still more x-training

I'm still resting my glutes and hamstrings today, so I did another bike & elliptical day, same as yesterday. I actually have been enjoying the cross-training mostly because 1) I'm tired and it's been a rough week, and 2) I have a good book to read and can read while I bike/elliptical. I'm reading "The Great Influenza" by John Barry, about the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919. It's fascinating, both from a historical perspective (WWI history) and a medical perspective. It's making me glad we all got our flu shots this week :).

My left glutes/hamstrings are still just the tiniest bit stiff, but are LOTS better than on Wednesday. I've got one more cross-training day and then on Monday I'm to do 14K with a few fast intervals to practice my 1/2 marathon pace. My goal for the race is to finish under 2:10, which is 6:09/km or 9:55/mile. Since the race will almost certainly have mile markers and not km markers, I'll probably switch my watch to statute from metric and will go by the per mile pace. My 1/2 marathon PR is 2:11:57, but it was on a hilly course and this course is flat, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to break it - besides, it seems like that PR is lagging behind the others a bit, so it's time to give it a shot. Finally, if I'm to have a prayer at breaking 2:00 in the 20K next summer, I have to be able to be under 2:10 quite easily eventually - 2:06:35 or so in the 1/2 marathon = 2:00 in the 20K. Obviously with my recent technique changes I'm not ready to do 2:06:35, but 2:10 does seem like a reasonable goal.

rest day; cross-training

Yesterday I took a rest day. I needed to be at work early, and my body was tired, so it worked out perfectly. I bailed on Lisa at the gym, but she forgave me :).

***

Today I was to cross-train. I did 1 hr 5 min, with half on the bike and half on the elliptical. Reading material: just finished Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea" and HIGHLY recommend it (our book club is reading it). Now I'm starting on Jimmy Carter's "White House Diary", which so far (about 65 pages in) is not as interesting as I thought, though there are tidbits that I really appreciate.

Tomorrow I'm going to do 25K. It's supposed to rain, but it might wait to do the most serious raining until later in the day, so hopefully it will work out.

rest day, unintentionally...

I was planning on cross-training today, but I didn't feel so good. I don't feel awful, but I don't feel exactly good either. I felt lightheaded, weak, and a bit dizzy most of the day, and I needed a nap. I probably could have done a bike ride, but I just didn't feel like it. Maybe I was being lame; usually I work out if I just have a cold, but I just didn't feel like it. I think I needed the rest. I am supposed to x-train for the next 3 days, then, since I rested today. However, that might not be possible since I will be seeing the podiatrist about my ingrown toenail and expect him to do surgery to remedy my problem. If I can, I will do the stationary bike on Tuesday, toe permitting, but if not that's just the way it is.

I did manage to make it to book club, which was quite enjoyable. We took the kids and put them in front of the movie "Wall-E" while we discussed the book ("The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson; very interesting read), and they were actually well-behaved. It's wonderful what we are able to do now that they are getting a little older.

Tomorrow, assuming I feel a little better, I plan to x-train and lift weights before I have my toenail attended to at 1 pm. Wish me luck!

Day 19: 40 days 'til 40

Yesterday was day 19 of our 40 days 'til 40. We had planned to go to a bookstore and browse the bargain racks; due to some schedule changes, Sarah ended up going in the afternoon, and I planned to go to a concert at night with Loren instead. Well, we didn't make it to the concert (the tickets were free, so no biggie) because we were late eating our homemade (and very yummy) Valentine's Day dinner. After dinner, I suggested to Loren that we go and browse the bookstore instead of going to the concert; my parents had the kids last night, so it was no problem to just shift our plans. So we ended up browsing the bookstore after all, and I got a few good bargains. I got a gift for someone (can't say what it is here or it won't be secret any more!), a hardcover edition of Edgar Rice Burroughs' first three Mars books, and some Dostoyevsky short stories which I'm hoping to read for our classic reading assignment (unless Sarah finds something better). The Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books are childhood favorites - I first read them in junior high, and loved the series instantly. This edition is wonderfully illustrated and was only $13!

