Reu-Boots, Kombucha Korner, and a definite failure to launch

That you all for your support last night!

Okay, I've got a few things to talk about today. I'll do the fun stuff, then go to the cool stuff, and then I'll get to the "spill my guts" stuff.

Today is Reuben's whelp-day. My fuzzy, gray dog celebrated his seventh birthday today. Although, he is posing in these pictures with one of my socks, he did get a tug snake made by the guys at Fat Cat, and he loves it. He's been carrying it around and shaking it on and off for a few days now.


Just look at how handsome he is! I can't get over it. You've gotta look past the glowing demon eyes, though.


Now for the cool stuff. My father in law came by today and set us up with our own Kombucha mushroom, which isn't really a mushroom, but I'll attach a link if you're interested. It's been used for centuries by eastern cultures to boost the immune system. So we have a corner of our kitchen dedicated to the big bugger.



It's an ugly bastard, but hey, if it helps me keep my lungs clear this winter with side-effects such as weight loss, increased energy and lowered cholesterol, then I'm on it.

And lastly, my declaration from last night still seems to be in the planning phases, as I stated boldy that I was going to start all this today. I didn't completely happen. I did go to the grocery store and buy some good WW Core supplies. I'm set for school lunches next week in that vein. I did eat well for the most part, but it still needs some tightening, but that's easy to work on. I could not find the time to get the run in. I had a date with my mom to go to Ikea, and it was supposed to be about 2-3 hours, try 5 in total with traffic and my mom taking the wrong way for 20 minutes....not her fault, we don't often drive around in New Jersey and they did a lot of construction in that area since the last time we went, When I got home, it was a matter of minutes before my father in law was coming for dinner and the Kombucha tutorial. so the time I had allotted for a short run was up in smoke just like that.

Tomorrow is another day. A day filled with torrential rain and the possibility of our road and highways flooding. Maybe I'll clear enough space in my computer room to set up my bike trainer.....

Motivate me!

I've got some ideas that will hopefully get me back on the right page. Let me know what you think...even you, you lurkers. I have a counter, I know that more than 3 people are looking at this page...but I digress.

1. I'm going to start planning my food day in advance, using the Weight Watchers eTools that I now have access through because of their new payment plan!
2. I am restarting my running program tomorrow. I love running, it's ridiculous that I can't get back into it because of a myriad of lame-ass excuses. It might take some scheduling, but I think I can get all those involved on the same page.
3. I'm going back to weight lifting. I kinda enjoyed the weights, but the feeling that I was strong was killer. I've got to get that back.
4. I'm going to do the "Burn, Calorie, Burn" challenge at Fat Fighter. I think it'll help me stay focused. I have been known to be competitive at times.....just not in triathlon..hence the "like you get paid by the hour" thing.....

So this is my plan. I thought I'd get it down on the blog before I started, and tomorrow is September 1st, so there is no better day to start, right?

Party for no reason

Last night, to celebrate the end of the no good, horrible day, Chris, Darth Bruce, and I decided to go out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants, SOB's. I know what you're thinking, but it's a Mexican restaurant and actually stands for "South of the Border". So there. I am happy because even though I ate what I wanted, I didn't binge eat.

We played a few rounds of "Pass the Pigs", which is a game that's been in my family for about 17 years. My 28 year old cop brother got it for his 11th birthday, and we're still playing it. I'm holding the pig dice in my hands in this pic, if you can't figure it out.

Darth Bruce, the jokester, is giving the pigs the rabbit ear treatment during their close-up.

My husband, Chris, is ummm...drunk? Silly? Psychotic? Anyone of those will suffice in describing this picture. Hey, he needed to unwind, and this is how he does it, apparently.

All in all, the three of us are incredibly glad the day is over. Today is a new day and it's a damn good thing.

Disturbed

I'm back from Weight Watchers, with a weigh in of 169 and I'm feeling 2 different ways. First of all I'm happy that I haven't gotten back to 170. Second, I'm so unhappy that I gained 4 pounds over the last 3 weeks and am at 169. It's making me miserable on some level. There might be a light at the end of that tunnel...

Instead of getting another 10 pass book for meetings, I got the new Monthly Pass, so I can go to unlimited meetings and I have access to eTools, which might wind up being what saves me. I can't be sure about that yet. It costs the same per week as the other methods, but your billed automatically. That doesn't bother me at all. It's one less thing that I have to think about.

I'm am in such a funk. I came home from my 8:30 meeting at about 9:30 and went back to bed and slept until 11:30. I could go right back to bed now if I wanted, I feel so lousy. I'm just tired. Depressed about the scale, and tired. Thank goodness I have the next bunch of days off, lots of Core food in the house, and time to ruminate over what an ass I've been about eating. Lucky me.

Sorry about the blah message today. If I'm feeling more upbeat later, I'll come back and let ya'll know.

Later

The day has not really improved to be honest. I had a fairly stressful afternoon, and it's not even my family or even business, really, except that I care for the family who is going through the stressful time immensely. I'm not at liberty to say anymore than that. It's pouring here. I'm cold, my dog is cold...and snoring.

the good thing is...I found my Cadbury Cream Eggs stash and there are 2 left from Easter. I'm eating one, in case Nytro read this and finds me and tortures me for their location....

Drowning

I am drowning in the amount of flex points I have used so far this week. I have negative numbers, folks. NEGATIVE NUMBERS! I can hear myself getting heavier. Blah. I am keeping myself super busy and haven't had time to cook up some good core foods. I am such a slacker.

On a happier note, I learned how to make interactive books on Power Point for kids with multiple handicaps. All they have to do is hit a click-switch in order to turn the pages. The program does everything else, including read it to them. It's in my voice, which wigs me out a little bit, but hey, I'm sure the kids would enjoy it. I'm going to have my reading students learn how to do it and they will be required to make interactive books in class, so eventually the classes for the Multiply Handicapped will have lots of books to choose from. That would be spectacular. At least I think so....

Discovery

I found something out about myself recently. I have been drinking lots and lots of Mike's Light Hard Lemonade, and I was secretly freaking out. I couldn't go by a day without one. I thought I was on the verge of alcoholism. I figured it out. The hard lemonade was the only thing in the house to drink lately aside from water or skim milk. I bought myself some cases of Fresca, and now I don't even think about the Mike's. I just needed something tasty to drink. Duh, on my part.

I went to the dentist this morning for my 6 month check up. I had her drill and fill a dark spot on my back, right molar. It's been there for about 15 years. It wasn't getting any worse, but it couldn't possible get any better. It wasn't a cavity yet, so I figure that in preventing the cavity from truly forming, I can still tell people that I'm 33 and have never had a cavity. Being proactive is so great sometimes. So, I had my first incident with the dentist's drill today. Not terrible, but I feel like my mouth was used as a replacement for Stretch Armstrong's mouth...I'm feeling a little stretched out.

I also learned recently that Neaderthals may have died out due to their lack of agility and speed. This has nothing to do with anything, I just find it fascinating is all. I love the Discovery Science channel. It's my new favorite.

What's up in your world today?

Inspiration

No, I'm not feeling inspired yet, but I've decided to do a little inspirational reading. I trudged over to my bookshelf and pulled off my copies of:

That's right, I'm pulling out the big guns. Becoming an Ironman kills me every time I read it! Especially when I read about Team Hoyt. Sheesh. If they can do Ironman, why can't I simply get my butt back in the gym? Be Iron Fit is motivating because I'd like to look like a triathlete, instead of people looking at me like I'm a liar when I tell them I've done triathlons.

I'm going to make a point of getting to the gym tomorrow with or without my mom. I've get to get Chris, my husband, involved. I've got to explain to him in detail how I need him to be supportive, not naggy about getting me to the gym tomorrow. It's a thin line, and he still needs reminders on it.

