Get moving!

Wow, it's been a week since I posted, did you miss me?  haha  

Last Sunday I did 1000 meters in the pool, a whole thousand.  I was really surprised that I did that, it felt like alot and I was wiped out afterwards.  Swimming really exhausts me but I had a great time, relatively speaking.  I wasn't the fastest but I got it done.  After my swim I met a woman from the Triathlon Club of Burlington and signed up.  We met at Starbucks and chatted.  As you know I have about 30 pounds to lose, if I lose 30 pounds I will feel amazing but I will still not be thin however once I lose the 30 let the chips fall where they may, I won't care what I weigh.  When I told her I swam 1000 meters that morning you should have seen her face, it was priceless, really YOU swam 1000 meters??  I don't look it but after a year of pretty constant working out, I may be overweight but I'm pretty fit.  To her credit she also made the same shocked face when I told her I am 44 years old.  YOU are 44?  I love that one.

Tuesday I went to the Y and rode the bike and I think Tuesdays must be my bad days or something because as with my run the week before it sucked.  Not sure what was up, every pedal hurt, I couldn't get into it at all.  I hadn't been feeling well that day so perhaps that had something to do with it.  That and about 15 minutes into my session two gentlemen got on the recline type bikes in front of me and one of them either hadn't showered in a week or he must have eaten really bad food or something because the smell was awful!  Then 15 minutes later there was a stench to kill all stenches.  I had been riding with my eyes closed and when I looked beside me the hubba hubba hot dude had been replaced by a different guy and  he clearly had a real gas problem.  After 5 minutes I couldn't take it anymore, I got off the bike. I thought I would head to the treadmill for a run to make up for it, figured I could get in at least 20 minutes of running. Got on one treadmill, the thing wouldn't turn on, got on the second treadmill, I got all my data in but the that one wouldn't run either.  That was me done.

Wed/Thurs I was sick, cancelled my trainer session and parked my ass on the couch to rest. Last night I saw my trainer and she kicked my ass.  We did pull day, back and biceps plus burpees and mountain climbers and all the usual fun stuff, a full 60 minutes of weight circuit fun!!  

Today I see her again, following the push circuit with a 30 minute run.  Tomorrow I attend the swimming clinic with the tri club.  I'm a bit nerous because I don't like meeting new people plus the woman that signed me up won't even be there.  Not only do I have to meet new people but I have to meet them while wearing a bathing suit.  yikes!  I figure I'll get some good advice that will hopefully help me swim more relaxed and maybe a bit faster.  I want to do 30 minutes on the bike tomorrow as well but not sure I'll be able to fit it in.  

Wow this is a long rambling post but there you have it. 

Redemption!

I ran today right after my weight circuit session with my trainer.  After the last run I was dreading it, afraid it was going to be awful but I decided no matter what the speed I was going to keep an eye on my heart rate, using my last good run as a marker.  It HAS to be the treadmills at the "Y" being different because I was at my trainers club so different treadmill again but I was able to run at my usual pace and my heart rate was great.  I feel SO much better, not to mention the 850ish calories I burned today.

Tonight I'm having yummy salmon and veggies for dinner.

A funny note, was talking to a friend that doesn't exercise and when I told her I had a horrible run this week she said she didn't understand what that meant.  The only thing I could relate it to was bad sex.  What is wrong with me.  She gets it now.

The walk of shame

Not THAT walk of shame!!!


I dunno what the heck is going on but I went for a run tonight and what a disaster!  My last run was great, my heart rate was much better, lower than it had been in the past at a steady pace (as I boasted in another post).  So although I was dreading going for a workout tonight I got some awesome encouragement from a co-worker and my favourite tweeps and headed off to the "Y". 


I don't know if the equipment is totally different or what the heck was going on.  I did my normal 3 minute warm up.  On the Goodlife treadmills I would warm up at around 3.6 and then run between 4.8 and 5.0 at 3 minute run, 1 minute walk.  I started walking at 3.6 and damn near fell off the treadmill.  Slowed it down and when I started to run I put it at 4.8 and thought I might die, within 2 minutes my heart rate was in the 160s.  Slowed it down but I felt exhausted, I was more than happy to back off and walk for a minute, the next 3 minute section my heart rate skyrocketed again and I was only going 4.4 or something and I couldn't even last 3 minutes.  After that it was 2 minute run, 1 minute walk.  About 25 minutes into this run/walk/die sequence I wanted to go home but thought at least I could walk so I bumped the incline to 5% and walked for a few minutes watching my heart rate the whole time, I couldn't get it below 150. I managed a few run bursts and my shins felt the load but I pushed through as best I could.


