Around town...

This is the first Saturday I have not worked in 3 weeks... I so need to stay home... And that is an understatement... Sleeping in would have been nice but I inevitably wake up around 6:30/7. It has been raining since yesterday so the little guy and I stuck our heads out the front door. Turned out to be warm and breezy. Kind of reminded me of Bermuda - the humidity from the rain usually does that for me. We tinkered around for a bit with the coffee, facebook, absolute radio, emails, laundry. And I ultimately found the motivation to get out of the house...
I did the mile loop around the neighborhood, out of the neighborhood to the left (making sure my keys were in the velcro pocket) for the mile loop, past the neighborhood toward the post office for the other mile loop. Somewhere in there it started to rain. I ducked into CVS to get/stay dry. Hung out there for a bit (kind of threw my pace off). And headed home.
I could have gone longer. I really needed to pound the pavement to get some of this stress out.
But this pending rain and non-waterproof windbreaker were not cutting it.
So now I am home, in dry clothes and looks like the sun is coming out.
OH what I wouldn't do for a warm afternoon in the sun. I will bundle myself up with a good book and read on the front porch with my afternoon. The exercise and ultraviolets should do wonders for my mood.
And if not, maybe the deep tissue massage at noon will help.
One can only hope!

Hotel Gyms

I would have to say over the past 4 years of traveling with this job one thing that has been consistent is my ability or willingness to get up and go to the gym. Even before the triathlon thing I would bring sneaks and a swimsuit to use the treadmill and pool at the hotels I stayed at. I forced myself out of my comfort zone in and amongst the strangers and worked up a sweat.
I haven't been on an overnight client visit since this summer so this week's trip took some coordinating. I didn't have my travel toiletry bag stocked and my Kipling travel bag was filled with gym stuff. So I had to shuffle a bit about. Kind of like riding a bike, it all came back to me and worked out wonderfully.
My cell phone alarm went off at 6am, I rolled out of the big king size bed and into my workout clothes, threw on the sneaks and walked down the hall to the gym. Not having worked out a while in the AM, I took it slow. I did a little over a mile 1.06 to be exact in 16 minutes - pace is still the same and still throwing runs and jogs in there.
To top it off... I had time before my dinner plans on Tuesday night... Would you believe I went back and did more!? I did another 3.5 miles. I felt GREAT!!! At the end of it all.
Of course I did not roll out of bed on the same timely basis on Wednesday. And I drove until 9ish so there wa no workout when I got home.
Thursday was just as bleak.
And Friday - gosh I needed to work it out - instead I opted for beer and pizza.
I travel again the first week of December. I should cross check my schedule and hotel gyms to make sure I pound some treadmill while I am out there in MS.

Good intentions

Did not lead to any sort of work out...
Yesterday I took a cat nap and then put together a little birthday package for friends.
We all went to dinner and stayed out too late.
This morning it was FREEZING!!!
My intention was to walk in the morning and work in the afternoon.
Instead I worked in the morning. Went grocery shopping. And never found the energy for that walk.
It has been a lazy Sunday.
Maybe that's what I needed after this past week and the weeks ahead.
The first in many weeks of travelling - off to ATL.

how 'bout wrestlin' the lantana?

that may have worked up a bit more sweat
mostly because i was in the heat of the afternoon sun
the lantana lost the battle but not with inflicting some flesh wounds on my arms
they have since calmed down
it will thank me next year when the frost and cold hasn't killed it
and it has its time in the sun to flourish yet again

does walking around the mall count?

i am thinking NO
my mom thinks it does
but let's be real here - how many calories can you really burn in a casual stroll to the mall around the mall and back again
not that much

NOTHING since Monday

The week knocked the heck out of me.
I am finally feeling better so I am not going to ramble on about it.
Let's just say it is one for the record books.
Just not fun.
Add on top of that very little sleep. YUCK!!!
Well I got my sleep last night. My head hit the pillow and I think that was it. OH I did wake up a bit around 1am but not for long - thank goodness.
So this morning I am wasting time, drinking some coffee.
I missed the WW@W meeting yesterday so I need to go find one this morning. There is one at 8am - I don't know that I am on time for that but I will head that way and hope just to weigh in.
Then it is off to the office. Not fun on a Saturday but I am tired of these special projects overruling my normal work. So I will get some of the normal work done today. I hope.
I would like to be home in time to do an hour walk/run through town. I guess that would need to be around 3pm - yeah I don't see myself at the office for that long. And then a bunch of people are going out to dinner. Oh that reminds me I need to pick up a few things on the way home...

