Week in Review

Monday 8/25 
Planned: 2300 yard swim with lots of easy stuff

Actual: Um, the indoor pool is closed for end of year repairs.  Sure, that's my excuse for not doing this workout.

Tuesday 8/26
Planned: Easy 50 minute run with some peppier stuff in the middle. Then 15 minutes of back strength training.

Actual: Did this run on the treadmill.  Easy warmup then did the middle in 5 minute segments of 6.3, 6.6, 6.7, 6.6, 6.3, and then an easy cool down.  Keeping it nice and slow!  5.24 miles  Did not get to the back workout, but I did do 3 X 7 squats at 45 pounds.

Wednesday 8/27
Planned: 30 minute run with short strides at 5K pace.

Actual: Despite it being so hot you could melt crayons outside (so dramatic!), I had a great run.  Sprints were between 6:34 pace and 6:48 pace.  3.56 miles

Thursday 8/28
Planned: 1 hour hill run, 30 minutes strength

Actual: Did this run on the treadmill and it was great.  Intervals were set at a 5% incline and were done between an 8:00 and 8:30 pace depending on what was assigned.  6.58 miles.

Friday 8/29
Planned: 30 minute easy run; 30 minute spin

Actual: Easy treadmill run. 3.06 miles

Saturday 8/30
Planned: Rest Day

Actual: Moved the rest day to tomorrow and did tomorrow's long run today.

Sunday 8/31
Planned: 16 miles with 6 miles at goal pace

Actual: Well, this run didn't go exactly as planned, but hey, I got through it and 16 miles are under my belt.  You can read about the run here. 

Weekly Total Miles - 34.44

Slogging Through the Miles

This morning's long run was just a slog fest.  I woke up early and got to the park to put in 7 miles before the group run.  The news said it was a billion percent humidity (seriously, that's what they said) and it was already near 80 degrees.  Immediately, the miles felt a little difficult.  I didn't have any pop in my step, breathing felt labored, and the pace wasn't as quick as what I anticipated.  However, I was still putting in the miles and that was important.  At 8:00 I met the rest of the group at the dock.  I was surprised not to see Dave and the baby as he said he would be there.  My dad was there, though, as was the girls I usually run with.  As we started the next part of the run, I got dropped like a bad habit by my regulars and I was all alone.  Oh how I wished Dave was there!  I was about 10+ miles into the run when I saw my dad and he said Dave had showed up.  That's when I ran my fastest mile to find him (8:12).  Just over 11 miles I found him and we ran together back to the start.  It was so nice to have someone with whom to commiserate.  I was miserable and this run was sucking.  But, again, I was doing the miles and really, for the conditions, I wasn't doing that bad.  Back to the starting point and I had two miles left to run.  I just did those on the dirt trail around the lake, by myself again.  Thank goodness I had brought my iPod or else this could have been the longest run of my life! 

Overall: 16 miles, 2:18:39, 8:40 pace. 

Now here's your public service announcement of the day. 

As I did some walking after my run, I saw a man face down on the side of the trail.  A woman had just approached him.  I saw her bend over him and then promptly pull out her phone.  Another woman then approached.  Finally, I was the third person there.  By then he was sitting on the ground.  According to the first woman, she had approached him and he did not respond.  She was calling 911 when he finally came to.  She did not complete the call.  He said he had gotten dizzy and nothing like this had ever happened.  I filled my water bottles and gave them to him.  He was sweating and had rosy skin so I wasn't too worried.  He got up, got some more to drink, and continued on his way.  People, be careful out there.  Around here it's still very much summer - hot, humid, and just no fun.  Be hydrated, have emergency contact information, slow down, walk if needed, cut the workout short or don't do it at all.  One run is not worth risking your life.  Be safe!

Foto Friday

Anderson and I are soaking up and enjoying every last second of summer.

I'm Back!!!

I was doing so well.  I had blogged, like, 20 days in a row or something close to that and then BAM!  I went on vacation, didn't take my computer, and dropped of the face of the earth.  Obviously.  We went to Kalispell, Montana and did lots of exciting adventures in Glacier National Park.  I have great stories to tell and pictures to show, but I need to get many of the pictures from the other family members who were on the trip with us.  So, you'll just have to wait a bit longer.

In the mean time, I leave you with this.  I cut all my hair off this week...