Normally my heart rate goes high but my recovery is great as well, as soon as I walk my heart rate drops like a stone which I think is supposed to be good but even at a slow walk I couldn't get my heart rate below 145-150.   


So there it is.. it's out there, probably my worst run since the very first run I ever did.  I'm totally disappointed BUT there are some positives.  I got out there and did it, perhaps this equipment really is different than what I have been using at the other club, I burned alot of calories because my heart rate was so high and I can't say that I was slacking.  Next run will be better, I DEMAND IT!!


And now for a long hot bath where I will wash off the sweat and shame.. lol 

I did not sink like a stone

So today was "D" day, well more like "S" day because I actually went to the Y, signed up and got in the pool.  The last time I swam any kind of laps I think I was about 12, after that age it was more swimming for fun at our cottage or the boat.  I had no idea how I was going to.  When I was 12, (just a few short years ago.. ok not so much) I did really really well in swim classes but I had no idea if I'd remember how to get from one end of the pool to the other doing anything other than the dog paddle..  but it was good!  Well good all things considered.  


I did about 20 lengths of the pool and splashed around and stretched with Sukhi.  She even said my strokes looked good, that I was pretty straight and wasn't making a big splash, unlike the older gentleman next to me.  She timed me for a lap and it was 25 seconds one end to the other. I don't have a clue how bad that is so I'm not going to analyze it, I'm just going to use it as a baseline. I was a bit freaked out when I got into a real lane and had to share cause I didn't want to crash into anyone and I'm happy to say I didn't.  I LOVED it!  I knew I loved the water as a kid but had no idea how I would feel about it now and wowsa, I feel PUMPED.


I should also mention that after yesterdays bike/weights session I was a bit sore this morning but after the swim I am hurting more, I'm not sure why and in strange places like my inner thighs.  Oh well.  My run today will be 30 minutes, I'm going to go easy and try to keep my heart rate at 136 as per MarkAllenOnline article that I read.  


Now I have a yummy SVLatte to drink and meet my friend for lunch.  Hope everyone is having a great Sunday!


It just occurred to me, I'm really do this..  crazy stuff!

Rut Roh

Tonight after an extra long bad day at work I got a call from a good friend asking what I was up to.  With two days of double workouts in front of me I had decided I was going to come home and kick back and relax so when she wanted to get together of course I said yes!  Who can say no to great company?  NOT ME.

This girl is a  long time friend.  We have a bit of what I'd call an interesting history which I'll explain one day (if she agrees) but at any rate, we are soul sisters, sisters of the heart.  She completely GETS me in absolutely every way and when we hang out there is no pretending, it's just us no matter what we say.  She is also a frigging funny biatch...

Apparently after reading this blog (hahahahah) and listening to me go on and on and on about my latest fitness goal she thought she'd hop on board.  Seriously..  Tonight she told me she has entered into the Milton Try-a-tri.  I haven't even registered yet but she is ON IT.  The thought of doing this with her is amazing to me. especially her because we are both in the same place.  At some level of fitness but could stand to lose a few but once we commit, we can COMMIT.

So, I signed onto the trisports.com site to register when I occurred to me that I wanted to join up with TCOB which would give me a few bucks off each race..  and then looking at the races I wanted to sign up for the two I had originally intended to sign up for, Milton and Muskoka but then I saw Niagara, Orillia and Guelph.  I might sign up more, somebody stop me!!  I damned near signed up for all of them.

This week I will call Jackie back (chick from TCOB), get my membership sorted and then immediately sign up for at least the first two.  Sunday I get into the pool and sign up at the "Y".  It's an exciting week(end) for me..oh and PLUS I have a session with my trainer tomorrow and some bike time.  I'm completely pumped.

