First Lunch Workout

Cardio: 45min Swim - 500cals

Weights: Upper Body - Endurance (3x20 reps)

 

Food: Breakfast - Total Cinnamon Crunch (190) w/ 1/4 cup skim (23) - 213

         Lunch - Bumblebee Sundried Tomato & Basil Tuna (110) w/ 5 Whole Wheat Ritz Crackers (70) - 180

         Snack - Fiber One Vanilla Yogurt - 80

         Snack - Fiber One Strawberry w/ Almonds granola bar - 140

Total Food: 613 no dinner plans yet - still debating

 

 

I made it to the gym over lunch today.  It was a VERY speedy workout - but, it was a good endurance strength workout.  I did my exercises as if they were compound sets.  Basically, I did 1 set 20 reps of chest press, then straight into 20 reps of curls - then back to chest, until I finished 3 sets of each.  Then, I took a small break - then went into bent over rows & lat raises.  I did this because it REALLY saves a ton of time vs. resting between each set and between each exercise.  It also gives you a slight cardio-like boost which is good.  I probably should have mixed some abs in there, and I think I will next time.

 

And, my goal is to still hit the pool after work today.  I haven't been at 5:30 before, and I know there is a water aerobics class - so hopefully they don't close too many lanes for it.  I guess I'll find out. If it sucks, I'll have to find another way to get some swimming in.  Maybe take a longer lunch once or twice a week.  We'll see.

 

As for dinner - I'm going to decide what to make once I get home.  I'm not sure what time I will end up getting home.  I'm planning on 6:30ish I guess.  So, depending on my energy level, we'll either do meatloaf or goulash.  Exciting I know.

 

Anyway, I need to try to get motivated to work some more.  I'm stuck trying to build a tracking database.  Fun!  Only 5 hours left!

 

Call me Master!

All I can say, is that it will be great to get into a regular routine again.  Granted, while in school, I was in a routine, and while it was the same from week to week, it was far from regular.  I like being able to go into work and leave at the same time everyday.  I like not having to juggle wether or not to go to the gym or the grocery store because I had to work later into the evening because I had to go to class.  I like not having to come home and work on homework instead of doing something more fun, like tend to my garden, do home improvements, or just be lazy and play video games or watch TV.  Its going to be nice.

 

I started my 4-day work week this week.  I have Mondays off.  Although, for every Monday between now and July I will need to work at least 5 hours.  We have two vacations coming up.  One at the end of May into early June, and one at the end of June.  I will need 70 hours of leave for these two vacations combined.  I have 25 right now, and will only earn another 16-20hrs between now and then (not all at once either).  But, I can handle 45 hour weeks.  I technically did more than that while in school.  Just, not all of it was work-related.  And, knowing I can do those 5 hours during any time on Mondays is also nice.  So, if I'm feeling motivated, I'll go in at 7am.  If not, I'll go in at 10.  I like having that option.

 

As far as the triathlon goes, the July 4th Freedom Springs Tri is going to be a bust.  July 5th is Steve's birthday.  He wants to make a trip to Orlando to go to Universal Studios for the weekend, since we get the 3rd off, and I get Monday the 6th off.  We have family down there as well who are our age to hang out with (cousins).  So, I need to start looking for other tri's in the area (decently driveable) to train for.  This is probably better anyway since, I really didn't have any time to trian the last few weeks with finals, graduation, and family coming into town.  I'm hoping to get on the boat this week or next.  I've been swimming lately, which is nice.  Especially in the summer in Florida.  And, while its great, and I love being able to do it - I can't help but still feel some of the negative feelings I used to get in college & HS. 

 

Butterfly day????  UGH!!!!  Distance Day???  We'll never finish 7500yds before its time to leave for school!!! 

 

Its nice to know, that if I miss an interval, I won't be required to start a set over.  Or have lounge chairs thrown in the pool at me for farting around.  And, if I don't want to do butterfly or breaststroke, well, by golly I don't have to!  And I won't feel bad about it either!!!

 

Surprisingly, I'm not as slow as I thought I would be either.  I did some 50 free's on the :45 and made them ok.  Did some 100s on the 1:45 and made them pretty easily.  My only problem is, getting enough yardage in.  I've been swimming about 45min and getting about 2500yds in.  Its really weird to think, that, 45min is a lot of cardio.  And, when I run or bike, I don't do much more than 45-60min at a time.  But, 2500yds in the water seems so short!  Probably because i'm used to doing anywhere from 3500-7500yds in any given practice.  I mean, some of our practices would be over 2 hours long depending.  That's a LONG time to be working out.  I think an hour is good.  I'd like to average 3500+ yards in an hour. 

 

My first day back in the pool, I did 2000 yards.  I told Steve my warm up was 800 yards.  It was the standard warm up I did while in OK: 200 Swim, 200 Kick, 200 Pull, 200 IM. He said "It takes you 800 yards to warm up?  When you're only swimming for 45min?"  I thought about it.  Yes, it seemed odd.  But, my body needed it. 

 

I need to do more sprints, and more distance.  I haven't done any sets that require anything over 200.  Which, I did 200s (free) on the 3 minutes.  I made all 4 of them.  Funny to think I used to swim a 200 backstroke in 2:12. 

 

It feels weird saying the swimming portion of the triathlon will be the easiest.  But, really - 400 yards, when I do 800 yards for a 'warmup' on any given day, should be a piece of cake.

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.