On weight, running, and life in general...

The past few weeks have been frustrating for me from a weight standpoint--while I fully own the fact that my commitment to WW has been inconsistent at best over the past couple of months, it's nonetheless very irritating to see the numbers on the scale bounce around (and sometimes in the wrong direction). It's one of those situations where I try to cut myself some slack, but, at the same time, I also know that, come this summer, I'll be hauling around whatever extra weight I have up those crazy hills on the IM course--not exactly a pleasant thought.

I was lamenting a weight gain a couple of weeks ago (and, frankly, beating myself up over it), and Theresa (once again) came to the rescue of my sanity and gave me some perspective. She encouraged me to think of all of the positive things that have happened as a result of WW in my life and come up with a list (she did this as well), and I thought I'd share it--if for no other reason than to remind me when I come back and read this again at some point in the future. So, here's the list of things I like better about life now as a result of Weight Watchers (in no particular order)...

1. Not being ashamed of the way I look when I'm out with my friends
2. Shopping for clothes in real stores instead of the women's section (and being able to buy more than just socks at places like Ann Taylor)
3. Working out to relieve stress and have some serious "me time"
4. Knowing there are finish lines out there with my name on them that I will cross at some point
5. Being in front of the camera instead of behind it
6. Savoring food instead of inhaling it
7. Having other outlets besides food to deal with stress
8. Self-confidence
9. Self-awareness
10. Self-love (most days, at least--not always on weigh-in day, though)
11. Being bolder than I've ever been
12. Taking on new challenges and overcoming my fears
13. Opening up more to others
14. Not really caring what other people think about me
15. Waking up in the morning
16. Life
17. Me

Nothing like writing stuff down to help me pull my head out of my butt, stop feeling sorry for myself, and start taking ownership of my weight and WW program again...plus it helps to have both Sue and Theresa send me email and voice mail reminders to journal, stay on program, and hang in there (not to mention having the support of the rest of the WW group). It should help, incidentally, that I'm giving up Slow-Churned ice cream (my fave) for Lent, and Theresa and I also made a pact tonight that we will both hit our goal weights by the 5K we're running on July 4, so I'm most definitely back on the wagon with a vengeance.

Speaking of that July 4th 5K...it's been really cool to watch some of my friends discover (or rediscover) the joys of exercise, running, and triathlon. Theresa, for example, is training with her siblings to run/walk the Indy Mini-Marathon (a 1/2 marathon) in May--she started out thinking she'd walk most of the way, both in training and in the race, but now she's running like a champ. She ran 5 miles last week in the bitter, bitter cold, and today, had one of those "I can't believe I'm actually saying this" kind of moments when she emailed me that she was going to take advantage of the great weather and her day off to go for a nice long run. I can totally relate--I still catch myself saying stuff that I never dreamed would come flying out of my mouth, but I'm so excited for her and can't wait to see her cross the finish line of both the Indy Mini and the 5K on July 4!! Cecily, another coworker and WW buddy, has also taken up running and will be joining us on July 4--again, very very cool to see her not only start this, but stick with it and enjoy it (and she's converted to the morning workout crew at the fitness center, which is always fun and entertaining). One of my other morning workout buddies, Shawn, decided to train for an indoor sprint triathlon with her husband--and I love hearing the training updates, progress reports, and everything. It's just so cool to see these guys embracing this great stuff and I'm so very proud of them for it--and I'll do everything I can to encourage them along the way. Seems like that might be a good way to start paying back my friends and supporters for all of their help in my little journey...one of those "pay it forward" moments (although it's actually a "pay it back" kind of thing for me).

Lest I forget the journey that started this whole thing (the WW journey), I'm so very very glad that I have an incredible support system in my life to remind me of how far I've come and of the great things that have happened along the way...so thanks, guys (you know who you are)...I'm damn sure I couldn't do it without you!!!

Week 29 Wrap-up

Last week was a good one--felt much better than I did in Week 31 and even, to some extent, in Week 30. My heart rate was much more in control on the run than it's been in previous weeks, which had been an area of some concern for me, and my speed on the bike was a little faster at the same intensity than it had been. And, more impressively (at least in my land-locked mind), my swim continues to come along nicely. The drills and intervals baked into our training program really help break up the monotony of it all and pretty much force me to stay into it mentally, which I have to think will help come race day.

