Not popping back like usual

It's been 3 days and my knee still isn't cooperating. After ice it's great and I can party all night but once that has worn off things aren't so great. It is better and the discomfort isn't as bad as Saturday afternoon, but still. Usually I have a few aches after running but after a good ice soaking they go away. This time it's not going away. I might actually have an issue. Hope not. If it's not better by this weekend then I'll make an appointment. Bummer. I was doing so well. I don't need this setback to mess up my progress. Oh well. We will see.

And you thought I didn't like the cold

Over the last few weeks I have complained about running in the cold. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it and I take it all back. Saturday I ran in 69 - 72 degrees of Pea Soup. The overall temp was not bad but it was very muggy. All I could do was think about how nice the run was the day it was 30 degrees. Once you got moving that run was very nice. With this run, moving just made it worse.
Even with the weather I did a really great job with this run. It was a little over 8 miles. With it being the holidays all of my people decided to blow off running with the group. So I was out there by myself. I should clarify that. There were other people running with the group but they are all faster than me and the group I lead so really quickly my group is left behind. I had my ipod so I was not without something to do. I know you are thinking what kind of statement is that. You're running, of course you have something to do. But it's not that simple. I need to give myself a distraction so my legs will keep moving. That's why I like running with other people. They talk and it gives me something to do so I don't have to think about how much I can't breathe or that my legs don't want to do up that hill.
The run itself was interesting. The first half was flatish and the second half was rolling hills. I lost a little time initially on the hills but managed to get back to my normal pace. I have run the rolling hill part before and yesterday was the best I have ever done. So hooray for me!!!
Overall I felt really good while running and pretty good once it was over. Last week I tweaked something in the back of my right knee but it didn't bother me on the run at all. It was nagging a bit when I got up this morning but seems better now that I warmed up some. I keep icing it so I think it should be fine. We'll see over the next few days.
All I can say is be careful what you wish for. :-)

A little help for my new friends

Saturday was 7.5 miles with the running group. I got 3 more runners this week. Two of them are new to running and this was going to be the most they ever ran in their lives. I really remember those days. One women was having some troubles but we slowed down a little and she rallied and did great. She was so excited when we finished that she hugged me for helping her make the mileage. That made me remember when I was starting out and how Pete would drop back with me so that I wouldn't give up. It really feels great helping somebody become a runner.
I think next week we do hills. She may not be so happy with me when that run is over.

Volunteering is really alot of fun

Sunday I volunteered for one of the hardest half marathons that we have here. It was awesome!!!
The running group sponsored a water stop at the race. This race is really hilly and nastiest hills are in the last 5 miles (which is wrong, just wrong). The race is called the Decker Challenge. Do you know that some people have the gall to do it twice! TWICE. That's called a Double Decker. The first time is crazy, the second is insane.
These people were awesome and it was great to actually see elite runners up close. When I race I am so far in the back that I never see the fast guys. We got to cheer on the everybody and it was alot of fun. I will definitely volunteer again.
The hardest part was it was cold that day. Getting dressed was tricky. It's different when you run in the cold. I expect to freeze a bit in the beginning since I know I will warm up once I start moving. But this time I was going to be standing around and needed to have a more consistent level of warmth. I started out with 5 shirts, 2 pairs of pants, wool sock, 2 pairs of gloves, a scarf and a hat. I ended up with 2 shirts, 2 pants and the socks.
While I was handing out water and Gatorade, my really fast marathon friends were running there first Ultra. 31 miles!!!! So I have to give props to shortestamiga and nospinzone. You girls rock and I am so proud of you.

Back with the running group

Saturday was my first run with the group since the race. We did 6 miles of rolling hills.
I'm back leading the group for the next half marathon cycle. I didn't realize how much I missed the comfort of the group until Saturday. I have a whole new group of people and they seem pretty good. They are a stronger group than last time so I have my work cut out for me. I think I can keep up.
The hills were easier this time. Not easy but easier. The fact that it was 30 degrees probably didn't hurt. The last time I did this route it was in Sept and 85 degrees. It was scenic and pretty. This is the first time that I had a chance to look at the scenery. Usually I'm too busy trying not to die. So that part was fun.

The first run after the race

Now that the race is over, I'm back to my regular routine of training for the next one. I went out for a short run on Sunday. Mostly to get the body moving again. I went to Yoga and spin earlier in the week but that was no-impact so I needed to see how I would feel after pounding again.
The initial movement wasn't so good. Had some heel pain and a few twitches here and there. As I kept moving everything worked itself out. The run wasn't anything spectacular but my runs hardly ever are.
The next race is a true Half Marathon towards the end of Jan. It's considered a very fast race since it's mostly downhill. Notice I said "mostly". The uphill parts are actually pretty scary from what I saw on the website for last year. We will see. So who's running with me? That will be the big question.