It was great to browse with Loren, and we had a wonderful night without the kids. Our dinner was spectacular. I made filet mignons with cremini mushrooms and rosemary, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, and fresh asparagus. For dessert, flourless chocolate raspberry cake, which was 22 points per serving ( = about 3 hr of working out!) and amazingly delicious. I'm not sure it was really worth the 22 points (I mean, really, is ANYTHING worth working out 3 hr to eat?), but I had wanted to try it for a long time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Here's the recipe:

Flourless Raspberry Chocolate Cake

From Costco Connection magazine

22.5 points each (!)

1/3 c plus 1T unsalted butter, divided
2 (1 oz) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetented chocolate
7T seedless raspberry jam, divided
2T orange zest
2 lg eggs
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c orange juice
Garnish: raspberries & whipped cream

1. preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease ramekins with 1T of butter. Line the bottom of the ramekins with parchment paper.
2. In med bowl, combine chocolates & remaining 1/3c butter. Microwave on high in 30-sec intervals, stirring between each, until melted. Add 4T raspberry jam & the orange zest. Stir to combine. Allow mixture to cool slightly.
3. In med bowl, combine eggs & sugar. Whisk egg mixture into cooled chocolate mixture. Pour batter into prepared ramekins. Place ramekins in a roasting pan. Fill pan with water until it reaches halfway up the outside of the ramekins. Cover pan with aluminum foil, sealing well on edges. Bake for 1 hr.
4. Remove roasting pan from oven and allow cakes to cool in water for 15 min. Remove ramekins from pan and allow to cool. Chill cakes 4 hr or overnight.
5. In small bowl, combine remaining 3T seedless raspberry jam and the orange juice. Microwave on high in 30 sec intervals, stirring between each, until melted (about 1.5 min total).
6. Serve sauce with cake. Garnish with whipped topping & raspberries.

Camping cancelled

We were packing to go camping, and had about 2/3 of it ready when we got a call that everyone was coming home because of the rain (they'd gone up Friday night and it was fine until Saturday morning's storm). So, we put everything away, and cleaned up the garage a bit (it needed it!). I called my piano students (whose lessons I'd moved to Monday) and got them to come at the usual 4 pm time. Loren and I picked pears from our tree after lunch, and then he went for a massage while I got a quick nap.

I'm kind of glad we didn't go, because maybe I can get some stuff done around here now. Or rest up for my 20 miles on Monday. Or both! Besides, we're going to camp in a few weeks when we go to Oregon for Portland-to-Coast.

So, instead of s'mores tonight we had ginger molasses cookies. I was in a baking mood, and had points from the week as well as from the morning's 8.3 miles, so I enjoyed them thoroughly. Loren LOVES ginger - one of his favorite foods, and it was my privilege to spoil him with some cookies :).

Now I need to get back to my book club summer read - The Stand, by Stephen King. Yeah, it's a horror novel, but a provocative one, and it will be a good one to discuss.

Days 7 + 8: 40 days 'til 39

Day 7: We started to read the book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. It was published in 1969, the year of Sarah's birth, so it was a natural choice. I read about 4-5 chapters but didn't have time for more. It's definitely going to be interesting - glimpses of a world (the segregated South) that I am too ignorant of.

Day 8: Today we are writing a real snail mail letter to someone to tell them how much we appreciate them. I really wanted to write to my dad, because as a parent myself now, I know how nice it is to actually BE appreciated by your kids. Plus, since this is for my birthday, it's particularly important to remember that I wouldn't be here or be who I am without both of my parents. Thank you, Mom & Dad.

New award for Lifetime members; book is out

Weight Watchers is FINALLY acknowledging its Lifetime members yearly. Yay! Each month you weigh in within 2 lb of your goal weight, you get a Bravo! sticker for a bookmark, and when you get 10 in a year, you get another lifetime key for your key chain.

OK, I know this sounds silly, but the 5 lb stickers, the 10% award (for losing 10% of your body weight), the 25, 50, and 75 lb awards, the Goal award, and the Lifetime award really meant a lot to me. I just truly appreciated each step of the way, and now that I have been Lifetime for 2 years I wished they would at least remember how hard it is to maintain your weight. Well, now they do!

