Pushing It...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Feels like a supreme effort, just getting through this holiday week! Silly me, I had PRESUMED w/hubby & son gone, I would have PLENTY of time to finish up my Xmas shopping, even straighten up the house & finish putting up decorations...
(unfortunately, it stopped me dead in my tracks last week, when I got out my box of the kiddos' Xmas stockings - my biggest display is everyone's personalized stocking, hung on the upstairs railing - & there was my poor ol' Wynk's "Tevis & 3K" stocking right on top. I lost Wynk @ age 25 last Jan, a sudden & unexpected family tragedy)
It also didn't help a bit that the bird was following closely behind me, detaching stockings from their hangers as fast as I could hang 'em up! So obviously I must come up w/a bird-proof method of display... Mango, you are NOT getting a stocking this year! (Mango is our Goffin cockatoo; a new addition to the family this year. Initially I felt very sorry for her owner upon having to surrender her, but in the wake of all her destruction/noise, not so much anymore!)
That's not Mango, just a Googled image! Still haven't found that damn camera data cable...
Anyway, all hell has broken loose this week at work (so why am I typing a blog entry in the middle of the afternoon? thank GOD I had a couple of cancellations so I can catch my breath!) - once again, I barely had time to race out & grab a quick bite to eat, no time for the gym... I'll count this as a "taper" for tomorrow's Jingle Bell 5K.
I realized as I took a few deep breaths over lunchtime to de-stress, that I'm really tired of everyone making DEMANDS on me. In that case, I obviously selected the wrong career. All I can do is manage to keep things at a slow boil. No wonder I suffer from chronic fatigue these days!
But here come what I HOPE will be the final surge of afternoon appointments - back to work you slacker!
(unfortunately, it stopped me dead in my tracks last week, when I got out my box of the kiddos' Xmas stockings - my biggest display is everyone's personalized stocking, hung on the upstairs railing - & there was my poor ol' Wynk's "Tevis & 3K" stocking right on top. I lost Wynk @ age 25 last Jan, a sudden & unexpected family tragedy)
It also didn't help a bit that the bird was following closely behind me, detaching stockings from their hangers as fast as I could hang 'em up! So obviously I must come up w/a bird-proof method of display... Mango, you are NOT getting a stocking this year! (Mango is our Goffin cockatoo; a new addition to the family this year. Initially I felt very sorry for her owner upon having to surrender her, but in the wake of all her destruction/noise, not so much anymore!)
That's not Mango, just a Googled image! Still haven't found that damn camera data cable...
Anyway, all hell has broken loose this week at work (so why am I typing a blog entry in the middle of the afternoon? thank GOD I had a couple of cancellations so I can catch my breath!) - once again, I barely had time to race out & grab a quick bite to eat, no time for the gym... I'll count this as a "taper" for tomorrow's Jingle Bell 5K.
I realized as I took a few deep breaths over lunchtime to de-stress, that I'm really tired of everyone making DEMANDS on me. In that case, I obviously selected the wrong career. All I can do is manage to keep things at a slow boil. No wonder I suffer from chronic fatigue these days!
But here come what I HOPE will be the final surge of afternoon appointments - back to work you slacker!
Easing Back In...
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
...I really wanted to title this "Compulsion", bcz I HAVE felt an overwhelming urge to break for the gym these past few days - so then why did I waste time surfing around on my computer, leaving myself w/only a 30-min "special" today??!!??
Oh well, 25 min on the elliptical was good for a little stress relief. Hopefully I can knock out 5K tomorrow. Truly amazing how helpful it is to me, just to type a few words on this screen.
Hard to describe the sensation, it's like a low-speed crash as my body releases the tension that has built up when my boy is away for any length of time. My energy level crashes & all I want to do is crawl home & hibernate. Yet we are trying to cram as much "fun" as we can into our limited family time for this second week of Xmas break - w/a trip to Six Flags (Mon), a couple of movies ("True Grit" yesterday, "Tangled" w/my friend's younger children Sun afternoon), & yes! a ride this weekend...
(Wish my boy would show a little more enthusiasm for anything except curling up w/his OWN laptop - like mother, like son I guess!)
Oh well, 25 min on the elliptical was good for a little stress relief. Hopefully I can knock out 5K tomorrow. Truly amazing how helpful it is to me, just to type a few words on this screen.
