¿quién es ese? mirarla correr!

this evening i had packed my gym bag to run around the office... when not really... to do the 2 mile loop from the Y near the office... same as last Tuesday... it is a good loop and doesn't allow for much drive time to talk yourself out of it...
then i realised i had co-workers meeting a vendor for drinks after work near the office...  there was a time i would have been pissed i was not on the invite list but i really dont care anymore... i am going to spend a few days with clients this week which is far more important..
but to have them accidentally see me as i try to run along?  UGH!  just not sure how I feel about that...  MGV and I had a good laugh about it... when to leave, which way to run, how to structure the run so i could run the entire length of the restaurant...
and off to the gym i went...  as i drove the quarter mile (if that) to the gym i realised there are far worse people in the 2 mile loop that could see me running - a specific client came to mind... i sent a a txt to MGV... i think i may have convinced her to never join me in the loop going forward...
bottom line - i saw no one...  and my legs were real stiff so the run was minimal in comparison to the walk...  and the stretching took up a good portion of time - probably need to do a bit more of that...

Motivation to get on my bike perhaps?

my friend karen mentioned 30 seconds to mars yesterday.... then my friend kathleen mentioned them a few hours later... i always hear this song....  it reminds me of kings of leon in the beginning... 
i googled the live cover of stronger, karen sent me a video fo the kill
and somewhere (if you discount the "jedwood"  or is it "jedward" connection I recently read about) in there i remembered how incredily cute jared leto is... 
i think i was in college during the my so called life phase...  but i liked him in the prefontaine movie (OH HEY - motivation for my running...)
so i came out tonight to google a bit and found that kings and queens has cycling in it...  i could never ride without holding on to the handle bars... probably a good thing...
i guess i will have to get the bike (and the step stool) out next week now that the weather is picking up

Rewind

I decided to go to Tom Short Road.  It is about 4 miles round trip from the CVS to the Fountains and back.  I ended up on the phone for the first 25 minutes of the walk.  I would like to think I can run and talk on the phone but that is really not an option.  After that I did a series of 1 minute run, 1 minute walk for 5 minutes (for a total of 3 minutes running).  I took a 5 minute break with just walking.  Then did another 1/1 series for 5 minutes.  So 6 minutes running at this point.  I was going for another 5 minute walk break and 1 minute and 15 seconds into it.... REWIND...  yep, the same as the other day....  the song isn't that fast but it works great with my pace and stride.  So instead of the 5 minbe break, I did a 2 (YES TWO) minute run, followed by a walk.  I did another 2 minute run.  But I started losing count and pattern at that point.  I know I did at least 10 minutes (60) in a run.  I also know there were a few more runs in there.  Just not as syncopated (sp?) as the beginning.
I must say it really does help when a good song comes on.  And I like the shuffle Pandora approach because then it is a surprise and a little more motivating.  Unlike a playlist where you know the next song with be ____ and not as exhilarating.
Now it is time to prepare some food for the week. 
Will take a long hot bath.  My muscles need it.
And prepare for the work week.  I have client meetings in the morning so that will be nice to see some familiar faces.  But then I have about 2 days to get ready for the next road trip.
And I will try to run both of days before I hit the road.

off to run

just havent decided where to go
all dressed and ready to go
guess i will decide by the time i get the sneaks tied and keys in hand

