Happy Thanksgiving

I always think of my friend that does not need to celebrate this holiday because um they do not live in the USA or are even a US citizen and does not like turkey and does not like pumpkin but for some reason still celebrates this holiday with family...
I got the food dislikes correct, right?
I still get a chuckle out of this... some restaurant thanks you for your tradition and helping their revenue...

ME?  I had dinner at a friends house.  It was lots of food and lots of fun.  I hate to admit it though... with all the sunny side positive outlook always on behavior I embrace all the time... I found very little to be overly thankful for this holiday...  I know of all days to wake up and not want to embrace that part of my personality... what the heck is up with that... but that is how I felt from before I went to bed the night before and it stayed with me even into today...  Last year around the same time I got this same way...

Four more pounds.

That is the goal between now and Dublin. I have a little over four weeks to bust my a$$ and starve myself to get there. OK that is more extreme than my realistic approach but I like the extreme to it.

I ran two miles this morning and have to come to realise that I can do that all mornings most mornings and I need to not sway from it.

One more pound

So WW is releasing this new thing ActiveLink.  It is something you wear all day and it tracks your overall activity and converts it into WW points.  It sounds pretty interesting.  It then gives you a baseline and challenges to improve advance excel in the activity area.  I guess it is like the FitBit thing.  So at work they have challenged us to lose 4 pounds in 8 weeks to Thanksgiving and they will buy us each one of them.  I was not aware of this when I ate my way through MS.  So I got the last of those pounds off.  And now I just need to get one more pound down for the AL challenge.
The final weigh in is Tuesday morning.  I am intently focused on this.  I just dont know that one pound is going to drop in 3 days. 

I didnt do it much good yesterday at the Thanksgiving luncheon.  It was supposedly healthy stuff but let's be honest... canned green beans cooked however is not the same as steamed fresh green beans or frozen green beans...  and the sweet potatoes - not sure what they were mashed with but pretty sure that was butter I tasted...  the cranberry relish was OK but probably more sugar than expected... and then there was dessert :)  To top it all off I had more wine after work than I needed as well.

SOooooo - this morning I got up and tried to run that out of my system.  I thought I'd run for an hour.  But after 30 minutes I had done the circuit and reverse around the neighborhood and was sufficiently cold.  So that was that.  Today we are walking around the mall doing some shopping... I would like to think that will kill some calories as well BUT I know in there will be some sort of unhealthy food...

and on that note - i need to get in the shower so i am not late

Shooting Star

I forgot to mention that I saw a shooting star on my run last Wednesday.  Interesting the things you notice on the run. 
I did not get a run in last night as I anticipated.  Watched #TVD instead.
This morning I noticed that my friend has purchased a non-Ryobi power tool.  What is that?!  It is always interesting to run on Friday to see what people have put out in the garbage along the side of the road....  Yes, I do keep this in mind when I put my recycling out.

Big weigh in this morning.  Even bigger next Tuesday so...  I am really trying to limit the bloating food intake.  And trying to get the exercise in.

Tonight will be more stretches and crunches etc.
Tomorrow I will need to run before getting to the mall to update my wardrobe for weight loss to date.  And that holiday travel.
Sunday is going to be one of those long long runs...
And then Monday and Tuesday morning need to be those AM runs...

Just brain dumping...

still waiting on that skewer for my trainer...

rrrraaaaiiiinnnn....

It has been forever since it has rained last.. At least it feels that way.  So it rained the other day - Tuesday - I ended up doing some morning stretches but there was no getting out there.  TODAY it was a downpour!  Wow... could barely get the dog to go out into the craziness... 
SOOOOoooo - this evening I MUST do an evening run. 
I havent done an evening run in quite some time.  It will be good to get out there.
There are races every weekend for the next 4 weeks. I havent signed up for any of them just yet.  Part of me wants to.  The other part of me says hold onto my money and just get out there for a run. 
I am trying to get down 4 pounds before next Tuesday.  I am down probably 3 pounds according to the info I was given last week.  Now just need to remove that margin for error....  I have found the best way to do so is sweating sweating sweating...

I am looking forward to getting up on my trainer and putting that to work.  PROBLEM I am waiting for the proper rear wheel skewer.  Not sure on the ETA of that.  Guess I need to follow up on that.  LONG story....

