June 2005’s monthly workout totals:
Swim: 6.9K (4.3 miles) – 2 hours, 23 minutes
Bike: 437.9K (272.1 miles) – 21 hours, 4 mins
Run: 88.18K (54.8 miles) – 9 hours, 33 mins
Elliptical: 17.41K (10.8 miles) – 1 hour, 48 mins
Strength: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Looking back on June of 2004:
Swim: 4.55K
Bike: 208K
Run: 44.35K
Now, when I was training for Ironman in 2003, June was my biggest (or maybe second biggest) volume month. That month I ran 110K, biked 795K and swam 20K.
Last month (May 2005), I was in the final stages of training for my half marathons and ran two races that month. My mileage was as follows:
Swim: 1.2K
Bike: 160K
Run: 120K
Elliptical: 9K
Walk: 2K
Strength: 2 hours
Man, I rocked this month! I think the best part that I was completely on plan with all my workouts. I may have made some small adjustments here or there, but I exercised 6 days and had one complete rest day per week, just as planned. I took the first few days of the month off since I had just run a half-marathon on May 29th, so I didn’t really start my month’s workouts until Sunday the 5th.
Clearly, staying on plan with my workouts is not an issue for me. Staying on plan with my eating, well that’s a different story. But when you consider how much activity I’m doing, I can get away with eating a fair number of calories (and have to, to be able to perform at my peak). I know, I know… I’ve already said that I’m not trying to lose weight until after my races are over at the end of the summer. It would just be nice to see some movement on the scales! Oh well, at least I’m not gaining, which would be a disaster (still holding on tightly to the low-170s).
Can I just say: I love exercise! I feel so powerful when I am active. And I don’t even consider it a drag or an effort. Honestly, the most difficult part of my day is overcoming the inertia and getting out of bed. Once I am up, the workout is as good as done. I can’t say that I’ve ever bailed on a workout once I’ve gotten out of bed. Sure, I’ve scaled back workouts due to weather or feeling crappy, but never bailed on a morning workout altogether once my butt was actually out of bed. I have, however, bailed on countless workouts from the comfort of my bed. Maybe I could invent some kind of pulley system that would get me up when the alarm goes off in the morning; that way, I’d never miss a workout! Evening workouts are a different story as I can always find a reason not to go. My downfall there is usually when I don’t have anyone to train with – then I can convince myself that I would really rather be watching Entertainment Tonight than going for a run or a bike ride. But if I have people to meet and train with, it’s no strain at all to get out there.
When I first started “working out” (and at that time it was purely for weight-loss, not for pleasure), I didn’t really struggle with that part the way I did with “dieting”. I always feel like I am depriving myself on a diet (or whatever you want to call it), whereas with exercise, it’s something I’m adding or giving to myself. Does that make sense?
I decided to take tomorrow as my off day. This morning, I rode into the gym and did a 45-minute Gravity class that nearly killed me. The first 15 minutes were all legs. And then when the regular class started, we began with legs again. This, after having done a tough run workout last night and ridden my bike into the gym that morning. Owie! I’m looking forward to my rest day tomorrow and perhaps a chance to sleep in a bit (maybe 8 o’clock??) and not having to wake up to an alarm. With this stinking heat, I have not been sleeping well. It’s taking me forever to get to sleep and then I feel like I’m waking up all night and never getting a full period of rest. It’s supposed to cool off a bit tomorrow (keeping my fingers crossed).
We leave at noon tomorrow for our mystery road trip. I’m driving up with my friend MH and he's picking me up at my place at 11. He has a brand new car (with A/C, I hope!), so it should be a sweet ride! KH is a last minute edition to the group, so she's going to drive with us. Still don’t know where we’re going, but at this point I don’t care! I’m just happy to get away with my friends and do some fun stuff.
I rode over to MEC (outdoor gear co-op) at lunch to buy a sleeping bag, mattress pad and flashlight. Oh, and pretty pink water bottle, too! It was quite the production to ride back to the office with all that stuff, though. It was even more fun getting home with it! I was able to pack it all in (or rather, attach it to the outside of) my knapsack. It was crazy windy on the way home, so that, coupled with at least 20 pounds on my back, made for a slow ride home.
I got all my laundry and errands done this evening and then popped in to KH's on the way home for a glass of wine. Since I've got a fair amount of time to get ready in the morning I'll leave the packing and stuff until then.
Happy weekend everyone! Happy Canada Day! Happy 4th!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Later that evening...
OK, I'm back from my workout. It was a stinking hot evening again. Why I am not melting like the Wicked Witch of the West is beyond me!
The clinic talk tonight was on running. My friend MV was giving the talk - he's a super speedy runner and a great coach. We did a 13-min warm-up run, then did some drills called As, Bs and Cs (weird jumping and kicking things to help warm up your running muscles). We then did a 4-min tempo run, meaning that we had to run out for 4 minutes at about 85%, take 2 minutes to recover (walk around) and then run back another 4 minutes, again at 85%. The goal is to at least get to the same spot where you started, meaning that your return lap was as fast or faster than your first lap. Mine were identical, actually, which is pretty good. The we did some cool-down exercises and ran back to the starting point (roughly another 13 minutes). My legs are tired and sore now.
I had planned to meet up with some of my running friends for drinks after, but when I drove past there was nowhere to park nearby, so I just headed for home. It's just as well because I was hot, sweaty and in desperate need of a shower.
I'm still debating my plans for tomorrow. Friday is a holiday and I'm going away for the weekend camping with some friends (the Mystery Road Trip - only the organizers know where we're going), so I need to do lots of stuff tomorrow because all the stores will be closed on Friday. I'd like to ride into the gym and do another gravity class (since I haven't done any weights this week), and having my bike at work will help me run some errands at lunch. But I also have a ton of things to do after work for which I'll need my car. I guess I'll just have to ride home and get it and then do my other errands.
Since I don't know what the weekend holds, I think I'll take Friday as my off day from working out (normally, it's Thursday).
The totally hot swimmer guy was at the store again this evening. There's a group that goes out to swim in the lake the same night that my clinic is on. He was there last week and I couldn't help but notice him. He looks really familiar, too, but maybe I've just seen him in my dreams (ha ha). Anyway, it's some mighty fine eye candy, that's for darned sure! Hopefully he'll be back again next week when our group goes out swimming, too! As much as I love doing triathlon, I love watching all the hot men in triathlon, too! It's a great spectator sport.
The clinic talk tonight was on running. My friend MV was giving the talk - he's a super speedy runner and a great coach. We did a 13-min warm-up run, then did some drills called As, Bs and Cs (weird jumping and kicking things to help warm up your running muscles). We then did a 4-min tempo run, meaning that we had to run out for 4 minutes at about 85%, take 2 minutes to recover (walk around) and then run back another 4 minutes, again at 85%. The goal is to at least get to the same spot where you started, meaning that your return lap was as fast or faster than your first lap. Mine were identical, actually, which is pretty good. The we did some cool-down exercises and ran back to the starting point (roughly another 13 minutes). My legs are tired and sore now.
I had planned to meet up with some of my running friends for drinks after, but when I drove past there was nowhere to park nearby, so I just headed for home. It's just as well because I was hot, sweaty and in desperate need of a shower.
I'm still debating my plans for tomorrow. Friday is a holiday and I'm going away for the weekend camping with some friends (the Mystery Road Trip - only the organizers know where we're going), so I need to do lots of stuff tomorrow because all the stores will be closed on Friday. I'd like to ride into the gym and do another gravity class (since I haven't done any weights this week), and having my bike at work will help me run some errands at lunch. But I also have a ton of things to do after work for which I'll need my car. I guess I'll just have to ride home and get it and then do my other errands.
Since I don't know what the weekend holds, I think I'll take Friday as my off day from working out (normally, it's Thursday).
The totally hot swimmer guy was at the store again this evening. There's a group that goes out to swim in the lake the same night that my clinic is on. He was there last week and I couldn't help but notice him. He looks really familiar, too, but maybe I've just seen him in my dreams (ha ha). Anyway, it's some mighty fine eye candy, that's for darned sure! Hopefully he'll be back again next week when our group goes out swimming, too! As much as I love doing triathlon, I love watching all the hot men in triathlon, too! It's a great spectator sport.
Coming soon...
I only have a moment to post because I have to head out to my triathlon clinic in a few minutes. Blew off the gym this morning because I didn't get to bed until 11:30 last night (after the play) and I've decided that this is going to be a "recovery" week after my entire month of hard-core training. It's a good idea to take an easy week every 4 weeks or so to let your body recover and build itself back up.
Since tomorrow is the last day of the month, I will be able to post my full monthly workout stats. I've already looked at them so far and it's going to be a stellar month! As I mentioned yesterday, I've already doubled my volume in all three disciplines over the same time period last year.
Off to do a run workout with my favourite eye candy. More later...
Since tomorrow is the last day of the month, I will be able to post my full monthly workout stats. I've already looked at them so far and it's going to be a stellar month! As I mentioned yesterday, I've already doubled my volume in all three disciplines over the same time period last year.
Off to do a run workout with my favourite eye candy. More later...
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Beat the storm
Man, oh, man there's a storm brewing outside. I left work just before 5PM and the storm clouds were already starting to move in. Within a few minutes, I heard the first few rumblings of thunder. I've never riden home so fast in my life! I wasn't worried too much about rain (what's a little water?), but I was concerned about thunderstorms. Thankfully, my speedy legs got me home in a record 23 minutes. Oh, and to the cute guy on the road bike who drafted off me the entire way along Dundas: how are you going to explain to your friends that you drafted off a girl, ya wussie! Even after he commented to me at a red light how it was such a nice easy ride behind me and I replied that he should take a turn up front (which he didn't). He did give me a "Safe ride" good-bye as he turned off several blocks later, but that hardly compensates for the fact that I was doing all the work. Men! Sheesh!
I've been home for 30 minutes and it still hasn't rained. I hope it does because maybe this humidity will break a bit. But I'm also going out to see a play in the park, so it would be a shame if it rained. It's under a tent, but if there's lightning I don't know if they'll go on. I guess I'll find out when I get there!
I had a good workout this morning. I rode into the gym and then did a 30-minute Gravity class. I think I need to go up a level for the upper body stuff next week. And the ride home was intense, so I'm logging that in my training log as a "hard" effort instead of "medium" effort, which is what I usually log my commuting bike rides as.
Speaking of my training log, I was looking at my stats from June of 2004 and comparing them to June of 2005. I have almost doubled my training volume in all three disciplines over the same month last year. Granted, I spent most of last June recovering from the marathon at the end of May, but I did run three half-marathons this spring, so that's gotta count for something! Anyway, I'm more happy that I have stuck to my workout plans than anything else. What a huge difference having a goal makes! This time last year I had no racing goals, so my training really floundered. I'm anxious to test myself in two of the same races I did three years ago to see if I've improved. I don't have all my weight data from that period (I think I wasn't recording it back then), but I suspect that I was at least 10 pounds heavier. Hopefully that will translate into better race performances this year.
I ate fairly well today. All this training is tough on the appetite because I am burning so many calories and need to keep myself fueled so that I don't bonk. I had my protein shake after my workout. Breakfast consisted of a large coffee with 1% milk and a bagel with peanut butter. I got a second coffee at break but didn't get any kind of snack. I had my fave falafel pita with carrot sticks for lunch. I almost made it through a 1.5L bottle of water (maybe 300mL left). I did cave and have a rice crispy square this afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot: I did have one shortbread cookie at break because on of the guys in my class had some left over from our pot luck lunch yesterday [Secret: they were nowhere near as good as mine. Not enough butter - he must have used shortening, too]. Now, I have a Curry Chicken and Rice dinner in the nuker. It's not low-cal, maybe 430 calories, but pretty healthy. I think I might have to pour myself a glass of wine, too! Yes... yes I will!
