Tumbalalaika

Training for: Freedom Springs Triathlon

maybe - just found out the pool near my house is finally reopening. I think I need more time to train since this is my first tri - looking for one in the early fall.

Cardio: 0 today (yesterday I did a quick 2 miles)

Weights: 3x(upper body 4x20, abs 4x20, lower body 4x20) alternating exercises for each of the 3 sets

Food: Breakfast - Oatmeal - 160

Lunch - San Miguel's (B-day lunch today courtesy of the coworkers)

Dinner - Steak with steamed veggies, soba noodles, and ginger sauce (find it here)

Self Confidence: 9

So - another thing to cross off my Resolutions list - #5 - I'm 30 - and I feel pretty good. Although, the reality that I'm a real adult is starting to sink in. And while society says you become an adult at 18, I don't think I really acted like a real adult until around...oh.....age 25 if I'm lucky.

A little over two weeks until graduation. That means less than two weeks to finish my remote sensing project, which, I am having issues with by the way. Thanks for asking. Due to my self denial of taking the class, more or less actually having to do assignments for it, I have backed myself into a corner, pretty much becoming the epitome of procrastination. I actually entertained the thoughts about what would happen if I just decided to blow off the whole project. That lasted a day or three, and well, here I am. Running some crap analysis that is taking forever hoping that I can get a decent enough result to fudge a report with. Lucky for me, I have somehow 'wowed' my teacher with my profound GIS abilities and have found favor in his eyes. I have unintentionally turned into "teacher's pet" with pretty much zero one-on-one face time. As bad as it sounds, I hope this works to my advantage when I turn in my project (if I turn it in......only kidding!).

Because of this project and other random stuff, I have been in a sporadic workout routine. (I just laughed at myself for using 'sporadic' and 'routine' in the same sentence) I've been averaging 2-3 days a week...max. Which, is ok I guess. I'll be running another 5K on Saturday. I don't anticipate a record performance by any means, but it would be nice to stay under that 30min mark.

On a side note - I've been playing a decent amount of piano lately. Well, keyboard if you want to get specific, since, I don't own a piano. I've self-graduated to "Level 2" and one of my favorite songs is the second in the book. You can watch a gal play it here - and, only those of you learning the song, or who know the song, would know where she screws up. I must say, her mistakes are better than mine, since, she is able to keep tempo and plow through them. I haven't gotten to that phase yet, when I screw up, I pretty much have to stop, and restart a measure or two before. But hey, I'm still learning. Either way, its one of the few songs in these cheesy beginner piano books I actually enjoy. If I were to give one critique for her (which, would satisfy my friend's resistance to middle school musical style) is that she pay attention to her dynamics! There are clearly two parts that require a dramatic crescendo, which we do not hear. I am working hard on incorporating those into my practice, and hope that this makes you proud Jenn!

Good News for Me

I mentioned that I was quietly excited to go off BCP because of the sheer fact that I might loose weight.  Well, here is some more good news about being off "hormone therapy!"

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30266121/

Uninspired

Its been weeks since I've posted.  I haven't been motivated.  I'm not even motivated to follow the 'format' I had set up originally.  It would be pointless as I have made zero progress on anything lately anyway.

 

But, I will tell you the following:

 

• I haven't been to the gym since last Tuesday
• I've eaten a slice of cheesecake and have had one brownie every day since Sunday
• I'm exhausted from working 12 hour shifts and from working last Saturday (which I volunteered to do)
• My brain hurts from thinking about a project that is due in 2 weeks
• I turn 30 in 4 days

 

Despite all this, I was down to 144lbs on Sunday.  Going to go to the gym today to hopefully prevent me from gaining weight this week.

 

I apologize I have nothing exciting to add to this crappy post.  Hopefully I can get back into a routine soon enough.

 

1st Quarter Review

Since today marks the end of the 1st Quarter of the New Year, I thought I would take some time to review the resolutions I made:

 

1.      Finish my Master's - Still on track to graduate, May 2nd, 2009.

2.      Improve my 5K time and finish under 30 minutes (and then some) - This can officially be crossed off.  My split at the 10K was 29:14.  Prior to this, my 5K time right around 31:00.  I have all confidence that it will continue to get faster as well.

