How much better can a birthday get?
Last night, it was my run club's Christmas party. We put in a few extra bucks on the bar tab every Wednesday night throughout the year and the leftover cash (that our "CFO" puts into a special account) funds all our food/drink at the Christmas party. We ate, drank and danced up a storm last night (my feet are sooooooo sore!). We closed the place down and I didn't get home until about 2:20AM. Thankfully, I had the foresight to drink a few glasses of ice water towards the end of the night, so I wasn't too hung over this morning.
What was that part about four kisses?
Right, well, at midnight last night it was my birthday. So, my friends decided that I should have a tequila shooter at midnight to celebrate. I usually prefer my tequila in a margarita, but what the heck... After the shooter, I got lovely birthday kiss from four of my cute running friends (one after the other - NOT simultaneously - get your minds out of the gutter). That's a pretty darned good way to start my 44th year!
[I refuse to let the evening be spoiled by the fact that I was the only one who didn't have a partner for the last dance of the evening though... hmpf! But it did bring back some bad high-school memories.]
Now, off to run through the streets of town in nothing but a bathing suit and a Santa hat! Oh boy, it's gonna be coooooooold!
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Meltdown
I had a bit of a meltdown last week.
Non-BF and I had a great time in Florida. Things were really easy between us - no disagreements, no awkwardness, no getting on each other's nerves... none of the normal kind of stuff that happens while travelling. We had a really great time.
We get back on the Friday night and I'm feeling really good about our relationship/friendship. I didn't talk to him much on the Saturday (we were both busy). He didn't come to run club on Sunday and I was busy the rest of the day. Finally we touched base on Sunday night. Turns out he had been with his other "friend" (S) on Saturday evening and most of the day Sunday. Hmmm. OK.
On Monday, I e-mail him to see if he wants to come on a trail run with some friends the following Saturday. He replies back that he can't as he's going out of town. Out of town? Where? Montreal. Montreal? What for? Oh, S is going there for business and she asked me to come along. You're going to MONTREAL?? MY HOMETOWN?? WITH HER???
I lost it (which, for me, means I shut down and stopped communicating, turning my anger inward).
Since he's my Non-BF (emphasis on the NON part), I don't have any claims on him, his time or whom he chooses to spend his time with. But I just could NOT deal with the fact that he was going away to Montreal for the weekend with S.
I don't really hold grudges and tend to get over stuff fairly quickly, as long as I've had a chance to wallow in self-pity and shed many tears. I think I cried myself to sleep three nights in a row over this. After that, I had calmed down a bit.
On Thursday, he came over to deliver my bike (his offer to pick up my bike at the shop was somewhat of a peace offering, I guess). Things were civil yet distant between us and he picked up on my coldness right away. When he finally called me on my behaviour, I broke down in tears in his arms. We talked about what was bothering me:
The thing is, I know that he's not the one for me (and that his heart is still on hold for someone else), but I just felt so threatened by the fact that I felt like he was pulling away from me by going away with S for the weekend. What I realized is that I have this huge void in my life that he had been filling (even though not entirely). A lot of the void was also masked by how busy I was all spring/summer with my Ironman training. But now that that's over, the void is this big gaping hole that I don't know what to do about.
I took a huge risk when I allowed myself to open up to him last winter. I had always prided myself on how independant I was and how I didn't "need" anyone. The downside is that once I allowed myself to open up and feel (and it actually felt very good, regardless of how much I felt exposed and vulnerable), I now also feel the loss since I don't have anyone to share that part of myself with (leaving me to feel even more exposed and vulnerable).
On the surface, I have a really great life, a home of my own, lots of great friends and many great experiences, but that's only the surface. Underneath I am unfulfilled, empty and lonely. None of those things matter to me without someone to share it with.
As much as I am still sad and hurting, I'm very glad that we were able to have such an honest convesation. He provided me with some valueable feedback and his perspective on things. I know that he has my best interests at heart and will do whatever he can to help me fulfill my dreams.
The other good thing is that I know I've been here before (about eight years ago, in fact) as I was going through my physical transformation. I felt a similar sense of exposure when I first started losing weight as I didn't have a layer of protection anymore. At the time, I thought I was going to lose my mind or just cry myself into oblivion. I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't know if/when I'd ever get what I wanted. It was a really tough time.
But what I learned from that experience is that, no matter how hard times are, I will come through it. I will get what I want (even if it doesn't come in the form I think it will). So, I'm holding onto that knowledge, no matter how small or fragile a hope it might be. Because it's all I have right now.
Non-BF and I had a great time in Florida. Things were really easy between us - no disagreements, no awkwardness, no getting on each other's nerves... none of the normal kind of stuff that happens while travelling. We had a really great time.
We get back on the Friday night and I'm feeling really good about our relationship/friendship. I didn't talk to him much on the Saturday (we were both busy). He didn't come to run club on Sunday and I was busy the rest of the day. Finally we touched base on Sunday night. Turns out he had been with his other "friend" (S) on Saturday evening and most of the day Sunday. Hmmm. OK.
On Monday, I e-mail him to see if he wants to come on a trail run with some friends the following Saturday. He replies back that he can't as he's going out of town. Out of town? Where? Montreal. Montreal? What for? Oh, S is going there for business and she asked me to come along. You're going to MONTREAL?? MY HOMETOWN?? WITH HER???
I lost it (which, for me, means I shut down and stopped communicating, turning my anger inward).
Since he's my Non-BF (emphasis on the NON part), I don't have any claims on him, his time or whom he chooses to spend his time with. But I just could NOT deal with the fact that he was going away to Montreal for the weekend with S.
I don't really hold grudges and tend to get over stuff fairly quickly, as long as I've had a chance to wallow in self-pity and shed many tears. I think I cried myself to sleep three nights in a row over this. After that, I had calmed down a bit.
On Thursday, he came over to deliver my bike (his offer to pick up my bike at the shop was somewhat of a peace offering, I guess). Things were civil yet distant between us and he picked up on my coldness right away. When he finally called me on my behaviour, I broke down in tears in his arms. We talked about what was bothering me:
The thing is, I know that he's not the one for me (and that his heart is still on hold for someone else), but I just felt so threatened by the fact that I felt like he was pulling away from me by going away with S for the weekend. What I realized is that I have this huge void in my life that he had been filling (even though not entirely). A lot of the void was also masked by how busy I was all spring/summer with my Ironman training. But now that that's over, the void is this big gaping hole that I don't know what to do about.
I took a huge risk when I allowed myself to open up to him last winter. I had always prided myself on how independant I was and how I didn't "need" anyone. The downside is that once I allowed myself to open up and feel (and it actually felt very good, regardless of how much I felt exposed and vulnerable), I now also feel the loss since I don't have anyone to share that part of myself with (leaving me to feel even more exposed and vulnerable).
On the surface, I have a really great life, a home of my own, lots of great friends and many great experiences, but that's only the surface. Underneath I am unfulfilled, empty and lonely. None of those things matter to me without someone to share it with.
As much as I am still sad and hurting, I'm very glad that we were able to have such an honest convesation. He provided me with some valueable feedback and his perspective on things. I know that he has my best interests at heart and will do whatever he can to help me fulfill my dreams.
The other good thing is that I know I've been here before (about eight years ago, in fact) as I was going through my physical transformation. I felt a similar sense of exposure when I first started losing weight as I didn't have a layer of protection anymore. At the time, I thought I was going to lose my mind or just cry myself into oblivion. I didn't know who I was anymore. I didn't know if/when I'd ever get what I wanted. It was a really tough time.
But what I learned from that experience is that, no matter how hard times are, I will come through it. I will get what I want (even if it doesn't come in the form I think it will). So, I'm holding onto that knowledge, no matter how small or fragile a hope it might be. Because it's all I have right now.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Back from my mini-vacation
My non-BF and I went to D1sney for a couple of days. He won the trip through work. We were only there for two and a half days, but it was so nice to get away and relax.
We had one free park pass (each), so we chose to go to Epc0t. That was a good choice. I really like the "Soarin'" ride. And "Mission to Mars" was intense.
We laughed at the Canada pavillion. The girls working there were dressed like lumberjacks and the movie about Canada was 23 years old!! Heck, some of the biggest buildings in downtown Toronto weren't even in the movie! Sheesh! I found that most of the indoor spaces smelled old and musty. Blech! Time for a facelift, Epc0t!!
I kind of ate like crap (meaning, whatever I wanted) while I was there (and even a bit since getting home last night), so I have to reign myself in a bit. I haven't stepped on the scales since I've been back. I think I was 171 before I left.
Today, I've just been running errands and drywalling a bit. I bought new running shoes since mine were almost toast.
I've pretty much recovered from my half marathon last weekend (we ran while we were in FLA and it felt good). I think I'll run 12K or so tomorrow. Next weekend, I'm meeting up with some friends to do a trail run (not a race, just a group run).
Next week, it's back to diligently working out. Note to self: Must start weight training again. Meh.
We had one free park pass (each), so we chose to go to Epc0t. That was a good choice. I really like the "Soarin'" ride. And "Mission to Mars" was intense.
We laughed at the Canada pavillion. The girls working there were dressed like lumberjacks and the movie about Canada was 23 years old!! Heck, some of the biggest buildings in downtown Toronto weren't even in the movie! Sheesh! I found that most of the indoor spaces smelled old and musty. Blech! Time for a facelift, Epc0t!!
I kind of ate like crap (meaning, whatever I wanted) while I was there (and even a bit since getting home last night), so I have to reign myself in a bit. I haven't stepped on the scales since I've been back. I think I was 171 before I left.
Today, I've just been running errands and drywalling a bit. I bought new running shoes since mine were almost toast.
I've pretty much recovered from my half marathon last weekend (we ran while we were in FLA and it felt good). I think I'll run 12K or so tomorrow. Next weekend, I'm meeting up with some friends to do a trail run (not a race, just a group run).
Next week, it's back to diligently working out. Note to self: Must start weight training again. Meh.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
New Half-Marathon PB!
I wasn't sure what to expect going into this race. It's been a long year of IM training and I wasn't sure if I had rested enough. I had thoughts of "PB" dancing around in the back of my mind, but I wasn't sure if I had it in me. I got my current PB (2:09:14) at this same race last year, so I was willing to give it another shot to see if the course would be good to me again.
I was relaxed going in. I didn't feel any pressure, just the normal pre-race excitement. It was great connecting with lots of my friends from the running club, too.
My plan was to try to stay in front of the 2:15 pace bunny (BG) and hold onto the 2:00 bunny (DG) as long as I could. Well, I lost sight of DG before the first kilometer marker (which I'm sure was off because my watch said I ran it in 4:51!). The 1-mile marker seemed to be right, though (9:40).
I also decided to follow my "average pace" on my SDM and use that as the gauge. For more than the first half, I was just under 6:00/km. I was kind of shocked by that because it's about 10 seconds/km faster than I normally run this distance. But I was feeling good, so I stuck with it.
This was also the first time in a long time that I raced with music. I pre-programmed my Nano with the best running tunes I could find, and tried to put them in order that I'd want/need to hear them.
The downside to running with music is that I couldn't hear my watch beep for walk breaks, so I had to keep looking at my watch. As a result, I didn't take them regularly every 10 minutes and they weren't a full minute long.
By the time I hit the 14K mark, my average pace had started to slow down to about 6:04 (this was the up-hilliest part of the course). It stayed at 6:04 all the way until the 18K mark when I decided to go for broke. I took my final walk break at the aide station there and then hunkered down and drove it home.
Just as I was getting to the 19K mark, an old favourite "earworm" of mine and my friend BG came on: "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y-NIGHT! S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y-NIGHT!" That really got me going and I picked the pace up significantly. Then at the 20K mark, "Clocks" by Coldplay came on and I thought, Yeah, this is the perfect song to take me home. Finish before it's over, La.
Well, I hammered as hard as I could and as I got close to the finish line I saw the clock turning from 2:06:59 to 2:07:00. Yes, it was going to be a new PB!
Official chip time: 2:06:55!! Oh, baby! That was 2 minutes and19 seconds off my previous PB! That's smokin'! I really feel that sub-2:06 is within my grasp now. I honestly didn't think I had it in me as it seemed so far away from my previous PB of 2:09:14 (which had taken me 6 years to achieve).
Anyway, I'm sore. My hammies are killing me, but my friend's hot tub is calling my name, so I'll end my report here.
I was relaxed going in. I didn't feel any pressure, just the normal pre-race excitement. It was great connecting with lots of my friends from the running club, too.
My plan was to try to stay in front of the 2:15 pace bunny (BG) and hold onto the 2:00 bunny (DG) as long as I could. Well, I lost sight of DG before the first kilometer marker (which I'm sure was off because my watch said I ran it in 4:51!). The 1-mile marker seemed to be right, though (9:40).
I also decided to follow my "average pace" on my SDM and use that as the gauge. For more than the first half, I was just under 6:00/km. I was kind of shocked by that because it's about 10 seconds/km faster than I normally run this distance. But I was feeling good, so I stuck with it.
This was also the first time in a long time that I raced with music. I pre-programmed my Nano with the best running tunes I could find, and tried to put them in order that I'd want/need to hear them.
The downside to running with music is that I couldn't hear my watch beep for walk breaks, so I had to keep looking at my watch. As a result, I didn't take them regularly every 10 minutes and they weren't a full minute long.
By the time I hit the 14K mark, my average pace had started to slow down to about 6:04 (this was the up-hilliest part of the course). It stayed at 6:04 all the way until the 18K mark when I decided to go for broke. I took my final walk break at the aide station there and then hunkered down and drove it home.
Just as I was getting to the 19K mark, an old favourite "earworm" of mine and my friend BG came on: "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y-NIGHT! S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y-NIGHT!" That really got me going and I picked the pace up significantly. Then at the 20K mark, "Clocks" by Coldplay came on and I thought, Yeah, this is the perfect song to take me home. Finish before it's over, La.
Well, I hammered as hard as I could and as I got close to the finish line I saw the clock turning from 2:06:59 to 2:07:00. Yes, it was going to be a new PB!
Official chip time: 2:06:55!! Oh, baby! That was 2 minutes and19 seconds off my previous PB! That's smokin'! I really feel that sub-2:06 is within my grasp now. I honestly didn't think I had it in me as it seemed so far away from my previous PB of 2:09:14 (which had taken me 6 years to achieve).
Anyway, I'm sore. My hammies are killing me, but my friend's hot tub is calling my name, so I'll end my report here.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Snow
It snowed here this weekend. Actually, I was up north at a cottage for the weekend and it snowed there.
The view from the cottage door
The view from the cottage doorI went for a run this morning. Mine were the first footsteps in the snow. I love that.
My footstep
So nice and white... not for long!
I ran almost 7K. Not super far, but I have a race next Sunday (1/2 Marathon), so that's fine. Besides, I was taken aback by the beauty, solitude and freshness. I had to keep stopping to admire it.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Ten Years
It just occurred to me that this month marks my 10-year anniversary of starting my fitness and weight-loss lifestyle. Oh, I had tried in the past and made half-hearted attempts at it, but this was the first time that I actually stuck with it and was successful.
It was a fairly long process (getting started, that is) - from the time I saw Bob Green on Oprah and bought his book that day; to finally getting signed on at the company gym and going for my first workout: about a month in total. So, things got kicked off the second week of September and I stepped on the treadmill for the first time at 6AM, Friday, October 11, 1996.
Weird, you might think, to start a fitness regime on a Friday. And the Friday before a holiday weekend, to boot!
I still remember how I felt when I got off that treadmill: I thought my legs and feet were detached from my body and I felt like I was floating across the room. The redness didn't leave my face until well after lunch. But after that long holiday weekend, I was back to the gym at 6AM on Tuesday morning and every weekday morning after that for over a year. To be honest, I was afraid that if I missed just one morning that I would quit altogether and fail yet again. I was partly motivated by fear.
But here I sit (yes, alone again on a Saturday night - oops, laundry is done... be right back), ten years later weighing at least 65 pounds lighter than I did that morning back in October of 1996. My losses were not dramatic at first and I hit lots of plateaus along the way, but I'm very proud of what I've accomplished. I don't know what the stats are, but I know that it's only a very small percentage of people who have been able to maintain a significant weight loss for 5 or more years.
I started at 235 pounds. The first 20-25 pounds came off fairly quickly. During that time, I also started running and even took up triathlon in '99. But as active as I was, I was unable to crack the 200-pound mark. In the fall of '99 I decided to do something that I had been considering for some years but never had the courage to do: have breast reduction surgery. I also discovered the power of the low-carb diet and was able to shed another 40 pounds in about 4 months so that I'd be within the guidelines that my surgeon recommended for me. On the day I went in for surgery, I was down to 174 pounds. I only lost about another five pounds post-op before I started to gain a bit back. I gained/lost off and on for the next couple of years.
