December 31st

New Year's Eve Training

• End of Week 5 Pushups test - still couldn't get past 30. Will repeat Week 5 again to get stronger.
• Upper body workout - did the usual
• Abs - 4X30 crunches
• Core workout - various exercises using my new stability ball.
• I thought about doing other stuff but felt pretty laid back today and just want to chill.

Final installment of my "Year in Review"

I learned a lot this year, but first and foremost, I learned that I still have a lot to learn. Not surprisingly.

Here are just a few of revelations I've had in 2008.

• I can do things I never imagined I'd ever be able to do. I know that's cheesy but it's true, what can I say?

• I can set goals and actually meet them. Finally.

• I need to keep adjusting my goal plan as I learn more about what my body can and cannot do.

• I have to listen to my body sometimes, and ignore it other times, but I haven't quite figured out which is which yet.

• I need to alternate between hard and easy weeks when I'm in the heaviest of my training.

• I don't give up very easily. I keep finding ways to try, try again.

• There is no challenge so great that it cannot be met by breaking things down into smaller steps, and in the case of open water swimming, micro-steps.

• I can swim! OMG, I can actually swim pretty well! (In a lake, over my head, without a wetsuit, even thru weeds - yes I can!)

• I AM an awesome biker (16/113 last summer)!

• I can run pretty fast but if I do, I suffer for weeks after. Running is my biggest challenge and will likely continue to be a challenge over the next few years.

• I am way more competitive than I ever thought. *sheepish grin*

• I am much more interested in doing really well on a sprint triathlon, than "just finishing" a longer tri.

• I still may do longer races but will hold off for at least another year.

• I can wear a bikini again - OK I'm not a 20 year old but I look pretty damn good for my age anyway. July - first time in a bikini in 30 years. (That may have been my biggest achievement of the year, LOL..)


• I feel a WHOLE lot better when I eat a healthy diet - trying to aim towards a quasi-mediterranean diet most of the time.

• I can eat under 2000 calories a day, exercise an hour a day, and STILL not lose weight (argh).

• I still don't drink enough water or get enough sleep.

• I have a tremendous support crew - family and friends (real and virtual), who have supported and encouraged me all the way along this journey. I cannot tell you how many times I did a workout simply because I didn't want to let people down. What an amazing motivator! Thank you all so much - I could not have accomplished so much without you!

• I am a very lucky girl who happens to love life!

Happy New Year everyone!

December 30th

Went for a run this afternoon. Still snowy. Legs a bit tight and sore but ok. Went slow and did a 10 min walk/run warmup and walked 1 min after another 10 and then last 5 minutes walked home. Only did 4km.

I cut this from my Beginner Triathlete log - my totals for 2008. Of course, I still have one day left so they may change a bit.

Bike:	117h 51m 59s - 2743.65 KM
Run:	62h 18m 13s - 508.07 KM
Swim:	36h 38m 01s - 64450 M
Strength:	26h 15m
Hiking:	2h 00m
Yoga:	6h 35m

That is a total of 251:38:13

I averaged about 5 hours a week over the whole year. My winter hours were less and my summer hours were closer to 10 per week.

I love data...

December 29th

It was interesting for me to look back at my blogging this year and watch the progression. I think if I had to sum up my year it would be in two words Determination and Perseverance. I was frustrated a lot of the time but I just kept making mini-goals and readjusting as I went. I celebrated every accomplishment, no matter how minor. I was surrounded by wonderful supportive friends and family. If I can do it - ANYBODY can!


Looking back at 2008

January 1st I blogged about my goals and also added my ongoing mini-goals through the year.


Not long into the year, I began having trouble with my shins again and got orthotics.


Later in January, I continued to struggle with the running.


By the end of February, I started to stress about my impeding laser eye surgery, and more running problems.


By March, my running problems start to turn around.


In April, I was starting to understand my body, what it can do, and what it is telling me.


In May, I got a wetsuit!


By June, things were finally starting to go well.


My first 5k race of the season. Do I try to go hard or protect my legs?


At the end of June I finally got my new carbon Trek Madone 5.1 road bike


And I got into the 'zone' when I was running!


In July, I faced new fears - the open water swim....


I had another running race - 8km - went easy this time.


I realized I couldn't do any of it without Erik.


Later in July, I had to face my swimming fears.


Early August, planning, practicing, rehearsing,,,


My mantra....


Freaking out just before the triathlon. It's here!!!!


I did it! August 17, 2008


Zen Run 10k, for run, had to walk lots, still have leg pain.

December 28th

Workouts in the past two days

December 27 - 5km run in 41:22 (snowy roads)
December 28 - upper body, situps, crunches, plank.

Past Goals

I've been thinking a lot about my goals and training plan for 2009 and I plan to post them sometime in the next few days but right now, I'm looking back to where I was time last year and reflecting on what I've accomplished this year.

It's funny but I found an old goal list the other day that dated back to 1996. It was the same goal every year, and only the date was changed at the top. In fact, I just crossed it off and tried again every year. And I never seemed to actually meet my goals. Yet in the past two years, I have been able to accomplish so much - what is different? - I really do not know. Time to reflect.

My Goals for 1996 2001 2002 July 2002 January 2003 August 2003

1. To eat, exercise, and sleep properly for at least 21 days and establish a new habit of healthy eating, sleeping, and exercising.

I tried hard every year btu never seemed to make it stick. Then I started biking in the spring of 2006 and the following December, I set some goals for 2007.

In 2007:
1. Do a century ride.
2. Ride to Vernon and back.
3. Climb Anarchist Mountain as fast as the boys.
4. Climb Gordon Hill in less than 4 minutes.
5. Beat my previous TT Route time of 33:50 minutes, 28.3 km/h.
6. Do a 5 km running race, goal to finish in 30 minutes or less.
7. Do some long rides - 200+ km at least 2 times this season.

In December 2007, I reflected on those goals and noted that I:

1. Rode 100 km several times this summer. May 27, 2007 Metric Century in 3:47
2. Rode to Vernon and around the lake - 162 km, 100 miles on August 24, 2007
3. Anarchist Mountain 46:35. Beat Yogi, beat Erik's 2006 time.
4. Gordon Hill in 3:30 on June 16, 2007
5. TT Route in 32:28, 29.6 km/h on May 11, 2007
6. I started running last January after spending years thinking I could not run. In June 2007 - ran my first 5km race in 26:17. Came in 5th in my age group and 23rd overall. Followed that with severe shin splints and didn't run much for the rest of the year.
7. Didn't get to do any long rides but did cycle 340 km over 9 days in Provence, France.

Then, I set new goals for 2008:

1. Return to running asap. Start slowly, build slowly. Work my way back up to 5 km, then 10 km, and hopefully do half marathon in October.
2. Do a duathlon in May.
3. Start swimming in January.
4. Do a triathlon in August.

Reflecting on these goals now:

1. I built up my running again with physio, massage, orthotics, and perseverance.
- 5k race June 10, 2008, 26:26 3rd in my AG
- 8k race July 9, 2008, 46:17
- 10K Zen Run for fun, Oct. 10, 2008,. 1:08:00 (leg pain, had to walk lots)

2. Did not do the duathlon in May. My running was not strong enough yet.

3. Took swimming lessons in January and swam 2-3X a week all winter/spring. Overcame a huge fear of open water during the summer and managed to do the triathlon without a wetsuit at the very last minute. (OMG)

4. Did the Apple Sprint Triathlon on August 17, 2008. I came 4/12 in my age group (55/113) and did awesome on the bike split coming in 16/113 overall in the bike. My run was my weakest event because I'd had a lot of shin problems all summer and hadn't run much in the two weeks previous. I was ecstatic about my results and exceeded my goal of 1:35-1:40 with a time of 1:30:04.