Hard to describe the sensation, it's like a low-speed crash as my body releases the tension that has built up when my boy is away for any length of time. My energy level crashes & all I want to do is crawl home & hibernate. Yet we are trying to cram as much "fun" as we can into our limited family time for this second week of Xmas break - w/a trip to Six Flags (Mon), a couple of movies ("True Grit" yesterday, "Tangled" w/my friend's younger children Sun afternoon), & yes! a ride this weekend...
(Wish my boy would show a little more enthusiasm for anything except curling up w/his OWN laptop - like mother, like son I guess!)
The Best Thing about Coming Back to Work...
Monday, January 03, 2011
...was at least being able to log onto work computer & create a new blog entry!
For some reason, home computer locks up every time I pull up this window, or try to leave comments on friends' blogs... (So sorry folks, don't take it personally!)
But I came across this terrific comment when I had a lil' free time earlier to surf around:
"...Like you, I feel that people have the right to choose how they live their lives, and these girls (and some boys, let's not leave them out) have made their choice. What does bother me is when someone makes a choice and then goes off and complains constantly about it. You have to make up your mind. Either you're going to make a choice and it will be the right choice for you, and you can be happy with it, or you're going to make a choice, realize it's not for you, and do something to freaking change it. Don't sit there and piss on me and tell me it's raining. I'm not gonna buy it. Sure, we all have made poor choices in our lives, but most of us realize they're poor choices and then go about finding a way to change it, or fix what we have done to make our world, and sometimes the world of those around us, better.
I think I would rather enjoy the big ol' crockpot of beef stew that is cooking, my cup of coffee (with creamer!) and the occasional cookie, rather than run around like a chicken with its head cut off worrying about calorie intake and excess adipose (which still makes me think of Dr. Who). If you don't want to enjoy it with me, then that's your choice, but please don't complain to me that you can't enjoy those things simply because of the calories. I will have to kick you repeatedly."
I weighed in this AM @ 213.5, a net gain of 1.8 lbs. I'll take it - in years past I have racked up 5 - 10 lb gains over the holidays as a matter of course. I'm not bothering to reset my ticker unless it hangs on past the end of this week. The only thing that saved me this year I'm sure, are the miles I pounded out on the TM...
Time to put up or shut up, baby.
For some reason, home computer locks up every time I pull up this window, or try to leave comments on friends' blogs... (So sorry folks, don't take it personally!)
But I came across this terrific comment when I had a lil' free time earlier to surf around:
"...Like you, I feel that people have the right to choose how they live their lives, and these girls (and some boys, let's not leave them out) have made their choice. What does bother me is when someone makes a choice and then goes off and complains constantly about it. You have to make up your mind. Either you're going to make a choice and it will be the right choice for you, and you can be happy with it, or you're going to make a choice, realize it's not for you, and do something to freaking change it. Don't sit there and piss on me and tell me it's raining. I'm not gonna buy it. Sure, we all have made poor choices in our lives, but most of us realize they're poor choices and then go about finding a way to change it, or fix what we have done to make our world, and sometimes the world of those around us, better.
I think I would rather enjoy the big ol' crockpot of beef stew that is cooking, my cup of coffee (with creamer!) and the occasional cookie, rather than run around like a chicken with its head cut off worrying about calorie intake and excess adipose (which still makes me think of Dr. Who). If you don't want to enjoy it with me, then that's your choice, but please don't complain to me that you can't enjoy those things simply because of the calories. I will have to kick you repeatedly."
I weighed in this AM @ 213.5, a net gain of 1.8 lbs. I'll take it - in years past I have racked up 5 - 10 lb gains over the holidays as a matter of course. I'm not bothering to reset my ticker unless it hangs on past the end of this week. The only thing that saved me this year I'm sure, are the miles I pounded out on the TM...
Time to put up or shut up, baby.
Forever Young
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Well I still haven't cleaned out my car to find my camera data cable & post the poor-quality pix I took of myself last month at the gym, but I was actually pleasantly surprised by this FB photo taken at last weekend's ride - I look SO YOUNG!
(in a lot of recent photos, I look very tired, washed out, & exactly like the middle-aged mom that I am!)
I'm not looking at the camera, grinning like a fool down at my awards plaque & eek! helmet hair to the max!!! - actually I was proud of our overall achievement, since I had the pleasure of shepherding my son through his 1st 50-mi event last Saturday!
I'm still shaking my head in mild disbelief: I'd been dreaming of the day when Zach would ride his first 50-miler w/me, somehow it kept receding into the indistinct future after Z lacerated his spleen (May '08), his darling lil' mule Midge ruptured her suspensory (Mar '09), and I seemed increasingly unable to lure Z away from the siren songs of electronic entertainments (computer, XBox, PS3) & the martial arts...
