If I Only Had a Brain . . .

OK. So, I actually got up at the crack of dawn after working until 1AM. I barreled out of the driveway at 5:15AM and was in the pool shortly after 5:30AM. I swam for two hours in chilly 79 degree water and had a BLAST! Who knew that I would love swimming so much. For the last few minutes Sherry and I had the pool mostly to ourselves. We chatted about my new Garmin Forerunner as she showed me her pool tether. She wrapped this contraption around my waist and had me swim down the lane as she held on to a rope attached to my harness. Once I couldn't swim any farther because of the restraint, I just swam in place -- almost like a pool treadmill. Once I got tired, she had me flip over and she pulled me back to the other end. The coolest though when she and I swam '50's' side by side. I actually kept up with her! Mind you, I was panting like a dog on the Fourth of July and she acted as if we had just finished a leisurely stroll in the park, but I FELT GOOD! I caught a little cramp in my calf from the workout, but I didn't mind. I finally feel like a SWIMMER!

So, I head for the locker room feeling mighty proud of myself. I shower and change and start getting dressed for work. Finally, I realize that I failed to bring 'big girl' shoes with me. I had only a sweater, a skirt, pantyhose and rubber flip flops. So, yet again I had to call Andreas and ask him to bail me out. "Honey, could you . . . ?" I'm sure he thinks that is his name by now. I'm just thankful that I'm married to someone so wonderful that keeps me whole and sane. Be sure to count your blessings today. I do EVERY DAY!

Can You Say "Saddle Sore"?

Ugh! I rode my bike for 90 minutes last night and my rear end has not been happy today. I have tried everything I can think of to make riding more comfortable. I tried the saddle with the hole in the middle designed by medical doctors and scientists from NASA. I tried the extra cushy seat pad to go on top of my saddle. I tried raising the 'nose' of the saddle a little so that the 'cushy' part of my bum rests more soundly on the 'cushy' part of my saddle. Nothing has worked yet! I haven't looked, but I am certain that I'm developing some pretty significant bruises. Oh well, no pain, no gain, right? Fortunately, my saint of a husband ordered me one of those racks that fits across the bathtub to hold a book and other items while you soak away the day's troubles. I think tonight is the perfect night to try it out along with a little 'libation' . . .

Life Just Gets in the Way

OK. How pathetic am I that I am actually eating Girl Scout cookies as I type this? Fortunately, they are not the chocolatey ones because I have the darndest time getting the chocolate off of the keyboard!

It has been almost a week since I have posted, but I've had my hands full. I spent Thursday through Sunday in Toronto for work and have been desperately trying to catch up since I returned.

Since I was 'childless' and 'husbandless' I decided to try out my new toy -- the Garmin Forerunner 305. I must say, this baby is a techy athlete's DREAM! Of course, I couldn't just get the unit alone. As any fashion-forward girl knows, you must always ACCESSORIZE! So, I got the 'FootPod', the 'Quick Release Doohickey' (yes, that is the technical term for it) and I'm thinking about the 'Cadence Sensor'. Together, this ensemble ROCKS! I wear the Forerunner and the chest strap when I run or bike and if I'm on the treadmill, I use the FootPod -- which I just keep tied to my running shoes. When I'm done with my workout, I attach the Forerunner to my computer and upload the data. Next, I go to this handy-dandy webiste I found (http://www.trainingpeaks.com) which allows me to store and analyze all of my data as well as plan my workouts. I can even send my planned workouts to Outlook and put them on my calendar. It also sends me a reminder every morning describing my planned workout for the day. Andreas just rolls his eyes and calls me a geek. I think it's a great distraction to help me forget how much I hate running. Now, I'm working on heart rate training. Since I've long given up any hope of being fast, I'm working to improve my fitness by training in specific heart rate zones. It's cool. Try it, you'll like it! Too bad it doesn't work in the pool!

Crazy Days!

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday because things were a little hectic at work. What's worse is that I didn't get a chance to WORKOUT yesterday! My new toy arrived yesterday and by the time I finished working and packing and everything else that I had to do to prepare for my trip, I was too pooped to play. Oh well, I'll try it out today while I'm waiting for the students to arrive here in Toronto. I DID try out the stability ball and toning balls that Coach Sherry suggested I purchase. I went through a whole circuit of upper body, lower body and abdominal exercises thinking "What's the big deal?" However, when I was finished and was fairly certain that I was going to hurl, I quickly figured out what it means to "work your core". . . . note to self . . . no ab work on a full stomach . . .

