I have this theory that there’s a difference between Long-term fat and Short-term fat. How I define those is as follows:
Short-term fat consists of those few extra pounds gained or lost in the short term. For example, I weighed 165 a few weeks ago and gained seven pounds and was up to 172 a few days ago. As of today, I’ve lost some of that weight and I’m now down to 168 again. That’s Short-Term Fat and I find that particularly easy to lose with some diligent eating over a week or so. In reality, some of that “fat” might have actually been water or some other type of weight gain, not necessarily 100% fat.
Long-term fat consists of that fat I gained over the previous 15-20 years that brought me to an all-time high weight of 235 pounds in October of 1996. In the first year, I was able to lose 20-25 pounds of that, however my weight kind of stabilized at 210-215 for a while (likely that 20-25 pounds was only gained in the previous 1-2 years). In 1999-2000, I was successful in losing another 35-40 pounds of Long-term fat to bring me to 170-175. I managed to gain some of that weight back over the next few years (back up to 185 in 2002-2003), but then got diligent with my eating/exercise in early 2003 and managed to lose 10-15 pounds. I stabilized at 173-178 for quite a while. My next breakthrough in burning Long-term Fat came in the fall of 2005 when I was able to lose another 10 pounds taking me to a new all-time low of 165 pounds. I’m up a few pounds from that now, but that’s my new “baseline” of Long-term fat that I am trying to break through.
So, why the distinction between Short-term and Long-term fat? Well my theory is that Short-term fat is relatively easy to lose as your body has been that weight before and it easily adapts to that level. But Long-term fat is much harder to get rid of as it’s never been burned before. It requires new levels of calorie reduction and exercise to burn it off. And it’s damned hard to lose! It also requires much more of a lifestyle change and permanent changes to eating habits – not to mention the psychological and emotional changes that go along with it.
Of course, I have nothing but my own anecdotal experience to back this up, but that seems to be the way it works for me.
My current “Long-Term Fat Loss Challenge” is to break through that 165 barrier and get to 160 by mid-fall. I am realistic in thinking that it might not be feasible to expect that I will lose any weight in November and December as that’s peak holiday party time, but I hope to be able to maintain whatever I lose by the end of October all the way through until January. That’s when I can focus on my next goal: 150!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
When last we left our heroine...
She was reporting in on two recent races. Well, I've run (and swam and biked) two more since then and I am now done for the summer.
Short reports:
July 8: Did a sprint tri (750m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) and won my category (that I like to call "Fat Chicks Over 40", or Clydesdale F40+). I also had a personal best at the distance, which made it all that much more sweet. My time was 1hr, 27 minutes.
August 5: Did a long course tri (2K swim, 56K bike, 15K run) and finished 12th of 12 in my category (W40-44), but took 6 minutes off my previous PB on that course from 2005 and took 3 whole minutes off my swim time (37 minutes), which I am totally stoked about. My finishing time was 4hrs, 20 minutes.
My racing season is now done, so my focus will be on:
1) Healing these stupid injuries (hamstring, glute, plantar fasciitis)
2) Losing some weight (Goal: 160 by my birthday in December)
3) Painting and decorating my condo
4) Going on dates
The weight part will be hard because I seem to have this 166-168 set point that I am fighting. If I can break through that and get to 160 and stay there for a while I will be super happy. I am not going back to the dietician because it was the most useless way to spend $450. The only thing she told me was to reduce my proportion of carbs down to 55% (from 65%) and take in fewer calories. Ya think!?? I'm not sure what my strategy is going to be, except I am going to experiment with exercising less. Yes, that's quite the concept, isn't it! My theory is that all the hard training messes with my appetite and my metabolism, so it just wants to hang onto fat. I'm going to keep all my workouts to less than 60 minutes (mostly 30-45 minutes) and also incorporate some weight training twice a week. I'm also going to try really hard to eat about 1600 calories per day. That will be really tough for me as I tend to get squirelly on anything less than 1800. I'm hoping that the reduction in exercise will help me do that.
Painting and decorating will be fun. I already have my colours picked out (two shades of medium/dark beige, plus a brick-red accent wall), so it's just a matter of buying the paint and getting started. And I think I found a solution to my window covering/hardware dilemma (thanks 1kea!).
Dating, well I'm not sure if that's going to be more or less difficult than dieting! So far it's been a big old pain that hasn't yielded anything. My relationship with the non-BF is getting in the way a bit (it's working well for him, just not so well for me), so I'm trying to figure out the right balance there.
Short reports:
July 8: Did a sprint tri (750m swim, 20K bike, 5K run) and won my category (that I like to call "Fat Chicks Over 40", or Clydesdale F40+). I also had a personal best at the distance, which made it all that much more sweet. My time was 1hr, 27 minutes.
August 5: Did a long course tri (2K swim, 56K bike, 15K run) and finished 12th of 12 in my category (W40-44), but took 6 minutes off my previous PB on that course from 2005 and took 3 whole minutes off my swim time (37 minutes), which I am totally stoked about. My finishing time was 4hrs, 20 minutes.
My racing season is now done, so my focus will be on:
1) Healing these stupid injuries (hamstring, glute, plantar fasciitis)
2) Losing some weight (Goal: 160 by my birthday in December)
3) Painting and decorating my condo
4) Going on dates
The weight part will be hard because I seem to have this 166-168 set point that I am fighting. If I can break through that and get to 160 and stay there for a while I will be super happy. I am not going back to the dietician because it was the most useless way to spend $450. The only thing she told me was to reduce my proportion of carbs down to 55% (from 65%) and take in fewer calories. Ya think!?? I'm not sure what my strategy is going to be, except I am going to experiment with exercising less. Yes, that's quite the concept, isn't it! My theory is that all the hard training messes with my appetite and my metabolism, so it just wants to hang onto fat. I'm going to keep all my workouts to less than 60 minutes (mostly 30-45 minutes) and also incorporate some weight training twice a week. I'm also going to try really hard to eat about 1600 calories per day. That will be really tough for me as I tend to get squirelly on anything less than 1800. I'm hoping that the reduction in exercise will help me do that.