Tomorrow SH wants to go walking in the park. I think I may suggest just around town. He/they also are gearing up for the football game. I think I will pass on that. I need to get to the grocery store as well as prepare for this week's road trip.... ATL!
There is a gym at the hotel so I will be good for that. YIPEE

Wiped out

I have found the effects of exercise can be very rewarding. Keep those synapses shooting off happy hormones or whatever the heck they do...
But I knew today was not going to be one of those days. I could feel it coming from days away. Today was going to be miserable. Self-fulfilling prophecy? Perhaps. Or maybe just the ability to read my surroundings. That's probably more the picture.
So I am just tired. I am so looking forward to some time away.
But that does not sound to be the case. OK - I am going to ATL next week. For work...
Maybe I can spin that some how to be a good thing...
I will work on that...
As I said to my mom this evening - good thing I have the ability to pull myself up by my bootstraps and find a silver lining to things - if not I would be in bad shape.
And on that note I am going to email some old friends from university and see if we can arrange dinner next Tuesday night in ATL....

Running Stairs

When I was in grade 6 I competed on a gymnastics team. In the winter months we used to run the stairwell in the warehouse where the gym was located. Run 3 flights up and move pretty briskly 3 flights down. A pretty hefty workout that my lungs and legs didn't really get used to.
I have attempted similar workouts since then... Running up the stairs in the dorms - not multiple times just every once in a while. Stairmasters. Step classes. I have even run the stairs in my house. All definitely give a workout when using those large muscles called thighs.
This evening I was just TIRED when I left the office. A co-worker actually looked at me, laughed, and told me I looked tired. I figured that was a bad sign.
I left the office and came straight home - no gym outing as I had planned this morning.
It has been raining off and on all day so the outdoor workout wasn't going to happen either.
Nor was heading back out to the gym.
So the stairs won out. Plus the tenants in the townhouse next door have moved out so I don't have to worry about the noise.
And off I went. I can do about 2 flights in a minute. And I did 15 minutes. So 30 flights of 16 steps each for a total of 480 stairs. I am good with that. It got the heart rate up and the sweat pumping.
Most importantly it has confirmed - yes I am tired.
I am going to bed tonight right after Gossip Girl!

Jump Around

There was a neighborhood party last evenng/afternoon. I originally was not going to go. Who knows why I thought that. I guess I was feeling anti-social. It turned out to be a fun time.
There was a pizza - an interesting choice of food in comparison to previous events. And the pizza people set it all up and served it. SO much less work. And there was a DJ - which the girls in the neighborhood looked to enjoy. And as far as other entertainment - the boys just rode their bikes around and were totally cool with that. So I would say it was a good time.
Of course you can imagine by the end of the evening we adults needed to get into the action.
There was a hula hoop contest or 4. I used to be good at the hula hoop - not so much anymore...
There was the chicken dance - UGH!!! I just can't stand the chicken dance.
Of course that was followed by the Macarena - which I do enjoy every once in a while - sparks fond memories of late nights at Oasis...
And then the evening finale... Jump Around by House of Pain. Good thing I wore my Doc Martens (well that was more to keep my feet warm but...). Even with all this training I have been doing - running, swimming, biking, walking - I was still winded by the end of the song. I need to pull out my grunge music and mosh around my living room. I am thinking I am missing out on a whole realm of cardio training... I used to be able to dance all night at the alternative clubs - moshing around, slamming into people - good stuff LOL... Forget ZUMBA...
I suppose the DJ didn't have a copy of Swim by Fishbone... Oh well.
So it was a good time.
I came home and was in bed pretty early.
Now what to do with my Sunday. I was thinking of trying to do that 5 mile thing again today.
I have a whole extra hour... Of course that will probably get directed towards work related activities...

