off season

I guess when I have no racewalking to write about, I just don't post as much. Or maybe it's the general chaos of life lately. 3 colds in 4 weeks, plus working extra over the last couple of weeks has added up. Oh yeah, and helping my parents with stuff at their house.

Add in a fun-filled Saturday-Sunday (thanks to my parents watching our kids!) and I've been lame about blogging. So, I'll catch you up a bit.

***

Our weekend: dropped the kids off at my parents' house at noon on Saturday. We went to the football game (Utah-SDSU) at 2 pm, and had a great time. The game was a blowout, and the Utes won 38-7; it could have been more exciting, but it's always fun to see your team win. It was chilly but sunny on and off, and the weather was really pretty nice for late November.

After the game we had a very good meal at Market Street Broiler, and then went to see the movie 2012 at the theater. We rarely see movies in theaters, so this was a treat. OK, the movie had a lousy plot with holes large enough to drive a truck through, plus some seriously bad acting, but the special effects were great. For some weird reason I enjoy end-of-the-world movies and/or books. I guess I'm interested in seeing how different writers envision the possibilities.

***

Exercise: I was too ill to work out last Sunday-Tuesday, but since then I've been exercising regularly and well. Stationary bike, elliptical, weight training. No swimming this week - just not in the mood. I'm more than halfway through my rest period from racewalking. I still miss it like crazy.

Speaking of racewalking, it sounds like they will indeed be holding the 20K in Huntington Beach, CA, on March 14th. I'm planning to treat myself to that race for my 40th birthday. In a few weeks the racewalking committee is meeting to decide which race will be the 20K National Championships, and it sounds likely that that will be the race. I'm excited!

***

Food: Um, yeah. Not a good food week. In fact, maybe the worst since joining WW 5 years ago. Well, maybe not the worst, but it was ugly. I actually gained 4.8 lb in one week. Obviously some of that (most!) is probably water, because I know I did NOT eat 17000+ extra calories last week. Still, a bit disconcerting.

What I learned: 1) When you fall down, pick yourself up and keep going. Saturday, Sunday, and today have been good food days. 2) I felt lousy last week while eating so poorly. Out-of-control, grumpy, and depressed. Hmmm, guess what? Remember why I joined WW? Yeah, I was really unhappy. Overeating really does make my life worse. Oh yeah! I remember that now! It was a very good reminder of why I want to eat well and treat myself right. 3) My lifestyle is changed now, and it was uncomfortable to go back to my old ways. I'm not the person I was before!

***

Sleep: Not so good last week. I have been doing better in general, but the last week wasn't good. Hmmm, maybe my bad eating has something to do with that? Yeah, probably. So, I am going to bed NOW. Good night!

adorable

 
Good thing they are adorable, with how much trouble they are ;)!

Last roses of the season

 
These were the last roses of the season from my rosebushes. No more until next year :(.

Certificate of Analysis fail

 
Inspired by the Fail Blog. I received this in a package of hydrogen peroxide from Sigma the other day. It was good for some serious and much-needed laughs!

Catching up

Haven't posted in almost a week. I was sick Monday & Tuesday and that threw me off a bit, and spent the rest of the week catching up. Then I had to work Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, so it was busy, too.

Partly I think it's that I usually write about racewalking on here, and when there's no racewalking, I don't think it's going to be that interesting. But for the racewalkers that read this, I know that some of you will be injured some of the time and might find it useful. Or not. But in any case, I should continue to write. My apologies!

So, Monday & Tuesday I didn't work out. Monday I was too ill to do much at all. Tuesday I did drag myself to work and managed to get in a full day, but that was all I could do.

Wednesday I worked out again, and it felt great to be back! 30 min stationary bike, 30 min elliptical trainer, and then weight training class. I was going to stay off the elliptical for one full month, but just have gotten way too bored with only the bike and swimming.

Thursday I did 30 min bike & 30 min elliptical before work.

