This Sucks.

I’m nothing if not honest. And I was being quite honest when I uttered the title of this post no more than one hour ago, as I was midway through traversing the hills that overcome the landscape between my home and Mount Vernon. After about the 12th incline in as many minutes, I had had enough. My lungs were screaming, my heart thumping, Ike creaking under the weight of my weary frame. This DID suck.

But pay now or pay later, as my mother often says. Either I get through these hills now and work up to climbing them with relative ease, or I take the flat road of popularity and pay the price come race day. They don’t call it the Red HILLS Triathlon for nothing, do they?

I will say that by the time I’d gotten home, 45 minutes later (it was a 90-minute ride in all today, a makeup long bike from last week), I’d pretty much forgotten about the hills of yore. What I DID remember was the joy of the ride, of seeing everybody out and about on a sunny 50-degree January day, of watching the children and the parents and the senior citizens and the pups. I loved zooming on the downhills, loved watching the Potomac roll by, loved watching the robins bounce around a shady puddle that still had a thin layer of ice over the top. Occasionally, I would be rolling down the path and realize that it was just Ike and me, as far as the eye could see, the two of us against the world – or, actually, communing with it. And that bond with nature, with the life teeming all around me as I pedaled through with nary an ecological footprint to leave behind, is what it’s really all about, anyway.

And THAT doesn’t suck.

:)

Water in the Ear.

Ah, yes. So this is what it feels like to swim again. ;)

What is it with water and my ear lately? Every time I get into the pool, my left ear immediately fills on up. I hate to start wearing earplugs, but it's going to have to happen, I think. I'm tired of being waterlogged all the day long, drops or no drops.

The exercise time is worth it, though. I still love swimming best of all. Slicing through the water, zooming through with swim fins, and flipping over for my favorite, the backstroke -- there's nothing like it. Even when my ear misbehaves. That's not the pool's fault, right?

So I did an hour's worth of swimming this morning. It was good fun. I'm trying to get ahead, since today's a splurge day for me -- pizza for lunch and chili for dinner! Eep! :) But I always allow myself one to two days a week to eat what I like and not worry. I think it helps keep me sane.

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

May as well deposit it into the cybertubes while I'm thinking of it.

Monday: Short bike (35 minutes), weights.
Tuesday: Rest day!
Wednesday: Short run (17 minutes), weights.
Thursday: Long bike (58 minutes).
Friday: Swim (46 minutes).
Saturday: Rest day!
Sunday: Long run (29 minutes), weights.

:)

Fatty-Fat-Fat.

Why can't I lose weight?

Ah, yes, that question o' the ages. But it's been applicable to me lately -- and by "lately" I mean over the last few years -- and as I watch my husband drop pound after pound, the scale ticking down time and again, I'm getting pretty ticked off.

I work out regularly, burning 1500+ calories a week in training. I've made a concerted effort to monitor my calorie intake and have been adhering to a 2000-calorie-max diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, very little cheese and dairy, and good solid vegetarian protein in between. I don't know what else to do, frankly. I'm working so hard and not seeing much -- if any -- result on the scale. I can SEE that my abs are getting tighter and that my calves and thighs are shaping up nicely, but I see no results on the scale. It's frustrating.

I know I shouldn't get caught up in the numbers game. Really. But you'd think after ramping up my exercise week after week, I'd see some numerical, quantitative results!! And the fact that my darling husband is losing pounds like nobody's business adds insult to injury. ;)

Anyway, I'll keep working on it. I'm bound to see results sometime. Right?

Right?

:)

Boot Camp, Day Two.

Well, hello.

Day One of this week's boot camp went quite well. I biked for 58 minutes on the stationary at my office's gym -- for the first time since Ike came home to roost before Christmas -- and let me tell you, even while watching television I was bored out of my mind. I cannot wait for the ice to melt and the weather to heat up, even a little bit, so I can get back to the great outdoors!! I never thought I'd feel particularly partial to one form of cycling over another, exercise-wise, but all through my ride I found myself looking at the clock and computing how many minutes I had left. That's something I don't ever do when I'm riding outside. It just takes care of itself.

Today is a long run at the Y after work. I'm going to do a mile and a half straight through and then additional half-miles, with quarter-miles of walking interspersed to give me some intervals. I'm looking forward to it -- it's been a week (!!) since I've run. I hope I haven't set myself back in my training. But, then, that's what this boot camp is all about, right?

The term "boot camp" is on the brain anyway right now, as one of my friends, Spooner, has just entered boot camp as well -- the real Army kind, not my little game. ;) So, I figure, if she's showing such bravery and strength by doing THAT sort of thing, then the least I can do is run a mile and a half at a clip and use a cushy stationary bicycle when it's too cold outside for my tender little skin. Puts things in perspective a little bit (OK, a lot) for me.

With any luck I'll make it home to watch the State of the Union tonight. That'll get the old blood pressure elevated.

:)

This Week's Schedule. (Read: Lucy, You've Got Some 'Splaining to Do!)

Monday: Short bike (58 minutes).
Tuesday: Long run (44 minutes).
Wednesday: Short run (29 minutes).
Thursday: Long bike (88 minutes).
Friday: Swim (77 minutes).
Saturday: Long bike (97 minutes).
Sunday: Long run (48 minutes).

So I missed some days last week. I feel badly for doing it and want to get back on the wagon with all my strength. If it means I need to get up early to meet my goals, so be it! If I decide to take a rest day, I'll just have to make up my training by doubling up on another day.

