I Love

My bed
HOT showers
Dr Bonners Peppermint Soap

Tis all.

Send In The Clowns

This congestion is lingering and I don’t like it, no sir, not one bit. I can’t figure out what it is at all, but it’s interfering with my drive to work out. I haven’t been in the pool for about 50 years and it’s depressing me. Running or anything else for that matter is only marginally better, but spin class is downright enjoyable, even when I feel like my legs are LITERALLY going to fall off.

Oh, and its amazing how much liquid my body can sweat off in an hour; so I am already accomplishing amazing physical feats.

I have picked up two very interesting books about training however – Triathlon Training in 4 Hours a Week by Eric Harr and Triathlons for Women by Sally Edwards. There are probably one or two more I want to pick up but really, I just need to get going with logging these daggone workouts.

I signed up for a boot camp which just started- I figured this 4 weeks will help jumpstart me out of these doldrums and maintain fitness. It’s 3 days a week at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM. I can’t believe I made it through the first class – not that the workout was hard, because it wasn’t. I just couldn’t believe I got out of bed at 4:30 in the morning for anything other than death, violence or fire. I amaze myself. Not so amazing was my evening exhaustion. I went to bed – didn’t fall asleep but WENT TO BED at 10 pm. That is unheard of. I am usually reading or watching Frasier re-runs at 12:30 AM. Now I can’t make it through the disgusting reality shows, I mean I missed Dancing With The Stars and For the Love of Ray J ! Unbelievable. This could actually be a good thing.

On my way to work yesterday, I saw the circus train. For real! Not that I was aware that it existed. A big long train , on each car it said “Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus” and a round circle that said “The Greatest Show On Earth”. It was modern and looked to be about 12 cars long. The train I was riding cozied up next to it for a good few minutes, and though all the window shades were pulled I got to wonder alot about the irony of where I was at that moment....

Maybe I was on the wrong train. Maybe the circus train is my train of thought. But that train already left the station. Or maybe this triathlon training is a circus. I tell you what, it will be one of the greatest shows on earth if I don't get my ass in the pool soon!

Sand and snow

I decided to skip the ol spin torture routine today - daylight savings, I woke up a little late, couldn't breathe last night and didn't sleep well, and the idea of spinning to "Ne Me Quitte Pas" with the French Grace Jones was less than energizing. It was warm today - 60 this am - so I put on my old sneax and headed to the beach for a run.



I don't actually run on the sand - I can only imagine what it would be like having sand in my running shoes 24/7 - I run on the boardwalk, which has its own challenges. The wood slats are uneven and has some brad nails that stick up here and there so I have to actually pick up my feet and not shuffle, or I could quite feasibly kill myself.



It's two miles out and back. It was pretty good except for the constantly running faucet that is my nose lately..ugh! But otherwise, pretty cool.

I do need to stay motivated about running out of doors, so I signed myself up for a 5k in April, this one. It's near where I live and its on an actual runway - so I have the humiliation of trying to finish along with a few lungs full of jet fuel to keep me on track for July!

I can't wait to feel better.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Cough

what a week, huh?

Monday slams us with a foot of snow, I stayed home.

Tuesday I had the pleasure of running a day long meeting with one eye functioning - like literally, I thought I had pink eye or something. it was awful.

Wednesday it didn't clear up much, but I really wasn't feeling that great either so I knew there was more to it...

Thursday I did spinning class with a raging fire in my throat. Ugh. Work was very incomfortable - echinacea, c, zinc, and bathroom every 20 minutes. I left work early to try and relax at home, except I could hardly breathe or relax.

Friday was better only because things had broken up, but I don't like coughing in front of or around people. So it was a day of perpetual motion - always going to cough or pee.

Needless to say when I am not feeling well is when people want to get IN my face, talk incessantly, hold some hellacious meeting about...oh, I don't know, toenail lint...BS like that.

So much for my first week of training.