But last weekend, I was by God GOING to our long-running TX ride, after vague plans to journey to AZ, combining a family visit w/a 3-d ride in Scottsdale fell through (don't ask)... I packed w/ill-concealed resentment, having pre-registered Z & I for 2 d of LD (25 mi) rides as he bemoaned his fate, being dragged away from his renewed devotion to WoW - more proof of the power of advertising; Z was heavily involved in WoW last spring & summer, but his interest had waned by fall so I canceled his account. Apparently when he was visiting his dad, Z saw the new ads for "Cataclysm" & came home begging for reinstatement...
[Yes I recognize that I could have refused, but in for a penny, in for a pound could be my motto - we already had invested a couple of hundred bucks in software last year; why not "begin again" for the mere pittance of $13.99/mon??]
Anyway, as I endured Z's litany of complaint (aren't I looking forward to his teenage years!?!) as we hauled to the ride Friday afternoon, I put forth this proposal to him: since we ARE, in fact, going to horse camp, like it or not (!!!), you can either ride 2 days of LD as planned, or ride a 1-d 50 w/me & we can go home early Sun morning. I couldn't believe he took the bait!
Our success last Saturday basically confirmed all my pet theories about overtraining (i.e. most endurance riders - all except ME of course, ha ha! - are guilty of it) - Champ has basically been a pasture ornament since his last competitive event, the Armadillo ride in October, and you would never have known he's been off work! As usual,he gave Zach a fabulous ride - since I was sponsoring 3 juniors (Z, Maddie, & her friend Chris), I spent most of the ride bringing up the rear, shouting at them to "Slow down!" - quit loping through that deep sand!
(**Hence the dirt ingestion)
Unfortunately Chris's mare developed a hitch in her get-a-long (HQ cramp) & had to withdraw after our 2nd loop, there again most likely due to too MUCH loping in aforementioned deep sand. I was very proud of the rest of my crew - Champ's successful completion allowed us to shake off all the snide remarks about "yaks", "water buffaloes", and "wooly mammoths" - esp since Sat night all I had to do was curry him out & his long hair enabled him to go unblanketed, unlike our shivering Arabs...
Now my '11 ride season takes its first tentative steps towards my ultimate goal (Tevis buckle, 7/16/11), even though our TX ride schedule appears embarrassingly sparse. Next goal => a 100-mi Mississippi ride at the end of Feb... At first I was distressed that both of my main training rides (this MS one & the MO ride over Easter weekend) conflict w/"Zach" weekends, but now I am filled w/faint hope that he might actually accompany me on my quest?
Hope springs eternal, indeed!
"Gather the crumbs of happiness
and they will make you a loaf of contentment."
(in a lot of recent photos, I look very tired, washed out, & exactly like the middle-aged mom that I am!)
I'm not looking at the camera, grinning like a fool down at my awards plaque & eek! helmet hair to the max!!! - actually I was proud of our overall achievement, since I had the pleasure of shepherding my son through his 1st 50-mi event last Saturday!
I'm still shaking my head in mild disbelief: I'd been dreaming of the day when Zach would ride his first 50-miler w/me, somehow it kept receding into the indistinct future after Z lacerated his spleen (May '08), his darling lil' mule Midge ruptured her suspensory (Mar '09), and I seemed increasingly unable to lure Z away from the siren songs of electronic entertainments (computer, XBox, PS3) & the martial arts...
But last weekend, I was by God GOING to our long-running TX ride, after vague plans to journey to AZ, combining a family visit w/a 3-d ride in Scottsdale fell through (don't ask)... I packed w/ill-concealed resentment, having pre-registered Z & I for 2 d of LD (25 mi) rides as he bemoaned his fate, being dragged away from his renewed devotion to WoW - more proof of the power of advertising; Z was heavily involved in WoW last spring & summer, but his interest had waned by fall so I canceled his account. Apparently when he was visiting his dad, Z saw the new ads for "Cataclysm" & came home begging for reinstatement...
[Yes I recognize that I could have refused, but in for a penny, in for a pound could be my motto - we already had invested a couple of hundred bucks in software last year; why not "begin again" for the mere pittance of $13.99/mon??]
Anyway, as I endured Z's litany of complaint (aren't I looking forward to his teenage years!?!) as we hauled to the ride Friday afternoon, I put forth this proposal to him: since we ARE, in fact, going to horse camp, like it or not (!!!), you can either ride 2 days of LD as planned, or ride a 1-d 50 w/me & we can go home early Sun morning. I couldn't believe he took the bait!
