Tiiiiiired...

Ok! So the plan last night was to make the 3 hour trip to London. That didn't happen... it was a busy day of work, and I didn't get offline until about 9 EST (and I still hadn't packed yet). I decided to pack last night, get up today to workout here and then head up to London.

I made my way to the gym with my cousin at 6 am... 3 days in a row, I'm impressed with her dedication. What is it, 3 weeks makes it a habit? I will encourage her to stick with it for 3 weeks and hope that she catches "our bug".

This morning the plan was to do 30 minutes of cardio followed by the 8 essential moves for strength training. I did the responsible thing. I decided last night that if I wanted to make sure I didn't do my hamstring in, I would avoid lifting for anything below the waist. So today I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine and some core exercises + pushups (350 cals burned). To be honest, I was beat! I haven't taken time off after the long run... ok, it's only Wednesday so I know that's not the excuse.

Here's the confession. Are you ready for it? I *may* have spent Sunday and Tuesday nights on the phone with a certain boy until a ridiculously late hour. My blog base isn't huge yet so yes, I'm ok with blogging this... the description on my blog says that I will comment on "all other random things that come to mind". So, since my friends can blog about their amazing husbands and children and how they work their training around a family life, I figure it would be ok to drop a line about the boy.

My friends are probably going "WHAT? We haven't heard about any NEW boy and WHY don't we know about NEW BOY?" Truth is, I am trying not to jinx it... which you know, now that I have blogged about it it's bound to fall apart. :) So I'm a little embarassed but when I say ridiculously late hour, I mean it... we're talking "highschool girl talking to her crush" late hour. Or, for those of us who get up at 4 am... if it weren't the end of summer, it would be "getting light outside" late hour. I'm moving on very little sleep but I'm officially on holidays so I can take it.

I can't believe I just admitted to that. The funny thing is that I am at home in my parents' house and they think I'm crazy. My mom is excited that I'm excited about new boy, but she also thinks it's nuts that I can talk to someone for over 5 hours at a time. How else are you going to get to know someone when you take off to the East coast for 2 weeks? :)

I'm sure I'll get lots of comments about this so bring it on... I'll have my Smartphone with me today and I'll be getting your comments as they come into my email inbox. Let the teasing begin! And no, you can't have a link to his match.com profile so don't even ask. :)

Kinda hurtin'

Ok, so I may be hurtin' from the run on Sunday. I know I was hurtin' near the end of the run, and I know I was in pain that night and the next day... but I think it's a little more serious than I thought.

In general, I get pretty significant pain in my knees when I run longer distances. That goes away after a couple of days. True to form, this was also the case after the long run on Sunday. Unfortunately, the ache on the outside of my right hamstring... not going away. I'm hoping it's just residual 48 hour soreness and nothing more than that.

Last night I ended up going to the gym with my cousin and it was a great time! I am trying to ease her into the working out idea and told her that it didn't matter that she was on the East coast, we could track our workouts online and that I would offer the support through cyber space. She has no excuse, she has only 2 days of class next semester which gives her 3 days plus the weekend to get to a gym (some of us wish we could have that much spare time eh?). :)

We made plans after our gym/dinner date last night to workout again this morning... and she was here, bright and early at 6:30 am to go to the gym. Today's plan was a 5 km interval workout (1 minute on, 1 minute off). I quickly realized that it would be a tough day today... totally sore and a little worried about the hamstring. But stupid me, I did it anyways... I hope I don't pay for it in recovery time. I hope that it really is just soreness and that I didn't do anything too bad to the hamstring. TBD.

So I am going to work at my parents' place again today and make my way to London, Ontario tonight. Three days of hanging out with the bride, and I'm hoping, completely off work email. I really need to treat this as a holiday, because I am counting them as my vacation days. Email will always be there and yes I will have to catch up next week... I just hope nothing catches fire while I'm out because my two main backups will also be out. I wish I had an "off" button somedays...

Alright friends, have a great few days! I will definitely try to blog while I'm out... since I love connecting with you all and reading your blogs. I will also post a wedding pic when I return... a change from the usual ponytail and running shoes. :)

Carrot cake... good for you right?!?!?

After all, it's got lots of that good orange stuff and a little bit of calcium in that cream cheese icing? Let's face it, I am well aware of the danger in the oil and sugar filled treat but boy, I LOVE IT!

Continuing the series about life on the East coast, one of my dad's friends stopped by the house today. His wife had baked me an entire 9 x 13 inch PAN of ooey, gooey carrot cake because she knows that it's my favorite. You know it, fresh out of the oven with homemade cream cheese icing on top. In highschool, I somehow managed to eat this goodness without impact to the waistline. Today, not so much. But how to resist?!?!

I gave in and had a piece... then another half piece. The only savior is that the cake was pretty flat (saving on the oil in the cake), but the icing was nice and thick. I had to stuff it back in the fridge in hopes that it wouldn't come to mind again. I have to admit, it was worth every calorie (about 400).

But the weird thing is that I am satisfied and don't feel like I need any more... I may eat these words later. :) I am getting that typical guilty feeling (Wes knows this one) where you feel like you have to eat what is on your plate or what someone else went to the trouble of making for you. Truth is, the cake won't go to waste... it's always open season at this house, so many friends stop by all the time it's bound to get eaten in the next two days.

On to exercise... today's plan was to swim for 60 minutes and then do a core workout. But the gym and swim schedules aren't that great here (we really are lucky to workout at the Pro Club back home), so I am tailoring the plan. I'm pretty sore from the run yesterday and my little cousin is visiting from University. I really want to get her hooked on fitness because she has gained weights since going away to school and it has impacted her self esteem. We're going to go to the gym today after work and bike together. I am still going to do 60 minutes, but instead of swimming I am going to ride the bike at a nice recovery pace (NOT RECOVER IN DANIELLE'S CYCLING CLASS PACE). This will also allow me to catch up with her and see if I can plant any seeds on starting a healthy lifestyle. Still going to do the core workout after the bike.

Here's the food breakdown for the day... minor blimp, carrot cake. :)

Breakfast - Cereal with a peach and 1% milk (yup, 1% in this household) and coffee (355 caulk)

Lunch - Rye bread sandwich with Swiss cheese and ham, cottage cheese and tomato salad (545 cals)
Carrot Cake... let's call it my pre-gym fuel ;) (400 cals)

Total - 1300 cals

And I still don't consider myself a runner...

These days, I consider anyone who regularly runs a few miles a week to be a runner. Anyone that runs over 10 km 2-3 times a week is definitely a runner.

So today my plan was to do a 14.1 mile run. This would have been the first time I ran for more than 75 minutes on my own, and I just wasn't sure if I could do it. I slept in today (9:45 am) and drank a small cup of coffee and had a bowl of cereal with a peach for breakfast. I was getting myself fueled for the long run ahead. While I was preparing my running belt and getting my Gu and jelly beans, all I could think about was that drivers would be staring at me thinking "who is she kidding"? She isn't a REAL runner! She can't run 14.1 miles on country roads and small highways like the real runners. She can't make it all that way. Who does she think she is wearing a running belt, running hat, listening to her iPod and carrying a cell phone in case of emergency. She is going to turn back and run her usual 6 miles that she can do on her own.