Friday I intended to go to weight training, but then realized I'd have to take the kids to my parents before work (my mom is now watching them every other Friday so I can work), and it's a long drive. Long enough that I'd be late if I did weight training, so I skipped it and did 40 min bike and 25 min elliptical.

This is getting repetitive! Stationary bike, elliptical, ad nauseum. So, Saturday morning I did the same "triathlon" I did last week: 25 min each of swimming, bike, and elliptical. The pool seems to be somewhat less chlorine-y than it was last week, which is an improvement.

After I worked out on Saturday, it was off to Weight Watchers. I weighed in at 144.4, the lowest at WW in quite some time (2 yr? I'd have to look to know.). I had a pretty good food week, so I was pleased. Though I don't know that I really need to be any thinner at the moment. The receptionist who weighed me in was wondering if I really wanted to lose. I thought about that and decided maybe not... so I made up for it by eating an excessive amount of cookies this weekend :). We attended my boss' 40th b-day party last night, and everyone brought him cookies. I made three different kinds, because I like to bake, and well, yeah, I ate a lot of them, between yesterday & today.

Actually, I do need to be careful. Don't want to start any bad habits. So it's back on the wagon tomorrow.

This morning I woke up with YET ANOTHER COLD. What IS it with this? I got a lot of sleep this week, because my friend Sarah and I are challenging each other to get more sleep. I guess that despite working out and sleeping and eating well most of the week, I managed to pick up another stupid virus. Annoying! This one is just nasty head congestion and fatigue, so I am taking a rest day and eating more cookies today :). I got in a good nap and am sitting here with the family (at my parents' house) watching football, after putting a pot of split pea soup on the stove for dinner. It snowed here yesterday, and the soup seemed just right. Anyway, I'm going to get off the computer and enjoy the time :).

Emigration Canyon ride

Yesterday I biked up Emigration Canyon with my friend Dorothy and her friend Marina. I'd heard a lot about Marina since she bikes regularly with Dorothy but had never met her, so it was a pleasure. I started from my house and biked to meet them at the entrance to the canyon. I was running late, because right before I left, my parents' dog (we're watching her while they are out of town) had diarrhea all over our bedroom carpet. Grrrrrrr (in fact, she also did this in the middle of the night Saturday and last night too; she's now banished outside until we figure it out). Anyway, after cleaning up after the dog, I had to really rush, and managed to bike the 3.3 miles (600 ft uphill, from 4300 to 4900 or so) in just 18 minutes.

Then we enjoyed a leisurely ride up the canyon. This was Dorothy's first time biking all the way to the top since her surgery, so we didn't want to push too hard. She did great, though! The top is just shy of 6300 feet, and it's about 7.5 miles. When I got to the top, my Garmin said 10.87 miles, not including a bit at the start that I lost due to my haste in leaving my house (couldn't wait for the satellites to be located before I started). It took us a total of 1 hr 23 min to get to the top (from my house, so about 1 hr 5 min from the canyon bottom). That's about 10 min slower than Dorothy normally goes, which is impressive for her recovery! Not to mention the fact that she had a chemo treatment on Thursday.

It was a nice warm day in the valley; about mid-50s and sunny. I wore running tights (I don't own biking tights, only biking shorts) & a long sleeve shirt. I carried gloves and a jacket for the way down. Well, I got cold. It was quite chilly at the top of the canyon and my hands were cold because I didn't put my gloves on until I got to the top. Still, the jacket plus gloves were not quite enough. By the time we got down to the bottom of the canyon, 25 minutes later, my hands and feet were numb. I was a bit worried I wouldn't be able to keep holding on to the handlebars! All three of us were frozen, but it was still fun. Next time I'm going to dress MUCH warmer, though! I'm still not used to how many layers you have to wear biking vs. racewalking.

