The Newest Start :)

So, ok. I've been a complete and utter slacker when it comes to writing lately. This is partly because I've been a little busy with working, having fun, and little working out. We had three weeks off of boot camp, but I managed to work out about 3 days a week while we were off. But... they were never with the intensity or duration (don't I sound like a PT) that our boot camp workouts were. Luckily, we started back with boot camp on Oct 13, or around there... whatever that Monday was. 

The first week... 

Monday - Ran 2 miles, lifted a bunch of weights, and caught up with some of the buds at Market Commons. 

Tuesday - I ran, get this... 4 miles!! And yes, I ran the whole four without stopping down in Surfside (5 am of course.) I was quite happy with this and it didn't even feel that hard after I got past the first two miles. This is the day I made up my mind that I am not a sprinter, but a distance athlete. This should not surprise me as I was not a sprinter in basketball, swimming, or soccer. Maybe that's why they made me goalie :) That, or because I was the only one tall enough to reach the crossbar of the goal. 

Wednesday - Ran a little less than 2 miles, lifted more weights, and then did some 100 meter sprints on the track. We were supposed to be running up the stadium steps, but my right knee was still giving me a little trouble since the Charleston Challenge. 

Thursday - Got up early and met my friend Lisa to run about 4 miles total... only this was more like run and walk along ocean blvd near my house. 

Friday - Sunday - I had all good intentions of waking up early and going for a quick run/walk before any and all festivities. But, my slacker self decided that I needed the rest. However, I had a great weekend and got to catch up with the Duke crowd. I also got to have dinner with my parents and Nana on Thursday night and with the Dobbins crowd and Nana on Sunday morning for Carrie's 19th birthday. 

That brings us to this week. Monday (yesterday) I woke up at 4:15 and we did about 3 miles running/walking, lifted some weights, and got some starbucks. You gotta have a good end to a long morning. We were running along and crossed over 17 at the light. Unfortunately the light was about to change while we were in the middle of the intersection. I sprinted ahead in attempt to avoid the oncoming traffic that could run me over like a deer in the headlights. Right after that, I had a pretty horrible cramping feeling in my left quad muscle, right along the rectus femoris, on the top half of the leg right in the middle. From that point, Jen (who's knee was hurting from Charleston as well) and I ran/walked the rest of the distance. At that time, I thought that I just had a horrible cramp in my leg. But, I tried to do some squats and lunges afterwards and wasn't really able to do them without pain. I took it easy most of yesterday and iced my leg several times, plus I took my advil. Today it feels a good bit better. I can feel it only when I stretch. And, I went up to the third floor several times today and took the stairs with no pain. I think that I strained the quad muscle a little bit. My plan is to take it easy in the morning and run/walk based on how it is feeling. No sprints for me tomorrow :) 

So, there is the update thus far, Heather. Thanks to everyone that has supported me along this journey. It's been a good road so far. 

And the bass keeps running, and running running

Go me is all that I have to say. This morning, a group was supposed to meet at the 48th trail for a run, only it wasn't really a group that actually met. You could say it was just me and Guy, and you'd be right. But run is what we did. Overall, I think that we did close to 6 miles, and that included running a bridge 2.5 times. Well, we went completely over the bridge crossing the waterway on the Bob, then we ran back over it. At the bottom of that hill is when Guy said, let's sprint up the bridge, just till it meets the water and then run back down on this side. I guess that's how I came up with the 2.5x across. I thought I was going to die running up it the second time, but then I realized that it doesn't even compare in the slightest degree to the Charleston bridge, so why was I complaining?? That's when I yelled "We are woman!!" (A very familiar quote from both our muddy bike ride and the Charleston Challenge.) We did the whole run a long ways, then walk a little bit for most it. However, the last 1.25 miles, he told me to run the whole thing without walking... telling me that it was mostly downhill and a fast run. He was right about neither. It was pretty slow (seeing as I was exhausted by my bridge runs) and it was mostly up hill. But hey, I finished it all, including the final run! Woohoo!!! What's even better, my knees didn't bother me. I did get a few blisters on the tip of my 2nd toes. I'll band-aid those tomorrow.

As for tomorrow, we are meeting at 5am at the stadium to run the bleachers. Wish me luck!

A new week begins

I'm sitting here on the couch icing the knee after working out today, the first time since last Wednesday. I'm in the middle of my 12 day working period. When I first started boot camp, it was the middle Monday of my 12 day working period. I thought it started out good that time, so why not try it again. I rode the stationary bike for 30 min on level 9 interval, then did some weight lifting for my arms and abs. Tomorrow morning we are running again, so hopefully my knee will hold up. So, four more days of work and then I get to see the whole fam!

Thought for the day:
"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."
Mahatma Gandhi

Rest begins

For the next three weeks, we are on a break/rest from boot camp. Luckily, we are still meeting some to run/bike. Monday, I was still so sore that I couldn't hardly work. Tuesday, I got up super early to run down in Surfside. I did about 4 miles, most of which was running, but some walking in the middle. Today I did a little bit of lifting and pushups. Ok, I'm going to back to watching tv... didn't you know that it is couch week. (AKA season premere week!)