Monday night, Jeremy and I went to our second "Ironman Mondays" seminar in the city--this one was on nutrition, which is a subject of much debate and great importance. I learned a lot--the highlights are that I'll be focusing on complex carbs throughout the race and steering clear of simple sugars (no Gatorade, in other words). We talked about race-day strategy (as much of a liquid diet as possible), recovery needs, electrolyte replacement, and hydration--some new stuff and some great reinforcement of stuff I've read previously. I decided to start working on my nutrition plan and mixed my first IM cocktail Saturday for the long bike--I'm going to try Hammer products and see what happens, so I took 2.5 scoops of Perpetuem and mixed it with one serving of Orange Hammer Gel and water to make a slightly chalky but otherwise quite palatable concoction of approximately 400 calories. It worked pretty well--I'll stick with that mixture and adjust calories as needed to fit my workout needs, and, if all goes well, I'll have a decent start on my fueling plan prior to hitting the long rides this summer.

One other note--Sunday was finally sunny!!! Even better, it was sunny and I could run outside!!! I ran 10 miles--meant to do 8, but it was so nice (albeit still a bit cold) and things just felt great, so I kept going. My HR stayed in check the whole time, and even the reverse brick I did on the bike when I got back didn't hurt too badly...either that or I was just in a great mood from the sun. Either way, I'm not complaining...

Here's the roll-up for Week 29:

Swim: 2:59:00 / 7600 meters
Bike: 4:35:08 / 74.10 miles
Run: 3:16:54 / 20.01 miles
Total: 10:51:02 / 98.87 miles

Week 28 goals = more of the same...and try to maintain balance while adjusting to different responsibilities at work. Also, get back to journaling on WW--fell off that particular wagon yet again, and it's really starting to irk me...

Week 30 Wrap-up

Thank God for recovery weeks--that pretty much sums up my thoughts through most of last week. Heading into Week 30, I was wiped--Week 31 was pretty intense, and, coupled with the lack of sleep I had, I ended up ready to curl up and sleep for a month. But, never fear, I hit the pool bright and early Monday morning and started in on Week 30 training. With reduced volume in all disciplines, I was actually feeling back to normal by Wednesday--probably also helped by the very conscious (if not always successful) effort to get to bed earlier.

I had to shift my Thursday run to Tuesday (normally, I have a run already scheduled on Tuesday along with a bike, but this week it was only bike) to accommodate day-long focus groups for work (ugh)--worked OK, but I felt like the Gatorade Endurance Formula ad that says something like "If you wake up at 4 am but don't get to the office until 9 am..."--namely because I woke up at 4:05 and sat down at my desk at 8:58. (Of course, it wasn't all training--Tuesday mornings are about the only time I get to do any training with Sue, Michele, and Erin, so there's always a fair amount of talking as well.)

The big highlight of the week, though, was a trip to the great North (aka Minneapolis) to hang out with the Clique (the group of college friends that Vardo and I have). Originally, Vardo and I had planned to do some training together, but, sadly, her grandfather passed away last week and she was unable to make the trek to Mpls. Sparkle, though, gladly (or maybe not-so-gladly) stepped up and offered to run with me. The original plan was to run outside, but that plan got scrapped Friday night when the pilot told us the air temperature was -12F with a -51F wind chill. So, Sondra (one of the locals) found us a Y that offered day passes, and Sparkle and I pounded out our mileage on warm, toasty treadmills. The rest of the weekend was great--just hanging out, bowling, eating very yummy and non-WW friendly bar food, and falling asleep watching "Napoleon Dynamite"--in the grand scheme of life, it really doesn't get much better. I had to skip the 40 min recovery bike scheduled after the long run, but I'll make that sacrifice any day to hang out with those guys.

I'm feeling pretty good about my training at this point--I'm most surprised by how far my swim training has come. Jenny's tip about my head position has enabled a big step-change for me--I've shaved 4 strokes/length off consistently and am ~5-7 seconds faster/100 m...not bad for a crappy swimmer. I still find it amusing (and likely always will) that I actually go slower when I kick...guess I'll just keep muscling my way through it and use the excuse that I'm saving my legs for the bike. My biking seems to be coming along as well--I'm hitting a slightly faster mph at the same heart rate, plus (more importantly) I'm spending way more time down in the aero position thanks to my comfy new bike. I'm still maintaining my sanity, too, although one of my co-workers just left on maternity leave, and I picked up most of her project work and all of her direct reports (which also means Jeremy and Erin now report to me until she returns from leave--weird to be in that position). So, we'll see how things go from here, but I'll keep digging (to use a NASCAR quote from last weekend)...

Here's the roll-up...

Swim: 2:58:00 / 8000 m
Bike: 3:58:07 / 65.16 miles
Run: 2:04:28 / 12.55 miles
Total: 9:00:35 / 82.68 miles

Week 29, here I come....

