sneakers NOT packed

but that's because they are going on my feet in the morning....
i am not packing the garmin this time - dont think i will have the time to tool around and work out like i did the last visit... don't think my body could handle mcgalls hill this time around.... and there is a race at the flat side of the island so will not be headed there....  so just some good ol fashioned site-seeing and walking around...  looking forward to it...
NOW if only my laundry would finish so i could finish packing...
3 pairs of pants, 3 pairs of shorts, tshirts, long sleeve shirts, bathing suit, maternity clothes, night clothes, flip flops all thrown in... now just waiting for some socks and other "whites" to dry...
hanging with the little guy as i wait...

4 more days....

Somewhere over the winter KP and I joked that we would have to plan another girls' weekend to offset business travel.  I suggested Savannah....  Her husband suggested we get on a plane.  Why not Bermuda?  And here we are 4 days out and getting ready to head to BDA.  So was not on my radar for this year.  I have had a blast this week shopping for a good friend that I am so looking forward to seeing.  And I am so looking forward to traveling with another good friend to show her the island I like to call home.  Sorry all you NJ and NC folks.... 
Of course at the moment I am doing some last minute packing for a quick business trip.
And struggling with the idea that I really need to turn on the A/C
I just opened the windows upstairs - oh allergies I hear you knockin' - I so dont want to turn on the A/C....
Guess I will see how it impacts my ability to sleep in an hour or so...
Back to packing...

new road traveled

Finally got out of the house today and made it to the park. As I mentioned the procrastination had been kicking in. I just gave in and decided go to the park, get on the bike and ride. STOP second guessing your agenda and your route and your goals and just start moving. I have mentioned this before. Having to just shut my brain off and keep moving forward or else I will rethink the task at hand to death.
So the bike went up on the car and to the park I went. Todays other distraction was the lack of music - my phone, the one I am typing from right now - is in serious need of a recharge. So there was no music.
THAT played to my advantage. When I got to the entrance of the park - I always head up the driveway to the road before hitting the trail - the road was clear. I call that the Athena the triathlete goddess working to my favor. So I made a left hand turn up on the road and headed down new terrain. Sure wish I had my HRM because I imagine it would have clocked pretty high. Something to be said for your nerves when the cars start to pass you.
I pretty quickly turned into a neighborhood with the idea of riding around there and turning around. WELL what I hadn't noticed on MMR was that it connected to another road on my list of kinda quiet roads to ride on. So there I was Marvin, Ardrey Chase, Wade Ardrey and 3 miles later I was back at the park. Where I clocked another 6 miles. It was a good riding day.
I did 2 on foot.
And THEN have no idea why - SH + I did another on a loop to town and back.
The exhausting overheated bath as my reward was wonderful! And NOW - more for the little guy's benefit than mine - I am sitting in an air conditioned house. He was panting beyond relief and my sinuses were not in check for another windows open day.
It will be shut off soon as I think my new mattress is calling me.

maternity clothes shopping....

well let me just say i have greater empathy for my pregnant friends and their struggles to find things to wear.... at the request of a dear friend i found myself at Old Navy this afternoon - yes it was one of the few stores open on Easter Sunday...  just looking for a few pair of capri pants... I found 3 pair but let me tell you - the maternity section of the store may have been smaller than my closet...

procrastination!

I find I do this when I get nervous about road riding... I can just go to the gym and cover 10 miles+ on a stationary bike.  OR I can go to the park and do 10 miles back and forth on the trail.  BUT I always think I want to ride on the road.  And then I end up on this long thought process of which road would I feel safest to ride on yadda yadda yadda....  I dont know why all of a sudden I dont feel like this is a safe venture.  I used to ride my bike to the beach as a kid - beach bag and everything....  So I just need to get out there and do it...  So that is what is on my mind right now!  I will let you know what comes of the workout as I continue to try to motivate.

FYI - yesterday's gardening has left some odds and ends sore spots - hands, feet...

