Monday, April 30, 2007

I Started A Blog Nobody Read

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Sunday was my Blogiversary! I missed it!
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Peace

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Psychologically Overcast

Activity: Run
Distance: 5.11 miles
Time: 0:52:01
Speed: 5.90 mph
Pace: 10' 10 min/mile
Calories: 482


It wasn't the planned 20 mile run, but I felt like I needed to get out and do something, but cautiously. I ran down at the bay, the usual path. At first, I was just going to run a 2 miler in my neighborhood, but hubbie said he'd go with me, and the bay seemed more appealing knowing he'd be behind me with the Tylenol or a quick car ride home if my sinuses started acting up. We just did an out and back run on the concrete walk/path. Since it was overcast and a wee bit blustery, there weren't too many people out, so there weren't too many obstacles. I had a runny nose while running. The sinuses don't hurt but the pressure is still there. The right knee was a little twingy and I'm hoping that will work itself out. No more sore calves from last weeks 5k.

I'm hoping I'll be able to get in my 20 mile run in either by Tuesday or Wednesday.

There has been a bizarre string of arson fires in San Diego recently. For some unknown reason, someone is torching some of the palm trees in the beach and bay communities. When we arrived at the bay for our run, this is what we saw right across the street from the bay:


I hope they find the arsonist soon.

Peace

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Anxiety (Get Nervous)

WARNING - VENTING AHEAD

It's supposed to be a 20 mile run this weekend, and I had planned it for today, I even did a proper carb load, but I'm still dealing with the sinus thing. My doctor's office never called back on Friday and they're usually out on the weekends. If I call into urgent care it will blow my entire weekend. I hope I can manage with a couple of Aleive and a lot of water. I keep hoping this is a fluke and my head will feel better and I can get out there and run. Tomorrow is another day. I hope it's better. It will be better.

I'm also beginning to get a little anxious with the marathon in a little over a month away. I'm not even in taper mode yet, and I feel this way. I'm trying to keep a positive mental attitude (PMA), but the doubts are creeping in a bit. I'm beginning to doubt finishing my marathon in 5 hours or less. My first marathon in 2005 was 5:30. Last year was 5:13. Can I even come close to knocking 13+ minutes off of last year's time? I'm not trying to Q for Boston or anything (which would be awesome, but it's not happening), I just would like to see a 5 hour (or less) marathon under my hydration belt... My training times are s-l-o-w-l-y getting faster again, but is it enough? Do I have enough time between now and June 3, 2007 to run a little faster? Can I make it past marathon mile 22 without any pain to hamper my finish time? Can I possibly stay away from injury or illness between now and marathon day? I'm already dealing with the sinus thing and I'm frustrated. Then the knee twinges happen IF I happen to take an OTC sinus med. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

I've just re-read that last paragraph. Whining doesn't look any better in print than it sounds in person.

PMA, PMA, PMA... Visualization, meditation, happy thoughts...

Peace
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Friday, April 27, 2007

Words Get In The Way



Dear young, trying to be hip, Freshman College student guy, sitting in row F, seat 8 at the Performing Arts Center:

I know you're out with your friends. You appear to be the boy next door, and maybe you're a nice kid, but you are so difficult to sit behind. I understand that there's the need to convey to each girl sitting next to you something important during my daughter's college ballet class performance, but my neck is getting tired from trying to see around you each time you move your head from the right to the left. Just because the music in the center is loud, I can still hear everything you are saying. Yes, the dancers costumes are "fabulous." Tell your "girlfriend" on your right that her red high heeled shoes are cute, especially with her black and white dress, but it's not so cute when her feet are up on the chair in front of her and her legs are not crossed, if you get my drift. And don't forget to tell the "girlfriend" seated on your left that her phone calls can wait until after the performance and that she doesn't need to sing all the lyrics to "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence while the modern dance class is performing. Amy Lee does just fine on the original recording...

I truly wish you all the best and that the people seated in front of you don't ruin your show.

