Swimming fail

So I finally tried to implement the swimming workout that I got from Swimplan.com forever ago. This is what I was supposed to do:

Duration 45-60 mins Distance 1600yd Pool length 25yd

Warm up
•	2 x 25yd Freestyle Easy, rest 0:10 / 25yd
•	2 x 25yd Backstroke Easy, rest 0:10 / 25yd
•	2 x 25yd Freestyle Easy, rest 0:10 / 25yd
•	2 x 25yd Breaststroke Easy, rest 0:10 / 25yd
Build up (repeat 4 times)
•	1 x 25yd Streamline Kicking, rest 0:10 / 25yd
•	1 x 25yd Freestyle Push & Glide, rest 0:10 / 25yd
Core
•	8 x 25yd Freestyle Swim, rest 0:10 / 25yd
•	4 x 100yd Freestyle (25yd Easy, 25yd Effort), rest 0:30 / 100yd
•	4 x 50yd Freestyle Swim, rest 0:10 / 50yd
•	8 x 25yd Freestyle Swim, rest 0:05 / 25yd
Warm down
•	2 x 100yd Easy Any Stroke, rest 0:20 / 100yd

Unfortunately, I didn't exactly finish all that. I swear I tried! I studied my workout before I hopped in the pool. I had it in a plastic sleeve so I could drip on it when I checked my progress. My warm up was stellar and the build up was easy. But I somehow missed that I should have repeated the "build up"4 times. No biggie, right? I'll fix it next time.

I got into the core of the workout and was having fun with the 4 x 100 free, thinking about checking what was next, when I realized my workout sheet had disappeared! I couldn't figure out what had happened--had it fallen in the pool and floated away? Had someone decided they should use it and walked off with it? Had a gust of wind taken it into the grass? I never did find the damn thing. I guessed that after the 100s I should do some long distance, since I had no memory of the actual workout, so I set off to do 400 at a moderate pace. No problem, right? I still get the distance even if I'm missing my drills.

Only then the lifeguard interrupted me at 175 yards to inform me that I had company in my lane. Not just one person, but three people who neglected to alert me to their presence. There I was, merrily swimming in one half of the lane in case someone arrived, and they were swimming circles and apparently on a collision path with me when the lifeguard noticed (thanks for doing a good job, lifeguard!).

The new swimmers were slow and discourteous. That's a lot coming from me, because I'm slow and not that well-versed in pool etiquette. That means they were even slower and ruder than I am, whether intentionally or not. I heaved a sigh--no swim plan, suddenly crowded lane, errant arms and legs threatening my well-being. I did another 225 slow breaststroke to cool down and then gave up. That means I did 1250 yards (in about 40 min? next time I need my watch) instead of 1600, which really annoys me.

I do like the Swimplan workouts though--I will print out another and hope it doesn't up and disappear next time.

My lunch

Butternut squash soup with creme fraiche and cayenne

run report

Checking in... post hacking death running on Tuesday was not fun. It was okay, but MK and I decided that 2 miles was enough even though there were 3 miles on the schedule. We've settled into a comfortable 5 min run/2 min walk pace, though, which is great.

Wednesday I did not exercise. Sorry Hal Higdon! I didn't make it up in time to swim in the morning, and then the dentist made my head feel like it had been jackhammered so there was no evening workout. I'll work out tomorrow--either a swim or a good hour on the bike, I promise!

Tonight MK and I did 3 miles to make up for the missing mile on Tuesday. We're going to try to run the whole 2 miler next week, but the longer runs will have to be okay at the interval pace. I think by the race we could probably push the interval to 8/2 or even 8/1 but we'll worry about that as we go along. For now, we're both pretty happy to have found a comfortable pace--I'm stubbornly running despite my non-running nature and she's been out of the game for a while.

Before the headache took away my will to live last night I did manage to acquire a lightly used bike trainer from Craigslist at a steep discount. This weekend the spare room/C's closet/yoga room/future nursery (that's all one room with many purposes) will be converted into the yoga and bike training room!

Rainy day, again

Rain, rain, take a break
Come again to fill the lake
But for now, take a hike
'Cause I would like to ride my bike!

I am looking forward to going to work tomorrow after a full week of convalescence. Wonders never cease! The cough syrup with codeine is a miracle drug, seriously.

