November Training 11/18/12-11/24/12 and a race report

Happy Turkey Day everyone! :) I hope you all had FABULOUS turkey days.  The weather was gorgeous and I had a wonderful run that day. Besides my family, health, friends, life, etc, as I ran I thought of how thankful I am for the park system we have here.  I can run in a different, wonderfully maintained park any day of the week and several are less than 15 miles from my home.  My usual running place is less than 3 miles away!

My legs were super tired this week.  I think I've been over training. Monday I ran and also did a 45/45 spinning and yoga class AFTER my loooong YTT weekend.  I ran Thursday and Friday last week then had a stressful and grueling YTT weekend, ran Monday and the spinning/yoga class.  So this week after my run on Wednesday, I realized that I needed to rest up for my race on Saturday.  I've been working my butt of this week with jewelry stuff because I decided to do a show on Saturday.  Thursday I had a pretty decent run but my legs still felt a bit heavy.  It was soooo gorgeous! Friday I rested so I'd be ready for the race.

I got to the race early, hit the bathroom and ran for 15 minutes or so and was warmed up and ready by 8:45am.  The problem was that the race didn't start until about 9:10am. So by that time, I wasn't really warmed up anymore.  The course was nice and pretty easy with the exception of one giant hill. I felt good and didn't over do it.  I feel like I'm FINALLY getting this whole pacing thing! haha But seriously, I ran a pretty consistent race and even kept my pace through the finish.  Normally I sprint in but I was feeling good at my pace and happy to come in under 45 minutes. I forgot to turn off my garmin though until about 3 mins after the race. :(  Official time from the race is 44:58 with 14:30/min. I'm happy with it.  It is my first race in several years and while it isn't an official PR it is my fastest time besides a super flat and super fast course so I'm considering it a PR. ;) I have another race on December 8th, so hopefully I have another PR in store!

My training plan schedules 3 days per week but I run four days a week usually MWFSat. Monday I begin week 4 of the plan which is a build week so hopefully I'm ready for it.  Saturday will begin a recovery week and the halfway point in the plan.  The run group that I belong to on FB is holding their own trail 10k on December 29th so I might be ready to run it.  I just have to see where I'm at then.

11/19/12 - W2 D3 - 3.26 miles at 13:46 - ECP - mixed trail and paved

11/21/12 - W3 D1 - 2.11 miles at 14:14 - ECP - mixed trail and paved

11/22/12 - W3 D2 - tempo run - 2.41 miles at 14:31 - NCR - bridle/white pine/bird trails

11/24/12 - W3 D3 - race day - 3.15  miles at 14:30 - DirtDirty Trail 5k - I didn't want to set back my training schedule so I used this as a training run

Weekly total:  10.93 miles

November Training 11/11/12-11/17/12

My weekly training log is late because I have just been crazy busy! This past weekend was the written portion of our test for yoga teacher training so it was a long and stressful week last week and weekend.  I'm hoping that things will settle down after this weekend and I will begin to feel a bit more normal!

This weekend was a lot of yoga. A LOT! I would say that between Saturday and Sunday we did at least 6 hours of yoga.  My body was sore and tired yesterday morning.  I ran and then did a 45/45 class, spinning and yoga so needless to say this morning was a bit worse than Monday.  ;) I have a half day tomorrow so I'm going to get a run in the morning and then I have a tempo run Thursday and a race Saturday! Woohoo! I'm excited and nervous.  I haven't done a race in a while so I'm hoping it goes well and I'm not super slow!

The biggest change for me between the 5k plan and the 10k plan is tempo runs and speedwork.  I'm struggling with the speedwork.  I having been trying to hit up the trails as much as I can because my race this weekend is a trail run and in a hilly place, but hills are not conducive to speedwork.  I'm going to try and hit a mostly flat trail on Thursday for the speedwork.

This week of training also brought my first full 5k distance. It was nice to finally get there!

