Yesterday I did another bike/run brick. This time I rode 24 miles (last time I only rode 21 miles) and ran 5 miles. A 24 mile bike and 5 mile run are the official bike/ride distances in our tri this summer. Now I only need to add the 1500 meter swim and I know I will be able to do this thing. I will do my next brick in two weeks (weather permitting) and I will add the swim.
This time the brick was easier in some respects and harder in others. First, it was harder to talk myself into starting it, because I knew how hard it was going to be after doing it the first time. All morning I was dreading that bike-to-run transition. Also, it was a little cooler than it was supposed to be yesterday and I was cold all morning. I was not looking forward to biking in the cool weather.
Well, the sun finally came out and it warmed up a little. I put on wool socks, leg warmers, and two jackets, and decided that I would be warm enough on my bike. This week I chose a bike route that started at the house, took surface streets to the bike path, and looped around back to the house on streets, again. The result was that about half of the ride was on the road and half was on the path. The advantage of being on the road is I can get into the biggest ring on my bike and go faster. The disadvantage is the stop lights. Another advantage (or disadvantage - depending on your perspective) of the road is that it is hilly. There are several decent uphill pulls on this route. As much as I don't like hill climbing, it is really beneficial training. The path is flat. The advantage of the path is that there is no stopping, but because of the curves, pedestrians, dogs, kids, and other cyclists, I can never get into my biggest ring and my top speed is about 16mph when I am on the path. I'm still working hard, but I can't crank it up and just go. Between the path and the road, my ride time yesterday for 24 miles was 1 hour and 47 minutes. I know I will be able to improve that when I am on the open road with no stop lights or traffic, but I don't know by how much. One of these days I will do my bike/run brick out in the country and see what that does for my time.
I also did my run on the road, using my normal 5 mile route. The good news is that the bike-to-run transition was much easier this time. I don't know if it was because I knew what to expect or if it was really easier, but it didn't hit me like a ton of bricks like it did the first time I did it. The not so good news is that the hills were killer!! I have a couple of pretty decent hills on this route in the second mile. When I did my brick the first time, the first mile was nearly impossible as I transitioned from my bike, but by the time I got into the second mile I was hitting my stride and feeling OK. Yesterday I hit those hills about halfway through my second mile and they almost stopped me dead in my tracks. Man they were hard. But by the time I got to the third mile and had most of the hills behind me, I knew I would be able to finish the route. My run time was 53 minutes. I feel pretty good about that considering I had to wait at 4 stop lights. I am sure I spent at least three minutes waiting for red lights to turn green, which means I am averaging about 10 minute miles. I think that's great, considering a year ago it took me an hour to go 4 miles. I've improved from 15 minute miles to 10 minute miles in a year!!
It felt good to do the brick and be able to run the entire 5 miles after riding for 24 miles, but I didn't get quite as pumped up as I did after my first big brick. It is hard for me to believe I can do this, though. It feels like a real achievement to be able to ride my bike, hard, for 24 miles, and then run for 5. We'll see how the swim/bike/run brick goes in two weeks!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
4/17/2013: Rolling Along
This morning I ran five miles on the treadmill, including 20 minutes at 6.0mph and 10 minutes at 6.5mph. My goal is to be able to run 5 miles in 50 minutes. Saturday's run was outdoors and was 5 miles in 53 minutes, today it took me 54 minutes to complete 5 miles, but that included 3 or 4 minutes of walking at 3.5mph to warm up.
Yesterday I worked out with my trainer. That continues to go well. Joshua and I seem to be connecting. I have more sessions available and paid for than I will use up if I go only once a week, because of the transition after Jeremy went to Olathe and missing sessions due to travel. I feel like I can use a little extra motivation right now, so I talked to Joshua about adding a second session with him until I have used up all of my extra sessions. Starting the week after next (once bowling is done and we get back from Bri's graduation) I will start working out with Joshua on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think that will be good.
The only decent weather day this week is supposed to be Saturday. That will work out great because that is the day that I am scheduled to do my next bike/run brick. I am so glad I can ride my bike outside again and I don't have to ride a stationary bike in the gym anymore. Hooray for spring (well - sort of spring)!
The trip to Europe was postponed, so I will not be leaving the country this Saturday. I was kind of looking forward to going because I have never been to Belgium before, but I am more relieved than I am disappointed. It always seems like we have a lot going on and anytime I am granted a bit of a reprieve I am happy about that.