Sadly, I gave C the hacking death so he had to miss his sister's family birthday celebration brunch in Santa Cruz yesterday. I made a yummy egg scramble with chorizo and her mom made buttermilk pancakes. Then we hung out with her friend H for a little bit, ate some cake, and headed downtown to the Spokesman to talk bikes--M's getting one with her bday and Christmas loot, and I'm thinking about it too. After getting our ears talked off (in a good way!) and learning a lot about bike shopping, we headed back for a friendly family game of cribbage before braving the rainy drive back over Highway 17.

I know we desperately need the rain, especially if M and I want to swim in the Uvas Reservoir in May, but it's been 2 weeks of rain and hacking death, and I still haven't really tried out my new pedals! I'm hoping to bike sometime this week, at least, so I'm not a complete mess if I want to try out new bikes with my own pedals.

Tomorrow I try to run 3 miles with my other friend M--wish me luck!

My Valentine

My Valentine works at a patisserie, and he learned to pipe my name in frosting!


That is my very own personalized cookie, decorated by my artistic, caring, wonderful husband C.


















And he brought me a raspberry chocolate cake too!

Shopaholic

I just got an email saying my new purse is en route. Preview:

(I did not pay what Zappos is charging, for the faint of heart and light of wallet)

So excited!

The Hacking Death

I has it.

Fatigued and sore on Monday? Check.
Feverish and congested on Tuesday? Check.
Mostly dead on Wednesday? Check.
Coughing up a lung on Thursday? Check.

High on inhaler + cough syrup with codeine on Friday? Double check!

Why don't I fall asleep? I really tried, but just managed to snooze for about 20 minutes before waking with an itch to clean (to be fair, my roommate came home from school and said "it smells like sickness in here." And she was right.). Picking up the living room accomplished, I have moved on to trolling the internet for something interesting. Facebook? Nothing new. Message boards? Always quiet on a Friday. Hulu? Already tried to sleep through The Office, 30 Rock, My Name is Earl, and several episodes of CSI: Wherever they are today.

I'm going to lie down again, but please, someone make something fun happen soon!

Tilapi-yum!

I made baked tilapia with papaya-mango salsa and avocado for dinner, to which I added steamed green beans tossed in a hot orange-garlic sauce. I'm pretty pleased with myself. Now I'm enjoying a very small glass of Bodega Bay Portworks white port.

Dentist appointments really freak me out, but I made it through 3 fillings with little problem today, thanks to my new dentist at Atherton Dental. She's not cheap, but she's worth it.

Not much else to report today--planning to hit up the Tae Bo again because the dentist cut into my planned yoga class. After that, good night!

Fits and Starts

We have done very little of what we planned to do today. But it has been a great day anyway!

C woke up early after 4 straight days of opening at the bakery, so when I rolled out of bed around 9 he had already been awake for hours and was ready to Do Stuff! He made a yummy scramble (eggs, potatoes, and cheddar) that I paired with fruit and we made plans to take a bike ride and then hit up the movie theater to see Coraline, after which I was going to make tilapia with mango salsa for dinner.

However, once breakfast was over things went all pear-shaped. First, it was too rainy and cold for biking. So I decided that I would do the Firm video I bought over Christmas instead. Ten minutes of staring at the tv, bewildered at the dancing people, and I gave up that idea. I need to "preview" that like 50 times because I am no good at dance aerobics and they move fast!

C tried to hop in the shower, only to discover that we have no hot water! That sort of nixed things like washing dishes, showering well, etc. I took a shower anyway but literally yelped when I ducked into the full blast of the shower. C called our landlord and they were not nearly as concerned as we are. We might get someone out here on Tuesday. Seriously?? Argh.

After our totally unsuccessful midday, C suggested we hit the theater at matinee time, so we hopped in the car and headed to the movies only to encounter the world's worst traffic while trying to park. Seriously, like 20 minutes to go up one floor in the parking structure.

So after all that frustration, we got creative. We abandoned the movies and headed north, without a particular destination. Once across the Golden Gate we drove west around the Marin Headlands and stopped at various gun batteries and missile silos to look at the interpretive signage (M--I know you need to know--it wasn't very good) and climb around imagining the massive guns that sat guarding the Golden Gate from WWI until they were declared obsolete during WWII.

