but i'm not a runner!!

Morning Workouts

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:39:11 -0400

So I’ve been trying (along with my good friend Amy) to get to the gym at least five times a week. Sounds easy. Is NOT easy. The only way I feel I can really get that many workouts in is to go in the mornings before work, which means waking up no later than 6:30 am (which is very, very difficult for me).

This morning went well. I got to the gym just a little after 7 and managed to do 25 min on the bike and 30 min on the elipticle machine. I’d like to do a solid 50-55 minutes of cardio each time I’m at the gym, and add in more strength training a few times a week. Time is my greatest enemy. Time, and my love of sleep. So far this week is going well; I’m hoping I can keep it up. My problem is that I want results, fast. I don’t like doing something consistantly for an entire month and only then seeing the tiniest improvements. And often, when I do see those improvements, I switch into “I’m in shape now, don’t need to push myself” mode and end up back where I started. I’m hoping this blog will help me get past that and help me to see the bigger picture instead when it comes to taking care of my body.

the mind and muscles are willing but the lungs are weak

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:44:15 -0500

Since forever, basically, (fine, when I was 3) I’ve been living my life with asthma. It was pretty lame. I couldn’t play soccer (something I desperately desired to do) and sometimes I had to take a “play break” if things were getting to rowdy and I was wheezing.

Last night, I went on my third run since moving to Chicago on October 3rd. It was cold out, but I had prepared with good clothes and ample enthusiasm. Halfway through or so I was feeling pretty great, muscles excited, brain not intimidated; except, my lungs were dying.

I made it back to my apartment but it was none too pretty. Cold weather just ravages my lungs. Hopefully, I can get this under control and keep on running this winter!

cold weather garb log

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:37:43 -0500

from bottom to top:

shoes and socks (duh)

one pair leggings

one pair workout pants

tank top

thermal

t-shirt

sweatshirt

scarf

green bay packers winter hat

Brrrr! It's cold in here!

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:32:27 -0500

So, I can’t wait anymore. I need to go running.

I moved to Chicago awhile ago and I haven’t joined a gym for several reasons (upfront cost, laziness, etc); but I need to work out. I feel yuck.

It’s pretty cold out these days but I thought I’d see how running outside goes.

Any tips on staying warm in the cold??

chicago run edition numero duex

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:00:00 -0400

well, i tried it again. first day of work in a new job in a new city confirmed that, in fact, i will not be seeing nikki, anna, cambria or any of those other ny clowns any time soon.

also, my new supervisor was really busy and forgot to tell me things like who the clients were, where the printer was and, you know, most anything about what i’d be doing. i’m all for jumping right in but i’m bound to make mistakes or just feel plain idiotic when i don’t know stuff.

anywhoo, all this combined with the fact that patrick was not as his apt when i got there made it a perfect night for a run.

also, and i forgot to mention this last time. my body misses running. i mean sure it ends up tired and used but at first my legs are like whoo hoo! and then when they get tired my heart beats excitement all the way home. it’s a nice balance.

anyway, another 3ish miles and about 35ish/40 minutes. pretty good stuff.

with the start of a new job comes a new opportunity for a gym membership. hopefully i will have a schedule in place soon.

that’s it. ttyl my little ducks.

xoxo

gossip girl (i mean not a runner?)

3rd times the charm?

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:09:38 -0400

In the many weeks since my triathlon I have gone to the gym exactly 2 times. I’m happy to tell you my excuses for it; too many friend memories to make, too much packing to do, too many plans to execute before leaving NY and heading to Chicago.

But today I am going to try this again. I’m here now in Chicago. In one week I’ll be in my own place. I will have a job and a schedule. I’m going to try writing every day at the same time each day for the same amount of time (but that’s for a different blog). The point I’m trying to make is that I’m getting my life situated.

Time to get back on the exercise horse as well. The last month in NY was not kind to my gut (or my liver) though it was quite fun. Today I’m going to start my regimen anew.

