to 24 miles for the month--Hurray! I'll do 30 on sunday so that will make it 54 this week!

Tomorrow is my first run in like forever. I'm planning on a 5-miler using the run/walk (walk/walk) method.

Oh, and I bought some kettlebells from some guy on Craigslist! I pick them up tomorrow morning. He was selling them for only $20!

I think my time away has really helped me to HUNGER for workouts now. I feel so enthusiastic about working out. Kinda cool.

On the academic front--as I mentioned, all paperwork has been filed, etc. etc.. I mentioned this to a research librarian at UC Berkeley. Vanessa (librarian) has been assisting me for years with digging up primary documents for my thesis. Anyway, I sent a "thank you" email to her and she asked me to send to her (and UC BERKELEY) a copy of my thesis for them to keep in their special collection library! HOLY CRAP! I feel so honored! I guess since it is on such a unknown topic she wants it there. I had to do a little happy dance..

Cheers!

Garmin 310XT...and other lustful items

To buy or not to buy.. That is the question.

I have the opportunity to request an amazing graduation present from my S.O. I was considering the new Garmin 310 XT. It is hot, sleek, sexy and tracks all data during swim, bike & run. And I am a total gadget whore. Show me a new and exciting gadget and I get all hot and bothered and I will offer you my first born.

Well it turns out that the new Garmin does NOT do everything. I asked the Fleet Feet uber-gadget god, Justin, whether or not it tracked distance or heart rate in the water. He said "yes it does both." The Garmin Rep I e-mailed at Garmin Headquarters said, "No, it only functions as a stopwatch in the water."

WTF?

I called Justin back--"Garmin HQ said that it only tracks time in the water, no GPS or HR function. What do you think?"
Justin: "My Garmin Rep told me it does both during the swim."
Me: "Can you get a clarification from your rep? I don't want to spend $500 on something that doesn't do exactly what I want."
Justin: "Wow. I'll try to contact him."
Me: "Great.. thanks."

I have not yet heard anything from Justin. I wrote Garmin again too and have not heard back from them either. Apparently, they do not know the tennacity I possess. I mean, it took me 8 years to get a 2 year masters degree. I will not stop until I get something just the way I want. Just sayin'

Unlike a lot of other people, tracking HR and distance/pace in the water is very important to me. I panic in the water; I am slow in the water. I would like to have a training tool to help me with those two issues. A HRM will help calm the, "I think i'm going to have a heart attack" feeling. A distance/pace mechanism will help me track how well my pace is improving.

I hear a lot about Garmin 305s functioning in the water. Then I hear the 405s short out with sweat. What to do??

So I am torn. Should I ask Hubby for Garmin 310 XT as a grad present? Should I look at other options --such as Polar or Sunuto? I'm trying to serreptitously do research on all geeky triathlon gadgets from my work computer. "Will you please go away? Can't you see i'm on two discussion threads at 'Slowtwitch' and 'beginnertriathlete'? I'm horribly busy. I will work later."


The second thing I am considering--is Jillian's 30-day Shred



and the TriPower book.

Dare-to-Tri has blogged about both of these extensively and I really want to try them out.. especially to get rid of the "muffin top" that has enlarged significantly during my thesis finalization process. I will order those through amazon this week and start working. Does anyone else have any ideas for getting rid of 'muffin top'.. It is the only out of control 'Big' Area I have. The other stuff I can work off. But the freakn' stomach is nasty. I look like I am pregnant--and I have NEVER BEEN PREGNANT--("rugrats" were birthed by another mother..)

Sigh.Grumble.Sigh.Snort.

In terms of working out--I swam monday night in the lake. The freezing lake. My tri training group swam for an hour--doing drills, etc. It was so freakin' cold. Basically melted snow. RugRat #2 went and swam too. She put on her wetsuit for the first time and went out there and tried her best. I was so proud of her! Poor thing--her lips were blue when she got out of the water. But she kept trying to do the Total Immersion techniques. I'll make a triathlete out of her yet!

Surprise ! I actually exercised

I biked 12 miles yesterday! The loop from home I used to normally do in 42 minutes. Yesterday it took me 54 minutes. Oh, and there is a ton of saddle pain today. OUCH!

I'm going to try to pull off 150 miles this month. That doesn't sound like much but going from 0 to 150 in one month is hard for me.

Also--the big endeavor I am not pursuing is............... I am going to start training with a Trail Running group that is coached by Tim Twietmeyer. You know--the guy who won the Western States 100 about a million times! It starts in June and has a 'graduation race' called "Blood, Sweat, and Beers."

Ha! I can't wait to get started running again!

Oh--and tonight is first Open Water Swim Class. I'm taking the rugrat with me so she can try out her brand new wetsuit.

Details to follow!

New and Shiny and Fun

I'm on the cusp of doing some thing exciting and new.

Hopefully I'll have good news about my new adventure next Monday or Tuesday!

Have a great weekend!

D
O
N
E


DONE as in DONE with THESIS as in FILED ALL PAPERWORK AND IT WAS ACCEPTED.
as in, I HAVE A CAP AND GOWN AND HOOD.


WHOO HOO!

And now, back to training for Triathlons.. This weekend--bike ride and run.

I ran

I ran.
I listened to a little ditty.
By a man named Joe.
On my run.
It was not pretty.
It was slow.
It was fun!

The thought of running crossed my mind

One of the checkout ladies in the grocery store mentioned to me on saturday that her husband was running the AR50 yesterday and that caused me to have a fleeting thought about running.

No, not running the AR50, but running 2 miles. I think it'll be fun. RugRat started swimming lessons this week and wants me to start practice swimming and running with her. She wants to do a sprint tri this summer with me so I might need to get in shape and actually get off the couch and peel the remote control out of my hand.

As soon as I run, i'll post.

Oh, by the way

The thesis was signed by first reader on Friday, March 27, 2009 at 3:06 p.m. Pacific Daylight time.

Puke

Update: Turned in Feces (thesis) on March 13, 2008 at 1:15pm for SEMI-FINAL review.
Sent email to reader, "Please let me know by April 1 of any final changes so I can make them and reprint for your signature by April 13 deadline."

Reader's email this a.m., "Do I sign the copy you gave me?"

In other words--HE IS READY TO SIGN IT!!!

Honestly, I think I might throw up.

The Vegan Foodie Hundred

The Vegan Foodie Hundred
The rules:

* Copy this list into your own blog, including these instructions.
* Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
* Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
* Post a comment here once you’ve finished and link your post back to this one.
* Pass it on!

