07 September 2007

A break in the action

I decided to take this morning off from training. I'm a little sore and tired and I decided that rest was probably the best thing for me.

I have an appointment with a chiropractor next Tuesday. I've finally decided to do something about the shoulder/back/hip/foot pain that is focused all on my right side. Clearly an indication something is out of balance. This guy is supposed to be really good. He's a triathlete. He does ART and some other different types of treatments. My boss, the Ironman, swears by him so I figure he must be pretty good. He also does orthotics. Thinking about my shoe buying experience last weekend where none of the arches hit my arch right, it hit me, have orthotics made then I can wear any running shoe - doh!!!! So I'm looking forward to that.

Tomorrow I'm registering for a tri next weekend. I'm so excited!! The Na Wahine Sprint is Sept 16th. I've done it the past 2 years but didn't sign up this year. Yesterday I got an email from them that registration is still open and they've added a super sprint; 250 m swim, 6 mile bike, and a 1.7 mile run. Shoot, I can do those distances in my sleep - so I'm going to go for it. I'm very excited :)

I probably should get ready for work, though I don't feel like it. Lots of people doing IMMOO this weekend - that's exciting. Hopefully things will go smoothly for everyone and no one will need a New York car accident lawyer or any kind of lawyer for that matter :)

06 September 2007

You Are a Pegasus

You are a perfectionist, with an eye for beauty.
You know how to live a good life - and you rarely deviate from your good taste.
While you aren't outgoing, you have excellent social skills.
People both admire you - and feel very comfortable around you.


Hmmm...... Pegasus is a really good name. It denotes speed and mythology...... Hmmmm.... That just might be Pinky's new name :)

05 September 2007

The Bike

Duane, this is for you. Apparently I never posted a decent picture of the new bike, so here it is:

I'm still searching for her name. I've been referring to her as Pinky because she has some attitude but is most definitely female. You definitely have to stay calm and relaxed when riding her or she gets all twitchy.

I'm getting used to the aerobars. They are really scary but very comfortable position to be in. I also noticed that I go faster in aero position. Huh! Who knew???

(Please notice the pink pedals. How cool is that?)

Let me tell you a story.

This story is about a girl who got a new bike. She was very excited about her new bike and couldn't wait to ride. She got it on a Monday. She rode it on Tuesday. Then she rode it again on Thursday. Then she rode it again on Saturday. Then on Monday. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. And her body hurt.

I have never hit the wall, or reached a point where I just could not go on. In some races I've come very close but always managed to dig just a little deeper and keep moving. This morning there was nothing left. The riding I've done may not be a lot to most of you, but to me it's been a killer. I was supposed to do 12 brisk miles this morning. I headed out and my legs felt like lead, just like they have for the past 2 mornings. I figured this would pass like it has. I had worked out a 6 mile loop and thought I'd just do that twice. Some rolling hills so I'd get some interval work but nothing that should kill me. I got to the 4 mile mark of the first loop and there was nothing left. I couldn't get my cadence above 70. My legs were screaming. My hands were screaming. Other parts were screaming. It was not good. I finished the first loop and called it a day. It was interesting because it's the first time anything like that has happened. Tomorrow is a very short run so I can sleep in a little and go slow and rest the legs.

When I woke this morning it was pouring rain. I initially thought my ride may be called because of rain. But it stopped in plenty of time. The thing was there were big black rain clouds hanging out and it was really dark. I wish I could get some outdoor lighting for my bike route. That would be cool.

04 September 2007

Pieces of the puzzle.

I headed out this morning at 0'dark 30 for my 10 mile ride. When I leave my house I have 2 options, I can turn left which will take me up to the highway and lots of traffic. Or, I can turn right, which will take me to the back roads where all the cool bikers ride. If I turn right there is a slight grade for almost 1 mile. It's not serious but at 6 a.m. when I'm just getting moving it can really kick my butt.

Anyway, I did my 10 miles and as I was riding (there are lots of little hills all through the back roads, so it's a good interval workout) it suddenly dawned on me why I hadn't been losing weight. When I was losing weight I was working out twice a day for a total of about 1 1/2 to 2 hours a day. I did aerobics, weights, running, biking, swimming, yoga, Pilate's, etc. The point is, I was really active. When I started trying to lose weight earlier this year I focused solely on weights and intervals. That's it. I was working out 45 minutes a day and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. Well, because i was spending the rest of that time planted on my ass in front of the computer or TV. So I'm glad I figured it out and I'm ready to take it up a notch.

I didn't sleep so well last night. I guess I slept too much over the weekend so had a hard time last night. Now of course, I'm getting sleepy. At least the day is almost over. Well, I guess that's it. I'm going to go read some blogs then get back to work.

03 September 2007

The end of a long weekend.

Wow, summer is over, essentially. From here on out it's holidays and cooler weather and bleah!!

Over on the sidebar you'll notice I've put up my training schedule for this week. I've worked out a plan for the century ride at the end of the month and added some running in just because I suck at it ;) I will update this every night and change it every Sunday. I'm very excited about this. Having a plan and something to work towards has really added a new dimension to my attitude.

