Taking myself on a date...

So it's Friday night, and most people that I know are spending it doing something fun....hanging out with friends, family, or a significant other. Seeing as all my friends seem to be busy, my family is 6 hours away, and I don't have a significant other, my options seem to be narrowed. After a wonderful Friday afternoon nap and cooking myself a yummy meal of meatloaf, sweet potato fries, and salad, I lounged around watching tv and feeling sorry for myself. I felt myself swiftly changing back into "Lauren who lays in bed all weekend crying and feeling bad for herself." I decided this weekend I am not going to allow myself to do that....ok, maybe only an hour or two..but not ALL weekend! So anyway, I got my lazy bum up and went to the gym for my planned strength training workout. I was proud of myself for doing this even after a heavy meal that made me sleepy. While I was workin' my bod (haha) I decided to take myself on a date tonight. I have been really wanting to see the movie The Backup Plan, and I figured who says I can't go on a date by myself? I love myself...therefore I should be able to take myself on a date. Ok, so I didn't think all of these things, it was more like "hmm, I wanna see that movie, I wonder if it's playing tonight....ok, cool." but the first story sounds better. So anyway, That's what I'm off to do...tomorrow morning I have a swim workout, and the pool is only open I think from 9-10:45, so I will have to get my bum out of bed. That's ok though, because I have alot of work to do, and also Bryan (One of the triathletes who's blog I have been following) is competing in Ironman St. George tomorrow, so I'm gonna try tracking him online while he races. Good luck Bryan!
Ooh...I gotta go, I'm late for a date! Haha!

Run like the wind!! Or....into it.

I just got back from a run. I have a 5k coming up on Mother's Day, and so I decided to run the course for it today while at the same time getting in my longer run for the week. I remembered from last year that there was a big hill towards the end of the course, and I wanted to see how big it looked to me now. The hill was just as big as I remembered it, but it wasn't as hard. The thing that gave me the biggest problem on this run is I got a HUGE stitch in my right side, and it was hurting and tightening so bad that my body was actually crunching up on that side. It was really painful, so I did stop and walk a little bit, probably about the length of a football field. I ran 5km in 32:39. I was super happy with this time because I think this is the fastest I have ever run 5km, even in a race. I am pretty sure I haven't ever run a 5k in less than 33 minutes, although I can't quite remember all my times. I did look up my time from this race last year though, and it was 33:59, so it's pretty awesome that on a training run I am already running more than a minute faster than I ran in the actual race last year! My goal is to run the race in under 32 minutes...let's hope I can shave off 40 seconds and do it! Something funny happened when I was running today. I ran by a glass storefront, and I saw myself in the window (ok, I admit, I was checking myself out!) When I looked at myself, I looked like a real runner. Usually I look like a slow, slumpy person shuffling along, but today my stride was long, I was standing tall, and I was moving at a pretty good pace. I was happy to see myself looking like I half knew what I was doing! Oh! I forgot to mention why I titled this blog what it is titled...today the wind was RIDICULOUS! All day I was debating whether to go run at the gym or run outside, and finally I decided I should run outside, since who knows, the day of the triathlon could be hurricane force winds..haha...so anyway, I ran outside, and the wind didn't even bother me at all! In fact, it felt kind of nice to be running along with the wind. Anyway, enough of my blabbing, I have to go refuel and head to dance aerobics with the girls! Let's hope I make it through the class feeling strong!

Yup...I changed the name!

Well, I decided to change the name of my blog for 2 reasons. First of all, I don't think I am really "on the bandwagon" anymore, cuz I have been blogging for a while now and it's no longer novel. Second, since I have decided to dedicate the blog mostly to my triathlon training, I figured I should have a name that fits the topic. I like my play on words, and it is kind of a motivating pun! That's it for now...so here are my words of wisdom at 10:23 on a Wednesday...go out and TRI something new tomorrow!

I'm dreaming...of exercise?