Sincerely,
The person sitting behind you in row G, seat 9.


PEACE
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Thursday, April 26, 2007

Sledgehammer

I'm taking the rest of the week off from running or workout out.

I had my chiropractor's appointment yesterday. The first thing out of his mouth was "Did you run at La Jolla on Sunday?" He was out at the shores on Sunday surfing and saw the runners go by while waiting on a wave...

I felt pretty good after my appointment, but soon after - while grocery shopping, I had a pounding headache that came on with a vengeance. It's a sinus thing. I haven't had sinus problems in a long time, so this took me by surprise. Once I got home, I took an OTC daytime sinus medication, which I haven't needed to take in ages. The weird thing is that my headache went away for four hours but then my knees ached for 4 hours. I never associated my stabbing knee pain with OTC sinus meds before. Time for more unscientific research. Usually the sinus thing means a trip to the doctors office for antibiotics. I'm procrastinating. Then the knees hurting again. Sheesh. It's a good week to take off from all things physcial.

The photos from the 5k are in. Go to THIS SITE and type in my bib number 5614.

Here's a pre-race photo from the parking lot at my hubbie's office:



From left to right: My brother, sister, me, and my hubbie. Yeah, we're still waking up.

Peace

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Good Day

Today's workout was high reps/low weights UBW circuits and abs to failure. Yoga stretches finished the workout.

All's I have to say about today is "calf DOMS." Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Four run events down now for my goal of one event each month for this year. Now I have to come up with something for May. There's the Union Tribune 8K Race for Literacy on May 6 that I'm considering. There's also a kids event the day before. It would be fun to enter DGS in the 3 and under race. We'll see. My brother is pushing for me to join him for the Bay To Breakers 12K event in San Francisco on May 20. I'm not sure about that one because it's during my taper for the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon, which is heavy on my mind at the moment. I have up to the day of the race (for B2B) to decide if I want to run it, but I would need to figure in air fare. Decisions, decisions.

Dori (She Do Run Run) had asked me about the hills between miles 7 and 10 of the SDRNR Marathon. This is what the elevation chart shows:


It look scarier on this elevation chart than it actually is, well, at least for me, since I live in a neighborhood with killer hills... The incline seemed gradual. I know some people thought it was tough. Personally, it was the little ramps that went over roads between miles 19 and 24, because I was super tired by then, and I was amongst the walking wounded... I hope to make it to the end, running the whole way, not walking, even if it is slow run. I still have work to do.

Peace


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Sunday, April 22, 2007

Morning Dance


La Jolla Shores 5k Run





Irene 47 San Diego CA 5614 F_45-49 8/33 8:37 clock 28:00:00 chip 26:47:00

Hubbie, brother, sister and I ran in the La Jolla Shores 5K this morning. We started at the top of a hill at UCSD, and ran DOWN HILL about a mile to La Jolla shores (where I met my hubbie a zillion years ago) which is right on the coast, ran about another mile which was sort of flat, then back UP HILL. Ugh! The hill was tough and my mind was telling me to follow the lady with the red hair in front of me, because if she could hoof it up this hill, I could too, and she was working hard. My lungs were having a whole different conversation... They wanted me to walk. It was tough. I couldn't imagine how the half marathoners felt on that hill. The ending part of the race was all down hill until the finish line was in view, then it was flat and I did an all out sprint and passed up two very tall guys who kept passing me up through out the run. I turned on my wireless run tracker too soon and I forgot to turn it off right away, which gave me time of 28:16, so I was thinking I finished in about 28:00, maybe 27:50. After checking the on line results, I've finished in 26:47 - chip time. I haven't seen a 5k time like that in months. My last 5k was about 28 minutes. Granted, I'm not the speediest person, as my brother smoked it and finished in just a little over 22 minutes (and came in 4th in his age group.) I'm really happy with my finish time. The half marathon that was going on at the same time has more hills and I wasn't ready for it. I was impressed watching some of them finish -- I need more hill training. Maybe next year... This 5k was the first time I had run in an event with my two siblings AND it was my sister's very first 5k event. I'm so proud of her for running today.

