Quick update since Tuesday...
I ran 5 miles on Wednesday morning. I decided to loop Mountain Park 5 times. When I arrived, there was me and one other woman there. The other woman seemed to be looking for something. She approached me when I was getting out of my car to tell me her purse had been stolen the night before when she was walking around the park and if I saw it to turn it in to the maintenance shed. It was still dark outside so suddenly I was not feeling too comfortable running alone. The sun was starting to come up so decided to make the best of it and just be aware of my surroundings. As a result of being so aware, I discovered that ducks snore. Yes, they do. There are several that live in the pond at the park and they appeared to be in the tall grass growing out of the pond... snoring. All of them. It was quite loud but intersting fact to discover.
Wednesday night, Joan and I had a T2 match. We continued our losing streak. :(
This morning, I worked out with my group. We did 250 crunches then headed outside for a 3 mile run. Easy workout considering I am still having some difficulty straightening my arms out after our workout on Tuesday. (we focused on arms).
Tonight, Joan and I changed our ways. We won one! Tonight was round one of the Discovery Point Classic which is a charity tournament benefitting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Round two is Saturday @ 8:00 and the semifinals at 2:00. All of which means I will miss my run with GFA again. I am feeling terribly guilty since I have only run withe the group once since joining. I am also going to miss the Race for the Cure although my friend Theresa has promised to pick up goodies for me while she is there.
I am debating whether or not to workout tomorrow. I might do a day of rest.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Do or do not, there is no try
Apparently that is a saying from Yoda in Star Wars. Not being a huge Sci-fi buff, I would not have attributed it to Yoda had I not been told. Although I can quote scenes from Grease, Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing and assorted other movies (including, sadly enough, Balls of Fury as you have seen), I normally do not quote Star Wars unless I am doing an impression of Princess Leia with the bread bowls from McAllister's Deli. Long story, although I will say the bread bowls also lend themselves to an impersonation of Jackie Kennedy. Another story for another blog.
Back to Yoda... he was a wise one... So true, you either do it or you don't, there is no in-between. I am either going to get up in the morning and run 5 miles or I am not. I can't let Yoda down...
I am starting to feel pulled in both directions by trying to get ready for the triathlon and the marathon at the same time. I want to keep up with the running plan but also have to find time for biking and swimming too. As another wise Yoda-like person I know always says to me, "you do this to yourself". Yes, true. I am an overchiever. It is a sickness. I did take myself off of one of my tennis teams this summer so now I am down to two tennis leagues. Baby steps.
Today was nothing out of the ordinary, A.M. weight training with D.J. followed by a short 1.5 mile run around the outside of the gym. I had a steak tonight from Texas Roadhouse, watched American Idol, said a little prayer for Jason Castro to get voted off and now am going to bed so I can get up and run in the morning! The plan is 5 miles. From the house to Mountain Park, around twice and back home by 7:00 A.M.
Smog Alert
Not much to tell about Monday... Joan and I had tennis match tonight for our Monday night BMW league. Butts were kicked. Ours. We are getting tired of losing and are ready for a win. Unfortunately, lately we seem to be in the position of being the sacrificial lambs at the top of the lineup. We hope to change back to a winning streak in our tournament later this week!
We played out of Hudlow Tennis Center in Norcross. It was supposed to be halfway between our home courts and the homes courts of our opponents. Hudlow is located within a huge park; however, someone must live right next to the tennis center and this someone chose to burn leaves during our match. It was really difficult to breathe and I think we all left smelling like we had been around a camp fire. We even moved over one court in an attempt for better air quality. No such luck.
I realized yesterday that I only have 5 weeks until my first triathlon and really don't feel prepared. I think it is the biking that makes me feel that way so I will have to concentrate on some spinning classes in between my weekend attempts to hit the road. I printed the training logs off the internet hoping to inspire myself to get with the program. I got an early morning swim in at Lifetime. I say early morning, actually I was running late so I had to cut the workout in half to avoid being too late for work. I swam 1400 meters which isn't too bad; however, the plan when I went to bed the night before was to run 3 and *then* swim. At least I didn't scrap the plan altogether!
On tap for tonight - sleep!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
and that leads me to Sunday...
Again, talked myself out of meeting with the group. This group is the one alllllll the waaaaaay acrooosssssss towwwwwnnnn. Over an hour just to get there. Does anyone blame me for not wanting to jump up early to meet them at 7:30? I know... I needed the experience. I will have to get it another day.
I did accomplish things today! I took my bike out for a spin. Here is a pic. Just kidding... That is me but I don't have a picture of me on my actual bicycle. This is one of those pictures I pull out to motivate myself. You know, positive self talk - what happened to that cool girl? I digress. Here is the photo.
