NYC, part 4

This is the last part, I promise! :)

After the TODAY Show appearance, we went back to our hotel, checked out, and had them store our bags for us since the car was coming to pick us up at 5 pm, and it was only noon.

Then we walked over to Rockefeller Center again. Loren took me back to Swarovski (the jewelry store) and bought me a beautiful crystal necklace & earrings, for an early Valentine's Day present as well as a memento of our trip to NYC. I am humbled sometimes by what a sweet husband I have!



Then we decided to wander around 5th Avenue for a while, checking out the sights. It was SO bitterly cold outside - it was only in the 20s, but extremely windy. I'm sure the wind chill was zero or below. The good news was that there were lots of stores to duck into when we got cold. We went in Nike, Tiffany's ($30,000 earrings anyone?), Lindt Chocolates, the Gap, and others. We spent a good deal of time in FAO Schwartz, drooling over all the toys that it would be fun to get for the kids. We didn't really buy anything except for a few chocolates, though. We also walked a bit in Central Park so that Loren could see it, and we had a tasty lunch at a small cafe. We finally walked back to our hotel, and had coffee and tea at the coffee shop nextdoor before the car arrived to take us to the airport.

The flight home was pretty uneventful. We left about an hour late, but they managed to make up the time (they totally pad the schedules!). We flew over Toronto, which was fun --- I waved at Sarah as we went over and took a few pictures for her and for Allan. Can you recognize anything, Sarah & Allan?

New York City, part 3

I'm really tired and my cold is horrible, so am I in bed? NO, I'm here blogging the rest of my story :).

While I was getting hair & makeup done, the producer came and talked to me and gave me some last minute instructions and told me what we would probably talk about (there was no script, but a general outline of things we'd cover, including how it feels to be thin, the turning point, describing people's reactions to the "new" me, etc.). However, there were a few surprises, including the apricot Jell-O. I had NO idea they would do that and I thought it was great (if you don't know what I'm referring to, watch the video and you'll know).

Then I got to meet Joy Bauer, and we just discussed a few things before the show. She was very reassuring and wonderful to me. She is quite knowledgeable about nutrition - it's not just some PR thing she does. We had a good conversation about the latest research on artificial sweeteners, and we agreed that they are a great tool when used wisely. She is also just as tiny as she appears on TV. I felt like amazon woman next to her!



Pretty soon it was time to go up to the set, and they walked me around it to tell me where to stand when I walked in, etc. It wasn't too complicated, and I had fun looking around the set and checking out the large TV cameras in the room.




Before I knew it, they were running my "before" pictures and then they told me to walk in to the set. The next few minutes passed so quickly, and though I was nervous, the only way I knew it was that my right leg was shaking during the whole interview (though not enough to be visible, I don't think). I totally LOVED how they got a shot of how much Loren was grinning at me. He has been such a tremendous support!



I felt good about how it went, but wasn't really sure until I saw the video when I got home last night and realized that it did in fact go very well. What a relief! It was so fun seeing Hoda Kotb (the host) get so excited about how great I look now, and it was a privilege to have the chance to address so many people and give them some encouragment and inspiration. I just hope some of them take some advice from the show and are able to become healthier as a result.

OK... that's it for now because I have to get some sleep. I have more to post, but it will have to wait until tomorrow.

New York City, part 2

Got up early on Monday to work out, because the TODAY Show producer was coming to our hotel at 8 am. So because it was still dark and it was VERY cold, I did 30 min on the treadmill (racewalking, easy) and 30 min on the elliptical. Then I showered, had some breakfast, and Loren and I walked over to the NBC studios, a short 5 min walk (the producer called and asked us to walk over and she'd meet us there, because it was so cold).

We walked inside and down the stairs to the "groom room". There were 5 or 6 stations for hair & makeup, and 3 dressing rooms. They had some couches to relax on, and lots of food, but I wasn't hungry - too nervous & excited. The COOLEST thing happened when we walked in - one of the makeup artists said, "Oh, are you one of the fitness models?". That was a GREAT moment. I never thought in my life that I would ever be mistaken for a fitness model.

So first they did my hair. The hairdresser was very complimentary, saying I had nice hair w/good texture. He said I had a lot of hair, too - I wanted it up to show my shoulders better, and he tried to put it in a French Twist but there was no way it was going to stay. So he opted for a classy ponytail look with hair wrapped around 2 ponytails in the back. He said I had more hair in the TOP ponytail than many people have on their whole head! It was fun to be complimented so much :).



The makeup artist got started then, and she did a great job. I hope I can remember some of the things I saw her do, because I'd love to have my makeup look like that all the time. She did have to shake her head at my horribly bushy eyebrows that have no shape. She plucked and shaved but said she didn't have enough time to make them perfect. They do look better, though.



Pretty soon I was all dressed & ready for the show!



I'm going to have to blog more later because I really DO have to get ready for work now :)! Don't worry, I'll finish the story as I get time.

Amazing weekend

This has been such an amazing weekend!!!

Yesterday we boarded the plane in SLC at 6 am, and flew to Minneapolis, where it was cold (21F) and snowing and windy. We changed planes and were 30 min late leaving because the plane had to be de-iced, which was quite interesting. I have traveled by plane a fair amount but had never seen that before.

We arrived in New York La Guardia at 2:30 pm, and there was a driver waiting with a sign that said "Welcome, Tammy Stevenson". He escorted us out to the car, a black Lincoln Town Car, and drove us in to Manhattan. Notable on the way - a very large cemetary in Queens - you'd think the real estate would be too $$$ to have a cemetary like that, but there it was, next to the freeway. We got to our hotel and checked in to the small but well-appointed room, and I immediately changed clothes and went out for a 1 hr racewalk in Central Park. It was SO much fun - went by the ice rink in the SE corner, saw lots of horse-drawn carriages for hire, and of course lots of joggers, dogs, and people. Central Park is SO big - it is absolutely enormous, and it's beautiful too. Loved it!

For dinner we went to a little Italian joint called "Pietro's" that had kind of a "mafia-feel", as the person who recommended it to us described it. The food was pretty good homestyle Italian, something you'd imagine that someone's Italian grandmother might cook for you. All the waiters spoke Italian amongst themselves, and many of the customers were clearly regulars.

After dinner we walked to the Metropolitan Opera. We should have taken the subway. It was a long walk (1 hr, fine by me) and Loren's feet hurt a lot when we got there. We did make it just in time, as we got there about 20 min before the curtain, and had to get our tickets from will call. The opera itself (Manon Lescaut by Puccini) was incredible. The sets were truly magnificent - in the first act, they actually brought a horse-drawn carriage on the stage, pulled by 2 large white draft horses. No kidding. The second act is in a palatial residence in Paris, and the set was so ornate and lavish. The singing surpassed the sets, however, and it was a feast for our ears.

We returned to our hotel via the subway, as it was raining steadily, and crashed hard after our long day.

This morning I awoke at 7:15 am and went for a racewalk in Central Park, first thing. I decided to go for a long walk and walked all the way around the whole park. I'm not sure how far it is (I think maybe 6.2 miles - 10k, plus the distance to and from the park from our hotel, so probably 7-7.5 miles total) but it took me 1 hr 20 min. I stopped at a small grocery on the way back and picked up some fresh fruit and muffins for breakfast.