My family had a nice visit. We had to take care of some paperwork, which is why everyone came here, but it was fun going on the run, and it was good for my dad to have us all together.

Peace

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Drive

Light Upper Body Workout - circuits - Biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest.

I drove the marathon route with a friend, with the live tracker on my phone today for Bones In Motion. There were only a couple of dead spots at about mile 2, but that's because another company has their transmission towers and buildings near there. I was glad to have my friend with me because he knows downtown, and there were a few street closures because of the Padre's game at Petco Park. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketI would have gone in circles. I also couldn't get all the way into MCRD because they were having a graduation and the grandstand area was not accessible. It was fun, though, sort of reliving the marathon, but by car. My friend took pictures as we drove. I'll post those once he send them to me. Oh yeah... My compensation is a $50 gift certificate at RRS and a Bones In Motion race t. Not too bad!

My sister will be in town today, through Sunday, and my brother gets here on Saturday. I'm looking forward to seeing my siblings. The 5k race is this Sunday, and my brother is joining me for that.

Peace

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Somebody's Watching Me

No workout or run today.

Today is all about running errands, getting my hair done, and cleaning up!

The SDRNR Marathon is having the Bones In Motion wireless run tracker "LIVE TRACKER" (for the first time) at the event this year, so that someone else can monitor progress from their phone by text messaage or on their phone's GPS, OR on their computer. It shows the marathon route and you can view up to 10 runners who have live tracking at the marathon on June 3, 2007. Ironically, yesterday, on the BIM site, I was looking at their discussion boards and one of the BIM administrators posted something about needing people to drive the marathon route to test the tracker. I volunteered and will be driving the route with my tracker set to the marathon route, and they're going to follow me on their system, which (I think) is in Texas.

Then, last night Jon from Bones In Motion (wireless run tracker) contacted me to go over what they need me to do. He walked me through setting up the live tracking feature on my phone. On Thursday, they're going to turn on their tracking system (in Austin, Texas) and follow me as I drive the marathon route. They're looking for dead spots on the route BEFORE the event, so that Verizon can set up temporary transmitters at those dead spots, as to insure tracking is not interrupted. I told him my only concern was not being able to get into the military base at MCRD for the last mile, where most people had issues with their Garmins and cell phones last year. My compensation for doing this is free stuff at Road Runner Sports. I don't know the dollar ammount yet, but at least I get something! Jon said he would be in contact with the GM of RRS. Pretty sweet!

Check out the link to the route HERE.

Peace
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Sugar, Sugar

Activity: Run
Date: 04/17/07 09:38 AM
Distance: 2.21 miles
Time: 0:21:49
Speed: 6.08 mph
Pace: 9' 52 min/mile
Calories: 210
I ran a slightly different route today. I took on a hill but not "THE HILL."


Yesterday I had some pretty intense sugar and fat cravings. I was craving things I haven't had in a long time, such as mac n'cheese, white butter cream frosting, hot dogs, Hostess Twinkies, etc... I didn't have any of those things but I would have been in trouble if I were near a grocery store... I think part of the need to feed on junk was residual of my 18 mile run on Saturday. I need to continue carb-loading after such a big run, plus load up on lean proteins. I did pay attention to my nutrition the day of and after the run, but the cravings for junk was amazing. This might sound not very appetizing, but I took care of the cravings with tomato soup with a scoop of unflavored soy protein powder for lunch. dinner was better with chicken with rice and red beans. Hot herbal tea filled in the gaps of feeling like I wanted to eat junk. Today is much better. The cravings are gone.

I had a hard time putting into words what I was feeling about the tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday, so I didn't post about it. My heart sank into my stomach when I heard the news. I just coudn't believe this was happening again. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the friends and family closely tied to this horrible event.

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Monday, April 16, 2007

Please Come To Boston

Rodney Yee's Yoga DVD today. About 1 hour.

