Plugging Along

Well, here's another weekend, almost come and gone. It's been a bit of a messed up week, although I knew it would happen. Too many interruptions beyond my control and this lack of driving ability really throws a monkey wrench into things too. No, my eyes aren't any better, but I did try Erik's prescription sunglasses yesterday and found that they actually make a big difference for riding. They have a very narrow area of improvement but it just happens to be the vision I am lacking. They bring the 50-100 feet range into clearer view which will help immensely on fast rides. I will be able to see the road before it comes to me! Erik has very graciously offered me the use of his prescription which clip right into my new Rudy Project sunglasses. This means he'll have to wear his regular glasses and his clip ons. What a guy! He just gets a brand new pair of cool sunglasses and he has to lend them to me. It'll only be for a week or two and then I have my next eye appt. Maybe I can get something to help me then.

All this stuff in the news about the FDA hearing about LASIK surgery has me a bit worried. Argh. I will try not to think about it. I had PRK anyway and that's not what is being covered, but there are certainly some overlap in the concerns.

So - what did I do this week as far as training is concerned?


• Two runs at school - thank goodness for the Running Club. Bumped it up to 12 minutes of running and 1 min walk. 37 min to do 5km. Getting there slowly.

• One swim on Saturday. I felt great on the swim, especially since I didn't swim all week. I did 400m of warmups and didn't have to rest every 25m. Then I swam 400m straight. And another 300m stopping and starting a bit. Tried swimming 50m as fast as I could and did it in just a tad over one minute. My hart was pounding after that though so it's not something I could maintain. I guess I'll start doing some faster intervals. I could have swum longer but Erik was waiting so we could go to the LBS and test rides some bikes. I tried out my new Tyr swim goggles and they fit MUCH better than the other ones. No leaks at all!! Didn't connect with the lady who's selling the wet suit so I'll try that next week instead.

• One bike ride on Saturday Did 13 k on my road bike on the flats and 10km trying out a Willier bike which needed a shorter stem because I was too stretched out, and the seat I think was a bit too high so my crotch is hurting today. Next week, I'm going to try the Scott Contessa Cr1 Pro. I need a new bike!

Too big things I'd found about trying out new bikes - if the fit isn't perfect, you can't really judge it because it feels crappy. And I really need to know my speed when I'm riding it. Without my computer, I have no idea if it's faster on the climbs. I took my Garmin but there was no place to mount it. I am going to try to figure out some way to attach it temporarily to the handlebar or my wrist so I can can judge if the bike really is faster. We did take it out for a good 10k ride and did some climbing in East Kelowna.

Today I was planning to join the Sunday Ride but I just didn't feel 100% when I got up so I bailed. It'll be a very challenging ride for me and I need to feel strong if I'm going to attempt it. This will be better for Erik anyway because now he won't have to wait for me after the long climbs and he can do a hard ride and keep up with the rest of the guys. Then if we join the ride next week, he'll be more likely to be willing to wait for me, the hill slug.

Well, I'm off to do a run, 5.5 km I hope. Going to start bumping up my weekend run by a half km every week till I get to 10km. See how that goes. I am having some pain in my big toe joint when I bend my right foot. I don't know if it's from my shoes (same old problem rearing it's head again), or if it's because I wore my shoes with heels two days in a row. Or maybe even because I wore my running shoes all day after the lunch run on Thursday. Anyway, it's sore. I just speed laces but I think I'd better take them out and keep the status quo so I don't add another problem into the mix.

My weight

119.9 yesterday 120.1 this morning. I did eat a White Spot burger on Friday night though, and had wine with dinner last night. I'm trying though! I'm going to make up a week's lunch and dinner plan today so I can't bail on the diet all week. It jsut takes organization!

This Week's Plan

Sun- run 5.5k, bike 20km
Mon - swim
Tues - 3un 5k (allergy shot, baseball game)
Wed - swim, hills if time (baseball game)
Thurs - run 5km, bike easy?
Fri - bike? or rest
Sat - swim, bike

Wednesday

I REALLY wanted to go swimming today but I had to help the little guy with his homework before we went out for dinner tonight to see Garnet Rogers. Alas, it's been a bit of a blown week but what can you do? Tomorrow I have a staff meeting, followed by another baseball game so I won't be able to do anything again. Sigh. At any rate, I DO get to run at noon tomorrow so it's not totally a lost week. :)

On a brighter note, a girl at work has a long-sleeved Orca wesuit for sale. I think it might be too small but it's worth a try. If it fits, I can take it to the pool this weekend see how it feels. That should be exciting!!

I did ok with my diet today but went out for lunch AND dinner so that made it a bit tough. I had a roast beef sandwich for lunch and halibut for dinner. Only 2 glasses of wine and a smidgeon of hubby's cheesecake. No worries though, I was down to 120.5 this morning so I doubt I'll gain weight in one day.