Pee - now that would be inappropriate

I can't say that I remember all the details of this little story but I thought of it yesterday and had a good laugh. 
My friends sons have these jelly bracelets that I suspect are a hit with the little kids.  When you take them off they look like things.  Being little boys dinosaurs are all the rage.  In an effort to promote education they also got some letters.  One of them being the letter "P", which was referenced in the 6 year olds explanation of the bracelets to a neighbor.  The letter P of course because the other type of pee would not be appropriate - or at least something like that came out of the little boys mouth.  You can tell he has been listening to his mom in her efforts to teach them appropriate behaviour.
FLASH FORWARD to yesterday.
I did in fact make it out of the house and head over to the Y.  Hours after I had originally anticipated going there.  But I made it.  I had decided that I would try out the outdoor track.  It had been some time since I ran outside there.  What bedlam --- Saturday morning soccer was in full swing on the fields in the middle of the track.  Contrary to just a year ago, I have learned how to put my self-conscious hesitation on the back burner and plug through the workout even if there are crowds.  I even manage to run in front of these people without too much thought.  And when it comes down to it, people watching them is just as entertaining as watching me struggle with a run...  might even be more entertaining.
So yesterday I was on the back side of the track, lap one.  And on the side of the track is a little boy playing with the dandelions.  Great - just airborne pollen to effect my breathing.  He looked at me smiled and kind of ran with me a little bit.  He was a little guy - maybe 3.  So you know my thoughts are - where are his parents?  is anyone watching him?  how far has he wandered?  i hope he doesnt stay with me too long because then I will have to find his parents.  I suppose the single girl without children has old babysitter tendencies kick in every once in a while...  This is one of them.  Thankfully he went back to the dandelions and playing and I continued in my run.  1 minute run.  2 minute walk.  1 minute run.  2 minute walk.  a good pace.  Heart rate OK.  Happy with myself.
Lap 2 (I am going for 4 laps to get to 2 miles) 1.5 minute run.  1.5 minute walk.  I was thinking I would continue to ramp it up each lap.
There's that little boy again.  What is he doing?  It looks like... yes, those are his pants down around his ankles.  And oh, he is peeing on the soccer field.  Don't look.  You don't want to have to help.  Check out your watch... what's your pace? how's that heart rate?  Phew - peripheral vision confirms there is a mother headed his way.  Thank goodness.  Now where was I?
The little boy was cleaned up and wrangled back to the crowd of kids with proper supervision.  And I continued on with the next mile.  I didn't achieve the scaled escalation of running.  The 1.5minute run 1.5 walk pace was good.  Oh and then I got a phone call so opted to walk.  And sucking up all the pollen kind of irritates the eyes, nose, throat.... 
I was glad to get the walk run in however.  Contemplating where to go today to get some miles in.
Yes, the training log has me doing all sorts of things today but I think I will stick with run walk this week.

Skankin to the Beat

i dont think that dancing around the kitchen while cleaning after company leaves is on the triathlon training schedule either...  but really it should count for something...  come on when "skankin' to the beat" comes on and you find yourself dancing around (at a very fast pace i might add) it should really count for something

(I had a really cool video link here but am struggling with my embedding process.  I think I buggered something up in my tinkering last week.)

of course it didnt do much for the straightening out of the kitchen... the dishes made it to the sink and the food to the fridge but not much else.  guess i will have to get that this morning

gym or not...

it is going on 10... i have been up for hours... i have unloaded the dishwasher, washed the large pots in the sink, started a corned beef in the crock pot, drank more coffee than necessary, cleaned the kitchen counters, chatted with a friend on the phone, and now find myself here juggling a menu for food this week and still in my pjs (which is really just a tshirt but that just sounded silly)....  i need to meet a friend at the Y in an hour...  she has my cell phone...  my intention was to go to the Y to force myself to workout...  and now that doesnt seem to be appealing to me...  i really need to kick this funk and get back in the game... i was doing so well there for a while...  that was way back in december and january...  now all my aches and pains are gone and i need to get in the water, get on the bike, hit a trail or two...  and it just isn't happening...  i should at least dress to run the outside track at the Y...  i know i should get in the water too...  let's think about it.... how long would it take to swim 500 yards?  not even a half hour... i really should just do it...
to procrastinate some more i think i will check out the pool schedule to see if there will even be a lane open...  it is probably a good week to go with school out and all

Focus Focus Focus

that is part of the success with training... or with anything for that matter...  to be so strong that nothing disturbs my peace of mind (yes that is a direct quote of a magnet from Lesley that hangs in my cubicle)...  I would say over the years I have done a good job of attaining that...  I mean if you compare situations over the years...  I havent perfected it but I have gotten better...  today not so much...
by the time i left the office i had pretty much forgotten i was going to head for the gym.  i had my gym bag with me and just didnt really care.  i got to my car to find a bag with the swim things i struggled to get together this morning and remembered i had planned a big workout this evening... and i just didnt care...
i reserve bitching about things in  spoken verbal medium that way it gets off your chest and you are done with it and you dont have to come back to it - so we will just say here - my focus wained (whaned?) and i came home...
i am not too sure what i was really planning on doing... my focus to anything but work has been rather weak this week... i have gotten enough sleep to keep my effectiveness at a good level, i donated blood on a whim so I did do something good for the community, and i worked...  but as far as the workouts - not so much - i know i did well on monday and tuesday and i even did an ab routine on wednesday but far less than i had planned... and food... oh i have eaten whatever has struck my fancy (within reason) not very healthy...
so i guess this evening i need to get a good night's sleep and head to the gym in the AM
get that focus back...
let's see
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
if I could swim, bike, run all 4 days that would be great
Wednesday is drive to Charleston day - not much workout there - if they havent updated the gym at that hotel there wont be any workouts in the fitness center either - which knocks out Thursday and Friday
Saturday and Sunday I hope to get a good amount of walking in
Then regroup as I will be at my desk for the most past for at least 2 weeks.
Then starts a series of day trips - not as bad in some respects - I get to sleep in my own bed.  But bad in others - the drive time can be killer....
Best get a handle on the workout...
You know the analytics behind the workout are more of a motivator for me than the actual workout.
NUMBERS GEEK!!!