By January of 2003, my weight had creeped back up to 188. I started my own version of "boot camp" and was able to lose about 15 pounds in the following months. That summer, I completed Ironman Lake Placid (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26-mile run) in 16 hours and 33 minutes, weighing about 178 pounds, which is kind of where I hovered for the next 2-3 years.
Earlier this year, I finally was able to lose another 10 pounds or so, and post my "lowest weight ever" of 164 pounds. My weight creeped up a bit during Ironman training again this summer, but I was able to stabilize around 172. And I felt like my weight was distributed differently than it had been when I was at that weight before.
After my summer adventures, I allowed myself to eat and drink whatever I wanted and the other day I stepped on the scales and saw 175.6lbs. Oh, no... I've worked much too hard to get this weight off, I'm not going to let it creep back on again.
So, I took a radical approach and cut a bunch of stuff out of my diet. A friend of mine recently did a "cleanse" where he wasn't allowed to each much of anything other than chicken, fish, vegetables and rice. No caffeine, no sugar, no dairy, no wheat. Well, there was no way I could go full steam with a plan like that, so I made a couple of little changes:
1. No sugar, except where it was unavoidable (my soy milk contains sugar as do some condiments and things like that)
2. Limit dairy to milk in my coffee (no lattes, no cheese)
3. Cut way down on wheat and flour (no pasta, no mini-wheats for breakfast, no bread)
4. No potatoes, so the only "starches" I'm eating are rice and corn
5. Obviously, since sugar/flour are out, no baked goods of any kind. That includes processed treats like granola bars and the like.
6. No alcohol
Only one exception: When running, I am allowed to take energy gels, sports drinks and protein shakes (post-run), even though they contain sugar, wheat and/or dairy.
The first week has gone pretty well. I switched to oatmeal for breakfast with just a touch of real maple syrup. I was able to stay away from pasta/flour. I did cave a bit and allowed myself one low-fat chocolate pudding per day as a treat (otherwise I'd go mental).
My stomach kind of protested a bit, although I'm not quite sure why. I've never been one to have stomach issues, but I've been noticing little pains and discomforts over the last week. And the good news is that as of today I'm back down to 170lbs.
So, that is how I'm celebrating my 10-year anniversary: By re-committing myself to good eating.
Some Before & After photos:
July 1996 (my security badge photo)
September 1996 (in Chicago, days before I bought Bob Green's book)
September 1999 (my first half-marathon)
November 2005 (the New Me!)
It was a fairly long process (getting started, that is) - from the time I saw Bob Green on Oprah and bought his book that day; to finally getting signed on at the company gym and going for my first workout: about a month in total. So, things got kicked off the second week of September and I stepped on the treadmill for the first time at 6AM, Friday, October 11, 1996.
Weird, you might think, to start a fitness regime on a Friday. And the Friday before a holiday weekend, to boot!
I still remember how I felt when I got off that treadmill: I thought my legs and feet were detached from my body and I felt like I was floating across the room. The redness didn't leave my face until well after lunch. But after that long holiday weekend, I was back to the gym at 6AM on Tuesday morning and every weekday morning after that for over a year. To be honest, I was afraid that if I missed just one morning that I would quit altogether and fail yet again. I was partly motivated by fear.
But here I sit (yes, alone again on a Saturday night - oops, laundry is done... be right back), ten years later weighing at least 65 pounds lighter than I did that morning back in October of 1996. My losses were not dramatic at first and I hit lots of plateaus along the way, but I'm very proud of what I've accomplished. I don't know what the stats are, but I know that it's only a very small percentage of people who have been able to maintain a significant weight loss for 5 or more years.
I started at 235 pounds. The first 20-25 pounds came off fairly quickly. During that time, I also started running and even took up triathlon in '99. But as active as I was, I was unable to crack the 200-pound mark. In the fall of '99 I decided to do something that I had been considering for some years but never had the courage to do: have breast reduction surgery. I also discovered the power of the low-carb diet and was able to shed another 40 pounds in about 4 months so that I'd be within the guidelines that my surgeon recommended for me. On the day I went in for surgery, I was down to 174 pounds. I only lost about another five pounds post-op before I started to gain a bit back. I gained/lost off and on for the next couple of years.
By January of 2003, my weight had creeped back up to 188. I started my own version of "boot camp" and was able to lose about 15 pounds in the following months. That summer, I completed Ironman Lake Placid (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26-mile run) in 16 hours and 33 minutes, weighing about 178 pounds, which is kind of where I hovered for the next 2-3 years.
Earlier this year, I finally was able to lose another 10 pounds or so, and post my "lowest weight ever" of 164 pounds. My weight creeped up a bit during Ironman training again this summer, but I was able to stabilize around 172. And I felt like my weight was distributed differently than it had been when I was at that weight before.
After my summer adventures, I allowed myself to eat and drink whatever I wanted and the other day I stepped on the scales and saw 175.6lbs. Oh, no... I've worked much too hard to get this weight off, I'm not going to let it creep back on again.
So, I took a radical approach and cut a bunch of stuff out of my diet. A friend of mine recently did a "cleanse" where he wasn't allowed to each much of anything other than chicken, fish, vegetables and rice. No caffeine, no sugar, no dairy, no wheat. Well, there was no way I could go full steam with a plan like that, so I made a couple of little changes:
1. No sugar, except where it was unavoidable (my soy milk contains sugar as do some condiments and things like that)
2. Limit dairy to milk in my coffee (no lattes, no cheese)
3. Cut way down on wheat and flour (no pasta, no mini-wheats for breakfast, no bread)
4. No potatoes, so the only "starches" I'm eating are rice and corn
5. Obviously, since sugar/flour are out, no baked goods of any kind. That includes processed treats like granola bars and the like.
6. No alcohol
Only one exception: When running, I am allowed to take energy gels, sports drinks and protein shakes (post-run), even though they contain sugar, wheat and/or dairy.
The first week has gone pretty well. I switched to oatmeal for breakfast with just a touch of real maple syrup. I was able to stay away from pasta/flour. I did cave a bit and allowed myself one low-fat chocolate pudding per day as a treat (otherwise I'd go mental).
My stomach kind of protested a bit, although I'm not quite sure why. I've never been one to have stomach issues, but I've been noticing little pains and discomforts over the last week. And the good news is that as of today I'm back down to 170lbs.
So, that is how I'm celebrating my 10-year anniversary: By re-committing myself to good eating.
Some Before & After photos:
July 1996 (my security badge photo)
September 1996 (in Chicago, days before I bought Bob Green's book)
September 1999 (my first half-marathon)
November 2005 (the New Me!)
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Home alone on a Saturday night...
How pathetic am I? Yes, I'm home alone on a Saturday night, just me and my piles of boxes and stuff to sort through. I mean, I don't really have to sort through any of it right this minute, but I really have nothing better to do.
How exciting is my life? Well, I bought new white sheets today (300-thread count) with some crisp brown piping along the edge. I laundered them and they came out of the dryer in a mass of wrinkles, so I spent the next 45 minutes ironing them. Argh! I HATE ironing! I didn't bother with the fitted bottom sheet (how would you iron that anyway, what with the elastic all around the edge??), but the pillow cases and top sheet had to be done.
And I did this as my former non-boyfriend lay on my bed after popping by on his way out on a date WITH ANOTHER GIRL!! [In his defense, he came by to drop off one of my drawers that he had fixed for me since the runner along the bottom had broken off and was a big pain to open/close.]
Oh yes, I have quite the life!
So, my bed is made with my fresh new sheets. And I'll be sleeping in it alone, yet again.
[Sigh]
But the good news is that this same former non-boyfriend is taking me on a trip to D1sney in November! He won an award at work and the trip is his reward. I was very happy when he asked me to go with him. I had to juggle some commitments at work to be able to go, but it all worked out.
To be honest, I probably would have been pretty devastated had he asked one of his other non-girlfriends to go with him, although I didn't tell him that. I told him that I would of course be honoured/excited if he asked me to go, but that if he chose to take someone else that I wouldn't be mad at him or hate him. I did tell him that I'd be disappointed, but it wouldn't be an end to our friendship or anything.
I was trying to play the "all cool" card, but that's often gotten me into trouble in the past as it sometimes appears that I don't care (when I really do). I wanted him to know that I did care, but I didn't want him to take me simply out of a sense of obligation or because he was worried that I'd be mad at him if he didn't. I wanted him to take me because he wanted to share this experience with me and nobody else.
But I know that the person he really wanted to share it with is the same person who still has a stranglehold on his heart. And that person isn't me.
How exciting is my life? Well, I bought new white sheets today (300-thread count) with some crisp brown piping along the edge. I laundered them and they came out of the dryer in a mass of wrinkles, so I spent the next 45 minutes ironing them. Argh! I HATE ironing! I didn't bother with the fitted bottom sheet (how would you iron that anyway, what with the elastic all around the edge??), but the pillow cases and top sheet had to be done.
And I did this as my former non-boyfriend lay on my bed after popping by on his way out on a date WITH ANOTHER GIRL!! [In his defense, he came by to drop off one of my drawers that he had fixed for me since the runner along the bottom had broken off and was a big pain to open/close.]
Oh yes, I have quite the life!
So, my bed is made with my fresh new sheets. And I'll be sleeping in it alone, yet again.
[Sigh]
But the good news is that this same former non-boyfriend is taking me on a trip to D1sney in November! He won an award at work and the trip is his reward. I was very happy when he asked me to go with him. I had to juggle some commitments at work to be able to go, but it all worked out.
To be honest, I probably would have been pretty devastated had he asked one of his other non-girlfriends to go with him, although I didn't tell him that. I told him that I would of course be honoured/excited if he asked me to go, but that if he chose to take someone else that I wouldn't be mad at him or hate him. I did tell him that I'd be disappointed, but it wouldn't be an end to our friendship or anything.
I was trying to play the "all cool" card, but that's often gotten me into trouble in the past as it sometimes appears that I don't care (when I really do). I wanted him to know that I did care, but I didn't want him to take me simply out of a sense of obligation or because he was worried that I'd be mad at him if he didn't. I wanted him to take me because he wanted to share this experience with me and nobody else.
But I know that the person he really wanted to share it with is the same person who still has a stranglehold on his heart. And that person isn't me.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Square One
I'm having a feeling of deja vu. Here I am, another race season behind me and September in front of me and I'm STILL at virtually the EXACT. SAME. WEIGHT. I was last year. Grrr.
I hate having to get back on the weight-loss bandwagon every fall. Every fall I tell myself that this year will be different. And to be honest, I did pretty well last fall, managing to shed a fair amount of weight, getting down to a new alltime low of 164 pounds.
But after another season of training for/racing triathlon, I'm right back where I was this time last year: 172 pounds. [sigh]
That said, I do know that my body composition has changed somewhat and that I am "thinner" than I was this time last year - I can see it in my face. And to be honest, I'm actually about 3-4 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. Not a major difference, but lighter none the less.
In the scheme of things, I'm not entirely unhappy with the way my body is right now. But that doesn't mean that I'm not still motivated to make some changes.
I've cut out a lot of junk food this week (except that I caved today and had an ice cream bar at break because our department was celebrating the achievements of some of the staff). But I'm still really, really hungry all the time as my body is still recovering from my race and is craving certain things and wants more volume of food. I know that if I just hold tight for a week or two things will be back to normal in no time.
I started back running again this week. Actually, I went for a 20-min run last Friday, followed by a 70-min run on Sunday and another 38 minutes last night. And I made an appearance at the gym on Tuesday for some elliptical and weights. I'm feeling pretty good (except for the fact that my biceps, shoulders and abs are BURNING IN PAIN now). I've signed up for another race in November (half marathon) so that will give me something to train for and look forward to. I just hope I've recovered enough to start back into training.
The Big Weight-Loss Lie
I've come to the realization that the scales lie and that burning more calories than you consume does not necessarily result in weight loss. Also, that if you see a 1-pound loss on the scales that it does not necessarily mean that you burned 3,500 more calories than you consumed. I've discovered this, you see, as I've seen my body weight fluctuate from 169 to 174 within a 2- to 3-day period. There is NO WAY that my calorie intake/expenditure has manifested itself in such rapid (and random) body weight fluctuations. And I don't blame it on the scales or on variations in the time of day that I weigh myself. I weigh myself unclothed daily and can sometimes see fluctuations of two pounds from one day to the next. So what gives?
The conclusion I've come to is that there are far more things going on in our bodies on a daily basis that affects how much we actually "weigh". And I'm trying not to stress myself out over those fluctuations. Likely, it's nothing more than water retention/expulsion that is causing the fluctuations. What I'm looking for now is a downward trend as opposed to a lower weight day after day. For people who are also increasing their level of physical activity, they're also building muscle mass and bone density, which can sometimes appear as a weight gain (even though they may be losing fat).
So, I'm still journalling my food (to keep me honest so that junk food and poor snack choices are more the exception than the rule) and weighing myself daily, but I'm not going to stress myself out over every little fluctuation in body weight. The key word here is: "trend". That's what I'm looking for, a downward trend. And smaller clothing sizes.
The other part of this lie is that the rate at which we burn calories does not stay constant. Calculating (or even estimating) calorie expediture is nearly impossible, even with expensive testing. The thing is, I know from personal experience that when I am training for a distance event like a marathon or long-distance triathlon that I have no chance at all of losing weight. I believe that my metabolism goes into conservation mode and holds onto all its fat, rather than using it as fuel. I think cortisol (the stress hormone) might have a role to play in that, but I have to research that a bit further.
I really wish that someone could tell me exactly how much I should eat and in what fat/pro/carb ratio so that I can lose my excess fat weight and keep it off. It's not that I'm not willing to exercise and eat well - it's just that everything I know how to do doesn't seem to be yielding results, so something must be off.
Bah! Enough about food and weight loss! I wanna just live my life and have some fun. Things I'm looking forward to this fall:
- Getting my condo in shape and building storage and an office space so that I'm not surrounded by boxes upstairs anymore.
- Socializing with friends and drinking some really good wine and hosting dinner parties at my place.
- Maybe even going on a date (or two or three), although I'm not holding my breath on that one.
[Actually, I should explain: I'm still really close friends with the guy I was seeing back in the spring, but we both decided that we wanted different things (meaning: I wanted an exclusive relationship and he did not) so we ended that aspect of our relationship. But I honestly think we are closer than ever and care very deeply about each other. He's the last person I talk to before bed every night. It's going to be hard for me to date anyone else so long as the two of us are still such close friends, but I guess we'll deal with that if and when the time comes. One of the most positive things that came out of our brief encounter was the fact that I am now more optimistic than ever about my prospects of finding the partnership/relationship that I want.]
I'm tired now, so I'm going to end this. Night, all.
I hate having to get back on the weight-loss bandwagon every fall. Every fall I tell myself that this year will be different. And to be honest, I did pretty well last fall, managing to shed a fair amount of weight, getting down to a new alltime low of 164 pounds.
But after another season of training for/racing triathlon, I'm right back where I was this time last year: 172 pounds. [sigh]
That said, I do know that my body composition has changed somewhat and that I am "thinner" than I was this time last year - I can see it in my face. And to be honest, I'm actually about 3-4 pounds lighter than I was this time last year. Not a major difference, but lighter none the less.
In the scheme of things, I'm not entirely unhappy with the way my body is right now. But that doesn't mean that I'm not still motivated to make some changes.
I've cut out a lot of junk food this week (except that I caved today and had an ice cream bar at break because our department was celebrating the achievements of some of the staff). But I'm still really, really hungry all the time as my body is still recovering from my race and is craving certain things and wants more volume of food. I know that if I just hold tight for a week or two things will be back to normal in no time.
I started back running again this week. Actually, I went for a 20-min run last Friday, followed by a 70-min run on Sunday and another 38 minutes last night. And I made an appearance at the gym on Tuesday for some elliptical and weights. I'm feeling pretty good (except for the fact that my biceps, shoulders and abs are BURNING IN PAIN now). I've signed up for another race in November (half marathon) so that will give me something to train for and look forward to. I just hope I've recovered enough to start back into training.
The Big Weight-Loss Lie
I've come to the realization that the scales lie and that burning more calories than you consume does not necessarily result in weight loss. Also, that if you see a 1-pound loss on the scales that it does not necessarily mean that you burned 3,500 more calories than you consumed. I've discovered this, you see, as I've seen my body weight fluctuate from 169 to 174 within a 2- to 3-day period. There is NO WAY that my calorie intake/expenditure has manifested itself in such rapid (and random) body weight fluctuations. And I don't blame it on the scales or on variations in the time of day that I weigh myself. I weigh myself unclothed daily and can sometimes see fluctuations of two pounds from one day to the next. So what gives?
The conclusion I've come to is that there are far more things going on in our bodies on a daily basis that affects how much we actually "weigh". And I'm trying not to stress myself out over those fluctuations. Likely, it's nothing more than water retention/expulsion that is causing the fluctuations. What I'm looking for now is a downward trend as opposed to a lower weight day after day. For people who are also increasing their level of physical activity, they're also building muscle mass and bone density, which can sometimes appear as a weight gain (even though they may be losing fat).
