Week 3: Are You Kidding Me?

Between the back-to-back storms, 18 inches of snow and ice, and the last few days of work before the holiday, I'm under, er water (and not in the I finally made the pool way). Week 3 is going to be one of those do it when I can, but don't stress weeks. That's just how it is.

The scale was flat this morning, but I've upped my strength training and I feel good. My clothes are starting to fit just a teeny bit better. I'll take that!

Have a super week, and hang in there with me -- Christmas is a week away!

Project Blue Jeans: First Mini-Goal Achieved!

I'm down 5.0 in the first 4 weeks. Wooowhooooo, if I say so myself. Now, to repeat that achievement and hit the next mini-goal. And the thing is, I know I can do better. I have been "pretty good" about journaling my food, but I can do better. I have been making "pretty good" eating choices, but I can do better (and there is a remarkable correlation between overeating days and non-journaling days). I've finally started moving my body, but that only occurred with any regularity this last week. I can *definitely* do better on that score.


A couple of reminders of non-tangibles that help:

(1) Support. God love my family, friends, and various support systems. Cutting myself off this spring and summer (including from you, my blogging pals), only made it tougher to succeed.

(2) Yoga. When it falls out of my life, I take much worse care of myself. I don't really know why, but it just is. I'm about ready to get an OM tattoo somewhere sublte, but visible to me, so I never ever forget what helps ground me.

(3) Talk. This relates to point No. 1 - if you let people know what you're doing, support appears out of the woodwork. My secretary knows I'm working hard again, and on occasion, she will remind me that its better not to get too many points via grazing from the various candy dishes around the office. No one pushes Girl Scout cookies on me, either (thank goodness).

(4) Moderation. Life would be no fun, and too spartan, without some indulgence, and I'm no Spartan, more Greek. Some things I just won't give up, but I will cut way back. Like red wine (which is almost a health food), chocolate (ditto), and pizza. All of which can be fit into a healthy life, in bites and sips and tastes and portion-controlled servings.

Week 2 Sked - Training my mind as much as my Body

Week of 12/10/07 - Continued Re-introduction to Daily Workouts.

Monday: Rest/Yoga
Tuesday (Swim Day): Swim 30+
Wednesday (Tempo Day): Run 2.0
Thursday (Strength Day): Core training
Friday: Rest
Saturday (Long Run Day): Run 3.5
Sunday (Cycle Day): Yoga/Cycle 30+

Scheduling myself for 5 days this week, going with reality and increasing my chances for success.

My Legs Have Various Bike Grease Marks On Them.

Which means I finally climbed up on the bike trainer today. Hello there, sitz bones ;-)

I do not know how or why, but somehow during the course of my trainer ride, or getting on or off, I end up with grease on my calves. It ALWAYS happens. And yes, I mount on the correct side, and I know how to get on and off a bike. Tonight, because I'm feeling a bit tight and clunky and clumsy, I even used a footstool to get up (the trainer lifts my bike 4+ inches off the ground). So how do I still have grease-marked legs? I'll have to attack the marks with the dishwashing soap later, so I don't scare people at the pool tomorrow.

So Week 1 of the 12-week plan is done. I missed both swimming workouts, but managed everything else. I'm somewhat satisfied, but I know I can do better. I'll post next week's plan shortly, I'm just trying to decide if I should move things around because it could be icy and snowy in the morning, and I don't like running outside when my footing is sketchy. I could swim instead, which means leaving early before the plows come out. Or I could run on the treadmill, which also means leaving early. Perhaps I'll wait and see what the morning brings.

I was more active than I've been in a long time, and while I feel the aches and creaks and a little soreness, I also feel GOOD. Something I need to BURN into my brain.

Some Days I am SOOOOO Blonde!

I hadn't made a swim yet this week (had 2 on the sked, although I would have settled for 1). I switched things around, was very tired one morning, had an early meeting, etc., etc. So I planned I'd swim Friday night after work, when the pool opens up for laps a bit earlier than on most week nights (swim team hogs the pool unil 8PM and even 9PM most nights). Thursday I packed my bag, checked the schedule, and was all ready to go. I had an early meeting Friday morning, so I ended up flying out of the house, and even though it was right there, yep, I left the bag. I would have considered getting re-dressed in my work clothes, but because I only have a mini locker at the Y, I can't keep a bathing suit there, so I had nothing to swim in. What a bummer, but I'm all the more determined to get in a swim next week. I'll probably mix up the sked again and try for the pool on Monday AM, before the week gets away from me.

