Today I had planned a post about my weekend and how I did sprints with a lawn mower this weekend, how I ran 15 miles and it SUCKED ASS, and how I swam outside for the first time this year and it was great.
However, as I scrolled down my reader a post popped out at me before all the others and I read it. LB wrote a post entitled Gray. It describes how she is feeling right now, she wrote that she wanted to share because these types of feeling aren't talked about enough. Depression is a dirty word. Her post inspired me to share. I want to make sure that she knows she is not alone. I thought about doing something similar after a post of Bryan Payne wrote after he returned from Kona last fall. I am going to go into some TMI details, but I am going to leave it all out here. I figure I will be judged by some, but I would rather take that gamble in order to support someone else.
If you read this blog often, and I figure of the 77 followers about 5 actually do (but again that's ok because this is for me), it is clear without me saying anything i go through ups and downs. Sometimes i drop off for a week. Sometimes I say I am in a funk and can't get motivated. These are often times I am going through something similar to depression.
I don't like to admit it because to me it is a dirty word. I have had coworkers call me bi-polar before but i don't feel that's what it is. I took multiple psychology classes in school and do a a bit more than light reading on the subject trying to self diagnose. If there was anything i would admit that is wrong with me I would call it a mood disorder. I would never call it depression because that is a dirty word.
The VERY few people who know both me and my family will tell you I am the most grounded person in my family. Many joke that unless you knew better you would have no idea I came from them. I am the first person to finish college (second to try), first person to go to grad school, and the first person to have a career (not just a job). There is little known about my family history since it has been a little dysfunctional and for the most part I can only track our tree to my maternal grandmother. This grandmother has alcohol abuse and mental health issues. Of her children, one of my uncles has sever mental illness (schizophrenia, I believe) and has been institutionalized several times, another uncle has chronic depression, and my mother has substance abuse and depression problems. My oldest sister is bi-bolar and has drug addiction problems.
Since I was younger I have always strived to be NORMAL. That's all I want. I wanted to go to college, have a career, have ONE marriage with 2.3 kids, and be sane. For that reason admitting when I am depressed is hard. I hold most emotions in and then shutdown completely when I get overloaded. A week or so ago i had a few days that after work all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Cb will tell me i am depressed, but I will argue with her, because as she knows i will never admit that. It's a dirty work to me.
To a degree I know what my triggers are. Mainly they are work, money, and marriage. YOU ALL KNOW I hate my job. I feel no sense of fulfilment. I dread going to work and having to wait on convicted murders who think they are entitled and are the center of my world. The only thing I enjoy is my SWAT work. I enjoy much of the training, but dislike the others on the team. I don't fit it. They are all mountain men with toughman complexes and I am not. As I have written before I hate money, or the lack there of, I hate struggling to pay bills, and eat, and have some sense of reward from going to the job i hate. Marriage is also tough. That sounds bad, but i am being honest. We have been together for almost 10 years, but only married and living together for 2 years.We are still getting used to each other's habits. I am anal retentive about clutter, she was raised by a hippie. I put money into fixing things in the house, she buys purses. I don't do dishes until the sink is full, she can't be in the kitchen unless the sink is empty. WE both get stressed out by money and our current economy makes it even worse with daily rumors of pay cuts and lay off. I think this part is no different than other newly weds, but it is just that- new.
Solutions to the problems would be better than treatment to me. If I could do anything in the world for a job I would work for myself. I tried to start up a back country guide service once but I realized I know trails and gear but not business. I also enjoy web design and have started building a freelance business for a little fun and money. I will reach out to my first potentioal clients this week. I am targeting small, local businesses. It has been a dream for a long time to teach karate for a living, I even have some ideas for creating a niche. I just have no financing at this time to start these endeavors. If had to work a nine to five I think the best fit for me would be a college professor or if i could go back to school i would try being a nurse. As far as the money is concerned having a job with better pay or being an err to a fortune my help. If both of those were solved i think not having work or money stress would probably make things easier on the marriage front. I also realize a stress free world is impossible- its life you just have to deal.
I have two natural treatments for illness and stress: sleep and exercise. These both work with this as well. The only problem is sleep makes me not think about what's wrong, but it doesn't change things. Exercise makes everything easier to deal with, increased endorphins I guess. However, sometimes 10 hours at work gets me to a low where I don't want to exercise. That becomes a problem. From a non-homeopathic standpoint I have never tried to medication because this would require admitting that I am depressed. I just can't do it. When I was younger my mom sent me to a psychologist for different reason, I enjoyed having someone to talk to. He eventually told me i was normal and that my family was jacked up. When it gets bad i like talking to a psychologist. For some reason talking to someone who is not related to my problems always feels good. I enjoy just getting things off my chest sometimes.