The other procrastination - prominsing to pick up some items for my pregnany friend before I visit....  Guess I will be visitng the maternity sections at Target and Old Navy some time today.  Too bad REI doesnt have a maternity section.

AND did I mention my sinuses?  OUCH

digging in the dirt

True to form... I spent a few hours between yesterday and today digging in the front garden.
Last year I thought I would just let it go au naturale. Eventually I threw some seeds in the dirt.
This year I didn't have a thought about it at all. But the other weekend I found myself buying gladiolus and dahlias at Lowes. And then more seeds jumped in my basket.
Yesterday I put the oleander in the ground. I hope this works for them. The older one is looking like it might have some buds. Today I planted everything else AND laid cedar mulch on top of it all.
I wonder if this counts as a workout. If not I should get the heck out of the tub so I can bike/run and come back for another shower before dinner.

Yo HO YO Ho....

So this morning, after lingering over my coffee and talking with a client and planting my oleanders into the ground after all these years... I made my way to the gym.  I was hoping to go outside and take in some fresh air.  But the weather while gardening proved to be miserable and there was no letting up on it...  So off to the gym I went.  I have to say when the movies are good in the cardio studio it sure makes that stationary bike go by quickly...  Today - the second of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.  Almost like they knew I was preparing for the girls weekend in Bermuda.  OK - maybe they didnt - and I have enough Goslings here it isnt like I need to go to Bermuda for that.  And since it is Good Friday I suppose I should christen a glass with some Goslings...  I digress ---
So I covered 10 miles in about 51 minutes on the stationary bike.  And then I did about a mile on foot.  SDJ still has my Garmin so I was without heart rate or distance for the workouts...  But it was great to get to the gym... and be mobile.
The afternoon did not pick up so the anticipated additional gardening did not come to fruition today.
Instead we watched The Town.  Stressful, violent, etc... but a good flick...
Next on the list has to be a comedy for my nerves...
gonna go get ready for tonight's birthday outing

hand signals

Got finished with my meetings today a little before 4. Of courde I wanted to take a ride to the beach and over the bridge. But did the math - 4ish on a holiday weekend and head away from my destination into the heart of the city to see the beach? Yep- it didn't happen.
I just wanted to head home.  It is not a long drive but I just wanted to have it behind me.  And I know once you get past Columbia you still feel like there is so much more ahead of you.  Well actually there is - 90 minutes worth. 
So I got on the highway and was booking down the road with cruise control a little above the stated limit of 70mph.  I mean there really isnt much need to go faster than that.  You arent going to get to your destination any faster and the safety level sure goes down.  I generally take the right lane unless it is heavily occupied and then go with the flow of traffic.  I am normally aware that if I am in the left lane there may be some other idiot that thinks the speed limit is actually the minimun and may be looking to pass me.  I make it a point to try to move out of their way.  Sometimes they are not patient and dont allow for the lane change.  That generally annoys me.  But yesterday was a first.
There was a guy that came up behind me in the left lane out of nowhere.  From the looks of it - he was actively passing people at a good 10 miles an hour faster than me....  He was in an old accord or something like that - a boxy looking model.  And as he passed me he gave me the middle finger.  WHAT!!!???  It's not like I was crawling and it wasn't like he didnt come up out of nowhere.  I was shocked.  Really mister Connecticut plate driver?  Where the ehck are you going in such a hurry.  Well it appeared that when he got back in the left lane and passed the guy in the right lane ahead of me - OH he gave him the finger too?  Sadly at his breakneck speed he quickly caught up to some congestion.  I had to snicker a little.  I turly cannot stand the road ragers that hurry up and wait.  It is such bad kharma and all that....
the rest of the drive was pretty uneventful...

Canada EH?

Someone asked me today if I was from Canada. Yay! Guess I haven't picked up too much of a Southern accent yet. It has been quite some time since someone has said I sound Canadian. It makes me smile.

Suite!

