I'm still coming off the high of completing my first brick workout (bike + run) today, so I figured I'd blog while the happy cells are still alive in my body.
The Expresso bikes that I had used earlier this week were all occupied, so I tried out the LifeFitness bikes. I liked it, didn't like how comfortable the seat was. I want to try to mimic my road bike as much as I can on these training rides and if the seat doesn't have me in pain for days, it isn't like my road bike! Otherwise, the program was kind of similar. I just did a flat course for 4 miles at a pretty moderate to hard resistance. I don't know the technical terms for these things, so hopefully I'm making sense. I pushed it today, much more than I did on Monday. Did my 4 miles in just under 15 minutes. My goal for my 11 mile race course is 50 minutes, so it seems as though I'm right on track. Of course, this wasn't after swimming, but I am at the beginning of my training. I have room to improve.
During my ride, I was feeling the burn in the old legs and this song came on:
Gave me just the push of energy I needed! Love Walk the Moon.
Now...
Running...
Oh running, you jerk.
We've met many times before and I didn't like you then. I think for me, running is like that one (or more than one if you're particularly unlucky) family member who you just cannot be in the same room with, but who sometimes you just have to put up with for the sake of your other family members - at birthday parties, graduations, weddings, etc. Running eyes me up from across the room, I see him, he sees me and we both pretend the other is invisible. For the sake of my beloved biking and my new friend swimming, I will allow running to join the party. But I'm not ready to speak to him.
I did about a mile and a half on the treadmill at 5-6 mph run and 3.5-4 mph walk. I walked more than I ran. Here's my problem...I know I can do better. I KNOW I can. But I am much much too easy on myself. I need to find my inner Dolvett Quince (anyone watch Biggest Loser? I don't. I just happened to catch last night's episode while folding laundry) and kick my butt into running more. But how? Any suggestions??
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Feeling Good
Exercise and eating well give me a natural high. Even in knowing this I still don't always find it easy to keep it up. There are good days/weeks and there are bad days/weeks...months. January was a very bad month.
Once late fall came and my schedule forced me to hang my commuter bike up, I lost all of my motivation. Last spring and summer were momentous for me. I started working with a Wellness Coach at my gym sometime in April 2011. Jason worked with me to create goals, both short-term and very long-term. I met with him weekly and through this process I reintroduced myself back into exercise. First I took some intro classes, then I started "running" again, I began biking to work almost daily and I participated in a nine week women's strength training class. By seeing my coach, I had accountability because every single week I set goals and when we met the following week, I needed to tell him which goals I met and which I didn't. I hate admitting failure, so I just did whatever I could to make sure that I met those goals each week. With his guidance I began to also change my eating habits for the better and I eventually rejoined Weight Watchers. Between April and September I had lost about 30 lbs and I was keeping up momentum very nicely. I did the Saint Paul Classic Bike Ride (26 miles) in September and then the Mankato River Ramble Bike Ride (42 miles) in October, but once October was into full swing, I stopped. I was having back pain from carrying my daughter and from weight lifting, so I saw a physical therapist who was no help at all. I was so afraid of the holiday season and what it could potentially do to all of the progress I had made so far. My coaching had ended in September, but when I told him how scared I was for winter to come, he said that maybe I should look at winter as a maintenance time. He said long as I wasn't gaining weight, I would still be meeting my goals. So, I took on this mindset. I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years without gaining more than a pound. I was really happy with myself, but then somehow January began taking its toll. I was back to my old eating habits (not horrible, but not great) and I wasn't exercising AT ALL. Every time I stepped on the scale, the number was creeping up and up and up. In total, by the time I snapped myself out of my funk, I had gained 8 pounds. 8 pounds of stupidity, basically. Now I have to lose those 8 again. I have 4 left. It sucks.
I woke up this morning excited for both my swim lesson yesterday, which went very well and for the workout I have planned for today. I feel good. I am happy to be in this place, but I know that there could be a bad day just around the corner and that's hard.