11/11/12 - W1 D2 - tempo run - 3.11 miles at 13:57 - CRP

11/13/12 - W1 D3 - 2.87 miles at 13:54 - ECP - mixed trail and paved

11/15/12 - W2 D 1 - 2.31 miles at 12:59 - ECP - mixed trail and paved

11/16/12 - W2 D2 - speedwork - 2.61  miles at 13:47 - ECP - mixed trail and paved

Weekly total:  10.9 miles

November Training 11/4/12-11/10/12

My visit with the chiropractor went well! They fixed me up and I was allowed to take a test run on Wednesday.  It felt great to get back out there! I've been spending more time spinning and not as much time sleeping as I need to.  When I had to take some time off for the ankle, I felt like it would be negligible and my training wouldn't take a hit. I'm not sure if it is just that I've been working out more and/or not getting enough sleep or that 5 days off really did have an impact but my runs since the break haven't been great. I feel slow and my legs feel heavy. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things soon! :)

The good news is that I finished the couch-to-5k plan and started the 5k-to-10k plan! I ran a new trail this past Saturday and while I'm always slower on a new trail, it was so nice to see a new part of the park! :) I can't wait to get out there again soon!  This coming weekend is a YTT weekend.  I have my written exam - eek! Wish me luck! :)


11/8/12: 2.71 miles at 13:50 per mile - NCR - Squire's Castle mix of trail and paved
Week 9 Day 3 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 30 mins, 5 min cooldown 
!!!Couch-to-5k COMPLETE!!!

11/10/12: 2.14 miles at 16.31 per mile - NCR - bird and bridle trail
Week 1 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  steady run for 30 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total Mileage: 6.85 miles

October Training - 10/29/12-11/3/12

Sandy might have been in full force here in Ohio but I still got my runs in. :) On Friday evening I ran my first run since Saturday without rain.  I actually kind of missed the rain but it will rain again one day! haha Saturday brought great weather and a disconnected run in North Chagrin.  I just couldn't get into.  Early in my run, I hit something beneath the heavy leaves and twisted my left ankle pretty good, crunch and all. ;) I walked it off and after a few steps continued my run.  I came home and did my usual 45 minute post run yoga, showered, taught my yoga student, went to my friend Sally's house to do her makeup and then out to dinner with my bff, Chrissy. By the end of dinner, my ankle was swollen and sore. Each step produced a clicking sound in my ankle.  I came home and crashed and this morning opted out of spinning and yoga. I have it wrapped and elevated and I'm hoping I can hit the chiro tomorrow and they can lead me in the right direction. :) I have only ONE DAY left in my training plan!!!! :) Another reason I'm hoping this ankle heals quickly! Then it is on to the 5k-to-10k training.


10/29/12: 2.58 miles at 14:42 per mile - CRP gravel
Week 8 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 28 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/31/12: 2.71 miles at 14:00 per mile - ECP paved
Week 8 Day 3 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 28 mins, 5 min cooldown

11/2/12: 2.94 miles at 13:36 per mile - ECP paved
Week 9 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 30 mins, 5 min cooldown

11/3/12: 2.61 miles at 15:19 per mile - NCR trail
Week 9 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 30 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total Mileage: 10.84 miles

Rain, rain......

With hurricane Sandy in town things have been a little discombobulated! The rain begin on Saturday and hasn't stopped since. We received much more damage than I expected and as a result some of my favorite trails are closed, hopefully not for long. My work was out of power from Monday night until yesterday around 3pm. Yesterday we were on call so I kept delaying my scheduled run with the fear that I would start my run and get called in.  I should have just gone running early in the day but, sigh, whatever. ;) It was nice to have a break and I was able to get a bunch of jewelry stuff done this week, including this and this.

My afternoon was hijacked by other people and traffic and closed roads and downed trees and live wires and stores that didn't have what I was searching for.  I FINALLY got to the park to run around 6:30pm.  I had to stick to the paved trail because the one in the woods was closed and blocked by numerous uprooted trees. 

Yesterday was the best run ever. EVER. Seriously, EVER! 

