But first a little food porn: I was invited to my friend Matt's for dinner yesterday, as his wife was out of town with family, and Matt and I haven't seen one another since the infamous spring ride where he was taking pics of me peeing. Matt had cooked for his family who had been by earlier in the day, and he always makes tons of excellent food, so there was plenty leftover for me. That's one of his dogs, Micky, on the chair. I couldn't get her to look at me--she was too interested in Matt! I started with bruschetta, some olives and then the pasta was with a shrimp and cream sauce. Of course, TONS O' GARLIC!!! The food was great, and we had some Chianti that was awesome, too. We went downstairs into Matt's newly finished basement (it's like an Italian den of iniquity--travertine floor, beautiful woodwork) and continued talking non-stop, and then Matt showed me pictures from his most recent trip to Italy (Tuscany, to be specific). I swear I am half Italian! Anyway, the food and company was awesome, but I made it an early evening since I was pretty tired from lifting for an hour, skiing for about 1/2 hour, and then I tried to bike but gave up.
This morning I'm going to do a sprint ZebraMan, just because, why well not? Here are my race clothes (plus one additional item that I will wear when finished):
I did my toes up special for this weekend, too: And finally, this evening, I will sleep in my brand new pirate sheets: Did you know that pirates go with most any decor? ;) I do need to make a new duvet cover, and I'm thinking pirates on one side and zebra on the other...I am such a cliche!
Don't worry--there will be pics of me racing...check back later for sprint results, and have a great Friday!
I got some new gear yesterday! I was invited to go and ski a nearby trail yesterday, but I didn't because I want a chance to go out on my own and just get used to things. I didn't need to get my ass kicked during my test drive!
We are not supposed to get any new snow today and the temps will be relatively mild in the 20's (eventually--it's only 7 right now). Then it's supposed to rain (ick) for a few days, so my next chance to ski won't be until next week sometime.
I haven't skiied in years, and I threw out my old skis as part of the remodeling/crawl space purge. I bought the new skis at REI, and I should not be allowed in that store! But I don't really need any triathlon gear, so it was a nice change of pace to buy something different. But, I am still psyched for ZebraMan, and I'm working on my zebra striped toenails today once I finish lifting, skiing and a short trainer ride, and then I'm off to a friend's for some food and laughs.
Merry Christmas, or should I say God Jul, everyone, and if you've got snow, use it!
OMG!!! A regular picture of me! Thought I'd put my Christmas-y red dress (that I made many years ago--it's snuggly corduroy) and an assortment of jewels on, which I'll be wearing to a Christmas dinner on Saturday. I'm sitting on a gorgeous furry zebra blankie that I got from Cindy! I won't say what her card said, but let's just say it is true, true, true! I put out the only Christmas decorations I have (I gave away my tree and ornaments to my niece, Michelle, last winter) on the bar (which gets destroyed next fall and replaced by glass block with neon lights), and thought it would be nice to do a portrait picture. Yeah, I'm vain and narcissistic, blah, blah, blah, get over it...oops...you already have because you are reading this!
And not to put a damper on the Christmas spirit, but I DO have ZebraMan coming up this Saturday, and I am getting in the mode...I am really looking forward to doing another NothingMan!
Merry Christmas, everyone, and have a safe and happy holiday!
I had a most excellent week, save for the fact that my back is pissed off at all the biking (surprise!) that I'm doing. Oh, and I'm fucking freezing, as is a lot of the U.S.!
On Friday, I was pretty tired to start the day, partly from training a lot, and partly from enjoying myself Thursday evening (I thought of it as Friday, though), but I still got my 2 workouts done--a swim, which I executed pretty well, and an easy run, which while I did, my legs hurt like mofos the entire time.