Foto Friday

Thursday Thoughts

In a few days we leave for vacation.  We are headed with the whole family to Montana to do our thing near Glacier National Park.  Now, I'm no nature lover, but I think there's going to be a whole lot of hiking, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and basically everything outdoors.  I am going to need a vacation from my vacation!

I have taken some good vacations in my lifetime, but two really stick out.  One was our impromptu trip to Key West.  We decided on a Thursday, bought tickets on a Friday, and left on a Saturday (or something like that).  It wasn't the usually Key West vacation of drinking and debauchery, but instead was relaxing and perfect.

Another favorite trip of ours was to Italy and Switzerland (There are lots of blog entries for this trip.  Click on June and July 2007 for more.) for our fifth anniversary.  This trip was epic!  We visited Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice, and Zermatt, Switzerland.  I loved Italy and cannot wait to go back.

And for every great trip, there's always a bad.  Although London was an amazing trip and seeing the Olympics may be a highlight of my life, taking this trip while 5 and 6 weeks pregnant was rough.  I was sick, I was tired, and I didn't want to do anything.  I couldn't experience the food or beverages.  Someday I'd like to do London again and would love, love, love to see another Olympics.

So, what is your favorite and least favorite vacations you have been on and why?

Stitch Fix #3

I forgot to post about my second stitch fix.  I picked the items out and sent the others back so quickly I forgot to take pictures.  I kept a cute blouse and a beautiful dress from my second stitch fix.

My third stitch fix arrived this week.  I opened it and immediately liked everything inside.  Crap!  I've done a lot of shopping this month and seriously couldn't (shouldn't) afford to keep everything.  Here's what I got and what I kept or am not keeping:

 

Green skinny jeans - I freakin' loved these pants!  They fit like a glove.  They're not too short, not too long.  They're not short waisted and cover everything perfect.  Oh yeah, I'm keeping these.

 My toe's in the photo!

Three quarter length, printed sweatshirt: I have no idea what to do with a three quarter length sweatshirt.  In Ohio you get about three days a year to wear three quarter length anything.  Then it's either too cold or too hot.  But, I loved this sweatshirt.  It's feminine and has a great shape to it.  I'm going to keep it and will try to wear it as often as the weather will allow.  Or I'll figure out how to wear a button down under it and make it a bit warmer.

Printed short sleeved blouse: In a picture this is so cute, but on it's a little bit.  There's no shape to it at all and sorta swims on me.  I will not be keeping it.

Sleeveless printed blouse: This is the only one that didn't excite me when I pulled it out of the box.  It's a little too bohemian for me.  Surprisingly, though, it fit wonderfully.  However, it's a little low cut in the boobage area (yes that's a word), and the sides have a really high cut that exposes the muffin top.  I'll be sending this back.

Striped/color blocked blouse: I love this shirt.  It's a little long; it's a little shapeless but still so cute.  I'm keeping this one and already wore it today.

I've been debating if I should keep up with the Stitch Fix thing.  It's expensive and really I could probably do just as well for cheaper at the local mall.  But the convenience factor and having someone else pick out my clothes makes it a great option.  I've got a one year old and a work-a-holic husband.  Going to the mall is quite difficult.  We'll see...

Challenge New Albany Award

Look what finally came in the mail!!!

I finally got my award for finishing 2nd at the Challenge New Albany women's sprint tri.  It's a big belt buckle!!!  I always thought I would have to run a 100 miler to get a belt buckle (and the thought certainly has crossed my mind).  Now I just have to get a belt to wear it with.

Have you or would you ever wear a belt buckle you won from a race?  Are there any items from a race you wear consistently? (I wear my necklace from Nike Women's Marathon quite often.)

Motivation Restored

Last week's training was just abysmal.  Between watching my niece and nephew two days, going to the fair, and leaving for Milwaukee on Thursday there wasn't a whole lot of time for training.  I packed clothes to run on the treadmill in Milwaukee, but travel and spectating are hard work and I didn't get anything done.  So, I ran a measly 6 miles last week.

After seeing the hard bodies and awesome performances at the USAT nationals, I decided to get my buns back in gear today.  The plan was to get in my 2 hour long run that I had missed yesterday.  The weather was not so great, though, and I figured I was going to have to do the whole thing on the treadmill.  Just 15 minutes into the treadmill, I decided that running two hours on a treadmill is a stupid idea and headed outside.  Because the weather was looking iffy, I was going to try to run loops close to home.  I changed my mind a mile and a half into the run as the skies were getting really dark, it was starting to drizzle, and I thought my closest option would be running to the school.

