Ho hum....

That's how I feel today...just ho-hum. Ran 42 mins today with Daisy and felt fine. The sunshine and warmer temps felt good (30 degrees vs 10). But since Kurt had run Daisy a few miles earlier this mornng, I didn't want overdo it for her so kept the pace slow. Thus, not the greatest training run but better than nothing, I guess.

I keep feeling like I should be doing more....that I'm not training enough. Then, I remember what my friend, Lynne, told me (who did the Florida IM in November) and that was "don't train hard too soon - you'll just burn out". It's hard to know when to start pushing harder, going longer, etc. I don't have a coach so I need to figure this one out soon!

I'm worried about next fall. I will be teaching two classes at UNC and one of them is a brand new class that I will be creating from scratch. The kids will probably be in soccer and choir, which ties up three weeknights for me. This is when my heaviest training will be. But Marshall works full time and his kids are way busier than mine so I think "if he can do it, I can do it".

But there's also dinner, laundry, grocery shopping, housecleaning - all of which are mostly my job. I have a hard enough time getting it all done without adding a rigorous training schedule. I'm not whining, just thinking realistically!

I may have to get myself off of some committees. Right now I'm Chair of the Colorado Chapter of FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption) and I'm on several ministry committees at church.

OK, one day at a time....one month at a time....

Baby, it's Cold Outside!

But I ran anyway...and loved it. My thermometer said 3 degrees when I headed out the door this morning but I stayed plenty warm. One thing I'm good at is running in cold weather (despite last Sat's run). I was warm and toasty for the entire run and was so glad to get outside for fresh air. I took Daisy and ran about 5-6 miles. She did great!

The only thing I don't like about running in the winter is how long it takes to get ready. Layering up just takes awhile, usually because the layers that I'm looking for are at the bottom of the laundry basket or stuffed in Kurt's drawer somewhere.

In "usual" winter weather, e.g., temperatures of 20 - 40, it's a piece of cake: tights, t-neck, long-sleeve shirt, vest, and gloves. Not bad.

When it's bitter cold, like today, it's: long underwear, tights, tall socks, long bra (covers the tummy and feels oh so good), silk turtleneck, long-sleeve shirt, jacket, hat, liner gloves, mittens, and neck gator. And of course, sunglasses and Ipod.

Today I actually got hot. The jacket I wore was too thick and I didn't need liner gloves AND mittens. I long for the warm spring days when all I need are shorts and a singlet and I'm out the door.

Daisy ran well today. She trotted along beside me and hardly strayed from the path. I love running with her.

Yesterday, I did the Spinervals 10.0 tape again - whew! That is one of the hardest workouts I've ever done. Plan to do that once a week from now on.

Body Blues

I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself lately. I wasn't sure if I should say this here or not but I'm just going to blurt it out....tell the world..... it's really true and I'm tired of holding it in: I FEEL FAT!!!

OK, it's finally out. Yes, ME! Size 6 me....feels F-A-T. Oh, and not just fat but fat AND SLOW!!! Because, you know, I am a runner and feeling fat is not enough bad karma, one has to feel slow too, to really squelch the ol' self-esteem.

Marshall and I talked about this last week on a run. We both agreed that one reason (BUT NOT THE ONLY REASON) that we signed up for this Ironman is to have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to get into the best possible shape ever. To lose every ounce of bodyfat possible and be totally buffed (remember what I said in a previous post, that the main reason we all exercise, I think, is to "look good naked" as the guy in American Beauty said). It's all about the ego.

I look in the mirror and marvel at what the heck happened in the last few years. Where is that lean body I use to have? Where is that flat stomach? Those slim hips??? They've all gone south.

I have never, ever, in my entire life had "cellulite". As a sports dietitian, I can tell you that there is no such thing as cellulite. It's all adipose tissue - the same stuff that the 20-somethings laughingly call "muffin tops". It just looks different on the back of thighs and buttocks.

