Welcome Baby Girl Haylee!!

BIG NEWS!!! My niece and running partner delivered a beautiful baby girl yesterday!!! This is BIG NEWS because she had a very difficult pregnancy and was on bedrest for the last 3 months of her pregnancy. She is such a trooper!!! Imagine going from running 3-4 times a week to laying in bed… yes laying… she couldn’t even sit up. But alas, Baby Haylee was born and what an amazing little miracle she is!!! She is perfect in every way! Congrats Lisa, Shaun & Braeden!!!

OK, so now on to my training progress. I am still doing my modified version of P90X. I’m currently on week 4, which I thought was a break week… WRONG!! Yoga X twice this week ). And Core Synergistics, which was a pretty tough core workout. I actually liked it! Yeah, I’m not a wimp! I just have wimpy moments from time to time.

So, I’m feeling like I’ve plateaued. Maybe it’s because I’m on week 4, which doesn’t have as much cardio. I don’t feel like I’m getting as much of a calorie burn as I should. I’m actually toying with starting my running back up. I’ve been focusing just on P90X for the last 3 weeks, but I think I need to get moving! Uh, yeah… I have a 5k next weekend!!! Seriously need to shoo the spiders off my running shoes and get running!

Happy Belated Halloween!!!

BELATED BOO!!! Did I scare you? No? Well, POO! Yeah I got you there, huh? As any parent knows, POO trumps BOO on the scare meter, anywhere, anytime!! But, is it scarey enough to get you moving? Are you running from your computer, screaming in fear? Good then I have succeeded in my task to get everyone out and exercising off all the sugar we ate yesterday!!

OK, so I have to confess something…I’ve been a little lax in the running lately. There…I’ve said it. Isn’t the first step in solving any problem, admitting that there is a problem? And now I’m gonna want to lace up my runners and hit the pavement. ..right? NO? CRAP!!! Well, I tried!!! In my defense, I have been walking 3 miles 3 times a week with my hubs. So I’m not sedentary, just a tad lazy. Well, maybe lazy isn’t the right word… running in slow-motion might describe it better.

So since I started writing this a couple days ago… yeah maybe lazy is the right word… I added a 2 mile run to my hubby walks. That’s a total of 5 miles!!! Eventually I will have hubs running the 3 mile walk and then I’ll be running 5 miles three days a week. Not bad… I think what I really need is to find a race to sign up for and get myself inspired!!! Stay tuned!!!

Run Hubby Run….

I enjoy my runs… I mean absolutely LOVE my runs!!! Well, most of them. But, I’m beginning to realize that other people DO NOT enjoy theirs as much. And one of those people is my darling husband! Now, to be fair I must say that he is just beginning his running regime, and I’m not sure that anyone really LIKES it at the very beginning, what with all those side stitches and, of course, the breathlessness. But, for those of us that pushed through that painful beginning, is the, ummm, how to describe it… hmm… bliss, ecstasy, euphoria, elation… must I go on? I think you get my drift! So my goal is to get the hubs to stick with it long enough to reach that euphoric threshhold, with hopes that from then on it will be a MUST DO!

How to accomplish this? Yeah, I don’t know for sure, but I’m going to try to take it slow and work him up to a 5K race. We went out this past week and ran/walked 30 minutes, in a 2 minute run/3 minute walk. It went GREAT!! He said I run a little faster than he does, but he kept up and we did it! We started out another day, but the rain started and we had to stop after a walk around the block

Never fear… we are going to keep this up… even if it kills me! Today is suppose to be another rainy day, so maybe we can squeeze in 30 minutes between FLORIDA’s liquid sunshine! I would like to set a 3 day a week schedule, increasing our run time each week until eventually we are running a 5K in 30 minute!!!!

Watch for follow-ups to follow!!!

I must be an athlete…I cut all my hair off

While I have always been an active person, I wouldn’t call myself an athlete. No…far from it! I was a dancer, a gymnast, a cheerleader, a step aerobics addict, and a late-blooming runner. But an athlete…no! I don’t resemble an athlete at all! I don’t have six pack abs…not ever! My arms aren’t chiseled like an athletes.  They’re just regular arms, complete with that little wave jiggle. You know what I am talking about, don’t you?

High Def Arms

Well, through the triathon training, I have realized that I am becoming more and more athletic. Not in the muscle department…no, I still don’t have six pack abs or high def arms…but I did make a MAJOR change! I chopped off my hair! I know! Shocking! But I LOVE IT! It is SO EASY! I don’t have to worry about showering and styling my hair before I work out! Now I just jump out of bed, fix any bed head problems with a little spritz of H2O and I’m off! Why didn’t anyone tell me it was this easy? I’m beginning to understand why most guys wear their hair short! And the word LAZY is popping into my mind! Boys…love you, mean it! But you have to admit that laziness has a little bit to do with it, right?

Girls… take a lesson from the guys! Go short! You will not regret it!

Ta-Da!

I DID IT!!!