I did get lots of stares, but regardless of what they were thinking, I went out there, and I ran all that way. I felt good actually. For me, a big challenge is just trying to be Zen about it (that's Regan's word). I am always rushing here and there, multitasking and thinking about work. When I'm on a run, that translates into picking up my pace and my heartrate to get the run done. I am getting much better at just relaxing into the stride, but still have to consciously tell myself that I have allocated that time for ME, and that I don't have to be anywhere doing anything else during this allocated time period.

When I do this, surprise, I find out that I actually like to run! Did I just say that? I like to run? I do! Today was great... I felt amazing as soon as I started on my way. I was carrying two bottles on the belt with water, and two with Nuun. I also packed a Gu for the 60 minute mark, and the jelly beans for the 2 hour mark. This was going to be my first try at the beans during a long run so I wanted to leave it for the end in case they didn't agree with me.

So somewhere around the 55 minute mark when I look down to get my Gu I realize that I had dropped one Nuun bottle. WHAT IS IT WITH ME AND DROPPING NUUN? I did this on the bike at Danskin and paid for it on the run. I knew that I had drank some not too far back and decided to go recover it. Not too far back ended up being about 6 minutes back down the road, and then another 6 minutes to where I had been. Urgh... now what? I don't want to increase my distance too quickly on the long runs, and I had just added about 1.2 miles to this run. Add that to the 14.1 that was planned and I'd be running 15.3 today.

I decided to do it anyways. I had time and I knew that if I felt really crappy I could call my mom to pick me up. So I kept going. When I hit the one lane (each way) highway I new I was in a little bit of trouble. I hate running on gravel and this was the fresh stuff. Still soft with lots of stones (not yet packed solid). It wasn't safe enough to run on the road because the cars were coming fast and I didn't want to risk it. So I spent most of that stetch (about an hour) running on gravel. It hurt... my ankles started to get a little sore, as did the knees. The last mile up this road is a long steep climb and my heartrate maxed at 180. There was another big hill climb at the 13 mile mark and I almost wanted to stop but knew that it was just the hill talking and that I would regain a comfortable strike on the nice downhill home. And I did! Once I turned the corner, it was smooth sailing back to the house.

So it's hard to tell but based on the added time, I think the run was about 15.5 miles in total. The total time was 2 hours, 42 minutes and I burned about 1800 calories. I wanted to stay between 140 and 160 heartrate, but averaged 167. Two reasons I think. One is that I tend to get a little nervous with lots of passing cars so I'm more alert and the heart rate naturally speeds up. Secondly, IT'S HUMID on the East coast. I forgot just how humid it gets. Today was really overcast, with some wind and not really hot... but 15 minutes into the run I was dripping wet from the humidity. It makes such a huge difference to my breathing and ability to stay cool... it just makes you work harder. We really are blessed with our amazing workout conditions on the West coast.

So that's it, a really LONG blog just to say I stuck to plan and finished the long run! I have been hydrating like crazy since the run and eating lots of good home cookin'. I have to admit, my ankles, shins and knees are a little sore... but I think that is more of a sign that I need to replace my shoes. I have worn them out completely, and they no longer have the support of their early days. Luckily, a dear friend of mine in Toronto coaches running at the Running Room in Toronto and she has my favorite shoes sitting in her home (purchased at cost)! I will be getting together with her next week so I'll have some new shoes soon! Just one more long run in these old ones...

The recovery plan for tomorrow is a nice 60 minute SLOW swim at 7 am and then a core workout. Looking forward to getting some weight off these joints. Note to self though, book an osteopath appointment the minute I get home. I have been talking about this for SO long, I just have to clear my calendar and get in there for a visit. It really is magic.
Hope you all enjoyed your weekends! :)

Not my usual blog tonight...

So a good start, day one of traveling and being away from the Seattle crew and I'm still on PLAN. Ok, so today's plan was to travel, rest and take a hot bath... but I'll add the checkmark just to say that I got off to a good start. :)

I got up today at 4 am and was really hoping I could be making my way to the gym to meet the girls. Instead I got ready and made my way to the airport. I love SeaTac airport because it's never chaotic compared to other airports. This morning was very smooth and I slept through most of the flights to Toronto (connected in Minneapolis/St. Paul). My favorite travel tradition is listening to Eddie Murphy Raw and Delirious on my iPod. It totally passes the time, but I tend to get funny looks from people when I laugh out loud. I shouldn't find it funny anymore and to those that haven't seen the stand up act, you should rent it! Scrap that, we may have to have a night when I get back where we all sit down and watch it together because it's the funniest thing I have ever heard... a little R rated so we have to wait for the kids to go to bed. For those of you that have seen it... "ice cream maaaaaaan... ice cream maaaaaaan". :)

Anyways, I am getting much better at eating while traveling because I pack all of my own food. The one downside is that you can't take water on flights these days so I couldn't get enough water today. I normally pack two 1.5 liter bottles of water for each flight. Since I slept a lot, I missed the "beverage service" and only got in one little glass of water on each flight. Can we say dehydrated?!?!?

So the second I touched down in Toronto I called my parents to let them know I had arrived. The second call I made (this time from customs which is a NO CELL PHONE AREA) was to Jess to find out how she did on the race! Read the full race report here, but the girl kicked ass! It was the same course that she did earlier this year, and she beat her time by 10 minutes (unheard of). But the real deal, is that she placed 2nd... you read it right, 2nd in her age group!

I finally made it through the insanity at Pearson (over one hour after I got off the plane) and rushed to see my adorable parents at the gate. My mom looked great as usual and my dad was wearing the dress shirt I bought him for his birthday cause he's cute like that. :) I really do miss them when I'm gone, but I miss them more when I'm home. I haven't really lived at home since I left for University in 1999... so when I come home, I really think, there is no place like home. Maybe it's the familiarity of the house I grew up in, being somewhere completely safe... it could also be the home cookin' and my parents going out of their way to make sure I feel like I never left home. Whatever it is, I love it. :)

On our way home we stopped at our good friends' house for a "going away to University" party for their daughter. I remember when this girl was born, and now she is this beautiful young woman going away to school... and I'm scared! I know she will be ok (we have all survived some big jump in our lives) but all I can think about is some boy taking advantage of her. I found myself in the kitchen with her, her best friend (and roommate this upcoming year) and her guy friend, dishing out advice on how to survive first year and the dreaded freshman 15. They just seem so young and naive, were we all like that at 18? Were our parents scared to death that we would drink too much, fail out or get mixed up with the wrong crowd? They must have been, but they dealt with it so well... especially battling that terrible empty nest syndrome too! I hope that I can be that strong when I have to go through this myself, or when we watch the Princesses' kids take on the big challenges in their lives. I have a feeling we'll be sharing quite a few of these experiences over the coming years.