I had a good recoup on Sunday. No aches or pains, which is a major thing for me. My son wasn't feeling well so we ended up a the doctors. He went to a concert on Friday and was in the"pit." He was tossled around a little while, uh, dancing(?) with the others... He was complaing about chest pains. They did an EKG, x-rays and blood tests, just to be on the safe side, but everything came back top-notch. He's fine but the doctor Rx'ed some higher strength motrin. We also did taxes... Yep. A fun filled Sunday, indeed.

The very wet and rainy Boston Marathon was today. Kenyan Robert Cheruiyot won with an unoffical time of 2:13:14. Amazing. The women's winner was Russia's Lidiya Grigoryeva in 2:29:18. Equally amazing.





It is highly unlikely, however not totally impossible, that I would ever run in the Boston Marathon. I need a Q time of about 4 hours for my gender and age group. I'm currently working on a 5 hour or less marathon. As of right now, the only way I would make it to the Boston Marathon is if I go as a happy spectator.

On a side note...
I am super craving all of the wrong foods right now. Mac n' cheese sounds really good right now, but I can't have dairy. White butter cream frosting, Hostess Twinkies, and hot dogs also sound equally delicious... I don't even really like hot dogs all that much, they just sound really good right now. Perhaps this "need to feed" on junk is left-over from my run on Saturday? It sure isn't PMS. I know I need to semi carb load after a big run like that, and make sure I get enough protein, but, sheesh! I'm wanting all the bad stuff!

Peace

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Running On Empty

Run
Distance 18 miles
Time 3:41:36


Splits
mile min/mi
1 10' 20
2 10' 38
3 11' 15
4 11' 25
5 11' 23
6 11' 40
7 11' 37
8 11' 29
9 10' 41
10 12' 42
11 11' 33
12 11' 27
13 12' 00
14 12' 52
15 12' 26
16 17' 05
17 18' 55
18 11' 34

Per my splits, I was doing great for the first 9 miles. (I even ran past a large group participating in a triathlon! - Had to stop and yield the right-of-way a few times for them... Didn't want to get in the way.) Felt strong but didn't want to push it to conserve energy for the next 9 miles. Bathroom break around mile 10, therefore the slower average mile, but I started to recoup that time (a litte) into miles 11 & 12. I thought I would be okay with the Accel-gels I had, but I really needed the Powergels with caffiene. My butt/hamstrings started cramping up halfway thorugh mile 13. Hung on until mile 16 and HAD TO WALK. UGH! It was at that time my "night in shining armour" called me and asked me where I was and if I needed anything. He met me half way through mile 16 and gave me a caffinated Powergel which helped almost immediately, but I walked mile 17 until the cramping completely subsided and decided I could run the last mile. I also used the new shoes. My feet are great and there were no knee issues.

Time for an ice bath. I am toast.

Have a great weekend.

Peace
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Friday, April 13, 2007

Let's Get It Started

No workout today. I've been carb-loading so my weight is up a good 7 pounds. I need to get in at least 18 miles tomorrow morning. I also need to visit the Vitamin Shoppe for gels. RRS didn't have the flavor I use when I was there last.

I stole this next item from someone else...
Something fun:
Go to http://maps.google.com/maps and click on "get directions". Enter New York in the "from" text box and London in the "to" text box. Check out step #23. Haha!

Peace

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

New Shoes

Today was a non workout or running day, but I did buy new running shoes. There's a story there that I'll get into later...

Thanks for all of the kind words . Those words really help to keep the inside fires burning to keep on going.

Katiefeldmom - It's a lot of work, but it is worth it when it's all said and done. I could always say I wished I did this sooner, but I guess we all have to figure things out for ourselves.

Leslie - Yep. That was me. I looked like the frumpy mom in those mom jeans shorts. GAH! What was I thinking with those overall shorts??? The cool thing about changing so much is that people I know who haven't seen me in a long time don't even recognize me.

