My Melt It Off Monday post is a little delayed. I was in LA on Mon & Tues and have been busy. I didn't actually get to weigh in Monday since I was out of town, so I intentionally weighed in Saturday morning before I left for my trip.
I was down 1.4 pounds from the previous week! So far I've lost about 7 pounds. The weight loss has been slow, but the weight is coming off. When I got back from LA I was up about a pound. I am working to get that back off. I won't lie....I did not eat well in LA. There might have been some chocolate covered cheesecake pops at an MTV Movie Awards after party....and I might have had a few...but more about that in another post.
So yes, I still have a post or posts to write. I did a half marathon last Sat, it was also my Birthday, and I attended the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday. It was a busy and fun weekend. I need to get busy and write those posts.
In other news.....I was very happy when I woke up this morning to hear there had been a major break in the Boston bombing case. Both bombers identified....one dead. I just hope we hear soon that they have the second in custody. There will be justice for Boston!!!
April 19, 2013
April 17, 2013
Run for Boston - In our Hearts
I had posts to write, but they all seem trivial in light of what happened in Boston on Monday.
I was in LA to visit my sister and we were on a hike on Monday. When we got back within cell phone range my phone was blowing up with texts about the Boston explosion.
I immediately looked up the news on my phone and couldn't believe it. I've been there. I've stood on that street and watched runners come in, watched my husband cross that finish line. I knew people who were there running that day. It was surreal.
So when I got home yesterday, I wanted to do something. So like many others I ran.
I ran 26.2 minutes. I ran for:
Martin, Krystle, and one unnamed victim who lost their lives. I ran for the many others who were injured, for the family and friends of those who were impacted, for the runners, for all those who rushed to help, and for the entire running community!
I wore this shirt on my run. I bought it at the Boston Marathon expo in 2011. It seemed appropriate. I look at those winged feet a little differently today and like to think those are angel wings.
Boston you are in our Hearts!
If you want to do more. Boston has already set up a fund to help those affected by the tragedy. Click onefundboston.org to contribute.
I was in LA to visit my sister and we were on a hike on Monday. When we got back within cell phone range my phone was blowing up with texts about the Boston explosion.
I immediately looked up the news on my phone and couldn't believe it. I've been there. I've stood on that street and watched runners come in, watched my husband cross that finish line. I knew people who were there running that day. It was surreal.
So when I got home yesterday, I wanted to do something. So like many others I ran.
I ran 26.2 minutes. I ran for:
Martin, Krystle, and one unnamed victim who lost their lives. I ran for the many others who were injured, for the family and friends of those who were impacted, for the runners, for all those who rushed to help, and for the entire running community!
I wore this shirt on my run. I bought it at the Boston Marathon expo in 2011. It seemed appropriate. I look at those winged feet a little differently today and like to think those are angel wings.
Boston you are in our Hearts!
If you want to do more. Boston has already set up a fund to help those affected by the tragedy. Click onefundboston.org to contribute.
April 09, 2013
Two Suckers Are Doing the Chicago Marathon
Well, I'm sure you've heard about the Chicago Marathon debacle by now....and if you recall I wrote a not so pleasant post about it. I have complained about not getting in (the traditional way) but realize I have never said that in fact Jim and I will be running the marathon - or at least we think we are.
So yes, like many others, I toiled over my computer for hours and hours the day registration opened only to be shut out. I like many others, put my name in the lottery and was not chosen. But, I like not so many others also reserved my hotel room through Marathon Tours & Travel.
When we decided we were going to do the Chicago Marathon I wanted to reserve a room early. I started doing online searches on Expedia, etc and the rooms were crazy expensive as in $500 a night! So I turned to Marathon Tours & Travel - they were the company we used when we went to Boston. They have group rates with the hotels so you can get rooms for about half the cost. The only downside, is unlike traditional hotels were you can cancel up to 24 hours or so in advance with no penalty, you do have to pay a small fee - which grows every month as the race gets closer if you cancel. I reserved our room back in January and had we not been able to do the Chicago Marathon we would have been out about $40.