Week 31 Wrap-up

Week 31 was a rough one--more because I started the week out on a sleep deficit (thanks to the Super Bowl) and then didn't catch up than anything else. But, it was also a fairly intense training week--some time trials across all three disciplines, and I stupidly decided to add in the swim workout I missed last week as well (which happened to be a pretty tough swim)--so now it's Sunday night and I am absolutely wiped out. I'm pretty sure every major muscle group in my body hates me--but I'm also pretty sure this won't be the only week I feel like this.

On the up side, I love Tack (if you read the post "It's a bike!" you'll understand what Tack is--but in short, it's my new tri bike). My long ride yesterday was the most comfortable one I've had--didn't really see an impact on my speed on the trainer, but I spent probably 95% of the time on either my aerobars or my brake hoods--compared to probably 40% (if that) that I typically spent on my Giant's handlebars. My back is a little stiff today from the ride, but other than that, all feels well. Amazing what having a bike that fits can do...now I just have to wait until it's nice enough outside to start getting used to handling Tack on the road.

Week 31 was week #4 of IM training--so far, so good, and, other than just being really tired, I feel great. My upper body has definitely had a workout, and I can tell I'm picking up some muscle mass in my shoulders and triceps. After this week's little stunt of adding back a missed swim workout, I'm vowing to let any future missed workouts go--no sense in killing myself to pick up lost mileage/time/laps. I'm also coming to realize the amount of time and commitment this endeavor demands--it will definitely challenge me to be efficient at work and at home so that I can get my training fit in around real life.

I'm excited for spring, though, and the outside rides that will accompany the change in seasons--I'm OK running in the snow (which I did again today), but riding in this weather is not for me. I never thought I'd feel this way, either, but I'm also very much looking forward to getting in a lake as early as possible to do some solid distance swimming--the combination of the chlorine (and dry skin and bad hair) and looking at the @#$%! blue line at the bottom of the pool lane is enough to make open water swimming seem preferred. If the rest of the weeks go as quickly as these past four have, it'll be summer and then September in no time, and I can't wait!!

Here's the roll-up for the week...

Swim: 10300 meters / 3:50 (one extra workout on top of the plan)
Bike: 85.27 miles / 5:42:56
Run: 20.31 miles / 3:31:18
Total: 111.98 miles / 13:04:14

Goals for Week 30 are to get more sleep, keep journaling and stay on the WW wagon, and train a little with Vardo next weekend...bring it on!!!

It's a bike!

I’m proud to announce the newest addition to my bike collection (seems like that’s what it is, at least)…my shiny new tri bike!!! I picked it up this afternoon after work, and I’m psyched!! It weighs in at a petite 18.45 lb without pedals (I don't want to know how much my Giant weighs, but I know for sure it's well over 20 lb) and, as Erin put it when she saw it, it’s “cute” (it’s an extra-small frame, but hey—that’s where the measurements netted out). As it’s a Litespeed Tachyon, it’s possible I’m going to refer to it as “Tack”, but who knows…

Sue, Michele and Erin (and Chris from the Bike Shop) all witnessed my first time on my Tachyon—Erin is bike shopping as well and spent some time talking with Chris about tri bikes as her focus thus far (and what she will likely end up with) has been on road bikes. Not sure if the visit was helpful or more confusing for her…but as with my trip to buy my bike, Sue and Michele were along for moral support. I actually wasn’t expecting to get to the store early enough to meet up with them (they all took the afternoon off, but I had a meeting in Schaumburg I had to hit first), but I’m glad it worked out the way it did—nothing like having three of your friends staring/laughing at you while you’re trying to get used to crazy things like aerobars.

Chris made a few minor adjustments (Tack was built to my measurements from the bike fit Chris did before Thanksgiving)—mainly just tweaked the seat height a little. It felt awesome—more comfortable than my Giant, and we’ll see if that translates into more efficiency and/or speed tomorrow on my long training ride. I added a new bike computer (w/ cadence), but I’m still working on the race wheel situation—in the meantime, I’m set with my training wheels (and yes, it still makes me laugh that I have to call them my training wheels).

As soon as I got home (after a couple celebratory beers w/ Sue and Michele—Erin had to run a work errand, and sadly couldn’t’ join us), I put Tack on my trainer (actually while I was talking with Vardo) and climbed on just long enough to convince myself that it works equally well in my house. Test #1 will be tomorrow morning on the 2:15 ride—can’t wait to try it out!!

As for the pictures, here’s the drill…

1. Tack on the trainer in my entryway—the latest in fine home décor.
2. Look at the shiny new gears and chain!!! It’ll never look like that again…
3. A closer look at the frame and, of course, the decals.
4. My view from the saddle…and what I’ll be looking at a lot in the next few months.