Back to the day, the party was amazing... I was thinking about the big run tomorrow and how much it mattered to me. I didn't drink an ounce of alcohol and tried to catch up on my water intake. I also ate... and ate, and ate. Lots and lots of amazing different salads, fish, veggies, bar-b-qued meats... and yes, homemade desert. It had been a long time since I had some "parent quality" home cooking and I took advantage of it. We all sat outside on the patio and caught up. I love the community of friends that my parents have around them. They have been around for most of my life and are all so supportive of everything that I do.

As usual, they were all so interested in the long run that is planned for tomorrow (14 miles, or to these Polish Canadians, 22.5 km). The plan was that my mom would drop me off 14 miles from home and that I would run back to town. Tonight, they all seemed to want to follow me home in the morning. :) Either by bike or by car, volunteers were popping up all over the place... mind you, volunteering when you've been drinking is different from showing up at 7:30 am on a hangover. No doubt that my mom will certainly be there, she's the number 1 fan. So now, not only do I have the blog readers to report to... but also the people at the party tonight.

Alright, I apologize for the long and somewhat sobby commentary tonight... I have begun to map the route out and decided that a circle would be better just to keep me on familiar country roads and close enough to home in case I needed to use my cell phone in an emergency. I am starting to stress a little because this is the first time I have been out this long on my own before, and the route is a little boring to say the least. A bunch of rollers on country roads and one lane highways. I think there are a couple of steep little climbs in there too and I'm just thinking about which direction I want to run in. Still TBD... I can't wait to report tomorrow. I know that the support of my friends and wanting to come home and blog "I DID IT" will push me through finishing the run tomorrow. Ater all, I have done this before right?!?!?

Ok, goodnight friends... it's 11:12 pm here in Peterborough Ontario. Chat with you soon! :)

If you blog it, they will come!

Well, it's almost 11 pm and it's been a very LONG day. Had my annual review and found out our team was getting reorged all in one day. I am now going to be reporting to another manager who I get along with very well! This is great news, I had been pushing for this move to this other team for about a month... I can't believe how the cards fell out on this one. I'm sure we'll reorg again in a month (we've had many this year) and I'll be somewhere else. In the meantime, I'm going to soak this up. :)

So ANYWAYS, my new manager and I went out to celebrate after work with some others on my new team. I didn't get home until 9:30 and I still had to pack! But I made a promise, to myself and Regan, that I was going to blog my workout plan for the next two weeks. So here I am, ready to sleep but still blogging. I'm actually doing this because I know that if I write this down, I am going to have to stick to it... for myself, and because I know I'll hear it if I get lazy when I'm away from the regular workout crew.

In general, I think I will be ok with most of the workouts. My biggest challenge will be the 3 long runs I have to get ready for the marathon. To date, I have been running those with Jess, so I haven't had to deal with boredom. I even ran the 1/2 marathon with Jess and Danielle this year. But I have to get used to it. I am going to be tapering later than the girls since they're running the NY marathon 3 weeks before I run the Seattle marathon. Plus, I'll be running half of the Seattle marathon alone (bless Jess, she agreed to run the last half with me for the support).

So here is the plan, two weeks (three weekends) without the girls. After the spinning class this morning, Danielle spent some time with me layout out the training. We are so lucky that we have her as our friend. She really knows her stuff and is so generous with her time. Hmmm... I wonder if you're all going to place wagers on whether or not I'll stick to this entire plan!?!?!?!

Saturday, 8/26 - Travel and rest day (with a long soak in the jacuzzi)
Sunday, 8/27 - Boom, right off the bat. Long run, 14 miles at a lower heart rate

Monday, 8,28 - 60 minutes in the pool, core workout
Tuesday, 8/29 - 3 mile interval run outdoors (1 minute intervals)
Wednesday, 8/30 - 30 minutes cross training (aerobic), 45 minute strength training
Thursday, 8/31 - 3-4 mile tempo run on the treadmill
Friday, 9/1 - OFF (Wedding!!!)
Saturday, 9/2 - 30 minute cross training (aerobic), hotel plan strength training
Sunday, 9/3 - Long run, 14.5-15 miles at a lower heart rate

Monday, 9/4 - 60 minutes in the pool, core workout
Tuesday, 9/5 - 3 mile interval run outdoors (1 minute intervals)
Wednesday, 9/6 - 30 minutes cross training (aerobic), 45 minute strength training
Thursday, 9/7 - 3-4 mile tempo run on the treadmill
Friday, 9/8 - Rest
Saturday, 9/9 - Long run, 15-16 miles (another wedding)
Sunday, 9/10 - TBD (may have a hangover and I'm traveling back to Seattle)

Ok, so it's on the blog and now I have to stick to it! As I think about it, what I may do on the long runs is have my parents drive me out to the country and leave me out there to run home (with cell phone of course). That could work...

Have a wonderful couple of weeks eveyrone! Luckily I can blog and read all of your blogs from the East coast! :)

One sleep (even though it's only 5 hours) from seeing my mom and dad. :)

The Four Tri Princesses!!!

At Danskin this past weekend! From left to right... Jess, Regan, Danielle and me! :)

The Countdown

I'm officially excited... it is now Thursday and I'm flying to Toronto at the butt crack of dawn Saturday morning. I am counting the minutes until I get home to hang out with family. There is something really sad about my excitement though. It has been almost 5 weeks since I've had to travel (the longest stretch by 2 weeks since I started in January)... and I'm really looking forward to the... ready for it... flight!?!?!

With all of the drama in the air these days, I should be dreading the trip to the airport, the check in and the security lines. But the 100% honest truth is that the only place these days that I can't be reached via cell or email ( thanks to that damn Smartphone ;) ) is 30,000+ miles off the ground. I really need to disconnect more often, and I keep saying that I will when things settle down at work but the light never seems to get any closer.

I have said this all along and I will repeat it again... my morning routine with the girls is really my only vacation away from the daily grind. That is one thing I will NEVER give up, even it it means I can't go on those late night dates to find the man of my dreams. The man of my dreams is just going to have to add "morning person" to the resume! ;) Seriously though, this is my lifestyle... not a 2 month commitment I've made to lose a few pounds. These women make exercise so much fun that I don't ever want to miss out on a workout (even at 4 am in a cold and dark Seattle).

Anyways, we made our way out for a short run today nearing the end of a long week after Danskin. 4 miles loop near the Pro Club at a 10 minute pace. Nothing exciting to report except that yup, it still seems to be getting darker and darker each morning. :) Oh, one more thing... I was 5 lbs down this morning from Monday. That just goes to show that you should NEVER weigh yourself the day after a big effort like that. Getting back to meal tracking helps too! I am still 8-13 lbs off my goal... we'll see when I get to 8 if the other 5 will be necessary.

One more thing, Regan has officially posted her blog!

Pre-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Workout
4 mile run

Post-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Breakfast
20/20 Chicken Sausage Egg Wrap (250 cals)
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)
Coffee (30 cals)

Lunch
Cafeteria Salad (small today) (400 cals)
Apple (100 cals)

Afternoon Snack
Banana (100 cals)

Dinner (accidentally ran into Jordan and we had another birthday dinner... more desert!)
1 glass of red wine (125 cals)
Small cup of pea soup (100 cals)
Seafood stew (400 cals)
1/3 apple crumble (250 cals)

Total - 2025 cals (again!?!?!?!?)

