04 January 2008
Does this make sense???
Recently I've been on a book/DVD buying spree. I know what I want to accomplish this year as far as triathlon goes and the books I had didn't work for that. So I've purchased a couple books, and will probably buy more this weekend, that have all come in in the last 2 days. Now I'm probably going to spend the vast majority of the weekend sitting and reading. Does that make sense? I buy books to learn better training programs/techniques yet I have to sit, being inactive, to read them. Does that makes sense?? If I spend enough time sitting around reading instead of books on training I'll need long term care insurance. Kind of defeats the purpose don't you think???
03 January 2008
I love short weeks.
Tomorrow is Friday already and that makes me very, very happy.
I woke this morning and my calves were a little bit sore. I guess it's from the race on Tuesday. It wasn't bad but I decided my scheduled run could wait one more day. Instead I hoped on the stationary bike and did intervals for 30 minutes. Jeez, those are tough. Tomorrow is swimming again and I'm really looking forward to that.
My old boss is up for some kind of athletic award for old ladies. Okay I looked it up, it's the Michelob Ultra Geezer Jock of the year award. It's for folks over 40. She's a soccer player and a pretty good athlete. She also runs the cerebral palsy organization here in Hawaii. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.
I really don't have much to say tonight. I got some new strength training books from Amazon today and I want to go read them. I've also dug out my running books trying to put together a training plan for the next few races. Mary, I'm looking for Daniel's Running Formula this weekend to check it out, thank you. Our Borders has a very nice running section so I'm going to see if they have it.
That's it for me.
I woke this morning and my calves were a little bit sore. I guess it's from the race on Tuesday. It wasn't bad but I decided my scheduled run could wait one more day. Instead I hoped on the stationary bike and did intervals for 30 minutes. Jeez, those are tough. Tomorrow is swimming again and I'm really looking forward to that.
My old boss is up for some kind of athletic award for old ladies. Okay I looked it up, it's the Michelob Ultra Geezer Jock of the year award. It's for folks over 40. She's a soccer player and a pretty good athlete. She also runs the cerebral palsy organization here in Hawaii. Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool.
I really don't have much to say tonight. I got some new strength training books from Amazon today and I want to go read them. I've also dug out my running books trying to put together a training plan for the next few races. Mary, I'm looking for Daniel's Running Formula this weekend to check it out, thank you. Our Borders has a very nice running section so I'm going to see if they have it.
That's it for me.
I need a plan
A running plan that is. I'm doing 8.2 miles in February and 10 miles in March. It's hard to find training plans for those distances. The 8.2 miles is the distance from Aloha Tower to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The 10 miler is part of the Hilo Marathon. I won't be ready to do a marathon by March but I sure can do the 10 miles. I'm doing it with my boss, Wendy. But I need a training plan!!!!
If anyone knows of a good plan, let me know. I'm off to surf the web for one then it's straight to my foam mattress for a good nights sleep.
If anyone knows of a good plan, let me know. I'm off to surf the web for one then it's straight to my foam mattress for a good nights sleep.
02 January 2008
You'd think this was my first time
but it's not. I'm just so stinking excited about my return to swimming I can't hold it in.
I quit the Y one year ago for a number of reasons that I can't remember now. I do know they made sense at the time though. So Monday while running errands, I stopped and signed up at the Y again. I'm going back to my M-W-F swimming. Swimming, for me anyway, is definitely a thing that needs to be done regularly. I can skip a couple of runs and be just fine. I can miss a bike ride or two and it's not a problem. If I don't swim regularly I lose it. So M-W-F it is.
Today, being Wednesday, was my first day back. The Y pool opens at 6:30 but the head swim instructor gets there at 5:30 and she starts swimming at 6. So usually we can start swimming at 6. At least that's how it was a year ago. I didn't know if things changed at all. So I got there about 6:15, I thought that was a good time. I walk into the pool area and the same people are swimming. The same ladies are walking/bobbing in the open swim area. The same lifeguard is leaning against the wall half asleep. It was literally like I hadn't missed a beat. Nothing had changed in the past year. It's nice to know you can count on some things to remain the same.
A couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of my return to swimming, I purchased some new swim stuff. I got this totally 60's cap which I just love:
It's silicone. I've never had a silicone cap and I absolutely love it. It's my new favorite item.
I also ordered a couple of new suits:
Aren't they cute? And they were on sale for $19.95 each. Now that's my kind of swimsuit :)
Finally, for Christmas, hubby got me this:
It's a waterproof mp3 player that attaches to your goggle strap. Last night I sat and filled it all up and used it today. Very cool. The earplugs take a little getting used to, especially since I hate plugs that go inside the ear. The ones I have for my iPod rest over the ear but don't go inside. But it works and it's cool and I really love it. It was great fun swimming with some music this morning. Usually I get pretty bored when swimming but this really made the time go.