Yesterday, I did a 3.5 hour shopping odyssey that included some Christmas shopping as well as (mostly) final buying of stuff for the house as a result of the remodeling. I decided to shop first and then train later, as the forecast called for more snow. I didn't start my workouts until 1:30, since I had to eat lunch and put away a bunch of groceries and assorted other crap, and well, I just didn't get to it until then. But I did this workout on the bike:
WU: 45' @ 65-70% MS: 2 x (20' @ 80-85%, 10' Easy), then 3 x 6' (5') @ FT; cd 7'; 10x30/30, cd remainder
Looks easy on paper, right? Fuck no. But these workouts will get easier. The great thing was that I enjoyed working hard, even though my legs were sore as well as my back. When I finished, I hustled my ass over to the Y to run for :30, and even though my legs hurt, I just made myself run at a decent pace. All good! So I finished up that workout around 5PM, came home, drank some Endurox, ate some food, and felt pretty well cashed. I went upstairs and got in bed around 7:45PM and must have passed out reading something, woke up to a phonecall, ate some Cheetos and went back to sleep.
I got up around 4AM this morning and got to various things, and was ready to head to the Y to run around 7:45, when I went outside and realized it had snowed again, and I needed to clear my driveway (I like a clean driveway). It was so cold and windy, though, that I decided to not use the snowblower, as I would just get snow blasted and frostbite probably. I had to change coats into my ultra low temperature parka and thicker gloves to get the job done.
I ran for 2 hours on the treadmill, and I even managed tempo pace for about :40 total! I was so happy that I felt so good running, especially since I'd ended my Saturday workouts so late in the day. I did need to stop briefly about every 10 minutes to stretch my iliopsoas, which made it look like I was doing the Time Warp dance with my hips thrust out. I saw a guy I haven't seen since last winter who had really toned up and I thought, geez the guy is a hottie now! I ran my last 10' on the indoor track, and ended up telling this guy (Mike) that he is a hottie, and he said I am too, but I wasn't fishing for a compliment. I just get so excited when I see someone transform from overweight and out of shape to total fucking hottie! Mike wasn't particularly fat--he was just a bit overweight, but man, he looks great, and I think people need to hear it even if they are married or whatever! He and his friend, Bill, are doing Goofy Challenge, and they look totally ready.
After the run and chatting with Bill and Mike, I headed to the pool just to swim 1,000 yards easy pull, which felt good, and then I hustled back home because I was starving. But I was also fucking tired, and after eating some crab claws, I got in bed just to stretch the legs out and passed out for about an hour. I am really happy that I am once again able to nap every now and then--in fact, I took THREE NAPS this week! That is like a world record for me.
I did some sewing and cooking and now I am just relaxing before an early turn in since I am still pretty tired. I feel really good as exhausted as I am, and know that I'm totally ready for ZebraMan on Saturday, and am really looking forward to it! I may even do a little sprint the day before just because, why the fuck not? There will be no taper involved.
GO FUCKING HARDCORE AGGRO OR GO HOME!!!
I hope everyone is keeping warm and toasty and is looking forward to Christmas!
Weekly Workout Totals
12/15/2008-12/21/2008 This week's totals are sponsored by fucking Arctic conditions in Chicago!
Swim:
9450 yards (5.36 miles) in 3.45 hours; 22% of weekly workout time; approx. 1208 calories burned Canadian: 8641.08 meters
Bike:
Approx. 100.63 miles in 5.75 hours; 36% of weekly workout time; approx. 3027 calories burned; Total TSS=328 Canadian: 161.95 kilometers
Run:
Approx. 34.37 miles in 5.33 hours; 33% of weekly workout time; approx. 2427 calories burned Canadian: 55.31 kilometers
WU: 15' warmup, 3 x spinups. 3x2' (1') Z3. 3' ez. MS: 3x5' FT (5'). 10' 88-90%, 5' cd, 10x30/30. CD 5'.
I'm using my FT as measured late last summer, so it hurts a bit. But I'm sitting on FT, and when I did the 30/30's, I went well into VO2 territory...
I AM SO FUCKING HAPPY!!!!!
