Feeling Funky

Saturday morning I went for a bike ride. Don didnt go with me because he had bad back pain. I think I went about 10K. It was very cold and windy on the way out but on the way back the wind was with me and the sun was shining and I went twice as fast. I could only go about 2/3 or 2/4 speed on the way out but on the way back I went the hardest speed the whole way. I am feeling more confident on the road. Andrea saw me on her way to work and honked at me which mad me smile. My bike feels a bit small but there is not much I can do about it. It only bothered me when I was going really slow. I really enjoy biking. I just worry that Im really slow. I felt like I was going really fast but then I asked Andrea later..."Did it look like I was going fast?" She said...no.

Last night I was supposed to go swimming but I was feeling what I call "funky". Thats when I feel kind of blue or meloncolly. So I decided to just have a relaxing evening. Just have a bath and watch Dancing With The Stars....the whole thing. Its OK to do that once and awhile I think. As long as it doesn't turn into several funky days or a funky week...etc. Tonight is gym night. Maybe if I get ambitious I will go swimming too. We'll see...depends how funky I feel.

Plodding Along in the Rain

Last night was gym night but I didnt feel like going. I felt unusually tired. (Do I say that alot?) I decided to just go for a 6K run outside. It was nice and mild. But it was a discouraging run. I felt sooooo slow! I feel sooo much faster on the treadmill! I gave myself a pep talk and swore at myself but it didnt work. I couldnt even do my whole Slash fartlek. I was frustrated with myself so I just put on the funky "Holmes Brothers" blues band and plodded (is that a real word?) along the rest of the way. It started raining about half way but it felt good. When I got home I even just sat in the rain for awhile and had a pity party for myself. My injury (groin area) was also hurting which was worrying me. Maybe my legs just need a break. Oh well....a bad workout is better than no workout I always say. This weekend is supposed to be nice so hopefully I will get some biking in on "Holmes". Thats what I named my bike. My kids and Don think I am very silly.

Am I Crazy?

Swimming was last night. I did 16 lengths in a row of front crawl! Although in the lake you dont get to push off at the end of each length. I have a long way to go but I have improved quite abit. Its hardest on my arms so I will have to do more work on my arms.
I've been searching for race times online and so far I could only find US races but the times were quite fast. I dont want to be the last one! The running times were OK. Don and I are going to go to the first Subaru race and watch. Its also in Guelph which is where the one I want to do is in September. Then I will get a better idea....and find out if Im crazy or not.

5 lbs More

I didnt feel like working out last night but you kind of just do it and then you start to get into it. I really need to change up my workout though because I have been doing the same thing for a couple months now. I saw a lady doing some mat work but I find it boring unless I am in a class. I did do some free weights though. 3 sets of 10 with 15lbs with bicep curls and triceps. I did the usual arm and leg machines but am putting the weights up higher. I do 100lbs on the leg press now and 65 lbs on the ab machine and I do 3 sets of 20 and 2 sets of 20 small crunches which I really feel. On the treadmill I did well because I had 2 fast guys on either side of me. I like that. It gives me a push to go faster. I thought my average time for the 1/2 hr was going to be over 6 for sure but it was 5.99. Bummer. Tonight is swimming. I dont know how long I will be able to keep this up. So far I am enjoying it. It takes so long to see results though. Yesterday me and Don were watching Utube videos of Triathlons. It was scaring me. Don said...maybe you should do a Tri-a-Tri. But I want to do something I have to really train for....some that will be cruelling. I dont know...maybe Im crazy. Everyone seems to have really expensive bikes too. I want to do the Subaru Series which says its for elite and beginners but maybe I should do a just womens series which is more geared to beginners. Well I havent registered yet....we'll see.

Enjoying the Swimming but Not the Raccoon Eyes

I enjoyed my swim last night. I feel I am improving. I did mostly front crawl but it was busy so I had to take quite a few breaks. I think I am getting faster but I need to practice continual swimming and keep track of the lengths. I am really enjoying the swimming training. I still had raccoons eyes from the goggles when I was done though and my eyes looked baggy this morning. Thats not really the look I am going for.

Test Drive

I tried out my new bike this weekend. It was pretty cold and windy for bike riding but I had to try it out. It worked great and it seems to fit me well. Its a fast bike but I'm a bit of a chicken with speed. I'll have to work on that. I did my 10K running route. Its quite hilly which I thought would be good to check out the gears. The gears have a few glitches but nothing serious so far. Overall it works great. I thought it would be very uncomfortable with the racing handle bars but it wasnt. I dont like where the brakes are though. It kind of scares me that I wont be able to get to the brakes quick enough but Im hoping I will get used to it. When I was done the 10K my thighs felt like tree trunks. I'm going to need alot of practice to do 30K! Sheesh...thats what I said about the swimming. I'll just have to keep plugging away at it and hopefully see some progress in about a month.
Don and I also went to the Bike Shop on Saturday to look at triathlon suits and look at "Real" road bikes. It was fun looking at all the beautiful bikes. Well the cheapest road bike was $1000.00 but it was so beautiful! They are works of art. Maybe some day.... but we'll see how this first triathlon goes first.