THE PLAN

I have been so stressed about work and other peoples' weddings lately that I have had little time to think about going home this weekend! I will be heading back to the EAST COAST for two glorious weeks. That means lots and lots of family and friend time. I won't lie, this also scares me a little because it means exposure to MORE and BETTER food, and time away from my favorite workout partners.

Since I started traveling a lot for work, I have gotten much, much better at working out in less than ideal places, and also practicing portion control when I can't control the food that is put in front of me. Note: I will be attending 2 weddings when I'm back in the Toronto area which would in the past be disastrous for the diet. However, this time I refuse to succumb to the temptation of alcohol, lavish dinners, desert tables and my favorite, wedding cake.

That being said, I am prepared with a plan. I will be accountable to you, my blog readers. I am finalizing my workout schedule for my time away from Seattle, and will post this before I leave on Saturday. From there, I will have a daily checklist to keep track... did I stick to "THE PLAN", and if not, why?

Finally, it's much easier to meal track when you eat less and when you stick to things you are familiar with. Normally I skip the post altogether when I have completely sabotaged my day. This time, I will pledge to post through the good times and the bad times. I just hope my food memory isn't blurred by the amount of wine I may consume at the weddings. A good bridesmaid should drink to the happy couple, I think I'll stick to sipping and stalling over long periods of time to give the appearance of drinking. I have to side with Jess on this one, it's a good thing I can cut a rug on the dance floor without booze. I'm just a much better dancer with a good buzz. :)

One thing that I am so excited about is my parents' recent commitment to fitness. It's been over 3 weeks now so I am considering it a habit! I have been very impressed with their regular walking schedules, trips to the gym and "water aerobics" classes. This is the most dedicated I have seen them in my whole life. I can't wait to share this with both of them when I go home. First on the agenda, family trip to the Peterborough Health and Wellness Center. My mom is a regular reader so she may be getting this news for the first time. Now she knows. ;)

So that's my rant for today, here's what the day has been like. We did the usual trip around the lake today and I'm still feeling a little sluggish. I'm looking forward to flying on Saturday, a forced day off!

Pre-Workout
Pria Carb Select Bar (170 cals)

Workout
22.5 mile bike ride around the lake

Post-Workout
1/2 Clif Bar (125 cals)

Breakfast
Coffee (30 cals)
Cereal (170 cals)

Lunch
2 hard boiled eggs (150 cals)
1 veggie burger patty (150 cals)
1/2 low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)
Apple (100 cals)

Afternoon Snack
Cheese String (80 cals)

Dinner (A Friend's Birthday - I think I overcounted serving size/cals but I would rather be over than under!)
Ahi tuna (150 cals)
Red wine (125 cals)
Halibut (250 cals)
1/2 cup white rice (125 cals)
Salsa (25 cals)
1/2 whole wheat roll (50 cals)
1/3 serving chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream (400 cals) - Give me a break, it was a birthday!

Total - 2200 cals

The morning after... the morning after

So we all know by now that the second day after a big effort we're most sore (and if anyone has seen any articles about this I would love to read them). Today we decided on a pretty flat 7.2 mile run starting at 5:15 am. It's a little sad to see the summer slipping away. It was pretty dark when we started and it's obvious that we'll soon be bundling up for our morning runs.

Anyways, it probably would have been a good idea if we had really done an "active recovery" workout yesterday instead of a "keep up with Danielle workout". Jess and I were feeling it this morning! We went out with the usual morning run crew, Nancy and Latosha. I have to give a huge shoutout to them because they are always so kind and work around our irregular workout and job schedules. Needless to say, they were extremely patient with us today because we were slackin' big time!

So we finally rolled into the club and ran into miss Regan at the front entrance. Miss Regan who's like "oh, you guys are sore?" and "I feel fiiiiine!" :) Ok really? What are you on cause I need some of that!

Oh, I mentioned to Wes that we were talking about making a trip to his hood, doing a little bike tour and eating at his two restaurants. :) He suggested that we do the "Tour de Georgia"... which looks amazing!

http://www.discoveradventures.com/tourDesc.asp?id=TDG7

Before I continue, I need to call out how I have to learn to do two things for my blog which I'm sure are simple but I have yet to explore enough to figure it out. First, it's to disguise the link with the name, as in Tour de Georgia hyperlinked to the website. And the other is to add the blogs I read to the side bar of my blog. So, that will be coming soon and if you have quick tips on doing it, please comment. :)

Back to The Tour. I know we've been talking about doing the Tour de France, but how much fun would it be to do this as a warm up? "Stay three nights, ride three days, watch three stages and head home!" AND it's family friendly?!?!? I seriously think we should consider it... now if we can only make Georgia appealing to our non-cycling company. Not to dish on Georgia, but I am originally from Ontario, Canada and my knowlegde of US sightseeing is limited to say the least.

Well, I think I have wasted enough of your days, so here's the food diary for the day.

Pre-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Workout
7.2 mile run at a less than inspired pace

Post-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Breakfast
Cereal with banana, skim milk (400 cals)
Coffee (30 cals)

Snack
1/2 of a package of cafeteria Peter Pan peanut butter... ok, I was starving before lunch and it was the only thing I had in my office. 400 calories at breakfast, I didn't think I was going to be hungy! I downed it and threw out the rest cause I knew it wouldn't last sitting in front of me. (65 cals)

Lunch
Pro Club 20/20 Chicken Sausage Pasta (yes, again... 390 cals)
And Jess reminded me that I was not drinking pop this week. :)

Afternoon Snack
Apple (100 cals)

Dinner
Everyone needs to get Cosi (www.getcosi.com)
6 oz lentil soup (119 cals)
Hummus and fresh veggies sandwich (432 cals)

Total - 1706 cals

Plan for Tomorrow
6 am bike ride around Lake Sammamish (22.5 miles)

8:19 pm... still at work...

Well, it's 8:19 pm and I'm still at work... figured I would take a quick break to post my day! This morning we had planned to do Danielle's spinning class for a good, active recovery workout. Jess mentions this in her post as well, that didn't happen. With Danielle's music pumpin' and little miss Regan kicking all of our asses, I felt the need to push it. And it was fun and worth it... I love Danielle's spinning classes!

Afterwards, Danielle, Regan and Jess went off to the weight room to get in some strength training. I felt like I needed to just get in the zone today and do some weights on my own... you know how some days you just need to regroup inside yourself, and set your goals for the week? That was me this morning... headed down to the dark room and did some upper body and core circuit training. It felt good, had the iPod going and just pushed everything else out.