The Big Challenge

Here's the review of the last week....

Monday... OMG... in my world that's known as Oh My Gosh, I can't believe you want me to do WHAT?!?!? So, I was quite tired from the awesome concert (thanks Heather), but it was worth it. On three hours of sleep, I headed to the five mile run. I ran about the first two miles and then did the walk/run thing for the rest of it. We finished off that morning with some lifting and such. At least I finished it 3 min faster than I did the last week.

Wednesday... The official last day of morning boot camp for this round. We ran 3 miles, and yes, I ran the whole 3 miles. The temperature decided to finally cool off a little and it felt great. And then we did some monster lifting. Guess that we had to get it all in before it was over.

Thursday... The first meeting for the big challeng on Saturday down in Charleston. We got the clue of about where to meet, which we thought was around Bagel Nation at the corner of 17 and the Isle of Palms Connector.

Friday... I sat in Wally World for 2 hours for an oil change and then decided to stay the night in MI since it was 30 min closer to Charleston.

Saturday... Here is the big day!!! We got up at 4 am, packing the two cars, loaded the bikes, and headed down to Charleston. Kitsy couldn't find her helmet, so we stopped by the Walmart to grab one on the way down. We got our next clue promptly at 7am, which told us to bike to Patriots Point. Here's the way it went. We biked down the Isle of Palms Connector, over the bridge and then turned right on the main road in Isle of Palms. We went over the little bridge to Sullivan's Island and then turned right onto the road back to Mt. Pleasant all the way to Patriot's Point. The whole ride was about 13 miles. Then we hopped off of our bikes and took off running over the Ravenel bridge, down East Bay St all the way to battery. We did a loopy thing by taking a right onto Murray, a right on King, a right on Broad, a left on Meeting, a right on Calhoun, and another left back onto East Bay St. We finished the run by going back over the big bridge. The whole run was over 10 miles. We then biked the reverse path back to bagel nation.

All I can say is over 37 miles in a little over 4 hours. I was and still am exhausted. We then went out and enjoyed some of Charleston before returning home Sunday. What a weekend!!!! There's nothing more to say. So, now I'm about to head out to the pool and enjoy some sweet tea. Tomorrow we start running again, down in Surfside. I'll keep you posted. :)

And wheels keep running

First off, I did not forget my keys again so far this week. Friday morning we met at Broadway, ran 1.5 miles and then began ~40 min of grueling sets including pushups, squats, lunges, burpees, mountain climbers, and followed up by 1/4 run after each set. One set was all ab work. In middle of this set, the rain started. I guess that it was expected since it hadn't yet rained all week, and I have yet to go through a week in which it didn't rain at least once. Initially, the rain was welcomed, seeing as it was a light drizzle that felt cooler than the surrounding air. But as our sets ended, the rain really began and it was bike time. About half the people left due to the pouring rain, but a few of us stayed and did the 3.4 mile bike ride in the downpour. At one point, I had my head down hoping that I wouldn't run into another biker (I wasn't too worried about the cars; there aren't any at 6 am at broadway). That was the start of my weekend.

It got better though! Saturday morning I woke up at 5:30 and was in the car headed to the inlet with my mountain bike to meet up with a few of the other boot campers and our fearless leader, along with with wife. There were 5 of us in total and we drove down to the Palmetto Trail head which is around McClellanville (a few miles north of Mt. Pleasant). We geared up and took off for the unknown. It I had known what was ahead, I might not have been so inclined to go, but since I didn't, I was game. In the first 1.4 mile, we hit about 4 huge water holes with water up to our knees. But, we kept peddling on through the water until we hit the road with mud all over us. I thought that it couldn't get much worse, but then we hit a section of the trail known as "Mt. Killamyvagina." It was pretty much just that due to the immense number of roots that filled the trail. Just when you needed to catch some speed to go through more water and mud, you hit about 20 roots that were like mini-road bumps, only some of them weren't so mini. We stopped at the halfway point and did some jumping jacks and pushups. He tried to get us to run, but a walk was a little more my pace by that point. We then turned home and did it all over again, all the while keeping one eye on the water/the trail and one eye out for Mr. No Shoulders, aka my slithery friend known as the snake. Luckily, no snakes on this trip. :)

We then changed by the car, wiped the mud off and proceeded to go to Mt. Pleasant to the Wal-Mart. Kitsy needed some fresh clothes. Even the girl as we walked in was eyeing us and laughed. We must have looked like a homeless gang coming in the by our monthly clothes. Afterwards, we grabbed some lunch and went to TrySports, where I ran into Jason, who is going to do an Ironman Triathlon in Panama City on Nov 1. Best wishes, Jason. I came home late that afternoon, washed off my bike, took a long shower, and had Betsy check my head for ticks. This was all followed by dinner and some well-deserved couch time.