There it is- my TMI. It may be dribble to some but I hope for others they can see that they are not alone.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Peter Rabbit Organics Review and Giveaway
Quick note: I was glad to read on BDD's blog this morning that the comment issue was not just my having issues. I have read some great posts this week that I could not comment on, I wish I had the time to go back and comment on them all.
___________________________________________________
A few months back I was my "local" REI and I was standing in line next to the snack section when a product caught my eye. Next to the snack bars were these funny little pouches with a rabbit and fruit on them. I picked one up and took a look. REI had them labelled as fruit snacks and in my mind I thought, as far as fruit snacks go what would be better- pureed, organic fruit or molded, processed fruit snacks. The answer was obvious to me. I was intrigued so I gave it some thought when I got home and deiced to contact the company via thier website to see if they would provide me a sample instead of me driving an hour back to REI.
Here is what the website says about the product:
"We make delicious, organic fruit snacks and veggie blends. Our fruit snacks are loved by all ages, and our veggie blends are gulped down by hungry little ones. We use the squeezy pouches to make eating healthy food easy and fun....
When we started Peter Rabbit Organics we made 3 promises: that everything we make would always be 100% organic, 100% healthy (no added sugar, no added salt and nothing artificial) and always taste 100% delicious."
At the end of April I got an unexpected package with several pouches and a chance to do a giveaway. Here are my thoughts and yes, FCC, the samples were provided free of charge but the thought are still my own:
The company provided me with 6 pouches, each a different flavor. They included Apple and Grape; Strawberry and Banana; Mango, Banana, and Orange; Carrot, Squash, and Apple; Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple, and lastly Pea, Spinach and Apple.
Initial Thought
These are some interesting flavor combinations. Some of them will be amazing, some of them scare me. I took a look at the back of the packages. Since I need to continue to add more fruits and veggies in my diet and expand the fruits and veggies I will try them. I think having these around will be nice. When the package came I was getting ready to walk out the door for a run, I looked forward to tying one as a post workout snack.
Strawberry and Banana- A+
This is the first one I tried. It is delicious. The consistency of the snack is thicker than juice, but thinner than gels. You can basically drink it down, but it does have a few small fruit pieces in it.
Mango, Banana, and Orange- A
This was another post workout snack. When I was out of town for training. I thought taking these prepacked snacks would a safe snack to take out in the woods for the two days we would be out. I honestly don't remember anything about this flavor, that is a good thing. That means I had no quarrels with it.
Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple- A+
Honestly, This one scared me a bit. i know I need to try new things but I don't like sweet potato and although i brought it to work to try I couldn't do it. I did however, get my coworker, Ms.B to try it. She was apprehensive at first, but I talked her into it and showed her the website. She said the consistency was similar to baby food, but she continued to eat it. A few minutes later she came back in my office mad- she was mad it was gone, she said it was good and she wasn't ready to be done yet. She then went and told another one of out coworkers about the product. That's a win.
Pea, Spinach and Apple- F-
I opened this one with an open mind since the last three had been great. It let me down. I took the first taste and was not impressed. i tried it again just to see and it was not good. I took it home and shared it with CB, she agreed.
Apple and Grape- A+
This one was great, hands down, no questions asked, and all the other cliches.
Carrot, Squash, and Apple- A
I carried this one for three days, but since I am not sure what squash tastes like I was hesitant. I then deciding to have another female guest taste tester. I got my coworker 'Becca to try it. She heard the combination and told me "be glad I like you". I handed it to her and she made a hesitant face, like a child getting a shot, as she took the first taste. She immediately perked up took a second shot and said "that's actually not bad, you can taste the squash.., it tastes like a different flavor apple sauce". She turned back to her computer and put it up to her lips again. That is also a win.
FINAL THOUGHTS- A
I like these! The ones I like are great, good afternoon snack, post workout snack, or on the go food. On top of everything else it is organic and there are no preservatives. WIN, WIN! The only bad side is that at my Local REI are $2 a piece. I think that is a little steep, but maybe as the product grows the price will come down.
-------------------NOW THE FUN PART-------------------
Inside the package was a letter offering to give 12 pouches to a follower if i wanted to do a giveaway. How cool is that?
If you want one dozen fruit and vegetable delights from Peter Rabit Organics you need to leave a comment for each or any of the following by the end of Tuesday 05/31/11-
1. Follow me (mandatory)
2.Tell me the most interesting fruit and vegetable combination you have ever had (optional).