I am really procrastinating on the bike leg of my race. Oddly intimidated by it for some reason. With that said, I forced myself to take the bike out today. I think what has been holding me back is that to get out of my house, you have to start up a hill. I was hoping something a little flatter would magically appear.
I made it up the hill and set out for the main road, went past Mountain Park, down a side road towards an elementary school and back. All in all about 4.5 miles. It sounds wimpy but this was my first ride on a road with cars so I felt good about it and now I have a short loop mapped out that I know works for me. Only one brief encounter with a neighborhood dog. My right hand fell asleep towards the end. I must be applying the death grip. It was a good ride, I am definitely more comfortable now.
I discovered something cool last night called Map my Ride. There is also a Map my Run and Map my Tri. Pretty cool, you put in your coordinates on the map and it calculates mileage (which is how I know I did 4.5 miles).
After stowing away the bike, I went back out and did a 3.5 mile run. This time the dog stayed in the yard. It knew. I also discovered that one street over has a less severe hill so, on the way back, I opted for hill "lite".
One other exciting thing I discovered today. There is a new Disney race next year. Disney's Princess Half Marathon. I think there is a tiara involved... who needs a Minnie Medal? hmmm... registration opens tomorrow.
I did accomplish things today! I took my bike out for a spin. Here is a pic. Just kidding... That is me but I don't have a picture of me on my actual bicycle. This is one of those pictures I pull out to motivate myself. You know, positive self talk - what happened to that cool girl? I digress. Here is the photo.
I am really procrastinating on the bike leg of my race. Oddly intimidated by it for some reason. With that said, I forced myself to take the bike out today. I think what has been holding me back is that to get out of my house, you have to start up a hill. I was hoping something a little flatter would magically appear.
I made it up the hill and set out for the main road, went past Mountain Park, down a side road towards an elementary school and back. All in all about 4.5 miles. It sounds wimpy but this was my first ride on a road with cars so I felt good about it and now I have a short loop mapped out that I know works for me. Only one brief encounter with a neighborhood dog. My right hand fell asleep towards the end. I must be applying the death grip. It was a good ride, I am definitely more comfortable now.
I discovered something cool last night called Map my Ride. There is also a Map my Run and Map my Tri. Pretty cool, you put in your coordinates on the map and it calculates mileage (which is how I know I did 4.5 miles).
After stowing away the bike, I went back out and did a 3.5 mile run. This time the dog stayed in the yard. It knew. I also discovered that one street over has a less severe hill so, on the way back, I opted for hill "lite".
One other exciting thing I discovered today. There is a new Disney race next year. Disney's Princess Half Marathon. I think there is a tiara involved... who needs a Minnie Medal? hmmm... registration opens tomorrow.
MC Hammer got me through my run
Or alternately titled... Hammer Time.
As suspected, when the alarm went off Saturday morning to meet with my group, I decided to go with Plan B which was running on my own later in the day. Around 9:45 or so I arrived at Stone Mountain for the 5-mile loop. Stone Mountain has some serious hills so it can be a mental challenge if you aren't fully motivated to run (which I was not). I brought my camera along to entertain myself.
This is my starting point. Check out the heart rate (59). I must have still been half asleep. Oh, and I am not sure why my hand looks like a Shar-pei puppy.
I decided to go around the back side of the mountain first. There were quite a few runners, mostly walkers and a few bikers out there Saturday morning but it is still peaceful. I opted to go without my I-pod this time. My Dad always tells me he gets lost in his thoughs and it helps the miles tick by. Before today, I always thought... ummm right. I think I need some thoughts pumped in my head via the I-pod but, he was right, it really wasn't bad.
A scene from the backside of Stone Mountain. They have traffic diverted in the back so the cars only go one way. The other lane is running and biking. I also saw a roller blader out there which is unusual.
I made a pit stop along the way to take a picture of the "big rock". No, not THE big rock as in Stone Mountain but the big rock that I spent many hours playing on as a kid. It earned its name because it was soooo huge. Well, that is the way I remember it. Today, it is kind of comical because it seems so small. For benefit of family and friends who know the rock of which I speak, here it is:
Here it is again from another angle in case it didn't look big enough in the first photo. I took a picture of myself in front of the rock to give it scale but I am not a pretty runner. I opted not to post it; I have my pride.
By the time you get to the "big rock" you are almost on the front side of the mountain where all the attractions are located. As I am running towards the Antebellum Mansion I noticed all these tents in the yard area. Apparently, they were having some sort of re-enactment weekend. A park policeman was escorting four confederate soldiers across the street as I ran by. One of them was drinking a coke. I am guessing it isn't a 100% authentic re-enactment. I was a little too slow on the camera to capture that one although here is a shot of the tents. You can somewhat make them out I suppose.