Today, I couldn't sleep late... yes, I was up by 7 on my one morning off. I finished my book and pretty much have been lazy. I am trying to get a little cleaning done today, but I haven't gotten far with that just yet. But... I can't wait for tonight and Sugarland!!! Should be a great time. Perhaps I should go sweep the floor. All the sand from the bikes is killing me.

Ta-ta for now!

The Past Week

Here is the quick and dirty version of the last week...

Thursday - Prepare for Hanna day, the tropical storm not montana - With the forcast of tropical storm to hit within the next 36 hours directly to Myrtle Beach, I brought in all of the furniture, plants, etc. and got the necessary supplies of food and drinks :)

Friday - Boot camp and Hanna hits - We started off running 1.5 miles, which I was able to do at a faster pace thanks to Kitsy pushing me along. We then did the rounds on the inside of Broadway with pushups, squats, burpees, and mountain climbing. We did some sprints in the middle to keep me good and out of breath, as if the rest of it was a breeze... Speaking of breezes, I headed over to Jackie's to ride out of the storm in good company. It was a bit breezy, and intermittent times of heavy downpours, but otherwise it was not too bad. The worst part was waking up to the transformers popping, all five of them. Thank goodness the power was only out for an hour or so. Any more than that, and this sweet girl would have been melting in the lovely combination of humidity and heat.

Saturday - Cars and weddings - Woke up to breakfast of waffles and strawberries (yum) and drove to Savannah for the wedding. The best part... seeing all of the Aiken family! Short and sweet day, but a good time was had by all. I did manage to fit in a long walk along the river, which may have possibly included a sweet treat, also known as the Savannah praline.

Sunday - More cars - Had a great lunch and then drove the 4 hours back to MB, at which time I proceeded to lay on the couch and be lazy. I was sooo tired.

Monday - Back to the grind - Woke up bright and early and had absolutely no desire to wake up bright and early. But, I did anyway. We started off this morning by running/walking 5 miles. I ran the first two miles and then did a combo of running/walking. For the last mile, Kitsy and I did a sequence of walking 2 lamp posts, running 5 posts, and then sprinting 2 posts. I was about to fall over after that, but then we did some squats and other weight stuff. The rest of the day I was super lazy from being so worn out from my weekend/tropical storm/working out.

Tuesday - Carrie's gift - I worked very diligently to finish Carrie's graduation present. Hopefully you'll like it Carrie when I can finally get it to you, which will hopefully be in the next year ;)

Wednesday - Today - I woke up at 4:25 this morning, not really wanting to get up since I seem to have this sniffle gnawing on my nerves. I got dressed, grabbed some water and my phone, and headed out the door... only to realize that my keys were still inside the locked house. After 10 min of trying to break in via my hard rock park season pass, I called in the reinforcements, aka some of the sweetest people at boot camp to come and pick me up. We were about 10 min late, but we were there. We started off running 3 miles, which is a very loose term since it was about 100% humidity and I couldn't breathe. I more or less ran the first mile or so and then did the walk/run thing. We then went up/down the stadium steps for what I can only assume was a very long time, but in reality it was probably about 15 min. We then ran a lap around the football and proceeded to lift some weights and do some ab work. I figured with all of this, I deserved the pumpkin spice latte that was waiting for me at the finish line.

Quotes of the day:
"You are in a lion fight. Just because you didn't win, doesn't mean that you don't know how to roar."

"You are running your own race. Pay no attention to those in front of you and behind you."

Someone had to remind me that I'm not that super fast, crazy sprinter that so many of the others are. For me, it's about finishing the race the best that I can.

We're Half-Way There, Living on a Prayer

Well.... I've been quite lazy and not on the computer at all since Friday, so there hasn't been much of a chance to catch up on here. Let me hit you with my best shot. Here goes...

Friday... Hmmmm.... What a morning!! I woke up at 4:15, went to the car, put my bike on the rack and cranked the car. Only, the car didn't crank and my battery was dead. Being the very enthusiastic 5am girl that I am slowly becoming, I took my bike off the rack and started the 6 mile ride to Broadway for boot camp. I was about 15 min (along with one other girl), so we took off running the inside loop, which I assume is about 1 mile. We both ran the whole thing looking for the group, but they were not to be found. We then rode our bikes about 3.5 miles in search of them and finally found them... about to start their bike ride. So, I kept on going another 3 laps, which is about 5.1 miles. And that was the end of boot camp, but not the end of my ride. I had another 6 miles back home. All in all, I did a little over 20 miles that morning, just to come home to a dead battery in my car. Long story short, my "dad" here in MB took my car to get a new battery and brought it to work for me. What a HUGE lifesaver. Thank goodness for wonderful neighbors. I was then able to leave work just after lunch and head home to see Brooke sing wonderfully in "Always Patsy Cline" - amazing!!!

