Cycle Ride

I took my mom's bike out the other day for a quick spin to check it out.
I took it out again this morning for a real ride - well at least for me.
It was only 2.5 miles but enough.
I think I will bring it back to NC with me. However I don't know if it really fits right.
It seems short - not height wise (well maybe a little bit) but length wise.
I don't know what that is. I feel like I am sitting right on top of the handle bars.
I can extend my legs and just touch the ground as well. But I don't feel like I get a good extension of my legs when I peddle. I can't figure that out as well.
Then again I haven't been on a peddle bike in years so who knows...
I keep trying to throttle with my right hand, turn on the turn signals with my left hand, AND gravitate to the left hand side of the road... HAH!!!
I will have to write about our other festivities in NJ in the other blog... Took LOTS of pictures.

2 miles

So I went out to MMR to define the route I would take through this crazy neighborhood of circles. The block my mom lives on is not a complete circle. You have to zig in and out at a block or two. All together that is one mile. The next loop is a bit larger at 1.7 miles or so. I was going to do both to get almost 4 miles in. With the walk run interval it is easier for me to go longer to try to ramp up the running. But as my mom projected I got a little lost. Well not really lost - let's call it turned around. I turned right down a street when I should have stayed straight. All total I did 2 miles in 30 minutes and I ran 5 intervals of 0.10 miles each - so YAY almost a half mile of running. REMEMBER - I don't run. So I am feeling good about that.

Now I am settling down at this computer to do some work.
I have until about 12noon when I have to get ready and get to the airport...
Let's hope today's flights go better than yesterday's delays.

This morning's venture

IF I can ever tear myself away from this computer I am going to do a loop through my mom's neighborhood. The small block is just at a mile. The larger block she claims to be 2 miles. MMR has at 1.7 or so miles. I figure I will do both and get in my 4 for the day.
There is a bike in the garage with my name on it as well... YEAH!!! I just need to put air in the tires and take it for a spin.
Let's hope I get to that as well.
I will be doing some work from here today... That's always fun!

NOTHING!!!

Well I just never got around to getting out to work out today. I think I was more tired than I realised this morning. The two workouts yesterday along with dinner at a friends and drinks at the Irish pub I suppose I just needed to rest today. Or at least that's what I told myself as I struggled through my day.
I ended up spending most of my time packing - B's stuff (which all needed a bath) and mine... We are all set, bags packed, crate assembled. Bugger - I just remembered I have yet to get rid of that vacuum in my trunk. I guess I will have to take it out when I pack up the car tomorrow night...
This week will be an interesting one with respect to working out...

Very Sad News

http://www.davematthewsband.com/news/
When I moved here you could say I was not a DMB fan let alone a big DMB fan. Over the first few months of living here I met more and more people that were huge fans. When I read the news of LeRoi Moore - I thought of most of those friends, the concerts, the pictures, the stories.. And it is just a shock to think that a life so young and so talented could be taken so unexpectantly...

Sore today...

But I think I will head on out again. I fetl real good after all of it...
Maybe hit the pool...

Bike ride

OK - let's be honest here. The last bike I owned had a 50cc motor on it and was driven on the left hand side of the road.
This cycle s*@# is just crazy...
I borrowed AM's bike this afternoon - after the walk, lunch and a made for tv Lifetime movie. I haven't been out to MMR yet to clock the distance but it couldn't have been more than 2 1/2 miles. And let me tell you those hills were HARD!!!! I am still feeling overheated from it. But Ienjoyed it and will do it again. I definitely need to do it more often... And I think going to the park for flatter terrain at this time would be wise. I will have to figure out how to squeeze th bike in NJ into my car next week.

Well need to go grab a shower... off to a friends for dinner and then to the Irish pub for some drinks...

YUP - still overheated...

Walking with memories

I did 4 miles of walking. I jogged a little at the end but for the most part it was a walk. I walked out of the neighborhood and turned left and walked down the road for 2 miles. For those of you that know the area - yes that means I walked to the HT and beyond and back. I went that way to take pictures. I wanted to capture the changes...

The land for the HT was being cleared around the winter of 2006. They were moving all sorts of dirt and getting the land ready for the housing development near by as well. My dad had thought or hoped that during his "rest" between chemo and surgery he would come visit. He was excited to see all the changes that were going on. We spoke of it often... "When the chemo is done and I am feeling better..." As most know he was in and out of the hospital more during that "rest" period than any other time during the chemo. So he never made it to visit. Much to his dismay - I took to driving down the road with my camera and taking pictures of the changes I drive by every day... The new HT, CVS and other CVS... all of it. I figured if he couldn't make it here to see the changes I would bring the changes to him. Well we know how that went... The opportunity to go home and be with him after the surgery never became an option. And eventually the film in that camera was developed. Sure the pictures weren't that great but it would have been so nice to have the chance to share them with him. So instead I walked 4 miles today and took more pictures - I will have the recollection for myself... Which will have to do...