So, I'm still journalling my food (to keep me honest so that junk food and poor snack choices are more the exception than the rule) and weighing myself daily, but I'm not going to stress myself out over every little fluctuation in body weight. The key word here is: "trend". That's what I'm looking for, a downward trend. And smaller clothing sizes.
The other part of this lie is that the rate at which we burn calories does not stay constant. Calculating (or even estimating) calorie expediture is nearly impossible, even with expensive testing. The thing is, I know from personal experience that when I am training for a distance event like a marathon or long-distance triathlon that I have no chance at all of losing weight. I believe that my metabolism goes into conservation mode and holds onto all its fat, rather than using it as fuel. I think cortisol (the stress hormone) might have a role to play in that, but I have to research that a bit further.
I really wish that someone could tell me exactly how much I should eat and in what fat/pro/carb ratio so that I can lose my excess fat weight and keep it off. It's not that I'm not willing to exercise and eat well - it's just that everything I know how to do doesn't seem to be yielding results, so something must be off.
Bah! Enough about food and weight loss! I wanna just live my life and have some fun. Things I'm looking forward to this fall:
- Getting my condo in shape and building storage and an office space so that I'm not surrounded by boxes upstairs anymore.
- Socializing with friends and drinking some really good wine and hosting dinner parties at my place.
- Maybe even going on a date (or two or three), although I'm not holding my breath on that one.
[Actually, I should explain: I'm still really close friends with the guy I was seeing back in the spring, but we both decided that we wanted different things (meaning: I wanted an exclusive relationship and he did not) so we ended that aspect of our relationship. But I honestly think we are closer than ever and care very deeply about each other. He's the last person I talk to before bed every night. It's going to be hard for me to date anyone else so long as the two of us are still such close friends, but I guess we'll deal with that if and when the time comes. One of the most positive things that came out of our brief encounter was the fact that I am now more optimistic than ever about my prospects of finding the partnership/relationship that I want.]
I'm tired now, so I'm going to end this. Night, all.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
La's Ironman Canada Race Report
People often ask me, “What do you think about for 15+ hours while you’re out there during the race. To be honest, I was mostly thinking about what I would write in this report. I’d tell myself, “Oh, remember to write about this part in your report.” So here it is, the report that was 15 hours (and many months) in the making.
In some ways, the second time around is harder – harder to stay focused through training, but also harder on race day because you remember how much pain you’re going to feel. But in other ways, it’s so much easier – easier to make it through the tough times because you know you can do it. And you know that any pain is worth the feeling of crossing that finish line.
The week leading up to the race was very relaxed. My hotel was right across the street from the beach and less than 1K from where the finish line would be. One of the benefits of having done this before was that I wasn’t stressed by all the pre-race preparations since I’d “been there, done that” three years ago. On the Friday before the race I went for a drive along the bike course. Penticton has a single-loop bike course (as opposed to two loops in Lake Placid and three or more loops on many other courses). The countryside in the Okanagan Valley is spectacular! There were vineyards, orchards and horse farms all along the way. I also got a chance to see the challenging course that I would be riding on Sunday. The climb up through Richer Pass was definitely going to be a challenge, but did not appear to be impossible. And the climb to Yellow Lake seemed to be over before it even began – in the car, that is.
I had tons of friends out in BC – either as competitors or spectators. The friends who were staying at my hotel nicknamed themselves “Team Candy Ass” since they were not racing (although Emma and Lynn are previous Ironman finishers themselves). It was great to see people I knew almost everywhere I went. Penticton is a small city, so you’re always bumping into people. I had two friends from Vancouver (Melly & Craig), one old high school friend, Allison, plus tons of friends from the Toronto Triathlon Club – Neil, Jacob, Jen, Chris, Dave, Ed, Heather – plus Kathryn and Leslie, two friends from my neighbourhood. My mum and my friend, Leo, were also there to support me and cheer me on.
I tried as much as possible in the days leading up to the race to stay on “Toronto Time”, so that I wouldn’t have a hard time getting up early on race day. I was in bed by 9PM most nights and always up by 6AM, so when my alarm went off at 4:20AM race morning, I was actually already awake. I had some breakfast and then just waited until it was time to leave. I had prepped everything the night before (all my transition and special needs bags), so all I had to do was walk over to the site and put my last-minute things in place. Things always take longer on race morning than you expect as there are lineups for everything, so I was getting a little stressed by the length of the port-o-potty lineup I was in. In the end, I had plenty of time. I gave Kathryn and Leslie hugs for good luck and made my way down to the beach.
Walking through the archway leading to the beach, I started to get a little teary. It was all I could do to hold back my tears and not break down. It was all very emotional. Once I made it to the beach, I spotted Team Candy Ass by the fence so I went over to say Hi. They were all dressed up with these red/silver metallic wigs and had huge signs for me, Neil, Jacob and Ed. My sign had my head on the body of Ursula Andress (a Bond Girl from the ‘60s) that read, “Lesley as The Bond Girl” (in honour of the occupation I listed on my race entry form). I posed for some photos with my sign and said farewell to my cheering section and headed to the water’s edge.
My goggles were fogging before the race even started, so I was fiddling around with them trying to clear them when one of the lenses popped out! OMG – the race is less than 5 minutes from starting and I’m missing a lens in my Seal Mask! I didn’t panic and just calmly worked the lens back into the frame of the goggles.
The countdown began and then the cannon went off! BOOM! 2,350 competitors entered the water. I positioned myself a bit to the left and sort of in the middle of the pack. It was a bit crowded at first, but I swam a line about 25m off the buoy line, so it wasn’t as crowded over there. Some woman swam right over me (my butt/legs), so I kicked her. I mean, c’mon! If someone is in your way (i.e., in FRONT of you), then you should go around them, not over top of them. Making the turn at the first houseboat was a bit crowded (1600m and my watch said 30:45), as was the next 450m to the next turn (39:xx). After making that turn, the sun was right in my eyes, so I couldn’t see where I should be swimming. I just followed the pack and hoped they were going in the right direction. Eventually, I spotted a landmark that I could sight off – a large construction crane that was right at the beach. That really helped. I fought the urge to look at my watch after that. I told myself that it wasn’t important. As I got to the beach, the crowd had moved into the water and were standing there thigh-deep cheering us all on. I glanced at my watch as I stood up: 1:20:xx!! Woo hoo!! Goal #1 on the day was met! I figured I sacrificed some time by swimming an outside line that would be less crowded and I was OK with that.
Transition went well. I went to two male strippers (how bad does that sound!!) and my wetsuit was off in no time – they even helped me up off the ground. I grabbed my bag and ran into the tent. It was really packed, but I managed to find a chair. I changed everything so that I’d be starting the bike in nice dry clothes. I put some of my own sunscreen on (it burned on my face) but then got one of the volunteers to spray some onto the backs of my arms/shoulders since I couldn’t really reach there. I grabbed my bike and was off. I forgot to hit the split on my watch until I was already on my way up Main St., so I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in transition.
The crowds on Main St. were at least six people deep! It was like being a the Tour! I spotted Leo who took a photo of me as I went by. Then I heard another friend call my name and I gave a wave to her. Next thing I knew, I was making the turn onto South Main with a nice gradual downhill and a tailwind. The scenery here is gorgeous – breathtaking, actually. I brought a single-use camera so that I could capture some of the beauty (photos to follow). The first challenge on the bike came at about the 15K mark with a 1K climb upMcLean Creek Road. I had seen the climb during my drive on Friday and wasn’t worried about it. It wasn’t unlike the climbs I’ve done here at home. Neil passed me at the beginning of the climb. The crowds started to get thick again as we came into Okanagan Falls (OK Falls). The next 40K or so through Oliver down to Osoyoos was flat to downhill, so my average speed really picked up. At this point, Ed passed me. I did stop once along here to use the “spa” while a volunteer held my bike for me (they were all soooooo nice and helpful). By the time I made it to Osoyoos my average pace for the first 67K was 29kph. That’s just unheard of for me. But then the climb to Richer Pass was ahead of me and I knew my pace would begin to decline from there.
Richter was just as tough (and beautiful) as I thought it would be. It was stinking hot, too. I had been leapfrogging with this man named Marty along the way from OK Falls to Osoyoos. When I passed him on the climb to Richer, I said, “You’re not going to let a girl pass you on this climb, are you??” We both just laughed. The crowd support along here was great. The weird thing was that the aid station was not at the top of the hill, but part way up the final climb. I thought that if I stopped to refill my bottle here that I wouldn’t be able to get going again, so I grabbed a bottle of water and held onto it for the last climb. I then pulled over and refilled my bottle. I was pretty wiped when I got to the top, so I didn’t fully enjoy the descent that followed. This climb is followed by a series of what they call “rollers”, but I would say that they’re fairly significant climbs themselves. I passed the 90K mark in 3:35 and was feeling quite good. As expected, I was passed by several people during the bike course, but I lost count at how many people (men and women) commented on how much they liked my orange flowered jersey. At the 100K mark, this guy passed me and said, “Looking good” (or something to that effect) and then we both realized that we knew each other – it was my friend Brian’s friend, Tim, whom I’d met during a training ride in the Gatineaus back in May.
The next stretch of the course (aka, The Out and Back) was brutal, but mostly mentally. I knew that the Special Needs area would be here and that it would be at the 120K point. But this section was hot and hilly, both of which I hate. The good thing was that after all the climbing on the way in, it was mostly downhill on the way back out. At this point, I also started to have some stomach issues as well as some major chaffing in the creases of my legs that made every pedal stroke painful. I really wanted this bike ride to be over.
There’s a fairly flat section leading up to the climb to Yellow Lake, which starts at the 143K mark. I still had some liquid with me on the bike, but it was warm and salty and the last thing I wanted to drink. I saw Team Candy Ass along here and that helped to pick up my spirits, if only for a short time. The climb was brutal – mostly because of the heat and the fact that I was just exhausted. Kathryn passed me somewhere along this climb. I couldn’t drink on the climb and my eyes and mouth were full of salt and sweat. By the time I got to the aid station at the top, all I could say (yell, actually) was WATER!! I guzzled half a 700mL bottle at once and then grabbed another to put on my bike. I knew that there was maybe one more little climb before I began the descent into town. I was struggling a bit along here when I saw my friend Jennifer from Edmonton with her sign that said, “How Badly Do You Want It?” Well, that was exactly what I needed to see. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and just pressed on for the final 20K. The descent was great, but VERY windy, so I had to ride the brakes most of the way. I still managed to get up to 69kph, though. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded on the course at this point, so I had a clear shot at the descent. Cars were not a factor, either.
As I was approaching the end of the descent I spotted my friend Chris. I was surprised that I was able to catch him as he’s a much faster cyclist that I am. He eventually caught back up to me and we rode side-by-side for a bit while he told me that he’d been having trouble with his tires all day and had a severe wobble at speeds over 40kph, so he had to hold back the entire race. That really sucked for him.
The ride back into town was great – all downhill with lots of cheering fans. I heard a runner call my name, but I wasn’t sure who it was (I later learned it was Dave from the Club). I saw Kathryn heading out on the run just as I was getting off my bike and we said Hi to each other. I hit the split on my watch and it was 7:36-something, but since I hadn’t hit my swim/bike split right away, I knew that it was off by a bit. My official bike split was 7:38:20. That was 49 minutes faster than Lake Placid. Woo!
T2 was uneventful. A volunteer came over to help, but I told her that I was fine and didn’t want my stuff dumped out of my bag. I grabbed my Fuel Belt, but it felt very tight around my stomach and was quite uncomfortable. I started my 7:3 intervals on my watch and began to run. Well, my body would have none of that, so I started walking right away. The course starts with an out-and-back along Lakeshore Drive, right past my hotel. I knew that my mum and Leo would be there, and they were. I gave my mum a big hug and said that I’d see her again in about 6 hours (when we had to do the same out-and-back before crossing the finish line). Leo ran with me for a bit, then Chris caught up to me and we ran/walked a bit together. I needed to walk, so Chris continued on, but I could always see him in the distance as he wasn’t moving very quickly.
My stomach still did not feel good. I tried using the “spa” at about the 2-mile mark, but I didn’t get any relief. You know the old limerick:
Here I sit, broken hearted
Paid my dime and only […]
You can fill in the blank.
I visited several “spas” along the way, all with the same lack of results. This was the major reason why I was reduced to a walk in the first half of the marathon. Every time I tried to run the gas in my intestines started to hurt. My pecs and abs were also sore, so running was hard on those, too.
I decided to dump my Fuel Belt early on when I saw my friends Sara and Colleen (from Edmonton) at about the 3-mile mark. I took what I thought I needed from my pack and decided to rely on the aid stations for everything else. It was a risky move (I’d never run without my own “stuff” before), but I took a chance. I got through on grapes, pretzels, Gatorade, Pepsi, ice and chicken soup. Actually, it was the Pepsi that ended up being the best thing, especially towards the end. Can’t go wrong with sugar and caffeine, eh?
About an hour into the run/walk, I met up with my old “pal”, Marty, again. We walked together for quite a while – almost to the turnaround. We were going at a good clip (we were “walking with aggression” as Lisa Bentley would say), so we actually caught and passed Chris at one of the aid stations. Marty was a 64-year old from North Van doing his first IM. Walking and chatting with him was a nice distraction. Eventually we parted ways when I said that I wanted to try running a bit (he couldn’t as he had an injured knee).
The nice thing about an out-and-back marathon is that you get to see all your friends – regardless of who is in ahead/behind. Before my turnaround, I saw Craig, Melly, Neil, Ed and Kathryn. After the turnaround I saw Chris, Leslie and then Jen. I was glad that Leslie and Jen had made it off their bikes as I hadn’t seen them all day.
There’s a fairly long downhill leading to the special needs area at the turnaround, so I decided to try running. It felt pretty good. I grabbed my bag and took a few things out, but mostly dumped everything else. The little bottles of Scope that I had put in both mybike and run special needs bags were really great as I was starting to feel like my teeth and tongue had sweaters on them from all the sugary stuff I’d been eating. I also grabbed my headlamp, but it wouldn’t fit on my head with my hat, so I wrapped it around my wrist and carried it. It ended up being a godsend out there in the dark, that’s for sure.
I saw that my time at the turnaround was 3:25 (or so) and I thought to myself that there’s NO WAY I’m going to walk the rest of this marathon and post a 7+ hour time. No way! So I figured I better start running some. The other benefit of having done this before was that I remember from Lake Placid in ’03 that when I finally did run the last mile or so into the finish, it didn’t hurt as much and was much easier than I expected. At the time, I thought if I had known that, I would have started running sooner! I kept that in mind as I began to run. And sure enough, it really did feel better to run than to walk. The only thing keeping me from running earlier was my stomach, but by the half-way point that really felt better, so I was able.
When I got to the top of the climb that I had run down before the turnaround, I spotted my friends Jennifer and Jordan (from Edmonton) on their bikes. They stayed with me for quite a while until it got dark and they had to ride back. It was great to have some company along the way. I was also able to start running again at this point. At first, I just ran the downhills. Then, I ran some of the flats. I wasn’t running by any prescribed intervals, just running when I felt I could and walking when I couldn’t run anymore. I was determined to run the final 3 miles into town since it was a nice gradual downhill.
Someone commented to me when I was power-walking that I looked like a school teacher who was marching out to the schoolyard to discipline some children! Quite the description! But mostly the comments from people were about how good a pace I was running. In the second half of the marathon I passed so many people that I lost count. When I was running, I might have actually been doing 10:30 or so per mile. I was trying really hard to do some math to figure out if I could make my 15:30 goal time and by my feeble calculations, I knew that it was possible, but only if I ran much more than I walked, so I kept that in mind.
I spotted Sara and Colleen again at the 23-mile mark, so I grabbed my Fuel Belt from them and continued on my way. I did have to take a couple of walk breaks along that stretch, but I always set a limit like a cross-walk or a light post where I’d start running again.
The final run down Main St. and Lakeshore Drive was great. I could hear the finish line announcer in the distance and that really got me going. I took one final walk break before hitting Lakeshore where I knew that Leo and my mum would be. I saw Leo first and he ran with me until we got to where my mum was sitting. She was surprised to see me so early! I gave her a big hug and a kiss and dropped off my Fuel Belt, glow stick and flashlight with her. Leo ran the last stretch with me and then left me just before the finishing chute. There was a man a few feet in front of me and Leo said, “You’re going to have to pass this guy or let him go, otherwise you’ll ruin your finish line photo.” I let him go as he was running at a good clip. As I was in the final stretch, there were two women walking in font of me, so I blew past both of them and had the finish line all to myself! All I remember the announcer saying was “Lesley T of Toronto – who lists her occupation as Bond Girl”. Sadly, I don’t remember the song that was playing.
