Weekend Madness

Its Sunday afternoon and I've just awoken from a two hour nap. My legs are screaming at me and I can't move. It feels great. I'll get up in a little while to do some nice long stretching.

Saturday kicked ass. Molly and I did another brick. We did a great 20 mile ride and then a 3 mile run. It was tough and we swore a lot but it was great. Our times were excellent too and we feel really good about ourselves. The bike route was that nice long route along the river and then around Lake Nokomis.


We decided that today would be our long run day. We both wanted to do a 6 mile run, but didn't want to go along the river again so instead we decide to do a a two-lake loop. I personally thought that this was a little under six miles. Maybe 5.5-5.9 and she thought it might be a little over. Well, were both wrong. It was well over 6 miles. It was closer to 7 miles. The funny thing is neither one of us realized it until long after. I just realized it, as I'm typing this blog. I went to my trusty map and pulled up the route... looked at the distance and near soiled myself. I immediately picked up the phone and called Molly. "Bitch we just ran seven miles," I said. She laughed and asked if I had just gotten her email... um no. But (scary) we're doing the same frigging thing at the same time and had to tell the other person. I've never run that far in my life. It was a tough run because we were both so wiped out from the brick we did yesterday. I thought we were actually running pretty sluggish. Turns out we averaged a 9 min mile pace which is pretty great considering. I would not be able to do any of this without her. I would have run around Lake Calhoun and given up if I were alone. We kept pushing each other and made it a great run. I just love that every time we go out there is some to write home about. We laugh our asses off because accidentally running seven miles doesn't even surprise me.

Moving Mountains

I had a great spin class last night. While its really nice outside and some people would say I'm stupid for going to the gym and spinning, when I could go outside, I must say that I really get a lot out of this class. Last night there were about six people there, a very empty class. If you've never tried one of these classes, I highly recommend them. The lights are turned low, fans blowing the air around and the music is usually something that you can keep a beat to while riding. Its set up so you really feel like you're in there alone. A good instructor will keep you motivated and moving and will hopefully change up the routines to keep it interesting. For me, what I love, is putting my head down and imagining what the race will be like. Pushing as hard as I can so that at the end of it all I know I did my best.

Not every workout is like this. In fact they shouldn't be. I'm learning more and more about 'active recovery'. Working out six days a week at full throttle does more harm than good. I've actually had to scale back on how I've been training, and the amazing thing is - I'm in better shape for it.

I noticed that I was gaining weight. Understanding that muscle does weigh more than fat, I was still gaining more weight than I wanted to. About three weeks ago I hit my maximum of 130 lbs. I've never weighted that much. I'm 5'2" and average 115 lbs. Since February I gained 15 lbs. This was not good. I felt strong, but I also felt bloated and awkward, like I was moving around inside a body that wasn't mine. Clothes were not fitting, at all and it was really beginning to get me down. I kept thinking, I'm working my ass off, why am I getting fat? It was messing with my head quite honestly.

Then a friend of mine recommended that I see a nutritionist, T.J. Harrington at Pure Health Coaching. I've been eating well so I couldn't understand where this extra weight was coming from and why it kept coming. I was really freaking out. Without going into a ton of detail about the appointment I will say that I learned some stuff. One was that I was over training. And two was that my body was retaining water, gaining fat and gaining muscle as a result of over training and mineral deficiency. Over training? That's right. I wasn't giving my body enough recovery time between intense workouts. Six days a week of kicking ass was hurting my body. So now what? T.J. coached me on how to train smarter, eat a little better and be nicer to my body and ultimately I'll get more out of it. I'm also taking supplements that include a multi-vitamin and an Omega 3 Fish Oil. I'm training with a heart monitor to make sure that I'm not working out beyond my anerobic threshold (which I was). Since that first appointment I've lost a solid 5 lbs. It fluctuates a little bit based on PMS (duh) and other factors, but the weight is coming off. I'm hoping that in another few weeks I will have lost the rest. Next week I begin seven days of detoxification to further clean out my system. I'm still eating really well, just being a little smarter about when I eat.

Training for this event has been such a great journey. I'm learning far more than I ever would have expected. The funny thing is the area that I learning the most about, is myself.

