Fish out of water

I haven't swam for a month. Yes. That's right. I've been focusing on biking and running and really I use the term focusing loosely. But today in Nashville I made my way to Centennial Sportsplex to get a session in-- and I felt GREAT. In fact-- it's the best pool session I've ever had. In the past I've absolutely preferred open water (lake) to pool swimming as the water is easier on my nose but the cardio work I've been putting in on the bike and run has helped my swim. I had been struggling to swim 150 without needing to stop and today I did 500 without stopping at a 2:30 pace per 100. Pace is not great, in fact, it's slow-- BUT the goal is to NOT DROWN.

I also had in my head that the January race was a 1200 meter swim- -triple my last race distance of 400 BUT I WAS WRONG-- It's a 1500 meter swim-- folks, let's just call it a mile. A MILE. Of Swimming. The half Iron does 1.2.

So I can stay focused I've noted my training plan from now until race day:

Tuesday 24: BIKE 32 (pool closed)
Wednesday 25: BIKE 16 (pool closed)
Thursday 26: Pool 1600 & run 2
Friday 27: Pool 2000
Saturday 28: Run 2
Sunday 29: OFF/HUNGOVER/HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARA
Monday 30: Pool 1200
Tuesday 31: Bike 20 & Run 1.2
Wed 1: Run 3
Thurs 2: Open Water/Wetsuit testing at Britta's-- INTENSIVE SWIM
Friday 3: Open Water/Wetsuit testing at Britta's--INTENSIVE SWIM
Saturday 4: OFF/walk/hike
Sunday 5: Bike 30
Monday 6: Class at gym (SPORT)
Tuesday 7: Run 3
Wed 8: Run (in LA)
Thurs 9: OFF
Friday 10: Walk (Naples)
Saturday 11: Swim (In ocean/race site) 1500 -- try to swim course if possible
Sunday 12: RACE

Wetsuit Legal

Purchasing a wetsuit has been one of the more stressful experiences over the past few months. A couple of things to note:

-very few triathlon shops cary XL sizes in their store-- so it can be difficult to try on different brands and see what sizes work for you

-the sizing guides say that XL's are for those that weigh 160+ which made me SUPER nervous about if the biggest size would even fit me

-wetsuits are expensive-- and they can tear pretty easily so just trying on the damn thing could cost you $200 if you mess it up

SO....the suit came in the mail and I took it to the office to try it on so I would have moral support and of course, Chrissy-- my triathlon spirit guide-- to help me if I get stuck. Getting the suit on my legs was decent....getting the suit over my hips was, well, it was more of a dance move than anything, and then getting the thing all the way up was more a dance/struggle.

BUT....in the end. It fit perfectly. I CAN only imagine that wetsuit would fall off someone who weights 160 lbs but never here nor there. NOW I just have to swim in it.

#MayDoesVacay

I've officially been on vacation since Friday and I'm feeling great! Tomorrow I head to Belize where I'll be staying for 8 days-- 4 in the jungle, and 4 at the beach. I can't get there soon enough.


Last night the Kona Ironman Championship was on TV-- I watched in and cried my eyes out-- the stories behind Triathletes are amazing and it's such a mental challenge that I'm amazed at anyone that can complete such a feat. I've always said that there would be no way I would ever do more than an Olympic Distance-- but I decided today if I enjoy the Olympic in January I will train for a HALF Iron--- but no more than that. I MUST get better on the run.

Today I went for my longest bike ride yet-- 25 miles. But before I started I realized my chain was messed up-- and I got nervous and almost turned around and went back home-- but I plopped my ass on the ground and got to work-- fixed it. Boom. About 3 miles in it started raining. By mile 10 I was soaking wet. Needless to say I didn't prepare for the rain in my gear choices-- nor do I have the fancy biking gear that everyone else on their bikes did today. It also wasn't easy. As in, it was hard. And this is a flat trail. BUT...I think that I actually prefer hilly terrain because it provides some variation. I'm still cramping in my lower back around mile 20-- and in my elbow by mile 20 too. That being said-- my wrists used to hurt and I've gotten past that.

When I get back in December I'm buying bike shoes that clip on-- that shit is scary.

OK....I'll try to update from Belize.

Oh shit.

So. I just realized that I'm about to be out of my routine from tomorrow until Tuesday December 3rd. I'll actually sleep in my bed 4 times between now and then and will be in: Nashville, New York, Belize, Nashville, & Florida.

I'm freaking out for a few reasons.

1. I love to eat yummy foods when I'm out of town. OK, well, I love to eat yummy foods all of the time but when I'm out of town I tend to throw all caution to the wind. The good news is that I'll be on the move in each place.
2. I've booked a spin class in NYC, a bootcamp type thing in Nash, I plan to hike/swim every day in Belize and I'm taking my bike to Nashville & Florida on the back end of the trip. I HAVE TO STAY ON MY TRAINING REGIMIN.
3. I have to curtail my drinking. THIS will be difficult. BUT I can do it.
4. Thanksgiving is thrown in there somewhere. That means mashed potatoes and more mashed potatoes. Have I mentioned how much I love mashed potatoes?
5. The last time I traveled for 3 weeks in a row I gained 10 lbs. TEN FUCKING POUNDS. FUCK YOU ROADSHOW.

OK....here's my motto: Smile, laugh, be present, stay active & move every day.

21 miles....and a wetsuit search

Training has been up and down this week with today being a good end to the week-- I did a 21 mile ride on the Silver Comet and also worked out with my trainer. This upcoming week will be tough but I've put together a good plan:

Monday: SWIM AM
Tuesday: 5:30 AM Personal Training
Wednesday: Fit For Flight group activity (which will be fucking hard since I planned it)
Thursday: Fit For Flight Soccer game in NYC
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Run in Central Park
Sunday: Bike ATL/Personal Training
Monday: Swim
Tuesday: HIKE IN BELIZE!!!

BUT HERE'S WHAT I REALLY NEED: To find a wetsuit. Naples will be a wetsuit race and I can barely find a dress that fits let alone a onesie. The top of my body is a size 10. The bottom of my body is a size 14. The point of a wetsuit is to fit well on your whole body-- how the hell is this going to work? I've read that Oneil make the best suits for pear shaped women but the largest size they offer is for the weight range of 165-185...of which I'm not in- yet.

More on this later. :)

All the Snot

It's been a tough week. We had major visitors in town for week which added some unwarranted stress and I haven't been sleeping well. On Monday I got up early to swim like I had planned but Tuesday and today I didn't make it past the snooze button. I think it has to do that I haven't done well preparing prior to bed time for the next morning. So tomorrow I'm heading to a 6:15 AM Sport Class at my gym and I'm going to get everything ready tonight-- from my clothes to my water bottle. After class I'm going to do a quick run as well. That should make up for my lack of activity on Tuesday.
Tonight I went for a night bike ride and the bike is starting to feel better and better which is great but I have so much SNOT that I can't deal with it. I try to blow snot rockets but it just doesn't work with both hands on my bike. I've got to figure out how to deal with all the snot.

Sickly

I've been sick for 7 days now and am finally starting to feel better-- the doc said it was a classic cold and to rest up. So, I took an entire week off from training and got back at it today on the bike. Today Bleezy and I went to Columns Drive-- a 5 mile flat loop known that bikers and runners like to ride. It was my first time to this spot and the first time on my bike since I got new gears courtesy of Felt. :)
After the first 2 loops of some odd gear choices I realized that I was riding on the wrong gear ring-- so the last 5 miles were great and spot on. I rode at 16MPH which is a nice pace-- but when I clip in I should get even faster.

Also when I went to the doc they commented on my weight loss which was nice to hear.

This week I have to stick super strict to my training plan as I'll be in Atlanta for the whole week until next Tuesday when I fly to Nashville and then NYC for our soccer game. I'm terribly nervous about the soccer game considering the last time I played soccer I ended up with 8 screws and a plate in my ankle-- and training for a triathlon is time consuming and expensive-- I want to be able to give my all in the race in January.