Yesterday's swim lesson was so good for me. Amy gave me a few things to work on with my front crawl and suggested I work on flutter kicking and bilateral breathing. I'm excited to get some practice in on these two things tomorrow. Today's workout includes a 4 mile bike ride and 20 minutes of running. Last time I biked at the gym, I used an Expresso bike, which was pretty neat. There are treadmills right across from the bikes, so I plan to dismount the bike and immediately get onto the treadmill. Hello "brick" workout! Here I come, jelly legs!
Once late fall came and my schedule forced me to hang my commuter bike up, I lost all of my motivation. Last spring and summer were momentous for me. I started working with a Wellness Coach at my gym sometime in April 2011. Jason worked with me to create goals, both short-term and very long-term. I met with him weekly and through this process I reintroduced myself back into exercise. First I took some intro classes, then I started "running" again, I began biking to work almost daily and I participated in a nine week women's strength training class. By seeing my coach, I had accountability because every single week I set goals and when we met the following week, I needed to tell him which goals I met and which I didn't. I hate admitting failure, so I just did whatever I could to make sure that I met those goals each week. With his guidance I began to also change my eating habits for the better and I eventually rejoined Weight Watchers. Between April and September I had lost about 30 lbs and I was keeping up momentum very nicely. I did the Saint Paul Classic Bike Ride (26 miles) in September and then the Mankato River Ramble Bike Ride (42 miles) in October, but once October was into full swing, I stopped. I was having back pain from carrying my daughter and from weight lifting, so I saw a physical therapist who was no help at all. I was so afraid of the holiday season and what it could potentially do to all of the progress I had made so far. My coaching had ended in September, but when I told him how scared I was for winter to come, he said that maybe I should look at winter as a maintenance time. He said long as I wasn't gaining weight, I would still be meeting my goals. So, I took on this mindset. I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years without gaining more than a pound. I was really happy with myself, but then somehow January began taking its toll. I was back to my old eating habits (not horrible, but not great) and I wasn't exercising AT ALL. Every time I stepped on the scale, the number was creeping up and up and up. In total, by the time I snapped myself out of my funk, I had gained 8 pounds. 8 pounds of stupidity, basically. Now I have to lose those 8 again. I have 4 left. It sucks.
I woke up this morning excited for both my swim lesson yesterday, which went very well and for the workout I have planned for today. I feel good. I am happy to be in this place, but I know that there could be a bad day just around the corner and that's hard.
Yesterday's swim lesson was so good for me. Amy gave me a few things to work on with my front crawl and suggested I work on flutter kicking and bilateral breathing. I'm excited to get some practice in on these two things tomorrow. Today's workout includes a 4 mile bike ride and 20 minutes of running. Last time I biked at the gym, I used an Expresso bike, which was pretty neat. There are treadmills right across from the bikes, so I plan to dismount the bike and immediately get onto the treadmill. Hello "brick" workout! Here I come, jelly legs!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Me?! Tri?!
I'm resurrecting this blog 2 1/2 + years after my last post. My life has changed a lot since June 2009 and I feel compelled to share my journey again.
Let's see - since 2009, I've had another child (a daughter, she's 17 months old), I've gained many pounds, I've lost many pounds, I tried running again, I signed up for the Twin Cities 10 Mile, I decided not to run the Twin Cities 10 mile, I reinforced my hatred for running, I purchased a new road bike, I biked my first organized bike ride, I biked my second organized bike ride, I officially became a winter bike commuter and most importantly, I registered for my very first triathlon.
With my shift in focus from running to biking, I decided that I wanted to give a sprint triathlon a try. The race includes a .25 mile swim, 11 mile bike and 5k run. Yes, I still have to run. Boo. But at least in my training I will also have days where I get to do activities that I like instead of always thinking "oh god, do I have to run again?!" But, this also means that I need to begin a new sport: swimming. The only swimming I've done in my adulthood is the occasional "dip in the pool" on vacations. I've never swam a lap in my life and here I am faced with needing to do 17+ lengths of the pool during the race - in open water. Eeek.
