One thing is certain: I need to start writing again.
A quick update of highlights:
• It's almost May.
• My business partner left in March and I'm struggling a lot to make things work.
• I have a contract job downtown 3 days a week which is turning kinda terrible for a few very different reasons.
• I'm now fully diagnosed with palindromic rheumatism and have decided to take the approach that it's no big deal.
• I signed up for my first triathlon for September 8th and am really really excited!
I hit some sort of bottom last week. I entered into a very ugly fog of awfulness. Nothing on the planet was enjoyable. I was unable to process stress. I'm still kind of there, but the weekend has been full of hanging out with friends and that has been very helpful. I also decided that I need to write to work stuff out of my head and straighten out my attitude.
Nothing has a more proven track record to turn things around than exercise. I think it's because no matter how well or poorly you do something, the fact of doing it trumps all. I did a 10K a couple of weeks ago and haven't done anything since. I am drowning, and it might seem strange to take time to do something like running when I don't have the time to take...but I know that actually this is the only thing that will help. I'm sure there is some sort of idiom for this.
So I'm kicking off this triathlon training in hopes of being able to enjoy things, and myself, again.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
I Hate Hurdles
I considered running when I got home Wednesday, but wimped out. The breeze was cool. I really just wimped out and talked myself into doing it the next day and replacing the workout with a Kinect trainer workout.
Running would have been easier.
This is the 8th Nike+ Kinect Trainer workout I've done. I keep "beating my personal best" on many of the exercises, and I do feel like I'm getting better. But there is one exercise I just can't do very well at all: hurdles. You stand on the floor and there are two low hurdles to jump over sideways across the room, as the arrows on the floor indicate. But you have to clear them for them to count. They're probably the equivalent of about 5 inches off the ground? For some reason I just can't do this exercise. I have no ooomph to get over them! Sure I can do a few in a row, but then I just crap out and start hitting them, or have to slow down a lot because I can't breath.
Last night I did the first set somewhat ok. For round 2, after all the other exercises, I had no oomph and I'm not sure any counted! For round 3 I decided making the workout work for me was best and I step-hopped over them with one leg at a time, which isn't how you do them so none counted. But at least I kept moving rather than jumping and landing heavy and feeling like a sack of rocks.
Other than silly hurdles the workout went pretty well! It got me breathing hard. I did a 5 minute short exercise that had dodgeball, split decision, high knees and squats which sealed the fact that I was done.
My legs feel huge. I'm not sure, maybe I'm bulking up somewhat? I haven't been able to run where I'm not sore and tired, so it's hard to gauge if this is helping my running yet. Spinning Tuesday was cake but that could have been because I let the intervals get to me mentally and didn't push hard.
Running would have been easier.
This is the 8th Nike+ Kinect Trainer workout I've done. I keep "beating my personal best" on many of the exercises, and I do feel like I'm getting better. But there is one exercise I just can't do very well at all: hurdles. You stand on the floor and there are two low hurdles to jump over sideways across the room, as the arrows on the floor indicate. But you have to clear them for them to count. They're probably the equivalent of about 5 inches off the ground? For some reason I just can't do this exercise. I have no ooomph to get over them! Sure I can do a few in a row, but then I just crap out and start hitting them, or have to slow down a lot because I can't breath.
Last night I did the first set somewhat ok. For round 2, after all the other exercises, I had no oomph and I'm not sure any counted! For round 3 I decided making the workout work for me was best and I step-hopped over them with one leg at a time, which isn't how you do them so none counted. But at least I kept moving rather than jumping and landing heavy and feeling like a sack of rocks.
Other than silly hurdles the workout went pretty well! It got me breathing hard. I did a 5 minute short exercise that had dodgeball, split decision, high knees and squats which sealed the fact that I was done.
My legs feel huge. I'm not sure, maybe I'm bulking up somewhat? I haven't been able to run where I'm not sore and tired, so it's hard to gauge if this is helping my running yet. Spinning Tuesday was cake but that could have been because I let the intervals get to me mentally and didn't push hard.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Crafting a Training Plan
I love schedules. And I love making them. I've spent almost an hour or so now on trying to make one for the triathlon and goodness it's difficult! I spent a few hours making a marathon training plan in the past, but I got somewhere with it. For this, I'm just at a loss at how to fit everything in. 3 disciplines makes it tough I guess.