PS - Tawnya, don't think because Sukhi has signed up you're getting out of it, you're coming with me..  to all of them!!  hahahahah (poor you)

The other "SHE" said I should stay home

As usual I didn't have any interest in hitting the gym tonight. Getting to the gym for me is hard every single time but especially on Monday's after a long day at work, the last thing I want to do is exercise.  I texted my good friend, she's awesome and hates exercise too so whenever I don't want to go to the gym I text her with a ridiculous reason and she completely agrees with me.  Well today I texted her but had no good reason, I mean I didn't even make a workout on the weekend what with all the sleeping and shopping and visiting I was doing so I figured even she wouldn't have a good excuse... 


She said that I was wise to text her with my dilemma you see a few friends of hers had come down with Norfolk or Norwalk or some sort of "NOR" virus and that it's going around and I should just come home to be safe from all the germs..  I love her, she's too funny and I almost, almost bought into it.


BUT
In all honesty while I didn't want to go I also felt like a complete slug so as I drove home, the usual thoughts racing through my head I just told myself to STFU and get on with it, which I did.  I had a decent run.  Next week I'm going to bump the time to 45 minutes, I think I may even be fitter than a 30 minute run, go figure.  Wednesday I have bike/run which I am looking forward to.  I don't do near the miles or time that my cool twitter buddies do so I can enjoy getting off the bike and running for a bit, for me it's all about variety.  I also desperately need a new playlist for running.


So on that note here are my stats to catch up from last week.


Thurs - Bike 45m calories burned 308 (and oh god my ass hurt!)
Friday - 60 minutes of weight circuits with my trainer 485 calories burned
Monday - 32 minute run, 329 calories burned


Calories burned in 2010: 2772 (this definitely needs to get HIGHER!)

My heart

No, sorry folks, not a romance post.  When I started my last 'new program' in June which was focused on weight training, nutrient timing etc I stopped wearing my heart rate monitor to the gym.  I'm not sure why, I had always found it to be motivating in the past but I think at the time I was looking for a change and thought I'd take a different path.  Previous to that when working out my heart rate would not take long to shoot up to 80% and stay there for the duration of my workouts whether it be weight circuits or cardio.  I burned ALOT of calories back then.

So for the past year with pretty steady training for the most part I am wearing my HRM again and my heart rate is so much slower!  For my run the other day it stayed very low for me.  It used to spike in the 170s and I would slow down to drop it back to 150 before I get back at it again but the other day I did steady pace and the highest it got was the 160's and not for long at that.

Guess this means I'm fitter.  Nice  Or maybe I'm not pushing myself hard enough.. hmmm

Today I did 60 minutes weight circuits with my trainer, tomorrow I run!!

Goldilocks and the....

I feel a bit like Goldilocks today.  This program's too easy, that program looks to hard, I need one that is just right!  I have always been the type of person that works better with a plan, well let me restate, I like to have a plan so when I ignore it I know exactly what I'm ignoring.  I don't have a clue why I am like this and honest to god wish I was more easy going.  I feel like if I don't have it all mapped out the world will come to an end but I should know better because my days are unplannable (is that even a word?), I'm rarely out of work at the same time and my days never go as I expect them to regardless.  My workouts are better with my trainer, SHE has the plan, tells me what to do and I just do what she says, most of the time.  This tri training is harder for me.  The two plans I have in hand are both good it's just that tonight I was supposed to run for 12 minutes.  Well I can run for 12 minutes, maybe not in a row but I'd barely break a sweat and I want to push myself more than this, so tonight I decided 30 minutes of 3/1 run/walk and I had a great run.  My legs feel good, I burned a bunch of calories, I broke a sweat and overall I'm really happy about it. Perhaps I should use just the outline of the plan and increase my time to something I know will be challenging and just chill the F* out already.  That's it!  2010 is the year I'm going to CHILL OUT.


That's all I got.


Stats are:
15m warmup, 30m run 3/1 split, 5m cooldown
Calories burned today: 450
Calories burned in 2010:  1650

Quickie

My day off FLEW by, wow!  Woke up later than I had hoped and was going to surf a bit, then head to Team Aquatic to get a bathing suit, all was going according to plan except when I got there they were closed for inventory which means no bathing suit until Saturday.  On the drive back home I realized I had forgotten my chiro appt so I pulled into a McDonalds parking lot (oy) and rebooked for 11:00am.  Went and got my back crunched, then off to meet my trainer for 60 minutes of fun (see, that was positive, little sarcastic, but positive).  