1) Natto

2) Green Smoothie

3) Tofu Scramble

4) Haggis

5) Mangosteen

6) Crème Brûlée

7) Fondue

8) Marmite/Vegemite

9) Borscht

10) Baba Ghanoush

11) Nachos

12) Authentic Soba Noodles

13) PB&J Sandwich

14) Aloo Gobi

15) Taco from a street cart

16) Boba Tea

17) Black Truffle

18) Fruit Wine made from something other than grapes

19) Gyōza

20) Vanilla Ice Cream

21) Heirloom Tomatoes

22) Fresh Wild Berries

23) Ceviche

24) Rice and Beans

25) Knish

26) Raw Scotch Bonnet Pepper--shut up, I had a few drinks first.

27) Dulce de Leche

28) Caviar

29) Baklava

30) Pate

31) Wasabi Peas

32) Chowder in a sourdough bowl

33) Mango Lassi

34) Sauerkraut

35) Root Beer Float

36) Mulled Cider

37) Scones with buttery spread and jam

38) ‘Jello’ Shots

39) Gumbo

40) Fast Food French Fries

41) Raw Brownies

42) Fresh Garbanzo Beans

43) Dal

44) Homemade Soymilk

45) Wine from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more

46) Stroopwafel

47) Samosa

48) Sushi

49) Glazed Donut

50) Seaweed

51) Prickly Pear (cactus fruit)

52) Umeboshi

53) Tofurkey

54) Sheese or Teese

55) Cotton Candy

56) Gnocchi

57) Piña colada

58) Birch Beer

59) Scrapple

60) Carob Chips--unfortunately.

61) S’mores

62) Soy Curls

63) Chick Pea Cutlets

64) Curry

65) Durian--I really want to try this.

66) Homemade sausages

67) Churros, Elephant Ears, or Funnel Cakes

68) Smoked Tofu

69) Fried Plantain

70) Mochi

71) Gazpacho

72) Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies

73) Absinthe--YUMMM!

74) Corn on the Cob

75) Whipped Cream, straight from the can

76) Pomegranate

77) Fauxstess Cupcakes

78) Mashed Potatoes with Gravy

79) Jerky

80) Croissants

81) French Onion Soup

82) Savory Crepes

83) Tings

84) A meal at millenium in SF

85) Moussaka

86) Sprouted Grains or Seeds

87) Macaroni and ‘Cheese’

88) Edible Flowers

89) Matzoh Ball Soup

90) White Chocolate

91) Seitan

92) Kimchi

93) Butterscotch Chips

94) Yellow Watermelon

95) Chili with Chocolate

96) Bagel and Tofutti

97) Potato Milk

98) Polenta

99) Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

100) Raw Cookie Dough

Sorry I've been a little absent

Ok Ok. I'm totally lame these days. I'm so busy with feces, (I mean thesis) crap that I am not doing much but figuring out the edits I got back from my editor. On top of that, my desktop computer crashed so I've been working on a foreign laptop (It is swedish--ha ha!)frantically trying to finish edits. The editor took a lot longer than I anticipated so I'm hurrying to make a stupid self-imposed deadline. On top of everything else, I've been having to take care of a sick family member both in the hospital and back at her home. Blah.

I have not run.
I have not biked.
I have not swam.

I'm total suckage these days. I am not doing Shamrock'n half marathon next weekend obviously. I'm not even sure about the season at this point. Should I even train to race? Once this thing is turned in, I'll have more time to re-assess my racing status. I may just "train for fun"--which kind of sounds like an oxymoron. The motivation I have for training now, is that I paid BT for their bronze level membership--I want to train the rest of the year so that the membership doesn't go to waste.
I HATE WASTE!
I just need to finish the freakn edits. I just find there are a lot of citations that I just don't know how to do correctly. Like how do you cite a footnote in Chicago style when the source document was never published and has no discernable page numbers? HOW??? Or if you are citing a quotation within another (secondary) source, but you can't tell (because it was translated) who was the original source? ARRRGGG!

Anyway, hopefully back on the bike soon. Only 9 more weeks until end of semester.

I have been putting on a lot of weight recently--although the muffin top has disappeared (HURRAY!). Probably all the boxes of Girl Scout Cookies I have been consuming. I was thinking that GSCookies would be great to eat after a race maybe alongside a big bowl of salty popcorn and a beer--which made me wonder... "What is the strangist thing you have ever eaten after a race?"

"What Kind Of Coffee Are You?" Quiz Results

I took one of the quizzes after reading Misty's blog

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Steve in a Speedo Interviewed Me

Steve in a Speedo Interviewed me and here are the questions and my answers. Enjoy!

Interview Questions:

1.) What's your best and your worst race experience? Explain.

Best experience was running the American River Half Marathon last year. I felt great--everyone was allowed to use IPODS so I listened to awesome music the whole time and I PR'd. Worst--there are two. My first half marathon ever, I took off too fast and at mile 5 my IT Band locked up so bad that I hobbled the remaining 7 or 8 miles and had to be off my feet for 2 months. The other worst one was my very first triathlon ever. I got in the lake and panicked--I basically had an anxiety attack and ended up dead last out of the water. It took me 45 minutes to swim half mile. It was humiliating.

2.) What was the race that got you "hooked?" Explain.

It was probably the crappy triathlon I detailed above--only because I realized that I needed to train in the water a lot more and after training I did another sprint tri two years later and finished the swim in 17 minutes--I cut my time in half! After doing that I realized I could do just about anything! In terms of running, I ran XC in high school and there was a local meet where the hill was crazy steep--we called it suicide hill. During the meet, I was upset about a boyfriend--prom issue and ended up sprinting up the hill passing everyone. It was kind of cool.

3.) If you could replace one leg of a triathlon (swim, bike, run) with ANYTHING else (canoe, 1/4 mile of monkey bars, off-road baja car race, pull-up challenge, etc), what part would you replace? Why? What would the new leg be? Why?

I would replace the swim with a girlscout cookie eating contest. I think it would make the bike and run portions VERY interesting because I don't think girls scout cookies settle down in the stomach very easily.

4.) If you could only wear one style of undies for 2 months, would it be thongs or granny-panties? Please explain.

I'd go commando cause it would just be easier than trying to pick between the two other choices.

5.) You're using a hammer and you accidently smash your thumb. What's your reaction? Silent rage? Deep grunt as you bite your tongue? "Golly-gee?" "Holy F***?"

