A little this, a little that

RUN

Met with a running partner Saturday morning. The rest of the group was meeting at 7am at a spot across town. The two of us decided to meet at 8am at a place closer to home. Her schedule had seven miles, mine had five. We figured we could compromise and shoot for six.

Unlike last weekend, it was actually hot while we were out there. Uggg! And as it turns out, she forgot her hydration. Double uggg! For some reason, I had decided to bring a fuel belt with two bottles of accelerade instead of my handheld with nuun. That was more than I needed for a 6 mile run, so I let her have one of my bottles. Our route brought us back to the car at 5 miles. Rather than head out for one more mile, we decided to call it a day. Next weekend, I think we'll try meeting at 7:30 and aim for a more shaded route.

SWIM

Later that morning, I took my son out to investigate three local gyms. He's looking to get a membership just for the summer. One thing we learned is that you can't simply go by the advertised rates; two of the gyms have "hidden" fees and one of them has an unadvertised special for students for the summer. One of the gyms, however, has a pool. I have a membership at that one which allows me to renew on a month-by-month basis. While we were there checking out prices for him, I went ahead an renewed my membership for June. Having paid for it, surely I will get myself to the pool!

In fact, I decided to bite the bullet later in the afternoon and get wet. Didn't bring a watch. Simply aimed to get in the water and go for an 800 yard swim. That is exactly what I did. No more, no less. This morning my shoulders are a little sore, but not too bad, and I'm even thinking about heading over there again today!

BIKE

Husband & I are both off tomorrow and we've talked about going out on a bike ride. The weather forecast calls for a cooler day that we've had over the weekend (this is good), but more wind (this is not so good). Hoping that we will be able to head out in the morning before it gets too bad. Fingers crossed.

Gaining momentum

So far my workout week has looked like this:

Mon: Rest/Buy Car

Tue: 3.5 mi trail run with wind

Wed: 8.7 mi bike ride with wind

Thu: 3.5 mi pavement run

Fri: 9.6 mi hilly bike ride with wind

I realize that none of these distances are very far, but I'm gaining momentum and it is starting to look like multi-sport training. Swimming is still missing, but I sense that will be added in soon. Fingers crossed.

I am *really* getting tired of the wind. But as much as I despise it, I'm thankful that it's really just an annoyance and isn't destructive/deadly. My heart goes out to all of those families affected by the recent tornadoes.

Mid-week training update

I missed my optional run on Monday because I was busy buying a used car after work. Boy, that process seemed to take forever! Anyway, ended up getting a 2008 Honda Fit with about 40K miles on it in excellent condition with a certified pre-owned warranty. It's tiny, but has impressive cargo space. It's cute. It has good fuel economy. It's perfect for our needs. I'm very happy that the car search is over.

Tuesday afternoon the wind was just awful again, 30 mile per hour sustained winds with gust of who-knows-what. Coach sent an email that his allergies were terrible and he couldn't make it. Usually when that happens, most of the group doesn't show up. I texted that lady that I've been running with and asked "Are you up for running in the wind? I will if you do" and she responded "See u there." There were only two others that showed up. I feel pretty hard core about getting out there and getting my run done in that wind.

Today I have the choice of a run or cross-training. If it is super windy again, I will run. However, if the wind isn't too bad, I will cycle.

She rides!

Well, I finally did it. Pumped up the tires, did a quick bike inspection, geared up, and went out on a short easy ride. It was windy and I didn't let that stop me. And you know what? I actually enjoyed it!

I chose an 8 mile route that has a little bit of climbing to get to the turn point, just enough to make this a good work out, not so much that it's discouraging. Here is the elevation map:

Now, if I can get out on my bike a few more times this week along with the running, I'll be off to a good start for triathlon training. Yes, I know I still need to add in swimming, baby steps people, baby steps.

Six Thoughts Sunday

1) RUNNING:

My running continues to progress. I got out again on Thursday morning for a 3.2 mile run accompanied by a half mile walk. And met with a friend Saturday for a 5.1 mile run and then took the dogs afterwards for a one mile walk. Running is continuing to get easier, although it's still more of a struggle than I would like. I just need a little more time.

2) TRIATHLON:

My triathlon count down clock is now under 100 days and I *still* haven't been on my bike or in the pool. I've had good intentions, just haven't quite gotten out the door for that part of my training. Hopefully I will get my act together soon!