Have also added some ab work into my evening.  Supposedly you can do ab work daily without need for rest..  I started that earlier this week.  Waiting for the ab pain to kick in.  Not sure - maybe I am just not pushing myself enough...  Hmmmm...

OK - time to get out in those raindrops...

6 weeks to Dublin

crazy i know
feels like i just got back from ireland
seems like it was just christmas 2011 when we talked about going back for the holidays
feels like my loud irish neighbor just moved in
but i really has been a year ... and we are just 6 weeks away from visiting again...
yes, i am finally getting excited...

transition area

i know the triathlon season for 2012 has come to a close and the thoughts of a transition area won't pop up until next year as race day approaches... unless you struggle every morning to get out of the house and fit in a work out at the early hours...
YES - my bedroom floor on a nightly basis looks like an odd interpretation of a transition area...
scattered along the floor - heart rate monitor, sports bra (OK-2), long underwear (it is THAT cold at 5am), top, running pants, bright orange tied dyed hoodie, socks, watch...  all there to keep me encouraged...
and it seems to be working
even though i havent been blogging in quite some time i have been getting up on a regular basis and going for a run... it feels great!
I am just 5 pounds away from my first goal weight...
and it is wonderful for my mental outlook...

oh, hello there...

Yes, it has been a while since I have been out here.  I got on the road sometime in October and have been traveling for the better part of the month.  The good news - only gained a pound while I was away.  Not sure there is any bad news for the trip or for being home...

This past week was almost a week at home... I drive to Richmond in a 24 hour turn around and boy oh boy did I treat myself on that trip - Chic Fil-A and Chipotle Grill...  And not much working out...

I decided to turn things around when I got home...
Ran Friday morning - felt good.  Ran Saturday morning - nice to get a out there for a longer distance...  Ran this afternoon - got 4 miles under my belt.  A GREAT feeling...  gonna try to do it all this week too...  got two pounds to lose before Friday.

How are the rest of you doing?

Logistics

Working out some logistics for my upcoming work travel...  and somehow have found myself sucked into some youtube time warp black hole...
and much to my happiness... a new Tim Rice-Oxley interview...

I hate that I cant get the videos to embed at the moment... Errr.

http://youtu.be/wzbdEiICkUQ

Oh well, it is a  nice interview... love TRO!
Probably why I have purchased tix to see them yet again in ATL in January.
Very excited!

Running man

I covered about 2.5 miles this morning around the neighborhood. I had the pleasure of being joined by a friend. It was nice. And on my birthday... As I do every birthday over the past few years... I think of another that share this day and does not have that option to go for a run... Puts things in perspective today and on those whiny days.

And on that note... Good luck to next week's Miami Ironman contestants!

Been a while

Got on a plane on the 10th and was away until the 13th. It was a good break from the day to day at this end. It was good to get away - even if it was a lot of work to be done.
The only exercise I got was the brief AM treadmill walk each morning at the hotel, a 30 minute afternoon walk with the client each day, and a days worth of walking around New Orleans.
It was a fun trip. Like to think I made some new friends.

Sunday was spent cleaning around the house and laundry. Had dinner with an old friend. SO NICE! I know he and In don't see as much of him as I used to. I won't complain because I so appreciate the friendship when I do see him.
The neighbor situation has blown up and pissed me off. I spent Monday/ Tuesday wanting to yell, scream, stamp my feet and throw something. Thankfully I remembered the serenity prayer and feel better grounded today.
Tuesday also included October bday drinks after work. That was fun. Not as big of a crowd as I would like but that really is OK.
Tonight is catch up with The Vampire Diaries (#TVD) birthday night. Exciting!
This weekend will be the last of the birthday outings for the year. Then I am off to MKE, Brookfield, JAN, Greenwood, Olive Branch, Memphis, Richmond.
I will sleep through November.

Yoga morning stretch

Trying to add those stretches in the AM.  It seems to be coming together in the mix. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch.