Our success last Saturday basically confirmed all my pet theories about overtraining (i.e. most endurance riders - all except ME of course, ha ha! - are guilty of it) - Champ has basically been a pasture ornament since his last competitive event, the Armadillo ride in October, and you would never have known he's been off work! As usual,he gave Zach a fabulous ride - since I was sponsoring 3 juniors (Z, Maddie, & her friend Chris), I spent most of the ride bringing up the rear, shouting at them to "Slow down!" - quit loping through that deep sand!
(**Hence the dirt ingestion)
Unfortunately Chris's mare developed a hitch in her get-a-long (HQ cramp) & had to withdraw after our 2nd loop, there again most likely due to too MUCH loping in aforementioned deep sand. I was very proud of the rest of my crew - Champ's successful completion allowed us to shake off all the snide remarks about "yaks", "water buffaloes", and "wooly mammoths" - esp since Sat night all I had to do was curry him out & his long hair enabled him to go unblanketed, unlike our shivering Arabs...
Now my '11 ride season takes its first tentative steps towards my ultimate goal (Tevis buckle, 7/16/11), even though our TX ride schedule appears embarrassingly sparse. Next goal => a 100-mi Mississippi ride at the end of Feb... At first I was distressed that both of my main training rides (this MS one & the MO ride over Easter weekend) conflict w/"Zach" weekends, but now I am filled w/faint hope that he might actually accompany me on my quest?
Hope springs eternal, indeed!
"Gather the crumbs of happiness
and they will make you a loaf of contentment."
The Hate-Loss Challenge
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Came across this as I aimlessly surfed some blogs (or NOT so aimlessly, hmmm Herr Docterr??) - the Hate-Loss Challenge:
"During the whole month of January, 2011, I am vowing to make a resolution to have pride in myself – no matter what size I am, each and every day. January will be the month that I set in motion a healthy habit to rid my vocabulary of words that aim to destroy my self-esteem. By the end of January I hope to have set a permanent pattern as I continue to feel better about my value, importance, and place in this world.
Rules: At least once a day I must attempt to use one or more of these words in my vocabulary about myself and mean it: strong, courageous, beautiful/handsome, better, unique, remarkable, confident, conditioned, fascinating, pleasing. I will say the words out loud. I will listen to how they sound as they are defining me!
Extra credit: mind-blowing, wicked-hot, awe-inspiring, sexy, sensational.
Off Limits: Words I will not use: failure, undeserving, incompetent, lazy, no-good, fat, unattractive, sloppy, defeated, unworthy.
One Final Thought: It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to have off-days, but I won’t let those thoughts consume me. I will pick myself up, dust myself off and never, ever let my weight define me again."
All very cool concepts, although the positive self-talk will be a big stretch for me... I'm too accustomed to talking to myself like a muleskinner (i.e. GET MOVING, GET OFF your ass, DO SOMETHING YOU SLACKER!!!)
I also have a true philosophic argument w/continually & exhaustively defining myself as "sexy" - I paraphrase another comment from someone noticing in our hyped-up, oversexualized culture - how we are expected to always be rarin' to go, the odd exception in the entire mammalian kingdom which generally has a season & an appropriate time & place for such things... Ah well, I'll save the radical feminism for another lecture
I DO want to continue to practice "Being Nicer to Myself" in '11... Meanwhile I'm going to go back to admiring my awards plaque from last weekend's ride while waiting for ride photos (the photographer got a decent shot of B-boy & I as we trotted past in high gear; it's a shame my shirt is billowing out around me like a parachute but we were riding into the wind after all! I have managed to improve my posture & riding position, hopefully making things a little easier on both myself AND my horse!)
"During the whole month of January, 2011, I am vowing to make a resolution to have pride in myself – no matter what size I am, each and every day. January will be the month that I set in motion a healthy habit to rid my vocabulary of words that aim to destroy my self-esteem. By the end of January I hope to have set a permanent pattern as I continue to feel better about my value, importance, and place in this world.
Rules: At least once a day I must attempt to use one or more of these words in my vocabulary about myself and mean it: strong, courageous, beautiful/handsome, better, unique, remarkable, confident, conditioned, fascinating, pleasing. I will say the words out loud. I will listen to how they sound as they are defining me!
Extra credit: mind-blowing, wicked-hot, awe-inspiring, sexy, sensational.
Off Limits: Words I will not use: failure, undeserving, incompetent, lazy, no-good, fat, unattractive, sloppy, defeated, unworthy.