I ran the entire run.  I didn't need to stop once. It felt good and natural and right.  It quickly sucked away all of my frustrations of the day and replaced them with calm and peace.  But most of all it made me feel invincible.  It didn't matter that it was raining or cold or windy or dark, I was out there and enjoying it tremendously.  Every run, makes me feel more confident in my abilities and myself.  

It might seem strange or silly to someone who doesn't run or doesn't enjoy running but it really impacts all parts of your life. I've soooo missed this and have enjoyed it this time around more than ever before.  So often I talk about how I began to find myself more and more each time I was on a yoga mat and the same can be said for running. Each time I head out in the woods for a run, I see a little more of myself revealed  I feel more connected to myself and to life in general. 

I hope all of you have been having wonderful runs (or not runs) and enjoying life!

Hello Sandy!

In case you haven't heard, there is a hurricane hitting the east coast, as well as Ohio.  Yesterday was a run day for me and today was expected to bring worse weather! So naturally I went running yesterday.  :) I can't confirm that today was actually worse but oh well. I picked the trails that I knew to be open and the ones that are most solid.  I got out of work and headed to Chagrin River Park and found an empty, completely empty, parking lot.  As I started on the trail, I saw from a rainy distance large, black moving creatures. I was totally confused but kept moving forward and what did I find???

WILD TURKEYS! Seriously, there were probably 20 of them just hanging out in the rain like any other day. I wasn't sure if they were friendly or not so I slowly approached the group.  I never realized how big they are until I was literally face to face with one.  This fine turkey just didn't feel like getting off the trail and I had running to do so I just kept going and gave him a nod.  I'm 5 foot even and he must have been up to my shoulder.  

I got in a decent run but I will admit that it was a bit creepy.  These trails are well used and so it was odd to be alone.  Part of the trails run along the Chagrin River so I stuck with doing loops on the wooded trails away from the rising river.  The deer, who are normally ambivalent about human presence  were extremely interested in my visit.  There was one in particular that kind of followed me along on the first loop and then hung out on the gravel path, waiting for each of my returns.  

Twice I heard trees crashing down, no doubt taking other trees along.  After the second one fell closely behind me, I headed to the the paved path that borders the parking lot and finished my run.  Over all I had a good run and thoroughly enjoyed my little personal visits with the animals that call this park home. Tomorrow will be another adventure I'm sure, as it hasn't stopped raining since Saturday here so I'm not sure what trails will be open for runs. 

Be safe everyone!

October Training - 10/21/12-10/27/12

This week was a GREAT week of running! The weather was wonderful - super warm and sunny or complete Fall weather, rainy with a chill. Regardless of the day, the trails rocked and I finished strong each time.  Sigh. It was just that good people! :) Saturday I attended an AWESOME Ashtanga class that kicked my ass but was a great compliment to my chilly run. Yoga has helped my running tremendously and I'm so thankful that I now have a strong and consistent practice as I started running again.


10/22/12: 2.29 miles at 15:18 per mile - ECP trail - recovery after YTT weekend
Week 7 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 25 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/24/12: 2.34 miles at 14:57 per mile - ECP trail
Week 7 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 25 mins, 5 min cooldown


10/25/12: 2.53 miles at 13:50 per mile - CRP gravel - SUMMER RUN! :)
Week 7 Day 3 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 25 mins, 5 min cooldown


10/27/12: 2.67 miles at 14:12 per mile - NCR trail - wet, rainy, chilly, best of all, MUDDY!
Week 8 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 28 mins, 5 min cooldown




Total Mileage: 9.83 miles

I only have 5 more runs before the Couch-to-5k is complete!

Running Compromise....Sort of!