No other news to report...things are just Rolling Right Along on the Home Front!!
Yesterday I worked out with my trainer. That continues to go well. Joshua and I seem to be connecting. I have more sessions available and paid for than I will use up if I go only once a week, because of the transition after Jeremy went to Olathe and missing sessions due to travel. I feel like I can use a little extra motivation right now, so I talked to Joshua about adding a second session with him until I have used up all of my extra sessions. Starting the week after next (once bowling is done and we get back from Bri's graduation) I will start working out with Joshua on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I think that will be good.
The only decent weather day this week is supposed to be Saturday. That will work out great because that is the day that I am scheduled to do my next bike/run brick. I am so glad I can ride my bike outside again and I don't have to ride a stationary bike in the gym anymore. Hooray for spring (well - sort of spring)!
The trip to Europe was postponed, so I will not be leaving the country this Saturday. I was kind of looking forward to going because I have never been to Belgium before, but I am more relieved than I am disappointed. It always seems like we have a lot going on and anytime I am granted a bit of a reprieve I am happy about that.
No other news to report...things are just Rolling Right Along on the Home Front!!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
4/14/2013: Living the Dream...
At work on Friday morning a routine question caused me to pause and think for a minute. Him: "Good morning, how are you?" Me: "I'm fine, how are you today?" Him: "Are you living the dream?" Me: Pause to think for a few seconds, then, "Well, yes, I think I am."
And it's that simple, when I put it all on the table and look at it, I am living the dream. I am very happily married to a man that I love and who loves me; I have a job that I thoroughly enjoy and that pays me reasonably well; we live in a comfortable home in a diverse neighborhood, in a decent city, in the best democracy in the world; I have great kids, kids-in-laws, and grandchildren; what I call my 'family of origin' (my dad and siblings) is supportive and loving - with our own share of issues, naturally, but we are there for one-another, nevertheless; I'm healthy and active and physically fit enough to do the things that I want to do; and I have some time to play each week and am looking forward to having more free time in the years to come. There is more, of course, but in summary, all of the pieces are in place. I have my ups and downs, good days and bad, I admit I still get a little moody, there are still days when I wonder what it's all about, anyway, but in aggregate, it's all good. It's important to remember that, from time to time.
I'm starting to copy and paste all of my blog posts into Word in preparation of starting my book. Just copying and pasting is time consuming. I've spent 3 hours on it already this morning and I am only 1/3 of the way through all of my posts. Once I get them all copied and pasted, I'll read through them and start thinking about how to format the book. I have no idea if it will be worth reading once it's done, but I need to give it a shot. As I mentioned in a previous post, it seems like blogging about my Get Fit Initiative is less important lately, because my exercise and food routines have become just that, routine. My plan is to use my mornings to work on my book. I'll still put up a blog post now and then, when something interesting enough to write about comes up, but my mornings before work are my prime time, and I think it makes sense to use that time for this next big endeavor.
I'll keep you posted on how it's going. :)
And it's that simple, when I put it all on the table and look at it, I am living the dream. I am very happily married to a man that I love and who loves me; I have a job that I thoroughly enjoy and that pays me reasonably well; we live in a comfortable home in a diverse neighborhood, in a decent city, in the best democracy in the world; I have great kids, kids-in-laws, and grandchildren; what I call my 'family of origin' (my dad and siblings) is supportive and loving - with our own share of issues, naturally, but we are there for one-another, nevertheless; I'm healthy and active and physically fit enough to do the things that I want to do; and I have some time to play each week and am looking forward to having more free time in the years to come. There is more, of course, but in summary, all of the pieces are in place. I have my ups and downs, good days and bad, I admit I still get a little moody, there are still days when I wonder what it's all about, anyway, but in aggregate, it's all good. It's important to remember that, from time to time.
I'm starting to copy and paste all of my blog posts into Word in preparation of starting my book. Just copying and pasting is time consuming. I've spent 3 hours on it already this morning and I am only 1/3 of the way through all of my posts. Once I get them all copied and pasted, I'll read through them and start thinking about how to format the book. I have no idea if it will be worth reading once it's done, but I need to give it a shot. As I mentioned in a previous post, it seems like blogging about my Get Fit Initiative is less important lately, because my exercise and food routines have become just that, routine. My plan is to use my mornings to work on my book. I'll still put up a blog post now and then, when something interesting enough to write about comes up, but my mornings before work are my prime time, and I think it makes sense to use that time for this next big endeavor.