Saturday-Monday... I completely slept in that morning and then stayed an hour on the couch watching One Fine Day and giving Skittles (the cat) some much needed TLC. Then I participated in the Nike Human Race, in which people from all over the world were doing a 10K on the same day. Since I'm not quite up to 6 miles running, I took my side show to the trails in Hitchcock Woods and ended up walking/running/panting for 7 miles. Alls I have to say there is, make sure you take a map... most helpful. After all of the fatigue had set in, I got to see my girl Steph and wish her and Joe a happy engagement right on through Monday. I did manage to fit in a quick 2 mile walk around the neighborhood on Sunday. Monday I drove back MB and went to bed early. Even this girl needs her beauty sleep (I just happen to need about 8 hours - not the less than 8 that I got over the weekend).

Tuesday... Nothing much to say here. I didn't work out because A) I was very tired still, B) My legs were still sore from Saturday, and C) I was very tired still. Went to bed early for another day of camp.

And that brings us to today... Up at 4:15 this morning, and it felt great outside. Not as much humidity and the temp was around 68-70. Perfect. We started off running from Pepper Geddings (the local gym) and headed around some corners to get to the intersection of The Bob and 21st and then back. At first, I thought that I was going to die from needing to go to the bathroom, but that subsided and I ended up running the whole thing. We came back and did some military standing presses, bench presses, lat pulls, sit-ups and leg lifts. After it was all over I asked how far it was that we ran, and .... it was 3 miles. That was a new personal best for continuous distance running, which also just happens to be the halfway point to the 6 miles that I'll have to run in the triathlon. So, not only was Friday the end of week three, which was the halfway point of boot camp, but today was the halfway running point. I'm not necessarily betting on running 6 miles by the end of the next 3 weeks, but I'll bet that it's more than 3 miles :)

Well, I better run and finish getting ready. I'm going to see the most winningest ever MB Pelicans in the playoffs tonight. Pray that Hannah doesn't come to visit me Friday or Saturday of this weekend. I was kinda hoping to go to Savannah for a wedding if the hurricane/TS doesn't ruin it for me.

Closing of Week Three

Tomorrow closes week three of boot camp... aka the half way point!!!

I've been pretty busy here, so I haven't been super up-to-date this week. Here's the quickie version of the last few days... Tuesday was Cassie's bday, but I did manage to get in a 30 min bike ride on interval level 10. My butt was soaked, so I figure that I did something. Cassie said that once I couldn't sing anymore, then I was really working hard :) I told her that I couldn't really sing even when I'm not out of breath. We had a great dinner and made her stand on the chair to the beat of a Japanese drum. We think that the cake they brought her was a jello cheescake, but what do we American's know about Japanese desserts.

Wednesday morning I woke, and was super tired from going to bed late the night before. Luckily I checked the radar and no rain in the area, and as an extra bonus, the humidity was 91%. If I were thinking at 4 in the morning, I would have known that if the humidity is that high, it's going to rain in the near future. So, we started off running. Guy ran with me so as to make me go a little further and run a little faster, which is what I did. I ran from the pig to damon's and back to 17 business. Then I was so out of breath, and my heart rate was 170, so I started my run/walk sequence of walk 2 lamp posts and run 10 lamp posts (I had about a mile left). At about the 2nd set of 10 runs, the bottom dropped... crazy rain. But, it was kinda nice at that point because I was already soaked and it was a cool rain. I finished the run and we did some weight lifting and crunches. You know "girls just wanna have fun," or at least that's what the radio is saying right now! Then last night my grandmother, her friend, and I all went out to dinner at Ruby's and did a little shopping at the mall. I had a salad for all of those who might care.

And that brings us to today. Here goes the birthday shout outs... Happy birthday to, and in particular order, Brooke Kest, Carrie Potter, and Stephanie Meador. Also, a happy anniversary to Jocelyn and Phil Sikes (and congrats on the baptism of the little man - loved the pics). This morning I went to the all wonderful OSHA training for the yearly retest on all kinds of nasty stuff, which could have potentially been vaguely interesting but in reality was quite boring. I had all patients that started with letter B today. Not once started with a different letter... I think that may be a first. But then I had a difficult patient and my funk returned, and I didn't really snap out of it until I had some homemade pasta tonight. Yuuuummmmmmyyyyyyy!! I highly recommend it if you can make it. After that, I saw for about 30 min and listened to some tunes with my new mp3 player made for underwater. Very cool, another highly recommend it you like swimming.

So, that's been my busy couple of days. I'm sorry for those that I have not emailed back yet. I'll try to get back to you ASAP. Tomorrow I'm heading home to see Brooke in Patsy Cline; sorry that you can't be there mom. Wish NC State good luck tonight as they take on Spurrier and those chickens. It's off to bed for me... it's already 9:30 (an hour past my bedtime).