3. Share with your followers. (optional)
4. Tweet something about this giveaway with @superfatlete in it (optional and one per day).
5. Generate some leads for freelance web design. (optional)
6. Find me a new job. (optional)
7. Solve the North Carolina state budget issues.(optional)
___________________________________________________
Here is what the website says about the product:
"We make delicious, organic fruit snacks and veggie blends. Our fruit snacks are loved by all ages, and our veggie blends are gulped down by hungry little ones. We use the squeezy pouches to make eating healthy food easy and fun....
When we started Peter Rabbit Organics we made 3 promises: that everything we make would always be 100% organic, 100% healthy (no added sugar, no added salt and nothing artificial) and always taste 100% delicious."
At the end of April I got an unexpected package with several pouches and a chance to do a giveaway. Here are my thoughts and yes, FCC, the samples were provided free of charge but the thought are still my own:
The company provided me with 6 pouches, each a different flavor. They included Apple and Grape; Strawberry and Banana; Mango, Banana, and Orange; Carrot, Squash, and Apple; Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple, and lastly Pea, Spinach and Apple.
Initial Thought
These are some interesting flavor combinations. Some of them will be amazing, some of them scare me. I took a look at the back of the packages. Since I need to continue to add more fruits and veggies in my diet and expand the fruits and veggies I will try them. I think having these around will be nice. When the package came I was getting ready to walk out the door for a run, I looked forward to tying one as a post workout snack.
Strawberry and Banana- A+
This is the first one I tried. It is delicious. The consistency of the snack is thicker than juice, but thinner than gels. You can basically drink it down, but it does have a few small fruit pieces in it.
Mango, Banana, and Orange- A
This was another post workout snack. When I was out of town for training. I thought taking these prepacked snacks would a safe snack to take out in the woods for the two days we would be out. I honestly don't remember anything about this flavor, that is a good thing. That means I had no quarrels with it.
Sweet Potato, Corn and Apple- A+
Honestly, This one scared me a bit. i know I need to try new things but I don't like sweet potato and although i brought it to work to try I couldn't do it. I did however, get my coworker, Ms.B to try it. She was apprehensive at first, but I talked her into it and showed her the website. She said the consistency was similar to baby food, but she continued to eat it. A few minutes later she came back in my office mad- she was mad it was gone, she said it was good and she wasn't ready to be done yet. She then went and told another one of out coworkers about the product. That's a win.
Pea, Spinach and Apple- F-
I opened this one with an open mind since the last three had been great. It let me down. I took the first taste and was not impressed. i tried it again just to see and it was not good. I took it home and shared it with CB, she agreed.
Apple and Grape- A+
This one was great, hands down, no questions asked, and all the other cliches.
Carrot, Squash, and Apple- A
I carried this one for three days, but since I am not sure what squash tastes like I was hesitant. I then deciding to have another female guest taste tester. I got my coworker 'Becca to try it. She heard the combination and told me "be glad I like you". I handed it to her and she made a hesitant face, like a child getting a shot, as she took the first taste. She immediately perked up took a second shot and said "that's actually not bad, you can taste the squash.., it tastes like a different flavor apple sauce". She turned back to her computer and put it up to her lips again. That is also a win.
FINAL THOUGHTS- A
I like these! The ones I like are great, good afternoon snack, post workout snack, or on the go food. On top of everything else it is organic and there are no preservatives. WIN, WIN! The only bad side is that at my Local REI are $2 a piece. I think that is a little steep, but maybe as the product grows the price will come down.
-------------------NOW THE FUN PART-------------------
Inside the package was a letter offering to give 12 pouches to a follower if i wanted to do a giveaway. How cool is that?
If you want one dozen fruit and vegetable delights from Peter Rabit Organics you need to leave a comment for each or any of the following by the end of Tuesday 05/31/11-
1. Follow me (mandatory)
2.Tell me the most interesting fruit and vegetable combination you have ever had (optional).
3. Share with your followers. (optional)
4. Tweet something about this giveaway with @superfatlete in it (optional and one per day).
5. Generate some leads for freelance web design. (optional)
6. Find me a new job. (optional)
7. Solve the North Carolina state budget issues.(optional)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thinking.....
I been doing some thinking and am not sure how implement my ideas...
Does anyone know of any businesses or consultants that specialize in helping entrepreneurs implement business concepts?
OR if you have ever searched for one what would be the best search engine key words; I have tried several with no luck.
Does anyone know of any businesses or consultants that specialize in helping entrepreneurs implement business concepts?
OR if you have ever searched for one what would be the best search engine key words; I have tried several with no luck.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!!
Three days in a row, I am making an effort!
