Bike ride

I had this notion that I was going to get in a bike ride and a run in this morning before meeting a friend for some pool time. I was up at a reasonable hour but got sidetracked by the women's cycling on the tele.
I only managed to get a 45 minute ride in. I did two loops with a focus on some up hills and out of the saddle work. I have found that saddle work on hills is similar to running for me. Similar leg muscles and similar impact on the heart rate. And since a run didn't make the mix.
Lounging by the pool was a nice use of time. A little bit of vitamin d and some girl time.
I watched some Olympics but sitting down after my morning activities usually results in an I intended nap. The really painful naps where you wake up stuff because you haven't moved the entire time. The startling nap because you aren't too sure where you are when you wake up. The kind it is hard to bounce back from.
But bounce back I did. All the way to the grocery store. Kind of mad about the grocery visit. Somehow I managed to spend lots of money again this week at the grocery store. I blame $20 of it on beauty aids as they are called - soap, toothpaste, deodorant. That stuff adds up quickly. The other was an attempt to expand my vegetable horizon even more. But fearful of the selections I bought some of the normal veg as well. As a result...
I now have Brussels sprouts roasting with fresh beets in the over with a dash of fresh ginger. That one shouldn't be too bad. The other is cauliflower with onion, yellow squash and fennel. This one does make me nervous. Ever since my BDA days I have not been a fan of fennel, but in reading on greens this fell into one of those out of the ordinary categories so decided to add into the mix.
Between the two I should have a good variety of roasted veg for dinner this week.
For lunch the new to the mix veg is rainbow chard. I mixed spinach and radicchio to the salad as well to keep it within reason for my taste buds.
And I have chard and beet greens left so I guess I will need to figure out what to do with them. Sautéed with chick peas for next week sound like an option.
But man this eating healthy can sue e get expensive. I hope I can drop these next ten pounds before I feel like my efforts are breaking the bank.

Ladies Cycling

Could find myself sitting here and watching cycling instead of getting out there and doing it. Time to turn off the tele and walk away.

Ok. Ok. Aaahhh

My first love

For those of you not in the know that would be gymnastics.  With the Olympics under way this means there will be cartwheels, head stands, hand stands, back bends and leaps added to my days.
Bacchus will be most embarrassed as these usually occur during our walks.
So excited!

Olympics

Celebrated the opening of the Olympics this evening.  BT London Live concert with Duran Duran, Paolo Nutini, Stereophonics, Snow Patrol.  Commute on DROID.
Pizza and wine and dessert for the televised ceremony.  So tired now!
Impressed with Kenneth Branagh appearance but why didnt they include some of the many other British icons.

On a serious note

I always wonder if all those years sitting in the saddle of a bike had some sort of impact on the health of Lance Armstrong.  Compression, as someone called it earlier today....  No just a whole lot of pressure and a bit of a pain in the a$$ at least from my perspective.

Kind of the same but in a different area from a female perspective.  There are days that I still struggle with the tight chest feeling of a heart rate monitor, sports bra, tri top all in the effort to keep everything contained between the swim, bike, run....  Probably why the more successful triathletes are flat chested.  That's not necessarily in my cards.

Just remember to take all safety precautions - goggles, helmet, sun glasses, hats, sunscreen.... etc etc...

All in the same boat

In the past few weeks I have received some pics from friends in their bike shorts.  My thought - what is with these men and their desire for pics in the sausage shorts.  And it didnt even cross my mind the suggestive nature of my short naming.

I call them sausage shorts because of the way they cling and suck in the fat of my thighs.  Like sausages - duh.  It never crossed my mind the male interpretation of the nomenclature.  Ooops.

Of course the men - well they are less self conscious in their outfits.  Oh the differences that make the all women race events all that more important.  We sit around and always compare ourselves to others as we wait to start the race.  The men, they just think I am dressed like this, you are dressed like that.  We are all in the same boat.

Of course the female in me still feels the need to compare.  Um, those boats arent always the same size....  Modesty and confidence sucked up all together in a pair of sausage shorts.

I am SO looking forward to some run, bike, swim on Sunday. 

Back to a fun mode!