The exploding closet

I'm discovering that I have a definite clothes problem. It's not that I have too many clothes, it's that I have too many articles of clothing that don't fit me anymore.

I figured this out today when Chris and I went shopping. (Yes, my husband does shop on occasion and he finds it to be bearable...I think he likes is more than I do. That ain't saying much because I loathe it for the most part) I selected clothes that were too big for me. I had to go back out and get a smaller size.

I know, intellectually, that I'm a smaller size. I know I weigh less than I did over last winter, but the emotional side of me wants to try on 12s. It tells me that 10s are not going to fit at all and that I'll just make myself depressed. I try on the 12s and I waste time because they are too big and I have to go back and get the 10s. Sheesh.

Back to the closet. I'm afraid to get rid of the 12s and 14s. I don't need them, I don't want them. Why do I still have them? The crybaby heavy girl inside me needs them for some demented purpose. Damn! What is her issue?

Iportion Tip

Okay, yeah, this is my third post in about an hour, but as I was reading some of my favorite blogs, I saw a bit of a challenge on Iportion's blog. I am to give a health and fitness tip. Here goes:

Eat a rainbow of fruits and veggies! Make sure that you not only get in your fruit and veggie servings but that they vary in color. Not only will it keep you from getting into a food rut, but you'll be getting different vitamins, too!

I'm a dork

Yeah, I know that I've announced before that I'm a dork because I play Warcraft...well, that actually makes me a geek. Anyway, I forgot that I put on comment moderator, but didn't put in an email address...I accidentally erased a comment, but I think it was spam anyway. If it wasn't, I'm sorry whoever you are...and it won't happen again!

Why?

Why can't I get to the gym? I am so un-Amazon, it's not even funny. I can almost feel my muscles disappearing. I got a new skort in the mail today, and it's a tad to small. That makes me feel poopy.

It's not even as if I'm not in training, but going to the gym. I should be in the gym building a base. 3 weight days...that's it. Maybe cardio on a couple of those days, and maybe a couple of extra cardio days. I'm not asking for much here folks. I know I enjoy doing this stuff, so why can't I get my pansy-ass up off the couch...or the computer chair and just get to the stinkin' gym? It sucks!

Any suggestions? Lurkers? I know you're out there, I do have a counter...it tells me people are stopping in...care to make a suggestion?

Puppy update

We did not end up taking a tour of the local shelters. My mom called them all and no one happened to have any puppies at the moment. On a whim, I drove my mom down to the North Shore Animal League where it took us 4 walks around the dog area to find this gem:

I think that the first 3 times around my mom had tiny puppy on the brain. She was also very quiet. A lot of the other dogs were barking, and she was snoozing. Thank goodness we did notice her because she is awesome. We think she's hald lab and hald pointer.

Her name is Una, which is Irish Gaelic for lamb.

We took her to our vet yesterday and he was impressed with how mild manner and friendly she is.

Even Reuben has taken to her. She follows him everywhere when he's at my parent's house. She entices him into playing. they run around like maniacs together, which is something my dog needs, but has forgotten how to do.

My mom, as seen in this pic, is very happy that we didn't leave Una behind. We nearly did, but I convinced of the benefits of getting an older puppy.

I think that's enough puppy love for now.

Yeah, well....

I braved it and went to Weight Watchers this morning. I gained 3.6 pounds. They guy who weighs me was shocked and amazed as I told him of my cake adventures of Sunday last and the Reese's peanut butter cup minis that snuck into my mouth during the class on Multiple Intelligences I took last week. (There is no eating intelligence, for those of you who are wondering....)

My mom and I did not go to the gym today, but are planning to go tomorrow. She is have a sciatic nerve issue (a literal pain in the ass....and back) and I woke up feeling as if I were hit by a mac truck. All my bones hurt. It hurts to take a deep breathe...so no weights or jostling for me.

My mom and I are also planning to take a tour of the local animal shelters so she can get a new puppy. We had to have her other dog put down last August. She and my dad miss having a dog. My dog misses having a playmate. This time, he'll get to be top dog. Hopefully we'll find something at the local shelters, if not, it's a trip to the North Shore Animal League, which is a 2 hour drive, but well worth it for a nice pup. She is not that particular, she wants a female, no terrier at all (she wants a mush, not a bossy bitch), gets along with other dogs for the most part, and it has to be less than 6 or 7 months old. It doesn't have to be a tiny puppy, but young enough so that it becomes attached quickly.

I'm lacking in a way to close this, except, I'm really psyched about my parents getting a new dog!

I ain't got nothin'

It's Saturday, and aside from grocery shopping, I don't have much to do today. What's that? Am I going to go running? No, are you insane? Why would I want to something like that and ruin the only day off from any sort of responsibility that I've had in weeks. Silly....

Anyway, I decided that today is a totally do nothing day. I'm not doing a bloody thing except play video games, fool with my sewing machine, and talk to you people. I'm having a great time. Hubby and dog spent some time trying to entertain me this afternoon:


I'm very impressed.

On a more serious note, my mom and I are going back to our 3 weight trainings a week schedule starting tomorrow. We even bought weight training gloves because we both had parts of our palms peel off the last time we did weight training....I think that was about a month ago or so. Well, the important part is that we are back at it tomorrow, which will lead to stories of woe and pain...say Monday?

Extra Poundage

I swear that I have easily gained 3 to 4 pounds this week between my crazy wedding/bridal shower/ Japanese visitor/birthday parties weekend in conjunction with the Multiple Intelligences class that I'm taking where candy is flowing like a white rapids river. Not only are we encourage to eat so that we keep up out energy for all the hands on team activities that we are doing, but everyone has been bringing in fabu snacks! Tomorrow is the last day of class, and it is my turn to bring in a snack. I made chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes. I guess I'm just as much as an enabler as the rest of my classmates.

I'm looking forward to Saturday, when I can get back to my "normal" eating routine of all whole grains, fruits, and lean proteins. I'm not looking forward to the "white death" withdrawal that I will experience due to eating white sugar and flour all week long.

Busy, busy, busy

I have been one busy little girl recently. I think I did more stuff this weekend than I have done ever in such a short time period. I am certainly feeling it.

Let's see. On Friday, I ran errands, then make cupcakes (it was close to 90 degrees out) and then went into the city to see my husband's old college roommate who was visiting from Japan. We had a great time, and arrived home quite late.

Saturday, I finished up my errands from the day before, then we drove almost 2 hours to Long Island, to go to my cousin's wedding. In order to get the night off, Chris had to trade his Saturday night hours for Sunday morning hours. So, as a result, we got home very late.

Chris had to be at work Sunday morning at 6:30 am, work, do some trainings, then go to his mother's house in Beacon to help his step-father move wallboard. I got up and ran more errands. But these were bridal shower specific errands. I got to be at a very fun bridal shower Sunday afternoon (thanks Darth Bruce).

Once Chris and I were both home, we went to his father's house to have dinner and cupcakes to celebrate his birthday. We got home around 11:30 last night, both exhausted.

We would have slept in this morning, but Chris had to work and I'm taking a week long grad class on Multiple Intelligences. I'm currently procrastinating the homework front as I write this.

It's been a while

I just realized when I last posted. I really don't have the time to be doing this...I should be getting ready to get on a train to Manhattan. My husband's college roommate is in town...all the way from Japan. Very cool. We can't wait to see Keisuke, it's been at least 3 years since his last business trip to New York.

We've also got a wedding in Long Island tomorrow. Sunday, Chris has to work and I've got a bridal shower. Then we go to his dad's for his birthday. I just spent a hot time in the kitchen making peanut butter surprise cupcakes for my Reese's loving father-in-law. So, now it's extra hot in my apartment.