More to come at the end of this week after I stick to my training plan...:)

Runners Block

So this week was tough. I was so tired on Tuesday morning that I decided to take the day off and not use Friday as my off day. That would have worked and been OK had I not forget to pack my running shoes when I left for NOLA-- so that made Tuesday and Wednesday with no workouts. I made up for it on Thursday and took a 6AM spin class that kicked my ass and then Friday I went for a horrible run, Saturday spin, and then Sunday run.

More about my horrible run. On Friday it was like I was running to my demise...I didn't want to do it. I would run, stop, run, stop, walk, argh. I mentioned to Christina my struggle and she thought it would be good to find some motivational phrases or thoughts that I could think about when I wanted to stop running. Today on my run I used them-- one was from the book "Oh the Places You'll Go" from Dr Suess. And old boyfriend of mine gave me this book years ago with pictures of me that he had cut out and placed within the book. It's to this day the best gift I've ever received-- and it was quite motivational. When I wanted to stop running today I just thought to myself...."Oh the Places You'll Go"....and I thought about Naples, my triathlon and pushing myself-- past my mental block of wanting to stop. It worked-----for today at least.

This upcoming week will also be difficult as I'll be in New Orleans Wed, Thurs, Fri, & Sat night's....but I have my plan, have already found spin classes in NOLA and will be sure to pack properly.

Sidenote: What the fuck is wrong with my bike? It's been at the shop since Monday and they can't get my gears/shifters to work. It's a brand new bike...frustrated doesn't begin to cover it.

Week 1-- Training Done.

Today was week 1 of my training plan for my first Olympic Distance Tri in January.

Monday I headed to the pool to swim with a goal to swim 3 400 meters. I WAS HORRIBLE. I couldn't get 50 meters in without needing to come up and breathe. Not sure what's going on here but I immediately changed my workout-- I did 25 meters free-style and then 25 meters backstroke until I had completed my 1200.

Tuesday I worked out with my trainer Brandy for a strength workout-- I ran 1 mile prior to get warmed up. Felt great-- killed it.

Wednesday AM I was in Birmingham and was supposed to do a 3 mile run. I did 2...and I walked some. I didn't have water and I didn't have my armband for my Iphone yet. Poor planning.

Thursday I headed into Nashville and did my first "longish" ride on my new awesome bike. 16 miles felt great-- I averaged about 3:59 per mile....more than a minute per mile less on the same ride that I had done on my hybrid. That being said my bike is making some odd sounds...so I'll be taking it in tomorrow when I get back town tomorrow.

Friday I went on a hike-- about 1.5 hours-- felt good.

Saturday was off-- but decided I would wear a Lily the Mouse mascot outfit around the southern festival of books...and within 10 minutes I was dripping in sweat.

Today I had a short bike ride (8 miles) and then did a mile run/walk.

Next week will involve more travel (NOLA)-- and potentially the chance to re-face the dog that tried to kill me in Cartersville.

On to the next one.

It's been about a week since my first Triathlon and I'm still fighting the same cold. I knew I was going to take about a week off to gather my thoughts, figure out if I wanted to do another one and think about what I needed to do to prepare. Here's what I went through this week:

-Lots of lists
-Lots of fun (date on Monday, out with great friends on Tuesday, interesting work stuff on Wed, dinner with friends on Thurs, fun work event Friday)
-2 personal trainer sessions
-checked out a new gym-- but made the decision to stay with Exhale and increase my spin class regimen and continue to use the city of ATL pool (turns out I like it more than the pool at the Athletic club)
-Made decision to do the next Tri-- Olympic distance- January 12th- Naples, FL
-Got fit and bought a road bike (huge) Love my new bike shop...http://podiumms.com/

I also planned out my training schedule for my next Tri. A couple of things to point out:

1. This is serious shit. I'm going to really have to train hard, dedicate myself to the process, and cut out the bullshit in my life (Tuesday night's that end at 3:30 AM are in the past)
2. I have to keep having some fun---but new types of fun. Fun on bike rides :)
3. I have to eat well pretty much on a super consistent basis. I didn't eat well yesterday and when I went to work out with Brandy I may as well have not been there-- it was pitiful. The food that I put in my body is going to directly effect how well I train and what I get from it.
4. This isn't about weight loss-- it's about the process of getting to this race and killing it. In the meantime if I eat well, fuel right and train hard I will inevitably lose some lbs.
5. I have to get in a better mental place about running. When I was young I loved to run-- and I ran fast--the mental block that I have on running has got to come to an end.
6. I need the right tools. More bike shorts, a garmin watch, another swim suit, a wet suit and eventually new bike shoes.
7. It's important that I de-clutter my life. That means my room, my office, my purse, my car...whatever/everything. I need to not have stupid shit like not finding my keys or in-clarity surrounding whether clothes are dirty or clean bother me.

But just like Jay Z says....I move forward, the only direction...can't be scared to fail, search of perfection. 

Pride.

WOW. What a day. The good news? My nightmares were all for naught...my legs worked, I owned the transition and had a blast. 

Some details: 

The swim killed me. It was way harder than I remember when I swam with Pete. In training I was able to do that distance in 12 minutes, freestyle the entire way and feel good. Today- 16:05-- and as my good friend Lisa said..."breast stroke the shit out of that lake"...and I did, along with a little backstroke thrown in there for good measure. When I got out of the lake I was dizzy, could barely walk...definitely didn't breathe right. 

Then I got on the Black Locust and she did me proud....as in, she didn't break down. I did the bike in 1:07 which wasn't horrible, especially on a hybrid...had I been on a proper bike it would have shaved that down a bit more. I got lots of laughs for my skateboarder helmet and my upright biking stance...it was a good time. 

Next came the run, which I was dreading the worst BUT I OWNED THAT SHIT. And by "owning it" it means that I paced quicker than goal...12:54 per mile. There were 2 big uphills...I walked those. But on the flats and downhills I did the "Emma Shuffle"....fuck Cupid. 

All in all 2:08. And I would do it again for the badass arm tattoo....

Here are Paul and Laura Lynn as we set up our transition area...it was dark. 

In retrospect I had an odd feeling today. A feeling of self pride. I'm often proud of my friends, family, peer, and my team for sure but I can't remember the last time I was proud of myself. Today I'm proud of myself. 

Worst dream ever.

So I had my first triathlon nightmare. #TriMare if you will. I want to get it out so I don't make these same shitty mistakes tomorrow.

First:
1. I didn't set up my transition-- the end.
2. I didn't bring a helmet.
3. The run was first and I couldn't make my legs move.
4. When I finally found my bike (and there were only 2 people who hadn't picked theirs up) the tires were flat.
5. I did lots of crying
6. I had no water or drank or food of any kind.
7. I had to pee in my dream but then couldn't find bathroom

Then I woke up in real life (hence the 4:30 AM post) with a horribly sore throat. I'm going to cancel all of my plans today (other than taking my bike of course) and drink liquids and sleep.

What I learned from my dream:

1. Give all you have because you never know what's next
2. Preparation is the key to an easy mind
3. Visualize myself completing the swim, bike and run
4. Take an Advil when I wake up tomorrow

What may have caused the dream:

1. I haven't trained this week at all. I've been in a horrible funk since Monday that I'm having a hard time shaking.
2. I haven't been sleeping well since Monday-- odd patterns, hotel beds and tonight at a friends house.
3. I'm nervous about doing something I've never done before.

OK...gonna try to go back to sleep now.

Bikes and dogs and Tri Kits and Pete.

So my first official "brick" workout was yesterday-- Paul, Laura-Lynn and the recently crowned Ironman Christina headed up to "Swim with Pete" again and then headed to the Budweiser plant for a 14 mile bike ride. A couple of quick notes on the workouts: The swim is going well-- I really like swimming in the lake better than the pool:
1. The water doesn't bother me nearly as much when I get it in my nose or mouth
2. The fact that you just keep going until your loop is up seems to be much easier than flipping every 25 meters.
3. Being in nature is calming for some reason
4. I was able to do all 400+ yards without stopping and doing the freestyle the entire time for the first time-- I think I'm timing around 12 minutes! GO ME.