Final time: 15:32:32! My run was 6:13, which was only 4 minutes faster than Lake Placid, but faster is faster, so I’ll take it. Overall, I was almost a full hour faster (59:45) than my first IM, so I was very happy about that.
I got my medal, T-Shirt and finisher’s hat. My “catchers” took me into the food tent and I got two slices of pizza. They offered me fruit and some other things, but I said that I’d had enough of that stuff out on the course – I wanted REAL food.
Although I would have liked to stay to see my other friends finish (Chris, Leslie and Jen were still behind me), I just couldn’t stand or sit any longer – I needed to be horizontal. Leo walked me back to the hotel and then went back to watch the finish and try to find Jen, who was still out there somewhere.
Final stats:
Swim: 1:20:52 (87/146 in AG W40-44, 1540/2352 overall), pace: 2:08/100m
T1: 9:23
Bike: 7:38:20 (124/146, 2144/2352)
T2: 10:33
Run: 6:13:26 (109/146, 1751/2352)
Total: 15:32:32 (117/149 in W40-44 age group, 1949/2352 overall, 10/12 in Athena 40+ category, 19/26 in Athenas Overall)
Although I don’t place a lot of stock in AG rankings, I thought it was interesting that I placed higher in the run than the bike! I never think of running as my strong suit, so I expected that I’d place higher in the bike, but that wasn’t the case. And my Athena ranking wasn’t that great, but it doesn’t really matter.
Overall, it was a great experience. The OK Valley is GORGEOUS and I could certainly see myself doing this race again in the future (but not next year).
At the Awards Banquet on Monday they showed the race video. Thanks to Team Candy Ass, I made it onto the video posing with my Bond Girl poster before the swim start. Emma and Lynn also made it on with their wigs, costumes and signs. Neil even made the cut as they interviewed him while he was climbing Richer Pass!
To anyone thinking that they’d like to attempt this challenge themselves in the future, I say: GO FOR IT! You will not be disappointed.
I’m going to end this awfully long report with my overall thoughts on this accomplishment and try to put things into perspective for myself. After my first IM in Lake Placid I was quite emotional at the finish, but also a little bit let down. As I was sitting in the change tent all alone I had this feeling of “Is that all there is?” This time, I didn’t have the same feeling. I guess the difference was that in my first race I perhaps expected something magical and special from Ironman that I just never found. I didn’t have that same expectation this time around. I realized that it’s fine to have a goal – even really big goals like this one – but that the true meaning comes in the weeks and months of training FOR the goal, rather than in achieving the goal itself. I’m not sure how else to describe it. Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but it’s not something that anyone with the appropriate training and dedication couldn’t do. I don’t consider myself “changed” or “special” in any way – which is what I expected the first time and was let down when I didn’t feel it. In the days leading up to the race everyone was parading around town in their T-Shirts advertising which races they had done. They wore them like badges of honour, almost. I deliberately went the other way and wore nothing other than my one Cervelo T and a couple of my run club Ts. Other than the participant’s wrist band (and my tattoo) there was nothing about me that would suggest that I was a competitor in this race (in fact, they often mistook Leo for the competitor and me for his support crew, instead of the other way around). I guess I’m saying this because I kind of feel a little bit like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz when Glinda says to her, “You’ve had the power all along.” And that’s very true – Ironman did not make me who I am, I already was that person and Ironman just confirmed it. So, whether your dream is Ironman, Kona, Boston or your first 5K or try-a-tri, know that you already ARE that person – achieving those other goals will only serve as external validation. Be proud of yourself, wherever you are in your journey.
In some ways, the second time around is harder – harder to stay focused through training, but also harder on race day because you remember how much pain you’re going to feel. But in other ways, it’s so much easier – easier to make it through the tough times because you know you can do it. And you know that any pain is worth the feeling of crossing that finish line.
The week leading up to the race was very relaxed. My hotel was right across the street from the beach and less than 1K from where the finish line would be. One of the benefits of having done this before was that I wasn’t stressed by all the pre-race preparations since I’d “been there, done that” three years ago. On the Friday before the race I went for a drive along the bike course. Penticton has a single-loop bike course (as opposed to two loops in Lake Placid and three or more loops on many other courses). The countryside in the Okanagan Valley is spectacular! There were vineyards, orchards and horse farms all along the way. I also got a chance to see the challenging course that I would be riding on Sunday. The climb up through Richer Pass was definitely going to be a challenge, but did not appear to be impossible. And the climb to Yellow Lake seemed to be over before it even began – in the car, that is.
I had tons of friends out in BC – either as competitors or spectators. The friends who were staying at my hotel nicknamed themselves “Team Candy Ass” since they were not racing (although Emma and Lynn are previous Ironman finishers themselves). It was great to see people I knew almost everywhere I went. Penticton is a small city, so you’re always bumping into people. I had two friends from Vancouver (Melly & Craig), one old high school friend, Allison, plus tons of friends from the Toronto Triathlon Club – Neil, Jacob, Jen, Chris, Dave, Ed, Heather – plus Kathryn and Leslie, two friends from my neighbourhood. My mum and my friend, Leo, were also there to support me and cheer me on.
I tried as much as possible in the days leading up to the race to stay on “Toronto Time”, so that I wouldn’t have a hard time getting up early on race day. I was in bed by 9PM most nights and always up by 6AM, so when my alarm went off at 4:20AM race morning, I was actually already awake. I had some breakfast and then just waited until it was time to leave. I had prepped everything the night before (all my transition and special needs bags), so all I had to do was walk over to the site and put my last-minute things in place. Things always take longer on race morning than you expect as there are lineups for everything, so I was getting a little stressed by the length of the port-o-potty lineup I was in. In the end, I had plenty of time. I gave Kathryn and Leslie hugs for good luck and made my way down to the beach.
Walking through the archway leading to the beach, I started to get a little teary. It was all I could do to hold back my tears and not break down. It was all very emotional. Once I made it to the beach, I spotted Team Candy Ass by the fence so I went over to say Hi. They were all dressed up with these red/silver metallic wigs and had huge signs for me, Neil, Jacob and Ed. My sign had my head on the body of Ursula Andress (a Bond Girl from the ‘60s) that read, “Lesley as The Bond Girl” (in honour of the occupation I listed on my race entry form). I posed for some photos with my sign and said farewell to my cheering section and headed to the water’s edge.
My goggles were fogging before the race even started, so I was fiddling around with them trying to clear them when one of the lenses popped out! OMG – the race is less than 5 minutes from starting and I’m missing a lens in my Seal Mask! I didn’t panic and just calmly worked the lens back into the frame of the goggles.
The countdown began and then the cannon went off! BOOM! 2,350 competitors entered the water. I positioned myself a bit to the left and sort of in the middle of the pack. It was a bit crowded at first, but I swam a line about 25m off the buoy line, so it wasn’t as crowded over there. Some woman swam right over me (my butt/legs), so I kicked her. I mean, c’mon! If someone is in your way (i.e., in FRONT of you), then you should go around them, not over top of them. Making the turn at the first houseboat was a bit crowded (1600m and my watch said 30:45), as was the next 450m to the next turn (39:xx). After making that turn, the sun was right in my eyes, so I couldn’t see where I should be swimming. I just followed the pack and hoped they were going in the right direction. Eventually, I spotted a landmark that I could sight off – a large construction crane that was right at the beach. That really helped. I fought the urge to look at my watch after that. I told myself that it wasn’t important. As I got to the beach, the crowd had moved into the water and were standing there thigh-deep cheering us all on. I glanced at my watch as I stood up: 1:20:xx!! Woo hoo!! Goal #1 on the day was met! I figured I sacrificed some time by swimming an outside line that would be less crowded and I was OK with that.
Transition went well. I went to two male strippers (how bad does that sound!!) and my wetsuit was off in no time – they even helped me up off the ground. I grabbed my bag and ran into the tent. It was really packed, but I managed to find a chair. I changed everything so that I’d be starting the bike in nice dry clothes. I put some of my own sunscreen on (it burned on my face) but then got one of the volunteers to spray some onto the backs of my arms/shoulders since I couldn’t really reach there. I grabbed my bike and was off. I forgot to hit the split on my watch until I was already on my way up Main St., so I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in transition.
The crowds on Main St. were at least six people deep! It was like being a the Tour! I spotted Leo who took a photo of me as I went by. Then I heard another friend call my name and I gave a wave to her. Next thing I knew, I was making the turn onto South Main with a nice gradual downhill and a tailwind. The scenery here is gorgeous – breathtaking, actually. I brought a single-use camera so that I could capture some of the beauty (photos to follow). The first challenge on the bike came at about the 15K mark with a 1K climb upMcLean Creek Road. I had seen the climb during my drive on Friday and wasn’t worried about it. It wasn’t unlike the climbs I’ve done here at home. Neil passed me at the beginning of the climb. The crowds started to get thick again as we came into Okanagan Falls (OK Falls). The next 40K or so through Oliver down to Osoyoos was flat to downhill, so my average speed really picked up. At this point, Ed passed me. I did stop once along here to use the “spa” while a volunteer held my bike for me (they were all soooooo nice and helpful). By the time I made it to Osoyoos my average pace for the first 67K was 29kph. That’s just unheard of for me. But then the climb to Richer Pass was ahead of me and I knew my pace would begin to decline from there.
Richter was just as tough (and beautiful) as I thought it would be. It was stinking hot, too. I had been leapfrogging with this man named Marty along the way from OK Falls to Osoyoos. When I passed him on the climb to Richer, I said, “You’re not going to let a girl pass you on this climb, are you??” We both just laughed. The crowd support along here was great. The weird thing was that the aid station was not at the top of the hill, but part way up the final climb. I thought that if I stopped to refill my bottle here that I wouldn’t be able to get going again, so I grabbed a bottle of water and held onto it for the last climb. I then pulled over and refilled my bottle. I was pretty wiped when I got to the top, so I didn’t fully enjoy the descent that followed. This climb is followed by a series of what they call “rollers”, but I would say that they’re fairly significant climbs themselves. I passed the 90K mark in 3:35 and was feeling quite good. As expected, I was passed by several people during the bike course, but I lost count at how many people (men and women) commented on how much they liked my orange flowered jersey. At the 100K mark, this guy passed me and said, “Looking good” (or something to that effect) and then we both realized that we knew each other – it was my friend Brian’s friend, Tim, whom I’d met during a training ride in the Gatineaus back in May.
The next stretch of the course (aka, The Out and Back) was brutal, but mostly mentally. I knew that the Special Needs area would be here and that it would be at the 120K point. But this section was hot and hilly, both of which I hate. The good thing was that after all the climbing on the way in, it was mostly downhill on the way back out. At this point, I also started to have some stomach issues as well as some major chaffing in the creases of my legs that made every pedal stroke painful. I really wanted this bike ride to be over.
There’s a fairly flat section leading up to the climb to Yellow Lake, which starts at the 143K mark. I still had some liquid with me on the bike, but it was warm and salty and the last thing I wanted to drink. I saw Team Candy Ass along here and that helped to pick up my spirits, if only for a short time. The climb was brutal – mostly because of the heat and the fact that I was just exhausted. Kathryn passed me somewhere along this climb. I couldn’t drink on the climb and my eyes and mouth were full of salt and sweat. By the time I got to the aid station at the top, all I could say (yell, actually) was WATER!! I guzzled half a 700mL bottle at once and then grabbed another to put on my bike. I knew that there was maybe one more little climb before I began the descent into town. I was struggling a bit along here when I saw my friend Jennifer from Edmonton with her sign that said, “How Badly Do You Want It?” Well, that was exactly what I needed to see. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and just pressed on for the final 20K. The descent was great, but VERY windy, so I had to ride the brakes most of the way. I still managed to get up to 69kph, though. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded on the course at this point, so I had a clear shot at the descent. Cars were not a factor, either.
As I was approaching the end of the descent I spotted my friend Chris. I was surprised that I was able to catch him as he’s a much faster cyclist that I am. He eventually caught back up to me and we rode side-by-side for a bit while he told me that he’d been having trouble with his tires all day and had a severe wobble at speeds over 40kph, so he had to hold back the entire race. That really sucked for him.
The ride back into town was great – all downhill with lots of cheering fans. I heard a runner call my name, but I wasn’t sure who it was (I later learned it was Dave from the Club). I saw Kathryn heading out on the run just as I was getting off my bike and we said Hi to each other. I hit the split on my watch and it was 7:36-something, but since I hadn’t hit my swim/bike split right away, I knew that it was off by a bit. My official bike split was 7:38:20. That was 49 minutes faster than Lake Placid. Woo!
T2 was uneventful. A volunteer came over to help, but I told her that I was fine and didn’t want my stuff dumped out of my bag. I grabbed my Fuel Belt, but it felt very tight around my stomach and was quite uncomfortable. I started my 7:3 intervals on my watch and began to run. Well, my body would have none of that, so I started walking right away. The course starts with an out-and-back along Lakeshore Drive, right past my hotel. I knew that my mum and Leo would be there, and they were. I gave my mum a big hug and said that I’d see her again in about 6 hours (when we had to do the same out-and-back before crossing the finish line). Leo ran with me for a bit, then Chris caught up to me and we ran/walked a bit together. I needed to walk, so Chris continued on, but I could always see him in the distance as he wasn’t moving very quickly.
My stomach still did not feel good. I tried using the “spa” at about the 2-mile mark, but I didn’t get any relief. You know the old limerick:
Here I sit, broken hearted
Paid my dime and only […]
You can fill in the blank.
I visited several “spas” along the way, all with the same lack of results. This was the major reason why I was reduced to a walk in the first half of the marathon. Every time I tried to run the gas in my intestines started to hurt. My pecs and abs were also sore, so running was hard on those, too.
I decided to dump my Fuel Belt early on when I saw my friends Sara and Colleen (from Edmonton) at about the 3-mile mark. I took what I thought I needed from my pack and decided to rely on the aid stations for everything else. It was a risky move (I’d never run without my own “stuff” before), but I took a chance. I got through on grapes, pretzels, Gatorade, Pepsi, ice and chicken soup. Actually, it was the Pepsi that ended up being the best thing, especially towards the end. Can’t go wrong with sugar and caffeine, eh?
About an hour into the run/walk, I met up with my old “pal”, Marty, again. We walked together for quite a while – almost to the turnaround. We were going at a good clip (we were “walking with aggression” as Lisa Bentley would say), so we actually caught and passed Chris at one of the aid stations. Marty was a 64-year old from North Van doing his first IM. Walking and chatting with him was a nice distraction. Eventually we parted ways when I said that I wanted to try running a bit (he couldn’t as he had an injured knee).
The nice thing about an out-and-back marathon is that you get to see all your friends – regardless of who is in ahead/behind. Before my turnaround, I saw Craig, Melly, Neil, Ed and Kathryn. After the turnaround I saw Chris, Leslie and then Jen. I was glad that Leslie and Jen had made it off their bikes as I hadn’t seen them all day.
There’s a fairly long downhill leading to the special needs area at the turnaround, so I decided to try running. It felt pretty good. I grabbed my bag and took a few things out, but mostly dumped everything else. The little bottles of Scope that I had put in both mybike and run special needs bags were really great as I was starting to feel like my teeth and tongue had sweaters on them from all the sugary stuff I’d been eating. I also grabbed my headlamp, but it wouldn’t fit on my head with my hat, so I wrapped it around my wrist and carried it. It ended up being a godsend out there in the dark, that’s for sure.
I saw that my time at the turnaround was 3:25 (or so) and I thought to myself that there’s NO WAY I’m going to walk the rest of this marathon and post a 7+ hour time. No way! So I figured I better start running some. The other benefit of having done this before was that I remember from Lake Placid in ’03 that when I finally did run the last mile or so into the finish, it didn’t hurt as much and was much easier than I expected. At the time, I thought if I had known that, I would have started running sooner! I kept that in mind as I began to run. And sure enough, it really did feel better to run than to walk. The only thing keeping me from running earlier was my stomach, but by the half-way point that really felt better, so I was able.
When I got to the top of the climb that I had run down before the turnaround, I spotted my friends Jennifer and Jordan (from Edmonton) on their bikes. They stayed with me for quite a while until it got dark and they had to ride back. It was great to have some company along the way. I was also able to start running again at this point. At first, I just ran the downhills. Then, I ran some of the flats. I wasn’t running by any prescribed intervals, just running when I felt I could and walking when I couldn’t run anymore. I was determined to run the final 3 miles into town since it was a nice gradual downhill.
Someone commented to me when I was power-walking that I looked like a school teacher who was marching out to the schoolyard to discipline some children! Quite the description! But mostly the comments from people were about how good a pace I was running. In the second half of the marathon I passed so many people that I lost count. When I was running, I might have actually been doing 10:30 or so per mile. I was trying really hard to do some math to figure out if I could make my 15:30 goal time and by my feeble calculations, I knew that it was possible, but only if I ran much more than I walked, so I kept that in mind.
