Wednesday I had my run fitness test. What a monster.
Here is what I had to do:
Go to the track, warm up.
Run a mile hard.
Write down heart rate info while trying to not die.
Run a mile and a half ALL OUT.
Write down heart rate info while trying not to puke and die.
Cool down.
Tony came with me for this. I was grateful for the company. Tony is usually up for anything as far as workouts go and this test was no exception. He did his own thing while I warmed up and when it was time for the mile he was ready. He beat me. This is normal. For those of you who don' t know, Tony is 69 years old. To say he is in great shape is an understatement.
We lined up for the mile and a half. Tony stayed behind me the whole way -- he typically does this. Whenever we are biking or running he usually settles in right behind me. Then he will occasionally pass me up as he feels like. Well lap 6 came around and I decided to pick up the pace, just to make sure I left it all out there. Tony didn't catch me. To paraphrase his words I took off like a shot or something like that and he was unable to reel me in as he had planned.
I was glad to have beaten Tony -- keep in mine he beats me 95% of the time. Not that we race all the time. Or ever. He is simply faster than I am.
I was also wondering whether I should have picked up speed sooner than I did -- did I really run the mile and a half ALL OUT??
THEN I decided to stop analyzing it and just let the results speak for themselves. I'm getting faster. Slowly, I am getting faster. I enjoy seeing improvement it makes me very happy.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Quiet
Yup I've been quiet lately. Seems like lately I have less to say. And that's OK!
I've been putting quite a bit of energy into launching my new business. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am I'll talk about it here! Or introduce it here. I'll have a business blog too at some point!
Finding the confidence and wherewithal to finally put into action what I've been thinking about for over a year now has added balance to my life and has actually helped my training. With two years of solid training under my belt now I'm able to incorporate the workouts into my schedule almost effortlessly. With the help of a little planning and my trusty calendar! I no longer question my ability to get them done, my ability to eat to keep up, and I don't expect to "win" every workout and I don't expect perfection. I do expect consistency.
The Bad Attitude still rears it's ugly head (like when I skipped Masters the other night and Coach responded with an email saying: GET OVER YOURSELF), but that happens! Not nearly as often as it used to thank goodness!! :-) Hence, consistency!
It feels like by finally addressing my need/want to have a vital rewarding career again (although it can be argued how rewarding my legal career was it certainly did have its moments, it was worth every moment, and the money was good!), other things in my life have become more effortless.
And YES I have HOPE! For myself, for my business, and now for the country as well! Anything too easy isn't really worth having now is it! We all have big jobs ahead of us! To do whatever it is we want, and need in our lives and to keep ourselves healthy and youthful through multisport. Oh hell yeah!
I am grateful every day that I discovered triathlon.
Oh and there is a new Masters Swim Team in town! Swim Las Vegas! They are going to put on Nevada's first ever Open Water Swim Meet in October! I SO want to do a 2.4 mile open water swim. Hell I've already swum 2.1 miles in the open water under the watchful slavedriving eye of Coach Paul (one of the founders of Swim Las Vegas). I'll have to talk with Coach about me doing that.
So while I've been quiet on the blog lately things have been happening. Good things. I'm stepping up to the plate in another area of my life and it feels great!
I've been putting quite a bit of energy into launching my new business. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but when I am I'll talk about it here! Or introduce it here. I'll have a business blog too at some point!
Finding the confidence and wherewithal to finally put into action what I've been thinking about for over a year now has added balance to my life and has actually helped my training. With two years of solid training under my belt now I'm able to incorporate the workouts into my schedule almost effortlessly. With the help of a little planning and my trusty calendar! I no longer question my ability to get them done, my ability to eat to keep up, and I don't expect to "win" every workout and I don't expect perfection. I do expect consistency.
The Bad Attitude still rears it's ugly head (like when I skipped Masters the other night and Coach responded with an email saying: GET OVER YOURSELF), but that happens! Not nearly as often as it used to thank goodness!! :-) Hence, consistency!
It feels like by finally addressing my need/want to have a vital rewarding career again (although it can be argued how rewarding my legal career was it certainly did have its moments, it was worth every moment, and the money was good!), other things in my life have become more effortless.
