Happy New Year December 29, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , 12 commentsHello? Anybody there? Yeah, it’s been a while but I’m still alive. Not so much kicking though. Sigh. I can’t tell you how happy I am that 2006 is over. What I thought would be my Cinderella Tri year turned out to be anything but. Not that 2006 was a bad year for me by any means:
- I got a promotion and a raise at work.
- I got my Nikon D200 and my photography kicked into high gear again.
- I got quite a few photo gigs this year.
- I found a new photo subject that I love - Triathlons.
- I had a great first Half Mary at the OC Half Marathon last January.
- I got to see Kylie finish the Vineman.
- There was that accidental medal from the Sprint with the relay team. That was fun.
- I paid off quite a bit of my debt.
- And best of all, I got to spend Christmas with my munchkins this year in California.
Um…I’m not doing the Rock & Roll next month after all. I hurt my foot a few weeks ago and took a week off to let it heal and then got sick. But I couldn’t take time off from work because I was covering for two other people who were on vacation. It also didn’t help that all last week was 31/32F in the mornings on my way to work and it made my lungs hurt. Yes, I rode my bike to work even though I was sick and just couldn’t seem to get better. Yesterday, I finally started feeling somewhat normal but I still have a gurgly cough that won’t go away and I’m dead dog tired! All I can think about is sleeping this whole weekend. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll feel good by Monday so I can start the year off with a ride or run. I miss them.
So my goals for 2007 are:
- Lose thw weight I gained in 2006.
- Be more consistant with my runs.
- Figure out how to increase sanely without any more injuries to my knees or feet.
- Start swimming again in January.
- Do the whole Bonelli Tri Series.
- Find the love for tris again.
- Eat better, drink more water, get more sleep.
- Balance it all with my photography, work, and my family & friends.
I’ll have to work out the plans in more detail so they aren’t vague dreams. I want to be the Lean, Mean, Triing Machine that I know is in me. I want to see my photos on exhibit. I want to learn how to be a less stressed supervisor. I want to have fun. 
So…Have a safe and fun New Year’s Eve. I wish all of you the best for 2007 and may all your dreams and goals come to fruition. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Weeks Weather December 8, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , 7 commentsI may have angered the weather gods with all my bragging about our beautiful weather (like TODAY). We have rain in the forecast for Sunday. The day I plan to run for 3 hours. Good thing I love the rain, eh? Our weather for the next 7 days for my friends who are not in So Cal:
Ah, life is good. It was a nice warm 46 degrees when I ran this morning. Yep, you heard that right! I ran before riding to work today. Woo. Let’s see…the last couple of days:
Wednesday - rode to/from work and ran for 20 minutes. I cut it short because my knee was really bothering me.
Thursday - rode to/from work. That’s it. Decided not to run to give my knee a rest.
Friday - 30 min run in the morning and ride to work, eventually…ride home.
Really nice run.
The plan for the weekend is to run 45 minutes tomorrow and 3 hours on Sunday. Oh, and watch the Ironman Championships tomorrow. I hear IMFL is on cable this weekend but since I only have a tv and rabbit ears, I won’t be able to watch it. I am bummed about that.
Have a great weekend everyone!
I Am Spoiled December 6, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , 4 commentsMy.Legs.Are.Still.Sore. I feel like an old lady. I probably looked like one too at work - slow moving, bones creaking, muscles aching, sweater, and socks with my sandals. Hey, I was freezing at work yesterday and I was trying to keep my toes warm! Anyway, days like these it’s hard to remember that I’m doing this stuff to stay young and healthy. So I left work early and went to get a massage. Oh, it was heavenly. If I were rich, I would have a full time masseuse on staff and get one every day. But alas, I am but a poor tri girl. 
Boy could I feel it when she was working on my legs. It felt good though and helped alot. Enough that I went for a run last night (28 min) and it wasn’t too bad. Really my legs only bother me when I’m walking down stairs or running down hills. I started out on my mostly flat route and then I was lured by the twinkling lights up a side street and turned to check them out. There were giant Elmos, snowmen, polar bears, and globes, and lights o-plenty. Like Kylie said in her blog the other day, the holidays make for some fun and pretty sight seeing during runs/rides at night. For an added bonus, the moon was shining in all her glory on a clear, So Cal night (50 degrees - I was in a shirt and shorts!). So far the commutes this week have been nice. Monday was a little smoky during the day because of some fires but it was mostly cleared up by the time I rode home. It’s been a smidgeon warmer in the mornings (36 & 39F) and really nice in the evenings. Today it’s supposed to be in the 70s, maybe 80s.
So yeah, I’ve been spoiling myself lately. I got the massage yesterday. And today the dvds I ordered arrived from Amazon (The complete season of Firefly and also Serenity). Woo! And I’m hoping to buy this nikkor 70-300 VR lens with my xmas bonus. Isn’t it sweet? Unless Santa brings it to me…
Still, I Ran December 4, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , 5 commentsWhew, what a weekend. I need a rest day now. Good thing today is a rest day. Well, except for the bike ride to/from work. The good news is that I had tons of fun and still got my runs in. Woo Hoo!
My nieces arrived Friday night and on Saturday we took them to a parade, shopping, to see Happy Feet, to see the snow at Victoria Gardens, and then the lights on Thoroughbred. We were gone from 7:30 in the morning til 9 at night. But luckily I’d gone for my run at 6 that morning so Saturday was good. The only thing was that I only did 40 minutes because I really, really had to hit a restroom but none were open so I had to run back to my mom’s. Like fast. But I made it.
Sunday was a little less hectic - a brunch, more shopping, packing the girls up for their trip back. I made it out for my run at 4:20 and finished at 7:05. The beginning of the run was awesome. My legs felt good. It was warm and clear. The moon was just rising over the horizon like a big silver spotlight. It was a little freaky running at night along Victoria Park. During the day it’s a bright, sunny, busy path with runners, walkers, family, dogs, etc. But last night no one was out and there wasn’t much light on the trail so I ended up running in the street. Once I got back closer to home and streets I was familiar with, I was more relaxed. My legs were tight at the end and there were some pains last night while I was sleeping. Today they are a little sore but the ride in helped that a bit. All in all, a really good weekend.
Here’s some photos:
Morgan
Madison
My mom, her boyfriend Tony, and my nieces
One of the houses on Thoroughbred decorated California style
If there is no wind, row December 1, 2006
Posted by vollenda in : General , 1 comment so far
Thursday-Bike Commute/Run-Cold on the way to work (34F). Beautiful ride in the morning. Nice ride home. 50 minute run when I got home. Ok. Kind of draggy.
Friday-Bike Commute-Warmer (37F). Riding to my mom’s after work because my nieces are coming for a weekend visit. We are going to a parade tomorrow and then to the snow. Ok, fake snow at our outdoor mall! Still should be fun. Somewhere this weekend I have to fit in two runs (45 min & 2 hr 45 min). Wish me luck!
Have a great weekend everyone! Ride safe.
Oh, the title is a Latin Proverb that I like to say to myself. But it doesn’t say what to do if there IS wind…maybe fly?