I found out a bit more about my weekend Mystery Road Trip: camping is involved, so I have to make a trip to MEC at lunch tomorrow to get some gear. I'm going to be camping three times this summer, so I guess I should have my own stuff instead of borrowing. I'll probably just buy a sleeping bag and a matress pad. Oh, and a flashlight, too. I think there are about 12 of us going on the trip, so it will be loads of fun. And we're supposed to bring all our swiming, biking and running gear, so lots of physical activity. Fun times!
Work was OK today - I actually like teaching this class, so the day went by quickly.
I've been home for 30 minutes and it still hasn't rained. I hope it does because maybe this humidity will break a bit. But I'm also going out to see a play in the park, so it would be a shame if it rained. It's under a tent, but if there's lightning I don't know if they'll go on. I guess I'll find out when I get there!
I had a good workout this morning. I rode into the gym and then did a 30-minute Gravity class. I think I need to go up a level for the upper body stuff next week. And the ride home was intense, so I'm logging that in my training log as a "hard" effort instead of "medium" effort, which is what I usually log my commuting bike rides as.
Speaking of my training log, I was looking at my stats from June of 2004 and comparing them to June of 2005. I have almost doubled my training volume in all three disciplines over the same month last year. Granted, I spent most of last June recovering from the marathon at the end of May, but I did run three half-marathons this spring, so that's gotta count for something! Anyway, I'm more happy that I have stuck to my workout plans than anything else. What a huge difference having a goal makes! This time last year I had no racing goals, so my training really floundered. I'm anxious to test myself in two of the same races I did three years ago to see if I've improved. I don't have all my weight data from that period (I think I wasn't recording it back then), but I suspect that I was at least 10 pounds heavier. Hopefully that will translate into better race performances this year.
I ate fairly well today. All this training is tough on the appetite because I am burning so many calories and need to keep myself fueled so that I don't bonk. I had my protein shake after my workout. Breakfast consisted of a large coffee with 1% milk and a bagel with peanut butter. I got a second coffee at break but didn't get any kind of snack. I had my fave falafel pita with carrot sticks for lunch. I almost made it through a 1.5L bottle of water (maybe 300mL left). I did cave and have a rice crispy square this afternoon. Oh, I almost forgot: I did have one shortbread cookie at break because on of the guys in my class had some left over from our pot luck lunch yesterday [Secret: they were nowhere near as good as mine. Not enough butter - he must have used shortening, too]. Now, I have a Curry Chicken and Rice dinner in the nuker. It's not low-cal, maybe 430 calories, but pretty healthy. I think I might have to pour myself a glass of wine, too! Yes... yes I will!
I found out a bit more about my weekend Mystery Road Trip: camping is involved, so I have to make a trip to MEC at lunch tomorrow to get some gear. I'm going to be camping three times this summer, so I guess I should have my own stuff instead of borrowing. I'll probably just buy a sleeping bag and a matress pad. Oh, and a flashlight, too. I think there are about 12 of us going on the trip, so it will be loads of fun. And we're supposed to bring all our swiming, biking and running gear, so lots of physical activity. Fun times!
Work was OK today - I actually like teaching this class, so the day went by quickly.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Swimming, and another Rant
I just got home from swimming up at the lake and it was a great, great swim! It's been soooooo hot here in the city that it was just a blessing to be so cool in the water. That said, the lake was pretty warm (we were actually revelling in the cool spots), especially since I was wearing a wetsuit. I hardly needed the wetsuit for warmth, but since I'll be racing in one, it's good to get the practice in. Plus, it gives added buoyancy, so you don't have to work as hard to stay afloat (not that that's hard for me with all my natural buoyancy). Last week, I swam three laps of the lake (1200m). This week I swam 5 laps (2000m) in just over 40 minutes, which is exactly where I want to be. If I can come out of the water in my two big races this year in under 45 minutes I will be very happy.
I didn't go to the gym as planned this morning. I was too exausted from my weekend of working out in the sun, so I stayed in bed an extra hour (even though I went to bed at 9:15). I also have this heat rash in a rather embarassing place, so I didn't really feel like working out. I've got some Lanacane, so that is helping a bit. I'm going to ride into the gym tomorrow morning and do a Gravity class before work. I won't be able to do my Tuesday Evening Bike Ride because I'm going to see a performance of The Taming of the Shrew in the park tomorrow night. Culture wins over exercise (this time, at least). Maybe I can do an extra long ride home to compensate a bit. That will all depend on the temperature, I think (smog alert again for tomorrow).
OK, so here comes the rant (which is as much stream of consciousness as anything else, so excuse the rambling):
I really hate it when people complain ad nauseum about things that are: a) of their own doing; and/or b) not within their control. I mean, what good does it do to whine about something that is a done deal? Just deal with it, adapt and move on! Ugh, people who blame others for their situation really piss me off, too!
So, here’s my rant (and there are many levels as to why I am ranting about this, not just the superficial ones): Back in May, I decided on which races I was going to do this summer. It cost me a bloody fortune to register for all of them, but I just went on-line, put in my credit card number and was done with it. I am all for togetherness and planning to do events together and such, but when it comes right down to it, we are each responsible for deciding on which races to do, getting in our registrations and planning out our training accordingly. There is at least one race every weekend between June and Labour Day. I made my decision in May which of those races I was going to do and let my friends/training partners know so that they could decide what they wanted to do (i.e., do the same race or some other race – their choice). Also, some races are more difficult to get into because they are very popular and have limited spots.
Anyway, a bunch of us decided that we wanted to do a particular race in Kingston because it’s a great event, KH is from Kingston and it will be CL’s 30th birthday on race day. Cool! That will be a great weekend. Well, as time went by, CL started to waver on whether she would be ready to do this race. Clearly, her heart wasn’t in it because she hadn’t done nearly enough training to be prepared for that event, even though she stated that it was her goal race (she blew off key workouts the last couple of months to do other things). So today she announces that she is going to do the shorter distance race because she’s not ready for the long one. Fair enough. But then I get this distressed e-mail that the short course race is full and she doesn’t know what to do. So I tell her to register for the long course and adjust her expectations considering she hasn’t done enough training. Well then she replies that her husband is all upset because he wanted it to be his first triathlon and he can’t get into the race and so she is all upset, blah, blah, blah… [In fact, I believe that she is the one who is disappointed that he can't do the race; I don't think he really cares.] Lookit, people: if this race was so important for you to do then you would have registered in time. Like they say, he who hesitates is lost! Sheesh!
But like I said, I’m irked about this on many different levels. I take my training very seriously and plan and execute that plan as closely as possible. Unless it’s a really short race (which I don’t do much of these days), I can’t just show up on race day and expect to do well, let alone finish, if I have not done the appropriate amount of training. I have three races planned for this year. The first one is on July 17 and I expect that it will take me about 2 hours to complete (not really long, but not a walk in the park, either). The race at the end of July will take me at least 4.5 hours to complete and the one at the end of the summer will be about 6.5 hours.
And I guess that’s why I’m pissed off at CL: she keeps saying that she wants to do this race but her training has been nowhere near where it should have been to be ready for it (especially since she is still so new to the sport). The other level on which this irks me is the whole “but if my husband can’t do it, then what’s the point.” Actually, it’s more than that: she’s one of those “Husband Cheerleader” types. What I mean by that is that every sentence is “Oh, poor hubby this” or “I’m trying to get hubby to [fill in the blank] because it will be good for him and he’d never take the initiative on his own to do it.” Case in point: she goes out and rents him a wetsuit for this past weekend because SHE wanted him to come swimming and she knew that he would never do it on his own. SHE wants him to do triathlon, so SHE is the one going to all these great lengths to sign him up for races, etc.
All of this comes on the heels of a disastrous training day on Saturday where we all succumbed to the heat quite badly. None of us were in good spirits, so it made for very trying times all around. Again it came down to an issue of people having different training goals, which was fine – I just did my thing and then we met up to do part of it together. But then KL took off ahead since he is a faster rider and didn’t ask where we were turning so I had to ride up ahead to catch him to let him know where we were going. I’m sure that I was a total bitch through the entire ordeal and sometimes I have a hard time containing myself when I’m pissed off, but I also resented the fact that they relied on me to plan the route (again) and when I tried to explain where we were going, nobody seemed to be at all interested in knowing the route and were just happy to follow along. Sure, that’s great until someone gets too far ahead or behind – each person has a responsibility to know where they are going. Period.
So, the bottom line for me now is that I am just going to do my own thing. In fact, I did do that on Sunday morning when I went for my long run alone. After the ordeal on Saturday, I just didn’t want to be responsible for anyone other than myself. I really do struggle with this because when I take on responsibility for other people, I take it on fully. I’m never sure how much they expect me to be responsible for, so I’m sure I end up taking on more than I really should be. I don’t know if they are happy to give up control to me or if they just figure that they don’t have any other choice. I hope it’s the former and not the latter – I wouldn’t want anyone to think that they HAVE to do things my way.
I know that I can be overbearing and that I can be perceived to have a “my way or the highway” attitude. To some extent that’s true: I do believe that there is a “right” way and a “less right” way of doing things and I do have to learn to accept the fact that there are many paths one can take to get to the same point. But I think what is coming across is that the “right” way I have defined for myself is the way that others must also do it, which really isn’t the case. I know what I have to do to get to a certain destination. If others want to come along with me then that’s great, but if they choose my path I expect them to do things my way (or rather, not expect me to do things their way). I keep reminding myself of that question: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? You can’t have it both ways. But for someone like me who equates being right with being happy, that’s a tough change of position to make.
There are two paths of experience that we can take: the first one is goal- or destination-oriented. This means that the objective is the attainment of the goal, without regard to the path taken to get there (and recognizing that there are many paths to the same goal). Sometimes the goal can be so rewarding that the path chosen is of little consequence. The second approach is to be more process-oriented, where the experience IS the goal, not just some path to get you somewhere. I guess to some extent there is a third approach, which is that the goal and the process have equal value and that if the process is not rewarding that somehow the goal itself is less rewarding, just like if the process is enjoyable but the goal not attained, it loses something. The position I took while training for Ironman was that the process and the goal had to be of equal value. In the end, it’s the months of dedicated training that are far more significant that anything you do on race day. Running across the finish line is a fleeting moment in time; it’s the hours, days, weeks and months leading up to it that have lasting meaning.
I guess this time I have decided to be more goal- than process-oriented. Perhaps this links back to the fact that I don’t believe that the process my friends are following will be sufficient to reach the goal (for me, at least). And maybe their goals are different than mine. Perhaps process is their goal this time around. And that’s fine for them, but it also means that perhaps I need to train on my own given the difference in our goals.
The other thing that is still niggling at me is the whole “couple” thing that I’ve written about before. I can appreciate the fact that my girlfriends are in love with their husbands and that they want what’s best for them. I struggle a little bit with the idea of “wife as cheerleader” because it just screams to me of someone who is trying to justify her own worth by proving to others how great her partner is. I don’t know if that even makes sense, but that’s the only way I can describe it. To a large extent, it follows the pattern of someone who defines herself as half of a couple rather than as a whole person; that somehow her own accomplishments are not significant enough if her partner doesn’t also achieve his full potential. Perhaps my view on this is skewed because I have always been single and the friends in whom I see this behaviour have rarely (if ever) been without a boyfriend or husband. [The other factor is that the two woman that I am primarily basing this on are very high-achieving women who are married to men whose approaches to life are far less goal-oriented.] I really do believe that women (or men, for that matter) who have always had a partner are fundamentally different than those of us who have been single for most/all of our lives. I really struggle to be able to see things from their point of view. Perhaps I haven’t really tried hard enough.
And then I factor the weight issue into it and it just gets more complicated. For as long as I can remember, I have always believed that the reason I am still single is because I am overweight and therefore unattractive to men. Heck, part of the reason I gained all that weight in the first place was to insulate myself from attention so that I wouldn’t have to deal with intimacy and heartbreak. But now that I am on my way to a healthier and more attractive body, what if that WASN’T the reason men weren’t interested in me? What if there is some other character flaw that has kept them away? What if it isn’t the weight? What if it never was?