Happy Wednesday! Well, in my case it was rainy, cold, slightly miserable Wednesday, but for the sake of the blog and my own sanity, let's pretend it was sunny, 75 degrees and that everything in my life was perfectly peachy! I didn't train today, because I took the day as my mandatory once a week day off. I am having a hard time identifying myself these days...I used to dread the days I HAD to work out...now I find it hard to force myself to take a day off! Where the hell did that transformation come from? Today I told myself I would take the day off from training, since I had a late night of emotional stress last night and then was really tired today and I don't have too much planned for the weekend so I figure I can get in some good long workouts those days. So, I fully enjoyed my day off by taking a long nap and relaxing from the time I got home from work until I had to go to class. I also indulged in a peanut butter brownie for dessert...oops. Haha! However, even though I have to say I REALLY enjoyed my nap and didn't want to get up, I did have a hard time laying down, because I kept saying to myself "maybe I'll just got for a quick run" or "hmm..maybe I should do my strength training today". It's crazy! I am becoming an athlete...I know I keep saying that, but it's still absurd to me...I thought my "athletic" days ended after high school when I stopped cheerleading and softball. Apparently it's never too late to become an athlete again! My trainer called me last night and apologized a ton for missing our appointment today. He said he had accidentally thought it was next week. He called me today again and we rescheduled for next Wednesday. I am pumped, I love training when someone is telling me what to do. It takes out all of the mental energy of having to think of what exercises to do. Tomorrow I plan to go for a run..possibly at the gym, depending on how cold it is. I am saving my long bike ride for the weekend because it is supposed to be warm and beautiful. I am also saving both swim sessions for the weekend, mostly because I haven't had the time so far this week to get to the pool when it is actually open. I plan to do both swims on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon on Saturday. I know I am supposed to leave one day in between sessions of the same exercise, but that's just not gonna work this week, so I figure getting them both in is better than not at all. Here are the things I have planned for the weekend (I'm hoping that if I write them down I will actually get them all done!)
1) swim workouts- Saturday AM and PM
2) Strength training workouts- Friday PM and Sunday (either AM or PM)
3) long bike ride- Sunday
4) Apply for jobs for the summer and next year (ugh!!!)
5) Do my final paper for my class (double ugghhhh!!!!!)
6) clean up my room- Friday night maybe? (I know, you wish you were me)
7) Hopefully stay busy enough that I don't spend too much time wallowing in missing a certain someone. :(
8) Oh...and of course spend lots of time procrastinating by obssesively reading about and watching things about triathlons! :)

GRRRR

Wow, I hope none of you are leaning on me to give you a dose of random blog-ness each day, because once again I have fallen off the blogging bandwagon...I guess I better either jump back on or change the name of my blog! So anyway, the end of my spring break was uneventful, I think I have mostly recovered from my hamstring pull, it feels alot better. I helped my mom and dad start building a patio over the weekend, it was fun to get some physical activity without even thinking about the fact that I was exercising! I have also kept up with my training, and actually I have gotten in 2 runs, an 8 mile bike and a short 10 minute bike ride since yesterday...I don't know what has gotten into me, I'm like a workout machine! Haha..or perhaps I can just blame it on the fact that I am using exercise to keep my mind off of other things in life, and also on the fact that my trainer didn't show up today, therefore leaving me at the gym, where I would have felt dumb if I just left! This brings me to the GRRR title. My trainer, remember, the one I said was sooo motivating, etc? Yeah, he didn't show up tonight! I think it was just a miscommunication type thing, because one of the other trainers looked in the book and my name wasn't there, but I distinctly remember him writing it down. The other trainer said there are 2 books and he probably wrote it in the wrong one. Just my luck. So anyway, I was kind of deflated after getting all revved up for an awesome session, and really didn't feel like doing much, so I just did a short run and a short bike and called it a day. At least I did something, right? Anyway, not much else going on, other than I have been obsessively reading triathlon blogs..I know, I'm a loser, but seriously, check out http://www.trainingpayne.blogspot.com. This is where I spend alot of time reading and learning. So, that's all for now..time to go relax...

my first "injury"