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...

Did anyone else see the Jaws marathon this week?
I don't know what network it was on - here it is channel 12 - and every time I turned on the tv there was that damend music and that nasty huge fake shark...
So I didn't swim today :)

How About Moving Some Boxes

My friends moved yesterday so instead of going to the park as planned... I went by the new house to see how it was coming along. Technically I didn't move much of anything for them. I just sort of hung out there for a while. The house looks nice... Everything's all fresh and new.

So today is to be a big workout day for me. Not yet - obviously I am sitting here typing. But I was hoping to get in a bit of everything... Even ride on a real bike!!! I am borrowing a friend's bike for the moment. She is to be around all day so whenever I work up the energy to leave the house - yadda yadda yadda... I think I will do the swimming in SH's pool... That way I can get some sun time as well. And as for the walking/running - I should probably just get the sneaks on right now and head out there.

I leave for NJ on Tuesday so these next 3 days (possibly just 2 as Monday could be bedlam for work) I really need to ramp it up. I won't get any swimming in in NJ. Unless I head to the beach - oh my friends have a pool maybe I could head over there early before the games and swim (NAH - who am I kidding that day will be exhausting enough)... My mom has a bike - so I hope to get a ride in there... Not too long as I will have company - don't need to leave her hanging on the couch with my mom. And the walking/running - not a problem - I am plan to hit all 3 boardwalks - Point, Squan and Spring Lake. OK Squan isn't really boards and it's not that long but the nostalgia is wonderful and the potential for surfers at the inlet beach - always a plus. Oh and since it is labor day weekend - bennies... always a nice additive for the Jersey Shore.

Instead of Working Out...

I haven't felt well all week. I have had a sore throat and hacking all the time. Just not fun. I hope to get out there on the path at the park tomorrow. We shall see... Son I have another one of those quirky observations... Have you heard my one about Katie Holmes and Britney Spears looking similar? What about the one about Chad Smith (drummer of RHCP) and Will Ferrell? Here's my newest... Michael Phelps and Eli Manning...

I think it's that they both have mousy brown shaggy type hair.

allergies or something

i have had a nasty sore throat and cough again keeping me from doing any sort of activity...
i think it must be allergies... i had gotten out of the consistent habit of taking claritin while i was away... and that seems to be when it gets me... i hpope to shake it before next week's road trip... i am so looking forward to getting away - even if just for a little bit this time
i should be able to squeeze in some walking/running and maybe some biking but i doubt the swimming will happen...
i hope to get back in the swing of things before i leave but it is looking slim (HAH - wish I was)

Oooops - missed some workouts

It turns out my Saturday was busy busy busy... And I don't even know with what to tell the truth. Sunday I had big plans - I was going to work out - whole sleu of ideas there. And then I had some work I wanted to get done. Oh and some CE.
WELL I woke up at around 2am with a scratchy throat. I thought - OK get some water, toss and turn a bit and everything will be fine. BUT NO - that wasn't the case. I started to feel miserable. I found myself on the couch for a while trying to sleep there. The same thing happened Friday night but the sore throat wasn't as bad. But not this time. It was scratchy. It hurt to breathe. I kept coughing... And when I finally got comfy back in bed wouldn't you know a thunderstorm blew through...??!!! The little guy was all a barking downstairs. Errrrr... It kind of kept my mind off my sore throat and I was asleep. I slept until about 9am.
But my Sunday was no where near the productivity I was hoping.
I am feeling a wee bit better today. But just a wee bit.
I am going to take it easy for a few days. I don't need to be sick for my vacation next week.