The one thing Marathon Tours & Travel offered was up to 2 entries (per room) into the Chicago Marathon - for an additional fee - if you were unable to register. Honestly, I didn't think we would need this fail safe. I knew registration would sell out that first day, but I thought we would get in, because I would be online the moment registration opened. Well, I was obviously totally wrong about that.
Marathon Tours had 250 entries and they would be given out on a first come/first serve basis. So, as soon as we learned we couldn't get in the traditional way I contacted them. For an extra $100 per entry we could race. Yikes! As if this race wasn't expensive enough.
Jim and I really thought about it and decided it might be our last opportunity to do the race together. I'm sure next year it will be a 100% lottery and if it is, I doubt Marathon Tours will be given any entries. Plus, my friend Coy who I had begged to run it with me got in. I would be leaving her to run the race by herself when she had never intended to run it in the first place.
So we forked out the extra money and we are headed to Chicago! Or at least we think we are. We have paid for the race entry fee and the "late charge", but we haven't actually registered yet. They told us we won't get registration details until June. So, while I know I should be in....I won't feel totally comfortable until I am actually registered.
So yes, after much complaining I still gave them my money. We are two big SUCKERS!!
So yes, like many others, I toiled over my computer for hours and hours the day registration opened only to be shut out. I like many others, put my name in the lottery and was not chosen. But, I like not so many others also reserved my hotel room through Marathon Tours & Travel.
When we decided we were going to do the Chicago Marathon I wanted to reserve a room early. I started doing online searches on Expedia, etc and the rooms were crazy expensive as in $500 a night! So I turned to Marathon Tours & Travel - they were the company we used when we went to Boston. They have group rates with the hotels so you can get rooms for about half the cost. The only downside, is unlike traditional hotels were you can cancel up to 24 hours or so in advance with no penalty, you do have to pay a small fee - which grows every month as the race gets closer if you cancel. I reserved our room back in January and had we not been able to do the Chicago Marathon we would have been out about $40.
The one thing Marathon Tours & Travel offered was up to 2 entries (per room) into the Chicago Marathon - for an additional fee - if you were unable to register. Honestly, I didn't think we would need this fail safe. I knew registration would sell out that first day, but I thought we would get in, because I would be online the moment registration opened. Well, I was obviously totally wrong about that.
Marathon Tours had 250 entries and they would be given out on a first come/first serve basis. So, as soon as we learned we couldn't get in the traditional way I contacted them. For an extra $100 per entry we could race. Yikes! As if this race wasn't expensive enough.
Jim and I really thought about it and decided it might be our last opportunity to do the race together. I'm sure next year it will be a 100% lottery and if it is, I doubt Marathon Tours will be given any entries. Plus, my friend Coy who I had begged to run it with me got in. I would be leaving her to run the race by herself when she had never intended to run it in the first place.
So we forked out the extra money and we are headed to Chicago! Or at least we think we are. We have paid for the race entry fee and the "late charge", but we haven't actually registered yet. They told us we won't get registration details until June. So, while I know I should be in....I won't feel totally comfortable until I am actually registered.
So yes, after much complaining I still gave them my money. We are two big SUCKERS!!
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| Michael & Jim - Two Big Suckers! |
April 08, 2013
Melt It Off Monday and A New Do!
Last week was a bit of a struggle. I had far too many meals out. I was out of town for work Mon-Wed and then had dinner with friends twice, and Jim and I ate out a couple of times this weekend. Even though I made the best choices I could, it's never easy to lose weight in that type of environment. That said, I pretty much stuck to salads and chicken, etc. and didn't do too bad. When I first weighed myself Thursday morning when I got back from my trip I was pretty disappointed to see a 3 pound gain! Yikes. I tried to remind myself it was probably just water retention from the flight and it slowly went away over the next few days.
Overall for the week I gained .4 ounces, so I consider that maintenance. The good news is I have really been focused on what I am putting in my body. I have totally eliminated soda for the last two weeks and this past week I also cut out my delicious Archer Farms coffee drinks and Zero water to get rid of the artificial sweetener. I am back to regular coffee with a little stevia and half and half. I can't do black coffee, I wish I could. So I'm drinking one coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day - with some occasional milk.
