Wednesday, March 30, 2011

10 miles?

I did it!
8 on the bike and 2 on the treadmill!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

10 miles last week...

My goal for this week is to double it!

20 miles this week. got it. good.

Had a trip to the dentist yesterday so I didn't work out. Today I have my bag packed ready to go to the Y.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

what a difference a week makes...

Not in a good way though...

So I know after my great week of miles last week you must have been thinking, geez Jen, what are you worried about in that other post about "doing my part"... well this week, I have completed exactly ZERO miles! eeeek! So yeah, I'm still working on keeping myself accountable for averaging about 5 miles per day. I know that next week will be better.

In other news Ms. M and I are going to be doing the Big Climb tomorrow in Seattle- I need to raise just $50 in donations, soooo you know the drill- I'm going to beg, plead, make big sad eyes ask if you will consider making a small donation. Here is the link to my fundraising page: Jen's doing the Big Climb! Go Donate a couple bucks- you know you want to, and if you aren't sure here is some more info. Ms. M and I are raising money for research that will improve treatment and hopefully find a cure for Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkins disease and Myeloma (that is the disease our dear BOOB sister Barb's husband Mark had). Here is the offical info....
The Big Climb is a stairclimb up the Columbia Center - the tallest skyscraper in downtown Seattle.  There are 69 flights of stairs, 1311 steps, and 788ft of vertical elevation.  Although it will be challenging, it pales in comparison to what blood cancer patients go through.  All proceeds benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. The mission of LLS is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Since its founding in 1949, LLS has invested more than $600 million for research specifically targeting blood cancers.



The scale has been cooperating even with my lack of exercise- I'm back on track with exercise though, I am thinking of going for a bike ride today, I'm gearing up to start my triathlon training, I'm doing the Danskin Women's Triathlon in Seattle this August. I know that if I don't have something to work towards that I just don't exercise. I now know that 5k's, half marathons, and depending on how things go in August, triathlons will always have to be a part of my exercise plan.

So, slowly but surely at this point we are still trodding our way to Chicago-land! See you in September :)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

miles, miles, miles... it is all I think about!!

Oh, my not sure that I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to this! I am so happy I joined in with my pal Ms. M though, because it really helps keep me motivated to move when I know someone is depending on me...

2 big things this week to report on- I've been doing well getting miles in (thanks Ms. M for updating the ticker) due to sticking with going to the gym and eventhough I hate the treadmill it does help me track miles.

First off, I went to my first spin class!!! oy it kicked my bootay! Well really it made my legs so sore.... but I loved it! I have a friend that has been going so it made my first time so much better having someone who was willing to walk me through it step by step... she is awesome and I love working with her, so a Saturday morning at the gym is bonus time, we got to talk a little and have fun so the hour went by quickly... I only did about 11.7 miles, which is a few less than the class veterans... but hey- gotta start somewhere right?

Secondly, I have been planning on doing the St. Paddy's Dash (5k) since January, and really since I did it last year. Luckily I work with some awesome people (who also motivate me to get out and move my booty) who decided to join me this year. Typical of Washington, we had some liquid sunshine to deal with this morning (my feet are still cold from being wet the whole time) but I wore a really funny costume (people were asking me to stop on the course so they could have a picture with  me) and just had fun! I still think we finished with a decent time (maybe around 40 minutes) despite the fact running in my costume was like running encosed in a giant plastic bag! I got so hot (you can see my super red face in the pictures)... maybe I sweated off a couple extra pounds though (wishful thinking, not reality I'm sure).

During the dash... people loved my costume and wanted pictures! It was a lot of fun :)
Good times with work friends! St. Paddys Dash, 5k. 2011

Awesome :) Let's keep gettin' those miles in!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Cat & Mouse

Its taken me all week to get to writing about my walk on the beach last Saturday - at least the physical part of the walk. I wrote about the intangibles of it on my regular blog days ago. And, I even wrote about the physical part here earlier today. Then I hit a wrong button & puff it was GONE. That's the second time that's happened to me this week. I don't know how the heck its happening, but its beyond frustrating.

