As the holidays are upon us and the New Year approaches, people start making there resolutions. If you are a triathlete, most likely you will be making race-olutions. What is a race-olution? For me, it is a time when I reflect on the past year, and start thinking about my goals and races for the following year. It is a time to envision PRs, crazy scary distances, and perhaps getting better at a certain sport(s).
2009 for me can best be summed up as a year of good intentions but bad circumstances. I also had a slight hangover this year from the intensity of 2008 in which I participated in 17 races. Of those races, 3 were half-marathons, 7 were triathlons, and one was swimming Alcatraz. The big events of 2008 were crashing my bike at Barb's, but eventually finishing my first 1/2 ironman at Big Kahuna.
I went into 2009 with a semi-realistic goal of improving my 1/2 iron time by attacking Barb's again. I was going to be an awesome cyclist. I was going to crush my half marathon times and finally break a 2 hour race. I was going to be a lean, mean, racing machine.
Unfortunately, 2009 turned out to be quite sucktacular in terms of races and enhancing my athletic prowess. I tweaked my back in early February, putting a damper on my training for the Mermaid 1/2 in March. The Mermaid half was a brutal race this year what with the rain and wind, and I had my slowest half ever. I squeezed in a couple 5ks in, and did the Cinderella ride again. Towards the end of April, I really started to amp up my training for Barb's in August. Unfortunately, I attempted to bake that fateful batch of cookies in May and dislocated my knee and spent my summer in physical therapy and being grouchy on the couch.
arggg. Once I was given the green light to run again, it was very tough for me to get back into the groove. I did a couple races post knee injury, but they were all lackluster. My training was sporadic, and as a result my race experiences were bland.
The problem? My heart was not in it. I also took on a new job in November and my focus turned to my new responsibility and the idea of training was super overwhelming.
So, basically, my goals for 2010 are the same as 2009: Improve my half-ironman time; be a better cyclist; and be a lean mean racing machine. It is also a time to think strategically about my racing calendar. Here is a general idea, though nothing is set in stone because life can sometimes take you off track:
January
-Start January 1 with the Resolution Run in Los Gatos. A nice 5 mile hilly race that I will do with some mermaids. I am also thinking about doing another race in Castro Valley on January 2, as my nieces live up there and would be fun to get them involved.
-Swim class at De Anza.
-Spinning class.
-Work on increasing mileage for 1/2 Marathon in February.
February
-Kaiser half marathon (no goal time. It is on Super Bowl Sunday and is a great way to rationalize eating buffalo wings and Tostitos cheese dip while watching the game)
-Mermaid 10k in San Francisco (no goal time as well, since this will be a week after Kaiser half marathon)
-Mid February start to amp up cycling
-Join Team Mermaid and torture my core
March
-Continue bike, run, swim training
-St patricks 5k in Los Gatos. Goal: 5k in less than 30 minutes
April
-Cinderella bike ride: do the long route (80-90 miles)
-TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN for wildflower
-Mermaid run---do the 1/2 but as a training run, not a race.
May
-Wildflower 1/2 marathon. Goal time: 7 hours 30 minutes. Ideally 7 hours, but not sure what a realistic goal is.
-Remainder of May take it easy to recover
The summer I would like to concentrate on cycling. My friend and I are thinking about doing a 2 day bike ride that goes from Seattle to Portland, so I will definitely need to train for that.
August: recover from bike ride and start training for a marathon in October.
September: Mermaid Olympic Tri. Goal: PR for olympic distance.
train for marathon
October: Silicon Valley Marathon. I am really wanting to do a marathon again, and I like the idea of one that is small and not far away. Goal: beat my Eugene time. Ideally, race a 4:30. Yikes!
November: recover, recover, recover. Turkey trot.
December: reflect on 2010 and maybe take it easy with yoga.
OK, so this may be a little ambitious for 2010...but we will see. I am ready to be strong again. I am ready to say, "Take that 2009!"
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Watch it kid!
The good news? I have ran 4 days in a ROW this week. 4! Whoo hoo! Plus, I have biked 3 times since Saturday. Yesterday I even did a gradual brick workout. I biked an hour and a half and chilled at home for an hour and then ran 3 miles to my ww meeting (yeah...back on the ww...don't wanna talk about it. Knee injury over the summer brought on a severe case of the jeans-don't-fit-any-moresies). Plus, after ww meeting I ran .8 miles to meet hubby for takeout at Panda Express (not exactly gourmet, but surprisingly low point options there). That means I worked out for over 2 hours yesterday. Hooray!
The bad news? I didn't have the guts to attempt Mt. Eden on my bike ride. Not quite ready for climbs yet.
As I was riding yesterday, I started thinking of the mantras I repeat to myself to get through a challenging workout. I find that a lot of them relate to disney or storybook characters:
Open water: Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming." (particularly when I feel all alone out in the ocean and start thinking about the "S" word.)
Climbing awful hills on my bike: The Little Engine That Could: "I think I can. I think I can." (though, I think to myself: "I know I can. I know I can." Once I have any doubt on a hill climb, that is when I usually topple over)
The beginning part of the run after bike transition with legs like jelly: The Toirtoise and the Hare: "Slow and steady wins the race." (more like, slow and steady at the beginning so I don't bonk at the end).
Also, my getting back out there made me realize another thing: kids are so flippin' annoying. They don't pay attention and are oblivious to the world around them. When I am on a trail, I truly believe that the dogs on the trail have more common sense than the kids. In the past year, there have been 3 incidents where I have been almost seriously injured from a kids actions. TWO happened in the last week. Here are the incidents:
1) While biking home last spring I was riding on Homestead Ave, and a few high school kids were walking on the sidewalk. There were two boys and a girl and they were acting all...teenagery. The boy, who was a real winner, was probably trying to flirt with the girl and he jokingly pushed her. off. the. sidewalk. into. MY. bikelane. I screamed as I swerved my bike to avoid her and nearly ran into an SUV. The kids just started laughing.
2) Last week I was riding on Prospect road and realized I missed my turn. It was fairly heavy traffic time and difficult to make a left turn. I pulled into a high school to turn around. I was in the right lane in the school lot to get back on to Prospect Rd. and as I was going straight I saw a kid in an SUV making a left into the school. He didn't quite understand that his monstrously large vehicle needed to stay to the left when he got on school grounds and he crossed over into the right lane basically face to face with me. I slowed down my bike thinking, "He has to see me. He has to see me...dear god he DOESN'T see me!" Finally he hit the breaks when he saw me. I put the brakes on my bike and managed to not fall off. I faced him in his SUV which was a foot away from me. He just drove off with a blank teenage boy expression while all the kids who were outside just started laughing (WHAT THE HECK with the laughing? Are you kids so flipping descensitized by Michael Bay movies that you don't recognize the seriousness of POSSIBLE REAL LIFE CARNAGE?) and said, "Nice driving man." A concerned mom in a corolla who was behind him the whole time rolled down her window and asked, "Are you ok honey?" "Yes," I mumbled while the adrenaline wore off.
3) This week I made the mistake AGAIN of working out while youths are walking home from school. so dumb. I was running on Homestead darting past elementary school kids (luckily none of them had those backpacks on wheels thingies). And one boy must have recognized his friend who was 20 feet ahead of me because he sprinted past me to catch up to this guy only to stop dead in his tracks right in my path. I was going pretty fast downhill and wasn't able to stop in time and I wound up bumping into this boy (luckily neither of us hit the asphalt). And this, dear reader, is where I realized that I am truly an adult because I turned around and said, "Watch it kid!" like a crotchety old lady scolding kids playing in her yard.
Moral of the story: don't try to be near schools when kids have just gotten out. They are all giddy with the excitement of no more school and aren't as intelligent as, say, a golden retriever.
The bad news? I didn't have the guts to attempt Mt. Eden on my bike ride. Not quite ready for climbs yet.
As I was riding yesterday, I started thinking of the mantras I repeat to myself to get through a challenging workout. I find that a lot of them relate to disney or storybook characters:
Open water: Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming." (particularly when I feel all alone out in the ocean and start thinking about the "S" word.)
Climbing awful hills on my bike: The Little Engine That Could: "I think I can. I think I can." (though, I think to myself: "I know I can. I know I can." Once I have any doubt on a hill climb, that is when I usually topple over)
The beginning part of the run after bike transition with legs like jelly: The Toirtoise and the Hare: "Slow and steady wins the race." (more like, slow and steady at the beginning so I don't bonk at the end).
Also, my getting back out there made me realize another thing: kids are so flippin' annoying. They don't pay attention and are oblivious to the world around them. When I am on a trail, I truly believe that the dogs on the trail have more common sense than the kids. In the past year, there have been 3 incidents where I have been almost seriously injured from a kids actions. TWO happened in the last week. Here are the incidents:
1) While biking home last spring I was riding on Homestead Ave, and a few high school kids were walking on the sidewalk. There were two boys and a girl and they were acting all...teenagery. The boy, who was a real winner, was probably trying to flirt with the girl and he jokingly pushed her. off. the. sidewalk. into. MY. bikelane. I screamed as I swerved my bike to avoid her and nearly ran into an SUV. The kids just started laughing.
2) Last week I was riding on Prospect road and realized I missed my turn. It was fairly heavy traffic time and difficult to make a left turn. I pulled into a high school to turn around. I was in the right lane in the school lot to get back on to Prospect Rd. and as I was going straight I saw a kid in an SUV making a left into the school. He didn't quite understand that his monstrously large vehicle needed to stay to the left when he got on school grounds and he crossed over into the right lane basically face to face with me. I slowed down my bike thinking, "He has to see me. He has to see me...dear god he DOESN'T see me!" Finally he hit the breaks when he saw me. I put the brakes on my bike and managed to not fall off. I faced him in his SUV which was a foot away from me. He just drove off with a blank teenage boy expression while all the kids who were outside just started laughing (WHAT THE HECK with the laughing? Are you kids so flipping descensitized by Michael Bay movies that you don't recognize the seriousness of POSSIBLE REAL LIFE CARNAGE?) and said, "Nice driving man." A concerned mom in a corolla who was behind him the whole time rolled down her window and asked, "Are you ok honey?" "Yes," I mumbled while the adrenaline wore off.
3) This week I made the mistake AGAIN of working out while youths are walking home from school. so dumb. I was running on Homestead darting past elementary school kids (luckily none of them had those backpacks on wheels thingies). And one boy must have recognized his friend who was 20 feet ahead of me because he sprinted past me to catch up to this guy only to stop dead in his tracks right in my path. I was going pretty fast downhill and wasn't able to stop in time and I wound up bumping into this boy (luckily neither of us hit the asphalt). And this, dear reader, is where I realized that I am truly an adult because I turned around and said, "Watch it kid!" like a crotchety old lady scolding kids playing in her yard.