I'll keep you posted on how it's going. :)
Saturday, April 13, 2013
4/13/2013: A Family Focused on Health!! I Like it Like That!!
I guess when it all becomes routine, there is just not too much to talk about anymore. Exercising 6 to 8 times a week is pretty routine, now. Watching what I eat is pretty routine, too. Not eating wheat just isn't a big deal anymore (that happened fast!). I know there will be big days...some good, some not so good, but blogging every day seems to be less important as I just don't have much to say.
The biggest news at our house these days, when it comes to Get Fit Initiatives, isn't even about me, it's about Jack. Jack decided to stop eating wheat about 3 or 4 weeks ago. And since his birthday, March 15th, he has lost 8 pounds!!!! Not only that, he has committed to losing 15 more pounds by June 30th!! I am so glad. He has borderline high blood pressure and I've known for a long time that it would help him to lose a little weight, but this needed to be his decision, not mine. After getting his blood pressure tested again with it still being borderline high, it was time for him to make a decision; maintenance drugs with all of their potential side effects, or lose weight. I was voting for option 2, but it was Jack's choice to make. I was relieved and thrilled when he chose to lose weight!!
We're making a chart for him this weekend. He's already made most of the dietary changes he needed to make. Giving up wheat was the last big piece of the puzzle. With wheat off the table, he is making healthier choices for lunch. I am cooking his breakfast every morning which is generally a couple of eggs with lots of veggies thrown in and a piece of fruit. I also cook most of his dinners which are always vegan or chicken based proteins with lots of veggies. He also has the healthy homemade soup in the freezer now, no more Campbells!! The last little piece is limiting his favorite treat, dark chocolate M&M's to 1/4 cup a night.
He was also already exercising on a sporadic basis, which usually meant he was exercising about 3 times a week. He has now committed to exercising 6 times a week for at least 45 minutes each time, even if the exercise is just a 45 minute walk. I copied a great stretch/movement based warm up set of exercises from "Thinner This Year" which takes about 20 minutes. A few times a week his exercise consists of that 20 minute routine with 25 minutes of cardio. I think that's great. I am very, very happy that Jack has chosen to commit to both the improvement in his diet and a regular exercise routine. Yeah Jack!!! I really do want him to stick around with me for the next 40 - 50 years. I guess that's what they call love.
The other big news is that my sister-in-law Julie, who I started coaching several weeks ago, is doing great on her exercise/diet regimen, too. I talked about this a little bit a while back. She had rotator cuff surgery and was worried about not being able to stick to her plan while she was in recovery. She's being going to Weight Watchers for a couple of years now and has lost most of the weight she wanted to lose, but she has been fighting with the last 20 pounds. She really likes the support she gets from her Weight Watchers group and their point system works well for her, but she was having a little trouble committing to her goal of 150 pounds. For a while, "Slow and Steady" was working for her, but in the last several months she had gotten stuck. So we decided to work together to see if I could help her find a way to commit to her ultimate goal: Continue to lose weight while healing from her surgery, and get to 150 pounds so she can be a Weight Watcher leader. The arrangement has been great for both of us. Obviously, I've known Julie for decades and I've been following her blog for a year, so I knew the challenges she was facing. We are super comfortable with each other, so I am able to "Tell her like I see it" in a way that helps her get a better perspective of why she is making the choices she is making. Working with Julie is helping me understand that everyone has to tackle the challenge of getting healthy in a manner that fits their lifestyle, but at the end of the day to make it work we all have to exercise regularly (as in 6 times a week) and eat a reasonable amount of the right kind of foods. Julie is doing great!!! I love reading her blog and seeing her enthusiasm. She is down to her lowest weight, again, and only has 15 pounds to go. I mentioned to Jack just this morning that he and Julie both have the same amount of weight to lose. I thought that was a coincidence! I am glad I can be here for Julie and am able to help her find the little things that help her stay focused on her goal. I know how she'll feel when she reaches 150 pounds. She'll feel awesome. I know this because I know how I feel now that I weigh 150 pounds, I feel awesome!!!! I really do enjoy life much more now than I did a year ago, and I know Julie will, too. What a great feeling it is to finally not have the burden of not being able to accomplish something that you really want to accomplish lifted from your shoulders. She'll be there soon, I know it. She's right on track.