Yesterday was day 3 of my October session of Yoga Teacher Training.  Our schedule is pretty intense however, yesterday in addition to our training we did a half mala. I honestly felt a lot better this morning than I expected I would.  Today was a run day, not having run Saturday or Sunday. As I drove into the park, I saw TONS of people on the paved path; it is so nice to see so many people utilizing the parks! I had planned to do an easy run on the paved path because it is rolling and not as challenging as the trail.  But the closer I got to my parking spot, I couldn't help but heed the draw of the trail and the woods.  It wasn't my fastest time on the trails there or my longest but it was probably my best run there yet.  I was stiff and my hamstrings were soooo tired from all the down dogs, etc.  I just took my time and enjoyed my run! It felt amazing and so wonderful to be alone in the woods and running along.  I did what felt right and that was awesome. 

As the leaves were floating down around me on my run, I thought of how competitive I am, even with myself.  I'm always concerned with how fast I went and how far I've gone.  Today I did have a goal in mind; this small bridge.  I didn't make it but I almost made it and it was ok that I didn't.  Today I was kind to myself and enjoyed running and didn't care about anything else except having a great run. Today was different than any other run. EVER. And I loved it. One day of taking it easy and focusing on the experience of running, the beautiful leaves, the smell of wet soil and the sun peeking through the trees was worth more than getting to the bridge or running faster or farther than my last run. 

October Training - 10/14/12-10/20/12

This week has been a craaaaazy one! I literally have had stuff every night and then all weekend I had YTT.  Which is an amazing experience, don't get me wrong, but it is exhausting physically and mentally. I really want to be getting in 4 runs a week but things have been crazy and with YTT this weekend running on Friday and Saturday might be too much. All I can do is play it by how I feel.

The beginning of the week brought back intervals which I enjoyed.  The run on Wednesday was a tough one! Not because of the run itself but because I overdressed AND my asthma was super weird and I was having a hard time keeping a steady comfortable pace that I could breathe at.

10/15/12: 2.36 miles at 14:24 per mile - ECP paved
Week 6 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 5 mins, walk for 3 mins, jog for 8 mins, walk for 3 mins, jog for 5 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/17/12: 2.34 miles at 14:15 per mile - ECP paved - rough run!
Week 6 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 10 mins, walk for 3 mins, jog for 10 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/19/12: 2.42 miles at 14:27 per mile - CRP gravel - amazing run! Such a beautiful trail with tons of deer munching happily as I ran by. :)
Week 6 Day 3 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 25 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total Mileage: 7.12 miles

October Training - 10/7/12-10/13/12

This week was a bit more challenging than others.  I have been crazy busy since yoga teacher training started and the holidays are upon us which means I need to make jewelry pretty much in every free moment I have. I've been loving the trails and notice that my breathing is better when I maintaining a consistent yoga practice.  I've also noticed that the yoga over the past few years has helped my running tremendously! The thing I need to focus on now is getting enough sleep.  That has always been a challenge for me! Wish me luck! ;)


10/8/12: 2.03 miles at 15:30 per mile - ECP trail, a couple challenging hills
Week 4 Day 3 - 5 min warm up, jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 5 mins, walk for 2.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 5 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/10/12: 1.97 miles at 15:41 per mile - ECP trail, a couple challenging hills
Week 5 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 5 mins, walk for 3 mins, jog for 5 mins, walk for 3 mins, jog for 5 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/12/12: 2.08 miles at 14:53 per mile - ECP trail, a couple challenging hills
Week 5 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 8 mins, walk for 5 mins, jog for 8 mins, 5 min cooldown


10/13/12: 2.11 at 14:13 per mile - ECP trail, paved; first run without intervals! I did much better than I thought I would but still need to learn how to pace myself.
Week 5 Day 3 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 20 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total Mileage:  8.19

October Training - 10/1/12-10/6/12

With October comes trail running! :) By far my favorite thing - ever! :) I primarily run in the Metropark closest to my house but on the weekends I try to vary it and run some of the amazing trails the area has to offer. My knees were not happy, which made me unhappy because I've NEVER had knee issues; hips yes but knees, never. I went to the chiro and I think it was just overuse so I thought if I hit up the trails the softer surface would let me keep running AND help prepare me better for the trail race in November.