There's just something about being able to work out really hard that puts a huge smile on my face. And this was after I put the hurt to myself this morning with another almost :45 of strength work. All of the cylinders appear to be firing now, despite my back issues.
Speaking of which, I found the most excellent .PDF file all about the iliopsoas. There is something in there for EVERYONE. I highly recommend you read it, especially there are direct references to triathlon. And I'll put a link on my sidebar, since I think this is so important.
This morning I was reading about a person whose friend is in the hospital with a neurological condition. It made me cry a little, and I realized that was a good thing. Why? Because despite our personal issues, one of the things that makes being a human so special is empathy. When I'm so wrapped up in my own misery that I fail to empathize with others, it's not a good thing. And I have been wrapped up in myself. Some of it was necessary; some not.
But in the way of the Tao, a person must become enlightened in order to help others along the way. For awhile this fall/early winter, I felt like I was way off track in my quest to grow mentally and spiritually. But as is always true, I knew there would be many lessons for me to learn as I experienced a number of uncomfortable situations.
Back in August, I was feeling that I was in a position to help others through difficult times. And then I guess I decided that I needed to subject myself to some additional (non-triathlon) challenges in order to make sure I was truly ready! A hallmark of a life well-lived is the impact you have on others in your sphere of influence. I am not sure who I have left a mark on in the last 4 months, but I hope there are a few people out there who have somehow benefited from my existence. Not because I did anything to do with money or things; but rather just being. I suppose one of my lessons from this time was that I can just be even while I am doing. Maybe that is what Sheila v2.0 is all about. I've always struggled with the doing thing, but fact is that if I stop doing then I'm dead. So I am going to keep doing and if that is what get me to be, then I'm fine with it.
I'm pretty sure that I am going to experience a number of sobering moments now that this phase of my house remodeling is complete. I am relearning how to just live in my house, rather than keep changing it around. I am relearning where things belong, as most every room has been reorganized to some degree. I am relearning to be relaxed and comfortable without creating additional stress on myself. I am relearning that beautiful things around me make me feel good, as shallow as that sounds. I am returning to my happy place, and think I've done enough grieving for myself now. I am really happy that through this last 4 months that I have worked hard at a few friendships that are deeply important to me.
Even though my physical body is still injured, I'm feeling like my spirit is rising back up. It's making me cry that once again, it is the result of a lot of turmoil and sadness. But such is life. The reason I'm Crackhead is that when the ups are happening I am taking 200% advantage of them, and I plan to keep doing so. Why wouldn't I? If it appears to outsiders that I'm a little manic when doing so, tough shit. Life really is too short, and there is too much good stuff to suck up, and when it all gets balanced out, I want to look back on my life and know that I lived it large and with integrity.
As I sit here, I'm looking at my poster of Madam Pele. While she represents the fire of the volcano, she also emanates peace. I am relighting my fire as I rediscover my inner peace.
With my house remodeling done for now (a frozen pipe crisis in the new upstairs bathroom was averted yesterday) and my house put back together, I'm finding that I am getting myself back to "normal," meaning I am on my training plan.
Last week was a pleasant deviation from my written plan, since all I could do while out of town was run, but that was perfect. The weekend was great, as Shelley was willing to do what I needed to do or figure something out different for herself.
This week I am full on my plan, meaning all the strength work, running, biking, stretching, everything! As I've picked up my hours, I realize my diet needs to change. After I finish what's left in my fridge (or maybe before) of salad fixings, I am done with that shit. My body needs more carbs, so it's time for me to revert to my usual staple of brown rice or couscous with my evening meal. Besides, my body doesn't like digesting all that salad crap, don't ask me why! I've always thought my body was wired to process a lot of protein and very gentle carbs (and beer!).
As I've begun to add intensity to my workouts, too, my level of fatigue has increased, thankfully! Which gets me to sleep earlier and sleeping a bit longer. I'm not quite on my optimum sleep needs, but I figure that will happen soon enough, especially once I stop eating rabbit food at dinner!
