Uneventful Week but one good run!

I don't have much to post about.  It has been an uneventful week that ended in an ice storm.  This means that school was closed yesterday...  which is great, except I still have to go into work when we close.  Oh well!  I got a lot done without many interruptions.

Last night my hubby had to go to a work "meeting" where they really just took him and his co-workers to dinner.  He got home at 9:30, which means that I didn't head downstairs to run until 10pm!  I did manage to clean the house, bake cookies, and wash some kid laundry while he was gone.  I felt like Holly Homemaker!

I was supposed to run 3 miles and when I got on the TM I felt great so I told myself I wanted to see what my 5K time would be.  Then, since I'm slightly OCD (no, really, I think I am!) I couldn't stop at just 3.1 miles- I figured I better finish at 4.  I absolutely hate stopping a anything odd like 3.1 or 3.23.  Anyone else like that?  We could trade "I think I'm OCD" stories!  Anyway (apparently I'm also ADHD- where was I??)  I managed to get a 5K in 35 minutes, which is faster than any 5K race time I've clocked.  I finished my 4 miles in 45 minutes.  I know some of you are reading this thinking REALLY?  11 minute-ish miles and you are happy??  BITE ME!  I'm slow and I know it!!  However, when I started I was running 14 minutes miles (probably closer to walking than running!) and to get to 45 minutes for 4 miles is PROGRESS for me!  I'm working on getting faster and I am happy to see I am getting better.

In other news... I've lost 20 pounds since Jan 1st!!!  WOOOO HOOOO!!!  I'm so happy and feel so much better.  I have 29 more to go to get to my ultimate goal and only about 10 more to go to get to my lowest adult weight ever.

My family is heading to this place today:

To hang out with my older sister and her family.  We have been neglecting family time and the events I experienced in January made me want to make more time to get together.

Everyone have a great weekend!

My Frist Tri Experience

Today I had my first Triathlon experience.  I signed up for today's mini indoor tri after my friend asked me to consider it.  My friend is old enough to be my dad.  Mike was the middle school principal at the school district I was hired into 6 years ago.   Mike has since retired, but we keep in touch and have lunch once in awhile.  He is like a father to me and an all around good guy.  Mike is the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it.

Mike asked me a few months ago to sign up.  At 59 years of age,  Mike is very active and has a personal trainer.  He is the kind of guy who tries things for the heck of it and he loves challenges.  Here's an action shot of Mike that I don't have permission to post... but, well, too bad!

My family drove up to Lansing, Michigan yesterday and enjoyed some family time last night.  This morning I got up and drove to the Howell aquatic center for the triathlon.  This indoor tri is set up to be just 20 minutes of each activity.  You earn points depending on your distance for each of the three events.

Mike and I were in the first heat of athletes and we swam first in the pool pictured above.  I'm mad that I didn't take my own pictures, but there was a photog and they started posting pictures... I'm hoping there is more later.

I did a great job on the swim and decent on the bike (spin bikes) and then we had to run around a gym floor.  I was lapped several times running and though I felt ok, I just don't know how to speed up!  Oh well.  My goal was to finish and that's what I did.  We didn't stick around for the awards because I wanted to take my family to the science center in Lansing and well, I didn't figure I'd win anything because it was my 1st time and my running is horrible.

I enjoyed the day and headed home (2 hour drive) around 3pm.  Mike called just as we walked in the door to our house to tell me that we had BOTH placed 2nd in our age groups.  WHAT???  Me??  2nd??  I couldn't believe it.  There were only 2 people in Mike's age group (but he still did awesome!) and my age group had 9!  I realized that our heat was the first of the day and must of had a lot of die-hard tri-atheletes in it.  I still can't believe I won an age-group award.  Too bad we live 2 hours away.  We didn't stay around for the awards and if we want them, we have to drive back up there.  Probably not going to ever get them, but still cool to place in my first ever experience.

Now,  I do realize that this indoor tri probably had a lot of first-timers or people who just wanted to participate in something fun.  I know this isn't a serious event.  I don't care- I'M STILL PROUD of us!

I'm hooked!

Time Away

So I bet you thought I fell off the wagon....  

Well, I feel like I did, but I promise you I didn't!  I left last Sunday to go to Columbus for work.  I was in Columbus for 4 days/3 nights and got back on Wednesday.  I should have spent some time writing, but I just didn't.  What I DID do, was stay on track the best I could.  All 4 days I stayed within 300 calories of my daily calories when I ate back the calories I burned running (I don't always eat them back, but I figured I had to enjoy being away from home at least a bit.)  