10/2/12: 1.78 miles at 15:43 per mile - ECP trail, a couple challenging hills
Week 3 Day 3 - 5 min warm up, two repetitions of the following: jog for 1.5 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 3 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/4/12: 2.07 miles at 15:14 per mile - ECP trail, a couple challenging hills
Week 4 Day 1 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 5 mins, walk for 2.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, 5 min cooldown

10/6/12: 2.09 miles at 15:04 per mile - NCR trail, rolling (lost my key valet containing my car key BUT found it after retracing my steps!)
Week 4 Day 2 - 5 min warm up,  jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 5 mins, walk for 2.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total mileage:  5.94

September Training Log

I'm running again! Well, mostly running. ;) But running nonetheless.

I decided to really test the surgery out and see if I could finally run and not feel like I was going to die from lack of air! So to help me feel more confident and follow through with running I downloaded the active.com Couch-to-5K plan.  (Shush, I also downloaded the 5k-to-10k so I had some follow up after I was done. ;) )

Nothing too special in this post except my training log from September, but it is always nice to dip your toes back in the water. ;) Oh! And I have already picked a race!

9/16/12: 1.87 miles at 16:01 per mile - neighborhood run, sidewalks
Week 1 Day 1 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1 min of jogging and 1.5 mins of walking for 20 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/17/12: 1.86 miles at 16:05 per mile - neighborhood run, sidewalks
Week 1 Day 2 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1 min of jogging and 1.5 mins of walking for 20 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/20/12: 1.92 miles at 15:38 per mile - neighborhood run, sidewalks
Week 1 Day 3 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1 min of jogging and 1.5 mins of walking for 20 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/22/12: 2.08 miles at 14:53 per mile - neighborhood run, sidewalks
Week 2 Day 1 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1.5 mins of jogging and 2 mins of walking for 21 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/24/12: 2.05 miles at 15:07 per mile - neighborhood run, streets, monday after YTT weekend
Week 2 Day 2 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1.5 mins of jogging and 2 mins of walking for 21 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/26/12: 2.00 miles at 15:31 per mile - neighborhood run, streets - knees=ouch!
Week 2 Day 3 - 5 min warm up, alternate 1.5 mins of jogging and 2 mins of walking for 21 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/28/12: 1.75 miles at 15:59 per mile - neighborhood run, streets - knees=ouch!
Week 3 Day 1 - 5 min warm up, two repetitions of the following: jog for 1.5 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 3 mins, 5 min cooldown

9/30/12: 1.80 miles at 15:31 per mile - Beachwood park, paved
Week 3 Day 2 - 5 min warm up, two repetitions of the following: jog for 1.5 mins, walk for 1.5 mins, jog for 3 mins, walk for 3 mins, 5 min cooldown

Total September Miles:  15.33

Boot Camp Hero

So I've been (pathetically and half heartedly) attempting to lose the extra weight that I put on after my hip flexor injury, for the past two years. This year was a waste because I didn't have the time to train like I needed to and I didn't have the extra cash to pay for the races I wanted to do so instead I was a real trooper and did........nothing. :(

I've lost about 8-9 pounds since July which isn't very much but good enough since I haven't been as dedicated as I should be. My buddy IronG introduced me to Tracy Anderson and I totally was diggin it and will say the my month long three-four sessions per week along with a little bit of diet changes really helped with the loss of those 8-9 pounds. However, with my new job, longer hours, darkness arriving early and longer drive time I've found every excuse in the book to NOT workout during the week. So when G showed up with this NEW thing she was doing and it had a deal with it I was game.

It just helps me more when I'm paying to be somewhere and have that blocked out on my schedule. I'm totally a routine kind of person and need the accountability of being in a class or working out with other people to keep me motivated. Desire is not my problem, its the need to be everything to everyone else but myself and this fear that if I'm not then somehow I'm a bad person or not enough or not worth the love that I get back. And while it's REALLY REALLY hard, I've drawn the line and waived the white flag and am committed to committing to myself.