Small Rant for the Day

I've often written about how wonderful the trails are in the Twin Cities. The trails stretch for miles upon miles around all of the lakes, rivers and creeks. People are given extra shade by all of the beautiful trees and are kept safe from traffic.

However not everyone quite understands how to use these trails. When built someone was really smart and separated out the bike paths from the walking paths. On a very rare occasion they merge, but only for a few yards until they split again at any given location. I hate to complain about people being outside and being active, but part of this complaint is for their own safety. If someone is walking in the middle of the bike path with their headphones on are they expecting to get hit? Four people walking side-by-side on a bike path when the walking path is less than a yard away, what do they expect me to do while I'm riding? Two double-wide strollers on ANY path, they see someone coming, should they not move into single file? Yes, there are times when the paths are merged. I am a runner and a cyclist, so I use both paths. The paths are so clearly marked that at no point have I ever wondered if I was on the wrong one. I shift over to the right so that people moving faster than me can pass. If I see a cyclist barreling down in my direction I make sure they have room and don't force them into a ditch. Runners, walkers, rollerbladers, cyclists, stroller-people - we all have to obey the same rules, for the simple fact that it makes us all safer. Oh! And if you're going to wear headphones, please lower the volume enough so that you can hear someone coming. If that's not possible, don't wear headphones. If I go flying ass over tea kettle, it should be my own damn fault.

Last night's ride was great. Sadly Molly couldn't go, so Pete was the surrogate. The air was cool and damp which actually made for a great ride because we never got too warm. I don't know how far we rode, but we were gone a solid hour, so I'm guessing fifteen miles or so. It was a great ride. Tonight I'm swimming (yay!). Its so great to be back in the pool. So great.

I am NOT doing the Ironman.

I love all the people that think I'm doing an Ironman. Those people really have a distorted view of my physical capabilities and I love them for it. I'm only doing an Olympic distance triathlon.

From Wikipedia....

An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) consisting of a 2.4 miles (3.86 km) swim, a 112 miles (180.25 km) bike and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run, raced in that order and without a break.

The Ironman Triathlon, or The Ironman Triathlon World Championships, or Ironman Hawaii, is both the original Ironman triathlon and the annual world championships of the event, held annually in Hawai'i since 1978, with an additional race in 1982. It was made famous by its grueling length, harsh race conditions, and television coverage.

However, my friend Marie is doing an Ironman in the fall... not the Hawaii one, but the distances are the same. Now she's the bad-ass.

46 Days to Race

Less than two months away!! I can barely breath when I think about it. But I must say that after the last week I'm beginning to feel better and better about this whole triathlon-thing. Molly and I both seemed to go through a down time. We'd been pushing so hard for so long and all we could see in front of us was more work. We were training together less and less and since I couldn't swim because of my shoulder, it made it even more difficult. Something about last week really kicked us into high gear again and we realized how much we need to train together.

Our brick on Saturday was a riot. We had so much fun and laughed our asses off. First of all, this was Molly's first day out on her *NEW* snazzy-ass bike. But more importantly the very first time she was ever using clipless peddles (the name is misleading; because there is no strap over your foot they are considered clipless, when in fact you do lock the bottom of your foot into a clip). I've been on clipless for years, and love them. Once you realize how much more efficient they are, you never go back. She had been anxious to ride alone and so this was a very exciting day.

We met up in at our favorite spot. She practiced riding around the parking lot and really got the hang of it. Once she was comfortable clipping in and out, we were off. If only we knew...

As we were riding down the path around Boom Island Molly was working her way there her gears, trying them out. She down-shifted all the way and then realized that she couldn't shift back up. She kept clicking the shifter, but nothing was happening. So we stopped, I hopped on her bike to try it out and the same thing, no shifting. Of course her fancy new bike has the shifters on the break levers, very new-fangled compared to my bike, so I don't know what I was thinking trying to help. So we both just looked at each other dumbfounded and of course laughing. This fancy-ass new bike that doesn't work. GREAT! We rode along a little further when I looked down and realized that I had a flat tire. Poop! This was a good time for Molly to call the bike shop and ask them how to shift, just thinking about it makes me laugh. "Hi. I just bought a bike from you and it doesn't work". So Molly's on the phone with Free Wheel (great Minneapolis shop by the way) and I'm changing my tire. People are strolling along the path, enjoying the day and some dude says to me, "Want me to time you?" The bike shop asked where we were and offered to come down and meet us, but we decided to ride over there because we were only about a mile away. Once we got to the bike shop they quickly showed Molly that nothing was wrong with the bike and instructed her on how to shift. I took advantage of their floor pumps and pumped up the rest of the my tire and we were off! Thanks Free Wheel you guys rock!