I spotted Sara and Colleen again at the 23-mile mark, so I grabbed my Fuel Belt from them and continued on my way. I did have to take a couple of walk breaks along that stretch, but I always set a limit like a cross-walk or a light post where I’d start running again.
The final run down Main St. and Lakeshore Drive was great. I could hear the finish line announcer in the distance and that really got me going. I took one final walk break before hitting Lakeshore where I knew that Leo and my mum would be. I saw Leo first and he ran with me until we got to where my mum was sitting. She was surprised to see me so early! I gave her a big hug and a kiss and dropped off my Fuel Belt, glow stick and flashlight with her. Leo ran the last stretch with me and then left me just before the finishing chute. There was a man a few feet in front of me and Leo said, “You’re going to have to pass this guy or let him go, otherwise you’ll ruin your finish line photo.” I let him go as he was running at a good clip. As I was in the final stretch, there were two women walking in font of me, so I blew past both of them and had the finish line all to myself! All I remember the announcer saying was “Lesley T of Toronto – who lists her occupation as Bond Girl”. Sadly, I don’t remember the song that was playing.
Final time: 15:32:32! My run was 6:13, which was only 4 minutes faster than Lake Placid, but faster is faster, so I’ll take it. Overall, I was almost a full hour faster (59:45) than my first IM, so I was very happy about that.
I got my medal, T-Shirt and finisher’s hat. My “catchers” took me into the food tent and I got two slices of pizza. They offered me fruit and some other things, but I said that I’d had enough of that stuff out on the course – I wanted REAL food.
Although I would have liked to stay to see my other friends finish (Chris, Leslie and Jen were still behind me), I just couldn’t stand or sit any longer – I needed to be horizontal. Leo walked me back to the hotel and then went back to watch the finish and try to find Jen, who was still out there somewhere.
Final stats:
Swim: 1:20:52 (87/146 in AG W40-44, 1540/2352 overall), pace: 2:08/100m
T1: 9:23
Bike: 7:38:20 (124/146, 2144/2352)
T2: 10:33
Run: 6:13:26 (109/146, 1751/2352)
Total: 15:32:32 (117/149 in W40-44 age group, 1949/2352 overall, 10/12 in Athena 40+ category, 19/26 in Athenas Overall)
Although I don’t place a lot of stock in AG rankings, I thought it was interesting that I placed higher in the run than the bike! I never think of running as my strong suit, so I expected that I’d place higher in the bike, but that wasn’t the case. And my Athena ranking wasn’t that great, but it doesn’t really matter.
Overall, it was a great experience. The OK Valley is GORGEOUS and I could certainly see myself doing this race again in the future (but not next year).
At the Awards Banquet on Monday they showed the race video. Thanks to Team Candy Ass, I made it onto the video posing with my Bond Girl poster before the swim start. Emma and Lynn also made it on with their wigs, costumes and signs. Neil even made the cut as they interviewed him while he was climbing Richer Pass!
To anyone thinking that they’d like to attempt this challenge themselves in the future, I say: GO FOR IT! You will not be disappointed.
I’m going to end this awfully long report with my overall thoughts on this accomplishment and try to put things into perspective for myself. After my first IM in Lake Placid I was quite emotional at the finish, but also a little bit let down. As I was sitting in the change tent all alone I had this feeling of “Is that all there is?” This time, I didn’t have the same feeling. I guess the difference was that in my first race I perhaps expected something magical and special from Ironman that I just never found. I didn’t have that same expectation this time around. I realized that it’s fine to have a goal – even really big goals like this one – but that the true meaning comes in the weeks and months of training FOR the goal, rather than in achieving the goal itself. I’m not sure how else to describe it. Yes, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but it’s not something that anyone with the appropriate training and dedication couldn’t do. I don’t consider myself “changed” or “special” in any way – which is what I expected the first time and was let down when I didn’t feel it. In the days leading up to the race everyone was parading around town in their T-Shirts advertising which races they had done. They wore them like badges of honour, almost. I deliberately went the other way and wore nothing other than my one Cervelo T and a couple of my run club Ts. Other than the participant’s wrist band (and my tattoo) there was nothing about me that would suggest that I was a competitor in this race (in fact, they often mistook Leo for the competitor and me for his support crew, instead of the other way around). I guess I’m saying this because I kind of feel a little bit like Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz when Glinda says to her, “You’ve had the power all along.” And that’s very true – Ironman did not make me who I am, I already was that person and Ironman just confirmed it. So, whether your dream is Ironman, Kona, Boston or your first 5K or try-a-tri, know that you already ARE that person – achieving those other goals will only serve as external validation. Be proud of yourself, wherever you are in your journey.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Swim, Bike, Run, WOO!
I'm back. Full report to follow. The short story is:
Swim 1:20
Bike: 7:38
Run: 6:13
Final: 15:32:32
Most goals met! I had an awesome time racing, as tough as it was. Took 55 minutes of my Lake Placid time in '03.
Time to rest now...
Swim 1:20
Bike: 7:38
Run: 6:13
Final: 15:32:32
Most goals met! I had an awesome time racing, as tough as it was. Took 55 minutes of my Lake Placid time in '03.
Time to rest now...
Monday, August 21, 2006
Penticton Bound!
Well, kids, I'm off to Penticton, BC (via Kelowna, BC) tomorrow morning. The day I have been training for the last 6+ months is less than a week away. Next Sunday, August 27th at 7AM PDT I'll be at the starting line with 2500 other people getting ready to swim 3.8K (2.4 miles), bike 180K (112 miles) and run 42.2K (26.2 miles). Yes, this is the Ironman.
I had lofty goals at the beginning of the year that I'd be able to take 90 minutes off my time at Lake Placid in 2003 and finish in 15 hours. I'm not 100% confident that I can do that, but I do know that (elements willing) I'll be able to do better than last time.
Goal #1: 16:59:59 (i.e., make the midnight cutoff)
Goal #2: 16:32:00 (faster than last time)
Goal #3: Sub-16 hours
Goal #4: Sub-15:30
Goal #5a: Swim sub-1:20
Goal #5b: Bike sub-8:00
Goal #5c: Run sub-6:00
The Stars Align Goal: Sub-15:00
All I have left to do before I leave is:
1. Pack. Well, all my stuff is IN my suitcase (piled up), I just have to arrange it properly so that it all fits.
2. Clean house. My kitchen and bathrooms are in desperate need.
3. Go for an easy swim (only 20-30 minutes at the pool across the street).
4. Chill out!
My flight is at 8:10AM tomorrow. I fly to Kelowna then get my rental car and drive 45 minutes south to Penticton. I can't wait!! With the time change, I'll get in around 10AM their time. Since on race day I'll be getting up at 4AM, I don't want to get off Eastern time too much in the five days before the race, so it will be early to bed and early to rise all week.
Catch you all on the flip side! Full report to follow some time next week.
I had lofty goals at the beginning of the year that I'd be able to take 90 minutes off my time at Lake Placid in 2003 and finish in 15 hours. I'm not 100% confident that I can do that, but I do know that (elements willing) I'll be able to do better than last time.
Goal #1: 16:59:59 (i.e., make the midnight cutoff)
Goal #2: 16:32:00 (faster than last time)
Goal #3: Sub-16 hours
Goal #4: Sub-15:30
Goal #5a: Swim sub-1:20
Goal #5b: Bike sub-8:00
Goal #5c: Run sub-6:00
The Stars Align Goal: Sub-15:00
All I have left to do before I leave is:
1. Pack. Well, all my stuff is IN my suitcase (piled up), I just have to arrange it properly so that it all fits.
2. Clean house. My kitchen and bathrooms are in desperate need.
3. Go for an easy swim (only 20-30 minutes at the pool across the street).
4. Chill out!
My flight is at 8:10AM tomorrow. I fly to Kelowna then get my rental car and drive 45 minutes south to Penticton. I can't wait!! With the time change, I'll get in around 10AM their time. Since on race day I'll be getting up at 4AM, I don't want to get off Eastern time too much in the five days before the race, so it will be early to bed and early to rise all week.
Catch you all on the flip side! Full report to follow some time next week.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Oops!
Sorry, I guess I've been gone for a while. Still loving the condo. Broke up with the guy, but we're still the best of friends (really!). Training like CRAZY for Ironman (less than 7 weeks to go!). So, I don't really have much time to write.
This weekend, I'll be going on a 6-hour bike ride followed by a 1-hour run/walk. Did 5:45/0:35 last weekend. I'm pretty zonked. I'm training about 12-14 hours per week right now.
Weight is OK - hovering around 170-172, which is up about 5 pounds from my lowest weight ever, but still within a good range for me (for now). Will probably get serious about it again in the fall.
La, out!
This weekend, I'll be going on a 6-hour bike ride followed by a 1-hour run/walk. Did 5:45/0:35 last weekend. I'm pretty zonked. I'm training about 12-14 hours per week right now.
Weight is OK - hovering around 170-172, which is up about 5 pounds from my lowest weight ever, but still within a good range for me (for now). Will probably get serious about it again in the fall.
La, out!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Yes, I'm still alive
Ack! Whou would have thought that moving and training for Ironman would keep me so damned busy! I barely have time to check e-mail, let alone post a journal entry. Oh, well...
Training is going OK. I still have not been on my bike as often (or for as long) as I'd like. I really feel like I'm behind the eight ball. Sigh. Running is fine and so is swimming. In fact, I'm doing a 5,000m swim this weekend for the Arthritis Society! That's 200 lengths of a 25m pool! Yikes! The longest distance I've ever swam was 3,800m and that was nearly 3 years ago. On Tuesday, I did swim 3,500m, so I'm close. I guess I'll have to do the final 1,500m on guts, determination and adrenaline! There's a bit of a hiccup in the actual event (I might have to go tomorrow night instead of Saturday night as planned - their mix-up). I hope to get it sorted out tomorrow.
The condo is great. I'm still trying to find "homes" for things and storage is a real issue. I have lots of space, but no actual storage, so I'm going to build some, but these things take time. I've been living here for 4 weeks now (4 weeks today, in fact!) and it really feels like home now. When I went to my old apartment last week to pick up the last bit of junk the landlord was there working on the apartment. He said, "I guess you're going to feel nostalgic for this place." My reply was, "No, I will never feel nostalgia for this place," then mumbled under my breath, "And I can't wait to get the hell out of this hole!" Ciao! Au revoir! Auf wiedersehn!
Weight-wise - I'm up a few pounds. I gained back about 5 pounds, mostly through just not paying attention and eating whatever the hell I wanted to eat. It's not the end of the world, but it's just not where I want to be. I'm back to logging my food now, so I hope that will help.
I'm going to my 25-year high school reunion in a couple of weeks. That should be a treat! Since I went to an all-girls school, likely it will be lots of talk of husbands and children. I have nothing to contribute to that conversation, so maybe I'll just drink. But it will be nice to catch up with friends whom I've lost touch with (could care less about most of them, but there are a few that I kind of miss).
That's all the updates I have for now. Hopefully I'll be able to post more regularly.
Training is going OK. I still have not been on my bike as often (or for as long) as I'd like. I really feel like I'm behind the eight ball. Sigh. Running is fine and so is swimming. In fact, I'm doing a 5,000m swim this weekend for the Arthritis Society! That's 200 lengths of a 25m pool! Yikes! The longest distance I've ever swam was 3,800m and that was nearly 3 years ago. On Tuesday, I did swim 3,500m, so I'm close. I guess I'll have to do the final 1,500m on guts, determination and adrenaline! There's a bit of a hiccup in the actual event (I might have to go tomorrow night instead of Saturday night as planned - their mix-up). I hope to get it sorted out tomorrow.
The condo is great. I'm still trying to find "homes" for things and storage is a real issue. I have lots of space, but no actual storage, so I'm going to build some, but these things take time. I've been living here for 4 weeks now (4 weeks today, in fact!) and it really feels like home now. When I went to my old apartment last week to pick up the last bit of junk the landlord was there working on the apartment. He said, "I guess you're going to feel nostalgic for this place." My reply was, "No, I will never feel nostalgia for this place," then mumbled under my breath, "And I can't wait to get the hell out of this hole!" Ciao! Au revoir! Auf wiedersehn!
Weight-wise - I'm up a few pounds. I gained back about 5 pounds, mostly through just not paying attention and eating whatever the hell I wanted to eat. It's not the end of the world, but it's just not where I want to be. I'm back to logging my food now, so I hope that will help.
I'm going to my 25-year high school reunion in a couple of weeks. That should be a treat! Since I went to an all-girls school, likely it will be lots of talk of husbands and children. I have nothing to contribute to that conversation, so maybe I'll just drink. But it will be nice to catch up with friends whom I've lost touch with (could care less about most of them, but there are a few that I kind of miss).
That's all the updates I have for now. Hopefully I'll be able to post more regularly.
Friday, March 31, 2006
It's been a long time!
Well, I finally managed to dig my computer and modum out of the pile of boxes in by bedroom and get back on-line. It's been over a week (10 days, in fact) since I moved, so I thought it was about time.
The move took much longer than expected due to an old, lame mover guy (the other young guy did all the work). Anyway, I'm here now (the only one in the whole building, actually) and it's starting to feel like home.
I had a great race last Sunday: 30K in 3:14:50, 10 second ahead of my goal and a full three minutes faster than when I did this race back in 2004. Yea! So this has been a recovery week.
The bad thing about recovery weeks is that my appetite still thinks I'm training as hard as I was before, but I am sitting on my ass most of the time, so the pounds have started to creep back on. It's only about 4-5 pounds from my lowest weight ever, but that's 2-3 more than I am am really comfortable with. So, back to the good eating and hard workouts next week.
That's all the time I have to update. Things are still good with my "friend". More later...
The move took much longer than expected due to an old, lame mover guy (the other young guy did all the work). Anyway, I'm here now (the only one in the whole building, actually) and it's starting to feel like home.
I had a great race last Sunday: 30K in 3:14:50, 10 second ahead of my goal and a full three minutes faster than when I did this race back in 2004. Yea! So this has been a recovery week.
The bad thing about recovery weeks is that my appetite still thinks I'm training as hard as I was before, but I am sitting on my ass most of the time, so the pounds have started to creep back on. It's only about 4-5 pounds from my lowest weight ever, but that's 2-3 more than I am am really comfortable with. So, back to the good eating and hard workouts next week.
That's all the time I have to update. Things are still good with my "friend". More later...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
I've got keys!!
OK, it's official now - I have my keys! I am a homeowner! Yea!!
They still have to do some work on my place, but it will be all ready for me to move in next Wednesday.
Time to run now...
They still have to do some work on my place, but it will be all ready for me to move in next Wednesday.
Time to run now...
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Finally moving!!!
Yea!! The day is finally near!!
I got a call from my lawyer last Monday saying that I would be taking possession on Wednesday, March 15th (um, thanks for the nine days notice!). I did my home inspection yesterday and I get my keys tomorrow! Yea!!
Here are a couple of photos:
I got a call from my lawyer last Monday saying that I would be taking possession on Wednesday, March 15th (um, thanks for the nine days notice!). I did my home inspection yesterday and I get my keys tomorrow! Yea!!
Here are a couple of photos:
The Living Room Window
The Kitchen (minus the range hood microwave yet to be installed)
The other side of the kitchen
Upstairs bedroom/loft
Food/exercise have been going well. I'm "tapering" for my race on the 26th. I'm going to Montreal to party this weekend (yea!). I'm up a pound or two from my lowest weight ever (yesterday 164.8, today 165.4).
Dating's been going well! We have a great time together and we're keeping it light for now, which is good. Not getting much sleep, though. I just feel really comfortable with him and things are very easy between us. I'm enjoying getting to know him in ways I never have before, even though we've technically known each other for seven years! Crazy!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Getting to the source
Well, I think I've isolated the source of my back pain - my bike saddle! I've had this nagging pain around the tailbone for the last couple of weeks that culminated in the run from hell two weeks ago.
I went to physio and J said that it was likely that I had strained the ligaments in that area. We were trying to figure out how that might have happened and I suspected that it might be my bike since that was the only new thing in the equation physically.
Well, last night I did a 60-min bike workout and I discovered where it is that is putting tension on those ligaments - when I sit up straight. Normally, I'm leaning over in the aero position, but when I'm doing one-legged drills (especially) I am sitting very upright and it puts a strain on my sacrum. So, I'm going to try adjusting the seat slightly to see if that helps. Unfortunately making it more comfortable for sitting up makes it less comfortable when in aero, so it's a bit of a tradeoff. And I hope to spend more time in aero while cycling that sitting upright, so I'll have to see.
If all else fails, I'll just have to look into getting a new saddle. But man, are they expensive! Usually over $100! More, if it's a really good one.
OK, so I'm on my way out the door to go to my run clinic, so that's it for now.
I went to physio and J said that it was likely that I had strained the ligaments in that area. We were trying to figure out how that might have happened and I suspected that it might be my bike since that was the only new thing in the equation physically.