I made it beyond the school to the library and needed a bathroom and water break.  I thought about hanging out at the library to wait out the impending rain but it still hadn't really started raining yet, so I decided to trek on.  I made it just one block before the skies opened up and it was pouring and I was getting soaked.  I sprinted up the hill to the pizza place and hung out there for a few minutes until the rain passed.  Then I kept running.

I made it almost home and wanted to run more before the skies got dark again and this time there was thunder.  I was just inside the comfort of home when the storm began.  I didn't get in my full two hours of running but I did do an hour and 17 minutes, 8.82 miles.  Hey, it's something and more than I did last week.

USAT Age Group National Championships

Dave participated in the USAT Olympic age group national championships today.  What an amazing event!  The competition and talent level was unreal.  The finishing times were crazy fast for what I have seen/heard at local races.  Dave's race is his story to tell, but I was the one snapping pictures, so that's how I'll tell the story.

 

Dave was in the very first wave, which was great because he was done early and made it pretty easy for spectating.

I missed all of Dave's bike as I was looking for Amanda and because this was going on:

 

I did catch Dave at the start and the finish of the run, however.  He looked great and he was running strong.

 

Congratulations Dave!

 

This event was super cool and kinda makes me want to try to qualify...

Foto Friday

Think we've been doing some remodeling at our house?  The other day I looked around the corner and saw Anderson "painting" the wall.

Thursday Thoughts

Now that I'm a full time stay at home mom, a lot of the household chores fall to me.  Ugh.  I had a pretty strict upbringing regarding chores and as I've gotten older I have disliked them more and more.  And now I just excuse it as, "well, if I'm not getting help, I'm not doing it" or "the house is under a constant state of construction, why try to clean it."  This of course, is the absolute wrong approach.  I love a clean house, I just hate doing it.

My favorite chore is doing laundry.  It's such a type-A, engineering-type activity.  I love sorting by color or by type; I love folding clothes and the geometric shapes it becomes; and I love putting clothes on the drying rack, to see how many I can fit and how I can place them so it is not touching and still gets dry.  Laundry is soooo me!

Pretty much everything else is my least favorite chore.  :)  But if I have to narrow it down, I hate doing dishes.  They're so gross.  I don't like loading or unloading the dishwasher.  I hate having my hands in dirty water.  And I don't like drying them and putting them away.  I wish there was a magic dishwasher fairy who would come in after each meal and clean up. 

Another chore I really dislike is grocery and everything that goes with it - meal planning, making a list, clipping coupons, going to the grocery, etc.  What should happen every week usually becomes a four week task before I ever actually get to the store.  And now that I have to take a baby with me each time, it is even worse.

So, what are the chores you love and hate?  What incentives or motivation do you give yourself to get through those tasks you despise? 

Training Log

Do you keep a training log? 

Even though my coach gives me my workouts via Training Peaks, I prefer to write down all of my workouts in a notebook and then write the results as I do the workouts.  This way I always have a record of where I've been, how far I've come, and where I'm headed.  I have kept a training log/journal since I started running way back in 2001.  It's fun to go back and read the entries and reminisce about how difficult a 5 mile run was at 10:00 pace.  We've come a long way since then.

Hartford Fair 2014

We have been to the fair!

The Hartford Fair is dubbed "The biggest little fair in the world" or something like that.  I don't know if it is or not, but for a $6 admission, it's worth a go. 

This year was so much fun with Anderson.  First we took him into the barn with the ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, and rabbits.  He was in heaven.  He loved that they quacked at him.  He seemed to stay in the barn forever.  Me?  Well, I do NOT like birds of any kind so this was a nightmare for me.  We next got to see the pigs, the cows (they were HUGE), the sheep and goats, and finally some horses. 

He quickly grew tired of the animals and then it was on to the tractors.  I didn't bring my big camera.  My mom took most of the pictures on her camera and I have yet to see the pictures.  But, I did take a few with my phone.  Pure joy (and pure nightmare when we tried to leave each tractor).

Finally we finished up the evening with some yummy dinner (for me, homemade chicken and noodles) and then yummy, local Velvet ice cream.

Do you have a county or state fair you like to go to?
What's your favorite attraction at the fair?
What's your favorite fair food?

New Shoes

For years I have been wearing the Saucony Omni as my training shoe.  I don't remember why I started wearing them in the first place, but I'm sure it was a good reason.  About a year ago Saucony updated them and I frankly, didn't like the update.  It made the shoe stiff and heavier.  So when it came time to retire the pair I was wearing, I knew I was going to need something completely new.