I think what I really wanted to inform you all of is this: I survived Ozzfest. I did see one of my students, which is no a total shocker considering I work at an alternative high school. The fact that she snuck up on me did surprise me. For some reason, I am a mosh pit magnet. they like to open up right behind me at any given moment. Bloody pits, too. Those were just as interesting to watch as the bands. I really feel as if I got my money's worth!

I've got to hop into the shower, clean up and cool off before I get ready. I'll catch ya'll later!

Strapping Young Math

Tomorrow, my dear husband and I are traveling to Hartford, CT to go spend the day at Ozzfest. He can not wait. He's going to have a great time. I will have an good time, provided that I get to sit down once in a while and count mullets. Maybe I'll count bad tats, too. Well, I guess that's subjective. One man's velvet Elvis might be another man's Mona Lisa, depending on what your idea of art happens to be.

It's going to be a glorious day of ear plugs, flailing young men, death metal music, and a ton of sweat. I'm reeling at the thought of being bumped into by sweaty, disgusting, badly tattooed men.

Just for your edification, my friends, I will let you in on a little secret of the origins of Devon Townsend, lead singer of the fabulous band, Strapping Young Lad. I'm pretty sure that he is the love child of John Malkovich and the Crypt Keeper. I can't be totally positive, however, you'll have to take a look for yourself:

+ =

So, tomorrow will be 8 hours in the sun, trying to avoid windmilling moshers, sweaty armpits and dehydration.

Did I mention that it's supposed to be 95 tomorrow? Ahhhhh, the fun of it all.

If I had only known....

If I had only know that I was going to be uninvited to my looney coworker's wedding maybe I would have actually gotten it together to train so that I could be doing my annual race with Amazon Hil! Well, it used to be my annual sprint tri with Amazon Hil. This is the first time I'm not going in about 8 years.

Alas, no, I had no idea any of this stuff was going to play out this way....so, there is no way that I'll be racing. I still can't find a race that suits my needs. There still is the fall...it's not to late to train for a sprint.

I'm going to finish this post later, or do another post later. I'm going to do some racing research in the hopes to motivate myself!

Can

This is such a touching video. I recommend turing the music off, as it might make ya cry like a baby

Why is it so rank?

My husband and I live on the second floor of a two family home. We live above our landlord who is a very sweet, old fashioned, directly from Italy, Italian gentleman. We've lived here for more than 2 years. We, including my nervous dog, love our landlord and his extended family. The only problem that we have with this apartment is that the entry way sometimes smells funny. Sometimes it smells like old, funky farts. Other times like old baby formula. On occasion it has had an odd garlicky smell. We could never figure it out.

Until now. Mystery solved. Now that it's summer vacation, I have Mondays and Fridays off. I was leaving the apartment last week to find my landlord prone on the stairs. I panicked. 'Are you okay?" I stammered. I was heading back up the stairs so I could call 911.

"Yes!" was the reply, "I'm doing my morning exercises. I always exercise in the hall. I like to do push-ups on the stairs. Sometimes, I walk up and down the stairs. Gives me a good sweat."

Blech! Good God, no wonder it smells out there so often. Stunning.

Couldn't I put some cream on it?

I posted this to my other blog....

I went to the dermatologist today for a little hanging thing on my eye lid that I was lid would probably be nothing and would just need a little cream or a little snip. I'm smart, I should have realized that a diagnosis over the phone from the receptionist probably wouldn't be accurate. Turns out that I had a small cyst on my eyelid and that if he didn't burn it off, it would keep growing and possible become infected.

That's right, he said those words: BURN IT OFF

I have a recommendation for all of you out there in blogland. If you can avoid having any sort of needle stuck into your eyelid, run away as fast as you can. It is incredibly painful, not to mention your natural reflex is to twitch out, and tear up. Also, when your doctor tells you to close your eyes as he's prepping the needle, do it. Long needles that are intended for you eyelid should be kept secret.The swelling has gone down significantly, plus the fact that I have to rinse my eye with an eye cup every 15 minutes, so there is less blood in the area.

21 days to make a habit

They say it takes 21 days to make a habit. It's been 2 days since I started running again...so that a total of what, 1 run? You have to understand, it's been over 95 degrees here. It's super humid in the morning and frightening in the afternoon. Fortunately for me, the heat wave is breaking, and I should be out in my sneaks by Friday at the latest. I have yet to check tomorrow's weather, but who knows, maybe I'll go for a run tomorrow! That would be brilliant.

Things at work are definitely weird. All my work friends are great, of course, but the weird-o who hates me has pulled a total 180 degree turn and is pretending to like me. Very scary. She is suddenly talking to me again, and is being really nice. There is something amiss, I fear. I'm not going to let my guard down because that woman is, for lack of a better term, psycho, and we all know what happened in that movie.

July 17

Well, this is what I gave myself for my birthday:



I did a short run, of about 16 minutes die to time constraints and the fact that I haven't run in 3 months. Oh, and by the time I was running, it was about 90 degrees out.

I'm not having the best birthday ever, but certainly one of the strangest. I ran, I had to run an errand because my baby brother forgot to do a work related item, I worked at the snack bar of a yacht club my mother is manager of. She's on vacation , along with some of the snackbar workers. At the pool, it was 103 degrees in the sun. Which means in the snack bar, it was at least 108. At least.
I think I have some heat issues going on as I've got a head ache I can't get rid of.

I'm waiting now for my husband to get home to see what kind of take out we should get for dinner. I'm not cooking and I've got 2 very good reasons.

1. It's my birthday.
2. It's 100 degrees out!

I'll check you all tomorrow. I'm not sure what Amazonian adventure I'm going to plan for myself tomorrow afternoon, but I'm going to do something. It's my birthday gift to myself, health. It takes work!

The Last Day!

It's the last day of being 32. Tomorrow I will be 33 years old.

This will probably be about the only picture you will ever see of me. I am no the most photogenic person around, I'm lucky this one turned out as well as it did. (Especially considering it's about 93 in my part of NY today...sheesh)

So, I think for my birthday, I am going to give myself the gift of running. I'm going to get up at a decent hour tomorrow, put on my favorite running shirt, bring my dog to see my brother and I'm going for a run. Not a long run, not a hard run, but a fun, enjoyable run. It will be the best gift I can give myself!

Happy birthday, me!

Falling to Pieces

I am currently falling apart a little bit. I am having such a stressful time at work with a co-worker who is slowly, but surely, unraveling. That alone is stressful to watch, but the kicker is...she blames me. She claims I'm making her look bad. I've done nothing. It's her over reactions in front of other co-workers (including administrators) that is making her look bad.

Personally, I don't care if she likes me or hates me. I get paid to teach reading, not to win teacher of the year. What's killing me is how horrible it must feel to believe that people are out to get you. That people are purposely trying to devastate your career. It has to hurt so much. I can't help but put myself into her shoes. Frankly, it's giving me unsettling dreams. I've got to stop caring so much. I have to stop being sympathetic because I'm her scapegoat and I have to move away from the whole situation. Leave it behind me and not look back.

Right?

It's official!

I am back from the world know as "NoGymland"....here is my heart rate monitor chart to prove it:



I am really beginning to love my computer....I think I'm just actually becoming better at manipulating it.

Ack, I've changed subjects!


As you can see, I tried to keep my heart level below 150 bpm, which was easy considering I was on an ellipical trainer at the gym and not actually running outside or anything.

The cool part of this is that my mom canceled out on me, we rescheduled back and biceps for tomorrow, but I actually made myself go to the gym on my own today. I feel like a deserve a gold star on the top of my gym membership card.

I am bushed!

You might be wondering if I finally made it back to the gym...nope, that's at 3pm today. I have an appointment with my mom. We're doing back and biceps, plus some cardio. I'm with ya'll on that, but that's not the minor miracle that occured in my apartment today.