Moral of the story: don't try to be near schools when kids have just gotten out. They are all giddy with the excitement of no more school and aren't as intelligent as, say, a golden retriever.
Monday, September 28, 2009
It's funny that all that time training on the couch didn't prepare me for this.
Yesterday I did my first triathlon (non-relay) of 2009. How did it go?
Slow. Painful. Fun.Ish.
I will preface this by saying my training for this race was less than minimal. I spent a good deal of my summer recovering from my knee injury, watching Bravo on the couch (yea Real Houswives and Top Chef), and occasionally jumping in the pool or running around the track. I was on my bike 4 times this summer. Four. With no hill training.
I still signed up for Mermaid Santa Cruz because, well, just because. It was quite nice to not be super neurotic and antsy for once. I decided to pick up my bib on race day. I showed up to the race an hour before my wave was going. Usually when I race, I make an effort to pick up my race number the day before and get all my gear in check. And I try to get to the transition super early for a good spot. This race, overall I was all about the, "Meh."
Hubby was with me, which was nice. Luckily this time when I got back from the bike he didn't ask me, "Where were you? That took a long time." Yeah, that happened at Cal Poly Tri 2008. He was on the otherside of the transition area and when I go off my bike and said that to me. It didn't go over too well. Remember that Far Side Cartoon, of what dogs hear and all dogs here is "blah blah b;ah Rusty blah blah"? Well, this is the Jill version.
What Hubby Says: "Where were you? That took a long time."
What Hubby means: "I was worred about you. I thought you injured yourself."
What Jill hears: "Blah Blah Blah you sure are slow blah blah."
Maybe I should write a Men are for Mars the Triathlete Edition.
Anyways, it was nice to have him there at the finsih. We stayed in Santa Cruz Sunday night and enjoyed the Boardwalk craziness (I love how that place never changes. It still looks how it did in the Lost Boys. And so do the people.) and happy hour at Aquarius. We ordered room service and were planning on getting The Hangover on Pay per view, but it was $15. Yikes,
So, here is a short summary of the race.
Swim: hard. long. crowded. There were women in that water that I don't think ever went in the ocean. I used to think people doing breastrstroke were annoying, but people were doing backstroke. I am sorry, but how can you SEE when you are on your back? It was aquatic bumper cars in there.
transition: after the swim, you have to climb 154 stairs to the transition area. Needless to say, I took my time. No more injuries, please.
Bike: First time ever during a race that I walked my bike up a hill. I had a feeling I wasn't going to make it up the monster hill in the beginning. I was in the wrong gear going up and panic starting hitting me. I had riders on my left and riders on my right and everyone was riding crooked up this beast. I had a feeling if I fell, it would be cyclist dominoes. I dug my heels toward the ground with each pedal stroke.but.it.was.not.happening. I was only half way up the hill and I knew what was going to happen. So, I shouted to the fellow riders:
"I'M GOING DOWN!"
I braced myself for the feeling of road meeting flesh, but miracle of miracles, I managed to unclip and get my foot on the ground and stop mermaid carnage from happening. Whoo hoo. From that moment on, I vowed to walk the hills. And that is totally ok. For this race.
Run: Slow. Difficult. Uphill.
So, there we have it. I am not calling what I did yesterday a race, it was more of a weekend away with Dennis with an early morning workout.
And that is totally ok. For this race.
Slow. Painful. Fun.Ish.
I will preface this by saying my training for this race was less than minimal. I spent a good deal of my summer recovering from my knee injury, watching Bravo on the couch (yea Real Houswives and Top Chef), and occasionally jumping in the pool or running around the track. I was on my bike 4 times this summer. Four. With no hill training.
I still signed up for Mermaid Santa Cruz because, well, just because. It was quite nice to not be super neurotic and antsy for once. I decided to pick up my bib on race day. I showed up to the race an hour before my wave was going. Usually when I race, I make an effort to pick up my race number the day before and get all my gear in check. And I try to get to the transition super early for a good spot. This race, overall I was all about the, "Meh."
Hubby was with me, which was nice. Luckily this time when I got back from the bike he didn't ask me, "Where were you? That took a long time." Yeah, that happened at Cal Poly Tri 2008. He was on the otherside of the transition area and when I go off my bike and said that to me. It didn't go over too well. Remember that Far Side Cartoon, of what dogs hear and all dogs here is "blah blah b;ah Rusty blah blah"? Well, this is the Jill version.
What Hubby Says: "Where were you? That took a long time."
What Hubby means: "I was worred about you. I thought you injured yourself."
What Jill hears: "Blah Blah Blah you sure are slow blah blah."
Maybe I should write a Men are for Mars the Triathlete Edition.
Anyways, it was nice to have him there at the finsih. We stayed in Santa Cruz Sunday night and enjoyed the Boardwalk craziness (I love how that place never changes. It still looks how it did in the Lost Boys. And so do the people.) and happy hour at Aquarius. We ordered room service and were planning on getting The Hangover on Pay per view, but it was $15. Yikes,
So, here is a short summary of the race.
Swim: hard. long. crowded. There were women in that water that I don't think ever went in the ocean. I used to think people doing breastrstroke were annoying, but people were doing backstroke. I am sorry, but how can you SEE when you are on your back? It was aquatic bumper cars in there.
transition: after the swim, you have to climb 154 stairs to the transition area. Needless to say, I took my time. No more injuries, please.
Bike: First time ever during a race that I walked my bike up a hill. I had a feeling I wasn't going to make it up the monster hill in the beginning. I was in the wrong gear going up and panic starting hitting me. I had riders on my left and riders on my right and everyone was riding crooked up this beast. I had a feeling if I fell, it would be cyclist dominoes. I dug my heels toward the ground with each pedal stroke.but.it.was.not.happening. I was only half way up the hill and I knew what was going to happen. So, I shouted to the fellow riders:
"I'M GOING DOWN!"
I braced myself for the feeling of road meeting flesh, but miracle of miracles, I managed to unclip and get my foot on the ground and stop mermaid carnage from happening. Whoo hoo. From that moment on, I vowed to walk the hills. And that is totally ok. For this race.
Run: Slow. Difficult. Uphill.
So, there we have it. I am not calling what I did yesterday a race, it was more of a weekend away with Dennis with an early morning workout.
And that is totally ok. For this race.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
And I ran (not so far away)
yup---you read right. Last night I went to my first Mermaid workout in 2 1/2 months (some of the ladies were eyeballing me like, "who's the new girl?"---not in a judgy way though) and -to quote Forest Gump -"I.WAS.RUNN-ING!"
Yea! My feet and lungs were exhausted, but my soul was so happy to be back on familiar turf (AKA The Los Gatos Creek Trail). I ran nonstop for about 35 minutes and briefly thought "Maybe Big Kahuna in October." Though, the aquabike and not the 1/2 ironman may be more me speed.
Last night I had the HARDEST time fall asleep. I think that my body was all jazzed up from moving and I just couldn't relax. I kept looking at the alarm clock on my bed: 10:06. 10:45. 11:30. 12:05. 12:05? As in midnight? Ugh. it is so weird when you can sleep, because you literally spend two hours doing nothing productive.
Monday and today I rode my bike to work. It is a good route (about 18 miles round trip) and the only downfall is I have bad hair for the rest of the day. Oh well.
Yea! My feet and lungs were exhausted, but my soul was so happy to be back on familiar turf (AKA The Los Gatos Creek Trail). I ran nonstop for about 35 minutes and briefly thought "Maybe Big Kahuna in October." Though, the aquabike and not the 1/2 ironman may be more me speed.
Last night I had the HARDEST time fall asleep. I think that my body was all jazzed up from moving and I just couldn't relax. I kept looking at the alarm clock on my bed: 10:06. 10:45. 11:30. 12:05. 12:05? As in midnight? Ugh. it is so weird when you can sleep, because you literally spend two hours doing nothing productive.
Monday and today I rode my bike to work. It is a good route (about 18 miles round trip) and the only downfall is I have bad hair for the rest of the day. Oh well.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Monday "Dress-in"
A month plus of no running, and no biking, and plenty of couch time with the Real Housewives of Jersey, means a couple of things: lack of post-race endorphins; bragging rights after a 4 hour bike ride, the warmth of camaraderie amongst training buddies.
It also means one other thing: tight clothes.
I am having some issues with my summer clothes that have zippers. Some zip up, but am dangerously close to muffin top, while others get stuck half way up my back.
Pretty depressing.
So, since I am not training for anything right now, maybe I should start training for a new thing: "Jill can't afford new clothes right now." So, it is really time to buckle down and get control of the food thing, especially since I am not burning as many calories pre-knee incident.
I have always struggled with the food thing. Weight Watchers was the most successful for me, but lately whenever I rejoin I just find those meetings brutal. I am more kumbaya when training with my workout buddies, not sitting around a circle listening to people drone on about apple slices and stuff. It is just a lot to deal with after work.
I think the reason weight watchers worked for me was it made me accountable for what I ate because I had to write things down and keep track of points. So, what I am going to do now is focus on the calorie intake. It seems to lose weight, 1600 calories a day is where I should aim. I am starting today: writing down what I eat and keeping track of fat, protein, and fiber. I am also trying to figure what to eat to make me stay full and satisfied so I don't fall off the wagon.
I am also NOT going to weigh myself. I just don't feel like dealing with those numbers. So, each Monday I will do a "dress-in." I will try on the same dress to see how it fits as the weeks go by.
So far the day started out pretty good. I made an eggwhite zuchhini omelet, and had a no-sugar added carnation instant breakfast. 233 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 21 grams of protetin, and 5 grams of fiber.
This is going to be a long day...
It also means one other thing: tight clothes.
I am having some issues with my summer clothes that have zippers. Some zip up, but am dangerously close to muffin top, while others get stuck half way up my back.
Pretty depressing.
So, since I am not training for anything right now, maybe I should start training for a new thing: "Jill can't afford new clothes right now." So, it is really time to buckle down and get control of the food thing, especially since I am not burning as many calories pre-knee incident.
I have always struggled with the food thing. Weight Watchers was the most successful for me, but lately whenever I rejoin I just find those meetings brutal. I am more kumbaya when training with my workout buddies, not sitting around a circle listening to people drone on about apple slices and stuff. It is just a lot to deal with after work.