Painting and decorating will be fun. I already have my colours picked out (two shades of medium/dark beige, plus a brick-red accent wall), so it's just a matter of buying the paint and getting started. And I think I found a solution to my window covering/hardware dilemma (thanks 1kea!).
Dating, well I'm not sure if that's going to be more or less difficult than dieting! So far it's been a big old pain that hasn't yielded anything. My relationship with the non-BF is getting in the way a bit (it's working well for him, just not so well for me), so I'm trying to figure out the right balance there.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Two for the price of one!!
Yes I have two - count 'em - two recent races to report on. Of course, that's simply because I've been such an inconsistent blogger that I never got around to posting one from my race three weeks ago. Here goes...
Race #1: 2K swim, 55K bike, 15K run (Sunday, June 17, 2007)
We got to the race site nice and early (and scored a primo parking spot, too). I set up my transition area, then just stood around and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, we made our way down to the lake for the start. I saw BMan and Stella and wished them both well on their races. I was wearing my brand new sleeveless wetsuit. Technically, it wasn’t “brand new” since I had swam in it for about 10 minutes the day before. I LOVED the wetsuit. It was awesome. I was a bit nervous for my friend L who was doing his longest swim in a race ever. He had done 1000m at Bellwood last year, but this was double that distance and he was a little worried. He was in the wave after mine, so I knew I wouldn’t see him until somewhere on the bike.
I was in the fourth wave starting at 8:16AM. This wave consisted of women 30-44, all wearing bright pink caps. The gun went off and I started swimming. Within a minute, my goggles started to fog, so sighting became difficult, especially since we were swimming into the rising sun. I just followed the pack and hoped they were going in the right direction. Then my goggles started to leak. This wasn’t horrible because the small amount of water inside actually worked to clear the goggles. At the first turn, I had to stop for a few seconds to clear them, though. I think I stopped once or twice later in the race to clear them again. Swimming into the channel, I started to get passed from the faster swimmers from the wave behind (Men 40-44).
OK, here I have to go on a rant: I understand that if you place yourself at the front of your swim wave that there’s a certain amount of jostling for position that happens. That’s part of the sport. Generally speaking, you’re talking about people who are all strong swimmers. But if you are at the front of your pack coming up on the slower swimmers from the wave before yours, it’s totally rude and unsportsmanlike to get physical with those slower swimmers, just because they’re in your way. Go around them, not over or through them! Sheesh!
So, after getting jostled a few times by the silver capped guys, I tried to maintain my form and just get it done. I don’t think I took the straightest line at the end, but I still managed to get out of the water at 40:45, which was within my predicted goal time. There was a 250m run from the lake to the T-zone (and timing mat). I just took my time and only jogged lightly on this section. I took my time in T1. The official stats show it as 4-something because of where the timing mats were, but by my watch, it was 5:27 (including the jog up from the lake). I didn’t rush, put all my gear on, struggled with getting my odometer re-set (I should have done this before the race – duh!). Grabbed my bike and off I went. I honestly don’t know where all that time went! Most people’s transitions were around 3 minutes. I think I must have baked a batch of cookies while in transition. Ha ha.
Off on the bike… I got on my bike with no incident, but my first test of the day was about to happen. How was I going to feel sitting on that saddle after my accident earlier in the week? [Note: I had fallen off my commuter bike the Tuesday before the race and jammed the saddle up into my, um, girlie bits. They were still swollen on race day.] Well, it felt fine! It didn’t hurt any more than how it normally hurts to sit on a saddle. There’s a short out-and-back section (turnaround at 12.5K) where it’s kind of cool to see people you know. I got passed by Stella then by Bman. Just as I was exiting the O&B (17K mark), I saw L on his way in. I was sooooo relieved to see him on his bike and smiling, which meant that he had made it through the swim without incident. I kept a nice pace for the first 25K or so. There were a few climbs that required my granny gear and even getting out of the saddle (more to stretch my legs than because I had to). The bike course is very technical. And many of the turns happen either at the bottom of a big downhill (so you have to slow way down to make the tight corner), or have significant uphills right after, but you’ve lost your momentum in the turn. The section from 25-38K was beautiful, tree-lined and shady. The road here was in OK condition (not great) and the ups and downs were manageable (except for one short steep part that I struggled with, even out of the saddle). But once we made the turn onto Brittania Rd., it was a whole new race. There was a killer hill at the start of this section, followed by lots and lots more hills (up and down) and lots and lots of turns – think roller coaster ride! There were a few where (even standing) I was concerned that I would tip over from going too slowly. But I made it, though my legs were a little fried. Just after the 45K mark, we turned back onto Brunel and I new I could basically coast from there to transition. I didn’t want to hammer as I wanted to save my legs a bit.
I flew into T2, dismounted and checked my watch: 2:12:25. Cool! My original goal had been 2:10, but when I saw how hilly it was, I revised that to 2:15-2:20. So I came in close to my original goal and was happy. T2 went without a hitch. I was in and out in less than 2 minutes (even with walking from my bike to the run exit).