I guess where this starts to hit home for me is that I don’t see those "couple" qualities within myself. So does that mean that I am not the type of person who will ever find a partner because I am too selfish? Is it one of those examples of “sour grapes” where I hold disdain and contempt for something just because I don’t have it (or ever envisioning having it)?
But the reality is that I do want it; I just want it on my own terms. I refuse to believe it when people tell me that you HAVE to behave in a certain way (or worse – that you will WANT to behave in a certain way), simply to be part of a couple. Don’t tell ME how I should/will want to behave! I really struggle with this because I worry about just how much I will have to give up of myself when I’ve worked so hard to become the person I am and the life that I have. And I don’t think that it’s good or healthy to have to give up a part of who you are for someone else. I’m not looking for a partner to complete me in any way. I am not “dissatisfied” with my life the way it is, although I do feel that certain areas of my life are not as rich or as full as they could be.
Am I missing something here? Is there some other critical factor that I’ve overlooked?
Yesterday, I was walking home through my neighbourhood with my coffee after my run. Since it was such a hot day, most people had their doors/windows open. As I walked by, I noticed pets (a few dogs, mostly cats) sitting out in front of their homes. Through the open windows I could hear the sounds of families on a Sunday morning: children laughing, mothers singing, dogs barking. And all I could think about what how I was going home to my hot, empty apartment, all by myself. It made me very sad.
Like they say, when a couple argues about toilet paper, the argument is never about toilet paper – it’s always about something deeper than that. Clearly, there is some deeper level on which the behaviour of my friends is pissing me off. I just have to dig deeper to figure out what it is so that I can figure out a way to come to terms with it.
In the short term, I am going to do my training on my own for the rest of the season. I may meet up with people from time to time if their plans mesh with mine, but I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s workouts. Of course, this does not solve the ultimate question/dilemma about singledom vs. coupledom, but at least is relieves me of the stress of having to worry about other people’s needs.
I didn't go to the gym as planned this morning. I was too exausted from my weekend of working out in the sun, so I stayed in bed an extra hour (even though I went to bed at 9:15). I also have this heat rash in a rather embarassing place, so I didn't really feel like working out. I've got some Lanacane, so that is helping a bit. I'm going to ride into the gym tomorrow morning and do a Gravity class before work. I won't be able to do my Tuesday Evening Bike Ride because I'm going to see a performance of The Taming of the Shrew in the park tomorrow night. Culture wins over exercise (this time, at least). Maybe I can do an extra long ride home to compensate a bit. That will all depend on the temperature, I think (smog alert again for tomorrow).
OK, so here comes the rant (which is as much stream of consciousness as anything else, so excuse the rambling):
I really hate it when people complain ad nauseum about things that are: a) of their own doing; and/or b) not within their control. I mean, what good does it do to whine about something that is a done deal? Just deal with it, adapt and move on! Ugh, people who blame others for their situation really piss me off, too!
So, here’s my rant (and there are many levels as to why I am ranting about this, not just the superficial ones): Back in May, I decided on which races I was going to do this summer. It cost me a bloody fortune to register for all of them, but I just went on-line, put in my credit card number and was done with it. I am all for togetherness and planning to do events together and such, but when it comes right down to it, we are each responsible for deciding on which races to do, getting in our registrations and planning out our training accordingly. There is at least one race every weekend between June and Labour Day. I made my decision in May which of those races I was going to do and let my friends/training partners know so that they could decide what they wanted to do (i.e., do the same race or some other race – their choice). Also, some races are more difficult to get into because they are very popular and have limited spots.
Anyway, a bunch of us decided that we wanted to do a particular race in Kingston because it’s a great event, KH is from Kingston and it will be CL’s 30th birthday on race day. Cool! That will be a great weekend. Well, as time went by, CL started to waver on whether she would be ready to do this race. Clearly, her heart wasn’t in it because she hadn’t done nearly enough training to be prepared for that event, even though she stated that it was her goal race (she blew off key workouts the last couple of months to do other things). So today she announces that she is going to do the shorter distance race because she’s not ready for the long one. Fair enough. But then I get this distressed e-mail that the short course race is full and she doesn’t know what to do. So I tell her to register for the long course and adjust her expectations considering she hasn’t done enough training. Well then she replies that her husband is all upset because he wanted it to be his first triathlon and he can’t get into the race and so she is all upset, blah, blah, blah… [In fact, I believe that she is the one who is disappointed that he can't do the race; I don't think he really cares.] Lookit, people: if this race was so important for you to do then you would have registered in time. Like they say, he who hesitates is lost! Sheesh!
But like I said, I’m irked about this on many different levels. I take my training very seriously and plan and execute that plan as closely as possible. Unless it’s a really short race (which I don’t do much of these days), I can’t just show up on race day and expect to do well, let alone finish, if I have not done the appropriate amount of training. I have three races planned for this year. The first one is on July 17 and I expect that it will take me about 2 hours to complete (not really long, but not a walk in the park, either). The race at the end of July will take me at least 4.5 hours to complete and the one at the end of the summer will be about 6.5 hours.
And I guess that’s why I’m pissed off at CL: she keeps saying that she wants to do this race but her training has been nowhere near where it should have been to be ready for it (especially since she is still so new to the sport). The other level on which this irks me is the whole “but if my husband can’t do it, then what’s the point.” Actually, it’s more than that: she’s one of those “Husband Cheerleader” types. What I mean by that is that every sentence is “Oh, poor hubby this” or “I’m trying to get hubby to [fill in the blank] because it will be good for him and he’d never take the initiative on his own to do it.” Case in point: she goes out and rents him a wetsuit for this past weekend because SHE wanted him to come swimming and she knew that he would never do it on his own. SHE wants him to do triathlon, so SHE is the one going to all these great lengths to sign him up for races, etc.
All of this comes on the heels of a disastrous training day on Saturday where we all succumbed to the heat quite badly. None of us were in good spirits, so it made for very trying times all around. Again it came down to an issue of people having different training goals, which was fine – I just did my thing and then we met up to do part of it together. But then KL took off ahead since he is a faster rider and didn’t ask where we were turning so I had to ride up ahead to catch him to let him know where we were going. I’m sure that I was a total bitch through the entire ordeal and sometimes I have a hard time containing myself when I’m pissed off, but I also resented the fact that they relied on me to plan the route (again) and when I tried to explain where we were going, nobody seemed to be at all interested in knowing the route and were just happy to follow along. Sure, that’s great until someone gets too far ahead or behind – each person has a responsibility to know where they are going. Period.
So, the bottom line for me now is that I am just going to do my own thing. In fact, I did do that on Sunday morning when I went for my long run alone. After the ordeal on Saturday, I just didn’t want to be responsible for anyone other than myself. I really do struggle with this because when I take on responsibility for other people, I take it on fully. I’m never sure how much they expect me to be responsible for, so I’m sure I end up taking on more than I really should be. I don’t know if they are happy to give up control to me or if they just figure that they don’t have any other choice. I hope it’s the former and not the latter – I wouldn’t want anyone to think that they HAVE to do things my way.
I know that I can be overbearing and that I can be perceived to have a “my way or the highway” attitude. To some extent that’s true: I do believe that there is a “right” way and a “less right” way of doing things and I do have to learn to accept the fact that there are many paths one can take to get to the same point. But I think what is coming across is that the “right” way I have defined for myself is the way that others must also do it, which really isn’t the case. I know what I have to do to get to a certain destination. If others want to come along with me then that’s great, but if they choose my path I expect them to do things my way (or rather, not expect me to do things their way). I keep reminding myself of that question: Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? You can’t have it both ways. But for someone like me who equates being right with being happy, that’s a tough change of position to make.
There are two paths of experience that we can take: the first one is goal- or destination-oriented. This means that the objective is the attainment of the goal, without regard to the path taken to get there (and recognizing that there are many paths to the same goal). Sometimes the goal can be so rewarding that the path chosen is of little consequence. The second approach is to be more process-oriented, where the experience IS the goal, not just some path to get you somewhere. I guess to some extent there is a third approach, which is that the goal and the process have equal value and that if the process is not rewarding that somehow the goal itself is less rewarding, just like if the process is enjoyable but the goal not attained, it loses something. The position I took while training for Ironman was that the process and the goal had to be of equal value. In the end, it’s the months of dedicated training that are far more significant that anything you do on race day. Running across the finish line is a fleeting moment in time; it’s the hours, days, weeks and months leading up to it that have lasting meaning.
I guess this time I have decided to be more goal- than process-oriented. Perhaps this links back to the fact that I don’t believe that the process my friends are following will be sufficient to reach the goal (for me, at least). And maybe their goals are different than mine. Perhaps process is their goal this time around. And that’s fine for them, but it also means that perhaps I need to train on my own given the difference in our goals.
The other thing that is still niggling at me is the whole “couple” thing that I’ve written about before. I can appreciate the fact that my girlfriends are in love with their husbands and that they want what’s best for them. I struggle a little bit with the idea of “wife as cheerleader” because it just screams to me of someone who is trying to justify her own worth by proving to others how great her partner is. I don’t know if that even makes sense, but that’s the only way I can describe it. To a large extent, it follows the pattern of someone who defines herself as half of a couple rather than as a whole person; that somehow her own accomplishments are not significant enough if her partner doesn’t also achieve his full potential. Perhaps my view on this is skewed because I have always been single and the friends in whom I see this behaviour have rarely (if ever) been without a boyfriend or husband. [The other factor is that the two woman that I am primarily basing this on are very high-achieving women who are married to men whose approaches to life are far less goal-oriented.] I really do believe that women (or men, for that matter) who have always had a partner are fundamentally different than those of us who have been single for most/all of our lives. I really struggle to be able to see things from their point of view. Perhaps I haven’t really tried hard enough.
And then I factor the weight issue into it and it just gets more complicated. For as long as I can remember, I have always believed that the reason I am still single is because I am overweight and therefore unattractive to men. Heck, part of the reason I gained all that weight in the first place was to insulate myself from attention so that I wouldn’t have to deal with intimacy and heartbreak. But now that I am on my way to a healthier and more attractive body, what if that WASN’T the reason men weren’t interested in me? What if there is some other character flaw that has kept them away? What if it isn’t the weight? What if it never was?
I guess where this starts to hit home for me is that I don’t see those "couple" qualities within myself. So does that mean that I am not the type of person who will ever find a partner because I am too selfish? Is it one of those examples of “sour grapes” where I hold disdain and contempt for something just because I don’t have it (or ever envisioning having it)?
But the reality is that I do want it; I just want it on my own terms. I refuse to believe it when people tell me that you HAVE to behave in a certain way (or worse – that you will WANT to behave in a certain way), simply to be part of a couple. Don’t tell ME how I should/will want to behave! I really struggle with this because I worry about just how much I will have to give up of myself when I’ve worked so hard to become the person I am and the life that I have. And I don’t think that it’s good or healthy to have to give up a part of who you are for someone else. I’m not looking for a partner to complete me in any way. I am not “dissatisfied” with my life the way it is, although I do feel that certain areas of my life are not as rich or as full as they could be.
Am I missing something here? Is there some other critical factor that I’ve overlooked?
Yesterday, I was walking home through my neighbourhood with my coffee after my run. Since it was such a hot day, most people had their doors/windows open. As I walked by, I noticed pets (a few dogs, mostly cats) sitting out in front of their homes. Through the open windows I could hear the sounds of families on a Sunday morning: children laughing, mothers singing, dogs barking. And all I could think about what how I was going home to my hot, empty apartment, all by myself. It made me very sad.
Like they say, when a couple argues about toilet paper, the argument is never about toilet paper – it’s always about something deeper than that. Clearly, there is some deeper level on which the behaviour of my friends is pissing me off. I just have to dig deeper to figure out what it is so that I can figure out a way to come to terms with it.
In the short term, I am going to do my training on my own for the rest of the season. I may meet up with people from time to time if their plans mesh with mine, but I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s workouts. Of course, this does not solve the ultimate question/dilemma about singledom vs. coupledom, but at least is relieves me of the stress of having to worry about other people’s needs.
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Oh, the heat!