I'd scream like a panther jumping from a tree onto a small animal.

Some Amgen Tour of CA pics

Made it to the TOC this weekend in Sacramento. I had a great time seeing all the cycling gods! First person I saw was Jens Voight. He is not nearly as tall as I thougth he would be.

Then as I walked away from the Saxo Bank Truck, Leipheimer, Horner and Armstrong rode/walked their bikes within inches of me trying to get out on the course !!!!

I waited at the astana truck for lance and company to come back. After about an hour of waiting Chris Horner showed up. I yelled, "Hey Chris" and he turned around and I snapped this picture.
Chris Horner


Then a few minutes later, Lance showed back up looking fit and trim--

Lance

I walked over to the OUCH truck and within 5 minutes a big escalade started down the street and inside was...tada! Floyd!!!

I was only able to get a pic of the back of his head though. He was smiling and he quickly hobbled/ran into the team truck. I milled around the team truck and saw Floyd's bike. I know it was his bike cause it had his name on it.

Floyd's Bike

This is one of the first pics I took.


I took a break for lunch and then came back around 2pm. I parked my big butt in front of the OUCH truck and waited with baited breath. Sure enough, within a few minutes, FLOYD came out and the crowd went wild asking for autographs, cheering and just being nuts!

Floyd

He got onto his trainer and hammered for awhile. He seemed kind of embarrased actually.

Floyd

At one point, he looked up and smiled at me. I melted. Of course, he was probably thinking, "I better play nice to the stalker-chick."


Anyway, after that we went a little ways away and started taking some pics as the guys went by during the timetrial.

Lance

Bobby Julich

He was in the same van as Jens I think.

Basso

Floyd

Yoga DVD Review

Last night I did Shiva Rea Creative Core Abs DVD.



The DVD was pretty tough. There are three sections to the DVD-- I did only the first 8 minute section. I have a few observations.

DVD has some weird background funky indian psychedelic music. If you are into that great. If not, then select the "instruction only" option.

A lot of the "fluid" poses are, well, not something I would ever want anyone else to see me do. I mean there are several poses with my legs straight up in the air split in half, and then toss them behind your head. It's fine if I am alone, but I know I could never do this workout with someone else in the room.

Shiva Rea is inspiring but also very intimidating. She has NO FAT on her belly. And for someone who was recently nicknamed muffin top it gives me hope. But also want to punch her.

Be sure to have a really good thick mat or carpet under you when you do this DVD. There is a lot of time spent on the knees (stop snickering) and on the back (ok now you can laugh) and if you are anything like me, your bones start aching after a couple of minutes.

All in all this DVD left my abs a nice kind of sore this morning. As I progress to the more difficult sections of the DVD, I'll let you know how it goes.

Citation Saturday; Swimmy Sunday

I'm brain dead but happy. I finished all citation revisions for my feces--I mean thesis saturday night. WHOOOO HOOO!!! I was able to locate some great forgotten citations from several old versions of my thesis and incorporated those. I am so relieved! Now just need to re-write a little and incorporate a couple of small details to smooth out the edges.

Then
I
AM
DONE!!

To celebrate, I went swimming sunday at the 24HOUR Fitness pool. Again, gross fat hairy pasty-pale, sweaty men were sitting on benches just watching us swim. I don't know if I should feel good that I have a great body (LOL) that someone wants to watch or if I should be creeped out.

I did the endurance swim #3 again. I still don't have paddles so I skipped the 600 yards of "pulling" but did the rest--1900 yards. The longest I have ever gone in my entire life. Ever. Ever.

It took about an hour total. I really focused on using my core to rotate through the water. WP watched me swim to give me some tips. She noticed one major flaw. I do not cup my hands! Seriously! For years I've been swimming without cupping my hands. No wonder I don't go anywhere. As soon as I corrected this, I started moving through the water a lot quicker. HURRAY! I feel like a real DOLT. How could I not be cupping my hands? They were just kind of open, flapping around as I pulled underwater. Something to practice from now on for sure!

I showered quickly after swim at the gym and then got home and showered again scrubbing my skin to get the chlorine smell off. It didn't work and I felt like I was awake all night because the chlorine smell kept waking me up. Is there a solution to this problem? The chlorine, besides smelling bad, is reaking havoc on my sensitive, dry skin. Do any of the "Chlorine Remover" shampoos/bodywashes work? Has anyone had any success with these?

Today is rest day--I will do a yoga DVD tonight.
Tuesday is run in the a.m. (4:30 a.m.)

That's it!

Silly sweaty laps

Went for a swim in the gross 24 hour pool last night. WP and I went at 8pm--much later than usual but family obligations and TOP CHEF kept me busy until then. We packed up and I drove us over. We both thought that since it was 8pm, that the pool would be empty.

WRONG!

It was fully of gross sweaty men sitting around. Let me elaborate, the men don't really swim. They just stand around or sit in the spa watching the women swim. When the men over heat or get all sweaty from sitting in the spa/sauna they jump into the pool to cool off. They don't care that there are people swimming laps. They don't care that their incessant gaze makes women uncomfortable. And at least on of them does not care that his political opinions are stupid and nobody wants to hear them.

WP and I swam for about 25 minutes. I have no idea how many laps, we just went back and forth. I tried to work on pushing my "buoy" down (chest) so my legs would float up and and not drag. One of the eccentric men from last years open water swim class was there and decided to try out two new wetsuits in the pool. He looked a little strange but we chitchatted for awhile anyway.

Another reason I don't think I can exercise that late is that I could not sleep last night. I had such a hard time falling asleep! It was almost midnight by the time I nodded off. That is just too late for old lady me.

Tonight is 5 mile run. I'm going to try to go faster than tuesday's run. Then saturday is long slow distance.

Oh--and I officially filed for graduation yesterday!! Whoo hoo! The grad coordinator said she will personally shake my hand as I cross the stage in cap and gown in May.

Hurray!

Funky Five Miler

Ran five miler around my neighborhood last night. It was hard, again up until the point I was about a mile from the house. Then I kicked it into high gear. It helped that "Slither" by Velvet Revolver popped onto my IPOD at the opportune moment.

47:03. That's 5 minutes slower than my 42:10 that I ran the same course last year. I suspect two things for the slower performance

1. I did not stop my IPOD whenever I stopped to stretch my calves, quads last night (twice). I think when I ran the 42minute time, I stopped my IPOD every time I had to stop and stretch.