3.      Travel outside of the US - still working on this. Currently planning a cruise the week of Labor Day.  It's only to Mexico, but, it's a vacation out of the country.  Not as exotic as I had hoped, but, should be fun nonetheless.

4.      Get back to my "Pre-Florida" weight - This has been slow going.  I dropped a total of 6lbs so far this year.  But, I put 3 back on the past weekend (damn those fresh fried sweet potato chips from Springtime Tallahassee).  But, I'm hoping to get back on track and then some this week.  I was already a pound lighter (of those three) today.

5.      Prove to the world (or at least my friends) that 30 is the new 20 - I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a "Birthday Weekend" this year.  My b-day falls on a Sunday.  People don't come to parties on Sundays.  So, I'm thinking, let's go dancing on Friday night, then, maybe dinner and some cocktails on Saturday night so when midnight hits I can officially celebrate.  My BFF is looking into coming into town with her hubby, so that should make for a fun weekend.

6.      Become more well-read - Slowly but surely this is coming along.  I just finished The Mummy by Anne Rice.  I'm currently reading On The Road by Jack Kerouac.  I'd like to get to some of the books on my bookshelf I've started but never finished.  Including Don Quixote, and The Decameron. 

7.      Spend more time in my music - I've been doing pretty well on this.  In fact, recently music has been one of my distractions from doing my work for school.  Annoyingly enough, I'm not learning piano fast enough to my liking.  I want to wake up and be a pro already.  Believe it or not, its frustrating transitioning instruments, especially when the music appears really easy to my eyes, but my fingers can't seem to make it work.  I might start taking piano lessons.  But, I also really want to find a community orchestra to play in as well.  I can do it all, right?

8.       Get ahead in my career (kind of goes along with goal #1) - I have applied to a few federal jobs in the DC area (feds seem to be the only one hiring).  I need to start networking more with individuals in the private sector of GIS here in Tallahassee.  I hate the public sector here (i.e. State of Florida).  You can't get promoted unless someone in the higher position retires or dies.  However, the public sector isn't hiring much since they are mostly contractors for the State of Florida, and if you haven't heard, we're in a budget crisis.  What fun. 

9.      Participate in a triathlon - I currently plan to participate in the Freedom Springs Triathlon on July 4, 2009.  I have no idea what to expect.  I think I'm going to go watch the Red Hills Triathlon this weekend.  I specifically want to focus on how to do the "transitions" - i.e. water to bike, bike to running.  I'll probably just wear my running shoes to bike in and end up wearing my swim suit for the whole thing.  I don't have those fancy clip on pedals like some people do - not to mention, I have a mountain bike anyway, not a road bike.  I won't be breaking any records, but, I'd like to finish in a decent time.  I'm semi nervous, and I wish there was a sprint triathlon later in the year so I can give myself more time to train for it.  I might still look into this.  But, I should just suck it up and go for it.

 

Well, there you have it.  Q1 in review.  So far, I'm pretty happy with my progress.  Hopefully, once school ends, I can start focusing on 6 and 7 more.  I really need work on 8, and I feel that will be a year long process.  But, it will be good for me.

ANTM Season 13 here I come!

Training for: Freedom Springs Triathlon

Cardio: 2 miles - walking on breaks - 165

Weights: 3x(upper body 4x20, abs 4x20, lower body 4x20) alternating exercises for each of the 3 sets.

Food: Breakfast - Oatmeal - 160

Lunch - Leftover Pizza - 1 million

Dinner - I need to go shopping - maybe grilled chicken salad.

Self Confidence: 6 (i'm mostly feeling indifferent today)

 

So, I think I'm going to run another 5K in April.  But, not specifically going to train for it.  Its going to be more for fun, and, I hope I set a new PR - which I think I will since I set a PR halfway through a 10K.  Plus its on a course I know very well, Tom Brown Park.  A friend of mine is a member of the Junior League of Tallahassee and they're hosting it.  Plus, as most races are, its for a good cause.