Good Monday morning to you! I had a wonderful weekend and I just couldn’t wait to tell you that I finally did it! Yep that’s right…I did all 3 sprint distance events (.5 mile swim, 14 mile bike and 3 mile run) all in one day and with less then 30 minutes (or so) in between each. So I actually did what I like to call the “You CAN Do IT Triathlon”. It was a relief knowing that I can do all 3 events back to back and still live to talk about it!!!

The order was a little mixed up! You see we were being green (it is almost Earth Day) and rode our bikes to the pool at the high school first, which was about 7 miles. After a little conversation which made for a really slow transition, we did the swim, which was a wonderful “clear water” swim in a beautiful blue pool. No dark and murky lakes with monsters for me! Then, we had a little granola bar break, before biking back home. I really hadn’t intended to run after all this, but as I was closing in on home, I thought that this would be a GREAT opportunity to prove to myself that I can do this!! So I parked the bike, grabbed my iPod and hit the pavement for a 3 mile run! WOW! My legs were DONE!!!

So, what did I learn? Well, I know that the swim is going to be the hardest part for me! I can swim, (that is, if your definition of swim is keeping your head above water) but I’m not fast and therefore will probably be in the water FOREVER!!! The biking portion will be fine… not fast but adequate. You see, I don’t have a “super fast tri bike” in fact my bike is a crossover that looks more like a mountain bike and is really heavy with fat tires. Not exactly what you want in a triathlon, but I don’t want to spend a ton of $ on a new one! So I will make due! The run yesterday sucked! But it was 3:00PM and the sun was blazing down with no wind relief at all! Thankfully I cranked my music and just went into my auto-pilot mode. I am going to have to sneak my iPod on the Big Day! I realized that I can not do the run as tired as I will be without my music to power me through!

I came home from all this, famished and parched! I really must make sure I eat along the way and HYDRATE!!! (And I don’t mean with lake water! Swallowing the lake is not a good idea!) I need to make sure I have plenty of water and snacks in the transitions so that I can keep my energy up! Maybe I will give those gel packs a try! I hear they are a little icky, but definitely give you a boost! I wonder if I could stomach it? I will give it a try and let you know!

Have a great week!!!

A Stormy Day!

Ugghhhh! I hate stormy mornings! I don’t mind if it storms in the afternoon or evening, but thunder and lightning in the morning really mess up my schedule! When I hear thunder, I don’t want to get up, and then once I am up, I can’t go for a run, bike or swim. I know some of you are saying “you won’t melt”, but since I live in the lightning capital, running in a storm is NOT smart! And now we have a tornado watch until 2:00PM. Are you kidding me?

So here I sit, typing on my computer and waiting for the storm to move through. Unfortunately, it seems that it wants to linger over O-town for a while! Maybe this storm system is visiting Disney! You know how long that can take! Maybe it signed up for the free day at the park on your birthday! OOOOHHHH!!!! If you haven’t done this yet and you live close to a Disney park or if you are planning to be in Orlando or L.A. on your birthday click here. It is a really good deal! OK back to me…I guess I can catch up on all my blogs and do some yoga or something! I am a little stiff from my race on Saturday!

Oh yeah, I ran in the Run For God 5K in Sanford on Saturday morning and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! The course took us along the marina at Lake Monroe then down First Street through the center of town and then back to the waterfront for the finish! The sun was rising and it was absolutely gorgeous!!! My time was really good, considering I hadn’t been running for the last week (knee still bothering me a little).  My husband even got out of bed and took pictures with his new 12 foot lens. Haha, it IS really is big! He got some really cool pics of my nieces and me running. What do you think?

Happy Easter!!!

OK, OK!!! I know I haven’t written in a while! But it’s been Spring Break! Lousy excuse but, I have had alot going on!

1. I have been trying to book our trip to Europe for the summer and it has been taking most…no…all of my time! Between deciding on the dates, the cities we want to visit and the order we want to visit them in, the flights, the hotels/apartments in those cities, car vs train transportation, trip insurance, and if there are any races I can run in while I am there!! Now I know why I am not a travel agent any more! It’s exhausting! But I am having fun planning out every last little detail! We are leaving in 57 days!!!!!Woohoooo!
2. And for those of you watching my running schedule…I have FAILED!!! I started having knee pain and even just running a mile a day was hurting it.  I was advised to take a few consecutive days off. So that blew my “running everyday” goal right out of the water!!! No worries! I will try again, but maybe after the triathlon. I will let you know!
3. I am still training for my triathlon that is exactly 1 month away!!!!! OMG…is that right? 1 month from today? WOW!!! I need to get my butt moving! But not today! I am going to the beach!!!

I’ll write more later! Have a great Good Friday!

Lose It

Lose It!

Ok all you iPhone and iPod Touch users, I’ve found an app that I can’t live without! And I think you won’t be able to either! It’s called “Lose It” and it’s a free (yup that’s right, I said FREE) application available at iTunes. Why is it so great? Well, it helps you Lose It…weight that is! You set it up with a few simple questions about your current weight, and your goals whether it be to lose, gain or maintain. From this information, Lose It sets up a per day calorie intake goal. Then, when you eat you simply enter it into the app. They’ve made it really easy, because they have databases with the most popular name brands and restaurants. Can’t find your favorite Tofutti Fudge Bar? No worries, you can enter it in from the nutrition info on the box. Have a special recipe, but don’t know how many calories or fat grams… it’s OK, because you can add it. Adding a new food or recipe is a breeze!