Okay, so all this new stuff is great but how did the swimming itself go?? It was fine. I didn't really have a strict plan today. I have only swum twice in the past year so I decided just getting back into the water was a major achievement. So I just took my time, leisurely swimming laps for 30 minutes. I swam slow and was working on some form since I hadn't done it for so long and thought I'd forgotten how :) I did some freestyle, some breaststroke, some kicking, a little backstroke. Just moving through the water and getting used to swimming again. I did not count my laps but I'm guessing I did about 750 yards or about 690 meters. I took lots of breaks and did a bunch of kicking since my legs seemed to have forgotten how to do this. I'm going to swim again on Friday, just easy no pressure. Then on Monday I'll start working on things. I have 103 days to master the swim before my first triathlon. Oh, this is so exciting.
I quit the Y one year ago for a number of reasons that I can't remember now. I do know they made sense at the time though. So Monday while running errands, I stopped and signed up at the Y again. I'm going back to my M-W-F swimming. Swimming, for me anyway, is definitely a thing that needs to be done regularly. I can skip a couple of runs and be just fine. I can miss a bike ride or two and it's not a problem. If I don't swim regularly I lose it. So M-W-F it is.
Today, being Wednesday, was my first day back. The Y pool opens at 6:30 but the head swim instructor gets there at 5:30 and she starts swimming at 6. So usually we can start swimming at 6. At least that's how it was a year ago. I didn't know if things changed at all. So I got there about 6:15, I thought that was a good time. I walk into the pool area and the same people are swimming. The same ladies are walking/bobbing in the open swim area. The same lifeguard is leaning against the wall half asleep. It was literally like I hadn't missed a beat. Nothing had changed in the past year. It's nice to know you can count on some things to remain the same.
A couple of weeks ago, in anticipation of my return to swimming, I purchased some new swim stuff. I got this totally 60's cap which I just love:
It's silicone. I've never had a silicone cap and I absolutely love it. It's my new favorite item.
I also ordered a couple of new suits:
Aren't they cute? And they were on sale for $19.95 each. Now that's my kind of swimsuit :)
Finally, for Christmas, hubby got me this:
It's a waterproof mp3 player that attaches to your goggle strap. Last night I sat and filled it all up and used it today. Very cool. The earplugs take a little getting used to, especially since I hate plugs that go inside the ear. The ones I have for my iPod rest over the ear but don't go inside. But it works and it's cool and I really love it. It was great fun swimming with some music this morning. Usually I get pretty bored when swimming but this really made the time go.
Okay, so all this new stuff is great but how did the swimming itself go?? It was fine. I didn't really have a strict plan today. I have only swum twice in the past year so I decided just getting back into the water was a major achievement. So I just took my time, leisurely swimming laps for 30 minutes. I swam slow and was working on some form since I hadn't done it for so long and thought I'd forgotten how :) I did some freestyle, some breaststroke, some kicking, a little backstroke. Just moving through the water and getting used to swimming again. I did not count my laps but I'm guessing I did about 750 yards or about 690 meters. I took lots of breaks and did a bunch of kicking since my legs seemed to have forgotten how to do this. I'm going to swim again on Friday, just easy no pressure. Then on Monday I'll start working on things. I have 103 days to master the swim before my first triathlon. Oh, this is so exciting.
01 January 2008
And so it begins.....
2008 was ushered in with much noise and fireworks. I had crawled into bed around 10 pm but didn't get to sleep until the noise subsided around 1:30. This cause much internal debate when the alarm went off at 5 am. I felt like I had just gotten to sleep and now I was going to get up and run a 10k. What?!?!?! Am I crazy?!?!?!? Apparently so, because after a 15 minute argument with myself I found myself standing in the bathroom brushing my teeth. Okay, I can see where this is headed. I was a little later than I wanted to be so I rushed to get ready and get out the door.
This race was a show up sign up and I had no cash at all. The first 2 ATM's I stopped at were out of money. I was beginning to think maybe I shouldn't do this. But the 3rd ATM forked over the dough so I guess the race was on. I got to the start, got signed in, got my number (28 - think that means something?) and found my boss. This race is literally in her backyard so she decided to do it too. We chatted for a few minutes then it was time to start.
I seeded myself near the back of the pack since it was an uphill start and I knew I was going to start slow. I quickly found myself bringing up the rear. I didn't have a problem with that. This is a very small race. They probably had 60-75 people today and it was their best turnout. The folks who showed up are the hardcore runners. So I did not feel bad at all being DFL. I just kept trucking.
The first 3/4's of a mile is a slow, gradual uphill. I went really slow here because I've learned that I have to start slow and get my breathing under control or else it all goes to hell. We then turned a corner and the next 1/2 mile is a fairly steep uphill. I have this trick I do going uphill where I lower my head so that I can only see right in front of me, the brim of my hat blocks any further view. I run like this uphill so that I don't know how far the uphill is. Generally I do this and when I do breakdown and look up, I'm much closer to the top of the hill then I thought I would be. So, down went the head and up the hill I ran.
Then there's a 2/3's of a mile very steep downhill. This hill is called Heartbreak Hill locally because in bike races it really kicks your butt. I must say, I'm pretty good at downhill running. I lean slightly forward and let gravity do most of the work. This not only allows me to go faster downhill but takes the pressure off my thighs so I don't end up in agony the next day. At the bottom of this hill we turned the corner and began another gradual incline.