Yesterday's 30 mile ride/5 mile run brick was a partial fail. We had very odd weather yesterday, at 5:30 When I got home we were under both a thunderstorm and tornado watch. Despite that it was bright outside, oddly bright, except you couldn't see the sun. There was a thin layer of light grey clouds as far as the eye could see. It was thin enough that the sun was still piercing through. Despite it being 100 degrees, I had every intention of riding outside until I heard about the watch on the radio. I got dressed, tweeted, and debated. i finally decided that if I got 15 mile from the house and there was a tornado, it wouldn't be good. I set up the trainer and popped in a disk of the Big Bang Theory to watch for a 2 hours spin.
After an hour I started thinking about how much i hate the trainer without doing a guided workout like spinervals, and about the church dinner I was missing. I usually do not attend the church dinners as it is always the old people from the church and the food is always horrible and they run out. Of all the ones to go to the May dinner is the best because it is the done by the old men's sunday school. When the women's groups do the dinners it is covered dish, not good, and not enough. When the men do the dinner it's catered by a local chicken and bbq joint. I was miserable on the trainer and starving despite my first gel. I decided to call the hour on the trainer a bonus workout and do the workout today since I am working 2nd shift. I had a good time at the dinner; I played volleyball, dodge ball,and football with the kids. They like me because i will play with them.
I was up all night thinking about race strategy for my first olympic, because of this I overslept by an hour this morning. Despite that, i still got up and got my workout in, but I only left myself 15 minutes to drink my FLUID recovery drink, shower, dress, and feed the dogs.
This workout is my longest brick ever. It didn't kick my ass, but it was no walk in the park. I was looking at it as a good dress rehearsal for my race next weekend. Similar distance and similar weather. I wrote three key goals on and index card and put it in my bento box. One of these was to do the bike in Zone 2 for the first half and zone 3 for the second (source). I was using last winter's HR zones as I have not retested. I put a note on the fridge that I need to reassess. Giving these zones the goal was to stay under 144 for the first half and above 144 for the second half. My other goal on the bike was to drink 4 ounces of Heed every 10 minutes (source). Last night I got out a measuring cup and marked my aerobottle at 2oz intervals.
The bike went smooth and was very enjoyable, I rode comfortably for the first 15 miles and watched my HR for the second. I found it hard to keep my HR up at times. There were descents that no matter how hard I pedalled in my biggest gears, my HR continued to drop. It would go all the way to zone 1 over a matter of seconds. Not sure how to remedy this or if this needs a remedy.
After the bike I made a decent transition. I wore bibs to ride so I changed in the foyer and headed back out. My goal on this leg was advice from Andy Potts in one of the same pages as above. I gave myself three minutes to find my rhythm and then closed my mouth and tried to breathe through my nose. If I couldn't do it, I was going too fast. Considering i was running at near my 5k pace, i new it was too fast. At that moment is felt good, but i needed to remember to pace myself. After a mile I got to a good rhythm and the effects of the bike were gone. Even with my rhythm, hills still floored me- dropping me to a 10 minute pace. In the end I averaged an 08:45 pace and my coach had called for 9:03- I am happy.
Today's workout is 6 x 1:00 for speed. I may put this off until tomorrow AM in order to clean up the house. I still have a bike and clothes in the foyer, heed and gel wrapper in the kitchen, didn't make the bed, and I am hoping I make it home before CB tonight.
Any olympic distance race strategies to share?
Yesterday's 30 mile ride/5 mile run brick was a partial fail. We had very odd weather yesterday, at 5:30 When I got home we were under both a thunderstorm and tornado watch. Despite that it was bright outside, oddly bright, except you couldn't see the sun. There was a thin layer of light grey clouds as far as the eye could see. It was thin enough that the sun was still piercing through. Despite it being 100 degrees, I had every intention of riding outside until I heard about the watch on the radio. I got dressed, tweeted, and debated. i finally decided that if I got 15 mile from the house and there was a tornado, it wouldn't be good. I set up the trainer and popped in a disk of the Big Bang Theory to watch for a 2 hours spin.
After an hour I started thinking about how much i hate the trainer without doing a guided workout like spinervals, and about the church dinner I was missing. I usually do not attend the church dinners as it is always the old people from the church and the food is always horrible and they run out. Of all the ones to go to the May dinner is the best because it is the done by the old men's sunday school. When the women's groups do the dinners it is covered dish, not good, and not enough. When the men do the dinner it's catered by a local chicken and bbq joint. I was miserable on the trainer and starving despite my first gel. I decided to call the hour on the trainer a bonus workout and do the workout today since I am working 2nd shift. I had a good time at the dinner; I played volleyball, dodge ball,and football with the kids. They like me because i will play with them.