 

Beach season is coming upon us.  I really want to be in bikini shape ASAP.  I hope this new lifting program I'm trying will help with that.  That also means its time to start shopping for a new suit.  I hate bikini shopping, but, not for the reasons that most women hate it for.  For me, I enjoy getting to try on a bunch of different suits.  I pretty much know that 75% of them will look horrible on me, but, its fun to try them anyway, just for that 25% chance that one I think will look terrible, will look fantastic.  You never know.  Like with most clothes, they usually look terrible on the hanger, you really need to put them on to know whether or not you're going to like them.  What I hate is the fact that they cost so much friggin money.  And, then, even after you drop $80 on a suit, they fall apart or get sunbleached after a year.  I have yet to find a suit that holds up over the years.  I usually get 2 seasons out of a suit, which, in my opinion, is not long enough for less than a yard of $80 fabric.

 

Speaking of shopping, I also need new work clothes.  Luckily, my birthday is coming up.  Every year my mom always gets me some clothes, which is great.  But, my main problem lies in finding good quality work pants.  I have LLS - long-leg syndrome.  Now, many of you may not think this is a problem, and say "Man!  I wish I was tall and had long legs like yours!" No, really.  You don't.  Now, I LOVE being tall, in fact, I'm pretty much obsessed with it, and in fact, I'm not even that tall - only 5'7".  In fact, according to America's Next Top Model, 5'7" is short.  But, it is quite impossible to find pants to fit me.  You see, my inseam is longer than my 6'1" husband's inseam.  I need at least a 34" inseam.  And that's if I'm wearing flats.  If I want heels, I gotta bump that up to 36". 

 

Guess what.  Tallahassee shopping sucks.  Even places that carry "long" pants are a joke.  For instance, Express.  I love Express, but their "long" inseam is 33".  Yeah, not going to cut it - especially after they get washed once.  I'll look like Huckleberry Finn and people will start screaming "Where's the flood?!?"  Even stores that generally carry long sizes, such as Gap, Banana Republic, etc, rarely have them in our ant-sized stores.  Apparently there are no tall women in Tallahassee. 

 

Shop online you say?  Ok.  Good idea.  However, do you know what a pain it is to buy, and then return things from online if they don't fit?  A few years ago I went through approximately 6 pairs of Lucky jeans (and eventually returned them all), and several pairs of J.Crew pants.  You see, the length isn't the only problem.  How do I know what size I need if I can't try them on first?  Size charts are a joke.  Not to mention, those Lucky jeans cost me an extra $40 in "restocking fees" - never again will I shop with them online.  Even if I do find a pair that fit one year, styles inevitably vary from season to season. 

 

My coworker complains about having the "same, yet opposite" problem.  She requires 30" inseams.  I tell her to go to a tailor.  She says that it costs too much.  If only I had the luxury.

 

So, my game plan is - go to the stores we do have in Tally, and try on different styles of current styles.  Then, write down what style and size fit me.  Then, go online, and pray that they come in long and hope they still fit the same when I order them.  Wish me luck.

 

 

 

 

 

Starting Anew

Training for: Freedom Springs Triathlon

Cardio: 0 (yesterday I burned 762 calories during the race)
Weights: 0
(it's Sunday, and I just finished a race. I'm resting)

Food: Breakfast - Cheese Toast (370)
Lunch - TGI Friday's (too many I'm sure)
Dinner - I have no idea

Self Confidence: 8-9

So. I did it. I ran a 10K. Me...someone who used to always get out of running during cross-training for swimming. Someone who, just a few years ago could barely run for 10 minutes without stopping. And, I did it in under an hour. I finished with a time of 59:23. Don't believe me? See for yourself. I was bib number 418.

I passed the halfway point at 29:14. This is a personal best for a 5K time as well. I can officially cross off one of my goals for the new year.

I didn't get a chance to make my ideal playlist, which would include Beethoven's 9th 2nd movement as my last song so I could be extra pumped while crossing the finish line. That would have been so cool. Instead I was too lazy to time all this stuff out so I put my Aphrodite album on repeat for the whole hour, which seemed to do the trick. And, actually, it never had to repeat. I crossed before it finished.

Maybe one day I'll be as fast as my friend Katie. She finished in 47:47, and the last 5K she did was under 24 minutes. Really though, who am I kidding. I'll never be that fast. But you know what? I can take her in the water any day.

So the 10K is over, and is classified as a success. Time to move forward into the wonderful world of triathlon training. Which, I have no idea how to do. I can swim. I can bike. I just proved I can run. Now, can I do all three?