Holy crap it's hot out there! Heck, it's hot in here! Them temp in my living room is 30C (86F). Thankfully it's a few degrees cooler in my bedroom. I actually lay on the bed after my shower this morning with the fan blowing on me to cool off!
I did manage to get a run in. I went out at 7:15 when it wasn't quite so hot yet and ran for almost 90 minutes (1:26). It was the first time in a long time that I didn't actually plan/measure a route out ahead of time. My mission today was to run as close to the lake and in as much shade as possible for as close to 90 minutes as possible. I think I did pretty well!
After my little hour-long rest in front of the fan, I actually tidied my place up. I won't even call it "cleaning" because it was hardly that, but at least it doesn't look like a tornado hit my place.
This afternoon I'm meeting H and we're taking the ferry across to the Island to watch the dragon boat races. Her husband's team is in the B Division final, which is the third-highest division (A-Final and A-Consolation being the other two). Should be a good race. Hopefully there'll be some shade, too!
No more time to update as I have to go slather myself with sunblock before heading out...
I did manage to get a run in. I went out at 7:15 when it wasn't quite so hot yet and ran for almost 90 minutes (1:26). It was the first time in a long time that I didn't actually plan/measure a route out ahead of time. My mission today was to run as close to the lake and in as much shade as possible for as close to 90 minutes as possible. I think I did pretty well!
After my little hour-long rest in front of the fan, I actually tidied my place up. I won't even call it "cleaning" because it was hardly that, but at least it doesn't look like a tornado hit my place.
This afternoon I'm meeting H and we're taking the ferry across to the Island to watch the dragon boat races. Her husband's team is in the B Division final, which is the third-highest division (A-Final and A-Consolation being the other two). Should be a good race. Hopefully there'll be some shade, too!
No more time to update as I have to go slather myself with sunblock before heading out...
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Scorchin' Saturday!
Good god, it's hot! Aaargh! I can't stand the heat and I have nowhere to escape. I don't have A/C at home, nor do I have it in my car. I sought refuge in the cold beer section of the licquor store this afternoon (ha!).
Today's workout went mostly as planned: I met my friends in Milton and I went for a ride while they went for a swim. We then met up and finished riding together. It was hot, it was windy and it was miserable! I added a bit of extra distance on the end because I had wanted to ride about 75K and I wasn't even going to make 60K. In the end, I was able to do 65K (40 miles) in about 3 hours. I had planned to run for 10 minutes afterwards, but I was humbled by the heat and sun (it was 11:30 by that time) and I probably only ran for 4 minutes and walked the other 6. This was a repeat of the workout I had there two weeks ago in nearly identical weather conditions.
The best part of the day was the dive into the cool lake after our workout. That and the cold grapes and cherries I had in my cooler. Oh, and the frozen bottle of water that had just thawed enough to drink it. Ahhhhh!
But then the drive home in the heat and traffic was brutal. Thankfully, it was cooler in my apartment than it was outside, so I hopped in the shower and then crashed for two hours. I think I might have had a mild case of heat stroke even though I drank lots of sports drink and water. I've got this low-grade headache now. I should probably drink some more water and take some aspirin.
The plan for tomorrow is to run for 90 minutes (whatever distance that turns out to be). I think I may try to head out around 7:30 before it gets too stinking hot.
++++++++++
On unrelated matters, I was very disturbed by that story out of New Jersey about the three boys who went missing on Wednesday and who were ultimately found last night in the trunk of a car (dead of asphyxiation). I think the thing that disturbed me so much was that they showed a scene on the news last night of the father of one of the boys as he actually discovered the bodies in the trunk of the car. It was all so real. This wasn't a movie; these were realy people and to witness the kind of horror that man must have felt in that moment was overwhelming to me. My heart rate started to soar and I had to wait about 30 minutes before I could actually go to bed.
Thankfully, when they were reporting the story this morning, they didn't show that footage again. I really think it was the footage that disturbed me more than anything (not that the situation itself isn't horrific on its own). They didn't show anything more than the father opening the trunk and then screaming and wailing in horror, but they didn't have to show any more than that to know what he must have seen and how he must have felt. [I had the same reaction to the final scene in Seven when Brad P1tt's character is delivered the head of his wife in a box. You never see anything, but the imagination is so much more powerful.]
I hope those families will eventually find some peace. It's unimaginably sad.
Today's workout went mostly as planned: I met my friends in Milton and I went for a ride while they went for a swim. We then met up and finished riding together. It was hot, it was windy and it was miserable! I added a bit of extra distance on the end because I had wanted to ride about 75K and I wasn't even going to make 60K. In the end, I was able to do 65K (40 miles) in about 3 hours. I had planned to run for 10 minutes afterwards, but I was humbled by the heat and sun (it was 11:30 by that time) and I probably only ran for 4 minutes and walked the other 6. This was a repeat of the workout I had there two weeks ago in nearly identical weather conditions.
The best part of the day was the dive into the cool lake after our workout. That and the cold grapes and cherries I had in my cooler. Oh, and the frozen bottle of water that had just thawed enough to drink it. Ahhhhh!
But then the drive home in the heat and traffic was brutal. Thankfully, it was cooler in my apartment than it was outside, so I hopped in the shower and then crashed for two hours. I think I might have had a mild case of heat stroke even though I drank lots of sports drink and water. I've got this low-grade headache now. I should probably drink some more water and take some aspirin.
The plan for tomorrow is to run for 90 minutes (whatever distance that turns out to be). I think I may try to head out around 7:30 before it gets too stinking hot.
++++++++++
On unrelated matters, I was very disturbed by that story out of New Jersey about the three boys who went missing on Wednesday and who were ultimately found last night in the trunk of a car (dead of asphyxiation). I think the thing that disturbed me so much was that they showed a scene on the news last night of the father of one of the boys as he actually discovered the bodies in the trunk of the car. It was all so real. This wasn't a movie; these were realy people and to witness the kind of horror that man must have felt in that moment was overwhelming to me. My heart rate started to soar and I had to wait about 30 minutes before I could actually go to bed.
Thankfully, when they were reporting the story this morning, they didn't show that footage again. I really think it was the footage that disturbed me more than anything (not that the situation itself isn't horrific on its own). They didn't show anything more than the father opening the trunk and then screaming and wailing in horror, but they didn't have to show any more than that to know what he must have seen and how he must have felt. [I had the same reaction to the final scene in Seven when Brad P1tt's character is delivered the head of his wife in a box. You never see anything, but the imagination is so much more powerful.]
I hope those families will eventually find some peace. It's unimaginably sad.
Friday, June 24, 2005
Let's Hear It For The Weekend! Woo!
I have never wanted it to be the weekend so much as I have this week. Well, maybe that's not quite true, but it's been a long frickin' week.
My workouts were totally on plan today, which was great. In fact (and I don't want to jinx it), I have been on plan with my workouts the entire month! I'll post the full report next Wednesday or Thursday. I rode to work (check!), I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill (check!), I rode from work to the pool (check!) and I did 1100m in the pool this afternoon (check!). Phew! Fridays are turning into my Big Workout Day; how did that happen? And that knapsack is rediculously large and full, so I'll have to look into scaling down a bit. It took every last ounce of energy I had to carry my knapsack and bike up the stairs this evening.
My eating was actually pretty good today, too. When I was locking my bike up this morning the bottle containing my soy milk to make my protein shake spilled all over the sidewalk. Grrr! That meant that I would have to wait until I got to the office to have my first post-workout meal. I bought some skim milk to mix with the protein powder, had my usual large coffee with 1% milk and got a small container of museli cereal. At break, I got another coffee (I couldn't stay awake) and a bagel with peanut butter. For lunch, I had a healthy pita and some lentil soup. I didn't have my usual rice crispy square at afternoon break (maybe that's why I was so tired before/after my swim). I got home around 6:30 and popped a frozen dinner into the nuker. It wasn't a low-cal dinner, clocking in at 430 calories, but it was a healthy dinner with lots of healthy veggies, chicken and pasta (it's actually marketed towards people with active lifestyles to ensure they get as many nutrients as possible). For dessert, I had my usual little chocolate soy pudding that clocks in at a measely 100 calories. It's the best little indulgence as it quenches both my chocolate and creamy cravings.
I'm still feeling a little peckish, but I'm sure that will pass over time. I'm trying to chug down some water to help fill myself up.
The plan for tomorrow is this:
Meet my friends out in Milton for a ride/run/swim. They are going to swim first and I am going to do an extra hour of cycling. I hope to do about 3 hours in total, but a lot of that will depend on the weather (it is SCORCHING hot here). I'll go for a short run afterwards (maybe 10-15 minutes) and then dive into the lake to cool off. Sounds like the perfect day!
So, obviously, I don't have any problems on the exercise front. Now, if I can just get my eating under control a bit... Oh, and find a date. Yeah, that would make everything perfect!
My workouts were totally on plan today, which was great. In fact (and I don't want to jinx it), I have been on plan with my workouts the entire month! I'll post the full report next Wednesday or Thursday. I rode to work (check!), I ran for 30 minutes on the treadmill (check!), I rode from work to the pool (check!) and I did 1100m in the pool this afternoon (check!). Phew! Fridays are turning into my Big Workout Day; how did that happen? And that knapsack is rediculously large and full, so I'll have to look into scaling down a bit. It took every last ounce of energy I had to carry my knapsack and bike up the stairs this evening.
My eating was actually pretty good today, too. When I was locking my bike up this morning the bottle containing my soy milk to make my protein shake spilled all over the sidewalk. Grrr! That meant that I would have to wait until I got to the office to have my first post-workout meal. I bought some skim milk to mix with the protein powder, had my usual large coffee with 1% milk and got a small container of museli cereal. At break, I got another coffee (I couldn't stay awake) and a bagel with peanut butter. For lunch, I had a healthy pita and some lentil soup. I didn't have my usual rice crispy square at afternoon break (maybe that's why I was so tired before/after my swim). I got home around 6:30 and popped a frozen dinner into the nuker. It wasn't a low-cal dinner, clocking in at 430 calories, but it was a healthy dinner with lots of healthy veggies, chicken and pasta (it's actually marketed towards people with active lifestyles to ensure they get as many nutrients as possible). For dessert, I had my usual little chocolate soy pudding that clocks in at a measely 100 calories. It's the best little indulgence as it quenches both my chocolate and creamy cravings.
I'm still feeling a little peckish, but I'm sure that will pass over time. I'm trying to chug down some water to help fill myself up.
The plan for tomorrow is this:
Meet my friends out in Milton for a ride/run/swim. They are going to swim first and I am going to do an extra hour of cycling. I hope to do about 3 hours in total, but a lot of that will depend on the weather (it is SCORCHING hot here). I'll go for a short run afterwards (maybe 10-15 minutes) and then dive into the lake to cool off. Sounds like the perfect day!
So, obviously, I don't have any problems on the exercise front. Now, if I can just get my eating under control a bit... Oh, and find a date. Yeah, that would make everything perfect!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
What, no exercise??
Yeah, I didn't do any exercise today, so I have absolutely nothing to say. Bye!
Ha... as if!! Anyone who knows me knows what a huge freakin' lie that is as I always have something to say!
But it's true: I did not exercise today, however that was part of the plan. I always get one off day per week and lately it has fallen on a Thursday. I also got all my laundry done (not yet put away, though).
I didn't eat particularly well again today, either. I had nasty Chinese food for lunch - the sicky sweet kind with all the red food colouring. And white rice! Jeez, I thought that I was going to fall asleep this afternoon and I was on my feet teaching all day! Dinner was OK - one of those frozen "lean" dinners - but entirely unsatisfying.
While we're on the topic of frozen dinners, the thing that bugs me is how much freakin' sauce they have. I always leave a ton of sauce because everything is just swimming in it - blech! You know, give me a bit more noodles or rice to go with that sauce, would you!