2. When I ran the 42 minute time, I was in the thick of a prednisone induced rage. That makes me run fast and not care.

Any hoo-- Yesterday's time ends up at about 9:30 mile/hour. Not fast, not slow. I sprinted the last 400 yards--racing against my WP and beat her!!!! I can't believe it..She was ahead for about 300 yards and the last 100 I kicked it and passed her.

I'm pretty freakn sore today though. I'll drink a little Emergen-C today and hope to feel better. Have a 5 miler on Thurday and as a step back week, a 5 miler (long run) on Saturday.

Saddened Sunday

Trying not to freak out because I cannot find a citation that I need. Blah.

Ran 8 yesterday again--per the workout schedule. Last week I ran 8 in 1:17. This week it took me 1:29:58. What the hell? I felt awful during the run--lots of "trots" issues slowed me to a walk for large sections of my run. There was no TP in the porta-potties either. Yeah, get that graphic out of your mind now.

I looked extra cute though in my running skirt and bright blue top. The EC on the trail was amazing--it was a lovely 65 degrees so most male runners were sans shirt. Most of the time, that is a good thing--sometimes not.

It turns out that I missed my 60 mile mark for the month by 3 miles. Fk.

No workout today since I'm sitting in the library slowly plugging away. Most of the men in the library have started leaving and I guess it is because the superbowl will be starting in a couple of hours.

That's it. Oh, massive paycut announced friday afternoon (5pm) by the governator so my racing for the year is going to be curtailed. I just cannot afford to spend mucho dinero on race entries when my take home was cut so substantially. I shudder thinking about the local economy, afterall, most of sacramento is employed by governmental entities. So I think I am going to be highly selective in what I chose to race. American River Parkway half marathon is a sure thing. Other than that, I don't know. RugRat wanted open water swim lessons and a new wetsuit so those things may be on hold too. Have to wait and see. It sucks though. Maybe it will be a good lesson in frugality and priority setting. Hopefully.

Back to the Chicago manual of style and "New Era" (thesis title), and listening to Duran Duran's (Reach up for The) Sunrise.

Other songs on "study" playlist:

Hot N Cold
Step On
I Don't Want Your Love
Reach up for the Sunrise
Da Funk
In a Big Country
Suicide Blonde
Jump Around
MMMM Bop
Your Woman
Slither
Life is a highway
Infected
Breathe
Vibeology
Stupid Girls
Join in the Chant
Round&Round
Jump
Gold Digger
Too Funky
Come on Eileen
Barrel of a Gun
Let it Whip
Brimful of Asha
You Drive me Crazy
How do you want it
More Human than Human
The Edge of Heaven
SOS
Stronger
Opportunities
Good Vibrations
I kissed a girl
Stronger
Rhythm nation
It's No Good
Crazy in Love

PS --Happy Birthday Pops.

Tempo Run

Last night's tempo run was confusing. 6 miles total= warmup, 4 miles at 9:27 and cool down.

First mile (W/U) I did in 10 minutes.. No problem
Second mile (first of tempo) I did in 9 minutes 5 seconds..again, no problem.
Third mile (second of tempo) I did in ???
Fourth mile (third of tempo) I did in 9:15
Fifth mile (fourth of tempo) I looked at my watch and it said 49 minutes, which means probably 11 minutes?

I finished in 55 minutes, so if I do the math, that means I ran my cool down mile in like 6 minutes.?? That doesn't make any sense to me. I think that I really looked at Mile 5 (fourth mile of tempo) at the wrong time--I don't think it was 11 minutes, I think it was really probably closer to 9 and that I did the last cool down in near 8 minutes. Isn't that lame, that I do my cool down faster than the actual tempo work? that tells me that my brain is totally affecting my performance because I distinctly remember being really excited that I was close to the end and picking up my pace so I could get home for dinner. Next time I'll harness that excitement for the tempo portion of the run instead of the end. Apparently, Speggetti dinner and a glass of wine is a good motivator for me.


Tonight is a 2 miler and maybe a swim if I can get motivated. It is so dark by the time I get home from work that there is no way I can do a bike ride unless it is on the trainer (blah)so that will have to wait until the weekend.

Maybe I'll do a little yoga on friday morning too. Get my legs nice and stretched out for Saturday's 8 miler. I love this dvd --I can customize the workout to my liking --40 minutes is usually good for me, personally. Happy day everyone!

Floyd--EC extrodinaire

Ran 3 last night on the treadmill even though I had a horrific cold.

Feeling better today so I'm doing 6 tonight--1 mile w/u, 4 mile tempo at 9:27/mile and 1 mile c/d.


I have done 40 miles so far this month running and I need to make it up to 60 by saturday. So I'll do 6 tonight and 8 saturday which leaves 6 more to do between thursday and friday.. I'm going to try to make it--finger's crossed!

Just read velonews and saw that Floyd Landis and Ivan Basso are back racing --there's this other guy too--I think his name is Lance something? In any case, Picture of floyd is--well, perfect EC for me.

Weekend Willies

Watched rugrat #2 do a duathlon on saturday. Out of 56 kids, she placed 6th. She is awesome! We also got to meet Shana Powless--just in case you don't know, Shana is like the big 14 year-old triathlon champion of the century. Shayna was at the kids du, not as a competitor (thank god) but rather as someone helping the all the little kids finish the race. She was encouraging all the kids and riding in the back to usher all the kids to the end. I took RugRat #2 over to meet her and they chitchatted a little bit.

Saturday late afternoon I ran 8 miles on the american river bike trail in 1:15-1:20. So that is around 10 minute miles the whole way. I'm pretty happy with that pace and If I am able to push it just a bit I might be able to break 2 hours for my next half marathon in March. That would be really great for me. I signed up for BeginnerTriathlete's "Bronze" level and have noticed that my run paces have started to get a little faster---Not a lot, but the Route history is showing me that my usual 3 miler in the a.m. is getting progressively quicker. That makes me feel AWESOME!

Today both RugRat#2 and I awoke with stuffy noses and headaches so yet another cold has crawled into our home. Of course hubby exhibits none of the lovely symptoms,due, in part (he says) to his "superior breeding." Whatever. Jerk, you can make dinner then.

Other than that just sitting and working on finishing touches to my thesis. I am trying to make sure I get all my citations JUST RIGHT--in the Chicago style. I've been through so many drafts that some of my stuff is messy or the citations are missing altogether. So doing a little digging to try to find them again. I hope to turn it in "FINALIZED" the first week of February.