I started running and thankfully the first part was slightly downhill. There was a short uphill section about 500m into the run, but there were so many spectators I didn’t want to walk. At this point I ran into my friend, D. We ran/walked together for a bit, but I know that he’s a much faster runner than I am, so when I needed to take a walk break, I told him to go on. The run wasn’t too hilly, just a few gently rolling ups and down (that might as well have been mountains since my legs were so dead after the bike ride). I hit the 2K marker at 12:45, so right on my 6:30 goal pace. I ran when I could and walked (with aggression) when I couldn’t. For every cup of water I drank, I put two over my head. It was sooooo hot and there wasn’t much (if any) shade on the way out. At about the 4K mark I heard a voice call my name from behind: it was L! He had made it safely off the bike, so now I had nothing more to worry about. After a hug, we ran together for a bit, but I sent him on his way as he is a much speedier runner than I am. 5K split was 32 minutes, which was just fine with me. After the turnaround, things got a bit better as we had a bit of a headwind and there was a touch of shade on that side of the road. Again, I ran when I could and walked when I couldn’t run. My 10K split was 1:06, so I had definitely slowed down. My hamstrings and glutes were screaming at me in the last 4K or so. I walked a lot here. When I hit the 13K mark I really tried to run as much as possible since there were only two kilometers to go.
As I was getting ready to take a walk break on a slight incline at 13.5K, I could see a woman from my club in the distance. We are in the same age category and I hadn’t seen her since T1, so I didn’t know that she was ahead of me. I used that as motivation to keep running and see if I could catch her. I caught her just after the 14K mark. I also took advantage of the final 750m downhill to the finish to turn on the jets and ensure that I finished strong, leaving everything on the course. By my watch, I did the final kilometer in a little over five minutes! I crossed the line in 4:38:53, good enough for 3rd place in the W-Clyde 40+ division (though I didn’t find that out until later when I checked the results on-line).
Overall, I’m happy with my race. I think I did the best I could on the day, on that course. The only thing I would change is not wasting so much time in transition.
Report #2: 10K Road Race (Sunday, July 1, 2007)
The weather: PERFECT! About 15C with a light breeze off the lake. The sun was in and out, which was also perfect.
The race: Last week I told my friend (& hostess for the weekend) Jo-Jo that I wasn't planning on "racing". I was looking at this as a social weekend "with a pesky little 10K in the middle." This morning, I told her that I wasn't going to make a decision about whether to "race" it until about 4K in. I told another friend, Jane, at the start of the race that I was just hoping to come in under an hour. Well, after the first kilometer, I knew I was feeling good and should go for it. My legs were feeling "light", which is not something I've felt on a run in quite a while.
After my first kilometer I looked down at my watch and it said 5:50. Wow! That's a good pace for me and I was feeling like I wasn't really working very hard, so I picked up the pace a bit to see how I felt. This next section was pretty flat and when I hit the split on my watch at the 2K marker it read 5:22 - wow, that's my fast tempo pace! I was feeling good, so I just went with it. I guess I AM racing today, afterall. I was running well in the third kilometer, but then there was a hill just before the 3K mark. Surprisingly, my legs felt light and I felt strong going up the hill (not normal for me as I usually struggle on hills). Everything was going well until I hit the 5K marker when I looked at my watch and it said 5:11. Wow! That's the pace I do my speed work at!! Little did I know, there had been a very slight downhill grade (and that I'd notice it on the return lap between the 6th and 7th kilometers.
After the final water station (around 8K) I was tracking this woman in front of me. Every time I gained on her, she'd pull away again. But I didn't let that bungee cord go and just hung on to the back of her for the rest of the race. Little did I know, she was in my age category and took 5th place (and I came 6th) of 13 women.
Here's how the race went by the numbers. My splits are as suprising to me as anyone:
1K - 5:50 (just starting out easy)
2K - 5:22 (flat)
3K - 5:27 (there was an uphill)
4K - 5:21 (another uphill)
5K - 5:11 (slight downhill grade)
[turnaround at 5.5K]
6K - 5:13 (still feeling strong)
7K - 5:24 (I'm going for it )
8K - 5:21 9K - 5:16 (it's hammer time)
10K - 5:11
Finish: 53:42 (by my watch, 53:44 chip time)
That's a new PB by 1:16 (and my previous PB was set on what I think might have been a short course). Last year, I ran this race in 59:10 on a brutally hot day (and I wasn't really "racing" last
year, either), so I took more than five minutes off last year's time!
I'm getting more pumped going into my next race this coming Sunday. It's a Sprint Tri (750m/20K/5K) and I hope to finish under 1:30, with my goal time being 1:26. I did this race five years ago in 1:29, so I'd really like to beat that time.
Race #1: 2K swim, 55K bike, 15K run (Sunday, June 17, 2007)
We got to the race site nice and early (and scored a primo parking spot, too). I set up my transition area, then just stood around and waited. And waited. And waited. Finally, we made our way down to the lake for the start. I saw BMan and Stella and wished them both well on their races. I was wearing my brand new sleeveless wetsuit. Technically, it wasn’t “brand new” since I had swam in it for about 10 minutes the day before. I LOVED the wetsuit. It was awesome. I was a bit nervous for my friend L who was doing his longest swim in a race ever. He had done 1000m at Bellwood last year, but this was double that distance and he was a little worried. He was in the wave after mine, so I knew I wouldn’t see him until somewhere on the bike.
I was in the fourth wave starting at 8:16AM. This wave consisted of women 30-44, all wearing bright pink caps. The gun went off and I started swimming. Within a minute, my goggles started to fog, so sighting became difficult, especially since we were swimming into the rising sun. I just followed the pack and hoped they were going in the right direction. Then my goggles started to leak. This wasn’t horrible because the small amount of water inside actually worked to clear the goggles. At the first turn, I had to stop for a few seconds to clear them, though. I think I stopped once or twice later in the race to clear them again. Swimming into the channel, I started to get passed from the faster swimmers from the wave behind (Men 40-44).