Thursday's Workout

I was highly motivated after the meeting on Wednesday evening. I worked out this crazy workout calendar based on some info they gave us for the next 8 weeks. It is based on time, not distance or speed, to help build up endurance. So I plotted all these crazy workout thoughts. And came to realise it was to build up endurance for a longer race than I am participating in.
So I think I need to go back and tweak it some.
On Thursday I went to the gym - and it is never without event... This time I forgot my contacts but decided to plod on through. I changed into my suit sorted trhough the rest of my clothes - to work on my transition like JC and the girl on Wednesday suggested... And realised I also forgot a towel. But rest assured for some reason I had packed 2 headsets for my MP3 player. I decide I am just going to have to be wet and better prepared next week. Through the locker room and out to the pool I go.
Now did I mention last time that the adult locker room throws you out to the pool area in a different spot? Well when you exit you are at the far end by the fitness pool - hence my swimming in the fitness pool on Monday. I decided to shoot for the same on Thursday. I looked and there were swimmers in the closest lanes but the last 2 were clear. COOL! That works out well for me. So I head on over. I choose the inside lane as there is a towel near the other lane. I figure tha swimmer must have jumped out and is coming back. Coming back indeed - right back up her lane. Good thing I didn't jump in that lane, eh? I hope she was under water when she pushed off and that was why I didn't see her. I hope it's not my vision - WOO that would be bad. The water helps to clarify vision so I wasnt' overly concerned and I headed out.
I have been struggling with my lap count. I blame it on my dad. It was always most visible when he played golf - he always mis-counted his strokes (hahahahaha). So I decided on Thursday alternate 100 yards between breast stroke and freestyle to make demarkations in the counting more noticeable. And I decided to also pay more attention to my times for each 100 yards. It all turned out very exicting. I swam 600 yards - 300 each stroke. And I averaged 3 minutes per 100.
So now may goal is to get to 1000 yard in a half hour. And I am not going to swim more than that - at least until after this race and I get more acclimated with the other sports.
Out of the pool I hopped - went back into the locker room, threw clothes voer my soaking wet suit and was planning on getting on the treadmill. It was being used (the one in the locker room that is) so back on the bike I went. I did great this time. Even soaking wet with glasses on... I did 6 miles in about 35 minutes. I was very pleased with that.
So all in all a good day or working out.
Friday and today? Haven't done much...

Meeting

Someohw I ended up on an invitation list from Girls on the Run to meet with a group to prepare for the race. I am SO glad I went. I was starting to think I wouldn't know what to do with this last stretch of training and that eventually I would talk myself out of the whole deal. But now Ihave a new endurance training schedule that I can put into place. And more people to bounce ideas off of. And people to train with. I am looking forward to even more of this to come.. How cool...

And in irony - one of the coordinators works for a competitor of my company... small world - as always...

Kilimanjaro

HAH - I may be motivating by getting out there and awkwardly making my way to the pool.
In the scheme of things that is far simpler than dropping myself off in the middle of Africa to a climb a mountain... What's up with that? I hope it goes well.

Tonight - I worked late. I knew that would be the case. Big meeting Thursday and last minute stuff to pull together.

AND I will be staying up crazy late to watch the women's gymnastics. I will probably freak the little guy out as I test my own abilities and do cartwheels and split leaps down the hall.

Cullen Jones

So I hate to admit I have not seen this relay that everyone has been talking about. Worse yet tonight I was working instead of watching the sport I love - gymnastics.. Oh well...

So my mom tells me this evening that they have all sorts of Cullen Jones info on the news. He's from NJ! He went to St. Benedicts. He's a local hero. They interviewed his mom. Everyone is so proud.

Well the little bit of tv I saw tonight??? OUR local news was covering Cullen Jones. Seems the Jersey boy lives here now and trains at the local aquatic center.
http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletes/athlete=534/bio/index.html

Back in the Saddle

Well at least for today. I seem to do well in the beginning of the week.
My weekends I am struggling to get out of the house...

So tonight I went to the Y to swim. Not my normal night but let's face it, I haven't really gotten into a routine. Thankfully the Ladies Adult Lockeroom was finally open! It is SO much nicer in there... More showers. More lockers. Steam room. Sauna.

Big deal tonight - I had to use the "fitness pool" AND I had to share a lane. I did indeed notice the difference in temperature. But once I started swimming a bit I didn't notice anymore. I swam at least 450 yards. If I did more and I may have missed a few in the count... it was only 500 or 550 yards. I was pretty darned tired after a while.
I would like to be able to relax more on my thoughts that I am taking up space. I pay to be a member I just need to suck it up and realise I can stay in there as long as necessary..
And I would like to get in the habit of doing 500 yards (that would be 1o laps) and then slowly start to push it to 1000... Then I would be just ovr half a mile.
We shall see...

THEN I took a shower - just to rinse some of chlorine off me AND I sat in the steam room for a little bit. Just enough time to sit in the really hot steamy room and stretch my legs out a bit. I knew if I stayed longer - I would get that overheated nauseus want to pass out feeling that I can get - NOT that much fun...