It all started at my weekly Weight Watchers meeting. The topic of the week: The Food in our Cupboards. Basically, we discussed how we keep our cupboards and pantries. Are they overstocked? Are they bare a la Old Mother Hubbard? Are the cookies and naughty snack in the front? Are they there at all? All this talk got me going.......I cleaned out my pantry. It took me more than 2 and a half hours....sheesh.

Before:

As you can see, there is food every-which-place and I have not a clue as to what I have or don't have. I do know that my husband has a lot of suppliments, but that's a different story for a different day.













After:

Holy crow! I am the best. Not only did I purge things that we will not eat, but by organizing stuff I will have an easier time determining what to buy at the groceru store. And, I got more storage room for my baking goods which use to reside under my kitchen island. Plus, I found a place to keep my best friend, George Forman.

Who is that new ultimate athlete!

I'll tell you who...it's Reuben!











I took Reuben swimming this morning for the first time since last August. He's on a 30 foot extendable leash, but before I could get it on him, he took off like a shot after a big group of Canada Geese! It's a good thing I was able to catch him...he'd be halfway up the Hudson by now.


Many thanks to my mom who took these pictures for me this morning!

The Return of the Amazon Warrior

Yeah, I made it to the gym. I did a half hour of light cardio so that I could burn some calories while not messing much with my back. Very nice.

I'm not sure what tomorrow holds for me, but I'm willing to bet it's going to be exciting. Well, at the very least, not boring.....

Summer Plans

I'm back at work for summer school. I'm lucky as everyone in my department can work part time if they choose because we are support staff and not classroom teachers. Lucky me! I'm working 3 days a week. Tuesday-Thursday.

Summer school is different around here, it's not to "make up" academics, it's to keep our emotionally disturbed/psychologically fragile kids in the routine of getting up and getting on a bus everyday. It's really treated more as an academic summer camp than a summer school program. It's a ton of fun.

I did something horrible to my back yesterday. I bent over just right and got a gnarled up muscle over my left hip bone. Many Advils and thermal packs later, I'm fine, but I'm not risking weights today, or for the rest of the week for that matter! I will do some slow cardio on the elliptical machine, though. I also might some tomorrow, due to the stresslessness of the exercise.

My love of raw foods....

I have an actual, valid, and impossible to beat excuse for not doing a darn thing today...food poisoning. That's right, Amazon Alanna had to arise at 3:30 am to go and talk to her new porcelain best friend. Fun. I spent most of the day groggy and cranky. Oh, and thirsty, desperately thirsty!

I'm sure it was something I ate. I'm pretty darn sure I know what it was that I ate too! Chris, my hubby, played a gig with his band at a BBQ yesterday. That BBQ had a Raw Bar. I love raw stuff like that, and I'm so limited on the seafood things that I can eat, that I let myself have a few things at the raw bar. Unfortunately, it only takes one bad little guy to ruin a wonderful night's sleep!

Tomorrow is another day, and I'm hoping it'll be restful. I'll see what I can get done. I'm certainly going to be back on track when it comes to Weight Watchers....I've been slacking on a lot of things....

An Unintended Break

I did not mean to take a break from blogging, but it totally happened without my permission! I'm in the middle of taking a class about teaching Readers and Writers Workshops, and by the time I get home, I'm wiped. After that, I've got homework, and that really puts me over the edge.

Not only have I taken a break from blogging, but I haven't been to the gym, either. It's just inconvenient at this point. I am mentally exhausted.

Next week, however, starts my ultra cool 3 day schedule in which I only work 3 days a week. Very nice. Lots of time to do fun tri training stuff. Yahooo!

Update for week

Okay, I promised myself some fun stuff this week, but I've had things jump into my path that I wasn't expecting...so here is an update:

Planned Actual
Running: 3 times Running: Not yet
Spinning: 1 time Spinning: Bridal shower shopping with Mom
Weights: 3 times Weights: Once, just once
Swimming: not yet, I'm skeered Swimming: not yet, but I'm not skeered anymore

I'm not going to be too hard on myself...school isn't even over until tomorrow. I've got a class next week, but that's less taxing, and I could run during the lunch hour. There is, after all, a bike trail right next to my campus. So maybe I'll try to plan on that.

I also have to remember that my week is not over yet. I still have time to get in some weights, a spin class, or a couple of runs. I just have to see what lies ahead.

Other than this, things are going well. The end of the school year is here. I'm going to work some summer hours, which are always fun. I'll have 4 day weekends every week. It will be fabulous.

What?

After all the moping, after all the peanut butter cups, creamy food, lack of cardio, and all the other little things that went wrong this week, including that fact that I used about -100 flexies (I'm not kidding), I managed to lose 2.4 pounds this week. I'm in shock.

You know what this means, right?

This week I have to be super vigilant. Exercise like mad, eat like an orthorexic (my new vocabulary word) and there is still a chance that with all that work, I will not undo what I did this past week. I might actually see a gain next Sunday, but it is something that I can easily live through. I hope.

So, this upcoming week, I will be the queen of Core! I feel like I might need a secret identity. I need a ring that I can twist or turn or smash against another Weight Watchers member's and form a giant vegetable eating robot or turn into a super hero....eh, maybe next week.

Twice in one day?

My posting is sporadic at best, but I figure two posts in one day never killed anyone. Right Shaunta? I'm posting again to state out loud, put into writing, or whatever you want to call it, that it is time for me to face the music. I'm not training like I should, I'm not eating like I should. In fact, my stomach has decided to rebel because I'm not giving it the food it likes.

I went to the Olive Garden (I was a virgin) last night for dinner with some people in my department. I didn't over eat, but I did not eat the whole grain foods I usually eat most weeks. By the time I was done with dinner, I had a grumbly, pissed off knot in my stomach. I thought about it for a bit and I realized that this was the feeling my stomach was getting for the second half of the week whenever I ate something that was out of the norm. (white flour, creamy, fried, etc, not weight watchers core approved) So, my stomach is not a happy camper at all.

I'm taking it easy food-wise for the rest of the day. Maybe some butternut squash soup for dinner....soothing and not much to digest. Tomorrow, I've got to be better about what I'm eating. I've also got to make some decisions about what I'm training for. I have no races, but I have to create a goal for myself. Maybe a 10k in the fall, or a fall tri, or something!

I am having the worst time setting a goal for myself. Help!

The things that I let block my way

Yeah, there are obstacles in my way preventing me from tri training. We all have that, and we work to get around them. Sometimes, thought, I purposefully put those blockers there because they are just as fun, and take less effort.

This, folks, is my day to talk about....World of Warcraft. I love the stupid game. I try to limit myself to an hour when a I play, and sometimes I'll go over that some. That was fine while it was snowing and raining, and cold. But it's almost summer. It's sunny and 83 degrees out....am I running? No, I'm posting about Warcraft. Or as I used to call it, before I played, War Crap.
This is my character, Hatsemomo. As you might not be able to tell, she is dead. More specifically, Undead. I made her pretty ugly on purpose. There is just no use in having a pretty corpse. Especially when you're a warrior.






It's such a stress reliever to play this game. I'm never worried about "dying" because I'm already dead, and I can resurrect, anyway.








How cool is this? Look at me, I kick ass.

But that horse is so tall!

I seem to have fallen off the wagon. I said it, I admit it, I feel bad about it, but it'll be over soon. I've eaten more than my fair share of "flexies", I've done my weight routines with added weight this week, but no spinning, no yoga.

I think I'm over come with end of the school year stress. There is so much to do. I have to pack up my stuff in boxes because they are replacing the carpet with tile in my building, plus I might be moving to the building next door. A lot of changed around here, and perhaps there will be more, maybe not. I'll go where my director tells me to go. That's it. It's all about accommodating the students needs, not mine or my department's.

I've got some personal stress that I hope will pass. Nothing major, but is still semi-work related and I'm not a liberty to discuss it at this point.