I think the reason weight watchers worked for me was it made me accountable for what I ate because I had to write things down and keep track of points. So, what I am going to do now is focus on the calorie intake. It seems to lose weight, 1600 calories a day is where I should aim. I am starting today: writing down what I eat and keeping track of fat, protein, and fiber. I am also trying to figure what to eat to make me stay full and satisfied so I don't fall off the wagon.
I am also NOT going to weigh myself. I just don't feel like dealing with those numbers. So, each Monday I will do a "dress-in." I will try on the same dress to see how it fits as the weeks go by.
So far the day started out pretty good. I made an eggwhite zuchhini omelet, and had a no-sugar added carnation instant breakfast. 233 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 21 grams of protetin, and 5 grams of fiber.
This is going to be a long day...
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
new plan...
Physical therapy is going well, though not able to do one full pedal stroke on the stationary bike. This made me swallow my pride and decide that Aquabike is not happening. And maybe no other races are happening this year.
Kinda sucks.
But I have a new plan.
It's time for a vacay.
So, instead of spending my money on race entry fees (ranging from $25 to $200!), hotel fees, and post-race beers---it will go towards a much needed vacation with Dennis.
I just booked a 4 day all inclusive trip to cancun for our 3rd anniversary in September. Yea!
I may still go up the day of Vineman so I can cheer all my fellow Mermaids on at the finish. They are going to rock it.
Kinda sucks.
But I have a new plan.
It's time for a vacay.
So, instead of spending my money on race entry fees (ranging from $25 to $200!), hotel fees, and post-race beers---it will go towards a much needed vacation with Dennis.
I just booked a 4 day all inclusive trip to cancun for our 3rd anniversary in September. Yea!
I may still go up the day of Vineman so I can cheer all my fellow Mermaids on at the finish. They are going to rock it.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
knee update #1
Bad news: knee still has issues.
Good news: am off crutches.
I spent last week on crutches and it was brutal. I seriously got winded walking from the porch to my car. At least I could drive!
I went to an orthopedic surgeon on Friday. I got xrays of my knees, a new brace made of neoprene, and a prescription for physical therapy. My appointment is tomorrow, so we will see how that goes.
Yesterday was my first full day with the new brace and I decided to go swimming (arms only). I did 10 laps and felt pretty good. Today I did 40 laps. Dennis said that maybe I will come out of this a better swimmer. Could be nice.
It is definitely weird not being able to bend my left knee when I walk--I kinda feel like Kevin Spacey as Caiser Sozee (sp?) on The Usual Suspects. It is definitely weird not being able to walk fast through the grocery store. But, it was nice being able to go grocery shopping and even get ready to make dinner tonight.
I am hoping for a good prognosis tomorrow---like, with enough physical therapy I can do the aquabike at vineman in August.
We shall see...
Good news: am off crutches.
I spent last week on crutches and it was brutal. I seriously got winded walking from the porch to my car. At least I could drive!
I went to an orthopedic surgeon on Friday. I got xrays of my knees, a new brace made of neoprene, and a prescription for physical therapy. My appointment is tomorrow, so we will see how that goes.
Yesterday was my first full day with the new brace and I decided to go swimming (arms only). I did 10 laps and felt pretty good. Today I did 40 laps. Dennis said that maybe I will come out of this a better swimmer. Could be nice.
It is definitely weird not being able to bend my left knee when I walk--I kinda feel like Kevin Spacey as Caiser Sozee (sp?) on The Usual Suspects. It is definitely weird not being able to walk fast through the grocery store. But, it was nice being able to go grocery shopping and even get ready to make dinner tonight.
I am hoping for a good prognosis tomorrow---like, with enough physical therapy I can do the aquabike at vineman in August.
We shall see...
Saturday, May 23, 2009
are you serious?
So...I am stuck on the couch again...on Thursday night I was making some chocolate chip cookies for Dennis' company picnic and as I was rushing to the refrigerator I smacked right into an open cupboard. Unfortunately, it was at the right angle to smack my kneecap out of place. The same knee I had surgery on 16 years ago.
Luckily I landed on my opposite side and not my head or anything. I heard Dennis say from the living room, "That didn't sound good" and then I started yelling at him "Dennis call 911! I dislocated my knee! Call 911 NOWWWW!"
I used my right arm to prop myseld up and my left hand had a tight clench on my pant legs to keep my leg from moving. I knew from experience that any movement of my leg would cause my knee to seize up. Dennis came around and saw my the outline of my knee cap poking through my cargo pants and said, "Ooh yeah. That doesn't belong there."
Suddenly there were 5 paramedics in my kitchen asking what was going on. One took a look at the kitchen and said, "Looks like someone was making cookies."
I told them what happened and they asked for all my information and took my blood pressure, checked my heart rate.
(Side note: after they took my heart rate they asked if I was an athlete because it was so low! How awesome is that?)
They used this metal gurney thing and gradually rotated me on it and put me in the ambulance. The nice EMT asked me if I needed morphine. I was actually feeling ok, and not in a lot of pain and said I would wait until we got to the hospital and they would pop it back in.
Then my adrenaline wore off and we kept hitting all these bumpy potholes in the ambulance drive over and I was moving around, in pain.
"Yeah, I will take the happy juice."
He tried to find a vein for the iv in my left arm, but I always have issues with people finindg a vein for a needle. The ambulance was nice enough to stop to pull over for him to put it in my right arm. The pain subsided a bit and finally we got to the hospital. I waited around in a room, the nurses came and took my blood pressure. The doctor came in and took a look at my knee. I was really not looking forward to him popping it back in because I remembered the pain from the first time. They gave me a nice cocktail of pain medicine and an anti-anxiety drug.
Dennis came to the room and I guess I was saying some silly things to him. This is sorta what I remember:
"Do you have a hair tie in my purse---I need to pull it up because it is going to look big."
"I just ordered a bikini ---looks like getting into shape won't be happening too soon. I wonder if I can return it...no it was super cheap so it is fine to keep it."
The doctor came back to try to pop it back in place. It wasn't going in that easily so he had someone take an x-ray. Turns out not only did it move to the left side, it also shifted up." Dennis gave me his hand to squeeze and I braced myself for the uncomfort of placing the kneecap back in its place.
Then they put this removable brace on me that goes from my upper thigh to my ankle. They gave me cruches and I tried to hobble around but the meds made me a little loopy and unstable. They put me in a wheelchair and Dennis went to go get his car. Somehow we managed to get both me and my crutches in the front seat of his tiny boxter.
So...this pretty much sucks. It is day two and I can't put weight on my foot. Poor Dennis has to be at my beck and call ("can I have some water?" "I need a kleenex." "Can you help me condition my hair."). Going up the stairs is always fun because I basically scoot up each stair on my butt.
I have an appointment with an ortho doc next week. Not sure what this will mean for my training and the rest of the race season. I got pretty upset this morning because I just can't do anything that I want to do. My friends are all facebooking about their workouts and I am just green with envy. It is interesting to compare this time around with when it first happened 17 years ago. My training has helped me immensely with getting around. I don't feel super unstable putting all my weight on one leg because it is actually pretty strong from my crazy workouts. The Thursday morning core workouts also helped with me using those muscles to help me scoot up the stairs.
So, here is where I am...I am bored and going stir crazy, but hopefully the recovery period will be short and I can get back to moving...
Luckily I landed on my opposite side and not my head or anything. I heard Dennis say from the living room, "That didn't sound good" and then I started yelling at him "Dennis call 911! I dislocated my knee! Call 911 NOWWWW!"
I used my right arm to prop myseld up and my left hand had a tight clench on my pant legs to keep my leg from moving. I knew from experience that any movement of my leg would cause my knee to seize up. Dennis came around and saw my the outline of my knee cap poking through my cargo pants and said, "Ooh yeah. That doesn't belong there."
Suddenly there were 5 paramedics in my kitchen asking what was going on. One took a look at the kitchen and said, "Looks like someone was making cookies."
I told them what happened and they asked for all my information and took my blood pressure, checked my heart rate.
(Side note: after they took my heart rate they asked if I was an athlete because it was so low! How awesome is that?)
They used this metal gurney thing and gradually rotated me on it and put me in the ambulance. The nice EMT asked me if I needed morphine. I was actually feeling ok, and not in a lot of pain and said I would wait until we got to the hospital and they would pop it back in.
Then my adrenaline wore off and we kept hitting all these bumpy potholes in the ambulance drive over and I was moving around, in pain.
"Yeah, I will take the happy juice."
He tried to find a vein for the iv in my left arm, but I always have issues with people finindg a vein for a needle. The ambulance was nice enough to stop to pull over for him to put it in my right arm. The pain subsided a bit and finally we got to the hospital. I waited around in a room, the nurses came and took my blood pressure. The doctor came in and took a look at my knee. I was really not looking forward to him popping it back in because I remembered the pain from the first time. They gave me a nice cocktail of pain medicine and an anti-anxiety drug.
Dennis came to the room and I guess I was saying some silly things to him. This is sorta what I remember:
"Do you have a hair tie in my purse---I need to pull it up because it is going to look big."
"I just ordered a bikini ---looks like getting into shape won't be happening too soon. I wonder if I can return it...no it was super cheap so it is fine to keep it."
The doctor came back to try to pop it back in place. It wasn't going in that easily so he had someone take an x-ray. Turns out not only did it move to the left side, it also shifted up." Dennis gave me his hand to squeeze and I braced myself for the uncomfort of placing the kneecap back in its place.
Then they put this removable brace on me that goes from my upper thigh to my ankle. They gave me cruches and I tried to hobble around but the meds made me a little loopy and unstable. They put me in a wheelchair and Dennis went to go get his car. Somehow we managed to get both me and my crutches in the front seat of his tiny boxter.
So...this pretty much sucks. It is day two and I can't put weight on my foot. Poor Dennis has to be at my beck and call ("can I have some water?" "I need a kleenex." "Can you help me condition my hair."). Going up the stairs is always fun because I basically scoot up each stair on my butt.
I have an appointment with an ortho doc next week. Not sure what this will mean for my training and the rest of the race season. I got pretty upset this morning because I just can't do anything that I want to do. My friends are all facebooking about their workouts and I am just green with envy. It is interesting to compare this time around with when it first happened 17 years ago. My training has helped me immensely with getting around. I don't feel super unstable putting all my weight on one leg because it is actually pretty strong from my crazy workouts. The Thursday morning core workouts also helped with me using those muscles to help me scoot up the stairs.