I also got up and ran all 3 mornings.  The day I left I swam 3000 yards and then each morning in the hotel I ran 2 or 3 miles.  I didn't want to run 3 days in a row, but hotel pools are a non-option to me and the "bike" was more like a dinosaur with a grinding noise!  There it is....the other side of the elliptical that didn't move!

So instead I ran on this....

Not much better, but it worked.  Thankfully this was the first of 2 hotels and we only stayed here the first night and then switched to a better hotel when it had open rooms.  Especially because this was my view out our window:

Yep!  That's a trash compactor over there and a beautiful ally where those construction workers regularly took their smoke brakes.  AWESOME!  So glad we paid more than $100 to stay here.  

Anyway, I enjoyed the work conference.  It's always the best one I go to, and hence the reason why I am willing to spend some time away from my family.  

While everyone enjoyed drink after drink, I enjoyed water.  I wasn't about to waste my calories on alcohol!  I did enjoy spending time out with some of my coworkers.  We went to a piano bar called the "The Big Bang" and had a great time singing and dancing until 2am on the last night.  I got back to our room around 2:30 and then got up at 5:30am to run.  UGH!  I am still trying to recoup from that and I am extremely tired.  And *MEN...stop reading!* I started that favorite time of the month on Wednesday so I am struggling with my diet today (the worst day of aunt flo) and I ate about 1500 calories too many.  BLAH!  Back on program tomorrow.

I did manage to not gain while in Columbus and now after all of that hard work, I'll probably gain 3 pounds from my binge today.  Oh well... gotta have a cheat day every now and then!

I'm so glad to be back home and with this guy:

Who was so excited that mommy came home that he couldn't stop clapping.  

I was also excited to see middle little showing off her silly side (and her snake tongue!)

And...big little who was trying to be cute:

I just got done with 2 long days of work and now IT'S THE WEEKEND!

Tomorrow we leave as a family for Lansing, Michigan and I'll being doing my first triathlon.  It's just an inside mini-tri, but I thought it would give me a good first experience of what it is like to go from one sport to the next.  Just for fun!  I'll let you know how it goes soon.

All Signed Up...

To satisfy this guy.....

All signed up for my first official Sprint Triathlon!  I decided to just do the sprint rather than the woman's only.  I'm not sure why... I guess I decided to be brave!

Thanks for all of your encouragement!  I'm training already, so I'm sure I'll be fine.  

A New Look

So, I got board with my blog's appearance and I decided to change things up.... little did I know that I would lose some of the things I had on my "old" template.  Not all of my blog roll transferred and I have no idea if those following me will find my new blog!  I'm so sorry!  I guess I should have worked to understand it a bit better before doing it.  Oh well.  I guess you learn by making mistakes!

Earlier this week I found out that I WON the most recent round of our fitness challenge at work.  We have to measure inches lost, weight lost, and then activity.  While I know I am doing well on my own, I never expected to win!!  I get a gift card as a prize.  I don't know to where or how much, but I could care less.  Since when did I EVER win anything fitness-wise?!  Pretty cool!

Nothing blog-related, but my new (leased) van hit 999 miles last night on the way to swim!

I timed a 750 yard swim (not official or serious by any nature!) to see about where I would end up if I did sign up for a triathlon here soon.  I wanted to see if I was any where near coming in last!  The good news is that for just starting back at swimming, I'm not doing too bad!  The bad news is that the swim will probably be my best of the 3 sports involved in the tri!  I think I will do OK on the bike, but the run is not my strong point.  I'm not anywhere near where I need to be time wise.  Who can help me get faster?!  I know nothing about increasing my speed.  I run fast runs and easy runs on my 'mill, but my fast never gets faster!

Monday night I had to take my oldest to cheer practice.  It usually works out that I can walk the hallways of the church for the hour and I get in a good 4-5 miles.  This last Monday, I had to bring my 3 year old with an attitude.

She sat in the jogging stroller, but wanted nothing to do with being pushed around.  See her lips pursed here?  She is just about to tell me that I never listen to her.  She wanted to sit and watch practice... fine, but I was going to walk.  NO, she wanted me to sit WITH her.  UGH!  I only got about 20 minutes in before she had a complete melt down.  I ended up going home to run 4 miles.

This week I am going to try Zumba that is hosted by my oldest's dance teacher after dance class on Thursday.  Saturday will be my "long" run and then Sunday is swimming day again.  Sunday evening I leave to go to Columbus for a work conference that will last until Wednesday.


I've been back and forth in my mind about how I will sustain my diet while there.  It's not going to be easy, but I would hate to gain back the weight I have worked so hard to lose.  I know I can use the hotel gym and will do fine with that.  Eating is my biggest concern.