Barbie2be - Winner once again! I didn't know if anybody remembered Jethro Tull. As for that time in my life, I actually thought I looked okay. I thought I was more fit than I actually was. I was so wrong... I think people want to be nice and tell when we're not that big when in fact we are. Besides, even if they did tell us we wouldn't believe them anyway. We need to see it for ourselves before we can do something about it.

Cathy - At my 25th High School reunion, no one recognized me because I lost all of that weight. It was kind of cool when they found out it was me. They saw the fat me at the 20 year reunion. This year is my 30th. It will be interesting. Thanks for your on-going support, Cathy. You've had an awesome transformation, too.

Chantal - Thank you! It was reading your blog (about your fitness anniversary) that made me realize it had been 7 years for me. You're also proof that you can keep things going and stay fit!

Dori - I followed the book
Body For Life by Bill Phillips for 3 back to back 12 week challenges. I followed the book to the t for the first round, then I changed things around for the next two, and that's when I saw the bigger changes. The workout schedule looked something like this:
Monday - Upper body Workout (UBW)
Tuesday - Cardio - High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Wednesday - Lower Body Workout (LBW)
Thursday - Cardio -HIIT
Friday - UBW
Saturday - Cardio HIIT
Sunday - No workout/cardio
Then the next week is the same except you have two LBW's (Monday and Friday) and one UBW (On Wednesday)... All exercises are done on weight machines or with free weights and a bench -- but I've improvised with resistance bands and stability balls. The type of exercises you do should change every 4 weeks so you're less likely to plateau. There's also a list of "authorized foods." The food list is on their
website but I would suggest following the list in the book first, just to get a better grasp of clean eating. A lot of people get amazing results right away, but it took me 9 months mostly because of age and a sluggish metabolism. BFL is pretty simple to follow, and you really don't need supplements (as the book suggests - I don't use Myoplex), provided you follow the nutrition guidelines. It's a good place to get started, and once you get going with it you can "tweak" the nutrition and the workouts so that it works to your advantage. I've done other workouts since then, such as circuit training. BFL set the foundation for what I do now. One down side, though, is that a lot of personal trainers do not like the BFL approach. Personally, I'm all for what ever gets a person going, whether if it's BFL or something else. I must say that it's rather hard to marathon train and do BFL. It's overkill. So, for marathon training I'm using a combination of marathon training plans I found on Runnersworld.com. When the marathon is over I'll go back to full on weight training, but probably keep it at circuit training. As for the size, well, that was a surprise. I had never fathomed being a 2. I just never thought that number would be in my wardrobe. It wasn't a goal. A healthy 4/6 would have been peachy.

Evelyne - I guess we all have to have those before pictures... That one with my brother was the defining moment for me, that I had to do something.

Donna - I got rid of all of my fat clothes so there is no going back! Those pictures are a gentle reminder of where not to go back to...

Anne - It will always be a battle, darn it, but at least I can now have some fun with it, especially with the running.

Pamela - LOL... Thanks! I don't even recognize me in those pictures...


Now, about the shoes...
I went to Road Runner Sports to take a look at the current Asics Gel Nimbus, the most current model, only to find out that they've already been put on the endangered list. I tried on a pair and I could feel the difference right away. The weren't as comfy as last year's model, the toe box is not as wide, and the eyelets on top are loops, not holes. Bummer. My biggest gripe is that they always have to mess up a good thing and change the shoe I like best. I tried on the Asics Gel Cumulus and the Asics Gel Kinsei. The Gel Cumulus was about $85.00. It fit okay but was a little wobbly in the heel. The Gel Kinsei fit perfectly. I just about had a coronary over the price of around $165.00. It figures. The shoe that fits best is the one that cost more than I want to spend. After some deliberation (in my head) I decided to just close my eyes and buy the Gel Kinsei's. I go to the checkout and the guy rings up my sale and it comes up to $82.42, tax included. I also had my 10% VIP discount, but it shoudn't be THAT big of a discount. I asked the sales guy to make sure I had the right shoes, and I did. Hmmm. Oh well. Perhaps it was a fluke , a never worn return or something? I dunno. Hubbie bought a pair of running shoes like that before -- a new style, a never worn return, but marked way down. So, that's my story. I got the expensive shoes for cheap. The running shoe gods were kind today.