When I arrived at the beach I intended to stick to the "easy" trail that parallels the beach. Call me lazy, but the thought of a rocky beach and/or sinking into sand didn't really match what I had in mind for a productive walking experience. Things started out well... for a few feet. Then this.... the trail totally blocked with water. I attempted to go around the water only to end up with water to my ankle. I managed to pull my foot back very quickly and no water made it into my shoe.

So, over the logs I climbed to the main part of the beach. There were rocks. There was sink halfway to your knees sand. There was the water logged sand with just a little bit of cushion to it.

When I walk on the beach, my favorite place to walk is as close to the waves as I can get. In the winter, I try to stay dry just because its COLD. In the warmer months, I'm right in the edge with bare toes. It freaks Young Sir out because he is scared of ocean type water. But its not uncommon to find me up to my knees walking in the water. Which gives some serious resistance to the walk... especially when a larger wave comes in and you have stay upright.

And so it was on this walk... me playing my game of cat & mouse with the water. The one where the water is the cat & I am the mouse. By the time I arrived at the beach, the tide was working its way in. The first part of the walk, I was able to skirt the waves with a little side step. That progressed into a quick little jog to avoid the waves. Which turned into a full sprint to beat the water & stay dry. Pretty soon I was running when I didn't need to be... when there were stretches of sand without too many rocks so I didn't have to worry about slipping or twisting an ankle on them. It was kind of like natures way of doing intervals. About the time I'd feel like I was going to die there would be rocks & about the time I was breathing easier it would open up to sand again.

At about the 1.0 mile mark, it happened. The cat caught the mouse and I was soaked nearly to my knees. Talk about COLD!!! Now right then & there I could have easily called it good and made my way back to the car. Or I could have gone back to the now dry part of the trail above to avoid getting caught in another wave. I did neither. Instead, I kept walking right at the edge for another half mile or so. Sometimes outrunning the waves, sometimes falling prey to the cat. Until I came to this...



There is really no getting around this pile of logs & rock unless the tide is extremely low. And then you run the risk of not making it back around before the tide blocks it off again. But, this marks the first time I have ever walked the entire accessible length of this particular beach. This is a beach I have been walking on since I first came here 17 years ago! I feel like its a bit of an accomplishment that I pushed on to the last possible spot... especially with my pants & shoes HEAVY with water (and sand).

The walk back up the beach was when all the good intangibles happened. As I was trudging along with my heavily soaked shoes & pants I could really feel the burning in my calves. Much of the walk back I didn't bother to avoid the water at all. The resistance of the water felt really good. There were a couple of particularly strong waves that about knocked me over. That's when I decided I should go to the edge again... for the sake of my phone if nothing else, lol.

I have always loved walking on the beach. I think I had possibly forgotten what a workout it can be to play cat & mouse with the water... but it really is a fun way to get your heart pumping & change things up from time to time. This was my first time ever running on the beach (unless it was to get away from a wave) and I LOVED IT!

Total distance a little over three miles. Not the miles I could have logged at the gym... but sometimes its the quality, not the quantity. :)



Friday, March 4, 2011

more followers, more miles, more everything!

I'm so excited to see that our bloggy friends are coming over to cheer us on! We will definitely need all the support we can get, we have a lot of miles to get in :)

I went to support group yesterday from 6-7pm and right after support group I went straight to the gym where I did my miles- 2.75 total. Yay me!

I've been slacking on running so much after my 10 mile week, so it was pretty rough. Today I did 3.5 miles- 2.5 running and 1 mile walking. I'm trying to improve my time and distance but I don't want to over do it. I felt pretty good today after finishing. I am so so glad that I re-joined the YMCA. I am positive I would not have gotten any exercise the last two dark, windy and rainy days with out access to the treadmill.

So onward and downward it is- oh, and if you have time give us a shout out on your blog so we can get more followers- we need to be held accountable!

Gotta get our bunz to Chicago to see all you lovelies :)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

doing my part...

So first of all I need to give a huge shout out to my buddy Ms. M for getting this idea and this blog going. She rocks in a major way!! :)

Now on to doing my part, I'm not nearly as eloquent in my blogging as she is but I am both excited and terrified with what lies ahead. I don't know another way to put it!

