Friday Five-I'm Old

TGIF

1. I haven't run. I haven't run. I haven't run. Last week I don't remember what my excuse was, but I didn't run. Oh wait, I remember, I was eating excessively and traveled to L.A. I did run Sunday, then Monday I was hit with a crazy right hip issue. I had hoped to do a race day sign up tomorrow for a trail 1/2 marathon, but it is probably not a smart idea. I am hoping to convince my husband to do a family run tomorrow instead, with him pushing the double jogging stroller of course. Remember he is not a runner. I have a partner for Sunday lined up already and a bike ride scheduled for after my run. I can get back on track, I know I can...just hope that I do.
2. I have finished Italy and am on to India. Eat, Pray, Love is going ok. I like the book more than I don't, but I feel like the author is trying too hard. I mean I love quality descriptions, it is why Hemingway is one of my favorites. She on the other hand is like Hemingway on steriods...way too many adjectives per sentence or too many sentences per thought. Anyone else getting this from the book???
3. I am stuck on stupid eating ice cream. I used to love the occasional scoop of mint chocolate chip with fudge topping at Baskin Robins. Right now, I am loving a scoop of Rocky Road and Peanut Butter Chocolate. Soooo good, soooo bad for me. I have been eating after 8:00 again and my after 8:00 diet is pretty much just ice cream.
4. Tomato Bisque and good bread is my new favorite meal. Seriously, amazingly good.
5. I have had to pick up my 18-yr old niece everyday this week to babysit while my regular babysitter is on vacation. This morning on our drive, just before 7:00 am, I point out two runners in my neighborhood and make the following statement, "Ah, I want to run with them, they are tall (like me), slender (not like me) and....wait, they are way faster than I am." My so very thoughtful niece looking to temper how hard I was being on myself for being slower said, "Oh Aunty Sophie they are probably way younger than you too, like just a few years older than I am." Yeah, I am 31 and apparently that is old. OLD! Old to an 18-yr old.

Thankful Three

1. For a great sushi dinner with some friends in town from NY. Love me some Hamachi Nigiri
2. For squeezing in baking German Chocolate cupcakes tonight for our friends bday party tomorrow, makes me feel accomplished and good that someone likes something that I make (even if it is just the boxed mix)
3. For my husband who stayed on hold with our internet service provider for more than 30 minutes, then another 30 minutes with an technicican so I could get my our WiFi back. Love Super Hubby!

Tuesday Tidbit: Ouch

My WiFi is on the fritz. I had such a great little post lined up for my Sunday Summary, but no internet connection. Oh well. Long story short I when on a nice run with a new friend. We are both reading the same book, were rock'n the same pair of Mizuno's and are both tall so I didn't feel like a giant. Was kinda nice. The downside is that it is the only run I got in last week and I pretty much ate like I was getting ready to hibernate. It was gross. Being on vacation where eating at Deli's is the only thing on the agenda is no longer my thing. I need an exercise vacation.

So a little something about me for today's tidbit. I am a mini hoarder.  I don't qualify for the show, I do not save my kids dirty diapers, I do have a plenty of walkable space in my house and we regularly have clean clothes, dishes and the like. No, I am not that kind of hoarder. You'd never guess it since my excesses are neatly packed in tubs in the attic or closet. I do however keep random stuff and lots of clothes. I used to have a summer and winter set of clothes in my current size and the sizes below and above my current weight. I grew up not exactly poor, I always had food and clothes, but I didn't have a lot of extras. So I saved clothes. If they didn't fit me, maybe they would fit someone I knew. When I stopped playing basketball in college and my weight skyrocketed I had to get new big people clothes. Cheap, affordable clothes. I had lots of these and didn't get rid of my skinny clothes. Anyways, long story short for the past 5 years I have diligently been reducing all the excess I have in my attic. It's a small attic. Yesterday was the last of my excess clothes. I donated some items to the Women's Center here in town and the rest I gave to my mother to ship to Mexico. Her hometown was pretty devastated by the hurricane that hit last month. It felt good to let go of things and know they are going to a good place. Every year I have cleaned out my attic a little and donated items. I can proudly say I am pretty much out of clothes to donate. On the flip side, I think I actually hurt myself/pulled something in my right hip. It hurts to walk so we'll see how long this takes to heal because I had planned a 1/2 marathon this Saturday as a training run. OUCH!

*The 2 tubs are all I have left-maternity just in case my hubby changes his mind about more kids and the next size up. I am hoping I won't ever go back to the next size up, but they will work as a transition if I do get pregnant again. The bag on top is kids stuff.


Now on to the excess in my house. I have been losing weight and I am so happy to have gotten rid of a good chunk of my excess weight, so it makes sense I start getting rid of the things weighing me down at home. It's a slow process for me, I like to look at an item and think about who could benefit from it, whereas my husband could empty out our house in 1/2 hr. He's a thower awayer. We make a perfect pair and I am sure he has save me from actual hoarderdom.

What's weighing you down?

