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June Summary June 30, 2005

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First…2 mile run this morning. 35 min bike to work. Will do another 35 tonight on the way home and then Pilates. So…today is the last day of June. Thought I’d look back at the month since a lot happened. Let’s see…

*I finished my first Tri and beat my time goal! :-)

*I had an awesome run in the Tri and beat my 5k time from last December by almost 2 minutes (and this was after a swim and bike and w/a few hills)! Woo Hoo! :-)

*I took time off from running and swimming after the tri and took last week off the bike (not to mention tapering for the tri) but I still managed to put in: 8,250m in the pool, 238 miles on the bike, and 22 miles running for the month. Not bad.

*I switched to morning workouts for swimming and running. Much cooler!

*I started Pilates again.

*I gave up Diet Coke. No withdrawls.

All in all, a pretty darn good month! :-)

Lounge Lizard June 29, 2005

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Excellent workout this morning…900m swim, 1 hr bike – 20 min to gym & 40 min to work, and 20 min weights. I only did half the weight routine I normally do because once again, I was late getting out the door. I set the alarm for 4:45 but lounged in bed until 5:01. Lounged like a lizard. Sigh… But that’s okay; I still had a full morning with a great swim. And a great ride under cool, sunny blue skies. :-)

I’ve decided I’m going to set one goal per month and really work on improving some aspect of my life. For July, it’s to get more sleep. My goal is to get 8 hours of sleep every night for the month of July. No more reading just one more chapter. No more just finish this crossword. I will go to sleep and dream the night away…Ironman dreams! LOL :-)

Tuesday Ramblings June 28, 2005

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Great day so far. 2 mile run this morning and 35 min ride to work. Cool, but a little humid. So far, so good with the new run method. I found myself drifting into the old way a few times and had to force myself to focus. So I would say 95% of the run was the new way. I’ve found new muscles in my legs the past few days. Really, really need to be better about stretching. I am most consistent after a run…not so much after the bike or swim. Bad Lisa. :-) Pilates is already making a difference though. :-)

You know…any day that I make it to/from work safely is a great day. In last night’s paper there were two stories about cyclists that were hit in the area. :-( A 52 yr old man was killed on Sunday and another cyclist was in critical condition after being hit by an SUV. I just don’t get it. You’d think that with all the traffic here in So Cal, drivers would be thankful that we were riding our bikes and not adding to the traffic jams. You’d think they’d be grateful for a few less cars on the road. I’ve been thinking…maybe we could start a program where before you can get/renew your license you have to log so many hours on a bike. Then they’d know what it’s like to ride in our shoes and maybe they would be more careful. Not to mention get in better shape. I can’t wait for the new bike path to open up!

Car Free Again! Woo Hoo! June 27, 2005

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Yeah! I rode my bike to work today. :-) I missed my bike. It was nice having my mom’s car for a week but I’m glad it’s over. Riding to work, the gym, the store, etc. is much more relaxing than driving. Life has been much less stressful the last 14 months since I got rid of my car! I took the new route again…it’s on a busier street but it hasn’t been bad and there’s a bike lane the whole way. Thankfully, it’s not as busy as it used to be since they built the new freeway. I’m not too crazy about riding it in the dark but at least I won’t have to do that for 4 more months and maybe they will have the new bike path open by them. They are building a 21 mile bike path on the old rail road tracks where I currently run and it’s mere yards from my apartment! Can’t wait. :-)

Saturday I was a spud. I was house-sitting for my best friend. Her dog, Bruiser, and I just laid like spuds on the couch the whole day watching movies. Well…except for some Pilates and that was pretty funny because Bruiser thought I was trying to play with him. Then he decided to curl up on my stomach but he weighs like 3 pounds so it wasn’t bad. :-) Sunday was a great workout day though. I went for a 3 mile sunrise run and then, in the afternoon, I swam 1000m and then lifted for 45 minutes. Most excellent swim. :-) Just riding today and Pilates tonight. One good thing about having my mom’s car last week is that I feel more rested than I have in a long time.

I also have more good news to report…my eating is finally back on track. No more junk food and snacking. I feel much better…more energy, less slug like. Hopefully, I’ll keep it up again. I still want to lose 20-25 pounds. I know that will help improve my workouts and put less strain on my body. I am also on my 6th day without Diet Coke. The first few days were tough but not bad. I even resisted the urge when I took my Grandfather to lunch yesterday. I won’t say I won’t ever have it again because as soon as something is “forbidden” for me, then I start craving it. But my plan for now is just a couple a month.