We leave the bike shop and head back toward our path, ready to ride! As we begin to turn the corner I hear Molly behind me "Oh sh*(^!*&, crap, I can't!!......" and BOOM down she goes. I circle back around and she's down on the ground laughing her ass off. It was like slow motion. She had tried to clip in on one side and was turning from the other, lost her balance and fell. Thank goodness she was laughing, because that told me she wasn't hurt too badly. She got up and rolled over to the sidewalk. At this point we're both hysterically laughing. Everyone falls at least once on clipless peddles. She had been nervous about it and hadn't wanted to ride alone because of it. But having been on a roller derby team, this girl knows how to take a hit. Her bruises were quite impressive I must say and the next day they were the most beautiful colors of greens and yellows, but she was fine. The brick we did that day was a little over a twenty mile ride immediately followed by a three mile run and we loved every minute of it, because we were together.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I would not be able to do any of this without Molly. She pushes me when I can't go any further, she makes me laugh my ass off, and she is just as human as I am. I love her and I'm so lucky to have such an amazing friend. Its hard to imagine that there was a time where I thought I could lose her. I remember the day Molly was diagnosed with breast cancer, like it was yesterday. I was so scared. To think that she came back from something so horrible amazes me. She inspires me in ways that I can't even put into words.

Along with the other training we did over the last few days I really feel good about the next month. Tonight we'll be going for a ride, the same route we took on Saturday, I'm hoping that its a little less eventful.

Time to regroup

First I have to give a big huge thanks to Bret Wilson. Some of you may remember that I mentioned him a long time ago in a galaxy far far away in a February blog. I found his very inspirational story on the TNT website. I was so moved by him and what he was able to accomplish in honor of his daughter that I included it in my blog. As it turns out Bret Wilson came across my blog, and to make a long story short, he made a very generous contribution to my fundraising. Bret currently is training for one Olympic distance (what I'm doing), two half Iron-man and one full Iron Man. I look forward to getting updates from him on his progress and how he does in each event. Wow.

You may have noticed that its been a while since I've blogged. Between work and life I felt that I didn't have much to blog about. I was also feeling a bit down on myself for not training hard enough and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. I suppose those feelings couldn't have come at a better time. I am on vacation and have been since last Saturday. Today Molly and I had our first run together in over a week. Since we changed our training schedule we were working out less together. I've realized how much I really need her support, guidance and partnership in all of this. Thankfully she feels the same way. So, we'll be training together more... like we used to, and this makes me very happy.

I swam for the first time in ages last week. My shoulder was sore and I didn't swim as hard as I wanted to, but it was so great to be in the water... so great. I'm feeling rejuvenated and pumped, something I've really needed to feel.

Tomorrow Molly and I are doing our first big brick. A brick is when you bike then run back to back. We'll do a 35 mile +/- ride and then a 3 mile run. I'm really looking forward to it! I know that she's anxious because it will be her first ride on her new snazzy bike and her first time riding with clipless peddles... she'll do great, and she'll love them, I just know it.

June is going to be a great month.

Patience Daniel Son

I can start swimming again next week! I saw my physical therapist this morning, and while I have to continue with my exercises, I was given permission to swim again. I am so happy I could cry. Dying to get back in the pool is an understatement. I love, love, love to swim and it has totally sucked not be able to. I'll have to start off slow so that I don't bust myself up some more, but it will be wonderful. So wonderful.

I'm heading to Chicago this weekend to stay with family and tool around the city. I'll go on a couple of runs while I'm there and will certainly map them out and post them. We'll see how different it is to run there vs. Minneapolis.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Riding Sideways

For those of you who live in the Twin Cities you'll remember how windy it was yesterday. I remember looking out my window at work to see debris flying around, the classic view of the plastic bag dancing as its blown around in the air. It was a good ride, I'm guess in about 14 miles or so. From my place down around Lake Harriet and back, it was really nice. Because it was so windy out there were a lot less people on the paths. At one point I swear I was riding sideways though.