Anyway, I've never had it. Never even thought about it. Never worried about it. Never thought that I, the dietitian, who runs marathons, eats low-fat, and adds flax seed to her oatmeal would have cellulite.

Weeelllllll, those days are over! I look in the mirror and see an aging woman who has flabby thighs and a buddha belly. Can't believe I'm even writing this...but the question is, will the IM make it go away???? Marshall has lost 10 lbs but I can't seem to budge an ounce.....it's not fair!

OK, I've calmed down....Ohmmmmm......I love my body, I love my body, I love my body.....

Cold, sore, and tired

That's how I felt after today's run! Ran with Lynne, Marshall, Kennon (sp?), Kevin, and Jenny, from Jenny's house. Jenny had asked if I could go 2 hrs to which I had naively said "sure". Within 2 miles of the run I realized that no, I was not up for 2 hrs.....and how could I be when the longest I had run recently was 8 miles????

But I didn't want to disappoint Jenny AND I thought maybe I could do it. Lynne, Marshall, and Kennon peeled off about halfway to go back sooner. I decided to keep going with Jenny and Kevin.

But it seemed like the temperature dropped 20 degrees (well, not that much but it felt like it!) and my legs felt like lead pipes - heavy, cold, and stiff. I went slower and slower.....and Jenny and Kevin kept right on going....I fell way behind and because I was going so slow, I got really, really, really...did I say really....cold! I had been sweating and every runner knows the bone-chilling cold you get when you sweat and then stay in the same sweaty clothes in cold air - ARRGGHH!

Plus, it was cloudy and dreary out and I just wanted to go home. My legs and butt hurt, my hands were frozen, and I was hungry.

I suppose to make it through an Ironman you have to ignore your body's aches and pains, ignore the pain and discomfort and push through the misery and constant yearnings for a hot shower and comfy couch and keep on truckin'....but it does beg the question: why do we do this????

Now that I'm showered, fed, warm, and rested, I feel fine and glad I went the distance. It was good to run with Jenny and Kevin. And hopefully I'll recover this fast after the IM next November!

Ketchup

Whew, this week has flown by and nary a word I have blogged!

I thought I was off to a great start with the wonderful run I had on Monday but it kinda went downhill from there, in terms of training. Let's see....on Inauguration Day I was glued to the TV and sat on my butt almost the entire day. I did, however, swim at 5:30 while my kids were at swim practice.

So, Tuesday = 30 mins of swimming.

On Wednesday, I ran with Daisy for about 4 miles. Still felt sore from Monday (can you believe it?) and had to push myself out the door. But once I got out there, I had a great run. Daisy did really well too. It was so warm outside that I wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt! And it's January!

Today is Thursday and I didn't feel like running or biking this morning (uh oh, this isnt' good). Then I found out my daughter's strep test was positive so I needed to go get her out of school. That nixed any hopes for running but I could ride my trainer while she watched TV. But I had so much email to catch up on and things to do for FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption, of which I am Chair of), that I never got it done. Big bummer!

But I did swim today during the kids' swim practice. They are on a swim team that practices every Tues/Thurs from 5:30 - 6:15 PM at the Rec Center. I vowed to myself that I would swim while they practiced and so far, I have done it. But the sad thing is, I am tired after 30 mins of swimming. Ugh.

Today I swam 45 mins but I took longer breaks at the end of laps and threw in quite a few laps of just kicking, which I don't consider swimming. I'm not sure how long this will last because my kids are not liking the swim team. It really is too high of a level for them and the water is very cold. They're used to a more kid-friendly swimming experience and this coach is all-business. So, we'll see.

So, I had a great run early in the week but I need to be more consistent with longer runs; I need more spinning/biking, and I definitely need more strength training to be a better swimmer. I'll get right on that!

MLK Day

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr, Day! I am happy as a clam today. Why? Several reasons: 1) I had an awesome run this morning (more on that later), 2) my kids are home and since I didn't see them all weekend, I'm having a blast playing with them, and 3) I get to watch the inauguration tomorrow, and 4) I'm loving the fact that I'm not teaching this semester - I have time to do things I haven't done in years!