PEACE
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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Living In The Past

Gym workout today. It wasn't pretty but I did it. I did light weights, high reps for my UBW. I attempted the treadmill, but the one I happened to use kept shutting off. I think I only got in a full mile. I was trying to do speed intervals, but when I attempted to go faster, the machine would slow down or shut off.

April marks the anniversary of when I decided to take control of my well being and get fit through exercise and proper nutrition, and not go on a "diet."

It has been about 7 years since I've decided to live a healthier lifestyle. This first photo, with my brother, was taken on Father's Day -- about a couple of weeks after my 39th birthday and being in a car accident. This was THE photo that made me realize I should do something before I let my weight and health get out of control.

This next photo was taken a few months later, sans cast, while on vacation at Fallen Leaf Lake, near Lake Tahoe, CA. Those shorts I'm sporting in the photo were a size 10, and I was barely squeezing into those. My weight was topping off at 150+, and I'm only 5'3"... It wasn't THAT bad (in my mind) but prior to weighing in at 150+ pounds and squeezing into a too small size 10, I was wearing a size 6, even after having 2 kids. How did this happen to me? How did I get a fat gut, butt, and back fat????? For me, this was another photo showing me that I needed to do something, even though my dear husband said both photos weren't that bad... I knew otherwise. I was loosing control of my weight and only I had the power to do something about it.

I became fit the old fashioned way, through exercise and proper nutrition. There was no magic pill or special diet. As I had mentioned in the past, I had followed Body For Life. I did hook up with a personal trainer with my gym membership, but it was up to me to do the work. It took me a good nine months to lose 30 pounds. I had gained muscle, felt more healthy and energetic than ever, and fit comfortably into a size 2. I had never EVER been a size 2 before. I'll never forget being in the dressing room trying on size 2 pants for the first time. I was so used to my fat ass barely getting into a 10, and now I was sliding into a 2. Only stick figures wore a 2. I wasn't a stick since I was now carrying arond some lean muscle mass, and I weighed more than I had in the past, before kids. I had to keep rechecking the label to make sure I wasn't halucinating. I think I did my own little happy dance in the dressing room.


The running thing evolved out of being more fit. I never did team sports as a kid or in high school. I did enjoy swimming, but the running grew on me. It was something that I could do on my own, and I eventually began to run in events, and my hubbie began to run with me.



7 years later and I'm still sticking with a healthier lifestyle. It doesn't mean that I won't splurge from time to time, or that my weight won't go up and down, or that I expect everyone else to jump on board with me. It's not like that. I love chocolate cake/candy and an occasional martini, I can gain and lose up to 10 pounds in one week when carb loading for a run, and if someone wants to run or exercise with me it's great ~ but if not, it's okay.

PEACE
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Monday, April 09, 2007

Bust A Move

Run in the neighborhood. I felt sluggish from the busy party weekend...
Distance: 2.30 miles
Time: 24:10
Speed: 5.71 mph
Pace: 10' 30 min/mile
Calories: 218


I had plans to have an entire "FREE" weekend because it was my hubbie's birthday on Saturday, and Easter brunch at the inlaws on Sunday, plus friends at my house after that... Hubbie and I popped open a bottle of champagne with cake for his birthday. On Sunday I did okay at the inlaws house, as just about everything my SIL made was dripping with cheese - and I'm trying to stay away from cheese due to the allergic reaction I get from it. It was at MY house where I threw caution to the wind... Our friends brought over a very nice bottle of Asti to celebrate hubbies birthday, and after that there was some discussion about dark beer being high in antioxidants. My husband said "See, it says so on the bottle of Dos Equis." Then he poured some into my champagne flute... Then throw in a slice of chocolate cake with cherry filling and I was done...