The bike is a struggle but I enjoy it:
1. I hate hills but I was able to pedal through all of them and never got off
2. I struggle with the though of "saving my legs" for the race and or what is to come on the bike course-- It's a disadvantage that I won't have ridden the bike course
3. When I get off the bike my legs feel like jelly-- not quite sure how the 5K is going to go but I'm determined to give it my best.

A few extra notes:

1. I bought a tri kit (tank and shorts-- 100% spandex). I'm pretty through it's see through. I definitely look a bit hilarious but what the fuck.
2. A dog tried to kill me on my bike ride and by "kill me" I mean-- he charged at me, sounding like a horse and chased me while salivating at my calf until I smoked his ass on a hill-- had I not been about to crest a crazy downhill I would have been toast. No shit. It was scary, I cried and praised the tri gods for me being on the hill and not crashing (my first windy downhill) and not being eaten by a dog that looked similar to THIS:

This week my focus will be on my eating, hydrating and training. This Thursday I head out of town for 3 nights for a great friends wedding and plan to find a spin class while on the road.

Monday: Swim
Tuesday: Spin class
Wed: Run and strength training with trainer
Thurs: Swim & bike
Fri: Run & Spin class
Sat: Strength/core (in hotel)
Sunday: off

Running Sucks.

Ok. So today I was supposed to work out with my trainer and then run a 5K. I got there about 10 minutes early to pump out about a mile before our workout and warm up. No problem.
Then I worked out with my trainer-- awesome. I'm feeling strong & relatively agile-- I used to hate the bosu ball and now I OWN IT.  Then I got back on the treadmill-- this time with headphones/music-- fuck this whole running without music. I'll do it for the race but I refuse to do it any more for training without some sort of distraction. I got about 1.75 miles in to my run and stopped. I wasn't out of breath. My legs were sore but not finished. I just was hating every second of it. What the fuck is wrong with me? I really enjoy my time in the pool and on the bike-- even though both are terribly difficult-- but I'm hating my time running. Sorry this post isn't more positive. I've also worked out for 7 days straight and really need a rest day-- so I'm taking 2 days off (mostly because I'm having a small outpatient procedure tomorrow)..and then back to the swim and bike on Saturday with my man Pete.

My bike is slow...or am I slow?

Because I'm officially insane I decided to go for a bike ride today as my training and headed out to a trail that I had heard about...The Silver Comet. It takes about 20 minutes to get there which isn't bad considering everything in Atlanta is outside of the city center. This trail is AMAZING.

The website said it was FLAT....but now I've learned that what may feel flat to a runner does not necessarily feel flat to a bike. And considering that I'm riding a hybrid and not a road bike (and for the record I was the only non-road bike on the trail) my bike feels every single hill and it's quite hard to keep momentum.

I decided that I would do 15 miles-- 7.5 miles out and then back. This was my longest ride by 6 miles and let's just say by mile 7 my ass hurt pretty damn bad. The good thing-- I really enjoyed the ride. But it was tough....my mile times ranged from 3:36 to 7:45....that's a pretty big rang. I'm also not sure what part of my foot to be pushing from-- have lots of questions.

This week I'm going to try and head up to ALL 3 SPORTS and get my TRI Kit....that way on Saturday I can swim in it and then bike in it.

SO...here's the bad part. I worked out with my trainer on Friday and am ridiculously sore...so I'm hoping that's the reason that when I got off my bike I could barely walk. I mean, there would have been ZERO CHANCE today that I could have then run a 5K. I walked about 1/4 mile and had to stop. Mostly it's my inner thighs.

Tomorrow is a AM swim.
Tuesday is AM swim and run and then PM spin class.
Wednesday is morning workout with trainer.
Thursday I'm having a small medical procedure so I'll take both Thursday and Friday off and then Saturday will be open water swim and then bike.
Sunday will be a run.

SO MUCH PREPARATION.

We Swam with Pete...and lived to blog about it.

One of my Tri inspirations, Christina, who for the record is doing an IronMan tomorrow, told me about this Open Water Swim situation called "Swim with Pete". She gave me Pete's email address and told him that I had 3 newbies wanting to come out...so he sent me directions and the details around the swim.

We weren't sure what to expect other than to show up in a parking lot at Red Top Mountain on Lake Allatoona-- so we did. Paul, Laura-Lynn and I were ready to go.....and so was the rest of Atlanta's Triathlon community. There were more Multi Thousand dollar bikes in this parking lot and in-shape people in one place than I've seen in a while. It was a little intimidating.

Pete, an older man, who I presume to be a swim coach of sorts, gathered us all together and gave instructions about the buoys-- the distance between them, how to help someone if they are drowning, etc. Lucky for the 3 of us there was a 400 yard loop laid out really nicely which is the distance of our swim for the race.

We all swam it once with Laura Lynn and Paul handily kicking my ass. Then we chatted with Pete for a while...he gave us some great tips and we went at it again. I decided to go it alone for a third lap and finally started to feel more comfortable. Swimming is fun...but it seems to be about a rhythm which I haven't yet found-- and I gots rhythm.

Pete gave me some great coaching while I was swimming too...every 10 strokes look up and see the buoy...go at your own pace...try to stay calm-- he reminded me there was no prize money on the line...

Next week, we'll go back and bring our bikes so we can bike afterwards.

PS...turns out I wasn't too embarrassed to walk around in my bathing suit, which for the record...doesn't happen normally without a cute coverup and great sandals...

I hate running. HELP A SISTA OUT.

So. Today was a running day-- I wanted to run 2.25 miles and I did. But the entire thing sucked basically. I can't help but continue to look at the monitor.... .10 miles, .12 miles, .22 miles, .45 miles....it's similar to torture. Sometimes I cover up the treadmill with a towel so I can't see it but that last about 2 minutes.
Basically I'm bored silly. But...I've got to keep running. Next week I'll bump up to 2.50 miles and by the end of the week 2.75. I'll be an ultra marathoner before you know really.
Anyone have any suggestions?
Tomorrow is an early morning swim and then a late morning strength training. AND THEN SATURDAY...well, let's just say I'm going with 2 co-workers to a group open-water swim and it could lead to complete and utter hilarity.

My visit to an Atlanta City Pool

So much info from this past weekend (I swam in a lake, hiked, did another bike ride with a decreased time per mile and went for a walk and saw 11 bunnies-- and every 3 bunnies equals a wish-- I digress).

But...I just returned from my first visit to the local Natatorium...and it turns out-- there's one about 5 minutes from my house-- it's like it's meant to be.

Getting up at 6AM isn't ever easy but the thought of trying out my new suit and the new adventure made me up for the challenge....sort of.

But then, I got the the pool and noticed a sign that said it was closed...but I know Atlanta better than that. And I went on in....I have no doubt that at least 4 schmucks a day see the sign and walk back to their car-- it's really sad actually.

I forged ahead, found a person asleep at the front desk-- woke him up-- told him I had bought a 10 pass "splash pass" and was directed to the pool. There was only 1 other person doing laps...probably because everyone else thought it was closed, so I took a lane and started swimming.

IT WAS AWESOME. And by awesome I mean, I swam 8 laps which I believe to be 1/4 mile in about 9/10 minutes. I wasn't able to swim all of them in the free-style...I had to breast stroke 1 lap. And I have so far to go with working on my breathing. And my goggles fogged up. And, and, and, and. BUT....the biggest hurdle has been overcome. I found a pool. And it's awesome and empty and close to my house. Something tells me this could become a morning ritual. :)

Tri training ain't easy....

I've decided to focus on the run and bike portion of my Tri training this week and have taken 1 spin class-- the first one I haven't actually hated-- and then I also brought my bike to Nashville with me and just finished a ride. It's been fun getting back on the bike and today did 9 miles averaging a 4.55 minute mile, which for the type of bike I have (hybrid) isn't bad. I would like to shave that down to 4:30 but need for my lower core and quads to strengthen up for that to happen. They give you 1.5 hours to finish the bike portion before they pull your ass off the course...but I'm going to shoot for one hour.

I ran....wait for it....2 miles yesterday without stopping. I felt good too...although I didn't enjoy it necessarily. I even sped up on the last 1/4 of mile. I average about 12:15 per mile and am going to try to get that down to 11:45 by race day which would put me around 36 minutes for the 5K. They give you 45....