Hope everyone has a great week! :-)

Just call me Pippi June 24, 2005

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Swim again today – 900m. And then 45 min weights. Both great workouts. I had the pool all to myself for the first half of my swim. And I am definitely getting stronger. I was comparing the weights I lifted last year vs. now and yep, I’m stronger. :-) Woo Hoo! No more Olive Oyl arms. Just call me Pippi. You know…Pippi Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world from those old movies? Well, OK, I’m not quite able to lift a horse yet…but I am wearing my Pippi shirt today. Gotta love casual Fridays in So Cal. Hope everyone has a great weekend and beautiful weather! :-)

Good Morning Moon June 23, 2005

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30 min run this morning before work. The moon was still out and it was nice and cool. It’s supposed to be another scorcher today. I am trying to use the method from “The Triathlete’s Guide to Run Training” and about half of the run was old way/half new way. It feels weird, but I’m really interested to see if it works.

I did some Pilates last night. Now that I am running and swimming in the morning, I have time at night for Pilates. Woo Hoo! I haven’t been doing it for the past 4 months and my body feels really tight. I need to get back into it to loosen up. And, of course, it also works my abs. I like that better than boring old crunches, especially the roll-up. I have to bribe myself with chocolate to do crunches and that kinda defeats the purpose! :-)

Swimmer Girl June 22, 2005

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Great swim this morning…800m - drills again and then a relaxing 400. Then weights for 30 minutes. Both shorter then planned because I had trouble getting going this morning. I really do enjoy working out in the mornings though. Last night it was 92 on my ride home and was I ever glad I’d already run in the cool morning air! I don’t mind the heat on the bike, but running in it is bleah!

Anyway…a friend once called me Swimmer Girl and I laughed at the time. Who me? I’m just trying not to drown! :-) In the beginning, swimming was such a struggle – no endurance, flailing about, breathing issues, feeling panicked, etc. But I have to say, I do feel like a Swimmer Girl now. My stroke is getting better. Breathing is almost second nature. And definitely no more panic. And the flailing? Well, let’s just say no one tries to rescue me anymore! LOL :-) I really enjoyed my swim this morning. Yep, I’m thinking swimming is now a part of my routine because I like it and not because I “have” to do it for tris.

Lisa aka Swimmer Girl :-)

So Far, So Good June 21, 2005

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I went for a 20 minute run this morning - more of a jog really. My knee didn’t hurt. It was a little tight but not bad. Came home and stretched and decided to try riding to work. Rode the new route this morning and it took about 35 minutes but I was taking it easy on the bike too. So far, so good.

Slow and Easy June 20, 2005

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I had a slow & easy 800m this morning in the pool. All drills and it was pretty fun. And interesting. I bought “The Essential Swimmer” this weekend and it was a good read for me. I really tried to swim with a purpose today-4×100 drills and then 2×200 counting strokes. I really see an improvement when I concentrate on my stroke. The best laps were 4 & 5 strokes off my “normal” count. 40 min of weights after the swim and that went well too. I can really tell my upper body is getting stronger. Woo Hoo! :-)

I didn’t ride my bike to work again today. My knee is doing really well but it’s still not 100%. I decide to take one more day off the bike for good measure. So I took my mom’s car this morning and that worked out since I was able to get some weights in along with the swim. I hope to try a 2 mile run tomorrow and ride to work. My body feels rested because I took the last four days off. No exercise what-so-ever, nothing, nada, zilch. As a “reward” for sticking to my “4 Days Off” plan, I went to see Batman Begins yesterday. It was fun. :-)

I am grateful for June 17, 2005

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Another rest day. My knee still has issues but I’m done whining about it! It’ll get better & then it’ll just be something I have to keep in the back of my mind so I don’t mess it up again. There’s still plenty I can do to “fix” the problem. And there’s also plenty I have to be grateful for! I keep a daily list of things I am grateful for but today I thought I would make a special TGIF list. I am grateful that…

I finished my first tri and it was a blast. :-)

I’ve lost over 110 pounds and I’m in great shape now.

I can swim, bike, run!

I have a new nephew arriving in September. Woo Hoo!

I have two crazy, cute nieces who think I’m the Bees Knees. :-)

Now I have the energy to run and play with my nieces and can expose them to the world of tri.

I have a very supportive family and they are all healthy.

I have very supportive friends & coworkers.

My best friend, Mondi, has made me a part of her family.

I live in Southern California where the weather is beautiful 90% of the year and the rest of the time it makes life interesting.

I have Spike, my cat, who’s cute when he sleeps.

I live so close to a bus route.

I don’t have a car.

AND…I have all my limbs and my sight - there were 3 amazing women who did the Danskin, one woman who had lost an arm to cancer, another who had lost a leg, and a woman who was legally blind – if they can do a tri despite their challenges I have nothing to complain about!

I hope you all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. :-) TGIF

Lisa