I had 12 WONDERFUL ladies join me in this Melt it Off Challenge! So far they are all doing great and are super supportive. Keep up the hard work! This week our Biggest Losers are Deb Tris and Go A Little Faster Mama. They each lost 4 pounds last week! That's awesome!
This will be another challenging week for me. I should do good through most of the week, but Saturday is my Birthday and there will be cake!! Oh yes, there will be cake. There will also be a half marathon....should make up for some of the cake. Then I'm off to LA for a couple of days to visit my sister. So....traveling again!
Last Week By the Numbers:
Swim: .72 (1 swim) - not a great swim week
Bike: 46.9 Miles
Run: 16.4 Miles
Cross Train: 1 Hour Strength Training (1 Jillian Michaels DVD and 1 Hotel Band Workout)
Total Hours - 8:49
On another note, I've had my hair pretty long for the last 3 or 4 years. I decided last minute before my hair appointment on Friday that I wanted something different. So, I decided to whack off about 4 inches and layer it! It wasn't easy, but I like it. It's so much more manageable. Curly hair can be a total tangle factory...and the less you have of it, the less tangles, it's kind of nice. So here are some befores and afters.
Overall for the week I gained .4 ounces, so I consider that maintenance. The good news is I have really been focused on what I am putting in my body. I have totally eliminated soda for the last two weeks and this past week I also cut out my delicious Archer Farms coffee drinks and Zero water to get rid of the artificial sweetener. I am back to regular coffee with a little stevia and half and half. I can't do black coffee, I wish I could. So I'm drinking one coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day - with some occasional milk.
I had 12 WONDERFUL ladies join me in this Melt it Off Challenge! So far they are all doing great and are super supportive. Keep up the hard work! This week our Biggest Losers are Deb Tris and Go A Little Faster Mama. They each lost 4 pounds last week! That's awesome!
This will be another challenging week for me. I should do good through most of the week, but Saturday is my Birthday and there will be cake!! Oh yes, there will be cake. There will also be a half marathon....should make up for some of the cake. Then I'm off to LA for a couple of days to visit my sister. So....traveling again!
Last Week By the Numbers:
Swim: .72 (1 swim) - not a great swim week
Bike: 46.9 Miles
Run: 16.4 Miles
Cross Train: 1 Hour Strength Training (1 Jillian Michaels DVD and 1 Hotel Band Workout)
Total Hours - 8:49
On another note, I've had my hair pretty long for the last 3 or 4 years. I decided last minute before my hair appointment on Friday that I wanted something different. So, I decided to whack off about 4 inches and layer it! It wasn't easy, but I like it. It's so much more manageable. Curly hair can be a total tangle factory...and the less you have of it, the less tangles, it's kind of nice. So here are some befores and afters.
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| Straight Hair - Left (before); Right (after)....fresh from the salon |
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| Curly - Left (before); Right (after) |
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| And Just for fun....Left is my niece Ashley - Right is same pic of me. Everyone says we look alike and now we kinda have the same hair. Ashley just cut her bangs a few weeks ago, and then I cut my hair short. |
April 05, 2013
Swim Training with an Olympic Gold Medalist!
This past weekend I was fortunate to attend a 2 day swim clinic with Sheila Taormina an Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming in the 1996 Olympics.
Sheila is now a retired athlete but she has a pretty impressive resume. She competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics all after the age of 27! She competed in swimming (1996), triathlon (2000 & 2004) and pentathlon (2004 & 2008). She won a gold medal in the 96 games in the women's 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. She was the first and only woman to qualify for different Olympiads in 3 different sports. She also won the 2004 ITU World Triathlon Championship. If that wasn't enough, she's also got a Bachelor's and Masters degree in Business! This woman is a champion all around!!
So, it was awesome to even get to meet her. But the swim clinic was amazing! It was a 2 day clinic that consisted of a 2 hour lecture on Friday night and ended with a 2 hour pool workout on Saturday. During her lecture on Friday night it was clear that she had a passion for swimming. Her enthusiasm just poured out of her.