Thanks to a corporate rate or too many HHRewards or maybe just making reservations too late. I have found myself in a suite this evening. Of course I arrived at 8 and wil be out by 7ish but I won't complain. Of course I am fearful of the different floorplan. Must exercise my survival plan of leaving a curtain open and a light on. I so see myself walking into the wall right around the corner to the bathroom. It reminds me of FRMs similar story. His upgrade being far greater than mine had a second level. He took a tumble down the stairs in the middle of the night. So upgrades are cool but living out of a suitcase is change enough. The consistency of square shaped single story hotel rooms are a welcomed.

eating out

Will Power - I think I Have close to NONE! This evenings downfall - red velvet cupcake with icing. It just looked so appealing! It was good but not THAT good. And slowly this is how I am eliminating foods from my diet.
Fast food for the most part is out - OK I struggle to resist the fried chicken sandwich on occassion but for the most part the thought of fast food burgers turns my stomache.
I am beginning to arrive at the same conclusion with baked goods - well I am sure I won't feel that way about the dessert SH is making for Saturday but... Tonight going forward I can attest the red velvet was just OK. It seemed fattier than I would like but not moist. And the icing was good but a non detectable flavor that would be unnecessary for the taste buds in the future.
So dessert at NC is a NO going forward.
I wish there were more people here to watch. Its a great venue with jazz music and sunlight just not enough people to gawk at.
I could walk around the mall but this Jersey girl does not find that appealing anymore.
So back to the hotel I will go.
I am enjoying these lengthy purges of thoughts. Don't find myself jumping back on the one line status of FB too soon after Sunday. Plus not sure that audience would be overlly interested in my travels, food, workout, music ramblings.
Did just watch a man put LOTs of salt on his meal WOW. He has a macaroon for dessert. I am sure that won't taste as good as The Macaroon Shop.
Which reminds me Saturday I get to play in the kitchen.

hammond park

Tonight I walked a different direction. Wasn't really happy with the outcome. Me as the walker seemed out of sorts. Sometimes I feel like my legs and feet are not in sync with each other or the rest of my body. The route wasn't the good either. It was right in the heart of rush hour traffic headed to 285. It would have been neat to walk if it weren't for playing in traffic. So a liltte over 30 minutes later I found myself back at the hotel. I had a cup of hot tea to hydrate and decided where to go for dinner.
I seriously considered a repeat of last night but opted for Nordstroms Cafe instead. Another salad and white wine combo. I feel like such the middle aged female cliche - something I never aspire to be.
Tomorrow when I am near the coast I will have to find some steamers or clams on the half shell to offset that.
No workout tomorrow unless I crawl out of bed early.

USMC Mud Run

Against my better judgement the next race on our list of things to accomplish may juse be a mud run.  I know what am I thinking?  Possibly that I am 10 again.  I was the down in the dirt, play in the mud (more of a precursor to playing in the kitchen), trek through the old gravel pit, woods, down by the river type of kid.  And when I found myself playing he back yard it there was more time spent hanging from trees, jungle gyms or my knees than on the ground. 
However 10 was a long time ago.  The desire to play in the mud fell by the wayside when I realised that playing with eggs, flour and sugar was far more rewarding.  Playing with eggs, cheese, fruit and veg isnt bad either.  Hanging from my arms and legs - dont know when i did that last.  I can say I had incredible upper body strength including arms and hands.  Oh and those nasty callouses - childhood nervous tendency - chew on the callouses - HOW GROSS!! 
The race if we were to do the fall race is 6 months from this past Friday.
I suspect that is enough time.  Heck I have a triathlon in 10 weeks - I better be in shape.
Now to find others to join me :)