So now I have to decide what my goals are for 2009. The long term plan was to do an oly or a half iron in 2009/2010 and maybe IMC in 2010 or later. What will I do? Stay tuned.

December 26th

Gee, guess it's time for a catch-up. Not surprisingly, I've been pretty busy getting ready for Christmas. As a teacher, I tend to leave all my organizing until I'm out of school on the 19th and then hit it hard. Subsequently, I've done nothing but cook, clean, shop, wrap, (and party!).

Here's a quick recap of the workouts I did manage to squeeze in.

Dec. 18 - did the week 5 push exhaustion test. Only did 30, needed to do 45 so repeating week 5.

Dec. 21 - Week 5, day 1 pushups, situps exhaustion test (50), 3X20 crunches and 2X30 plank.

Dec. 23 - 4.3km run in 31:19. Snowy, -12C, felt ok.

Dec. 24 - Week 5, Day 2 pushups

Dec. 25 - 30 min snowy walk with the dogs.

Dec. 26 - Week 5, day 3 pushups (13+13+15+15+2+12+10+31=121
- Week 1, Day 1 situps (double the pushups plan, column 3) 20+24+14+14+18=90
- Upper body strength workout


We had a wonderful Christmas with lots of good food, and good company. I'm still waiting for my sister and her family to make it here to Kelowna if it ever stops snowing on the coast...

My kids gave me a beautiful framed photo of the three of them. Gorgeous kids if I do say so myself. :)




Merry Christmas everyone!

December 24th

It was a small group at my house on Christmas Eve but we had a ton of fun. My two very musical brothers, my musical husband, and my mom on Djembe. I'm playing the 'egg" in this shot.

December 23rd

Merry Christmas everyone!

From Kelownagurl and Mr. Kelownagurl.




And here are the less-angelic sounding outtakes of Jingle Bells, much later on that evening...

December 19th, 20th

Doubling up these posts because I've been so busy. Did a ton of shopping, errands, and other related Christmas stuff today. By the time I had a moment to workout, I was totally bagged. Tomorrow is more snow (can't believe it ) and a wind chill warning of -36C (-32F) "Frostbite will occur in minutes." Guess I won't be running but I WILL do something for SURE.

December 17th/18th

Overwhelmed at school, meetings, errands, still sick. Every night I've come home and fallen asleep before I made dinner. Then gone to bed early on top of that. Didn't want to run in the cold air with this cough. I just wanna be better by Christmas.

So those are my excuses for not working out. :P

Did my exhaustion test to end Week 5 but couldn't do 45 pushups. Guess I'm repeating Week 5....

Good news - one more day of work then TWO WEEKS OFF!!!! :)

December 16th

Well I do have a new cold, darn kids at school, catching me when my resistance is low - the only thing running today was my nose. I didn't want to risk running outside in -20 temps with this cough. I am doing yoga tonight and that's it.

GO AWAY STUPID COLD!

December 15th

Rest Day

After my awesome afternoon/evening yesterday, I finished off some leftover steak and baked potatoes, chugged a little cough syrup and went to bed. Then I woke up at 1am feeling terrible, sick to my stomach and dizzy enough I had to wake up the hubby in case I passed out. Later, I decided it was a combination eating heavy food late, after a hard workout, and taking cough syrup with a revved metabolism (I am super sensitive to cold meds and avoid them most of the time). I eventually managed to get back to sleep but was restless and felt really bagged when I got up this morning. Going to take it easy tonight and go to bed early.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. :)

December 14th

Pushups, Abs, and Core

13+13+15+15+12+12+10+30=120 pushups (Week 5, Day 3)

5X30=150 crunches

Plank - regular (3X45 sec. total)

Plank - side - 30 seconds each side, feet against wall.

Plank with 20 leg lifts, and 20 arm lifts.

3X10 Squats (20 lbs)


Upper Body Strength workout with 5-10 lb hand weights

I decrease my reps and increase my weight today.

3 sets of 8 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

double tricep kickbacks - 10
double bicep curls - 10
double hammer curls - 10
shoulder press - 10
lateral raises - 35
flies - 5
french press - 20•20•16 (shoulder started to hurt)

Trainer

THEN, because I was feeling so good, 40:00 on the trainer - warm up and cool down with 30:00 in Zone 2. Hard to keep my HR below 150 tho. Had to keep cadence down around 80-85...


I felt better each day this week - here are my workouts. How did YOUR week go?


8- (30:00) 31 pushup test, 120 crunches, 3X15 weights, core
9- (30:00) 4.1 km run. Felt great!
10-(30:00) 90 pushups, 125 crunches, 3X15 weights, core
11- (56:00) Run 8:00, trainer 48:00
12- (30:00) 100 pushups, 120 crunches, 3X10 weights, core
13- (33:14) 4 km run
14- (35:00) 120 pushups, 150 crunches, 3X8 weights, core

My Current Thought Process on 2009 Goals / Training

I posted this question over at BT and got some great feedback so I thought I'd put down my thoughts here as well in hopes of getting feedback from my fellow triathlete friends.

As you probably know, I did my first sprint triathlon last year, and it was a huge challenge for me but I did it, placing 4/11 in my age group. My swim was ok, my bike was excellent (16th overall) and my run sucked. (I started swimming last January, and had only been running for less than a year.)

My long term goal is to eventually do an Ironman so ever since my triathlon, I've been working on running longer and was half hoping I can do a half IM next summer (I know I can handle the bike and swim). However, I am really struggling with getting my longer runs (shins, knees etc) and I am starting to wonder if my personal strength is actually in the shorter race. I wonder if perhaps I should stop trying to do long runs and focus my run training on improving my 5k time instead. I could go a long way if I could knock 5 minutes off my run and improve my swim, maybe even podium.

So here's my question - why is the sprint considered a lesser race than doing an Oly, Half IM, or IM? When people asked me about my race coming up, as soon as I said it was a sprint, they would nod and respond as if to say - "oh, you're doing the easy one."

Are there people who specialize in doing a sprint?

Of course, I realize that I can do anything I want, and what other people think is irrelevant, I'm just trying to figure things out in my mind. And what I decide will affect my training this winter and spring.

I'm starting to think that maybe for a year or two, while I'm still young (ha ha, relatively), I should focus on really improving my 5k run, continue to work on my noob swimming skills, and maintain my bike fitness, and go for a PR in the sprint. There are lots of sprint tris around here, I could easily do 4 or more of them next spring/summer/fall. Then maybe in the years to follow, when I no longer have the short race speed, I could go back to working on my longer runs and do some endurance races where my goal would be to finish instead of place.

Anyone have any words of advice?

Here are couple of pics of the foot-deep snow on my deck.

December 13th

4 km, 33:16 minutes.

December 12th

Pushups, Abs, and Core

10+10+13+13+10+10+9+25=100 pushups (Week 5, Day 2)

4X20=120 crunches

Plank regular (3X30 sec. total)

30 Squats (16 lbs))


Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb hand weights

3 sets of 8-10 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 8
bicep curls - 8
hammer curls - 8
shoulder press - 8
lateral raises - 3
flies - 3
french press - 16

December 11th

Went for a run, top of right foot hurt so much I had to bail after one lap. Just tenderness from tying new shoes too tight - it will go away.

