Busy month: update

Let's throw in a business trip for fun! Watch her juggle all the balls!

I get to go on a 2, possibly 3, night trip! Yippee! I guess I may actually have to bring workout clothes on a business trip. The hotel we usually stay at has a gym.

And guess what? It is the week before the triathlon, and the day I get back is the day I need to pick up my registration packet. I sure hope my plane isn't delayed.

Late Night

Wednesday: Due to the storms, and me wanting to eat properly and digest my food even more properly, and a nap, and some bills that needed to be paid, and 2 recipes that needed to be found online so I could go grocery shopping tonight, I did not get to the gym until after 9. So I knew it wouldn't be a marathon workout.

But I did do 3 miles on the treadmill in 37 minutes (1 minute less than last time I did 3 miles). While I never ran more than 1 mile consecutively, I did feel good about the workout because I had 3 long stretches of running, instead of breaking it up more. I ran 1.0 miles, then walked 0.15, then jogged 0.85, walked 0.4 and then jogged 0.6.

It is so hot in there, even though I was under the fan. I felt a little sick afterwards, so I tried to cool down more than usual. Then I did lift weights for a little while. Anyway, I didn't get home until Dave Letterman came on. After a little snack, and more cooling down and relaxing time, I didn't get out of the shower until 11:30. I didn't bother drying my hair, which resulted in major bedhead this morning. I was running late so I didn't have time to wash my hair and start over. Which resulted in me wearing a headband today.

I chickened out...but it wasn't all my fault!

Saturday: Just did the treadmill and some weights. I didn't even make one mile without stopping. But did 2 miles in about 25 minutes, mostly running. Didn't want to tire myself out so that I could pig out Saturday night at dinner with old friends!

Sunday: Today was supposed to be the day of me taking my first group class at the gym. I decided I wanted to try "coached cycling" which I assumed was like the spinning class I've heard about. The sign on the wall said the class was at 10 and at 10:30 in the bike room. I planned to go to the 10:00 class, but the snooze button just kept getting pressed and then my brother called, so of course I had to talk to him. Anyway, I got there in plenty of time for the 10:30 class. The classroom has one wall of windows, so I could see the 10:00 class was still going on (and boy were they sweaty). So I did a few crunches while I was waiting. Well, 10:30 came and went. I was waiting for the class to let out and they never did. About 10:35, a guy walked by and then entered the class, and joined in. There were only a few empty bikes. Well, I didn't feel like walking in during the middle of class, so I didn't. I guess there is one hour long class, and then you can join in at the halfway mark if you want. Seems weird to me. I will try again next week, and show up at 10. Then that means I have to be there for an hour!

Anyway, since I had my padded bike shorts on, I got on the stationary bike not in the classroom. I did 12 miles in a little over 30 minutes. After cooling down a bit, I went to the pool and did 14 laps! Pretty good for me. I think I swam every stroke there is, plus a few that I made up struggling just to get to the end of the pool. Finished with a hot tub soak. I realized it doesn't matter if I pee 2 minutes before the hot tub, I will still get the sensation that I need to go again. But it usually goes away after the first few minutes.

***NEW SUBJECT. I consider August 1st the day I really need to get in gear with the whole triathlon workout thing. In my head, i thought that I would be able to do all of the events individually without stopping by now. Then I would use the three weeks in August to really work on my conditioning to be able to do the multiple events in one day. Well, I can't do the swimming without stopping, and I sure can't do the 3 mile jog without stopping. The biking is a maybe - I can do it indoors, not sure about outside with hills.

Incidentally, August is the busiest single month for my at work. I have two major reports that I work at this time of year. I usually work about an hour late on most days and few hours on the weekend to make the process smooth. The guy that was hired to help me out is going to be gone for two weeks in August. He asked my boss if he could take the time out, and he said yes without checking with me. I don't begrudge him the time he will be spending in Europe - just because he's 23 and has been several times, and I haven't been at all. I just wish someone could have checked with me. Anywhoo...