The Funk Comes and Goes

Today is all about the funk, and no, I am not talking about how I smell after an hour and half of pouring sweat in the morning. I'm talking about that mood that one gets in for no real good reason and can't seem to shake for no good reason. This morning I was funnnnnkkkky, and I can't tell you why. I woke up on the correct side of the bed, which also happened to be the right side, so no clue as to the funk this morning. And it stayed all the way through lunch to my dismay. I just could not shake the thing. But... Today is my friend Cassie's birthday and Connie made some "special" brownies for her. I was told that these brownies might could shake the curse that was over me. And... It worked, after about 2.5 more servings. There goes the diet out the door. Then I proceeded to wave it goodbye by saying that I would be at dinner tonight for birthday celebrations at Miyabi's. I guess everyone needs a day off of dieting, but I think that I not only fell off the boat, but started drowning. I'll be drowning in something completely different tomorrow... a unique combination of sweat and rain, which we are supposed to be getting for the rest of the week. Maybe the gods will spare me for just a little while as to get in that oh so important morning run, in which the big daddy says he running with me. He thinks he's making me a marthon runner. Please hold while I continue to laugh out loud. Ok, I'm back. Again, all's I want (that's for you, Pam) is a good 6 mile run after the swimming and biking. :) Here comes to bandwagon to take me to dinner. I'm jumping on..... but I'll jump back off tonight and back onto the eating good bike that'll take me to boot camp in the AM.

Breakfast of Champions

After pressing snooze twice, I finally managed to pry myself out of the covers at 4:15 this morning, got dressed, and headed to boot camp to the tunes of Sugarland. (I'm getting ready Heather!) We started this morning with a 3.something run. I really don't know how long it is, but for convience, we'll say that it was a little over 3 miles. I ran the first two miles at a little bit faster pace than I had previously been running, but then I quickly bottomed out. I'm going to blame the extreme humidity and not my lack of perseverence. To make up for the shortcoming, I decided to do sprints the last mile, which consisted of walking 2 street lamps and then sprinting 4 street lamps. I'm still not sure which is worse, the sprinting or the steady pace of running. Either way, I was wiped by the time this over (about 36 min after I started). Last, but certainly not least, we did some leg lifts, crunches, supine bicycling, standing military presses, bench presses on the ball, bicep curls, tricep extension, squats, and lastly pushups. By the end, I was in desperate need of my starbucks, and I got it.

Why breakfast of champions as my title, you may ask. Well, today I'm not sure that I had a breakfast of champions, but I did eat breakfast all day long. I wonder if eat breakfast all day can make one a champion, even in the breakfasts themselves are not the breakfasts of champions?? I'd like to think that it does, and seeing as it's probably my favorite meal, this was no challenge for me. I started off with a course of flax seed granola with yogurt for breakfast, my standard cracker barrel breakfast for lunch, and some go lean waffles with hot tea for dinner. For those that may not know, the standard cracker barrel breakfast consists of whole wheat sourdour french toast, egg beaters, and turkey sausage with sugar free syrup. Sounds gross... I know... but it's really quite good. I was going to go grocery shopping for some food to stock my pantry and fridge, but I didn't want to melt in the rain on the way. I can run in the rain, but grocery shopping in the rain is out of the question.

Oh yes, I must not forget to mention a words of sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who has sent their kindest and most inspriring words of encouragement. There can never be enough.

Welcome to All the Newbies

Since today I sent out a massive email to a ton of people, I thought that I should have a brief moment of welcome. That and my cats Hina and Izzy just came up to the door crying to get in. Since the shun to the outdoors after multiple repeat offenses of peeing everywhere in the house, they cry every other day to come inside. I'm just glad to know that they are still alive.

Anyhoo... I suggest that you go back and read the very first day of whatever you want to call this. (It's back in July in the column on the right.) And, for those of you who can't pull yourself away from this terribly exciting/hysterical writing experience of mine, I'll try to be better about updating things daily.

Warning to all readers... Try to ignore all poor spelling attempts, grammatical mistakes, left out words, confusing words, words I made up (like ginormous), and any other possibly wrong thing in here. I was an engineer prior to being a physical therapist. Good spelling is not in genes. But if you need any math, I'm your girl :)

The Next Gear

Let's see... since Thursday here's the story....

My favorite cousin named Heather (as opposed to all of my other favorite cousins with their own unique names - it's much like I'm my mother's favorite daughter - and her only one!) invited me to go see Sugarland in September in Wilmington!!!!!! I was so excited that I downloaded all of their CDs and have been listening non-stop. My neighbors are probably tired of it, but I really don't care ;)

Hmmmm... ah yes, Friday. I had a student with me observing/trying to learn from the master, aka me, for the day. Turns out, this kid is from Augusta and grew up swimming for ASL, knows almost all the same Augusta swimmers that I did, and the coaches too (include Dave with the coke-glass bottle glasses - remember him mom!) Kinda weird. He even did Social dance too. I guess growing up on the other side of the Savannah River really isn't all that different. Wonder if it's the same for the grass on the other side?