After breakfast, we packed our suitcases (had to change rooms, because we were in the NBC lease room last night and had to move to a different room for tonight, though we still get the NBC room rate) and set out to tour Rockefeller Center. We browsed the Museum of Modern Art gift shop, and then the concourse by the famous ice rink. We spent a long time in a store that had beautiful crystals & jewelry - Loren loves gems, so we had a great time looking in there. Then we decided to take the elevator to the top of Rockefeller Center to check out the views of the city. The sun had come out after the rains of last night, and the view was totally spectacular. It was VERY cold and windy, but we could see the views from inside or outside, so we did some of both.

About 1:45 pm we walked over to Times Square and grabbed a quick lunch at Roxy's deli. That was great - the sandwich (we split one) had a whole pound of turkey on it! I took some off of my half for Loren, and still had plenty. I had a few fries, too, which were great, and the meal came with deli pickles & coleslaw, too.

Our Broadway play ("The Farnsworth Invention") began at 3 pm, and we arrived about 2:40 and picked up our tickets. The play was incredibly well-written (Aaron Sorkin, "The West Wing") and well-acted, and both of us were enthralled, but especially Loren. I think he'd love to see plays like that all the time.

Then dinner at "Bar Americain", where Bobby Flay of the Food Network is the executive chef. Too amazing for words - Loren had Lamb Porterhouse and I had Skate with Chipotle chili sauce & capers. It was fabulous. Wish we could eat like that all the time.

Now we're back and I need some sleep for the big day tomorrow!

Knee is lots better

Today's workout felt amazing. It was just one of those workouts where you feel so good and so strong. I was just going to do an easy 40 minutes on the indoor track. I got up at 3:30 am to be at work from 4-6 am to take photos on the confocal microscope (this is the only time I could do it, since I don't have day care today, and really needed to get some work done), and I felt lousy. My experiment tanked, too, which didn't help matters. But I figured I could still do 40 min racewalking, even though I didn't much feel like it at that point.

I started off the first few laps easy, but then I felt good, and wanted to see how fast I could go, so I pushed a bit harder (paying close attention to my knee, which felt fine). I was doing well; the first mile was in about 10:30. I was able to keep the pace and did a total of 5.9km at 6:32/km. It wasn't an easy effort, but it wasn't all-out hard either. My heart rate was usually in the upper 150s (162 is my 85% max HR goal for tempo workouts) but I felt great - so strong, so smooth, and wonderfully relaxed. After the workout, I stretched, listening to Enya's Watermark on my iPod, and when I closed my eyes, I felt the fan blowing on me and imagined an ocean breeze somewhere. I swear I felt magically transported... ahhhh, endorphins. Needless to say, I am feeling de-stressed and back in perspective. I never knew before, when I was a couch potato, how much I'd love exercise!

Tuesday & Wednesday workouts

Tuesday
Morning: 30 min on the elliptical.
Evening: 10 min easy racewalking w/the club, then I did a few sprints on the 211m indoor track. Sprinted on the straights, and went easy on the corners. We probably did 7-8 laps this way, then an easy cool-down. My knee felt fine! Yeah! I will continue adding in a little more here and there as tolerated.

Wednesday
1 mile easy racewalking to warm up, then weight training.

Monday workout

Racewalked an easy 1.5 miles to warm up (15:44) and then lifted weights. My knee is still sore, so I avoided stuff that might aggravate it. It's feeling OK when I racewalk, though, which is what matters the most :) but I'm not going to do any fast workouts for at least another week. My walking club is going to meet tomorrow night, and I'm going to the workout, but I may not do everything the others do.

New career?

This morning I went over to our local NBC affiliate, KSL, to record the essay that will be the sound backdrop for my before pictures on the Today Show spot. Tom, the sound technician, showed me into the little room crammed with old equipment (looked like it was from the 70s or 80s, really!), film reels, and all sorts of odds and ends. I read my story into the big mic covered with gray foam. I read it three times, changing my inflections a little each time to give the producer some options to work with when she's editing. After I was done, Tom, who apparently had no idea what this was for (other than that the Today Show producer in NYC asked him to do this) asked me who I worked for, and if I was "in the business". I laughed, and told him no, that I was a molecular biologist. He said, "Oh, you have a REAL job!". Then he told me that my reading was really great, and that I was a dream to work with! He thought my inflections were wonderful and I had him fooled into thinking I was a correspondent or something. Ha! What a fun experience!

back to racewalking!

I did a very easy 3.75 miles (6k) this morning of racewalking. I went around SugarHouse Park, one of my favorite routes. It wasn't that cold at 33F (1C), but it was WINDY and starting to snow a little (another big storm headed our way... sigh). I bundled up with 2 shirts, my Wasatch Walkers jacket, and tights and nylon pants, and off I went. I stayed plenty warm and my time was about 41 minutes. My leg feels pretty good right now - it was great for most of the walk, though I did occasionally notice some soreness. Hopefully it won't feel worse in a few hours; I stretched a lot and will take some naprosyn just in case.

Shoe deal!

OK, so I had to get a new pair of shoes for the Today Show appearance :). Well, I didn't have to, but I wanted some closed-toed ones in case I decide to wear hose (I have a scar on my knee and it might make me self-conscious (thanks urban princess for the fashion tips). So, I went to Nordstrom Rack and they were having an amazing shoe sale - I got this pair of fancy Italian shoes for only $23! Could hardly do better at Payless, and these are real designer shoes.

Today Show update

So, we did find a babysitter (thank you, Sherry!!!) to watch our kids. Even better, she is taking piano lessons for her son in exchange for babysitting. Trading is always a nice thing, especially when it comes to taxes.

Also, they are going to fly us to NYC on Saturday instead of Sunday, and all we'll have to do is pay for the hotel for Saturday night! Yippeee! So we'll get to do a little sightseeing while we're there. We'll be gone early Saturday to late Monday. How fun is that?

It's been a busy couple of days. I spent about an hour on the phone with the producer the other day, getting interviewed about how it felt to be fat, in excruciating detail (y'know, it made me really glad to be thin now, remembering all that stuff), and talking about fitness & other stuff. I then spent about an hour writing an essay for the show, which I'll read as a voice-over above a slide show of "before" pictures/videos. This morning I was on the phone w/her several times again about the essay, travel plans, etc. Next I'm to speak with Joy Bauer, who is the Today Show's nutritionist. From watching some of the segments online, I expect that she will be talking to me in great detail about my before and after eating habits. They usually lay out typical food that you used to consume in a day, and compare it to what you do now. On Monday, I have to go downtown to KSL (our NBC affiliate station) and read the essay I wrote on tape for them to feed to NYC to the producer. Wow. It's really fun, but it is taking a lot of time. I'm so excited!

Here's a link to the website, so you can see what other participants' stories are like.

Easy & tasty recipe

Here's an EASY slow cooker recipe that involves no chopping. It's from my Weight Watchers Slow Good cookbook, and everyone in the family liked it. I wasn't sure we would, since it involves lots of canned stuff, but I added a couple ingredients and I like it a lot!

Fiesta Bean Burritos
Makes 8 servings (8 burritos)

1 x 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/jalapenos
1 x 15.5 oz can pinto beans, rinsed & drained (or black beans)
1 x 15.5 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 x 8.75 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 x 4 oz can diced green chiles
3 Tb burrito seasoning (I used Penzey's taco seasoning - yum!)
1 Tb Southwest seasoning (I used Penzey's)
8 whole wheat tortillas (add one point) or fat-free flour tortillas
1 c light sour cream

1. Remove 1/2 c liquid from the tomatoes; discard. Place tomatoes & remaining liquid, the pinto beans, kidney beans, corn, chiles, and seasonings in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker. Mix well. Cover and cook until flavors are blended, 3-4 hr on high or 6-8 hr on low.