Saturday Sampler: home sweet home

Where do I start? Well let's just start with how happy I am to be home. I will recap my mini-trip in just a moment, but I would like to start today's blog with my Thankful  Three first.
Thankful Three

1. For the crazy amount of sleep I got this weekend
2. Chocolate Fondue and Champagne
3. For never wanting to be "fat"/overweight again

Ok, so #3 will need some explaining. I am not sure why I came to this shocking realization this weekend, but I did. I had the very specific thought, "I never want to be fat again" and I said it out loud. I am so far from the shape, fitness and health level that I want to be at... no that is a lot of hard work I have yet to engage in. I am however deliriously happy with the way I feel about myself, how I look, how I feel physically. I love how steadily I am moving towards a clothing size that is flattering for me and I don't have to cut out chocolate fondue to get there. All this makes me not want to be fat again. Again, I am not skinny, but I am happy with where I am and you can't beat that.

On the flip side, I did not eat this weekend like I wanted to be "skinny" for lack of a better term. No, Thursday started with a stop at a steak house. I didn't come close to finishing my meal, but I did eat so much that I was in a complete food coma the rest of the drive to L.A. The good thing about being that full is when you sleep so late the next day and have to skip breakfast, your belly could care less.

Friday I went to a graduation for my brother in law. He completed a very prestigious Fellows program. It was a nice little ceremony, but I left wondering why I jumped into full time government employment after college? I know the answer. I wanted to work, I wanted to display my talent, I too had just started a two-year prestigious government fellows program and oh yeah, I didn't get into the 2 PhD programs that I wanted to do. So am I complaining? Absolutely not, but my suppressed desire to earn a PhD has been rekindled. Now that I have full time employment, am married and have 2 kids under 3, I am not sure if and when this whole PhD thing is going to happen?

Friday and Saturday were packed with great food and fun experiences. It has been confirmed, Canter's Deli is obviously better than Brent's Deli. The movie Cyrus was good, but not "Killer Funny" as described. The Santa Monica promenade is great if you want to shop, but when you have planned to shop in your attic on Monday, it is kind of a waste. The Santa Monica pier was way cooler in my early twenties than it is now. The drive to L.A. is worse than the drive home, guess I look forward to home more than smog town USA.

Finally some random thoughts:

• Wheat Grass shot 10 day challenge was blah. I did it, the shots got easier to take, but I didn't feel miraculous healing powers or health benefits. Can someone please sell me on the idea? I don't get it. 
• I never in a million years would've picked up the book Eat, Pray, Love. However, that is our book club's pick so I am reading it. I am only 50 pages in, but I totally appreciate it. I also never would've picked up the book Twilight, but the book club picked it last summer and suddenly I found myself devouring the entire series. Lesson? Read what I wouldn't expect to pick for myself and enjoy. 
• After this weekend's food binges I am ready for a complete bland or vege diet to detox, I think I am still full.

The Turn Around-It's my Friday!

Wednesday Hump Day sounds funny, but like an out and back run it marks the turn around to the work week. Except this week of course. I have the next few days off, but they are going to be packed full of to-do's. Tomorrow I will finally go to my first physical therapy appointment for this nagging ITB issue. If I am going to cross the finish line of the Nike Women's Marathon in October, it is probably best that I don't do it hobbling or worse, crawling. I will also be going to the eye doctor to get a new prescription, working in front of a computer screen all day continues to take it's toll. Friday I'll be in L.A. for a graduation and will be back at home Saturday. I hate short trips that require 6 hours in a car each way, but that is what we have planned, stupid family obligations to celebrate accomplishment.[kidding here] The upside is I will be stuffing my face with fabulous food for those 2 days, ok maybe not that much food, but more than I have been eating lately. Ooh and better yet, I get to sleep in 2 days in a row, love hotel fluffy beds.


First I need to survive the day. Today I am working a 10 hour day in hopes of squeezing in what I would've normally accomplished in a week. Then right after work is Book Club night. So excited, I love meeting up with my bookies. Tonight's read, The Help. If you haven't read it I won't spoil it for you, but according to the author's website it is going to be made into a movie soon. The story takes place in Mississippi in 1962 and tells a story from the perspective of a variety of characters, including the perspective of a maid, hence the title The Help. Great easy read and I would recommend it.

While I some how fit in dropping off the kids, working 8 1/2 hours, picking up the kids and a 2-hour board meeting last night, I did not fit in my 4 mile run. Running has really been taking a back seat lately. I was super sleepy last night from a sleepless night before with the Bug and just kind of zoned out in front of the TV. The downside is I should've spent that time packing for me short weekend trip to L.A. or going for my 4 mile run, or better yet actually sleeping! Today I am working a 10 hour day and going to book club, but no where do I see room for my 4 miler today either. I know you hear it every week, but I really need to step it up. My ITB is not going to get better if I don't get more consistent. I am certain it is overuse or the too much too soon thing that has prevented this injury from ever fully going away.


On the Horizon: I have Monday off too and will be shopping in the attic for skinny clothes. So excited because I am swimming in my work pants, not very professional. I will also spend Monday purging. Purging the attic, closets and junk drawers. I will be donating as much as possible and making a trip to the Shred-it company for all the paper crap I have saved because I felt like I didn't want to throw personal information in the trash. Going to be an exciting Monday, stay tuned. I hope to squeeze in a Friday Five before then and for sure will catch up with you all for a Sunday Summary. 