Dorothy gave me a ride home, because I was so cold I didn't want to do the easy downhill 3 miles to my house. Totals: 18.39 miles, 1 hr 52 min, about 2000 ft of elevation gain. Speed: 9.8 mph average, 22.9 max (could have gone faster on the way down, but too cold!!!). Garmin says 1119 calories burned :). Summary: A great time was had by all, despite the chill, which was ameliorated by a hot shower.

***

Today is a rest day because I am not feeling well. I think I have some virus; I was feverish in the night, and had a sore throat last night as well as some GI upset last night and this morning. The kids have Kindermusik this morning, but we're not going to make it, sadly. I am wondering how to muster energy to do the grocery shopping. I think I may e-mail Loren a list and have him go on the way home from work or something.

a "triathlon" and a WW meeting

I'm getting bored with my workouts since I can't racewalk. So this morning I decided to do something novel: 25 min swim, 25 min stationary bike, and 25 min on the elliptical. I was going to go a whole month w/o the elliptical to rest my foot thoroughly, but 1) my doc said it was OK, and 2) I'm getting really bored, and 3) I figured I'd just see if my foot felt OK doing it.

The pool was recently drained and refilled, and the chlorine levels are, well, probably astronomical. Both times I've swum this week, I've had a lot of irritation of my nasal passages. Bummer.

This morning I shared a lane with a very fast female swimmer. Beat the heck out of sharing the lane with the guy I shared with on Thursday. He was a bit faster than me (not that it matters when you're just splitting it), but the problem was that he was a very violent swimmer. Every time he went by me, large waves splashed over my head. I guess it was good prep in case I ever do a real triathlon. However, it was still annoying. Anyway, the woman in my lane today was smooth and very fast. I really ought to get a few lessons so I can get faster. I'm too competitive to let it go and just do my slow thing!

I did 23 laps in 25 minutes, for 1150 yds total (1051 meters). Then I dashed into the locker room and threw on my biking shorts and other gear as fast as I could, and went upstairs and hopped on the bike.

I saw a couple gym friends (I met them at the gym in the last month) there, Jill and Chuck (both female). I got on the bike next to them and had some good conversation to distract me from the evilness of the stationary bike. After 25 min, I switched to the elliptical just behind them, and it was a bit harder to talk but we still did for a bit. I also read a bit of my book.

The workout passed really quickly (even the swimming part!), and I would definitely do that one again.

After I was done, I got a quick shower and went to my Weight Watchers meeting. I used to go on Saturday mornings before I coached for TNT, and I think I'm going back to that. My friend Dorothy (the friend I like to bike with, who was recently diagnosed with cancer) attends that meeting, and I enjoy getting to see her more often. Besides, there is something comforting about going to the meeting I went to for the first few years of Weight Watchers.

Dorothy was getting her LIFETIME membership today, and so I really wanted to be there. She lost 55 lb over 3 years, and she looks really great. She is the picture of health and you'd never know she has stage IV cancer. Even while undergoing chemo, she is out there biking. In fact, we made plans to bike tomorrow afternoon. Amazing.

Lifetime membership is achieved when you reach your goal weight and maintain it for 6 weeks (within 2 lb of goal). Then you no longer have to pay for meetings, as long as you attend once a month (minimum) and weigh in within 2 lb of your goal. As of Thanksgiving weekend, I'll have been a lifetime member for 3 years. Wow. I joined WW on 2/5/05, and it's almost been 5 years since my life has turned around for the better. It's been great - the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Speaking of weight, I weighed in at 145.8 this morning. Not bad. I have a lot of food challenges in the upcoming week. I'm thinking about my goals for the holiday season. I want to set up a realistic series of goals, with a good reward that will be worth striving for. Input is welcome.

This is what I'm thinking of ---
1) a weight goal; i.e. stay under 148 lb at my Saturday morning weigh-ins (remember, I said REALISTIC, and if I gain 2 lb during the holidays that's probably normal, and not too hard to take off later).
2) a sleep goal. I'm not good at these so not sure I should set one, but I need more sleep and need to get motivated to get to bed earlier.
3) a relaxation goal. Something along the lines of a certain amount of time reading, doing hobbies, playing music, taking a hot bath, etc.