So, about that run this morning.....I wasn't sure I was going to run and then got "the urge" and ran 5 miles feeling very strong. It made me realize that I had not run that far on a weekday in a very long time. I used to run 5-6 days a week and at least 4 miles a day (usually more).

But in the last 5 years, I've unintentionally reduced the number of runs/week to 3-4 instead of 5-6 AND I run 3-4 miles at at time, instead of 4-7. No wonder I've gotten slower over the years!

It's definitely time to ramp it up. And if I feel like I did today, I'm doing good. Just wish I could feel this good in the pool!

Blissful weekend

Silence....that's all I heard this weekend and I couldn't soak it up enough. Kurt took the kids skiing and I had the whole house to myself. But I've learned that a lot of unstructured time does not motivate one to do anything....hence, I didn't run or ride until 4:30 today...just too lazy.

I didn't feel like running so I rode my trainer for 30 mins while watching the pre-inauguration activities on CNN. I had sat on my butt almost the entire afternoon on Saturday doing something that I never get a chance to do: watch HGTV for hours. So this time I actually got in some exercise.

I watched more home makeovers this weekend than I've seen in my entire lifetime. And I just sat there and sat there and sat there...."like a bump on a log" my mother would say. I enjoyed it way more than I should have.

When I rode my trainer today, I put it on a harder gear and worked up a sweat. I threw in a couple of "surges": using the hardest gear for one minute, requiring me to stand. Good practice for the hills I will encounter in Lake to Lake.

Planning to swim tomorrow AM.

3 Dog Run

Today was Daisy's first time running with both of her buddies, Kylee and Zoey. We met at Jenny's house and ran to the stop sign and back (adding an extra mile toward the end).

All 3 dogs did relatively well, despite the fact that I will now need back surgery (you try holding back a 75 lb golden retriever puppy attached to your waist!)

Seriously, after the initial excitement was over, Daisy fell into a rhythm and did pretty darn good. I felt great and was not tired at the end of the run. I could have easily run further, so I guess that's a good sign.

Marshall's training is going well. He says that he has lost almost 20 lbs and that in itself can make you run faster. It will be fun to do this monster-race with Marshall. It's kind of ironic that we ended up on this path together because we have a few things in common: we're the same age, our fathers died the same year, and we both married high-strung, perfectionistic people who are, shall we say, romantically-challenged. (Sorry, Lynne, but it's true!)

I just hope I can keep up with him on our training rides this summer. He's a much faster cyclist and runner than I am. He said his goal is to beat his wife's bike time in the IM so I'm sure I won't have a chance keeping up with him. Oh well....I just need to do my best and not worry about it (yeah, right!).

I did a two-a-day!

Yeah, can ya believe it? For awhile there, I forgot I was even training for anything. I hadn't gotten in much exercise. But that's also because I've been very busy with family stuff lately.

Anyway, on Tuesday I tried my new Troy Jacobson Spinerval DVD that my husband got me for Christmas. Forgot what it's called but it's a cycling training tape. I have another one but Kurt got me a 2nd one to use for training. The first one is very, very hard. The new one appeared easy when I first started watching it but um, well, it aint easy!

This is the workout: 8 one-minute intervals using whatever gear you need to achieve 70 - 80 rpm (not too hard but I got my heart rate up), with 45 seconds in between each interval. Then 12 45-second intervals with a goal of 80 - 90 rpm, with 30 seconds between each interval. Then 16 30-second intervals with a goal of 100 rpm and 15 seconds in between. Owie kapowie!

And there was more....but I had to turn it off because I was running late that day. I'm not teaching this semester and it's amazing how the time fills up!

Weds I took off and today was my big "TWO-A-DAY" (I'm all pumped up because it made me feel like a real triathlete). I ran this morning with Daisy, about 4 miles; then I swam 45 mins tonight when the kids were in swim teach practice.