2.5 miles today

I thought I would do a shortened version of the TurkeyTrot this morning. It is right near my office - so a great attempt at multi-tasking... drive to the office, get cheap gas ($2.12 in SC), do a run/walk interval loop, and some work. I was ambitious with the loop I was going to do. It was just about at 4 miles. But I ended up doing a different loop that was 2 1/2 miles.
I would like to give it a try again. However I really don't want to have to come to work again on the weekend any time soon. That may be a bigger wish than reality - so we shall see.
Off to do some more work. And eat some lunch...

Halloween at Salsa's

So I had been on the fence as to what type of candy to get for Halloween. And then there is always the stress of answering the door and keeping the little guy from getting too excited. So instead I decided we would go out to dinner. One of my co-workers and I had been talking about doing something. The next thing you know there are 6 of us at Salsa's sitting at the bar. Kind of like old times with a whole bunch of new players. I had the burrito camaron - always a good mix of shrimp veggies and cheese. And it was fun to see some old faces. Just put a smile on my face... Good memories... I shouldn't have stayed away so long. Oh sure - my wallet, cholesterol, and waist line are thankful I stayed away...

Running in NJ

I did not go for a run or any sort of workout tonight. UB comes on at 8pm and I was trying to do laundry, dishes, etc... And I found I was just too distracted... The sad thing is the time out would probably have done me some good.
I am continually amazed at this blog I read - http://www.shoreturtle.com/blog/
He is always carrying a camera. I think that is so cool.
I also like it because it reminds me of home. OK - the pics might not be as "shore" oriented as I would hope but hey when you are living 4 hours inland - these are considered close.
Of course they don't motivate me to go run or work out or anything.
Instead I think I will be going out to dinner tomorrow night to avoid handing out candy. The little guy gets all wierded out by everyone ringing the doorbell. Me too...

Well this was creative

I wish I could have pulled a few pics from here to highlight some of the event.
But since I am techy challenged... here you go with the whole thing
http://www.visualtour.com/show.asp?T=1718424&prt=10003

Interval training

Walk/run/anxiety...
There are so many great ways to get your heart rate up. As of recently I have been taking the exercise approach. The swimming and biking seemed to do the best. And they seemed to have helped my endurance as I have found myself able to run a bit further each time.
TONIGHT I was pleasantly reminded of one of my mom's favourite approaches to getting the heart rate up - anxiety and freaking out...
So it wa 7:10 and I had lots of layers on - sports tank top, long underwear, tshirt, hooded sweatshirt, sweatpants (OH and they don't match) and orange gloves (and they don't go with anything either)... I decided it wasn't completely dark so if I were to get the full objective in perhaps I should leave the neighborhood. So I donned my MP3 player - Kylie singing along which pre-empted fast forwarding to Keane - and headed up the street and out of the neighborhood. At the top of the hill it is always wise to get the first jog in across the street - more for traffic than for warm up. I jogged across the street and headed left... following that sidewalk to the end and back is a mile... Then headed towards town towards the post office... that and back is a mile... And I found myself running in the midst of the miles and longer than usual. I was proud of myself. I actually have been quite proud of myself in the area of exercise recently. And I headed into the neighborhood to do the final mile... I was feeling good... even felt I could rival SG in the jog around the neighborhood (OK - momentary lapse of reason on that one). And I headed home. Reached in my pocket - NO KEYS! no, i am not kidding... somewhere in the lengthy drawn out 3 mile walk/run i dropped my keys... anxiety kicks in!
I did the 3 miles again in hopes of finding the keys... I knew I should have asked for help but I figured well let me just give it a look see... Nothing.... How's that heart rate now?
I finally ended up at my friends' home to ask for help - Perhaps that was my lesson for the evening - remember to ask for help when needed.
KF donned her many layers and armed we flashlights we headed out.
You know where the keys fell out? That very first jog across the street. Thankfully we didn't have to do the 3 miles again.
So I am clocking that as 6 miles tonight and the time was a little over 1 1/2 hours... I was outside a total of 2+ hours with a little break inside at KF's home.
Thanks for the help! I will be sore tomorrow.

P90X x 2

NAH! I think I will leave that to the men in my life. That sounds funny... it's just that it seems to be the infomercial that sucks the men in. You know me if I am getting sucked into an infomercial it is going to be ZUMBA!