This morning I did spin class with El Preggo. I wonder when she is due, I avoid looking at her because it makes me want to pee. She gets props for knowing the words to Biz Markies "Just A Friend"(YES, that was a slow climb song) and MiJac's Pretty Young Thing(repeat after me say "na-na na -na!"). I managed to get on the treadmill immediately after and do two miles. I'm still stuffy but amazingly when I go to exercise I have no difficulty breathing at all.

It is suppossed to be 60 tomorrow....if I can peel my azz out of bed I will get up early and drive to the beach for a run; it has been awhile. Maybe someone can consult the oracle to divine when I will get back in the pool, as it is beyond me to fathom at this point. It has been so long I am actually building a phobia about it!

It's a beautiful day today, its 60 and sunny although there is still snow in the garden. I'm gonna celebrate by taking a nap. Yay me!

Spinning and Throwing Bricks

I was feeling soooo good this weekend, really charged and Wonder Woman strong. I finally gave my new Shimano kicks a test at spin class on Saturday. They're great! Let me stray a bit however and talk about spin class, in which, gentle reader, our clueless protagonist is thrust into the virtual road less traveled..

Saturday spin class is PACKED. I mean, where did all these people come from at 7:40 am? I'm glad I get there when I do, grab a bike and strap on the sexy clunkers and start to warm up. I get concerned when at 8:05 no instructor has shown up, but I am not peeling my butt off of this too small seat to look for anyone - this class is packed and I know someone would try to take my bike and then I would have to cause a scene and get embarrassed and make everyone else mad uncomfortable from me acting out...

....THEN this 9 month pregnant woman comes walking (waddling?lurching?) in, and is this my spin instructor? Apparently she has been out for a month - I just started about a month ago...and she is about to DROP. My ovaries hurt looking at her. But she was great! she proceeded to sing - I mean really belt out - almost every song that played, but she worked us hard and I forgave her for not getting on a bike and being a little late.

I don't forgive her for singing over Jack and Diane, however. Leave Mellencamp alone.

Sunday, the very next day, I decide to repeat the torture. Instructor #1 must have been in labor as now we have a feline, Grace Jones look alike who is almost completely intelligible, her French accent is so thick. I was spinning to Edith Piaf and tinny Europop, the final push/climb song was a French version of "My Way".... good grief. I wish I had a view of that class from the outside as everyone was so uncoordinated trying to respond to what they THOUGHT she was saying. Priceless! One guy in front of me was completely on his own program, he was the smartest in the group that day I tell you.

So after stretching I put on my Asics and head to the treadmill to try ny second brick of the season and I feel GREAT! I can already tell I can get at least 3-4 miles in, everything is in place: my water, I don't have to pee, I feel good, I have CNN in front of me, and I have Public Enemy on my headset...about 1/2 mile into it I reach for my player and pull the emergency stop button. OK, regroup. Grrrr....

see, it takes alot of things to align for me to get into the dreadmill - yes I said dread - and an interruption isnt one of them. I once screamed at a guy who interrupted me on the dreadmill when I was at about 4 1/2 miles, he had actually left his cellphone in the cup holder (I am FOCUSED, I didn't even see it). Not one of my better moments but hey I'm a work in progress, ok?

SO: back into my groove after biking a million miles to weepy French songs I am pumping my legs to some Nas and Jadakiss, when my player acts up AGAIN- I reach for it AGAIN, and For the Love of Ray J, the battery is dead. I mean dead and gone. Deader than it has ever been, which makes me think one of the kids has been playing/with it...

I am so proud of my lazy self, because usually that would be it. No music, no dreadmill. It's not like I am outside running and have distractions. I MUST have my music, not the Jonas Brothers they repeat incessantly at the gym, my own adrenaline pumping Korn and Metallica and Ice Cube...

but I didn't stop. I went on, dear reader, I perservered! I did 3 whole miles and felt great afterwards. And can still walk and talk today to type it all out! I am hoping that by the time I get the sex machine bike out on the road that I can do real bricks a little easier after doing these practice sessions...I need some restitution after these bizzaro planet spin classes....