So, what am I doing to combat all this stress and anxiety? Packing? Creating reading charts for the state? Nope, I'm blogging during lunch. Way to set priorities!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

IT had to take my computer tower at work last week, and I'm sure ya'll can guess where I do most of my posting from...my work desk during lunch. I never really knew how much I relied on my computer until now. That's my "BOOOO" for today.

Now to the happy, shiny stuff: My mom and I started another weight lifting cycle with higher weights, which means we start out at lower reps. Workouts are short and sweet...and a tad hard because all the barbells have more weight on them. Feeling pretty good about that.

I still haven't made it running out of doors. I opted for a Reading Consultation, which landed $75 cash in my pocket. Not bad for an hours work. I love having a MPA in Reading and Special Education, you can do so much with it! Oh, wait, I'm beginning to digress....I haven't made it outside to run, but I will be soon, I promise.

Ya hear that, Shaunta? I promise to go running outside sometime this week!

June is tight!

My schedule in June gets a little tight, as does my mother's, due to still working at school, but some of our summer hours at the yacht club start to pile on during the weekends.

As a result, our schedules do not mesh as they once did. I can see that they will again once school ends, and my library closes on Sundays. We will have tons of time, plus we'll be able to add in extra cardio (running for me!) in during the days that we can't lift weights together.

I've got to work something out with her so that she can go to the gym and get in the same workouts that I get in, just on a different time frame, as it seems that we will not be working out together until July. The main problem here is that my mom, who is borderline ADHD, can not remember our routines for the most part. I will have to make her a chart of some sort, because it would be ridiculous for us to take a month off....it would be more than ridiculous, it would be detrimental to our current fitness level. We would have to spend time regaining what we've lost!

As for the rest of my world....everything going great. I'm sleeping well. My dog is sleeping well. My husband is sleeping well, but is eating everything in sight....which leads me to the next topic:

What can you do if you're trying to lose weight but your husband is currently trying to gain it? My husband is not a small man. He currently weighs about 225. Not does he weigh about 225, but his body fat is less that 10%. He's a power lifter. The mere fact that he is having trouble eating enough to maintain his weight, no less gain it, is something that I am having trouble wrapping my head around. Who tries to gain weight? Seriously?

My arms are but mere twigs....

There, I said it. During yesterday's workout, my arms felt like little, brittle twigs. My planned workout (green) v. actual work out(red) is as follows:

• Incline Press @ 45 pounds 3 sets, 11 reps/ 3 sets, 11 reps
• Chest Press @ 25 pounds 3 sets, 11 reps/ 2 sets, 11 reps
• Military Press w/12 lb free weights 3 sets, 11 reps/ 2 sets, 11 reps
• Arnold Press w/ 12 lb free weights 3 sets, 11 reps/ 0
• dumbbell extensions w/ 15 lb free weight 3 sets, 11 reps/ 2 sets, 11 reps
• Tricep Push down @ 40 lbs 3 sets, 11 reps/ 0

I felt weaker than weak. During my very first exercise, I barely finished the whole 3 sets and it went downhill from there. I'm not sure what was going on. Perhaps I need more rest time between weight workouts, but who know....they are totally different muscle groups with 24 hours rest time.

I will pat myself on the back for having an awesome time at spin. My legs felt super strong. Maybe it's only in comparison to my weak baby arms, but still, at least I felt successful at something!

Beat like pig's feet, yo

I have been working 7 days a week recently between jobs #1,2 and 3.

• Job #1: Reading Specialist at an alternative high school. June 23rd is the last day of school and I'm actually unhappy about it. I've grown to love my new campus and I'm not looking forward to the end of the school year, but I will be happy to have a lot more free time. I am working summer school in another program, but only 3 days a week...no big.
• Job #2: Working as a clerk in my public library's Children's Room. It's a fun job. I work Thursday nights and Sundays. Sunday hours will be ending soon, so I will have less hours per week, but frankly, the Sunday librarian is a nut job, so I definitely need a break from him.
• Job #3: Just beginning....bartending/snack bar girl whenever I'm needed at a private yacht club. One would think the money would be good, but after a party or a night bar-tending, I've usually spent more on gas to get there than I get in tips. Bummer. It is an easy job and gets me access to an outdoor pool during the summer, so there are perks.
• Job #4: One day left...it's at my local library, too. I help at a Homework Help thing where kids can come in and have real, live teachers help them get their homework done right. It's a neat program, but the last day I work is coming up.

All this work is wearing me down! Soon my workouts will suffer, along with my patience and my sleep...but hey, the school year is almost over.

Chest, Triceps, and leftovers

It's Tuesday and we all know what that means...well, really only I know what that means. Even my workout partner, who answers to the name "Mom", doesn't know. I'm in charge of our weight routine, so that means I have to keep track and just let her know once we get to the gym. Fun for all! Now that 2 of my brothers are home (one is home from college, the other is home so that he can go to college), they are going to they gym, too. So, at times, there are way too many of my family at the gym. On Sunday afternoon it was: Me, Mom, Pat, Ian, and Chris (my husband). Way too many of us. If I owned that gym, I'd be afraid of a coup.

I'd also like to mention in today's post how much I love leftovers for lunch. I ate a pork chop, green beans and apple sauce for lunch. Frankly, I'd take that sort of meal over a sanwich any day of the week. Unless, of course, the sandwich happens to be smoked ham with expensive French double creme Brie and honey mustard on fancy bread. Then there will be extensive decision making to be had!

Update

A brief update for ya'll:

• My Weight Watchers weigh-in showed a four pound loss for the week. I know what you're thinking. "Holy Crap", which is exactly what I thought.
• I still haven't run outside, and I'm not sure when it'll happen. I might have to wait until school ends to find the time. I don't want to change what I'm already doing, I want to add it in.
• My sinus are now full of boogers. I am astounded that I never realized that Vicks has a nasal spray decongestant, with menthol. Hello! Why was I unaware for so long? It is helping me a ton, but I'm still waiting for gravity to work it's natural wonders on my nasal passages.

It's going to be a long week. What weigh-in can live up to the grandeur of a four pound loss in one week. I'm setting my sites low...lookin' for a pound this week.

I admit it!

I'm in good spirits today. I'm weighing light, I'm going to Target after work, it's payday, I'm going to the gym and I'm going to a party that I is right by the Yonkers' train station, so I get to take a train to, which makes it so much easier than driving to Yonkers. Aside from the fact that my sinuses must be packing their bags to go on a trip, because I am congested. All is well in the world outside of my head.

So, fair readers, today is a day to admit silly things we do. I, for one, have been massaging my belly fat in hopes to help it disappear. I figure it's a 3 tier plan: diet, exercise, and a firm massage. Anyone else care to step into the confessional?

Okay, enough is enough

I have to run outside. The avoidance is beginning to kill me. I am beginning to think that I might die if I don't get a run in outside...then again, considering the pollen count this spring and my allergies, a run outside, itself, might be the death of me. I guess that's what Zyrtec is for.

The weather around these parts has gotten so incredibly nice. It's sunny and mild. Perfect for running! So here I am considering waking up early a few days a week to actually get outside and run. Who have I become? Do I know how early I'd have to get up to do that properly? Apparently not. I don't care to process that information right now.

And races? I still haven't found a race that I want to participate in. Nor have I been actively searching. I've basically given up on that front. But I could easily find some local road races.

Here it is folks (all 3 of you who might read this), I am going to start running again, at least twice a week. I'm also going to sign up for a race. Now that it's in print (why does that sound familiar) I have to do it, right?

Yeah, so what?

Okay, it's not that I'm being lazy (well maybe a little) but I did post this on the Amazon blog...but I liked it...and if you read this blog, you may or may not read the other....sorry to those who do....but I don't think there is much overlap.