The hardest part of all of this....no Ipod. The race doesn't allow you to use them so I haven't been training with them--- not sure if that's a good idea or not...cause I'm missing the music. I've taken to talking to myself and making up songs about strengthening my core.

Lastly, I've been doing my running indoors and my biking outdoors. I get so hot/over heated outdoors that I'm really hoping for nice weather for the day of the race.

That's it for now...there's a glass of wine in my future :)

E

Bike rack owner...

I mentioned yesterday that I signed up for a Triathlon. Oddly enough, I wasn't lying. So a few things that I've done to start preparing for the race that's on 9/29.

1. I took my bike to the shop for a tune-up.
2. I bought a bike rack (more on that later).
3. I bought 10 sessions at the city swim complex...I'll start that next week after my spray tan wears off...
4. I reached out to my friend Kim who just competed and won her division at a full Tri in Nashville..and she shared her training plan with me.

There's an odd type of person who owns a bike rack I've found. Characteristics of the bike rack owner seem to be...

-I'm both outdoorsy but not enough to get the inside of my car dirty with this bike
-I'm adventurous with my riding but am hitching my bike on the damn car to get there
-I like to blog about my back rack and or bike rack's in general

I just signed up for a Triathlon

More on this to come. But I'm nauseous just thinking about it. Oh. And it's in one month. I got this. Right?

Whoa Nelly.

So....since I've written I've started to recover from #Concussion13, I've help to execute 4 pretty massive events, I spent a week in a RV, hosted 1 bachelorette party (with another one this weekend) but today was my first day back with my personal trainer, Brandy. Let's just say, I cried.

It was hard. Really hard. Things that were challenging but do-able 3 weeks ago made me want to puke...in fact, I got very light-headed and almost puked everywhere. There were however a couple of good signs:

1. I was able to run 3/4 mile with a 11 min per mile pace and not flinch (that was all the time I had for warmup-- but I could have kept going)
2. I didn't actually puke or pass out.
3. I got up at 4:43AM to meet her...as her only availability was at 5:20.
4. I'm ready for to do it again

By the way, Business Planning is the worst fucking thing in the world for a diet. I'm just throwing that out there.

My head. Is sore.

So. Last week when I was trying to be sporty spice at Hexagon Wake park I dinged my head so hard that a couple of days later I developed signs of a concussion. So I took my happy ass to the doctor and turned out indeed...concussion. The good news, the CT scan showed no brain bleeding. The bad news...I was told no activity for 5-7 days-- no working out, no computers, no TV. I've been in so much pain and miserable for the past few days and Sunday night I hit rock bottom...so rock bottom that I got on the scale. It couldn't get much worse I thought so I jumped on...and I was shocked. It was about the same as the last time I had weighed (1 month ago)...that's right...1 whole month no weight loss. BUT....you can look at it and think 1 whole month...no weight gain :). 

Bottom line-- I didn't eat and/or drink very well in the past month-- pretty miserably actually. But...I kept working out like a champ. Gooo me. 

Now...the hard part...I can't workout for another few days so I have to be so careful about the food. And I've gone 4 days no wine...or booze of any kind so that will certainly help with the caloric intake. 

Wish me luck...

Chance of a Lifetime

Holy balls. I'M GOING TO PLAY SOCCER AT RED BULL ARENA! The arena is one of the only arena's in the world that was specifically built for soccer and considering I spent the first 18 years of my life playing soccer I'm beyond excited. 

I stopped playing soccer competitively when I shattered my ankle sliding into home when I was 20...8 screws and a plate later my soccer career ended. I played intramurally a few more years after then but would sprain my ankle every few games and at some point I just threw in the towel. BUT NOW....I've got to get back in the game. My ankle has been pretty steady for the past few years (only 3-4 sprains/knock on wood) and I think if I tape it then I should get back on the field in a rec league to prepare. 

The other thing is that I'm a goalie-- always have been--but being a goalie against women is way different than playing goal with guys behind the ball. There's no way our team can be competitive with me in goal...so I've got to re-learn how to play in the field. The last time I played the field I got slide tackled and tore every single ligament and tendon in my ankle...but that was a dirty play. And, it was 15 years ago.

So, here I go...back into the world of soccer. For a chance of a lifetime. Thank you Red Bull.

Mind Games....

I can't get over how hard it is to lose weight. It would be one thing if I didn't love food...but I do. When we were in West Palm re-charging ourselves I was on the right track. Then I came back to a week of meetings that had their ups and downs and I fell off the food wagon so to speak. Bagels, cream cheese, over eating...what was I thinking? Then it continued with some unexpected news from a friend that got in my head even more...and more bad eating. I snapped out of it relatively speaking on Wednesday of last week-- and the good part about this time of horrible food intake was that I never stopped working out hard.

The worst part? I'm scared to get on the scale. I mean, really scared. I can't do it. I won't do it. I can't bare to see it over 200 again and I just know that I'm back there. I know I'm being ridiculous-- but the mind games of this whole process are evil. The worst part...I'm lacking a good plan to get back on track. It's something I'm going to work on this week while I'm in Nashville. There's a good place where I hike pretty much every day in Nashville that is very therapeutic.

Wish me luck. Again.

#FFFRecharge

Last Thursday and Friday we hosted a Fit For Flight event focused on giving a few employees the ability to re-charge their fitness and nutrition routines-- and it was pretty amazing. It was hosted at Britta Llewellyn's house-- along with her amazing family-- husband Jaret and son Dorien and their friend Joseph. Britta, Jaret and Dorien are all World Champion Waterskiers and are able to teach just about anyone how to ski or wakeboard-- EVEN ME!

I was nervous for this trip because I was going to be challenged physically and mentally to both keep up with everyone and try to lead them at the same time-- and it was tough.

Day 1 involved a 2 mile run, a bootcamp of sorts and a skiing/water session.
Day 2 involved a 1 miles run, an interval session and nutritionist visit and a water/skiing session.

Then I worked out with my trainer yesterday and finally gave myself a day off today. It felt a little odd to have a day off but I know my body needed it. This week will be tough as we have meetings all day-every day for business planning but I've got bootcamp sessions planned every morning so I'll get a work out in at the very least. I'm also going to try to juice during the day, eat with the group every night and limit my alcohol which is so important.

Pictures and video to come from the recharge.

It Happened.

I got up this morning and today I don't weigh 200lbs. You know, oddly it doesn't feel as good as I thought it would. Britta is right. Numbers aren't as important. BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS? Last night I was cleaning out my closet and I went to try on my 3 pair of ski pants. The ones I was wearing this past winter don't fit--- they won't even stay up-- now THAT felt good. Then I went to try on these amazing Oakley pants that I bought in November of 2011 to wear to Killington-- and they didn't fit then (bought online) and it broke my heart. But I didn't return those suckers...no way-- they're too rad. Last night-- they do. Now, THAT felt good. I can't wait to go somewhere cold and wear normal sized clothes. In good news, my original pair of ski pants that I bought in 2010 also fit again. BOOM.

Pics to prove it.

I couldn't make this up if I wanted to.

I weigh 200.00 lbs. Not 199.9, not 200.1, 200.00 lbs.

I knew when I got on the scale this morning it was going to be close. I traveled all week and ate about as well as I possibly could have while on the road. I did drink beer (damn music festivals) but I was on point. I worked out hard this past week-- 3 sessions with the trainer before leaving town (mon, tues, wed), walked about 45 miles at Bonnaroo and then hiked both Saturday and Sunday.

Last night when I went to bed I said a little prayer that I would wake up less than 200lbs. Didn't happen.

But...I do weigh less than I have in probably 2 years and I'm starting to see the resemblance of a quad muscle in my leg. I'm strong. I'm planking. I'm running. I'm hiking. Life is good. I got this.

Oh, do you remember my post about jeans that zip but don't fit? Here's a classic example from Bonnaroo. At least she's staying hydrated.

Oh injuries.

On Tuesday when I was running to warm up for my PT session everything was going swimmingly until I felt this odd pain in my inner thigh. It was a quick sharp pain and then it sort of went away. At the time I thought it felt like a muscle pull but I kept running. When I was working out with Brandy it reared its ugly little head again.