I love triathlon and the friends that I've made through it and all that comes with it but most of all I love how I feel when I finish a race. I love that feeling that I've accomplished something, something challenging and hard and I did it! Me, me who has always been the shortest girl on the team or never quite fast enough or never quite strong enough. Triathlon gives me an opportunity to push myself against myself and I don't have to measure up against other people if I don't want to. And it is for that reason that I'm committed to making my 'off-season' something productive so that I can be part of something that I love again.

I signed up for a cycling clinic every other Sunday for two hours from January to May. But I still need more before I get to January so I can cycle for two hours and not die. I also am sick of looking at a closet full of clothes that don't fit and feeling like I need to hide inside a big sweater. SO.OVER.IT!

Last night was my first Boot Camp at Cleveland Fitness Boot Camp. I did pilates from 6-6:45pm and then headed over to the boot camp facilities. Nervous and excited at the same time. It was that first day of school feeling. It was a great work out and challenging and fast paced which I loved. One thing that was shocking to me was that I did MUCH better than I thought I would. Now this is not to at all indicate that this workout was wimpy or that I flaked out cuz I didn't. In fact my classmates were surprised to find out that last night was my first class. I was able to hang with the peeps that have been doing this for a few months and that made me feel good. When I finished every muscle in my body was dead. It wasn't even that I was sore, my muscles were tired - really tired. And today, not so sore but still tired. I'm sure that tomorrow morning will be a different story but tomorrow is my second night of boot camp. Right now I'm in and love it!

Day 1: I think I might throw up....

So today was Day 1 of my 30 day Tracy Anderson Challenge! I was going to start on October 1st but I didn't get up early enough which was good because, J and I went to Red Robin for dinner last night. Yum is all I have to say about that!

Getting back to business! I've read through most of the book and decided it was time to begin the supposed torture. Let me say that my trepidation is not unfounded as she writes this about what to expect from the first few days:

"Be prepared: The first and second days of Sequence 1, you can expect to feel almost like you have the flu. It won't be the usual kind of area-specific soreness, like "My abs are really feeling it," or "My arms are really sore." It's an all-over-tired feeling." pg 65

Hmm, doesn't that just make you sooo want to start this program! :)

So I began with the mat workout and was shocked not only at how much it hurt but my response to it. I had watched all of the moves on Thursday and while I thought that they seemed a bit challenging I didn't feel the same when I was doing them. I basically thought that Tracy was NUTS! Seriously, I was supposed to do 20 reps of each movement and was LUCKY to get those in. I really had to push on a few of the movements. So just when I thought it couldn't get worse, the arm segment came. Now I consider myself to relatively strong. I'm not going to win any strongman competitions but I can lift a decent amount of weight. Holy shit! I was lucky to get 10 reps in for each of the movements. By the time my 30 or so minutes was over and I had completed all of the movements I seriously thought I was going to throw up. I've only felt that before on the bike when it's a super hot and humid day and I'm working my butt off.

The second requirement is the CARDIO! This was initially what I was worried about and it turned out so much better than I had thought it would. I have decided to follow the moderate workout plan and in that the first few days you don't do the full routine for the cardio. You step touch the movements and can't jump. It was hard because the cardio part was alot of fun and I wanted to jump around like a freak, just like Tracy was doing. I completed my 40 minutes of cardio and headed for the shower.

Overall, I thought it was challenging and a good workout that I enjoyed except for the parts when I thought my muscles were going to break like a rubber band stretched too far!

Tomorrow: repeat of today!

Special Delivery!

Today when I got home from work this was in my mailbox:

This was inside the envelope:

I'm super excited and ready to begin! Wish me luck......with Tracy Anderson, I think I'm gonna need it!

I have returned.....kinda!

First of all hello bloggy friends! I know I haven't been around in a while but hopefully you haven't totally forgotten about little old me! Soooo much has happened since I wrote last! First of all we moved in April of 2009 and have been enjoying our new place. Also, my job changed in the fall of last year because we finally got some resolution on a few 'issues' in our office which made life better for all involved! It also required alot more work for me and alot less free time. Which is why I stopped all this blogging to begin with! Not much was going in my life except sorting out living arrangements and dealing with work drama and then later a teenie bit of home drama.