We stopped and bought some maps at the visitor's center because we had very little idea where we were, and then decided to drive up Highway 1 to Point Reyes Station and buy cheese at the Cowgirl Creamery. We did, and then munched on apples (that we brought), cheese, and chocolate on the way back to 101. By then it was raining pretty hard, so we didn't want to take Highway 1 all the way back.

As we were approaching the bridge again, C made the astute observation that we would not be able to clean up after cooking since we have no hot water. So we stopped on Chestnut and wandered (with the umbrella I keep in my trunk--yay!) until we found an Italian place that smelled delicious. I had lobster ravioli (yum!) and C had lasagna bolognese (even Yum-er!). On our way back to the car we happened upon a candy store called The Sweet Dish, and they were having a party! A friend of the owner sells vintage jewelry and there was a crazy bustle at the back of the store where she was hosting a trunk show. There was champagne and free samples and all the things you want in a candy shop.

Now I'm finishing up some laundry, posting, and about to do some old-school Tae Bo so I can say I did my cross-training for the Higdon plan. (Yes, I still do Tae Bo. It's the only video workout I've really ever liked, try as I might to expand my horizons.)

In short, it's been a fantabulous day, even though it was nothing like what we had planned! Nighty night!

Dead Leg

Warning: whining ahead!

Today I ran 3.5 miles, as per the Hal Higdon plan. But lately, around 2.5 miles, my right foot quits the program--it falls asleep even as I'm trying to use it to propel myself across the pavement. As you might expect, it is disconcerting, if not terribly uncomfortable, to run while you cannot feel one of your feet. So while I was planning an ambitious 6 min run/1 min walk interval, I ended up quitting that after the first 2 miles and defaulting to a run till foot goes numb/walk till it comes back schedule. I finished the distance in 49 minutes, which isn't going to win me any awards but I think is respectable considering. I already have an appointment with a podiatrist who specializes in sports medicine so I'll ask him about it in a few weeks.

I also tried out the new pedals, to great effect. I only rode around our neighborhood a little, starting and stopping often to practice clipping in and out. I only fell once, no injuries. Tomorrow we'll take her out for a real spin!

My one other complaint is, as always, about my weight. I've been pretty decent overall--eating tons of fruits and veggies, not too much bread or sweets, and certainly have been getting my exercise. And yet, over the last few weeks, I've gained weight. I generally just don't think about such things if I can help it, but my clothes don't fit particularly well right now, and a simple 5-10 pound loss would do a world of good in that department. Instead, here I am ~35 pounds overweight and gaining. It's a bit frustrating at the moment.

But regardless of weight, I did get C to take some awesome "Blondeez in her running gear" photos this afternoon. Here you go!

C always takes pictures while I'm talking. He never did take one where I was just smiling.

Demonstrating what I'm about to go out and do:

Hasta luego!

New and improved, with pictures!

Hidey ho blogger buddies, it's Friday night and you know what that means . . . Bike Repair!

Actually, usually it means lying on the couch as if I am about to die, watching tv until I fall asleep. But today it means bike repair.

So as you may recall, on Monday I put together my new shoes and cleats, only to foolishly attach my left shoe to its pedal, with no means to detach it. Here are the shiny new shoes, with left pedal firmly attached to left shoe:

Oops.

And here is my 1987 Trek Pro Series, in all it's retro teal glory!

It really is a great bike, even if I have been lusting after something better geared for my weakling legs.

Here is your intrepid blogger/bike repair novice and her array of tools:

I soon discovered that the old pedals had not been cleaned or oiled in quite some time--much longer than the approximately 10 months I've owned the bike. It took a lot of elbow grease, some WD-40, and my lovely strongman assistant C to get them off (I swear I did the first one myself, but I needed someone with more leverage for the second). You can see the remains of the broke toe cage on the one I removed.

Then there was the installation of the new pedals, which was actually quite easy despite the presence of a shoe attached to one of them:

Here is the newly freed shoe on my foot (why yes, I could use a pedicure!):

And the most excellent final product! I can't wait to ride, and probably fall on my face. But more importantly, ride faster with my clipped-in shoes and Speedplay Zero pedals!