On another note, because the Austin Longhorn dumped their sprint and olympic distance races, the WW Tri-ers have decided to reschedule our annual get together to the Pumpkinman Triathlon, October 18 in Boulder City, NV. Has anyone out there raced Pumpkinman or the Las Vegas (NV) Tri (held in September, I think). We'd love your feedback -- the bike course looks scary (to me, anyway) -- for the sprint the last half is a long climb up, and 9.3 of the 12+ mile course is climbing. The only consolation is that the times are correspondingly slow, so I guess everyone is in the same boat.

Guess what I did last night?

I slept, solidly, without waking up, from sometime before 10PM, until 5:15AM. That is the longest stretch of uninterrupted sleep I've had in probably 10+ months, and it felt soooooo good.

Now, lets hope I can repeat it. Sleep in general is really improving (I can usually go 10-4 without interruption), but I cannot use the CPAP. The machine itself just wakes me up with its noise and pressure, about every 2 hours, when I wear it. Not sure how that will resolve, so in the meantime, I'm taking the improved sleep and running with it.

Training is ok. Getting up and out in the morning to swim is still a problem, but I'm going to try for a post-work swim tonight, when the evening lap lanes open up a little earlier.

Week 1 - Re-introduction to Daily Workouts.

Week of 12/3/07
Monday (Tempo Day): Run 2
Tuesday (Interval Day - alt swim/run): Swim 30 (speed)
Wednesday (Swim Day): Swim 30+
Thursday (Strength Day): Weights
Friday: Rest
Saturday (Long Run Day): Run 3.5
Sunday (Cycle Day): Yoga/Cycle 30

These are goals for the week. I think I've set very reachable milestones in terms of volume of the workouts. The difficult part is going to be getting back into the 6 days a week routine. I don't expect to hit 100% the first few weeks, but I want to at least try and see how I do. By January, I should be comfortably in the 6 days per week routine for this first phase of the year.

The Plan, aka 12 Weeks to Redemption

Week of 12/3/07 Run 2 Swim 30 Swim 30 Strength Rest Run 3.5 Yoga/Cycle 30

Week of 12/10/07 Run 2 Hill repeats Swim 30 Strength Rest Run 3.5 Yoga/Cycle 30

Week of 12/17/07 Run 2 Swim 30 Swim 45 Strength Rest Run 4 Cycle 30

Week of 12/24/07 Run 2 Hill repeats Yoga Strength Rest Run 3 Yoga

Week of 12/31/07 Run 3 Swim 30 Swim 45 Strength Rest Run 4.5 Yoga/Cycle 45

Week of 1/7/08 Run 3 Hill repeats Swim 45 Strength Rest Run 5 Yoga/Cycle 45

Week of 1/14/08 Run 3 Swim 30 Swim 45 Strength Rest Run 5.5 Yoga/Cycle 45

Week of 1/21/08 Run 3 Hill repeats Yoga Strength Rest Run 3 Yoga

Week of 1/28/08 Run 3.5 Swim 30 Swim 45 Strength Rest Run 6 Yoga/Cycle 60

Week of 2/4/08 Run 3.5 Hill repeats Swim 60 Strength Rest Run 6.5 Yoga/Cycle 60

Week of 2/11/08 Run 3.5 Swim 30 Swim 30 Strength Rest Run 3 Yoga

Week of 2/18/08 Run 3 Hill repeats Yoga Strength Rest Rest RACE!

Weekend Homework Assignment: Training sked.

If I want to get back into my sport and feel like a triathlete again, I should probably start training. You know, swimming, and biking, and, um, running. Along with Project Blue Jeans I want to be able to make myFebruary 10K. I may walk it, because I'm feeling so awful, but my goal is to get out there and get through the distance. I've been messing around, not doing much, and a schedule will give me the structure I desparately need. So, I hope to post the first week's regime, but no later than Monday AM.

Enjoy the weekend, I have a 4-year-old's birthday to celebrate!