And as the fates would have it, August is shaping up to be the busiest social month of the year for some reason. I have at least one (many times 3) event to go to each weekend. I know people with kids and more friends with me do this every month, but not me! This is from my memory, so I may be leaving something out:

• Boyfriend's birthday, I already have something planned, I just need to figure out what day to do it on. Hoping to buy the present today.
• Good friend's 30th birthday - I really hope I can get together sometime to celebrate with her (she lives out of town).
• Co-worker/friend's wedding, which entails: shower, bach party, and Friday night wedding (on previous friend's actual birthday) on 3 consecutive weekends...may bow out of the shower.
• Niece's bday - need to get a present...have no idea what to get
• My brother and his gang are coming one weekend to hang out and go to Six Flags before school starts.
• My regular book club meeting
• BBQ for another good friend who is coming in town from California
• Party barge lake party thing (this is actually the weekend after the triathlon)
• Baby shower (also weekend after triathlon). Hope to buy the present today (Sorry if you are reading this...I won't post I what I buy ;)

How am I supposed to work out 6 days a week with all this going on and still keep my boyfriend and keep my clients happy? I told b/f he would just have to bear with me during August (except for his bday, I will give up all for him on that day), like he told me during the hockey playoffs. I guess less TV for me, although MadMen starts tonight, and I will be watching that every week, even if it means shortening my work out.

No good stories today

Thursday: 14 miles on the bike (not treadmill, sorry) which was very boring! Then about a mile on the treadmill. Didn't lose any more weight, even with the haircut.

My lower back is always very sore/tired/tense after I do my workouts.

If I leave work early today, then I will go swim. Otherwise, no workout for Friday, and I'm ok with that. And you're ok. In fact, we are all ok.

Decent workout

Wednesday: I finally made it back to the gym. Started off pretty strong on the treadmill. Did my first mile in a little over 10 minutes. Then got a sharp pain in my side, and tried to walk it out. Ended up doing 3 miles in 38 minutes. Some walking but finished strong.

Did a few reps on the leg weights machine.

Headed to the pool. I bought a watch so I could more accurately gauge my swimming time. A little disappointing. Did the 12 laps in 14 minutes. I have to improve on swimming. I don't' know if the race is conducive to being able to rest between laps.

Then did 10 minutes in the hot tub. I made sure and tinkled before the swimming workout, but still as soon as I hit the hot water, the urge presented itself. Using mind over matter, I was able to have a somewhat relaxing time.

Avoided the urge to stop at Taco Bell on the way home. Don't know if I did much better by eating about a gallon of home made popcorn.

Laziness Runs Rampant At Local House! And To Install Or Not To Install? (Bonus Post)

Monday AND Tuesday - no workout. I am super lazy.

Since I have nothing to say about that, I have a house dilemma to discuss.

I love my front door. It is my favorite upgrade. Maybe I have mentioned, maybe I haven't. But the love is there. It is dark and wooden, and has a design in it. For some reason, I don't have a picture of it. And I know it is just not me. Several people have commented on it. How it makes the house complete, it is beautiful from the street, etc. And the door has two sides, so I can enjoy its beauty from the inside as well. Now I know how proud parents must feel for their offspring.

I have been toying with the idea of putting in a glass storm door in the front. The reasons are two-fold. During the day when I am at home, I could open the wood door, and let more sun into the living room. The cats would love to look out into the world from another vantage point. Maybe it is because I grew up with the front door open, and I just like the welcoming feel to it...not sure. But I like the idea. Also, I think there is some airflow happening around the door. When it is windy, there is a loud, howling noise. I know some of it comes from the shape of the porch and roof. But I think some comes from a draft under the door. Maybe a storm door would limit that.

Now for the dilemma part. A storm door would interfere with the natural beauty and elegance of the wood door. Sure, it is mostly glass, but there is a frame around it, and the glass causes a reflection, so you can't see the door in some angles.