Hollis Cobb

MAN! I forgot what that one hill was like. Steep I haven't seen since I walked that hill last year.
The hotel still has road construction going on right outside. So I had to get in my car and relocate to find some sidewalks to cover.
I went right over 400 thinking I would park at the chess pieces. That didn't work. Roads closed. Parking not accessible. So I went down towards the hospitals and parked there.
I felt uncomfortable. It has been a while since I have worked out and walked even. I don't know if it was a mental game or my body really not wanting to cooperate. But man it took some steps to get in pace. Ultimately I think I covered 2 miles. My Garmin has been borrowed by a friend so I won't know for sure.
I am glad I got out and did it.

run in my future

I am in ATL this week. Day One of a long week. Perhaps I should have used this time to go to the aquarium instead of sitting here by the fountain at Maggianos eating dinner/supper/lunch. But my day did not warrant a lunch so I was STARVING by the end of my day. I was headed to Panera when the call ofa spinach salad with shrimp sang out to me. So here I sit.
But my meal is done and the weather is wonderful. So I truly should head back to the hotel and don the workout clothes. I could do a loop by the hospital and make the most of this weather.
I wish I could remember where that park was that FRM and I went a few years back. That would make for a perfect run. Maybe the conceirge can point me in the right direction

Two weeks and TEN. Ugh!

observations from the road

I had this crazy observation from yesterdays drive to ATL that I was struggling to remember and then it hit me. And it works so well with my monday music musings. How is it that the only time I hear Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead on the radio is during drives to ATL. Most of the radio stations are country or Christian but somehow there is always a random station (or two I suppose) that plays the Dead and Pink Floyd. Go figure. And when you get to the greater ATL area they are never at a loss to find some REM

another sever weather watch

so the sinus pain seemed to disipate on thursday...  of course i did not get back home until sometime around 730 or so... i could have opted to go to the gym but truth be told it didnt even enter my mind after 3 days worth of face and head pain...
again last night was a good night i could have gone to the gym as well... instead i kind of picked up a rental car and then got gas in my car - drove back around and out of my way to SC and got gas for 14cents cheaper... no wonder there was a line at that exxon
and when i got home - which should have seemed early but was not - i spent a good 30 minutes putting yard items away - all the little buckets with sand and candles - into the shed... empty flower pots not yet filled with spring flowers - in the shed...  multi-coloured plastic adirondack chairs - all stacked up and in the corner by the shed...  i condensed as much as i could and moved to as sheltered an area as possible... i have been known to put some of the patio furniture in the house - there is still time for that i suppose...
then i watched The Outsiders... and i have to admit i dont remember as much about it as i thought i would - i remembered the bleached hair on c thomas howell, johnny in the back contraption thing and dying (sorry if you werent aware of that), and the church fire...  there seemed to be a lot more to it than that.. oopss...
form there i so wanted to watch apocalypse now - much to my surprise i dont know what happened to my VHS tape of the movie - all of my movies have gone missing - dont laugh at the movies in question on vhs that i cant find but....  apocalypse now, platoon, saving private ryan.... i wonder if i went through a non-violence phase and threw them out... not to mention i cant figure out how the vhs even works with the new tv...
so i read a book about mountain climbing in pakistan instead...  i do pick up the oddest things in the bookstore...
and today!  well the little guy and i were up at 530... he started making noise and the wind seemed to be kicking up...  turned out it was nothing just him wanting to go out and to eat so i went back to bed for another hour or so - and now we are just waiting for these storms to hit
it is actually sunny out at this very moment
it is supposed to clear up by the afternoon so my fingers are crossed for a bike ride later

sinus pain!!!!

i think it has passed....  but it will be better determined once i head back outside again today...
i almost feel like i am allergic to the office as my sinus pain builds up in the morning on the drive to work...
and dissipates by the time i go to bed at night...
what's up with that...
i havent worked out since my mild walk on Monday - the pain has just been too much - it is so distracting
so i need to get out there and work out the rest of this week if the pain has in fact passed...
in other  ahaa moments - learned 2 of the cttee members at yesterdays meeting are cyclists as well
and WTH Catherine?  bipolar really?!  I guess she didnt check in at St Brendans.... 