Anyway, that's it for now. So proud of the rugrat for her accomplishment in the du. She told us that she definately wants a wetsuit and openwater swim lessons for her birthday so perhaps the triathlon bug has bitten her too! There are also several trial run/Races I am considering but part of me so enjoys just running on my own on the american river bike trail, that I am reluctant to trade that in for an anxiety filled morning racing people. We'll see. Tonight I will either hit the pool or ride the mountain bike on the super muddy dirt trails!!!

hasta.

de-Motivators

Why do I suck a*s?

So I made my second attempt on the runnervals dvd. I got about 25-30 minutes into it before I had to quit. This time, the problem was not my family bugging--it was me. I sucked. I could not keep up with coach troy. Damn you coach troy!!! It was too difficult. I did the first set fine and went half way through the second set (+4mph & 3% incline). Holy Cr*p! I stepped off the treadmill and hung my head in defeat as Coach Troy continued, "You're doing great! Just another minute left to go before we reduce the incline. Keep goin!" Yeah. F-U Coach Troy. I tried my hardest but couldn't do it. So I was feeling really sucky last night and today. I want to run tonight to redeem myself, but I've got a dinner date instead. So maybe Friday a.m. I'll do my usual 3 miles. 8 mile long run on Saturday a.m. and then watchin' the rugrat do a kid's duathlon (2 mile bike, 1 mile run).

Speakin of Rugrat, after I got off the treadmill and started puttering around the kitchen in my run/bra top and shorts, RR said something, well, uhm, mean. She looked at me and said, "Oh my god you have a huge stomach! And it is hanging over your shorts --i'm going to call you 'muffin top'". So I'm already feeling kind of bad after failing in my workout goal and then SFBs tells me that my gut is hanging over my shorts.
I tried the excuse, "Well I took 3 courses of high dose prednisone last year."
She said, "But that was a long time ago."
I countered, "Oh, but I drink a lot of beer too, so the beer gut is a real thing. So don't drink." (I know hypocrite, but I was trying to be parental.)
She looked really skeptical and said, "uhm, yeah sure."

I just glared at her and said, "I remember when I was 13 and how much it sucked. How sucky do you want to make your life? Keep talking and you'll be surprised how sucky your life will get."

Blah. Muffin top.


In any case, I needed a laugh and Marci provided this morning. Thanks Marci!

Running at night

I'm not used to running at night. I like to wake up early and get my run over with in the a.m. But yesterday, I ended up doing a 3-miler in 28:24. Funny thing is--I felt really good even though my time wasn't so great. I felt relaxed and practiced the pose method a bit. I get a good rhythm going when I hear DM's It's No Good. So I listened to that song 3 times during the run.


I decided to postpone my 5 mile tempo run to tonight on the treadmill. I'll use the runnervals DVD I got for christmas (thanks mom & bro)! I need to get back on my bike and back in the pool too so maybe that will be on the agenda for friday. I'm pretty relaxed about this whole training thing--not to say I am uninterested. I just want to focus on my running for the time being and try to fit in whatever else I can.

I also need to be sure to hit the library for the final edits to my thesis! Hurray! I keep thinking, once that is off my back there is going to be a party in my backyard the likes of which nobody has ever seen! You are all invited!

Oh here's some more good news! I achieved a milestone with Nike Plus!

Fun on the run!

This long weekend was full of FUN workouts. I made up for all of last week---Karen got her groove back.

Friday--SWIM. I hit the pool for a 750-800 yards. It was difficult. I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of swimming. I figured I can do 50 meters in about 1 minute. The fastest I did it was 54 seconds for 50 meters.

Saturday--RUN. 7 miles in 1 hour 16 minutes. I felt really great on the run. Really strong and the male eye candy (EC) kept me inspired the whole way.

Sunday--Scheduled bike, but really did nothing. I ate and slept.

Monday--BIKE and SWIM. I got on my bike--the first time since it was fixed a few weeks ago. I averaged 15.4 miles per hour. I biked about 19 miles and it took me 1 hour 14 minutes. I felt really strong up until the very end. Again, the plethora of EC on the bike trail helped keep me motivated. I swam in the evening. I tried Gale Bernhardt's Endurance 3 workout from Workouts in a Binder--2300-3000 yards. I did the 500 yard warm up and then two of the 4 mainsets of 200 yards (150 swim+50 kick). So that came out to 500+400=900 yards on about 20 minutes. I felt a lot better on this swim than the one on friday. I am determined to do that full workout soon.

Tuesday AM--RUN. Scheduled but workout partner bailed at 4:30 a.m. so I crawled back into bed for some additional ZZZsss.. Will hit the treadmill tonight for 5 mile tempo.

Incidentally--BIG LOVE finally began season 3 on HBO again. Finally. OOOhhh... so good. What an indulgence. Bill and family are shopping for wife #4.

Have a great week!

Answer to Pic

New Order--Technique (1989)

Nothing. Nada. Zip. Nyente.

Nothing today.
No training yesterday.
Nothing Monday.
Yes I know I suck.
So here's a question--what is the name of the album pictured above???

Weekend Events

Friday Night--Beer and feeling depressed about my beer gut.
Saturday--6 mile long run. 1:10. I was pretty dehydrated so the run felt hellish. However, I finished strong so that was good. I did a little dance at the end--the Roger Rabbit Dance. It was great to see so many people out running and riding on the American River Bike Trail.

Sunday I got up early and went to visit my brother in SF. He's lived there for a year and i've been a lame sister and never visited. His place is right on the Pacific Ocean about a mile from Golden Gate Bridge. We walked about 6 or 7 miles--get coffee, walk along the Marina green and Crissy Field and back to get brunch on Chestnut Street then walked some more. It was a perfect 70 degree day--the sun was out. Cute guys were running with their tops off in skin tight shorts. You get the idea.

Before I left SF I stopped at Sports Basement. Coolest place to shop but I was a good little recession girl and did not buy anything. I did leave drool marks on their $40 zoot trisuit though. Sorry, Sports Basement people.

In any case I'm dragging. I intended to sign up for Vineman 70.3 but just found out that it is sold out. BOOO! 3 of my friends just flaked on Shamrock'n Half Marathon in March. So I'm just not feelin' the love these days. Hopefully I'll snap out of this funk soon.

Run like a hamster

I have always had trouble with running on a treadmill. For some reason I feel like a hamster on a wheel--going round and round. Yesterday, since my half marathon schedule called for tempo training, I decided to break out my new Runervals DVD titled, "Tempo Training".. Perfect, right? 45 minutes of tempo training was exactly what the schedule called for and that was the length of the DVD workout.