OK, here I have to go on a rant: I understand that if you place yourself at the front of your swim wave that there’s a certain amount of jostling for position that happens. That’s part of the sport. Generally speaking, you’re talking about people who are all strong swimmers. But if you are at the front of your pack coming up on the slower swimmers from the wave before yours, it’s totally rude and unsportsmanlike to get physical with those slower swimmers, just because they’re in your way. Go around them, not over or through them! Sheesh!
So, after getting jostled a few times by the silver capped guys, I tried to maintain my form and just get it done. I don’t think I took the straightest line at the end, but I still managed to get out of the water at 40:45, which was within my predicted goal time. There was a 250m run from the lake to the T-zone (and timing mat). I just took my time and only jogged lightly on this section. I took my time in T1. The official stats show it as 4-something because of where the timing mats were, but by my watch, it was 5:27 (including the jog up from the lake). I didn’t rush, put all my gear on, struggled with getting my odometer re-set (I should have done this before the race – duh!). Grabbed my bike and off I went. I honestly don’t know where all that time went! Most people’s transitions were around 3 minutes. I think I must have baked a batch of cookies while in transition. Ha ha.
Off on the bike… I got on my bike with no incident, but my first test of the day was about to happen. How was I going to feel sitting on that saddle after my accident earlier in the week? [Note: I had fallen off my commuter bike the Tuesday before the race and jammed the saddle up into my, um, girlie bits. They were still swollen on race day.] Well, it felt fine! It didn’t hurt any more than how it normally hurts to sit on a saddle. There’s a short out-and-back section (turnaround at 12.5K) where it’s kind of cool to see people you know. I got passed by Stella then by Bman. Just as I was exiting the O&B (17K mark), I saw L on his way in. I was sooooo relieved to see him on his bike and smiling, which meant that he had made it through the swim without incident. I kept a nice pace for the first 25K or so. There were a few climbs that required my granny gear and even getting out of the saddle (more to stretch my legs than because I had to). The bike course is very technical. And many of the turns happen either at the bottom of a big downhill (so you have to slow way down to make the tight corner), or have significant uphills right after, but you’ve lost your momentum in the turn. The section from 25-38K was beautiful, tree-lined and shady. The road here was in OK condition (not great) and the ups and downs were manageable (except for one short steep part that I struggled with, even out of the saddle). But once we made the turn onto Brittania Rd., it was a whole new race. There was a killer hill at the start of this section, followed by lots and lots more hills (up and down) and lots and lots of turns – think roller coaster ride! There were a few where (even standing) I was concerned that I would tip over from going too slowly. But I made it, though my legs were a little fried. Just after the 45K mark, we turned back onto Brunel and I new I could basically coast from there to transition. I didn’t want to hammer as I wanted to save my legs a bit.
I flew into T2, dismounted and checked my watch: 2:12:25. Cool! My original goal had been 2:10, but when I saw how hilly it was, I revised that to 2:15-2:20. So I came in close to my original goal and was happy. T2 went without a hitch. I was in and out in less than 2 minutes (even with walking from my bike to the run exit).
I started running and thankfully the first part was slightly downhill. There was a short uphill section about 500m into the run, but there were so many spectators I didn’t want to walk. At this point I ran into my friend, D. We ran/walked together for a bit, but I know that he’s a much faster runner than I am, so when I needed to take a walk break, I told him to go on. The run wasn’t too hilly, just a few gently rolling ups and down (that might as well have been mountains since my legs were so dead after the bike ride). I hit the 2K marker at 12:45, so right on my 6:30 goal pace. I ran when I could and walked (with aggression) when I couldn’t. For every cup of water I drank, I put two over my head. It was sooooo hot and there wasn’t much (if any) shade on the way out. At about the 4K mark I heard a voice call my name from behind: it was L! He had made it safely off the bike, so now I had nothing more to worry about. After a hug, we ran together for a bit, but I sent him on his way as he is a much speedier runner than I am. 5K split was 32 minutes, which was just fine with me. After the turnaround, things got a bit better as we had a bit of a headwind and there was a touch of shade on that side of the road. Again, I ran when I could and walked when I couldn’t run. My 10K split was 1:06, so I had definitely slowed down. My hamstrings and glutes were screaming at me in the last 4K or so. I walked a lot here. When I hit the 13K mark I really tried to run as much as possible since there were only two kilometers to go.
As I was getting ready to take a walk break on a slight incline at 13.5K, I could see a woman from my club in the distance. We are in the same age category and I hadn’t seen her since T1, so I didn’t know that she was ahead of me. I used that as motivation to keep running and see if I could catch her. I caught her just after the 14K mark. I also took advantage of the final 750m downhill to the finish to turn on the jets and ensure that I finished strong, leaving everything on the course. By my watch, I did the final kilometer in a little over five minutes! I crossed the line in 4:38:53, good enough for 3rd place in the W-Clyde 40+ division (though I didn’t find that out until later when I checked the results on-line).
Overall, I’m happy with my race. I think I did the best I could on the day, on that course. The only thing I would change is not wasting so much time in transition.
Report #2: 10K Road Race (Sunday, July 1, 2007)
The weather: PERFECT! About 15C with a light breeze off the lake. The sun was in and out, which was also perfect.