I now have a myriad of new excuses for why I am not able to run outside:

• I am boogerific. For those of you who are blessed and do not have allergies, you may not know what it is like to be boogerific. It is the state of being in which your cranium has a very high mucus to brain ratio. I think mine is currently 3:1...Mucus is winning.
• The pollen in the air is giving me a rash on my face. If I don't look good at the end, it ain't happening.
• I am way too tired from work. The teens on my campus (think alternative high school) are extra cranky and work resistant due to spring fever. I think they might even be in heat, but I'm not going to do any studies to follow up on that statement, so don't ask.
• I am obsessed with World of Warcraft. I must get my character past sergeant! I've been playing most evenings for at least 45 minutes and doing battlegrounds whenever I can. I need to kill those stupid Alliance characters and build honor within my army, but I digress. (And I'm going to play when I get home tonight!)
• I need, need, need new running shoes. Like now. I have not one dime to put towards this for another couple of weeks.

If, on the off chance I develop more excuses as to why I am not running outside, I will surely keep you all updated!

Okay, time for the truth

I know, I know, I'm not training for anything so what do you think I'm doing with all my time? Well, because there are only about 2 people who read this blog, and one is me and the other isn't even my mother, I will be up front about it. I've been quilting. Yes, quilting.

It's funny how I train with, or want to buy super modern equipment: heart rate monitors, GPS, tri bike...and then in the evenings, I sew by hand. I didn't even use a sewing machine for the quilt I'm currently quilting. It's 100% sewn by hand.

That is the dichotomy of Alanna...amazon and Amish all rolled into one.

Season Goal

I am lacking a season goal. I still have no races planned for this season. My training is stuck at gym machine cardio and weight lifting. Granted, I am getting stronger my the moment, and I'm likely to hulk out of my button down workshirts (as if) It's infuriating that not only do I not have a race to train for, but I am lacking the motivation to really *find* one. How lame is that?

And, on the weight watchers front, I did lose 1.8 last week, but 1.6 of that was an earlier gain! Huh? Can we agree on the degree of lameness on that, too?

I really shouldn't get down on myself about it, but I'm trying to be my own drill sergeant. I'm finding it difficult to intimidate myself. ..I might need to hire one....

Scale obsession

I am getting totally obsessed with checkin' out the numbers on the scale. Very sad and scary. It's getting so that it's all I think about. Really, though, I did it to myself...I'm determined to lose 3 pounds this week because of my 1.6 gain at last week's WI....so now I scrutinize my weight every time I pass the scale. I used to weigh myself each morning, but this week I've been weighing myself at crazy times, like when I get home from the gym, and right before I go to bed. I can't wait for this week to be over...holy cow. If I don't lose at least my 1.6 "gain", who knows what I'll be like next week!

It's all about the weight

My mom and I upped out weights this week. I'm feeling very strong and it's also nice that our workouts are quicker because we're at the beginning of the cycle....only 3 sets of 6 this week at the high weight. But I'm becoming aware of how this is actually affecting my weight loss efforts. I'm not burning quite as many calories as I was towards the end of the last cycle when we were doing 3 sets of 12. It doesn't help that I didn't go to spin class this week, because I took a beading class instead. Granted, I have a new skill, but I also didn't burn 500 calories learning it.

I think that I'm just going to maintain my weight this week, unless some kind of miracle happens. Heck, I might even gain a little . Who knows? I sure don't.

Girl Scout Cookies

I posted this picture on my other blog, but is so appropriate to the situation I'm in. Whenever my cookie supplier comes to me with her pre-teen eyes and cutie-pie smiles and that huge order form I am totally taken in. I'm also, at that point, thinking to myself, "I will buy some cookies. I will freeze said cookies and eat two at a time like a normal person." When the cookies actually come, like they did today I realize the following: ain't gonna happen. Not by a long shot. My only line of defense is to get other people to eat them. I happened to be at my Public Library and I lucked out and got the page to eat 13 out of a box of 16 Tagalongs....if I could just do that every Sunday for the next 6 Sundays I'll be okay. If the cookies last that long in my cupboard...

On a nicer, happier, less sugary note, I lost 2.4 pounds this week putting me at a very light 166.8. I'm also back at 10%...excellent. Now if I get get past this Girl Scout cookie thing, I will be a very happy person.

Sweat!

Let me start out by telling you that I am a renowned non-sweater. I do not sweat...even in temperatures in the 90s or above...not much sweat, even in typical areas such as armpit and forehead. But last night, in spin class, I had a perspiration related miracle. I sweated, a lot. Not as much as my classmates, mind you, but for me it was an incredible amount. I had to wipe my forehead, I had stains in my pits. I even had sweat marks on my athletic bra. I know that a lot of people finding sweating to be disgusting, I however, am proud of my increasing ability to sweat. I am beginning to feel like an athlete.

Sad how I've done more than 7 triathlons, and it's the ability to sweat that is making me feel athletic.

To Race or Not To Race....

I've recently been struggling with finding races. Nothing seems to fit into my schedule, which is why this blog, instead of being the terrific triathlon training motivator that it was intended to be, is really just me complaining...a lot.

I have to decided how hard I want to search for a race. I don't train like I'm supposed to unless I have a goal...a race to scare me into working harder. Road races are easy to find,,in fact, I'll probably run the Mother's Day Race that my local running club does. That's not an issue. The issue is finding an appropriate triathlon that I can go to without much effort. My summer is chock full of other nonsense. I can't be driving all over the continent to a race and then ride home again. I've got 4 weddings to go to this summer! Talk about putting out cash! I don't even think I can afford to do a major race...no less spend money on gas and hotel!

Geez!

I can't believe I ate the whole thing

Okay, so I really didn't' eat the whole thing, but I am a bit panicked. I ate more that I usually do on a Sunday and at weigh in on Saturday, I didn't lose or gain an ounce. I was hoping to make it back to 10%.....grrrrrr.

Back to the eating. I had brunch with my in-laws and my parents and then a heft dinner at my parents house. I feel like a whale....well, I'm feeling over-stuffed at least. To undo this food attack I've set up a plan:

• I will not eat all of my APs/ WFPs this week. I will have remaining ones on Sunday and I will like it.
• I will drink more than my share of water. I will drink enough water for 2.5 people and I will like it.
• I will take my vitamins and I will like it.
• I will not gain at weigh in this Sunday and I will like it...actually, I will rejoice.

Dents

Just a quick pop-in because I really have nothing to say at this point...I am on vacation and loving every minute of it. I do, however, have to share the fact that I'm finally getting dents in my biceps instead of just amass of flesh, I am getting definition in my arms. I thought this day would never come! Oh joy!

Un-scratchin-believable!

For the first time in about 3 years I weighed in at under 170 pounds! Literally: 3 years! I am shocked and excited. I'm feeling more motivated than ever. I even am rejecting my normal Sunday mentality of "It's Sunday, I weighed in and lost, I can eat whatever....within reason, of course, but whatever regardless" I did, however, eat some peeps...I forced myself to share them with someone else, so I only ate half the box.

I weighed in at 169.2...if I can shave off a mere .4 by next Saturday, I will be back at 10%. If that happens, I might cry.

Work out update

I did it again, another 2 day blast like I did last Wednesday. I'm not sure if I'm doing myself a service or if I'm killing myself for nothing...only time will tell. Next week I'm back to doing pull muscles on Sunday, push on Tuesday and spin class on Wednesday instead of jamming it all into a 36 hour period. I am exhausted.

Mudders and Grunter

Mudders and Grunters has come and gone. Amazon Hill and I had a blast! It was more work that I remembered, but it was just as much fun. I have to admit that at some points I didn't think I was going to make it due to the constant "squ-ushing" of pulling my feet out of swampy mud, and then there was the fall onto a bunch of tree branched that left me a tad cut up, but as you can see, my legs were still in one piece despite mud and grossness.


I got a cool t-shirt out of the deal, and possible plans for a race up in Albany....but more on that once plans are settled out.