Also, it is not an exactly easy install. My parents were in town this weekend, so we went to check it out. My beautiful door is not a standard size, apparently. The storm door is much smaller than the entrance it needs to fit. So my dad would have to fill in some extra space. It can be done - my neighbor got one installed.

In addition, storm doors come in only 5 colors, none of which look particularly good with my trim or door color. So we would have to match the color and paint it. But my dad says he can do all of that...he just needs to bring the right tools.

So what do you think? I'm leaning towards doing it since I spend most of my time indoors. My friend is against because she is an even bigger fan of the door.

Closing Time

Friday & Saturday: Big fat nothing for a work out. But I did eat a Sonic hamburger, fries and Dr. Pepper for lunch for Friday, since I had been pretty good all week. I didn't get cheese because I am on a strict regimen. I followed that up with chipotle fajitas at a new mexican place we tried Friday night. It is a keeper! Their salsa is full of cilantro, which I must say is very tasty. Neither of my parents or my boyfriend are a fan of cilantro. I love it! They are obviously insane. Saturday and Sunday were full of bbq beef, beans, potato chips, beer, broc & cauliflower salad, and brownies.

Sunday: The song "Closing Time" was playing on my iPod as they announced that they gym was closing. I had forgotten that 24 hour fitness gym closed at 8pm on Sunday nights. Perhaps it is the name of the gym that made me forget. Because I actually had to do some work work today and I didn't want to go workout, I didn't make it there until a little after 7. I had planned to do some part of a work out on all three legs of my triathlon. So I jumped on the bike. I wanted to do a good 30 minutes. I had almost reached the time when I heard they were announcing something over the speaker. I assumed they were saying the babysitting service was closing at 8. But then I had a sneaking suspicion that I recalled someone at sometime saying that the gym closed early on Sundays. While I wasn't done with my 30 minutes, I was approaching 10 miles, a good round number. So I quickly got to that mile marker, jumped off and went to the treadmill. I knew swimming was out because I only had less than twenty minutes. What with the costume change the shower, that just wouldn't allow me to work up a good sweat. So onto the endless road machine. I didn't want to be a bad guest and wait until 8 to finish my workout and then head to the locker room and then mosey out. I wanted to be in my car by 8. Tthat meant if I really wanted to get a mile in, I would have to go fast, and no walking. So I started off strong at 5mph and kept shifting up. With the announcements coming fast and furious every 5 minutes, I did my fastest mile time so far - 10 min 20 secs. I had to increase to 7mph for the last .10 to do it, but I accomplished my altered goal with a few minutes to spare. I didn't give myself adequate cool down time so I felt kinda yucky...but the knowledge that I could go harder if I was motivated felt good. Goodnight...I'm sure I will sleep good tonight. The beer and Tylenol Nighttime (my knee has been hurting a little) will hopefully insure that :)

Useless footnote: I tend to start a lot of sentences with "So..." I have already cleaned out a few, but there are plently more left. It is hard for me to tell a story without "so then...". Will try to improve.

Why didn't I pee before working out?

Wednesday: I didn't feel well again, so I skipped the workout.

Thursday: Yoga class at lunch. This is a cool thing at work.

Just a so-so workout Thursday evening. I started out on the ole treadmill. I could only do a
little over a mile before needing a break. Did a total of 2.6 miles in 30 minutes or so. Had to take walking breaks often.

Then I did some weights.

Then I went to the pool. I did the 12 laps, all free style strokes. But it took me 18-20 minutes. And I could only do 2 without breaking. For some reason I kept getting water in my nose. I may have to buy nose plugs.

Before I headed to the pool, I felt the slight need to pee. But decided it would go away. And it kind of did...didn't notice it during the workout. But as soon as I got in the hot tub, the sensation returned. The ability to relax in a hot tub is inversely related to the fullness of your bladder. Don't worry...I didn't let loose in the hot tub. After soaking for about 10 minutes, I got up to leave. Do you remember as a child how hard it was to go to the bathroom in a wet one-piece suit? Well, it is still as difficult.