2. Coarsely mash bean mixture w/potato masher or wooden spoon.

3. Heat tortillas according to pkg directions. Spoon 1/2 c bean mixture onto each warm tortilla. Top each w/2 Tb sour cream. Fold tortilla sides over and roll up to enclose the filling.

Per serving (1 burrito, w/fat-free tortillas): 207 Cal, 4 g fat, 2 g sat fat, 0 g trans fat, 12 mg chol, 804 mg sold, 35 g carb, 6 g fiber, 7 g protein, 66 mg calcium. 4 POINTS value. (5 POINTS if using wheat tortillas).

We added some fire-roasted salsa in ours, which was delicious and adds no points. You can also add some reduced fat cheddar cheese if you like. 1/4c is 2 points.

Yay! Elliptical!

I never thought I would be SO happy to be able to exercise, even if it's not racewalking. I did 40 min on the elliptical today and it went fine. Whew. My knee is still a bit sore, but it's definitely on the mend. I may not be able to do a hard workout for a week or two, but who cares? I just want to be able to get some exercise.

I confess that I did do 2 laps of the 211m indoor track racewalking, at a very slow pace (12:30-13:00/mile? maybe 7:30 or 8/km?) and it was fine. No pain. Yay! I am going to take it very easy though, so that I don't end up w/more problems.

Elliptical was OK

This morning I did 45 min on the elliptical, and it was all right! My knee was a little sore, but not any more or any less sore than before I did it. It felt SO good to get some cardio activity in. I really need it now that I do it all the time. Keeps my energy level up and helps me feel good. Funny how different that is from how I used to be! :)

***

In other news, if you are local we need your help. The Today Show said it will fly Loren to NYC with me! That is wonderful, but it means we need some people to watch the kids, house, and dogs while we are gone. We need help on February 9th-11th, so if you would be willing to do 24, 48, or 72 hours (with pay!!!) please e-mail me or call me.

Big news!

I'm going to be on the TODAY show! That's right, on February 11th I'm going to be featured on the Joy Fit Club, whose members have lost at least 100 lbs. The segment runs during the 4th hour of the show.

I don't watch much TV, but back in September I was canning pears from our tree and watching the noon news. At 1 pm, the TODAY show came on, and I left the TV on for some background entertainment while I was canning, since the kids were napping. They featured a woman who had lost 100+ lbs, and announced that others who had lost weight should go to the web site and apply to be on the show. So I wrote a 100-word essay about losing the weight, submitted a few pictures, and promptly forgot all about it.

In November, they called me and had me FedEx some old clothes and before and after pictures to them. I sent them, and thought they were going to use my story then. But they didn't, and I figured maybe they weren't going to. Until today... when I got another phone call, and they said they had chosen me for the show to air on February 11th. I'm going to do an interview next week here in SLC, and then on February 10th they will fly me to New York for the show on the 11th! It's so exciting!

I'm hoping I'll get to say at least a little bit about racewalking :)!

Resting

No workout today; resting the knee. Tried to sleep in this morning (well, until 6:45) but woke at 6:12 and couldn't get back to sleep. Oh well. I am resting the knee today... as much as work will allow. The drive in was simply horrible. What was with the snowplows yesterday? I mean, we didn't get THAT much snow, and the roads are still terrible this morning. Then the sidewalks were horrible here at the U, and my 0.5 mile walk from car to lab was NOT fun. I was slipping and sliding all over, and by the time I got in here, yup, you guessed it, my knee was hurting again. Not as bad as yesterday, but darn it, it was doing better until then.

Sorry if I'm sounding like a griping broken record. I guess I'm just fed up with life this week. I am going to try to have a better attitude today, because even though I don't feel like it, I know it will help.

On the bright side, I started reading Sara's YA novel "Sweethearts", and it's excellent. I'm only about halfway through, but it's really hard to put down. I was up a bit too late reading it, I must confess. I really identify with the main character in the story, as she has lost weight yet is struggling with old eating habits when new stresses come into her life. That's me, especially this week with the knee thing going on. I rely on my activity points to be able to eat enough to not feel deprived, and I'm really scared about what might happen when I don't have them. So far this week it's been a struggle. I'm staying within my points, but it's not easy. Anyway, like Jenna/Jennifer in "Sweethearts", I am wondering who I really am - the old me or the new me? I know I've changed a lot, but I still struggle with the food issues and probably always will. One thing I know for sure: I do not want to go back to who I was before. I was miserable, and the new me knows that it's worth it to put forth the effort to stay thin. Besides, my knee will get better soon hopefully in a week or two) and then I can get back to exercising. See, that's the new me talking - I want to exercise! Definite evidence of change, for which I'm really grateful.

Thanks, Sara, for your book.

Discouraged

Tried 15 min on the recumbent bike this morning, and by the end, my knee hurt. It was OK to start, and even though I tried to push harder w/my other leg, it was not enough.

Then I went to weight training class. I did arms, chest, back, and calf raises (straight knee is fine - no pain). So far so good. Then we did abs, and did crunches on the ball. Big mistake. You use your legs to stabilize - did not realize how much until I tweaked my knee again.

It's not any better after walking 0.5 mile from the parking lot to where I work. I've been trying to sit, though with my job, that can be hard. I do need to be up and down a lot. However, sitting seems to make it worse in some ways. Regardless, it's feeling pretty awful right now and I sure as heck wish I had my heating pad (that helped a lot yesterday).

To top it off, we're getting a huge snowstorm right now that's going to make the evening commute a total nightmare.

Oh, and I think I lost my DNA pellet again. I'm making fragment for in vitro transcription and for some reason the DNA is not precipitating well. I probably need to do more PCR reactions so I have more to start with. It's not a good day.

hurt

Darn it. I felt totally FINE on my walk yesterday, and fine afterwards. Last night, however, walking around the outdoor mall w/Loren, I had pretty severe pain in my right knee. I have NO idea how I did it, other than that I felt a slight twinge in it Friday morning doing one particular exercise in weight training. Didn't have any other problems Friday or Saturday until Saturday night.

This morning I woke up feeling decent, knee-wise, so decided to try a short walk. I got about 9 minutes out from my house and it really started to hurt. So I turned around and slowly walked back. After a bit, I tried a little running, wondering if that would help. It was a little better than the walking, so I ran most of the way home, but it still hurt.

It's so weird because I have no idea how I did it, really. The good news is that it does seem muscular in nature. I think some rest and anti-inflammatories might do the trick. Meanwhile, for exercise, I will have to see what I can do. I might try the stationary bike (my friend Dorothy who has knee problems swears by biking) or swimming.

How frustrating!!!

***

In other news, I did pick up a copy of Sara's new book last night. I can't make it to her party at The King's English, so I'll have to have her sign it for me another time.

While we were at the Gateway last night, we also wandered into Sur La Table, to spend the gift card that MIL got me for Christmas. That was really fun! I picked out a new garlic press with a removable plate for cleaning, a new colander (mine is a cheap plastic one from Taiwan (literally from Taiwan from 20 years ago when my parents lived there) and it's on its last legs), and a funnel for canning. It was great to get some useful items for cooking.