My weight is about 2 lbs. up from where I'd like to be, and I feel like a total fatty. That will fix itself automatically as my stress levels go down, less drinking (not that I've been going overboard--but less is more in this case), more strength training, and I'll be good to go. On a positive note, I'm now up to 5 chinups (almost from a dead hang), so I'm pretty confident I'll hit my 10 in about 6 weeks!
That leaves one remaining challenge: the state of my back. This weekend will make 5 weeks since my little act of stupidity. I have nearly full range of motion in terms of twisting, and obviously, I'm able to do all my sports just fine, even getting through a 50-mile running week. I am experiencing no pain while exercising. I am now at the point where I am experiencing discomfort mainly while sitting, and through my own investigation and with confirmation from massage therapists, I am down to my QL (quadratus lumborum) and iliopsoas muscles being the last remaining ones that are still a bit distressed. Listen up peeps--these two muscles are key to triathlon and well, just holding you up, sitting, twisting. They are the workhorses for your back mechanics and hip flexors.
I had some awesome work done on these muscles Monday evening, and am arranging to get some quality massages during the next 2 weeks. These are deep muscles, and while I can do some work on them myself, there's nothing like having someone else put the hurt to me!
I have to say that 5 weeks seems like a long time to me to be dealing with unhappy muscles, but I know how crucial it is to keep the QL and iliopsoas happy, so I am being patient and conservative--although my definition of conservative probably doesn't match to most people's! My real test of the system will be ZebraMan next week, and I'm really excited about it! Ordinarily, I wouldn't take pics of event clothing before the fact, but hey, I got the suit, so here I am. Bonus, spot all the zebra things in the pics!
We had some of my NothingMan pizza for dinner on Friday. I guess I'm always amazed at just how thick it is! And yes, we were wearing some crowns to be festive ;)
My bike nutrition on Saturday consisted of mostly Coke, but occasionally Gatorade.
Shelley was lookin' good, and our two bikes got along famously!
For dinner on Saturday, we went to Bistro Nami for some sushi. We started with warm sake, which was pretty good (and strong!)
We asked for our sushi to be put onto a boat, but the waiter said we didn't order enough for a boat? I counted 34 pieces total (yes, we ate it all), which I think would have filled a large boat, but we settled for a bridge and decorative plate which kind of looks like a boat anyway. It was delicious!
I had a great week all around this week. My house remodeling is now complete except for a few minor things that will get done today, and I'm loving the results! My new big black and white bathroom is fucking nice, and I smile whenever I go in there. My living room is spacious and zebra-ed out! I can stretch out in there (there's room for several people to stretch, actually), hang out (I started a crossword puzzle laying on the smaller sofa yesterday afternoon), listen to music and just enjoy life.
I had the bestest weekend with Shelley. We had so much fun and so many laughs, and well, we need to get together more often! She gave me some beautiful crystal candelsticks which were put to good use last night ;)
I had a good training week even though it doesn't look like a lot of hours...I ended up doing a whole lot of running since that was the easiest thing to do while I was out of town in Orlando. I'm a teensy bit beat up from it, but a massage tonight will fix that! This week I'm home and back on my training program, and I know I'll be in good shape for ZebraMan!
Weekly Workout Totals
12/08/2008-12/14/2008 This week's totals are sponsored by zebra stripes and pirates!