Hit the trainer instead. So boring. Stayed in Zone 2 the whole time (Joe Friel, 140-151 bpm). Did some spinups, high cadence drills, and one legged drills. 48 minutes total. It's been awhile since I was on the bike.

Concert was today - yay, it's all done! All I have to do now is organize two school-wide singalong assemblies for next Friday. As well, such is life...

Big winter storm brewing for tomorrow. 15-20 cm of snow expected, strong northerly winds, then cold for the next 3-4 days. Highs on Monday and Tuesday of -12C (10F). brrr... I hope it stays until Christmas.

December 10th

~~Hello to my new followers - most of you I know, but I'm curious about one of you, possibly from South St. Paul, calling yourself "Google Knol". Who are you? Please email me - I'm curious. Thanks. :)

Pushups, Abs, and Core

17+19+15+15+24=90 pushups (Week 5, Day 1)
5X25=125 crunches
Plank regular, side, and regular with leg and arm lifts. (4X30 sec. total)
30 Squats (body weight)
30 Lunges

Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb hand weights

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 5
bicep curls - 5
hammer curls - 5
shoulder press - 5
lateral raises - 3
flies - 3
french press - 10

December 9th

No more whining, how 'bout some cheese?

Here's a pic of me taken a few days ago day, showing off my new hardware. Cool eh? It's one of those sickly-looking "by the light of my computer" photos taken when I still wasn't feeling too well, but it'll have to do for now. Yeah, I know you can't really see them all that well. That's why I paid extra to have clear front brackets.
:-# <--- me smiling with braces. Braces - feeling better day by day. I can eat most normal food now - I just can't bite into hard things like nuts, raw veggies (wah) and meat. Still need lots of wax, especially on the back brackets. Cleaning my teeth is a major operation twice a day though. I need to get up earlier now. :)

Training - I didn't feel like going for a run after I got home from work but I forced myself with a little help and encouragement from my twitter friends (thanks Zappoman, UltraRob, and Marathonchris!). After my crappy run on Sunday, I wasn't expecting much but I had no pain at all! I could have run longer but I stopped after 30 minutes just to be on the safe side. My feet felt ok in the new runners too. Did about 10 minutes of yoga when I got home. Yay me!


Big News about the New Aquatic Centre!

I am SO stoked and excited about the April opening of the new pool. Currently I have a monthly membship at the YMCA which I love. However, it's a 30 minute drive from my house so I tend not to go unless I'm doing intense training.

The new Aquatic Centre will be run by the YMCA as well and it's only 3.5 km from my house, a short 4 minute drive. The monthly membership fee includes EVERYTHING, including the Olympic size pool (52m), 10,000 square feet of workout space, and a huge waterpark.

All this for only $45 a month, which is actually less than the $55 I'm paying for the cushy private change rooms at the Y right now.

Mission Aquatic Centre Pictures


Facilities

Leisure Indoor Water Park

Accommodates up to 500 swimmers including a wide variety of interactive water features:
• A wave pool, with up to 1.5m high waves
• A river run with rapids and waves for an exciting ride on an inner tub or other floating device
• 3 water slides approximately 60m, 80m and 90m long
• An ocean wave surf simulator termed a “flowrider” that is ideal for the “boogie boarder”
• A children’s water play area packed with toys, spray nozzles, jets and pull valves
• A steam room
• A family orientated (wheelchair accessible) and an “adult only” whirlpool

Olympic length, 52 metre main pool

Featuring a movable floor and 2 bulkheads which will allow a variety of aquatic activities to occur simultaneously; sports and competitions, programs and enjoyment for up to 500 swimmers:
• Learn-to-swim programs
• Length swimming
• Aquatic fitness classes
• Aquatic specialty courses such as: lifeguard and instructor training; scuba diving; under water hockey; canoe & kayaking; water safety programs; and, triathlon training
• Springboard diving—2x1 metre and 2x3 metre diving boards
• Swim clubs, private rentals and birthday parties
• On-deck seating for 350-400 people

Fitness and Exercise Rooms
• 10,000 square feet of space for exercise machines, free weights and individual training
• 2,000 square feet of studio space for a full spectrum of fitness and wellness classes such as: yoga, pilates, jazz & fitness dance for all ages

Customer Service and Support Amenities
• Spacious change rooms with privacy for families and persons with disabilities
• Multi-purpose meeting room with child minding
• Food services with provision for both on-deck and lobby service

December 8th

I'm optimistic that my second week will be much more active.

Today I had to do my 2nd pushup test to see if I'm ready to move to week 5. I had to do a minimum of 31 and I just barely made it. The last two were really tough and my arms were shaking. If I have trouble doing week 5, I may go back and repeat week 4. We'll see. I'm going to start week 5 on Wednesday I think. No way I can do the first set now after that test. :)

Pushups, Abs, and Core

31 pushups (Week 5 test)
4X30 crunches (120)
Plank regular, side, and regular with leg and arm lifts. (4X30 sec. total)
30 Squats (body weight)
30 Lunges

Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb hand weights

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 5
bicep curls - 5
hammer curls - 5
shoulder press - 5
lateral raises - 3
flies - 3
french press - 10

December 7th

Today is the end of the first week of the Challenge! How did YOU do?

As you have probably read, I have been sick all week and have not been able to keep up with my 30 minutes a day but I have tried. Three days this week, I did my pushups, crunches, and yoga. On the other days, I was just feeling too crummy to do even yoga. I cannot remember the last time I was sick for this long. Maybe at least 5 or 6 years ago...

I am writing this in the morning, so that people can feel free to leave their updates in the comment box. Let us know what you did each day by commenting on this post.

I am planning to go for my Santa Run later this afternoon. I will update this post once I'm done.

8:30 Update

I was so busy all day getting ready for company and doing school work I almost didn't have a chance to do my run. Then I decided to be irresponsible and squeeze it in at the last minute crossing my fingers that I would still have time to clean up the house before people arrived at 4:30. I didn't have to time to grab my camera or my Santa hat so I didn't really participate in the Santa Run, and I didn't even do a full 5km but it sure felt good to be out there again.

I wore my new runners and they felt a bit uncomfortable so I had to stop and loosen the top laces a couple of times. My shins felt good for the first 2 km, then my knees started to tighten and I did a lot more walking than running for the last 1.5 km. I could only fit in 30 minutes so I headed back and hit the 30 minute mark just as I walked into the driveway!

Because the whole idea of this challenge to take good care of my body, I am not going to feel guilty about not working out much this week. Instead I'm going to celebrate the fact that I still managed to do all those pushups this week! When I did the first pushup test at the beginning of November, I could only do 5 in a row before I collapsed. Yay me! Tomorrow I'm going to do the next pushups test. If I can do 31 or more pushups without stopping, I'll be able to move on to Week 5. If not, I'll repeat Week 4.

So here's my summary of December Week One:

1- (30:00) 70 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
2- Still sick
3- (30:00) 72 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
4- Still sick
5- Still sick
6- (35:00) 85 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
7- (30:00) run 3.77 km

Please leave a comment and let us know how YOUR week went!!

December 6th

I'm pretty sure I'll start to sound perkier really soon!