The race

The San Antonio Half Marathon was Sunday. For starters I must say that overall it was a great race. The weather was cold to start. About 37 degrees (I know you people up North don't consider that cold but remember where I live). So it was perfect race weather. The problem was is race had 33,000 participants. Yes you heard me right 33,000. They started in waves and since I'm slow I started way in the back. Not at the end but pretty far back there. I hit the starting mat 50 minutes after the start. That means the winner of the marathon was half way by time I started and the Half winner was almost done.
In hindsight sight I started out a little fast even though it seemed I was going slow. I didn't feel my feet for the first couple of miles. I tried to keep a consistent pace but it wavered a bit. It was all going good for first 10K. After that my feet started to hurt and we encountered so inclines. It was bad more rolling I guess. But to my up is up. Or so I thought but I'll get to that in a moment.
I suffered with my feet for another 5K and lost some ground because of it. I finally tightened my shoes after 15K and that helped a lot. I found running easier and that made it fun again. That lasted until mile 11, when I was told that I needed to step it up if we were going to meet the time goal.I tried but with only 2 miles to go and you are tired stepping it up isn't the simplest thing to do.
I tired and I thought we were going to really be close when at mile 12 we round the corner and go through this short tunnel. In my mind I'm thinking we have got this. Piece of cake we can do it. Then I look up and see the nastiest hill of my life. I was crushed and on top of it you still couldn't see the finish line. So we walked the hill, past the 13 mile marker and turned the corner,
Once we got around the corner there was the finish. I must say this was the strongest finish I have ever had. This was also the strongest race I have had so far.
All in all, I had a great time.

Skinny Jeans....

I accidentally put on my skinny jeans this morning and they fit. I know you are wondering how someone can accidentally try-on a smaller size but I was in a hurry and it was really early. The important thing is they fit! When I realized it was the wrong pair I started to take them off but then it hit me that I was actually "in" them. All I had to do was zip them up. I was stunned, then very excited.
It seems being a runner is starting to pay off. Don't get too excited the jeans are just a size smaller. I'm not skinny...the pants were skinnier than the other pair. It was a great victory for me especially since I wasn't even trying. So I shouldn't have ice cream to celebrate should I? That would be wrong wouldn't it.

I am a runner

In the back of Runner's world magazine, there is a page titled "I am a runner" or something like that. Each month the page spotlights some celebrity and they talk about how running helps them keep their lives sane. While running 12 miles I started to finally think of my self as a runner. I know I've been at this for awhile but I never really saw myself as a runner. After running a 4mile loop around my neighborhood 3 times ( it really hit me the 2nd time through), that I too am a runner. No one but a runner would run in circles just too get in the required mileage. No one but a runner would do this alone. So as I snaked my way up the hill for miles 9 and 10 it was very clear to me that I too am a runner. Other people have told me that but I finally believe it.
This week I ran 12 miles by myself. The running group did 7 this week and are doing 12 next week. I did 12 this week because I am going out of town and didn't want to try and run 12 miles in San Francisco next weekend. I am running 5 in San Fran and then 7 the next week. It's all crazy but I have it straight in my head. 12 this week, 5 next week in SF, 7 the week after in PB. Then I'm back with the running group for 14. There are 5 weeks before the race. Even though my times are slow I am running better than I was at this time last year. Right now I'm taking any improvement I can get.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Saturday's run was 10 miles. The run sucked but I made it through it alright. ShortestAmiga let me try some of her energy gu stuff. This one had some protein so my stomach didn't have to try and handle just sugar. I think it worked pretty well. I tried it one day last week without running and I seemed to handle it well. So I was set, I had the gu-like stuff, I ate well, hydrated well (or so I thought). Everything was going fine until about mile 7. I got a foot cramp in my right foot. I swear all of my problems seems to be on the right side. Anyway, that lasted for about 1/2 mile. Finally I limped along enough that it went away. I took my second gel thingy and that helped also (or maybe it was all just in my mind). I wanted to believe it helped so maybe it did. Then I get to 8.5 and my watch freaks out starts beeping and decides my workout is finished. Now I did say I doing 10 miles not 8.5 right. Yeah well I should of listened to the watch and declared victory at 8.5. Anyway I tried to restart the watch but it was having no part in that. So I had to run/walk the next 1.5 miles unassisted. Not fun but I wasn't having any fun anyway so what's a little more. I managed to finish but it was ugly. The good news is that I recovered pretty quickly once I got some water and a little food in me.
I have noticed that the recoveries seem to be getting better. The running isn't but at least something is going right.