totally avoided the gym

can you say barometric pressure and my sinus cavities were at odds today
i knew they would be when the rain they were predicting over night did not really materialise around here
that kind of gloomy weather makes my sinuses and ears ache...
so it was lots of tea today, cough drops, grapefruit juice - and a slight overdose on snacks from panera but that had nothing to do with my sinuses - although the continual motion of eating and drinking does seem to keep them clearer...
so the gym did not happen
instead i came home finished my taxes - that was a joke - i should have finished them ages ago...
and then finished the ireland itinerary... i know i have let the learning process and planning process of ireland slack on the other blog...
it becamse more of a morphing word document over the last few weeks than anythign else....
i am pretty sure we are going to make reservations over this weekend - next weekend is Easter and the following weekend is Bermuda... so I better get them solidifed this week even if Sunday is ATL...
and that gym and run and race thing.... well some advil along with a long tall glass of water should address that for this evening...
heres hoping for a good nights sleep - i am beginning to think the dog suffers from insomnia....

walk around the block

LH and SJ are doing a long road race on Saturday...  LH wants me to do the 10k with her.  It is NOT going to happen.  She has also decided that she will not be doing any runs this week.  So last night we did the 2 mile walk around the mall.  At least that's how long I think it is because my foot pod battery died and I forgot to replace it.  It was a good walk.  Oddly my heart rate looks to have averaged higher yesterday than Sunday.  BUT I felt like I worked harder on Sunday.  Not sure where that all came into play. 
Today I am planning on getting a BRICK in at the gym.  I just need to hold steady to my plan....
Tomorrow may just be an afternoon walk again.  Thursday I'd like to donate blood but don't think I will be back to the area in time...  And then Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be more BRICKS....
Next week I am not in the area so need to give it some consideration on how best to keep moving!

only 7 days

i read that if you break your workout routine for as little as 3 or 4 days you have a good chance of stagnating or even regressing in your progress...  and given that it has only been 7 days since my last workout i can say there may be some truth to that... 
with yesterday's haircut i wasnt going to work out... you know what?  i really should have... the weather kicked in something miserable and i never really made it out of the house... sitting in the dark with the lattern on for a good couple of hours...  if i had known that were to be the case i should have just gone and ran to my hearts content and my hairs disarray instead of thinking i may have gone out on the town
today was going to be walk with SH at a new trail i had found on-line last week... but sitting in the dark at 11pm - which was the case for a good few hours - we opted to not follow through with the walking plans
however when noon approached and all the weather channels indicated the day was to get better we decided to change up our plans and head on out
so we covered 4 miles on Tom Short Rd and oops finished it up with some pizza
it was good workout just to be able to get out of the house
this week i ma home again so i am thinking what the next 7 days workout will look like... 
3 weeks til holiday so best make the most of it

little guy and i have miraculously gotten ourselves sucked in to the neck and neck of the last day of The Masters...  having watched McIlroy play last year in his win of the Wachovia/Quail Hollow/Wells Fargo Championship - I am cheering for him....  Bacchus is sprawled out in the sun on his red blanket - wonder if that is any indication of whom he is cheering for...

Auntie Em.....

OMG -they were predicting rain for yesterday afternoon into evening...  i wasnt really paying attention and the storms that blew through were amazing...  rain, wind gusts, thunder, lightning, hail, power outage... 
we were going to go to a new trail today to go walking but given there was still no power at midnight it was uncertain as to what our morning would entail... also not too sure what would have fallen along the trail...  i may want to go walking along the river but i sure dont want to have to lug along a machete to cut my own way through the brush...
so instead i am sitting on the couch watching the morning news, waiting for my coffee to brew...
the day will most likely entail some work, some banking, some cleaning and ultimately a workout...
i spent most of yesterday's storm time - before i lost signal on my computer - working on the Ireland itinerary...  probably will find myself sucked into that again today  :)

In other storm news - there was an American Dog Breeders Association in Morganton yesterday.  Spectators were hit by lightning and one of the dogs was killed.  How sad...  I think - didnt they see or hear it coming.  But then I was on the phone when the first lightning and thunder made itself known and it was pretty startling and seemed pretty darned close...  So sad... 

