Cross Training?

another reminder to keep up with the weight training - AND Master's swim....

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/health/16best.html

So Far..........

So, I have made it through May, hooray. Tonight is Masters swim and all the extreme joy that it brings. I am dog arse tired and yet feeling good at the same time.


I did NOT make perfect on the Every Day In May challenge – I missed two days of working out. Poo. There were a few factors contributing to this however –


- I got deathly ill for a few days


- I traveled out of town for three days TWICE


- work is at its peak stress level


- I STILL can’t seem to get myself out of the bed before 6:30




Hallelujah though, I did get a new treadmill which I am already putting to good use, and completed my first 4 mile run on Sunday! It was ugly (lots of inclines and a few hills) but I did it and am happy.

Overall, I would say that I am sticking with my training plan at a 95% rate , so that is good. How in the world this will translate into finishing the Oly in August I have no clue but stranger things have been know to happen in modern times. I believe I may be overthinking almost everything, which I have been known to do.

I am doing OH so much better on my diet, too – about 95% clean eating, no sugar no whites. I do need more veggies however, and still need help with snacking and portion control. I have lost about 2 inches off my waist this month- don’t know how much weight if any but my clothes are fitting good again.

 

Right now, all I want to do is take a nap!




So June- I really just want to stick with my plan and continue to work hard to get the weight off. I guess a goal is to pick up another mile by the end of the month, and continue to get a smaller circumference. So far, so good……….

Week 1 DONE

and executed pretty well. I missed one run - couldnt help it- but did everything else. I also survived my first week of Masters swim, but by a bare thread. I will be eating a steady diet of humble ass pie this summer I believe! I am last by farrrrrr even in our technique sets, except for when we have to use kick boards. I kick ass at kick boards! I also have my first injury- a dime sized chunk of flesh missing below my big toe from the zoomers. It is healing so slow but at least it has stopped hurting.Today, I ran at the beach and it felt sooooooo amazing. I did a few Beachbody workouts this week also just to keep things interesting and speed up my weight loss.

I had forgotten the constant juggling of sweaty clothes, chlorinated clothes, and constant soreness and extreme sleepiness in the afternoons. I am about 90-95% clean eating ( I cheat and use butter on my ezekiel bread, and steal m&m's when they are around) and that is really helping alot this time around, I am really getting the hang of it.

I think I am ready for week 2! Looks like great weather awaits, I hope to have more success with early rising (and early sleeping)!

Every Day In May

Today was the (re) start of Masters Swimming. Wow. The class is alot smaller than it was last year at this time, and quite frankly I hope it stays this way. It's less intimidating for me. I am pleased that I kept up, but to be honest this was a recovery day for the class, and everyone was doing drill on technique and I kept my zoomers on the entire time. BUT, I did all the sets and didnt drown. yay!

Unfortunately I didn't get to do my run this morning- hell, I barely made it out of work on time to throw myself in the car and hit the highway to get out to the pool- oh well. The plan is to make it up tomorrow, so I have a short ride in the AM and a short run in the PM at the gym.

I have planned a challenge for myself that I am calling Every Day In May- basically that I will exercise every day this month. I will continue to eat clean and at regular intervals. I have to get to sleep soon, as I know this swim will have me knocked OUT. It is so difficult for me to wake in the am, and difficult to settle in at a reasonable hour. Yes, I know where my kids get it from!

Let The Madness Begin

May Day, May Day, Singing Electric about to begin Tri Training in earnest!




Yep, can't fake the funk any longer. I had a horrible run this morning at the track- intervals- my legs were so TIGHT no matter what I did. Came home, and did some hardcore gardening for 3 HOURS....and I just finished a quick spin on the trainer for an hour.


I am still in withdrawal over my gym, but what can I do? I will have to figure something else out that does not involve me being so spoiled. In the meantime I have been trying to lose weight, doing Beachbody workouts and clean eating. I don't think I have lost much but I FEEL great. I would FEEL even better if I could get back into some of my clothes, but one thing at a time.  I am packing my lunches now and eating at more regular intervals, and trying to drink more water. Yay, me!

Goodbye my lover…goodbye my friend

I joined Printing House gym about 7 years ago. It was a beautiful facility and a very low key, off beat gym that had a penthouse space with beautiful waterfront views, a pool and outdoor deck, friendly low key staff and clientele, no loud music, ultra clean, very low traffic, sauna spa and whirlpool, full range of classes and boxing rind, personal trainers… ALWAYS a pleasant place to go to (except for the rare days that the elevator was out, LOL) and always IMMACULATE.

I would often say to myself and another friend who had joined back then – “I know this won’t last long, it’s TOO good”. That is how it felt- I don’t know if there is a perfect gym experience, but if there is, this was it.