This was the first time I had swam in over a week (uh oh, not good for someone training for an Ironman!). I'm so bad at swimming that 45 mins was way too long. I was ready to quit in 30 mins. Back to square one for me.

I keep losing my motivation to swim. Part of the problem is that it's cold outside (it's January, for cryin' out loud). When it's cold, I have NO desire to don a swimming suit and jump into a cold pool. I hate it, in fact. I even heard myself say the other day "I bet I'll be fine if I wait until summer to start swimming". And she signed up for an Ironman, you say....

No, I will NOT be fine if I wait until summer to start swimming!!! I need to be swimming now! Marshall is and he's also doing some P98X program that pumps up his upper body. He keeps talking about how easy the swim will be (in the Ironman) but he doesn't realize how wimpy my arms are....that I get tired after 30 mins of swimming!

So, pinky promise to myself: I will swim 2-3 days/week from here on out. Someone please make me do it!

Run for Lauren

Today was one of those days when you run for reasons other than fitness. It was a sad, reflective run. The daughter of the man who married Kurt and I died of carbon monoxide poisoning last week. She was only 23 yrs old.

She lived across the street from us when we lived in Windsor many years ago and I remember seeing her ride her bike up and down the street. Her father, Don, was the pastor of our church and we got to know him and his new wife, Carol, very well because we joined a "blended families" group together. I can't imagine what he is going through right now.

I thought a lot about Lauren on my run. How tragic to die so young. I thought about how hard that would be bury your own child. It's not something I allow myself to think about very often because it's just too hard.

It was also a beautiful run with a blanket of freshly fallen snow. I love winter running and this was a particularly beautiful morning. The sun was coming out of the clouds but the sky was kinda dark-lookng, like it was still in shadow. Dark clouds mixed with fluffy white clouds and snowdrifts covered the sidewalk.

I plowed through the snow feeling the cold wind on my face. Most people think it's crazy to run in the snow but I love it. Snow-packed roads have traction and they're actually easy to run on. Some corners are icy but the straight-aways are fine.

I ran around Sanborn Park four times....just didn't feel like going anywhere else. I was the only there and I could just let my mind wander as I ran the snow-covered path around the lake.

Kurt and Daisy ran with me the first two miles but went home soon because Kurt was tired. He worked all last night and could barely stand up. He seemed to disappear in the fog as he and Daisy ran off toward home. Although I'm glad he joined me for part of the run, I was also glad he went on because I didn't feel like talking.

When I got back I felt a calmness that I hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe it was the music, the prayer, the reflection on life and death. There's something special about running on a cold winter day and it's days like these that make me glad to be a runner.

Daisy's Long Run Debut

Ran 6 miles today with my friend, Lynne, and her dog, Kylee. Lynne's recovering from post-Ironman knee surgery and 6 is all she can do right now (which is pretty darn good). Daisy's never run that far but she did great. We let both dogs off-leash a few times and Daisy followed Kylee's lead, coming back to us whenever we called.

I had planned to run further but we had a big event to get to yesterday so kept it at 6 miles. The good thing is I can run again today, before we head to Broomfield for our annual Grandfather Frost event (Russian/Ukrainian celebration of Christmas).

Didn't get my swim in on Friday because of plumbing problems AGAIN. Had to stay home to be here for plumber.....grrrr.

I need to find my triathlon training book to get a training schedule going. I'd like to join a spin class but I don't want to join a fitness club. Hmmm.......

Two Dog Run

Ok, I'm still laughing at Tuesday's post....anyone who reads this blog must think I'm nuts.

And yesterday I did get in a swim at the Rec Center. I was very close to baggin' it, thinking that I had too much to do but I put blinders on and walked past the piles of laundry, dust, and cheap plastic toys that seem to infiltrate my life these days and drove to the pool. Only swam about 1000 yards but got it in!

I do think that lack of strength is my biggest barrier to swimming. I think my stroke is decent enough now (not that it can't improve) but I just get so tired. My arms get tired. My back starts to hurt. So I guess it's just a matter of strength training and time...I hope!