I was up all night thinking about race strategy for my first olympic, because of this I overslept by an hour this morning. Despite that, i still got up and got my workout in, but I only left myself 15 minutes to drink my FLUID recovery drink, shower, dress, and feed the dogs.
This workout is my longest brick ever. It didn't kick my ass, but it was no walk in the park. I was looking at it as a good dress rehearsal for my race next weekend. Similar distance and similar weather. I wrote three key goals on and index card and put it in my bento box. One of these was to do the bike in Zone 2 for the first half and zone 3 for the second (source). I was using last winter's HR zones as I have not retested. I put a note on the fridge that I need to reassess. Giving these zones the goal was to stay under 144 for the first half and above 144 for the second half. My other goal on the bike was to drink 4 ounces of Heed every 10 minutes (source). Last night I got out a measuring cup and marked my aerobottle at 2oz intervals.
The bike went smooth and was very enjoyable, I rode comfortably for the first 15 miles and watched my HR for the second. I found it hard to keep my HR up at times. There were descents that no matter how hard I pedalled in my biggest gears, my HR continued to drop. It would go all the way to zone 1 over a matter of seconds. Not sure how to remedy this or if this needs a remedy.
After the bike I made a decent transition. I wore bibs to ride so I changed in the foyer and headed back out. My goal on this leg was advice from Andy Potts in one of the same pages as above. I gave myself three minutes to find my rhythm and then closed my mouth and tried to breathe through my nose. If I couldn't do it, I was going too fast. Considering i was running at near my 5k pace, i new it was too fast. At that moment is felt good, but i needed to remember to pace myself. After a mile I got to a good rhythm and the effects of the bike were gone. Even with my rhythm, hills still floored me- dropping me to a 10 minute pace. In the end I averaged an 08:45 pace and my coach had called for 9:03- I am happy.
Today's workout is 6 x 1:00 for speed. I may put this off until tomorrow AM in order to clean up the house. I still have a bike and clothes in the foyer, heed and gel wrapper in the kitchen, didn't make the bed, and I am hoping I make it home before CB tonight.
Any olympic distance race strategies to share?
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Happy Tuesday
Here I go again- force the positive attitude. I am feeling decent today although I do not care to be at work, I would rather be in the pool or somewhere else.
Got my bike back yesterday, I am happy, it looks great and clean, but I feel like a jerk.
Like I said yesterday I was distraught about my bike not being ready so I emailed the shop owner. Here is the basic outline of my email:
I. Love the shop and all the great things that they do for me.
II. Details of what happened when i dropped my bike off.
III. Details of (not) picking my bike up.
IV.How this effects my monetarily.
V. The implications that I am not as important as the big ticket customers.
VI. Not having my bike ready at the time you tell me to be there is like breaking your word.
VII. Past problems I have not said anything about because they have always taken care of them on the spot (as an example of how great they are).
About three hours after I emailed the shop owner, one of the guys (the same one I dealt with last week and weekend) called me at work to let me know that my bike was ready. He was very short and not very friendly. He and most of the others are usually very friendly even small talking before getting to business, not today.
About an hour later i got a call from the shop owner apologizing for the problem and telling my that it upset him tahat they even promised my bike to be ready over the weekend as they are not supposed to do that. He also said that without going into details that he did discuss ME and the problem with the guys. He said the guys described me as more of a friend than a regular customer and told him that they had already dropped the $50 charge for changing the bars and were only billing me for the tune up, bar tape, and bar tapping because of my relationship with them. I had no idea there was a $50 charge to change the bars to begin with. They must have already made the decision when they gave me the quote (I also though that was an absurd amount as I can change them and put the shifter back on in the same amount of time it takes me to type this thought).
After i got this email I realized why the guy had been short with me.
When I went to pick up the bike he was not as short, but not as friendly as usual and was clearly avoiding eye contact. In the end I spent $100 to get a tune up (sadly that was already ear marked for a wetsuit), make four trips to the shop, and apparently upset someone I value. I got my bike back squeaky clean but felt like an asshole. Not something I meant to do. I would never want to be on the wrong foot with my bike shop, it strikes me that no triathlete can really afford to not have a good LBS or mechanic in their pocket.
Despite the 90 minutes of driving back and forth to the bike shop i still made it home in time for some speed work in the pool. I felt hard which I LOVE. It also made it clear to me that i still need work as my time has not changed that much from my last time trial in February; I have a new time trial this week so i will have a definitive answer. Today is a 30 mile ride/5 mile run brick. I knew i had a brick today but was surprised when i saw the distance. Oddly now that I am preparing for an international distance event i have a workout of this length, but had none during HIM training. Oh Well.