In October, rumors were confirmed that Printing House had been brought out by the Equinox chain. I used to belong to Equinox many years ago and while it’s quite a gym, but really not for me. They type A trainers and clientele, ultra loud music, and overall high expense was too much in more than one way. Still, I thought I would tough it out where I was until they raised the price or …something.

For months, they did not change the pricing. The construction is in earnest however, and if it winds up looking anything like the design it will be quite the showcase. I got a letter in the mail on Friday however, that has forced my hand. The monthly fee is going up by 50%!

On top of that, if you join you are locked in for a minimum of one year before you can cancel. I knew it was wayyyy to good to last for too long. I loved it mightily while I had it, even though I didn’t go as much as I wanted to this year. It was nice to have a gym to get to during the lunch hour, closeby, like a second home.

I will truly miss my gym.

ENOUGH!

.........................I am beggging you...................

Weekend Inspiration

I had an interesting weekend with relatively little exercise. I did get in a good bike workout on Saturday, a 90 minute trainer ride with lots of hills. Sweatfest! And difficult, mostly because I was soooo tired- I woke up early to get on a train and attend the Tri expo.

I participated in a clinic specifically for first time triathletes (which of course meant that out of 40 people, about five were TRULY first timers LOL) The guys delivering the session were coaches whose basic underlying message was - “You should train with a team”. Oh they said other stuff – a lot of it WAS truly helpful – but one thing that was said that really bugged me was something about how all of us in attendance are type A personalities, we wouldn’t be there if we weren’t, and that most triathletes are.

Riiiiiiight……whatever! (See, I WANT to train with others and go to Masters and run with a club etc etc blah blah but I do NOT want some type A screaming at me or putting me on the spot, or criticizing me so that it will make me step up. It won’t. I am not built that way. I will just quit, because my non type A personality cannot deal with the embarrassment you just dealt me)

ANYWAY ....


The setup of the rest of the Expo was interesting – one half of the gym had vendors, and the other half was ongoing 10 minute presentations about a wide variety of S/B/R topics. Most of the presenters I sat in for were very approachable, seemed quite knowledgeable, and delivered clear concise information (One notable exception was a Doctor who was waaaaaay in deep with his stuff. One guy behind me got up laughing and said “Well, I guess HE knows what he is talking about – no one else does!” HA!)

The vendors were the standard Tri expo vendors – a bunch of clubs, apparel companies, a few nutrition companies, a few trainers, and they had a time trial setup on one side that you could sign up for. I liked that idea, but did not like the fact that dozens of people were milling right around the cyclists while they were trying to pound it out- I would have been really annoyed.

I did see a table sponsored by my (largest addiction)favorite website, Beginner Triathlete! I got to meet the legendary Marmadaddy and fellow BT’er DrCherryBomb!
That brief meeting made the whole morning. I did score some great junk swag, and I got a REALLY cute T from irunlikeagirl.com

Sunday I was a backup timer for swim meet hosted at my masters swim group in Nassau County. While up front it can seem like almost 4 hours is forever (especially on a sunny Sunday morning, and daylight savings time taking a much needed additional hour of sleep away from me) I really enjoy volunteering. The oldest participant at the meet was 89 years old! God, PLEASE let me be active, healthy and swimming at 89! Each heat he participated in (YES there was more than one) he got a rousing round of applause when he exited the water.






That, and the Star Spangled Banner completely had me tearing up (cuz I am just corny like that)

You would think that would give me inspiration to get my butt in gear – well, it has! More on exactly how later .....

RANDOM

I happened to hear this song - an old favorite - and see this quote today:

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets."

- Arthur Miller


....um ok...but if its REALLY right, is it still a regret?

Still at it – kinda.

The mill is still dead – and things have shifted so far south that I have started the C25k program to get me back on some sort of track.

Swimming has been minimal – still not back at masters(some sort of dread of exposing thing 1 and thing 2 and the ever expanding Esther and Tootsie combined with work fatigue) but I have been known to make a cameo at the local parks and rec pool with my boys more than a few times.

The bike on the other hand is going ok. Yes I still have numb ass and privates after awhile but I have been putting in many hours weekly for the last few months. On the trainer, but still- I have been doing that.

This has been the worst winter in NYC in a long time. Lots of snow, ice, cold and dark.. Even good athletes have said they haven’t been able to get their bikes out since November so it’s not just me in case you were wondering. Still, here I am, trying …again….to refocus.

Going to hit up the Multisport World Triathlon Expo this weekend, and participate in a clinic for new triathletes which should be interesting. This will be my third time attending such an expo in as many years, and I will say that each year I have attended I have learned something – OK sometimes really tiny tiny things but hey, that is something, right? And there is always the free( mostly useless) swag and pamphlets which I am addicted to!