Thankful Three

1. Family willing baby-sit, dog-sit and house-sit. So lucky.
2. For some how losing another pound this past week despite the lavish weekend I had.
3. For the perfectly prepared Ribeye steak I will be eating at a stop on the way to L.A....yeah not losing weight vegetarian style over here.

Sunday Summary:

Workouts Planned/Completed

Monday: Rest/17 mile bike ride

Tuesday: 3mile run/rest
Wednesday: Rest/Rest
Thursday: 3 mile run/3 mile run
Friday: Rest/Rest
Saturday: 13 mile run/16.2 mile bike
Sunday: 3 mile run/rest


I know I am not exactly on track with my running, but I know I'll get there. I was glad to get out on the bike as much as I did this week. I am having difficulty coping with the heat. Seriously sucks to be sweating before I even get into the car from my front door. 15 feet, not far and my knees of all body parts were sweating already. It is gross and bordering on unbearable. Yes I know the solution is to get up at 5 and run before work, but I am just not there yet. 

Girl Power

So I was invited to a girls overnighter on Saturday. I was super excited and expected just lame girl smack talking, drinking & laughing. As it turns out, it was girl power fest 2010. I had originally planned on driving back home (1.5 hours) late that night because Super Hubby had a full day of fishing and golfing planned today. WORST case scenario if I had too much to drink or was too tired I set my alarm for 4:30 so I could get home in time for him to head out on his Sunday adventures. Well it was a combo, I had too much to drink and was too tired. Glad I set the alarm! There were 9 girls..ahem women. 5 over 40 and 4 of us under. 3 of the 5 over 40 all work in San Francisco in the Financial district. It was great to be around women who are smart, confident and happy with their position in life. Instead of the complaining or nit picking on men, talking about what diet we're on or something else typical and shallow, we all talked about how awesome life is. Without bragging, we shared how hard each of us work, why we chose the men in our lives and how we are all exactly where we chose to be in life. It was an amazing night and alcohol had nothing to do with it although there was some great wine being poured.

Thankful Three

1. For becoming confident enough in myself that I can share how proud I am of my life
2. For women who encourage others to be the best version of themselves and are not threatened by other's successes
3. For kids who let me sleep in after a long night/early morning...also for taking 2 hours naps at the same time so Mama could also sneak in an afternoon nap

Nighy Nite Blogland

Friday Five-Behavioral Based Questions

1. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way. Husband: I feel obligated to take the kids to LA with us. Me: I see that this is important to you, however have you thought of the fact that we'll be in a car with a 2 yr old and an 8 month old for 6 hours each way. Have you considered that they will not have a good place to nap if we do an overnight trip and have to check out of a hotel by noon? Result: great short trip with hubby where we can go out to eat, not stress over a sitter and sleep late.
2. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. Um I am a working mom, so that is pretty much every day. But most recently I would say that getting over the guilt and letting my husband ask the inlaws if they would watch the kids while I went for a run at the local fleet feet on NIke tour bus day. Yes, even 3 miles in 99 degree heat I consider coping.
3. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem. Problem: It is the day before my Bday trip and I still hadn't made time to get See's Chocolate. Good Judgement: Kids obviously need to get ready for bed so I bathed and dressed them. Logic: No one cares if your kids are in PJs at the mall at 8:30 at night because you need your chocolate fix (at least not in my town). Pushed bed time about 20 minutes late, but avoided a chocolate emergency.
4. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it. Goal: Put in for the Leadership Development Program at work. Not only did I get my application in by the deadline, I scored well enough to be referred to the selecting official and was interviewed this morning. LOTS of behavioral based questions.
5. Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks. Please refer to question 2, I am a mom and always have too many things to do. So daily I set my priorities and daily I generally fail to accomplish all of them. I am however an excellent list maker and am fully aware of what I am not getting done and surprisingly the things I manage to accomplish in my crazy days.

Thankful Three

1. For http://www.quintcareers.com/sample_behavioral.html
2. For my interview which went way better than expected
3. For my cousin who sup'd up a vintage Schwin and invited me on a ride tomorrow morning 

The Turn Around-I love food

Wednesday Hump Day sounds funny, but like an out and back run it marks the turn around to the work week. This week has really flown by, so much work, so little time. Tomorrow I know will blow by with a visit from the big bosses at work, an offsite meeting with multi-jurisdictional agencies, then if I am lucky a fun 3-5 miler with the Nike 26.2 tour bus. They are stopping by our local fleet feet and leading a run in preparation for the October Nike Women's Marathon. Should be fun. Then it's Friday. No real plans other than the fact that is is Friday and I have a wide open weekend---such a relief! Save for the 13 mile training run I'll need to squeeze in, it is a welcomed break. 


Ooh wait, I almost forgot. The leadership development program I applied for at work sent me email confirmation a week ago that I made the cut off score and am being considered. This Friday is my interview. Wish me luck! I think in general I interview well, but also know that a lot more goes into selecting the leadership associates than just the interview so I will temper my excitement. Highly competitive and I am at a slight disadvantage having already graduated from a national fellows program. Selections won't be made until end of summer so even though I interview Friday, it is still a long wait to find out who is selected. Wish me luck!

SOWL Challenges

"She had eight grilled cheese sandwiches. She stuffed them in her mouth all at once. It was so sad."— from Legally Blonde

CONFESS! What was your worst eating moment?