Begin ramble.
I'm not sure if I should bother with swimming all that much. Since it's clearly my weakest. Or...maybe it is that I should bother with that the most. Running is what I do the most, though it's pretty weak. Will it improve on its own? Biking comes pretty easy to me. I think spinning will be a continued benefit (sprints and strength emphasis you don't necessarily get on the road), but I must get out on the road at least one day in addition to that for the endurance and constant toughness that spinning just doesn't provide.
Hmmmm... so maybe 2 days biking, 1 day swimming, 3 days running? No I will never improve with swimming only doing it once a week. 2 days biking 2 days swimming 3 days running. That's 7 days crap. OK so gotta double up the days somewhere. Spinning day also has a run? While I'm at the gym? Ick that would be nasty. Swim after spinning? No, bad pool schedule time. Swimming is definitely going to be the hardest thing to fit in because it depends on the pool schedule so much. I think I'll have to fit that in during the week.
Sketching it out here...
BASE APRIL - MAY:
Monday: crossfit + run easy
Tuesday: Spin
Wednesday: run
Thursday: crossfit + run
Friday: off
Saturday: crossfit + run long / bike outside
Sunday: crossfit + run long / bike outside
TRAINING JUNE - SEPT:
gym:: Monday: Swim easy laps 8:00 a.m.
gym:: Tuesday: Spin / run + bike + run brick every 4 weeks
home: Wednesday: run (except after brick)
home: Thursday: off (run on brick weeks)
gym:: Friday: Swim sprints 7:00 a.m.
home: Saturday: run long / bike outside
home: Sunday: run long / bike outside
So this looks pretty difficult to keep, but I'm gonna do it. I think the most important thing is I just do stuff most days. Now the temperatures need to warm up also.
End ramble.
Begin ramble.
I'm not sure if I should bother with swimming all that much. Since it's clearly my weakest. Or...maybe it is that I should bother with that the most. Running is what I do the most, though it's pretty weak. Will it improve on its own? Biking comes pretty easy to me. I think spinning will be a continued benefit (sprints and strength emphasis you don't necessarily get on the road), but I must get out on the road at least one day in addition to that for the endurance and constant toughness that spinning just doesn't provide.
Hmmmm... so maybe 2 days biking, 1 day swimming, 3 days running? No I will never improve with swimming only doing it once a week. 2 days biking 2 days swimming 3 days running. That's 7 days crap. OK so gotta double up the days somewhere. Spinning day also has a run? While I'm at the gym? Ick that would be nasty. Swim after spinning? No, bad pool schedule time. Swimming is definitely going to be the hardest thing to fit in because it depends on the pool schedule so much. I think I'll have to fit that in during the week.
Sketching it out here...
BASE APRIL - MAY:
Monday: crossfit + run easy
Tuesday: Spin
Wednesday: run
Thursday: crossfit + run
Friday: off
Saturday: crossfit + run long / bike outside
Sunday: crossfit + run long / bike outside
TRAINING JUNE - SEPT:
gym:: Monday: Swim easy laps 8:00 a.m.
gym:: Tuesday: Spin / run + bike + run brick every 4 weeks
home: Wednesday: run (except after brick)
home: Thursday: off (run on brick weeks)
gym:: Friday: Swim sprints 7:00 a.m.
home: Saturday: run long / bike outside
home: Sunday: run long / bike outside
So this looks pretty difficult to keep, but I'm gonna do it. I think the most important thing is I just do stuff most days. Now the temperatures need to warm up also.
End ramble.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
It's April! Hurrah!
If you know me, you know I like the beginnings of weeks, months and years. Well, April started on a Monday this year so...how awesome is that pathetic am I that that really makes me happy ;)
Alas, it is a new month. And to start it off awesomely, a friend on the east coast (Erika) posted that she just signed up for a triathlon. Her first, maybe even her first multi-sport or any-sport race ever! It's fantastic. And...she is trying to get other people to do it with her. I asked for details, she said I should do it, I looked up the race and signed up Sunday night!
I'm going to do my first ever triathlon September 8th of this year!!! Woohooo!! I'm really excited.