Mystery yellow

The other day I got Calvin up from his nap and he showed me a yellow crusty hand, saying "Mommy it's yellow". I was mystified until I saw the M'n'M, mostly denuded of its candy coating, sitting next to him in his bed. He actually fell asleep with the candy IN HIS HAND. Amazing. How you could NOT eat it right away is just beyond me!!! I guess that's why I had the weight problem and he's a skinny little guy :).

Stitches

Here they are, in all their blue beauty. Poor little guy! Doesn't seem to be bothering him at all today, though.

Saturday easy 60

I racewalked an easy 60 minutes this morning. I went to Liberty Park, did 2 loops, and came home. Nothing too remarkable. I took it really easy, because I was tired and grumpy, but hey, I did the workout. Felt better afterwards, too. It was warmer this morning (upper 20s) and is actually really warm now (49?!?! but the thermometer is in the sun a bit so it's probably not that warm) because a big ol' storm is moving in tomorrow. Ugh.

WW: up 0.2 lb this week. Didn't end up doing weight loss points, mostly because I was moody and undisciplined (I did stick to my maintenance points, however!). SO, next week, I am going to go back to my no-eating-after-the-kids-are-in-bed rule (unless I'm out, of course - this is only a problem at home). That made a HUGE difference in sticking to the plan the previous week. I would love to lose the rest of the holiday weight (only 1.2 more lb) and then take off 5 more for summer walking season. That could take a while, so I'd better get cracking.

Things seem to be a bit more stable on the financial front, so maybe if I'm lucky we will be able to take a trip for me to compete. Keep your fingers crossed!

First stitches

Well, it had to happen sometime. Calvin got his first set of stitches yesterday. He tripped at school and fell onto a dollhouse, cutting open his forehead quite nicely. I received a message at work that he had fallen but that all was under control and he was playing happily, so I finished my work normally and went to pick the kids up. Turns out the message got watered down in transmission through my co-worker, and while he was playing happily, the message on my cell phone (no reception in the microscopy core!) said he might need stitches. Took him home promptly, had Loren look at it, and he immediately pronounced that Calvin definitely needed stitches. Loren took him to the InstaCare near our house, and Calvin was apparently a model patient (I stayed home w/Michelle and made dinner). He now has 7 stitches in his forehead, and seems no worse for the wear.

Thursday tempo workout

Today I did a 10-30-10 (minutes) tempo workout: 10 warm-up, 30 tempo, 10 cool-down. Did 2 laps of Liberty Park for the tempo part, at 14:15 per lap (1.4 miles; 2.25 km). Not too bad, considering I could (and probably should) have pushed a little harder and done a 14:00 pace. However, I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, so the fact that I got out there and did it at all was pretty darn good, I thought. Oh, and it was 16 degrees F this morning (-9C)! I could have gone to the gym, but it's so much more interesting to be outside, even if it's cold.

Yesterday: 15 min easy walk & weight training, and tomorrow will be the same.

***

Other stuff today: Loren took the car to get the safety inspection. $700 later, all is well. Sigh. I took the kids to the library, walking the 1 mile in the cold since the car was in the shop. It was a good walk except for the #$*&^ snowy sidewalks. I do realize it's hard for some people to shovel, but you know that some people are just too lazy to do it. Annoying, especially when pushing a stroller. Then this afternoon I dropped my cell phone and now the screen is blank :(. UGH! I am not able to upgrade for a year, so I am going to have to get another one. Just one of those days I guess.

Little red wrap

I ordered some sports bras (sorely needed... mine were all too large, and I hadn't gotten around to replacing them yet) at Target.com, and while I was there, could not resist this little red number, at only $17. I have to say that the rewards of losing weight are many, and this is definitely one of the better ones.

By the way, to the left of my head are some of my racewalking medals :)!

new-to-us TV

Thanks, Bryan & Sarah!!! It's perfect!

sledding 2

sledding 1

banana-chocolate-peanut-butter smoothie

Turning a corner?

Today I did a really hard interval workout. What was interesting was that my LEGS were burning and aching before my lungs were. Usually, my wind gives out before my leg muscles do. I wonder if I finally am in good enough cardiovascular shape to really begin to truly go up against my lactate threshold and make my muscles truly exhausted? Either that or my legs were just really tired today.

Regardless, I was going to do 4 sets of the following but just couldn't fit it in my time slot allotted, so I did 3. That was just as well, since my legs couldn't handle another anyhow! Our track is 211m, and I did sets of 1) 5 laps (1055m) in 6:00, 2) 2 laps (422m) in 2:19, and 3) 1 lap in 1:08. My heart rate was probably in the 170s after each set, and I let it drop to 130-135 before starting again (which didn't take very long! I'm in good shape!). I came pretty close to my goal times for most laps; the 3rd set I only did 6:08 for the 5 laps and 2:24 for the 2 laps, but pulled it together for a 1:07 for the last lap.

I was very tired afterwards but felt glad I'd finished all of that. I felt good the rest of the day and don't feel sore (yet!).

new-to-us TV

Our friends Sarah and Bryan are getting a brand new HDTV, and thus needed to get rid of their old but still nice projection TV. It's got a 57" screen, and is in good condition. They offered to GIVE it to us if we wanted it, and Loren being the movie buff that he is, it was too good a deal to pass up. The only snag was moving it to our house. We had to rent a U-Haul truck because it sure wasn't going to fit in either of our cars. At a little over 4 feet wide, 5 feet high, and almost 2.5 feet deep, it was going to be tough to move. Not only that, but it is heavy. Very heavy. AND we had to move it out of their basement (yes, up a flight of stairs) and down into our basement. Yikes. We got an appliance dolly with the U-Haul, which turned out to be essential. After much pushing, pulling, lifting, angling, and taking at least 4 doors off their hinges, we were able to accomplish the move. Oh, and the U-Haul got stuck where our driveway joins the street because of the 10 inches of snow we got today; fortunately, it wasn't too hard to get it unstuck. It took a little over 4 hours total to rent the truck, move the TV, and take back the truck, but we're done now and it looks great. Now I'm going to BED!

Sunday & Monday workouts

Sunday morning I did an easy 8 miler, but it sure as heck didn't feel easy for some reason. I don't know what it was, but my legs just felt really heavy, and I got tired probably 4 miles into the workout. I did the whole thing anyway, and felt fine the rest of the day, so who knows? We had a really relaxing day the rest of the day - basically did absolutely nothing except watch football and play with the kids. I needed that.

Today it snowed a lot in the morning (probably 10 inches by the time the storm was over), and the field house was not open until 9 am, so I decided I'd go for my walk during the kids' naps, since Loren and I were both off work for Martin Luther King Jr Day. By 2 pm, the roads were clear enough that I could walk on them, so I did an easy 1 hr walk around the neighborhood. I felt great today - legs were fine. Don't know why yesterday was so tiring.

Weekly progress; Saturday workout

Lost 0.6 lb this week; total of 2.4 lb gone since the Christmas splurge. 1.2 lb to go to get to where I was before.

*****

Workouts

Friday: 15 min easy racewalking to warm up; 50 min vigorous weight training.

Saturday: 60 min easy racewalking. Did the same route as last Saturday - from my house to Liberty Park, around the park twice, and back home. Took 1:00 and change, about 2 min faster than last Saturday when it was so icy. I felt great and made it to my WW meeting just on time. It was 24F and calm; nice weather for a walk, actually.

Organization project

I bought some new Tupperware (they're having a 40-50% off sale on storage containers this month) to organize my pantry & shelves. It made a big improvement! This was my naptime project on Wednesday.