The race: Last week I told my friend (& hostess for the weekend) Jo-Jo that I wasn't planning on "racing". I was looking at this as a social weekend "with a pesky little 10K in the middle." This morning, I told her that I wasn't going to make a decision about whether to "race" it until about 4K in. I told another friend, Jane, at the start of the race that I was just hoping to come in under an hour. Well, after the first kilometer, I knew I was feeling good and should go for it. My legs were feeling "light", which is not something I've felt on a run in quite a while.
After my first kilometer I looked down at my watch and it said 5:50. Wow! That's a good pace for me and I was feeling like I wasn't really working very hard, so I picked up the pace a bit to see how I felt. This next section was pretty flat and when I hit the split on my watch at the 2K marker it read 5:22 - wow, that's my fast tempo pace! I was feeling good, so I just went with it. I guess I AM racing today, afterall. I was running well in the third kilometer, but then there was a hill just before the 3K mark. Surprisingly, my legs felt light and I felt strong going up the hill (not normal for me as I usually struggle on hills). Everything was going well until I hit the 5K marker when I looked at my watch and it said 5:11. Wow! That's the pace I do my speed work at!! Little did I know, there had been a very slight downhill grade (and that I'd notice it on the return lap between the 6th and 7th kilometers.
After the final water station (around 8K) I was tracking this woman in front of me. Every time I gained on her, she'd pull away again. But I didn't let that bungee cord go and just hung on to the back of her for the rest of the race. Little did I know, she was in my age category and took 5th place (and I came 6th) of 13 women.
Here's how the race went by the numbers. My splits are as suprising to me as anyone:
1K - 5:50 (just starting out easy)
2K - 5:22 (flat)
3K - 5:27 (there was an uphill)
4K - 5:21 (another uphill)
5K - 5:11 (slight downhill grade)
[turnaround at 5.5K]
6K - 5:13 (still feeling strong)
7K - 5:24 (I'm going for it )
8K - 5:21 9K - 5:16 (it's hammer time)
10K - 5:11
Finish: 53:42 (by my watch, 53:44 chip time)
That's a new PB by 1:16 (and my previous PB was set on what I think might have been a short course). Last year, I ran this race in 59:10 on a brutally hot day (and I wasn't really "racing" last
year, either), so I took more than five minutes off last year's time!
I'm getting more pumped going into my next race this coming Sunday. It's a Sprint Tri (750m/20K/5K) and I hope to finish under 1:30, with my goal time being 1:26. I did this race five years ago in 1:29, so I'd really like to beat that time.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Whassup???
1. I had a great trip to Italy. Rode close to 500km over 7 days. It was a great group of people (24 of us in total). Lots and lots of climbing, though it's all switchbacks, so it seems a bit more manageable. I also swam in the Adriatic. I can't remember the last time I swam in salt water. It was cold, but not frigid (and I was wearing a wetsuit). I can't wait to go back next year, though I hear the trip might be to Spain.
2. My back is pretty much healed, though I do feel pain while cycling up hills. I have to be more diligent about doing my exercises (gluteus medius and maximus, plus hamstrings).
3. Dating life is non-existant. Oh well. At least I have my health (and all my own teeth). Ha ha. Funny thing (sort of), I was at the funeral for my non-BF's father and one of his female relatives commented on how good looking I am. Her exact words (said to him, not me) were, "I'd do her." And she's straight! Ha ha. I guess I should be flattered. Though I'd really prefer to get that kind of attention from single guys. Oh well.
4. Racing: I'm training for my next tri, which is a 2K/55K/15K event on June 17. I've never done this race before but I have done one of similar distance. I expect it to take me about 4.5 hours.
5. Weight. Ugh. I spent over $400 on a dietician and it really made no difference at all. Honestly, I did all the work (food journal, etc.) and she didn't really provide me with anything that I couldn't (and didn't already) do myself. I might have dropped 5 pounds, but I could have done that on my own just by logging my food as I did. Anyway, I've seen some unflattering photos of myself and don't like what I see in the mirror, so I have to do something. I just think I might have more success if I wait until the fall when my training drops down (and I'm not so hungry all the time). Though to be honest, I'm never really NOT training for something. Maybe in November and December, but that's holiday season and who wants to be dieting then?? Pffft. Right now, I'm fluctuating between 168-170.
6. Work. It pays the bills. End of story. I'll likely be getting a new boss and I'm not too jazzed about that, but I have to keep an open mind.
Things coming up in my life over the next few months:
- Going camping next weekend with five other friends. Looking forward to that.
- Race June 17 (described above)
- 10K race July 1
- Sprint tri July 8 - I'm racing against a friend who is evenly matched with me (we're in the same age/weight category). That should be fun (yet scary) since I've never raced against anyone before. I hope I win!
- Trip to Lake Placid at the end of July for training and to watch friends race the Ironman.
- Long course tri (2K/56K/15K) the first weekend in August.
The rest of my summer is pretty open.
2. My back is pretty much healed, though I do feel pain while cycling up hills. I have to be more diligent about doing my exercises (gluteus medius and maximus, plus hamstrings).
3. Dating life is non-existant. Oh well. At least I have my health (and all my own teeth). Ha ha. Funny thing (sort of), I was at the funeral for my non-BF's father and one of his female relatives commented on how good looking I am. Her exact words (said to him, not me) were, "I'd do her." And she's straight! Ha ha. I guess I should be flattered. Though I'd really prefer to get that kind of attention from single guys. Oh well.
4. Racing: I'm training for my next tri, which is a 2K/55K/15K event on June 17. I've never done this race before but I have done one of similar distance. I expect it to take me about 4.5 hours.