So, here is where I am...I am bored and going stir crazy, but hopefully the recovery period will be short and I can get back to moving...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Workout Diary Day 1
I have decided to write a daily recap of my workouts going forward. The point of this is to see if I can gauge improvements, pinpoint mistakes, and truly get on the right track for Barb's domination. I am starting with yesterday.
8 am ran a 10k fundraiser for work in Santa Rosa. It was very hilly and I took it easy as I was meeting a friend for long bike ride after. The run didn't feel great and my time was a very blah 1:06.
10:45 biked the Wine Country Century Course with my friend. It sucked. I still need to get my bike fitted after having to replace my seat and handlebars. My form was out of whack and I was getting a weird side stitch from pressing down on my tummy. The ride took forever, and my legs we tired from running 6 miles. Less than 3 months till Barb's. I need to get better on the bike. Ugh.
Today is a rest day. I may do a short run with my niece (1 mile max).
8 am ran a 10k fundraiser for work in Santa Rosa. It was very hilly and I took it easy as I was meeting a friend for long bike ride after. The run didn't feel great and my time was a very blah 1:06.
10:45 biked the Wine Country Century Course with my friend. It sucked. I still need to get my bike fitted after having to replace my seat and handlebars. My form was out of whack and I was getting a weird side stitch from pressing down on my tummy. The ride took forever, and my legs we tired from running 6 miles. Less than 3 months till Barb's. I need to get better on the bike. Ugh.
Today is a rest day. I may do a short run with my niece (1 mile max).
Monday, April 27, 2009
April Events: A Recap
March 28 (technically not April, but blog worthy), El Toro Hike, Morgan Hill: This is the only day of the year El Toro is open to the public to hike. I had hiked it before, but never to the top. It is a great hike, but whooo---eee! The last stretch of the climb has two ropes that you hold on to because it is way steep. My heart rate was maxed out, but I made it to the top and enjoyed lovely panoramic views of Morgan Hill. Going down was a bit challenging. I slipped 5 times, but luckily had a firm grasp on the ropes. I must have looked ridiculous falling in my aqua blue running skirt and "Find Your Happy Pace" t-shirt. Fortunately I didn't take any small children down with me. All in all, a great challenge and way to get out of my comfort zone.
March 29, Training ride for Cinderella: My friend LaRee and I biked 45 miles of the route. I hadn't been on a bike seat in a month, so after two hours I was toast. We biked through Livermore and the wind was brutal! We were going 6 MPH on a FLAT road. Ugh.
April 4, Cinderella Ride: Super duper cold in the morning as we left the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. Lots of people dress up for this ride. Not to toot my own horn, but our costumes were the best. We were ladybugs. Thank goodness for the internet, because you can buy halloween costumes year-round. I had black and red knee high socks, wings, and antenna attached to my helmet. The ride was great and it finally warmed up at the end! Some of the beginner riders need to become a but familiar with the rules of the road (i.e. don't stop suddenly in the street if there are a pack of riders behind you)
April 5, Wildflower 5k: Another fun event in Morgan Hill. I probably could have gone a tad faster, but still recovering from the 63 miles from Cinderella.
April 11, Icebreaker Swim: This was a fun, non-competitive open water swim in Lake Folsom. Brrrr! The water was cold and I forgot how panic-y I can get when I haven't trained in open water. Only swam 1/2 mile---my hardcore friend did the loop twice!
April 12: Biked from my house in Cupertino to parents house in Morgan Hill. Lovely ride except for a punk kid on a mountain bike not letting me pass him on Camden ave. He was struggling up the hill, so I poised myself to pass and then he saw me and went faster. This went on for about 5 minutes. Ugh...egos of teenage boys.
April 18, bike ride in Castro Valley with Team Mermaid and Giant for Women: Super fun and great group of women.
April 19, Bike Uvas tri course with the two Gina's from Mermaid: I am only doing the run for the relay, but any opportunity for a training ride is important for me. One good hill. I love cycling in Morgan Hill
April 25, Mermaid Swim Clinic: good to get back in the open water. Was supposed to go on a bike ride after, but bike was unrideable after being scraped down the freeway.
April 26, Mission City 5k: I did this race with Dennis, and my 11-year-old niece. It was a blast because you get to run through Great America. Dennis did great considering it was his first race ever (very cute how he looked befuddled with putting the bib on). My niece, whom I did Girls on the Run with last year, did fantastic! She yacked towards the end (did the same thing last year, and Aunt Jill even made sure she had breakfast this time!)---but that just makes her more hardcore because she finished strong!
On the radar for May: The Human Race in Sonoma, Uvas relay, and Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras 5k/10k.
On a side note---I miss my bike. :( Hope the parts come in soon!
March 29, Training ride for Cinderella: My friend LaRee and I biked 45 miles of the route. I hadn't been on a bike seat in a month, so after two hours I was toast. We biked through Livermore and the wind was brutal! We were going 6 MPH on a FLAT road. Ugh.
April 4, Cinderella Ride: Super duper cold in the morning as we left the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. Lots of people dress up for this ride. Not to toot my own horn, but our costumes were the best. We were ladybugs. Thank goodness for the internet, because you can buy halloween costumes year-round. I had black and red knee high socks, wings, and antenna attached to my helmet. The ride was great and it finally warmed up at the end! Some of the beginner riders need to become a but familiar with the rules of the road (i.e. don't stop suddenly in the street if there are a pack of riders behind you)
April 5, Wildflower 5k: Another fun event in Morgan Hill. I probably could have gone a tad faster, but still recovering from the 63 miles from Cinderella.
April 11, Icebreaker Swim: This was a fun, non-competitive open water swim in Lake Folsom. Brrrr! The water was cold and I forgot how panic-y I can get when I haven't trained in open water. Only swam 1/2 mile---my hardcore friend did the loop twice!
April 12: Biked from my house in Cupertino to parents house in Morgan Hill. Lovely ride except for a punk kid on a mountain bike not letting me pass him on Camden ave. He was struggling up the hill, so I poised myself to pass and then he saw me and went faster. This went on for about 5 minutes. Ugh...egos of teenage boys.
April 18, bike ride in Castro Valley with Team Mermaid and Giant for Women: Super fun and great group of women.
April 19, Bike Uvas tri course with the two Gina's from Mermaid: I am only doing the run for the relay, but any opportunity for a training ride is important for me. One good hill. I love cycling in Morgan Hill
April 25, Mermaid Swim Clinic: good to get back in the open water. Was supposed to go on a bike ride after, but bike was unrideable after being scraped down the freeway.
April 26, Mission City 5k: I did this race with Dennis, and my 11-year-old niece. It was a blast because you get to run through Great America. Dennis did great considering it was his first race ever (very cute how he looked befuddled with putting the bib on). My niece, whom I did Girls on the Run with last year, did fantastic! She yacked towards the end (did the same thing last year, and Aunt Jill even made sure she had breakfast this time!)---but that just makes her more hardcore because she finished strong!
On the radar for May: The Human Race in Sonoma, Uvas relay, and Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras 5k/10k.
On a side note---I miss my bike. :( Hope the parts come in soon!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Triathlon season has begun!
Seriously lagging on the blog. Perhaps I was waiting for an epiphany....like the voice over narration on "The Wonder Years" where adult Kevin Arnold goes discusses a life changing event and starts the monlogue with "and then it happened."
whoa...side note...is "Wonder Years" on dvd? I am so Netflixing that.
Anyways, April has been great and crazy. I raced 2 5ks, hiked a crazy hill, swam in a lake, and biked a little over 150 miles, turned 32, celebrated my one year anniversary in the non-profit world, and---still don't feel strong. Like, sporty strong.
I blame the triathlon training--I keep introducing a different sport while the other sport goes, wait wait, we aren't finished yet. Case in point: I probably have ran max 25 miles in April. Why? Getting back to the biking makes the running less desirable. Add jumping into the pool in the mix, and I totally stress about being slow as molasses in my freestyling.
My solution to all of this is two-fold: get back on to Calendars with Coach Heidi AND join a masters swim program.
Stay tuned for reports for April events. I swear they are coming!
FYI: the above picture of my bike handlebars was taken this weekend. My bike fell off its rack while I was driving, got stuck to the rack and was dragged on the freeway! The bike is ok, but I am out one road bike until the parts come in (seat got destroyed as well). I think I will take the folding bike to my workout tomorrow. That should be interesting.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Mother Nature kicked my bootie.
Today was the first BIG race of 2009: Mermaid half marathon.
It was my slowest 1/2. Ever.
And I am fine with that.
No, really I am.
Admittedly, I did not train well for this race. My training OCD hasn't kicked in yet. I did an 11 mile run a couple weeks ago---but never really got back on track after that.
I woke up this morning, drank my coffee and ate my oatmeal. I looked out the window and it seemed like the sun was coming out for my race. Yea! So much for chance of showers---take that weatherman! It was still chilly looking so I opted for my long sleeve hoodie and running skort with capris. Usually I wear a skort and tank top for a 1/2, but was afraid of the possibly ominous weather.
So, how was the race?
Mother nature kicked my bootie. The race started in Shoreline park in Mountain View at 8:30. I decided that I would listen to my mp3 to help my untrained soul get through the race. I unfortunately forgot to change the battery. 40 seconds into the race it died. I was equipped with my garmin to help me stay on track. I did my first mile faster than antipated: 9:30. I was keeping the pace pretty well until mile 3.
That is when the wind dropped in.
OK, it sucks running against the wind. Like, really sucks. But, I tried to look on the bright side that I will be running with the wind on the way back. The wind was so brutal that I threw my ego out the door and turned off my garmin. I knew this would not be a PR and I didn't want to deal with keeping track of my pace.
So, around mile 5 the trail turned from gravel to dirt. Except, the rain we have had recently turned it into mud. If you don't know how well I run in mud, check out my trail running entry back in January.
Fortunately, the mud wasn't slippery--but it was thick. I wasn't wearing my trail shoes and it caked in my beloved pink asics. My shoes became very heavy and I was running so slow that it felt like those dreams where you try to run but can't move.
After the turn around I ran with the wind for awhile. But then the wind turned violent and into a crosswind. Then the rain started. The prickly, ice cold rain mixed with crosswinds cemeted the fact that this was not going to be my race.
I finally made it to the finish line. I didn't even care what my time was.
A couple hours ago they posted the results, and it was my slowest race ever. But I did a little research and found another 1/2 on April 12th. I think I can redeem myself.
As long as Mother Nature behaves herself.
It was my slowest 1/2. Ever.
And I am fine with that.
No, really I am.