What are your plans today?
Got my bike back yesterday, I am happy, it looks great and clean, but I feel like a jerk.
Like I said yesterday I was distraught about my bike not being ready so I emailed the shop owner. Here is the basic outline of my email:
I. Love the shop and all the great things that they do for me.
II. Details of what happened when i dropped my bike off.
III. Details of (not) picking my bike up.
IV.How this effects my monetarily.
V. The implications that I am not as important as the big ticket customers.
VI. Not having my bike ready at the time you tell me to be there is like breaking your word.
VII. Past problems I have not said anything about because they have always taken care of them on the spot (as an example of how great they are).
About three hours after I emailed the shop owner, one of the guys (the same one I dealt with last week and weekend) called me at work to let me know that my bike was ready. He was very short and not very friendly. He and most of the others are usually very friendly even small talking before getting to business, not today.
About an hour later i got a call from the shop owner apologizing for the problem and telling my that it upset him tahat they even promised my bike to be ready over the weekend as they are not supposed to do that. He also said that without going into details that he did discuss ME and the problem with the guys. He said the guys described me as more of a friend than a regular customer and told him that they had already dropped the $50 charge for changing the bars and were only billing me for the tune up, bar tape, and bar tapping because of my relationship with them. I had no idea there was a $50 charge to change the bars to begin with. They must have already made the decision when they gave me the quote (I also though that was an absurd amount as I can change them and put the shifter back on in the same amount of time it takes me to type this thought).
After i got this email I realized why the guy had been short with me.
When I went to pick up the bike he was not as short, but not as friendly as usual and was clearly avoiding eye contact. In the end I spent $100 to get a tune up (sadly that was already ear marked for a wetsuit), make four trips to the shop, and apparently upset someone I value. I got my bike back squeaky clean but felt like an asshole. Not something I meant to do. I would never want to be on the wrong foot with my bike shop, it strikes me that no triathlete can really afford to not have a good LBS or mechanic in their pocket.
Despite the 90 minutes of driving back and forth to the bike shop i still made it home in time for some speed work in the pool. I felt hard which I LOVE. It also made it clear to me that i still need work as my time has not changed that much from my last time trial in February; I have a new time trial this week so i will have a definitive answer. Today is a 30 mile ride/5 mile run brick. I knew i had a brick today but was surprised when i saw the distance. Oddly now that I am preparing for an international distance event i have a workout of this length, but had none during HIM training. Oh Well.
What are your plans today?
Monday, May 23, 2011
HAPPY MONDAY!
HAPPY MONDAY!!!! I am starting this week with a positive mental attitude. It is not coming naturally, but I am forcing it. I am actually in a sort of slump, but I am forcing myself to start positive. Despite my training being rough this week, my slump actually has has nothing to do with training and more to do with some stuff in the rest of my life. In reality, all I feel like doing is working out and sleeping.
My weekend was so-so. I started off by getting up early Saturday and going to registration for the karate class i teach on Saturdays. I also did some make up belt tests for kids who were sick on test day. This put me in a decent mood as I really love some of the kids. One of my favorites came by with her dad and after they registered the hung out for a few minutes. This child is 6 years old and just got her green belt (aka has completed two semesters) she is about knee high to me and I'm quite sure she could take on kids twice her age. It's not because she is tough, but she puts 100% effort behind everything she learns. Although, I hate having to get up early on a Saturday I am glad to be working with these kids and this is the spending money I get for racing.
Afterward, jonesing for a bike ride I headed over to a local trail with my mountain bike. Our local state park has 3 separate mountain bike loops totaling 18 miles. I rode an alternate version of one of the loops and totaled 8.5 miles in what seemed like a blink of an eye. The trails were different than I remembered, but they flowed well. It took me a few minutes to re-acclimate to riding the mtb, it felt like I was pedaling a bounce house. I did fall one time early in the ride. When I climb hills with roots I have a bad habit of death gripping the bars and leaning back or standing. I hit a large root, the front wheel bounced and since i was already pulling up the bike just kept coming. No biggie, I am well adjusted to falling on my mtb (not the road bike so much, however).