Well, last night I did a 60-min bike workout and I discovered where it is that is putting tension on those ligaments - when I sit up straight. Normally, I'm leaning over in the aero position, but when I'm doing one-legged drills (especially) I am sitting very upright and it puts a strain on my sacrum. So, I'm going to try adjusting the seat slightly to see if that helps. Unfortunately making it more comfortable for sitting up makes it less comfortable when in aero, so it's a bit of a tradeoff. And I hope to spend more time in aero while cycling that sitting upright, so I'll have to see.
If all else fails, I'll just have to look into getting a new saddle. But man, are they expensive! Usually over $100! More, if it's a really good one.
OK, so I'm on my way out the door to go to my run clinic, so that's it for now.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Long time no see!
Oops! Goodness, it's been a while since I've written! What's been going on with me, you ask?
Well, first - the Olympics. I was totally engrossed in the Olympics for three weeks and every spare moment of time was spent watching as many events as possible on TV. And when I wasn't watching Olympics, I was talking on the phone with friends about the Olympics. Phew! Now that they're over, I've got some sense of normalcy in my life.
Workout-wise, it's been pretty good. I've done 95% of my workouts and 100% of my runs. I had a rough run last Sunday (24.5K in 3:07) with horrible lower back pain, so I was a bit worried about my planned 27K run yesterday. Since I had to run alone this week, I made a last-minute decision to run for time (3hrs) rather than distance. I also played it safe by doing two 45-min out-and-back routes so that I wouldn't ever be too far from home. It was a good thing, because at the end of the first loop (90 minutes), I had to pee SO BADLY, I was glad that I could run into my apartment before heading out for my second lap. The second lap was different that the first, but again I just ran out for 45 minutes and then back home. I was very happy with my run, even though I didn't cover the 27K I had hoped (it was only 25.5K). I took today off as I had to work at a booth at the Bike Show to promote the Tri Club my friends and I are organizing.
Food-wise, things are going OK. I've stopped logging my food on Nutridiary, so I guess my weight is the best gauge. I think I forgot to report that I had a new lowest weight ever of 164.6 on February 27, which was a big milestone for me. My weight always seems to fluctuate up and down by a few pounds every day and I often see a few days of gain after a new low weight, so I'm kind of using my upper range as the gauge of my progess. Lately, I've been topping out at 167, whereas a few months ago, my high end was around 170, so it's all good.
Dating-wise, I think I mentioned that I had been communicating with two different guys. Well, one has fallen by the wayside as it seems that he is dating someone else. Bygones. But the other one has really developed into something good. We're great friends and everything between us is based on mutual respect, friendship and - most importantly - honesty. I have never been involved in a relationship with anyone that was so honest. It's very refreshing. I've had a bit of a personal renaissance (thanks, J, for that word) and I really like where I am now. This guy certainly isn't the love of my life and he's been clear that he's not looking for anything long-term right now, but we're enjoying ourselves. So, for now, it's all good.
I don't have any major plans for the week, just the usual workout stuff.
Well, first - the Olympics. I was totally engrossed in the Olympics for three weeks and every spare moment of time was spent watching as many events as possible on TV. And when I wasn't watching Olympics, I was talking on the phone with friends about the Olympics. Phew! Now that they're over, I've got some sense of normalcy in my life.
Workout-wise, it's been pretty good. I've done 95% of my workouts and 100% of my runs. I had a rough run last Sunday (24.5K in 3:07) with horrible lower back pain, so I was a bit worried about my planned 27K run yesterday. Since I had to run alone this week, I made a last-minute decision to run for time (3hrs) rather than distance. I also played it safe by doing two 45-min out-and-back routes so that I wouldn't ever be too far from home. It was a good thing, because at the end of the first loop (90 minutes), I had to pee SO BADLY, I was glad that I could run into my apartment before heading out for my second lap. The second lap was different that the first, but again I just ran out for 45 minutes and then back home. I was very happy with my run, even though I didn't cover the 27K I had hoped (it was only 25.5K). I took today off as I had to work at a booth at the Bike Show to promote the Tri Club my friends and I are organizing.
Food-wise, things are going OK. I've stopped logging my food on Nutridiary, so I guess my weight is the best gauge. I think I forgot to report that I had a new lowest weight ever of 164.6 on February 27, which was a big milestone for me. My weight always seems to fluctuate up and down by a few pounds every day and I often see a few days of gain after a new low weight, so I'm kind of using my upper range as the gauge of my progess. Lately, I've been topping out at 167, whereas a few months ago, my high end was around 170, so it's all good.
Dating-wise, I think I mentioned that I had been communicating with two different guys. Well, one has fallen by the wayside as it seems that he is dating someone else. Bygones. But the other one has really developed into something good. We're great friends and everything between us is based on mutual respect, friendship and - most importantly - honesty. I have never been involved in a relationship with anyone that was so honest. It's very refreshing. I've had a bit of a personal renaissance (thanks, J, for that word) and I really like where I am now. This guy certainly isn't the love of my life and he's been clear that he's not looking for anything long-term right now, but we're enjoying ourselves. So, for now, it's all good.
I don't have any major plans for the week, just the usual workout stuff.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Is it Friday yet?
Not quite yet...
It's been a really boring week at work and I've been doing all I can do to keep busy. I've got a little more to do over the next couple of days, but things are definitely slow.
The downside to that is that it gives me far too much time to think. And it's never good when I spend too much time thinking. I have this way of talking myself in or out of things too easily. When I'm spending too much time in my head, bad things can happen.
I'm still communicating with a couple of guys, both of them very different, both of whom I care very deeply for, both for very different reasons. These are actually guys I know in real life - not on-line dates or anything. And it's not even like I'm really trying to decide between them because one of them isn't really in a place where he's ready to be in a relationship as he's in the process of ending one and definitely needs time to figure things out. The other guy is ready, willing and able, but I'm just approaching that one with caution because I don't know if I can really see myself with him as a romantic partner. We're compatible on some levels, but on others we are just not on the same page. Argh.
And as a result of my communication with the two of them, I haven't been following up with the guys who've e-mailed me from POF. They seem nice enough, but I don't know if I have the energy to devote to communicating with any more guys right now. It's confusing enough trying to deal with my conflicting feelings for two guys, let alone adding any more into the mix.
The thing I've realized is that, as flattering as it is to have two guys paying all this attention to me, I really am a "one man gal". Having more than one person in my life is just far too confusing for me.
***
Workout-wise, it's been a pretty good week. I made it to the gym on Monday morning. On Tuesday, I did 10x100m strides as a speed workout. Last night, I ran with my club and we did a 7.8K route and I managed a pace of below 6 min/km, and that's even with two stop lights where I didn't stop my watch. Today was my rest day and tomorrow I'll head back to the gym. The plan for Saturday is to go to Mega Training Day again (3-hour bike ride, 75-min yoga, 90-min swim). On Sunday, I have to do a 25K run, so I can't go too hard on Saturday.
Food-wise, it's been OK. I haven't eaten too much junk, but I was probably a bit high on calories a few days. I was up a couple of pounds this week, so I have to keep that in check. And I might have to go back to journaling my food if my weight doesn't go back to where it was.
It's interesting, because at the beginning of this weight loss phase I used to get obsessive about weighing myself every day and journaling every morsel of food I put in my mouth. And the result was weight-loss, but I didn't always like the way I felt about myself because of that borderline obsessive behaviour. Now, I'm hardly journaling at all, yet still weighing myself daily, and I'm not feeling as obsessive. I actually feel quite happy about where I am, regardless of what the scales say. The harsh reality is that I haven't been losing weight as consistently as I had been in the past. I've kind of hit a plateau. I think I might just have to maintain, though, for the next four weeks until my race is over. Since my mileage is starting to get up there, dieting is starting to get a bit hard. So, I'll stay where I am for now and hope not to re-gain any weight.
It's been a really boring week at work and I've been doing all I can do to keep busy. I've got a little more to do over the next couple of days, but things are definitely slow.
The downside to that is that it gives me far too much time to think. And it's never good when I spend too much time thinking. I have this way of talking myself in or out of things too easily. When I'm spending too much time in my head, bad things can happen.
I'm still communicating with a couple of guys, both of them very different, both of whom I care very deeply for, both for very different reasons. These are actually guys I know in real life - not on-line dates or anything. And it's not even like I'm really trying to decide between them because one of them isn't really in a place where he's ready to be in a relationship as he's in the process of ending one and definitely needs time to figure things out. The other guy is ready, willing and able, but I'm just approaching that one with caution because I don't know if I can really see myself with him as a romantic partner. We're compatible on some levels, but on others we are just not on the same page. Argh.
And as a result of my communication with the two of them, I haven't been following up with the guys who've e-mailed me from POF. They seem nice enough, but I don't know if I have the energy to devote to communicating with any more guys right now. It's confusing enough trying to deal with my conflicting feelings for two guys, let alone adding any more into the mix.
The thing I've realized is that, as flattering as it is to have two guys paying all this attention to me, I really am a "one man gal". Having more than one person in my life is just far too confusing for me.
***
Workout-wise, it's been a pretty good week. I made it to the gym on Monday morning. On Tuesday, I did 10x100m strides as a speed workout. Last night, I ran with my club and we did a 7.8K route and I managed a pace of below 6 min/km, and that's even with two stop lights where I didn't stop my watch. Today was my rest day and tomorrow I'll head back to the gym. The plan for Saturday is to go to Mega Training Day again (3-hour bike ride, 75-min yoga, 90-min swim). On Sunday, I have to do a 25K run, so I can't go too hard on Saturday.
Food-wise, it's been OK. I haven't eaten too much junk, but I was probably a bit high on calories a few days. I was up a couple of pounds this week, so I have to keep that in check. And I might have to go back to journaling my food if my weight doesn't go back to where it was.
It's interesting, because at the beginning of this weight loss phase I used to get obsessive about weighing myself every day and journaling every morsel of food I put in my mouth. And the result was weight-loss, but I didn't always like the way I felt about myself because of that borderline obsessive behaviour. Now, I'm hardly journaling at all, yet still weighing myself daily, and I'm not feeling as obsessive. I actually feel quite happy about where I am, regardless of what the scales say. The harsh reality is that I haven't been losing weight as consistently as I had been in the past. I've kind of hit a plateau. I think I might just have to maintain, though, for the next four weeks until my race is over. Since my mileage is starting to get up there, dieting is starting to get a bit hard. So, I'll stay where I am for now and hope not to re-gain any weight.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
So, THAT's what it looks like!!
I just got home from seeing an exhibit at the Science Centre called Bodyworlds 2. It's an exhibit of human bodies, body parts and organs that have been preserved through plasticization.
It was a fascinating exhibit and interesting to see all the muscles, tendons and nerves that I am oh so aware of during a long run or bike ride. Damned piriformis!! There you are, you devil, you! How the heck am I supposed to stretch out something that's so far inside my freaking butt?? Oh, sciatic nerve... you're a nasty little bugger! Don't laugh, hamstrings & iliotibial band! I saw you both, too!
I tried not to look at their faces as that kind of freaked me out a bit - made me realize that these are real human bodies - people! - who had been preserved. I'm not being very eloquent in my description of this exhibit because the word fascinating is the only one I can come up with.
As an athlete, I found it quite helpful to be able to "see" the parts of my body that give me trouble. Being able to visualize my problem areas makes it a bit easier to deal with them.
***
I talked with my friend LT on the phone for almost 90 minutes today. This is the friend from my run club that I've gotten to know a bit better recently. I'm still not sure if I have any kind of romantic feelings toward him, but we had a good conversation. Most of it was superficial talk about Olympics and such, but the reason he actually called me was because of something I had said to him in an e-mail on Friday that worried him.
I shared with him a parable about a frog. Apparently, if you boil water and throw a frog in it will leap out on instinct of self-preservation. But if you put a frog in cold water and then turn up the heat, the frog won't ever jump out and eventually boil to death. I told him that I am like the frog. He got a little freaked out about this story because he's quite sensitive, especially where animals are concerned. All he could think about was this poor frog, boiled to death.
I reassured him that it was a parable and that it was meant to be read symbolically, not literally. Anyway, what I was trying to tell him is that if he (or anyone) pushes me too far or turns up the heat too quickly, I will jump out of the pot and hide under a rock.
AND, I'm still not even sure if he is someone I even want to get into hot water with!
It was a fascinating exhibit and interesting to see all the muscles, tendons and nerves that I am oh so aware of during a long run or bike ride. Damned piriformis!! There you are, you devil, you! How the heck am I supposed to stretch out something that's so far inside my freaking butt?? Oh, sciatic nerve... you're a nasty little bugger! Don't laugh, hamstrings & iliotibial band! I saw you both, too!
I tried not to look at their faces as that kind of freaked me out a bit - made me realize that these are real human bodies - people! - who had been preserved. I'm not being very eloquent in my description of this exhibit because the word fascinating is the only one I can come up with.
As an athlete, I found it quite helpful to be able to "see" the parts of my body that give me trouble. Being able to visualize my problem areas makes it a bit easier to deal with them.
***
I talked with my friend LT on the phone for almost 90 minutes today. This is the friend from my run club that I've gotten to know a bit better recently. I'm still not sure if I have any kind of romantic feelings toward him, but we had a good conversation. Most of it was superficial talk about Olympics and such, but the reason he actually called me was because of something I had said to him in an e-mail on Friday that worried him.
I shared with him a parable about a frog. Apparently, if you boil water and throw a frog in it will leap out on instinct of self-preservation. But if you put a frog in cold water and then turn up the heat, the frog won't ever jump out and eventually boil to death. I told him that I am like the frog. He got a little freaked out about this story because he's quite sensitive, especially where animals are concerned. All he could think about was this poor frog, boiled to death.
I reassured him that it was a parable and that it was meant to be read symbolically, not literally. Anyway, what I was trying to tell him is that if he (or anyone) pushes me too far or turns up the heat too quickly, I will jump out of the pot and hide under a rock.
AND, I'm still not even sure if he is someone I even want to get into hot water with!
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Saturday
It was bitterly cold this morning. -11C with a wind chill of -25. Brrr! Of course, I had a group run planned for this morning. Of course! Grrr (brrr).
I set my alarm for 5AM because I wanted to watch the men's Super G on TV. I draged my ass outa bed, turned on the TV and lay on the couch. After 17 skiers, the Canadian guys were sitting 2nd and 3rd. Rock on! There were still some big names to come, but still. Anyway, they ended up postponing the race because of weather and decided to re-start it a few hours later. So, my 5AM wake-up was totally wasted as I had to leave at 8AM and the race hadn't started yet. Grrr.
We left the city at 8AM to drive out to Burlington to run. The wind was howling, so I was not optimistic about the warmth of the clothes I had selected. It was quite cold at the beginning. I had to pull my fingers out of my gloves and hold them in a fist inside the palm of the glove to keep them warm. But as soon as we got onto the winding road in a residential neighbourhood, the wind disappeared and it was lovely. The sun was shining and I was dressed perfectly.
We ran just over 23K and it took us 2:35. The last 7K were hard because it started to get windy again and I also was feeling some weird back pain. It was like a side stitch, but it was in my back. It eventually went away, but it was quite painful at the time. By then, my left leg was also bugging me as my hamstrings had started to seize up in the cold. I'm feeling OK now, but it's still a bit tender.
I spent the rest of the day vegging on the couch watching Olympics. I'm not into napping - my down time usually consists of lying on the couch, channel surfing. In fact, I'm watching Bobsleigh right now.
I don't think we won any medals today. We won a Gold and a Silver in men's Skeleton yesterday - what a freaking CRAZY sport!! Head first on a sled at 100 kph! CRAZY! I think I'd prefer to try Luge.
Speaking of crazy sports, how about Snowboardcross!! Like roller derby on snow boards! I think we won a bronze in that after both Canadian women wiped out in the final (one of them managed to get back on her board). The American girl totally lost it, though - she had a huge lead going into the final 20m of the race and on the final jump was showing off by taking big air, crashed and lost the Gold! How embarassing! I'll bet she's pissed!
The Next Big Thing is the Canada/Sweden Women's Hockey Gold Medal Game on Monday at 2:30PM. 2:30PM??? Don't they know some of us have to work?? Sheesh!! I think I'll have to (cough) go home (sneeze) early on Monday. Either that or convince my boss and some other co-workers to head to a pub to watch it.
***
I don't think I've journaled any food in the last two weeks. My weight is OK - it's up about 2 pounds from my Lowest Weight Ever that was recorded on February 10, but that's not a huge amount. I think I'm PMS right now, so it could be that. But if I don't see the number going back down I'll have to get back on the Nutridiary bandwagon.
I set my alarm for 5AM because I wanted to watch the men's Super G on TV. I draged my ass outa bed, turned on the TV and lay on the couch. After 17 skiers, the Canadian guys were sitting 2nd and 3rd. Rock on! There were still some big names to come, but still. Anyway, they ended up postponing the race because of weather and decided to re-start it a few hours later. So, my 5AM wake-up was totally wasted as I had to leave at 8AM and the race hadn't started yet. Grrr.