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it. I couldn't live in a better city for the type of training that I'm doing. I step outside my door and I have the most beautiful lakes and trails to use for my training. These trails are paved, well kept, and there are always other people using them. I am careful and pay attention to my surrounds, but its incredibly safe. I did a 14 mile ride last night and the only time I came into contact with traffic was to cross an intersection, other than that it was all trail. People ask why on earth would I live in Minnesota, as if someone is holding a gun to my head to be here. I love it here. There is no other place like it.

Roller Blade Championships Here I Come!

Well, not really. But last night's roller blading adventure was far more successful than the last attempt. Not only did we go twice as far, but no one fell. In my book, that makes it successful. Pete was brave enough to join me and we managed not to kill each other, it was really quite wonderful. The route that we took was along Minnehaha Creek, south of downtown. Two whole miles. Phew! I thought it was a great workout.

Nine Weeks Left!

There are nine weeks left before I compete in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon. As many of you know I'm doing this with Team In Training for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My cousin Maggie's husband, Jay, has non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. I am competing in this event in his honor. I know that the money I've raised will go toward helping people like him and to help LLS find a cure. What does that mean? To learn more about this and other blood cancers please visit the LLS website.

A mixed bag weekend

First of all, it is definitely spring. The tulips are FINALLY coming up and the lilac bushes/trees are exploding. Its just wonderful. I was only able to work out with Molly for a little bit on Saturday and I was alone on Sunday. I survived, but it wasn't the same. I love having my weekend workouts with her.

After my Saturday run I made the difficult decision to bring donuts to a friend's garage sale. It was a tough choice. Fresh donuts from The Baker's Wife Bakery on 28th & 42nd Ave are just about the best in the city. I chose a dozen cinnamon and sugar. And I bought a great little chair from Diane. Amy's kids where happily selling lemonade to passersby. I think they made a killing on that lemonade.

Oh wait, sorry back to the workout journal. Um, after donuts.... right.

Sunday I decided to do my favorite loop around Lake Nokomis - the one that's just over four miles. The interesting thing was that this time I wore a heart monitor, I had to make some serious adjustments to my running, I was flying over my anerobic threshold way more than expected. It was a great run non the less. I did my abs and strength when I got home and was done early enough to enjoy Mother's Day with my mum.

Don't fix it if it ain't broke

I went to that favorite spin class of mine last night. I haven't been in a while. I was supposed to go last week, but Molly and I ended up riding outside. It felt like ages since I'd been there. The instructor turns down the lights, cranks the music, and while there are some fans blowing it gets hotter than the hinges of hell in there. I sweat my ass off and its great.

I really pushed it last night, and have been trying to push a little harder. I keep reminding myself of these tri-distances. Its one thing to go for a 10k run, but after biking 25K and swimming nearly a mile, I'm so nervous. People keep saying "don't worry, you'll be fine". Well what do they know? Grant it these are people that have competed in triathlons before, but still... what do they know? My TNT Mentor Paul thinks that it would be smart to do a sprint distance triathlon before the big event. Molly and I are planning to do a mock-sprint on our own for sure, but another event? I think I might die. First, the expense of all of this is just about killing me. Every little bit adds up and competing in another event costs money. TNT is covering our event registration costs for the Life Time Fitness event, which I think the entrance is normally $125 or something. These things aren't cheap and with all of the gear and whatnot, doing another event, unless its a 5k just isn't going to happen. I'm fine with that.

Tonight is my rest night, which will likely mean a glass of wine and nachos or something. Tomorrow morning Molly and I are doing the six-mile loop around the river again. I'm really looking forward to that.

Have a great weekend everyone! And Happy Mother's Day.

Roller blading is for sissies.

Just kidding! Holy cow. Took the roller blades out for a spin last night. I thought that it would be totally reasonable to ride from my house down around Lake Nokomis. Yeah, no. Pete was brave and strapped his roller blades on too and the two of us headed out. We must have looked semi-special as we tried to maneuver the sidewalks around the Lake Hiawatha park down to the bike path. We couldn't skate next to each other because we were both all over the place, so I let him go ahead of me.