I've worked out again since then and it hurt. Not during everything, but its certainly noticeable. Brandy thinks its fine for me to keep working out but to be mindful of lateral movements. But I wasn't moving laterally when it happened, I think. Hmmmm.

The point of this is that the body is very odd. And every injury is different. For example when I stretch this injury it feels good but my hip flexor was very bothered by stretching. I suppose you have to give everything a try.

I'm heading to Bonnaroo Music Festival today and its going to be hot as fuck. Highs in the 90's, on a farm, in the middle of Tennessee in the summer--I'm sure someone thought this was a good idea. I'm going to try to tell myself-- the more I walk & sweat the more calories I'm burning.

New/Old Jeans....

One of the best parts about getting healthy is that I'm able to wear some clothes that have been in the "someday/somehow" pile in my closet. The pile is still pretty big but each month it gets a bit smaller. Yesterday morning I went to try some jeans that haven't fit in at least 2 years....and they zipped. Notice I didn't say they didn't "FIT". There will still be some time before they fit...you know...jeans actually fit when they both zip and then don't cause an odd bulge around your waist. Sooner than later those puppy's are actually going to fit damnit. 

                                                                 Pics to Prove It. 

National Running Day

Tomorrow is National Running Day and we have a group run planned tomorrow in the office (yes-- I'm actually in Atlanta)...so before my PT session I decided to take a jaunt on the treadmill. Usually before I work out I reluctantly get on the treadmill to warm up...I walk real slowly, until I convince myself to slowly jog, and then just maybe, I'll get up to a run-- and I dislike most of it.

But today...I had so much energy I jumped on that treadmill and pushed it up to a slow job at the beginning and by the end I was running a 10 min mile-- for the last 1/4 mile. I ran a whole mile in under 12.38 minutes. I know, I know...that's slow...but for me...that's moving. I think I could have done the whole mile around 11. This could get interesting...should I go for more distance or try to increase the speed first? Any runners out there?

MIA

So, I've been missing in action. The good thing is that it's not from working out...just from blogging. I've been keeping up with my workouts as best as I can-- been working out with my personal trainer whenever I'm in Atlanta but have also been doing a 30 day challenge initiated by my homie and co-worker Dana-- each day, for 30 days, we do squats, sit ups, crunches, leg raises, and plank. There's a big group doing it together and it's getting tough. Today was 100 squats, 45 sit ups, 30 crunches, and a bunch of leg raises. Plus I worked out with Brandy-- OUCH!

Tomorrow I head back out of town for 3 days but NOT BEFORE I work out with Brandy AGAIN at 5:30 in the morning. WTF was I thinking?

This past weekend I had some friends come to town and one day we hiked and the next we kayaked-- talk about a leg and an arm workout-- not to mention some nice cardio.

This weekend I'll be in the middle of nowhere Arkansas for a music festival and am hoping to get some nice hiking and hippie dancing in...I'll get my workouts however I can.

The food...well, that's another story entirely. Recently since I've been traveling so much I've been having my ups and downs. I've got to get more consistent with the food...no other question. I also promise to weigh on Monday since I'll be back in ATL. I'm nervous and I expect to have gained some serious weight. Have I mentioned the food not being great? Seriously, I need a chef to follow me around.

Keeping my chin up.

I had a plan. By right now, today, I would be at 199 or less. I did everything I thought I needed to do to make this happen. Yesterday morning I weighed 201lbs. So I juice cleansed all day yesterday as usually that knocks out about 2lbs per day. When I was talking to my friend Lauren on the phone I told her, "if I know my body I'll be at 199 in the morning"-- I even wanted to take a picture of the scale. Well. I was wrong. No move on the scale. Still 201. I have no idea what happened. Yesterday I worked out, did the cleanse and absolutely nothing. Certainly, I'm disappointed. Also, I'm not sure if this is going to give me MORE motivation or less.
I'm going to head to the gym now, fly to LA, have a normal day and when I get back to Atlanta on Sunday we'll see where I land.

It's a lifestyle

This year is truly about changing my life, forever. It's somewhat hard to imagine at what point of my life I thought it would be OK to eat whatever the hell I wanted all the time/anytime I wanted. It's also amazing how few vegetables I ate from 1998-2012. In retrospect I was a walking piece of meat and cheese held together with some pasta with a salad on top (with blue cheese dressing).
This journey will never end. I'm loving the new adventures I'm going on. Vegetable smoothies in the morning. Wheatgrass shots. Climbing gyms (I went again and made it to the top on a few routes). Finding new hiking trails. Dancing. Vegetables for dinner. More water. Less booze. Life is good.

Wheatgrass and getting after it

Wow. This week has had its ups and downs. After my first thought of juicing and no alcohol I ended up having dinner out every night this week and enjoying 1 glass of wine or cocktail each night. The best laid plans....

But here's what I DID do this week:
- I worked out every day (except Tuesday) and on Wednesday I worked out twice
- I had a spinach smoothie every morning for breakfast
- I did my first "grand slam" at Arden's Garden
- I didn't eat much on Friday as there was an event

And I'm back down to my lowest weight. 201.7. I've set a VERY realistic goal to get down to 199 by Monday the 13th so I can be in the 100's for my birthday on the 15th. I've GOT THIS.

Back to the Grand Slam.

I've found a little slice of heaven in Atlanta called Arden's Garden. It's a juicing/smoothie place that is about .5 mile from my office. I used to look at people drinking green stuff and think they were CRAZY. But it turns out it can taste good. There's this one smoothie called a Spinach Slam that is heavenly and if I'm in ATL then that's my breakfast almost every day. BUT....each time I'm at Arden's there are these people asking for the "Grand Slam". It's a mix of 4 small shots of liquid that turns out to be Wheatgrass, Ginger, Lemon and Cranberry. All in its purest form. The wheatgrass detoxifies you. The ginger is good for digestion. The lemon is high it vitamins and folic acid and the cranberry is also high in vitamin and can help detox.

This is hardcore shit. And to be honest, there's very little hardcore about me...unless we're talking about cheese or REM knowledge. But. I've gotten to know the awesome woman at the Arden's by my office and she convinced me to give it a try. HOLY SHIT. For the record if your body is "toxic" the Wheatgrass can cause instant puking and sweating. I put the wheatgrass in my mouth and I knew we had a problem. Can you believe taking a shot of this is worse that taking a shot of Jack Daniels? (which I told everyone in the juicing place-- they looked at me like I was crazy). But, I battled it back and immediately got fuzzy and sweaty. I got up my courage to down the ginger-- woah-- intense and hot. Then the lemon and cranberry were easy after the first 2.

I was so proud of myself but I was also, ahem, not feeling great. For the next 2 hours I kept the puke down and by about 1:00 PM the taste of wheatgrass was mostly out of my mouth. THE CRAZY THING? I'm going back for more this morning!

Being a pussy ass bitch.

Some days aren't yours to win. It's bad when you know it's going to be one of those days before 7:30. AM. You know that whole not drinking alcohol and juicing for the week? Well, that ended. On Tuesday. One day. It was only 1 drink and light food but still. Jesus Emma.
Then this morning I went to work out with my PT and I had to apologize to her at the end for being a pussy ass bitch. I didn't give it my all. Not even nearly my all.
Then I fell UP THE FUCKING STAIRS and busted my knee while leaving the gym. True story.
Gonna wipe this nasty off my face and put on a smile and be on with it. I CAN turn this day around.

New Car, stomach situations and hip flexors

So much going on. So little time. Just got back from a week of vacay where I did...OK. Ate pretty well, worked out a few days, didn't drink too much wine. Got back yesterday and did a hike with Whitney and then did Sport class (like a baby) today with Ash. Couple of notes....left hip flexor is no good. Hurts and I'm not sure how to fix it. Argh.
I know I also need to drop some LBS on the scale too so I've decided that this week I'm going to do 2 meals a day juice and 1 meal a day non-juice but am going to stay mostly vegetables and organic. Today I was successful and was never hungry. Hoping this will help keep my energy up since it's not all juice but today was a struggle on the energy. Think it was also getting back into the swing of things from vacay.
Last and certainly not least-- I bought a car and got to take it home today. I've named her Jazzy and she's awesome :)

I gained weight.