Old blog

The previous events of the week had me going back to an old blog.  Couldnt remember for the life of me what the name was.  Exercised the memory banks to remember the log in.  It didnt have the dad blog that I deleted.  Did find the birthday recap blog.  A bit of memory nostalgia.
Logged off.  Left it behind like before.  And I still dont know the address.
And that was that.  Just one more layer to an odd week.

Demons caught up to me

Long day.

A FB post on Monday evening took me by surprise.  Ah, the pros and cons of FB.  It puts you in touch with people you have lost touch with over the years.  Especially those of us that are transient in nature and have friends in far off corners of the world.  It lets you know the good stuff - fun pictures of families and the like.  It also lets you know the bad stuff.

Mondays post was a bad stuff.  And it was from someone I had purposely lost touch with over the years.  Those nasty college years and such.  Trying to find my own ground, my own space.  For all my inappropriate bitchiness at that time I felt I truly had not right to be privy to this sad news.  The loss if a loved one out there for all to see just seemed so personal.  It made my heart break for this old friend of mine.  It brought back childhood memories and dreams for our futures.  What lies ahead of her was never in those dreams.  And I felt so sad.

And then the irony, coincidence, timing of it all made my head implode.  Overnight on Monday a neighbor passed away.  That was the compounding news that awaited me when I arrived at the office yesterday.  There had been an illness so now there is peace but it doesnt make it any less painful or sad.  And again I struggle with my place in it all.  Must be something with my upbringing.  He is a neighbor and a good friend to some of my good friends.  Someone I interacted with when others invited him out.  So I am saddened by the news.  Sad for the family's loss.  Hopeful in their ability to move through this and forward.  But keep my distance in it all.

And so today is only Wednesday.  I sure hope the storms stay away this afternoon so I can get a swim in.

Run from the demons

That makes it sound horrible, eh?
My co-worker/friend and I have signed up for a 5mile race in September (hmmm Spring Lake 5 in my future?)  Tonight was our first night to run together.  We met a little after 530.  I need to work on the change at office routine. 
Lap 1 was a walk.  There was thunder in the distance but we thought it was in the distance.
Lap 2 it started to rain.  We talked about how nice it is to actually run in the rain.
Contemplating Lap 3 lightning bolt in the distance and doing the one, one-thousand distance test it really wasnt that far off.  So Lap 3 was a sprint to the car.
It was dry by the time I got home but still random thunder.  TwC noted a fast moving thunder storm with hail.
So I made dinner.  By the time I was done the sky had cleared.
Feeling the need to clear my head... will expand upon later... I decided to finish the 30 minute routine with a quick jog towards town and back.  Didnt do the whole distance but enough.
Now a hot bath.
Still clearing head.

Cycle

Made it out again on the bike. I really need to clock the distances of the rides. I think they are close to 12 to 15 miles but would like to know for sure.
I am liking riding through the neighborhood and taking in the various landscapes.
Killer is that when I am done with the rides sitting (yes, SITTING) by the pool is the most appealing activity to follow.
Silly use of time.
Now, I am watching lots of tv. Catching up on USA programming - White Collar, Suits, Political Animals, Covert Affairs.

This weeks menu

So instead of hitting the pavement right out of bed I opted to bang around the kitchen.  Some habits die hard - dancing in the kitchen on a Sunday morning and cooking.  So this week...
Poached eggs - this is a new venture for me.  Attempt #1 went OK.  Water probably needed to hotter and patience needed to be greater.  Need to remember that during the work week.
Over sprouted rye with some canola spread and finely chopped dill.  With a side of cantaloupe and blueberries.  Oh and caffed coffee - it was on sale.
Celery and laughing cow cheese snack.
Spinach salad with mushrooms, sprouts, radishes, red onion - trying to make it tasty without bacon and egg.  Going to make my own mustard dressing.
Fresh fruit snack.
Homemade tomato soup... the dollop of ricotta cheese to make it creamy will add dairy and protein.  Side of roasted peppers, zucchini and onion.
I have some cuts of lean beef in the fridge should I get a protein craving.  Unplanned meals always seem to address the protein need.
Oh gotta remember my vitamins.
Bikini pool time.  May bring bike just in case.

Struggling

To get out of bed and do it all over again today.