Week 32 Wrap-up

Well, all told, I survived my first bout of business travel last week and did OK from a training standpoint—except for the highlight-delayed swim (which I picked up in week 31), I hit all of my workouts. Admittedly, the 40-minute ride when I got home late Saturday night was not the most fun I’ve had, but it was better than the alternative of adding another 40 minutes onto Sunday’s long ride. Also, my sit bones have once again adapted to being on the bike—very much a welcome adaptation!!

Here’s the roll-up for the week…swim’s down a bit due to the missed workout, but as I mentioned, I picked that up this week…

Swim: 1:58:00 / 5045 m (odd distance due to the 70-ft pool in NJ—had to do a little math)
Bike: 4:30:08 / 70.44 miles
Run: 2:45:42 / 16.72 miles
Total: 9:13:50 / 90.29 miles

Week 31 (albeit almost over) is a return to pseudo-normalcy…no major travel plans to work around, which is a good thing…

Pool Noir, green hair threats and assorted tales from the road

This week I had my first crack at attempting to maintain some semblance of my training program while traveling for work. I thought I had everything worked out to fit everything in; sadly, though, my own stupidity led to the demise of one of my swim workouts.

There aren’t many times I indulge in pampering or salon-type niceties, but I decided to get some highlights in conjunction with a much-needed hair cut on Tuesday night. Turns out highlights and chlorine are a bad combination, especially for blonde hair (maybe if I wasn’t a blonde, I might have actually thought through that on my own), so my Wednesday swim workout turned into a quick core workout instead. My stylist basically told me she couldn’t guarantee I wouldn’t turn my hair green if I dunked my newly highlighted hair in the pool Wednesday—while I’m not opposed to living on the edge, green hair and business trips are typically not a good combination. So, my trip started with me one workout down for the week—didn’t make me too happy, but, as I continue to read in my IM books, life happens and I shouldn’t beat myself up too much about missing an occasional workout.

I flew to New Jersey Wednesday morning and had work stuff and a work dinner that day, so Wednesday ended up being basically a rest day—fine by me. Thursday morning, I hit the hotel fitness center at about 5:45 am (no easy feat for the non-morning person accustomed to the central time zone) to get in my run. The treadmill was in metric units, and at that time of day, my engineering brain was not wholly up to the task of converting kilometers to miles, so it was interesting—but I ended up getting in my 4 miles (4.05 to be exact). After our meeting Thursday, the rest of the work gang headed back to Chicago, but I stayed through Saturday to spend some time with my friend Jenny, who conveniently lives close to where our meeting was.

Jenny is also a triathlete, and I took full advantage of her local training haunts, including her slightly scary and very interesting pool for my swim Friday morning. When she told me it was part of a hotel, I was a little surprised, but I was totally unprepared for what awaited me. For starters, the pool area was approximately the same temperature and humidity as Kansas City in late July—really freaking hot and about a million percent humidity. The water temperature was measured at a whopping 89 F—basically bath water. Better yet, though, the whole area had a “film noir” look to it—bare concrete (except the lovely indoor/outdoor turf on the floor) and really sketchy lighting—I kept expecting a single lightbulb to be swinging from the ceiling and flickering on and off. Hence, the “pool noir” reference in the title of this entry. And, it was a 70-ft pool—which we didn’t find out about until the end of my workout, so I ended up about 400 meters short of what I was supposed to do. Nonetheless, though, I can’t complain—if it wasn’t for Jenny and her pool membership, I would’ve missed two swim workouts instead of just one, and it was a decent workout. Plus, Jenny’s a strong swimmer, and she gave me some hints as to how to improve my form—always much appreciated.

After the swim, we headed into Manhattan and hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art (I love art museums and Jenny can’t ever find anyone to go with her) and had an awesome, laid back kind of day. Saturday morning, I took off running around her neighborhood—she gave me a ~4.5 mile loop to start with, and I added another 2.5 miles to make it an even 7 miles. Conveniently, my 7-mile mark was the front door to a Starbucks about a half-mile from her place, so I grabbed coffee for both of us and enjoyed a leisurely cool-down walk back to her place to enjoy my latte. After meeting another friend for lunch, it was off to scenic Newark airport to sit around while I kept watching my flight delay add up…but at least I didn’t get back too late—plenty of time to hop on my trainer for a quick 40 minute bike ride.

While I was at the airport, I got a call from Chris at the Bike Shop—my bike is ready to go!!! Unfortunately, though, he gave me the wrong price on the race wheelset we had discussed, so I need to rethink some things about what I want/need and what I’m willing to pay. Also, looking at my schedule for the upcoming week, it looks like I may have to wait until Saturday to check out my shiny new bike…a bit of a bummer, but at least it’s ready to go!! I’ll post pictures when I get it…