I started off with a base pace of 3.5 mph as Coach Troy suggested (using a recent 5k time).. All was good. But then, Coach Troy started on the actual workout.. Increasing the run by 3mph and increasing incline 2%. My treadmill has incline, but no way to measure it, so I just guessed.

It was hard. Really Hard.
It didn't help that RugRat#2 and hubby kept coming into the room and asking me questions which required long answers. Like, "What are we having for dinner?" Or "When are we going to eat?" or my favorite, "What happens to an isotope when a beta particle is removed?" Really? REALLY??? I'm kind of busy right now. Trying to breathe.

So after 20 minutes of the 45 minute DVD I quit. I was getting too many distractions, and my water bottle kept threatening to jump out of the holder on the top of the machine. With a vision of what would happen to me as I slipped off the back of a water-soaked treadmill, belly down (a la Brady Bunch Movie)--I quit.


Dejectedly, I started figuring out dinner for my aparently helpless and ravenous family only to find out that they had just ordered Chinese take out.
Great.

In any case running 3 tomorrow per schedule then heading to San Francisco to visit family members and do a long run there.

This made me giggle today.

Butt Pain

This morning's run was good. Well, it was better than last week. Laced up the laces and I was off at 4:45 a.m. Did the usual 3 mile loop and headed home. 29 minutes or so which is a bit faster than the 32 minutes it took me last week. Workoutpartner and I sprinted the last 200 yards too. That was awesome.

But now I have Butt Pain.
Right Butt Pain.
I think it is my piriformis muscle. I rolled on my "trigger point therapy" ball after the run and stretched but I'm ready for a little vicodin right now. I guess Ibuprofen will have to do.

Here's where it hurts!





And this is how I am walking!



I'm going to hit the ibuprofen now. Tonight is weights followed by a swim in the pool. I'm going to try to do a mile in the pool and just legs on the weights.

3 of my friends are doing Vineman 70.3 this year. They keep bugging me to sign up and do it too. Not really sure. I've been nursing so many injuries lately i'm afraid to increase my mileage too much. I just got Matt Fitzgerald's new training book (well, I guess it isn't that new) and see if I can find a good training plan to follow. What do you think? Should I or shouldn't I?

New Year Duathlon

The weekend was great fun--I managed my first duathlon ever. 2 mile run--7 mile bike--2 mile run. I had a ball--this duathlon was to raise money for Jaime Whitmore --the professional triathlete who's been fighting cancer for a couple of years. Everyone was encouraged to donate, so I did.

It was freezing in the a.m. Actual temp was low 30s but the "feels like" temp was in low 20s. My high school XC coach was set up in the transition area right next to me so we chatted for a little while before the start.

My workout buddy and I managed to start the run together. I was wearing 4 layers on top and a hat and fleece lined running tights and gloves. First mile was hard. The air was soooo cold. I had the snotty nose that would not quit and by the time I hit the first transition I was a sweaty mess. So I was leaking from my pores and leaking from my nose. Great. 20 minutes to do 2 miles.

Bike. Sucked ass. Really. 7 miles took me 40 minutes.
I huffed.
I puffed.
I bleeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwww my nose.
There were several crashes since the road was wet and sandy. I managed to remain upright so that's good. However I have lost a lot of fitness in the past few months. I now I know i've got to get back on it.

Run, part deux. Not bad, I shuffled along for the first couple of minutes and then settled into a nice rhythm. 2 miles took me about 17 minutes.

Total time was 1:17 for 4 mile run and 7 mile bike plus transitions.

PostRace shindig. Jamie Whitmore was there so I hung around to listen to her speak. She is an amazing person. She's had two different tumors removed from her spine and wasn't expected to walk again; and yet she was walking with the assistance of a cane. I wasn't more than 10 feet from her but was too shy to actually talk to her. I know i'm a dork. I should have said hi.

RedBullcrap.
I tried this stuff for the first time after the race. For some reason I thought it would taste like a mocha or coffee. Instead it was like rancid strawberry koolaid. eww. never again. I spit it out. Never AGAIN!

After my dismal bike performance saturday, I decided to do another bike ride on sunday. My usual 12 mile loop usually takes 43-46 minutes. Sunday it took 56 minutes. Granted my bike gears were acting up; never the less, I am glad I got the spinervals party pack for XMAS so I can start working on my bike. I am taking the bike to the shop today for a tuneup and I am getting a pro bike fitting this week as well.

If all else fails, I can always purchase a new Specialized Ruby Expert... :)

New Year Excercising and Resolutions

HURRAY

I completed my first workout of the year. A 2 mile trail run followed by a 6 mile bike ride.

It was a COLD 40 degrees at 2pm so we bundled up and headed to folsom lake to workout. I took rugrat #2 (RR#2) with me (13 years old) since she has been wanting to do some duathlons.

We headed out on the dirt trails and ran about a mile out and then came back. It was great. I LOVE trail running. RR#2 had some trouble keeping up so I stayed with her and we walked for a bit. She finished nice and strong though. We changedinto bikeing helmets and shoes and then headed out for six mile bike ride. I forgot to pump up my roadbike tires so they were pretty flat actually and I had a hard time keeping up. But RR#2 kicked butt on her mountain bike.

Toward then end she wanted to switch onto the single track from the road so she did that. I watched as she sped down the dirt & mud course and full speed. She is going to be an awesome triathlete!

Resting today and tomorrow is the free duathlon to raise money for Jamie Whitmore. Hopefully I'll finish strong.

I am working on some new years'resolutions but it is so hard. I make the same ones every year.

1. Eat healthier.
2. Excercise more.
3. Be happier with my lot in life.
4. Relax.
5. Do something new every week.

Maybe modify them to read:

1. Eat more vegan food. More veggies, less meat.
2. Do 3 sprint tris, 1 olympic distance tri, 1 marathon, 2 half marathons this year.
3. Find one thing to be grateful for every day.
4. Do yoga and meditation twice every week.
5. Try a new recipe every week.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!
Going for a PM run today and then mid morning brick on New Years' Day!

What are you doing to celebrate?

Early Run

Just a quick note. Today's early run was cold, wet, foggy and asthma-inducing.

That being said, I did the typical 3 miles in 31 minutes.
Going to do another 3 tomorrow.