I'm hoping that the lack of a true active recovery doesn't kill me on the 8-9 mile run that Jess has planned for us tomorrow morning. I really do find this fun, not sure why, I just do. Plus, I want to get back into a good groove. I did nothing but workout and eat everything I wanted leading up to the race, and it's time to get back on it. I made the big mistake (according to Jess) of weighing in this morning. What a shocker! But she assured me that my muscles were soaking up a lot of water and that it was not a true indication of what I weighed. As usual, she came to the rescue with some solid advice of just hydrating a lot today and getting back to the meal tracking. So here it is:

Pre-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Workout
1 hour cycling class
25 minutes strength training

Post-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar (85 cals)

Breakfast
Cereal Mix (230 cals)
Latte (100 cals)

Lunch
Au Bon Pain Black Eyed Pea Soup (180 cals)
1 piece whole wheat bread (90 cals)
1/2 package Peter Pan peanut butter (65 cals)
Cheese String (80 cals)

Afternoon Snack
Energy Snack Bar (115 cals)

Dinner
We're working late tonight so we snuck out to grab a quick dinner at the Pro Club (LOVE THE PRO CLUB 20/20 MENU). Despite wanting a big drink, I said there would be no wine this week and I'm sticking to it. Same goes for pop... no joke.

1/2 ahi tuna appetizer (100 cals)
20/20 Chicken Sausage Penne (390 cals)

Total - 1520 cals (if only all days were on target)

It's getting late and I have said it a million times, work will not cut into my daily "holiday from life" (working out with the girls). So I'm going to head home and get some sleep... 5:15 am start tomorrow!

What a difference a group of amazing princesses can make!

I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR THE LOOOOONG BLOG POST, BUT I REALLY WANT TO DO JUSTICE TO THIS JOURNEY!!!

Early this year, I found myself working out at the Pro Clubs in the morning doing my usual indoor cycling, group fitness weight training and treadmill/elliptical trainer work. I would always see this woman (Jessica) in the cycling classes. She would be coming from a swim in the pool, and discussing the treadmill work she’d be doing after the cycling class that day.

I was in complete awe of what she was doing, and never imagined that I would be joining her workouts, let alone calling her a great friend. Six months later I found myself running a half marathon with her, and one month after that (today), my first Triathlon.

Jessica would run outdoors on some mornings with another woman from the club (Nancy). One morning I got up the courage to ask them if they’d mind if I joined them on their run. I was scared! First, these women were dedicated… never had my workout partners stuck to more than 2 weeks of morning workouts, and I had already seen these women almost every morning for over a month. Second, I was really worried that I would not be able to keep pace with women that had clearly gotten into a consistent running routine. I had gained 15 lbs very quickly after joining Microsoft, and wasn’t in as good of shape as I had been a year before.

These women were so enthusiastic about having another running partner crazy enough to join them on a regular 5 am run! I think it was an added benefit, because if one of us could not make it, the others were not stuck running along on a treadmill. Regardless, my fitness improved and self confidence skyrocketed. I bought my first heart rate monitor, and quickly fell in love with running (which I would do in the past but never REALLY enjoyed). Jess had me excited about getting a new road bike (I had left my old Miele on the East coast), and thinking about a half marathon and triathlon.

About a year before I moved to the West coast, I had done a Duathlon and my first 10 km race back home. Never did I imagine that I could actually run a half marathon! Though swimming had been my first sport and one that I naturally fell into when I was a toddler (thanks to MY MOM), I did not think I would be competing in a Triathlon! After meeting Jess and Nancy, it quickly became not if, but how soon. J

My regular workouts soon included another beautifully inspiring woman, Regan, and her coach/Jess’ good friend, Danielle. My focus quickly moved away from losing weight and fitting into those skinny jeans, to fueling my body for the next big workout, and training for that next big race. What a relief, to finally enjoy food and exercise for the joy it brings to my life, rather than the inches it would take off my body. It really was like I was waiting to exhale, and these women allowed me to do just that.

So, the four of us, the tri princesses, found ourselves at the Danskin together today. Just as my blog post from yesterday predicted, we all kicked ass! Jess had a fantastic day, crushing her PR and finishing in the top 2% in her age group! Regan, who’s goal was to finish in under 2 hours, crushed that time with a 1:51 Danskin. As for me, this is how it went… and I’ll keep it short since I blogged so much about the history behind getting to today.

Before the race, I found myself alone at the start line with Danielle for a few minutes. I started to get nervous, and like the amazing coach that she is, she walked me through my entire day. It was invaluable, I found myself listening to her voice at each step of the way. I knew what to expect, and as a result make very few mistakes.

Overall
Goal – 1:30
Actual – 1:28:06
255/3965 overall = top 6%
34/268 in my age group = top 13%

Swim (0.75 km)
Goal – 15 minutes (I don’t know why I had such an aggressive goal, especially since I planned to swim without a wetsuit in much choppier water for the first time with 100 women in the pack).
Actual – 16:27
432/3965 = top 11%

I don’t know that I’ll do another triathlon, regardless of how short the swim is, without a wetsuit. Danielle had me start at the front of the pack because I am very comfortable in the swim. What an experience though, trying to get out in front of the pack with women grabbing onto your legs, and elbowing you in the ribs and head. The swim out to the first buoy was exhausting, and it was impossible to catch a breath. Once I got around the first buoy, I rolled onto my back and was able to get some good breath in my backstroke. This was a good strategy because I was fast and passed a number of women at this point. I was finally able to get back into freestyle and into my regular breathing pattern (every 3 strokes). There were areas that got very busy and choppy where I had to get in a breath every two strokes, but I found myself passing lots and lots of women into the first transition area.

T1
Goal – 2:30
Actual – 2:59

I was expecting to get a huge head rush and leg pain coming out of the water. But I felt better than ever, and ran past tons of women on my way to my bike. Similar to Jess, we were way at the back and I think this affected my transition time. I listened to Jess and Danielle’s advice in T1, and got all of my gear on very quickly.

Bike (20 km)
Goal – 45:00
Actual – 37:30 (Crushed my bike goal!)
Ave Velocity – 19.8 miles per hour!!!
190/3965 = top 5%

I had a GREAT bike today. I had two water bottles with me, one with Nuun to replenish my sodium and potassium (to prevent cramping) and another with plain water. A minute into the bike I picked up the water with Nuun, got a drink and dropped the bottle when I was putting it back in the cage. I yelled some obscenity but kept going. I didn’t want to stop, and I did have another bottle with plain water. The bike felt great, I had never been so comfortable in my aero bars. It all just came together today.

T2
Goal – 2:30
Actual – 1:57

T2 just felt right. I got in, racked my bike and replace my helmet with my hat. I got my shoes on quick, put on my race best with race number and picked up my Gu (for Mom, this is just a gel packet that gives you energy). I got the Gu down coming out of transition and ran towards the first water station on the run course to get the Gu down.

Run (5 km)
Goal – 30:00
Actual – 29:11
9:24 min/mile
874/3965 = top 22%

The run was the most crushing part of my day. Though I beat my goal, I really felt like I could have done much better because I had the fuel in the tank. I barely felt out of breath on the entire run, but couldn’t push through the pain in my calves, feet and Achilles. A part of this I would contribute to dropping the Nuun on the bike ride and not replenishing the sodium and potassium. I think the biggest part is that my bike shoes do not have orthotics, and my running shoes do. So when I move from the bike to put on the running shoes, the pressure in the arch of my foot throws everything out of wack. I have never felt such bad pain in my lower legs, not even when it was at my worst in soccer cleats pre-orthodics. I actually had to stop at the 1 and 2 mile markers to stretch, which was even more painful than just running. And the kicker, I had to walk up part of the hill… I normally push the hills, so this was completely heartbreaking.