Grace and Gusto

I found this exercise video on Exercise on Demand this past week.  Unlike other videos I have found this one I have actually dont twice already.  There are a lot of obligue exercises in this video.  It is a lot of motion that I do not do with the swim, bike, run workouts.  It has lots of stretching in it.  Long fluid motions.  I have really enjoyed it. 
As with the hill drills - I am adding to the mix.

RUN in the rain

I found myself in the middle of a downpour on Monday morning.  Or was it Tuesday?  Anyways...  Thankfully I wasnt too far from home.  My 2 mile run turned into a half mile run.  I got wet - nervous some of my electronics did as well.  We shall see how that pans out...
It was going to be a fun workout too... I was going to do a bunch of hill drills.  I am going to add that to my mix this week.  And this week's mix is not going to be all that long because of my upcoming trip to New Orleans.  Oh that is such a positive spin to the trip but we will call it that.

The morning runs are going well.  Gotta keep at them.

H.A.L.T.

I havent revisited the HALT acronym in quite some time.  And I don't know that I would say it actually applies but it is the one that has come to mind this past week for ne.  I dont know that I have felt any of those but I needed a quick reminded to exercise patience.  UM - it didnt necessarily work.
I can be so mean sometimes and I hate that about myself.. brutally honest can be hurtful and really to no one's benefit.  No one acts for the positive on the receiving end of nastiness.  So I need to remember to HALT.  Because now even though I have been told everything is OK, there is no way to take it back.  And it will always hover there like a stupid elephant in the corner.  If I really watned to hold true to what I said than it still would have been mean.  I think I was that mean in an effort to convince myself of my actions... but it is not working...  missing is a word that comes to mind...

back in the water...

remember i have been referencing being around someone and the whole thing making me thankful for what i have and the whole positive outlook on things, etc?  well that has kind of taken a turn for the worse...  oh, don't worry i am still positive and thankful...  but really didnt want to see that much of the dark underbelly of others...  so i have walked away from it.. but sadly kind of miss it... go figure...  i guess it comes back to the distraction was entertaining, the individual was entertaining... 

i decided i need to refocus on what is important to me - because staying up until all hours of the night drinking lots of beer and dancing around - as fun as it may sound - is something from my university day and not for my adult life - at least not on a regualr occassion...

so i went back mentally to where i was 7 weeks ago - does anyone remember what my biggest concern at that time was? 
http://vimeo.com/47472070
how in the world did i spend an entire afternoon watching the closing ceremonies and miss this?
that was the biggest thing on my mind... and i so much enjoyed that stress than any other silliness at the moment...

anyways - so i faced my fears yesterday and ran a 5mile race!  yes, a 5 mile foot race!  Spring Lake Five HERE I COME!!!!  Wonder how to even get on the list to register for that? I digress...
I did good.  It didnt feel that bad.  And my time was good.  I averaged 13 minute miles according to the race stats.  My Garmin shows a little slower but I am OK with that.  So now thinking I will do the 8k at Thanksgiving.

And today I got back in the water for a swim.  I did 1000 yards.  I won't complain for that.  For sure.

And I did some gardening in the wee hours of the morning.
AND got myself out of bed crazy early and went to the 7:30Mass.  Guess what, it is the non-singy Mass.  After all these years I finally stumble upon the version I have been looking for.

And that is that... me getting back on track... 

Miami Ironman

a month out - good luck with the remaining training

race day

got my number - 327 - and shirt yesterday
yay - looking forward to pomp and circumstance of it all...

if it dont feel good what are you doing it for?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtOV7bp-gys&feature=player_detailpage

lots of different horses by lots of different men...
hurricane in the back of her throat...

i think these two lines surpass the rudebox - dont sweat much for a fat lass

Back to reality

I got a nice 2.5 mile run in last night after checking in to the hotel. I was going to do an out and back loop and the next thing I know I am going around the block. It was a great route except where part of the sidewalk ended.
I wasnt planning on going for such a distance.  Wow, my legs were achy and tired after it all for sure.
I watched a little Criminal Minds... always good to go running in an unfamiliar place in the dark BEFORE watching Criminal Minds.  I fell asleep before it ended - why I dont have a tv in my bedroom at home.
This morning was a little lie in.. now eating one if those mediocre at best compimentary breakfasts.  The coffee is good.
Gonna go put on my new suit.