I listened to:
Beyonce, Crazy in Love
Depeche Mode, No Good
Depeche Mode, No Good*
Something I can't remember cause I was wheezing.
Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation
Kanye West, Stronger
Katy Perry, I kissed a girl
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, Good Vibrations

*This song played twice in a row. Weird.

And the good news just keeps on coming!

I just started reading through all the e-mails from my inbox over the past week.

From my NEW thesis advisor I received an e-mail that read, "Hi Karen, I've read your thesis. With a few minor edits, I would be happy to approve it. Come see me the first week of next semester."

Uhm, WHOOOHOOOO!!

Finally--progress! As many of you know I took a great deal of time off of my training in late fall to try to scrape together my thoughts and get them to my new advisor.

I am so happy!!!

Awesome Week!

Happy Saturnalia, everyone! I hope everyone had an awesome week!

Santa brought me some cool workout gear so I was very happy with that! And the rugrat managed to score a bunch of triathlon gear (I found it at 60%-75% off!!) so she's stylin' in some zoot and descent clothing. She also got a camelbak, which we tried out on sunday.

I pulled out the ol' mountainbike, got geared up (new mountainbike jersey/shorts) and we all went for a mountain/trail ride on some single track around folsom lake. I cannot tell you how much fun I had. This time, I didn't break a rib when I fell down. I fell only once and that was into some nice soft bushes after the 5-year-old boy in front of me decided to stop his bike going uphill. I was trying to pass him just as he stopped and he started to lean to his left--just where I was passing him. So I bit it into some bushes, but got up and kept going. I didn't go too long but I really enjoyed it. Maybe I can figure out a way to go today after work. Hmmm.

Next weekend, a local multisport company is sponsering a FREE duathlon so workout partner and I are thinking about doing it and dragging at least two of the kids along to do it too. Nice FREE family fun.

That's it for now. Later.

Garmin 405 or 305 or none

I have a question about the new Garmin 405 and the older 305.

Are these waterproof? I am considering asking Santa [a-hem] for one but then I read somewhere that Garmin is not waterproof! If this is true, then do triathletes use them? I wanted one to use during all three legs of races/training. Am I totally mistaken about this issue? Does anyone use these products? If so, what are your impressions?

Blogger lost my account. Again.

I'm sorry I was gone for awhile. Blogger does not like me. They lost my account again.

Please bear with me as I regroup and try to find some old posts.
So many things happened while I was away!

Steve started doing the nordictrack dance
Carol began doing Yoga
Rebecca was in Triathlete Magazine!
Catra ran another 40,000+ miles
Misty started doing strength training
Xenia sent me the popener and I used it on a nice bottle of Guiness.

Have a good day everyone!

My 12 Pains of Running

Based on Diggin' It's post, I've created my own, 12 pains of running...

The 12 Pains of Running

The first pain of running the marathon gave to me
One gross blackened toenail

The second pain of running the marathon gave to me
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The third pain of running the marathon gave to me
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The fourth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail


The fifth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The sixth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Six stiffend illio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The seventh pain of running the marathon gave to me
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend illio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The eighth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Eight GU-flavored burps
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend ilio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail


The ninth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Nine side-stitches
Eight GU-flavored burning burps
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend ilio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail


The tenth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Ten minutes of runners trots
Nine side-stitches
Eight GU-flavored burning burps
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend ilio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

The eleventh pain of running the marathon gave to me
Eleven noseblows
Ten minutes of runners trots
Nine side-stitches
Eight GU-flavored burning burps
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend ilio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail


The twelfth pain of running the marathon gave to me
Twelve debilitating coughs
Eleven noseblows
Ten minutes of runners trots
Nine side-stitches
Eight GU-flavored burning burps
Seven miles of ITB pain
Six stiffend ilio-psoas muscles
Five blood-y blisters!
Four cramped calves
Third degree sunburns
Two arthritic knees
And one gross blackened toenail

4 a.m. run and the hulk

Began my 4:30 a.m. runs again today. It was really tough getting out
of the nice warm bed to go into 34 degree weather. Really tough.

Dressed in layers--something I haven't done in a long time. Thick REI
tights, REI longsleeve top and then a short sleeve top over that--and
a running jacket, with earwarmer, and gloves.

Had hot coffee, a chocolate gu and water. Hooked IPOD to my ears and was off.

Within half a mile I was sweating. Since I was easing into my running,
we only did 2 miles and at the turn around point I shed the jacket and
tied it around my waist. Perfect.

Pretty slow today--1 mile was at 9:30 and the way back was a lot
slower, 10:25 or something like that. But hell it is a start and my TP
(training partner) said she thought I did well all things considered.

That's it. Going to CIM expo to meat Dirt Diva, Catra tomorrow--even
though I am not running, I am going to pick up the $95T-shirt I got
for registering. :) My friends told me I'm not supposed to wear a
shirt unless I actually COMPLETE the race, but "eff'em". If I pay $95
for a race, I'm wearing the damn shirt.

Oh, here is something pretty funny. Last night I went shopping at the
local mall. I wanted to buy something for myself--a dress
specifically--that I've been eyeing for a month or so now. It was
originally $175, then went down to $99, then to $59 and yesterday I
got the Banana Republic e-mail that it was $39.99!!! I called my local
BR and asked if they had the dress in stock in two sizes (I wasn't
sure which size I would be). They said, "yes, we'll hold both sizes
for you."

So I raced to BR. I skipped to the dressing room with the two dresses.
I put the smaller of the two dresses on. Common sense would have told
me that since I struggled so much to get it on, it wouldn't be pretty
trying to get it off. As I've said before, I have wide shoulders/back.
So I managed to get the dress on. (You all see where this is going,
don't you?)

Then I couldn't get the dress off.

I struggled, I squirmed I tried to pull it over my shoulders, but
everytime I did that my arm/shoulder muscles felt like there were
tournaquets on them. So I tried to pull it down over my hips. Nope. So
there I was stuck. I tried again. I opened the dressing room door and
looked out. For once, a sales "Mosquito" wasn't buzzing around asking
if I needed help. Great. I peered out further into the store, but I
couldn't see anyone.

So I went back into the dressing room and did something bad. Really bad.

I flexed my back muscles and the damn dress tore. Not the seam--THE FABRIC.
6 inch gash down the back of the dress.
I was able to finally get out of the dress. I hung it up on the
hanger, got dressed and went out to find a sales person to tell. I
felt bad that I tore it.
I couldn't find anyone except one woman behind the counter who was on
the phone with her boyfriend for 5 minutes. She kept talking while I
waited and I got annoyed.

