Friendly fat loss competition, last week's goals

Saturday morning will begin with the final fat-loss weigh in on my significant other's body fat scale which will determine who has won our latest friendly competition. Contest was one month long. He stared with 29% body fat and I started with  39%.

What's at stake you ask? If I win, and I will win, I get a new giant wok. If he wins, and he won't, he gets a $40 gift certificate to Home Depot. During my lazy week this month I gained four pounds, but it actually must have been some water weight because I lost it right away plus another half pound. I know he's been hiking with the dog and eating tofu and toast. So it's really anybody's game. Except I'm going to win.

So, this past weekend, did I execute my plans? WELL. I did manage to run four miles after work on Friday. I wasn't planning to try the four mile run until Saturday because I'm usually pretty wiped out after getting little sleep after Thursday's night class. For whatever reason I was feeling I had some energy that afternoon and I usually have workout clothes along just in case that happens. So I was able to take advantage of the situation and I ran right past all of the people leaving my office building, headed to happy hours, and was able to bang out that four miles right after work. I totally surprised myself. It's the farthest I have ever run and I started on a GIANT HILL and almost died before I was able to turn it around and get to a flat area. It was so freaking hard. Then I got to a point where I just felt like, "hey I warmed up now". That was at about 3 1/2 miles. So weird that most of the toughest running is in the beginning when you are learning to get past those first several miles so you can really enjoy your run. I imagine that sooner or later, when I become a better runner, that those first several miles will get easier, but that they will always remain especially challenging. Let me look at my pace here... ok it was 11:21. That makes me pretty happy. That's way faster than walking.

Running has a huge psychological component to it that I think is a fun way to develop plain old confidence.
Anyway, so I was pretty amped about  how well Friday turned out. Then on Saturday I was lying around vegetating with my S.O. and his old grad school roommate when I realized that I left the power cord to my laptop back at my apartment. I had to drive home and get it so I could finish my java homework. On the drive home I am thinking about some errands I need to run in the Southside which is about 5 and a half beautiful paved bike path  miles with a bit of city riding from my place. When I got to my apartment, I grabbed my new to me road bike and rode down that beautiful path and ran my errands and got in  twelve miles.  It was a lot of fun. My legs were pretty sore after that. Twelve miles isn't that far on a road bike. Still, though, sore legs. By Monday they were fine.

Happy about the weekend, even though I didn't get the swim in.

Show Me a Girl with a Plan

Right here! Right here!
 
*PLANNING to run four miles after work today.

*PLANNING to swim for an hour tomorrow (which consists of putting face in water and trying to breathe while   moving forward without drowning).

*PLANNING on a 20 mile bike ride tomorrow (on my NEW to me BIKE!!!!!).

The group run last weekend fell apart. I took a mental health day from work on Monday and laid in bed ALL DAY. I only ran one time last week. I think I gained three pounds back. In short, motivation was pretty low. The three pounds kicked it back up a notch. Just running a couple of times this week also helped a bit. Hopefully if the above plans are executed, it will provide the momentum needed to get back on track.


Those old habits are always there, waiting in the shadows, to swallow me back up again. It's a struggle, no doubt, but one I know I am capable of winning -- if I want it bad enough.

LAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to a combination of old habits trying to take back their grip on  me and some sleepless nights, I have barely done ANYTHING physical this week. However, at the moment, I have plenty of energy to go run and we have our first absolutely BEAuTifuL  70 degree day after a which ends a long and bitter cold winter. What am I doing about it? I am getting ready to go drink beer with my boyfriend.  Woe is me.  

Tomorrow I have organized a four mile group run so there is no way for me to duck out. People are relying on me. I think group runs are about leaning on each other as much as they are for socializing. It's rude to commit to running with someone and then back out of it for no good reason, so, well, you just don't. It's not very nice to make someone else lose their stride so you can stop and walk, so you try not to. There are so many good things about it.  Oh well - will get a little bit of exercise tomorrow. :)

I look at this way, don't beat yourself up, just do better next week. It'll all work out. 

Christmas in March

So excited.

One of my goals is to finish my first triathlon ahead of ONE other person, but will also be happy by finishing before everyone goes home and there is no one left to record my time. Hoping to make this happen next summer, depending on how the swim training goes (uh haven't had ONE LESSON YET). Tick tock.

Anyway, I recently came to the brilliant realization that training on my commuter bike is going to be uncomfortable and BORING. So I found a 2005 Specialized Allez Elite Triple on Craigslist yesterday and I was supposed to go see (translation - BUY) it tomorrow, but the dude had to go out of town.

So here I am drooling over pics online until he gets back.