We left the city at 8AM to drive out to Burlington to run. The wind was howling, so I was not optimistic about the warmth of the clothes I had selected. It was quite cold at the beginning. I had to pull my fingers out of my gloves and hold them in a fist inside the palm of the glove to keep them warm. But as soon as we got onto the winding road in a residential neighbourhood, the wind disappeared and it was lovely. The sun was shining and I was dressed perfectly.
We ran just over 23K and it took us 2:35. The last 7K were hard because it started to get windy again and I also was feeling some weird back pain. It was like a side stitch, but it was in my back. It eventually went away, but it was quite painful at the time. By then, my left leg was also bugging me as my hamstrings had started to seize up in the cold. I'm feeling OK now, but it's still a bit tender.
I spent the rest of the day vegging on the couch watching Olympics. I'm not into napping - my down time usually consists of lying on the couch, channel surfing. In fact, I'm watching Bobsleigh right now.
I don't think we won any medals today. We won a Gold and a Silver in men's Skeleton yesterday - what a freaking CRAZY sport!! Head first on a sled at 100 kph! CRAZY! I think I'd prefer to try Luge.
Speaking of crazy sports, how about Snowboardcross!! Like roller derby on snow boards! I think we won a bronze in that after both Canadian women wiped out in the final (one of them managed to get back on her board). The American girl totally lost it, though - she had a huge lead going into the final 20m of the race and on the final jump was showing off by taking big air, crashed and lost the Gold! How embarassing! I'll bet she's pissed!
The Next Big Thing is the Canada/Sweden Women's Hockey Gold Medal Game on Monday at 2:30PM. 2:30PM??? Don't they know some of us have to work?? Sheesh!! I think I'll have to (cough) go home (sneeze) early on Monday. Either that or convince my boss and some other co-workers to head to a pub to watch it.
***
I don't think I've journaled any food in the last two weeks. My weight is OK - it's up about 2 pounds from my Lowest Weight Ever that was recorded on February 10, but that's not a huge amount. I think I'm PMS right now, so it could be that. But if I don't see the number going back down I'll have to get back on the Nutridiary bandwagon.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Non-Valentine's Day
I got V-day wishes from two guys today. Both married. I got a cryptic V-day message from a single guy I know, but I wasn't sure what he meant by it. Something about how people celebrate V-day in Korea. Neither of us is Korean. And although nice, he's not someone that I am even mildly interested in.
My on-line running friend and I had a great e-chat today. I think we've come to agreement on what is (or rather, is not) going on between the two of us. The good thing is that I still have a great friend and we still have this mutual admiration thing going on. As I said to him today, people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I'm not sure which category we fit into, but I'm not going to question it right now. As long as we can continue our harmless flirting (which, at this time, is boosting both of our self-confidence), then I'm OK with that.
It's still a little sad, though, because he said some really nice and positive things about me. Why is it that the ones who aren't in a position to get involved with you are your biggest fans? I've got enough married "suitors", thank-you-very-much!
The next part of my V-day was spent with my friend LT who helped me pick out tile for my new condo. I got a call late Sunday from the RE Agent saying that if I wanted them to install tiles for me, I'd have to deliver them this week. LT and I had been having a conversation about how strong, independant women like me need to ask guys for help every once in a while. So, when he offered to come with me, I took him up on the offer. My car is now filled with 120 square feet of porcelain tile for my kitchen and powder room. It must weight 400 pounds (not a word of a lie), so my car is riding a little low and doesn't have much pick-up. I'll drop it off tomorrow morning. The powder room tiles are beige(ish) and the kitchen tiles are a slate grayish/green. I think they'll be nice.
LT is another guy from my run club whom I've gotten to know a lot better in the last couple of months. We've actually known each other for almost seven years, but he's kind of faded in and out of the group a bit over that time. He flirts with me shamelessly, too - except that he is actually single. We're about the same age (he's nine months older) and have had some really great conversations lately, but I'm not really physically attracted to him and he's also a bit too high strung for me (cannot sit still for 30 seconds). I really don't see anything developing there.
Tonight, I went to my running clinic and we did a speed workout. Well, they did a speed workout; I just did a slightly up-tempo run. I have my killer hill workout tomorrow night, so I wanted to save something for that.
So, that is how I spent my V-day. Nothing romantic at all, but not a bad day. Actually, the worst part of my day was getting an e-mail from my mum saying that she didn't put any cinnamon hearts in the mail to me this year. She said the cost of the postage was more than the cost of the candy! So sad.
My on-line running friend and I had a great e-chat today. I think we've come to agreement on what is (or rather, is not) going on between the two of us. The good thing is that I still have a great friend and we still have this mutual admiration thing going on. As I said to him today, people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I'm not sure which category we fit into, but I'm not going to question it right now. As long as we can continue our harmless flirting (which, at this time, is boosting both of our self-confidence), then I'm OK with that.
It's still a little sad, though, because he said some really nice and positive things about me. Why is it that the ones who aren't in a position to get involved with you are your biggest fans? I've got enough married "suitors", thank-you-very-much!
The next part of my V-day was spent with my friend LT who helped me pick out tile for my new condo. I got a call late Sunday from the RE Agent saying that if I wanted them to install tiles for me, I'd have to deliver them this week. LT and I had been having a conversation about how strong, independant women like me need to ask guys for help every once in a while. So, when he offered to come with me, I took him up on the offer. My car is now filled with 120 square feet of porcelain tile for my kitchen and powder room. It must weight 400 pounds (not a word of a lie), so my car is riding a little low and doesn't have much pick-up. I'll drop it off tomorrow morning. The powder room tiles are beige(ish) and the kitchen tiles are a slate grayish/green. I think they'll be nice.
LT is another guy from my run club whom I've gotten to know a lot better in the last couple of months. We've actually known each other for almost seven years, but he's kind of faded in and out of the group a bit over that time. He flirts with me shamelessly, too - except that he is actually single. We're about the same age (he's nine months older) and have had some really great conversations lately, but I'm not really physically attracted to him and he's also a bit too high strung for me (cannot sit still for 30 seconds). I really don't see anything developing there.
Tonight, I went to my running clinic and we did a speed workout. Well, they did a speed workout; I just did a slightly up-tempo run. I have my killer hill workout tomorrow night, so I wanted to save something for that.
So, that is how I spent my V-day. Nothing romantic at all, but not a bad day. Actually, the worst part of my day was getting an e-mail from my mum saying that she didn't put any cinnamon hearts in the mail to me this year. She said the cost of the postage was more than the cost of the candy! So sad.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Just a quick update
It's a gorgeous, cold sunny day here. I met BG for a run at 8:30 and we ran 21.3K in 2:30. It felt mostly effortless, although the last 3-4K are always tough. I think that's a little slow, but we did have a few stoplights, so that could be why.
My DVD player seems to be on the fritz. I rented Elizabethtown last night and couldn't get it to play. The screen just kept showing "Now Reading" and would never actually play. After fighting with it for 30 minutes I finally decided to give up. Then I remembered that I could actually watch it on my laptop, so that's what I did.
It was a charming little movie with a really great soundtrack (as all Cameron Crowe movies are - except Vanilla Sky, which just sucked). I quite enjoyed it.
Today, I'm wathing Olympics on TV. We won another medal today - a bronze in the women's 3,000m speed skating (Cindy Klassen). That adds to the gold we won yesterday in women's moguls (Jennifer Heil). Go, Canada!!
Next up: more house cleaning! I had workout-interruptus yesterday (long, boring story about my bike), so I spent the day cleaning instead. I still have to give the kitchen a good cleaning, change my bedsheets and tidy up my bedroom.
I'll probably go to the gym after work tomorrow before my tri club meeting. Tuesday and Wednesday I have my running clinics (but won't be doing two back-to-back hard workouts like I did two weeks ago). We're having a launch/social for our new triathlon club on Thursday. That makes for a pretty full week!
My DVD player seems to be on the fritz. I rented Elizabethtown last night and couldn't get it to play. The screen just kept showing "Now Reading" and would never actually play. After fighting with it for 30 minutes I finally decided to give up. Then I remembered that I could actually watch it on my laptop, so that's what I did.
It was a charming little movie with a really great soundtrack (as all Cameron Crowe movies are - except Vanilla Sky, which just sucked). I quite enjoyed it.
Today, I'm wathing Olympics on TV. We won another medal today - a bronze in the women's 3,000m speed skating (Cindy Klassen). That adds to the gold we won yesterday in women's moguls (Jennifer Heil). Go, Canada!!
Next up: more house cleaning! I had workout-interruptus yesterday (long, boring story about my bike), so I spent the day cleaning instead. I still have to give the kitchen a good cleaning, change my bedsheets and tidy up my bedroom.
I'll probably go to the gym after work tomorrow before my tri club meeting. Tuesday and Wednesday I have my running clinics (but won't be doing two back-to-back hard workouts like I did two weeks ago). We're having a launch/social for our new triathlon club on Thursday. That makes for a pretty full week!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Lowest weight EVAH!!
Oh yes, girls and boys, La posted her lowest weight EVAH this morning: 165.2lbs! Woo! The other day, I had posted a 166.2, which was the lowest weight that I had been back in December, so I finally was able to re-lose the weight I gained over the holidays (only took me eight bloody weeks! Bah!). But today, I made my way into uncharted territory.
If my normal weight fluctuations are at all predictable, I full expect that I will see a few days of increase before I see another decrease, but I'm OK with that. I'm just happy to be making progress. Yea, me!
I had a good but brutal workout today. I went to the gym at lunch (hadn't been in two weeks - gah!) and planned to do 30 minutes on the elliptical, followed by some core and stretching. Well, I got on the machine and started "pedaling" away. All was good for the first 20 minutes. I got into a groove with my tunes but started to see that my HR was creeping upwards. I had been maintaining around 150 (which is a good hard tempo for me) and then it started to creep up towards 160. At about the 22 or 23 minute mark all of a sudden I hit the wall and had to scale the intensity way back. I went at a lower intensity for the last 2-3 minutes of my program and then did the full 5-minute cool down (but my HR would only go down to about 135, which is high for a cool-down). Even when doing my hamstring curls with the ball I could feel my heart beating in my chest.
I suspect that I might be getting sick. I'm feeling that little scratchiness in my throat that is indicative of a pending cold. I've been sucking on zinc, taking my Vitamin C, drinking lots of fluids and also took some ASA this evening. I'll know better in the morning whether this is going to be a real cold or not.
***
I did laundry after work today and on the drive home I started to feel a little down. I was thinking about how happy I was this morning about my new lowest weight. I was also thinking about how happy I am with myself and what I've been able to accomplish physically as well as in other aspects of my life. I'm relishing the new sense of self-confidence I have recently acquired. And I was thinking about some of the very flattering and remarkable things that people (virtual strangers, really) have said about me (and to me) recently.
So why am I sad? Well, with all these great things in my life, I am asking myself why don't I have the one thing - the ONLY thing - I really feel is missing: love and companionship? And why am I choosing to focus on the one incomplete part of my life instead of all the great things? So, part of my sadness is in the fact that I am dwelling on the negatives instead of celebrating the positives.
I'm sure it's just a small phase that will pass in due time, but it really has me perplexed (and mildly sidelined emotionaly) right now. And with all the pending Valentines-related stuff going on this weekend and into Tuesday, I'm much more sensitive to it.
It's also somewhat compounded by the fact that I have struck up a friendship with a guy with whom a relationship isn't possible right now. And I know that our flirty friendship isn't really good for me (since it isn't going to lead anywhere, at least not in the forseable future), but I'm having a hard time putting an end to it. Or rather, redefining it and not letting myself get too wrapped up in it. But it is working for me on some level, which is why I am not able to end it. I like the attention. I like the flirting. It's the only thing like that that I do have right now. If I give that up, then I have nothing (in that area of my life). And to be clear, I don't want to end the friendship; I just want to be able to extracate myself from the emotional attachment I have created towards him. That's not an easy thing to do.
Anyway, that's where I am right now: Happy, sad and maybe getting sick.
Edit: Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention... One of the conversations I had with said "friend" today was about my inability to get a date. He said, "I guess that must be tough for Ironmen since you're so busy with your training and have so little spare time." I replied that this was not, in fact, true. As an example, I said that I had just been out to dinner with 13 other triathletes (four of us training for Ironman this year), so we do have time and will make time for a social life amidsts our busy training schedules. But I also told him that there is a general perception among those who don't do what I do that I am just so incredibly busy and over-scheduled that I couldn't possibly find time to date or have a relationship, which is entirely not true.
I kind of equated it to the same syndrome that the most popular girl in school suffered from: none but the cockiest of guys asked her out because they all thought she was out of their league and would never agree to go out with a guy like him. So, Miss Popular was left at home on a Saturday night, dateless.
I kind of feel that way myself a lot of the time. People have this perception and impression of who I am (as evident by some of the overwhelmingly positive feedback I've had recently) and to some people that is intimidating. I can't for the life of me figure out why. I mean, I'm just a dork who puts up a good front. I want my confident appearance to put people at ease, not scare them away or make them feel uncomfortable around me. I am perplexed (and clearly, quite full of myself - ha!).
If my normal weight fluctuations are at all predictable, I full expect that I will see a few days of increase before I see another decrease, but I'm OK with that. I'm just happy to be making progress. Yea, me!
I had a good but brutal workout today. I went to the gym at lunch (hadn't been in two weeks - gah!) and planned to do 30 minutes on the elliptical, followed by some core and stretching. Well, I got on the machine and started "pedaling" away. All was good for the first 20 minutes. I got into a groove with my tunes but started to see that my HR was creeping upwards. I had been maintaining around 150 (which is a good hard tempo for me) and then it started to creep up towards 160. At about the 22 or 23 minute mark all of a sudden I hit the wall and had to scale the intensity way back. I went at a lower intensity for the last 2-3 minutes of my program and then did the full 5-minute cool down (but my HR would only go down to about 135, which is high for a cool-down). Even when doing my hamstring curls with the ball I could feel my heart beating in my chest.
I suspect that I might be getting sick. I'm feeling that little scratchiness in my throat that is indicative of a pending cold. I've been sucking on zinc, taking my Vitamin C, drinking lots of fluids and also took some ASA this evening. I'll know better in the morning whether this is going to be a real cold or not.
***
I did laundry after work today and on the drive home I started to feel a little down. I was thinking about how happy I was this morning about my new lowest weight. I was also thinking about how happy I am with myself and what I've been able to accomplish physically as well as in other aspects of my life. I'm relishing the new sense of self-confidence I have recently acquired. And I was thinking about some of the very flattering and remarkable things that people (virtual strangers, really) have said about me (and to me) recently.
So why am I sad? Well, with all these great things in my life, I am asking myself why don't I have the one thing - the ONLY thing - I really feel is missing: love and companionship? And why am I choosing to focus on the one incomplete part of my life instead of all the great things? So, part of my sadness is in the fact that I am dwelling on the negatives instead of celebrating the positives.
I'm sure it's just a small phase that will pass in due time, but it really has me perplexed (and mildly sidelined emotionaly) right now. And with all the pending Valentines-related stuff going on this weekend and into Tuesday, I'm much more sensitive to it.
It's also somewhat compounded by the fact that I have struck up a friendship with a guy with whom a relationship isn't possible right now. And I know that our flirty friendship isn't really good for me (since it isn't going to lead anywhere, at least not in the forseable future), but I'm having a hard time putting an end to it. Or rather, redefining it and not letting myself get too wrapped up in it. But it is working for me on some level, which is why I am not able to end it. I like the attention. I like the flirting. It's the only thing like that that I do have right now. If I give that up, then I have nothing (in that area of my life). And to be clear, I don't want to end the friendship; I just want to be able to extracate myself from the emotional attachment I have created towards him. That's not an easy thing to do.
Anyway, that's where I am right now: Happy, sad and maybe getting sick.
Edit: Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention... One of the conversations I had with said "friend" today was about my inability to get a date. He said, "I guess that must be tough for Ironmen since you're so busy with your training and have so little spare time." I replied that this was not, in fact, true. As an example, I said that I had just been out to dinner with 13 other triathletes (four of us training for Ironman this year), so we do have time and will make time for a social life amidsts our busy training schedules. But I also told him that there is a general perception among those who don't do what I do that I am just so incredibly busy and over-scheduled that I couldn't possibly find time to date or have a relationship, which is entirely not true.
I kind of equated it to the same syndrome that the most popular girl in school suffered from: none but the cockiest of guys asked her out because they all thought she was out of their league and would never agree to go out with a guy like him. So, Miss Popular was left at home on a Saturday night, dateless.