I headed to the grocery store to stock up for the week and on the way out I realized I had been in there about an hour and a half, it felt like 15 minutes.  Home to do some laundry, shower, cook some food and that is it, the day is done.. 


Stats are:
60 minutes circuit weight training
Calories burned today: 550 (I know this is true, I had my HRM, woot!)
Calories burned in 2010:  approx 1200

It's after midnight so it doesn't count

as three posts in one day!  Found my HRM and I'm embarrassed to say it was about 2 feet away from where I sit at this desk posting about it here, on my other blog, on twitter and facebook.  Right there!  YAY!

Thanks to the searching of every drawer in this house I know that I definitely need to clean them all out. I knew I needed to get rid of stuff but this was scary, not Hoarders scary, just 'jesus I have way too much crap' scary.  I will get a large green garbage bag, my task tomorrow is to fill it up.

And now I can sleep.

pee esss - this ugliness of my blog astounds me, I will also search for a new layout tomorrow.

Yup, two posts, one day

I'm back!!!  So while I was drinking coffee today and perusing BeginnerTriathlete.com not only did I  join a mentor group, I also signed up for membership with 30 days of nutrition support to boot. Shushy you, I have issues.  I meant to sign up for Bronze membership but when I was done I saw that I had actually gone silver, I really need to PAY ATTENTION!!


Then before I headed off the gym I was perusing the training logs and decided, what the hell and imported one that looked doable and definitely more challenging than the one I had already laid out for myself.  So instead of a 20m run I did 24m bike and 12 minute run.  I have to tell you, my running sucks, I mean really awful.  I won't even tell you the speed I ran on the treadmill because it's just sad and I then I had to walk for about 3 minutes of that.  BUT this will improve right, today is just day one of a 20 week program.  I really like how I can see what's planned for the week and then enter in actuals and compare.. and nevermind.. you know what I mean.


Tomorrow I have a day off because I am smart and booked it knowing I would be dreading tomorrow so I'll see my trainer for 60 minutes of circuits and I want to go by Swim and Sport to check out bathing suits.  


Still haven't found my heart rate monitor, I may cry.. seriously, I love that thing.


24m bike
12m run
Calories burned today: approx 250
Calories burned in 2010:  approx 650 

Yesterday I had many plans, most of which fell through but that's ok.  I did make it to the gym for my circuit training with my trainer.  I didn't have much energy which is strange because I normally do alot better mid day than my evening workouts.  I warmed up on the bike for 15 minutes and went 5 miles which I'm sure is sucky but Tuesday I have 35 minutes on the bike and I will push it to see how I do.  Then 60 minutes of total body circuits.  We did alot of core related work, push ups on a ball which I completely suck at, plank on a ball, 25 reps of vertical thrusts which hurt and some new leg stuff.  I love it when my trainer gets her ass kicked by HER trainer because somehow these things usually show up in my programs.  I'm not complaining though, it's fun to push yourself.  Did I just say fun?

Today I start with a run which I'm still trying to get motivated to do but somehow drinking coffee and surfing BeginnerTriathlete.com is holding more of my interest at the moment.  I will get there though.  My plan says 20 minutes but I'll do 30 walk/run.  No point in going all the way to the gym and just doing 20 minutes.  I found a mentor group on BT which I'm hoping will also keep me motivated.  It's amazing how much of a community this sport is and how so many people are are so willing to help.

I also need to pick up a bathing suit.  There is a sport check at the mall where my gym is so I'll have a wander in there and see what I can find.  If not I have tomorrow off as well and Swim and Sport will be open.  I also need goggles and a cap.

Other than that I have some laundry to get done and general tidying up around here.

Here we go!

Today is Jan 2 so of course that means I'm starting!  My Try-a-Tri training (run/bike/swim) doesn't start til tomorrow but today I have a session with my trainer which basically means all sorts of pain and loads of calories burned.  My weekly schedule is basically the same week to week with a few changes based on the program for Triathlon for Dummies, it looks like this.