As for the pull ups - I think I am sticking with push ups for now.
Nasty pull up memory.... As a child I did lots of gymnastics. And when I wasn't taking a class I was making up stuff on the jungle gym in my back yard. Swinging like a monkey all day - I had rings, a trapeze, and just the normal cross bar thingy that official name escapes me now. I had some killer upper body strength... I could climb this rope in the back yard up the willow tree. I would climb the swing set hand over hand without legs and then go hand over hand across the top and down the other side... probably freaked my mom out... So whe it came to pull up time at school I did ok. It's just not something you find yourelf doing as you get older. Funny how all that rushed through my head the other day when I tried the single pull up at the park. I was also reminded of the nasty callouses... That's the nasty part of the memory. But let me tell you about tonight's walk...

Tuesday Too Tired

When I woke up at 3am last night I thought I will be fine. I shouldn't have too much difficulty falling back to sleep. Then in the distance I heard it - the gas coming on in the attic and moments later... the heat started to pump through the vents. YUP - it finally got that cold. YUCK - it sure smells bad that first time for the season. It ended up being an hour of me lying there thinking about it. Being sad that the goal of making it to November was not attained. And realising summer was all over.
When the alarm went off at 6am I thought I could do this. But then the darned heat kicked in again and I pulled the covers up over my head.
I am getting ready to head out now....
Downloading Snow Patrol and Keane albums on to my MP3 player... then I am out of here.

Monday Morning Walk Run

Well I was pretty darned tired on Sunday night. So after hours of posting I decided I best just go to bed. The cool thing about that is I woke up all set to go on Monday. And I found myself out there on the road for about a mile. No, not much running in the mix but I was there!

P90X

So the pull ups reminded me that my friend told me last night he got sucked into the P90X infomercial. I don't recall if he has received his copy yet or not. I will be curious to see the results.
I know someone else ordered it in the beginning of the summer. And I had totally forgotten to follow up on how it is going. I'll have to get on that....
I think I will stick with the swim,bike, run bit.
Sure a pull up would be a nice accomplishment as well. I will have to keep that in mind.
And the other one I found on-line onehundredpushups.com
I was actually thinking of trying that one. I could use some upper body strength.
Well getting to the gym would help too.

Cane Creek Park

So the original plan was to go to Crowder Mountain yesterday and hike on up. I got my hair cut in the morning so it was to be an afternoon trip. Well it turned out to be a rainy overcast day. So the plans were cancelled. Instead today we went to Cane Creek to go hiking. A slightly flatter excursion than up a mountain. But a good walk none the less. We were out there for almost two hours. Now the path we were trying to follow claimed to only be 3 miles long. However my orienteering isn't that good and I think we doubled back a few times. OK - we got distracted when 4 people on horses approached us on the path and missed out red trail indicator to turn; we walked all the way to edge of the park and had to turn around; and when we turned around we found an old red path marker; followed that to only find we doubled back even further and had to turn around yet again... Hence I think it had to have been longer than 2 hours.
I need to go back and double check the map online.
At the end of the walk we came across this fitness area and climbing wall. Hello - pull ups are hard! Shoot I remember being able to do all sorts of pull ups. I just struggled today. And the climbing wall... I haven't been on a wall in some time now. And let's just say my body type is still not condusive to rock climbing.

Another Bad Week

If the previous week was bad then this one is even worse. We will blame it on the birthday. Sunday there was cake. Monday there was mexican food and margaritas. Tuesday and Wednesday the market just decided to toy with you and prompted late nights at the office. Thursday we went to USNWC to sit outside and listen to live music. BBRRRR --- chilly. Friday I tried to rest but it didn't really happen. And Saturday I went out again to celebrate my birthday (well at least that's what I will use as an excuse in retrospect).
And really I hate the way I feel because of it all. Just down in the dumps blah. OK that could be from staying up too late last night. I have always been the grumpy tired person. I get weepy too without enough sleep. But overll I feel like I have fallen short on the workout objective. Even if I did pull a muscle while I was out last night. Getting up funny and pulling a muscle does not count as a workout. Silly comfy couch at the dessert venue... eerr....
This week has got to be different. Just not sure how to accomplish that. I guess I need to look at the calendar and work something out. Even if it's 30 minutes in the middle of the day.
OH and bugger I want to work in early voting this week too! See I am just whining!
OK - as the "one of the most positive people I know" friend I need to yuck myself out of this mood - for sure... Let me see what I can do with my next rambling...