That being said, I was determined to come in under 1:30 and just pushed through the last part down the shoot to the finish… and it felt amazing finally crossing. The first thing I heard as I came across was Jess yelling my name, she was RIGHT THERE. It meant so much to me, and I was thrilled by her amazing finish. It felt just perfect, because of all of my workout partners, I have worked out with Jess the most. She is the one that says, “oh no, it’s not that you can do it, it’s that you WILL do it BECAUSE you can do it”. And she was right, right with the half marathon, and right with this Triathlon. She also thinks that I can do the marathon in November, and the half iron man in June. And for me, there is no going back now. Bring it on!

Twas the night before Danskin...

When all through the house, not a triathlete was stirring, not even a mouse! The race belt was hung, from the door knob with care, in hopes that race day, soon would be there!

This princess was nestled all snug in her bed, while visions of T1 danced in her head. Jess in her cool shades, and Danielle in her pink hat, had just settled in, for a long summer nap. When out of the pack, there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the start line I ran like a flash, I tore through the crowds and started a clash. The sun on the lake shores all full of glow, gave a luster of midday to the women below! When, what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a miniature Regan, in her sexy tri gear.

With all four tri princesses, strong and quick, I knew in a moment, this would be a kick! More rapid than elites, we four women came, we swam, biked and ran, like a blistering flame.

We arrived at the finish line, tall as can be, together we achieved, what we first couldn't see! But we knew we would make it, we knew it was clear, we would move past those crowds, all the way from the rear.

Now this is just the start, of what is to be, a beautiful friendship, and the start of PPTC!!!

Amazing what a little pressure will do!

And I don't mean the pressure we put on ourselves, but the pressure we put in our tires! Last night at bike maintenance class we were replacing our tires and I realized that I was riding at about 40 PSI when I should be riding at about 120 PSI of air in my tires (even AFTER Jess has repeatedly told me to put air in my tires before each ride... she was completely right). What a difference it made this morning! Regan, Danielle and I met at Idylwood Park and rode around Lake Sammamish. We were so much faster than usual, getting around the lake in 1:25... and it was so much fun! :)

I am really getting excited for Danskin on Sunday, I can't imagine that many women (4,000 in total)! The day is going to be chaotic trying to move all of those women through a triathlon, but it will be great to share the experience with my good friends. Saturday we're planning to make a full day of the triathlon preparation! We're meeting early to get to Magnuson Park to pick up our race kits. Then we'll head over to Genesee Park to rack our bikes (put the bike in the transition zone where we'll switch from swimming, to biking and then eventually to running). We may attend the course review and first timers review, and then head to the expo to look at all of the gear they'll be selling. :) We'll top the day off with dinner at 6 pm at the OLIVE GARDEN!!! Gotta carbo load after all. ;) So a full day just to get ready for the race on Sunday, it really is a big production. So many women all trying to get to the same place and park in the same spots... just have to go with it and enjoy the experience.

You may notice the ugly addition to yesterday's post... I have added last night's dinner at Canyon restaurant. Done and done, moving on.

For today:

Pre-Workout
1 Pria Carb Select Bar (170 calories)

Workout
22 mile bike around Lake Sammamish

Post-Workout
Some wheat thins Danielle had in her truck... yum! (60 cals)

Breakfast (10 am)
Coffee (30 cals)
Don't get grossed out, but this was THE best breakfast cereal I have ever. So filling!
1 package Quaker Regular Oatmeal prepared with boiling water (100 cals of calcium and cholesterol fighting goodness) with 1 tsp brown sugar (20 cals), 1 sliced plum (30 cals), 1/2 cup Fibre One (60 cals of high fibre goodness), 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean (70 cals of high protein goodness) = 1 really filling bowl of cereal that tasted great (280 cals)

Lunch (1 pm)
Tuna Melts: 1 can tuna (150 cals), 2 cups chopped veggies (100 cals), 2 tbsp fat free mayo (20 cals), 2 slices of whole wheat bread (90 cals), 2 slices fat free cheese (60 cals) = 420 cals
Diet Cherry Coke (0 cals)... I just can't give it up, I like this daily treat.

Afternoon Snack (4 pm)
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)


Total = 1060 cals

If you put it in writing...

You have no choice but to commit. So here it is, I am officially committing to participating in the 2007 Pacific Crest Half Iron Man on Saturday, June 23rd. That's right, I said it... it's in writing so I can't back out.

http://www.racecenter.com/pacificcrest/halftridu/index.htm

For my friends and family back home, this is just a "big" triathlon.

1.2 mile swim, followed by a 58 mile bike ending in a half marathon (13.1 mile) run.

Why am I doing this? Because Jess and Danielle said I can. ;) All kidding aside, this is something that I never thought I could do until I met the women I train with every day. After the half marathon this year (which I also never imagined running), I know there is nothing I can't do with the support of this group and some hard work and dedication.

The plan is to do the Danskin Triathlon this weekend, then switch the focus to marathon training for the November marathon in Seattle. After that I will move into a more "normal" workout schedule through the end of December, where I'll recover and spend most of my time planning for the upcoming year. Training for Pacific Crest will begin in early January, details to be determined.

*IF* all goes well at Pacific Crest, maybe I'll find myself doing another half iron man at Troica two months later. Oops, did I put that in writing too? Notice how I said *IF* all goes well. ;) I will of course be found at the Iron Man Canada in BC in late August cheering on Jess and Danielle!

One more thing to blog about... I'm going home! Not going to get as many holiday days as I'd like because we're in the home stretch for our launch, but I will officially be in Ontario from Saturday, August 26th to Sunday, September 10th. Most of this time will be spent working from home or at meetings in Toronto, but it will be nice to get a few days off here and there... and to just be home. :) That's a special shout out to my mom who now reads the blog religiously every morning. Love my mom!

On that note, here's the log for today... so far:

Pre-Workout
½ Pria Bar (85 cals)

Workout
60 minute run – Latosha’s new route, I really like it. It had some nice hills and included our favorite never ending downhill to 40th and then the hill climb to 148th.

Post-Workout
½ Pria Bar (85 cals)

Breakfast (8 am)
Coffee (30 cals)
Pro Club Raspberry Chocolate Muffin (200 cals, 22g of protein)

Breakfast con’t (10 am)
1 package regular Quaker oatmeal for my cholesterol problem ;) (100 cals) with 1 tsp brown sugar (20 cals) and a sliced plum (30 cals) = (150 cals)

Lunch (12 pm)
1 can salmon (125 cals) with 2 tbsp fat free mayo (20 cals) and 1 cup chopped veggies (50 cals) = (195 cals)

Lunch con’t (2 pm)
1 veggie burger pattie with one teaspoon of mustard (150 cals)

Afternoon Snack (3:15 pm)
Apple (100 cals)

Dinner before bike maintenance class (5 pm)
1 veggie burger pattie with one teaspoon of mustard (150 cals) on a piece of whole wheat bread (45 cals) = (195 cals)
Broke down on the pop... one can of Diet Coke Cherry!