Swim:
4300 yards (2.44 miles) in 1.55 hours; 12% of weekly workout time; approx. 543 calories burned Canadian: 3931.92 meters
Bike:
Approx. 68.55 miles in 3.92 hours; 30% of weekly workout time; approx. 1897 calories burned; Total TSS=184 Canadian: 110.32 kilometers
Run:
Approx. 42.75 miles in 6.67 hours; 51% of weekly workout time; approx. 3035 calories burned Canadian: 68.8 kilometers
Shelley arrived yesterday, and we relaxed in my living room that was now complete with the zebra carpet. We shot off some fireworks in the snow in my back yard, which was beautiful. Today, we rode for 2:40 and then I went and ran for :30, we each took the most awesome shower in my new bathroom, then we watched Ironman Hawaii (while eating nachos that I made and I'm drinking a bunch o' beers), then we are going to a tri store, then we are eating sushi and having sake, and then we are going to look at the gonzo Christmas lights in a nearby area, and then who knows? Below are a bunch of pics from our time together so far:
I realize that I'm going to be doing some crying this weekend with my girl. I think I've become pretty good at re-experiencing grief, and so I won't mind this one bit. I haven't really been able to cry on someone's shoulder these past few months--I've either been held captive in my own house or tried to be with someone else to get some moments of happiness (which is coming around).
So I'm looking forward to a little crying this weekend--I'm going to cry for myself, for Shelley, and we will both cry for lost loves.
I never had to say goodbye You must have known I wouldn't stay While you were talking about our life You killed the beauty of today
Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever never comes around (People love and let go) Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever's gonna slow you down
{2X} You'll never gonna see me again So now who's gonna cry for you You'll never gonna see me again No matter what you do
You never heard me break your heart You didn't wake up when we died Since I was lonely from the start I think the end is mine to write
Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever never comes around (People love and let go) Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever's gonna slow you down
{2X} You'll never gonna see me again So now who's gonna cry for you You'll never gonna see me again No matter what you do
Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever never comes around (People love and let go) Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever's gonna slow you down
{2X} You'll never gonna see me again So now who's gonna cry for you You'll never gonna see me again No matter what you do
Forever and ever Life is now or never Forever never comes around
My upstairs bathroom will be finished today, and then I'll take some pics. The black granite is in as well as new tile downstairs! I have a lot of cleaning up to do today. Contractors just are not tidy! But I should have everything mostly spiffy by the time Shelley arrives, including the laying down of the zebra carpet!
After adding up my running between last Friday and yesterday, I ended up putting in a 50-mile week! That is a nice, unexpected surprise. I guess that means my back is really healing up! It does feel much better, and I find it interesting that this is happening in the midst of all this running! It's still not 100%, but it's much, much better and I am now confident that everything will return to normal very soon.
I'm really happy that I get to spend time with Shelley this weekend. We are going to train our brains out, watch some Ironman Hawaii, do some quality eating, laughing and general commiserating!
As much as I love spending time with my mens (and you know who you are), it will be good to have a girlie weekend. There may or may not be pics...don't you wish we were running a webcam in my house?
Here's a sneak preview of the new bathroom. The black granite rocks, the waterfall faucet rocks, all the black and chrome just makes me happy! I'll take the official pics later today once the bathroom is complete and the living room and family rooms are put back together!
Toilet installation will be completed today. Check out the knobs on the cabinet!
I can't wait to go for a swim this morning! I haven't swum since last Sunday. I didn't sleep too well last night because I'm all anxious about getting the house put back together, but so what, all I have to do rest of the day is a little work, a trainer ride and lift weights!
I'm packed up here and about to go for my last run in Orlando. I've got meetings this AM and then I fly back home. Once I get there, I have to unpack and gaze upon my new bathroom and then just try and get some sleep.