I found a recommended training plan/schedule. And, its pretty intense. I'll attempt to follow it. We'll see how it goes. I'm still waiting for the friggin pool at Myer's Park to open. They are now claiming April as the open date. We'll see. If I want to follow this 12 week schedule, then my start date would be on Easter.

In the mean time, I'm going to back off for a little while - in some sense anyway. I will still aim to hit the gym 5 days a week, but, I don't plan to run quite as much. My knees and hip need time to recover, so I'll be mixing up the cardio a little. Probably start biking to work again 2-3 times a week. Maybe do some mountain biking through Tom Brown as well.

Also going to mix up my weight lifting routine. I'm going to entertain myself with some circuit training. Specifically, one I found at bodybuilding.com. Oddly enough, its a pretty intesnse circuit - so, while I'll be backing off on cardio, I'll make up for that by doing circuits. Its a workout that some guy wrote for Jessica Simpson - hypothetically. Kind of funny, but, I actually liked what he had to say and am interested in trying it out.

Actually, I bet this workout will kick my butt, and, I bet after a day or two I quit following it. I have a hard time following things like these.....but, hopefully I can do it for ONE week? So, that is my goal this week. Follow this dude's faux celebrity workout. I'll let you know how it goes.

Who would have thought.

Training For: Springtime Tallahassee 10K

 

Cardio: Myer's Park Run (undecided on length) - 4 to 6 miles

Weights: 0

Total Calories:

 

Food:  Breakfast - Quaker Take Heart Blueberry Oatmeal - 160

          Lunch - Jimmy John's Beach Club (on whole grain bread, no mayo) - 610

          Dinner - Tuna and Soba Noodles - 240+100+sauce??

  Total Food: 1110 +sauce/seasonings

 

Self Confidence: 7

 

I'm getting nervous about running the 10K - mainly because, my hip is still sore from last Tuesday, and, I have to put more miles on my new shoes between now and Saturday.  But, I also don't want to run too much this week since I do have to run 6.2 miles this weekend.  But, I'm also excited at the same time. 

 

Never in my life have I considered myself a runner.  I am a water baby.  I'm pretty sure I was conceived by water.  We used to run as cross training for swimming, and, I used to put myself at the back of the line and walk at every opportunity.  I could barely run 10 minutes in HS.  I do remember my fastest mile time was a 7:46.  The only reason I finished so fast was because I just wanted it to be over with.  The track coach was my English teacher - she tried to recruit me.  I told her no way.  Plus, I didn't have time for track - swimming was a year round sport.  And, I wasn't going to give up any of my time for a sport that I loathed.

 

I could barely run a mile back then - and forget running 6.  When I graduated college I *attempted* to run - mainly because, I needed excercise, and running was free.  But, after a 15-20min run around the block (literally) I declared myself done.  I had no stamina.  I could swim for hours, but I could barely run for more than 15 minutes.  Put me back in the water please!

 

Biking was another thing.  I used to bike to class since I didn't have a car in college.  Not to mention, we also would bike as cross training for swimming in college.  We used to bike about 7.5 miles out to this little lake that a supporter of the team lived on - swim the length of the lake (about 1000 yards) then bike back.  My favorite workout ever.  I'll never forget the attempt to bike up Horsetooth my freshman year.  My friend Emily and I got about halfway up the first hill before deciding we could walk our bikes up the hill faster than we could ride them.  So, we got off and pushed.  Got to the top, and cruised down.  By far the best part. 

 

I also had a friend in college that liked to bike ride.  We would go ride for hours together out Overland Trail, over to Bellvue and Laporte.  Nice 2-3 hour rides.  Also, whenever I got pissed off at my roommate for something, I'd just take off and go ride my bike.  It was about as far as I could get away from her (since I didn't have a car).  She would of course be all mad when I got back saying that she "freaked out" cuz she didn't know where I was.  Which, was, pretty much the reason I would do it. 

 

Here I am today - about to run 6.2 miles, in a competition no less, for fun.  I must be on crack.  Not to mention, working my way towards the sprint triathlon in July.  Speaking of - I need to see if Myer's park pool is finally open.  They *supposedly* opened last week - but, this has yet to be confirmed.  I'll  check when I go for my run this afternoon.  Now, I'm wishing I packed my suit, cap, & goggles just in case.  A swim would be a perfect thing after a long run.