I need to formulate a plan now... gotta go work on that.

A Snow Day Swim

It's Sunday, and therefore SWIMMING day!  Last night I ran 5 miles on the 'mill, so I was looking forward to getting in the pool for a nice long swim.  I always see the swim as a way to stretch out all of my muscles.

I got up when my alarm went off and got ready in about 5 minutes and headed outside to my van and this is what it looked like outside....

My neighbor's house...not mine.  She has her own beach that walks out into her pond.  You can't see all that because of the snow cover.  It was still snowing out and my road looked like this out my windshield...

Not fun driving, but there were few cars out at 7:45am.  The only thing I could think of was that the water should feel warm if I was cold by the time I got there.

The parking lot was a mess.  Doesn't this entrance look appealing for a school pool??!?!

The water looked crystal clear though and that's all that matters to me!

I swam for 55 minutes and got in 2500 yards.  I did 1000 swim, 200 kick, 1000 swim, 200 kick, and then 100 cool down swim.  I felt great.

Did I mention that I really would like to try some triathlons this year?  I enjoy swimming, I've done some running, and a long, long time ago, I used to ride with a group that did trips on the bike (not fast, but far.)  I love all three sports and I think it would be fun to try to do them all together.  However, I'm scared to death of the transitions.  I know this sounds stupid, but I just don't think I know how to handle the clothing issues.  I can't imagine biking and running in WET clothes.  I already chafe when running. I use body glide and it still happens.  I'd need to completely change and I know this isn't possible.

I hope to sign up for a few triathlons in June, July, and August.  I just have to get over my fear of the clothing and transitions.  I have....um...well... a large chest area.  I can't run in a swimsuit... I'd give myself a black eye or two.  It just isn't going to happen.  The next option is to wear a sports bra under my suit and just bike and run with that.   UGH!  Not sure I can do that.  I have horrible, horrible scars from a chafing incident from my first 10 mile run in the heat when I sweated so much and my bra rubbed.  I couldn't wear anything that resembled a bra for weeks.  It was so raw.  So... if anyone has any advice, send me a comment or something.  I'm scared, very scared!

Today was a good day.  I swam, went to church, then my husband agreed to take all the kids to do something fun while I cleaned the house... how nice.   I did get a lot of cleaning done and I was able to control my eating.

Here is my dinner:

YUM!  With hot sauce and all.  I wrapped it up of course, but this is the inside. Chicken fajita with cheese in a tortilla.

'Night all!

One Month Down

I never make resolutions, partly because I know I'll never keep them.  My resolution is usually to lose weight....which I never do.  Or if I do, I quit and gain it all back in a few weeks.

This year is different.  Along the way of becoming a "runner" I realized how much better I felt just being active.  Being active is something I can do at 190 pounds or 130 pounds.  Of course I hope that being active helps me lose weight, but honestly, I just enjoy seeing myself accomplish things I never imagined I could.

My resolution this year is simple, yet measurable.  My resolution:
Be purposely active everyday!

I added purposely in there because I could always say that walking from my car is being active.  No, I mean that I choose to do some sort of exercise purposely everyday.  Walking, swimming, running, cycling, playing a game like basketball, hiking....


I have completed 31 days of being active.  I have done something active every single day.  I feel great and I have lost some weight.  I did gain a few back when I had a bad binge, but I am working on getting those off again.  I did much better today and I am happy to say that I am starting month #2 of being active.

I feel better about myself and I enjoy finding new ways to be active.  Not everyone is supportive of this idea though.  Recently I worked late (*read: past my contracted hours) to get some extra work done.  I had to watch an hour long webinar.  Rather than sitting on my duff doing nothing but staring at my computer, I decided that I should walk on the treadmill while watching.  I took my laptop to the fitness room and plopped it on to of the treadmill and got on.  I was walking at a 3.8 mile pace and watching my webinar.  No one else was in the fitness room.  After I left, I found out that someone was telling everyone else that I was "working out during my work day."  #1) it wasn't during my work day, #2) I was still working anyway, #3) wouldn't my work be happy that I am getting healthy so that I can save them insurance money anyway?  It makes me angry for so many reason that his person had an issue.  I guess next time they'd like to see me sitting at my desk with a latte in my hand with my eyes half shut staring at my laptop.

I found this online somewhere but I didn't think to get the credit...so I'm sorry to the person I took it from!!  It's an awesome reminder that I should focus on being healthy and the weight will come off on it's own. If I focus on losing weight, I will like not get very far and I won't be healthy.

Happy Weekend everyone!