Before, then After:

Back to normal, I think

Yesterday I did 5 laps of the HPER basement (1.5 miles) to warm up for my weight training class. All seemed pretty good, and I didn't have much stomach trouble the rest of the day either.

Today I had planned a Norwegian fartlek workout (thanks, Sarah), and cut it back a little because I haven't been training as hard this week. I did 2,4,6,5,3,1 minutes fast with 2 min recovery in between. It was a good hard workout, and seemed the right length. My ave pace was a 10:14 mile, according to my iPod, which is usually pretty accurate on the track. I was glad I didn't do the full thing (2,4,6,8,7,5,3,1) since 1) the time involved (got up a little late) and 2) I'm still recovering from the bug I got, whatever it was. I'm pleased that I was able to get out and do a hard workout, regardless.

I signed up for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon today, officially. Should have done it before Christmas and saved $10, but I guess I wasn't 100% sure I was going to do it. That will be my next race (April 19th), except for possibly a 5K before then.

a new Calvin-ism

Last Friday we attended the Utah-Georgia gymnastics meet, which seemed to be a big hit w/the kids. Then the other day Calvin was talking about going to the Little Gym for Katie's birthday on Saturday. He told Katie's mom that he likes gymnastics "because it's my favorite restaurant". Hee hee hee :)

Not giving up

Today I woke for the 3rd day in a row with that nasty rock in my stomach. Actually, I woke up like 3 times with it. Once at 2:25 because Calvin was crying (a very rare occasion); he had somehow fallen out of his bed despite the fact that we have a bed rail, and had wedged his little self between the head of the bed and the wall. I helped the poor little guy back in bed and comforted him until he settled. Then I took some antacid (is this heartburn? too low for that but, hey, the antacid won't hurt and might help) and went back to bed. At 4 am my 2 cups of tea had gone through me so I got up again, took more antacid, and went back to bed. At 6 am, I finally hauled my behind out of bed and went for my walk. The stomach pain was definitely still there, though better than yesterday. At least I made it through my walk, though I had pain pretty much the whole time. If I wasn't walking, it was going to hurt, so I figured I might as well get the exercise. I have no other symptoms, so I have no idea what this is. The only clue is Michelle being sick on Friday. I surmise that it's some kind of virus and that it will pass.

So, today's walk was just an easy 40 minutes. I'll get back to the hard workouts when I'm feeling decent again, whenever that is.

Monday weights

Did weight training this morning. I still felt a bit sick when I woke up, and I tried a little racewalking, but it did NOT work with my stomach at all. After 3 minutes I gave up. I then did the weight training, and that went fine. My stomach still hurt a bit, but not too bad. I was able to complete my normal workout.

My stomach is mostly better now, late in the day, but still not quite normal. All the same, I'll take it.

I would like to do a hard workout tomorrow - I had planned some speed work. However, if I don't feel 100% I'm going to do an easy day of walking instead.

Sick

I was going to get up and do a long slow distance workout today, about 8 miles. But I felt crummy. I went to the symphony last night with my friend Dorothy, and we had a great time, but near the end my stomach felt horrible - it hurt like there was a rock just sitting there in it. I thought it would feel better this morning, but no, it still hurt a lot. So I stayed in bed as long as possible. I skipped church and stayed in my pajamas all day. Didn't eat too much, either. No nausea, but I just felt lousy. Had to take care of the kids, though Loren helped out a fair amount.

So basically, I watched football, took a long nap, and tried not to do too much. Did make dinner for everyone, but that was pretty much it.

I hope I feel better tomorrow. I have to work all day, and I'd like to work out again.

Friday & Saturday workouts

Yesterday I woke up a little late, so I just did 1K racewalking to warm up for my weight training class, and then attended class.

Today I walked outside because the gym doesn't open until 7 am on Saturdays this semester (darn it!), and I had to be done by 7:15. I walked for 1:02 and change, and did about 9K. I had to take it VERY very easy because it was super icy outside. It snowed lightly all day yesterday and we didn't get much accumulation at all. However, the roads were wet and then froze overnight. I walked to Liberty Park hoping the sidewalks would be clear, and they were clear but were covered with a thin layer of ice, like everything else outside. Still, I was able to walk fast enough (barely) to keep my heart rate in the low 130s. Good enough.

Thursday tempo time

It's was a Thursday tempo workout. Not a long one, since I'm just ramping up the training again, but I got it in. 8 laps (211m) warm up (11:30ish), 16 laps tempo (20:09) at 85% MHR, then 8 laps cool down (didn't check the time; probably about 12:30?). I usually hate these, but it wasn't too bad this morning. I felt really fast. 15 laps was 18:50 or so, which is a 9:25 mile for 2 miles. Pretty good, considering it wasn't all-out.

Bad news. Might have to curtail my summer traveling/racewalking due to financial issues. We are responsible with our money and very careful, but we need to save and plan ahead for some possible work issues that I can't go into in detail in this public forum. Sigh. Suffice it to say that I will be very disappointed if I can't go to the CRIM, but that might be what happens.

Weights today

Today I did an easy 20 min of racewalking for a warm-up, then went to my weight training class. The new instructor seems friendly enough, and reasonably knowledgeable. However, he didn't think to have us stretch at the end of class! I did anyway, but it was kinda weird that he didn't remember that. The other odd thing is that the class was all men except for me. My friend Lisa didn't make it this morning, and so it was me plus about 6 guys. That was different, since usually the class is more women than men, believe it or not. I had a great workout, so all of that stuff really didn't matter too much.

Weighty matters

This column is NOT helpful, in my opinion. In summary, Robin Blumner opines that it's basically a waste of time to try to lose more than 10-20 lbs, because weight is genetically determined. This makes me incredibly angry, because she is going to discourage a ton of people from even bothering to try to do something about their weight. That is a travesty, in our country of overweight and obese people.

I do admit there is truth in the article. It is true that there are genetic influences on one's weight, and they can be strong and hard to resist. Fat does run in my family, and I know that it is easy for me to overeat because I don't recognize the "full" feeling as soon as my thin friends (this is quite possibly genetic). And a VERY small minority of the population does have conditions that make weight loss much harder than it is for most people.

I certainly agree that dieting is an American obsession, and a pretty useless one. But the article fails to mention the obvious solution: lifestyle change. Yes, it's an uphill battle. Yes, it's hard. But it CAN be done.

Blumner puts a lot of weight (pun intended) on the metabolism argument. That is, if you are fat and diet, your metabolism will slow down. It is true that if you cut back calories too far, your metabolic rate slows. But even though she discounts it, the bottom line really still is calories in minus calories out. If you cut back your calories too much, you will still lose weight. I don't recommend it, because you won't lose a lot faster than if you cut back sensibly. You will feel deprived, and that might lead to bingeing. However, your fastest rate of weight loss is achieved by a sensible lifestyle change that cuts back calories enough to lose maybe 1 lb per week (certainly not more than 2 lb per week). Trimming calories this much will not cause a metabolic dive! Finally, if you want to lose weight and keep your metabolism going strong, exercise (specifically strength training) will help a lot. Metabolic rate is highly dependent on your % lean body mass, because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat.

My conclusion? You CAN lose weight, even if you have a lot to lose, and even if you are fighting genetic predisposition to fat. Change your eating habits SENSIBLY, do not deprive yourself, and find an activity you like. Burn more calories than you take in, and you will be healthier and happier. I know.