This lasted for 3/4's of a mile and then we hit a steep hill for a 1/4 of a mile. Then it was downhill to the turn around point. We then had to run that course backwards.
Overall I am very pleased with how I did. I did walk twice on the steep uphill parts, but that's all and only for a short period. I felt great the entire way and I was able to give a little kick at the end. My time was 1:22 and the distance was actually 6.3 miles. So I had a pace of 13 minutes/mile. Not too shabby for a 10k. This was my longest distance yet and one of the hardest 10k's on the island. So I'm very proud of myself. It was a great confidence booster.
2008 is off to a great start. Oh, and I didn't finish DFL. There were 4 people behind me :)
This race was a show up sign up and I had no cash at all. The first 2 ATM's I stopped at were out of money. I was beginning to think maybe I shouldn't do this. But the 3rd ATM forked over the dough so I guess the race was on. I got to the start, got signed in, got my number (28 - think that means something?) and found my boss. This race is literally in her backyard so she decided to do it too. We chatted for a few minutes then it was time to start.
I seeded myself near the back of the pack since it was an uphill start and I knew I was going to start slow. I quickly found myself bringing up the rear. I didn't have a problem with that. This is a very small race. They probably had 60-75 people today and it was their best turnout. The folks who showed up are the hardcore runners. So I did not feel bad at all being DFL. I just kept trucking.
The first 3/4's of a mile is a slow, gradual uphill. I went really slow here because I've learned that I have to start slow and get my breathing under control or else it all goes to hell. We then turned a corner and the next 1/2 mile is a fairly steep uphill. I have this trick I do going uphill where I lower my head so that I can only see right in front of me, the brim of my hat blocks any further view. I run like this uphill so that I don't know how far the uphill is. Generally I do this and when I do breakdown and look up, I'm much closer to the top of the hill then I thought I would be. So, down went the head and up the hill I ran.
Then there's a 2/3's of a mile very steep downhill. This hill is called Heartbreak Hill locally because in bike races it really kicks your butt. I must say, I'm pretty good at downhill running. I lean slightly forward and let gravity do most of the work. This not only allows me to go faster downhill but takes the pressure off my thighs so I don't end up in agony the next day. At the bottom of this hill we turned the corner and began another gradual incline.
This lasted for 3/4's of a mile and then we hit a steep hill for a 1/4 of a mile. Then it was downhill to the turn around point. We then had to run that course backwards.
Overall I am very pleased with how I did. I did walk twice on the steep uphill parts, but that's all and only for a short period. I felt great the entire way and I was able to give a little kick at the end. My time was 1:22 and the distance was actually 6.3 miles. So I had a pace of 13 minutes/mile. Not too shabby for a 10k. This was my longest distance yet and one of the hardest 10k's on the island. So I'm very proud of myself. It was a great confidence booster.
2008 is off to a great start. Oh, and I didn't finish DFL. There were 4 people behind me :)
31 December 2007
10....9....8...7...
2007 is winding down. Unfortunately here in Hawaii where fireworks are legal, it definitely goes out with a bang. The neighborhood I live in really goes all out. They spare no expense on fireworks. I have no doubt hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fireworks will go off before 1 a.m. (that's when they have to stop). I sure wish I had the money to literally burn like that. I know for a fact some of the families on this street are on welfare yet they can afford to do this. It's just wrong. I really think it's time to start looking for some real estate and get the heck out of this hellhole. Every time the suggestion comes up to ban fireworks they pull out this crap of it's a cultural thing. Well you know what??? Human sacrifice used to be a cultural thing yet you managed to give that up!!! It just ticks me off so bad. What parent lets their children play with gun powder???? They should all have their children taken away for being rotten parents.
Okay, I know I rant about this every New Year and every fourth of July. But it pisses me off every time. But I'll stop. I've got a long post to write, I have a meme to do, and tomorrow I'll have a race report to write. I've been cleaning and organizing and getting ready to start the new year. I went and rejoined the Y today. Swimming starts on Wednesday. I should probably go dope up the dogs. Have a Happy everyone!!!
Okay, I know I rant about this every New Year and every fourth of July. But it pisses me off every time. But I'll stop. I've got a long post to write, I have a meme to do, and tomorrow I'll have a race report to write. I've been cleaning and organizing and getting ready to start the new year. I went and rejoined the Y today. Swimming starts on Wednesday. I should probably go dope up the dogs. Have a Happy everyone!!!
30 December 2007
Grrrrrr............
Apparently I have to activate comment moderation again. I don't like spammy comments. I don't like sites that leave what appear to be real comments only to get a link to their spammy site. So until further notice comment moderation will be turned on. Sorry about that but these lowlifes tick me off.
In other news, I had no idea that yeast/wheat was such a huge issue with so many people. If it bothers that many people why do we continue to eat this stuff????
In other news, I had no idea that yeast/wheat was such a huge issue with so many people. If it bothers that many people why do we continue to eat this stuff????
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