Bike, run, swim

Wow that is the first multi sport training I have done in a long long time.  The bike got the most attention. 
The run.  Well I thought I would go longer but the decided on course was shorter than I thought.
The swim.  I remember when 500 yards was a huge accomplishment.  Today I feel like I just got wet and had to get out again.  I was tired from it all.  So didnt push it.
Wanna try it all again tomorrow.

Iron

So I was asked last night over a truly decadent lobster dinner, how did I manage to get my iron up.  Obviously with lobster I know how to get the cholesterol up.  I felt like a cheat when I said multi vitamin with iron.  They must have felt that was a lie as well because they proceeded to ask me 3 more times, no really what did you do?
Simple every morning before my coffee I pour myself a glass of Horizon Organic Fat Free Milk with hda blah blah blah and take some vitamins.  According to the blood bank list I was already eating items with iron in it so I needed a boost.
Sure I might be low on meat protein these days but I feel OK with that.
Oh and for those concerned that I am anemic it is not that low just not strong enough to be given to a patient in need of blood.
I am excited to work the donating thing back into my routine.

Iron Good

Blood donation time!

Blood pressure was good too.  Gonna have a pepsi and some keebler cookies...

Nothing nothing nothing

This week is turning into more of the same - a whole bunch of nothing.
Monday was a get together over The Bachelorette for a friends birthday. Let's not even talk about the crazy rain storm for the commute home.
Tuesday was going to be a swim. Yep - another thunder storm. It is really starting to get on my nerves.
Yesterday was to be a run after work. I had everything I needed to go on the run. I hadn't really prepared the non essentials for running after work. I leave a whole lot more home when going some place after work. Don't feel like lugging it all around or locking in the car. So I came home with the intent to run here. Can you guess? Thunderstorm. Well actually it was some spitting rain and random lightning bolts in the distance. With all the lightning strikes in the news I opted to stay in.
At least I did some morning yoga stretches and walked to the mall during the day.
Today should be a swim. It should also include some bit of a run. Sneakers to the office is sounding like an idea for today.
I have signed up to donate blood today. The last few times my iron has been too low. Not ago low to be a health concern but not high enough to donate and have the blood be strong enough for the recipient. I sure hope the vats of pork BBQ I have had over the last two weeks and my multivitamin will help with that iron count. If not, I may just ask them to remove me from the list.
So with all that today's workout may not happen.

NOTHING

that was the toll of activity for last week
Not the case for this week
Gosh it can make an impact on my mood.
Keeping that in mind for this week

Nothing today. Quasi bday celebration for a friend. No workout for this last 24 hours.

Walk around town

I have played tourist in my home town a few times now. uSNWC sure does count.
We also took the light rail to uptown and walked around. Mainly to see the football stadium not much else.
It was fun.

Also checked out some of the new and improved greenways as well. I need to remember to visit those more often.

Grad party

My friend's son graduated college. They had a party. It was nice to see everyone. Nothing crazy to write home about.

His 5% body fat does continue to motivate me in my fitness quest. I would look silly and unhealthy with that low fat % but it still inspires me.

USNWC Canopy Tour

During the visit my friends daughter and I did the 4 hour canopy tour at the US National Whitewater Center.

It said it would take 3 to 4 hours. For some reason I thought that would not be the case. Don't really know why.

We went in a group of 8 with 2 tour guides. There were 7 zip lines, 5 rope bridges and 2 repels. The zip lines were fun. The rope bridges were challenging - some more than others. And the repels were good for a laugh.

The last one made for a great laugh as the tour guide tried to startle me as I faithfully stepped off the platform. I started laughing and was still laughing as I landed. Totally forgetting the instructions to stand when I landed I just keep laughing and found myself laying on the forest floor looking back up at the tour guide that seemed to be having a good laugh as well.

It was well worth the $$ for the tour. I would suggest it to anyone. Can't wait to do it again.

House Guests

I also had a friend and her daughter visit. It was a nice time. Always fun to have people to kick about with.

However it does wreak havoc on the diet and the exercise.

Lunch at Maggianos.
Frozen yogurt at TCBY.
Burger with bacon and pimento cheese. Son of a Peach.
Hagen Dasz - how do you spell that?
Breakfast sandwich at Panera.
Milkshake at Pikes.
Party food.
Challah bread french toast.