Dinner after bike maintenance class (8:30 pm)… and so the day falls apart a little…
Garden salad with croutons, cheese and balsamic vinaigrette on the side... oh, Diet Coke again!
Turkey burger on a bun with ketchup and a chipotle mayo
And to top it off, half of a piece of Snickers cake (shared with Jess) and leftover apple crisp and ice cream
Total calories for dinner, lots… gotta move on.

Total = Don't want to know...

It really is hard to take a day off...

So I feel like I’m going to have a boring blog post today because I *somehow* managed to take today completely off working out (without any excuse other than to let my body recover that is). Can I comment on whether or not my body feels any better? I don’t know… I will know tomorrow morning when we run at 5 am, lift weights at 6 am and swim at Idylwood at 7 am. I cancelled my 8 am meeting with the UK tomorrow morning just so I could swim. The meeting wasn’t crucial for this week, so I’ll catch up with London over email. I would much rather get in the water tomorrow to make sure I’m prepared for Danskin on Sunday anyways. :)

So that WAS the plan, just got an email from my boss who's in NY this week asking me to join a 10:30-2:30 EST work session by phone. Translation, 7:30-11:30 PST. So, I will make the call tomorrow morning on swimming or lifting when I meet up with the girls. So irritated right now!

Well, here’s the log for the day… not super exciting. The only thing I can say is that I craved pop pretty badly which goes to show that I’m getting hooked again. This week of detox should do me some good.

Breakfast (8:45 am)
Coffee (30 cals)
½ cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)
1 package oatmeal (100 cals)
1 plum (30 cals)

Morning Snack (10 am)
Non-fat latte (100 cals)

Lunch (12 pm)
Cafeteria Salad (450 cals)

Afternoon Snack (3:45 pm)
Cheese string (80 cals)

Dinner (6 pm)
2 cups broccoli slaw (60 cals) with 2 tbsp fat free mayo (20 calories)
1 morning star veggie burger (150 cals each) with one piece of whole wheat bread (45 cals) and ketchup (15 cals) = (210 cals)... times 2 = (410 cals)
Glass of red wine (100 cals)

Total – 1490 cals

Challenges
I think stress at work makes me want to drink pop instead of water... it's been a good substitute for something sweet after lunch too. So I was craving it today, but passed.

Big Wins
Eating under control after an out of control weekend. Not working out, when I really wanted to do something. I hope my body thanks me for it tomorrow. :)

Plan for Tomorrow
6 mile run and 30 minutes strength training OR 2/3 mile swim.
Try to keep the eating under control on a workout day, and when the stress level is through the roof.

Sun "kissed"?

An added benefit of working out outdoors is the gradual buildup of the sun tan. It seems that it doesn't matter how much sunscreen you put on, when you're in the sun for 4 hours you can't help but get some sun. Today, I think I got too much... I am TIRED! It could also be a sign that I'm at the end of my workout week and I really DO need a day off. Sleeping in is an added benefit of that!

We went out to U Village for breakfast on our bikes today. I finally met Joyous (Regan's new bike), she truly is beautiful. Not to mention, Regan is a speedy little devil on her!

So we biked the 22.5 miles to the restaurant at about 16-18 mph average. We felt pretty good! It was cold in the morning but warmed up pretty quickly. We had breakfast at our favorite place (Atlas Foods), visited the bike shop and headed back the 22.5 miles. The ride home was at a slower pace, partially due to the amount of food consumed at breakfast. Also, I think I didn't have too much left today after the long run yesterday... so sitting down at breakfast stiffened the legs a bit.

Anyways, I didn't keep track today because of the exercise again. I spent 99% of my day either on a bike or away from home. I ate a lot, but I ate ok. The big splurge was on a reese peanut butter bar the Fritz made. DANGER. I have sampled, and now I have not desire to eat the rest of the tray in the fridge. I will avoid it at all cost.

Anyways, the overall feeling is that I still overate this weekend (majorly) so tomorrow I'm back in the tracking game. I'm so much better when I have a schedule. The roommates are going to be going to Boston on Wednesday for their holidays and they're taking Lucy (the dog)... less temptation to eat Kristina's amazing cooking (and Fritz' peanut butter bars). :) I'm also looking forward to some quiet time... with all of the traveling and renovation chaos, I can't wait to just unwind.

Just to sum up the plan for tomorrow. I am going to take tomorrow off working out and just let my body recover. I have an 8 am meeting tomorrow and a pretty long, stressful day. The key will be to eat really well... I'm going to go high fibre, and lots of water tomorrow. And just to prove I can do it, no pop or wine. Actually, let's say no pop for this entire week. Done and done. It makes me crave sweets and more food anyways.

Off to get caught up on some email... so much going on it's not even funny! I think it's going to be a 9 pm bedtime today after some Harry Potter which I finally started to read. Book 5 really is better than the rest and it's keeping me up way past my bedtime!

One more thing to add before I head off to bed soon... I did have one big win today. I just went downstairs to change the laundry and fill up my water bottle. I saw some of the peanut butter bar crumbs on a plate on the counter and instinctively opened the fridge to cut myself a piece of the bar. Picked up the tray, and set it back down. Filled up my Nalgene bottle and SPRINTED (did not walk) for my bedroom. ;)

Note to self...

You can't eat whatever you want just because you're training for a marathon. I keep telling myself that but man, I just crave food all the time.

You'll notice that I conveniently stopped tracking my meals after my afternoon snack yesterday... Let's just call yesterday my cheat day and leave it at that. We went to Kristina's team picnic where I indulged... too much. Then we came home and had a glass of wine before going out to an amazing dinner to thank Jason and I for helping install the hardwood floors.

It wasn't exactly pretty but it was my cheat day so I went with it. Had another glass of wine, appetizer, bread, butter with olives in it and an amazing fish main course. Then we came home and ate marionberry pie with vanilla ice cream. So the entire time I'm thinking, it's ok... it's my cheat day and I'll be back on track first thing in the morning because I'll be doing the LONG run. I guess if there was a BIG win for yesterday, it was that I didn't get drunk (though I really wanted to) and didn't go out with the boys. Instead, I stopped drinking after the two glasses of wine and drank water from there... and was in bed by 11 pm.

This morning I got up at 7 am and met the girls (and Gabriel of course on his bike) at 8 am. We ran from Bellevue all the way through Mercer Island, across the I-90, touched Seattle and came all the way back. Total distance, 14.6 miles (23.5 km). Wow... it only really sinks in when I convert to km. If someone had said to me this past January that I'd be running 23.5 km fairly comfortably, I would have laughed at them. It's really amazing how a group of amazing women can impact your life. When I wake up every morning, I debate sleeping in for another 3+ hours. Then I roll myself out of bed, and think about how lucky I am to be meeting the girls at the gym. The commitment I have seen from this group is something that I just haven't seen with any other group, ever. I thought the varsity soccer team was committed, and they were... but not 4 am, every single day, rain or shine committed. And they're rarely off... you can guarantee that on 99% of the workouts, they are 100% there. It's hard not to push yourself when you're in that company!