5. Weight. Ugh. I spent over $400 on a dietician and it really made no difference at all. Honestly, I did all the work (food journal, etc.) and she didn't really provide me with anything that I couldn't (and didn't already) do myself. I might have dropped 5 pounds, but I could have done that on my own just by logging my food as I did. Anyway, I've seen some unflattering photos of myself and don't like what I see in the mirror, so I have to do something. I just think I might have more success if I wait until the fall when my training drops down (and I'm not so hungry all the time). Though to be honest, I'm never really NOT training for something. Maybe in November and December, but that's holiday season and who wants to be dieting then?? Pffft. Right now, I'm fluctuating between 168-170.
6. Work. It pays the bills. End of story. I'll likely be getting a new boss and I'm not too jazzed about that, but I have to keep an open mind.
Things coming up in my life over the next few months:
- Going camping next weekend with five other friends. Looking forward to that.
- Race June 17 (described above)
- 10K race July 1
- Sprint tri July 8 - I'm racing against a friend who is evenly matched with me (we're in the same age/weight category). That should be fun (yet scary) since I've never raced against anyone before. I hope I win!
- Trip to Lake Placid at the end of July for training and to watch friends race the Ironman.
- Long course tri (2K/56K/15K) the first weekend in August.
The rest of my summer is pretty open.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Getting better
My chiro has been a saviour this week. She's magical! I'm feeling a lot better now and I got the go-ahead from her to run if I feel OK, so I'm going to head to the treadmill this afternoon. Yay! I still have lower back pain, and bending over is still hard and painful, but it's coming along.
I also met with a dietician last week to see if I can drop these last 20 pounds. We're going to try for 10 pounds between now and when I leave for Italy in mid-April. This is a weird week to start because my activity level has been so low, but we're starting me at 1800 calories and will adjust from there. I'm still hovering around 170, though I'm not seeing spikes up to 173 like I had been before, so that's good. I'm fine as long as I can prepare my own food, but I was on a course for two days this week and went out for dinner on Thursday, so it's been hard to gauge my caloric intake (let alone control what's in my food).
I've also started communicating with a couple of guys on-line, so might have a pre-date with one of them this weekend. They are both triathletes, but they don't live in my city, so that could be a problem. We'll see.
I had applied for a new job at my company and had an interview a couple of weeks ago. Well, I got the call on Thursday that I didn't get the job. No biggie, I'm just bored in my current job, that's all. But then I had a meeting with my director yesterday afternoon and it looks like I'll be getting to work on some more interesting projects, so things are looking up.
Time to clean my bathroom...
I also met with a dietician last week to see if I can drop these last 20 pounds. We're going to try for 10 pounds between now and when I leave for Italy in mid-April. This is a weird week to start because my activity level has been so low, but we're starting me at 1800 calories and will adjust from there. I'm still hovering around 170, though I'm not seeing spikes up to 173 like I had been before, so that's good. I'm fine as long as I can prepare my own food, but I was on a course for two days this week and went out for dinner on Thursday, so it's been hard to gauge my caloric intake (let alone control what's in my food).
I've also started communicating with a couple of guys on-line, so might have a pre-date with one of them this weekend. They are both triathletes, but they don't live in my city, so that could be a problem. We'll see.
I had applied for a new job at my company and had an interview a couple of weeks ago. Well, I got the call on Thursday that I didn't get the job. No biggie, I'm just bored in my current job, that's all. But then I had a meeting with my director yesterday afternoon and it looks like I'll be getting to work on some more interesting projects, so things are looking up.
Time to clean my bathroom...
Monday, February 12, 2007
laid up
argh. i'm flat on my back - and unable to use caps, sorry - from a freak dressing incident. i had just done a 2-hour bike ride and was taking off my shorts when... pop. aaargh.
i've been hobbling around since saturday. i'm trying to get in to see my physio guy today. i hate it when my body doesn't do what i want it to do.
i just have to remind myself that it's 2 months to italy and i have to do whatever required to be healthy for that trip.
argh.
i've been hobbling around since saturday. i'm trying to get in to see my physio guy today. i hate it when my body doesn't do what i want it to do.
i just have to remind myself that it's 2 months to italy and i have to do whatever required to be healthy for that trip.
argh.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
It's Official
Yes, I am having a mid-life crisis.
That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm not having an affair with a 25-year-old or buying a sportscar I can't afford. Instead, I'm taking a trip to Italy with a bunch of strangers. Hmpf.
Seriously, I am having a mid-life crisis of sorts, but at least I'm aware that this is what's happening. And I'm not eating or drinking myself into oblivion. So that's good.
But it still makes for some tough times emotionally. I'm questioning a lot of things about myself and what I want from life. I'm trying really hard to figure out what I want my life to be (actually, this is the easier part). The harder part is figuring out how I'm going to go about achieving it. Sigh.
Oh, well... onward.
That's the bad news. The good news is that I'm not having an affair with a 25-year-old or buying a sportscar I can't afford. Instead, I'm taking a trip to Italy with a bunch of strangers. Hmpf.
Seriously, I am having a mid-life crisis of sorts, but at least I'm aware that this is what's happening. And I'm not eating or drinking myself into oblivion. So that's good.
But it still makes for some tough times emotionally. I'm questioning a lot of things about myself and what I want from life. I'm trying really hard to figure out what I want my life to be (actually, this is the easier part). The harder part is figuring out how I'm going to go about achieving it. Sigh.
Oh, well... onward.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Revolutions
I don’t really like making New Year’s Resolutions. It implies that I’m “bad” in some way and need to resolve to be better. I like to set goals for myself and then put a plan in place to achieve them.
That said, there are some things that I would like to be better at doing this year. One of them is being a more frequent blogger. Truth be told, I started my blog so that I would have an outlet to write about my feelings and the things that were going on in my life. But what I’ve found in the last little while is that I have many more outlets for this, including family and friends, so that the blog itself isn’t as necessary for that purpose.