***


In other news, I am a success story in the new book by Joy Bauer, "Joy's Life Diet". Since I was featured on the TODAY show almost 1 year ago for losing >100 lbs via diet and exercise, Joy used me and many others from the Joy Fit Club as success stories in her new book. I saw the book at Barnes & Noble on Monday night and liked the profile they did of me, except that they spelled my last name wrong. Uh, oops. But anyway, the book is out, and I am supposed to get a signed copy in the mail one of these days. Not that I particularly need a diet book :). But it might have some yummy recipes in it! I look forward to receiving it soon.

Recovery

Woke up this morning with a bit of a sore throat and my right eye had pretty nasty conjunctivitis. Felt tired and a bit off, so I stayed in bed and read a book for an hour or so before everyone else woke up. It was downright luxurious to have that time! The book is great, too - I'm reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and it's been quite eye-opening so far. I'd highly recommend it if you're the least bit interested in where your food comes from.

Later on, I was feeling better, so I thought I'd get my workout in. I had 4 easy miles planned. I felt a bit tired, but thought it might perk me up. It did, though my legs were a little heavy. I did 3.75 miles around SugarHouse park in about 40 min (too lazy to look up the exact time right now).

After that we packed up the kids and headed up Millcreek Canyon for a Smore-a-thon with our church family. We enjoyed a great grilled dinner together, and shared side dishes. About the time we finished eating, a cold front came through, replete with thunder and heavy rain. Our fire didn't do to well, and neither did the party; no smores after all, but we did have a good time up until that point.

Now I'm at home and thinking about my GI distress on long racewalks. I have had increased GI issues the last few years in general, and I wonder if it is because of the increased fiber in my diet after joining Weight Watchers? I am also wondering if I'm developing lactose intolerance. It is hereditary, and my mom, aunt, and grandfather all suffer from it to varying degrees (my aunt has a particularly severe case). I think that I'm going to try a few things before my next long day - 1) no dairy on Thursday & Friday, and 2) greatly reduced amount of fruit. We'll see if that helps. I am really praying it will, because I was in considerable discomfort Saturday and don't care to ever repeat that feeling. I would love just enjoy the distance!!!

random news of the day

Workout: 15 min racewalking in the cold (29 degrees, about -2C?), which beat the stuffy basement of the HPER building, followed by weight training class. Today's session was all about balance - we did a ton of weird lifts involving one leg, one arm, bench press with heavier weight on one side, etc. It was pretty fun!

Calvin: was better today, for the most part. He weathered the grocery store and Costco very well :). Whew.

Michelle: screamed the entire time I was making dinner because I wouldn't pick her up. Fortunately, it didn't take long to prepare, since I made broiled salmon, couscous, and broccoli. For dessert we had baked apples (crock pot!) on top of light vanilla ice cream.

Piano students: 2/3 of the lessons were good. My first student is very well-prepared for the Guild auditions next week. My 2nd student is going to do fine, though not as polished as the 1st student. My 3rd student was a disaster; that student is not doing Guild this year, fortunately... but needs to get in gear ASAP because I am rather frustrated!

Food: not good today. I ate too much candy. Sigh. Fortunately, I have had a really good week otherwise. I was saving points for a sundae on Friday at Baskin-Robbins but I guess that will have to wait until next week. Oh well. Some days are just better than others. Tomorrow will be better.

Roof: Still leaking, unfortunately. Yesterday's storm caused more havoc with our wall. I called a roofer today and they came out and tarred some more spots and fixed (jury-rigged, as they are not tile types) a couple roof tiles. If that doesn't do the trick, they suggested calling the roof tile experts. Let's hope it works. The next big storm is supposed to come through on Sunday. Anyway, I had to re-do my plaster patch AGAIN. Ugh!!! I hate that stuff!

Rummage sale: I was in charge of placing the ad for our church rummage sale, and I finally got around to it. If you are in town, the sale is at New Song Presbyterian Church, 859 E 800 S, 8 am to noon on Saturday April 26th. I know for a fact that there will be a ton of baby stuff, since I'm donating it :)! We are done with the baby phase, barring divine intervention in our human plans.

Sci-fi short story: One of my favorite sci-fi authors has a short story for download; honor system with suggested donation via Paypal or amazon.com. I have purchased it and will let you know what I think after I read it, which is what I'm going to do now instead of going to bed at an appropriate hour. Silly me!

