My Favorite Things

Here is a little list and some more info about my favorite things in no particular order.

1. Recovery Socks - I won a pair in a random drawing from Frayed Laces. The other night as my calves and feet were killing me I thought I would try them out. They are long like old men white socks. At first I thought they may be too tight but I was wrong. Once I got them on wow they were very comfortable. Wore them all night. Woke up the next morning all better.


2. Batherapy- I found this great mineral bath salt at my local supermarket. Has a great mint fragrance and help the sore muscles.
   
3. Acupuncture- Hate needles but my knees really couldn't make it without acupuncture.


4. Foam Roller-Absolutly wonderful at rolling out the sore muscles. When I use it.


5. Orthotics- They are making a difference. I am not having as much ankle foot trouble as I have in the past.


6. Monthly massage at Massage Envy- I have always loved a good massage so about a year ago I signed up for a monthly massage. I look forward to every month as a big treat.


7. Having the Good Dr. on call- My hubby is a Chiropractor and he has magic hands. Having him around when I am truly in need is the best!

Tidbits

• Did Wednesday workout today since I didn't feel like swimming.
• Eating has been much better so far this week.
• Not looking forward to weighing in for the week in the morning.
• Workout tonight 1.25 miles jog/walk, 30 min bike random hill setting 10.3 miles. 
• Love my Recovery Socks.... AWESOME
• Batherapy Sport (mineral bath salt) also a big favorite.
• Trying to workout in the mornings not happening so far.
• Drinking my water for the day about to shower and call it a night.

Inspiration

Here is some inspiration for us all. One of my best friends growing up wrote this wonderful essay after his first triathlon. I am one of his biggest fans and am so proud of him. He has come a long way and has found a new life in the process. I hope all of you enjoy his story as much as I have.

The Experience of a Lifetime

 

I know that most first timers will say that Try Andy's Tri was a great accomplishment. It may have even been their greatest achievement. For me it was the end of a 33 year fight with obesity, and a goal unattainable just two years ago. 

At 345lbs there was no way I could have ever participated in a triathlon. After a year and a half I lost over 130 lbs and my reward was... a triathlon? What was I thinking? I mean to lose weight and be at 210 lbs was one thing but to even think I could be in such a grueling competition was just crazy.

I knew what I had to do and I felt the best place to reveal the new me was at Try Andy's Tri. I bragged that I was going to be in a triathlon. The whole time I was scared to death to even register. When I got the nerve up to I learned that you don't wait till the last minute. What was I gonna do?

Then 100 more slots opened up. YES! I jumped on it. This was my chance to prove myself and accomplish all of my worldy dreams. Ok, maybe not, but it would show how far I had come. I mean just by finishing I would be not only an athlete, but a "TRI" athlete. That's like triple as good as any regular person.

I trained hard by running six miles a day and eventually got on my trusty 13 year old bike. And by trusty I mean rusty, but it was good enough. I rode 15 miles at a time to prepare for the bike leg. With about two months till TAT I started swimming again. Wow, that was a downer when I realized that sitting in the pool for years didn't translate to a Michael Phelps like performance.

Eventually I did all three in one day to see how much it would take for me to complete the triathlon. My goal was to finish in less than an hour and a half and be in the top 50%. These goals are rather bold for a first timer, but I knew how far I had come.

October 12 I woke up and knew it was the day I had dreamed of. Leading up to the start was surreal. I kept telling myself to have fun and enjoy every moment. And that's exactly what I did. From the start I remembered what it took to get me to where I was. I jumped out of the water and sprinted to the transition area. Having never practiced transitioning I found getting socks on wet feet was a little more challenging than I had expected.

Next was the biking leg of TAT. 10 miles of scenic bike riding as fast as possible, now that's my idea of a good time. Everyone I passed or had passed me along the way I said "keep it up, uou're doing great". Riding hard I rolled back to the transition area, spaghetti legs and all, and put my bike up for the last leg of the event.

The run was my favorite. I had been running for over a year and knew that I had to go hard to meet the goals I set. At mile two I passed a guy that was younger and more athletic than me. After looking at my watch he asked what pace I was on. He was trying to keep ahead of a friend and unfortunately the friend was a better runner. Around 9 minutes was my pace so I told him I'd help out and to keep up. I said that at the bagpipes we haul it in and don't let up. Next thing I knew we were running as hard as possible. I don't even remember faces, only that I wanted to stop time and enjoy the achievement forever.

This was more than achieving a goal, it was the pinnacle of my two years of working so hard. My lifetime achievement. I ended up finishing in 1:11 which was 19 minutes better than I expected. I was 346th and that accomplished my second goal. My first triathlon was so much more than a run, bike and swim. The 16th annual Try Andy's Tri was the experience of a lifetime. Count me in every year to be a part of this great event.

Written by Josh Reno

This is the essay that's in this months edition of Runners Tri News. Pick up a copy on news stand near you... Borders or Barnes & Noble. It is the back page. 

Continued success in triathlon's Josh. You are my inspiration!

Kick in the Butt

I need a major kick in the butt. I am tired....all I want to do is sleep. Had a great time in Florida. Glad to be back home with my family and sleeping in my own bed. Hotel rooms are just not the same as good ole home. I need some motivation, determination and someone to kick me in the butt and get me exercising again. I am just not feeling it. Every day I come home exhausted and then have trouble falling asleep at night. Followed by not wanting to get out of bed in the morning. Put all of these things together and I just am not getting the exercise done. I know that when you get the exercise done... you feel better, sleep better, etc. I just can't peel my lazy bum off the bed or out of the house. HELP! Someone light a fire under me before it is too late... Any ideas please... I have tried all kinds of thoughts, but so far nothing has worked. 