My mission for this evening is to fix that darned bike tire so that I can finally ride to work tomorrow. That will be one day instead of the planned three days this week. Oh well, better than nothing. But of course, tomorrow is forcasted to be a "smog alert day" with temps up to 34C (93F) with a humidex of 41/105. Also, the plan was to go to run on the treadmill in the morning (that should be fine) and swim after work at the outdoor pool, but with the heat, the pool will likely be crowded (which I hate). As I said, Oh well!
Time to fix that tire...
Ha... as if!! Anyone who knows me knows what a huge freakin' lie that is as I always have something to say!
But it's true: I did not exercise today, however that was part of the plan. I always get one off day per week and lately it has fallen on a Thursday. I also got all my laundry done (not yet put away, though).
I didn't eat particularly well again today, either. I had nasty Chinese food for lunch - the sicky sweet kind with all the red food colouring. And white rice! Jeez, I thought that I was going to fall asleep this afternoon and I was on my feet teaching all day! Dinner was OK - one of those frozen "lean" dinners - but entirely unsatisfying.
While we're on the topic of frozen dinners, the thing that bugs me is how much freakin' sauce they have. I always leave a ton of sauce because everything is just swimming in it - blech! You know, give me a bit more noodles or rice to go with that sauce, would you!
My mission for this evening is to fix that darned bike tire so that I can finally ride to work tomorrow. That will be one day instead of the planned three days this week. Oh well, better than nothing. But of course, tomorrow is forcasted to be a "smog alert day" with temps up to 34C (93F) with a humidex of 41/105. Also, the plan was to go to run on the treadmill in the morning (that should be fine) and swim after work at the outdoor pool, but with the heat, the pool will likely be crowded (which I hate). As I said, Oh well!
Time to fix that tire...
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
No time...
... for any meaningful banter. I just got in, read some blogs and now I'm tired and ready for bed.
Today's update:
Ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes this morning (3.25 miles). Did a 5-min cool-down so total time on treadmill was 40 minutes and 3.77 miles.
Food started out OK but then deteriorated. It's always OK at the start of the day. Besides the normal good stuff, I had a blueberry bran muffin mid-morning (not the best choice) and a rice crispy square at 5PM.
I had to be at the store for the clinic at 6:30 so no time for dinner. I picked up another spare bicycle tube on the way home but have not had the time to fix it so it's public transit for me again tomorrow. Aaargh! With the clinic, we did an easy 16.5K on our bikes. I didn't run after because I ran this morning and did a bike/run workout yesterday.
Lunges are evil. Period. My left hip/hip flexor is sore and I'm convinced it's from the lunges I did on the Gravity machine yesterday. I hate lunges!
After the clinic, I drove IC up to the train station and then went down to the pub to meet up with the running crew. I was so famished from not having eaten that I ordered the first thing on the menu: chicken quesadillas. Oh the cheese! And a pint of beer. That wasn't very good.
Tomorrow is laundry day. No workouts planned as it is my official "day off" from working out.
Time for bed...
Today's update:
Ran on the treadmill for 35 minutes this morning (3.25 miles). Did a 5-min cool-down so total time on treadmill was 40 minutes and 3.77 miles.
Food started out OK but then deteriorated. It's always OK at the start of the day. Besides the normal good stuff, I had a blueberry bran muffin mid-morning (not the best choice) and a rice crispy square at 5PM.
I had to be at the store for the clinic at 6:30 so no time for dinner. I picked up another spare bicycle tube on the way home but have not had the time to fix it so it's public transit for me again tomorrow. Aaargh! With the clinic, we did an easy 16.5K on our bikes. I didn't run after because I ran this morning and did a bike/run workout yesterday.
Lunges are evil. Period. My left hip/hip flexor is sore and I'm convinced it's from the lunges I did on the Gravity machine yesterday. I hate lunges!
After the clinic, I drove IC up to the train station and then went down to the pub to meet up with the running crew. I was so famished from not having eaten that I ordered the first thing on the menu: chicken quesadillas. Oh the cheese! And a pint of beer. That wasn't very good.
Tomorrow is laundry day. No workouts planned as it is my official "day off" from working out.
Time for bed...
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
How Long Does It Take?
I was wondering... I know that 3500 calories equals one pound, so a defecit of 3500 calories between what is consumed and what is expended results in a one-pound weight loss. But how long does that process actually take?
There are all kinds of things going on in our bodies on a daily basis that cause the scales to show variation in our weight. As I mentioned the other day, I always weigh about 2 pounds more before going to bed than I do the very next morning (usually because I go to the bathroom before I weigh myself). But how long does it take for a "real" one pound weight loss/gain to show on the scales? I'm sure it's not an intantaneous thing, but does your body measure input and output on a daily basis? Hourly basis? Weekly basis? What? What I'm trying to figure out is how much of a buffer do I have between consuming an extra few calories and that overage resulting in actual weight gain? If I make it to the gym within a certain period of time, can I avert inevitable weight gain?
Just wondering...
On the food and exercise front, today was pretty much like any other: gym, breakfast, work, snack, work, lunch, snack, snack, workout, dinner, blog (ha ha).
Since my bike had a flat I had to take the streetcar to work (blech!). I did a 30-minute Gravity/strength class and even went up one setting for the leg workout (went from a 6 to a 7, with 8 being the highest). Since I was teaching today that's all I had time for this morning.
I remembered to bring my protein shake to the gym today and I really noticed a difference in my hunger and overall "peckishness" throughout the day (it was lower than yesterday). I also took my vitamines, which seems to help, too. Now that I think about it, I didn't have a mid-morning snack, but did have a second cup of coffee. I had a healthy lunch from my favourite pita place. Afternoon snack is always a challenge for me: today, I had my fave rice crispy square, but at least did not binge on Junior Mints like yesterday. After work, I had a B00st high-protein shake and a handful of trail mix before my bike workout.
I rode for just over an hour in total this evening. I met up with a few friends on the ride, so it was nice to have company. We did one segment together at a fairly slow pace but then for the final loop I dropped the hammer a bit and picked up the pace. I don't think I worked as hard this week as I did last week because my legs weren't as jelly-like when I got off to do my run. I ran the same little 1.5K as last week and did it 12 seconds faster than last week. It's no land speed record, but it's always nice to do better from one week to the next.
The plan for tomorrow is this: do a quick run on the treadmill at the gym in the morning. I don't have time for anything else since I'm teaching all week. I still can't ride my bike to work because I'm giving a friend a lift home after work tomorrow so I'll need my car. And here it is "save the air" week. I'm such a bad urban dweller! After work, IC and I are driving to my neighbourhood to my weekly triathlon clinic. This week's topic is cycling and IC is a very experienced cyclist, so I asked him if he would come out and put us through our paces. I probably won't really get a workout myself as I'll be making sure that everyone else is taken care of. Such is the responsibility of the leader!
So now it's back to watching Canadian 1dol!
There are all kinds of things going on in our bodies on a daily basis that cause the scales to show variation in our weight. As I mentioned the other day, I always weigh about 2 pounds more before going to bed than I do the very next morning (usually because I go to the bathroom before I weigh myself). But how long does it take for a "real" one pound weight loss/gain to show on the scales? I'm sure it's not an intantaneous thing, but does your body measure input and output on a daily basis? Hourly basis? Weekly basis? What? What I'm trying to figure out is how much of a buffer do I have between consuming an extra few calories and that overage resulting in actual weight gain? If I make it to the gym within a certain period of time, can I avert inevitable weight gain?
Just wondering...
On the food and exercise front, today was pretty much like any other: gym, breakfast, work, snack, work, lunch, snack, snack, workout, dinner, blog (ha ha).
Since my bike had a flat I had to take the streetcar to work (blech!). I did a 30-minute Gravity/strength class and even went up one setting for the leg workout (went from a 6 to a 7, with 8 being the highest). Since I was teaching today that's all I had time for this morning.
I remembered to bring my protein shake to the gym today and I really noticed a difference in my hunger and overall "peckishness" throughout the day (it was lower than yesterday). I also took my vitamines, which seems to help, too. Now that I think about it, I didn't have a mid-morning snack, but did have a second cup of coffee. I had a healthy lunch from my favourite pita place. Afternoon snack is always a challenge for me: today, I had my fave rice crispy square, but at least did not binge on Junior Mints like yesterday. After work, I had a B00st high-protein shake and a handful of trail mix before my bike workout.
I rode for just over an hour in total this evening. I met up with a few friends on the ride, so it was nice to have company. We did one segment together at a fairly slow pace but then for the final loop I dropped the hammer a bit and picked up the pace. I don't think I worked as hard this week as I did last week because my legs weren't as jelly-like when I got off to do my run. I ran the same little 1.5K as last week and did it 12 seconds faster than last week. It's no land speed record, but it's always nice to do better from one week to the next.
The plan for tomorrow is this: do a quick run on the treadmill at the gym in the morning. I don't have time for anything else since I'm teaching all week. I still can't ride my bike to work because I'm giving a friend a lift home after work tomorrow so I'll need my car. And here it is "save the air" week. I'm such a bad urban dweller! After work, IC and I are driving to my neighbourhood to my weekly triathlon clinic. This week's topic is cycling and IC is a very experienced cyclist, so I asked him if he would come out and put us through our paces. I probably won't really get a workout myself as I'll be making sure that everyone else is taken care of. Such is the responsibility of the leader!
So now it's back to watching Canadian 1dol!
Monday, June 20, 2005
Comments are good!
Wow, so nice to get comments and such an honour to know that people (other than my original readership of two) are stopping by to see what's going on in my crazy life. But now I've got all this pressure to post witty, insightful and meaningful entries! Hopefully, I'll be up to the challenge.
When I was having dinner with H last night I told her how much I LOVED the Iron Horse. The Iron Horse, if you don't know, is the old bike she gave me to replace Big Red after she was stolen after only two days. I had a problem a couple of weeks ago where I couldn't keep the rear tire inflated (slow leak), so I finally got my hands dirty and replaced the tube and all was good for the last two weeks. Until last night...
I always like to give the tires a little squeeze as I walk by my bikes in the hallway. Call them "love squeezes". Anyway, the Iron Horse's rear tire was completely flat. What the fuuhh?? I just fixed that!! I hadn't planned on riding today because I was going swimming after work and had to drive, so I figured I could fix it tonight when I got home. Well, it turns out that the problem is with the tire itself - the bead around the edge is totally fried and it put a huge hole in the tube. So I am grounded from riding my bike until I get a new tire. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow after work so that I don't miss too many rides to work. I was getting very good at my daily commute - it saves me $4 a day in bus fare and/or $8 a day for parking, plus it's an additional 50 minutes of cardio a day. Yes; must get tire fixed! Soon! Looks like it's public transit for me tomorrow.
This morning I went to the gym and did upper body weights followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical. I picked up CL and KH after work and we drove up to the lake for a nice open water swim. It was my first swim in a lake and in my wetsuit this season. After the struggle to get the thing on (size 13 or not, it's still a struggle to pour myself into that thing). The swim felt great. I did three laps of the lake, totaling 1200m (25 minutes). We even saw the legendary turtle that we all believed to live there but none of us had ever seen. It was quite large and it freaked me out a bit knowing that I was swimming along side a creature that large, but it was kind of cool, too.
Eating was bad today. Lunch was OK (except for the cheese on my sandwich), but then it all went to hell in a handbasket in the afternoon. I had a rice crispy square AND a box of Junior Mints at 2:30. Then, after my swim (I'm always ravenous after swimming), I ate a chicken salad sandwich, a Boston Cream donut and dranks a can of iced tea! Zounds! That is some baaaaaaad, eatin' Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow will be better.
I think eating got off plan today because I didn't take the time to pack my breakfast and post-workout shake last night. I'll have to do that tonight so that I don't get so off track again tomorrow.