And YES I have HOPE! For myself, for my business, and now for the country as well! Anything too easy isn't really worth having now is it! We all have big jobs ahead of us! To do whatever it is we want, and need in our lives and to keep ourselves healthy and youthful through multisport. Oh hell yeah!
I am grateful every day that I discovered triathlon.
Oh and there is a new Masters Swim Team in town! Swim Las Vegas! They are going to put on Nevada's first ever Open Water Swim Meet in October! I SO want to do a 2.4 mile open water swim. Hell I've already swum 2.1 miles in the open water under the watchful slavedriving eye of Coach Paul (one of the founders of Swim Las Vegas). I'll have to talk with Coach about me doing that.
So while I've been quiet on the blog lately things have been happening. Good things. I'm stepping up to the plate in another area of my life and it feels great!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I Like Swimming!
I like swimming.
Yup, I do.
It started when I joined Swim Group last season and then sort of snuck up on me as Season 2009 training started.
I actually like getting in and moving through the water. Such a refreshing change from the last two years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is GREAT cause it's now going to be easier for me to get better at a sport that I actually like.
Coach is making me swim three times a week (we are in a swim focus right now) and soon, very soon, I will be starting up with Masters. Next week is my 1000 yard time trial test which, well, BLECH! Who likes those? Noone I know. Then again no sport is perfect.
Last week I had a 500 yard time trial and figured my result was just average. I wasn't too concerned about it since it is so early in the year and I did work hard for it and so had no regrets or nasty thoughts that I could have/should have worked harder when it was done.
Then Coach emailed me later and pointed out that I had dropped 18 seconds per hundred compared with this time last year.
18 SECONDS PER HUNDRED. That's pretty darn good!
Another reason that I like swimming -- continued improvement! Improvement is always fun but for me just not dreading the swim workouts (and in fact actually looking forward to some of them -- GASP) is the bigger reward.
My times will go down this season too. I can feel it!
Yup, I do.
It started when I joined Swim Group last season and then sort of snuck up on me as Season 2009 training started.
I actually like getting in and moving through the water. Such a refreshing change from the last two years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is GREAT cause it's now going to be easier for me to get better at a sport that I actually like.
Coach is making me swim three times a week (we are in a swim focus right now) and soon, very soon, I will be starting up with Masters. Next week is my 1000 yard time trial test which, well, BLECH! Who likes those? Noone I know. Then again no sport is perfect.
Last week I had a 500 yard time trial and figured my result was just average. I wasn't too concerned about it since it is so early in the year and I did work hard for it and so had no regrets or nasty thoughts that I could have/should have worked harder when it was done.
Then Coach emailed me later and pointed out that I had dropped 18 seconds per hundred compared with this time last year.
18 SECONDS PER HUNDRED. That's pretty darn good!
Another reason that I like swimming -- continued improvement! Improvement is always fun but for me just not dreading the swim workouts (and in fact actually looking forward to some of them -- GASP) is the bigger reward.
My times will go down this season too. I can feel it!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Season 2009, Week 1
Happy to say that I thrived in week 1 of 2009 training! Not only did I complete everything 100% as Liz programmed it but I was nowhere near as worn out as I thought I would be! AND (equally important) I stayed one step ahead of my appetite all week!
Those that follow me on Facebook know that my status line occasionally lists what I ate for whatever meal of the day! I do that to motivate myself to stay on track and because I think it's also kind of funny. My tri buds on Facebook all seem to understand.
Monday is my day off and I'm GLAD! I like starting out the workweek not having to worry about a workout. A Monday "breather" if you will. This week was a little over seven and a half hours of training and next week should be about the same.
This week was important to me because I wanted to start Season 2009 off on the right foot and I did that. From here on out it will be all about consistency and getting it done. In training, in business, in life, in everything!
I have such good energy lately and intend to keep it that way. 2009 will be a much more well rounded year for me!
Today I got to ride with KELLY! It was so good to see her (she probably got tired of hearing me tell her that but I didn't care -- lol). The fact is I haven't seen her or Izaac since Silverman! Since they had to babysit their adorable niece today I wasn't sure which one of them would show up to ride until Kelly appeared next to me as I was getting my stuff out of Tony's van (she had ridden from her house to our meeting spot). We chatted nearly the whole way out and back until she left us to go back home. She looks GREAT it was so great to see her out there and catch up.