Holy Carp I have commenters!

For some reason I thought that Blogger would email me when I got comments, so while I knew a few people were aware that my blog existed, I didn't realize until this morning that you all had left me nice little notes. I fixed it, and now I really will get an email every time someone comments. Which will encourage me to respond and keep posting!

I'm waiting for my dinner to cook, and I am HONGRY! I am making curry-mustard chicken breasts, which I'm planning to slice up and serve over baby lettuces (arugula, spinach, and mixed greens). I don't know what else to eat with it--I have broccoli, a sweet potato, or I could just make some toast. I'm also contemplating israeli couscous as long as I have some time.

I'm done with my exercise for the day (30 min easy elliptical, 30 min easy stationary bike, stretching) though I might play Wii Fit later tonight. For now, I'm concentrating on not ripping into some kind of junk food while my dinner cooks!

Fruits and veggies mania

I've been craving fresh foods (good!) so yesterday I made this soup that I discovered through Rachel's blog. It was awesome! And just as good for lunch today. I usually don't like soups but for some reason Asian soups make me such happier than American varieties. I think it's the soy and sesame.

To that I added an apple and an orange, a banana for a snack, and then a big plate of grilled asparagus and a Jamba Juice Mango Metabolizer for dinner. I know that sounds totally random, but the asparagus was leftover from the catered lunch at work (I try to snag veggies that are still out just before the caterer comes to throw it away) and there's a JJ right across the street from my running buddy's house, and it's irresistible just after a run. There's a plate of cookies sitting right next to me right now, but I'm so full of asparagus they're not really tempting for the moment. (Ask me again in half an hour!)

I did my 2.5 miles for the 10k training plan and it felt pretty good--much better than the 3 miles this weekend. I think we're getting a little faster, and we're definitely walking less and less. Our goal for Thursday's 2-miler is to finish between 25 and 30 minutes, and maybe cut out one of the (now short) walking intervals.

The Biggest Loser is a huge waste of two hours every Tuesday night, but I continue watching. Someone save me from myself!

Home depressed

I didn't get the stuff I needed to do done, workwise, this weekend. One might say "well of course, you packed it full of other stuff!" but really I had time and I just didn't do it. So this morning I woke up feeling sore (from the bike fall maybe?) and generally yucky, and decided not to face up.

I got about half the stuff I should have done while I was home today, so I'll go to work tomorrow. I also made a yummy potsticker and veggie soup, which helped with the sniffles that have been haunting me for the last several weeks.

I bought pedals and cleats tonight, and I did a stupid thing, and tried them out without attaching the pedal to the bike (by setting the pedal on the floor and stepping on). That worked great, but now I can't unclip it! I'm going to have to try to put the pedal on the bike with a shoe attached so I can get the leverage to clip out. Oops. Live and learn about the bikes, I guess.

Time to do a little more work so I can face the office tomorrow.

Two days in a row!

I don't promise this kind of frequency, but I'll try to do better than 2 posts in a month for February.

January goals update:

• Do my diaries on time, every day. Um, nope. Don't want to talk about it.
  
• Do the Wii Fit progress chart every day. Pretty much, yeah!
  
• Go to boot camp 3 times per week. I went a few times, but more importantly I'm sticking to my training plan.
  
• Go swimming once a week. No, gotta try that again.
  
• Bring lunch from home at least 3 days per week. I think I did that, yeah.
  
• Eat 5+ fruits and veggies every day. Very close to every day!
  
• Make a dentist appointment. Yup!!

February goals:

• Do my diaries at least once a week (more achievable!)
• Do the Wii Fit test every day
• Go swimming once a week
• Keep up with the Hal Higdon 10K training plan
• Bring lunch from home at least 3 days per week.
• Eat 5+ fruits and veggies every day.
• Complete my dentist appointments (3 appointments, don't wanna talk about how many fillings)

Today I rode my bike and crashed, but not badly. Thanks for putting my bike back together, Molly! Then C and M and I wandered around the farmer's market and hiked at Lexington Reservoir for a while. Now I'm chilling and watching the Superbowl, thinking about doing some work or taking a shower or one of the million other things I should do before C and I spend the evening putting together our new bedframe.