My New Bike

I'm so excited! Yesterday I was researching bikes online and I checked out Canadian Tire just to see what they had and they had a road bike on sale for half price! I read 18 reviews on it and it sounded pretty good. They all said it was a steal for that price. But they also said its not a "real" road bike. But anyways....I cant afford a "real" road bike. I hope its OK for the race. I'll have to see how it rides.
Last night on my way home from work I checked a Whitby location and it wasnt there and then I checked the Oshawa location. It was there but it was marked $299.99 so I went to the service counter and asked if it was on sale because it wasnt marked on sale. She checked and the computer said it was $149.00 and it was the last one left! So I bought it! I was very worried to tell Don because he is a bike expert. Maybe he'd laugh and say it was junk.
Don went to the store this morning to check it over and bring it home if he thought it was good for me. I just talked to him on the phone and he says some things about it are cheap but its a great deal for the money. So now I have a bike! One step closer to my goal! Its my early (May)birthday present.
Last night after going to Canadian Tire I went to do my workout. I was so excited about the bike that I had a great workout. The weights seemed lighter and I could run faster. My legs are sore today though from the leg squat machine. But its a good sore. I am going to use that machine more often because every time I use it my thighs and butt are sore. I do 100lbs on the leg press now too. 3 sets of 10. On the treadmill my average time for 1/2 hr was almost 6 so thats my highest so far. On my Slash fartlek I did 7.8 and felt like I could go faster but I didnt want to push it.
Hopefully it will be good weather this weekend so I can try my new bike out!

Goggle Wearing Newbie

Last night I bought swimming goggles. They worked really well except I had them on too tight and didnt realize it till I was finished swimming and looked at myself in the change room. It looked like I had hickies around my eyes. It looked terrible! And I had just said goodbye to the other swimmers not knowing I had these big red circles around these big puffy eyes. What a newbie. Anyways....I had a good swim but I definately need to practice alot. I do two lengths of front crawl and need to take a break. I need to be able to swim continuously for 40 lengths. I have to swim 750 m at the triathlon which is approximately 30 lengths. I am far from that. I have to be able to swim relaxed. Well practice makes perfect.

Strawberries and Chocolate

Yesterday I had a great workout. I planned on doing the machines at the gym but then go for a run outside instead of the treadmill since it was so nice outside, 15 C in March! It was dead at the gym probably because everyone was outside. I did my workout but when I got home it was hard to switch gears and go run outside. I thought of just skipping it. I felt tired and it felt like I was done for the night. I told myself I would just go slow. But it turned out to be a great 6 K run and I even did my Slash fartlek. I was proud of myself but then later Esther was bored (its March break) so we decided to go shopping and get some special snacks with TV. We bought strawberries and chocolate. Just slightly naughty. It was delicious!

Goggles

I did my swim last night. Aprox. 30 lengths/30 min. Maybe less because it was busy this time. One man got mad at a lady because she was swimming back and forth instead of circles. Later he asked me if I wanted to borrow his extra goggles. I thought Id better say yes (Don says I should have said no). I realized I was the only one swimming without goggles. They felt weird and I felt like a martian but I guess everyone does. My eyes didnt hurt as much though. Guess I better get some.

Im researching Triathlons. I think I am going to do one from the Suburu Series in Guelph Sept 5. Its a 750 m swim, 30 K bike, 7 K run. A bit longer than most Sprint triathlons. But then I have the whole summer to practice and I can practice swimming in a lake while Im camping. Its also the long weekend. I havent registered yet though. Yikes.

Sunny Afternoon Run

Ooops. Slept in Saturday morning. Couldnt fit in a run before breakfast so we just went to breakfast and said we'd do our run in the afternoon. I felt like we were being sneeky and playing hooky. But we actually did do our run in the afternoon. Usually if we dont get our run in before breakfast it just doesnt happen. But it was so sunny and beautiful outside and we have to stick to our schedule if we want to do a half marathon in the spring. We did 6K but it felt really short....which is good. Next week we do 10K.

Go Slash Go

I had a good workout last night (Thurs). Im starting to see some improvement. I am raising the weights by 5 lbs and when I finished my 1/2 hr run I felt like doing more. On my runs I start out with walking 2 min, then speed 5.5 for a few minutes, then up to 6.0 with a few songs (Aerosmith, Police) then to 6.5 with two songs that are awesome for running hard "We'll Be Together Tonight by Sting and Annie Lennox" (I LOVE that version) and "Slither" by Velvet Revolver. Then when Slash starts the lead break I do a fartlek at 7.6 till the end of the song. Then the rest of the half hour I run to The Holmes Brothers (gospel blues, very funky). Thats been my 1/2 hour treadmill routine for about a month or so now. I'll have to change it up in awhile but for now nothing makes me run faster than a lead break by Slash.

No Swimming For Me Today

I was the first one at the Walk-In Clinic this morning! Yeah me. But I have a UT infection. Boo me. TMI. Wednesdays is swim night but I dont think it would be a good idea. I'll wait for the medicine to kick in.

I'll use this space to write my schedule out.