I might as well mention my niece, Elizabeth, while I am at it. I am proud of her, too. She is getting very serious about diet and exercise and she is looking awesome. I hope she starts feeling really good, too. I love her blog, it seems to help her be honest about the choices she is making. I know that's what keeping a blog did for me. I couldn't pretend what I did didn't matter. I hope she keeps blogging on a regular basis. I feel like I am getting to know my niece a little bit better, and that is kind of nice. :)
My brother, George, doesn't blog, but he has also taken some pretty significant steps towards better health. He has always exercised a lot, but his diet, for lack of a better word, sucked. He would eat fast food because it was convenient, eat frozen "diet entrees" when he was trying to lose weight, and breakfast has been a big bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for longer than I can remember. George is a decent cook, but just never took the time to cook for himself on a daily basis. He finally decided to change that and hired a nutritionist / whole food specialist, or something like that, to help him change his diet. He is now eating mostly sustainably grown, organic, whole foods and cooking for himself. He is seeing great results!! He's losing weight and feeling better than he has in years. I am so happy for him and so relieved that he has given up his diet of processed and fast foods. I admitted to him the other day that his diet always concerned me. He made some smart-ass remark back, but I think he knows what I was trying to say. I'm just glad he finally admitted the role that good vs. bad food makes in his overall health and that he has embraced the concept of a diet that consists primarily of healthy whole foods.
Dad and Kay might as well get a shout-out while I'm at it. Dad was probably the original health-nut of the family, going back 10 to 15 years or more. He and I have talked about the merits of different diets for a long, long time. I can never remember quite how old my dad is, but that's probably because he never seems to get any older. He exercises daily, is focused on eating the right foods, and loves to play tennis with Kay. Kay, of course, gets dragged into Dad's schemes, but I don't think she minds. She plays right along. Last I heard, Dad and Kay have given up wheat, too, with good results. I need to try to call this weekend or sometime soon, to see how that is going.
Wow!! So many people around me getting serious about their health certainly inspires me to stay serious about mine!! Go Family!! Happy Times!!
The biggest news at our house these days, when it comes to Get Fit Initiatives, isn't even about me, it's about Jack. Jack decided to stop eating wheat about 3 or 4 weeks ago. And since his birthday, March 15th, he has lost 8 pounds!!!! Not only that, he has committed to losing 15 more pounds by June 30th!! I am so glad. He has borderline high blood pressure and I've known for a long time that it would help him to lose a little weight, but this needed to be his decision, not mine. After getting his blood pressure tested again with it still being borderline high, it was time for him to make a decision; maintenance drugs with all of their potential side effects, or lose weight. I was voting for option 2, but it was Jack's choice to make. I was relieved and thrilled when he chose to lose weight!!
We're making a chart for him this weekend. He's already made most of the dietary changes he needed to make. Giving up wheat was the last big piece of the puzzle. With wheat off the table, he is making healthier choices for lunch. I am cooking his breakfast every morning which is generally a couple of eggs with lots of veggies thrown in and a piece of fruit. I also cook most of his dinners which are always vegan or chicken based proteins with lots of veggies. He also has the healthy homemade soup in the freezer now, no more Campbells!! The last little piece is limiting his favorite treat, dark chocolate M&M's to 1/4 cup a night.
He was also already exercising on a sporadic basis, which usually meant he was exercising about 3 times a week. He has now committed to exercising 6 times a week for at least 45 minutes each time, even if the exercise is just a 45 minute walk. I copied a great stretch/movement based warm up set of exercises from "Thinner This Year" which takes about 20 minutes. A few times a week his exercise consists of that 20 minute routine with 25 minutes of cardio. I think that's great. I am very, very happy that Jack has chosen to commit to both the improvement in his diet and a regular exercise routine. Yeah Jack!!! I really do want him to stick around with me for the next 40 - 50 years. I guess that's what they call love.