Food overload. No wonder I felt sluggish to work out last week.

Getting back on track this week.

Coldplay revisited

Wow almost two weeks ago now... We went to the Coldplay concert. It was a lot more fun than I anticipated. They out on a great show that resulted in almost 2 hours of dancing. Old songs - reminded me why I liked Coldplay in the first place. New songs a - reminding me why so many people flock to the concert.
It was a good good time.
So glad I could sleep in the next day.

Missing some days

Noticed I haven't said much of things in the last week. Not that I was doing much. Training fell OFF last week. Couldn't even tell you how or why. Maybe why the posts stopped as well.

So let's back track.

Tri Ballantyne

That is the tri that is running this morning.  I was going to sign up for it when I was done with the Orlando race.  Well the Orlando race never happened.  And I have been on the fence ever since.  Race day is here and I am sitting on my back patio waiting for a friend to pick me up.  We are headed to the greenway to go for a walk and grab some breakfast.
It will be nice to just do that.

Muse

Reminded myself I need to giggle more this afternoon. Need to surround myself with people that giggle more.

Not sure it helps with racing or training but giggle more is on my horizon.

COLDPLAY HRM?

Something more fun than that..
. This lit up on queue somehow during the shoe.  Really cool effect.

AM Run

Went for a quick run this morning before it got hot. Was trying to get the workout out of the way before the heat and to allow for a late night at the office.
Amazed that the energy I had from the run made for a very productive day. Now I am home wondering what to do with my time. Last week I did an hours worth of old school aerobic and calisthenics activity. Think I will do the same this week.
Then I will find myself sucked into the crazy drama of the girl living in NC that goes to BDA. Yes, I will lose an hour or two watching the Bachelorette.
Best get to that workout.

Garmin Swim

Would love to see how the 910 tracks swim strokes.  Just saying.

HEAT WAVE

Today I woke at 430.  Seems to becoming a thing.  I call it insomnia but who really knows.  I looked at the temp on my phone - 80F.  Really?  Maybe I am waking up from the heat. 
I thought get up right then and there and go for a run.  OK - it was dark out at that hour....  so I rolled over and waited for the alarm to go off at 6.  And even at that hour....  HOT!
I ran walked - more walk in that heat - for 3.5 miles.  Surprised as I went to walk the dog that my tank was dripping wet.  Probably would have been more surprising if any neighbors were up at that hour as I took that drippy tank off and finished the dog walk in my sports bra... shoot it covers more than most bikini tops....
The afternoons workout was an arm workout.  Pushups.  Weights.  Pushups.  Weights.  Hand stands (try em they are an arm workout).

Tomorrow I think another morning walk run will be needed.

Breakfast mojito

Well that sure can catch attention. Today in the test kitchen the morning cooling smoothie is honeydew melon, cucumber, mint and line. Of course in this household no smoothie gets away without a dose of cinnamon and flax seed. But the general flavoring of the mint reminded me of mojitoes. But so much better - no simple syrup with loads of sugar to slow you down.
The problem with smoothies is the overall mess of things. Either the blender or the food processor gets tucked out of the pantry and a mess always ensues.
Right now I am finishing my coffee(still holding strong with the decaf), sipping my "mojito" and hoping the mess cleans up itself. Probably no such luck there.
Next up is a kale salad. Sadly I have purchased more food this week than I may well need. Forgot about the concert Tuesday night and the pig roast for Wednesday. Oops.
Well best get back at it.
Dinner this week is a spin on the roasted cauliflower in a quesadilla form with spinach and mush peas (instead of refrained beans).

Bib shorts

Not for me.  Now that would be a site.
My friend does the Off Road Assault on Mt Mitchell every year.  Look it up.
And this is the second year - so now I guess it is an annual thing - that he has chosen to post a picture of himself post ride in only his bib shorts.
And I think to myself - why are men so less self conscious about walking around in these crazy skin tight shorts than women? 
And the bib short - well they have an awkward waist line cut as well....
It always makes for good commentary.  All I can say thank goodness for tans. 
I wont be posting any new outfit pics at this end.  No tan...