One Final Thought: It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to have off-days, but I won’t let those thoughts consume me. I will pick myself up, dust myself off and never, ever let my weight define me again."
All very cool concepts, although the positive self-talk will be a big stretch for me... I'm too accustomed to talking to myself like a muleskinner (i.e. GET MOVING, GET OFF your ass, DO SOMETHING YOU SLACKER!!!)
I also have a true philosophic argument w/continually & exhaustively defining myself as "sexy" - I paraphrase another comment from someone noticing in our hyped-up, oversexualized culture - how we are expected to always be rarin' to go, the odd exception in the entire mammalian kingdom which generally has a season & an appropriate time & place for such things... Ah well, I'll save the radical feminism for another lecture
I DO want to continue to practice "Being Nicer to Myself" in '11... Meanwhile I'm going to go back to admiring my awards plaque from last weekend's ride while waiting for ride photos (the photographer got a decent shot of B-boy & I as we trotted past in high gear; it's a shame my shirt is billowing out around me like a parachute but we were riding into the wind after all! I have managed to improve my posture & riding position, hopefully making things a little easier on both myself AND my horse!)
Detox Day...
Sunday, January 09, 2011
...was yesterday; I KNEW I shouldn't have indulged w/that 2nd margarita Friday night!
It left me while not exactly "hungover", nevertheless feeling bloated, tired & run-down yesterday without the motivation to do what I needed to get done... Here it's taken me all friggin' weekend just to get my few measly Xmas decorations put away!
Overall, this has been one of my most disorganized & ill-prepared holiday seasons ever. I sent out no cards & didn't even put out the Lenox nativity set which is my pride & joy... I'm not much into such fancy things, but I cherish each & every piece of that set, most of which I collected over the years as gifts from mom, grandma, & yes, even 1st husband!
(my 1st piece was the precious lil' white donkey - who loves ya, Qubie?!?)
That's not Qubie, that Zach riding our TWH filly Scarlett last fall - I was just LOOKING for a good recent photo of Qubie!
While this is our House Bunny Serenity - this just reminds me to take camera out & get some new pix of Qubie...
Zach & Midge at his 1st "real" 25 mi ride, May '06
Oh well, you folks are always telling me you want to see MORE PHOTOS!
All this does is remind me of the tremendous organizational challenge I face - hundreds of digital photos which I need to categorize & put in some sort of working order...
It left me while not exactly "hungover", nevertheless feeling bloated, tired & run-down yesterday without the motivation to do what I needed to get done... Here it's taken me all friggin' weekend just to get my few measly Xmas decorations put away!
Overall, this has been one of my most disorganized & ill-prepared holiday seasons ever. I sent out no cards & didn't even put out the Lenox nativity set which is my pride & joy... I'm not much into such fancy things, but I cherish each & every piece of that set, most of which I collected over the years as gifts from mom, grandma, & yes, even 1st husband!
(my 1st piece was the precious lil' white donkey - who loves ya, Qubie?!?)
That's not Qubie, that Zach riding our TWH filly Scarlett last fall - I was just LOOKING for a good recent photo of Qubie!
While this is our House Bunny Serenity - this just reminds me to take camera out & get some new pix of Qubie...
Zach & Midge at his 1st "real" 25 mi ride, May '06
Oh well, you folks are always telling me you want to see MORE PHOTOS!
All this does is remind me of the tremendous organizational challenge I face - hundreds of digital photos which I need to categorize & put in some sort of working order...
Duties & Obligations
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Aha! Found that 1st-wk-of-Nov entry about my "friend":
www.sparkpeople.com/mypa
ge_public_journal_individu
al.asp?blog_id=3775782
(Funny thing is, I had stomach upset on THAT day as well!) Just goes to show me, I need to track my digestive trigger foods a little better... What does it prove when I continue to abuse myself w/foods I know damn good & well are going to make me miserable?!?
Anyway, faced w/another minor challenge: last week I heard from an old undergrad college chum of mine**. She's about 20 yrs older than me, which would put her in her upper 60's now - one of those middle-aged women who completely changed her career path & LIFE when she went BACK to school... About the only thing she DIDN'T discard was her husband, for which I greatly admire her. (It was challenging; I would like to think I helped her work her way through several marital crises even though what the hell did I know? I was a snot-nosed 19 - 21 yr old! mostly I think I functioned as both a shoulder to cry on & a good drinking buddy ;-)
**Actually her husband called me; could it have been shame or mere stubbornness that would keep J from admitting the severity of her current condition?