Tuesday

Well after FOUR days off, I ran today with the kids - OMG, I can't believe I've had 4 days off - I will be as strong as an ox with all the muscle I must have built during that rest time LOL. Overall I felt good. Somehow I managed to drain the Garmin battery AGAIN, and I didn't have a watch but, anal me, I counted my steps so I could keep on track. I did 12 minute runs with 1 min walk breaks today. 5 km took me about 37 minutes. I ran one loop around the block, then 3 km with the kids (although it took them awhile to catch me) and then one more loop to finish up. The last set of running, my lower quads and knee were getting tight and starting to hurt so I stopped and walked one minute after only 7 minutes of running. Whatever it takes to stay injury-free. I iced my legs after and did some stretching. I think I'll be ok tomorrow. It's my Thursday run that usually hurts me later. We shall see.

Down to 120.3 lbs this morning. Yahoo! Hope it's not an aberration.

I hope to swim tomorrow (and maybe do hill repeats before going out for dinner although that's not too likely).

Well that's all for now I guess. :)

1500 calories today. Ooops. It was all healthy stuff though. Just too much bread.

This Body of Mine

Well, first off, I have to ashamedly admit I have not done a SINGLE workout this weekend. Sigh. Actually, it was the smart thing to do so I guess I shouldn't be disappointed in myself. My hubby's been sick with a bad cold and I have been feeling very run down and tired. I didn't expect to ride this weekend because it's been bloody cold with this snow. (A high of only 6 C today). I chose not to swim yesterday because we had a hectic schedule. Not only that, hubby would have had to drive me and wait around because my eyes are still really bad. (Please heal!!!)

But all was not lost. I could surely run today. I enjoy running in the cold and my shins are feeling better with two days rest. But this morning, I woke up with a murderous headache. Two rounds of Ibuprophen and one of Acetaminophen have not budged it. And now, here I sit at my computer which I'm pretty sure doesn't help. :) I just drank a litre of water because I thought I'm dehydrated. Crossing my fingers that'll help a bit. I haven't discounted the idea of a run but it's becoming less and less likely.

Weight Loss

So I just sent an email to Nigel of Running from the Reaper fame to see if it's not too late to join his 10 in 10 challenge. They're already two weeks into it but I only need to lose 7 lbs so maybe they'll still let me join. Either way, I'm going to follow along because it always motivates me to announce my goals in various places. I gained 2-3 lbs over our Spring Break holiday and I need to lose those plus the elusive last 5. I dunno. Those five pounds may NEVER come off. I've been trying for a year now. I get down to 118 and then a holiday comes along. So, I will 'go hard' until the end of June and see what happens. I was 121.6 this morning, well see how it goes. I think I'll aim for 1200-1300 calories a day. That's the only way I ever lose, despite my 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. It's just not fair being a woman my age. :)


This Body

Anyway, the point of this post was to meander through my thoughts about this learning process. I am constantly trying to figure out what I can and cannot do and I think I learn something new every day. I am always trying something different, tweaking a variable or two, to find the right balance. But in many ways, it's impossible really. There are so MANY variables, you can't control them all.

This week's challenge? Why the heck did my shins start hurting on Friday and my piriformis act up again on Saturday? I felt achey all over actually. I ran with the kids at school on Tuesday and felt good - bumped it up to a 10 min run, 1 min walk and did a full 5km while the kids did 2km. I iced my shins and stretched lots after and although they were a bit tender the next day, they weren't bad. Great! Run #3 and the orthotics seem to be working! Thursday, repeated the same process - ran 5km at school during the lunch break and felt great during the run, felt good all day in fact. After work, just before supper, I went out on my bike and 25 minutes of hill repeats. 7 X 40 seconds climbing a 4-6% grade. Felt good. No problem. Friday morning, woke up sore. Saturday, felt even more tender. Ugh. I sure WISH I could tell that I need to take it easier WHILE I'm running, instead of a day or two later. It's such a PITA.

So anyway, I'm wondering if maybe I shouldn't run AND do bike hill repeats on the same day? D'uh. Ya think? Next week, I'll do my hard biking on swim days and leave my run days for running only. Running is hard on my body - I am always a little sore the next day. But hill repeats, or a hard fast ride can tire my legs as well. Usually on their own, they are manageable, but perhaps doing them both on the same day isn't wise. Sometime I wish I was 30, but mostly I don't. I guess I'd like my 48 year old mind and a 30 year old body. How about that huh?


This Coming Week

This week's training will be a bit dicey. Right off the bat, I can't swim tomorrow because young son has to work on his science project after school and will need my help. Then he has his first baseball game tomorrow night! That should be exciting!

I will definitely run Tuesday and Thursday.

I will try to swim on Wednesday but hubby and I are going out for dinner so it might be a bit busy. If we go to the pool right after school, I might be able to fit in hill repeats before our dinner reservations at 7:30 to Garnet Rogers at the Minstrel Cafe.

Thursday is a write-off because we have a staff meeting and the boy has a second baseball game this week.

Maybe Friday won't be a rest day?

Maybe I should do more yoga and be flexible......

This is April?!

Woke up to snow this morning. It's April 19th. I have flowers blooming. I got a sunburn last weekend. I was going to ride my bike today! Unbelievable!


Here are two shots of my tulips. The first one was taken at noon and the 2nd was taken at 3pm. The snow is gone from the lower elevations now. I think my son's baseball practice will be a 'go' tomorrow. :)




PS Did you read this? Leave a comment so I know who has visited! Thanks. :)