I have a friend in need right now. She is in the same position I found myself 3 weeks ago, and we need one another. She's going to come and stay with me for the weekend. We will do the things that sustain us--we will do some training, we will laugh together, and I am sure we will cry together. We are so much alike in so many ways, and it's almost like we've led parallel lives for the last 8 years. We've had successes, failures, joy, love, death, tragedy. But through all of that, we have become closer and discovered that the reason we met one another in the first place and the reason we have kept our connection is because we are both very special, unique women--the kind you don't run across every day. How many women do you know besides us who are so intelligent, energetic, talented, funny, beautiful (nah, HOT), generous, introspective and loving who have done as many Iroman races as we have? At times, putting all of that together can feel like a curse to us--on the surface, there is so much to look at and go, "Wow" but our intensity is what drives us and what can ultimately drive a wedge between us and others (men, especially) because once we know what we want, we are not going to settle for less. And why would we? Why wouldn't we expect those we hold closest to us to have our same energy level? Or the ability to keep changing and progressing and challenging ourselves, not just in our triathlon pursuits, but in our totality. Yet we are subject to the same emotional turmoil as the next person, and perhaps because of our usual intensity, we are not the sorts to let things just sit. The way we work through things is by blasting a hole in the premise. We never operate from a position of "Can I?" We operate from the position of "This is what needs to be done and even though it's a ton of work there is no other way." If it can be done, we will do it. Hell--even if someone thinks it can't be done, it can.
Even though my friend is no doubt feeling like her world is closing in on her, I want her to know that I am here to help her open it back up so all that wonderfulness that is her can bubble back up to the surface and she (and I) can relearn the lesson that we are the fucking shit, you know? Maybe that sounds asshole-ish, but I don't fucking care. I'm the shit, and so is she.
GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!
Getting a little erratic here And I don't know who to trust I guess they got a way of reading my mind I guess I gotta adjust Got my arms they flip flop flip flop flip Got my head on a spring Well I thought I got you on my side I haven't got fucking anything
I'm just a face in the crowd Nothing to worry about Not even tryin' to stand out I'm getting smaller and smaller and smaller And I have nothing to say It's all been taken away I just behave and obey I'm afraid I am starting to fade away
Uh-huh
I cannot see through the cracks When I'm pressed up on the wall I'm not looking to stand up real high I'd be happy to crawl I think I'm losing my grip But I can still make a fist You know I still got my one good arm That I can beat... nnn, I can beat myself up with!
I'm just a face in the crowd Nothing to worry about Not even tryin' to stand out I'm getting smaller And smaller and smaller And I have nothing to say Its all been taken away I just behave and obey I'm afraid I am starting to fade away
And for what it is worth I really used to believe That maybe there's some great thing That we could achieve And now I cant tell the difference Don't know what to feel Between what I've been trying so hard to see And what appears to be real
Fading away Fading away Fading away Fading away
My world is getting smaller everyday-yay-yay-yay-yay My world is getting smaller everyday-yay-yay-yay-yay (and thats ok)
My world is getting smaller everyday-yay-yay-yay-yay My world is getting smaller everyday-yay-yay-yay-yay (and thats ok)
As it turns out, there's not a decent stationary bike for me to use here in Orlando. And the pool at this hotel is, well, not a pool, so that leaves running. I hadn't originally intended this to be a huge running week, but that's what I gots. I'll get in biking on Friday and Saturday when I'm home. Maybe I'll switch up next week to do more biking. Whatever, it's all good!
All of my bathroom furniture is actually ready to be picked up, meaning my upstairs bathroom will be FINISHED by the time I'm home! Everything else on the list (I've kept a list of every last little thing that's needs to be just so) should also be complete, which means Friday is the big day of the end of remodeling for 2008!
One thing I noticed is that for the past 4+ weeks I've been dehydrated, because I've been off my routine of pee, refill water glass. Well, so I'm here in meetings now and since there's not much else to do at breaks, I'm getting water (or gasp, Diet Coke) and staying well hydrated, and it feels so much better despite not sleeping enough. When I get home, I will have no excuse for being close to water when I'm working and sleeping.
I'm really enjoying my most excellent hotel room (when I'm in it, that is!) and all the hotel amenities (they throw the food and drinks at you), but I'm also very much looking forward to returning home to my new house and settling in for a few weeks. And not spending much money for a bit!
Hope everyone is having a good week wherever you are! Life is good!