I went out for a ride this morning and my legs were toast. I had a real problem getting a decent cadence going. So I just took it easy and cruised. I shifted to an easier gear, got the cadence up and just had fun. By the time I was done my legs actually felt better then they did when I started. Guess I worked all the lactic acid from yesterday's run out.

Anyway, it was on that ride that my earlier post kind of sunk in. I know I want to do the century ride but I didn't have a plan to train for it. I had a vague notion of biking 3-4 days a week and going long on the weekend... Kind of unformed really. Then I opened up the Muscle & Fitness Hers that I had picked up last week, and low and behold there's a training plan for a century ride. Since I only plan on doing the 25 mile option, I altered it and wa-la, I have a training program and something to focus on.

For the running, I just took a novice 5K training program and added it in. I just want to run regularly for a while to get back into it. In October I'll change it up and work more on speed and stuff.

Well, that looks like it for now. I'm so excited about it all I may piss my pants. Maybe I should check into incontinence supplies :) Hey, you can't be too careful.

The haze clears.

I can be my own worst enemy. I have major doubts about the things I can do, even if I've done them before. I have an awful habit of doubting my abilities. I will keep trying, but there his always that little voice in my head saying those awful things little voices say. I work very, very hard to stomp that voice out, ignore it, override it with cheering, but the little bastard lives on.

I've decided to do the Honolulu Century Ride yet every time I head out on my bike I think, will I be able to climb the hills, can I keep up with everyone, what if I can't make it? I'm only planning on doing 25 miles yet you'd think I was doing all 100 from the voice in my head.

I push the voice aside and tell myself I can do these things. I've done them before, I can do them again. I used to ride 15 miles on a mountain bike, over some pretty good hills, every Saturday morning. If I can do that I can ride 25 miles on a sweet bike. I've run 2 marathons!! I can ride 25 miles. I've ridden 25 miles during a triathlon!! I can ride 25 miles alone. I can do these things. But I have doubts.

Then, this morning, I read Comm's post. It's amazing how things present themselves just when you need them most. This totally switched my attitude and caused the little voice in my head to go but, but, but......... I may not be in the shape I was 3 years ago, but I'm in a lot better shape than most people. The body may not be as tight and lean as I want it, but it can run, swim, bike, and do lots of things that the average person can't.

Up the street from me is a lady who's bed is in the carport. I think I've mentioned her before. When I first moved here I was in shock. The carport is set up like her bedroom, tv, bookcases, etc. and she just lays in bed all day. She has to weigh 600-700 lbs, if she weighs an ounce. I see her and I think to myself, that could very well be me. I bet she sees me go running or riding by and thinks, I wish I could do that. It may not be the nicest thing to think, but I know if I didn't beat that voice down daily I could be that large stuck in a bed somewhere. No thank you.

I meet people all the time who tell me they wish they could do the things I do. What they don't realize is that they can. I don't do anything special. You folks out there in blogland do things way more special than I do. I'm just doing what the common man could do if he got off his butt.

Okay, this has become a bit of a rambling post. But Commodore really hit the nail on the head this morning and I really needed to hear it. Yes, I may not be where I want to be but hard work and perseverance will change that. So, let the work begin.

02 September 2007

Starting off good.

Yesterday I went for my morning bike ride. It was okay. This bike is so different from my old one that I'm really taking time to adjust to it. Yesterday was the first time I rode out in traffic. It. was. scary. The worst part is that the more nervous I got the more the bike wobbled. The bike responds to every little muscle twitch. I literally had to talk myself down, breathing and telling myself to relax. After a couple of minutes it was okay. I then rode for around an hour, just cruising around. It was fun.

I stopped at the running store to get a new pair of shoes. I, or should I say my plantar, has been doing really well in my Asics 1120. I haven't been able to find them anywhere so had decided to go to the local running store to try and find some new shoes. They actually had the 1120's. I couldn't believe it. I tried them on and they are different from the ones I have. The arch didn't hit in the right place. I then proceeded to try a number of different type of shoes in a couple of different sizes and was having no luck at all. The problem is that the arches hit too far back on my arch. I believe this is what caused my PF in the first place. We even tried a bunch of different insoles and they all hit in the same spot. It was pretty bad. Finally the girl brought out a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7. I have never tried Brooks but at this point I'm game to try anything. They felt pretty good so I ended up taking them.

This morning was the real test. I got up and with some trepidation headed out on my run. Oh yeah, I was going to go to Ala Moana and swim also but I slept on my arm wrong last night and I had trouble lifting it over my head. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, I headed out on the run real slow. I was making sure my form was perfect and that I wasn't heel striking. I was paying close attention to my foot waiting for signs of the PF flaring up. I ended up doing 2 slow miles without any pain. That was a relief. I then wore the shoes around while I did housework and the whole time the foot felt good. I think I may have a winner. I'm going to run 2 more times this week. If things remain good, I'm going to go and buy another pair next weekend.

Well, I thought this would be quick post. Guess not! Anyway, I'm off to cruise the mall and hit the bookstore. After that it's grocery shopping. I know, you're jealous, I lead such an exciting life.

Conversation with Hubby

 So yesterday morning I presented my idea of working out at home to the Hubby. Once I presented it to him, he said he was in. I told him I h...