Anyhoo, Friday mornning it was raining (imagine that). We were at Broadway and did a mix of running and circuit training, which basically consisted of running from spot to spot and then doing lots of crunches, squats, lunges, push-ups, a few planks, and some leg lifts. This whole process went on for a little over an hour, or until we all looked like we were going to die of exhaustion. We then proceeded to hop on our bikes (remember, it's raining this whole time) and bike about 3 miles. At this point, the rain reminded me of water skiing when it's drizzling, ie. pins and needles to my face, arms, and legs. Luckily, I had my gloves on (that my favorite mother bought me), so the needles didn't hit my hands too. Afterwards, we all went and froze in the starbucks on 21st.

Saturday, I picked up around the house, did a few chores like 4 loads of laundry, changing the sheets, taking out the trash, working on Carrie's graduation present... you know, the normal weekend stuff. Then I laid out by the pool for a bit and got a little red on my chest. I was going to go to the beach, but the wind was ripping and the sand kinda hurt.

This morning, I woke up at 7:30 am without my alarm. I'm turning into my dad. Yikes ;) So, I decided to go for a bike ride. I ended up going all the way to the pig in market commons and back on ocean blvd, which is about 21 miles. I finished up this hour and half ride with a dunkin donuts coffee (I was good and skipped the munchins). My girl who works there was shocked that I have a weekend off. Guess that it is pretty sweet that I don't have to work more weekends that I do. I'll thank Jackie for that one. As for that diet thing, I've pretty much given up on the no-carb thing. It's just not for me. I'm now on the portion control, try to watch what I eat diet. I figure I've done pretty good not to have had a southwest bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich at DD every morning. Hope that my girl doesn't forget how to make them.

So, I don't know who all out there is reading this, but if you are, let me know by leaving a comment or emailing me. That way I can give a little shout out every now and then. Like, can't wait to see those two in Washington in two weeks. It's looking like the triathlon is going to be rescheduled for that Saturday morning, so I might be rolling into Savannah once that's over. At least it's on the way to Savannah. As of now, I'm heading to the A-towns next weekend for the Labor Day, in case anyone was wondering. :)

Here is the thought of the week:
Never go backward. Attempt, and do it with all your might. Determination is power. Do you have it ?

Rain on the Way

Well, the triathlon this Sat. was cancelled due to the chance of rain from TS Fay, but it is re-scheduled for the next Sat. as of right now. Yesterday we started off running and my group (the middle achievers) ran about 2.5 miles. Luckily the force was with me, and I did in fact run the whole thing. Near the end, when I was sure that I was going to die or start walking, GI Jane comes flying by saying how good my stride looks. Well, wasn't the the icing on the cake. Not only was I about to die, but I was looking good while doing it. In return of the compliment, I proceeded to pick up my pace and finish the run at blazing speed, which in my case is just one step above a snail's pace.

After that invigorating run, (I think that's what it was supposed to be, but for me it was more like 'now I'm ready to fall over run') we got right into doing more lifting for the arms. They were a little shaky yesterday but are feeling okay this morning. My legs were killing me though. I can definitely tell that he is making me work, which is what it is all about. Tomorrow we are taking the bikes and equipment to Broadway. Look forward to another fun, exhausting, and invigorating day of sweat. Whoohoo!! And another whoohoo for the women's beach volleyball team clinching the gold last night!!!

Week Two Begins

Bright and early this morning, I woke with a bang at 4:15. After listening to some ABBA to wake me up on the drive there, I was ready to go. We started out running 2 miles, and I was called out that I had to run the whole thing, which I did!! Then we came back and did a lot of lifting for the shoulders. I finished up the morning with a starbucks coffee... yum! Now I'm home and planning on enjoying this lovely day since I don't have to work today. I think that we are going to Hard Rock Park today.

As for my weekend, I had an awesome time seeing all my people and having fun, not to mention eating all the good stuff not on my diet. I jumped back on track yesterday. And to my favorite Uncle Jimmy, here is an open invitation to come and visit anytime.

Duathlon Friday

Let's see... Last night I went out with Matt and Beth down at Market Commons. I was a good girl and ate a salad and skipped dessert. Way to go me. But I tell you, this morning came very early. We were at Broadway at the Beach this morning. We started off with a little over a 3 mile run. I was able to run the first half, but then we did intervals of running/walking for the 2nd half. Then I biked 3 miles, followed by 1 mile of walking/running again. We finished up the morning with push-ups, sit-ups, more squats, and finally sprints. Luckily, we went to Starbucks afterward.

So, week one of working out has wrapped up. I'm still sore and tired, but it's a good tired feeling. Tonight I'm driving up to Durham to celebrate Kerry's wedding. Then I'll be back tomorrow to continue with the training. Supposedly, we are supposed to be exercising just about every day to maintain.... we'll see :)

The best part of today is that fact that I'm not working!!!!! Woohoo!!!!! Today feels like a well deserved break after working 11 days straight. Hope that y'all are enjoying your weekend. Get off the couch! Hey Aunt Tree, we still on for that bet at Christmas?!?!?!