Back from vacation

Hi, I'm back! We enjoyed a great vacation to Lakeport, CA (where my mother-in-law and her husband reside) and Sunriver, OR (where my mom's family reunion took place). The kids did awesome in the car for many hours. We drove 5 hrs the first night, then 7 hrs the next day, and then stayed in Lakeport for 3 days. Then we drove 7 hrs to Sunriver, and stayed there almost a week. Then 5 hrs to Boise, and 5 hrs back to Salt Lake. 29 hours total, and no significant problems. The DVD player was a godsend, for sure - Calvin enjoyed watching Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, Arthur, Baby Beethoven, and more. We enjoyed listening to two audiobooks - Echo Park by Michael Connelly and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Two very different books, but both quite worthwhile.

The vacation itself was wonderful. I loved having a break from the kids in both places we visited. My mother-in-law and her husband are great w/kids, and had a blast with them. My mom's family enjoyed them a lot as well, and Aunts Sue and Kate especially liked their time w/the kids. My dad got in lots of babysitting time and said it was the highlight of his trip. Me, I liked canoeing, biking, hiking, and sightseeing. We hiked a 9-mile round trip to Green Lakes (near Mt. Bachelor), canoed on the river (Little Deschutes? Deschutes?) through Sunriver, biked around Sunriver, and drove to Crater Lake for a day of sightseeing and a short hike. It was awesome. I also got in some serious hot tub time, some reading, and some fun cooking with Aunt Kate. Cooked 3 meals for the family, and it was great to cook w/o kids underfoot.

More books... I started and finished the new Harry Potter book while on vacation, and it was great. If you haven't read it yet, you will NOT be disappointed. I loved all of them and can't wait to introduce the kids to them when they are old enough. In the more serious vein, I have almost finished American Jesus by Stephen Prothero. It's a history of all things Jesus in America, from Jefferson's ideas about Jesus to the Mormon Jesus to Jewish thoughts on Jesus. It's very well researched and full of interesting tidbits that help me to understand more about how and why Americans picture Jesus in certain ways. Recommended reading if you are interested in they whys and wherefores of American religion - whether you are an atheist or a Christian or something else, it will help you to understand things a lot better. Finally, I am reading a good ol' Puritan classic The Mortification of Sin by John Owen. I had been wanting to read it for a while, and then Jonathan offered it on loan, so I took him up on it. I wanted to finish the whole thing while on vacation, but am only about 1/3 of the way through it. That's OK, as I'll continue and will finish soon - it's not a very long book.

Now back into the routine - off to work tomorrow, which I'm actually ready for and looking forward to, believe it or not. I also need to write up a training schedule for my next race... however, I'm not sure what I'm going to do next, so that complicates matters a little bit. I will be thinking about it this week. Any suggestions??? :)

I'm back!

I guess I got too busy for my blog, yet again. Silly, since really it takes all of a couple minutes to write SOMETHING, anything. However, I have this idea that it is a difficult thing. I will try to keep in mind how quick it can be, and will attempt to post regularly again. Hopefully you are all still reading.

Update since last post:
1) Training for the half marathon April 21st here in SLC. It's going pretty well. I hope to racewalk it in 2 hrs 24 minutes or less, which would be an 11-minute mile pace. I did 9 miles this morning at an 11:00 pace, and it went fine. I was a bit tired this morning, though.
2) Gave up chocolate for Lent, and that was HARD. Am really rejoicing that it is Easter today, and I have saved up some points for a serious chocolate pig-out. Already I've had chocolate chip pancakes, a sandwich with nutella, and some serious See's candy that my devoted and wonderful husband got for me, in a cute Easter basket!
3) My mom visited last week, which was fabulous. I loved having her here, and so did the kids. I am sorry that my parents don't live closer. Maybe they will change their minds and retire here next year, but I doubt it. Anyway, hopefully they can visit more often at the very least.
4) Calvin was so cute hunting Easter eggs after church today. We put them all over the living room and let him go for it. Then he thoroughly pigged out on candy, which is fine once in a while, I think. He loved it!
5) Michelle sat on the floor playing with a book and watched Calvin. She's too little for candy :).
6) Been reading lots of books lately. Read a book on Fatal Familial Insomnia ("The Family That Couldn't Sleep") and am now reading a book on human mutations/development called "Mutants". In the fiction department, read "Eragon" and really enjoyed it (thanks, Steph, for lending me your copy!). Zoe lent me the next book in the series, "Eldest", and I hope to start on it soon. I have way too many books I want to read, though!!! Not enough time!!!!!