Sunday - Swim and run 20 minutes
Monday - Weights
Tuesday - Bike 35 minutes
Wednesday - Run 20 minutes
Thursday - Swim and run 20 minutes
Friday - Off
Saturday - Bike 35 minutes and weights 50 minutes

Some weeks have bike/run brick workouts but for the first few weeks those aren't too long. My running needs some serious work, I haven't run in ages so I'll be walk/running to start.  Well I don't really 'run', I more plod along but hey I'm moving and I do know it will get better as the weeks pass.  Things get better but rarely easier.  I may put off the swimming until next month because I am cancelling my Goodlife membership today but it won't run out for 30 days so I will join the Y when the 30 days are up.  In the meantime I can swim with my friend at her building but not necessarily as per my schedule but I'll do what I can.

As for diet, I'm hoping for 1200 -1300 calories a day before fish oil.  For the first 4 weeks I'm going to load up on the fish oil, 2tbsp daily, to help with fat loss and go easy on carbs.  I'll follow the principles I learned in PNLE, reassess and adjust based on how I feel.  If you look at my program there isn't a need to increase carb intake anymore than what is in my nutrition plan now unless I start to feel really sluggish.

Today is going to be a super busy day.. meeting a buddy (ex-coworker) at the mall, then to Goodlife to cancel my membership, then meet P&D to go buy Yoga pants, I hear they are $17 at Old Navy, then a session with my trainer, then off to buy a swimsuit and possibly meet my friend Mike from California for a coffee.  Sitting on the couch in the evenings is not good because I eat eat eat so I might go see a movie tonight, Blindside or It's Complicated.

Now I have to finish my coffee, go make a shake, take my vitamins and fish oil, shower, and find my heart rate monitor.

I've still got my feet!

Last night was a great time!  I spent it with friends that I have known for more than 20 years.  A small party at P&D's place.  We all set to drinking, there was much Corona and scotch (not for me) and sucker punches (not for me thank gawd) and some sparkling wine at midnight and sooo many laughs I can't even begin to tell you.  While this was going on my friends in Toronto were texting me with 'guess the body part'.  No one was actually nekkid but they had me fooled many times, I'm so gullible!!

We put my friend G to bed around 2:30am, too many sucker punches for her and shortly thereafter I decided I was full and headed off to bed.  I got to sleep in their granddaughter's bed, it's a pink Dora the Explorer bed, loads of pink with a huge leaf swaying over my head. Someone should have gotten a picture of that.  I heard P come in quietly and get a blanket for J as I drifted off into a blissful sleep.  While I had a great time and was pleasantly buzzed, I had not gone overboard with the drinks and was looking forward to waking up to the smell of fresh coffee and more laughs over the evenings festivities with the gang..  oh how wrong I was..

I have no idea how long after I fell asleep I was woken up by probably a loud bang but what I remember was the loud sound of tinkling, I had no idea what it was at the time, I would later find out it was a large jewelry box full of earrings and necklaces and watches etc.. I'm sure it was the bang, not the jewelry that woke me.  When I sat up and focused my eyes on the end of the bed, there was my friend G sitting on the end of the bed, against the wall on the right hand side, completely out of it and next to her, where my feet should have been, usually would be because I sleep on my stomach all stretched out, was the TV.  It's an old one, large and extremely heavy.  First words out of my mouth were 'What the FUCK are you doing???', I was startled beyond words, she was definitely sleeping and out of it and started yelling at me but made NO sense what so ever... slowly it dawns on me that she is out of it as her boyfriend comes racing in the room to find out what the loud bang was.  He made sure I was ok, we got her out of the corner and into the bathroom which is apparently where she was headed in the first place and then he put the TV up on the dresser. The thing was so heavy it took him several tries but he finally did it.

We got her back into bed (after giving her more Tylenol and water) and I fell back to sleep.

Best I can figure out is that she was crawling over me to get to the corner which must have made me shift my legs up and into more of a fetal position and then how the TV came down, no one knows.. It was still plugged into the wall but the cords had been ripped out the back of it.  I don't think we'll ever let her live this one down... poor thing must have wanted to die with all the teasing she got this morning.  We were roommates for years and never once have I seen her sleep walk.

Can you imagine waking up on Jan 1 with two broken feet?  No thanks..  Despite all that, I had a GREAT time but next time we're putting an alarm on her.

PHEW!