The trail ride was really just a ploy to kill time while waiting for the service on my road bike to be completed. When I dropped the bike off on Thursday for a tune up and to have my bars replaced, they asked me what time I wanted to pick it up and since i was going to be in town to teach karate that morning (my karate class and the bike shop are 30 minutes away). I told them lunch time would be great. The guy told me that it probably wouldn't be ready at noon due to the lunch time retail rush, but they could have it at three. When I arrived at 2:45 they told me they hadn't touched it yet. They might be able to have it done by the end of the day today or Sunday, but would most definitely by the end of the day Monday. This upset me a great bit, because that means that I wasted time today just milling around for 4 hours ( I still would have gone for the mtb ride, but it would have been on the way home), I will have to waste gas to come back, and in order to pick my bike up during their weekday shop hours I have to take off at least on hour early. Not to mention this messes with my training schedule. Although for some reason I felt I should be angry, i wasn't- it felt more like I had been hurt by a trusted friend. I told CB and she got angry- that's why I keep her around. I do plan to email the shop owner and let him know my concerns.
Sunday was kind of similar ups and downs. I had a good swim, but was nervous about my first long run (14 miles) since easter. My shoes are not built for long runs and ever since my knee injury long runs make me nervous. I still dedicated myself to it. I ended up doing a walk 30 second, run 3:30. Even with the walking I ended up keeping an 10:30 pace. This is slower than prescribed, but my pace dropped drastically in the last 30 minutes as my feet and hips got tired. Cold bath when I was done had me feeling good to go again. I was happy since I got in one way or another, the only tough thing about it was being bored out of my mind. This week the plans calls for a 15 miler and i am going to increase my run time and decrease my rest time, not exactly the real run walk training plan but I am just trying to get back to running 10+ non-stop again.
How was your weekend?
My weekend was so-so. I started off by getting up early Saturday and going to registration for the karate class i teach on Saturdays. I also did some make up belt tests for kids who were sick on test day. This put me in a decent mood as I really love some of the kids. One of my favorites came by with her dad and after they registered the hung out for a few minutes. This child is 6 years old and just got her green belt (aka has completed two semesters) she is about knee high to me and I'm quite sure she could take on kids twice her age. It's not because she is tough, but she puts 100% effort behind everything she learns. Although, I hate having to get up early on a Saturday I am glad to be working with these kids and this is the spending money I get for racing.
Afterward, jonesing for a bike ride I headed over to a local trail with my mountain bike. Our local state park has 3 separate mountain bike loops totaling 18 miles. I rode an alternate version of one of the loops and totaled 8.5 miles in what seemed like a blink of an eye. The trails were different than I remembered, but they flowed well. It took me a few minutes to re-acclimate to riding the mtb, it felt like I was pedaling a bounce house. I did fall one time early in the ride. When I climb hills with roots I have a bad habit of death gripping the bars and leaning back or standing. I hit a large root, the front wheel bounced and since i was already pulling up the bike just kept coming. No biggie, I am well adjusted to falling on my mtb (not the road bike so much, however).
The trail ride was really just a ploy to kill time while waiting for the service on my road bike to be completed. When I dropped the bike off on Thursday for a tune up and to have my bars replaced, they asked me what time I wanted to pick it up and since i was going to be in town to teach karate that morning (my karate class and the bike shop are 30 minutes away). I told them lunch time would be great. The guy told me that it probably wouldn't be ready at noon due to the lunch time retail rush, but they could have it at three. When I arrived at 2:45 they told me they hadn't touched it yet. They might be able to have it done by the end of the day today or Sunday, but would most definitely by the end of the day Monday. This upset me a great bit, because that means that I wasted time today just milling around for 4 hours ( I still would have gone for the mtb ride, but it would have been on the way home), I will have to waste gas to come back, and in order to pick my bike up during their weekday shop hours I have to take off at least on hour early. Not to mention this messes with my training schedule. Although for some reason I felt I should be angry, i wasn't- it felt more like I had been hurt by a trusted friend. I told CB and she got angry- that's why I keep her around. I do plan to email the shop owner and let him know my concerns.
Sunday was kind of similar ups and downs. I had a good swim, but was nervous about my first long run (14 miles) since easter. My shoes are not built for long runs and ever since my knee injury long runs make me nervous. I still dedicated myself to it. I ended up doing a walk 30 second, run 3:30. Even with the walking I ended up keeping an 10:30 pace. This is slower than prescribed, but my pace dropped drastically in the last 30 minutes as my feet and hips got tired. Cold bath when I was done had me feeling good to go again. I was happy since I got in one way or another, the only tough thing about it was being bored out of my mind. This week the plans calls for a 15 miler and i am going to increase my run time and decrease my rest time, not exactly the real run walk training plan but I am just trying to get back to running 10+ non-stop again.
How was your weekend?
Friday, May 20, 2011
A New Low ????