Now comes the best part!!! It also tracks your calories burned through exercise. And I don’t mean just those burned through aerobics, spinning or running. It also counts calories burned through house cleaning, vacuuming and (whisper) sex!  I know….it is SOOO COOL!!! So, imagine you have made it through dinner and you’re at your limit for the day, but you’re still a little hungry. You forgot that you actually cleaned the house and vacuumed the carpet. Enter those in and BOOM…you have another 150 or so calories you can eat!! It actually makes you want to exercise and clean!

Well, I originally started this back in February and did great tracking for a while, then went on vacation and let it lapse for a week or two. Then, I started again a couple of weeks ago, and have been diligent about logging everything! AND, I have lost…drumroll please….5 pounds! Whooooohoooo!

So if you have an iPhone or iTouch, I highly recommend this application!

The Morning After…

Can you find me? Hint...I'm the sweaty one!

OK, I had a TERRIFIC weekend!!!! I spent 3 sun-filled days at the beach with my girlfriends, enjoying the sun & surf! We ate lots of junk food and drank…a lot!!! I did, however, get my runs in!!!! I even ran what I am calling my Girls’ Gone Wild 10K! In case you haven’t been following the blog…I was suppose to run in a 10K race with my nieces, but decided that a weekend with my girlfriends was more important for my sanity! But, since I had already agreed to run a 10K, I decided to run it on my own! And I did! Even after a late night of adult beverages and junk food! Not to mention running on the beach, that, while it sounds amazing, is actually quite difficult!! (My legs are still sore!) The proof is in the picture! I’m the sweaty one!! Poor Jen and Kay had to stand beside me! They really ARE good friends!!!

The run on Sunday was actually harder for me than the 10K! You see we were out carousing until 4:00AM and I woke up at 8:00AM for no apparent reason! 4 hours of sleep and a few Stella’s make for a very grumpy ME!! I did not run at the beach as I had planned! I decided to wait until I was home. But I was sooo tired when I got home around 4:30PM that I went for a nap instead! After a 2 hour nap, I tried again to muster some energy! Finally at 9:30PM I laced up my shoes and did the bare minimum! 1 meesley mile and I was DONE!!!

Update…my nieces did run in the 10K race and they did GREAT!!!! Congrats Lisa and Desta! Your aunt is very proud of you!!! And you even came to the beach after! You guys rock!!!

How much is too much?

I just read an article on Runner’s World about a man who has run everyday for the  last 38 years…EVERYDAY…38 YEARS!!!!  Are you KIDDING ME? And this article was actually published 2 years ago!!!! So he’s now run at least 1 mile a day for more than 14,000 consecutive days!!!! I AM AMAZED!!!!! What an accomplishment!!!

Well, come to think of it, it does sound a little compulsive, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m just jealous that I can’t beat this record! I mean, even if I start now (and I’m no spring chicken), he isn’t going to stop any time soon, so I really don’t see me surpassing him…ever!!! And you know, even if I had started way back when, it wouldn’t have happened! You see I would have had to run through PMS, the red headed cousin’s monthly visits, morning sickness, childbirth…twice, breastfeeding (that’s quite a visual, huh?)…4 hurricanes, and I could go on and on!!! OK, he ran on a broken foot while on a cruise ship during a tropical storm (I actually think that these were 2 separate incidents)…so what!!! This does not impress me!! Well, it does kind of impress me. OK, IT DOES  impress me! DARN IT!!!  Seriously, though, is this a healthy goal? How much is too much? Do you think that too much of a good thing could actually be bad?

You always hear about runners who have knee, hip and foot injuries caused by excessive running. Is this something that happens to everyone that runs too much? If exercise is a good thing, but too much is a bad thing, then how much is too much? The answer to this question will depend on the person, I assume. But how does one tell what their personal threshold is? Is this one of those philosophical questions? You know …”If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it does it still make a sound?” “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” My answer to most of these questions is “Who cares!!!!”. But I actually want to know the answer to this one! I am intrigued! So intrigued, that I may actually try to figure this out!

I love to run! I feel free and happy with the sun on my back, the wind in my hair and my favorite song blaring in my ears!  But would I feel this way if I OD’ed on it? Would it get old? 14,000 straight days of anything would get monotonous, wouldn’t it?! But wait… we eat everyday, and I don’t EVER to get tired of eating!!! Maybe I could do this! I could run everyday! Not long distances, mind you, but 1 mile is completely doable! That would take no time at all! And how much damage can you do in 8 minutes of running?

Hear Ye, Hear Ye…I am officially announcing on this the 6th day of March in the year 2009, that I am going to run at least 1 mile everyday, rain or shine, PMS or hot flash, for as long as I can physically and mentally (I had to have an out!) stand it!! I will log my runs on the training log page if you want to follow along! Through this fete, I hope to answer that common question…Exactly how much is too much!

Got to GO RUN!!!