So, I signed up for swim lessons through my gym. 6 people are in my advanced beginner lesson with Amy on Tuesdays through the month of March. My first class was last week. I was sick-nervous about it for days. It wasn't the actual swimming that was scaring me, it was the logistics of going to the gym to swim. I am very very locker room-shy and this causes me great stress with every visit to the gym, but this time I was adding a swim suit to the mix. I was petrified. Somehow I made it through and found myself standing next to the pool. In my suit. In public. Once the class started I relaxed and began to enjoy myself. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I felt so comfortable and happy in the water. I came into the pool with no ability to breathe in the water and I left class being able to do about 50 yards fairly well.
Since my class last week I've been in the pool three more times (Wed, Thurs and Sun). I've also put together a training schedule based on a few that I found online. I am on day three. This is all so exciting...BUT...I have yet to throw running back into the mix. * cue ominous music *
Running and I have such a hate-hate relationship. I'm not sure how I am going to make this work. I've done plenty of 5k races, but on fresh legs and lungs. Only time will tell if this is going to work for me.
I have my second swim lesson in just a little while. I can't wait to get back into the pool!
Let's see - since 2009, I've had another child (a daughter, she's 17 months old), I've gained many pounds, I've lost many pounds, I tried running again, I signed up for the Twin Cities 10 Mile, I decided not to run the Twin Cities 10 mile, I reinforced my hatred for running, I purchased a new road bike, I biked my first organized bike ride, I biked my second organized bike ride, I officially became a winter bike commuter and most importantly, I registered for my very first triathlon.
With my shift in focus from running to biking, I decided that I wanted to give a sprint triathlon a try. The race includes a .25 mile swim, 11 mile bike and 5k run. Yes, I still have to run. Boo. But at least in my training I will also have days where I get to do activities that I like instead of always thinking "oh god, do I have to run again?!" But, this also means that I need to begin a new sport: swimming. The only swimming I've done in my adulthood is the occasional "dip in the pool" on vacations. I've never swam a lap in my life and here I am faced with needing to do 17+ lengths of the pool during the race - in open water. Eeek.
So, I signed up for swim lessons through my gym. 6 people are in my advanced beginner lesson with Amy on Tuesdays through the month of March. My first class was last week. I was sick-nervous about it for days. It wasn't the actual swimming that was scaring me, it was the logistics of going to the gym to swim. I am very very locker room-shy and this causes me great stress with every visit to the gym, but this time I was adding a swim suit to the mix. I was petrified. Somehow I made it through and found myself standing next to the pool. In my suit. In public. Once the class started I relaxed and began to enjoy myself. I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I felt so comfortable and happy in the water. I came into the pool with no ability to breathe in the water and I left class being able to do about 50 yards fairly well.
Since my class last week I've been in the pool three more times (Wed, Thurs and Sun). I've also put together a training schedule based on a few that I found online. I am on day three. This is all so exciting...BUT...I have yet to throw running back into the mix. * cue ominous music *
Running and I have such a hate-hate relationship. I'm not sure how I am going to make this work. I've done plenty of 5k races, but on fresh legs and lungs. Only time will tell if this is going to work for me.
I have my second swim lesson in just a little while. I can't wait to get back into the pool!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
God, it has been almost a year since the last time I posted. My running life has been on hold for a while. I guess it was the many long winter months that stopped me from lacing up the shoes. Sadly the last race I ran was back on New Years Day. Although it has escaped my life physically, running has not escaped me mentally. I think about it all of the time and only wish I had enough motivation to get out there and hit the streets. One of these days I'll just suck it up and get out there, I know it.
My plan is to try to get into the Twin Cities 10 mile race in October. It involves a lottery that opens in July for registration, so my participation will be up to the Gods, I guess. The hubby is doing the full marathon, which is run on the same day, so it would be great to both be out there running. In the meantime, I am still riding my bike...as much as I can...
The chain on my bike is faulty or something because it keeps falling off. The guy at the bike shop where I bought it told me that if it happens again, he'll give me a new bike. So he put the chain back on and I've been out on it 1 1/2 times. The 1/2 because the last time I was riding it, I got myself a nice big FLAT TIRE! Seriously, I cannot win. Once the inner tube is fixed, I'll be out on it again, but right now all I want to do is give it a big hard kick in the frame!