My worst eating moment....hmmm, I have had so many it is hard to choose from. I tend to order a little of everything off a menu because I can't decide what I want. Somehow I had been able to really pack it in and instead of sampling lots of different things from each order, I was consuming all of the different things I ordered. Expensive on the pocket book and super expensive on the waist line. Worst moment? Well I know the question refers to a specific time, but I wanted to share how awful it felt to have someone look at me wide-eyed and shocked at the amount of food I ordered (sometimes 3-4 different meals at once or with a bazillion sides or substitutions). 


I remember punishing myself by stuffing myself as a way of making my ridiculous order seem cool. Like a feat of tummy strength. Stupid I know. I have just built up such a reputation for loving food so much that I was pushing myself to eat in ways that didn't make me feel or look good just to keep up the reputation. I have slowly, but surely refined that reputation to be a love of good quality food and now I certainly wouldn't disrespect cheese, wine or chocolate by devouring it without truly enjoying each bite. Trust me, if your so full it hurts, you are not enjoying each bite anymore, you are punishing yourself and wasting good food so you might as well stop.

Previous Challenges:
 Produce Love-I still haven't tried a new fruit or vegetable. I am an eclectic eater and have tried everything in my local grocery already. I'll have to hunt through the farmers market for something exotic Take before pictures (front and side)-Totally dragging my feet on this one Pick a weigh-in day-Tuesday's and yesterday rocked! I am down 4 pounds from last week Take your measurements-see my SOWL link on the left hand side of this blog


Thankful Three

1. For opportunities to grow
2. For truly feeling in control of my health
3. For the Microsoft Home Use Program. In just 35 more minutes my Office 2008 for MAC will finally be fully downloaded to my laptop....ugh, I am ready for bed already though, so hopefully it's a fast 35 minutes.

Tuesday Tidbit: You know it's single file right?

Ok, quick Sunday Summary make-up session:

Monday-rest

Tuesday- 5 miles planned, no miles actually run
Wednesday-rest
Thursday-4 miles planned/Brick work out instead 3.4 mile run & 1000 yards swim
Friday-rest
Saturday-Triathlon
Sunday-4 miles planned, no miles actually run...a little more tired than anticipated

Summer of Weight Loss Update (SOWL)

So I am completely rocking this weight loss party. No extreme dieting here, just sticking with my concept of calorie consciousness. Today's weigh in brings me to 186. My "lofty" goal of 180 is now seeming attainable and surprisingly sustainable. Things are going great. I wish I had a picture of myself today because I not only felt skinny, but I think I looked skinny too. Yes it all sounds vain, but if you know me, then you know I do not take compliments well and I usually put myself down. I think the self-esteem exercise I did during the 31 days to 31 really helped.

Race Report

Sorry I was late posting this. I was waiting for race results. They were posted, but they had me with my age group when I raced as an Athena with a different wave start time. They had to adjust my time and update the race results. The downside is I didn't get a plaque race day for placing 4th, but the good news is my adjusted time squeaked under my 2 hour race goal. This was the second TRI of the season and originally my goal was going to be to reduce my previous time of 1:57:29. However, I did not ride my bike a single time since the last race on June 5th. I only got in the pool once and that was the week of this race. I only swam 1000 yards. I ran a little, but really just a few times. Here's the short version:

TBF RACING TRI for FUN 1/2 mile swim~16 mile bike~3 mile run

4 out of 15 Athena's (this is half the field as the first race 6/5)

1:59:54

If I would have aged grouped I would have been 25/34 in the 30-34 group

Morning:

woke up at 6:15, rolled out of bed at 6:35

6:35 pump

7:15 left for the race which was about 45 minutes away (note race starts at 8:00)

Breakfast:

Darn it, I was not up early enough to make anything. Luckily I had a power bar in my purse I had intended to snack on at a movie last week and didn't. WOW! I forgot how filling those things are, I only ate half. I was stuffed. No water, I packed it in the back of the pilot, I'll drink a little when I get to the race...so I thought.

Arrival:

8:00 arrived at the race, registered then headed to the bike support tent to have a nice young man pump up my tires. Good thing, I am still not accustomed to my bike and the new skinny pump up thingy. Yes I know, shame on me for not being on top of my new bike's maintenance.

Just shy of 8:15 I had my wet suit on and was on my way to the water. The good thing about racing Athena is that it supports my tardiness by being the last wave to start.

RACE

SWIM:

Distance: 1/2 mile

Time: about 19:21 (about 30+seconds slower than last time)

New Race technique I tried at the last TRI was to swim before the swim start. Triathlon Magazine (email) promotes warming up to get your body accustomed to the movement while also getting your heart rate up. They recommend a few hundred yards, I only swam to the rope line and back. It was great and surprisingly I had zero nerves at this race. None.