I'm excited because I have a goal and a partner to help me accomplish it.

I'm terrified because I have a goal and a partner that I could possibly let down by not doing my part.

I am determined though. I've been feeling blue, feeling stuck in same ol' same ol' weight range for so long. Sad because I haven't pushed myself farther, harder. I've gotten weak again, weak enough to stop thinking of my needs and always putting the needs of others first. I'm coming around though.

I owe it to my partner in this challenge and all of you- who support me virtually and in real life in this journey- to put myself first. Me first because if I don't. I will fail you and I will fail me.

The first step in the right direction begain yesterday. I reactivated my gym membership. I signed up for a Kettlebell class every Thursday. I am recommitting to my physical needs for exercise.

The second step- well I'm still working on it. I'm going to see my PCP about my moods, and other health issues that I think have been impacting my weightloss. The second step is harder for me because I have to ask for help. I never do that. I think I came to the realization that I have to just a couple of weeks ago. I admitted that I was lying to myself, just pretending that I was doing fine. I think I am doing okay, but I know I could be doing better- does any of that make sense?

So really- to bring it full circle, this is about doing my part. Doing my part in the challenge, but more importantly doing my part to take better care of myself so that I don't miss out on my own potential to be even more fabulous than I am today- so here's to our challenges, and here's to us ladies (and gent's too)!

Let's do this!

Walking in the Dark

Whether its commitment to yourself, another person, or a goal... sometimes commitment means doing something out of the ordinary. Sometimes it means doing something you'd really rather not do - or make excuses to get out of doing. Sometimes it means being flexible. Sometimes it means doing something others might argue against - because you know it will be good for you and it will be okay. Sometimes its leads to unexpected pleasures...


As was the case with my most recent walk - which added a mere 1.92 miles to our running total.


The scenario of the day allotted me time to get to the gym around 7:30pm - after dinner & Young Sir went to bed. The whole day went extremely well. Things went a little askew when I got wrapped up in taking some pics for a future blog post. Dinner for Mr. Husband & I wasn't wrapped up until almost 8:00pm. The gym is open until 10:00 so I could have gone... but I made the excuse (and yes it was an excuse) that I didn't want to do an intense workout right after eating dinner and by the time the dinner settled it wouldn't give me much time at the gym before they closed.


The fact is it was a nice night - chilly but no rain - and I felt like getting out for some fresh air. So, I told Mr. Husband that I was just going to go for a walk and went to bundle up. By about 8:15pm, I was out the door. The air was crisp & damp... and refreshing.

The night was... quiet. Calm. Serene. Peaceful. The streets in the neighborhood nearly deserted. There was solitude. No ipod. No electronics (other than RunKeeper running on my phone). Just me and the night...

Years ago I used to walk at night. I had forgotten how much I LOVE it. There is a sense of confidence & something oddly empowering about walking in the dark. There is also something on the verge of freedom - knowing that you can walk and walk unseen by most. Its an intriguing mix... 

There were things I noticed on my walk in the dark that I never would have during the day... the garage window lined with beer bottles... the Minnesota Vikings (Mr. Husband's team) grill cover in a back yard... the treadmill in the front room of a home positioned to overlook the water (can you imagine how awesome that must be to workout on? I would walk forever just to enjoy the view)... the outline of these huge oak & madrona trees in the moonlight... the rushing sound of the waves hitting the beach below the cliff... the sound of the trolling boat cutting through the water... the way the new paths they put in connect the different sections of the neighborhood (the new ones are lighter & stand out in the dark in a way they don't during daylight hours). The differences in the same walk - from daytime to nighttime - are nothing short of AMAZING.

We are fortunate to live in a community - in a neighborhood - where it is relatively safe to walk alone at night. I suppose deep in the night I would have hesitation... but still wouldn't be fearful. If anything I would fear animals more than people, lol. I know you aren't all so fortunate... but if you ever get the chance to walk in the dark somewhere that you feel safe... DO IT! 

~ Ms. M