The other big news is that my sister-in-law Julie, who I started coaching several weeks ago, is doing great on her exercise/diet regimen, too. I talked about this a little bit a while back. She had rotator cuff surgery and was worried about not being able to stick to her plan while she was in recovery. She's being going to Weight Watchers for a couple of years now and has lost most of the weight she wanted to lose, but she has been fighting with the last 20 pounds. She really likes the support she gets from her Weight Watchers group and their point system works well for her, but she was having a little trouble committing to her goal of 150 pounds. For a while, "Slow and Steady" was working for her, but in the last several months she had gotten stuck. So we decided to work together to see if I could help her find a way to commit to her ultimate goal: Continue to lose weight while healing from her surgery, and get to 150 pounds so she can be a Weight Watcher leader. The arrangement has been great for both of us. Obviously, I've known Julie for decades and I've been following her blog for a year, so I knew the challenges she was facing. We are super comfortable with each other, so I am able to "Tell her like I see it" in a way that helps her get a better perspective of why she is making the choices she is making. Working with Julie is helping me understand that everyone has to tackle the challenge of getting healthy in a manner that fits their lifestyle, but at the end of the day to make it work we all have to exercise regularly (as in 6 times a week) and eat a reasonable amount of the right kind of foods. Julie is doing great!!! I love reading her blog and seeing her enthusiasm. She is down to her lowest weight, again, and only has 15 pounds to go. I mentioned to Jack just this morning that he and Julie both have the same amount of weight to lose. I thought that was a coincidence! I am glad I can be here for Julie and am able to help her find the little things that help her stay focused on her goal. I know how she'll feel when she reaches 150 pounds. She'll feel awesome. I know this because I know how I feel now that I weigh 150 pounds, I feel awesome!!!! I really do enjoy life much more now than I did a year ago, and I know Julie will, too. What a great feeling it is to finally not have the burden of not being able to accomplish something that you really want to accomplish lifted from your shoulders. She'll be there soon, I know it. She's right on track.
I might as well mention my niece, Elizabeth, while I am at it. I am proud of her, too. She is getting very serious about diet and exercise and she is looking awesome. I hope she starts feeling really good, too. I love her blog, it seems to help her be honest about the choices she is making. I know that's what keeping a blog did for me. I couldn't pretend what I did didn't matter. I hope she keeps blogging on a regular basis. I feel like I am getting to know my niece a little bit better, and that is kind of nice. :)
My brother, George, doesn't blog, but he has also taken some pretty significant steps towards better health. He has always exercised a lot, but his diet, for lack of a better word, sucked. He would eat fast food because it was convenient, eat frozen "diet entrees" when he was trying to lose weight, and breakfast has been a big bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios for longer than I can remember. George is a decent cook, but just never took the time to cook for himself on a daily basis. He finally decided to change that and hired a nutritionist / whole food specialist, or something like that, to help him change his diet. He is now eating mostly sustainably grown, organic, whole foods and cooking for himself. He is seeing great results!! He's losing weight and feeling better than he has in years. I am so happy for him and so relieved that he has given up his diet of processed and fast foods. I admitted to him the other day that his diet always concerned me. He made some smart-ass remark back, but I think he knows what I was trying to say. I'm just glad he finally admitted the role that good vs. bad food makes in his overall health and that he has embraced the concept of a diet that consists primarily of healthy whole foods.
Dad and Kay might as well get a shout-out while I'm at it. Dad was probably the original health-nut of the family, going back 10 to 15 years or more. He and I have talked about the merits of different diets for a long, long time. I can never remember quite how old my dad is, but that's probably because he never seems to get any older. He exercises daily, is focused on eating the right foods, and loves to play tennis with Kay. Kay, of course, gets dragged into Dad's schemes, but I don't think she minds. She plays right along. Last I heard, Dad and Kay have given up wheat, too, with good results. I need to try to call this weekend or sometime soon, to see how that is going.
Wow!! So many people around me getting serious about their health certainly inspires me to stay serious about mine!! Go Family!! Happy Times!!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
4/10/2013: Not Much New These Days
I am 13 weeks into Phase II of my Get Fit Initiative, my chart for the 2nd quarter of 2013 is up, and I am maintaining my exercise regimen. Monday I swam 1500 meters, yesterday I lifted weights for an hour with my trainer, and this morning I ran 4 miles. I didn't exercise Sunday because of my big brick on Saturday. I seem to be over the little virus that was bugging me late last week and I feel great.
I'm still wheat free and I am having no issues with that, whatsoever. I have had sweets cravings for a few days though. I don't know why the yearning for sweets has started up again, but it seemed to coincide with being very stressed at work last Thursday, along with being sick late last week and into the weekend. *Sigh* What is it about sweets?
Other than an occasional bowl of ice cream over the last few days, my diet had been very healthy. I've been disciplined about cooking on Sundays so there are healthy meals to pack for lunches and eat for dinner. I even made Jack a big pot of chicken soup and froze individual servings. I found several healthy chicken soup recipes over the weekend and my plan is to make a different soup each weekend for several weekends so that he will have several different types of soup to choose from when he wants a quick meal. Of course, they'd be there for both of us, but he's the one that tends to gravitate to a can of soup if he's hungry and wants something light.