8:30 my wave went out and I lined up at the front right side. I am normally a back of the pack girl to avoid being kicked and realize I can achieve the same results by avoiding the pack all together starting further ahead and off to the side. I let the folks get going a few strokes before I went out and felt really calm. Like I said, my training for this portion of the race consisted of a 1000 swim at the gym 2 days before the race. On my way out to the first buoy I kept getting water in my goggles. I had a good buoy to buoy and on the turn to come in my swim cap kept threatening to come off. Not things that should have slowed me down too much, but I just wasn't focused on my stroke. I finally yanked the caps off and stuffed them in my wet suit with 200 yards to go. Wet suit you ask? No the water wasn't cold, but the buoyancy is my security blanket and worth the transition time I rack up trying to get it off.

Effort: I went out easy hoping not to freak out and realized I was far to comfortable and tried to push it. Honestly I had hoped my time was much better than last time it felt so good, but I really think the distractions of goggles and caps threw me off.

Transition 1: Probably took 4:30. This is a whole minute slower than last time. I had a hard time trying to strip the wet suit off. My shoes were hard to get on, my gloves were hard to get on and for the first time I actually worried about all the people getting out of transition before me.

BIKE: 

Distance: 16 miles

Time: about 1:02:00

Fuel: 1 Bag of Sharkies mostly at the turn around and on the way back to transition

Effort: I felt ok on the bike going out, but was having trouble right away with my chain catching when I shifted. The rolling hills were way harder than they should have been because I have no idea what I am doing on the bike. If I didn't shift early enough it was that I shifted the wrong direction. That's what riding a bike 1 time in the last month will get you. I need to learn how to shift. Before the half way mark I had given up on getting close to my last time of 1:01. For this to happen I would have to hit the turn around at the 30 minute mark. Just to see how bad I was doing I looked at my watch and it said 53:59. Yup take away 4:30 of transition and 19:21 for the swim and I was on track. That surprised gave me the boost I needed to try and stay strong on the bike. With about 300 yards to the dismount I was casually passing someone, when a rider obviously trying to make up time tried to pass me while I was passing someone. I must have swung out to pass too wide because this rider tried to go between us and could. This was a fairly closed road within the park. I hollered at her to see if she wanted me to move over further left to let her through the middle and she didn't say anything, just dropped back a little. I over took my person and the faster rider over took me, but not without commenting that "You know it's single file right?" Wow, really? Sure it doesn't sound too bad, give the newbie (me) and tip, but no that is not how she said it. She was snippy. She was wearing a team uniform and so was I. Did she expect that someone in uniform is obviously too experienced to make such a HUGE mistake to pass someone too slowly and too wide? She was not an Athena that I could tell and unless she was pulling out 6 minute miles I couldn't imagine her age grouping either, not hanging at the back of the pack with me. So was her level of competitiveness about beating her own time? I don't know, but she came off as rude.

Transition 2: Probably took 2 minutes about a minute longer than last time. I could maneuver past some people walking their bikes, then my gloves wouldn't come off either. Advantage to not having clip ins is that T2 is mostly done when I rack my bike. Disadvantage? Well? I'll know when I get my clip ins later this summer. 

RUN:
Distance: 3 miles

Time: about 31:00
Fuel: Tri Berry Gu at mile 1

Effort: I was so excited to see the the aid station right out of transition. I never understood it until now. I had forgotten my water bottles in the car so something to drink right out of transition was desperately needed. My husband stayed up last night added a holder onto my bike for me to be able to take 2 water bottles with me and I left both in the car. I had planned on using a race tip of spraying my legs with water on the bike to refresh them The 1-mile marker turned out to be at an 11 minute mile pace and I was walking alot. The fire road was dusty, but easy on the joints. There were rolling hills. I walked alot. At the start of the run I had no real hope that I would reach my goal of finishing in under 2 hours. It would mean that I had to run 10 minute miles which is pushing my limits. Like a real lot. At the 1-mile marker I decided that if I got to the turn around in near 5 minutes from that 1st mile marker I would go for it. Lofty, but surprisingly enough I was on track, but would need a sub 10 to finish. The second pass of the first mile marker was also mile 2 and I had just over 10 minutes to finish. I tried, but found myself walking with less than a quarter mile to go. This is where race volunteers play a huge role. I had a guy call me out, saying, "Ah come on DTC, your not walking are you, you're almost there!" Not meant to belittle, but meant to motivate. I felt obligated to this team that I am now apart of not to let them down. Who knew a team skin suit would be so motivating. The finishing stretch of about 100 yards I could see my teamates and hear them cheer me on and I pumped my elbows pretty hard. Probably my best finishing kick to date. I finished in 1:59:54....it was a squeaker, but a squeaker that earned me 4th place in my Athena division and they awarded the top 5. It was a good day despite how unprepared I was. 

I know all my times are rough estimates, but that is close enough for me. One of these days I learn how to read the lap function on my watch. I can mark them, but have not idea how to go back and look at each "lap". I think I see a fancy watch in my future.

 
Post Race
TBF racing is so well supported. Aside from the great volunteers and ample support on the course, they secure the best vendors. I got a great massage that focused on my ITB and then hit the chiropractor folks for some deep ITB treatment. Oh and Oreos and bananas are the best post race snack. I almost forgot to mention that Single File Girl was standing with her time, obviously staring at me. I made eye contact and tried as honestly as I could say, with a happy wave mind you, "hey sorry about that." Guess what? I got the eye roll! WOW. Too funny. This was a TRI for Fun, not USAT official and she was still super annoyed with me. Can't please everyone I guess.