I am feeling pretty much the same as yesterday except my ear is popping a lot more and I think I'm getting an ear infection. If it hurts, I hope it starts during the day when I can run to the walkin clinic for antibiotics. Lybbe told me to put a clove of garlic in my ear. Waiting to hear back from her - how long do I leave it there?

My teeth still hurt but I ate some soft bread and processed cheese ok. Making eg salad sandwich for supper. Nice to eat semi-solid food today.

Today I didn't run (Erik really didn't think it was good idea for me to go out and run in the cold), so I did:

Week 4, Day 3 of the pushups challenge and 100 crunches followed by Yoga.

16+18+13+13+25=85 pushups. I rested fully between sets and did my crunches afterwards so I could have more energy to complete the sets. They were tough.

I am going to go do some yoga rught now while my headache has abated.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

And hey, tomorrow is the end of the first week! How about you all comment how your week went. Give us a rundown of what you did each day? Mine is pathetic but yours will be better!

1- (30:00) 70 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
2- Still sick
3- (30:00) 72 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
4- Still sick
5- Still sick
6- (35:00) 85 pushups, 100 crunches, yoga (sick)
7 - ??

December 5th

It was a long day but I am feeling a little bit better. I got home late, had a nap, and had to go out to our staff Christmas party. It was nice but I couldn't eat anything and Erik and I were both feeling pretty crummy and tired. Now I'm home early at 9pm and ready to hit the sack. Tomorrow I am going for a run. I'm going to get back into exercise mode now that my headache is gone and I think I will be able to get back on track with my exercise challenge.


In Memory of my dad, Melvin Dudley Park, who died in an industrial accident on Friday, December 5th, 1975.

I still miss you, Dad...

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

December 4th

At the risk of being a total downer, I have not worked out today. I still have a raging headache which has lasted 3 days and my mouth is so sore from these braces that I have only eaten yogurt and plain soup and pudding all day. I went to work today and survived but had an avalanche of things to do before craft day tomorrow and our concert next week so I didn't get home until close to 6. And just as my cough and laryngitis is beginning to subside, my nose is starting to burn and my throat is sore. I think I'm getting a head cold on top of everything else. Even my ear is starting to pop.

ARGH!!!!!!!

I'm sure I'll stop complaining and get back to training soon.

Just ignore me in the meantime.

December 3rd

Well yesterday was a rest day for me. I had a bad headache all day and it let up for about one hour in the early evening but I didn't take advantage of it quick enough. It came back with a vengeance and it's still there tonight.

Desipte that, I did managed to do Week 4, Day 2 of the Pushups Challenge and 100 crunches.

14+16+12+12+18=72 I didn't do more than the minimum in my last set because they were so darn hard.

If the headache lets up, I will try to do some yoga tonight.

***Warning - more whining ahead.

I got my top braces put on this morning. They don't look too bad, nobody at work even noticed them when I stopped in to pick up the boys - I had to point them out and open wide.

However, my teeth are now killing me and I can't bite down on anything. All I've eaten today is a bowl of soup and I'm off the store right now to get some instant breakfast or Ensure to drink for the next day or so.

The insides of my mouth are being abraded so put some wax on them. I get canker sores so easily, it's hard to imagine that I won't have a mouth full of them in the next few days. Argh.

I still have my cold, my sinuses are blocked up, and I cough my brains out at night - only got 4 hours sleep last night, but slept two hours this afternoon to catch up.

I absolutely have to go in to work tomorrow so REALLY hoping the headache is gone by then.

**Whine over**

So how's everyone else doing? :)

December 2nd

First off - I haven't done any training yet today. I felt awful this morning, but I went into school for 20 minutes to rehearse with the kids, and then went to the doctor. She thinks it's a virus so I don't have to take antibiotics (yay) but she thinks I should stay off work for the rest of the week so my voice comes back fully. I have to be away tomorrow because I'm getting my stupid braces (known only as SB from now on) and if I had to, I could stay home Thursday, but Friday is craft day and we have our first rehearsal on the stage so I pretty well HAVE to go that day. Hopefully I'll be feeling better.

Anyway, my point is - I can't do my planned run today. It'll just exacerbate my cough and congestion. So I guess it's another yoga day instead. I plan to do a more intense 30 minutes plus workout instead of the regular running one.

To all the Challengers - how did you do today? You can comment here daily, or let us know once a week how things have gone. Just so you know, I tend not to do my daily post until the evening (PST) so you may have to do it a day later if you're in bed before me. It looks like we've got at least 15 people along for the ride this time. That's awesome! I tried to link your blogs if you have them.

**************
Triathlon Training

Well I have only have more month left to keep in generally good fitness and then it'll be time to get back to more organized training. I was looking back at my January training log and I think I am probably in better shape now that I was a year ago. I still have problems with my shins but in general, the things that tired me out a year ago, wouldn't be a problem for me now. I know how to swim now so this year I can work on form and speed, and I think if I can just maintain my cycling fitness, I'll be doing well on that front.

Strength

I had a gym pass last year and I was going 3 times a week. This year, I think I'll just stick with the strength training I'm doing at home. The only thing I'm missing out on is the leg press so I will have to add some squats as well I think. I could also do some leg exercises at the YMCA gym after I swim if I want.

Swimming

Which brings me to swimming. I absolutely must get back to swimming soon, but if not right away, then definitely in January. I hate to admit I have not been swimming since my tri last August so it will take me awhile to get my fitness back. I also need to get some private instruction again to work on my stroke. The new pool doesn't open until March, if it's on time, so I have to drive a half hour to the Y twice a week I guess.

Cycling

I have my trainer set up and I am going to be building my aerobic base in December and January. I will also do spin ups and one-legged drills to smooth out my pedalling.

Running

I am way ahead of where I was this time last year, thankfully, even with my lack of running over the past 2 weeks. Hopefully, I can continue to slowly build up my kms and maybe start to do a little speed work? Maybe?

December Challenge

Merry Christmas, Happy December!!

It's time for the December Challenge and I need you guys! I am heavily motivated by challenges and love to take people along for the ride. I can't believe how many days I did not feel like working out last month, but I did it because I couldn't bring myself to blog that I had bailed.

So my personal challenge this month will be to continue doing 30 minutes of exercise every day. I am going to try for 45 minutes whenever I can but my minimum will be 30 minutes.

Because it's December and I have some heavy commitments, I am going to allow myself one day off per week, if needed.

Rules:

1. Take care of your body. If you're injured, or too sick to train, then take the day off without feeling bad.

2. Post here at least once a week, or every day if you want, to let us know how you're doing. We will cheer you along!

3. Do any kind of exercise you like: I plan to run, bike, swim, hike in the hills, cross-country ski, and do yoga. Do things that work for YOU.

4. You do have a bad day and skip your workout, don't let that be an excuse to quit altogether. Get back on the wagon the very next day and go for as many exercise days in the month as possible!

Other things to consider...

Think about drinking lots of water and eating healthfully when you're not at parties or family gatherings. Christmas is about enjoying the season but we don't have to pig out at every meal and every snack in between.

So who's in? So far we have:

Jenamn
Erin337
Solorunner
Mary_W_Walters
Maddyhubba
Marathongirl
LIrunner9
Lesley
MsTeechur
Craig42k
Papayasf
Gord (Run to Disney)
Lybbe
Renwick (atho he spells it some weird way. :)
Ortingrunner
Meechellee
and me of course!

I'll add more names as they come in to me. I'm hoping a few more men will join in as well!