Work is going OK. Improvements are happening all around me. It's an exciting time at Castle Creations. I'm glad I get to be part of it. I'll be going to Belgium in a couple of weeks, so that's fun. I've never been to Belgium before.
I wish I had more to report, but it's just a slow news week. Until tomorrow...
I'm still wheat free and I am having no issues with that, whatsoever. I have had sweets cravings for a few days though. I don't know why the yearning for sweets has started up again, but it seemed to coincide with being very stressed at work last Thursday, along with being sick late last week and into the weekend. *Sigh* What is it about sweets?
Other than an occasional bowl of ice cream over the last few days, my diet had been very healthy. I've been disciplined about cooking on Sundays so there are healthy meals to pack for lunches and eat for dinner. I even made Jack a big pot of chicken soup and froze individual servings. I found several healthy chicken soup recipes over the weekend and my plan is to make a different soup each weekend for several weekends so that he will have several different types of soup to choose from when he wants a quick meal. Of course, they'd be there for both of us, but he's the one that tends to gravitate to a can of soup if he's hungry and wants something light.
Work is going OK. Improvements are happening all around me. It's an exciting time at Castle Creations. I'm glad I get to be part of it. I'll be going to Belgium in a couple of weeks, so that's fun. I've never been to Belgium before.
I wish I had more to report, but it's just a slow news week. Until tomorrow...
Monday, April 8, 2013
4/8/2013: Swim Day
Mondays are swim days, so I hit the pool this morning. For some reason I never look forward to swimming, but once I am in the pool it's not that bad. I can swim a couple of laps pretty fast, but after that, slow and steady wins the swim race for me. Today it took 40 minutes to swim 1500 meters. That seems like an improvement. I think when I started it took me 45 minutes to swim 1500 meters, but I don't really remember. I was doing a lot of different distances, 1000 meters one day, 2000 meters another, and I can't really recall what took how long. Today I made a point of checking the time when I got in and out of the pool. My goal will be to improve my speed a little bit each month.
My new chart is up on the wall and I am going to keep the same exercise schedule that I have had for the last 8 weeks. My weekly exercise goals are: 1500 meters swimming, 80 minutes bike riding, 10 miles running, and 3 hours strength training. I haven't played racquetball in a few weeks because my elbow still hurts. I am going to wait for it to heal and then wear a brace when I play. Now that it is getting nice out, Jack and I will probably go on a couple of long hikes a month, too. I will probably ride more than 80 minutes a week now that the weather is nice, I tend to stay on my bike for a while once I get on it; but if I have to ride a stationary bike I have trouble staying on it for more than 30 - 40 minutes at a time.
Today is the Royal's opening day at The K and Jack and I are going. It will be my first opening day!! I am looking forward to it; please rain, hold off for the afternoon. I better head to work early today, since I have to leave at 1:00.
My new chart is up on the wall and I am going to keep the same exercise schedule that I have had for the last 8 weeks. My weekly exercise goals are: 1500 meters swimming, 80 minutes bike riding, 10 miles running, and 3 hours strength training. I haven't played racquetball in a few weeks because my elbow still hurts. I am going to wait for it to heal and then wear a brace when I play. Now that it is getting nice out, Jack and I will probably go on a couple of long hikes a month, too. I will probably ride more than 80 minutes a week now that the weather is nice, I tend to stay on my bike for a while once I get on it; but if I have to ride a stationary bike I have trouble staying on it for more than 30 - 40 minutes at a time.
Today is the Royal's opening day at The K and Jack and I are going. It will be my first opening day!! I am looking forward to it; please rain, hold off for the afternoon. I better head to work early today, since I have to leave at 1:00.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
4/7/2013: Feeling Like a Champion!!
Yesterday I accomplished something I would never have even considered attempting a year ago. I rode my bike 21 miles, changed my shoes, and ran 5 miles. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life but I did it! A year ago, who would have imagined I could accomplish that feat? Not me, that's a fact! But I did it.
It was a beautiful day, 75 degrees and sunny with a decent breeze. Jack and I had plenty of chores to do, not the least of which was getting our 2012 taxes filed, including writing a pretty decent sized check to Uncle Sam. By the time I got everything done that I needed to get done, it was about 3:30 in the afternoon and I knew if I wanted to exercise I better get it done. It was so pretty out, and I was behind on my exercise for the week because of my trip to Colorado, so I decided to do a bike/run brick. In my mind I was going to do a relatively short bike ride, followed by a five mile run. So I loaded my bike in the car and headed to a nearby jogging/biking path.
