My Training Log; Week in Review

It has been a good week for training as far as commitment and consistency.  I have logged 14.3 miles this week.  However, I had hoped to be farther along the path toward my 13.1 (half marathon) goal.  It seems as if my aging body is not able to back up my lofty goals.  With the SunTrust looming on November 15th, the reality is that I am just not going to be ready to join my husband trainer coach friend.  While I feel disillusioned, I also feel a renewed sense of commitment.  Perhaps I won’t be ready when I had originally planned, but I will be ready. 

There is a 5K coming up on October 11th that I will be running.  Beyond that, I found an 8K on October 25th that benefits the READ center, a non-profit organization here in Richmond that help illiterate adults learn to read.  That is definitely a cause I can support, so I am adding that to my calendar.

 

The Biggest Loser

I have no idea why, but this show really appeals to me.  I got hooked last season and I couldn’t wait until it started this season.  Tonight was episode 2 and I think I have already picked the team that I want to see win; Tom and Tom. Something about this father and son team seems so genuine.  They are trying to fight their way out of a “family” of poor eaters and overweight people.  The opening episode showed them at home with their extended family and they seemed so close to one another-that really appeals to me!

What a Week!

Dogs waking at 2:00 AM for bathroom breaks, step-sons with 4:00 AM tummy aches, football practice, tennis practice, soccer practice, back to school night, after work meetings….Yikes!  This week was a tough one for fitting in time to run.  Holding true to the “early bird gets the worm” philosophy, I was able to run two miles and weight train before work, Tuesday was a three mile run at 5:30 AM with good intentions of meeting a friend at yoga later after work. That was also before the dog woke me up at 2:00 and my stepson at 4:00-I just stayed up until it was time to go to the gym and that was a big mistake.  I was sooo tired Tuesday that I “napped” for two hours after work and totally missed my 6:00 yoga date.  I called my friend to beg forgiveness and made a mental note to try again next Tuesday.  Wednesday was a cross training day so I hit the elliptical trainer and lifted weights before work, Thursday I slept in and oooooh, it was so nice!  Friday morning was three mile run and that, my friends, was it for me this week.  Saturday I worked around the house and Sunday I painted my two-story foyer.  The walls needed two coats and I had to traverse the scaffolding all day, so I was too spent to even try a run.  Hal would not be happy with me!  Tomorrow is a new day.  My training log this week calls for me to run three miles on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with Friday off to “rest”.  Saturday is a cross training day and Sunday a longer run.  Wish me luck!

(BTW-next time, I will spend the money for a professional painter.  Oh, my aching back!)

Whining About Wine

During my ascent into pre-middle age (like that, do you?)  I have developed a taste for the grape, I will freely admit it.  As a friend of mine says in a recent post “wine is a food group!” and I agree.  Whether it is sipping a glass of merlot while making dinner or having a chilled glass of white while I am reading before bed, I do love a good label.  The problem is, like most other vices, guilt almost instantly sets in when my glass is empty.  Why did I drink that?  Too much sugar, too many calories, and alcohol is off limits according to  “Jillian’s”  top ten rules for making the cut.  My mind reels with the guilt of indulgence and I vow  not to give in tomorrow…   But wait, what do these headlines say…”Liquid Medicine: A Daily  Glass of  Wine May Lower Your Risk on Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (did you even know you could get that?). 

The article, in October 2008 Women’s Health Magazine, goes on to say that people who have a daily dose of Vino were 50% less likely to contract the disease.  Who knew?  Although researchers are quick to say that beer and liquor drinkers do not have the same protection; in fact, they have four to five times the risk of this liver disease. (Sorry if that hits too close to home for you!)

Ha!  A bit of good news for a change.  (Of course, we know that another federally funded study will come out soon that will debunk this study’s findings, but for now, drink up!)

“Eating” Your Sunscreen Can Help Cancer Prone Skin

I know this sounds strange and you are wondering what in the world I am talking about.  Believe it or not, I have not lost my mind.  In a recent edition of Women’s Health Magazine they feature a section on “Fighting Disease” in your 40’s and beyond.  Of course the subtitle immediately caught my eye-Cancer Prone Skin.  It appears that the National Cancer Institute found that people with the highest intake of carotenoids have a “significantly reduced” chance of skin cancer than people with the lowest intake.

Now, how in the world does that work?  It seems that the plant pigment of foods like

 sweet potatoes, carrots, and  cantaloupe is transported in the bloodstream to the skin, where it is enriched and helps fight the damaging effects of sunlight.  As a preventative tool, they suggest eating two sweet potatoes a week.  Now that is food for thought!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

Worms Anyone?

If the early bird truly gets the worm, then I have more than my share this week.  I have had my alarm set everyday for 5:00 AM but have been awake before it went off each day.  Go me!  I grab my things and off I go to the gym.  Monday was weight training (no legs, unfortunately; doctores orders),  and stretching.  Tuesday I tackle the eliptical trainer again, shooting for a sustained target rate of 180.  Wednesday was a run for two miles (20:03 minutes) followed by a mile and half walk.  Thursday I ran for two and a half miles and then walked for the remaining mile.  Friday was a day of rest and I took it.  Unfortuanately, I took one on Saturday as well.  Hal’s plan called for 40 minutes of cross training and I had planned to do it, I really did!  Instead, I push -mowed the lawn (about an hour and a half of work) and the humidity was just too much.  I wimped out and categorized this as my “cross training”-don’t tell Hal!

I finished up my week with a three mile run today and again the humidity really zapped me.  I had intended to run five, but ended up running the three and then walking one more. 

