Start of a new week and so far a good one!! Ok fine - it isn't even noon yet but.... In the pool at 6AM and made it throught the entire workout with 10mins to spare!! Stayed in the pool though and did more drills!! Then tonight back on the bike - in the basement on the trainer though... It's still cold and damp out and supposed to be mixed rain/snow this aft.... Please tell me summer is really coming???? Had an email from a friend we met in Costa Rica at Christmas, it was one of the standard quotes and baby pics but a few items stuck out for me... So:
" The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime"
"It is never too late to become what you might have been." ** This one is especially cool and meaningful!!
"Life is too short to wake up with regrest.. So love the people who treat you right.. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it."
Happy Monday!!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
What's up Mother Nature???
Ok - it's mid April, daffodils are blooming and snow is falling? Yup gotta love Canada.... Yesterday was cold, rainy all day, and crazy windy... Then this morning - first thing when I woke up it was sunny and warm looking from inside! WOOHOO - weatherman was dead wrong and it's gonna be a nice one.... 8AM, in my car driving up to the Running Room, it's now grey and snowing.... 8:45AM start running, the flakes are getting bigger and the wind is picking up..... 1 hour later no snow, the sun is out in full force and I'm actually questioning how many layers I have on... And it happens to be just about turnaround time.... Well, 10 minutes later I'm running into a head wind from hell and it didn't stop the whole way back...
But - 18KM later, I DID IT.. Oh and it started snowing again... It's been like this all day but soon, soon it will be summer!!!!
My Mom sent me an awesome card with a quote that I LOVE:
"Within each of us is a hidden store of energy - energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life." Roger Dawson
I love it!!! And I love that I somehow managed to find that hidden store inside of me and am tapping into it!!!
But - 18KM later, I DID IT.. Oh and it started snowing again... It's been like this all day but soon, soon it will be summer!!!!
My Mom sent me an awesome card with a quote that I LOVE:
"Within each of us is a hidden store of energy - energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life." Roger Dawson
I love it!!! And I love that I somehow managed to find that hidden store inside of me and am tapping into it!!!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Slow and Steady
Running is not my uber favorite pastime. Swim - anytime. Bike- absolutely.. Run- do I have to??? Although that is changing once I get my butt moving I'm finding. Like last night.... Yesterday was swimming in the morning and 40 - 45 minute run at night... On the drive home I was actually looking forward to getting out there and breaking in my new shoes... Rushed to get changed, grabbed a quick snack for energy and off I went.... 3 minutes into it I'm already questioning why I'm doing this..... But I keep going... 35 minutes later I'm feeling amazing, have been maintaining a steady pace (except for the emergency bathroom break... I really need to figure this pre-run snack thing out), and am actually thinking I could just keep going....
So what do I need to do to get through those first 10 minutes where I question my sanity and then start to question my abililty????? One thing I know I did wrong last night was the route - coming out of my neighborhood I chose to take the slight hill route to start and it just knocked the air right out of me from the start.... WARM UP before hitting hills/inclines, or if I don't have a choice then slow down the pace a bit for that first one and build momentum.....
Anyway - not terrible overall... Average pace including walk breaks I took was 7:01..... Compared to others I know that's kind of sad but for me it's a sign of progress!!! I can use other people's abilities as a benchmark of where I want to go but I do need to be realistic about what I can do now.....
So what do I need to do to get through those first 10 minutes where I question my sanity and then start to question my abililty????? One thing I know I did wrong last night was the route - coming out of my neighborhood I chose to take the slight hill route to start and it just knocked the air right out of me from the start.... WARM UP before hitting hills/inclines, or if I don't have a choice then slow down the pace a bit for that first one and build momentum.....
Anyway - not terrible overall... Average pace including walk breaks I took was 7:01..... Compared to others I know that's kind of sad but for me it's a sign of progress!!! I can use other people's abilities as a benchmark of where I want to go but I do need to be realistic about what I can do now.....
Monday, April 11, 2011
Another neuron firing....
A funny thing about losing all the weight and becoming healthy and active was when my hormones went back into normal balance and started operating as they were meant to.... Suddenly I started noticing those lovely monthly signals of PMS and yes - I would become irritated, and frustrated with trivial things, and moments of self doubt would creep in... It was my running joke that I lose the weight and start a better life journey and in return God/Fate whomever blesses me with PMS.....
In the past when it was "that time" I would sometimes avoid working out - using various excuses why it was best not to... Or I would force myself into my spandex gear, start a workout and give up within 10-15 minutes....
But this morning that neuron snapped.... I'm in the pool at training, we're just at the beginning drills and I've decided our coach is trying to definitely kill us... But there's no way I'm wimping out... Not with all these people.... Then we get into the main set - 6x200 alternate swim and pull buoy progressively faster 200's... And there I am feeling bloated and like a really slow whale in the pool... But - instead of giving up when the thought crossed my mind and the excuses started formulating, I made a deal with myself... Stay in the pool, do the entire set but use the swim paddles to kick it up a notch! Before I knew it I'd completed the set and went on to swim another 200m with the extra time....
Not a major earth shattering event but one more nugget found on the journey!!!!
In the past when it was "that time" I would sometimes avoid working out - using various excuses why it was best not to... Or I would force myself into my spandex gear, start a workout and give up within 10-15 minutes....