PS I'm going to have to do something easy myself tonight. I am still feeling pretty crappy and have had a headache all day. I just took some Ibuprofen and did my Week 4, Day 1 pushups (12, 14, 11, 10, 23), 100 crunches (5X20), and then some relaxing yoga.

November 30th

Happy 25th birthday to another one of my babies. How can I have a kid who's 25?? I just don't understand this aging thing. I don't feel that old...

Well it's the end of the November Challenge, and for me, it finished with a whimper (and a whine.) It started with a crappy run last weekend, and then a sudden hit from a bad case of laryngitis. I have booked off sick tomorrow and I'm still not feeling well nor do I have much of a voice, integral in my job.

I did do 30 minutes of Yoga tonight, which felt good but was punctuated with bouts of coughing. But sad to say, I missed several days of exercise. I don't think it's a good idea to workout too hard, or go for a run when you're sick though. We need to take care of our bodies, right?!

Here are my totals from Beginner Triathlete:

November's totals:
Bike: 2h 00m
Run: 6h 32m 05s - 49.95 KM
Strength: 2h 21m
Aerobics: 40m
Hiking: 1h 30m
Volleyball: 45m
Walking: 20m
Yoga: 5h 55m
Total hours: 24:05

My goal of 30 minutes a day is equal to 15 hours of exercise in the month - I managed to beat that by 9 hours, even if I didn't workout every single day. I also know that I worked out MANY more days than I would have normally in November. So it's still a win in my mind. Plus, I'm rockin' that pushups challenge. I can do 23 pushups in a row now - pretty good for me! Week 4 starts on Monday!


I'd love to hear how everyone else did with this month-long challenge! Let me go back into the archives and refresh my memory.

Originally, we had:

Erin337
Drusy
Ortingrunner
Seriouschick
Lybbe

all from Twitter.

Later in the month,

Nathan
Phil
Kristina
Chopper

all joined in from the Runcast TV challenge.

And of course there are all my buddies from Beginner Triathlete, where the whole idea began. Those guys don't read my blog, but I do know Paul stuck with the challenge most of the month.

Thanks to everyone who joined in and helped to encourage one another in the various places that we chat.

Beginner Triathlete has started a new challenge for December. I am going to allow myself one rest day a week and aim for 30-45 minutes of exercise every day. If I could do it in November, I'm pretty sure I can do it again in December.

Anyone want to join me? :)

Cutting and pasting this from my BT log:

November Challenge Exercise
30 minutes a day EVERY DAY this month.
1 - Run 40:49
2 - Yoga 20:00, Pushups/Crunches 10:00
3 - Aerobics 20:00, Trainer 30:00
4 - Run 32:37
5 - Yoga 30:00
6 - Yoga 20:00, Pushups/Crunches 15:00
7 - Run 32:18, Yoga 20:00
8 - Walk 20:00 eye very painful today
9 - Yoga 40:00, Run 50:19, Pushups/Crunches 15:00
10- Trainer 30:00
11- Run 26:00 Yoga 20:00
12- Upper body 30:00, Trainer 30:00, yoga 20:00
13- Yoga 30:00
14- Upper body 30:00
15- Run 47:30
16- Trainer 30:00, Yoga 20:00
17- Aerobics 20:00, Yoga 20:00
18- Run 38:40, Yoga 20:00
19- Upper body 30:00
20- Run 38:07, Yoga 20:00
21- Volleyball 45:00
22- Run 1:00:51, Yoga 20:00, PU 19
23- Hiking 1:30:00, Yoga 20:00
24- Upper body 40:00, Yoga 20:00
25- Crappy Run 24:24 whining 6:00
26- Upper body 40:00
27- Sick :(
28- Sick
29- 65 pushups and 100 crunches (Still sick)
30- Yoga 30:00 (Still sick argh)

November 29th

I felt pretty crappy this morning but once I got up, took some ibuprofen, and walked around around a bit to clear my sinuses, I felt better. My voice is back to a rasp today, much better than the whisper, but I've tried not to use it too much today. (And everyone who knows me in real life can stop rolling their eyes...)

I did Week 3, Day 3 of the 100 pushups challenge, plus 100 crunches.

11+13+9+9+23=65 pushups.

It's not 30 minutes but it's all I'm going to do tonight.

My little guy is home this weekend for a change, so he made dinner, under my supervision. He loves cooking and can already cook quite a few things. He'll make a good husband some day. Tonight he made penne with chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese. It's cooking now and smells delish! I put the recipe on my blog.

I hope I feel better tomorrow...

Oh, I almost forgot, I bought new runners today. I tried on about 5 different pairs but ended up buying the same ones I already have - Saucony Pro-Grid Triumph 4. They were the only ones that felt good, AND they were on sale because they were last year's model. What's not to like about that?!

The old ones, which have about 640 km on them, are on the left. They don't look as dirty in that picture as they are in real life. I guess I'll have to move my speed laces over to the new shoes. As you can see on the old shoes, I also have to start lacing my shoes higher up than usual, because I get pain on the top of my foot if there is any pressure there at all.

Sad to say, I did not go for my long run today but I may go for an easy short run to break them in tomorrow.

November 28th

Still sick. I went to work but I shouldn't have. I had no voice at all and I thought I was doing ok by whispering all day (using my mic) only to find out that it's the worst thing you can do for laryngitis. I am going to try hard not to talk this weekend (year right) and hopefully get my voice back in shape by Monday. I promised the vice-principal that I wouldn't come to work if my voice wasn't back.

My daughter came over for her birthday dinner and then I got into my PJ's and tried to stay warm and rest my voice. No energy to work out tonight.

Sorry to anyone who was feeling encouraged by me. Hope you're all doing well!

November 27th

Weird thing happened last night. I felt great as I finished up with my pushups and weights and then sat down at the computer for a while. Had a bit of a tickle in my throat and started coughing a little. By the time I went to bed a couple hours later, I had almost no voice at all. I was achey and had minor chills.

This morning, I felt ok, but my throat was sore and my voice was very raspy. I was starting to lose it completely be the end of the morning so I went out at noon and got a video to show the kids for the afternoon so I didn't have to talk. Since we had just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it was perfect timing.

It was a long day because we had a staff meeting after school and then I got a call from the orthodontist to say that if I could come in tonight to get my impressions done, they could put on my braces next Wednesday instead of waiting until January. On one month earlier, means off one month earlier. It'll also mean I won't eat so much crap over the holidays. :)

By the time I got home from work, it was close to six and I felt lousy and tired. I had a sandwich for dinner and knew for sure I wasn't going out for my run, not even a short one. I have chills and aches and pains, my foot still hurts, and it would just be stupid to run today.

Tonight, my throat is sore, and I'm really not feeling very well. After a day of talking, my voice is pretty much non-existent right now and my head hurts.

I think tonight I am going to have to bail on the workout. Four days left. So close, and yet from here, it seems so far. I just don't think I have it in my do 30 mintues of yoga. Unless I don't do any that requires my head to be down.

What to do, what to do? I HATE caving.

I am going to have a bath and who knows, maybe I'll be able to find it in me to do a little after I warm up. Cross your fingers, but if I don't do the workout, I guess it just wasn't meant to be....