So I have been pretty busy during my vacation..mostly doing fun things like spending time with family and training, but also doing some boring stuff like getting my oil changed, doing laundry and attempting to apply for some jobs. I have managed to do some great training while I have been home, but I hit a snag the other day. I injured my right hamstring while I was strength training the other day. It doesn't feel too bad, it hurts when I step forward in my stride to walk or run and I feel twinges while biking. I iced it the first night, and then took yesterday off to let it rest for a day. today I decided to try my regular ride and see how it went. I went 10 miles on the bike and it felt pretty good. I had some twinges when I came out of the saddle to hammer up the hills, but other than that it was not too bad. I stretched when I got home, and it is tender, but so far I don't think I did any more damage today by using it. Tomorrow will be interesting because I am going to try running and see how that feels. Let's hope for the best! I can't be injured yet, I feel like I just started!! Anywho, that's about all that's going on here. I found a new blog I like reading...its trainingpayne/blogspot.com. It's about this triathlete and it is pretty inspiring and interesting. Check it out if you get a chance. Also, if you haven't checked this out yet, do it! The triathlon song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvX6zRYgw8 Sorry I still don't know how to make that link active, so just paste it in your browser! Ok, time to shower and off for sushi with the girls tonight :) I'll post tomorrow about how the run went.

New Jersey is hilly!

I am home for spring break! Yay! It is nice to have a week off from work and class, and to be able to spend time with my family. I have been keeping up with traning while I am home, in fact I just got back from a bike ride. I forgot how hilly New Jersey is! My legs feel like jello. It could also be the fact that I am still sore from Friday. I had a personal training session on Friday, and have signed up for 4 more. I really like my trainer, he is so motivating and definitely had me working hard. I am still sore today, on Monday! Anyway, training is going well, yesterday I swam the whole distance I will have to swim in the triathlon. I wanted to see if I could do it, and it made me feel good to know that I can. I don't have a whole lot to write about today, I will update more when I have more to say! Off to do laundry!

Planet Fitness....and youtube

Ok, so this week has been great with training so far! I have been sleeping (thanks to some help from Tylenol PM!) and therefore have had energy to train. Also, my Friend...let's just call her C, has been soooo kind as to lend me her bike! It is a "hybrid", but compared to my fat tired, low to the ground "hybrid", hers seems like a high class racing bike. It is soo light (I would know, I have carried it up and down my apartment stairs about ten times!) and it puts my body in a good riding position that allows me to pedal faster and therefore go faster. My legs also don't get as tired as quickly, which is good. Plus, I feel really cool on it! Haha. So anyway, we switched bikes on Tuesday afternoon (sorry C for sticking you with my crappy bike for the next few months!) and then I went to the store to buy some accessories, like a visor to wear while I run, a bike computer to track my miles, a running watch to keep my time, and a water bottle for the bike. I have been doing a pretty good job of doing this whole triathlon thing on a budget. I am buying things that I feel like I need (ok, so I don't NEED a visor, but it was on sale!) and not buying the highest class things...I mean, if I decide I love triathlon and want to do more races then I can slowly upgrade my equipment, for now, as long as it works, its great! Anyway, I came home and hooked up my bike computer, which was much more complicated than I expected, and then I went for a ride. I did 6 miles, and it was easy! I know that isn't that far, but on my other bike it felt like a million miles, so this was great. Today I went for a run. I ran for 23ish minutes, and felt great afterwards. I feel like this is the first time I have ever actually been able to feel the difference in my fitness level over a period of time. When I started running two and a half weeks ago, I could run for about 4 minutes before I started feeling miserable, grumpy and like I wanted to stop and lay down on the ground. Haha. That is pretty pathetic, lets be honest. Today the run portion of my run was 14minutes. I know I said 23, but each run I do consists of a 9 minute jog/walk/stretch warm up, so I only count the part I am actually running when I calculate how much I ran. So anyway, that means I have increased my running ability by 10 minutes in 2 and a half weeks of running about 2 or 3 times a week. That's pretty good! On that track I should be able to run the whole 5k comfortably (eek!) by the triathlon. So after my run I was feeling great, and I knew I needed to get in a strength training session, so I rode my bike (it's easier to call it "mine" for the sake of the blog, but don't worry C, I know it isn't REALLY mine!) to the gym. I quit my old gym about a month ago because they were charging me 84 dollars a month! Ahh! I joined Planet Fitness, which is 10 dollars a month, and I worked out for about 45 minutes. I also signed up for a personal training session for tomorrow with a....very "smart" man...(read: HOT!)I am looking forward to that :) And I have to say, it is nice to workout with the male population again...I haven't really done that since college since my old gym was all women. Men smell bad, but at least it's good scenery while I pump my little 10 lb weights. Haha. So then I rode home, and then I was still feeling energized, so I rode my bike to class tonight. I kind of regretted that decision when I got out of class and it was freezing out, but oh well.
I found this on Youtube while I was obsessively watching triathlon videos. I love this song, it pumps me up and I think it is hilarious! There are a couple different videos to go with it, but I like this one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMvX6zRYgw8 Let me know if that link works. I don't know how to do it right.

nicely manicured triathlete..hmmm.