9 miles and glasses too

I have to wear glasses for at least the next week. Got something funky going on with my eye so my doctor isn't letting me wear my contacts until it heals. Which actually could be longer than a week. I refuse to believe that. So because of this I have to run with glasses. Well I get ahead of myself, first I had to get glasses. The last time I got glasses was about 10 years ago. Needless to say they weren't working so well. I now have glasses that actually work.
Today was 9 miler with the running group. I was a bit nervous since I have never run for long periods of time in glasses. But they didn't let me down. I had a few issues with the back of one ear but all in all it wasn't bad.
Today's run went well but it's time to bring out the body glide and think about food strategies. A small amount of chafing but around mile 7 I could tell I needed to eat something.
Food on the long runs is always a problem for me. My stomach can't handle products like GU. Besides the fact that I think they taste terrible, there is too much sugar. Me and too much sugar is really a bad thing. I'll just leave it at that. So I have a dilemma that I need to fix quickly. Next week is 10 miles.
The running during the week went well. The motivation of my "friend" helps. My long runs are always better when I run during the week.

How big is your person?

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about what people looked like at their 20 year high school reunions. The topic went to if you gained 2 lbs a year for 20 years that would be 40 lbs. Which when you think about it is quite a bit. So that got me to thinking. I have been out of high school for 30 years and I have gained a person. All be it a small person but still a person. That is a very shocking revelation. One that you think I would have made before I got to this point but I never thought about it that way. Think about it. I suggest you sit down first.
Now granted I was very thin in high school and if you take the number from the weight where I felt my best then it's not that bad. Yes this is my way of coping. Give me a break. You would justify it also if you had gain a whole person.

How can people run without music?

Last Sunday the training group ran 8 miles. Because of the hurricane both the Sat and Sun groups ran on Sunday. I got to see shortestamiga and nospinzone. They ran with the half group so they could run with Bob. This week's long run was interesting. I ran part of the distance with a woman from the Sunday group. She was struggling so I slowed down to run with her. After about three miles it was obvious that she was too injured to continue. I got her back to where we started and she stopped running. By this point I was so far behind everybody else I had the run the last 5 miles by myself. Normally I don't mind running alone. That's how I usually run. but that day I was without music and left all alone with my thoughts. I need some type of distraction on my runs. Either music or talking but something other than just my thoughts and my breathing. I made it but it wasn't my best effort. How can people do this for miles without music?

There may be bruising...

Did 7 miles of hills on Saturday. Got my hip worked on. You know you are in trouble when the therapist says there may be bruising. May my butt!!! I have the most awful bruise on my groin area that I have every seen. And it hurts! ALOT!!!!
Anyway, I made it through the torture and came out on the other side. The good news is the pain is gone and I was able to run with no problems or pain. YEAH!!!
My running group is getting bigger. This week I had 5 followers. That was cool and a little scary. We almost got lost but finally saw the street sign. It was hiding. Another group got lost and ended up running almost 8 miles because they had to backtrack.
I sat in the pool for about 30 minutes after the run to give my muscles a break. The cool water was very nice.
Next week 8 miles. I really have to do my short runs this week.

Why don't my shoulders look like that?

Ran some on the treadmill today. My hip didn't seem to bother me so maybe yesterday was just a fluke. I'll know for sure when I try to run tomorrow. For now I'm keeping the appointment.
Today was a good day, TBO and I met at the gym and worked out for about an hour. Including the 30 minutes I ran that ended up being a really good workout.
I am so jealous TBO's shoulders are sculpting really well and I still have grandma arms. I know there is the whole fat thing but still. No it's all good. She is my hero doing tris and training for a half marathon all at the same time.

So now what?

I'm finally in town for a few weeks so I can exercise like a normal person then I go and hurt myself or something. I was trying to run this morning and it just never worked out right. Something was happening with my hip. I could walk just fine but the pounding was causing alot of pain. I tried to pound through it thinking it would go away but it never did. So now I have to figure out what's going on with my hip. The bright side is I have an appointment on Friday so we will see. I will probably try to run again before then to see what happens.
On a personal note, the funeral went really well. It was standing room only. So the creepy thought I had was I wonder how many people would attend my funeral. I told you the thought was creepy. Just something to think about.

What a Roller coaster....

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions. On the one hand my workouts this week were awesome. I did bootcamp twice and yoga once with TBO. For the long run this weekend, we did 3.5 miles of hills and I still have energy left at the end. Working out this week was great.
My personal life was just crazy. I never would have thought that a simple misunderstanding could blow up so completely and leave two people completely miserable. I promise next time I will not jump to conclusions and will ask questions about intentions before I make assumptions. Once I started getting over feeling bad and making somebody else feel bad (which actually made me feel worse) I find out that a good friend of my family's died. So of course the emotions start all over again.
The good news is the misunderstanding has been corrected so I think everything is ok on that front. The death is just something I have to work through.
I'm just glad this week is over. Let's see what this coming week holds.