Hour long rides are fun! Not so long as to where you start dragging but long enough to get a workout in and catch up with friends you haven't seen in awhile!
After the ride the week caught up with me. I ate a bunch of pizza and took a nap! My eating has been going really really well and normally I allow myself one day a week (at least) where I treat myself, completely guilt free. I love pizza so . . . . there ya go!
Hope everyone has a good week! :-)
Those that follow me on Facebook know that my status line occasionally lists what I ate for whatever meal of the day! I do that to motivate myself to stay on track and because I think it's also kind of funny. My tri buds on Facebook all seem to understand.
Monday is my day off and I'm GLAD! I like starting out the workweek not having to worry about a workout. A Monday "breather" if you will. This week was a little over seven and a half hours of training and next week should be about the same.
This week was important to me because I wanted to start Season 2009 off on the right foot and I did that. From here on out it will be all about consistency and getting it done. In training, in business, in life, in everything!
I have such good energy lately and intend to keep it that way. 2009 will be a much more well rounded year for me!
Today I got to ride with KELLY! It was so good to see her (she probably got tired of hearing me tell her that but I didn't care -- lol). The fact is I haven't seen her or Izaac since Silverman! Since they had to babysit their adorable niece today I wasn't sure which one of them would show up to ride until Kelly appeared next to me as I was getting my stuff out of Tony's van (she had ridden from her house to our meeting spot). We chatted nearly the whole way out and back until she left us to go back home. She looks GREAT it was so great to see her out there and catch up.
Hour long rides are fun! Not so long as to where you start dragging but long enough to get a workout in and catch up with friends you haven't seen in awhile!
After the ride the week caught up with me. I ate a bunch of pizza and took a nap! My eating has been going really really well and normally I allow myself one day a week (at least) where I treat myself, completely guilt free. I love pizza so . . . . there ya go!
Hope everyone has a good week! :-)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
I'm Back!
It seems like if you wait too long to do things, your motivation lapses, know what I mean? I was going to wait until I "felt like" doing the "perfect" 2008 wrap up post, complete with reflections, goals, and other "stuff."
However, if I waited for a post like that to come to me, it either wouldn't come or it would feel like too much work!
2008 was a great year in some ways, not so great in others. Great in that it was the Year of Silverman. Every time I think back to the race I still get teary eyed. In that race I became my own hero, a feeling that I never in my life experienced before.
My work, on the other hand, slid in 2008, much more so than it should have. Because I let it. And I'm not going to let it anymore. I am starting my own business, doing something I truly love to do and it will prosper. More on that later.
2008 can really be "summed up," emotionally at least, in my Reflections on Silverman post. Yeah. I can't really re-read that without crying either. Having that in writing, as well as the posts in the weeks leading up to Silverman, where I was gaining confidence but still scared of the unknown . . . so glad I wrote all of that down. I went outside my comfort zone with that more than I ever have and it changed me for the better.
Really, I feel like Silverman was the culmination of so many many things for me. It marked the triumphant end to two years of hard mental and physical work, successes and failures, trial and error.
Silverman is also my springboard to things better and even more powerful. I know this for sure. I am finally ready to open myself up to actually starting a business not just talking about it or wishing for it or wallowing in the many details, feeling overwhelmed and never taking action. Over thinker, I am. Action taker, I am too!
Finally, we had a really great vacation in Bimini! 14 Franks, ranging in age from 14 to 73, fished, swam, biked, ran, snorkeled and sat out by the pool basking in the 80 degree sunshine.
The things I liked best about the trip:
**Our studio condo (because we don't have kids, we had a cute little studio all to ourselves!)
**Biking all over the island with Glenn. The island is 9 square miles and flat! Recreational cycling just for fun is something I've never done before. In 2007 I bought the Cervelo Dual and jumped right into triathlon training. Before that I hadn't been on a bike in probably 30 years.
**Running to Capt. Bob's for breakfast (about 2 miles) with Glenn biking beside me, having one of the locals say to Glenn "she's doing good."