The first 10 miles or so on my bike are always a little rough, as it takes some time to get acclimated to pedaling, but as I was riding I took note of the mileage and identified the landmark that would be my 2.5 mile turnaround point for my run. The path ends at about 6 miles, so I turned around there and rode back, passing my starting point. I was only going to go a couple more miles, turn around, and start my run; but by then I was really enjoying being on my bike and I was kind of curious about where the path went next, so I kept riding. I finally turned around and headed back to the car, after riding a total distance of 21 miles. I made the transition from biking to running as fast as I could, just taking the time to change shoes, throw my bike in the back of the car, and call Jack to let him know I would be later than I thought I would because of the longer than expected bike ride.
As I headed out on the run portion of my brick I considered shortening the run, since I rode further than I planned, but I decided against that. Mostly, because I didn't identify any landmarks for shorter runs and I wanted to know how far I went. Silly reason, I know, but that was my reason, nevertheless. I did figure I would run 2.5 miles and then walk back. At least that way I would know how far I ran and know that I got 5 miles in, one way or another.
The first mile or so of running, after getting off my bike, was incredibly difficult. The only other time I tried a brick it was really cold out, so my toes were numb and I couldn't really tell how much running was difficult because my feet were numb and how much it was difficult because I just got off my bike. Now I know. For some reason, it is not nearly as hard to transition from the stationary bike to the treadmill, I've done several indoor bricks this winter and they were nothing like this. When I started running yesterday I felt like an elephant trying to run through mud up to my neck. I felt like I could barely move. The act of running felt so foreign and so slow. I love being on my bike, especially about 20 miles into a bike ride. When I do long distance biking, I am happiest between about mile 15 and mile 60. That is when I feel completely in the groove of riding, the endorphins are pumping, I'm completely warmed up, and I'm not tired yet. The first 10 miles on the bike are always a little rough, and after mile 60 being on my bike gets a little tiring, but that middle section is euphoric. So the run part of the brick comes at a bad moment. I go from doing something I love, something that feels so natural and free, to running. When I started to run yesterday I felt like I was pushing one of those sleds that you see football players push against in practice. I felt like I was barely moving. I thought, "I can't do this. This is impossible." But I pushed those thoughts out of my head and kept on going.
After about a mile, running began to feel more natural again; but it took forever to get to my 2.5 mile half-way mark. Almost the whole way there I was planning on walking back once I turned around. But as I got close to my mark, probably half a mile away, I was feeling pretty good. I decided I could make it back to that spot before I started walking. I made it to the stump that was my turn around spot and headed back. Then I passed the spot that I head mentally marked as my spot to start walking. I felt fine. I was three miles into my run and I decided I would keep running until something started to hurt and I needed to stop. Nothing hurt, so I kept running. I'm not saying it wasn't hard, by the time I was about 4 miles into my run I felt like I could barely move because I was so tired, but I kept running. I knew I was actually moving, even though I felt like I was in slow motion, because I passed a walker going the same direction I was going in, at a pretty decent clip. Since nothing hurt, I knew the only reason it was getting hard was because my body was looking for fuel and I also knew that my body would find it, somewhere. It became a mental game, my body had to override my brain's desire to quit. So I kept running. The 2.5 miles back to my car were much, much shorter than the 2.5 miles to my turn around point. It felt like half the distance. As I got close to my car, maybe I was a half mile away at this point, I began to realize I was going to make it the entire 5 miles. All of a sudden, my thought process shifted from, "When will I need to start walking," to, "I'm going to run this entire five miles!" Then, almost as if by magic, I could see the parking lot where my car was parked. I started to feel so victorious! I knew I was going to make it. I started singing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," with my fists pumping up in the air, cheering myself to the finish line. The last little bit of my run was up a steep incline, to get from the path to the parking lot, I dug deep and ran up that hill with everything I had. I made it!! I was so pumped!! I was in disbelief. I was euphoric. I felt like I had just completed the most difficult physical task of my life. It was an incredible feeling. It was very, very hard and I hope it gets easier as the tri gets closer, but I did it! I really do feel like a champion!