Sore!

I am sore...maybe even beyond sore. I've done too much training in the last 2 days. I'm hoping that shocking my body like this will actually help me to lose a bit more weight, but only time will tell. I'm too sore and retaining too much water to know. Just so you are aware, this is what I've done work out wise:

Tuesday

• 40 minutes on the precor machine, crossramp and resistance amped up
• Hammerstrength Lat pull downs
• Lat pull machine
• Seated rows
• 21s for biceps
• alternate bicep curls
• hammer curls
• gravitron pull ups
• myriad of ab exercises

Wednesday

• Incline bench press
• Hammerstrength bench press (flat)
• Military press with free weights
• Arnold press with free weights
• Tricep extensions
• Tricep pushdowns
• 45 minute spin class

I'm thinking that I deserve to be tired and cranky today. I really hauled tush the past couple of days. Now I just need to wait for the scale to jump on the wagon with me for this week and I will be one sore, but happy camper.

Firewoman, you're to blame!

I am exhausted!

I blame it completely on Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy of The Cult...I mean, who knew that they could rock that hard on a school night? Yeah, I actually should have known because when I was in High School, on the other side of the desk, I saw them on a school night and they rocked hard then. I thought maybe the 15 year time span between concerts would show a difference in rock-atude, but I was mistaken. Thanks Billy and Ian for a righteous time.

However, I am now exhausted. I got home late Sunday night. Reuben did not want to cooperate sleep-wise. Don't let the photo of him sleeping fool you...he's really just getting ready to pounce when you're not looking. He's really sneaky that way.

Then last night I had a super calorie obsessed freak-out in my journal (no one wants to read that, by golly) because I deviated from my eating plan for the day. I think I can attribute some of that nuttiness to sleep deprivation. The other parts of the bonkers I have no excuse for, I'm just crazy is all.

5

According to the fine scales at Weight Watchers, I have lost a little over 5 pounds this past month....just so you know how much that is, it's:

• 20 sticks of butter
• 80 Maurices
• 1 mid-sized laptop
• 500 sheets of 20 lb bond paper
• 5 loaves of bread
• 2 liter bottle of soda
• 54 shots of liquor

These are just to give you all a loose idea of what 5 pounds actually happens to be!

187

187 is my heart rate from an incredibly intense simulated steep climb in spin class last night. I'm pretty sure that I'm not supposed to let my heart do that....the only reason I know that it topped at 187 is that I was starting to feel a tad dizzy and a bit sick, so I looked down at my watch and scared myself. I took a little of the tension off the spin bike, and it went down.....

Here's my evidence:


Learned some new things about myself last night...for example, I don't turn into a pumpkin exactly at 9pm on school nights. I stayed out until 9:40 and got home by 10 and I didn't die. I am, however, exhausted and will probably not be doing that again for a long time. I did want to see my friend Adam and his wife and daughter again for they left to go home to Indiana, so this fatigue is well worth it.

I'm tempted to try to go for a short run between job 1 and job 2, but I'm not sure if it'll happen. Thursdays are usually a rest day for me because of the lack of time with job 1 and 2, so I guess we'll have to see.

Death by Cheesecake

Yeah, I know it might have been a bad nutritional choice, but we did have $50 in gift certificates to The Cheesecake Factory, so being adventurous, we went. I have never been there before and it's going to have to be an extraordinarily special event for me to go back. I think everything I ate, except the cheesecake, was deep fried. If it wasn't deep fried, it was pan fried. I only ate small portions of the appetizers and dinner. Luckily, my husband is an eating machine, so no only did he eat his food, but he ate most of mine, too.

The killer was the cheesecake. We took ours home. I ate about a third of a slice of the Dulce de Leche Caramel cheesecake. I discovered today that one slice has 1010 calories and 71 grams of fat! I know I've been working my tail off in the gym, but not that much. I wish I didn't know.

I only looked it up to see if I could eat some more of it this week, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait until Sunday which is the day I've designated to eat whatever I want.

Is this normal?

I am exhausted. I have been eating right and exercising like a dog. I haven't even been awake long enought after I get home to update my blog. Shame on me, to think I'm depriving my readers (I think I'm up to about -6, now...getting close to positive numbers).

I really think it's my new weight routine. Instead of upper body and lower body days, I'm doing a day for pull muscles, a day forpush muscle , and a day for just leg muscles. I know what you're thinking...but it's only one day a week for each group. True, however, for each muscle group I'm doing at least 3 different exercises, so by the time I'm done my muscles are screaming. All this in addition to adding an extra day of cardio to the routine....and it's a killer spin class.

Despite the fatigue, I am noticing a change already in my body. It could be hallucinations due to the exhaustion, but I don't think so. I am actually wearing pants that were too tight to wear just 3 weeks ago...and they fit great today....go figure.

The pet I don't talk about

Yeah, I have pet fat. Maurice is 1 ounce of simulated fat. I love him. He grosses out my friends, talks me out of eating ice cream...but only sometimes....he's the kind of pet a lady can depend on!

You, too, can own your own pet fat , you lucky dog, you!

I'm just hoping that Maurice makes friends with the fat on my body so it leaves to go and visit him!

yeesh

I came back to really update the training aspect of this blog and realized, as I look through my Triathlon training diary, that I have not been recording the data like I should. It seems that when I didn't use my heart rate monitor, I didn't bother to write anything down...so all the indoor trainers at the gym...poof, it's like they never happened.

I'm gone try harder in March...I can't be perfect straight off, can I? What fun would that be?

I love waitresses!

Last night was dinner out with my family, including my poor husband and the girlfirend of one of my brothers. I absolutely loved our waitress because even though I'm the oldest one of my siblings, and significant others, I was the one who got the question, "Are you 21?" My reply was, "No, I'm actually 32." The waitresses response was "Good God! you look great!" Blush, blush. Keep in mind that my brother's girlfriend is 6 years younger than I am, and my youngest brother is 10 years my junior. Woooohooo!

Aside from wonderful waitresses, for some reason I've been sticking to my eating methods really well, despite this week being a vacation week. Somehow, I've been manageing to make, and enjoy, salads at lunch, with mixed leafy greens, beets and 1/4 of avocado, lime juice and a teaspoon of really good olive oil. who knew that I liked salad for lunch. Certainly not me!

The return of me

I'm not sure why I took such a long break from creating entries on this blog. Perhaps it's that I've been overloaded at work...way too many things going on there..very distracting.

I do know this...I've been going to the gym fairly consistently and I've been running a couple of times a week. It is insane. This is the first time in recorded history that I have been training with out any summer races coming up...and even stranger is that I've made it to February without bronchitis knocking me down at *least* 3 times. I am still waiting for my first cough to come banging around my lungs.

The other thing I'm sure of is that I'm gaining weight again...it's more of a larger fluctuation than I'm used to. Weight Watchers is going to have to come back in full force.

I rock!

Okay, so maybe I don't rock like Tom Petty rocks, or how the guys in Tool rock, but I am really impressed with myself as of late. I have been actually going to the gym and running on a semi-regular basis. I'm even sore from lifting. And, can you believe this, I've been eating food that is good for me...in the portions sizes that are right. I'm almost a little scared that this is going on, but I certainly don't want it to stop. That would be awful.

I have made plans for one race....in April. Mudders and Grunters is a race I've done before and it's great fun. It's a 5 mile trail hilly race in which the Taconic Road Runners have been known to hose down the trail the day before so you are guaranteed a muddy race. There is even a stream that you have to wade through towards the end of the race.

People have been known to lose shoes in the mud at Mudders and Grunters. My father, who used to run this race each year, recommended that I wrap my shoes with duct tape so that it would cover the laces. He also suggests that you put veggie bags over your socks to keep your feet dry. The tops should also be duct taped. I did the race once, and these ideas certainly kept me going. It was the first running race that I wasn't last in.