Update: Just heading to bed after some neo citron. It's 11:45 and I did not do yoga. I feel depressed - there were only 4 days left in the challenge. :(

November 26th

Week 3, Day 2 of the 100 pushups challenge (10 minutes)
Plus 100 crunches and 2X30 plank and 2Xplank with leg and arm lifts

5 sets - 10•12•8•8•22 = 60 in total.

5 sets of 20 crunches - between the pushup sets - 60 regular, 40 bicycle

Plank - 2 X 630 seconds (down from 30 on Monday ?)
Plank with 20 leg lifts (alternating by 2's)
Plank with 10 arms lifts (alternating)

******************************************

Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb hand weights - (30 minutes)

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 8•5•8
bicep curls - 8•5•8
hammer curls - 8•5•8
shoulder press - 5•5•5
lateral raises - 3•3•3
flies - 3•3•3 (+10 squats halfway thru each set)
french press - 16•16•10

********************************

Top of my foot is still tender. Might not be able to run tomorrow. I know from experience I have to wait until the tenderness is gone or it only gets worse.

Shins are sore too. :P

November 25th

You know how sometimes you don't feel like exercising but then you tell yourself to suit up and get out there for just 10 minutes, and then you start to feel awesome, and it turns out to be your best run ever?

Well that didn't happen to me tonight.

I was pretty tired but I was excited to go out for my run tonight. I was optimistic that my legs would feel pretty good after my long run Saturday (and two days rest), and prove that I was finally over the pain crap.

But as soon as I got out on the road, I knew there were going to be problems. The top of my left foot was very tender and sore for some reason. Thinking back, I remember tightening up the speed laces on my shoes last run. The right shoe had been getting a little sloppy so I fixed it and then went ahead and tightened the left shoe as well. It felt a bit too tight but not in a big way so I left it. Bad move. It felt fine on Saturday whie I was running, but as soon as I put my shoes on today, I could feel the tenderness and knew I had gone too far. I tried to run it out but it only got worse as I ran.

In addition, my shins were pretty darn sore too, worse than they've been in a long time. I ended walking every 5 minutes instead of every 10, and I only did 1 km loops around the block instead of running further away because I wasn't sure how long I could (should) tough it out.

By the time I was half way around my 3rd loop, my left foot hurt so much I had to walk, and then I finally have to take left the shoe off to relieve the pressure. Well there I was, limping along with one shoe on and one shoe off - that seemed dumb, so I took the other one off too and walked back home in my socks. It was dark and only 3C but my feet weren't too cold and I was careful to stay on the sidewalk and watch where I was stepping.

So, I bailed on my run and only finished 2.63 km, in 24:24, more walking than running I think.

Argh! I get SO $ %&^%#^&^ frustrated. EVERY time I ramp up my mileage a little, or do a longer run, I have problems. I really thought that with my full Galloway-style warm ups for the past 3 weeks, walking for one minute every 10 minutes of running, and doing yoga after every run, I was finally getting past the pain part.

I will continue to do yoga tonight and tomorrow and they try a short, easy run on Thursday. Please, please, let it feel ok. This Saturday I am only supposed to run 6km so that it probably for the best.

I really feel like I am going backwards though.

My average runs used to be 5km in about 30 minutes.

I did my first 5km in 26:17 (June 2007) and a year later, my 2nd 5km in 26:26.

Shin problems started up after that and I could only manage 46:17 for my 8km, and 29:45 for my tri 5km.

Then my Zen Run 10k was even worse at 1:08:07.

I often feel like I'm NEVER going to be able to get my mileage up enough to do a half ironman.

Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, whining over. Keep at it. Don't give up. Keep at it. It'll come. Some freaking way.

Oh, and I'm still 25 for 25. I did a bunch of aerbocis this morning so that makes up for my less-than-30 minute run tonight. I will also do do yoga tonight too.

November 24th

I started off the day doing 20 minutes of aerobics and strength stations with my kids in the gym. I probably shouldn't have done the 10 pushups because I have to do my pushups challenge tonight. Week three is going to be tough.

I used Saturday to do the end of week 2 test and pushed myself to do 19. That means I am ready to start week 3 but it's going to be really tough I think because my upper back is tight and sore between my shoulder blades and I'm still stiff.

Week 3 pushups challenge looks like this:

M - 10•12•7•7•9+ (:60+ rest)
W - 10•12•8•8•12+ (1:30+ rest)
Sa- 11•13•9•9•13+ (2:00+ rest)

******************************************
My workout for today:

Week 3, Day 1 of the 100 pushups challenge (10 minutes)
Plus 100 crunches and 2X45 plank and 2Xplank with leg and arm lifts

5 sets - 10•12•7•7•20 = 56 in total.

5 sets of 20 crunches - between the pushup sets - 40 regular, 40 bicycle, 20 ball

Plank - 2 X 60 seconds (up from 45 last week)
Plank with 20 leg lifts (alternating by 2's)
Plank with 10 arms lifts (alternating)

******************************************

Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb hand weights - (30 minutes)

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 5•8•8
bicep curls - 5•8•8
hammer curls - 5•8•8
shoulder press - 5•5•5
lateral raises - 3•3•3
flies - 3•3•3 (+10 squats halfway thru each set)
french press - 10•16•16

******************************************
Then:

Yoga for Runners - 20:00
From the Yogamazing Podcast

Download from itunes now. I love it!

November 23rd

Well they say it takes 3 weeks to develop a habit and I think that may be true!

I have been working my butt on my report cards all weekend and only took a break long enough today to take the dogs for a long hike in the hills behind my house. My shins and butt muscles were aching from yesterday's run and climbing up hills didn't help much I'm sure but it was a beautiful, cold, sunny day and it was good to get out for some fresh air.

After the hike, I got back to work, then headed down to school to do my daybook and then did my grocery shopping. Finally had dinner after 7pm.

I'm still feeling stiff so I did 20 minutes of yoga this evening as well.

I still need to proofread my report cards and make one minor change to them so I can print them off at school tomorrow.

After that, I'm going to have a hot bath and go to bed early.

23 for 23!

November 22nd

Did 2 hours of school work this morning, then went out for my long run. It's sunny and almost warm, at 7C. I took Angel for the first 3km loop and my shins were hurting for awhile but they settled down later. I dropped off Angel and then took Gabe for the 2nd 3km loop, and then I ran two more single km loops alone to finish off. By the last few kms, my knee was starting to hurt so I started to walk a little more often - about 1 min every 5.

8km - 1:00:51

I did yoga for 20 minutes when I got home and then did the end of Week 2 pushups test. I was surprised to find I could do 19 in a row! Probably just as well I didn't do more though or I'd have to do level 2 instead of level 1. I will start Week 3 tomorrow.

Now it's time to get back to marking and report cards. It'll be a marathon weekend I think.

November 21st

I'm still in.

45 minutes of fun staff tournament volleyball after school. Not much of a workout but hey, it's Friday!

November 20th

Right at this very moment, I am rendered speechless on Twitter. I'll bet you all wished it would have come sooner. :)

My next 'tweet' on Twitter will be my 5000th ! I have no clue what to say, except that I don't want to waste it. Some people are vying for me to make it an @reply to them, Marathonchris says to make it a memorable "Kelownagurl" tweet. But I am suddenly quiet. I'm involuntaraily letting other people get a word in edgewise, unusual for me at this time of night.

So what IS a memorable Kelownagurl tweet? I have no idea but it should probably involve wine. Maybe I should ask YOU to tell me!