It was a beautiful day, 75 degrees and sunny with a decent breeze. Jack and I had plenty of chores to do, not the least of which was getting our 2012 taxes filed, including writing a pretty decent sized check to Uncle Sam. By the time I got everything done that I needed to get done, it was about 3:30 in the afternoon and I knew if I wanted to exercise I better get it done. It was so pretty out, and I was behind on my exercise for the week because of my trip to Colorado, so I decided to do a bike/run brick. In my mind I was going to do a relatively short bike ride, followed by a five mile run. So I loaded my bike in the car and headed to a nearby jogging/biking path.
The first 10 miles or so on my bike are always a little rough, as it takes some time to get acclimated to pedaling, but as I was riding I took note of the mileage and identified the landmark that would be my 2.5 mile turnaround point for my run. The path ends at about 6 miles, so I turned around there and rode back, passing my starting point. I was only going to go a couple more miles, turn around, and start my run; but by then I was really enjoying being on my bike and I was kind of curious about where the path went next, so I kept riding. I finally turned around and headed back to the car, after riding a total distance of 21 miles. I made the transition from biking to running as fast as I could, just taking the time to change shoes, throw my bike in the back of the car, and call Jack to let him know I would be later than I thought I would because of the longer than expected bike ride.
As I headed out on the run portion of my brick I considered shortening the run, since I rode further than I planned, but I decided against that. Mostly, because I didn't identify any landmarks for shorter runs and I wanted to know how far I went. Silly reason, I know, but that was my reason, nevertheless. I did figure I would run 2.5 miles and then walk back. At least that way I would know how far I ran and know that I got 5 miles in, one way or another.
The first mile or so of running, after getting off my bike, was incredibly difficult. The only other time I tried a brick it was really cold out, so my toes were numb and I couldn't really tell how much running was difficult because my feet were numb and how much it was difficult because I just got off my bike. Now I know. For some reason, it is not nearly as hard to transition from the stationary bike to the treadmill, I've done several indoor bricks this winter and they were nothing like this. When I started running yesterday I felt like an elephant trying to run through mud up to my neck. I felt like I could barely move. The act of running felt so foreign and so slow. I love being on my bike, especially about 20 miles into a bike ride. When I do long distance biking, I am happiest between about mile 15 and mile 60. That is when I feel completely in the groove of riding, the endorphins are pumping, I'm completely warmed up, and I'm not tired yet. The first 10 miles on the bike are always a little rough, and after mile 60 being on my bike gets a little tiring, but that middle section is euphoric. So the run part of the brick comes at a bad moment. I go from doing something I love, something that feels so natural and free, to running. When I started to run yesterday I felt like I was pushing one of those sleds that you see football players push against in practice. I felt like I was barely moving. I thought, "I can't do this. This is impossible." But I pushed those thoughts out of my head and kept on going.
After about a mile, running began to feel more natural again; but it took forever to get to my 2.5 mile half-way mark. Almost the whole way there I was planning on walking back once I turned around. But as I got close to my mark, probably half a mile away, I was feeling pretty good. I decided I could make it back to that spot before I started walking. I made it to the stump that was my turn around spot and headed back. Then I passed the spot that I head mentally marked as my spot to start walking. I felt fine. I was three miles into my run and I decided I would keep running until something started to hurt and I needed to stop. Nothing hurt, so I kept running. I'm not saying it wasn't hard, by the time I was about 4 miles into my run I felt like I could barely move because I was so tired, but I kept running. I knew I was actually moving, even though I felt like I was in slow motion, because I passed a walker going the same direction I was going in, at a pretty decent clip. Since nothing hurt, I knew the only reason it was getting hard was because my body was looking for fuel and I also knew that my body would find it, somewhere. It became a mental game, my body had to override my brain's desire to quit. So I kept running. The 2.5 miles back to my car were much, much shorter than the 2.5 miles to my turn around point. It felt like half the distance. As I got close to my car, maybe I was a half mile away at this point, I began to realize I was going to make it the entire 5 miles. All of a sudden, my thought process shifted from, "When will I need to start walking," to, "I'm going to run this entire five miles!" Then, almost as if by magic, I could see the parking lot where my car was parked. I started to feel so victorious! I knew I was going to make it. I started singing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," with my fists pumping up in the air, cheering myself to the finish line. The last little bit of my run was up a steep incline, to get from the path to the parking lot, I dug deep and ran up that hill with everything I had. I made it!! I was so pumped!! I was in disbelief. I was euphoric. I felt like I had just completed the most difficult physical task of my life. It was an incredible feeling. It was very, very hard and I hope it gets easier as the tri gets closer, but I did it! I really do feel like a champion!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)