A brief but all-too-typical history: J & I each achieved our undergrad degrees, I was accepted to vet school, had a whirlwind romance & married my 1st husband, went off to College Station & our formerly inseparable status as BFF's withered to the occasional phone call, letter or Xmas card... J accepted a teaching position & moved to the TX Gulf Coast.
The last time we actually saw each other face-to-face was in the winter of '92, when 1st Hub & I were building our house! We probably have not spoken by telephone since shortly after P & I married 8 yrs ago... (Horrible friend ain't I? but of course it takes two to tango as well as two to disengage don't it?)
This weekend I honestly had planned to accomplish great things in re-organization at home, but feel obligated to get on down there while J & I can still enjoy each other's company. (She's recovering from secondary complications after breast cancer surgery - & I've learned to pay attention to my intuition. This may be "now or never"; I won't have any more 3-d weekends coming up, & Spring Break may be too late.)
www.sparkpeople.com/mypa
ge_public_journal_individu
al.asp?blog_id=3775782
(Funny thing is, I had stomach upset on THAT day as well!) Just goes to show me, I need to track my digestive trigger foods a little better... What does it prove when I continue to abuse myself w/foods I know damn good & well are going to make me miserable?!?
Anyway, faced w/another minor challenge: last week I heard from an old undergrad college chum of mine**. She's about 20 yrs older than me, which would put her in her upper 60's now - one of those middle-aged women who completely changed her career path & LIFE when she went BACK to school... About the only thing she DIDN'T discard was her husband, for which I greatly admire her. (It was challenging; I would like to think I helped her work her way through several marital crises even though what the hell did I know? I was a snot-nosed 19 - 21 yr old! mostly I think I functioned as both a shoulder to cry on & a good drinking buddy ;-)
**Actually her husband called me; could it have been shame or mere stubbornness that would keep J from admitting the severity of her current condition?
A brief but all-too-typical history: J & I each achieved our undergrad degrees, I was accepted to vet school, had a whirlwind romance & married my 1st husband, went off to College Station & our formerly inseparable status as BFF's withered to the occasional phone call, letter or Xmas card... J accepted a teaching position & moved to the TX Gulf Coast.
The last time we actually saw each other face-to-face was in the winter of '92, when 1st Hub & I were building our house! We probably have not spoken by telephone since shortly after P & I married 8 yrs ago... (Horrible friend ain't I? but of course it takes two to tango as well as two to disengage don't it?)
This weekend I honestly had planned to accomplish great things in re-organization at home, but feel obligated to get on down there while J & I can still enjoy each other's company. (She's recovering from secondary complications after breast cancer surgery - & I've learned to pay attention to my intuition. This may be "now or never"; I won't have any more 3-d weekends coming up, & Spring Break may be too late.)
Tempo Run...
Friday, January 21, 2011
I was spooked** to see that heading as it cropped up in my Runner's World Smart Coach program... What tempo?
Waltz, cha-cha, foxtrot, dirge, funereal march???
**52 days to train, but of course I'm already lagging behind w/the program; haven't done any of the long runs suggested which is why 5 mi seemed so intimidating...
A 15:29 pace was suggested, w/a 1 mi warm-up & cool-down - aha, that only translates to 3 mi of "real" running... I can do this!
Actually cut myself down to 0.5 mi warm-up, since golly, a 15:29 pace is just a fast walk/very slow jog. (I usually switch my gait when I pass that 4.0 MPH mark) Once I warmed up, I set the TM @ 4.2; on most of my other (shorter) runs I generally pace out @ 4.4 - 4.6 MPH - yes, now you know how pathetically slow I truly am!
I was distracting myself as I usually do w/trash TV, but it was more of a mental obstacle than a physical one: once I got past those 1st 3 mi, I knew I was going to make it. I could start enjoying the sensation of my feet spooling past those rubberized treads on the Woodway TM as I concentrated on my breathing, my posture, & my form (stretch upwards - I'm bad about slumping! - lean forwards, increase my cadence).
Those 74:20 min went by quite rapidly. A pleasant meditative interlude; can't wait to do it again! (Sun, long run of 6 mi)
Last Sun, I rolled out while visiting my friend on the coast (good times all around, BTW) for an early-AM walk/jog down to the big pier (2 mi away) & back. Another good one although I was taking it easy on my creaky R knee - I should be incredibly thankful to be out & about; my poor friend (& former companion on many long hikes) can barely make it across her own living room without taking a break... Light drizzling rain, although a little moisture wasn't going to hurt me! I think we saw a grand total of maybe half an hour's sunshine all weekend, but after all I wasn't there to soak up the beach, but instead my friend's sorely-missed company.