For the past 8 months, I've been slowly building up a group of friends whom I chat with, off and on, every day. Most of them are runners or triathletes. All of them are interesting and funny. And many of them are people I might never even have talked to if I met them in real life.

So what is it about social media that I love so much? I guess I like the idea of being able to communicate without the pretense of appearances, from my point of view, and from theirs. They aren't judging me by what I'm wearing, or what I'm driving, and I don't have preconceived notions about them. Often I get to chatting with them for awhile before I even check out their websites and see pictures.

I also love the ability to chat to whoever's around at the moment, and to be able to leave @replies for people to read later. I can easily twitter away an evening that other people would spend watching TV. Is it healthy? Why not? These are good people. They're not a bunch of crazies. I'm sure of that now. We have common interests and I've even met some of them! Sitting at a computer communicating with people from around the world has GOT to be 'heathier' than staring at the TV all night.

So what to tweet?

OMG, I can't stand the pressure....

Maybe I'll just thank them. For being my friend. Down the road and back again. Yeah, that's what I'll say...

Thank you to all my friends on Twitter, especially the people who talk to me directly, and who have posted on my blog and encouraged me. You actually play an important part of life, as weird as that may seem. I could not have done my triathlon this summer if it wasn't for people on the internet encouraging me, and offering help and advice.

You are an amazing resource both 'technically' and emotionally. All I have to do is post a question, and someone jumps in with the answer, even if it something as inane as "Would you eat a live tarantula for a million dollars?"

You guys make me smile, and laugh out loud, every single day.

Thank you, to each and every one of you - I really appreciate you. And I could never have said this in 140 characters.

If you have any idea what a memorable Kelownagurl Tweet would be, post a comment. I'm curious how people see me. :)

*****************************
Two-Thirds of the way through November and we're still going strong!


Sounds like Drusy, Ortingrunner, Seriouschick, Lybbe, and Erin are still going well and now Nathan, Phil, KristinaOrlando, and Chopper have joined in on Runcast TV. We rock!!

I was excited about going for my run today. In the last 3 weeks, since I started using the Jeff Galloway warm up and doing yoga after my runs, I've not been having any serious leg pain. So this week, I stepped it up and decide to go back to two 5 km mid-week runs during the week and, hopefully, a long run on Saturday.

So today was my second 5km run this week and thankfully, I felt great again! I ran hard for the 3rd km and did it in 5:30 while the rest were all about 7:30 (including the walk break every 9 min).

After my run, I did yoga again, which really feels good on my legs. I tried to download it to my ipod but I guess you can't put vidcast audio on an ipod. Maybe I will rip the audio so I can still do yoga when Erik is watching hockey. :)

*********************************
Got an email from ultradad today. Turns out we have a RL friend in common. Small world... :)


*********************************
So when I wrote out my plan for workouts, I still screwed it up. I want to do my long runs on Saturday, not Sunday. Maybe it should look like this?

Run - T, Th, Sa
Strength - M, W, F or Sa
Bike - Su, and M, W, F if I feel like it.
Yoga - T, Th, F, Sa minimum

*********************************
And boy, was I ever in pain today. My abs hurt and my shoulders ached. I tried to do my strength workout very carefully yesterday, and clearly, I did. :)

November 19th

Happy 22nd birthday to my baby girl! Where does the time go????


Week 2, Day 3 of the 100 pushups challenge (10 minutes)
Plus 100 crunches and 2Xplank

5 sets - 5•7•5•5•10=32 in total.

5 sets of 20 crunches - between the pushup sets - 60 regular and 40 bicycle

Plank - 2X 45 seconds. (up from 30 sec)


Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb handweights - (25 minutes)

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 5•8•5
bicep curls - 5
hammer curls - 5
shoulder press - 5
lateral raises - 3
flies - 3 (+10 squats halfway thru)
french press - 10•16•10

Ended with plank 20 leg lifts (alternating)
And plank with 10 arm lifts. Ugh.

Update: Adding this link

Plank with Leg Lift

November 18th

Hard to believe, but I haven't bailed yet! 18 for 18!!

I went for my run after work with the usual 10 minute warm up and an easy run, with a 3 min walk at the end.

5km in 38:40. Avoid injury and pain now, speed will come later.

After I cooled down, I did Yoga for Runners - my 11th time in 18 days and I'm starting to feel more flexible. I really love the hip stretches and it's not hurting nearly as much anymore. My hip flexors are usually so tight. I'm doing pretty well keeping up with yoga 5+ times a week.

I should have checked my schedule last night tho - it was upper body / pushups night and I got messed up. I don't want to throw off the whole program so I don't think I'll try to make up for the missed workout tonight - I'll just get back at it tomorrow night instead.

I guess I'm trying for:

Upper body - M, W, Sa
Run - T, Th, Su
Bike - any of M, W, F, Sa
Yoga - lots

November 17th

Did aerobics with the kids today. Very busy workout, but only 20-30 minutes.

Did Yoga for Runners tonight. So tired, but forced myself. 20 minutes.

Still 17 for 17

Going to bed early.

Night all...

November 16th

Well I'm 16 for 16.

Did 30 minutes on the trainer: 5 min warm up, 10 minutes of drills, 10 minutes of steady state 155-160 bpm, and 5 min cool down. Not a long workout but it's a good one for me.

Followed that up with 20 minutes of Yoga for Runners. Managed to get my heels flat on the floor today in Downward Dog - yay!

My legs are feeling good today - no sign of pain after my longish run yesterday. I will run again on Tuesday and Thursday, hopefully pain free. If all goes well, I will try for 8k next weekend.

I renewed my challenge on the Runcast TV forum and Nathan and Phil have both joined and of course Lybbe, Ortingrunner, Seriouschick, and Erin are all still going great guns. Hopefully a few more Twitter people will join on Runcast TV.

*********************
Facebook

I created an internet persona Facebook page - "Kelownagurl Tris" - so I can freely befriend people I meet on the internet. It was kind of funny, trying to get the name accepted on Facebook, because you're not technically allowed to have fake names. It wouldn't accept Kelownagirl with an "i" presumably because it has the word "girl" in it. However "gurl" was able to escape the filter so I am now officially "Kelownagurl Tris".

I moved all of the internet friends I have on my real name facebook page over to the new one, and lots more have been adding me all day. Sad to say, I have way more internet friends than I do real-life friends on Facebook. Not sure what that says about me. :)

Anyway, if you read my blog and want to 'friend' me on facebook (is that a verb?), go ahead! Let me know where I know you from, if you're using your real name.

November 15th

Well half the month has gone by and I'm happy to say I'm still in the challenge.

Early this evening, I went for a run. I started off trying for 30 minutes, but I was feeling so good, I decided to do the loop twice and run 6km. My garmin wasn't charged so I had to run a route I knew so I could record my mileage. I did a 10 minute warm up (run 1 min , walk 1 min), then ran steady the rest of the way with a one minute walk break every ten minutes. That seemed to do the trick and my shins didn't hurt at all. Hope they still feel good tomorrow.

Not sorry I posted the song. I still think it's hilarious so I'm leaving it there on November 14th. :) If you want a laugh, check it out here.

Congrats to Ortingrunner, Seriouschick, Lybbe, and Drusy for sticking with the challenge! Erin is taking a few days off to recover from a bad cold - she works hard so she deserves a break! I should also mention my buddy Paul from Beginner Triathlete is also involved in the challenge and manages to get most of his workouts done before I even get up!