More tales of woe....

I spent some good amount of time looking at possible races, but even my second choice races don't look do-able. I'm hoping more races find their way on to the web when we get closer to tri season here in New York.

Why do I get the feeling that this season is going to bite? I think it's because even my husband, who is not a tri guy, is feeling bad for me. I think he's trying to relate it not being able to find a lifting competition...at least he feels for me....I can't wallow alone, after all.

Racing Woes

I found out yesterday, completely by accident, that the 2 races I was seriously considering signing up for, are both impossible to fit into my schedule. For the half iron distance I was toying with, my parents will be on vacation, so I get to watch their house (and the puppy they are planning to adopt this spring) and the one I do every year is on the same day as a friend's wedding. This means I have to go back to the drawing board completely!

I'm going to be spending some time this afternoon researching races and race dates, conference via email with my husband. I'm not looking forward to hashing out details again!

I'm at it again!

Yes, yes, I haven't posted in a almost a week, but I've been busy, I swear. I've been going to the gym with my mom and doing mostly upper body workouts, and yesterday for the first time in weeks, I went for a quick run. I am very impressed with myself.

However, with that run out in the cold came a cough. And with that cough came some cold symptoms, which I am trying to keep at bay. This, as I mentioned, is my fear about winter training. I think I'm going to just take it easy and nip all "pre-symptoms" of bronchitis immediately and thoroughly. I think that by being extra cautious, I might keep this winter trouble free...at least that is my hope.

Regardless, my run was both good fun and seriously annoying. I did find a well paced groove. My mouth watered the whole time, I attribute that to the cold air...my mouth might have been trying to keep itself moist. That and before I hit the woodsy part of the trail I was running on, a guy in a silver car screamed at me and shot my heart rate up about 10 beats. He really startled me. But all in all, it was a decent run.

Training fears

I've been thinking a lot about my lack of racing motivation...I mean, I've always done the bare minimum in the winter, but this is the laziest I've ever been. This is also the first winter in more than 5 years that I haven't been put on antibiotics for Bronchitis, or a Tracheal or sinus infection. Part of me wonders if the lack of exercise is actually keeping me healthy.

For those of you who don't know me, and I'm going to assume that is all of you, I am a severe asthmatic with reduced lung capacity. I take 3 medications daily to keep this all in check and that doesn't even include my emergency inhaler.

My breathing specialist is awesome. He encourages my training and loves to hear about my races, but I haven't had to see him because I haven't been sick!

I think that part of me is afraid that if I push myself, I will wind up with a four plus month long bout with a chronic cough like I did last winter. Or worse. I don't know.

However, I could always use the winter just to relax, do some weight training, yoga and some slow endurance stuff on my bike trainer and in the pool. I could just not push myself to move ahead quickly, but relax and enjoy myself and view it as a hobby and not as training.

I suppose it's just a matter of changing my mindset. Taking a very relaxed approach might keep me healthier and will prep me for when the weather gets warm and I'm less likely to catch something major.

It is certainly something to think about.

Maybe I just need a kick in the ass.

FIGHT!

Well, another glorious day at work. Today, two of the young men on my campus decided to have a brawl...rumor has it over an iPod. There were a bunch of teacher aides, a couple of teachers, and my principal and they could not keep these guys apart. It was stunning in the havoc that ensued. At one point, one young man knocked the other over has he was being led away. Peers came over and decided to kick him while he was down. Like animals. Unbelievable.

The fight finally was broken up, police came, "hit 'em while he's down" kid had a bloody chin, while the other had no visible marking. Strange, considering the first got many more shots in....

Working with troubled teens is always a blast. Without fail there is something going on. It is never dull unless the kids decided to stay home, which is the case on most Fridays. I'll probably have a very dull time tomorrow at work tomorrow, as it is Friday and no one will have any energy to get out of bed after the fight today.

And as for my personal life....still haven't done any training. Perhaps this weekend...

Nada

Hey, I know that I had grand goals for this past week, but not sleeping for 5 nights really can wreak havoc on your energy levels.

I don't know what is up with that, but it's horrible. It's not that I'm getting no sleep, it's that the sleep is in 20 minute increments...we're talking no *deep* sleep. Even with Tylenol PM
there is tons of tossing and turning. The best night of sleep I got this week was after having 3 glasses of red wine and a hot shower...and it was in 2 hour increments. Better, but not great.

I hoping tonight will be better. I'm really tired. That's all there is to it. If I can't sleep tonight, I'm going to call my doctor tomorrow. This sort of thing lasting for this long can't be a good thing.

Still nothing

Yet another day of nothing. Granted, today is my 2 shift day, so I can't beat myself up totally. Tomorrow will definitely be a day for a nice run...it's going to be fairly sunny and warm . I think a minimum of 2 miles is in order.

I think I should also set a goal of setting up the bike trainer for this weekend. I could do so much if I had it up. I could exercise when I get home late from work or from visiting my grandmother and it's too dark to run.

I'm part of an Ironman challenge where you do the distances of an Ironman over the period of a month. So far I've got 2 out of 26.2 miles of running done. I still need 112 miles of bike and 4200 yards of swim....not a good start, but not impossible at this point...

Another day, no dollah

This is day 2 with no training in view. Training got postponed yesterday due to terrible weather and a trip to Wal-mart (those union-busters) to get my soon to be 93 year old grandmother a new TV. Hers was on the fritz. For a very reasonable price, we got her a much larger set that doesn't require a cable box...very nifty for Nana!

Not so nifty for me. I got my "Good Samaritan" badge, but am lacking in the training part of my tri badge....hmmmm. I need to set up some definite goals for myself. Mini goals. Goals for my birthday in about 6 months....

1. Lose 15 pounds.
2. Compete in an Oly distance (minimum) race
3. Run at least one 10-K race that is *not* attached to a triathlon....
4. Set up and use the bike trainer that is sitting behind me as I type this.

This is all I've got for now. It's in writing, therefore, I must do it.

New Years and other nuisances

2006 is finally here and I've begun training. There, I've said it, it's out there and now everyone knows....well, as of yet, I've had no blog visitors, so only I know, but that's okay.

2006 is starting out okay with me. I rang in the New Year at a Black crows concert with my husband, father-in-law, and Kate Hudson. Granted, Kate Hudson was actually on stage, but she was there and I feel honored. We were 23 rows back with a perfect view of the Crows. The appeared to be about 9 inches tall, and the sound mix was perfect from where we sat.

The people-watching was excellent. There were tons of dudes with bunny ear dreads, dancing funky, getting chased around by the MSG security. The guy sitting next to me was doing all sorts of drugs during the show and did kick me softly as he was crawling over his seat after a beer run. He was really quite nice for a guy who was drunk and stoned, so that's fine by me.

At 1:45, when we came out of Madison Square Garden, I had my fist food of the New Year. A NYC favorite of many, a dirty water hotdog from a cart. Not the best way to start out the new year, but hey, when you're in Manhattan, you have to eat one. It's a rule for those of us who love hot dogs and don't live or work in the city.

New Years day, we ate with my parents and one of my many brothers. A feast of lamb, wine and darts.

I fully planned for yesterday to be my "great" beginnings. Chris, my husband, and I went for an Indian lunch. Somehow, a ton of Kheer (rice pudding) jumped into my stomach. Oh well, some things can't be avoided. I did run yesterday...

Yeah, I ran yesterday. In the rain. Two miles, in the cold rain. I was the only one out except for two other people walking their dogs. My dog was smart. He refused to go out in the rain. This rain has since turned into enough snow and ice to have my school day canceled. And I went running in it. Yetch.

I'm not sure what is in store for me today, but either I will make it to the gym later and get in a swim, or once Chris gets home, I'll have him help me set up the trainer...or really move his drums so I can set up the trainer....