Waltz, cha-cha, foxtrot, dirge, funereal march???
**52 days to train, but of course I'm already lagging behind w/the program; haven't done any of the long runs suggested which is why 5 mi seemed so intimidating...
A 15:29 pace was suggested, w/a 1 mi warm-up & cool-down - aha, that only translates to 3 mi of "real" running... I can do this!
Actually cut myself down to 0.5 mi warm-up, since golly, a 15:29 pace is just a fast walk/very slow jog. (I usually switch my gait when I pass that 4.0 MPH mark) Once I warmed up, I set the TM @ 4.2; on most of my other (shorter) runs I generally pace out @ 4.4 - 4.6 MPH - yes, now you know how pathetically slow I truly am!
I was distracting myself as I usually do w/trash TV, but it was more of a mental obstacle than a physical one: once I got past those 1st 3 mi, I knew I was going to make it. I could start enjoying the sensation of my feet spooling past those rubberized treads on the Woodway TM as I concentrated on my breathing, my posture, & my form (stretch upwards - I'm bad about slumping! - lean forwards, increase my cadence).
Those 74:20 min went by quite rapidly. A pleasant meditative interlude; can't wait to do it again! (Sun, long run of 6 mi)
Last Sun, I rolled out while visiting my friend on the coast (good times all around, BTW) for an early-AM walk/jog down to the big pier (2 mi away) & back. Another good one although I was taking it easy on my creaky R knee - I should be incredibly thankful to be out & about; my poor friend (& former companion on many long hikes) can barely make it across her own living room without taking a break... Light drizzling rain, although a little moisture wasn't going to hurt me! I think we saw a grand total of maybe half an hour's sunshine all weekend, but after all I wasn't there to soak up the beach, but instead my friend's sorely-missed company.
Slow Down & Keep Going
Saturday, January 22, 2011
I have made no other momentous decisions lately (still need to process last weekend's pleasant reunion w/my old friend), but I HAVE decided to just "shut up & do it" insofar as following my SmartCoach program...
So this AM I buckled down to do my first "long run" = 6 mi
Rec pace was 17:29, so of course I had to push it a little - wound up averaging just over 4.1 MPH.
Too damn cold this AM, so I headed to a new gym (had to take my boy to the E side of town for his SAT - geez, I didn't get to take it until I was a sophomore in HS, but he qualified in 7th grade as part of the Duke talent search program - the only child in his class who did!) - a facility less than half the size of my usual gym... It only had 5 Cybex TM's, & 3 of those were out of order!
The place was filling up as I slogged along, so I took a potty break after 60 min (it's as high as the time would go anyway), thinking someone might be waiting for their turn to pound the deck...
However, no one had stepped on, so I wearily re-mounted & finished out my 6-mi trek in just under 88 min... There was some pain involved - my R knee tweaked alarmingly a few times around the 4-mi mark, but then subsided. I kept on telling myself that old Marine adage :
"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
So this AM I buckled down to do my first "long run" = 6 mi
Rec pace was 17:29, so of course I had to push it a little - wound up averaging just over 4.1 MPH.
Too damn cold this AM, so I headed to a new gym (had to take my boy to the E side of town for his SAT - geez, I didn't get to take it until I was a sophomore in HS, but he qualified in 7th grade as part of the Duke talent search program - the only child in his class who did!) - a facility less than half the size of my usual gym... It only had 5 Cybex TM's, & 3 of those were out of order!
The place was filling up as I slogged along, so I took a potty break after 60 min (it's as high as the time would go anyway), thinking someone might be waiting for their turn to pound the deck...
However, no one had stepped on, so I wearily re-mounted & finished out my 6-mi trek in just under 88 min... There was some pain involved - my R knee tweaked alarmingly a few times around the 4-mi mark, but then subsided. I kept on telling myself that old Marine adage :
"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
Stagnation...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
I typed this title almost 4 hrs ago & with many interruptions later, it seems counter-intuitive!
(I've hardly been STAGNATING here in my office today)
I'm sick & tired of staying stuck in the almost exact same place from which I started 9 mos ago - whoa, insert profound quotes about gestation here, verdad?!?
Yet I seem incapable of making any true lifestyle adjustments, aside from my rescue strategy of much more regular exercise...
Hard to figure me out sometimes!