As for running and working out, that didn't happen either. Per my schedule, I should of had a LONG run, about 18 miles, but I knew my nutrition was going to be way off, and had drink or two (or three) in the mix. It's so hard to run any distance after an evening of alcohol.

From now until the marathon EVERYTHING goes into high gear:
*No alcohol
*No dairy what-so-ever, not even a bite of pizza... The itchy break-outs and asthma aren't fun...
*More lean proteins
*Adhere to my training schedule, except for illness/injury

April marks my 7 year anniversary of a healtier lifestyle. I found the picture of the former fat me standing next to my fit brother. I'll post the picture tomorrow.

Peace



Saturday, April 07, 2007

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Question

LBW today, leg extension and leg curls. High reps, low weights.

I was *just* interviewed by a writer from Runner's World Magazine! On the Complete Running Network site they had asked about running in an event with pain, and how we dealt with the pain or if we dropped out. I put in a little blurb about my first marathon (2005) and running with the stabbing pain arthritis at mile 18... The writer called me and asked me questions about this "pain" for an article she's writiing that will go out in one of the fall issues. It's not absolutely certain that she'll use my information, but it was cool that she interviewed me.

About the tie-dyed shirt...
Here's a link that talks about Sue Krenn, the lady who the race is in memory of. Here's a blurb about the shirt from the San Diego Track Cub website:


The race t-shirt for the Sue Krenn 15K race has a silhouette of Sue on the front and a "No Wussies" symbol on the back. Dr. Goforth remembers when Sue would use the term "wussie" - "It was a comment she used when someone may say something about the workout suggesting fatigue or disappointment with the conditions (i.e.,wind or rain)”. She would say "come on ... don't be a wussie!" Hal was the race director for the Sue Krenn 15K for ten years and it was Hal who put the word "WUSSIE" on the race t-shirt inside a circle with a diagonal line through it. One year, the day of the Sue Krenn 15k race was one of stiff winds and rain, and Donna Gookin said to Hal, "Sue is looking down on us and saying, "Come on … don't be wussies."


PEACE

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Wednesday, April 04, 2007

You Look Good In My Shirt

No workout or run yesterday. I accompanied my dad to a doctor's appointment and helped him manage some business.

Today I ran in my neighborhood but opted out of taking on "THE HILL." I felt extremely sluggish. For a run in the two miler range I would think my run would be, at least, in the 8:30 min/mi range. I feel like the older I get, the slower I go. *SIGH* ... It's like I'll max out at a certain speed and I can't get it back. (*Note to self - Think positive thoughts and get your ass in gear.)

Distance - 2.14 miles
Time - 21.11
Pace - 9:53 min/mi
Calories - 203




Gadget girl here again with another gadget, but it is a replacement item. My dog managed to push my stability ball outside. She couldn't figure out how to play fetch with THAT ball, so she killed it. She was besides herself with joy over her accomplishment. I have a new stability ball with sand inside, which has more weight to it. I'm hoping that my dog won't be able to push it outside. It looks similar to the one pictured here.

Hubbie and I have signed up for the La Jolla Shores 5k for April 22, 2007. This event will have timing chips. I'm not expecting to PR because I've slowed down for marathon training but it will be nice to have a more accurate 5k time. This will be the first event hubbie and I will be doing together since the half marathon in January. Just for the record, the actual beach at La Jolla Shores is where I met my hubbie.

I've finally received my tie-dyed, long sleeved T-shirt from the Sue Krenn 15K last month.

Here's the front






And here's the back.


It's so cool!



PEACE

Monday, April 02, 2007

Unchained Melody

Full on upper body workout & abs for today - Modified BFL. Asthma was a factor in doing floor crunches. Switched to using the Bowflex with the incline bench and was able to complete my abs exercises that way.