Then the question came up: Do we roller blade on the walking path or the bike path? My thought was that because the roller blades have wheels we belonged on the bike path; I'll have to look that one up. In any case, my ass is killing me today. Anyone looking for a good workout for their hiney should try roller blading.

I wasn't so confident in my ability to stop, and since the paths are pretty hilly I found myself scooting off to the grass to slow down. Seriously, people must have thought we were let out from a group home or something. We found a parking lot just north of Lake Nokomis and skated in circles there. I thought I would be slick and try doing a sideways stop, the way ice skaters do it (Pete's suggestion), and totally bit it. There is a reason for wearing elbow, wrist and knee pads. Although another reason I probably looked a bit gifted was that I could only find one of my wrist pads, so I only had one on.

Between all of the padding, arms flailing about and skating into the grass its a wonder we ever made it back to my place. We ended up going about a mile from what I could tell from the map and boy, did I feel it. To think that when we left the house I was so certain we'd make it four miles down and around the lake.... some other time perhaps.

Who Rocks?

Congratulations Jennifer!

Our records indicate that you have met the participant goal set on your fundraising page for your event, Life Time Fitness Triathlon which will be held on Jul 11, 2009.

To date, you have raised $2,225.00.

We know that you set your sights high and went the extra mile to raise funds to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s mission. We thank you.

In these tough economic times, charity could not be more important. Your determined fundraising will allow us to invest in our critical mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Thank you again for accelerating our lifesaving efforts.

Sincerely,

John Walter
President & CEO
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

A good nights run

Yesterday was a great start to the week. Pete and I for a run on the trails near my house. I love these trails. All around Lake Hiawatha and Nokomis to the south west and then more trails to the south east. It was the first day that it felt really warm out, 71-degrees, and the first day that I was really starting to feel better (not the swine flu). I know, for all you people living in the south, 71-degrees doesn't mean much - but remember that only a couple of months ago it was 0 here. In any case, it was beautiful.

Tonight I'm looking forward to going roller blading and then a nice long run, as long as the rain holds out otherwise it will just be a much longer run.

The amazing thing for me is that it wasn't that long ago that running was nearly impossible. Before I did the Iron Girl back in '06 (still Marie's fault) I had never run before, well unless it was for soccer or field hockey. When I would try to run I would get a half block from my house and die. Keeling over, panting, gasping for air. And now if anything, my legs get tired before run out of breath. How did I manage to do this? I took a class. That's right, I took a Learn-to-Run class from The Running Room. The class taught me everything from how to breath to posture, how to plant my foot, how to hold my arms, everything. And by the end of the class I ran my first 5K race in under 35 minutes. I was so proud of myself. Everything I learned from that class I still use today. When I'm on a big run, swearing at Molly, calling her a b*tch for making me do this, I remember what I learned. I stop (not literally) and remind myself to pay attention to my breathing, posture, everything and suddenly I'm running stronger. Since then I've convinced several other people to take this Learn-To-Run class, people who like me, have never really been runners. Its pretty cool. The people in the class with me were all shapes and sizes and all levels of fitness.

One of the greatest things that I learned from that and training for the Iron Girl with Marie was just how important a good support system is. My support system includes Molly, who I train with, Pete who reminds me that I'm a hell of a lot stronger than I think I am, but also all of my friends and family that ask how its going, all of the people that show an interest in my progress and let me complain about the struggles. I need their support and I will continue to need it.

Successful Party!

Saturday, Molly and I held a fundraising party that was a huge success. It was so much fun and really wonderful to see everyone. Luckily we had beautiful weather, despite a little wind.

This week my regular kick-ass-curse-the-world training is back on track. I'm feeling so much better after a week of being sick, and no, its wasn't the swine flu. Between being sick and not being able to use my shoulder for a couple more weeks I was feeling pretty down. But now, feeling a bit better, I'm ready to take on the world! Tonight I'm going to run (instead of swim). The weather is just beautiful and perfect for it.

Over the last few days I've had the pleasure of several people telling me what motivates them. Some get motivated by watching sports, others by just seeing someone outside on a bike. I would love it if people reading my blog would tell me what motivates you!

Happy Monday.