Day Two: And the rain shall come...

I was told on day one that we would meet for boot camp rain or shine. This seems a little funny to me, seeing that we meet before the sun even rises!! But, he was very right when he said that we would be meeting in the rain. And rain it did. We started out in the parking garage and did exercises there first. We did 5 sets of 10-15 reps each of jumping jacks, pushups, squats, static lunges, burpees (where you start staninding, do a pushup, then jump up again), running in a pushup position, and last but not least running up to the next level of the garage. After all of that, we ran down the garage back to the first level and proceeded to lift weights there. We did more squats, military presses, bicep curls, and triceps. Then we ran in the rain for over a mile. Oh yeah, I forgot about the challenge after all that weight lifting. He chose two of us (and yes, he chose me) to challenge each other to a duel to see who could do the most standing military presses. This other girl and I did it for several minutes before he finally called it a tie. My shoulders are still shaking from that, and maybe from the 30 min (100 lap) swim in my pool on Tuesday afternoon. Or maybe it's all the whirlpools I've been doing at work lately. At any rate, I wasn't too terribly sore after the first day, but I'm pretty sore and tired now. Not to mention that today wrapped up 10 days in a row at work. Tomorrow is my last day this week and then I get a four day weekend. Oh well that I still am getting up at 4:15 am on my two days off of work :) I'll let you know if I'm able to roll out of bed tomorrow. I'm predicting soreness! At least I've been sticking to my diet.

Mom, hope that you feel better. Happy birthday Uncle Jimmy. And, Carrie, have fun moving in!!!! (Even if you are at that other school in North Carolina!) Don't stress too much, and have a great time. College is way more fun than the working world, so stay there as long as you can... I sure tried ;)

Day One Begins

DAY ONE OF BOOT CAMP!!!!

I got up this morning at 4:10 am, got dressed, drove to boot camp, and proceeded to work out for an hour and half. I couldn't stop yawning until we started running. Here's the breakdown of the workout....

Jumping jacks, jump rope, run 1.5 miles. Start lifting arms... which means lots of pushups, bench presses, flys, jumping, squats, crunches and leg lifts with the exercise ball. Finally we ran another 1.1 mile. Oh yeah, and we ran 1/4 mile in the middle of all the lifting.

Then I sprinted home, took a 5 min shower, and got to work. This was a long day, but pretty good overall. I'm pretty tired now and will probably go to bed early again. I'll keep you posted on how sore I am tomorrw. I'm hungry, so I'm off to grab some food. (Of course now I have to start dieting too....)

08-08-08 Opening Day

Today is the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Beijing. Hope that you are wearing a mask in honor of the athletes over there that are having to endure the horrible pollution and air quality. Thank goodness for the tree huggers here in the US.

As for me, I rested yesterday and today had my opening day to boot camp. I had my assessment this afternoon, which included running 1.1 miles, 1 min of push-ups, 1 min of sit-ups, heart rate testing, body fat measurements, circumference measurements (like arm, leg, waist, bust, hips), and of course weight. I ran the entire mile in about 12 min, which was the farthest that I have ran without walking in quite a long time.

Did y'all see the drummer dudes?? Like 2008 of them together in perferct syncronization?? Amazing. Well, this is my weekend to work. As of right now I have 3 WP's tomorrow nad 4 on Sunday. (WP is whirlpool/wound care for those unfamiliar with my shorthand).

I'm off to watch history. Mom, enjoy your time out west. I just that bud commerical with Hank the horse in training.

Early Running

I did it... I woke up at 5:30am and went for an early morning run. I did intervals of 2 min walk, 2 min run. It was pretty humid, but there was a breeze. And at the finish, the sun was rising. How cool. Then this morning Connie came back to work and then I got to see Jackie's wedding pictures. How fun the late 80's/early 90's hairdos were... not to mention the dresses! But, hey... pepto-bismol did NOT drench the church like it did for Julia Roberts in Steel Magnolias. The pictures were quite good. Ok, back to work. Hasta till tomorrow.

Back in the Swing

I woke with a bang at 5 am and went to the gym in my shiny new shoes. Feel good so far. I lifted my arms and legs today, and then did 20 min on the bike on hill mode level 12. After the drawf left me alone, the chocolate fairy visited and I have been craving the hazelnut-choco combo like nothing else. Thank goodness my superhero Cassie came to save the day by bringing a baggie of absolutely wonderful chocolate shells.

That's really it for today. Nothing much new to say. I'm hoping tomorrow to go for a run in the AM before the temps raise up to the 100's (heat index, that is). Till then, bring on the chocolate.

Goals for this week:
1. Work out at least 4 days this week.
2. Go to the assessment Friday afternoon.
3. Begin the break-in process for the new shoes by running.