Guilt Works!

So, I had every intention of sleeping in this morning and coming up with some lame excuse for why I couldn't make it to the group workout this morning. However, as I laid there, GUILT pulled me out of bed and sent me on my way. I thought about all of the people who had donated to my cause, all of the other athletes who are tough enough to make it to 6AM practices and the thought of how disappointed I would be in myself for copping out. So, at 5:40AM, I barreled out of the garage and raced down Highway 280 in order to make it to the YMCA on time. Fortunately, Sherry too thought it was a bit too cold to run outside. So, we did 'dynamic warmup' exercises inside in the gym. It's amazing how winded you can get just from a warmup! At the end of our session, Sherry outlined our workout plan. Ugh! It's filled with two-a-day workouts and twice-a-week weight training among other novelties. I just hope I have the body to show for all of this work!

Too Tired to Spin

Ugh! It's only Monday and already I'm too tired to workout tonight. I've gone back and forth from work projects to kid activities all day and now I'm just too pooped to do anything. What's more, I'm absolutely dreading meeting the group for running drills at 6AM. As Andreas puts it, it's my "least favorite sport" at my "least favorite hour of the day" which is a really bad combination. Maybe I'll accidentally oversleep. Not a bad idea! Well, I did buy one of those stability ball things at Wal-Mart today. Maybe I'll play with that a bit before I go to bed. That wouldn't really feel like working out, right?

Looking for Inspiration on a Rainy Day

I need to do a run today, but I mostly feel like lying on the couch, watching 'chick flicks' and eating cookies. What better way to spend a gloomy Sunday afternoon? So, I headed to my computer to kill some time and search for motivation. In the course of my web surfing -- amidst the stories about yet another campus tragedy and other bad news -- I ran across an interesting video. While I was raised that politics and religion are personal topics, this video struck me in a non-political way. I don't know that I can quite put my reaction in words. Perhaps it is the cinematography or the curiosity it piques in one to identify all of the 'celebrities'. Regardless, the uplifting message was just what I needed on a dreary Sunday afternoon to help me see beyond myself.

Watch and enjoy:

www.yeswecansong.com

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua!

Trail Run

This morning, Sherry (our TNT coach) treated us to a five mile trail run. I have the hardest time navigating through those woods! I'm always looking down to make sure I don't trip over a tree root and then miss the turns! What's worse is that my glasses kept getting foggy but without them I was REALLY in trouble. Maybe I should try contact lenses again. So many things to ponder! Well, I made it through the five mile course without breaking my neck so I'll call it a good day. I was always the last one in the group, but most of the folks are experienced runners. The trails did get me thinking that maybe it's time to buy some new toys. My brother (Carl) has been raving about a new Garmin GPS computer that he bought recently. It comes with a heart rate monitor so it can track heart rate, distance and pace simultaneously. Plus, you can connect it to your computer afterwards and check out how you did. Nothing like a new data source! I'll give it a try.

Today is also Joshua's birthday. I stopped by the store on the way home and got him a few balloons so that we could have a festive setting for the ceremonial present opening. He seems to be happy with everything and we topped it off with lunch at Superior Grill. Now Mama's happy too!

My First Post!

Hello All!! This is a new experience for me!! So many people have asked about my triathlon progress, that I thought I'd start a blog to keep everyone updated.

I'm still trying to get into the swing of my training routine, but hopefully, I'll start feeling the rhythm soon! Currently, my schedule is to swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays (at 6AM!) with the Team in Training group, run Friday through Sunday and bike on Mondays and Wednesdays. This Saturday, however, our coach has a trail run followed by a swim scheduled for us. I think that I'll earn Sunday off after all of that.

Good news! The scale was very nice to me today and reported that I have shed another pound. That makes five pounds for the year. That's not much, but it sure is nice to have a waist again!

Well, work is getting in the way again! I've got a grant application to complete before an 11:30 luncheon. Then Andreas and I are off to church to do the Stations of the Cross with Peter. Gosh! I never dreamed that we'd be such good Catholics until we enrolled Peter in Catholic school. After that, it's off to get baseball gear for Peter and cookies for Joshua's special birthday snack. I'm tired just thinking about all of that!

Have a great weekend everyone!!