Back to the old grind

Made it back from vacation late Sat night. Slept a lot yesterday and was up bright and early (well it was early, too early to be bright) doing bootcamp with TBO. Bootcamp was good today. We did the complete routine (even Mountain Climbers and Squat Thrusts). We might even be getting better at it. A couple of times the timer went off without us whining at all. Only a couple of times.
Bootcamp lasted about as hour and then we got in about 10 minutes of good stretching. It was a good way to start the day even though it was too early.
Think I'll go take a little nap.

Tomorrow - trudging.

Got a slow start but the day is looking up

I was really dragging today. We stayed up kind of late last night. If it wasn't for "teaching" this morning I think I would have slept in. Anyway, Yoga wasn't too bad today. We went for about 70 minutes. I tried to teach them fish pose. I really like this pose because it opens up your chest and shoulders. My "students" weren't in to it as much as I was but I think I guided them through it ok. Well I'm now headed to the beach. Time to lay in the sun and maybe take a nap under an umbrella.

Yoga Anyone?

Last week I was accused of abandoning Yoga for my other activities. You know who are and I forgive you for being misguided. I haven't abandoned Yoga at all. I just haven't been to a class in some time. Anyway, while on vacation, I have become a Yoga instructor. I'm on vacation with my friends from Virginia and about 5 years ago I did some while while I was here. My one friend was hoping I would be doing Yoga again and she started practicing with me. So that made the friend and Bob (the husband). Then Bob started talking about my holding Yoga classes and I got a couple of more people saying they are going to stop by.
This morning there were three of us (Bob got sick so he didn't join in). Another friend's wife joined today and she has never done Yoga before so I was a beginner instructor. It was interesting to remember starting from the beginning and explaining Mountain Pose and breathing to somebody.
So I haven't given up on Yoga. If anything this trip has helped me figure out how to maintain practicing on my own.

So far I've done Yoga every day except one since I got here. Yesterday, I kayaked for a couple of hours and today I ran for 30 minutes.
It has been an event-filled vacation but mostly I still hang out at the beach.

Now I remember why I was happy to leave the East coast - August!

I'm at the beach. Which is good but the humidity on the East coast to terrible.
I ran 4 miles today. It wasn't as hot as TX but the humidity was really bad. Now I remember why moving wasn't a bad thing. You can't breathe in August. Try running in pea soup and see how well you do. Although, all in all it wasn't really that bad since I did it in just a little more than an hour. I have included the route. I stayed on the main road, didn't want to fight with sand and mileage. I'll try running on the beach when I do my 30 minute runs.
Finished running and did about 30 minutes of Yoga. It was a good day.


http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6422579

We started a bootcamp!

TallBlondeOne and I started our very own bootcamp. A few years ago (when I didn't travel as much) TBO and I met at a bootcamp being held in her neighborhood. It was outdoors and we both really enjoyed the atmosphere and the instructor a lot. Since we both have been struggling with exercise (for different reasons but the results are the same), we decided to workout together whenever possible. So last week she had some time in the morning and was able to leave her neighborhood. We met at a park kind of in between both of us and officially started our own bootcamp. Working out is so much nicer if you have someone to suffer with. We ran, lifted weights and did exercises (ie Planks and push-ups and sit-ups). It was great.
Yesterday we did it again. Unfortunately that is it for awhile since I won't be around for about a week.
Today I ran 2 miles for the running group training. Supposedly all I need to do is run for 30 minutes twice a week and do the long run on the weekend. We will see.

It's Official, I'm Blonde - Who knew??

I started half-marathon training today. I'm doing the San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Nov 16th. So this is the start of training. Today was 3 miles but it is really muggy here right now so I sweated a bit.
Anyway, I am the group leader for the 1/1 group. That's run one minute/ walk 1 minute. Perfect for us slow girls that just want to be out there. I usually do 2/1 but I'm helping out. It should also help my endurance with the heat.
I got to run with the famous Bob of Bob's Babes. Not to be confused with the husband Bob. Anyway, I had Bob all to myself. TBO, I now understand why you are blonde because now I too am blonde. Bob told me all his girl friends are blonde and that I too could be blonde if I wanted.
Also, I went to spin on Thursday and TBO and I created our own bootcamp on Friday. This was a great week.
Now I just need a whole lot more of them strung together.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6351472