I want to let go of the obsession about something which seems to be out of my control (at least from a practical/logistical standard) - NO, I'm not going to log in every damn morsel of food I consume, nor do I plan on living the rest of my days on meager balanced rations, like someone's inbred halter horse!
(Maybe show dog is a better analogy; after all judges prefer most halter horses to be FAT!)
I know a large part of my rotten mood is the inadequate SLEEP I've been subsisting on for several mos now - quite honestly, since Hubby lost his job & has been at home! (He snores like a freight train so separate bedrooms may be in our future.)
Next-to-impossible for me to lecture him about taking care of his OWN health (he's put on a noticeable amount of weight w/the stress of his career path over this past year) when I am far from the shining example I would LIKE to be...
Pot, meet kettle!
In the meantime, I'll quit whining & at least get in a gym visit. Who am I to complain when my poor receptionist just stopped by, she was diagnosed w/advanced lung cancer a couple of wks ago. They are pursuing an aggressive treatment plan, but she has lost an alarming amount of weight; things don't look good in my humble clinical opinion.
(I've hardly been STAGNATING here in my office today)
I'm sick & tired of staying stuck in the almost exact same place from which I started 9 mos ago - whoa, insert profound quotes about gestation here, verdad?!?
Yet I seem incapable of making any true lifestyle adjustments, aside from my rescue strategy of much more regular exercise...
Hard to figure me out sometimes!
I want to let go of the obsession about something which seems to be out of my control (at least from a practical/logistical standard) - NO, I'm not going to log in every damn morsel of food I consume, nor do I plan on living the rest of my days on meager balanced rations, like someone's inbred halter horse!
(Maybe show dog is a better analogy; after all judges prefer most halter horses to be FAT!)
I know a large part of my rotten mood is the inadequate SLEEP I've been subsisting on for several mos now - quite honestly, since Hubby lost his job & has been at home! (He snores like a freight train so separate bedrooms may be in our future.)
Next-to-impossible for me to lecture him about taking care of his OWN health (he's put on a noticeable amount of weight w/the stress of his career path over this past year) when I am far from the shining example I would LIKE to be...
Pot, meet kettle!
In the meantime, I'll quit whining & at least get in a gym visit. Who am I to complain when my poor receptionist just stopped by, she was diagnosed w/advanced lung cancer a couple of wks ago. They are pursuing an aggressive treatment plan, but she has lost an alarming amount of weight; things don't look good in my humble clinical opinion.
Quote of the Day
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
"No matter how hard you try, you cannot out train a sloppy diet."
Feels strange to take a Day of Rest today, but my R knee is creaking alarmingly, so I figure I better give it a day off...
Unfortunately this adds to my anxiety about the many inappropriate things which I have consumed this week. Can I blame it all on stress? when I can't hit the gym, my only means of self-soothing seems to be oral satisfaction (hey, you! get your mind out of the gutter; w/my recent menopausal symptoms I haven't had any dadgummed sex drive either)...
My godmother's middle son (age 55? I think) suffered a mild heart attack last weekend; he was in & out of the hosp w/emergency angiography/stent implantation before I even had a chance to break free & visit him! (Hosp Sun, released yesterday) Since they have lost their only daughter to lung cancer almost 2 yrs ago (age 57), I would hate for my godparents to suffer another loss.
Not to mention it's also an unpleasant reminder of my own mortality; a reminder to concentrate on what's important & try to do the things I want to while I still can!
(Thanks to LUV4CHOCOLATE for recent inspiration; maybe I **CAN** train for a marathon after all!)
Feels strange to take a Day of Rest today, but my R knee is creaking alarmingly, so I figure I better give it a day off...
Unfortunately this adds to my anxiety about the many inappropriate things which I have consumed this week. Can I blame it all on stress? when I can't hit the gym, my only means of self-soothing seems to be oral satisfaction (hey, you! get your mind out of the gutter; w/my recent menopausal symptoms I haven't had any dadgummed sex drive either)...
My godmother's middle son (age 55? I think) suffered a mild heart attack last weekend; he was in & out of the hosp w/emergency angiography/stent implantation before I even had a chance to break free & visit him! (Hosp Sun, released yesterday) Since they have lost their only daughter to lung cancer almost 2 yrs ago (age 57), I would hate for my godparents to suffer another loss.
Not to mention it's also an unpleasant reminder of my own mortality; a reminder to concentrate on what's important & try to do the things I want to while I still can!
(Thanks to LUV4CHOCOLATE for recent inspiration; maybe I **CAN** train for a marathon after all!)
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