I’m going through a bit of a personal revolution right now. I don’t want to call it a “mid-life crisis” because it’s not as bad as that. Maybe “renaissance” is a better word. Either way, I am definitely at a turning point right now. The good thing is that I am in a much better place than I was when I went through this 8-10 years ago. And, I have the benefit of experience from that time to help me through this.
The other thing I am grateful for is that I know that, however painful it might be at the time, the end result is very much worth it. And I will end up being happier than I ever thought possible.
I’ve also realized how multi-dimensional my life is and how happiness/contentment in one area doesn’t necessarily translate into overall happiness. I guess a little more balance is in order. But what I have to decide is whether I am willing to make sacrifices in one area of my life in order to help improve things in another area.
The other thing about this blog is that it’s kind of evolved over time. I’ve used it as a soapbox, to entertain, to track weight-loss progress, to document training goals and accomplishments, and sometimes just to vent or rant. I guess it will kind of continue in that vein. I’ve decided that I don’t owe anything to anyone in terms of keeping it up to date or writing about what anyone in particular wants to read about. As the saying goes, Dance like nobody is watching (or, in this case, Write like nobody is reading).
So, what is actually going on in my life write now?
Weight: I’m still hovering around 170-172. I’d really like to be 150. My “lowest weight ever” is 164.5. That said, I’m not really locked into a number on the scales so much as I’d like to be a particular size (e.g., a 10). I want to get my waist measurement down below 32 inches. I want to get these rolls of fat off my abdomen and back. If I can do that, I really don’t care about my actual weight. And given the fact that I have a fair amount of muscle mass, I likely will never be 135 pounds.
Training: Notice, I don’t even refer to it as “exercise”. To be frank, I love physical activity. I love being active. I don’t mind going to the gym. I love going for runs and bike rides with my friends. I don’t see it as a chore or a duty in any way. Lack of activity is not my vice; food is. My training goals for this year are:
· 30K race at the end of March – would love to come in between 3:00 and 3:10
· Cycling in Italy (April) – I have to get my butt in gear to be ready for eight days of cycling. [Gulp.]
· Triathlon: I have two goal races that are about the same distance (2K swim, 56K bike, 15K run). My PB at this distance is 4 hours and 24 minutes. In the first race, my goal is just to complete it since it’s a very tough course. In the second race, I’d love to take a few minutes off my swim and bike times.
· Running: I haven’t ruled out the idea of a fall marathon. I always said that I’d never run another marathon (unless it was part of Ironman) as the training is just too much. But I really don’t think that I’ve come anywhere close to my potential at that distance (PB of 4:48). The other option is to try to run a 2-hour half marathon, which is close to seven minutes faster than my current PB. A tall order, to say the least.
Food: Ugh. I have a love-hate relationship with food. I love it – a bit too much. The fact that I even have a “relationship” with food is an indication to me that there is a problem. I’m trying to eat less. I’m trying to eat for fuel and not for emotional reasons. I’m trying not to eat mindlessly. All of this is hard for me.
Work: Kinda sucks right now. Mostly because I’m bored (guess where I’m writing this???). I’ve applied for two jobs internally, but I’m not even really that jazzed about either of them. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.
Family: This area is pretty stable and my relationships here are good. Nothing much to report in this area.
Social: My social life is intertwined with my exercise life since the vast majority of my close friends and acquaintances are recreational athletes like I am. I’m very happy with the status of my friendships and they bring a lot to my life. The only thing I wish is that I could maintain closer relationships with old friends who aren’t part of my regular exercise-social group. I guess that’s just something I have to do.
Love Life: Kinds sucks right now, too. I’ve realized recently how much of a void this is in my life. I’ve done a pretty good job of filling the void with other things, but since the short-term relationship I had last spring ended, I’m really feeling it. All the things I’ve used as a substitute in the past (work, exercise, food) just aren’t cutting it anymore. The problem is, I don’t really know what I need to do to make a change in this area. It all seems so random. If you go looking for it and can’t find it, you’re told to just “relax and let it happen.” If you relax and wait for it to come to you, you’re told to “get out there, meet people, join a club doing something you love to meet like-minded people.” So, which is it??
Community: This is an area where I am really lacking. I feel bad about the fact that I do very little in terms of social/community work. I’ve made a commitment to myself that I will do one volunteer activity per month this year. I did one in November (Habitat) and another one in December (Scott Mission), but I have to figure out something to do this month. Ideally, I’d like to do the same thing every month, rather than have to figure out something new on a monthly basis. But I need to find the opportunity that is right for me. To some extent, my position with the Tri club would constitute as a community/volunteer activity, but it just doesn’t seem the same to me.
Education: Hmmm, that one has really been on the back burner for the last few years since I started training for running and triathlon. I guess it all comes down to the issue of balance again. And it’s also related to my job woes, since I don’t really know what I want to “do”, so I don’t know what type of education I should be pursuing.
So, that's where I am right now: in a bit of a holding pattern. Let's hope that 2007 brings me some clarity and peace of mind.
That said, there are some things that I would like to be better at doing this year. One of them is being a more frequent blogger. Truth be told, I started my blog so that I would have an outlet to write about my feelings and the things that were going on in my life. But what I’ve found in the last little while is that I have many more outlets for this, including family and friends, so that the blog itself isn’t as necessary for that purpose.
I’m going through a bit of a personal revolution right now. I don’t want to call it a “mid-life crisis” because it’s not as bad as that. Maybe “renaissance” is a better word. Either way, I am definitely at a turning point right now. The good thing is that I am in a much better place than I was when I went through this 8-10 years ago. And, I have the benefit of experience from that time to help me through this.