FEAST your EYES on THIS beautiful NEW.TO.ME road BIKE/my future TRI bike/FAST bike:

                                                          05 Allez Elite Triple

Awright, now wipe the drool from your screen.

bring me a dream

Insomnia can easily derail the best of intentions.

Last night I began using appropriate "sleep hygiene". Must have spent ten minutes shutting off all the devices in my bedroom and unplugging everything that has a stand-by light. A cool, completely dark and quite room was apparently just too much of an adjustment for my system at once. As it turns out, when I put myself in an environment like that, ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT is falling asleep. That is the kiss-of-death to a good night's sleep.

After four hours of trying to fall asleep, I wound up taking pics of my cats snoring away while piled on top of me.

After fun-with-camera-phone was over it was out to the kitchen for toast and then to the living room for an hour of video games. Slept in until seven today and helped out a friend after work, so no workout. Unplanned day of rest. It happens (it just happens to happen to me about twice a week).

Anyhow, hopefully catching up on sleep tomorrow night since it's already way past my bedtime again tonight.
Here's to adjusting to good sleep hygiene and hopefully uninterrupted nights of sleep in the future .

Diamonds in the Sky

Today I woke up to a rainy 40 degree morning. Yesterday I commuted by bus because I had been out late and was tired. So I told myself , "you are riding today". I gathered my things, did the needful, and retrieved my bike from the basement. I was wearing a long-sleeve technical shirt, track pants, running shoes, hat, helmet, gloves and a wonderful windbreaker with vents under the arms. I attached my grocery pannier (doubles as a gym bag) to my rack, and threw my huge gym bag sized messenger bag over my shoulder. Turned on my blinkies, put some trip-hop in my ears, and and set out for my short ten-minute ride to the YMCA. I am aware that riding with headphones is probably not the wisest choice, but I try to make up for it by being extra alert visually and I keep them at a moderate volume.

Anyway, as I was crossing the Roberto Clemente Bridge at 5:00 am in the rain and chill, I looked up at the steel girders of the bridge and noticed how amazing was the sight of the rain drops as they sailed past the yellow steel, silhouetted by the street lights; like little diamonds falling from the sky. I've traveled over a bridge on a rainy day thousands of times, but there is just something ethereal at this early hour when scarcely anyone is around and it almost feels like it is just you and the city and the street. And there is no good way to describe   the perspective from a bike. Just makes you feel alive. Moments like this make me relish my new, more active life.

The Dramatic Story // [fuh-see-shuhs] –adjective 2. amusing; humorous.

Hi-

I'm just a 37 year old girl working in a cubicle who happened to come to the drawn-out realization that I needed to make some changes if I ever wanted to be able to fully enjoy my life and my body. I mean your body is what gets you through your life. With my energy at an all-time low and my weight at an almost all-time high, over a few years I started taking baby steps to order my life in such a way that it would be convenient and easy to be active. Now I know that not everyone has this same luxury, but if you happen to, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I got surgery on my right foot to remove a morton's neuroma I had suffered from since high school.
When it came time for me to move to a more affordable apartment,  I moved to a pedestrian friendly neighborhood 2 1/2 miles of flat road from where I worked.
When I wrecked my car, I used the insurance proceeds to buy a bike and lived without the car for, well its been about six months and it should soon be back on the road.
I started bike commuting. It was intimidating at first, but soon I preferred it so strongly to public transportation that I was riding in snow and ice to get to work.
I got a membership at the downtown YMCA so I could shower before work after my ride in (riding does wonders for your hair).
The YMCA turned into my second home. I run from there, bike from there, enjoy steam baths, yoga, strength and spinning classes.
I can run almost three miles in a little over half an hour. I have been moderately active since mid-October.

Each week, I take on slightly more. When I'm tired, I rest.

I'm no where near fit. I am still borderline obese. Can't run or bike up hills. I have yet to finish an entire spin class. My three story walk-up still destroys me once in a while. But I am getting there, slowly but surely. My clothes fit better, I'm getting compliments from my circle, and I can run for the dreaded bus if I have to without running out of breath. It's important to appreciate these little mile stones along the way, I believe. And if you can recognize the significance of them, they will play a large part in the positive feed-back loop that will propel you forward. At least that has come to be my personal relationship with fitness. Being no expert on the matter, I can only draw from my own experiences and that is what this blog will be about. If I can make being more active seem less intimidating for anyone by relating my experiences, then well, that would be very satisfying.

Topics are bound to include, but not be limited to: motivation issues, nutrition, time management, goals, gear, shoes, technique, form, injuries, support of family and friends, activities and businesses in the Pittsburgh region (my stomping ground) and perhaps a dash of inappropriate humor sprinkled throughout.