I knew it was bad but OMG

I didn't exercise much the month of June. There I said it. I know it's been hanging out there like the elephant in the room but now it's out there so it's time to move on. Or I should say it's time to pay for that mistake.
I decided I would take a class at the gym to throw myself back into the swing of things. I decided on Everlast Shadow Boxing. Think kickboxing that's more arms than legs with a twist of bootcamp thrown in for good measure.
I got to class earlier. Actually I got the time wrong but saying I got there early like I did it on purpose sounds so much better. Anyway, I decided to trudge a little to warm up. This gym has a rubberized track around the exercise equipment. You would have thought that I had never done this before. The only thought I had was there is no way that I will be able to run a half marathon in Nov. This is worse than starting over. I wasn't moving to fast (ok, I'm never moving that fast but this time I meant it that way). I didn't want to use up all of my energy before class. So I run about a mile and then stretched some before class.
Class. Oh my! we were going for about 20 minutes and the instructor goes that was your warm-up. Warm-up my butt!!!! I had already stopped twice to wipe my face and once for water. I'm glad I had already warmed up or I would have died. Although she really meant it. For the next 25 minutes we did this boxing routine where she would add on pieces. So there was the jab sequence where you went to the front with jabs and then to side all using the same arm. For about 5 minutes you used the same arm. My shoulder was dieing but I keep going. Somehow I kept going. Then she tricks you. You are expecting to do the other side but no! She has you do some other stuff until you forget all about it and then she slowly starts the jab sequence again before you realize what happen. In the middle of all of this she had the nerve to tell you to do pushups. It really was like drop and give me 20. Although I didn't do that many.
Class was about 50 minutes and even though I was dragging when I finished I actually like it and think I will go back.
I have to do something to reclaim my stamina (what little I had before) if I am going to do another race in Nov. Thank goodness San Antonio doesn't have many hills.
This morning it's Yoga with Bob and then to the airport. Yeah I know, you thought that was over since the project from hell is over. Silly rabbit, I still travel, I'm just back to my normal travel schedule now.
Surprisingly, I am only a little sore today. This is good since I need my arms to lift my bags. I guess I could check my bags but that would be wrong. :-)

I'm teaching my husband Yoga

Yeah this should be interesting. He asked me to do Yoga with him and help him learn how. After I stopped laughing, I told him we should take a class. He wasn't so interested in going out in public yet so looks like I am his teacher.
So far we had one lesson. I started with Sun Salutations. We will see how this goes.
Wish me luck.

Uphill is good for the stamina (or so they say)

Yesterday we walked up Diamond Head. That crater goes up pretty far (and I thought walking the hills in Seattle was hard). And as if the trail wasn't bad enough they have the nerve to also have stairs. For me, stairs are worse than hills so stairs and uphill climbs combined together are the worst. We stopped after the 57 step climb so that I could catch my breath. I thought I was doing good until we rounded the curve and I saw the 99 step climb. I almost turned around. But I took a deep breath and went for it. Torture pure and simple. But getting to the top was good. after the 99 steps you go a bit more on the trail then climb a spiral staircase and crawl through a hole. Yes I said crawl. Then it's 40 more steps up and you have arrived.
We took a few pictures on top looked around a bit and took in the view while I got my breath. Then back down. I would like to thank Stephanie (a personal trainer I had for a few months earlier this year) for the core work. Going down was pretty cool since I could hear her screaming in my ear to suck in my gut (use your core is the way she would put it) and keep your knees soft. Downhill is very hard on the knees. They say uphill is good for the lungs. I think uphill is overrated.
After that we came back and went to the beach. Oh, I almost forgot. I love salt water. The other day I was in the ocean treading water and swimming around acting like I was going to get some exercise. I realized that the water was holding me up pretty good so I decided to try an experiment. I had heard on Good Morning America that Diane Sawyer can't tread water. That makes no sense to me but that's what she said. So as I was treading water I decided to see how far I would sink if I stopped moving. The answer is not at all. I didn't go down one inch, my head stayed above water and I kept my body like a cross with my feet down and my arms out. I floated this way about 5 minutes. Bob was completely amazed. He doesn't float well and even in salt water he has to tread water to keep his head up.
Well it's back home in the morning so I guess I should go pack now.

I made it to Hawaii - My project is almost over

Honolulu is absolutely beautiful at 7:00 AM!!!
I went for a walk on the beach this morning. People were everywhere. Surfing, laying out and camping in the park. Oh to be homeless in Hawaii. The only difference between the campers and the homeless was that the campers actually had tents. The homeless had more garbage bags.
So I walked on the beach for about an hour. Too make it harder I walked in the mushy sand instead of the hard packed sand. That is really a workout for your calves and feet. I'm already starting to wind down and relax.
Tomorrow is the end of my project. Maybe after this I can go back to my normal level of travel.
In the end I did 14 cities in 8 weeks. It was suppose to be 17 but 3 got canceled. I wouldn't wish this much travel on anyone.