Not long after you pass the mansion, there is a pretty big uphill. All sorts of little mantras generally help from chanting "I think I can" to not looking up and just chugging away until you think you are almost to the top to, well, MC Hammer (I am not proud, I am just telling the story). I do not know why this song popped in my head. I promise you it is not on my I-pod. All the way up this mountain (and oddly again as I am typing) Too Legit to Quit is running through my head. I opted not to break into dance. I made it up that hill because apparently I am .... too legit to quit. Who knew?
The end of 5-miles, back to the car.
As suspected, when the alarm went off Saturday morning to meet with my group, I decided to go with Plan B which was running on my own later in the day. Around 9:45 or so I arrived at Stone Mountain for the 5-mile loop. Stone Mountain has some serious hills so it can be a mental challenge if you aren't fully motivated to run (which I was not). I brought my camera along to entertain myself.
This is my starting point. Check out the heart rate (59). I must have still been half asleep. Oh, and I am not sure why my hand looks like a Shar-pei puppy.
I decided to go around the back side of the mountain first. There were quite a few runners, mostly walkers and a few bikers out there Saturday morning but it is still peaceful. I opted to go without my I-pod this time. My Dad always tells me he gets lost in his thoughs and it helps the miles tick by. Before today, I always thought... ummm right. I think I need some thoughts pumped in my head via the I-pod but, he was right, it really wasn't bad.
A scene from the backside of Stone Mountain. They have traffic diverted in the back so the cars only go one way. The other lane is running and biking. I also saw a roller blader out there which is unusual.
I made a pit stop along the way to take a picture of the "big rock". No, not THE big rock as in Stone Mountain but the big rock that I spent many hours playing on as a kid. It earned its name because it was soooo huge. Well, that is the way I remember it. Today, it is kind of comical because it seems so small. For benefit of family and friends who know the rock of which I speak, here it is:
Here it is again from another angle in case it didn't look big enough in the first photo. I took a picture of myself in front of the rock to give it scale but I am not a pretty runner. I opted not to post it; I have my pride.
By the time you get to the "big rock" you are almost on the front side of the mountain where all the attractions are located. As I am running towards the Antebellum Mansion I noticed all these tents in the yard area. Apparently, they were having some sort of re-enactment weekend. A park policeman was escorting four confederate soldiers across the street as I ran by. One of them was drinking a coke. I am guessing it isn't a 100% authentic re-enactment. I was a little too slow on the camera to capture that one although here is a shot of the tents. You can somewhat make them out I suppose.
Not long after you pass the mansion, there is a pretty big uphill. All sorts of little mantras generally help from chanting "I think I can" to not looking up and just chugging away until you think you are almost to the top to, well, MC Hammer (I am not proud, I am just telling the story). I do not know why this song popped in my head. I promise you it is not on my I-pod. All the way up this mountain (and oddly again as I am typing) Too Legit to Quit is running through my head. I opted not to break into dance. I made it up that hill because apparently I am .... too legit to quit. Who knew?
The end of 5-miles, back to the car.
Friday, May 2, 2008
I have GOT to get back on the program
Today is officially an OFF day according to my GFA plan. It feels like every day this week has been an OFF day which is a problem! As I sit here now, I feel tired and not too enthused about getting up at 6:30 am to meet the group for a run. I am 80% talked out of going at this point (yes, I have lots of conversations and debates with myself - too many...). I feel confident though that if I do not go with the group I will make it to Stone Mountain. This week's scheduled run is 5 miles which is once around the mountain. I think sleeping in a bit and a nice run by myself (and my 8 other personalities) might be just what I need.
I don't really want to mention work here other than to say it has been hectic and stressful lately and today was no exception. In fact, I am probably going to go in tomorrow to try and get to some level of "caught up". Exactly why a nice, solitary run around the mountain sounds so appealing.
Guess what I did tonight?? Yep - TENNIS! Another T2 match with Joan. So far not much luck this season, we lost in 2 sets (6-4, 7-6). At least I did get some form of exercise in for the day.
I received my copy of Wingfoot this week. Wingfoot is the publication of the Atlanta Track Club. I joined earlier this year so I could get an advance entry to the Peachtree Road Race. They also host several free races throughout the year so it is worth the small fee to join. There were pictures from the Atlanta Women's 5K in the magazine one of which was of my tennis friend, Sarah.
According to the photo which was taken post-race, it would appear that Sarah does not sweat. Not fair! Every strand of hair was in place and not a drop of sweat. I am not sure if we can be friends anymore :) Side note, Sarah is also training for a triathlon. She is the one who told me about the event at Callaway Gardens. Maybe I can catch her sweating there. If not, I will have to pretend I do not know her (or maybe she will pretend not to know me - I will be a sweaty mess to be sure)!