Have you ever made an innocent mistake and gotten over the top feedback? Am I the person way off base here, was my faux pax worse than I realize?

Thanks for reading!

Thankful Three

1. For Monday night no drop rides
2. For my new skinny pants (new from the attic)
3. For a surprise dinner date with my hubby followed by rocky road on an sugar cone

Monday Motivation: Earth Laughs in Flowers

I know I missed yesterday's Sunday summary, but I thought I was getting sleep. I fell asleep with my daughter on the couch at about 8:45. At 9:15 I woke up and moved her to her crib and shuffled into bed. Did I sleep? Nope. I borrowed a book almost a year ago. A few months back I picked it up and only got about 14 pages in. At 9:45 ish and only 115 pages in I felt like I could actually finish. So at 12:15 am I closed the book feeling quite accomplished....and like the biggest idiot since I have to be at work by 7:00 today. Anyhow, Sunday Summary and Race Report will hopefully be rolled into a Tuesday Tidbit. On to Monday Motivation:

Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It felt super cute to be laying in bed reading next to my husband who was also reading. My husband is not the sentimental type, he is a little on the rugged side with fly fishing and back packing being his favorite activities. He loves me dearly, but sometimes I wish he was "a romantic". This is what he says that I am. He can be romantic, but he is not a romantic. I digress. Since having kids his ability to display affection has exploded and I see in him an incredibly thoughtful and loving father. Yesterday held a wonderful shining moment for my heart when Super Hubby put his book down and said, I don't know why but this quote reminds me of the Bug, "Earth laughs in flowers." He didn't have to describe why, I just got it. Since you all don't know our Bug, I'll elaborate a little. The bug is a smiler. There are few moments in her 8 months of life so far that she hasn't been smiling. She is even known to smile in her sleep and no it is not gas. I gave birth to a happy baby. The giggling kind of happy. She is ALWAYS in the mood to play and you can make the meanest, most frustrated face at her for not being asleep yet at 2am and she will smile at you. Her smile cures sadness, lights up a room and is reflective of our very naturally happy baby. We her as already having a connection with nature, a true natural spirit if that makes any sense. I already am inspired by her soul and hope to ever be as free as her spirit is.

To sum up, my Monday Motivation is dedicated to my beautiful daughter and the father that recognizes so deeply what truly makes her beautiful. I am so blessed. (sorry for the grainy pic of her smiling, but I love it)

Thankful Three

1. For Emerson quotes that can capture so much in few words
2. For a husband with a truly beautiful heart
3. For a daughter who stole my hubby's heart

Friday Five-the late night edition

1. So I completely rocked my own party yesterday. I took about 2 hours off from work and hit the road for about a 3 1/2 mile run then 1000 yard swim at the gym pool.
2. If the workout yesterday wasn't enough, I completely rocked the Wine Club night and took first with an Aussie Merlot. It was an inexpensive bottle called Jacob's Creek. Go team Jacob!
3. I really need to sleep more, but the children did not cooperate tonight. Of course the night before a race my Bug decides that her 8:30 bed time isn't working for her and goes down at closer to 10:00 +. I fell asleep with her, but couldn't stay asleep because I needed to pack for tomorrow and blog of course.
4. My hubs is seriously superman. Rock'n dinner tonight AND he installed my bike pack, pump and extra water bottle holder while I tended to my motherly torture duty of pumping for my bug.
5. Wish me luck for tomorrow. My superman husband keeps pushing me to shoot for 1:49. my previous time was 1:57:29. I have not trained for this at all so I am not certain shaving 8+ minutes off my time is an appropriate goal. I think trying to stay under 2 hours is a little more my speed. Last race I didn't feel like I left it all out there so I'll try to push it a little more tomorrow.

Thankful Three

1. For race day registration, I missed the online cut off.
2. For racing 9 pounds lighter than last months race
3. For an 8 mile long run this weekend, a wee bit tired right now to be thinking about a longer run than that.

Thirsty Thursday

It has been another busy week. Work, Life, ya know everything. Busy. Busy. Busy. I missed my Tuesday workout and am wondering how bad this weekends sprint TRI is going to be. I won't be able to get in the pool today either. I am no speed racer, but I had hoped on beating my last time. Unfortunately, I am more under trained than I was for the first one in June. Oh well, I know I can finish and I much prefer to finish than not participate. I am not much of a "racer" so my goal this year is each time to try and do just a little bit better than the previous race.

SOWL is going well, it is only in it's first week, but I started with the weight I weighed in at 2 weeks ago since Tuesday's are my weigh in day and there would only be a day between posts. Any how, down 3 pounds is good, Baskin Robins after the most amazing dinner, not so good. Ha Ha, actually, I don't want to be that girl who punishes herself for an indulgence. I know I am doing a really good job being calorie conscious and that is all I want to be. I don't want to get to the point to where weight loss is a job. The second I don't like it anymore I know I'll ditch the effort. Yes it should be work I guess, a little, but really if it is going to be a life long effort I need to see it as manageable. Calorie consciousness is manageable for me. If I go over, fine as long as I am aware of it. It is the eating with wreck-less abandon I am trying to stay away from here.