Admittedly, I did not train well for this race. My training OCD hasn't kicked in yet. I did an 11 mile run a couple weeks ago---but never really got back on track after that.
I woke up this morning, drank my coffee and ate my oatmeal. I looked out the window and it seemed like the sun was coming out for my race. Yea! So much for chance of showers---take that weatherman! It was still chilly looking so I opted for my long sleeve hoodie and running skort with capris. Usually I wear a skort and tank top for a 1/2, but was afraid of the possibly ominous weather.
So, how was the race?
Mother nature kicked my bootie. The race started in Shoreline park in Mountain View at 8:30. I decided that I would listen to my mp3 to help my untrained soul get through the race. I unfortunately forgot to change the battery. 40 seconds into the race it died. I was equipped with my garmin to help me stay on track. I did my first mile faster than antipated: 9:30. I was keeping the pace pretty well until mile 3.
That is when the wind dropped in.
OK, it sucks running against the wind. Like, really sucks. But, I tried to look on the bright side that I will be running with the wind on the way back. The wind was so brutal that I threw my ego out the door and turned off my garmin. I knew this would not be a PR and I didn't want to deal with keeping track of my pace.
So, around mile 5 the trail turned from gravel to dirt. Except, the rain we have had recently turned it into mud. If you don't know how well I run in mud, check out my trail running entry back in January.
Fortunately, the mud wasn't slippery--but it was thick. I wasn't wearing my trail shoes and it caked in my beloved pink asics. My shoes became very heavy and I was running so slow that it felt like those dreams where you try to run but can't move.
After the turn around I ran with the wind for awhile. But then the wind turned violent and into a crosswind. Then the rain started. The prickly, ice cold rain mixed with crosswinds cemeted the fact that this was not going to be my race.
I finally made it to the finish line. I didn't even care what my time was.
A couple hours ago they posted the results, and it was my slowest race ever. But I did a little research and found another 1/2 on April 12th. I think I can redeem myself.
As long as Mother Nature behaves herself.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Long time no blog...
ech...been a very fair weather blogger these days.
Here is a summary of the past few weeks:
1) Ran my first race in 2009. I ran the Jenny's Light 5k the first weekend of March. It was rainy.For some reasons a 5k is almost as tough as a 1/2 marathon. I am not a short distance kind of gal---it takes me a few miles to find my groove. It was a good race for a great cause.
2) Ran the longest run of 2009 last week. I ran 11 miles on the Los Gatos Creek trail last weekend. Weather was gorgeous! Plus, I discovered a new band I like (The Bird and The Bee) and immediately bought the mp3 album from Amazon and ran to some great tunes. I am, however, a pretty slow runner. Oh well.
3) I signed up for a pre-masters swim class. I went to one class and wasn't feeling it. I think I definitely need to figure out how to get faster in the pool. I like the DeAnza classes I have taken in the past, but jumping in the Pool at 6:30 in the morning is not my cup of tea. I am not hardcore like melissa from mermaids who even swims at 6am on Saturdays. Wish I was.
4) My back is better which means one thing---I can do the core torture workouts with Mermaids. Is this a good thing? She had us do squats and jump rope around the track yesterday. It was a great workout, but I am like a little old lady when I get put of my chair right now.
5) I have a 1/2 marathon on March 22. My goal: finish it. I know that is setting the bar low, but I don't want to deal with aiming for PRs right now. This race will be a good gauge to see where I am at.
6) I need to get on my bike. For reals. Maybe ride this Sunday?
7) I think I may do a full marathon in December--the California International Marathon in Sacramento. I already booked my hotel room. Right now I am mulling over how to bounce back from Barb's 1/2 ironman in August to start training for a full marathonin December. Plus, I have to seriously start thinking about my training for barb's.
That is it for now. Toodles.
Here is a summary of the past few weeks:
1) Ran my first race in 2009. I ran the Jenny's Light 5k the first weekend of March. It was rainy.For some reasons a 5k is almost as tough as a 1/2 marathon. I am not a short distance kind of gal---it takes me a few miles to find my groove. It was a good race for a great cause.
2) Ran the longest run of 2009 last week. I ran 11 miles on the Los Gatos Creek trail last weekend. Weather was gorgeous! Plus, I discovered a new band I like (The Bird and The Bee) and immediately bought the mp3 album from Amazon and ran to some great tunes. I am, however, a pretty slow runner. Oh well.
3) I signed up for a pre-masters swim class. I went to one class and wasn't feeling it. I think I definitely need to figure out how to get faster in the pool. I like the DeAnza classes I have taken in the past, but jumping in the Pool at 6:30 in the morning is not my cup of tea. I am not hardcore like melissa from mermaids who even swims at 6am on Saturdays. Wish I was.
4) My back is better which means one thing---I can do the core torture workouts with Mermaids. Is this a good thing? She had us do squats and jump rope around the track yesterday. It was a great workout, but I am like a little old lady when I get put of my chair right now.
5) I have a 1/2 marathon on March 22. My goal: finish it. I know that is setting the bar low, but I don't want to deal with aiming for PRs right now. This race will be a good gauge to see where I am at.
6) I need to get on my bike. For reals. Maybe ride this Sunday?
7) I think I may do a full marathon in December--the California International Marathon in Sacramento. I already booked my hotel room. Right now I am mulling over how to bounce back from Barb's 1/2 ironman in August to start training for a full marathonin December. Plus, I have to seriously start thinking about my training for barb's.
That is it for now. Toodles.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Get off the couch...
So, I am officially registered for a 5k on March 1st and 1/2 Marathon on March 22nd. Guess it is time to get off the couch and stop blogging about hair and kitty condos and start running.
Yea?
Yea?
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Felicity Syndrome
I am totally, completely out of shape and what does it make me what to do?
Chop my hair off.
OK, let me backtrack here...
So, I started the month of February with wide-eyed optimism. I decided to join Mermaids again and get back on track with working out. We met the first Tuesday night in February for a track work out. She had us run a couple easy laps and gradually work up to a fast pace. It was tough, but I felt so good after the run. I was ready to attack my training season.
We also meet on Thursday mornings. At 6am. Yeah, seriously. But, I went to the first morning workout super proud of myself for making this commitment. After a couple of laps around the track we settled in to do our core torture (i.e. situps, pushups, and other excruciating trunk strengthening moves). We did one move holding hand weights and twisting our bodies so our hands touched our toes. Well, I guess my posture and form wasn't that great and the 3rd time I went down---SNAP! I threw my back out.
I am starting to feel my (almost) 32 years.
I spent the next two days icing my back on the couch and freaking out that I would be injured for life and never be able to do a triathlon agaon and will spend my days in a mumu watching The Price Is Right.
I can be a tad dramatic.
So, for the past two weeks I have been back to the lazy Jill I was in the off-season, trying to take it easy on my back. The problem with not working out is that it negatively affects my mood. Without those endorphins I am used to, I just feel blah...and like a blob.
It was last week when I was watching the Flight of the Conchords tand here was a music video with a girl who had hair similar to mine in a super cute cut. It planted a seed. I wanted that haircut.
I obsessed about it for the next couple of days. See, since September I have decided to grow my hair out. I go through this every couple of years, thinking I want long curly locks...all the while forgetting how long it takes to grow out. It is not that my hair grows slowly, it just grows TIGHT. If you pull a 1 inch curl straight, it almost doubles in length.
The problem with growing it out is there is inevitably an awkward period where my hair is all over the place. Right now it is in the "Weird Al" stage. Not a good look.
But the more I thought about when I chopped my hair off in the past, I made a realization. I was going through the Felicity Syndrome.
During the second season of Felicity (the beloved show on the now non-existent WB), the title character chopped off her curly locks after a major breakup with her soul mate Ben. I realized that I do the same thing--not because of a breakup, but more when something is off-kilter in my life. Changing my hair provides instant results. I was sluggish and not able to work out and craved something to get me out of my funk. Cutting my hair in a cute NEW style would be a change, So, more or less, not being able to workout and getting those mood boosting endorphins indirectly affects the length of my hair.
Luckily, my back is feeling better and I have ran twice this week. I have decided the hair will stay at this length. For now.
Now the question is---am I ready for a half marathon in less than a month?
Chop my hair off.
OK, let me backtrack here...
So, I started the month of February with wide-eyed optimism. I decided to join Mermaids again and get back on track with working out. We met the first Tuesday night in February for a track work out. She had us run a couple easy laps and gradually work up to a fast pace. It was tough, but I felt so good after the run. I was ready to attack my training season.
We also meet on Thursday mornings. At 6am. Yeah, seriously. But, I went to the first morning workout super proud of myself for making this commitment. After a couple of laps around the track we settled in to do our core torture (i.e. situps, pushups, and other excruciating trunk strengthening moves). We did one move holding hand weights and twisting our bodies so our hands touched our toes. Well, I guess my posture and form wasn't that great and the 3rd time I went down---SNAP! I threw my back out.
I am starting to feel my (almost) 32 years.
I spent the next two days icing my back on the couch and freaking out that I would be injured for life and never be able to do a triathlon agaon and will spend my days in a mumu watching The Price Is Right.
I can be a tad dramatic.
So, for the past two weeks I have been back to the lazy Jill I was in the off-season, trying to take it easy on my back. The problem with not working out is that it negatively affects my mood. Without those endorphins I am used to, I just feel blah...and like a blob.
It was last week when I was watching the Flight of the Conchords tand here was a music video with a girl who had hair similar to mine in a super cute cut. It planted a seed. I wanted that haircut.
I obsessed about it for the next couple of days. See, since September I have decided to grow my hair out. I go through this every couple of years, thinking I want long curly locks...all the while forgetting how long it takes to grow out. It is not that my hair grows slowly, it just grows TIGHT. If you pull a 1 inch curl straight, it almost doubles in length.
The problem with growing it out is there is inevitably an awkward period where my hair is all over the place. Right now it is in the "Weird Al" stage. Not a good look.
But the more I thought about when I chopped my hair off in the past, I made a realization. I was going through the Felicity Syndrome.
During the second season of Felicity (the beloved show on the now non-existent WB), the title character chopped off her curly locks after a major breakup with her soul mate Ben. I realized that I do the same thing--not because of a breakup, but more when something is off-kilter in my life. Changing my hair provides instant results. I was sluggish and not able to work out and craved something to get me out of my funk. Cutting my hair in a cute NEW style would be a change, So, more or less, not being able to workout and getting those mood boosting endorphins indirectly affects the length of my hair.
Luckily, my back is feeling better and I have ran twice this week. I have decided the hair will stay at this length. For now.