It was a bloody night...

About a year ago I went to a blood drive at the local library.  It was one of those busier than expected blood drive turnouts.  That always makes me glad that so many people are donating blood.  But let me tell you the crowdedness did not do well by me.  The noise, temperture, cramped conditions...  just got to me.  And when it was all said and done - yes they were pretty much done with me - I proceeded to pass out.  The queasiness was tolerable.  The odd dreams I had in my passed out state nothing out of the ordinary.  The nausea and upset stomache when I came to..... NASTY!!!  Nothing worse than having to get to the bathroom ASAP and not being able to hold yourself upright.  And at that time I decided I would only give blood in the future at the local blood bank and not blood drives.
I then waited quite some time to work up the nerve to actually do it.  And that was last night.
I had received a couple of postcards recently promoting giving blood.  I have thought about it here and there but somewhere along the line yesterday afternoon I decided that would be the day.  I called the 1800GIVELIFE number and scheduled a time.
Then I proceeded to try to not think about the previous experience for the rest of the afternoon.  I dont think I was all that successful as my blood pressure was rather high when I finally got to the initial exam room.  But the staff was more than professional and considerate with my concern.  And I'd say the experience was well worth the effort to get back out there.
I suppose I will add it back to my rotating schedule going forward.
I came home, had some dinner, some cookies I snagged from the snack table at the blood bank, a glass of milk and curled up in front of the tv to watch some Vampire Diaries.  Not some sick twist or tie in to my earlier evening.  It's just that I really like the show. 
Tonight I was thinking of swimming but have yet to work up the motivation to go get my suit, goggles, and cap out of the closet.

HNT - zebra stripes

Every year at the begining of the warmer weather I find myself outside taking in the sun.  And inevitably I misapply the sunscreen...

My thighs have always rubbed

That and other things proceeded through my head this evening during my workout.

I went to the little Y near the office.  The loop around South Park is about 2 miles.  Perfect for training for the triathlon.  OK - not perfect - there aren't enough hills in the loop but the distance is appropriate.  It is kind of silly to drive less than a mile to the Y and change and then run around the exact neighborhood I look out over all day from my office...  But somehow that feels like I have accomplished more.  So silly and accomplished proceeded through my head as well.

Man it is hot.  it was 90d out there during the run/walk.

Wow - I think I ran a bit more than I anticipated.

ACK! ACK!  That's the noise that escaped my throat as i tried to dislodge the gobs of pollen that were collecting there.  Probably a bad air quality day.

Gotta love the Masters - up go the Quail Holow flags along the route.

Hey there's Sherri.  Bitch.  She was running from the other Y.  Her loop is closer to 6 miles.  She has great form when she runs.  If only I could learn some of that form.

I had anticipated cycling as well but tomorrow's schedule warrants I get to bed soon.  So I just did the run/walk.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a swim but with the 4:30am wake up time that is highly unlikely.

I really think gardening should count

I did a 30 minute walk yesterday.  No run in the mix just a run.  Of course some of the pros of my neighborhood are also a con.  I only made it half way through the neighborhood before I ran into Miss SuSu sitting in her driveway.  This surprised me as they have done so much work on their back yard to entice the kids to play back there.  But the kid down the street has a go-cart.  It did look like a lot of fun.
So I stopped clocking and counting the workout at that time.  Once I started again I clocked 30 minutes.
Of course the training schedule said to swim and run but I just didn't want to get in my car or my suit to do the swim...

And that's where the gardening came into play.  I had started to clear the front yard only to realise that the amount of mulch they put down last year was a bit overboard.  I ended up hauling 6 - 5 gallon buckets of mulch up the hill and into the woods.  And even then there was a whole lot more.  I shuffled (or should I say shoveled) the remaining excess around the lantana.  Much to my delight it was coming back again this year (5 or 6 years now) and I know that it will ground cover over the extra mulch.  So that was the rest of my workout for Monday.