Rob Lowe... thanks for the memories

So the cover of this months Vanity Fair was brought to my attention recently.  I mean from the looks of it, there wasnt much energy needed to be put forth on my friend's part to bring it to my attention.  It reminded me of a picture I had on my little bulletin board I tore out of People magazine way back in the day.  It was a much younger Rob Lowe with a longer 80s-ish do and muscles...  Incidently he was on the beach in that picture as well I beleive. 
I was joking recently with a friend and her husband (OK, he's my friend too, but...) that she and I should read this on our upcoming girls' holiday.  It would get us away from the vampire books her husband is getting pretty tired of us reading.  AND if my memory serves me correctly there will be some politics thrown in there as well - DNC scandal and West Wing - take your pick.  It was kind of a tongue in cheek comment.  I didnt really see myself making an extra effort to go to Barnes & Noble to pick up a book on Rob Lowe by Rob Lowe - even if the book store is walking distance from my office.
BUT as fate would have it - wouldnt you know that there was a copy of the magazine at the salon when I went to get my hair cut this morning.  Usually I spend my time there talking to the Carrie that cuts my hair (when spelled out there is little confusion as to which Carrie I am speaking of but in the spoken word - that can lend to much confusion).  But I wanted something to look at to distract me.  I didnt want to talk about how much I have been on the road over the past few months.  I didnt want to talk about work.  I just wanted some distraction...  And there was Rob gazing out at me from the cover of a randomly placed Vanity Fair....  So she let me read and comment as she was colouring and cuttting (yes, went a bit more blonde in preparation for the summer).
It starts off in the first person present.  Of course you expect for an autobiography to be told in first person but in the present tense.  It wasn't Rob today refelcting back on his audition for The Outsiders.  It was written almost as it was happening.  And it was engaging. 
I am sucked in...  And pleasantly so - it reminded me of my long lost movie trivia side - it used to complement my music trivia side rather well.  And the idols of my youth - Tom Cruise before he went off the deep end....  Charlie Sheen before HE went off the deep end...  Patrick Swayze - well I guess a reference to him going off the deep end would be in bad taste.  He spoke of Francis Ford Coppola. - who I had no idea won his first Oscar as co-screenwriter of Patton.  He spoke of Francis Ford Coppola and Apocalypse Now.  He spoke of Martin Sheen.  All as he recounted The Outsiders.  A movie I think I saw for the first time on HBO as I was babysitting K&T in their infant stages.  And they all seem somewhat relevant today. 
It was a nice way to spend the morning - pampering myself and resting my brain. 
I will be going out on Netflix to see how I can get myself a copy of The Outsiders to watch - even if it is a tear jerker.  And I will go on to be one of those people that has actually never read an S.E. Hinton book.
But later this month, I will be picking up a copy of Mr. Lowe's book and carrying it with me to read on our flight to the girls' holiday.

The Masters

Yesterdays observation was there sure were a whole lot of groups of golf obsessed guys throughout the restaurant at breakfast.
It wasn't until dinner that I learned that this hotel is only about an hour from Augusta. Mathematically that doesn't seem right. But I guess its close enough.
The younger men seem to be sleeping in today. This mornings groups are an older demographic.
Me? Of to meet a machinist first thing. Hah - Christian Bale comes to mind. Well it will be another full day at this end. Hope to get back in time to get the little guy from his resort visit.