I went running. 2.8 miles, roughly 30 minutes. I was outside in Pat’s neighborhood. The weather was crisp but sunny. The running almost killed me but I made it.

Now we’ll just have to see what I can convince myself to do tomorrow.

Stay tuned!

only a few more days

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:11:17 -0400

it’s here! the week of the triathalon has arrived.

am i nervous? not too much yet.

but i will be!

i’ll do as much blogging as possible over the next few days

open water?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:13:02 -0400

so! i got a chance to do a little open water swimming while i was in wisco this past weekend.

for those of you who know somo lake, this was an interesting experience.

for those of you who don’t: somo lake is super irony. not irony the literary device, iron-y as in filled with iron. it is very red. and very cold most of the time.

it was so dark and so cold it sort of freaked me out. i had to swim breaststroke the whole time to avoid seeing just how dark it was. weird.

it gave me some good insight as to what i might expect for the day of. hopefully though, there will be less darkness.

too many days to count

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:02:32 -0400

next week! the tri is next week!

i’m not nervous yet, but i anticipate much nervousness.

today was my first AM training session since i went on vacation. i worked out tuesday, but after work and yesterday was a break day.

ugh! was i tired today. tired mind, tired legs. i actually woke up and said, “why is my alarm going off? it’s dark out.” it took a few minutes for the reality of early morning to set in and for my mind to readjust.

ah, well! i’ll try and post more as the day quickly approaches. i apologize for my absence.

Day 64

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:26:34 -0400

schedule: 20 min swim, 30 min bike.

ugh! i forgot my goggles and swim cap this morning. i had to swim backstroke and head out of the water breast stroke. not the funest swim but good thing it was only 20 min.

the biking went well. i did it inside because i don’t have a bike lock for my bike yet so i can’t exactly take it places and leave it there. must purchase this when visitors leave.

over the weekend i did get a chance to go out with my bike on sunday morning for an hour. i am really glad i got it with so much time to get used to it before the big day.

day 60

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:51:44 -0400

schedule: 35 min run

i ran outside today.

it was hot and sticky.

my legs were tired.

I GOT MY BIKE TODAY!

day 57

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:52:54 -0400

i’m sorry guys. i HAVE been doing my work outs i just haven’t been blogging them.

last week was a rough one for me. my scheduled times were up and my energy was WAY down with a little crabbiness thrown in to the mix. this means i did my workouts but they were hard and i wasnt’ happy about it.

this monday morning however i woke up in a stellar mood. hopefully it will continue through the rest of the week and you’ll have constant updates on my physical activity.

today’s schedue: 30 min swim, 30 min run

i had so much energy for the gym this morning. i was considering what it was that made me feel this way. i had a peach on the way to the gym, instant sugar? maybe. i had a non heated quesadilla (ok, so cut up cheese in a tortilla) RIGHT before bed. could this be it? i don’t know.

the swimming was great this morning. i worked hard and didn’t do too much clock watching. i feel really comfortable in my stroke. also, the pool was pretty busy and choppy this morning. simulating race day? hopefully a little!

i thought i would be pretty tired on the treadmill. it turned out this was the run that finally loosened my legs a little. they’ve been feeling tight for a week or so and finally they seemed to unwind. major stretching was needed afterward. i got in just about 2.5 miles!

good start to hopefully a great week.

day 52

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:33:09 -0400

geez, i’ve been doing this for a long time!!

schedule: 25 min run

i have to say, this morning thing went from hard to easier and back to hard. i’m thinking it has to do with diet? but i’m not sure what to do better, must research this.

the triathlon is official a month away. from here the times get longer and i will, presumably, get more nervous.

running today was fine. i was tired. i was pretty starving by the end of the run.

that’s all, swimming tomorrow (i think)

day 51

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:36:48 -0400

schedule: 25 min swim, 35 min run

i can definately see my minutes ramping up over the next few weeks. am i ready? we shall see.

this was a bit tough, particularly the running.