That's about it.

Not Another Workout Blog Movie

Cynic: A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.

That is me lately. And it is related to my job. Or more to the point, the people on my team. Or certain people on my team.

You see, I work in a team that is lead by someone who is, shall we say flexible on the issues of attendance and work hours. The general philosophy I am fine with…as long as the work gets done, and the clients are happy, then why do we need to be here the entire 40 hours out of the week?

However, in practice, this doesn’t work as smoothly as some would like. Because while it is nice to have the flex time when emergencies come up or whatever, it tends to get quickly abused. The “my kid is sick and I need to run him to the doctor” excuse quickly becomes the “I need to go get my oil changed, so I will be gone for the rest of the afternoon (leaving at three hours early)”. Yes, most places are open on Saturdays.

The other reason I don’t like how things have progressed is that since a person is not in the office until closing time, they don’t see the work not getting done. Because someone else on the team has to do the work. Phone calls get forwarded to whoever IS there, even if it’s not strictly their project. Emails get forwarded; people looking for you come to whoever they can find. But since we do work in a team environment, it is generally expected that you will have to cover for someone at some point. But it seems that it happens very regularly.

There are 7 people on my team. I would say there has not been a full week in an entire year where every person on the team worked all 5 days, for the full day.

But hey, our team is doing pretty well. We are one of the top three sales teams. So who cares if we don’t have to put in as much effort as everyone else does? The point is we could probably sell twice as much if people put in a full effort. We probably wouldn’t have had to hire a new person.

However, the real reason I am writing this is because I don’t like who I have become as a result of this. People on the team have been giving lame excuses for so long, that now that they have serious family issues and probably legitimate reasons for missing work, I don’t give a flying flip. It is like the little boy that cried wolf. I mean it has gotten so bad that another woman in the office was actually crying about one of my team member’s trials right now, and I barely give it another thought. Each day I listen to her news, but it is not really affecting me. Sure, I feel bad that she is going through all of this, but I do not have real empathy for her anymore. She will be off for a few days because of the emotional trauma. And each day that I hear she is gone, my first reaction, is, of course. And so far her being gone hasn’t impacted my work load. So imagine if I did have to lay a finger for her. My blood would start boiling I’m sure. And she’s definitely not the worst offender. That’s what makes it bad…she really hadn’t had any bad reasons for missing work in the past. But it is my cynical viewpoint that casts a black cloud over everyone now.

My attitude about actually doing work has also been bad. In my head, I say, well I’m here everyday, all day. So I can justify goofing off too much. At least I’m available to take calls or answer emails. I know that is not right either, but that’s where I’m at.

That’s about it. I could go into more detail, but it is their private lives, and it won’t do any good. But I guarantee it would make you wonder how these people keep their jobs. I just need to vent. And don’t suggest I go to my boss, b/c he set the tone for the whole team and he is the worst.

I really hope no one at work knows about my blog.

When does this get fun?

Monday workout: Nothing. I feel asleep about 7 pm and didn't do anything. :( That is a typical night for me.

Tuesday workout: Even though I took a nap after work, and even though it was stormy, I went to the gym last night. I did 5 minutes on the stair climber thing. I didn't intend to do it, but I got a little turned around in the gym, and didn't want to look like I didn't know where I was going, so I did that torture machine for a few minutes. If you need a warm up, that will get your heart pumping. I'm pretty surprised that I'm not sore in my booty today. But my knee does hurt, so I think I will stay away from that thing again.

Then I proceeded to the bikes, where I was intending to go in the first place. I planned to do 45 minutes, which would be well over the 14 mile mark. But I did the random program, and the hills were much more challenging than I expected. So I decided to stop after 30 minutes and 11 miles. Because I wanted to do some running, too. Or that was my excuse anyway. Sweat was literally dripping off of me onto the floor. Gross. Did I tell you they keep it pretty hot in there, and by the bikes there aren't any fans.