So, I knew this was going to happen. I was bound to gain weight. I certainly wish it wasn't right before I got to the (one) hundred's and now I've got a ways to go again. BUT....I still feel great. My cardio is great, I'm working out hard, feeling good, eatings lots of veggies and still having plenty of fun too.

This past weekend I visited some friends in Arkansas and may have been over served both nights but made decent food choices.

On Tuesday of this week I head to the beach for a few days and I'm going to take this time to get back on the serious food plan and eat a considerable amount of veggies, seafood and stay away from processed and chill out on the wine.

The Color Run

Alright. So for 2nd time this year I ran without someone chasing me. This was the first time where I really enjoyed myself. A group of us from work decided to sign up for The Color Run...what is billed to be the happiest 5k on the planet. After battling some serious traffic and a much longer trip than anticipated we took off. My goal was to run most of it while staying with our group so we could experience the race together. I jogged the first half and then ran/walked the 2nd half and think I could have run the entire way. Super proud of myself and of my girls, Ashley and Whit. We had a blast...the color aspect is so much fun and it breaks up the race quite nicely. THERE WERE SOOOO MANY PEOPLE THERE....it was a little insane actually. Big shout out to the half of Red Bull that I had pre-race that definitely boosted both my energy and endurance for the race.

Shit ain't easy...but it's necessary

I'm scared to get on the scale. There. I said it.

The last time I weighed I hit a big mark (20lbs) but then I went to Nashville for 6 days and then had our VP of Marketing come visit. Needless to say my food and drink choices were a little suspect. I did, however, continue a decent workout regimen.

Yesterday I got in a training session with my trainer but almost puked multiple times from the Fox Bros. BBQ I had for lunch. In fact, I don't recommend eating this (really ever) but definitely not on days where a hard workout is in the picture.

Today I got up and headed back to the gym and got my ass kicked in a cardio class (think mountain climbers for an hour with some weights thrown in). Tomorrow is the color run where I'm going to attempt to run for at least half of it if not more. Thinking about doing a juice cleanse on Sunday so I feel OK about the stupid scale on Monday AM. ARGH. My clothes are still feeling much better. One day at a time. 

On Top of the World

This week has been amazing. 4 days of early morning workouts-- check. Visit to my doctor for my annual physcial-- check. My doc told me that my blood pressure was lowered and "amazing" and that my resting heart rate was super low-- she said my lungs and heart sounded phenomenal. She said it was clear that I was in better health. BOOM.

This morning I'm in Nashville for some work and I headed out to my favorite hiking spot-- Radnor Lake. There's a ridge trail there that KICKS MY ASS. I've been doing this ridge for as long as I can remember but in the past few years I've never been able to do it without taking breaks. NOT TODAY MUTHERFUCKERS. I was able to climb it without stopping once. I kept my breathing under control and made it all the way to the top and my recovery was much quicker too.

The hike ends with 1 mile of paved road around the lake that I thought I would give a try to run. I started slow with goals of "run to that tree", then I would "run to that bush", "run to that sign"...you get the point. Next thing I knew I was just running. Well, jogging. But NOT WALKING. I ran the entire way and felt AMAZING. I could have kept going. I can't wait to do it again.

Quick Hits:EHARMONY

Eharmony is for men that are 5'8 and shorter and rich.

If you own a Lamborghini then why the fuck are you on a dating site?

Oh, yeah. Because you are 5'4.

Roy Milner

So for the past 2 days I did a juice cleanse (with a little bit of cheating). On Saturday I had a few Cheerios and some peanut butter and last night before bed I indulged in some brown rice because I knew that I wanted to get up and work out this morning and needed SOMETHING in my stomach to make it through a spin class. Well, let's be clear-- brown rice didn't cut it.
Yesterday I was feeling horrible-- achy and fever (100). So last night I took 2 Tylenol PM's and hit the bed. I woke up this morning drenched in sweat and freezing-- took my temperature-- 96. Against anyone's better judgement I headed to the gym to give it my all and took a spin class. By about 5 minutes in I was sweating but still freezing. That continued until about minute 35. Around minute 40 I started seeing spots and getting dizzy so I did the only natural thing. I Roy Milnered that bitch and shoved an apple and some almonds in my mouth immediately.

Definition:

To pull a Roy Milner: To leave any workout class early like a punk.

I'm hoping that once I get back on the normal food diet I'll be good to go and feeling like a champ again-- fingers crossed.

BUT...THE GOOD NEWS? The 2 day juice cleanse helped me get down to 202-- 22lbs...fuck yeah. I know at least 2 of that is water weight but that's ok. I won't be able to weigh again until next Wednesday as I'll be on the road Wed-Wed. I'm really hoping to get out of the 200's by the 2nd week in April-- that would just be amazing.

Models and Fitness Instructors

Oh goodness everyone. I spent this week in Charleston, SC (the food capital of the SE) watching models walk down the runway with their shoulders flung so far back they were almost walking on their head. I had planned to eat my way through Charleston but ended up eating relatively well thanks to the smart food choices of the Musketeer-- Danielle-- who also happens to be a Pure Barre teacher and in the most ridiculous shape.
All of those models and size 0's made me run straight back to ATL and pound some mac & cheese with my good friend Janet. But I did that knowing this weekend was going to be a juice cleanse. Tonight is night 1 of the juice cleanse and I'm going to weigh in the morning with the hopes of being to 204 by Monday morning--I'm sick of staying "I've lost almost 20 lbs"-- I want to kick 20lbs in the ass so I can start working on 30. WISH ME LUCK.

Caffeine- Random Thoughts.

My relationship with caffeine is interesting--- it always has been. As I child I wasn't allowed to drink soda-- I was only allowed to have sweet tea once a month at my grandmother's house and it made me a crazy child. As I grew up I never drank soda (and still don't) and my only caffeine would come from a random sweet tea, a cup of earl grey every now or a random Red Bull when I really needed it (usually driving). Then I started working for Red Bull and of course my consumption increased due to availability and the fact that it REALLY worked for me. 1 8.4 oz of golden beauty and I was set.

I find that I've now gotten in a breakfast habit of swinging by Starbucks-- they now have this egg white wrap that I adore and without any hesitation I'll grab a black tea-- you know, just cause. But today while in Starbucks I had to check myself. I wasn't tired. In fact, I feel great right now. Tons of energy, bright eyed and certainly bushy tailed. So...I didn't get anything. Because I didn't need it.

Caffeine (tea and Red Bull) is AMAZING and can put that extra pep in the step when you need it but it's going to be important for me to regulate this intake so that when I need caffeine it works like a charm and that my body doesn't grow accustom to having it.

Took a little break

Last week I was feeling rough. My body hurt (not sore but injured) and my mind was about done with the Non-stop workout, think about food, etc situation that I was in. I reached out to my girl Britta and she suggested I take a bit of a break, so I did. And it was awesome.
It was so awesome that I was beyond ready to get back to working out today when I had an appointment with my trainer. So ready I thought it would be a great job to walk to the gym. 4 miles. Then I got my ass kicked by my trainer. Then I was ready to be done. BUT...I had 4 miles in order to get my ass home. Whew. Perhaps I over did it...but I was so excited to get back at it.

Britta also recommended that I start doing more working out in the morning so I've planned a Tuesday and Wednesday early morning workout before I head to Charleston for a few days for work.

I'm going to weigh in tomorrow--a little nervous.

Quick Hits: Really, Sarah Bareilles

Guys. If you are on a social/online dating site. Please, under no circumstances admit to listening to either Sarah McLachlan or Sarah Bareilles, and in the worst possible case, both of them. While I enjoy both artists I truly don't want you to like them too.

This response to music gets you nowhere fucking fast, like freight train fast: Music: I tend to avoid Rap, Country and Hip-Hop, but anything else goes. I love live music and am finally getting back to seeing more of it. I also discovered Rhapsody, and get to cycle through a lot more variety than I actually own. Currently, I'm listening to Sarah McLachlan, Muse, Sara Bareilles, Foo Fighters, Jonathan Coulton, Breaking Benjamin, Garbage, and P!nk (yes, I know how she spells it)

We're all friends here, right?