But this morning that neuron snapped.... I'm in the pool at training, we're just at the beginning drills and I've decided our coach is trying to definitely kill us... But there's no way I'm wimping out... Not with all these people.... Then we get into the main set - 6x200 alternate swim and pull buoy progressively faster 200's... And there I am feeling bloated and like a really slow whale in the pool... But - instead of giving up when the thought crossed my mind and the excuses started formulating, I made a deal with myself... Stay in the pool, do the entire set but use the swim paddles to kick it up a notch! Before I knew it I'd completed the set and went on to swim another 200m with the extra time....
Not a major earth shattering event but one more nugget found on the journey!!!!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Off to a good start.....
So yesterday, April 9th, I kicked off my outdoor bike training with a bit of a challenge... I had a chance to go out and ride with a group that is faster/better/ and far more experienced than I am at the training /Triathlon world... Nervous is a bit of an understatement to explain how I felt going to bed on Friday night but.... I had decided that I would go out there and do my best, have fun, enjoy finally being outside, and if I needed to fall back I would... And so it was I found myself at 8AM checking tires and gearing up to hit the road in Mt. Albert......
60km later I rode back into the parking lot, alive, smiling, and feeling AMAZING!! Oh goodness yes they were faster and I got used to seeing them from afar but - they're also a great group of people who would stop and wait for me to catch up at points and every once in a while would circle back and ride along for a while before whipping off.... I certainly don't expect that for future rides, and oh yes I will head out for future rides - you dont' get better by training with people at your level all the time...
Wow - I guess this past week really has been one for challenging myself. On Wednesday our lanes were full at swim training and the next lane up a level only had 1 person in it.. She kindly accepted my query to join her and after the group drills when we moved onto the lane drills I chose to do the ones set up for that lane. A little harder than the ones set out for the lane I normally swim in, and I didn't quite make it through them all in the allotted time but.... I pushed myself and it felt great!!! Oh believe me - the following Friday I was back to my regular lane!!!!!!
What this has all helped prove to me is that yes - I've come a long way but... The road to Muskoka 70.3 in September is getting shorter and I've still got a long way to go... I dont' just want to finish the race, I want to do well in it!! So yes - going from a 5K walk to a 1/2 marathon walk to 2 Tri a Tri's, a 15K run, a 1/2 marathon run, and the finishing touch of hitting a personal best so far at the Angus Glen 10K run 1year later from starting this athletic journey is awesome.... But getting off my bike yesterday after 60K and running for 10 minutes reminded me of what's ahead!! It's funny I guess when you no longer think - yes that was ok but look where I came from and instead are thinking - that was ok but I need to do better!!!
Rule of thumb though is that I have to enjoy it too!!! So while it felt totally odd - I took today off... Slept in, lounged over breakfast and read the weekend paper.... Caught up on some household chores, got some more trim painted in the guest bedroom, watched movies, and yes - updated my blog... It was hard thunderstorms earlier which made me even happier not to have to go out and run but here it is , 4:30PM and the sun is shining and I actually want to go for a run.. Until I look at my training schedule from Brent and I don't get another full day off until Easter weekend so..... I'm taking full advantage of today!!!!
60km later I rode back into the parking lot, alive, smiling, and feeling AMAZING!! Oh goodness yes they were faster and I got used to seeing them from afar but - they're also a great group of people who would stop and wait for me to catch up at points and every once in a while would circle back and ride along for a while before whipping off.... I certainly don't expect that for future rides, and oh yes I will head out for future rides - you dont' get better by training with people at your level all the time...
Wow - I guess this past week really has been one for challenging myself. On Wednesday our lanes were full at swim training and the next lane up a level only had 1 person in it.. She kindly accepted my query to join her and after the group drills when we moved onto the lane drills I chose to do the ones set up for that lane. A little harder than the ones set out for the lane I normally swim in, and I didn't quite make it through them all in the allotted time but.... I pushed myself and it felt great!!! Oh believe me - the following Friday I was back to my regular lane!!!!!!
What this has all helped prove to me is that yes - I've come a long way but... The road to Muskoka 70.3 in September is getting shorter and I've still got a long way to go... I dont' just want to finish the race, I want to do well in it!! So yes - going from a 5K walk to a 1/2 marathon walk to 2 Tri a Tri's, a 15K run, a 1/2 marathon run, and the finishing touch of hitting a personal best so far at the Angus Glen 10K run 1year later from starting this athletic journey is awesome.... But getting off my bike yesterday after 60K and running for 10 minutes reminded me of what's ahead!! It's funny I guess when you no longer think - yes that was ok but look where I came from and instead are thinking - that was ok but I need to do better!!!
Rule of thumb though is that I have to enjoy it too!!! So while it felt totally odd - I took today off... Slept in, lounged over breakfast and read the weekend paper.... Caught up on some household chores, got some more trim painted in the guest bedroom, watched movies, and yes - updated my blog... It was hard thunderstorms earlier which made me even happier not to have to go out and run but here it is , 4:30PM and the sun is shining and I actually want to go for a run.. Until I look at my training schedule from Brent and I don't get another full day off until Easter weekend so..... I'm taking full advantage of today!!!!
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