Break in the Regularly Scheduled Program

Tomorrow I leave for Florida. I will be gone from Sunday afternoon till Wednesday night. I am really looking forward to this trip. Should be fun and very educational. The only thing is that I will not be able to keep to my week 3 schedule. So instead of skipping most of week 3 I will do what I can while I am gone and then repeat week 2 for the rest of this week. I will start fresh with week 3 on the 26th. I will be headed back to Florida in a couple of weeks and based on how this trip goes with the exercise I will decide on what the best plan of action is for that week. I may end up with a 14 week plan instead of a 12 week plan. Nothing wrong with that. My goal is just to get back to it and do a better job than I did last year. Shouldn't be too hard. 

Cool in the Pool

So my Tuesday workout according to the 12 week plan was a little swimming and a little walking. I tried all day to psyche myself up for this cause it was cold and windy out. Granted I was swimming indoors but who wants to swim when it is cold out. Not me!
So I packed my gynormous bag for all of my swim stuff and after swim stuff. Although I love swimming I hate the prep and time it takes to get it done. I got to the gym just in time to watch the last 20 minutes of the Biggest Loser while walking 20 min on the treadmill instead of the 15 I was supposed to do. Remember I am doing a couch to Tri plan and I am at the very beginning so bare with the minimal times and distance while I ramp up. I have been sitting on my tush for months now. Baby steps!
Everyone in the gym was watching the Biggest Loser. All the treadmills and ellipticals near those TV's were packed. Good motivation!
So after my walk I head down to the pool area. As I am getting in the pool they make an announcement over the loud speaker, "Please for others safety and use of the facility Don't Drop the Weights!" Just as the speaker finishes I hear from above a loud BOOM, CRASH. From that point on all I can think of is the headlines in the Houston Chronicle the next day : "Freak Accident, Woman Killed When Gym Weights Crash through Ceiling Floor into the Pool Below!"
The original 12 week plan had only 6 laps swimming for the day. I want to start slow but if I am going to put forth the effort to get in the pool I am going to make it count. I bumped it up to 24 laps total. I varied my laps with my kick board, paddles, and various stroke combinations. I came to some very real points while swimming: 1) My ghetto booty makes me float too much and alters my stroke. 2) I am not getting any younger and swimming is getting harder. 3) I am SLOW and need a lot more practice. With all of that being said this was the first time I was in the pool since September so all of the above are to be expected.

Space Race 2009

In my list of races of interest for the year I forgot to add the Space Race! I love this race. It benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I have gone for the last 3 years cause the Good Doctor usually is one of the sponsor/helpers at the event. Last year in my zeal to get back in shape I took my two year old with me and we did the family fun ride. Doesn't sound like a big deal but pulling a trailer 10-miles child loaded with a wind is rough. This year I believe I am going to try this one by myself and do the 20 mile ride. So I have about 3 months to get ready to ride. 

Lazy Sunday

I must admit that all I wanted to do today was lay in bed and sleep. I have had a cold/sinus/ear infection and it is really knocking me out. So I will be honest the thought of getting in a workout today was not high on my list. Tonight however after getting back from the grocery store I made my way to the gym. I brought with me a "Try this workout for the treadmill for super fast toning" routine cut out of a Shape mag. It was a 2 hill incline workout. I liked it but I did it at a slower pace overall than was listed. I figure I can work up to the actual suggested speed. I will definitely do that workout again. Overall I did 2.25 miles on the treadmill. My legs were kind of achy when I left the gym so I am curious to see what tomorrow brings for the knees, calves and feet as far as soreness. 

Tomorrow I start my 12 week triathlon training program and 100 pushup challenge. I have not set up any New Years Resolutions, but I do have a few races in mind that I would like to do this year. I also have goals that I have been working on but nothing new. I am just going to continue to work toward those goals.  

I have found exercising with the orthotics is a little more difficult than I first thought. I can really feel the difference. So I am still getting used to them. I will keep you all posted with my progress in getting used to them. 

On the weight front I maintained and lost a little over the holidays but I have put on about 5 since September (Ike) so I am working on taking all that back off. I can't wait to see what 2009 brings, I have a good feeling about this one....

And on the home front my big accomplishment of the weekend.... Cleaning out both of my freezers!!

Rest for Saturday and Socks

This evening the good Doctor told me that I needed to take it easy and not push it too hard. He said I should rest today and put in a good hard workout tomorrow. So I am trying to go against my noncompliant nature and listen to his words of wisdom. 

Oh and on a super awesome note.... I won a pair of Recovery socks from Frayed Laces!!! I am so excited. With my history of shin splints I am really looking forward to trying these socks out. Speaking of socks today I tried my wigwam helix socks out with my new orthotics... HEAVEN! They make such a difference. Thanks Viv for introducing me to the wigwam socks. 

2 for 2 in the new

Just a short one:

• 1-1-09 jogged a couple laps at the neighborhood park. (very short but any activity counts when you have been away from it for so long)
• 1-2-09 30 minutes on the treadmill at the gym. ( I almost forgot that I had a gym membership)

So with that I have been active for a whole 2 days in the new year. 2009 is starting off on the right foot. Now lets see if I can keep that streak up and make it something substantial. 

12 Week Program

I know I mentioned before that I was going to start from scratch with a couch to 5k program. I decided instead for an Intermediate Starter Triathlon training program. It is a 12 week program that I am going to officially start on January 5th. It seems very doable and I am looking forward to it. 

For Inspiration I bought the prettiest little black dress from White House/Black Market. I got it smaller than what I can currently wear but nothing too drastic. I also got a little black dress charm to remind me to work toward my dress body. 

So I have a program and I have so inspiration all I need now is some motivation and activation. 

Happy New Year Everyone! Looking forward to a FIT 2009.