Ok, so you were hoping for some Thirsty Thursday. Tonight is wine club night. If you haven't read any posts on this heres a brief recap. About 10 girls, 10 different bottles of wine in a paper bag, then blind taste testing. The bags are numbered then voted on at the end of the night. The top three votes wine. Each person should bring 2 of the same bottle so that the second bottle of wine goes into the prize pot. Super excited for some girl time tonight and I love socializing and getting to know these really awesome women. Plus there is always some good food to nosh on since it is potluck style hors d'oeuvres. Speaking of which I have no idea what I am bringing. Tonights wine theme is Merlot.

Thankful Three

1. For thankful for friends with a wine problem
2. For just realizing I can ask for an hour off at the end of the day to hit the gym for a swim, wish me luck
3. For a husband who made a kick butt dinner last night with my favorite green, Brussel Sprouts. And they had the cute little grill marks on them too. He must really love me

Swim, Bike, Run, Drink and have fun!

Monday Motivation: What's next? SOWL

S-O...WHAT? Yeah, I know Some Other Workout List? Nice, but no. Summer of Watermelon Lemonade, does sound delicious, but again no. Last one, Stout or Wheat Lager? Actually, SOWL is Summer of Weight Loss, a challenge/event being put on by Kerri HERE. Since 31 Days to 31 is over and I was in search of a new challenge, this is great. This is focused on weight loss using whatever method the participant wants to use and officially ends on 9/22 with summer. The leader is going to do Weight Watchers on her own and I am choosing to continue my calorie conscious effort that I started with my 31 Days challenge. 

A not so mini-weight history

Truth be told I originally started this blog and kept it private (save for my husband) as a way to stay motivated to lose weight. I had my measurements on here and everything. When I took my blog public I erased it all because I was too embarrassed. In high school and most of college I was a basketball player. I ate what I wanted and worked out 3+ times a day. My fastest mile in college (1998) was 6:31 and now it's an even 10 minutes. My lowest weight in college when I was my fittest/quickest/muscliest self was 171. This is the highest end of healthy/borderline overweight. This is how I know that the darn BMI chart is not for me. I do not have an average sized body, you can't look at that chart and say for certain overweight because I do not believe it would have been feasible for me to get under 171 pounds as a college Division 1 Basketball player. Sure I ate like crap, but I also worked out 3 + times a day at a rigorous rate. Maybe 2-5 lbs. less, but not more and that would have been living off rabbit food. But I digress. 

The second I quit basketball and focused on school the pounds came on strong, worse than the freshman 15. In 1999 as a junior I weighed 171 as a 5th year senior graduating in 2002 I had topped off at 222 pounds. Even as I write this I have no idea how I let that happen to me...ahem, how I did that to myself. From 2002 to 2004 I was focused on getting my Master's degree, working full time and coaching basketball. I strongly believe "running the floor" with my basketball girls helped me shed the weight and I slowly came down from a size 16/18 to an 8. A little too low I know. I leveled off around a size 10/12, graduated and started my first and current grown up job, bought a house and got married. 2004 was jam packed! FYI-first jobs and grown up mile stones are like the freshman year of college and the weight came on accordingly. 

In my first 6-months at my current job (in 2004) I put on 10+ pounds. This job took me to Baltimore in March of 2005. I was in a fellowship program and other fellows were looking for an activity to do since we'd be there for St. Patty's day. I had never been a runner, never run a race, but somehow I suggested we do the local St. Patty's day 5K....and that is how I started running.

For fun I looked back at my old weight watchers card from 2005 and my lowest weight was 185 and I held it for exactly 1 week, that was the year I started running. In 2006 I ran my first and only marathon and race day I believe I weighed about 187. Then in 2007 I had my first baby and my weight maxed out at about mid-high 220's. I got back down to 193 in 2008 and in 2009 I had my second baby and again my weight maxed out at about the mid-high 220's. So that brings us to this year 2010. 

This year has been a mild challenge. I was fairly fit throughout both pregnancies and the pounds came off pretty easily. In January of this year I was at 200 pounds just 2 months post pregnancy and felt pretty confident things were going well, I ran my first 10K post baby and it was great! I started weight watchers, big flop. Then in March my weight climbed to 214, YUCK! At my last doctor's visit April 21st I weighed 207. From April 21st to May 31st I lost 8 pounds on my own. I think alot of this had to do with not eating after 8:00PM and the by product of being more conscientious about my food intake. May 31st I started using the Loseit App on my iPhone and went down from 199 to 193 as of June 26th. I am ecstatic that things are going so well and I am positive that this new challenge is just what I need to keep the momentum going.

Here are my measurements, I used the same website Kerri used for this whole challenge. Check it out  HERE. I was planning to add before and after pictures, but that'll have to wait. 