Please give me feedback and/or input, even if you don't usually comment. I want to be fit and feeling good on January 1st. This is a seriously do-able proposition!!!

swimming

Went swimming this morning. After yesterday's bike ride and today's planned bike ride (this afternoon with my friend Dorothy), I thought stationary bike would be overkill.

So I suited up and hit the pool at Steiner Aquatic Center. The indoor pool is newly refurbished; they had drained it and repaired it. Not sure what they did, because it LOOKS the same. They must be having some trouble with the chlorine/chemicals, because my nose has been irritated ever since my swim this morning. Grrrr!

I started off with 10 laps freestyle (1 lap = 50 yd) and then got bored. I did 2 laps of breaststroke and then 8 laps freestyle. That was still too much freestyle in a row, so for the rest of the workout I alternated 1 lap breaststroke and 4 laps freestyle, which worked out pretty well. One guy who shared the lane with me for a while was a very vigorous swimmer, and every time he passed me he generated waves which swamped me; I breathed in a fair amount of water :(. Other than that, and the usual boredom, it was fine. I checked my heart rate a few times and it was around 140-150 each time. I do have a hard time judging intensity in the pool, so was pleased that I was able to keep my HR in the right zone most of the time.

I did a total of 55 laps, or 2750 yd. That's 1.56 miles, or 2.5 km. It took me about an hour to finish my workout.

Outdoors again!

This morning I did my usual weight training, with a really killer ab set. Felt good. Then I went home and managed 22 min on the bike trainer with the kids watching Super Why on TV.

This afternoon, I had an orthotics appt at 1:30 pm. Mike Epperson of Wasatch Orthotics is awesome, if you are in the area and need someone. He was right on time for the appt, and filed down my left orthotic to ease the rubbing on the top of my foot. He has no idea why my L foot is different and rubs, but whatever... who knows? I was out of there in 15 min, and so I had time for a bike ride --- OUTSIDE!

I'd left the kids at my parents' house during my appt, and I had conveniently thought ahead to bring my bike and my gear in case I had time for a ride. So I hopped on my bike and biked up, up, and up some more. From my parents' house at 4700 feet elevation (more or less), I biked up to about 6100 feet. I discovered that it's not a long ride from their house to the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon; I think it took me about 25 min to get there. I rode up the canyon for 20 min, turning around at 45 min elapsed. It was warm in the valley but I did get pretty cold biking down (I wore shorts and T-shirt because it was in the 60s); the canyon was cold enough that I could see my breath at 6100 feet. Total time of my ride: 1 hr 4 min. Distance: 11.8 miles.

The photo is from my ride, before I entered the canyon.

Tomorrow I'm planning a ride with my friend Dorothy :). I think we might do City Creek Canyon. We're lucky to live somewhere with such amazing scenery!

Portland marathon video from Leah

I have a little cameo at the beginning and at the end :). This is a great video of the race by my friend Leah, who finished in about 6:23. She and my friend Beth did the Galloway run/walk method. This was Leah's 2nd marathon. Anyway, you can see what a fun course it was.

getting through it

I'm just working on getting through 6 more weeks of no racewalking. It's hard, because the weather is lovely this week here, and I just want to be out in it. After my last incident on my bike outside, getting stuck 4 miles from home w/a flat, I'm not into biking outside w/o a friend. I'm planning on a Saturday ride up Millcreek Canyon with my friend Dorothy; however, until then it's the stationary bike. I managed an hour on the thing this morning, made bearable by reading the rest of my Michael Connelly thriller. The book was just OK, but it kept me going. I probably should do some swimming to mix things up, but I'm enjoying the reading time if not the bike itself.

This could be a really bad food time for me, but so far, I have maintained vigilance. I was at 144.8 lbs this morning, which is my racing weight. I want to keep it there! And I can! And I will! Not easy, like I said, but worth the effort.