3) GARDEN:

A friend of ours came over to help figure out how the rabbits were getting into the garden. It was determined that the gate needed to be reinforced with chicken wire. The gap on either side of the gate was too large and so was the fencing of the gate itself. After we got that resolved, I put in a few plants as rabbit bait and waited to see if they got nibbled or not. I'm happy to report that no further rabbit damage has occurred! YAY!! I've replaced 9 of the 16 plants that got eaten and planted seeds in the remaining locations.

4) USED CARS:

I found a car listed that I'm interested in, but it hasn't been available to see/drive because it's being reconditioned. Hopefully it will be available on Monday. I didn't know what reconditioning meant, but apparently it is sort of like detailing (plus replacing any worn parts) with the idea being that the seller spends some money to get it in as good of physical condition as possible to make it attractive to potential buyers. They will call me as soon as it is available. Fingers crossed that this is the one.

5) RACES:

My local running friends keep asking what I'm training for next. I have a triathlon on the calendar that I haven't been training for and no running events lined up at the moment. I'm not going to plan to do any running races of any sort until I feel like I'm ready. There are plenty of 5Ks or 10Ks this summer/fall that I can choose from once I get my base fitness back. Until then, I'm running, not training.

6) WEATHER:

Sometimes I think Mother Natures is menopausal; it certainly would explain the crazy weather. On Monday it was sunny and hot, 80+deg, seemed like summer was well on its way. By Wednesday, it was overcast and unseasonably cold (low 40s in the morning) and windy again. This is a problem because we can only have heat or cooling (not both) set up at any one time. For Mother's Day, Husband hooked up the cooling because it seemed to be the right thing to do. And I was really appreciating it early in the week. But with the cold spell, and no heat, I was walking around the house shivering for a few days. Seems that today will be in the 70s and we will be back to 80s again by mid week.

Tale of Two Runs

My run schedule has me doing four running days per week with one optional. And there are cross training days that have consisted of lots of excuses. But I digress.

Yesterday after work I went out for my local 2 mile hill course. It's short, but the hill makes it a good workout and its something I like to do when I'm short on time. Running that hill seems to make me stronger. Anyway, it was 80 degrees outside and while I realize that it will take time to regain fitness from my off time, I did not expect that hill run to kick my rear the way that it did!

Today I have an easy 3 on the schedule and I was planning to join the group after work again. But after yesterday's run I was thinking that I really should try to run in the morning instead. This morning, at a cool 50deg, I went out for my run. Oh what a difference! I'm not sure I was moving much faster, but it didn't seem to be nearly the struggle as the run last night. It was quite enjoyable actually.

Another 3 on the plan for tomorrow and at this point I plan to do the same thing...run early.

Weekend Wrap-Up

• Completed my "long" run on Saturday. Not pretty, but got it done. Today I have an optional short run on my calendar. I hope to find time to get it done after work. But if not, that's okay.
• Went to Carmax with Husband and sold the old car. We ended up getting roughly half of what the car would be worth (per Kelley BB) if it were in excellent condition. This is actually more than we expected given that that the cost of repair needed to get it in good working condition was over 50% higher than the value of the car. They are likely to sell it wholesale for parts; apparently the parts are worth more than we realized. Nice.
• While we were waiting for the appraisal and offer, we test drove two cars. I've made a matrix comparing the various vehicles that we've looked at. This has turned out to be a handy way to objectively compare pros/cons and various features, costs, etc to determine the best car for the situation. I think I've determined what I want to buy. Now I'm waiting for the right car to become available at the right price.
• My first attempt of making the garden thief-proof apparently was a fail. Garden thief continues to munch my plants. Count is up to 15. Grrrrrrrr.

Random Stuff

I was going to title this "Random Stuff that nobody probably cares about, but is what's on my mind so I'm blogging about it anyway" but that was too long. You've been forewarned.