So then I headed to the treadmill. My legs weren't too shaky. Maybe the weight lifting is helping some. I did a full mile run in 12 minutes...I could have possibly done more, but stopped because it was getting pretty late already.

This triathlon is going to be a bit of a pain in other ways. I have to go pick up the registration packet before the event, and none of the locations are super convenient for me. And then I have to take my bike and helmet into a shop to make sure it is safe. I didn't know about all this. That is another thing. I need to decide what bike I'm riding. I have a trail bike I could use, but the course is on country roads. So a road bike would be more efficient, which means less work on my legs. That sounds pretty good to me. So I may be in the market for a new or gently used bike. As I said before, hobbies are expensive.

Why does swimming bring out the snot in your nose?

Saturday workout:

2.9 miles on the treadmill, almost 40 minutes...warmup...1 mile jogging/running...walking...1/2 mile jogging...walking...then about another 1/2 mile jogging/sprinting. Felt ok, but I was definitely ready for the rest after the first mile. There was no way I could have done 2 miles in a row today.

Did some weights.

12 laps in the pool, 4 without really resting! I did them all in about 15 minutes. Not too bad, although my form was pretty bad.

10 minutes in the hot tub. Nice! Do you call it a hot tub, whirlpool, or sauna? It is the big bathtub with bubbles. I've heard people call it all three. But isn't the sauna the steam room?

Sunday workout: Big fat nothing. Unless shopping at Target counts. The day is not over, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

The Agony And The Ecstasy

Even though it is out of time sequence, I will start with the good. Because I’m positive like that. I jogged for 2 miles without stopping on Tuesday night on the treadmill (about 26 minutes)! I have not been able to do that in a long time, and can probably count the times I have done it in my life one 3 fingers. After the first several minutes, it felt pretty good. I could have gone on a little longer, but didn’t want to do too much. Apparently the session with the trainer was a motivation, but not in the good way.

Now here’s the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say. I met with my trainer for my fitness evaluation. He was all of 12. He asked me my goals, and what I had been doing, and how tall I was, and my eating habits. Then he did the weigh in…I had gained a pound since the day before L But whatever, that’s not my primary focus, up until this point.

Then he proceeded to measure me in all sorts of locations with a tap measure, and then used the little pincer thing to measure my body fat. And here’s the kicker. He said I had 33% body fat, which was way over the unhealthy range. I figured I would be about 24%, right on the edge of healthy and unhealthy. I definitely knew I wasn’t in the athlete portion, as much as that hurt my ego. But the scale only went up to 32% + and I was 33%. I was the “and up” range! I seriously hope he did it wrong. He didn’t act very confident with the whole process. So being called fat in the nicest, chart-topping way motivated me to run 2 miles.

Again, since he didn’t seem alarmed at my body fat % and didn’t really focus on getting me immediately on a diet and exercise regimen, I’m assuming he was just a little uninformed on this section. But he gave some advice on eating…eat 7 small meals a day. And the week of the race to start carb-loading (IHOP, anyone?). He also said the day of the race to eat as much carbs as I could. I told him it was at 7 am. He said well, then get up at 5 and eat pancakes. I can’t imagine eating that early, and eating that much before exercising.

Wednesday was happy hour after work, so I ate not good and exercised not good.

Thursday, about to go play tennis with b/f.

Friday is book club, so I doubt I'll exercise. I guess I could make use of the 24 hour aspect of the gym, but let's not get carried away.

Mylanta

Sunday - no work out.

Am now a 3-month member of gym.

Monday - disappointing. I did 12 laps in the pool again - about 20 minutes, 2 laps without stopping. That part was ok. Still way out of breath. I can't get the whole breathing thing down. But maybe making progress.