the swim was good though and after 25 min i wasn’t really ready to get out of the pool

the thing that is tough about these longer am workouts is that i start to get nervous i’ll be late for work. a solution that may seem easy is to do them at night, however, i’m afraid that if i don’t go in the am once i’ll never get up again. the one time i let myself sleep in the next am workout was pure torture.

day 50

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:09:49 -0400

this was also yesterday.

schedule: 35 min run

headed to the gym around 1pm, after having some late breakfast, and it was great! i had tons of energy and was able to really push myself. i ran 3 miles in the 35 min. my goal is that by the end of this training, i can run 4ish miles in 35 min. that i way i figure for the race when i’m tired and on my last leg, i will still be able to get through the 3.5 miles even if it takes mel ike 45 min or longer.

of course, all this postulating is just that. i have no idea how my body will be feeling the day of this race.

day 49 (this was yesterday)

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 12:45:41 -0400

schedule: 30 min swim

i went to the pool at the responsible, post-brunch hour of 130. When i got there they said no lane would be available until 6pm!!!!!! stupid hot weather cramping my style.

it was very frustrating but i made a lane reservation, did errands, went home, took a nap and returned to the gym to do my swim.

the swim was fine. nothing special, not too hard.

it was crowded tho and i had to share a lane the whole time with a girl swimming laps in a bikini. this seems odd to me when people do this. especially when it’s not a sports bikini (which i can definately understand) but a lay on the beach and tan bikini. weird.

anyway, now i’m off to do today’s sched. will report back later. ;)

day 46 and 47

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:01:33 -0400

day 46 sched: 35 min run

day 47 sched: 50 min bike

whew! this is an intense week! My legs and muscles are definately feeling the strain. i think i’m going to take tomorrow off instead of Saturday and let my legs rest.

The run yesterday was hard. I’m not sure what happened but by the end of it I was exhausted. I think running that much on an empty stomach had a lot to do with it. I had meant to grab a granola bar on my way out the door and just forgot.

Today I had to make sure and actually get up early so I could fit in the whole biking session without getting worried about time. It was okay but I can tell my legs are tired. Going to take a break from walking to the office today and hitch a ride on the subway.

Happy Thursday, y’all!

yogarific

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:37:06 -0400

went to yoga tonight. had a great great instructor who vacillated comfortably between serious yoga guy and silly real life guy.

it was a lot of hard work but by the end i was so relaxed and satisfied.

i decided to take the day off that i’m given tomorrow and do individual weight training later in the week.

talk to you on wednesday!

day 45

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:59:00 -0400

schedule: 25 min swim, 35 min bike

I actually did these in reverse order today. I know to practice for “game” day i should have done it in the correct order, but its just much easier to bike first and then swim.

The bike went pretty well today and in 35 min I was less that 4 miles shy of the 17.5 miles I will be biking the day of (how long all this will take me is constantly in mind). all in all a good bike ride, again I left the book in my locker and I was glad I did.

The swim was good too. I tried keeping a constant pace. The pool was really busy and the water was choppy. I thought that was probably good since I will be swimming in open water—rarely smooth and calm.

I was starving halfway through my swim, which makes sense because I was coming up on one hour of working out.

I am going to try to get to yoga tonight to focus my mind and all that good stuff and tomorrow its strength training.

oh, also, since we’re approaching the one month mark next week, I think it is about time I stopped drinking. I’ve been planning on doing this for a while, to cut back on long-term dehydration and just improve my general health overall, so that’s exciting.

My bike didn’t come yesterday, but maybe today. Who knows, it’s a mystery!

day 44

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:23:08 -0400

schedule: 25 min bike

working hard to get back on schedule here. today i did this.

also, my trip to the gym was accompanied by a special guest, JOE! he worked out in the weight room with the other boys (scary!) while i rode my bike.

i am pretty satisfied with today’s effort. i didn’t bring a book and i didn’t watch tv. i listened to my music and concentrated on what i was doing. it was pretty great, actually.

i went about 10 miles today. it was good.

see you tomorrow!