One of my dearest friends since I was 5 years old (Matt) is getting married to an awesome lady(Carrie) in September and I'm in the wedding. Tonight I got the official word that my first ever love (and first ever other things) is also going to be in the wedding.

TALK ABOUT MOTIVATION. 

Now, let's be clear. He's married to what I hear is an amazing lady and they have a super cute child and there are a million other reasons why I'm not interested in him BUT...it just reminds me that the majority of the grooms side of the wedding will have known and remember me from high school. Well folks...I don't look like that anymore. That was literally 75 pounds ago. 

Here's a picture of me at Matt a few years ago on my 29th birthday. For the record Red Bull has aged me significantly...it's like I'm the president or something. 

Quick notes

1. I almost passed out in my Sport class tonight at the gym. Literally saw stars. I hope that means that I was working really hard and not that I'm near death.

2. Guys really have to stop putting pictures of themselves and other cute dudes on their online dating profiles. Because then I think that they are super cute and get all excited but when I click to the next picture I realize that they are the ugly one. What a tease.

Races and dogs and Dylan Baker

Let's start out by saying that I worked out hard this past week.
Monday- Sport class (think weights, jump backs, legs and cardio all packed into 1)
Tuesday-trainer (sprints and lower body)
Wednesday- off
Thursday- (spin class)
Friday- long walk
Saturday- trainer (upper and lots of abs)
Sunday- 5K race

Needless to say my body is a bit of an achy mess..gonna see if I can work in a massage this week if possible.

But most importantly I ran a 5K today with some good friends from work. It was a whole bunch of fun but I'm glad I was active for sure. I still don't understand paying to run nor do I like to run. Blah. But there were thousands of eager beavers there for the race many of them with dogs, children and stroller. This one crazy woman ran with at least 6 dogs attached to her and was quite bullysome. I mean, 1 dog...ok. 2 dogs, you're pushing it. 6 dogs...get the fuck outta here.

It was dark. I was not happy. We finished. Way more happy. 

Lastly, and of equal importance at the gym on Saturday I saw an actor that I LOVE...but couldn't place him to save my life. After doing some serious googling of the following I realized it was Dylan Baker:

"blonde actor with goatee"
"blonde actor that looks like but is not William H Macy"
"strawberry blonde actor with goatee"
"breaking bad cast"
"blonde actor with goatee and big teeth"
"blonde actor with goatee that gets spitting mad"
The I realized that I couldn't place him from anything in particular but that EVERYONE has been a guest actor on Law & Order so..
"Law & Order guest actors" was the jackpot.

Turned out I knew him from Damages where he has a goatee and typically he doesn't so I was leading google astray with the facial hair situation. I digress.

No weigh in tomorrow as I don't have my scale but when I get back to my house I'll be sure to hop on.

White spandex & 8.5 months pregnant

So my good friend Ashley drug me to a spin class today. I used to take spin classes back in my Nissan days when we had a spin room in the office but since then I've never gone out of my way to sit on such an uncomfortable seat and sweat profusely for an hour. But I told her I would give it a try and I did. WHEW...what a great workout. Such a good mix of cardio and leg strength work and lower ab work too. THE FUNNY PART? I had the most amazing motivation at class tonight.

This crazy bitch in front of me dared to wear a pear of WHITE SPANDEX PANTS. I'm sorry but people rarely look good in BLACK spandex pants...but white spandex pants...you've got to be fucking kidding me. So literally in front of my face the entire class was a skinny, toned gorgeous blond lady with the balls to wear white spandex (before Easter).

But that wasn't enough. Oh NO. Not in my world. The lady in front of the white spandex woman was 8.5 MONTHS PREGNANT and killing it. So let's get this straight. I'm in a t-shirt that comes down to my knees, have a shoe string holding back my hair and am as red as a beet while in front of me there's a lady looking phenomenal in white spandex and a woman literally about to give birth. TO A CHILD. My life is comical. It truly is. 

Sidenote.

So for those of you sick of hearing me talk about my weight and working out here's a change up.

PEOPLE ARE FUCKING CRAZY. I've been trying to start dating and socializing more so at rec's from my friends I'm trying Match.Com. Worst idea ever. These dudes are ridiculous. The majority of them include mostly pictures of their dogs, UGA's football stadium or their gun collection. Every now and then you get a picture of them next to a flashy car. IS THIS REALLY WHAT WOMEN WANT? Tell me it's not. It's certainly not what I'm looking for.

And the emails they send...Lord don't get me started. HORRIBLE. Embarrassing. No wonder they're single. And how they hold down a job is beyond me. I'm going to start compiling the crazy into a book....please send title suggestions.

It's almost difficult to put this type of crazy into words but I'll leave it with a first email I got the other day:

"I would like to cook you dinner on Friday night. Please write me back immediately".

FUCKING CRAZY.

Rock Climbing was FUN!

This past week I spent 4 days in Columbia, SC and each day I was able to get in a good workout but on Wednesday we took it to the next level. Indoor Rock Climbing. Myself and three co-workers headed to the local indoor gym and got harnessed up. Winner of the spiderman award goes to Scott Drollinger but I didn't do too shabby myself...but also didn't make it to the very top which I was quite disappointed with.

I enjoyed it tons and want to start climbing here in Atlanta-- it was a serious workout of muscles I haven't used in years.

Oh, and the scale wasn't right. But I did lose 1 pound!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET THE SCALE AT THE HILTON IN COLUMBIA BE RIGHT.

Yesterday was Monday. Weigh day. But you'll see to the right column there's not a weight there. I was scared. Yup. Scared to get on the scale. Nervous about what I would find. A weekend with friends in town followed by an Oscar Party...wasn't feeling too confident. But I carried on. Got a good workout in yesterday while in Columbia and then again this morning at the hotel. And then, after my workout-- in shoes and everything I got on the scale at the hotel.

202. You've got to be kidding me. 6 lbs? With shoes? Too good to be true. But seriously folks...can a scale really be 8lbs off? I'm hoping NOT. I promise to weigh on my official scale next week. ALSO....I found Beyonce in Columbia last night during our Fit For Flight adventure. Boom. Beyonce.

Moving sucks balls.

I hate moving. But honestly, you wouldn't think that if you knew me because I move all the time. Seriously since 2010 I've moved 4 times with a few temporary's in there too. That's a a lot of packing, un-packing, situating, arranging, hanging, un-hanging, organizing, taping, securing, measuring, shimmying, you get the point. But you know what moving is? A work out. That's right...I've gotten more fuel (Nike Fuel, that is) in the past few days than ever before and that's because I've made myself do a "cardio move". Every trip to my car in the garage in my old building...I ran (to and from). Every trip up my stairs in my new house...I run. I lift everything over my head like I'm pressing weights...it's actually been a great workout.

Another thing I hate...going through my closet. But there has been some good news. I have 2 new pairs of jeans that fit me again. Well, they are actually jeans I bought online this year that SHOULD have fit...but didn't and NOW THEY DO! I still have plenty of clothes that don't fit but back in November I was down to 1 pair of jeans that fit...now a whole pile. On the right are the jeans that fit. On the left...still some room to go.

Dedication

There are some people with crazy amounts of dedication in terms of their weight loss goals. I have a friend Susan that can turn weight loss on and off like a champ. She'll eat 500 calories in a day. Exercise 2 hours a day...shit like that. Not me. I'm not that girl. Part of it because I know I would never be able to or WANT to sustain that type of lifestyle. But part of it has to do with the type of life I want RIGHT NOW. I was worried that I would gain weight this week even though I worked out with my trainer twice and was very active-- good thing I didn't. Reason I thought I might is that I had some indulges this week.
Monday: Good food day.
Tuesday: Good food day until dinner at the Local Three with business partners. AMAZING food. Nice wine. Great meal. BUT....I didn't binge...I ordered 3 small plates, shared all of them, and didn't finish any of them. I was able to taste everything I wanted to but made sure that I never ate past full. Until dessert and we ordered one of everything. I still didn't eat too much-- just a bite here and there but when we left my stomach was pretty mad at me.
Wednesday: The aforementioned bagel day (good dinner though)
Thursday: I had 3 pieces of small valentines candy, some dessert with dinner, some white bread with dinner (Cioppino).
Friday: Good food day minus the mac & cheese for dinner (you can't win em all)
Saturday: Good. Drank half a beer. Had Mexican dinner with Janet but didn't over indulge.
Sunday: Good.
I lost half a pound. Decent.
I need to do better to only have 1 or 2 day's that involve alcohol and/or food situations that aren't conducive to weight loss.