I also read an interesting article today on a triathlon site about weight loss - and it applies to anyone who is trying to lose weight, not just triathletes. It doesn't make me very optimistic about being able to lose my final 20 pounds, but I'm not going to worry about that now. If you want the deets, check this out: http://www.trinewbies.com/Article.asp?ArticleID=51
Funny thing that happened this morning (and if you're not from Canada you may not get all the references). I was at Tim's getting my coffee and bagel (I don't normally go there, but it was on the way from the gym to the office and since I didn't have the aforementioned protein shake, I jumped at the first place to get food). As I was putting my change back into my wallet a Loonie (dollar coin) escaped and rolled clear across the place. I was chasing after it and it just kept going and going under tables and chairs, clear across the store. When it finally came to rest, I picked it up and looked at it: it was a Terry Fox loonie (which explains why it seemed to run so darned far away). I found that hysterically funny and started my day with a good laugh.
I'm going to do a 30-minute Gravity class tomorrow (it's a strength wokout on this machine that uses gravity, your own body weight and these pulleys to do both upper and lower resistance training - it's very cool). After work it's a bike/run workout, provided there aren't thunderstorms, which is a possibility.
I'm also teaching for the next four days, so I'm going to need all the physical stress relief I can get!
When I was having dinner with H last night I told her how much I LOVED the Iron Horse. The Iron Horse, if you don't know, is the old bike she gave me to replace Big Red after she was stolen after only two days. I had a problem a couple of weeks ago where I couldn't keep the rear tire inflated (slow leak), so I finally got my hands dirty and replaced the tube and all was good for the last two weeks. Until last night...
I always like to give the tires a little squeeze as I walk by my bikes in the hallway. Call them "love squeezes". Anyway, the Iron Horse's rear tire was completely flat. What the fuuhh?? I just fixed that!! I hadn't planned on riding today because I was going swimming after work and had to drive, so I figured I could fix it tonight when I got home. Well, it turns out that the problem is with the tire itself - the bead around the edge is totally fried and it put a huge hole in the tube. So I am grounded from riding my bike until I get a new tire. Hopefully I can do that tomorrow after work so that I don't miss too many rides to work. I was getting very good at my daily commute - it saves me $4 a day in bus fare and/or $8 a day for parking, plus it's an additional 50 minutes of cardio a day. Yes; must get tire fixed! Soon! Looks like it's public transit for me tomorrow.
This morning I went to the gym and did upper body weights followed by 30 minutes on the elliptical. I picked up CL and KH after work and we drove up to the lake for a nice open water swim. It was my first swim in a lake and in my wetsuit this season. After the struggle to get the thing on (size 13 or not, it's still a struggle to pour myself into that thing). The swim felt great. I did three laps of the lake, totaling 1200m (25 minutes). We even saw the legendary turtle that we all believed to live there but none of us had ever seen. It was quite large and it freaked me out a bit knowing that I was swimming along side a creature that large, but it was kind of cool, too.
Eating was bad today. Lunch was OK (except for the cheese on my sandwich), but then it all went to hell in a handbasket in the afternoon. I had a rice crispy square AND a box of Junior Mints at 2:30. Then, after my swim (I'm always ravenous after swimming), I ate a chicken salad sandwich, a Boston Cream donut and dranks a can of iced tea! Zounds! That is some baaaaaaad, eatin' Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow will be better.
I think eating got off plan today because I didn't take the time to pack my breakfast and post-workout shake last night. I'll have to do that tonight so that I don't get so off track again tomorrow.
I also read an interesting article today on a triathlon site about weight loss - and it applies to anyone who is trying to lose weight, not just triathletes. It doesn't make me very optimistic about being able to lose my final 20 pounds, but I'm not going to worry about that now. If you want the deets, check this out: http://www.trinewbies.com/Article.asp?ArticleID=51
Funny thing that happened this morning (and if you're not from Canada you may not get all the references). I was at Tim's getting my coffee and bagel (I don't normally go there, but it was on the way from the gym to the office and since I didn't have the aforementioned protein shake, I jumped at the first place to get food). As I was putting my change back into my wallet a Loonie (dollar coin) escaped and rolled clear across the place. I was chasing after it and it just kept going and going under tables and chairs, clear across the store. When it finally came to rest, I picked it up and looked at it: it was a Terry Fox loonie (which explains why it seemed to run so darned far away). I found that hysterically funny and started my day with a good laugh.
I'm going to do a 30-minute Gravity class tomorrow (it's a strength wokout on this machine that uses gravity, your own body weight and these pulleys to do both upper and lower resistance training - it's very cool). After work it's a bike/run workout, provided there aren't thunderstorms, which is a possibility.
I'm also teaching for the next four days, so I'm going to need all the physical stress relief I can get!
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Small Victories
Just finishing up a lovely bottle of California cab that I got for a reasonable price yesterday. I had a lovely dinner with H (she was hiding from the responsibility of having Father's Day dinner with her in-laws since her husband is away on business).
The day started off later than usual as the 10K run we were doing didn't start until 10AM, so we didn't have to leave until about 8:30. H picked me up in the Mini and we zoomed along to the race site. We met up with her in-laws (mother-, father-, brother-, sister-, and their kids) and some friends. It was a Father's Day run for prostate cancer research an we've done it for a few years since her FIL has prostate cancer and now it looks like her own father might have it, too.
We didn't break any land speed records on the run doing the 10K in 1:04, but it was still a good 2 minutes faster than I would have done it in had it just been a training run. She can run my ass into the ground any day, but she opted to stay with me and run my pace since she was just getting over a cold and having gotten in late from Boston on Friday was still a little zonked.
After the run, we had a little family picnic and then said our good-byes. She still got a bit of grief for not going back up to the family house for dinner, but she just couldn't bear it, so I was happy to be her excuse/distraction. We drove back to our neighbourhood and just walked and talked and got a latte at *bucks (our normal one is still under renovations after the fire last month and won't be open until July 1, so we had to walk a bit further along to the other one).
On the way back to the car we popped into a local clothing store that was having a sale. I'm in desperate need of shorts for the summer since I only have one pair that fit (sort of). I took two pairs into the change room with me: one size 15 and the other size 13. I tried the 13s on first and to my delight they fit perfectly. I had been lamenting about the fact that I am "between sizes" right now in that I can't quite fit into a 12 whereas a 14 is too baggy. But the 13s fit like a dream, so I bought two pairs - one in black, the other in khaki. They have a bit of stretch in them, but that just makes them fit nice and snug without actually being tight. Size 13 - yea for me! And I'm not attributing this to vanity sizing, either, because I normally buy clothes at this store so I know how their sizes fit me.
So now it's Sunday night. I just got in from a lovely prime rib dinner and a bottle of wine at the pub down the street. I'm watching the MuchMusic Video Awards (Canadian bands rock!) and having a final glass of wine before I pack up my stuff in preparation for my day at work tomorrow. Why do weekends have to come to an end so quickly??
The plan/schedule for this week is:
Monday - gym in the AM (upper body weights and cardio) then hopefully, I'll be going for a swim in my friend's lake. I might have to play softball, which would be a drag because then I'd have to miss swimming. Anyway, I'm hoping to swim.
Tuesday - gym in the AM and bike/run in the evening.
Wednesday - gym in the AM and triathlon clinic in the evening (we're biking that night)
Thursday - day off from working out
Friday - run at the gym in the morning and swimming after work
As J would say, "I'm tired just thinking about it."
The day started off later than usual as the 10K run we were doing didn't start until 10AM, so we didn't have to leave until about 8:30. H picked me up in the Mini and we zoomed along to the race site. We met up with her in-laws (mother-, father-, brother-, sister-, and their kids) and some friends. It was a Father's Day run for prostate cancer research an we've done it for a few years since her FIL has prostate cancer and now it looks like her own father might have it, too.
We didn't break any land speed records on the run doing the 10K in 1:04, but it was still a good 2 minutes faster than I would have done it in had it just been a training run. She can run my ass into the ground any day, but she opted to stay with me and run my pace since she was just getting over a cold and having gotten in late from Boston on Friday was still a little zonked.
After the run, we had a little family picnic and then said our good-byes. She still got a bit of grief for not going back up to the family house for dinner, but she just couldn't bear it, so I was happy to be her excuse/distraction. We drove back to our neighbourhood and just walked and talked and got a latte at *bucks (our normal one is still under renovations after the fire last month and won't be open until July 1, so we had to walk a bit further along to the other one).
On the way back to the car we popped into a local clothing store that was having a sale. I'm in desperate need of shorts for the summer since I only have one pair that fit (sort of). I took two pairs into the change room with me: one size 15 and the other size 13. I tried the 13s on first and to my delight they fit perfectly. I had been lamenting about the fact that I am "between sizes" right now in that I can't quite fit into a 12 whereas a 14 is too baggy. But the 13s fit like a dream, so I bought two pairs - one in black, the other in khaki. They have a bit of stretch in them, but that just makes them fit nice and snug without actually being tight. Size 13 - yea for me! And I'm not attributing this to vanity sizing, either, because I normally buy clothes at this store so I know how their sizes fit me.
So now it's Sunday night. I just got in from a lovely prime rib dinner and a bottle of wine at the pub down the street. I'm watching the MuchMusic Video Awards (Canadian bands rock!) and having a final glass of wine before I pack up my stuff in preparation for my day at work tomorrow. Why do weekends have to come to an end so quickly??
The plan/schedule for this week is:
Monday - gym in the AM (upper body weights and cardio) then hopefully, I'll be going for a swim in my friend's lake. I might have to play softball, which would be a drag because then I'd have to miss swimming. Anyway, I'm hoping to swim.
Tuesday - gym in the AM and bike/run in the evening.
Wednesday - gym in the AM and triathlon clinic in the evening (we're biking that night)
Thursday - day off from working out
Friday - run at the gym in the morning and swimming after work
As J would say, "I'm tired just thinking about it."
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Saturday Workout
I had a great workout this morning. I met my friends at 7:30 at the arranged spot and we were on the road by 7:45. As usual, I had planned the route (which bugs me sometimes, but I'll rant about that later). The weather was on the chilly side, but we were all dressed for it so it was fine. And the rain held off, too, which was a blessing [I don't mind running in the rain, but I hate cycling in the rain].
After we had gone 32K the other four decided to cut the route short, so I headed out a little further on my own. I had told them that the "shorter" route would be about 40K, but I now suspect that it was closer to 50K (Oops! But that's what you get for not planning your own route - wait, I said I wasn't going to rant about that just yet).
On the fun little loopy part around the lake, a squirrel ran out into my path. I was going pretty fast at the time (40km/hr-ish) and I kind of freaked out a bit, screamed, swerved, and it did one of those crazy dodging moves that squirrels do before it made it across the road safely. Phew! Just beyond that, a bluejay darted out in front of me, but he flew away pretty quickly. Later on I saw some other colourful bird who had not had the same luck and must have run into a moving car or something (sniff).
The total length of the bike ride was 60K (yea, me!) in about 2:20. I got off my bike, threw it in the back of the car, switched into my running shoes and went out for a short run. I just did a little 5 minutes out / 5 minutes back, but that's actually tougher than it sounds, just having ridden 60K!
While I was riding alone on one of the main roads there was this big sign up ahead that was being used to help keep traffic speeds down. As a car approached, it flashed (for example) "Your Speed: 68 km/hr" (it was a 60km/hr zone). I wondered whether it would register as I rode by and to my delight, it did. It said: "Help keep our roads safe. Your speed: 29 km/hr" Woo hoo! That made me laugh as I honestly didn't think my speed would register. Later, as I was doing my little 10-minute run I noticed a cop parked by the side of the road with her radar gun pointed in my direction (the speed limit in that area is also 60km/hr, but lots of people speed there). As I ran past I said, "How fast am I going?" She just laughed and said, "Blazing!" That was fun.
After my run I bumped into SG and HC who had just finished their ride. We chatted for a bit and they gave me grief over the state of the trunk of my car. It's filled with all kinds of crap, but I don't really have any space to keep a lot of that stuff and since I tend to live out of my car while training in the summer, it's just easier to keep it all in the trunk. But when I got home I actually succumbed to the peer pressure and cleaned it out. I also washed my bike, degreased the chain and re-lubed it. Now I feel content.
Now I'm just chillin' for the rest of the day. Will probably go out later. Not sure what, yet.