MMM - Bank Holiday Monday

I dont know that I have ever had Easter Monday off before.  I kind of feel like I am skipping school.  I am not too sure what to do with myself.  Oh yeah that's right - today is that day the 15 weeks to the next triathlon training starts and that CEBS course studying...

Better hop to it... 

car wash and gardening

I beleive according to Weight Watchers these count as activity and points etc...  However, I don't beleive they qualify as getting any fitter for the triathlon in July.  But I am counting them as something... 
And since I can't run the car through the car wash with the bike rack on top, I will make the hand washed car part of the workout routine.  In all honesty I would say that the car washing could kick in to a be a bit OCD if I am not careful.  No seriously....  Thank goodness I have this obsession to not waste water.

The gardening was a bit more eventful.  I started that yesterday after I finished the car.  It was a mindless approach to pulling weeds while chatting on the phone.  I was having a very indepth conversation on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution when all of a sudden I realised I was the main menu on an ant food revolution.  I had yucked up a weed next to one of my Easter lilies and it must have been home to an ant nest.  Thankfully they were not red fire ants but they sure were the biting variety.  I poured some amonia on my hand, took some chlor-trimaton, and found the benadryl spray.  The rest of the gardening was postponed until this morning.  This morning's weeding included gloves and the eventual onslaught of triazicide.  The flowers and seeds will have to wait until next week.  Hope the bug kill kicks in by then.

perhaps I should stick to not doing much of a garden again this year and focus on the swim bike run again...  nah... i already bought a bunch of seeds...

allergies

it is important to remember the ol neti pot after having spent a good 4 hours outside today...

it would have been even better if i had remembered the importance of consistent sun block application when i went out for my walk/run....
instead i now have zebra stripes across my shoulder and chest... very attractive

Thanks Kelly

Untitled by delbda at Garmin Connect - Details

A little play on words...
I started my walk by dropping off something for my friends that watch my dog. So a thanks to them.
Then I started chatting with my mom on the phone for 18 minutes not clocked on the Garmin. I had found some of her face sunscreen and wanted to let her know.
So by the end of the conversation I wasn't too sure how much further I would walk.... with my stomache being a bit queasy the past 12 hours, the heat, the wind, lack of water before leaving the house I figured it might be good to go home...
Then I turned on Pandora.... And thanks to....



I turned on the Garmin and started jogging.
Overall it was a good afternoon out - a good run/walk, good conversation, good music, sun in my face, wind in my face, a good sweat, saw a neighbor outside CVS, did I mention the good music (I did end up changing my Pnadora radio from Stereophonics to David Guetta to keep the pace up).
Now to neti pot (that breeze I am sure kicked up some pollen) and shower... and start to prep for Easter...
I need some coke if I am going to do the obligatory tall balck and coke for Good Friday. I probably should hydrate with water first as well.

vacuuming done

so that means i need to head on out for a long walk run
according to the weather on my igoogle page it is 79d
goodness - guess my pasty white legs are going to see the sun today
gonna go find my contacts too - i will need to wear the sunglasses
YAY!!!
i will probably burn and dehydrate...
ok maybe not

worked in another visit to the treadmill

I kept the food intake to more of a minimum on wednesday...  it was a beautiful day in milwaukee...
i even contemplated donning my workout gear and running outside...  i didn't have a long sleeve tshirt so i decided against it... i know it was close to 75d but i hate the cold at the onset of the run and it will make me turn around and go inside...  so at least inside on the treadmill there is no turning back - quite literally if you think about it
i wasn't as motivated as the night before - could be the intimidating guy on the treadmill next to me when i got there - running for all it was worth at 8.5mph - pound pound pound pound went his feet on the treadmill - i thought to myself - surely that cant be good in the long run...  so i just did 50minutes at varying slower paces, no real running
next time i really need to remember to bring my swimsuit for that hotel

thought id go to the gym last night too when i got home
no such luck
TRAFFIC was horrible - so i had a piece of chocolate cake, a glass of white wine and watched The Vampire Diaries instead...  I agree with my friend Cassandra - Damian and Stefan beat Robert Pattison on hotness any day....  sorry Edward fans...

today I am procrastinating on getting out on the street for a run
it is already 70d out there... so its just a matter of getting out there
instead i have scrubbed the kitchen floor - i swiffer every week and then every fourth week or so i attach the kitchen floor on hands and knees as a stress buster - it seems to work...
and now the vacuum is starring (or is it staring) at me....  the boxed up versions i hvae seen lying around the past 2 weeks look so much more appealing than the real thing...  oh well better go turn that baby on for a bit...  oh and push it around as well...