So what's new?! Well, I'm starting a new job this fall! Yippee!!! I'm sooo sad to leave where I am because I love my job and the people I work with but this new opportunity is more suited to my qualifications as is the pay so I had no choice but to make a change. I will continue to be a civil servant so I won't be talking about work too much, another reason it was so hard to blog last year. It is definitely challenging sometimes to have a public/private life.

In other news, I read my friend Gina's blog post today and it was totally in line with what I've been feeling lately! I emailed her a semi-crazy, semi-ridiculous plea to let me follow in her foot steps and kind of act as inspiration buddies to keep up with the program. She of course is wonderful and obliged to help me. As we move forward, I will blog about how that is going! Right now, I will say that I'm for sure looking forward to Tracy Anderson kicking my ass and hope that I will have good things to report in the coming months.

So basically, I need to get in shape and really focus on getting my base started now for next year. There is a cycling class that I'm going to sign up for that runs every Sunday for 90 mins and that will help. I'm not ready to commit to the Rob Reddy super swimmer classes but I will attempt his cycling classes after the swims. I need to figure out where I'm going to swim before I can committ to his classes so I will have to do that on my own this year. I wasn't able to get a single tri in this year because of scheduling issues and financial issues, so I'm hoping for a triathlon come back in 2011!

I will leave you with some of Tracy Anderson's propaganda :)




Have a great week bloggy friends!!! And thanks for not totally forgetting me! ;)

New Kicks

Because Morris is the BEST cat ever in the entire world (I hope you all are sensing the sarcasm) I had to buy new shoes today. A few weeks ago, I came home from work and found the following:



Yes and the cat did this and yes I do feed him, alot, probably too much. Anyhow, I have been sick and then busy and then sick AND busy so I haven't been running so it wasn't an issue. Until today.

Last week was my (hopefully) last week of antibiotics and I was in a celebratory mood. I searched out some running plans and a tri plan to start in a few weeks. So tomorrow I start over....again. But that is ok, starting over is fun!

However, running tomorrow morning with those shoes wasn't going to happen. So I headed over to Second Sole and grabbed a new pair of kicks. I have been getting the same pair of new balance trainers for years, the 1000 series. This year's model is 1063 and they look snazzie!!!



I've never been a great runner or a big fan for that matter, so I'm going to start slow and do some intervals for a few weeks and see how things are going. I grabbed a plan off runnersworld.com and got a tri plan off of trifuel.com. Right now here is the plan: do an 8 week moderate build on the running front, with a simultaneous bike build. I grabbed my goal mileage bike wise for the week ending on April 26th (my first scheduled race) and wanted to do 30 miles for a weekly total. I reduced my weekly goal by about 10% each week to bring me to tomorrow. This is going to be way less than what I was doing before I got sick but with the added runs it won't matter too much.

As I'm sure you all have noticed, there was no mention of swimming. That's because I'm not swimming right now. I have alot of craziness going on at work and have multiple grant applications that I'm working on, so it takes up alot of my free time as well as keeps me very busy throughout the day. Swimming only once a week isn't going to add anything plus my lungs aren't totally full force yet and can't handle what I'm used to in the pool. As a result, I'm going to focus on my running because it is my weakest area. Then when I get to a point were I feel more comfortable there and in a good routine I'll add my swims. I build fast in the pool so playing catch up won't be too bad. :)

I have to head over to the clinic either tomorrow or Tuesday and get another set of chest xrays to verify that the fluid and swelling are gone. Fingers crossed!!! For now though, I'm off to change my sheets (yippee!) and play some rockband before bed.