So I put the dress back in the dressing room and left.

I'm not sure if I should cut back on the swimming or what.
When I got home, my repeated the story to hubby and 13 year old who
promptly reminded me that two years ago I tried on a shirt at a store
and --again tried to squeeze into it. The top two buttons popped off
and flew across the dressing room.

Nice. Thanks for reminding me.

Stinky Sweaty Workout

Last night I headed to the gym and did my first weight workout in ..
uhm... well nearly 2 years I think.

I did the circuit training route, carefully avoiding anything heavy
for my upper arms-shoulders since, according to hubby I am freakishly
huge in my arms, shoulders and back. So I mostly did legs.

Squats, the QUAD burner, adductor/abductor machine, and hamstring
machine were my friends. Then they were my frenemies. Then ultimately,
after the third set, my enemies.

I tried to convince my workout partner to do "TWENTY-ONE" but she
refused since it would require us walking across the gym to some mats.
So we did 100 situps instead.

I noticed that the "Adductor/Abductor" machine directly faces the
"wall" of treadmill machines and LUCKY FOR ME the treadmills were full
of men staring. Great. Nice. Twenty-year old, pimply faced freaks
staring as my training partner and I spread our legs then closed our
legs. Training Partner(TP)got embarrased and put her bright pink hand
towel between her legs--like THAT didn't call attention to our
discomfort.

I don't go to the gym much to do weights --like I said above-- and I
am wondering--does it ALWAYS stink like that? Every so often someone
would walk by or we would pass them and a malodorous FUNK permeated my
nostrils. Seriously, you could almost see a green tinged amorphous gas
trailing them. I wanted to say, "Eww. Really? You stink that bad from
doing weights? What the hell do you eat?"

Anyway, I was going to do a run at 4:30 this morning but decided to
bag it. I was just too worn out after the weights--maybe thursday I'll
do a run.

Workouts Commence

I turned in my feces, oh, I mean thesis, Monday (11/24) to my new
advisor. He said he would take a look and let me know what more I need
to do in order to finish SOON!

So now i'm back to working out. Funny thing is, I don't want to do it.
I've become accustomed to being fat and lazy. My gut hangs over my
jeans now -- my 13year old informed me it is called a "muffin-top".
Great I hate muffins.

Evenings are punctuated by a glass of red wine.
Or 2. Maybe 3 if it is friday. At 125 calories a glass, that is a lot
of extra "junk in the trunk" (another euphamism that my 13 year old
used to describe me. Nice.)

On Saturday I ran 1.2 miles in 16 minutes. Slow. I ran with the 13
year old and we walked a few times. We both had really great moods
after though.

On Sunday I swam 14 laps in the pool--how far is that? 50X14=700 yards
so almost half-mile.

Today, I'm going to hit the gym for some weights and maybe a little
crossfit. I think I'll try the TWENTY-ONE.

"Twenty-One"
20 push-ups/1 sit-up
19 push-ups/2 sit-ups
18 push-ups/3 sit-ups
17 push-ups/4 sit-ups
16 push-ups/5 sit-ups
15 push-ups/6 sit-ups
14 push-ups/7 sit-ups
13 push-ups/8 sit-ups
12 push-ups/9 sit-ups
11 push-ups/10 sit-ups
10 push-ups/11 sit-ups
9 push-ups/12 sit-ups
8 push-ups/13 sit-ups
7 push-ups/14 sit-ups
6 push-ups/15 sit-ups
5 push-ups/16 sit-ups
4 push-ups/17 sit-ups
3 push-ups/18 sit-ups
2 push-ups/19 sit-ups
1 push-up/20 sit-ups

Hopefully will start running again at 4:30 a.m. soon.

I have to admit I am a little bummed--Sunday December 7 is California
International Marathon. I am registered but not running. I'm really
sad about it and trying to figure out how to mark the occasion. I may
do a long run on the american river bike trail--just to get out and
see nature and celebrate that my legs still work, and my heart is
still beating.
What do you think?

Exercise Schmexercise

Dear former-exerciser,

Do you think that being grumpy all the time really suits you? Do you
have a permanent scowl? Does the theme for the wicked witch of the
west play as you walk through the halls at work? Do people scatter as
you stomp along in heels from meeting to meeting?

There is a solution to this serious problem. And trust me, it is a
VERY serious problem. The solution involves something that you don't
want to fathom or even consider.

Take a break and go run.

I know that sounds crazy, but let's get real. You stomped up the
stairs today at work and were out of breath after 3 flights. You've
been drinking coffee in the morning and afternoon and evening. And
rum, kahlua and wine in the late evenings. This is not helpful.
Instead of frantically working on your paper, go for a run. Instead of
biting your kids' head off, go for a run. Take your dogs while you are
at it--they have been so ignored lately they've been digging out of
boredom. And you have been so tired you didn't even say anything to
the woman in line at the grocery store who told you that the
NationalEnquirer reported REAL NEWS like their cover story that Oprah
was trying to take Obama away from Michelle. WHY DIDN'T YOU SET HER
STRAIGHT! WHY ISN'T THAT WOMAN STILL CRYING????

So do it. Just go for a run.

I know all the excuses. You've got work to do. You are tired. Your
head hurts. You are sleepy. Yeah well, man-up because life sucks
sometimes and then you die. So you might as well die with some fresh
air in your lungs, a strong heart and a some musculature in your legs.

Go.
For.
A.
Run.

Just go for 10 minutes. Trust me, humanity will thank you.

So Sorry

I'm am so sorry I haven't posted recently. As you can imagine--I've
been working as much as possible on my thesis and have given up
anything remotely physical.

No Run + No Bike + No Swim = Uber-Bitch.

Everyone has commented on it recently. My hubby wants a divorce, the
teenagekid is like, "dang you have a bad attitude"(this from a
teenager!), and my work manager keeps asking me why I am not forgiving
of others' mistakes. (Uhm, cause I'm sick of cleaning up after
everyone else's mistakes!)

Anyway, the gallons of coffee and tea haven't really helped my mood
either--or my digestive system.

So it's good times around our house these days. Hopefully I'll be done
in the next week or so...

Slight Election Hangover

Slight Election Hangover today.

Today's work was subdued--nobody was talking and instead everyone was
on the internet getting the low down about yesterday's events.

I am pushing hard on my thesis. Topic is strange and hard to write
about concisely.
Blah.

Happy post-election day. Only 6 weeks and 1 day until Christmas.