I kind of feel that way myself a lot of the time. People have this perception and impression of who I am (as evident by some of the overwhelmingly positive feedback I've had recently) and to some people that is intimidating. I can't for the life of me figure out why. I mean, I'm just a dork who puts up a good front. I want my confident appearance to put people at ease, not scare them away or make them feel uncomfortable around me. I am perplexed (and clearly, quite full of myself - ha!).
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
All time low!
Well, I am happy to report that I again weighed in at an all time low of 166.2lbs this morning. That matched my previous low on December 15, 2005. So, all of my holiday weight gain is now GONE!
However, that does not mean that I'll keep going down as I tend to post some small (and sometimes not-so-small) gains in the days after a new low.
Regardless, I'll take it!
Getting ready to head out for an 8K run.
Oh, and I have to make a shameless plug: My friend Cheryl is going to be on 0prah tomorrow!!!! She lost 100 pounds and they're doing a follow up show on her as she used W1nona Judd as her inspiration to lose the weight. Anyway, I'll be glued to my TV tomorrow afternoon! I've actually never met Cheryl, but she is a member of my on-line running club/discussion board, so I feel like I know her as well as I know any of my (oh so limited) readership. So watch the show! It's going to be soooooo cooool!!
However, that does not mean that I'll keep going down as I tend to post some small (and sometimes not-so-small) gains in the days after a new low.
Regardless, I'll take it!
Getting ready to head out for an 8K run.
Oh, and I have to make a shameless plug: My friend Cheryl is going to be on 0prah tomorrow!!!! She lost 100 pounds and they're doing a follow up show on her as she used W1nona Judd as her inspiration to lose the weight. Anyway, I'll be glued to my TV tomorrow afternoon! I've actually never met Cheryl, but she is a member of my on-line running club/discussion board, so I feel like I know her as well as I know any of my (oh so limited) readership. So watch the show! It's going to be soooooo cooool!!
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Week Ahead
I just got in from my hill workout. We did 6 hills this evening, but the total distance of the workout (6.8K) was far less than we did last week (10.1K) as we had a much shorter warm-up and cool-down run.
The run felt really good. I kept an even pace through each of the hills and was able to maintain my intensity througout the entire workout.
I've fallen off the food journaling bandwagon. I haven't recorded much since lunch on Friday. From what I can tell, I did pretty well yesterday and today, so I'm not too worried. I probably should continue to log, though, just so that things don't get out of hand.
I'm still at this weight plateau that ranges between a low of 166-ish and a high of 168-ish. Wednesdays seem to be my lowest weight days, although I'm not quite sure why. I was at 166.8 this morning, so hopefully I'll be a little lower tomorrow (since that's the day I report into the weight loss thread on my running forum). I'd love to be closer to 160. I just feel like I haven't made much progress in the last few weeks.
That said, I have two pairs of pants I bought recently that are actually feeling a bit baggy. So, maybe my body is just doing that repositioning of fat and muscle. My legs (especially my quads) feel as solid as tree trunks and I feel very strong, so I'm happy about that. I'm just really frustrated by all the abdominal and back fat I have that doesn't seem to want to go away.
I might have to change things up a bit in terms of the balance of carbs, protein and fat and pay more attention to that balance on a daily basis, rather than simply on the total number of calories consumed.
The plans for the rest of this week are:
Run tomorrow night, probably about 8K at an easy-ish pace. I'll see how I feel. I definitely won't be doing another hard workout like I did last week.
Thursday: I'll probably get off work early and then I have to take my bike back into the shop. I hope I can figure out a time to get a workout in because I have a meeting for my tri club at 5:30 and then a dinner out with some friends at 7:00. Hmmm, might have to skip my workout on Thursday.
Friday: I'm planning on swimming, but as I always do with swimming, I usually make a last-minute decision. I don't think I have any plans for Friday night, but that's just as well because I have a busy workout day on Saturday.
Wait!! OMG, I totally know what I'm doing on Friday - watching the first night of the Olympics!! I LOVE the Olympics!! I have to check out the TV schedule so that I know when the good stuff is on. I'm going to be out all day Saturday, so I hope I don't miss anything good!
My long run for this weekend is scheduled for 22K. Yowsa! That's the longest run I've done since late October. It'll be fine.
The run felt really good. I kept an even pace through each of the hills and was able to maintain my intensity througout the entire workout.
I've fallen off the food journaling bandwagon. I haven't recorded much since lunch on Friday. From what I can tell, I did pretty well yesterday and today, so I'm not too worried. I probably should continue to log, though, just so that things don't get out of hand.
I'm still at this weight plateau that ranges between a low of 166-ish and a high of 168-ish. Wednesdays seem to be my lowest weight days, although I'm not quite sure why. I was at 166.8 this morning, so hopefully I'll be a little lower tomorrow (since that's the day I report into the weight loss thread on my running forum). I'd love to be closer to 160. I just feel like I haven't made much progress in the last few weeks.
That said, I have two pairs of pants I bought recently that are actually feeling a bit baggy. So, maybe my body is just doing that repositioning of fat and muscle. My legs (especially my quads) feel as solid as tree trunks and I feel very strong, so I'm happy about that. I'm just really frustrated by all the abdominal and back fat I have that doesn't seem to want to go away.
I might have to change things up a bit in terms of the balance of carbs, protein and fat and pay more attention to that balance on a daily basis, rather than simply on the total number of calories consumed.
The plans for the rest of this week are:
Run tomorrow night, probably about 8K at an easy-ish pace. I'll see how I feel. I definitely won't be doing another hard workout like I did last week.
Thursday: I'll probably get off work early and then I have to take my bike back into the shop. I hope I can figure out a time to get a workout in because I have a meeting for my tri club at 5:30 and then a dinner out with some friends at 7:00. Hmmm, might have to skip my workout on Thursday.
Friday: I'm planning on swimming, but as I always do with swimming, I usually make a last-minute decision. I don't think I have any plans for Friday night, but that's just as well because I have a busy workout day on Saturday.
Wait!! OMG, I totally know what I'm doing on Friday - watching the first night of the Olympics!! I LOVE the Olympics!! I have to check out the TV schedule so that I know when the good stuff is on. I'm going to be out all day Saturday, so I hope I don't miss anything good!
My long run for this weekend is scheduled for 22K. Yowsa! That's the longest run I've done since late October. It'll be fine.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Oh, my aching...
Yesterday: did 2:15 on my trainer with a group. Lots of hill climbing, so my quads and glutes were burning by the end.
Met up with some friends for dinner & drinks last night. After three margaritas, we headed to another pub where I had one more beer. I didn't get home until after 1AM, so it was close to 1:30 before my head hit the pillow.
I had already arranged with BG, my running partner (who was out with our group partying last night), that we would meet at 9:30 instead of 8:30 for our 20K run. Here I was thinking that the extra hour of sleep would make a difference. Ha!
Today: I slept until about 3:30AM when I had to get up to pee. After that, I tossed and turned until about 6:30AM when I was fully wide awake. I managed to stay in bed (although awake) until about 7:30AM. I then got up, had breakfast and waited around until it was time to go running.
It's insanely windy here today. We were supposed to get a storm overnight, but all it turned into was very high winds and rain, not the 10-15cm of snow they had predicted. I think areas outside the city got hammered, but we were spared (thanks to Lake Ontario! Woo!).
BG and I did an out-and-back route, intentionally running into the wind so that we'd have it at our backs on the way back. At some points it was quite comical as we did our best Marcel Marceau impersonations of "man walking/running into the wind". At one point, a gust came off the lake that was so strong that it actually picked up all 195 pounds of him and slammed him against me! It was quite comical. By the time we were getting to the last 5K I started to feel my quads and glutes from yesterday's workout. I was perfectly fine energy-wise, it was just muscle fatigue that got the best of me. I was very thankful when I finished the run that the washroom at the store had one of those handicapped bars next to the toilet because I wouldn't have been able to lower myself onto the seat otherwise! Or get back up, for that matter!
I'm now about to make some meat sauce for lasagne. Mmmmmm. Might invite myself over to CL/KL's for dinner with lasagne in hand. If not, it will just be me and a big ol' pan of meat, cheese and pasta! And I'm not saying that's a bad thing...
Go Steelers!
Met up with some friends for dinner & drinks last night. After three margaritas, we headed to another pub where I had one more beer. I didn't get home until after 1AM, so it was close to 1:30 before my head hit the pillow.
I had already arranged with BG, my running partner (who was out with our group partying last night), that we would meet at 9:30 instead of 8:30 for our 20K run. Here I was thinking that the extra hour of sleep would make a difference. Ha!
Today: I slept until about 3:30AM when I had to get up to pee. After that, I tossed and turned until about 6:30AM when I was fully wide awake. I managed to stay in bed (although awake) until about 7:30AM. I then got up, had breakfast and waited around until it was time to go running.
It's insanely windy here today. We were supposed to get a storm overnight, but all it turned into was very high winds and rain, not the 10-15cm of snow they had predicted. I think areas outside the city got hammered, but we were spared (thanks to Lake Ontario! Woo!).
BG and I did an out-and-back route, intentionally running into the wind so that we'd have it at our backs on the way back. At some points it was quite comical as we did our best Marcel Marceau impersonations of "man walking/running into the wind". At one point, a gust came off the lake that was so strong that it actually picked up all 195 pounds of him and slammed him against me! It was quite comical. By the time we were getting to the last 5K I started to feel my quads and glutes from yesterday's workout. I was perfectly fine energy-wise, it was just muscle fatigue that got the best of me. I was very thankful when I finished the run that the washroom at the store had one of those handicapped bars next to the toilet because I wouldn't have been able to lower myself onto the seat otherwise! Or get back up, for that matter!
I'm now about to make some meat sauce for lasagne. Mmmmmm. Might invite myself over to CL/KL's for dinner with lasagne in hand. If not, it will just be me and a big ol' pan of meat, cheese and pasta! And I'm not saying that's a bad thing...
Go Steelers!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Flirting
I am the first person to admit that I am a horrible flirt. And I mean that I am bad at it. I don't know how to do it. I can't always tell if someone is doing it with me, I don't know how to respond to it, and I can't tell if they're flirting with/without intent. I also get scared that flirting will lead me down a path with someone that I am not comfortable going.
I decided that I better educate myself in the art of flirting. The weird thing is, I didn't go about it in the way I normally learn how to do a thing. Normally, I go out and buy a book and study everything I can about a subject. And to be honest, I have perused through the self-help aisle in the bookstore and glanced through a few "Flirting for Dummies"-type books. They all seemed a little contrived to me.
So, how did I educate myself, you ask? Well, I just went out there and took advantage of some flirting opportunities and just went with them!
The first one started with a running friend of mine. We had been e-mailing about some stuff and next thing I knew, there was this full-on flirting happening. And the flirting continued when we saw each other in person, which was a big new step for me. Usually, I would cower when confronted with real live flirting, but for some reason this time I just allowed myself to go with it. Now, I don't think this flirting will lead to anything because I'm not particularly attracted to this guy and I don't think we'd really be compatible, but the flirtatious exchange is a lot of fun and good practice.
The next one kind of came out of the blue. There's always been a lot of innocent banter on the running discussion board I am on. I think I wrote about the flirting that started with one of the guys in a recent entry. Well, things have kind of escaled from there because now we've taken our communication off-line and are bantering back and forth quite a bit during the day. The funny thing is, he works right across the street from me so we were even joking about being able to wave to each other from our windows. We're actually going to see each other at a group meeting on Saturday night, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out in person. It's easy to flirt from behind the relative safety (and anonimity) of your keyboard, but a whole other thing to do it in person. He said he'd be late getting there, so I'll be nice and relaxed after having had a few beverages (but not too many!).
Anyway, I'm not looking at either of these things as anything more than some innocent flirting and giving me some practice in a much needed skill.
The other by-product of this flirting has been an increase in confidence. I've actually had a lot of feedback lately from people (both male and female) who have noticed it. In fact, I've even noticed it. I'm not 100% sure where it's coming from, but I'll take it!
I think part of it came when I finally got to a point where I was able to release some of my hangups about my weight and how my body looks. It was almost like magic that as soon as I did that, that the burden I was previously carrying was replaced by confidence. I fully admitted/disclosed my weight. I ran around in my bathing suit. I stopped making apologies for my size. And in return, I really started to like and appreciate the person I've worked so hard to become.
People always say that the biggest turn on is self-confidence. I'm going to keep trying to put that one to the test.
***
On the exercise front, I am totally bagged. Rule #1 of training: don't do hard workouts on back-to-back days. The quality of both workouts suffers and you just end up tired and prone to injury and sickness. In fact, I started to feel a bit of a scratchiness in my throat this afternoon. I bought some zinc lozenges at the drug store, so hopefully that will help to nip this in the bud.
Last night's workout was a 2x10-min tempo run. We did a 2.75K warm up (17:07), followed by some drills/strides. We then did a 5-min out-and-back, where we had to run at 85% effort for five minutes, then turn around and run back at the same level of effort (thereby being 10 minutes in total). The goal was to get back to where you started, which would indicate an equal pace for the return lap. We then got 2 minutes rest before doing it all over again. I managed to get to the same turnaround point the second time around, which meant that I was able to hold my pace on the second set. I think I covered about 950m on the way out and another 950m on the way back (twice). So, including the warm-up and cool down run, I ran a total of about 9.4K.
I had planned to ride my bike tonight because I took Monday as a rest day, but I am just so bagged from my last two days' workouts that I'm taking the night off. I'm going to swim after work with CL tomorrow.
I have an appointment with my AT at 7AM tomorrow, which will be good. Hmmm, I better go shave my legs! Ha ha.
I decided that I better educate myself in the art of flirting. The weird thing is, I didn't go about it in the way I normally learn how to do a thing. Normally, I go out and buy a book and study everything I can about a subject. And to be honest, I have perused through the self-help aisle in the bookstore and glanced through a few "Flirting for Dummies"-type books. They all seemed a little contrived to me.
So, how did I educate myself, you ask? Well, I just went out there and took advantage of some flirting opportunities and just went with them!
The first one started with a running friend of mine. We had been e-mailing about some stuff and next thing I knew, there was this full-on flirting happening. And the flirting continued when we saw each other in person, which was a big new step for me. Usually, I would cower when confronted with real live flirting, but for some reason this time I just allowed myself to go with it. Now, I don't think this flirting will lead to anything because I'm not particularly attracted to this guy and I don't think we'd really be compatible, but the flirtatious exchange is a lot of fun and good practice.
The next one kind of came out of the blue. There's always been a lot of innocent banter on the running discussion board I am on. I think I wrote about the flirting that started with one of the guys in a recent entry. Well, things have kind of escaled from there because now we've taken our communication off-line and are bantering back and forth quite a bit during the day. The funny thing is, he works right across the street from me so we were even joking about being able to wave to each other from our windows. We're actually going to see each other at a group meeting on Saturday night, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out in person. It's easy to flirt from behind the relative safety (and anonimity) of your keyboard, but a whole other thing to do it in person. He said he'd be late getting there, so I'll be nice and relaxed after having had a few beverages (but not too many!).
Anyway, I'm not looking at either of these things as anything more than some innocent flirting and giving me some practice in a much needed skill.
The other by-product of this flirting has been an increase in confidence. I've actually had a lot of feedback lately from people (both male and female) who have noticed it. In fact, I've even noticed it. I'm not 100% sure where it's coming from, but I'll take it!
I think part of it came when I finally got to a point where I was able to release some of my hangups about my weight and how my body looks. It was almost like magic that as soon as I did that, that the burden I was previously carrying was replaced by confidence. I fully admitted/disclosed my weight. I ran around in my bathing suit. I stopped making apologies for my size. And in return, I really started to like and appreciate the person I've worked so hard to become.
People always say that the biggest turn on is self-confidence. I'm going to keep trying to put that one to the test.
***
On the exercise front, I am totally bagged. Rule #1 of training: don't do hard workouts on back-to-back days. The quality of both workouts suffers and you just end up tired and prone to injury and sickness. In fact, I started to feel a bit of a scratchiness in my throat this afternoon. I bought some zinc lozenges at the drug store, so hopefully that will help to nip this in the bud.
Last night's workout was a 2x10-min tempo run. We did a 2.75K warm up (17:07), followed by some drills/strides. We then did a 5-min out-and-back, where we had to run at 85% effort for five minutes, then turn around and run back at the same level of effort (thereby being 10 minutes in total). The goal was to get back to where you started, which would indicate an equal pace for the return lap. We then got 2 minutes rest before doing it all over again. I managed to get to the same turnaround point the second time around, which meant that I was able to hold my pace on the second set. I think I covered about 950m on the way out and another 950m on the way back (twice). So, including the warm-up and cool down run, I ran a total of about 9.4K.
I had planned to ride my bike tonight because I took Monday as a rest day, but I am just so bagged from my last two days' workouts that I'm taking the night off. I'm going to swim after work with CL tomorrow.
I have an appointment with my AT at 7AM tomorrow, which will be good. Hmmm, I better go shave my legs! Ha ha.
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