Now the question is---am I ready for a half marathon in less than a month?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
In these tough economic times, can a girl still tri?
Let's get one thing clear---it kind of sucks right now. Every evening I drive home from work listening to KGO and it stressed me out. One huge company is making layoffs, a big percentage of people are underwater on their mortgages, the state budget is wack, consumer spending is down...where is the good news?
I am feeling the pennies being pinched as well---less than a year of home ownership under my belt in this crazy economy and now I have to look around to see what corners can be cut. Which means, limiting trips to Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft and trying to ween myself off of Pureology's hair crack, I mean conditioner. I even asked hubby if he would consider coloring my hair from now on.
"I mean," I said, "It costs me like 90 bucks to highlight it every 6 weeks (though admittedly I push it to the max 9-10 weeks until I feel totally root-y tutti and the natural brown is at odds with the blond streaks). Plus, I am sure you can find out how to do it on-line and you are such a perfectionist it would come out amazing. I mean, look at the kitty condo."
Operation Kitty Condo is a shining example of how my husband doesn't do anything half-a**ed. We wanted to get a kitty, but he is allergic to cats and with a one bedroom one bath town home, there isn't really room for a cat to escape or have a litter box area. Thus, Operation Kitty Condo (OKC) was born. For much of December and January hubby (with help from his father) built an enclosed platform in the garage that a kitty could access from a kitty door in the kitchen. The platform is large enough to hold a litter box, kitty bed, food water and other accoutrements. Plus, the lattice enclosure lets the kitty have air, but not free reign of the garage (read: get footprints all over hubby's boxster or take naps in clean laundry I was too lazy to take upstairs). OKC also included installing a new (fire safe) garage door, and installing doors at the bottom of the stairs so kitty will not have access to the upstairs which will be a kitty-free zone for allergy-prone hubby to seek refuge. OKC was a major operation that took over our living room and had so many trip to Home Depot that it is now worth more than the blue book value of my busted up 94 Nissan Sentra.
It is actually a pretty amazing thing that hubby built, and his attention to detail secretly makes me hope he never gets into triathloning. For me, Triathlon is an obvious sport of choice because I can do lots of things at once and not burn myself out on the boredom of one sport. For hubby, I thnk he would go overboard with learning about each sport (cadence, swim drills, tempo runs, fartleks, tapering, hydrating) and it would be too much to handle. This is also why he doesn't get into wine, otherwise he would probably start building a wine cellar on our patio.
So, where was I? Oh yeah, homemade highlights. So, hubby mulled over the "highlighting his wife at home" idea.
"I bet it isn't that hard and I can probably buy on-line the chemicals they use in the salon."
"Yeah, and then you can learn how to, like, wax my eyebrows."
I pretty much lost him after that suggestion. I guess the idea of violently ripping hair off my face does not appeal to him. Oh well.
So, I will keep the buying cute tops to a bare minimum and continue my salon visits. Man, I couldn't imagine it if I was a high-maintainance girl who required regular pore extractions and manicures. The only reasons I pedicure is to have someone else cut my toenails and slough off my running-induced callouses.
But, the real question is: in these tough economic times, can a girl still tri?
Triathlons are a ridiculously expensive sport. With running you just need shoes. Swimming you need a cap, goggles and suit. Cycling you need bike, helmet, gloves, hideous padded shorts, and cycling shoes. Throw the three sports together and toss in energy bars and race entry fees that range from 60-300 bucks, and you've got yourself a sport that seems blatantly at odds with the financial crisis of 2009.
But, my salon visits and triathlons are things I will not compromise in these times. I won't race as many races as I did last year, but I think that the benefits of the tri far outweigh the negatives. In times like this when everything is upsidedown and uncertain, it is refreshing to have a goal that is constant. You sign up for a race and spend your free time training for it. The race happens and you go on to your next race. It is riculously logical, but challenging enough to not be boring.
I found triathlons when I was in a fragile state: I was a manager in a mortgage company experiencing the most gruesome part of the subprime meltdown of 2007. Rates were constantly going up as loan amounts went down and brokers were pledging their undying hatred of me. As a manager of account managers, I was the one brokers asked to talk to so they could blame someone for their customer's rate soaring to 13% after one unfortunate rate hike. Mind you, I wasn't the one who made the rates go up, but I was the last person in the office a broker had to go through to complain about how much our company sucked. Our office closed about a month after that time.
I found and loved triathlons because it was such a refreshing contrast to the greedy, slick and hasty mortgage industry. It was something totally selfish to do: concentrate my time and efforts to finish a race I had no dreams or delusions of winning.
Every single race I have done has taught me something. My first triathlon taught me what the sport is all about. When I did the LA Triathlon I was amazed that I could swim almost a mile in the ocean without having a Jaws-induced panick attack. Barb's triathlon taught me that failing at something you work hard at is always a possibility. Finishing the Big Kahuna two months later made me realize that failing once doesn't mean you give up forever.
In these uncertain times, everyone needs something like a triathlon to keep them grounded, hopepful, and less jaded in this world that seems to be in a constant state of suck. What can I say? Endorphins are my therapy.
I am feeling the pennies being pinched as well---less than a year of home ownership under my belt in this crazy economy and now I have to look around to see what corners can be cut. Which means, limiting trips to Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft and trying to ween myself off of Pureology's hair crack, I mean conditioner. I even asked hubby if he would consider coloring my hair from now on.
"I mean," I said, "It costs me like 90 bucks to highlight it every 6 weeks (though admittedly I push it to the max 9-10 weeks until I feel totally root-y tutti and the natural brown is at odds with the blond streaks). Plus, I am sure you can find out how to do it on-line and you are such a perfectionist it would come out amazing. I mean, look at the kitty condo."
Operation Kitty Condo is a shining example of how my husband doesn't do anything half-a**ed. We wanted to get a kitty, but he is allergic to cats and with a one bedroom one bath town home, there isn't really room for a cat to escape or have a litter box area. Thus, Operation Kitty Condo (OKC) was born. For much of December and January hubby (with help from his father) built an enclosed platform in the garage that a kitty could access from a kitty door in the kitchen. The platform is large enough to hold a litter box, kitty bed, food water and other accoutrements. Plus, the lattice enclosure lets the kitty have air, but not free reign of the garage (read: get footprints all over hubby's boxster or take naps in clean laundry I was too lazy to take upstairs). OKC also included installing a new (fire safe) garage door, and installing doors at the bottom of the stairs so kitty will not have access to the upstairs which will be a kitty-free zone for allergy-prone hubby to seek refuge. OKC was a major operation that took over our living room and had so many trip to Home Depot that it is now worth more than the blue book value of my busted up 94 Nissan Sentra.
It is actually a pretty amazing thing that hubby built, and his attention to detail secretly makes me hope he never gets into triathloning. For me, Triathlon is an obvious sport of choice because I can do lots of things at once and not burn myself out on the boredom of one sport. For hubby, I thnk he would go overboard with learning about each sport (cadence, swim drills, tempo runs, fartleks, tapering, hydrating) and it would be too much to handle. This is also why he doesn't get into wine, otherwise he would probably start building a wine cellar on our patio.
So, where was I? Oh yeah, homemade highlights. So, hubby mulled over the "highlighting his wife at home" idea.
"I bet it isn't that hard and I can probably buy on-line the chemicals they use in the salon."
"Yeah, and then you can learn how to, like, wax my eyebrows."
I pretty much lost him after that suggestion. I guess the idea of violently ripping hair off my face does not appeal to him. Oh well.
So, I will keep the buying cute tops to a bare minimum and continue my salon visits. Man, I couldn't imagine it if I was a high-maintainance girl who required regular pore extractions and manicures. The only reasons I pedicure is to have someone else cut my toenails and slough off my running-induced callouses.
But, the real question is: in these tough economic times, can a girl still tri?
Triathlons are a ridiculously expensive sport. With running you just need shoes. Swimming you need a cap, goggles and suit. Cycling you need bike, helmet, gloves, hideous padded shorts, and cycling shoes. Throw the three sports together and toss in energy bars and race entry fees that range from 60-300 bucks, and you've got yourself a sport that seems blatantly at odds with the financial crisis of 2009.
But, my salon visits and triathlons are things I will not compromise in these times. I won't race as many races as I did last year, but I think that the benefits of the tri far outweigh the negatives. In times like this when everything is upsidedown and uncertain, it is refreshing to have a goal that is constant. You sign up for a race and spend your free time training for it. The race happens and you go on to your next race. It is riculously logical, but challenging enough to not be boring.
I found triathlons when I was in a fragile state: I was a manager in a mortgage company experiencing the most gruesome part of the subprime meltdown of 2007. Rates were constantly going up as loan amounts went down and brokers were pledging their undying hatred of me. As a manager of account managers, I was the one brokers asked to talk to so they could blame someone for their customer's rate soaring to 13% after one unfortunate rate hike. Mind you, I wasn't the one who made the rates go up, but I was the last person in the office a broker had to go through to complain about how much our company sucked. Our office closed about a month after that time.
I found and loved triathlons because it was such a refreshing contrast to the greedy, slick and hasty mortgage industry. It was something totally selfish to do: concentrate my time and efforts to finish a race I had no dreams or delusions of winning.
Every single race I have done has taught me something. My first triathlon taught me what the sport is all about. When I did the LA Triathlon I was amazed that I could swim almost a mile in the ocean without having a Jaws-induced panick attack. Barb's triathlon taught me that failing at something you work hard at is always a possibility. Finishing the Big Kahuna two months later made me realize that failing once doesn't mean you give up forever.
In these uncertain times, everyone needs something like a triathlon to keep them grounded, hopepful, and less jaded in this world that seems to be in a constant state of suck. What can I say? Endorphins are my therapy.
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Food Post
Today was a very "Monday" Monday, so when hubby asked about dinner I felt lazy and said , "Fresh Choice?" Plus, I had a coupon. So, when he got home, we piled in my Sentra and headed to the Land of Salad Bars. We had just left our townhouse complex when I said, "Aw man." Hubby asked why and I told him I left the coupon at home. We both said in unison, "It's too late. We've gone too far."
After I had eaten my salad, I headed to carb corner (also known as pasta, potato, and bread section). As I spooned some mac and cheese in a bowl something seemed different. There were the usual signs above the foods, but what was that writing below "Yankee Doodle Mac and Cheese." Wait? Is it telling me the fat and calories? I ran over to the pizza section--140 calories for a square? One little square? I could eat 4 of those. I think in the past I have eaten 4 of those.