So what did I get out of the clinic? Here are a few takeaways that I thought were pretty awesome, especially if you are like me and have been struggling with your swimming for a long time.
The second day of the clinic was 2 solid hours in the water pretty much doing nothing but drills, drills, and more drills. It was exhausting and I logged about 2000 yards of swimming. I could barely move my arms the next day! The drills were very helpful though and are things that I can easily incorporate into my swimming.
I took a lot away from the clinic and I'm actually excited to get back in the pool and start working on some of the drills and hopefully start improving my swim times!
I know this sounds like a sales pitch from me and it's not in any way. I just really enjoyed my time and wanted to share. She travels and does clinics all over the country, so check out her website and see if she's coming near you....if not, beg your local triathlon club to bring her to your city.
If you have any questions, I'd love to try to answer them.....but I'm not saying I actually can.
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| Sheila at the 2004 ITU World Triathlon Championship - yes she was that ripped in person! |
So, it was awesome to even get to meet her. But the swim clinic was amazing! It was a 2 day clinic that consisted of a 2 hour lecture on Friday night and ended with a 2 hour pool workout on Saturday. During her lecture on Friday night it was clear that she had a passion for swimming. Her enthusiasm just poured out of her.
So what did I get out of the clinic? Here are a few takeaways that I thought were pretty awesome, especially if you are like me and have been struggling with your swimming for a long time.
- The only way to swim faster is: 1) increase your rate of turnover in the water or 2) decrease the number of strokes you take to get across the pool and 3) a combination of both.
- BEWARE: Don't focus so much on decreasing the number of strokes or it could make you slower. She totally disagrees with the whole "glide" technique that is now commonly taught. Gliding only makes you slower. You might be taking fewer strokes, but you are taking them at a far slower rate, so overall you are slower.
- 80% of what makes you a faster swimmer happens under water i.e. is your catch and your pull. The high elbow recovery, your kick, etc can make you a little faster, but they aren't the things to focus on unless you have mastered the catch and pull. Focusing here will give you the most bang for your buck.
- Develop a feel for the water. You should feel like you are moving water when you swim.
The second day of the clinic was 2 solid hours in the water pretty much doing nothing but drills, drills, and more drills. It was exhausting and I logged about 2000 yards of swimming. I could barely move my arms the next day! The drills were very helpful though and are things that I can easily incorporate into my swimming.
I took a lot away from the clinic and I'm actually excited to get back in the pool and start working on some of the drills and hopefully start improving my swim times!
I know this sounds like a sales pitch from me and it's not in any way. I just really enjoyed my time and wanted to share. She travels and does clinics all over the country, so check out her website and see if she's coming near you....if not, beg your local triathlon club to bring her to your city.
If you have any questions, I'd love to try to answer them.....but I'm not saying I actually can.
April 02, 2013
Introducing the Newest Member of the Family!
No, we didn't get a new puppy or adopt a baby.............................please meet my new tri bike!
She is so young, she doesn't even have a name yet. For some reason I keep wanting to call her Betty...but that just doesn't sound very fast now does it? My Spanish name is High School was Belita...which is Spanish for Betty....maybe I'll go with that. It's just the BMC that keeps making me want to name her something with a B. What do you think?? Name suggestions??? I'll take them!
This is the BMC Time Machine TM02. I just love it! The colors are so awesome.
When I first started triathlon I had no idea if I would do one triathlon or many, so I didn't want to invest too much money in a bike. I bought a very introductory level bike, and it has served me well for the last few years. That first year I ended up doing 3 triathlons and fell in love with the sport. This year I have already signed up for 4 and will probably do 5 or 6. I know I'm into triathlon for good, so it was time to upgrade.