**Snorkeling off the north side of the island. There were not many fish to be seen but Glenn and I swam out quite a ways toward a rock formation. About 2/3 of the way out I got nervous and turned back. I had my mask and snorkel on so it wasn't "real" swimming but I got to practice sighting in some of the peaks and valleys of the gentle waves. Prior to this I have been to afraid to actually swim in the ocean or go out beyond where I can stand.
**Snorkeling with the family in and around a shipwreck. We saw the coolest fish in there!
**Watching Glenn jump the boat wake waves on the wave runner, getting more air than his 23 year old nephew had!
**Biking to dinner one night (instead of golf carting it with everyone else) with Glenn and his 14 year old niece Anna.
**Parading around the pool in a string bikini, the likes of which I would never have dared to wear in my 20s.
**Answering Glenn's family's questions about Silverman. :-)
So there you have it in brief summation. Glenn's brother Kenny took some photos which I will post when I receive them.
Meanwhile my Season 2009 training officially starts tomorrow. YAY! I need to be back on a schedule, I've had enough rest. At the same time I've maintained my fitness and so feel prepared for the rigorous workouts that Liz dishes out.
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
However, if I waited for a post like that to come to me, it either wouldn't come or it would feel like too much work!
2008 was a great year in some ways, not so great in others. Great in that it was the Year of Silverman. Every time I think back to the race I still get teary eyed. In that race I became my own hero, a feeling that I never in my life experienced before.
My work, on the other hand, slid in 2008, much more so than it should have. Because I let it. And I'm not going to let it anymore. I am starting my own business, doing something I truly love to do and it will prosper. More on that later.
2008 can really be "summed up," emotionally at least, in my Reflections on Silverman post. Yeah. I can't really re-read that without crying either. Having that in writing, as well as the posts in the weeks leading up to Silverman, where I was gaining confidence but still scared of the unknown . . . so glad I wrote all of that down. I went outside my comfort zone with that more than I ever have and it changed me for the better.
Really, I feel like Silverman was the culmination of so many many things for me. It marked the triumphant end to two years of hard mental and physical work, successes and failures, trial and error.
Silverman is also my springboard to things better and even more powerful. I know this for sure. I am finally ready to open myself up to actually starting a business not just talking about it or wishing for it or wallowing in the many details, feeling overwhelmed and never taking action. Over thinker, I am. Action taker, I am too!
Finally, we had a really great vacation in Bimini! 14 Franks, ranging in age from 14 to 73, fished, swam, biked, ran, snorkeled and sat out by the pool basking in the 80 degree sunshine.
The things I liked best about the trip:
**Our studio condo (because we don't have kids, we had a cute little studio all to ourselves!)
**Biking all over the island with Glenn. The island is 9 square miles and flat! Recreational cycling just for fun is something I've never done before. In 2007 I bought the Cervelo Dual and jumped right into triathlon training. Before that I hadn't been on a bike in probably 30 years.
**Running to Capt. Bob's for breakfast (about 2 miles) with Glenn biking beside me, having one of the locals say to Glenn "she's doing good."
**Snorkeling off the north side of the island. There were not many fish to be seen but Glenn and I swam out quite a ways toward a rock formation. About 2/3 of the way out I got nervous and turned back. I had my mask and snorkel on so it wasn't "real" swimming but I got to practice sighting in some of the peaks and valleys of the gentle waves. Prior to this I have been to afraid to actually swim in the ocean or go out beyond where I can stand.
**Snorkeling with the family in and around a shipwreck. We saw the coolest fish in there!
**Watching Glenn jump the boat wake waves on the wave runner, getting more air than his 23 year old nephew had!
**Biking to dinner one night (instead of golf carting it with everyone else) with Glenn and his 14 year old niece Anna.
**Parading around the pool in a string bikini, the likes of which I would never have dared to wear in my 20s.
**Answering Glenn's family's questions about Silverman. :-)
So there you have it in brief summation. Glenn's brother Kenny took some photos which I will post when I receive them.
Meanwhile my Season 2009 training officially starts tomorrow. YAY! I need to be back on a schedule, I've had enough rest. At the same time I've maintained my fitness and so feel prepared for the rigorous workouts that Liz dishes out.
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
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