Ok, so yeah, we knew this day was coming: restaurants displaying the nutritional values. Fresh Choice is just ahead of the curve (or regulations---whatever comes first). Ordinarily, I would think this is a good thing--a step in the right direction of a healthy America and lowering obesity rates. But tonight I didn't want to know how many calories were in that hunk of bread pudding.
So this brings me to the long overdue Food Post.
In my just slightly over a year blogging, I have avoided this topic. Why? Because being consistent with eating well is perhaps even tougher than triathlon training.
I wish that I could be someone who looks at food as just fuel for the body and eat nuts and spinach and high in omega 3 or good fat fishes. I mean, I do try to eat my veggies and fruit but eating well is something I have struggled with my whole life. I love food. I love chocolate, cheese, bread, meats! I crave that pint of Fat Tire after a triathlon. All of it. I have tried a couple eating plans--best success with weight watchers, but the group meetings became a bit much--too much talk about feelings and leaders with no personalities. I did the special k diet the summer I got married (though that is kind of cheating because motivation increases with impending nuptials). I keep trying to do Special K, but all that cereal is kinda tiresome. I have never tried Atkins or South Beach. I know what my problem is--I just need to eat. Less. And Move. More.
I think what my problem is that I think that everything needs to change all at what: diet and exercise. So then I go all in and try to keep up with a crazy new work out plan and eating less carbs and more proteins and veggies. I last about two days because it seems overwhelming and hopeless. And then I say, "Screw it." And buy a slice of chocolate cake from Safeway for dessert to share with Hubby and skip my workout.
So, right now I am going to focus more on the moving. Last week I exercies 5 out of 7 days (last time I did that was probably August!). As I continue to workout like this, I will be mindful of what I eat, and then probably late next week I will step back and examine my eating and how I can fuel my body the right way.
Darn you Fresh Choice.
After I had eaten my salad, I headed to carb corner (also known as pasta, potato, and bread section). As I spooned some mac and cheese in a bowl something seemed different. There were the usual signs above the foods, but what was that writing below "Yankee Doodle Mac and Cheese." Wait? Is it telling me the fat and calories? I ran over to the pizza section--140 calories for a square? One little square? I could eat 4 of those. I think in the past I have eaten 4 of those.
Ok, so yeah, we knew this day was coming: restaurants displaying the nutritional values. Fresh Choice is just ahead of the curve (or regulations---whatever comes first). Ordinarily, I would think this is a good thing--a step in the right direction of a healthy America and lowering obesity rates. But tonight I didn't want to know how many calories were in that hunk of bread pudding.
So this brings me to the long overdue Food Post.
In my just slightly over a year blogging, I have avoided this topic. Why? Because being consistent with eating well is perhaps even tougher than triathlon training.
I wish that I could be someone who looks at food as just fuel for the body and eat nuts and spinach and high in omega 3 or good fat fishes. I mean, I do try to eat my veggies and fruit but eating well is something I have struggled with my whole life. I love food. I love chocolate, cheese, bread, meats! I crave that pint of Fat Tire after a triathlon. All of it. I have tried a couple eating plans--best success with weight watchers, but the group meetings became a bit much--too much talk about feelings and leaders with no personalities. I did the special k diet the summer I got married (though that is kind of cheating because motivation increases with impending nuptials). I keep trying to do Special K, but all that cereal is kinda tiresome. I have never tried Atkins or South Beach. I know what my problem is--I just need to eat. Less. And Move. More.
I think what my problem is that I think that everything needs to change all at what: diet and exercise. So then I go all in and try to keep up with a crazy new work out plan and eating less carbs and more proteins and veggies. I last about two days because it seems overwhelming and hopeless. And then I say, "Screw it." And buy a slice of chocolate cake from Safeway for dessert to share with Hubby and skip my workout.
So, right now I am going to focus more on the moving. Last week I exercies 5 out of 7 days (last time I did that was probably August!). As I continue to workout like this, I will be mindful of what I eat, and then probably late next week I will step back and examine my eating and how I can fuel my body the right way.
Darn you Fresh Choice.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Out of My Comfort Zone
Yesterday I had to decide between running a 10 mile race in San Juan Bautista or joining some friends for a casual run in Aptos. Here was my thought process in choosing:
1) I was pretty antsy to run my first race of 2009
2) It would be nice to see Coach Heidi at the trail run
3) Can you really say "no" to a 10 am race start time
4) Going over highway 17 in this weather was not appealing
5) Neither was forking over 25 bucks for a race entry fee
In end I chose the trail run because of the money and it would be easier than 10 miles.
I thought wrong.
Right before I left for my run I went to the garage to put my shoes on. I didn't see my trail running shoes and had a slight feeling that I probably should wear them (the facebook event invite was titled "muddy trails await" but the shoes were all the way upstairs which seemed to far. Only now do I see the irony of being too lazy to get my shoes upstairs before I go on a run.
So, I put on my lovely new pink asics and headed off. I didn't have breakfast, so I stopped by McDonald's for a small coffee and egg mcmuffin sans Canadian bacon (I know! I know! I think it is time for a nutrition blog entry) and headed for Aptos.
We met at a place where you can access a trail at Nicsene Marks. I hugged Coach Heidi as I was excited to see her and we were off. Once we hit the trail i thought to myself, "Holy crap Jill. What did you get yourself into?"
It was straight downhill and super muddy. It was my--a super klutz with balance issues--worst nightmare. I took a deep breath and concentrated on every step of my run. We were running for about 3 minutes when we hit a creek that we had to run across. I followed my friend Gina's lead and bounced across rocks in the creek, trying to make it seem like I knew what I was doing. I pretended I was an REI model and my trek was all part of a photo shoot to sell trail running skirts. Except I don't think America's Next Trail Runner Model would step right into the deep part of the creek soaking her new shoes.
So, running through muddy trails is probably one of the most challenging things I have done. Usually running is a time for me to shut my brain off and listen to some awesomely crappy songs in the privacy of my mp3. But with trail running, you have to concentrate on everything. The trail, your stride, other runners, critters--everything! I haven't concentrated this hard since beating Ganon in the Legend of Zelda Wind Waker. I was definitely out of my comfort zone.
I was wheezing and sliding and after 50 minutes we turned around. Then the inevitable happened: I bit it. I wasn't careful in a step and then woosh---I was sliding down a ravine. Luckily the mud was pretty thick and my sliding was slow so I was able to stretch my arm far enough to reach coach Heidi's husband hand. But as I tried to step up it got super slippy. It all happened in slow motion and part of me felt like I should just keep sliding. But then I looked down thought two things: "hmmm, that is kinda far down. Not quite sure how I would get back up." And: "Dude, didn't this happen to Kate on Lost when they were running in the jungle away from an Arctic bear or smoke monster thingy?"
Luckily the guys pulled me up and I thanked them profusely. We continued my run and I realized that I was super muddy--and it was kind of a cool feeling. I still can't believe people do crazy 50 mile trail runs.
After the run, I went to my car and drove home. On the drive I though about how important it is for me to get out of my comfort zone in my training. It is challenging and it increases my skills as well as boosts my confidence in myself as an athlete---something I have been lacking in the last couple of months.
I think training season has officially begun.
1) I was pretty antsy to run my first race of 2009
2) It would be nice to see Coach Heidi at the trail run
3) Can you really say "no" to a 10 am race start time
4) Going over highway 17 in this weather was not appealing
5) Neither was forking over 25 bucks for a race entry fee
In end I chose the trail run because of the money and it would be easier than 10 miles.
I thought wrong.
Right before I left for my run I went to the garage to put my shoes on. I didn't see my trail running shoes and had a slight feeling that I probably should wear them (the facebook event invite was titled "muddy trails await" but the shoes were all the way upstairs which seemed to far. Only now do I see the irony of being too lazy to get my shoes upstairs before I go on a run.
So, I put on my lovely new pink asics and headed off. I didn't have breakfast, so I stopped by McDonald's for a small coffee and egg mcmuffin sans Canadian bacon (I know! I know! I think it is time for a nutrition blog entry) and headed for Aptos.
We met at a place where you can access a trail at Nicsene Marks. I hugged Coach Heidi as I was excited to see her and we were off. Once we hit the trail i thought to myself, "Holy crap Jill. What did you get yourself into?"
It was straight downhill and super muddy. It was my--a super klutz with balance issues--worst nightmare. I took a deep breath and concentrated on every step of my run. We were running for about 3 minutes when we hit a creek that we had to run across. I followed my friend Gina's lead and bounced across rocks in the creek, trying to make it seem like I knew what I was doing. I pretended I was an REI model and my trek was all part of a photo shoot to sell trail running skirts. Except I don't think America's Next Trail Runner Model would step right into the deep part of the creek soaking her new shoes.
So, running through muddy trails is probably one of the most challenging things I have done. Usually running is a time for me to shut my brain off and listen to some awesomely crappy songs in the privacy of my mp3. But with trail running, you have to concentrate on everything. The trail, your stride, other runners, critters--everything! I haven't concentrated this hard since beating Ganon in the Legend of Zelda Wind Waker. I was definitely out of my comfort zone.
I was wheezing and sliding and after 50 minutes we turned around. Then the inevitable happened: I bit it. I wasn't careful in a step and then woosh---I was sliding down a ravine. Luckily the mud was pretty thick and my sliding was slow so I was able to stretch my arm far enough to reach coach Heidi's husband hand. But as I tried to step up it got super slippy. It all happened in slow motion and part of me felt like I should just keep sliding. But then I looked down thought two things: "hmmm, that is kinda far down. Not quite sure how I would get back up." And: "Dude, didn't this happen to Kate on Lost when they were running in the jungle away from an Arctic bear or smoke monster thingy?"
Luckily the guys pulled me up and I thanked them profusely. We continued my run and I realized that I was super muddy--and it was kind of a cool feeling. I still can't believe people do crazy 50 mile trail runs.
After the run, I went to my car and drove home. On the drive I though about how important it is for me to get out of my comfort zone in my training. It is challenging and it increases my skills as well as boosts my confidence in myself as an athlete---something I have been lacking in the last couple of months.
I think training season has officially begun.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Stuff I Dig (AKA : so this is where my money went)
Last summer Runner's World featured a whole spread on running skirts. They had various reviews, a bio of the founder of SkirtSports, and articles from runners who were for or against running skirts. There were actually a few letters from readers in the issues following the spread either ranting or raving on running skirts. Some argued that running isn't about looking pretty, and if you wear a skirt you aren't taken seriously. Some swore by running skirts being super comfy and flattering.
And what are my thoughts on running skirts?