Then my plan was to try to jog/walk for 3 miles. Then I was going to just do a light walk/jog because I kinda felt weird after the swim. Started off poorly as I had to run in no socks. My water bottle spilled, and my socks were soaking (2nd time, you would think I would learn). But after the initial jelly feeling in my legs, I was actually feeling good. I started jogging, and felt like I could make it past my usual 1 mile mark without stopping. I made it to around 3/4 mile distance when I got horrible heart burn. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the half can of pringles I ate an hour before working out.

I have yet to figure out the eating schedule. There is no way I could make it straight from work, to working out, and then come home and eat dinner. So I had some soup before I left work, and then I just couldn't pass up watching Jeopardy, and then the open can of pringles was calling me. Really the only option for me is to exercise in the morning. That would mean getting up around 5. A. M. That is eons before my usual 6:45 wake up call. I just don't know about that. Maybe I will give it a try.

Anyway, so instead of pushing, I decided to call it a workout. Still better than no work out.

Oh I forgot to tell you. I went all out. I bought a new 1 piece suit, goggles, and the head cap. I feel, if not look, like a professional swimmer now. Save for the masculine shoulders. And 0.2% body fat. This is the first pair of goggles that actually work. Imagine, no water coming in to my eyes. It's great. I can wear my contacts and not have to worry about taking them in and out.

Anyway, I signed up for the free health inspection/orientation. So I'm meeting with a personal trainer tomorrow night. Maybe he'll find something wrong with me, and I can back out of this gracefully. Nothing too bad, just like an abnormal muscular displacement of the 3rd lower vertebrae Cartesian planes in Spain, which in everyday jive means no triathlon. A girl can hope!

A long workout

300 yd swim, wi th lots of breaks...2 laps without stopping.

13 mile bike

.5 mile jog

Splish, splash, I was out of breath

Today's workout (for my personal record, not for your entertainment, unless you find the lack of progress as funny as I do):

Location: the gym
Time: afternoon
1) Treadmill: total of 2 miles [1.01 miles without stopping, average speed 5.2 mph for that mile, excuse me, 1.01 mile]. Man, the gym felt hot today.
2) Weird torture machine: a few sets of crunches
3) Lap pool: total of 8 laps (25 yds each, 200 yds), 2 laps without stopping. Man, this was much harder than I thought. The last "lap" was pathetic. There were old, fat men who were swimming before I got there, swam the whole time I was swimming, plus my 10 minutes in the spa, and they didn't even rest at all.

Granted I could have speed up the process a little, and if I had swam first, I could have eliminated 1 shower, but it took like 1.5 hours to do all this. Who has the time for this? I do...only on the weekends. I don't see making this a regular part of my routine.

My healthy ego has got me into trouble again

Believing the theory that it's not really true until I blog about it, I've delayed typing this post.

I must have been drunk when I agreed to it. I know I was on vacation, so maybe my feet were in the sand, and my head in the clouds. But I said yes. I even registered. It's official. I'm signed up to do a triathlon in less than 2 months. Sure, its a "mini" triathlon. That just means you are supposed to do it faster. I want to quit already and I'm only in training...if you call not doing anything for the past, oh 3-4 days training. At least it has got me to exercise more than I had been. Cue "The Life Of Brian"'s "Look On The Bright Side Of Life."

The plan is to swim 300 yards, bike 14 miles, and then jog 2.9 miles. Each part is the hardest part.

I think maybe, just maybe I could work up to 2.9 miles. I'm only at 1 now without stopping. And maybe I could bike 14 miles...7 of which will be coasting. The wild card is the swim. I have never ever swam in a real race, or even in a class or anything. After a futile attempt of swimming laps at the public pool on a Sunday evening, I decided to join a gym for the summer. At least now maybe I will know what I'm in for. I'm going today or tomorrow to check out the week-free trial at 24 Hour Fitness, which is not open 24 hours on the weekend, surprisingly.

If I don't post much anymore, its because my arms will no longer be able to lift up to the keyboard.