Happy training everyone!

not so deep breathing

Since I started working I have been battling various germs floating around. Seriously, I have done pretty well with it, until now. I was sick with a bad cold a few weeks ago and I thought I had beat it. So this weekend I started feeling really run down and I just haven't been able to shake this 3 week old cough. I gave in and went to the walkin clinic. Lo and behold, I am sick and have thickening of my bronchial and peribronchial walls. So that means one of three things: 1. I have pneumonia, 2. my asthma from childhood really never went away and since I'm in denial of it and don't treat it, it is taking longer for me to get over the cold because my lungs are irritated by it and/or 3. my allergies are far worse than I believe and aren't being treated properly. I'm honestly hoping for #1. ;) So again my workout schedule has been derailed and I have to 'rest' which sucks.

Luckily for me, I hadn't planned any events until April 19th so if I can get through this and ease into a training schedule by the beginning of March I should be able to make the event. I think that since I got in there BEFORE it got too serious, it shouldn't take the standard 3 months for my lungs to recover.

Part of this was my fault for several reasons, but most of all I was still working out the first week I was sick. I wasn't doing more than 30 mins a day but I guess it was still enough to push me over the edge.

Anyone have any remedies for getting my lungs back in shape???

2009 Races and Goals

I began my race schedule yesterday and while I'm sure it is going to change because life happens that way, I'm pretty happy so far with what I've set up! Here is the schedule, with the possibility to change:

• Buzzard Bi - April
• Silver Springs Bi - May
• Blossom Time 5 miler - May
• NEO Tri Kickoff - June
• Sunday in June Ride - June
• SummiTri - June
• She Rocks Tri - June (maybe)
  
• Lighthouse Tri - July
• Bright Side of the Road - August
• GCT Sprint - August
• Vermilion Harbor Tri - August
• Portage Lakes Tri - September
• Cleveland Race for the Cure 5K - September
• Pigskin Classic 5K - November
• Reindeer Run 5K - December
• The Great New Year's Eve Run 5K - December

It kinda stinks that the swim got cut last year from the GCT because I'm revisiting two tris of my three last year and I would love to be able to compare my times and see if I've improved. I also decided that I'm going to shoot for 5 tris this year, that way I have a better chance of actually getting to complete more tris with swims. ;)

Here are some of my goals:

1. Get a 10K under my belt - one that I get to finish!
I would really like to do the Dirty Dog again but I feel like I need a 10K finished first and one that is easier than the DD. So I'm shooting for the Towpath 10K in October. I love the Towpath and I know it is going to be a very nice run with awesome scenery! Then I can try the Dirty Dog again in 2010 with my ladies and tear it up out there!

2. Swim, Bike, RUN
I did 3 tris in 2008 and I was never able to completely run the run. I always did intervals or walked at quick pace. I was just always so slow and when I would time my pace I realized that I could walk as fast as I was running so I walked. This year I really want to run at least one of the 5Ks at the end of my tris.

3.Get the excess off!
As you all know, I was diagnosed with PCOS in the Spring of 2007. It came after some serious and quick weight gain that didn't seem to be impacted by what I was eating or my level of exercise. I worked hard over 2007 and was able to lose about 20 pounds of the weight. After my stupid hip flexor injury in February of 2008, I wasn't able to run at all or even swim (for more than 30-45mins) until about May and the weight started to creep back up. So this year, I'm hoping I can put a dent in the number on the scale and at least get half of the excess off. I would love to get it all off! But I also want to set realistic goals and not put myself in a position to be disappointed. Although silently I'm rooting for more! ;)

While, three goals might not seem like alot, I think they are good solid goals to start with and very within my reach! Plus, these all fall into my overarching goal of taking better care of myself (i.e. going to bed early, eating better, getting my workouts in no matter what the house looks like, etc.)

So bloggy friends, what does your 2009 look like? What are you hoping to achieve???

CTC Indoor Tri

Sunday we had our first indoor tri in the CTC Indoor Tri Series. It was at the Macedonia Rec Center and the facilities there are very nice! We had a pretty decent turn out and everyone seemed to have a great time. Here is a slideshow of some photos I snapped.

Our next one is on 2/14/09!!! Check the website for more details!