Um...I just did a tally in my head and I own 7.
I guess I am pro skirt.
I know---7! I am a little embarrassed at this number. But in truth, they aren't all running skirts. One is for triathlons and another is for cycling. I just got running skirt number 7 from Athleta.com (if you haven't visited their site, go now! They have cute, cute, cute clothes!). This skirt is different from the others because instead of little shorties underneath, it has capris, so it is perfect for colder weather. My favorite running skirts are actually made by Target---crazy, huh? I love them as they are comfortable (not too snug and not too loose), the shorts don't ride up, there is a pocket for key/cash/id, and they are cheap (I don't think I paid more than 20 bucks for either of them).
I love running skirts because there is something playful about running in a skirt. It reminds me of recess and wearing shorts under my dresses so I could play on the jungle gym. There is also a lot more freedom of movement with the skirts.
Plus, I am totally a girly-girl when it comes to workout stuff. Some girls dream about taffeta layers on wedding dresses and strappy manolos. Me? I love flowery cycling jerseys and the color pink. I am a little obsessed with pink---but more as an accent color. I have pink handlebars, a pink ankle road id, pink yoga headband and mat, and (new!) white and pink Asics Gt-2130s!
Why do I love the girly stuff? I think it is partially because some of the stuff associated with triathlons can get rather grueling and pink is a reminder too not take things too seriously and just have fun.
And what are my thoughts on running skirts?
Um...I just did a tally in my head and I own 7.
I guess I am pro skirt.
I know---7! I am a little embarrassed at this number. But in truth, they aren't all running skirts. One is for triathlons and another is for cycling. I just got running skirt number 7 from Athleta.com (if you haven't visited their site, go now! They have cute, cute, cute clothes!). This skirt is different from the others because instead of little shorties underneath, it has capris, so it is perfect for colder weather. My favorite running skirts are actually made by Target---crazy, huh? I love them as they are comfortable (not too snug and not too loose), the shorts don't ride up, there is a pocket for key/cash/id, and they are cheap (I don't think I paid more than 20 bucks for either of them).
I love running skirts because there is something playful about running in a skirt. It reminds me of recess and wearing shorts under my dresses so I could play on the jungle gym. There is also a lot more freedom of movement with the skirts.
Plus, I am totally a girly-girl when it comes to workout stuff. Some girls dream about taffeta layers on wedding dresses and strappy manolos. Me? I love flowery cycling jerseys and the color pink. I am a little obsessed with pink---but more as an accent color. I have pink handlebars, a pink ankle road id, pink yoga headband and mat, and (new!) white and pink Asics Gt-2130s!
Why do I love the girly stuff? I think it is partially because some of the stuff associated with triathlons can get rather grueling and pink is a reminder too not take things too seriously and just have fun.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Change of Plans
So, my whole plan of starting a 5 week half marathon training program was not the smartest idea. I did manage to run 8 miles last Sunday---which felt good---but running 5 miles on Tuesday and Thursday did not seem feasible. Here is my new plan:
I downloaded Ryan Hall's 10 week half-marathon training plan from Runnersworld.com. The plan outlines each day what you are supposed to do and there seems to be a lot of variety to hold my interest. I decided to scratch the Kaiser half-marathon because driving all the way to the city just to turn back after did not seem appealing. My goal is to beat last year's time for the Mermaid Half-Marathon. This year's race is on March 22nd which is a good amount of time for me to get back into shape in a smart way.
I also would like to improve my 10k time on the way and am planning on doing the 10k race in Campbell on Valentines Day. I have done that race before and know the trail very well.
Other plans:
1) Use my 24 Hour Fitness Membership: I will try to make more of an effort to do yoga, pilates, and spinning on my cross-training days
2) Cycle on the weekend day that I don't have a long run. I cycled with some Mermaid friends yesterday and it was a gorgeous day. I really want to get stronger on the bike and need to get more time in the saddle this winter. Plus, I think it may be time for aerobars ---those kind of scare me.
3) Core training: I will do more core work and also arm work as I tend to neglect those parts in my training.
4) I will also check out an intro to masters swimming class at one of the community centers in February. Our pool will be heated in March, so this may be a good jump start to getting back into the water.
5) I still want to learn to surf. Don't know when that will happen though.
I downloaded Ryan Hall's 10 week half-marathon training plan from Runnersworld.com. The plan outlines each day what you are supposed to do and there seems to be a lot of variety to hold my interest. I decided to scratch the Kaiser half-marathon because driving all the way to the city just to turn back after did not seem appealing. My goal is to beat last year's time for the Mermaid Half-Marathon. This year's race is on March 22nd which is a good amount of time for me to get back into shape in a smart way.
I also would like to improve my 10k time on the way and am planning on doing the 10k race in Campbell on Valentines Day. I have done that race before and know the trail very well.
Other plans:
1) Use my 24 Hour Fitness Membership: I will try to make more of an effort to do yoga, pilates, and spinning on my cross-training days
2) Cycle on the weekend day that I don't have a long run. I cycled with some Mermaid friends yesterday and it was a gorgeous day. I really want to get stronger on the bike and need to get more time in the saddle this winter. Plus, I think it may be time for aerobars ---those kind of scare me.
3) Core training: I will do more core work and also arm work as I tend to neglect those parts in my training.
4) I will also check out an intro to masters swimming class at one of the community centers in February. Our pool will be heated in March, so this may be a good jump start to getting back into the water.
5) I still want to learn to surf. Don't know when that will happen though.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Nice to meet you, 2009
This is the blog entry that is all about reflecting on the past year and looking toward the year ahead and blah, blah, blah.
What can I say about 2008? It was pretty good. I did a 1/2 ironman, swam alcatraz, and got a mild concussion and awesome crazy road rash after crashing my bike. And now it is the beginning of 2009 and guess what? I am back to the not-very-much-in-shape shape I was in this time last year.
So, what does a Jill do to get back on that proverbial horse? She signs up for races.
I have decided that the motivating factor for me to train, is to have a race to train for. I am going to sign up for the Kaiser 1/2 marathon on Superbowl Sunday in SF. It is a month away and a race I have never done before. Plus, Super Bowl treats will taste yummy after 13.1 miles.
Yesterday I decided to google a "train in a month 1/2 marathon plan" and guess what? The internet is not as useful as it once was. I basically got every web page that had the word "1/2 marathon" and "month" in it. One guy posted something about not being a runner and wanting to train for a full marathon in a month and asked in a forum how he should train. He pretty much got a lot of "Don't do it dude" posts.
So I found a 9 week training plan and will be starting it at week 5. I enterred all my future runs in my outlook calendar at work and now it feels like I have something to work towards.
I went on my first run of 2009 yesterday. I hit up my usual trail in Campbell and decided to multitask and get a pound of coffee after my run. So, I zipped up my running jacket and put my atm card and key in one of the pockets and my mp3 in the other and zipped up the.pockets
Or so I thought
After my 3 mile run I headed back towards my car which was parked near downtown and got a weird panicky feeling. I shoved my hands in my pockets and my panic was confirmed---my ATM card and car key were gone!
I headed back to the trail to retrace my steps and looked all over for the key and card. No luck. I used the phone at a bookstore and called Dennis to let him know about my situation. He said he would leave work immediately and go home to find a spare key. He asked me where the spare key was.
"Um," I said, "I don't know if I have one."
I then walked to the bank to cancel my card and had time to spare before Dennis met me. I went back to the trail to look again. No luck. My first 3 mile training run turned into a 3 mile run, 4 mile walk.
Fortunately Dennis found a spare key and I was able to get into my car and drive home. So far, I am not too impressed with 2009.
In addition to the Kaiser 1/2 marathon, here are the other events I plan on doing in 2009:
Mermaid 1/2 Marathon
Tierra Bella bike ride (either metric or full century)
San Jose Olympic triathlon
Big Kahuna
It is a tough decision, but I don't think I should be as race crazy as I was before. I would like to do one "destination" race this year, but that depends on our travel plans.
So, tomorrow I am going to attempt 8 miles. I think I need some better tune-age in my Mp3. Any music suggestions?
What can I say about 2008? It was pretty good. I did a 1/2 ironman, swam alcatraz, and got a mild concussion and awesome crazy road rash after crashing my bike. And now it is the beginning of 2009 and guess what? I am back to the not-very-much-in-shape shape I was in this time last year.
So, what does a Jill do to get back on that proverbial horse? She signs up for races.
I have decided that the motivating factor for me to train, is to have a race to train for. I am going to sign up for the Kaiser 1/2 marathon on Superbowl Sunday in SF. It is a month away and a race I have never done before. Plus, Super Bowl treats will taste yummy after 13.1 miles.
Yesterday I decided to google a "train in a month 1/2 marathon plan" and guess what? The internet is not as useful as it once was. I basically got every web page that had the word "1/2 marathon" and "month" in it. One guy posted something about not being a runner and wanting to train for a full marathon in a month and asked in a forum how he should train. He pretty much got a lot of "Don't do it dude" posts.
So I found a 9 week training plan and will be starting it at week 5. I enterred all my future runs in my outlook calendar at work and now it feels like I have something to work towards.
I went on my first run of 2009 yesterday. I hit up my usual trail in Campbell and decided to multitask and get a pound of coffee after my run. So, I zipped up my running jacket and put my atm card and key in one of the pockets and my mp3 in the other and zipped up the.pockets
Or so I thought
After my 3 mile run I headed back towards my car which was parked near downtown and got a weird panicky feeling. I shoved my hands in my pockets and my panic was confirmed---my ATM card and car key were gone!
I headed back to the trail to retrace my steps and looked all over for the key and card. No luck. I used the phone at a bookstore and called Dennis to let him know about my situation. He said he would leave work immediately and go home to find a spare key. He asked me where the spare key was.
"Um," I said, "I don't know if I have one."
I then walked to the bank to cancel my card and had time to spare before Dennis met me. I went back to the trail to look again. No luck. My first 3 mile training run turned into a 3 mile run, 4 mile walk.
Fortunately Dennis found a spare key and I was able to get into my car and drive home. So far, I am not too impressed with 2009.
In addition to the Kaiser 1/2 marathon, here are the other events I plan on doing in 2009:
Mermaid 1/2 Marathon
Tierra Bella bike ride (either metric or full century)
San Jose Olympic triathlon
Big Kahuna
It is a tough decision, but I don't think I should be as race crazy as I was before. I would like to do one "destination" race this year, but that depends on our travel plans.
So, tomorrow I am going to attempt 8 miles. I think I need some better tune-age in my Mp3. Any music suggestions?
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