It's going to be so fun. I'm really glad to do it with someone, I think that's the best part. It's the Rocky Gap Iron Girl. I don't understand the name at all. I thought she was crazy when I read she signed up for anything with Iron in the name, thinking it was linked to the Ironman franchise. It's not though. It's actually pretty far from that. I'd say they're basing the distance off of sprint distance tri's. It's a half mile swim, 16 mile bike and 2.5 mile run. Kinda short on the run, but longer on the bike. That part of the country should provide some lovely backdrops for the race, and also provide some challenging hills on the course I'm guessing! Happy to be from Cincy...
So, I'm stoked. The race is women only, and has a attitude of getting everyone out there which is awesome. I've done a handful of duathlons now, and multi-sport is a great group of people who are really welcoming. But it's also an intimidating event, and not as easy-going as your local, friendly 5K. So I think this is a pretty cool race series, providing a more comfy environment for people to try their go at something.
I think I'll make Erika a training journal :)
The cost was outrageous. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.
I've been "getting back to it" the past couple of weeks. Thanks to the Nike+ Kinect Trainer, I'm pretty much constantly sore :) I'm waiting to kind of crest the hill so to speak and start to see the benefits from the strength training. My legs feel bulky. I know my core is stronger because for the first time ever in yoga last week, I could do the slow roll down in complete control. My upper body still is lacking though. I found the assisted dip machine at the gym and hit that last Thursday. I think if I can get to that regularly, I will finally be able to do pushups eventually.
Today I spinned. It was an interval class. We did pyramids from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long sets of seated base hill, add gear seated hill, add gear jumps, add gear out in 3, add gear out in 3 with last 30 seconds a push. So that sequence at 30 sec each, :45, etc etc all the way up to 2:00 each. It was pretty good class. I didn't push too hard because my left hammy was screaming a bit.
Anyway, going to try to write here again more regularly. Document the triathlon training and whatever else we do this season. I'm trying to get C and G to do a 5k/10k on the 14th at Spring Grove Cemetery.
Alas, it is a new month. And to start it off awesomely, a friend on the east coast (Erika) posted that she just signed up for a triathlon. Her first, maybe even her first multi-sport or any-sport race ever! It's fantastic. And...she is trying to get other people to do it with her. I asked for details, she said I should do it, I looked up the race and signed up Sunday night!
I'm going to do my first ever triathlon September 8th of this year!!! Woohooo!! I'm really excited.
It's going to be so fun. I'm really glad to do it with someone, I think that's the best part. It's the Rocky Gap Iron Girl. I don't understand the name at all. I thought she was crazy when I read she signed up for anything with Iron in the name, thinking it was linked to the Ironman franchise. It's not though. It's actually pretty far from that. I'd say they're basing the distance off of sprint distance tri's. It's a half mile swim, 16 mile bike and 2.5 mile run. Kinda short on the run, but longer on the bike. That part of the country should provide some lovely backdrops for the race, and also provide some challenging hills on the course I'm guessing! Happy to be from Cincy...
So, I'm stoked. The race is women only, and has a attitude of getting everyone out there which is awesome. I've done a handful of duathlons now, and multi-sport is a great group of people who are really welcoming. But it's also an intimidating event, and not as easy-going as your local, friendly 5K. So I think this is a pretty cool race series, providing a more comfy environment for people to try their go at something.
I think I'll make Erika a training journal :)
The cost was outrageous. Not sure what that's all about, but whatever.
I've been "getting back to it" the past couple of weeks. Thanks to the Nike+ Kinect Trainer, I'm pretty much constantly sore :) I'm waiting to kind of crest the hill so to speak and start to see the benefits from the strength training. My legs feel bulky. I know my core is stronger because for the first time ever in yoga last week, I could do the slow roll down in complete control. My upper body still is lacking though. I found the assisted dip machine at the gym and hit that last Thursday. I think if I can get to that regularly, I will finally be able to do pushups eventually.
Today I spinned. It was an interval class. We did pyramids from 30 seconds to 2 minutes long sets of seated base hill, add gear seated hill, add gear jumps, add gear out in 3, add gear out in 3 with last 30 seconds a push. So that sequence at 30 sec each, :45, etc etc all the way up to 2:00 each. It was pretty good class. I didn't push too hard because my left hammy was screaming a bit.
Anyway, going to try to write here again more regularly. Document the triathlon training and whatever else we do this season. I'm trying to get C and G to do a 5k/10k on the 14th at Spring Grove Cemetery.
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