Now the rant: Rule #1 - if you're not going to take responsibility for planning a route and figuring out the distance, you give up all rights to complain about the route or the distance. And if you're going to cut it short, you're responsible for finding your own way back. It never ceasses to amaze me how many people willingly give up control of things like that and then expect other people to get them back to where they started. Hey, it's your responsibility to know the route and to know how to get back. If you're directionally challenged then bring a map. Sheesh!
After we had gone 32K the other four decided to cut the route short, so I headed out a little further on my own. I had told them that the "shorter" route would be about 40K, but I now suspect that it was closer to 50K (Oops! But that's what you get for not planning your own route - wait, I said I wasn't going to rant about that just yet).
On the fun little loopy part around the lake, a squirrel ran out into my path. I was going pretty fast at the time (40km/hr-ish) and I kind of freaked out a bit, screamed, swerved, and it did one of those crazy dodging moves that squirrels do before it made it across the road safely. Phew! Just beyond that, a bluejay darted out in front of me, but he flew away pretty quickly. Later on I saw some other colourful bird who had not had the same luck and must have run into a moving car or something (sniff).
The total length of the bike ride was 60K (yea, me!) in about 2:20. I got off my bike, threw it in the back of the car, switched into my running shoes and went out for a short run. I just did a little 5 minutes out / 5 minutes back, but that's actually tougher than it sounds, just having ridden 60K!
While I was riding alone on one of the main roads there was this big sign up ahead that was being used to help keep traffic speeds down. As a car approached, it flashed (for example) "Your Speed: 68 km/hr" (it was a 60km/hr zone). I wondered whether it would register as I rode by and to my delight, it did. It said: "Help keep our roads safe. Your speed: 29 km/hr" Woo hoo! That made me laugh as I honestly didn't think my speed would register. Later, as I was doing my little 10-minute run I noticed a cop parked by the side of the road with her radar gun pointed in my direction (the speed limit in that area is also 60km/hr, but lots of people speed there). As I ran past I said, "How fast am I going?" She just laughed and said, "Blazing!" That was fun.
After my run I bumped into SG and HC who had just finished their ride. We chatted for a bit and they gave me grief over the state of the trunk of my car. It's filled with all kinds of crap, but I don't really have any space to keep a lot of that stuff and since I tend to live out of my car while training in the summer, it's just easier to keep it all in the trunk. But when I got home I actually succumbed to the peer pressure and cleaned it out. I also washed my bike, degreased the chain and re-lubed it. Now I feel content.
Now I'm just chillin' for the rest of the day. Will probably go out later. Not sure what, yet.
Now the rant: Rule #1 - if you're not going to take responsibility for planning a route and figuring out the distance, you give up all rights to complain about the route or the distance. And if you're going to cut it short, you're responsible for finding your own way back. It never ceasses to amaze me how many people willingly give up control of things like that and then expect other people to get them back to where they started. Hey, it's your responsibility to know the route and to know how to get back. If you're directionally challenged then bring a map. Sheesh!
Friday, June 17, 2005
16 Pounds
I stepped on the scales last night. I normally don’t weigh myself at night because I know that I am always heavier at night than I am when I get up in the morning (sometimes 2-3 pounds). Must be all the food/water from the day in my system. Anyway, I did get on the scales, but not really to weigh myself but to weigh my backpack. Let me explain:
Today is a triple workout day: I rode to work (7K each way), did weights and ran 3+ miles on the treadmill (actually didn’t mind it today). After work, I rode to the pool and swam for 25 minutes and then rode home. That’s a lot of exercise; but more than that, it’s a lot of clothes! My backpack is filled with all the crap I needed for two workouts (run/swim) plus my cycling gear. I could barely get the stupid thing closed last night. And I even took out everything that was unnecessary.
So, I stepped on the scales in just my regular clothes (174), stepped off, picked up my backpack and stepped back on: 190 pounds! OK, first, I hated seeing that number on the scales again. I have not been 190 pounds for quite a while (in January of 2003 I got back up to 188, I think). So then I did the math in my head and realized that the backpack I was carrying weighed 16 pounds!
Carrying excess weight makes exercise more difficult. On the plus side, it also means you burn more calories for the same amount of effort. Cyclists spend LOTS of money trying to shave ounces off the weight of their bikes in an effort to save some time. And here I am with a freakin’ 16-pound knapsack on my back while I ride! That’s certainly going to slow me down some. But it’s also a great workout. [The other thing that impacts your performance on the bike, I’ve recently discovered, is your tire pressure. Mine were severely under-inflated (60psi as opposed to 95psi), so I took the time to pump them up before I left this morning. What a difference the tires made! I was flying!]
Anyway, the other thing I started thinking about is that it really wasn’t so long ago that I weighed 16 pounds more than I do now. And that got me to thinking about all the stuff I did when I was heavier than I am now. At this point, I couldn’t imagine doing all the activity I do with a 50-pound weight strapped on my back. At the end of each day, I have to carry that 16-pound backpack along with my 30-pound bike up two flights of stairs to my apartment. I’m struggling and wheezing by the time I get to the top. How did I ever do what I did back then, weighing 60+ pounds more than I do now??
I remember the first time I ever ran on the treadmill. I probably weighed about 228 pounds at the time. I was walking on the treadmill at the gym as I had been for the previous two months and somehow I got this stupid idea in my head to actually try running. I think I lasted all of four or five minutes before I had to stop. But I didn’t stop there; just like old Forrest Gump, I kept on running, day after day. Next thing I knew I was entered in a 5K race. I “trained” for that race for about 18 months – the first 15 months on the treadmill and in the last three I started running outside (please don't look at me, please don't look at me). But I had only lost about 20 pounds in total by that point. I ran my first 5K weighing about 210-215, I think. Same goes for my first half-marathon and my first triathlon: I was well over 200 for both of those.
So here I am now [just having eaten two cookies at a co-worker’s going away party, btw]. I am still almost 25 pounds from my goal weight, but I’m OK with where I am for now. There will be plenty of time for weight loss in the fall. This summer, I just want to have fun and train and race and be active and party with my friends and travel and cheer people on in races (and hopefully not GAIN any weight – so I’m still watching out for that).
So, to anyone out there who thinks that they are too heavy to do something like that, I’m telling you that it’s entirely possible – as long as you want it badly enough and are willing to do the work to achieve it. The only place that your excess weight holds you back is in your own mind.
Now, my own personal challenge is to question all the things I have been avoiding/neglecting because of my own perceptions about my weight and my body. Clearly, I am not afraid to put myself on the line in an athletic way, but it does (or rather, I do) still hold me back in other ways. Go away, bad voices in my head! Away! Aaargh. I’ll silence them eventually…
Today is a triple workout day: I rode to work (7K each way), did weights and ran 3+ miles on the treadmill (actually didn’t mind it today). After work, I rode to the pool and swam for 25 minutes and then rode home. That’s a lot of exercise; but more than that, it’s a lot of clothes! My backpack is filled with all the crap I needed for two workouts (run/swim) plus my cycling gear. I could barely get the stupid thing closed last night. And I even took out everything that was unnecessary.
So, I stepped on the scales in just my regular clothes (174), stepped off, picked up my backpack and stepped back on: 190 pounds! OK, first, I hated seeing that number on the scales again. I have not been 190 pounds for quite a while (in January of 2003 I got back up to 188, I think). So then I did the math in my head and realized that the backpack I was carrying weighed 16 pounds!
Carrying excess weight makes exercise more difficult. On the plus side, it also means you burn more calories for the same amount of effort. Cyclists spend LOTS of money trying to shave ounces off the weight of their bikes in an effort to save some time. And here I am with a freakin’ 16-pound knapsack on my back while I ride! That’s certainly going to slow me down some. But it’s also a great workout. [The other thing that impacts your performance on the bike, I’ve recently discovered, is your tire pressure. Mine were severely under-inflated (60psi as opposed to 95psi), so I took the time to pump them up before I left this morning. What a difference the tires made! I was flying!]
Anyway, the other thing I started thinking about is that it really wasn’t so long ago that I weighed 16 pounds more than I do now. And that got me to thinking about all the stuff I did when I was heavier than I am now. At this point, I couldn’t imagine doing all the activity I do with a 50-pound weight strapped on my back. At the end of each day, I have to carry that 16-pound backpack along with my 30-pound bike up two flights of stairs to my apartment. I’m struggling and wheezing by the time I get to the top. How did I ever do what I did back then, weighing 60+ pounds more than I do now??
I remember the first time I ever ran on the treadmill. I probably weighed about 228 pounds at the time. I was walking on the treadmill at the gym as I had been for the previous two months and somehow I got this stupid idea in my head to actually try running. I think I lasted all of four or five minutes before I had to stop. But I didn’t stop there; just like old Forrest Gump, I kept on running, day after day. Next thing I knew I was entered in a 5K race. I “trained” for that race for about 18 months – the first 15 months on the treadmill and in the last three I started running outside (please don't look at me, please don't look at me). But I had only lost about 20 pounds in total by that point. I ran my first 5K weighing about 210-215, I think. Same goes for my first half-marathon and my first triathlon: I was well over 200 for both of those.
So here I am now [just having eaten two cookies at a co-worker’s going away party, btw]. I am still almost 25 pounds from my goal weight, but I’m OK with where I am for now. There will be plenty of time for weight loss in the fall. This summer, I just want to have fun and train and race and be active and party with my friends and travel and cheer people on in races (and hopefully not GAIN any weight – so I’m still watching out for that).
So, to anyone out there who thinks that they are too heavy to do something like that, I’m telling you that it’s entirely possible – as long as you want it badly enough and are willing to do the work to achieve it. The only place that your excess weight holds you back is in your own mind.
Now, my own personal challenge is to question all the things I have been avoiding/neglecting because of my own perceptions about my weight and my body. Clearly, I am not afraid to put myself on the line in an athletic way, but it does (or rather, I do) still hold me back in other ways. Go away, bad voices in my head! Away! Aaargh. I’ll silence them eventually…
Thursday, June 16, 2005
A Rant Coming On?
Is it possible to have arthritis in just one joint? The first joint on my left pinkie finger is very sore and has been for more than a week now. None of my other joints are sore, so I don’t know what it is. I have very loose joints to begin with, so it’s very easy for me to hype-extend my joints. My pinkie fingers are especially flexible, so maybe I’ve just hyper-extended it too far. Who knows?
I feel a rant coming on. I’m not sure if I should rant about cycling or about “Crack-berries.” Maybe I’ll rant about both...
Cycling:
This morning on the news I heard about two cyclist/auto collisions in the last 24 hours. Judging by the cyclists I see on a daily basis, I’m going to go out on a limb and NOT blame the crazy drivers in this city for that (even though one of the recent accidents was a hit and run, which is shameful). One of the accidents saw the cyclist rear-end a taxi and go right through the rear window. Yikes! Turns out that it was a “dummy” cab being used for a movie shoot that was parked on the side of the road. Details are sketchy, but looks like it was probably the cyclists fault. So, with that in mind, here is my rant directed at the cyclists out there (as a cyclist myself).
For god’s sake, wear a helmet! It’s just not worth it if you go down (whether or not you get hit by something or just lose your grip on the road and go down). There really are no excuses for this. And wear one that fits properly, too. It doesn’t do you any good if it’s loose. A friend of mine recently crashed when his tire slipped on a wet lane marker (for the record – they are very slippery when wet, so don’t ride on them). He said it all happened so fast, he didn’t even know what had happened until he found himself on the ground with his helmet cracked in two.
Do not, under any circumstances, ride on the sidewalk. Unless you are under the age of 12 (and this age varies from one city to the next), it’s illegal to ride on the sidewalk. You’re a menace to pedestrians and are far more likely to get hit by a car while crossing an intersection, as cars just aren’t looking for you to be there. If you are in an area where riding on the road is not possible for some reason (including your own safety) and must go on the sidewalk, dismount your bike and walk it. Please!
Obey all the traffic laws. This means: stop at all red lights, even if no cars are coming and you’re out in the middle of nowhere. You should be stopping at stop signs, too, but even I’m not 100% good with that one. But I always slow down – shooting right through the intersection is just asking for trouble, especially if it’s not an all-way stop.