Workouts

Monday: 5K on the track in 32:38, then weight training & abs & stretching.
Tuesday: 8 lap warm-up (211m track), then flexibility drills, then 12 x 1 lap fast (1:05; equivalent of 200m in 1:01.6) and 1 lap recovery. 10 min cool down & stretch. First speed workout I've done in a while, and it was hard, but felt good. I did most of the laps in 1:05, though lap 8 (1:09) and 9 (1:07) were slower. I was getting tired! I managed to pull it together to do laps 10-12 in 1:05 each.

Photos from walks

Here are a few photos from walks I took in the past few weeks.
First, SugarHouse park after a big snow in mid-December; then, some great views in Boulder City, Nevada, on December 23rd.

New jacket and easy 6 miles

Here are some photos of my new jacket:

I was going to do an easy 6 miles today, but I upped it to 6.5 miles (10.45k) and finished in 1:14 and change. The roads were clear, but there were icy spots at each intersection that I had to pick my way across. I took the dogs, and it was a good workout. I enjoyed listening to an audiobook while I walk, something I frequently do on easy walks. Stayed plenty warm in my new jacket and my Gore-tex gloves (actually, my hands got too hot!).

This is my first week of training for the half marathon in April. I'm going to do some speedwork on Tuesday - first hard training since November. I've had a good rest, so hopefully I'll be up for it.

Wet workout

Last night the Wasatch Walkers had a meeting, and we got our new jackets! Yay! I should post a pic, but that might involve getting my lazy behind off of the couch. Maybe I'll do that later. I'm watching the Seahawks and Redskins game with Loren right now, and don't want to move.

Anyway, the new jackets are great. I put it to the test this morning, as it was pouring rain when I started walking. About 10 min into the workout, it changed into snow, and accumulated at least an inch during my short 40 minute walk. My feet got pretty wet, but not too cold. My upper body stayed nice & dry, thanks to the superb microfiber jacket. It repelled the rain and the snow, and when I got inside and hung it up, the water just dripped off, and 10 minutes later I was able to put it on to go to my Weight Watchers meeting! It was dry! My hat and gloves were not. I think I will need to get a decent pair of gloves for wet weather. Any recommendations? I have some ski gloves for when it's really cold, gore-tex, and those are great, but I could use a lighter pair for when it's raining.

The Weight Watchers meeting was good. I needed to be there and see my friends and get some encouragement. I gained a whopping 3.6 lb (that's by my official weigh-in) in 2 weeks. Yikes. I knew it was bad, but again, it's just scary that I could gain that much when I was actually exercising a moderate amount of self-control, along with exercising a lot. I have set new goals, though, and I'm ready to roll. I have a 10 week goal to stay within my points (20 for weight loss now), follow my 1/2 marathon training plan (which starts tomorrow), and a few other things. If I achieve my goal, I get some $ towards Dave's racewalking clinic in July, which I really want to attend. If I don't get the extra $, I won't be able to go, so I'm definitely going to work hard on these goals. It's a good challenge to have something to strive for. It will help to achieve these goals, because that will mean that I'm more ready for big races this summer.

I was a bit down before the meeting, but being there and getting a pep talk from Sarah P (I know a lot of Sarahs!) was very helpful. She talked some sense into me and helped me remember that just because I had a bit of a slide does NOT mean that I have regressed totally. I am NOT the same person I was almost 3 years ago when I joined Weight Watchers!

A new twist on racewalking

Very funny video
He probably got in such good shape from racewalking (last 2 sec of video) :)
Warning: definitely PG-13.

Amateur plumber

Yup, I qualify. I just installed this here faucet to replace our old one. No leaks! I rock!!!

Racewalking goals and races for the year

Inspired by Sarah

Here they are ---

Goals:
1. Lose 5 lb by April 19 (the SLC 1/2 marathon), and another 5 lb by August (the CRIM) so I can be in top racing form. I have got to get rid of the 2.5 lb from Christmas, so that only puts me at 7.5 lb below pre-Christmas weight, which I think is a reasonable goal. I'll be thin, but I think it might be a good racing weight.
2. Take Dave McGovern's clinic here in SLC July 10-12 to improve my technique.
3. Continue to make and stick to training schedules for each race. Perhaps run them by Jennifer to get her suggestions.
4. Keep my training log on the Nike website current.
5. HAVE FUN!!!

Races (tentatively):
1. Salt Lake City 1/2 marathon, April 19th.
2. Race for the Cure 5K, May 10th.
3. Art Attack 5K, June 21st (unless I end up doing the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay, which is June 20-21).
4. Deseret News 10K, July 24th.
5. CRIM festival of races 5K racewalk and 10 miler, August 23rd.
6. Boise Women's Fitness Celebration, September 20th.
7. Cold Turkey 6K, November 27th.

I may or may not do a race before April 19th. I am enjoying taking it a bit easy right now, and not really training hard. I think I needed a rest after last season - it was my first season racing, and it wore me out a bit. I am going to write up a training schedule for that race, but probably not for a week or two. I need a little more R&R, and I need to recover from my Christmas vacation first!

Wednesday workout

This morning I got up too late to go to the gym (in January the metered parking spaces that are free until 8 am are FULL by 6:15 am, so I'd have to get there right at 6:00) because I'm still on Pacific time, so I took an easy walk instead for 40 min or so. Not sure how far I went exactly. Just took it easy and enjoyed being out. It was cold (12F, -11C) but I actually got a bit overheated in 2 shirts plus my fleece.

Hate to say it, but I look forward to late February, when the New Year's Resolution crowd thins out at the gym. I know it would be better for their health to keep coming, but it's just too darn crowded.

Holiday gain

Not my official WW weigh-in (that will be on Saturday), but just weighing on my home scale.

Could be worse. I'm up about 2.5 lb. At least I know how to get it back off. Besides, I wanted to take off a few for racing this summer... so while I'm at it, I'll lose a few more, I hope.

Amazingly, I did try to be somewhat careful in what I ate. I didn't succeed all of the time, but I know I ate a lot less than if I had thrown all caution to the wind. That's pretty scary. I wonder how much I could gain in 2 weeks if I wasn't trying to be careful???

I have to say that it still makes me nervous to put on weight. I get worried that I'm going back to my old ways and that I won't be able to take it off. However, a little nervousness will probably work in my favor.

I'm VERY VERY happy to be home where I can control what food is around much better. Whew. I love my parents, but their cooking consists of LARGE slabs of meat (very very large) that is not necessarily reasonable in terms of fat content. It also doesn't fill you up as much as mixing it in w/some carbs and/or veggies, and I'm a volume gal these days. Plus the typical holiday snacks were in abundance, and in contrast to previous years on WW, I didn't find the self control to resist. That is what makes me worry.

But now that I'm home, I think it will go better.

in Boulder City again

Workout: easy ~10K (my iPod said 10.2K; I'd guess it might have been a bit less) in 1:06 and change. Usually an easy 10K takes me 1:08 or 1:09, so that's why I think it wasn't quite 10K.

Scenery: gorgeous views of the mountains and Lake Mead were in abundance as I walked around Boulder City. Got a great view of the lake from Denver St, which had a ton of beautiful homes on it. I walked all around the historic district, which is full of homes built in the 1930s. Boulder City was founded to house the workers that built Hoover Dam. The homes in the historic district were originally tract housing, but have been modified since and are very charming as well as very expensive nowadays. It was quite interesting to see how they had been modified.

Today's plan: After enjoying a couple of mimosas and a nice big breakfast, we are kicking back watching football and the Rose Parade. Sometime around noon we'll undertake the ~6 hr drive back to Salt Lake. It will be nice to be home!

shoe answers

Sarah and Ollie had some shoe questions about the Asics Cypress. I have some answers :).