The Dwarf Jumps

This past weekend, I was incredibly lazy and enjoyed every minute of it. Today, I decided not get up this morning due to the dwarf that was jumping up and down on my uterus, AKA Aunt Flo came to town to terrorize the neighborhood. Now that the day is over, I am slowly beginning to return to some semblance of feeling normal. I WILL get up tomorrow morning. No question. So, for now I'm going to sit here eating the last piece of mom's banana bread, drink some soothing hot tea, and watch Thursday's rerun of Grey's Anatomy, again.

Good news is Friday I go for my assessment in order to start Boot Camp next Monday morning. Here is Chief Big Daddy's thought of the day:

Start living now. Stop sleeping, and whining your life away. Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes. Every day that you are alive is a special occasion. Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God. Don't waste them.

TGIF and the weekend

Yesterday I was the gym at the ripe time of 5am. I lifted my arms and did 25 min on the eliptical. Unfortunately, my feet started bothering me, so I persuaded my favorite mom to get me a new pair of running shoes (after much research). Other than that, I've been pretty lazy today. I painted my toe nails for Cassie's wedding tonight and watched Dr. Doolittle. Tomorrow I'll take the newbies for a trial run. :)

Here is a picture that my dad sent of the sunset of some road in the middle of absolute nowhere Washington.

Day 2-4 - Several Yesterdays and Todays

Ok, I know that I'm a slacker when it comes to writing things down, but I haven't been a slacker at the gym. Tuesday morning I woke up with absolutely no smile on my face to the dark morning, or night. I'm not exactly sure what you consider times prior to 5am... are the morning or night?? Sure felt like night to me. But, hey at least I was up. I went to the gym and lifted the arms a bit and did the treadmill for 30 min. Whew... then that afternoon I went with the girls to eat some apps followed by lovely fan making for the wedding this weekend. I am the best bubble tie-er ever, thanks to my trusty bubble holder.

Wednesday... a day of rest. Even God rested when creating the world. Besides, I was exhausted and in serious need of some quality sleep. Although it wasn't too quality because my alarm still went off at 4:30... oops! But, good news is that Mom came visit today for a few days. Went to dinner and had some yummy lobster bites and ahi tuna. And, I got a super cute/very original bag with my initials on it... yes, I am a GRITS!!!!!

Thursday- Today:
I woke up at the butt crack of dawn, oh wait that was when I left the gym. I got up this morning, snuck down the stairs as to not wake the mama, and worked out. Today I lifted legs again and then did a circuit of 5 min rowing, 5 min bike, 10 min eliptical, 5 min bike, 5 min rowing. Finished it up with some quality stretching. Now, I'm chilling at work with a dude in the whirlpool and listening to all the morning gossip. Don't forget my XL Duncan Donuts coffee! Yum!!!!

So, Heather, there's my update :) I'll try to be a little better at staying on top of it for you. Dad, don't work too hard out there in Washington. Mom, make yourself at home... you do own the place, so you should. And anyone else out there reading this, hope that the day brings you all that you want.

Thought for the day courtesy of Audrey:
"Sugar may melt in the rain, but shit floats."

Tomorrow is Today

Here begins Day 1: I woke up at 4:45am and was at the gym by 5:15. I did 5 min on the eliptical, lifted weights for the legs, and did 30 min on the bike hill level 11 - all of which totalled about an hour. Then off to work. Busy day today... 4 whirlpools. But hey, I d/c'd two of them, so tomorrow should be a bit lighter. Came home and swam 100 laps in my little pool, immediately followed by poolside snacks and good people. Now, dinner time :)

Today has felt pretty normal, other than the fact that waking up before 5 totally sucked. That is way too early, but I got up. One day down, many more to go. Hopefully it'll get easier to get up that early. Right dad???

The day before tomorrow

This is the day before tomorrow, the first day of training. I'm setting up this blog as attempt to hold myself accountable to myself, and to give myself some method to keep a record of this hopefully life-changing process. I also need some place to write down goals on a weekly basis.

I guess I'll start this by saying, I used to be an athlete, but I'm so far out of shape. My overall goal is to compete in an international/olympic length triathlon in the next year. For those of you who don't know what this includes, it combines a 1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, and 10 km run (which is ~ 1 mile swim, 24 mile bike, and 6 mile run for those of us who are conversionally challenged). I'm not sure which one I'm going to do yet, but I'll decide once the 2009 triathlon series is posted.

Goals of this week:
1. Go to the gym 5 days this week.
2. Keep record of every day that I go to the gym.
3. Allow myself one day of rest this week.
4. Clean the house, since my mom is coming to visit.
5. And, go to the gym before work. It opens at 5am.

I figure that my problem is that after I work all day, I'm exhausted. Besides, there is usually something to do after work that keeps me from working out. Going to the gym before work alleviates these problems. Yikes, that's early.

So that it for now... as today is the day before tomorrow. Wish me luck!!