I am amazed at how this challenge has motivated me. I'd like to thank another Beginner Triathlete friend, Airborne, for starting it up originally. I brought the challenge over to my twitter friends and found even more encouragement. I would say that more often than not, I have felt like bailing, and if it wasn't for the challenge, I would have. I am so happy that a few people have joined me - it really helps to keep me on track!

We all rock!!!

November 14th

---> Looking for the Drunken Podcast? Scroll to the bottom of this post and click on the link... : )



Super tired after work today so I lay down for a couple of minutes but then dragged my butt up to get in my 30 minute workout. Fridays are hard but I'm not going to bail. Erik decided to do a trainer ride while I do my strength workout and we both have a nice dinner waiting for us when we're done.

I did more or less the same strength workout as I did Wednesday.

Week 2, Day 2 of the 100 pushups challenge (15 minutes)
Plus 100 crunches and plank

5 sets - 6•6•4•4•10 = 29 in total.

5 sets of 20 crunches - between the pushup sets - 60 regular and 40 bicycle

Plank - 2X 30 seconds.


Upper Body Strength workout with 3-8 lb handweights - (15 minutes)

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks - 5
bicep curls - 5
lateral raises - 3
hammer curls - 5
shoulder press - 5
flies - 3
french press - 10

Cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. Does that count too?

Heard from Drusy - she's still in the challenge!

Ortingrunner, Seriouschick, and Erin337 are still rocking it as well!


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After our workout, Erik and I had a great dinner of garlic prawns, a french baguette, 60 peppercorn hummus with veggies, and of course, red wine. It is tradition that we sit on the kitchen counter to eat garlic prawns.




Of course Angel, Gabe, and Zoe all wanted their fair share...

Later, we played around with Garageband and sang some songs. In the end, we decided to record our own podcast. We thought it was pretty funny at the time. Not sure how long I'll leave it up. Enjoy it while you can. :)

What Shall We Do With a Drunken Podcast?

November 13th

Wow it's amazing what a challenge will do to motivate me. I am SO TOTALLY NOT into working out tonight. I am knackered. But I promised myself that I would do yoga on any day that I thought a workout was impossible. So off to yoga I go.

Happy to say that Ortingrunner, Erin 337, and Seriouschick are all keeping up with the shallenge. Hoping the others are too!

13 for 13!

November 12th

Had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night - only got 4-1/2 hours in total. Overall, I didn't feel too bad today though. My eyesight was pretty good, the right is becoming clearer and I didn't wear contacts in my left eye.

I started with the pushups/abs work and planned to follow that up with a yoga session but once I got started, I felt more awake and I did some time on the trainer as well. I won't be able to run tomorrow if I wanna take care of my legs so I should try to do as much aerobic work as possible when I can.

Week 2 of the 100 pushups challenge (15 minutes)
Plus 100 crunches and plank

5 sets - 4•6•4•4•7 = 25 in total.

5 sets of 20 crunches - between the pushup sets - 60 regular and 40 bicycle

Plank - 2X 30 seconds. Gotta build that back up to 1:00 minimum.


Upper Body Strength workout with 5 lb handweights - (15 minutes)

3 sets of 15 reps in this order.
1:00-2:00 rest between sets.

tricep kickbacks
bicep curls
lateral raises
hammer curls
shoulder press
flies
french press


Trainer - 30 minutes

Warmup 5 minutes
Spinups, high cadence spin, and one legged drills
Steady at HR 155-160 20 minutes
Cooldown 5 minutes


Yogamazing for Runners - 20 minutes

November 11th

Lest we forget - today is the day we remember the men and women who have fought for our country. I wasn't able to attend the Remembrance Day Assembly last week and I really missed it so today I was particularly thoughtful of the Canadian soldiers who are in Afghanistan right now, as well as the many others who have died in wars past. I listened the Terry Kelly's song Pittance of Time and as always, it brought tears to my eye. And I observed two minutes of silance at 11am this morning...

I felt proud when I saw this post on a forum I read.

This will be my third Remembrance Day in Canada and each year I am amazed at how many Canadians actually remember. In the states we have Veteran's Day but, other than a wreath swap on the tomb of the unknown soldier, it is simply an excuse for stores to announce massive sales and for people to go shopping. The connection and respect Canadians show towards their soldiers puts me in awe. Bravo!

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I'm still 11 for 11 in the challenge, as is Erin337 and Ortingrunner. I'm not sure about the others but I will add their names to the list when I hear from them.

Today I went for a run but my legs were achey before I started and my shins started to act up soon after, despite a warm up. I think it's leftover ache from my longer run the day before yesterday. In hindsight, I probably should have had a two day break after my 'long' run. I'll take two days off from running now and see how I feel. Live and learn. Good thing I keep on living 'cos I obviously have more learning to do....

So - I did a 25 minute run and only covered 3km. Afterwards, I did the 20 minute Yoga for Runners again. I really like that particular workout after my run.

My eyes are ok today. I decided to wear a contact in my left eye for a change and that helped a little. I think my right eye is a little clearer today. Once the swelling is down, the vision should improve.

Oh and I almost forgot, we went to Fresh Air Experience this morning. Erik bought some really nice, superlight aerobars for his bike (so I can have mine back for the trainer), and I got myself some warmer running sox and a pair or Craft thermal running tights. They look something like this and nice a cozy but light. I am looking forward to my next run.

November 10th

10 for 10.

Did 30 minutes on the trainer. Avg HR 144. Not too bad. Coulda worked harder but had to leave right away.

Got the contact taken out and the eye was blurrier and more irritated today but still feling ok.

That's all for now folks... :)

November 9th

Well I'm 9 for 9 and I think I more than made up for my lackluster workout yesterday.

November to date:

Bike:	30m
Run:	2h 36m 23s - 20.15 KM
Strength:	40m
Aerobics:	20m
Walking:	20m
Yoga:	2h 15m

I woke up without much of a headache this morning and have managed to keep it at bay most of the day by taking ibuprophen and drinking lots of water. By 2pm, my eye was significantly less swollen and feeling much less irritated.

I did the 20 minute Yoga for Running to get warmed up, then I went out for my easy 5k run. Erik decided to run this morning too so we did our warm up together (3 min walking, then alt 1 min walk, 1 min run for 10 minutes). At that point, we separated and I did my run while he continued a walk/run. I decided to do 1 minute of walking every 10 today so that I could perhaps run a little further than 4 km for a change. I ended up with a 6.5 km run in total, which included walking for the last .5 km as a cool down.

Then I came inside and did the Yoga for Running again. I think that's the best way to do it - after my run. I might try riding the trainer for 10 minutes before my run next time and see if I can use that for my warm up. We'll see.

My hips are really tight so I think all this yoga is going to be really good for me. I am hoping to do it every day, regardless of the training I do each day.

After a late lunch, I did Week 1, Day 3 of the pushups challenge. 5 sets of pushups 4. 5. 4. 4. 8 and I did 20 crunches between each set of pushups. It's a great workout! I varied it with regular crunches, twisting crunches, and bicycle crunches.

All told, I did 1:45 of exercise today. Yay me!!

Lucky Erik took off for a bike ride this afternoon. I'm sure I felt up to the workout but I can't see weel enough to ride today. Ah well...

Ortingrunner is still 9 for 9 - way to go Bryan!

Erin337 is also doing well with 9 days of training in a row. You guys rock!

Seriouschick ran 14.33 miles today! Whoo hoo!