Had a fun run today with my friend, Jenny. She brought Zoey, her yellow lab. It was Daisy's first time running with another dog and she did great! I thought it would be a mess in the beginning....leashes getting tangled and dogs tackling each other but they did fine. They had ample time to "meet and greet" while Jenny and I talked so maybe that helped. But we ran about 3 miles and both dogs did fine.

The weather is amazing....almost 60 degrees today!

Well, it's January 6th and I still don't have a training plan. I have an idea of what I should be doing but haven't put anything on paper yet. Too busy! Marshall is using Gale Bernhardt's olympic-distance plan right now and then will switch to her 13 week Ironman training plan sometime this summer or fall so I suppose that is what I should do.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing what feels right for the day....

Today I took the kids to school and drove to my mom's house (near school) and ran from there. I did two loops, each about 2 - 3 miles each. The loop goes from her house near WOW to 20th street by the ballfields, around by University and Frontier schools, Fun Plex and up "fluffy bunny" hill to 59th Avenue. Nice loop with a good long hill. I ran it twice today and pushed the pace on the 2nd loop.

Got the run in but missed my swim on Monday....well, um, I kinda overslept. Yep. Slept right through Master's swim. Woke up at 6:20 (it starts at 6:15). Nice! And I'm going to do an Ironman???

So, today my mind is wandering while I'm running thinking of all kinds of crazy stuff. Started thinking about why we do this...why do people like me like to run, bike, and swim? Or just run. Why do we center our lives around training like we do??? Most people think we're crazy but all of my running friends get it. When we will run or ride is often the first thing we think about when we wake up each day. Why is that???

I'd like to think it's the lofty goal of staying healthy. But the real truth is probably a little more narcissistic. I came up with three very likely reasons during my run today:

1. We want to look good naked. That's right. Plain and simple. Remember Kevin Spacey in the movie American Beauty....he goes for a run (for the first time) and he starts talking to some guys running by him. They talk about how running is good for your health and say something like "isn't that why you are running" to which Spacey replies "No, I just want to look good naked." Ha! You can't tell me it's not at least part of the reason why you run or do triathlons!

2. We want to beat the SOB. One thing that we runners like is a little competition and because most of us do the same races every year, we see the same people at each race every year and we secretly compare race times (sometimes not so secretly) and we do everything we can to beat anyone in our age group. The nice thing about triathlons is that they write your age on the back of your right calf so that when people pass you, you know whether they are in your age group or not. This can come in handy! You know whether to relax and let them go or dig in and kill yourself to pass the SOB at the finish line. And it feels oh so good when you pass someone who is younger than you are! It's all about the ego.

3. We eat like a pig. One thing I've heard over and over again throughout my years of running, cycling, and doing triathlons is this: "I run because I like to eat". We all know that exercise burns calories and running, biking, and swimming just so happen to burn A LOT of calories. So it makes perfect sense to those of us who hate dieting but who want to look good naked, to get our butts out the door and pound the pavement for an hour or so. That way, we can come home and pound the pizza and cheesecake too. Works for me!

Wintery Run

Ran 9 today with Brenda and Kevin. The temperature was around 20 but the wind chill was much colder. Had a great run, though. Kevin only did about 3 since he's having some pain in his legs. But I was glad for him that he did even that.

Brenda has a Garmin so she was able to accurately measure the course, which I believe she said was 8.75 or something like that. I was very ready to stop running. So I'm using 8-10 as my base. Need to start building from here.

Got to go, both kids up now!

Warm weather

Got in a very short run today - too much to do with kids and exchange student. Started off in tights and long sleeve shirt and gloves....way too hot! Went back home and put on shorts and short-sleeved shirt (my new one from Foot of the Rockies) and it felt oh so good!

Thinkin' more about this big race I got comming up....Marshall reminded me of how many days we have until the big day (gee thanks, Marshall!). Starting to plan the training out, although I have nothing on paper yet. Everything is on hold until the kids go back to school!