Welcome to Seattle

I was talking with a co-worker yesterday about how I love it when I get to work in larger cities. The thing I like the most is just being able to walk to work and interact with the energy of the city on foot. We had this conversation while we walked to the wharf/pier area of Seattle. The water was wonderful and really inviting. And then we had to take the uphill trek back to the hotel. It was only 5 blocks but it was straight uphill. I thought the hills in San Francisco are something. SF has nothing on Seattle. I was just so happy to have to stop at the red lights. A couple of times I made a silent prayer for the light to be red just so I could stop and rest at the light. I know that's sad but hey it's where I am right now.
Today I was able to take about an hour and trudge down by the wharf where I went sightseeing yesterday. My poor Garmin. I keep confusing it by moving to another city hundreds of miles away from where I was the last time I used it. So the elevation and times are a little off. When it gets confused it takes longer for it to find a satellite. I am including the map so you can enjoy the view of Seattle from my run. When you look at it add about 15 minutes to the time and the place where I ended is also where I started. The trek back uphill is a zigzag cuz I couldn't take the straight uphill again. So I weaved through the streets.
Seattle is really beautiful by the water. They have all of these funky shops and restaurants. I passed this really cool park where people were playing chess with timers. I had never seen that in person only in the movies. It was cool. There was this great waterfall and secluded sitting area sort of tucked into a corner. You just round the corner and there it was. And here I was without a camera. I'm going to have to remember to bring it for next weeks trip.
It felt good to be moving. I sucked but it was nice to be outside and moving around.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6030356

The Phoenix rises from the ashes ....

Ok, so I am being a bit melodramatic but I do feel like I have risen from the bowels of hell. The project from hell is almost over. Four more cities and I'm done. I am so tired I can't see straight. There has been no exercise for the last 3 weeks or so but I did have a really nice weekend in Chicago with The KarateKid.
Thanks for all of the comments and great words of encouragement. I think I have some time to myself Wednesday morning in Seattle. I am hopeful that I will be able to get out and at least walk around if not get in some sort of run.

How do you get hurt doing Yoga?

This makes no sense. When you think I would get hurt running, biking, falling off the bike I'm fine. But I wait and hurt myself sitting down in Yoga. No seriously, I was literally sitting down. Sitting back on my feet with my knees bent under me propped up on a block and a blanket. I can't sit like that without help. So I'm sitting for a few minutes yesterday. This morning just above my left knee is throbbing and periodically feels like it's going to give out if I move too fast. This is just great. Hopefully I will feel better and be able to spin tomorrow. I guess we will see if I did any real damage. And I had to travel again next week. Bummer.
Other than that I enjoyed the class yesterday.

Second time is a charm

Went out on the bike again. It was better this time. I didn't fall down.
I'm still getting use to the clips. I finally figured out what was going on. The pedals help hold up your weight, with the clips, your feet don't have a solid base and you are kind of on your own for holding your self up. Never realized that. Probably wouldn't since I always had pedals before. So it makes things not so steady when I stand up. But this trip was a lot better than the last time. I stayed out longer and started using the gears more. I'm still trying to get use to when to shift and how the shifting on this bike works. All in all it was a good day. I went up and down a few hills around my house. I think I overdid it a bit cuz I was shaking when I finally decided to go home. A banana got me back to normal. Was sucking wind a bit on the hills but other than that it was a pretty good ride. Next time I will cross the main street and take on the big hill. (I think :-) )

And the Winner is .....

It looks like TallBlondeOne came out on top after all. Since TBO lost a whole lot more than 8 lbs this week and I didn't get a chance to exercise once while in Waltham, MA and Rochester, NY, the overall winner is TallBlondeOne.
TBO congrats on your lose. It's been a long time coming. Let's celebrate. I'll actually be in town this week.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
Did you know that the sun is up and shining brightly in Boston at 5:30 AM? This would be great if I was trying to get in a run before work. But the reason I know this is because I was up at 4:00 AM getting ready to catch a flight. Anyway, I just thought you should know that.
This week was really bad. I find myself writing that more and more but I really mean it this time. I worked so much I hardly had time to sleep. Finally got home about 2:00 AM this morning and had the nerve to be totally awake at 6:30. Exhausted and completely awake. So I did a short loop around the neighborhood. Now at least I feel like a human being.

Week in Review

This week started out really good or really bad depending on when you think the week starts.
If the week starts on Sunday, then it was great. I spent Mother's Day laying by the pool with my girls. If the week starts on Monday then the start sucked, I flew to Atlanta (the plane was late, they lost my car reservation and misplaced my driver's license). I ended up two hours late for my meeting. Because we got such a late start I ended up working until 11 and there was no way I was going to exercise before I went sleep. The next morning I had to be in the office at 7 AM and the drive was about 45 minutes from the hotel.
By time I flew to NYC Tuesday evening I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Exhausted and bummed since I hadn't even had the chance to consider working out. I finally got the hotel in NYC around midnight.
What a difference a day makes!!!! I woke up Wendesday morning after a pretty good sleep. I didn't have to be in the office until 11:30 so I went trudging in Central Park. I had a ball. I was outside for about 2 hours (1 hour run, 1 hour walk to/fro hotel). It was the best day. As I was walking down Madison Avenue, I kept thinking there is no way I am going to round the corner and see a park. But low and behold there is was. It was an amazing sight all of these tress and grass in between all of these buildings. I am includng the link to share my run with you. The Garmin was a bit confused trying to obtain a sallelite so the first 15 minutes weren't captured.
In terms of runs this was probably one of my worst in recent history. But the great thing was I didn't care. I was having so much fun just being outside that it didn't bother me that I hurt all over and had a toothache. About half way through I realized that I was laughing and smiling the whole time. Hills and all. Central Park rocks! I wasn't able to see the whole thing but what I saw was beautiful.
Next time I need a camera. Well I am home again for a day. Tomorrow I'm off to Boston and Rochester, NY. Hopefully I will get a chance to fit in a small adventure on that trip also. It kept me happy for days. I told everybody I worked with that I ran in Central Park. Who knew a crappy run could be so uplifting.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5678360