I'm not normally so tough on myself, instead allowing my body to do what it wants on any particular day. But after the showing last week, particularly over the weekend, when I sloughed off anything related to exercise for the simple fact that I didn't "feel like it," I've got to get myself back on the straight and narrow. Boot camp, here I come.

:)

Wow.

That was not a “jog.” That was not a “saunter.” Nor a “brisk walk.”

What I just did, my friends, was run. And it felt really, really good.

Today was my longest run ever – 40 minutes. And for the first mile, I really felt as though 40 minutes was well past my threshold. My stomach had cramped up. My calves ached. And my left Achilles tendon was twinging with pain.

But then, I hit the mile mark, walked for a block or two, and began to run again. And by golly, once I got going again, I didn’t want to stop.

!!!!

I told myself I’d run to Columbus Street – a half a mile away – and then slow down to walk for a couple of blocks. But then I got to Columbus and just kept on going. Got to Washington, stopped at the light, and then kept on moving when I got the walk. Slowed down to speed-walk a couple of blocks – just to be safe – and then picked up again, taking one of the Old Town hills in stride and gazing out across the Potomac.

With the exception of a block or two more, I ran all the way home. Ran AROUND the block that my house sits on, actually, because I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want this run to end. And that, my friends, is a first.

So wow. Now, for the first time, I really see why people enjoy this whole biped thing. Why people wake up at ungodly hours to get a couple of miles in before breakfast. Why people dare to run the distance from Sparta to Athens on a Sunday morning just for fun. I get it now. And I want more.

Today was a blessing – and a major turning point in my training. And – dare I get so dramatic? – perhaps a major turning point in my life.

Dang it, I can run. And I like it. Maybe there’s hope for me after all.

:)

Next Week's Schedule.

I feel like all I write nowadays are schedule notices. I promise that I'll write a more contextual entry shortly.

Anyhow, here we go.

Monday: Long bike (88 minutes).
Tuesday: Short run (26 minutes), weights.
Wednesday: Rest day!
Thursday: Short bike (53 minutes).
Friday: Rest day OR practice run (20 minutes).
Saturday: Long run (44 minutes), weights.
Sunday: Swim (77 minutes).

:)

2007 Schedule, Part 2.

This time, with feeling. ;)

I am registered for...
March 24: Red Hills Triathlon (sprint).
April 17: Race to Stop the Silence (10K).
Aug. 19: RYKA Iron Girl Triathlon (sprint).
Nov. 17: Marine Corps Turkey Trot (5-miler).

I am still planning on...
May 20: Capitol Hill Classic (10K or 3K).
Sept. 29: The Nation's Triathlon (Olympic).
Oct. 28: Marine Corps Marathon.
December: Jingle Bell Run ... somewhere. :)

Let the fun begin!

:)

A Mile and a Half!

I'm tempted to add a "(Finally!)" to the title of this post, but I'll refrain. For even though I'm behind on my personal running goal, I really feel like I'm doing my very best and giving this training all I've got. And, slowly but surely, it's paying off.

Yesterday, I ran for 40 minutes. Forty minutes. That's not something I ever would've imagined myself doing. Granted, I included some intervals of slow jogging/fast walking, but I never slowed to a stop, or even a saunter. ;) I'm paying for it today -- my quads are dismayed with my recent behavior -- but it's so worth it.

So next week I'm going to go for two. No sense in stopping at 1.5 for any extended period of time, right? I'm ready to knock out 5K in as little time as possible.

In other news, I rode 14ish miles on Saturday amid a throng of pedestrians on some of our local trails. It took me much longer than it should have because I had to stop every 100 yards or so to creep behind some unruly walkers/joggers/skaters/dogs/etc., but it was a lot of fun nonetheless. I can't wait to go back out this weekend. Or maybe even sooner. Ike and I really do have a lot of fun on our rides.

So, this week starts my Olympic training plan. I'm so excited! I can't wait to see how I do. Updates to come, I promise!

:)

This Week's Schedule.

This week, I'm graduating to the Olympic training program. I'm pumped up about it!

Monday: Rest day!! (Sorry, was that over-enthusiastic?)
Tuesday: Short run (24 minutes); weights.
Wednesday: Rest day OR practice run (20 minutes).
Thursday: Swim (42 minutes).
Friday: Short bike (48 minutes).
Saturday: Long bike (80 minutes).
Sunday: Long run (40 minutes); weights.

:)

A Rainy Day.

I woke up this morning, saw the rain, and knew there was no reason to wake up Ike for a short ride. No sense in slipping and sliding through the streets of Old Town. Plus, I had a headache. And a backache. And one of my shins has been bothering me.

It's been one of those weeks, I'm afraid. At least training-wise. The rest of my life has been moving along with minimal bumps (to make up, I guess, for last week, when everything above was reversed. ;))

At least I've gotten some training in this week. In fact, miraculously, I'm right on schedule. Even though my days have gotten all switched around.

On Sunday, I did a long bike ride. On Monday, I rested. On Tuesday, I did a 46-minute bike ride and ran for 35 minutes at the gym, after which time I lifted weights (and am feeling the effects, I can assure you!). Tomorrow, I'll go on a long bike ride. Sunday, I'll do a long run and more weights. The only thing I'm missing this week is the swim. What else is new? ;)

So even though I feel like I've been lazy this week, I guess it's all for a good cause. Pain in the head and the throat have made me wimp out on several occasions over the last five days. Today is the Last Day of Wimpiness. Tomorrow, it's back to becoming the Ironman (er, -Woman) I want to become.

Have a good weekend, y'all!

:)