The other thing I am grateful for is that I know that, however painful it might be at the time, the end result is very much worth it. And I will end up being happier than I ever thought possible.
I’ve also realized how multi-dimensional my life is and how happiness/contentment in one area doesn’t necessarily translate into overall happiness. I guess a little more balance is in order. But what I have to decide is whether I am willing to make sacrifices in one area of my life in order to help improve things in another area.
The other thing about this blog is that it’s kind of evolved over time. I’ve used it as a soapbox, to entertain, to track weight-loss progress, to document training goals and accomplishments, and sometimes just to vent or rant. I guess it will kind of continue in that vein. I’ve decided that I don’t owe anything to anyone in terms of keeping it up to date or writing about what anyone in particular wants to read about. As the saying goes, Dance like nobody is watching (or, in this case, Write like nobody is reading).
So, what is actually going on in my life write now?
Weight: I’m still hovering around 170-172. I’d really like to be 150. My “lowest weight ever” is 164.5. That said, I’m not really locked into a number on the scales so much as I’d like to be a particular size (e.g., a 10). I want to get my waist measurement down below 32 inches. I want to get these rolls of fat off my abdomen and back. If I can do that, I really don’t care about my actual weight. And given the fact that I have a fair amount of muscle mass, I likely will never be 135 pounds.
Training: Notice, I don’t even refer to it as “exercise”. To be frank, I love physical activity. I love being active. I don’t mind going to the gym. I love going for runs and bike rides with my friends. I don’t see it as a chore or a duty in any way. Lack of activity is not my vice; food is. My training goals for this year are:
· 30K race at the end of March – would love to come in between 3:00 and 3:10
· Cycling in Italy (April) – I have to get my butt in gear to be ready for eight days of cycling. [Gulp.]
· Triathlon: I have two goal races that are about the same distance (2K swim, 56K bike, 15K run). My PB at this distance is 4 hours and 24 minutes. In the first race, my goal is just to complete it since it’s a very tough course. In the second race, I’d love to take a few minutes off my swim and bike times.
· Running: I haven’t ruled out the idea of a fall marathon. I always said that I’d never run another marathon (unless it was part of Ironman) as the training is just too much. But I really don’t think that I’ve come anywhere close to my potential at that distance (PB of 4:48). The other option is to try to run a 2-hour half marathon, which is close to seven minutes faster than my current PB. A tall order, to say the least.
Food: Ugh. I have a love-hate relationship with food. I love it – a bit too much. The fact that I even have a “relationship” with food is an indication to me that there is a problem. I’m trying to eat less. I’m trying to eat for fuel and not for emotional reasons. I’m trying not to eat mindlessly. All of this is hard for me.
Work: Kinda sucks right now. Mostly because I’m bored (guess where I’m writing this???). I’ve applied for two jobs internally, but I’m not even really that jazzed about either of them. We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.
Family: This area is pretty stable and my relationships here are good. Nothing much to report in this area.
Social: My social life is intertwined with my exercise life since the vast majority of my close friends and acquaintances are recreational athletes like I am. I’m very happy with the status of my friendships and they bring a lot to my life. The only thing I wish is that I could maintain closer relationships with old friends who aren’t part of my regular exercise-social group. I guess that’s just something I have to do.
Love Life: Kinds sucks right now, too. I’ve realized recently how much of a void this is in my life. I’ve done a pretty good job of filling the void with other things, but since the short-term relationship I had last spring ended, I’m really feeling it. All the things I’ve used as a substitute in the past (work, exercise, food) just aren’t cutting it anymore. The problem is, I don’t really know what I need to do to make a change in this area. It all seems so random. If you go looking for it and can’t find it, you’re told to just “relax and let it happen.” If you relax and wait for it to come to you, you’re told to “get out there, meet people, join a club doing something you love to meet like-minded people.” So, which is it??
Community: This is an area where I am really lacking. I feel bad about the fact that I do very little in terms of social/community work. I’ve made a commitment to myself that I will do one volunteer activity per month this year. I did one in November (Habitat) and another one in December (Scott Mission), but I have to figure out something to do this month. Ideally, I’d like to do the same thing every month, rather than have to figure out something new on a monthly basis. But I need to find the opportunity that is right for me. To some extent, my position with the Tri club would constitute as a community/volunteer activity, but it just doesn’t seem the same to me.
Education: Hmmm, that one has really been on the back burner for the last few years since I started training for running and triathlon. I guess it all comes down to the issue of balance again. And it’s also related to my job woes, since I don’t really know what I want to “do”, so I don’t know what type of education I should be pursuing.
So, that's where I am right now: in a bit of a holding pattern. Let's hope that 2007 brings me some clarity and peace of mind.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
I Resolve...
To be a more frequent blogger this year. Sorry.
Getting ready to head out for a run (hills). My big news is that I'm "training" for my spring vacation to Italy! It's a 10-day trip with eight days of cycling, so I've got to get in shape.
I didn't gain too much weight over the holidays and I'm back to where I was before (around 171), even flirted with 169 a couple of days this week! Woo!
Exercising six days a week, sometimes twice a day. My total workout time is about 7 hours per week and will go up from there.
Ciao for now!
Getting ready to head out for a run (hills). My big news is that I'm "training" for my spring vacation to Italy! It's a 10-day trip with eight days of cycling, so I've got to get in shape.
I didn't gain too much weight over the holidays and I'm back to where I was before (around 171), even flirted with 169 a couple of days this week! Woo!
Exercising six days a week, sometimes twice a day. My total workout time is about 7 hours per week and will go up from there.
Ciao for now!
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