Maybe early morning exercise isn't that bad after all.

I am so proud of me. I worked out twice again today. So that's 2 twofers. Yea me.
I got off my butt and went to spin this morning. Yes, that's right 4:30 AM baby. By 3 PM I was dragging. I was so tired I had to concentrate to keep my eyes open. But then I went to yoga and a miracle happened. After moving around in class I felt totally energized (well I think I nodded off for a brief moment while doing a lying twist). But by time class was over I felt great. Yoga the new miracle drug. Much better for you than caffeine.
Hour spin and 75 minutes yoga. I did well today.
Oh did I tell you I am winning. It's official, TallBlondeOne said I was winning out loud. There was a witness and everything. I'm back!!! Yea me.

Just another ordinary day

Today was a good day.
I worked out twice today. Ran in the morning and Yoga in the evening.
I have a question, is it easier to run inclines (up or down) or flats? My run was on both inclines and flats. Even though I don't like hills (ok inclines but it's still going up) today it seemed harder to run the flat portions. Just a thought.
Yoga does a body good. It was very relaxing so mostly just calming stretches.
So I am now on my way to making up for the missing parts of last week. Two a days aren't so bad when Yoga can count as a workout.
Oh please TallBlondeOne I've been working alot and I need the stress relief. :-)

It's like ....

They say it's like riding a bicycle or is it that like falling off a log. Either way I did both today.
Last year was my 25th anniversary at my job. I know 25 years is a really long time but that's not the point. The point is for putting up wtih them for 25 years you get a present. Mine was a mountain bike. It's a nice Trek and I really love it. Anyway, when it first showed up it was broken so I had to send it back and get a new one. That took awhile. Then, they sent me a new part and I couldn't figure out how to put it on right. That took awhile. So I finally took the parts to the bicycle shop and had them put it together. Then there was training for the half marathon (yes I trudged 2 last year) and it was cold and I work to much and on and on and on. Anyway, bottom line is today was the first day that I rode my new bike. Yes, I know I'm sad but hey I did ride it.
This bike has clip-in pedals. I have only used these kinds of pedals in spin class. You don't move or have to worry about balance and falling down in spin class. So I figured out how to clip-in and move to get myself started. Woo Hoo!!!! I'm all excited cuz I'm moving down the street. Then I get to the stop sign. I manage to unclip my left foot in time to stop. I'm feeling really good now, I know what I'm doing and then I pick up my left foot and proceed to fall completely over to my right. It all happened so fast, I picked up my foot and boom I was on the ground. I forgot that I needed to be moving in oder to clip in my foot. I wasn't moving and balance wasn't my friend.
I'm on the ground, I mostly hit grass but the side of my knee hit the curb and got scrapped up pretty good. I keep looking around to see if anybody saw me. If they did they turned around and ran the other way. Once I figured out how to unclip my right foot I was able to get off the ground, dust myself off and try again.
After that I got the hang of it and yes it was like riding a bike. And falling off a log.

two + two = four

So if two + two = four then four + four = ah six.
The rules states (ok so I'm making up this part) that what really counts is the total at the end. 8 lbs for tallblondeone and 16 workouts for me.
This week was hard. I was in Dallas for the start of my 2 months tour and working way too much. Most nights I didn't get to bed until after midnight and had to be back in the office before 7:00 AM. So there wasn't much time for sleeping or working out. And we know how much I enjoy my sleep. I was going to declare TBO as the winner for this week until I found out that two + two really equals two and a little maybe. Some could call that fraud but I'll just call it a tie.

Winning isn't everything

I have to say this if for no other reason than to get it off my chest.
Most of my friends are falling apart and it's starting to scare me. There is so many things happening and it's all scary and random. So I needed to get that off my chest. I'm better now.
The workout was bad today. I had to cut it short cuz I had to help a friend. Helping her was more important so I cut things short today.
Winning isn't everything but I'm still in the lead I think.