Waffle House

Sure, had lots of time this evening to make it to the gym and cover at least an hour of a workout. Instead ended up heading directly to the hotel after work. And then went directly to dinner with the client. MAN did I eat a lot at dinner. The gym would have been so much better for me. Fired green tomatoes with pimento cheese. Mini pork ribs. Country ham and spinach dip. Grilled yellowfin tuna, arlic mashed potatoes, sauteed vegetables, red pepper sauce garnish. Closed down with a pineapple and cream cheese spring roll with vanilla ice cream. YUMMMM!!!! So much for healthy eating on the road.

And my little bit of Americana... Waffle House in view of my hotel room window. What was it the pecan waffles that were so good?

all quiet at this end

so much for those attempts to get to the gym this mon and tues before business travel
monday night was a work late type of deal - printing things for yesterdays meeting etc
on my way home i was going to have that tire pressure light/tire pressure checked...
got distracted with the nice weather and NOTHING happened i mean NOTHING

we were woken up in the middle on the night on Monday - what the heck is that noise?  how do i know if a tornado is headed my way - no cable no internet...  the drive in to work was even worse - felled trees, lights out, street closures...
tuesday didnt see me at the gym i had to prep for today and the rest of this week

OH and i had to pack and do some other craziness of getting ready...
this weekend is a haircut day - that does generally preclude me from hitting the gym
BUT it is supposed to be in the 80s so i am thinking the hair will just have to suffer the effects of the helmet even though it is a haircut day...

i think next week is a full home week - yay!

I See Progress!!

YAY ME!!!  One thing I miss about training with my trainer is her way of being my cheerleader.  I watch trainers when I am at the gym and it makes me miss Paige.  I don't see any of these trainers cheering on their clients when they are done with a routine.  But one thing I have learned from Paige and even though I am no longer at that gym is to celebrate my successes on a regular basis.

Today's YAY has a lot to do with what I accomplished in my training but also just in what I accomplished with my day.  First off work is getting the best of me - as noted by my thoughts to go on by the office earlier today.  It has been that way since the beginning of the year.  Actually it has been that way since October.  So today's sense of "enough" and being able to do other things was a great reward.

From there I went to the park and did a quasi-brick.  I call the park workouts quasi-bricks because even though I hop off my bike, run with it through the parking lot until I get to my transition station - there is still a delay before the run.  That delay is called laoding the bike up on top of the car and locking it in prior to the run.  I did 6 miles on the bike under 30 minutes and was pleased with some of the out of the saddle intervals I threw into the workout in the progress.  There are some real life streets near the park I want to try out as well but that did not happen today.

From there I did a 2mile walk run.  I am slowly getting better with the distance and timing of the run segment in the workout.  Iwas quite pleased with my outcome.  A new personal best with both miles coming in just under 14 minutes.  OH stop laughing - for me that is good.  I am hopeful that the race in July will see me running a full 2 miles at the end of the triathlon.

Tomorrow I find myself back at the gym.

The rest of today was spent watching a soccer game oh and figuring out the pressure of my tires... 
Overall a good day.  i do beleive I hear a long hot bath beckoning to me.

high five!

I am so glad I shuffled aroung my list of things to do.  Having looked at items for work I can to the realisation that I am in a good place for the things that need to be done this week.  Cant check them off as done!  But they are in a refine and complete pattern that is acceptable for a Sunday.
In the process realised I have the time to finally get to one of my friend's son's soccer games.  I have gone to a number of KP's son's games - mini-soccer, little league, basketball, football... WOW!  A whole bunch.  Sadly I never find a way to get to one of KF's kids' games.  They are a little younger so the opportunity hasnt been as great.  However today there is a game at 3.  And I will have time to get in a bike and run before heading over to the fields. 
Now that's what Sundays should be all about!

get the heck outside...

so it is supposed to be in the 70s today and i have gotten myself so into liking riding at the gym that i am torn between that and yucking the bike up on the jetta - the i have a new tailight cover and had a really expensive/complimentary bath jetta - i know i need to take the bike out... 
the more the bike is on the road the more i am inspired and motivated to upgrade my bike at some point...
so now i have to juggle all the logistics...
it is 930 - technically i can get dressed and go to mass - 1045 to 1145
ride my bike/brick from 1 to 3
then i need to do some work for work 3 to 5
and then some ireland stuff ...
it could all be quite achieveable
the other rotation is go to mass this evening and get work done now - since that the piece that is taunting me the most, i may go with that line up instead...
best lug the computer to its docking station and get focused - working on a laptop from the couch does NOT accomplish anything...