Anyways, I still don't have my heartrate monitor, but based on my average, that's about 1400 calories burned on today's run. And my body felt it... I have wanted to eat all day.

So far, I haven't done anything completely devastating but I have been snacking every 2-3 hours or so. The roommates are making a big dinner and the neighbours are coming over. I'll probably have a glass of wine (or two), some crispy flatbread with cheese before dinner. For dinner we're having brown rice with pesto, garlic and parmesan. A big salad, and a massive sirloin steak that has been wrapped around gorgonzola cheese. :S Plan of attack, portion control. Probably a 2-bite brownie for desert. I am going to try to carbo load again today because we're going on a 45 mile bike ride tomorrow morning.

I am really trying to get used to how to eat when I'm working out for such long periods of time. It's hard... you really feel like you could eat all the time. I think it's time to start taking this marathon training more seriously now that the training has gotten more intense. I'll start with the web, and probably pick up one of those marathon runners books cause it can't hurt.

So that is today's b"log". Very different from the regular report, but it's so hard to track calories on weekends...

Signing off for now, the neighbours are coming soon and I am still cleaning my room, seems endless. Got most of the cleaning done this afternoon after the run. Oh, talked to my brother today and he thinks he can convince me to spend Christmas in Poland this year. I'm like... really? After all of the weddings I have this year, I'd like take this opportunity to save SOME money. I really want to put a much bigger dent in the debt by the end of this year, so I will resist the temptation of being with the ENTIRE family for the first time ever in Poland for Christmas. If we hadn't gone there for the wedding in April I would consider it, but I am looking forward to the quiet Christmas at home in Canada, seeing family and friends.

Cold morning in Sammamish

Wow... a cold morning in Sammamish. After getting down to the lake in my tri suit, I quickly realized that wearing a wetsuit may have been a better idea. Much colder than it was after the heat wave a couple of weeks ago... but that's to be expected with the cooler temperatures we've been getting. Now that I'm done being a total wuss, I have to say that it wasn't all that bad... it warmed up pretty quickly once I started moving. The lake was pretty calm today, just one ski boat that wasn't too close to the buoys. Great swim overall. Oh, and I met Brian Gurraci... hopefully I will eventually put a face to most of the names on the SBR team alias. :)

I was hoping to see Regan at the lake this morning with Joyous. I can't wait to see that thing, but it looks like I might have to wait until the ride on Sunday. The anticipation is killing me!

Pre-Workout (5:45 am)
1/2 pria carb select bar (85 cals)

Workout (6 am)
3 loops of the buoys in Lake Sammamish (1 mile - love Jonathan Fay's calculator... I think I met him this morning too... is he the one with the yellow Lotus?)

Post-Workout (7 am)
1/2 pria carb select bar (85 cals)

Breakfast (after 8 am conference call... 9:20 am)
1 cup kashi go lean cereal with skim milk (240 cals)
Apple (100 cals)

Lunch (1 pm)
Cafeteria Salad (425 cals)
Diet Dr. Pepper (0 cals)

Total = 935 cals

The long day ahead...

The alarm went off at 5 am this morning... late for our standards but it felt like I could sleep through until about noon. And it showed on the run. My legs felt like bricks, probably leftover aches from the massage on Monday night and the run/strength training Tuesday... well and of course, the day off yesterday. It's pretty lame that a day off can hurt you cause you just get stiff.

So today is a long day... 8 am con call with the UK and a 6:30 pm con call with Singapore.

Pre-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar Carb Select (85 cals)

Workout
7 mile run - With Jess' son Gabriel on his bike... I am always amazed at how a 6 year old can keep up with adults. He has been biking the long runs with us on weekends. This weekend we're doing 14 miles, he MUST be the ONLY 6 year old that can ride a hilly 14 mile route!

Post-Workout
1/2 Pria Bar Carb Select (85 cals)

Breakfast (9 am)
1 cup kashi go lean cereal (140 cals) with banana (100 cals) and skim milk (100 cals)
Coffee (30 cals)

Lunch (12:30 pm)
So here is the deal... almost every day I get the same salad unless I do the soup. So I'm just going to boiler plate it, call is the "Cafeteria Salad" and use the standard calorie count. I have estimated a little high on all portions/calories so that on days where I take a little more than usual, I have compensated in the calorie count. So here are the makings of the Cafeteria Salad:
1 cup lettuce (25 cals)
½ cup veggies (25 cals)
½ cup beans (kidney and garbanzo) (100 cals)
½ cup chicken breast (125 cals)
½ cup tofu (125 cals)
1 tsp balsamic salad dressing (25 cals)
Total for the Cafeteria Salad is 425 so let's round up to 450 for boiler plating purposes. :) Feels good to finally put a calorie count to the dish (face to the name... ok, not that funny, I'm tired).

Afternoon Snack (3:15 pm)
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)

Dinner at the Pro Club (5 pm - Pre conference call with Singapore from 6:30-7:30)
Small cup of vegetable split pea soup (150 cals)
1/2 glass red wine (65 cals)
20/20 Chicken Sausage Penne (390 cals)

After Meeting Snack (8 pm)
Diet Coke (0 cals) - Second pop of the day :(
Apple (100 cals)
1/2 cup pineapple (40 cals)

Total = 1835 cals

Challenges
Just a long day, pretty tired... and I've been craving pop! Dammit.

Big Wins
Not snacking uncontrolably when I was at my desk for most of the day... almost no meetings.

Plan for Tomorrow
I have another early morning conference call at 8 am. So, I'm going to swim for 45 minutes tomorrow morning and come home. Kristina and Fritz are taking us out to dinner tomorrow to thank us for the hardwood floors. So, it will be a challenge to eat well.

Wednesday... back in the game!

So this is the first official post of the SMOE REPORT!

Morning Snack (7:30 am before my bike fitting)
½ cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)

Breakfast (9:30 am)
1 cup kashi go lean cereal (140 cals)
Milk in cereal (100 cals)
Non-fat latte (125 cals)

Lunch (1:15 pm)
Tuna salad (100 cals)
2 veggie burgers with fat free cheese and ketchup (no bread) (400 cals)
Apple (100)

Afternoon Snack (4:15 pm)
Banana (100 cals)

Dinner (7 pm)
4 ounces of salmon (250 cals)
1 cup of whole wheat couscous with canned tomatoes (200 cals)
Broccoli salad with one tsp fat free mayo (50 cals)
Vanilla Black Cherry Diet Coke (0 cals)

Total – 1665 cals

Challenges
Wanting to keep eating crappy after the landslide over the last couple of days! Not getting a chance to workout today.

Big Wins
Getting back in the game and tracking calories.

Plan for Tomorrow
Going to get up and go running with the girls at 6 am. And of course, sticking to the eating plan.