AND THEN!!!! I changed into my other clothes and got on a bike! They have a stationary bike, treadmill and elyptical machine in the locker room. Perfect for those like me that are intimidated by everyone else. So I did 3 miles in about 17 minutes. The second mile went the fastest out of the 3. I really felt like I had a good workout.

Needless to say I got to the car and got a phone call... BIG meeting tomorrow morning and new numbers need to be added to a report. Month ends change as does performance. So that is what I have been doing with the rest of my evening. Of course some resources have updated even further... SO I will be up early tomorrow to get the rest of the numbers together...

Now to go drink some more water...

Embrace My Fears

Perhaps you already know that my second greatest fear after Darth Vadar is sharks... I may have even shared my James Bond scenario of sharks being released in the pool when I swim? And there was a story recently of a shark that gt washed into a shore line pool during high tide/storms in Australia... So today in The Royal Gazette there was a story about this tiger shark that was caught some 12 miles off of Bermuda... So I felt may as well share...

Darth Vadar

For those of you that think it is silly that my greatest fear is Darth Vadar... You know I always say - but wouldn't it be really feaky if you were driving along a road and Darth Vadar stepped out of the woods and motioned to your car? Now I always get looks that THAT would not happen. So in reality they one upped me.... How about sitting in your back yard and big freakin hot air balloon of Darth Vadar goes over.... OH and what if that ominous Darth Vadar music was playing....
Yes - I do have an overactive imagination. I consider it a quality of being an only child.

500 Yards

So tonight is my swimming night. I have it on my calendar as a lesson from now through the end of the month. So it might not necessarily be a lesson but it is what I need to be doing.
Of course that can all change pretty quickly for me. That motivation to get to the Y is still a challenge... And today's road block... BP needed a ride to his car at the garage. Perhaps I mentioned bringing him to the office this morning? That generally means I need to bring him to the garage in the afternoon. Why he doesn't go to one of the 2 readily available garages here in town I just don't know... So this was almost my out to going to the Y. Except we left right at 5pm and by the time I would have arrived at the Y was still on time as intended.
But instead I had a wild hare... I called KP. She hasn't been swimming since before my trip so I thought we could go to the pool near here and give it a try. And that's what we did - she and I and her the two youngest boys. And at 7:20 at night the water was warm and there was no one else there. A good time to go indeed.
I did 200 yards breast stroke; 200 yards freestyle; a break; another 200 yards freestyle. I learned today that Chrissy did the breast stroke as her stroke of choice during the triathlon last year so I am feeling much better on that.
And to top it off I dove off the diving board at the end of it all. GOSH - that needs some work. I am embarrassed to call myself my father's daughter at how sucky my dive was - definitely not the same form he taught me all those years ago. Will have to try that again before the pool closes for the season.

Interval Training

So the whole running thing is still a challenge to me. I had the idea today to go back to the park and walk/run there. I like it better than the treadmill. It is shaded. It is pretty much flat. And the terrain is better on the body.
I did 3 miles this evening after work.
I'd like to get more in with my evening... but started doing some CE stuff instead. Now that's FUN!
Tomorrow AM will not see me walking either. Picking up a co-worker on the way to work. So I won't have as much free time.
Oh - I did walk just under a mile during lumch today. That's always good.

Carowinds...

OK - so I didn't get a workout in all weekend. I did however get my heart rate up with crazy rollercoaster rides. I took pics that I will have to download at some point.
Top Gun is still my favorite ride!

Birthdays

So the birthday dinner for KP last went well. The grilled chicken and pasta were good. And the coconut cream pie with disclaimer was right on the mark. SP won some points with the dessert/disclaimer...
SOOOOO this morning I was going to get up and work my butt off... or at least the coconut pie.
But I realised this evening I had another brithday celebration to go to. I was only to bring cole slaw but the present was to be some work....
"Blue Eyes" scored some reasonably priced MP3 players on the internet and I bought one off of him. So I spent the better part of the morning and into the afternoon pulling songs fro my 1900+ collection to put on the MP3 player. Turns out - as my oh so brainiac computer friend informed me - 250 songs is only an estimate - longer songs take up more memory and therefore less songs... BUT I WANTED TO 250 SONGS! More because it is harder to cut back when you get going. I ended up with 99 songs and some technical diffculty with my external drive.
No big deal.... the MP3 player was a hit!!! So I am glad "BE" hooked me up on it all. And it's OK I wasted much of my day - it was well appreciated...

So tomorrow - no workout except for the lungs as I laugh and scream while riding the rollercoasters.... may hit the water park as well. I may try to take pics as well...