Will keep this short so I remember how easy it is to post! More later.

Busy. Reading. Vaccines. WW. Push-ups. Pictures.

I've been busy. I took the job that S offered me, and last week I worked 24 hr because I have no day care tomorrow and Friday, so I needed to make up some of that time. The good side of that is that I don't have to work tomorrow and Friday, except for some stuff I can do from home. I've got some papers to read to inform myself about the research in one lab I'm going to be doing some projects for. While Calvin is napping I should be able to do a little reading, and maybe after he goes to bed I can do some more.

No reading for work tonight, though. I'm just going to enjoy a little reading for fun. I've been reading a book by David Oshinsky about the history of the polio vaccine, and it's very interesting. It makes me so incredibly grateful to have vaccines to give my children so that I don't have to be afraid of them being paralyzed or even killed by polio. They can also avoid measles, mumps, rubella, diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, and yes, even chickenpox. It's amazing that the polio vaccine has only been around for 50 years, and today, we have forgotten the fear of the past. Forgotten enough that there are plenty who don't immunize their children because they are scared of the side effects of the vaccines. Please. The diseases are FAR far worse. All right, I'm about to get on my soapbox, so I'll stop there - you get the point.

You're probably wondering how WW is going. I actually gained 0.8 lb last week, though I think it was water retention. Whatever. It was really annoying, since I was totally following the program all week. Oh well. I'm sure I'll have a nice loss this week, and I am only 2.8 lb from my goal, so I'm very very close. I figure I'll get there by the end of the month. I am so thrilled!

On the physical fitness side of things, it's going great. Today my weight training instructor had us doing push-ups on an exercise ball. Talk about an amazingly hard exercise. I was so proud of myself, though. I did 3 sets of 10-12 reps. Keep in mind that I could barely do 15 GIRLS push-ups a year and a half ago, and now I can do 3 sets of guys' pushups on an exercise ball (much harder than regular push-ups). It was thrilling. The instructor said he was really impressed that Lisa (my weight training buddy) and I could do them so well. He said that we were in great shape. It was wonderful and amazing to hear those words and know that it was true - I have NEVER in my life felt in great shape, until now.

Here are some more pictures of my 5K on 9/30.

Here are some pictures of Calvin's 2nd birthday.

Off to read & relax! Ahhhhh.

Book game

Sara wrote in her blog about some books. I love to read, though my taste is definitely not as sophisticated as hers. Nonetheless, I thought I'd write about what I like.

1. One book that changed your life: Walking: The Complete Guide to the Complete Exercise by Casey Meyers (see my previous post as to why).

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. He is one of my favorite writers, and this book is a classic in the sci-fi genre.

3. One book you would want on a desert island: If I can only pick one, I agree w/Sara that it would have to be the Bible.

4. One book that made you laugh: The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy - OK, it was fluffy, but it really was funny. I'm also enjoying the Girlfriend's Guide to Toddlers.

5. One book that made you cry: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Great book - I love time travel books, and this one had some new twists. It was super sad, though.

6. One book I wish had been written: How to Survive Med School, Residency, Quitting, and Career Indecision And Trouble That Seems To Go On Forever.

7. One book you wish had never been written: I've read some really really BAD sci-fi books my dad passes on to me... but they were so bad I've forgotten (mercifully) their titles.

8. One book you are currently reading: John Adams, by David McCullough. Great book so far. I finished 1776 (by the same author)not long ago for book club, and it was fabulous, so now I'm reading John Adams for an encore. I am bummed, though, because I don't think I'll be able to attend book club w/my brother and his fiancee in town this weekend.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (recommended by Kate Wheatley).

10. Tag five people: Tania Choi, Sara McNeil, Mark Peach, Sam Wheatley, and Danny Maland (don't even know if you all read my blog, but hey, it's worth a shot!).