that was pretty tasty

had a little less creamy and a little more veg feel to it but not bad

pumpkin

did i talk about this last week?  that i read a running magazine article on how pumpkin is one of those foods you are supposed to eat?  well guess what i realised in retrospect - since eggs are on that list as well???  some variationof pumpkin pie or pumpkin custard falls within the range of good to eat...
now of course a pie or custard is going to have a whole lot of sugar and cream in it as well - so that verges off the healthy for your range but think of all the other variations with eggs you can make that dont require the cream or sugar or cheese..  i make eggs with all sorts of savory items on a regular basis so why not throw some pumpkin in the mix?
at the moment i have my first attempt of this cooling on the kitchen counter
we shall see how it turns out - of course the dilema that is ever present in my kitchen - if it is good i may not be able to recreate it because i am not too sure all that i did with it - 3 eggs for 4 servings, i know that much - but i did throw in some fat free vanilla yogurt i had left lying about and i dont know the amount of pumpkin that was left over from the yogurt experiment earlier this week and then the spices - oh just dashes of nutmeg and cinamon but who knows how much...
i really should try to be more attentive to those details if i want to share these finds with others - oops...

4 weeks left

so remember i siad i was going to get in the pool this past week - i did decide to switch that up to a brick routine instead...  i am enjoying it...  i had forgotten the peace of sitting and riding and riding and riding...  and let's be honest the cardio studio with random movies playing is quite entertaining in the process
i need to regroup though on the days i will be available to get to the gym and apply this approach...

little dose of protein

hidden in a snack.  i went to the gym late morning early afternoon.  did 8 to 9 miles on the staionary bike - the one from the other day not the one from the other night - funny how the pace and length and ease is different between the two.  AVATAR was on the video as i rode.  and i listened to a bunch of music in the process.  wonder if that contributes to ADD.
from there i went to Target - got some dog food and laundry supplies... and as always i bought a few more things in Target.  this visit's purchase was mango scented bath wash and body butter...
and then i went on to get the car serviced - there was a moment there that i thought the $325 worht of damage was going to be more - thankfully the guy came back with costs and time commitments in line with my expectation
while waiting for the car i decided i was getting hungry - the apple and skim milk after the workout did well but what else did i want?  actually i wanted sushi but given the day and solitude i opted for tuna fish...  i made something like a tuna pate or dip - can of solid white tuna, low fat cream cheese, dill, garlic powder, balck pepper, and some sun dried tomoatoes pureed together with some multi grain crackers... ia m enjoying the snack...  the dog is going crazy wanting some - the red wine treat as a result of yesterday goes rather well too....

will speak to the workout later

join me at my pitty party

Today I woke upwith 3 items on my agenda. Leave home early to prep for a meeting at 930 that was scheduled at the last minute. Try to squeeze in some document review for a new client that has questions. Finalize presentation for large client meeting next week.
And in the rush to get out of the house and to the office I backed right into my mailbox with my rear taillight! I am still pretty pissed and upset on so many levels because of it. In conjunction with that spill I took the other week that my karma/chi/aura is all out of whack.
I am burning out. Read my posts this week. The lack of sleep. Just not a good sign.
I expressed this and was told that there was plenty of time to get things done. But I beg to differ.
So my Saturday will be spent at the dealership getting the car serviced. Going to the office to get the minor details from my to-do list addressed. AND I really need to go to the gym to clear my head.
I am on the road again by Wednesday and must admit that I am looking forward to it.
Tried out the primal scream this morning. Think I will go with the serenity prayer this evening.