It was an awesome training week! I did everything I needed to do and enjoyed doing it! This week my challenge is going to be to stay sane and make training my first priority in the morning before I head out for all day meetings followed by group dinners. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my house will be being beautified. I *HEART* multitasking!
I'm going to try and get a little more tans today, since my meetings don't start until tomorrow. But I'll be sure to try and get outdoors during the breaks once the meetings begin.
It's been awhile since I've looked forward to training hard. With a little bit of easing off of the stress, a bit more sleep and my body healing up, it's great to feel like I'm almost 100% back. Literally!
Here's to a solid week of training, working and enjoying life!
Weekly Workout Totals 12/01/2008-12/07/2008 This week's totals are sponsored by the State of Florida. Florida--it's a state, all right!
Swim: 12950 yards (7.35 miles) in 4.52 hours; 29% of weekly workout time; approx. 1581 calories burned Canadian: 11841.48 meters most swimming in 16 weeks! Bike: Approx. 92.17 miles in 5.27 hours; 33% of weekly workout time; approx. 2566 calories burned; Total TSS=320 Canadian: 148.33 kilometers Run: Approx. 30.59 miles in 4.92 hours; 31% of weekly workout time; approx. 2237 calories burned Canadian: 49.23 kilometers all of this was pure running--no more elliptical! most running since NothingMan! Strength: 1.08 hours; 7% of weekly workout time; approx. 270 calories burned All Sports: Approx. 130.11 miles in 15.79 hours; approx. 6654 calories burned Canadian: 1.25 kilometers Sleep: 7.21 hours avg./night most sleep I've had in 10 weeks! Stretching: 1.97 hours. most stretching in 12 weeks! Massage: 1.25 hours
So, yesterday I nailed a 2:15 hard ride and :25 brick run. Today, I had the total fucking pleasure of running 2 hours with Mark in the orange groves of Clermont, Florida. The trail we ran on was mostly sand with plenty of hills! We had both agreed to run it slow (for us), since Mark's been having knee tracking issues (I spent plenty o' time esplainin' to him various reasons for it), and my back is still touchy from my various injuries. But we ran at our planned 10mpm pace, and it was an absofuckinglutely gorgeous day! Upper 50's, clear sky, and light winds. We saw centipedes (or some wormy thing with millions of legs), spiders, grasshoppers, herons, various birds (my spotting), and I heard sandhill cranes. After that, we headed to the NTC (formerly the USAT training center) to swim for about :50. We both got our tans on, and then we headed to a watering hole close to my hotel for burgers and beers.
So I gots in almost 16 hours of quality training this week, had a fucking excellent time doing it all, and I've got 4 more days here in Orlando. While my back still isn't fully recovered, all signs are pointing to improvement, and hey, if I can run, bike, swim and lift (and there are other activities which are good signs he he), then I must be OK, right?
As I said, pics will follow once I am back home in my Den of Iniquity!
I woke up yesterday morning to a couple of inches of new snow but relatively (for winter) mild temperatures. A little shoveling and blowing would be a good warmup before I hit the trainer. I had a brick run planned, and was thinking about running outside, but with the roads being dicey and most people don't clear their sidewalks, I decided I'd go to the Y for that.
It was nice being out in the snow, and while I wouldn't have minded shoveling, I was on a schedule, so I got out the Toro and cleaned the driveway pretty quick. Then I cleaned up from Friday night's dinner party and got on the bike.
Beginning this week, I'm working off of actual bike workouts, and when I looked at what I had planned, it looked pretty doable except for the FT stuff. My FT is probably down about 5 watts, but I'm acting as if it's not. I can't hold FT watts for more than like 3 minutes at a time just now, but I know how to tweak the workouts so I still get in the time I need to, and it's just a matter of weeks before I'm back to full strength.