I went to a local running store and told them exactly what I wanted: a training shoe, not a minimal shoe, neutral, and to stay in the Saucony family.  And this is what they came back with:

This is the Saucony Ride 6.  The Ride 7 had just come out that week, so I was able to get a deal on the older model.  And the best part about Sauconys is that you can take them out of the box and they are ready to run without being broken in.

Two years ago I broke my toe badly - a dislocation and a break that required my toe being put back together.  Recently, it has started hurting again.  Like, a lot.  It hurts when I run and it hurts when I sit and do nothing.  My mom thinks maybe I have arthritis in the toe.  Geesh!  My coach thinks maybe it is because of the shoes.  I don't know, but with nearly 200 miles on these shoes at this point, I'm not replacing them until they're ready to retire.  I like these shoes and they've worked out well.  Next time I'm getting the super cool red pair.

Week in Review

Holy wow!  I did a ton of running this week.  Or at least it feels like it (until I read other's statuses and blogs how they ran like 57 or 78 miles.  Geesh!)

Monday:
Planned - 40 minute easy run
Actual - 41 minutes, 4.65 miles while Dave and Anderson followed along with me on the bike.

Tuesday:
Planned - 55 minute hilly treadmill run, 15 minutes of core work
Actual - 6.02 miles on the treadmill at the YMCA.  Dave ran beside me which made the workout more bearable. 

Wednesday:
Planned - 45 minute easy spin, 30 minutes of recovery
Actual - 45 minute spin on the trainer, 8.52 miles.  Two hours of napping for recovery. 

Thursday:
Planned - 1 hour track workout with 1200s, 800s, and 400s.  Shorter run later in the day.
Actual - 6.5 miles on the track totally rocking the intervals given to me.  1.61 mile run in the evening.

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Planned - 35 minute easy run, 30 minutes of strength training
Actual - 3.74 easy-ish miles (felt harder than it should have)

Sunday:
Planned - 1 hour 50 minute long run
Actual - 1 hour 56 minutes, 13.52 miles.  Did this progressively with the first 6 miles at an 8:54 overall pace, next five miles cruising at an 8:28 overall pace, next two miles at a 7:54 overall pace, and finally finished up with 5 minutes of cool down.

Overall:
Biking - 8.52 miles
Running - 36.04 miles

My Drunk Dog

I recently took Sloopy to a new vet.  I wasn't dissatisfied with our old one, it was just a matter of convenience and logistics.  We were originally going to a vet on the east side of Columbus because that's where the previous owner was taking her.  Now that we've moved a little further north, it just feels far.  I had gotten a flyer in the mail about a dog's only veterinary clinic right next to the YMCA, so I decided to check it out.  $300 later, they had checked me out.

One thing I discussed with the vet was Sloopy's anxiety regarding thunderstorms.  It's bad.  She pants and shakes and tucks her tail and hides.  It goes on for hours, long after the storm has finished.  I worry that she's going to have a heart attack.  We've tried everything - foil, dryer sheets, thunder shirts.  Nothing seems to work.  Because of her heart murmur this doctor was concerned that she might have a heart attack so she prescribed us some anti-anxiety meds.  Today we had a super bad storm so we tried them out.

You are supposed to give them to the dog two hours before an expected storm, however, we didn't have time for that.  The storm approached quickly and it was massive.  We gave them to her as soon as we could.  We gave her the lowest doses too.  Then we put her in her crate and went to lunch.  (Yes, we went out in this storm.  This is what happens when there is no food in the house; you're willing to go out in a bad storm with a baby just for lunch.)

When we came home from lunch Sloopy was a whole new dog.  We were told that these drugs would sedate her and she'd just want to sleep.  That's not what happened at all.  In fact, she was hyper and kind of drunk.  She would take a few steps and her legs would give out.  She would jump on and off furniture like she normally does and she would fall.  It was sad and funny all at the same time.  The most awesome thing she did was suspiciously check out her reflection in Anderson's beach ball.  I wish we had gotten that on video.

A few hours later she was back to her old self, long after the storm had passed.  I'm not sure the pills helped or hurt.  We'll have to try them again.  Personally, I hated seeing her all drunk and strung out, but maybe that helps her not freak out?  Anyone out there have experience with anti-anxiety medicine for their dogs?  Should I be calling the vet?

Foto Friday