I'm sorry, it's been a while again! I don't really know who I am apologizing to, I don't know who reads this, but I like to assume I have seven billion readers (hah!) and that they feel sad when I don't blog. So anyway, I haven't blogged in a while because this week was ridiculous, and I haven't been feeling great. I have yet to figure out if I had a virus or if it was all stress and lack of sleep related, but I was having dizzy spells, stomach aches and exhaustion. Add to this alot of other things going on that I don't really want to blog about, plus long days, and you can possibly see why I haven't blogged in a week. But anyway, I'm back, as are my workouts. I tried to get in as many as I could this week, but ended up missing one or two and kind of ad libbing the rest. I just couldn't work full out this week, everytime I ran I felt extremely nauseous, and my body just felt sick. So, I decided that since it is so early in my plan and since I am stretching the plan longer than it really is, that one week of less intensity would be better in the long run, and my body could heal. Today was the first day of the week that I really worked out hard. I went on a bike ride to the Charles River and then locked up my bike and ran for about 30 minutes by the river. Well, I ran and walked...I still can't really run for 30 minutes without dying..haha. Anyway, that was my workout today, and tomorrow I plan to get back on the right/real workouts for the plans. In other triathlon news, I have read almost 2 triathlon books in the past day and a half...and watched about a million youtube videos...you might call me obsessed, I call it healthy passion? Hmm. That's about all I have to say today...I'm not really in the mood to write a super long blog and ramble forever like I sometimes do...oh, but one more story to explain the title of this post. I came home today from working out and realized I had broken three nails...my pointer, middle, and ring on my right hand. I don't know how I managed to do this while biking and running, and I don't remember any specific situation that left me saying "shit, I broke a nail!" but, alas, I did. I guess my dream of being a nicely manicured triathlete has gone out the window. Ok, so that wasn't a dream of mine, but it would have been nice to have pretty fingers while I sweat like a pig, right?

Keeping up with the 4 year olds.

Sorry it has been a while since I posted last. I have been home all weekend and chasing around Bean (my niece's pseudonym) all weekend. I have been working out though! Don't worry, I didn't give up. I came home Thursday night and got here around 1 am. Friday I didn't get to workout, which is ok, because that was my planned recovery day anyway. Oh, I forgot to mention I drove home straight from swimming and dance aerobics...yes, I was sweaty...it's fine. Anyway, I got my exercise on Friday from chasing Bean around an easter egg hunt/petting zoo, and helping my sister watch her for the rest of the day. My sister and Bean stayed over all weekend, which was nice, because I got to see alot of them. It was also exhausting...I don't know how parents take care of 4 year olds...they are sooo energetic, and I like to think I am an energetic adult...but I can hardly keep up with her all day! Anyway, on Saturday I had a bridal shower to go to for my friend from college, so I had to get up early to get my run in. I ran and then went to the shower. After the shower, my friend and I walked around Kutztown (our college town) and had dinner at the tavern we always used to go to. It was so nice, it made me want to go back to college. We talked about the fact that at the time we didn't realize how great life was in college, we thought we were all stressed out and we couldn't wait to be done and get a job. WHY!?? College was a breeze, it was fun, and all of our friends were right there within walking distance. Not so anymore. :( Anyway, that was quite a rant. Haha. Sunday I went for a bike ride and a run, because I wanted to see how my legs felt on the transition from biking to running. Let's just say whoa. Hopping off a bike and running is like removing the bones from your legs and running on jelly. I felt like I would never run in a straight line again. It was pretty crazy. It was a good experience though, because obviously I have to get used to that since transition is a big part of a triathlon. So anywho, that was yesterday (Happy Easter, by the way!) and today I am packing up and heading back to Boston. Depending on when I get back I may workout today, or I may take today as my off day for this week...I haven't decided yet.
(And yes, I realize the title of this post is not as snazzy as "Keeping up With the Kardashians" but I had to at least try.)