Plans For April:
I'm planning on running in the La Jolla Shores 5k, which is a part of the La Jolla Half Marathon event. The half marathon is hill heavy and there is NO WAY that I'm ready for that. I can barely make it up one steep hill in my own neighborhood. There's a 3 hour time limit for the half marathon, and I don't doubt that I can do it well under 3 hours, but it's the hills on this course that are daunting.

I'm also taking this time to re-evaluate my nutrition. I haven't been as careful as I should be and it shows. I know what I need to do, I just need to do it. Duh.

Other News:
I've just found out that a friend of mine, who was considered to be in the "morbidly obese" category, had gastric bypass surgery last year, the day ater we met with other friends for lunch. I don't know what size she was or what her weight was, but she's now down to a size 3. She had always been on the chubby side back in high school, but the weight really came on after kids. She admits to the crummy food she was eating and knows that she has to really pay attention to her nutrition and exercise to keep her new body. The "slap in the face" realization that she needed to do something was her doctor's visit and being borderline diabetic, hypertention, and other weight related issues. Both of her parents died in their 50's due to weight related health issues. In her case, it definetly was a matter of nurture over nature. She grew up with bad eating habits. I haven't seen her yet but we're attempting to get together soon.

AND FINALLY...
Here's the list o'winners for March's "Name That Artist, Band, Group, etc..." Thanks for playing along!

3/29/07 Rockin' On Top Of The World - Aerosmith - Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


3/28/07 Read My Mind - Reba, The Killers - KatiefeldmomPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket, Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/27/07 Gone Country - Allan Jackson - ShopperPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/26/07 Dust In The Wind - Kansas - Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/23/07 Independent Women - Destiny's Child - Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/22/07 Peaceful Easy Feeling - Eagles - KatiefeldmomPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/21/07 Everyday I Write The Book - Elvis Costello

3/20/07 Teacher, Teacher - Rockpile

3/19/07 Breakfast In America - Supertramp - KatiefeldmomPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/18/07 Miles Ahead - Miles Davis

3/16/07 Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC - ShopperPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/14/07 Crosstown Traffic - Jimmi Hendrix - Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/12/07 Fax Me A Beer - Hank Williams Jr. - Katie Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/10/07 Road Runner - Aerosmith

3/7/07 Beautiful - Christina Aguilera - Barbie2bePhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/5/07 American Tune - Paul Simon - PamelaPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/4/07 Dreamboat Annie - Heart - Run-DMZPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

3/1/07 Blueberry Hill - Fats Domino - PamelaPhoto Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


PEACE
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Sunday, April 01, 2007

It's Not Unusual


Distance - 6.45 miles
Time - 1:04:44
Speed - 5.98 mph
Pace - 10:02 min/mile
Calories 614

I'm feeling pretty happy with my run today. I got up a little too late to run at the bay, as it gets very busy with tourists, people having parties, and people enjoying the sunny weekend at the bay, so I went to the lake in the old neighborhood, which was rather quiet. I was feeling like some asthma (ass-ma , bleh!) was going to come on, which is so frustrating, especially when my legs feel good. I controlled my breathing and tried to keep an even pace when I could. My average run time at the lake is usually in the 1:06 range, so to see it under that was a nice surprise. I'd actually like to see it under an hour on a consistent basis, and I suppose that's something to work up to.

After my run, I made my way to the mall to look for an arm band for my cell phone. Much to my surprise, I had a hard time finding one. They had a zillion armbands for the Ipod Nano. I did find something close at one of the Kiosks that sells cell phone accessories, but it was on the cheesy side and almost $50...Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket I wandered into Sports Chalet and they had a generic neoprene arm band for mp3 players that happened to fit my phone for $6.99.
When I run in my neighborhood, I really don't need a hydration pack/belt or much gear because it's usually between a 2 and 3 mile run, but I need to carry my cell phone. The cheapie mini-fanny pack I have kinda moves around too much because there's very little to weigh it down. Now, I can try out the mp3 player feature on my cell phone while using the GPS wireless run tracker.
Peace

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