The half marathon is nine weeks away.  I really need to step it up if I still plan on running it. I am a little demoralized about where I am now and where I need to be by November the 15th, but I am not quite ready to ratchet my goal back and do the 8K that day instead.  We will just have to wait and see how things go.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

 

Today is my running coach partner husband’s birthday and I couldn’t wait until it was time to give him his present-a Forerunner 405. 

Just saying it sounds cool, doesn’t it?   For those of you who may not have heard of this high tech toy, let me educate you.  It is a GPS system, but not for your car.  You wear it on your wrist and it will communicate with your home computer, sending back data about  your time, distance, pace, calories and heart rate (when paired with heart rate monitor). Each run is stored in memory so you can review and analyze the data to see how you’ve improved..  Go, Go Gadget!

Back in the (side) Saddle Again!

As Aerosmith says, I am “Back in the Saddle Again!”  Sort of.  If you have been following my posts (I like to believe someone is-it helps me sleep at night) you know that I started a marathon training program but, after a mere three weeks in,  was sidelined due to a medical issue.  The doctor told me that I could not run for a month; that was on August 15th.  Granted, September the 7th is earlier than the recommended month, but I wanted to test out my “running legs” today, just for grins.  I was trying to be smart about it and thought I would get back into the saddle on the softest running surface I had access to so that my internal stitches would not be compromised.  Sounds reasonable, right?  Sounds like I am a clear headed, rational woman who is heeding the doctor’s advice while ultimately trying to keep my neurotic nature in check, RIGHT?  I explain my plan to my running coach partnerhusband and he agrees to accompany me.  Today was to be his long run (1 hour and 45 minutes was his goal) and he thought he would get started with me on the soft surface of the high school track. We headed out around 8:30 this morning  under a beautiful post -hurricane Hannah blue sky.  I was pumped and ready when we pulled in the parking lot only to discover that the gate was padlocked.  Hmm.  We walk from gate to gate, only to find the same result at each and every gate.  What was up with that?  The sign says the track is open for public use during daylight hours-it was definitely daylight-so why was it not opened?  My husband jokingly suggested that we could climb the fence and  I had a momentary flash of tomorrow’s headlines:  Neurotic Hanover Teacher Stranded on Top of Chain Link Fence After Ill-Fated Trespassing Attempt!  I grudgingly declined and  we headed back home to the hard asphalt surface of our neighborhood roads. 

So much for that plan.  Now what?  I decided I would still try to get in my five miles, even if it meant walking most of the way.  I started out with a strong running pace but after only twelve minutes in I got a stitch in my side and had to begin alternating between walking and running. My leg was feeling good but my cardio endurance seemed to have diminished while I was out of commission.  This Sucks stinks!  What a battle it was to keep going, but I did it.  I didn’t bother looking at my watch again, knowing that if I did I would begin to mentally beat myself up over how long it was taking to put in the five miles.  When I finally reached the five mile point and hit the “stop” button on my watch, I was actually surprised to see that it took me 56:36.  Not a stellar pace, granted, but I walked off and on so I was pretty pleased with myself. 

If you are wondering, my husband running partner coach met his goal of running for an hour and a half and accumulated eleven miles today.  Who is going to be giving whom the first massage of the night?

Good is not Great and Great is not the Best!

     You are in kindergarten and you have just colored the most spectacular picture of your short artistic career.  You can barely contain your pride as you gather up your courage to show your teacher.  You know she is going to love it and you can already taste the special treat she will bestow upon your from her “special drawer” to reward you for all your hard work. Here it comes, wait for it, wait for it……

     “My, how interesting.  But why did you color the pumpkin yellow with red stripes?  A pumpkin is orange,” she says, handing the offensive artwork back to you with a slightly upturned nose.

     Ouch, that hurt!

     Today was just like that for me.  I was feeling a rare high as a forty-plus year old woman. I had just received the compliment that brings a smile to the face of any woman over the age of twenty five. I was helping one of our ”fresh out of college”  new teachers become acclimated with our school when she notices a VCU coffee cup sitting on my desk. 

     “Oh, did you go there?  My father graduated from VCU and so did I!”

     I casually remark that I did not go there but my oldest son is a freshman this year.  She is genuinely shocked.  “Wow, you have a child old enough to go to college.  I can’t believe it.  I hope I look as good as you when I am your age.”

     I could have walked on water for the rest of the day.  I went into the restroom several times, not to perform any toiletry tasks,  just to study my face in the mirror.  Not too bad, Not too bad. I smile and give myself a mental pat on the back.  Later in the day I relay the compliment to my husband and anyone else who will listen.

     After dinner that evening I turn on my computer to check my e-mail and find a message from a friend of mine; she has found a website she wants me to check out.  She tells me she stumbled upon it when she was googling for ideas about cooking for busy moms.  Sounds harmless enough, right?  If only!  I click on the link and as I read I begin to feel smaller, and smaller, and smaller.  Remember the teacher’s abonishment of my yellow and red pumpkin earlier in my post?  Well, it’s that kind of moment.  This woman is hot, way hot.  And, she is a fitness model and she is the mother of six children!  Granted, she is younger than I am but that does nothing to placate me. I question wether or not I should even share this site with you now; Dare I share my feelings of inadequacy with you unsuspecting readers?  But I must, for I am not strong enough to suffer alone.  You may want to make sure your husband is out of the room and then don your sunglasses in order to shield your eyes before you visit the site of this fit at thirty plus mother of six and looks better than I ever have or ever hope to will be mom.