Toe box stiffness - seems about average to me. It's not super flexible, but it's not stiff like big fat running shoes, either.

Width - I have medium-wide feet, and these are very adequate, perhaps even a little wider than I need. I think they might be OK for a person with wide feet. Ollie, if you have a Kohl's nearby, you could try them on. I don't have flat feet (my feet are just about perfectly "normal" - no pronation or supination, and I don't have high arches or flat feet).

Size - I went up a half size and that was perfect.

Sarah, as for the Health shoes, they are fantastic. They are flat and very fast. They are super flexible. However, they are not meant for longer races, and I don't think I'd train in them every day. I do use them for track workouts and like them a lot.

CRIM - looking forward to it, I hope! I agree that we would have a great race, Sarah :)! You are training really hard and have a great coach, so you definitely have the edge. I wonder if Allan could be talked into doing it too?

New shoes

I read about the Asics Cypress shoes in an e-mail from Steve Pecinovsky to the racewalking Yahoo! group. They are on sale at Kohl's for $39.99, and so I picked up a pair, because I needed a new pair of shoes. They are really great! Yes, they're men's shoes, but I do not care in the least. They fit me just fine, are very comfortable to walk in, and they were great on my 4.5 mile walk this morning. They are actually trail running shoes, but the heel is super low and just perfect for walking in. I'm loving them... and loving the price even more.

Workouts: The last 3 days I've racewalked about 4.4 or so miles (7.1 km), easy. I'm just trying to burn some calories to keep the Christmas goodies off of my hips. Been eating a little too much; may have put on a pound or two, but I will get it off soon, no problem. Tomorrow I am thinking to do about 6.5 miles around the golf course here. We're leaving in the late morning to drive to Vegas and then back to Salt Lake on the 1st. I need to get some good exercise in before I have to sit in the car all day.

Goals for next year: I'm thinking about these. One goal, if possible, will be to attend the CRIM festival of races in Flint, MI, and enter my first judged 5K. I think I'm ready to be judged - my form is finally pretty good, at least that's what my racewalking friend Nancy has told me. Dunno how fast I'm going to be, but I plan to take off another 5-10 lbs by August and train really hard. I'd like to do the 10 miler as well as the 5K.

Other stuff: Amazing item that families who travel must have - a RoofBag. We got one because my parents gave us a bunch of stuff to take home with us, including a homemade wine rack (my dad made it, and it's beautiful!) and a waterbath canner. Needless to say, that stuff is rather large. Also, the RoofBag will facilitate camping trips next spring & summer, which we are really looking forward to! It would be impossible to go car camping w/the kids w/o having more room in the car to put the tent, sleeping bags, etc. Anyway, the RoofBag had free shipping and got here in one day via UPS ground, because my parents live only about 15 minutes away from the company headquarters in San Ysidro. Go figure.

Perfect do-nothing day

Workout: Racewalking (yeah!!!) for 47 minutes, easy. Went about 4.4 miles for 10:41/mile (7.1 km; 6:37/km); weather was low 40s (5C?) and sunny at about 8 am. Wore tights and long sleeve shirt and gloves; ditched the gloves 10 min into the workout and was pretty warm in the tights. Not used to working out once the sun is up! It's great to have help w/the kids so I can do that if I want.

Rest of the day: A lazy morning at home, taking pics of FIL with the kids since he had to leave today to go back home to Bakersfield. Then lunch, followed by a nice trip with Loren to Trader Joe's (ahhhh, if only they had them in Utah...) and Borders, while my parents watched the kids (who were napping). Then a very relaxing 3-ish mile walk w/my mom and the dog, in about 45 minutes, followed by a nice dinner and a couple hours playing w/the kids. Now I'm relaxing in front of my computer :). A great day!!!

Christmas happenings around here

We're now in San Diego visiting my family. Alex (my brother) and his wife Erica were here until this morning, when they left to go home (with a stop in Carmel to see her parents along the way). Loren's dad showed up (much to our surprise and delight!), and we're enjoying a great visit.

Sunday morning: easy 6 mile run, followed by a 5.5 hr drive here.
Monday: not-so-easy 10K trail run with my brother. Awesome views, steep hills, fun canyons, and I felt really strong. It was great, but I did have to push to keep up with him. It took us about 57 minutes. Then we had a good breakfast, and took the entire family to the Wild Animal Park. It was a blast!
Tuesday: not-so-easy 46 minute run around the lake at Eastlake w/my brother. A fun run w/good conversation. Then the traditional gooey Christmas bread (I had a little but not too much!!!) and opening of stockings and presents. Lots of fun w/the kids. Michelle was SO cute with the little purse that Alex and Erica got for her. Calvin was adorable handing out presents to everyone. The afternoon brought a long game of Settlers of Catan (Cities & Knights) with Alex and Erica. Turkey dinner with cherry pie for dessert. Yum!
Today: not-so-easy 40 minute run around the Bonita golf course (28:30) plus a short out and back on same course. It's about 3.3 miles, so we were doing about 8:40 miles! I felt pretty good ... my brother's easy pace is a bit quicker than mine, but I was good to go out a little hard. Then ate breakfast and took the kids to the zoo. Lunch, a nap, a walk with my mom, and dinner. A great day!

I'm looking forward to some racewalking, now that my brother has left. My right knee is a little sore from running. I really think racewalking is MUCH better for my body than running! In the next week or so I'm going to have to start thinking about races for next year and a training plan.

Should mention some Christmas presents. Loved the scrabble calendar and journal from Alex & Erica. My mom got me some awesome running tights - REI brand, very nice black spandex. Look warm; haven't tried them yet - maybe tomorrow morning, since it was chilly this morning and looks to be chilly tomorrow too, well, for San Diego anyway. The low here (39) would have been a nice high in Salt Lake this time of year :). Back to presents - mom also got me a racewalking DVD (very cool!), which hasn't arrived yet, oddly (will have to check on this). Loren got me a great pair of new pajamas - red with black trim, very soft and silky (100% polyester, not silk, which is good - easier to care for). They are from Victoria's Secret, but are just beautiful and practical. I love them :)!

Need to hit the sack - tired. But will post a few pics.

Vacation at last

I've been away for a little while, I know...it's been overwhelmingly busy getting ready for Christmas and for a little vacation time. It's SO much work to get ready for vacation when you have a house, 2 dogs, a rabbit, a husband, and 2 kids. I won't bore you with all of the details.

Workout-wise, I took a little running break last weekend (I was sore!) and did some easy racewalking Sunday-Tuesday. Wednesday, I did weight training and an easy 30:30 run (with 5K in just under 28 min - not bad!). Thursday I did some easy racewalking, and Friday, I repeated the weight training and running. We are visiting friends in Boulder City, Nevada, today, so this morning I went running here. It was surprisingly cold (about 26F - I expected it to be a bit warmer here) and quite windy, but I felt good anyway. I ran for 47 min at an easy pace, and my iPod said it was 9K. I don't believe it... I think it was more likely closer to 8.5K, but regardless, it was a good run. I'm feeling pretty sore from my leg press yesterday, but that didn't seem to affect my run. I think the running muscles are pretty acclimated now. I plan on another run tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow after breakfast we're leaving here to drive to San Diego, where it really IS nice and warm :). We're going to visit my parents for a week, and my brother and his wife and Loren's dad are going to come for a few days as well. I hope to go running with my brother a few times, and we're planning to take the kids to the zoo as many times as possible (we have a membership, so why not!).