After going through seven levels of bullshit in order get my workout completed last night (YMCA customer service sucks) I was able to get to the pool. My workout called for a 1800m swim, but since I am still trying to work on my kick I planned to swim it with fins a kick board as I had been directed.
Once I got in the pool I had roughly 17 minutes to complete the workout. This put swimming with the kick board out of the plan, my second plan was to swim with no fins, but I knew I couldn't swim it in 17 minutes, so my safety plan was to swim the 1800 with fins. This made sense to me since the fins will work on building an ergonomically correct kick, and without the kick board it will take less effort and that way I could concentrate on my pull. Even swimming with fins 1800m in 17 minutes was going to be a challenge for me. I swam the first 50 solid but relaxed and with glide. After that I started cranking- no glide, hard kick, and pulling as fast as I could. At this time my dinner started playing with me and this is where it got complicated......
Earlier in the evening I had to take my bike to the shop, this requires a trip out of town. Across the street from the bike shop is Salsarita's. If you do not have one it is a chain tex-mex restaurant that is like a subway with mexican food. CB and I love their food and since I had to got he 38 miles to the bike shop I asked her if I should get us some nachos for dinner while I am out. I returned home smelling the delicious steak and chicken nachos. I was hungry and CB had been drooling since I first wrote Salsarita's in a text so we ate in in hurry and then headed to the gym.
After the first HARD 400 yards my stomach started to feel funny. I thought to myself, slow down a bit. I put in a little bit of glide and kept going, but the inevitable happened around 900 meters- A few strokes before I got to the far wall, my mouth filled with vomit. I have swam so hard I wanted to puke when I stopped, but never puked while I was going. I could taste the chip seasoning, steak, cheese, and jalapenos. Two thoughts went through my mind quickly. First and most importantly if I let this out of my mouth they are going to close the pool and I won't get to finish the workout. Secondly, I need to make the decision quickly as I was supposed to breath two strokes ago. With all of my might I swallowed what was in my mouth and opened my mouth to let in a little water while I rolled over for the breath. I gagged a little more when I swallowed, but no puke. I slowed to just faster than a catch-up drill pace for 25m, saw the clock and realized I needed to try to sprint to finish the workout on time. The sprinting led to a mouth full of puke one more time, but I instinctively swallowed it and kept going.
In the end I only got in 1600m before time was up, but the guards told me to go ahead and finish. I think they figured out they pissed me off. It was fun to learn today that my favorite nachos taste just as good coming up.
Once I got in the pool I had roughly 17 minutes to complete the workout. This put swimming with the kick board out of the plan, my second plan was to swim with no fins, but I knew I couldn't swim it in 17 minutes, so my safety plan was to swim the 1800 with fins. This made sense to me since the fins will work on building an ergonomically correct kick, and without the kick board it will take less effort and that way I could concentrate on my pull. Even swimming with fins 1800m in 17 minutes was going to be a challenge for me. I swam the first 50 solid but relaxed and with glide. After that I started cranking- no glide, hard kick, and pulling as fast as I could. At this time my dinner started playing with me and this is where it got complicated......
Earlier in the evening I had to take my bike to the shop, this requires a trip out of town. Across the street from the bike shop is Salsarita's. If you do not have one it is a chain tex-mex restaurant that is like a subway with mexican food. CB and I love their food and since I had to got he 38 miles to the bike shop I asked her if I should get us some nachos for dinner while I am out. I returned home smelling the delicious steak and chicken nachos. I was hungry and CB had been drooling since I first wrote Salsarita's in a text so we ate in in hurry and then headed to the gym.
After the first HARD 400 yards my stomach started to feel funny. I thought to myself, slow down a bit. I put in a little bit of glide and kept going, but the inevitable happened around 900 meters- A few strokes before I got to the far wall, my mouth filled with vomit. I have swam so hard I wanted to puke when I stopped, but never puked while I was going. I could taste the chip seasoning, steak, cheese, and jalapenos. Two thoughts went through my mind quickly. First and most importantly if I let this out of my mouth they are going to close the pool and I won't get to finish the workout. Secondly, I need to make the decision quickly as I was supposed to breath two strokes ago. With all of my might I swallowed what was in my mouth and opened my mouth to let in a little water while I rolled over for the breath. I gagged a little more when I swallowed, but no puke. I slowed to just faster than a catch-up drill pace for 25m, saw the clock and realized I needed to try to sprint to finish the workout on time. The sprinting led to a mouth full of puke one more time, but I instinctively swallowed it and kept going.
In the end I only got in 1600m before time was up, but the guards told me to go ahead and finish. I think they figured out they pissed me off. It was fun to learn today that my favorite nachos taste just as good coming up.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)