Better than I thought

We are well into week 1 of the challenge. Today I got really ambitious. I made plans to take a spin class with some of my friends. The only things I really do with friends is exercise and eat. But I digress. Anyway, in order to complete my week I still needed to lift weights twice. I was running out of days, so this morning I got up at 4:10 AM (yes you read that right) went to the gym, lifted weights and then went to spin class. Joan was teaching today (Joan is by far the absolute best spin instructor in the free world). Mind you as much as I love Joan I haven't been to spin in easily 6 months. Well you have to get up early. I mean really early. Her class is at 5:45 AM. Anyway, Joan was surprised to see me and after class she asked me how did I do. My response was "I did better than I thought I would".
So on some levels, I guess we all need a little challenge to get us motivated. My summary for the week (yes I know I still have to lift on Sat so the week isn't technically over yet) is I did better than I thought I would.
Total for the day, lifted for 35 minutes, spin class 1 hour.
I think it's time for a little nap. :-)

2 Down

Today's run was pretty quick. About 2 miles. But the point is I went so that's 2 down and 2 to go. So what do you think I should ask for when I win.

We all need a Goal

The TallBlondeOne decided that "we" needed a goal, so we now have a challenge. You notice how I said "we", like getting my butt out of bed isn't challenge enough.
Anyway, for the next month I will be working out at least 4 times a week/running twice and lifting twice. For the next month she will lose 2 lbs per week. We still have to work out the details on what I get when I win.
I am now back at home so I ran around my neighborhood today. 3.75 miles (with a big hill) in 1 hour. Yes, I had to throw in the hill because that part hurt alot and I didn't stop the whole way up. By time I got to the top I was barely moving but still.
So stay tuned and watch me bet her.

How do you spell R-E-L-A-X

I'm in Palm Springs "working". I won an award and my "prize" was trip to a Palm Springs resort. It's really nice but they want you to have fun and unfortunately still do your day job.
Those who know me, know that I have been working like mad on this project and really don't have time to "relax" this week. But anyway, I'm here and actually got up and went for a run this morning.
It's really pretty here with the Mountains in the background. I went 2 miles in about 30 minutes. That's all the time I had before I had to get ready for breakfast. Remember, I am the Lone Trudger for a reason. But this was good time for me. I can tell that I am getting a little faster. Just a tiny bit but you have to start somewhere.
Here is my run.
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5422903

Happy Trails

The Tall Blonde One to the rescue

I'm finally back home after navigating through airports in a panic that at any moment American was going to cancel my flights. So of course the last thing on my mind was exercising. But my friend, who I will call the Tall Blonde One had taken me up on my suggestion to exercise early (very early) this morning. So Tall Blone One I thank you.

The workout was hard but it was fun exercising with a someone. About 10 minutes of cardio and an hour of weights and core. Then we went and had Mexican for breakfast.

What??? Don't you know it's all about the food. You think I'm doing this for my health. :-)

Here's to day 1

I read last week that it takes 21 days/times doing something to make it a habit.
So the thought is if I exercise for 21 days in a row maybe it will become a habit and I will want to exercise on the road. Ha!
So here's to day one. I'm in Vegas and I haven't been outside since I got here on Saturday. I still don't understand why people love it here. I was able to squeeze in a 30 minute trudge on the treadmill and a quick weight and core workout.
One down and 20 more to go!!

Wow that gym is nice!

I have been staying at the Omni in Dallas for years and for the first time decided to go down to the gym this morning. The gym is very nice and spacious. Who knew???
Yes, I know that sounds really terrible but remember I get sleeping sickness when I am away from home.
Today I jogged on the treadmill for about 30 minutes. It would have been longer but it took me 30 minutes to get out of bed.

Stretching is Exercise

That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
Ok, so I only got 4 hours of sleep with a slight hangover. I tried to do my normal workout and almost passed out 15 seconds into the plank. Now maybe I was holding my breath but still. So I decided ok I'll start with crunches and see where it goes. Well it went straight to stretching and yoga cuz anything else was going to make me hurl. So it was stretching and yoga for about 20 minutes and I'm calling it a day.
Next time I'll drink less and sleep more.

How I got here

Mainly, this whole thing started because I travel alot and I need some motivation to exercise while I'm on the road. I saw an article in Runner's World about the 7 @ 7 Running Group. It's about 2 guys that run together. It got me thinking that if 2 guys can be a running group then why can't I be my own running group and just tell people about my many running adventures (or lack there of). :-)
So we will see how this goes. My original thought was to call this I'll sleep when I'm dead because the only time I get to exercise on the road is really early in the morning. Those who travel for work know that it's really hard to give up that 1.5 or so of sleep just to sweat. So to help with that I thought I would write about it and that would force me to get up and give up that sleep. I decided on The Lone Trudger because I don't really run what I do looks more like a trudge. Or at least that what Bob calls it.
So I'll try to write about the journey and this alone should keep me from being a couch potato.