I ended up doing this (total time 2:15) WU: 30' @ 65-70% MS: 2 x (20' @ 80-85%, 10' Easy) 10 x 2' (1') @ FT 10x30/30 5' Easy
I was spot on for the 80-85% (which is like Z3 heart rate stuff), and I did pretty well on the FT stuff and awesome on the 30/30's. My legs are ready for the pain now, and mentally I'm in a good place and really motivated to work!
When I finished, I headed to the Y to run, but only did :25 because I was just bored and hungover. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like puking for my first brick run since NothingMan, but then again, I've done this how many times?
I went home and showered in my new shower (it's fucking awesome!), then put on compression tights and got ready to head to the airport. Luckily, my flight was not delayed at all, and other than a few screaming kids (headed to Disneyland), the flight was uneventful, and I almost even napped a bit.
My buddy, Mark, picked me up at the Orlando airport (their baggage handling sucks as I had to wait like 20 minutes for the bags to arrive), we dropped my crap at my hotel, and went and had dinner at a local watering hole. It's nice and warm here, and today we have a fun day planned--a 2-hour run in orange groves, and then a nice swim in a pool somewhere and then some lunch and then just hanging out--probably including a stop at Ron Jon, since I can always use more swimsuits! There will be pics, but I didn't load my camera software on my work laptop so no downloads until I get home :(
Tomorrow I'm going to work from my hotel so I can spend a little quality time in the sun in the middle of the day, and then Tuesday-Thursday is heavy duty working and socializing. The office is basically across the street from the hotel. I'm at Embassy Suites, and it's pretty damn nice. We'll see what the fitness center is like and whether the pool is actually swimmable, but no matter, since I'm swimming today, I can chill on that until Friday when I'm back home. I want to get in a ride on some sort of stationary bike, and I can run outside every day I'm here, too!
So even though this trip is about business, I'm turning it into a great time! Bonus is that when I get home, I'll have 5 more rooms in my house 100% complete! While I'm gone, the foyers are being tiled, the custom shades and ceiling lights mounted in my office and guest bedroom, and hopefully the counter tops for the laundry room go in. If I get even luckier, the furniture for the upstairs bathroom will get here from China and I'll have a completed bathroom! Regardless, Friday is when the zebra carpet gets laid down in my living room and I have some plans for it...
I know I've turned a corner because so many things are giving me so much pleasure now, and I'm appreciating small things...so here's a list of things that fit the bill:
I love my new garage door and opener.
I love my Toro snowblower
I love my new shower
I love my new laundry room
I love how I've finally organized all the crap in my house and things are put away.
I love my bikes and riding them hard!
I love knowing that I'm officially starting to race in 3 weeks!
I love that it's near Christmas and I'm excited to be giving gifts to people I love!
I love my friends, even the creepy Internet ones!
I love that I'm fortunate enough to be able to get the hell out of Dodge during the winter (and will most likely do so again in a few months)
I love that I'm so fit that even though I jacked up my back, everything is coming around and I'll be 100% in another week or so
I love shiny things. I just bought the collector Absolut Disco bottle. Maybe I need a disco ball, too ;)
I was invited to my friend Matt's for dinner yesterday, as his wife was out of town with family, and Matt and I haven't seen one another since the infamous spring ride where he was taking pics of me peeing. Matt had cooked for his family who had been by earlier in the day, and he always makes tons of excellent food, so there was plenty leftover for me. That's one of his dogs, Micky, on the chair. I couldn't get her to look at me--she was too interested in Matt! I started with bruschetta, some olives and then the pasta was with a shrimp and cream sauce. Of course, TONS O' GARLIC!!! The food was great, and we had some Chianti that was awesome, too. We went downstairs into Matt's newly finished basement (it's like an Italian den of iniquity--travertine floor, beautiful woodwork) and continued talking non-stop, and then Matt showed me pictures from his most recent trip to Italy (Tuscany, to be specific). I swear I am half Italian! Anyway, the food and company was awesome, but I made it an early evening since I was pretty tired from lifting for an hour, skiing for about 1/2 hour, and then I tried to bike but gave up.