My plan is to try to get into the Twin Cities 10 mile race in October. It involves a lottery that opens in July for registration, so my participation will be up to the Gods, I guess. The hubby is doing the full marathon, which is run on the same day, so it would be great to both be out there running. In the meantime, I am still riding my bike...as much as I can...
The chain on my bike is faulty or something because it keeps falling off. The guy at the bike shop where I bought it told me that if it happens again, he'll give me a new bike. So he put the chain back on and I've been out on it 1 1/2 times. The 1/2 because the last time I was riding it, I got myself a nice big FLAT TIRE! Seriously, I cannot win. Once the inner tube is fixed, I'll be out on it again, but right now all I want to do is give it a big hard kick in the frame!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Inspire
I have to post some information on our friend, Judy. She is a truly inspiring and awesome female runner. She just completed 100k by herself to raise money for the local Boys and Girls Club. This is the third time she's done the 100k and is on her way to raising $100,000 in the process. Here is a news story about her run:
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S550280.shtml?cat=10151
I have to mention that not only did she do this 100k this Wednesday, beginning at 12:01am...but she ran a marathon the Sunday before and will participate in the Ragnar Relay race this Friday and Saturday on my husband's team. So in one week she will have run almost 100 miles. She is an amazing lady!!
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/S550280.shtml?cat=10151
I have to mention that not only did she do this 100k this Wednesday, beginning at 12:01am...but she ran a marathon the Sunday before and will participate in the Ragnar Relay race this Friday and Saturday on my husband's team. So in one week she will have run almost 100 miles. She is an amazing lady!!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Biker Chick
I cannot even begin to describe how wonderful riding my bike has made me feel these last couple of weeks. I get on and my stresses seem to just disappear, at least until I hop back off the bike anyway. Riding a bike makes me feel like a kid again. I find myself jumping curbs and being really excited at super fast downhill rides! I'm so happy I finally bought the bike, but why the heck didn't I do it sooner?!?
I haven't been running much lately because I've used my time to ride my bike instead. My next race is August 24th. It is a 5k and a real doosey. I've run this race before, it was my first race to get me back into running last summer. Lots of hills and the temperature is usually pretty hot and humid. I have 2 1/2 weeks to prepare. I just want to be able to run it without feeling like I am going to die! Ideally, I'd also like to finish in under 42 minutes. Last year I finished at 44:16.
I am registered to run a half marathon on September 21st. I've been going back and forth about whether or not to do the race for a while now. I am no where near as prepared for this one as I was for Green Bay, but I feel as though I could probably pull it off. I just don't know what I want to do. I have plans to visit the Running Room to look at shoes this week and if I can eliminate the shin pain, I think I am going to go for it.
In the meantime, I need to lose some damn weight. I've really let things go for a while now and I need to get back on track. I am back on sparkpeople.com, tracking my meals and exercise, as that always seems to help. I am also looking into a couple of other things that may help me lose some weight. At this point, I just want to lose some so I can run better and not feel so discouraged everytime I am out there!!
I haven't been running much lately because I've used my time to ride my bike instead. My next race is August 24th. It is a 5k and a real doosey. I've run this race before, it was my first race to get me back into running last summer. Lots of hills and the temperature is usually pretty hot and humid. I have 2 1/2 weeks to prepare. I just want to be able to run it without feeling like I am going to die! Ideally, I'd also like to finish in under 42 minutes. Last year I finished at 44:16.
I am registered to run a half marathon on September 21st. I've been going back and forth about whether or not to do the race for a while now. I am no where near as prepared for this one as I was for Green Bay, but I feel as though I could probably pull it off. I just don't know what I want to do. I have plans to visit the Running Room to look at shoes this week and if I can eliminate the shin pain, I think I am going to go for it.
In the meantime, I need to lose some damn weight. I've really let things go for a while now and I need to get back on track. I am back on sparkpeople.com, tracking my meals and exercise, as that always seems to help. I am also looking into a couple of other things that may help me lose some weight. At this point, I just want to lose some so I can run better and not feel so discouraged everytime I am out there!!
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