• I managed to run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as planned. Yay me! I should be running again right now, but none of my running partners could make it this morning so I'm on my own. This means I'll wait a little longer so that it can warm up a bit.
• I planted my garden last weekend. Half by seed, half by plants. Something is getting in an has eaten (at last count) NINE of my chile plants. I am NOT happy about this. It's fenced in, so either the creature is getting in by the gate (most likely) or is climbing the fence (less likely). I didn't have this problem last year, so this has taken me by surprise. Not a pleasant surprise either.
• As of last night, Son is home for the summer. As of today, he is should be looking for a summer job. Fingers crossed.
• Daughter is just finishing up her junior year of HS. Almost a senior and thinking about college. Times sure flies.
• The car that Daughter primarily drives is in need of $$ of repairs. If it were in excellent condition, it would be worth $. Car will be sold rather than repaired. Which means we are down one vehicle. Also means the kids are now sharing one 19yr old vehicle which happens to have issues and might not make it through the summer. So.... I've spent the last week looking at used cars. In case you are wondering, car shopping is definitely more fun when you actually WANT to buy a car, not when you NEED to.
• The desk in our computer room collapsed while we were moving it back after I painted that room. First off, it was really scary when it happened because everything started falling off toward me and all I could hear was the sound of crashing, smashing, breaking. So just when I thought the room was about to be back together and in use, we need to find a new workstation. Oh well.
• I've yet to get back on my bike or into the pool. I've thought about it, I just haven't done it. Baby steps. I'm trying to get back in the habit of running first, then I'll add the others. At least that's the plan.

Mother Nature: 0, Lisa: 1

This spring has been incredibly windy. Yesterday was no exception. After work, it was a pleasant 74 degrees. Unfortunately, that was accompanied by steady 28 mph winds with gusts up to 35 mph. Oh how I despise the wind.

I was seriously contemplating bailing onmy my run. Just another example of that whole getting out the door thing. But Husband happened to come home earlier than usual and basically told me to deal with it. That was the push I needed. I put on my running clothes and headed out to meet the group.

And I'm really glad that I did. I went out 3.5 miles easy with a running partner. I didn't feel as strong at the end as I did on Saturday, but I felt okay. And this morning my legs are actually a bit sore. The good kind of sore.

The plan moving forward is a 3 mile run this evening. Then another 3.5 on Thursday. Friday is rest/cross training. Saturday will be my "long run."

I can do this.

Saturday shorty

I ran on both Tuesday and Thursday. Each run was short (under 3 miles) and a struggle. My cardio fitness is basically non-existent right now. If running was always that hard, I'd hate it. But I know that if I just keep it up, it will be easier in a few weeks.

This morning I met up with a few others from my run club that have been struggling with their recent workouts for one reason or another. We slogged out 4 miles and I was able to finish (relatively) strong for a change. I'm feeling encouraged.

Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Coasting

"If you are coasting, you are either losing momentum or headed downhill." - Joan Welsh

When I first started getting serious about fitness, I discovered that the hardest part is getting out the door. I've told this to others who are trying to start a new habit. And after a few months hiatus, I'm re-learning just how true it is. Right now I feel like I'm coasting, and it's difficult to regain momentum.

• This weekend I thought that I would ride my bike. But it was windy and cold. So I stayed inside instead.
• Last night I thought that I would get up early in the morning and swim. This morning I decided to sleep instead.
• Tonight I should be joining my running group. Now I'm thinking of going to a baseball game instead.

Logically, if I want to have a good experience with the triathlon in August, I need to get serious about riding my bike and swimming. And now that my knee is going better, it's time for me to get back into a rhythm with running. It's good to know that even after a long break, I can get up and run a 5K, but I'd like to run one well and that is going to take some work.

I'm thinking if I can just get a few good workouts under my belt, I'll have the momentum that I need to get myself out the door and get in gear again...

Run for the Zoo - Good, Bad, Ugly

Preface

• I decided on Thursday to run this 5K simply because my knee didn't hurt anymore on my test run. I knew it wouldn't be a fast race; I was just happy to be running. On the way to the venue, I told husband I wanted to come in under 32 minutes. That would be a good 4 minutes slower than my last 5K, but was probably a realistic goal given my lack of training over the past 2 months.

The Good

• I started, I ran, I finished.
• My Garmin says 31:53, so I hit my time goal (barely). [Edit: Official results have me at 31:49, 10:12 pace.]
• Well organized race with lots of volunteers.

The Bad

• It was cold and windy, of the low forties and 25mph variety.
• It was a real struggle to hit my time goal; I have clearly lost a lot of fitness.
• I didn't really have fun. I usually do. I blame this on the weather.
• I wanted to finish strong, but I had no energy left at the end. I tend to judge all runs by how I feel at finish, so I have categorized this as a bad run in my mind.

The Ugly

• Nada