Monday- Swim 1/2 hr (Aprox 30 pool lengths)

Tuesday-Gym workout, weights/machines (extra on arms) and 1/2 hr on treadmill.

Wednesday-Swim 1/2 hr

Thursday-Gym workout, machines (extra on legs) and 1/2 hr treadmill

Friday-Swim 1/2 hr ?

Saturday-Long run with Don in the morning

Sunday-Day off

Where is the biking??? Well I think I'll wait till the nice weather and do biking outdoors on Sundays. I dont know where else to put it. Maybe on the swim days I'll stick in a bike ride as well. Yeah thats what I'll do. Wow...its going to be hard to fit everything in. Yikes!

Git R Done

Tues night is gym night and I usually go straight to the gym when I get home from work but by the time I got home I wasnt feeling well so I thought I'd Git R Done and go straight to the Walk In Clinic. Well it was jam packed so I thought forget it, I'll come in the morning and be the first one. What a waste of time. Then I realized that the place where I got my nose pierced was just nextdoor to the walkin clinic. I had taken the piercing out 2 weeks ago because it was crooked and it had to be redone. I hate going in that place...its scary. All the tatooed scary people with their ear lobes hanging down....Git R Done. I had it done by a different person this time and she was really nice. It was so quick and it didnt hurt! I was so happy that I did it that I decided to just go to the gym anyway and just Git R Done. OK enough Git R Dones.
I told myself that I would just do a few machines and skip the cardio but once I got to the gym and got into it I did my usual workout. GRD!

No Dancing Just Swim

Last night I was watching the first show of the new season of Dancing with the Stars. I suddenly realized it was 9:10 and lane swimming is 9 - 10. It was hard to pull myself away. But I quickly changed, threw stuff in my gym bag and went to the pool without thinking about it too much. It helps when your gym is just down the street. Yes...I did it. Just getting there is the hardest part. The pool was busier today. I had to wait between lanes sometimes because we have to swim in circles when there are more people. I think Im starting to notice some improvement in my front crawl stroke. I think of my arms as a propellor, one arm up and one arm down that keeps going in circles.

Feels Like Spring

Saturday mornings Don and I sleep in, then exercise and then go out for breakfast. We have been doing this for years. Sometimes we skip the exercise part but then breakfast doesnt taste nearly as good. This morning it was unusually mild out and felt like spring. So we decided to go for a run outside instead of hitting the gym. I was feeling great at first but then soon started stiffening up. Running outside is so much harder than the treadmill. It feels like Im going so fast on the treadmill but outside I feel so slow! Don was trying to act like I was the only one sore and he would do the shorter route for MY sake. So to bug him I started doing the longer run but then changed my mind to the shorter run. I was glad we did. We did about 6 K but it was kind of discouraging how rusty I am. Oh well...it will get better....and breakfast tasted awesome!

Friday Night Swim

Friday nights are always the same....except this one.
I come home from work early, go grocery shopping, buy some wine, put the groceries away, do a little cleaning and then relax with some pizza, wine and a movie. Well except the last few Fridays I've been making myself taco salad with ground turkey, lite feta cheese, lettuce, tomato, crumpled up blue chips and catalina dressing. I love it. Ive been trying to cut back on pizza. Pizza is my weakness just ask my sister. She's always bugging me about it. Anyways I had this craving to go back to the pool and be in water. Weird aye. Also I didnt do a workout Thursday so I felt like I needed to get back there. So I went and I was able to do 8 lengths of front crawl. Altogether I did 30 lengths in a half hour. I felt so relaxed when I got home maybe a little too relaxed. Don wanted me to watch a movie but I went straight to bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It felt great....and I get to sleep in tommorrow!

Have a Smoothie and Relax

I was going to do a workout today when I got home but Esther informed me I had to bring her to school at 6. So I didnt have time to make supper before then so I thought well I'll just go swimming at 9. After dinner I felt really tired. I dont know why. I have been taking my iron pills and drinking water. I decided I felt too weak to go for a workout and besides Esther needed to be picked up at 9. So I decided to make a blueberry/protein shake and relax instead.

First Day of Training

I am marking yesterday as my first day of my triathlon training because it was the first day I finally got myself to go to lane swimming. For some reason I was afraid to go. I dont know why. Its scary doing something for the first time. Maybe Id bump into all the serious swimmers and they'd be pissed off and kick me out. Maybe they would all giggle at my bathing suit and glowing white skin.
Anyways...yesterday I decided that I was going to play hooky from motherhood. I decided that when I got home from work I would go to the gym and do my usual workout, then go to the shopping centre and have a whole wheat veggie/turkey sub and go to Chapters and have a white mocha and then head back to the gym and do lane swimming which started at nine. I almost convinced myself to skip the swimming but knew I would be so disappointed in myself if I didnt go and would feel so great if I did. Well I did it and it felt awesome! I was able to do about 30 lengths but only 2 lengths of front crawl in a row. But thats better than I thought I would do! I felt great and very relaxed when I got home. But sadly no one really noticed that I was gone all night. Don had just come home from work. No one running to the door when I got home saying...Where were you??!! Oh well...I had a great evening.....an evening all to myself to do whatever I wanted....but..... I missed my family.