Not only did I miss the Minnie Marathon weekend but I found out that this year is the last year they are having the event! The horror!!! I will never have a Minnie Mouse medal for my collection. (OK, I guess you can't call the one medal I have now a collection but there will be others...) I learned this while blog surfing tonight. It is a terrible addiction. It is surprising how many blogs are out there from self proclaimed non-runners, runner wannabes, and all other assorted categories of runners and triathletes in training. All very inspiring... Some have so many readers that companies are giving them free stuff so they will talk about it in their blog. I want to get in on that program!!!
I had a big DOH! moment earlier this evening. I can't do the Race for the Cure next weekend because I have a tennis tournament that runs from Thursday to Sunday. What was I thinking??? OK, I could do the run if we get eliminated but the plan is to win the finals! *SIGH* Maybe the time for the Saturday matches will be later in the day. The tennis tournament is a lot of fun and a great cause - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I was also looking forward to the Race for the Cure. In fact, I just received my number in the mail today. Bummer!
Two weeks to Myrtle Beach! No, not a big race. No, not a tennis tournament. A long weekend at the beach AHHHHHH! Wonder what that will do to my running schedule? It occurs to me now that if I don't go to the group run tomorrow, I will miss at least 3 weeks in a row of group runs. Not good... Maybe I will get up and go with the group tomorrow after all.
I don't really want to mention work here other than to say it has been hectic and stressful lately and today was no exception. In fact, I am probably going to go in tomorrow to try and get to some level of "caught up". Exactly why a nice, solitary run around the mountain sounds so appealing.
Guess what I did tonight?? Yep - TENNIS! Another T2 match with Joan. So far not much luck this season, we lost in 2 sets (6-4, 7-6). At least I did get some form of exercise in for the day.
I received my copy of Wingfoot this week. Wingfoot is the publication of the Atlanta Track Club. I joined earlier this year so I could get an advance entry to the Peachtree Road Race. They also host several free races throughout the year so it is worth the small fee to join. There were pictures from the Atlanta Women's 5K in the magazine one of which was of my tennis friend, Sarah.
According to the photo which was taken post-race, it would appear that Sarah does not sweat. Not fair! Every strand of hair was in place and not a drop of sweat. I am not sure if we can be friends anymore :) Side note, Sarah is also training for a triathlon. She is the one who told me about the event at Callaway Gardens. Maybe I can catch her sweating there. If not, I will have to pretend I do not know her (or maybe she will pretend not to know me - I will be a sweaty mess to be sure)!
Not only did I miss the Minnie Marathon weekend but I found out that this year is the last year they are having the event! The horror!!! I will never have a Minnie Mouse medal for my collection. (OK, I guess you can't call the one medal I have now a collection but there will be others...) I learned this while blog surfing tonight. It is a terrible addiction. It is surprising how many blogs are out there from self proclaimed non-runners, runner wannabes, and all other assorted categories of runners and triathletes in training. All very inspiring... Some have so many readers that companies are giving them free stuff so they will talk about it in their blog. I want to get in on that program!!!
I had a big DOH! moment earlier this evening. I can't do the Race for the Cure next weekend because I have a tennis tournament that runs from Thursday to Sunday. What was I thinking??? OK, I could do the run if we get eliminated but the plan is to win the finals! *SIGH* Maybe the time for the Saturday matches will be later in the day. The tennis tournament is a lot of fun and a great cause - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. I was also looking forward to the Race for the Cure. In fact, I just received my number in the mail today. Bummer!
Two weeks to Myrtle Beach! No, not a big race. No, not a tennis tournament. A long weekend at the beach AHHHHHH! Wonder what that will do to my running schedule? It occurs to me now that if I don't go to the group run tomorrow, I will miss at least 3 weeks in a row of group runs. Not good... Maybe I will get up and go with the group tomorrow after all.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
My secret pre-match meal failed me...
I don't know how it could have happened but I lost in the quarterfinals tonight. I had my uncrustable, my red bull, my lucky outfit. What could have happened?? To quote Master Wong from Balls of Fury - I did not finish my lessons, I have no backhand (or didn't tonight anyhow).
Seriously, my opponent was extremely consistent. Very few errors. Did I mention she won the city championship last season? We had a lot of long rallies, it was really a matter of who had the most patience. Clearly she did. :) It was great to get that far; I made it to the final 8 out of 64 players in the playoffs, not too bad.
It took me one hour and forty-five minutes to get to her courts! I left at 5:00 and pulled in to her subdivision at 6:45 - that is Atlanta traffic for you... Luckily the ride home was only an hour (still a long drive but seemed much shorter after the ride out there).
No other activities to speak of today. Hopefully, now that I am out of playoffs, I can get back to a regular workout routine. Tomorrow is supposed to be a day of rest according to the GFA plan so I might take that advice and get back on schedule Saturday with the group run.
Side note, Brooke did get voted off American Idol last night... Jason Castro (dreadlock guy) needs to go next!
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