Baking day

I made cookies, pies, and yummy gifts for co-workers and the day care staff today. I made two kinds of cookies: key lime white chocolate chip and hazelnut amaretti. I also made white chocolate macadamia nut espresso bark and orange double chocolate truffles. Finally, I made a couple of pecan pies for a potluck party tomorrow. Mmmmmm... it was fun to do all that baking, and Loren actually enjoyed watching the kids so I could do it! :)

Weight Watchers leader

My Weight Watchers leader is quitting her job :( and won't be our leader any more. She has a 6 month old baby, and wants to have more time with him. She has only been teaching the one class, but she just wants to not work at all, which I understand. I'm pretty bummed out, though. She is really inspiring and has a lot of insight, and she's hilarious as well. Seriously, she could be a stand-up comic. I am really going to miss her a lot. The people in our meeting are awesome, though, so I will keep going, and the new leader is pretty good. It's sad to say goodbye to Janece, though.

slow cold run

I did another run today. I did the SugarHouse Park loop, 6K, plus an extra add-on. Not sure of the total distance, but about 4 miles probably. I finished it in just under 40 minutes, so a pretty slow run. My left hamstring was bothering me a fair amount, and my legs are amazingly sore from running the past couple of days! I'm in great shape, but just not used to using the running muscles. Anyway, they feel lots better tonight, so hopefully I'm over the hump. I think I might racewalk tomorrow, though, for a little break from the running.

It was cold out this morning at 13 degrees (-10C). I stayed pretty warm in my long sleeves & fleece, with my ski gloves on. My hands were actually hot at the end! My legs were a tad chilly in tights and my nylon shell, and my face was a bit cold, but it was fine.

Friday morning workout

Running again. I did 1 mile easy (about 9:15), then 1 mile hard (7:53), then 1 mile easy recovery (about 9:40). Then I did 10 min on the elliptical. By the way, today and yesterday I went to the gym for my running/elliptical/weights. It has a nice 211m indoor track, and it's nice & warm inside. It was only about 23 degrees this morning outside (-5C), so indoors just sounded nicer. However, tomorrow and Sunday I'll have to be outside, since the gym doesn't open until 9 am on the weekends when school is not in session (it's at the university, and not heavily used on the weekends apparently...to my chagrin).

Sarah commented on my last post that I used to hate running. This is 100% true. I despised it with every fiber of my being. While I am not really a runner now (I only run occasionally, for cross-training or to run with somebody), I am surprised to find that I do not hate it any more. I actually (gasp!) enjoyed my run this morning. It is less jarring than it used to be, probably because I'm not carrying around many extra pounds. However, it is still not as fun as racewalking, and I will admit that the elliptical seemed so nice and smooth after running.

Today's workout

I decided to do a little running today, because I want to be able to go for some runs with my brother at Christmas. So I did 1 mile easy, in about 9:15, and then 1 mile hard, in about 7:45. It felt pretty good, but I didn't want to run too much too soon, so I did 20 min on the elliptical, did a few weights (biceps - 21s; triceps - skull crushers) and then some abs and some stretching. I'll probably keep up some running for the next couple weeks so that I'll be ready!

Calvin and the pinata

Peppermint Mocha

Ever since my brother Alex had a peppermint mocha at Christmas last year, Calvin associates that drink with him. The other day, Calvin mentioned it again, and I thought it sounded really good. However, the grande peppermint mocha at Starbucks packs 400 calories (that's w/2% milk and whipped cream) which is a bit more than I want to spend on some warm comfort drink. So, I decided to make my own. It was amazing, and is only 60 calories!!! Here's the recipe:

1 pkg Swiss Miss sugar-free hot cocoa mix
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 drop peppermint extract
6 oz boiling water

Enjoying the easy days

I've been taking a rest break from the hard racewalking during December. I love the sport, but I needed a little bit of a breather, and this is the perfect time to do it. No races ahead, and cold weather abounds. I've been enjoying just taking it easy on my walks - I just shoot for a heart rate of about 70-75% max, and that way I'm burning the calories without too much pain. In fact, it's downright pleasant to get out there. This morning it was only 19 degrees (which was warmer than the 12 they forecasted), but it was wonderful to be outside and work out and listen to some podcasts and some music. I did about 3.5 miles in 39 minutes or so - typical easy pace of about 11 minutes per mile.

On Monday I lifted weights at the gym and did the elliptical for 30 minutes, and yesterday I took the day off - I was going to work out with the Wasatch Walkers, but I had the weeks mixed up and realized that it was at the Olympic Oval, not at the U of U, so I decided not to go. I did have to forego some of the little molten chocolate cakes I made, since I didn't have the points after not working out, but that was OK.

Geeky and proud of it.

Guess I always knew I was a true geek :). I was even in marching band in high school.

Wired Magazine lists racewalking as the #1 geek sport. Hmmm.

Racewalking break

I've been taking a break from racewalking this week. My right knee was a bit sore, and I wasn't sure why, and my left hamstring needed a rest too. So, I've been doing the stationary bike, the elliptical, and my usual weight training routine. It's been a nice rest, but I'm ready to get back to walking. I did about 10 minutes on the treadmill this morning, and the knee feels pretty good, so I think I may do some walking tomorrow morning.

With Santa

He told Santa that he wanted balls and Thomas trains.

With Santa #2

Snowy Sunday

Today it was still pretty snowy, but the streets looked to be pretty decent, so out I went. I was chagrined to discover that they were fairly icy/snowy/slippery in a lot of spots, so I had to go very slowly at times. I still got a great workout, and did 5 miles in 57 minutes (11:24 per mile; 7:08/km - like I said, it was very slow for me). It was pretty cold at 22 degrees (-6C), but I was all right in my 2 shirts, long underwear (tops & bottoms) and tights (yes, Ollie, they were Spandex ;), 'tis the season), though I am thinking that a pair of sweats over the tights might be warmer, as my thighs and rear end got a little chilly at the end. I think a loose pr of sweats over the top would help, as it would add an insulating layer of air.

My dogs loved the crisp air and the snow, though they somehow got pretty muddy (I did not... go figure).

More snow pictures

These are for Allan (and for anyone else who wants to see them!). By the way, the weather forecasters only promised us 2 inches (5 cm) of snow, and we got about 8 inches (20 cm). They are SO wrong about amounts here - you can never trust them!

Our Saturday

So, after a relatively crummy week (yeah, I know, I didn't post all week... trust me, it wasn't worth posting about), we had a fabulous Saturday. Took the kids sledding, and then the day care had a Kids' Day from 10:30am to 3:30pm. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Finn's on 11th East, and I had some time to work on the family videos, which I was way behind on (now I'm only slightly behind!). It was great to just have a bit of time to ourselves. Loren helped me make some delicious turkey soup, and after my 4 pm piano student we enjoyed eating it. Now I'm doing a bit more video editing, though I'm getting tired quickly and will hit the sack soon I hope.

Eating snowflakes

My little girl loves her snowflakes! :)

Deserted

The gym was VERY empty at 6:15 am. It was snowing pretty hard and I guess most people just slept in, since it is Saturday. I was there, though, and one other guy was walking on the track (the indoor track is on the upper level - you can see it in the picture, above the exercise equipment, with the brown railing). By the time I left, there were a couple runners there too. I did a not-so-easy 4 miles in 42 minutes or so.