Current weight 193 (size 14 as of June 26th) 
Goal 180 (this is a pretty lofty goal so any loss is great or at least a comfortable fit into a size 10/12). 
Weigh in days are Tuesdays


Bust: Too big, still nursing, nothing I can do about them
Chest: 35
Waist: 37
Hips: 42 1/2
Midway (my version): 41 big roll below the belly button, 40 right at the belly button and 38 1/2 at the roll above the belly button  I am about 8 month post delivery of my perfect baby girl and would love to lose the not so perfect post baby pudge/rolls
Thighs: 24 each
Knees: L 15 3/4 R 16
Left calf: 15 1/4
Right calf: 15 1/2
Right upper arm: 12"
Left upper arm: 12"


Thankful Three

1. For hot Sleepy Time Tea
2. For a short 4 day week ahead
3. For being able to put this all out there and not feel the tiniest bit embarrassed

Sunday Summary: Happy 4th of July

It's been an interesting week. Work seemed pretty doable and not overwhelming at all, then I realized Friday while reading my Runner's World in the break room that it was the first break I had taken all week (aside from lunch which I never skip). No wonder I was so drained. On the home front I wasn't a Suzy Homemaker or anything to wear me out, but I still had a mommy moment Saturday as I reflected on my awesome shower & shave....wow my legs needed it. Sorry, got distracted by how great the shower was, the mommy moment came when I wondered when the last time I showered was? I had to have a reference point, ah, I remember, I had wet hair when I dropped of the kids, perfect, I knew I had showered last week. Gross I know, but it is the life I lead. I need to stop skipping workouts, workouts ensure that I get a shower.

The weekend started off great, slept in Saturday, cleaned house, made a Costco trip and lots of family time today. I am so relieved to have tomorrow off for the 4th of July Holiday observance, on the schedule first thing is a solid bike ride.

Now for your Sunday Summary, nothing to be impressed by, but certainly better than last week and that is all I can ask for.

Miles Planned/Covered (run miles only unless otherwise indicated)

Monday: Rest Day 0/0
Tuesday: 3/0
Wednesday: Rest Day 0/0
Thursday: 4/0
Friday: Rest Day 0/0
Saturday: 10/0
Sunday: 4/8.2     (+2 mile late evening walk)

Total miles covered 10.2, total planned 21, like I said, not the best week, but I am back in the game. I tried to make up the long run from yesterday, after 2 weeks off, jumping into 10 cold was not the best idea. I ran from home to our local free Firecracker 4-miler then did the 4 mile course with my hubby and kids. I am so jealous that my husband who hates running and hasn't run more than the bases in a softball game and go out and do 4-miles effortlessly and has 2 speeds fast and faster. I was annoyed that he was probably going to lose 10 pounds on this little jaunt too. He said, nah I need the tire. I patted his belly and said, this spare tire. I laughed, I thought I was being funny which is rare, then he of course came back over the top by saying that he can't lose his spare tire, it fuels this sweet love machine. Really? Who says that. He says it is a common joke, but I had never heard it.

Needless to say, despite the too much too soon ITB issue the last mile I had a great time. We were late to the kids race 1/4 mile race, but my son ran about 1/2 mile of the 4-miler and earned himself a pretty sweet medal. He also learned good sportsmanship by saying "good job" to everyone we passed.

Thankful Three

1. For family BBQ's
2. For a husband who pushes me when I don't think I am capable (and pushes the jogging stroller too)
3. For blog-land Weight loss events, more on this tomorrow for my Monday Motivation, as if the day off wasn't going to be enough motivation.

Friday Five-the late night edition

Oh goodness where to start?

1. Where did June go? I had such high hopes for lofty things and suddenly the month was over? I am really kind of flabbergasted by the whole thing. I mean there were things at work that I haven't gotten to, things at home that have piled up and workouts I am severely behind on. I would love a week off to catch up at home. I only need a focused few hours to be caught up at work so I am not too distraught about that.
2. July seems like it will be a long month. For the first time since last September not all of our weekends are full. Such a relief, I can't even begin to tell you. I have a TRI this month and I was recently invited to do a 1/2 marathon at the end of the month. I don't consider races/events things that tie up my weekends. Birthday parties, family events, etc.. are another story and can be really draining. LOL is that weird?
3. I really need to get on the ball with morning runs. I was so glad to run into a great AM runner I ran with last summer. She is a teacher and summer morning runs are just her thing. So I am going to check my running calendar and schedule some sunrise running dates. Her availability coincidentally enough is Tuesday/Thursdays, my scheduled run days! Plus she is super fast so I can try and get some speed workouts in with her.
4. I have plateaued with my weight. I have done a decent job calorie counting. The Loseit App for the iPHone is pretty cool. I have lost 7 pounds since starting the application back on May 31st. Prior to that I had already lost 7 pounds on my own from April 21st to May 31st. Now I have been stuck where I am for about 2 weeks. I have not really been "reducing" my intake more than just being conscientious about my total intake. For example, In-N-Out continues to be my lunch of choice these days. Plus I have not really worked out in over 2 weeks, not the best start to marathon training. WAIT, don't judge me, the title of my blog is Tales of an Ambitious Slacker. It is an 18 week program so I am pretty ok with being somewhat on track, first two weeks were not "major" set backs for me. Any how, the point of #4 of this Friday Five is that at some point (REALLY SOON) I kinda need to step up my game.
5. On an amazingly positive note, I spent way too much time exploring the new blogger templates. Hope you like this one, I do, but may change it so don't too attached yet.

Thankful Three

1. I know this might be a shocker, but I am so thankful it is Friday and it is a 3-day weekend
2. I have some great miles planned this weekend and no other "scheduled" events to get in my way
3. I have blue toes with white polka dots, love a good pedicure