Core Fusion Barre Class

I believe that I have taken my last Core Fusion Barre Class and I'm not sad about it one bit. About a year and a half ago I was introduced to Exhale Spa...an amazing gym concept that had a signature class...Barre. My friend and health mentor Veronica suggested I join this gym in New York and start taking the class...I did it and somewhat enjoyed the class. I really liked that it was super close to my office in NYC.
When I moved to Atlanta I continued my membership at Exhale as the gym is close to work and my office and it's gorgeous. The best part about the gym in Atlanta are the great people, the variety of classes and the spa amenities. But today in class I hated every minute. I almost pulled a "Roy Milner" and left class early. I had ZERO fun.
Don't get me wrong...I'm all for a tough workout but there's something about the pace, the fact that it starts with planking (which I hate) and ends with abs (which I hate) that it makes sense that I hate the class. And I've decided that this year I want to have FUN while I workout. So I'm going to force myself to take at least 2 dance classes this week and get a hike in as well. I've got to mix up my workouts and enjoy them!

Bagels, saggy jeans and morning workouts

Random thoughts are just running through my head this morning. First, the bad. 

I ate bagels yesterday. I think in total throughout the day, I had 1.5 bagels. I enjoyed cream cheese on the bagels. I felt horrible about this but I fucking love bagels and we had a meeting and there was this whole big basket of Einstein bagels and I couldn't help myself. It was like I was possessed. 

The jeans that I put on this morning are a little saggy in the butt!! I'm through the moon about this. They are my comfortable fitting jeans but now they are comfortable and LOOSE! Hell yes. Don't judge me for wearing a sweatshirt to work. 

Mornings are usually tough for me. Once I wake up I typically have pretty good energy--- it's the waking up thing that I have the hard time with. Today I planned a 7:30 AM workout with my trainer and I FEEL AMAZING afterwards. Tons of energy, great mood and also very focused. I've got to start working on in the morning and then doing something fun after work (hike, dance class, project around the house). 

Keep it movin

I got up this morning and got on the scale and the good news is that I didn't gain any weight. The bad news? I only lost .6 of a pound. I think a few weeks ago I would have been upset with that but I'm happy to be moving in the right direction.
This afternoon I made my way to the gym for a Core Sport class and folks...that shit is hard. Lots of jump backs, planking, push ups, twisting and generally pain. Tomorrow I'll work out with my trainer and I'm planning on taking Wednesday off because my stupid wrist is still in lots of pain from the Cali workouts.
But the best news of all? On Saturday, I fit into some jeans that I couldn't fit into a few months ago...and you know what? They looked good! Go Me!

Groceries

I've always known what I "should" be eating to lose weight and be at my healthiest but it was awesome to get a reminder when we were out in Cali. It can be tough for me to grocery shop since I'm typically never home for more than a few days in a row but I have a 2 week stretch in ATL coming up so I took myself to Whole Foods this weekend. The majority of purchases were veggies with some protein, grains, and dairy added in (no cheese). You should have vegetables with every meal...and not just any veggies-- green leafy vegetables (lettuce is not included). So for breakfast this morning I had scrambled eggs with garlic and herbs, half of an Ezekial muffin and some asparagus? Yes....Asparagus for breakfast. Why not? Dinner tonight was a little unbalanced as it consisted of brussel sprouts and peanut butter but sometimes you just got to make it work. I'll weigh in tomorrow morning and I'm a little nervous considering I didn't work out today and I drank too much last night....we shall see.

Emotions.

The oddest thing happened yesterday when I was working out with my trainer. I started crying. I'm not sure exactly why this keeps happening but it does. The more I thought about it I realized that this entire process is the first time in my life that I've dedicated myself wholeheartedly to something that is very challenging. I'll be honest, I've skated through life being pretty good at stuff. School was never a problem, I excelled at sports and the ones I didn't I didn't play, I always figured out how to have the best friends a girl could ask for, jobs seems to appear and I've tended to excel at most of them. Sounds pretty awesome right? Well...this whole, get your ass in shape and lose a lot of weight journey...this shit is hard. It's physically very challenging for both muscular and cardiovascular reasons. It's emotionally very challenging because I'm not the best at it-- in fact, I'm often the slowest or the least skilled. I've gotten through life knowing my strengths, playing to them and not focusing on things that I didn't do well....unfortunately that's not an option here.
When I was talking to Brandy (my awesome trainer) yesterday I told her my goal isn't to be able to do everything THE BEST...rather, my goal is to accept what I can do and be proud of that and I'm not quite there yet. I'm constantly judging myself and getting down on myself for what I struggle to do rather than being proud of what I struggle THROUGH and get DONE. Perhaps I should see a sports therapist or someone who can help me through my workouts.
Bottom line...this journey is just that, a journey. But certainly one that I'm dedicated to and know that I will be better for it in the end.

My neck, my back...you get the point

My wrist hurts. I didn't know it was possible for a wrist to hurt like this unless you broke it. My back also hurts along with my shoulders, butt, quads, abs, and calfs. Oh yeah, and my fingers hurt too. But...I'm alive and kicking fuckers!

Yesterday was a day for the ages-- a day that was very well documented in pictures and video so I'm sure at some point you'll all see for yourself exactly how, um...amazing... yesterday was. I'll give you a brief run down.
7:00 AM Light breakfast
7:30 Run to the beach house (1 mile- on the sand...and I'm not talking east coast packed down hard sand...I'm talking sink 6 inches every time you put your foot down sand)

7:50 Warm up with my new favorite person-- Britta. Turns out even warms ups can keep me sweating
8:00 Yoga with Beth (really enjoyed this yoga class)
9:00 Real Breakfast accompanied by some work with a nutritionist and then a quick trip to grocery store to shop for dinner
10:30ish SERGIO. This dude is the real fucking deal. Basically we each had a space on this blacktop of sorts and we had to do a bunch of different sets of painful shit and in between each set run about 200 yards in the aforementioned sand. We had to do the entire thing 10 times. So let's get this straight real quick. 15 push ups of different varieties...run. 30 squats of different varieties...run. 60 ab situations of different varieties...run. 10 Burpees...run. (THAT'S 1). Let's just say each trainer was given 60 minutes or so and we stopped at minute 30 so he could finish our workout doing something else. No one completed 10. I got through 3.5. I puked in my mouth. I cussed Sergio under my breath. I might have cried a little. I definitely cried a little. I don't ever want to hang out with Sergio again. I'm sure he's a great dude...different strokes for different folks.
Noonish: Lunch.
1:00 ish: 2013 Planning
2:00 ish: Back to the energy draining sand with my main man Andrew. This was a circuit workout that involved shoveling sand, crunches, TRX work, throwing an 8 pound ball over a volleyball net and catching it, ladder work...1.5 minute sets and then switch for 2 rounds. I loved this...I can do anything for 1.5 minutes.
2:30 ish: Core workout with Linda...Linda ain't no joke either but luckily my time spent at Core Fusion had me prepared for this one...now, don't get me wrong-- it was hard as shit...but it wasn't out of my comfort zone and I enjoyed the class.

3:30 ish: DONE WITH WORKOUTS! Next we got to meet with Britta about our goals, we got interviewed for the website, we got a freaking massage, and we got to go in the Fat Tank...which was actually really cool. Because I was actively WORKING MY ASS OFF I wasn't able to take pictures during the day but not to worry...we were documented by plenty of people.
6:00 ish: Cook amazing dinner
9:30 ish: ASLEEP