I went to Elite Cycle in Overland Park, KS to get a Retul Bike Fit, which basically means they hooked me up to a bunch of electrodes and took video of me riding. It helps them to 1) find the right type of bike that would fit me without too many adjustments, and 2) fit the bike to you. I learned during my bike fit that my old fit didn't fit me at all. I have fairly long legs, but a short torso. Most people are more balanced and as their leg length grows so does their torso. So I needed a frame known as a Medium/Short - it has a taller seat, but a shorter reach. My old bike was balanced, so the reach was really too far for me. I had always felt this way, but never really knew why.
When I first went in for my bike fit I had no plans in buying a tri bike. I wanted another road bike. But with conversations with Jeff at Elite about what I wanted....he strongly encouraged me to consider the tri bike. And in the end that's the decision I made.
I haven't actually gotten a chance to ride it yet, and I know I will love it over time, but I have to admit that right now I'm a little afraid! For one it's much taller than my old bike and I can literally barely get my leg over the center bar. I'm so afraid I'm going to have some falls this summer trying to get used to that. But I know it's to be expected. Second, I'm just a little afraid of the aero bar position. I know you don't have as much stability with a tri bike as you do with a road bike. I ended up upgrading the wheels though and they are supposed to provide a more stable ride. We shall see.
All I keep telling myself is this bike is supposed to give me "free speed"!! I sure do hope so. I suppose it's natural to super excited and apprehensive about a new bike at the same time. I've ridden my other bike for over 3 years, and it just feels comfortable. I know it, I know how it gears, steers and brakes, etc. This one will be a learning curve for sure! But I'm excited to get out there on it.
Has anyone else ever been nervous about getting a new bike? Am I crazy?
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| Pretty Sweet Huh?? |
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| Close-up of the colors: White, Black, Lime Green, Yellow and Blue |
I went to Elite Cycle in Overland Park, KS to get a Retul Bike Fit, which basically means they hooked me up to a bunch of electrodes and took video of me riding. It helps them to 1) find the right type of bike that would fit me without too many adjustments, and 2) fit the bike to you. I learned during my bike fit that my old fit didn't fit me at all. I have fairly long legs, but a short torso. Most people are more balanced and as their leg length grows so does their torso. So I needed a frame known as a Medium/Short - it has a taller seat, but a shorter reach. My old bike was balanced, so the reach was really too far for me. I had always felt this way, but never really knew why.
When I first went in for my bike fit I had no plans in buying a tri bike. I wanted another road bike. But with conversations with Jeff at Elite about what I wanted....he strongly encouraged me to consider the tri bike. And in the end that's the decision I made.
I haven't actually gotten a chance to ride it yet, and I know I will love it over time, but I have to admit that right now I'm a little afraid! For one it's much taller than my old bike and I can literally barely get my leg over the center bar. I'm so afraid I'm going to have some falls this summer trying to get used to that. But I know it's to be expected. Second, I'm just a little afraid of the aero bar position. I know you don't have as much stability with a tri bike as you do with a road bike. I ended up upgrading the wheels though and they are supposed to provide a more stable ride. We shall see.
All I keep telling myself is this bike is supposed to give me "free speed"!! I sure do hope so. I suppose it's natural to super excited and apprehensive about a new bike at the same time. I've ridden my other bike for over 3 years, and it just feels comfortable. I know it, I know how it gears, steers and brakes, etc. This one will be a learning curve for sure! But I'm excited to get out there on it.
Has anyone else ever been nervous about getting a new bike? Am I crazy?
April 01, 2013
Melt It Off Monday!
Last week I officially kicked off a weight loss plan for myself and made it a challenge for the blog world as well. While the "official" blog challenge doesn't start until today, I started really focusing on weight loss just over a week ago.
I'm happy to announce that I lost 3.6 pounds last week, but that I'm down a total of 6 pounds!
Last week I really focused on eating cleaner. I completely cut out soda. I had gotten in a bad habit of drinking it lately, both regular and diet. I also didn't eat any junk snacks. I replaced my normal after lunch or dinner snack with things like Greek yogurt and fruit or celery and natural peanut butter. If I really craved something sweet, or just needed a little something to tide me over between meals I would eat a Larabar or Kind Bar. My favorite Larabar is Peanut and Chocolate Chip, so yes it does have a small amount of sugar in it, but I am just not ready to try to go completely sugar free.