DO NOT and I repeat: DO NOT ride the wrong way down a one way street or ride on the wrong side of the road (i.e., facing traffic). Sheesh! A 12-year-old boy was killed here a few weeks ago because he was going the wrong way and a dump truck driver with the late-day sun in his eyes could not see him (nor should he expect to see a cyclist going the wrong way) and hit him.
Teach your children road cycling safety. Just as you teach them not to run out from between parked cars, teach them not to ride that way, too.
Assume that cars CAN’T see you or know that you are supposed to behave on the road just as they do. Drivers are ignorant about cycling rules and generally self-centered while driving, so don’t expect them to be aware of you.
When stopped at a red light – which you are always doing ;-) – do not stop in the right-hand turn lane (meaning lanes that are meant for turning right only) if you will be going straight. Stay on the right-hand side of the lane that is going straight. That way, cars won’t get pissed off at you from preventing them from safely making a right turn on the red light. And, it will prevent you from getting hit by said cars once the light turns green. This is also true if it’s already a green light and you’re riding right through – don’t go into the right hand turn lane. It’s tempting and seems natural as it’s close to the curb, but you’re more likely to get hit or cut off if you do.
Don’t go up on the right side of cars that are making wide right-hand turns. Go around them on the left, even if it means that you’re taking up more space in the lane than you normally would be.
Always take a quick look over your shoulder before you move out to pass (car, pedestrian, other cyclist, etc.) as you never know who is coming up behind you. And use your hand signals (you know, the ones you learned when you were a kid or in driver training) – that way cars will know what you’re going to do (well, if they’re actually looking at you, that is).
And headphones while riding? Just don’t do it. Along with riding on the sidewalk or the wrong way down a one-way street, it’s illegal (even on a bike path – but check your city’s by-laws). And we already know that cars aren’t looking out for you, so how can you possibly be 100% alert to them if you are distracted by music (or whatever) in your ears. And it doesn’t matter how loud or soft it is – it’s still a distraction. Come to think of it, pedestrians are at risk, too, but there aren’t any laws against it.
Bottom line: you are a VEHICLE not a pedestrian, so you have to follow vehicular laws. This isn’t just to be a pain, it’s for your own safety, too!
Ride safe!
Crack-Berries:
OMG, I don’t know what words to express how much I hate those things. Wait, it’s not the Crack-Berry itself that I hate, it’s the Crack-Berry user I hate. I work downtown and there is a large underground path that connects many office towers to public transit and commuter trains. If I see one more person walking through the path with their head down staring onto that screen while their thumb is scrolling frantically, I’m going to SCREAM! This morning, I was getting ready to make a right-hand turn into the parking lot and this guy walked right in front of my moving car (at a much slower speed than people usually walk) because he had his head down looking at his Crack-Berry. It’s just a matter of time before people ram right into each other because they aren’t looking where they are going.
The other day, I was on the elevator when it stopped a few floors below me. A group of four men got on together (it was obvious that they were “together”). Three of them had Crack-Berries and, almost in unison, they stopped their conversation, reached for their little blue devices and began scrolling though something – while totally ignoring each other and the one guy who didn’t have one! Have we lost all of our social graces??
Then there’s “silent mode”, which is hardly silent as all I can hear around me is the “vroom, vroom, vroom” sound when they are set to vibrate.
OK, I’ll concede that it’s a great little piece of technology that allows you to stay in touch wherever you are (hmmm, cell phones come to mind, too), but for some reason the behaviour of the Crack-Berrymen (not meant to be gender-specific, by the way) has gone way beyond the limits of social dysfunction and rudeness, even compared to cell-phone users. I guess it’s just a matter of time before society self-regulates and these anti-social behaviours are called out for what they are, just like it did when it called out against cell phone use in public spaces.
[/rant]
Today was my day off from working out. I didn't ride my bike to work and actually drove so that I could do laundry right after work. I ate OK, but not great. I still succumbed to a rice crispy treat around 2:30 and some honey roasted peanuts while doing laundry. The last thing was because I wasn't going to get dinner for a while. And the stupid washing machine was broken so while my load of darks finished just fine, the whites were still sitting in half a tub of boiling hot water. I threw the darks in the dryer and then nearly scalded myself trying to remove the white from one machine and put them into the other. That set me back about 25 minutes since I had to wait for that load to be done, too. By the time I got home I had to pee so bad I thought I was going to wet myself.
Last night I had my first night of the Triathlon clinic that CL and I are teaching. It's only five weeks long, so not too much of an imposition on my own training. I ran with one of the participants last night who had a million questions about everything. All in good time, grasshopper; all in good time! I think we ran about 5K and then walked the last 750m or so (I didn't want to run up the hill as I was spent from pushing the pace so hard).
The plan for tomorrow is to ride to the gym in the morning (weights and a run on the treadmill) and then to the pool after work. I hope to get some of my swimming mojo back as I kind of lost it a bit after being away from it for the last month or so.
Alright, time to put that laundry away now...
I feel a rant coming on. I’m not sure if I should rant about cycling or about “Crack-berries.” Maybe I’ll rant about both...
Cycling:
This morning on the news I heard about two cyclist/auto collisions in the last 24 hours. Judging by the cyclists I see on a daily basis, I’m going to go out on a limb and NOT blame the crazy drivers in this city for that (even though one of the recent accidents was a hit and run, which is shameful). One of the accidents saw the cyclist rear-end a taxi and go right through the rear window. Yikes! Turns out that it was a “dummy” cab being used for a movie shoot that was parked on the side of the road. Details are sketchy, but looks like it was probably the cyclists fault. So, with that in mind, here is my rant directed at the cyclists out there (as a cyclist myself).
For god’s sake, wear a helmet! It’s just not worth it if you go down (whether or not you get hit by something or just lose your grip on the road and go down). There really are no excuses for this. And wear one that fits properly, too. It doesn’t do you any good if it’s loose. A friend of mine recently crashed when his tire slipped on a wet lane marker (for the record – they are very slippery when wet, so don’t ride on them). He said it all happened so fast, he didn’t even know what had happened until he found himself on the ground with his helmet cracked in two.
Do not, under any circumstances, ride on the sidewalk. Unless you are under the age of 12 (and this age varies from one city to the next), it’s illegal to ride on the sidewalk. You’re a menace to pedestrians and are far more likely to get hit by a car while crossing an intersection, as cars just aren’t looking for you to be there. If you are in an area where riding on the road is not possible for some reason (including your own safety) and must go on the sidewalk, dismount your bike and walk it. Please!
Obey all the traffic laws. This means: stop at all red lights, even if no cars are coming and you’re out in the middle of nowhere. You should be stopping at stop signs, too, but even I’m not 100% good with that one. But I always slow down – shooting right through the intersection is just asking for trouble, especially if it’s not an all-way stop.
DO NOT and I repeat: DO NOT ride the wrong way down a one way street or ride on the wrong side of the road (i.e., facing traffic). Sheesh! A 12-year-old boy was killed here a few weeks ago because he was going the wrong way and a dump truck driver with the late-day sun in his eyes could not see him (nor should he expect to see a cyclist going the wrong way) and hit him.
Teach your children road cycling safety. Just as you teach them not to run out from between parked cars, teach them not to ride that way, too.
Assume that cars CAN’T see you or know that you are supposed to behave on the road just as they do. Drivers are ignorant about cycling rules and generally self-centered while driving, so don’t expect them to be aware of you.
When stopped at a red light – which you are always doing ;-) – do not stop in the right-hand turn lane (meaning lanes that are meant for turning right only) if you will be going straight. Stay on the right-hand side of the lane that is going straight. That way, cars won’t get pissed off at you from preventing them from safely making a right turn on the red light. And, it will prevent you from getting hit by said cars once the light turns green. This is also true if it’s already a green light and you’re riding right through – don’t go into the right hand turn lane. It’s tempting and seems natural as it’s close to the curb, but you’re more likely to get hit or cut off if you do.
Don’t go up on the right side of cars that are making wide right-hand turns. Go around them on the left, even if it means that you’re taking up more space in the lane than you normally would be.
Always take a quick look over your shoulder before you move out to pass (car, pedestrian, other cyclist, etc.) as you never know who is coming up behind you. And use your hand signals (you know, the ones you learned when you were a kid or in driver training) – that way cars will know what you’re going to do (well, if they’re actually looking at you, that is).
And headphones while riding? Just don’t do it. Along with riding on the sidewalk or the wrong way down a one-way street, it’s illegal (even on a bike path – but check your city’s by-laws). And we already know that cars aren’t looking out for you, so how can you possibly be 100% alert to them if you are distracted by music (or whatever) in your ears. And it doesn’t matter how loud or soft it is – it’s still a distraction. Come to think of it, pedestrians are at risk, too, but there aren’t any laws against it.
Bottom line: you are a VEHICLE not a pedestrian, so you have to follow vehicular laws. This isn’t just to be a pain, it’s for your own safety, too!
Ride safe!
Crack-Berries:
OMG, I don’t know what words to express how much I hate those things. Wait, it’s not the Crack-Berry itself that I hate, it’s the Crack-Berry user I hate. I work downtown and there is a large underground path that connects many office towers to public transit and commuter trains. If I see one more person walking through the path with their head down staring onto that screen while their thumb is scrolling frantically, I’m going to SCREAM! This morning, I was getting ready to make a right-hand turn into the parking lot and this guy walked right in front of my moving car (at a much slower speed than people usually walk) because he had his head down looking at his Crack-Berry. It’s just a matter of time before people ram right into each other because they aren’t looking where they are going.
The other day, I was on the elevator when it stopped a few floors below me. A group of four men got on together (it was obvious that they were “together”). Three of them had Crack-Berries and, almost in unison, they stopped their conversation, reached for their little blue devices and began scrolling though something – while totally ignoring each other and the one guy who didn’t have one! Have we lost all of our social graces??
Then there’s “silent mode”, which is hardly silent as all I can hear around me is the “vroom, vroom, vroom” sound when they are set to vibrate.
OK, I’ll concede that it’s a great little piece of technology that allows you to stay in touch wherever you are (hmmm, cell phones come to mind, too), but for some reason the behaviour of the Crack-Berrymen (not meant to be gender-specific, by the way) has gone way beyond the limits of social dysfunction and rudeness, even compared to cell-phone users. I guess it’s just a matter of time before society self-regulates and these anti-social behaviours are called out for what they are, just like it did when it called out against cell phone use in public spaces.
[/rant]
Today was my day off from working out. I didn't ride my bike to work and actually drove so that I could do laundry right after work. I ate OK, but not great. I still succumbed to a rice crispy treat around 2:30 and some honey roasted peanuts while doing laundry. The last thing was because I wasn't going to get dinner for a while. And the stupid washing machine was broken so while my load of darks finished just fine, the whites were still sitting in half a tub of boiling hot water. I threw the darks in the dryer and then nearly scalded myself trying to remove the white from one machine and put them into the other. That set me back about 25 minutes since I had to wait for that load to be done, too. By the time I got home I had to pee so bad I thought I was going to wet myself.
Last night I had my first night of the Triathlon clinic that CL and I are teaching. It's only five weeks long, so not too much of an imposition on my own training. I ran with one of the participants last night who had a million questions about everything. All in good time, grasshopper; all in good time! I think we ran about 5K and then walked the last 750m or so (I didn't want to run up the hill as I was spent from pushing the pace so hard).
The plan for tomorrow is to ride to the gym in the morning (weights and a run on the treadmill) and then to the pool after work. I hope to get some of my swimming mojo back as I kind of lost it a bit after being away from it for the last month or so.
Alright, time to put that laundry away now...
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
So much history
It feels weird to start all over with another blog. I feel like I am deserting my old self. Go read some of my old posts over on Diaryland - it will make me feel better (link is on the right). Thanks.
The Inaugural Post
Just moved over from d-land. I was in the mood for a change. Excuse me while I get this up and running.
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