I also learned this week that I have been tricked! I wasn't happy to realize that two of my favorite items I've been drinking - Zero Calorie "Ice Water" and 100 Calorie Archer Farms Coffee Beverages are both "naturally" sweetened with SPLENDA!!!! So when they said naturally sweetened I thought that meant....naturally! What false advertising. So if you are an idiot like me and an ingredient label says it contains Sucralose - that's just another term for Splenda. I should have known. So I'll be cutting those out. I am really trying to eliminate artificial sweeteners from my diet altogether. They are just so bad for you. I am really bad about the coffee drinks. I loved them...and I seriously thought they just had coffee and milk in them.....argh!
I am also happy to report that I have had 10 people join me in my official weight loss challenge! It's amazing to hear some of their stories. Some have already had huge weight loss successes, while others just want to lose those last few pesky pounds. It will be fun to see how we all do these next few weeks. I think having a community of people - even if it's a few that are all trying to do the same thing is very motivating!
I had originally said that you must be signed up for the challenge by Sunday....but I'll give you one more day (cause I'm just awesome like that). But you have to sign up today since it's the first day of the challenge. If you are interested - read by post here with all the details. It's pretty simple and you could win a $25 gift card!
I also had a great week of working out!
Here are the numbers:
Swim: 2 Miles
Bike: 48.52 Miles
Run: 16.43 Miles
Cross Train - Total: 1 Hour - (Two 30 minute Jillian Michael Strength Training Videos)
Total Hours: 10:24
So, I consider my unofficial first week a huge success!
This week will be a bit more of a struggle because I'll be out of town for work. I just have to keep focused and say NO to soooo many things that will be there to tempt me!
Hope everyone had a terrific week! Any new Goals anyone is working on?
Anyone else struggle with weight loss/maintaining weight while traveling?
I'm happy to announce that I lost 3.6 pounds last week, but that I'm down a total of 6 pounds!
Last week I really focused on eating cleaner. I completely cut out soda. I had gotten in a bad habit of drinking it lately, both regular and diet. I also didn't eat any junk snacks. I replaced my normal after lunch or dinner snack with things like Greek yogurt and fruit or celery and natural peanut butter. If I really craved something sweet, or just needed a little something to tide me over between meals I would eat a Larabar or Kind Bar. My favorite Larabar is Peanut and Chocolate Chip, so yes it does have a small amount of sugar in it, but I am just not ready to try to go completely sugar free.
I also learned this week that I have been tricked! I wasn't happy to realize that two of my favorite items I've been drinking - Zero Calorie "Ice Water" and 100 Calorie Archer Farms Coffee Beverages are both "naturally" sweetened with SPLENDA!!!! So when they said naturally sweetened I thought that meant....naturally! What false advertising. So if you are an idiot like me and an ingredient label says it contains Sucralose - that's just another term for Splenda. I should have known. So I'll be cutting those out. I am really trying to eliminate artificial sweeteners from my diet altogether. They are just so bad for you. I am really bad about the coffee drinks. I loved them...and I seriously thought they just had coffee and milk in them.....argh!
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| Dang you Archer Farms!! I knew you were too good to be true. |
I had originally said that you must be signed up for the challenge by Sunday....but I'll give you one more day (cause I'm just awesome like that). But you have to sign up today since it's the first day of the challenge. If you are interested - read by post here with all the details. It's pretty simple and you could win a $25 gift card!
I also had a great week of working out!
Here are the numbers:
Swim: 2 Miles
Bike: 48.52 Miles
Run: 16.43 Miles
Cross Train - Total: 1 Hour - (Two 30 minute Jillian Michael Strength Training Videos)
Total Hours: 10:24
So, I consider my unofficial first week a huge success!
This week will be a bit more of a struggle because I'll be out of town for work. I just have to keep focused and say NO to soooo many things that will be there to tempt me!
Hope everyone had a terrific week! Any new Goals anyone is working on?
Anyone else struggle with weight loss/maintaining weight while traveling?
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