Milestone achieved!

OK, my friends, I'm here to tell you that good things come to those who try! Did my interval workout on the treadmill today. (As I mentioned before, it pushes me to run on the mill sometimes...even though today was so much warmer and I wanted to be outside.)

For the first time, I broke 28 minutes for 3 miles. Came in at 27:48. That was so much fun to see the seven! A major confidence builder. I wish there was another 5K coming up. Alas, not for a while. Next thing on the horizon is the Flushing 13.1.

So, now, I have to keep my promise to Joe. I told him when I achieved this goal, that then I would start putting the treadmill on an incline. This makes my Achilles unhappy, but I must train it to deal with hills. Next week we (me and my Achilles) begin.

Feeling strong.

Feeling skinny. Well, skinnier anyways. Have to fit in the blue dress in less than two weeks. So, that has been additional motivation to eat well.

Who has some low calorie, low fat, healthy snack ideas to offer? I'm soooo hungry now that I've increased my activity level.

Keeping up with the Joneses.

So, this morning was supposed to be my track workout day. Instead, I am taking it as the rest day. Running hard on Sunday and swimming hard on Monday had me feeling pooped out this morning. And it is going to be an endless day. So I'll do the run tomorrow morning instead.

Generally speaking, I am a fairly competitive person. I do my best to keep up with my lane mates in the water. And I always pick someone out ahead of me in a race to try to pass. But when we swim side by side, I turn from a fairly competitive person to a driven person. Lisa didn't even use the word race yesterday. But immediately I was in race mode when she said to swim together. I love the feeling of the water rushing by. I love feeling the strength in my legs when I kick like crazy. I love looking over at my "opponent" when I catch a breath and seeing us dead even and know I need to keep my head down and drive for that wall. And I love that feeling of touching the wall just a fingernail ahead of her. (At least a couple of times.)

We did this 10 times yesterday. What a great start to what is sure to be an epic long workweek!

Now, I need to be able to do that without fins. And I need to catch up to my other buddies who have moved into lane two. So my work is cut out for me. Hang on girls, I'm coming!!!

THREE Lousy Seconds!!!!

That is all I needed for a new PR this morning. I'm both thrilled and annoyed. Came in at 28:36. Much colder today...some 20 degrees colder than two weeks ago. And windier. (Is that a word? It looks strange. And after two glasses of wine tonight, darned if I can find the spell check. Oh well, you know what I mean.)

But that is nothing. That is one second per mile. That is being more aggressive at the beginning and not waiting for an opening to pass people. That is making my own opening. That is starting with the faster people to begin with. That is moving left and right as the road bends to one direction or the other. That is wearing less clothes. (That one was for you Barbara....wore too much again today.) That is not letting those hills psyche me out. That is digging deeper in the final tenth of a mile. That is arriving earlier to warm up. That is sustaining my faster pace at the two mile marker just a few yards longer. That is staying focused on driving my hips forward more consistently.

That is sooooo doable the next time!!!!

Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming...

So, yesterday was a fabulous swim workout! Swimming makes me so happy, I stay that way all day!!! We did some kick/swim sets...that was fine. I concentrated on my form. Felt good. Felt like my form was reasonably good. Breathed both sides even. Then the speed work started.

Concentrating on form when trying to swim your fastest is a lot harder than when the speed doesn't matter. And my oh my, the shoulder knew all about it by the time we were done with all that fun! And it was simply too cold yesterday to apply ice to any body part. My hair had frozen to icicles by the time I got to my car. I was not applying ice to my shoulder. Nope. No way. No how. That of course was short-sighted...I was miserable by bedtime.

And speaking of bedtime...I turned the light out at 10:13. Very excited. That gave me exactly 8 hours and two minutes until the alarm was scheduled to rudely awaken me this morning. But that was OK since I was looking forward to the beginning of the RunSmart program. I was motivated to get there early and put in 3 miles. My clothes were all laid out and ready to go.

Fast forward 12 minutes. Phone rings. This is never a good thing to have the phone ring after 10 PM. Sure as the world, there was an emergency in Shirley. I offered to go with Joe for moral support and keep him awake on the road. He generously told me to stay warm and get some rest for my 10 mile run in the morning. Well, I stayed warm, but I didn't get much rest for worrying about him. Not to mention the stupid shoulder hurting. (Still no ice applied...after all, I was doing my best to stay warm!) Poor Joe came back home around 2:30, God bless him. And even after he was safely burrowed under the covers with me, I still couldn't sleep.

So, I missed the kickoff of RunSmart, much to my disappointment. And then the mental battle began. This fitness stuff is a constant workout for the brain as much as any other body part. I missed the group. But I should. It's cold. But I should. I'm tired. But I should. I deserve a rest day. But I should. No one will know. But I should. But it's REALLY cold. But I should. But what's the point on the slushy roads, my time will suck. BECAUSE I SHOULD...I HAVE A GOAL...NOW GET THIS LAZY BUTT UP AND GET READY TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL...

OK, I'm dressed. That is step one. A couple of bites of granola bar. Some water. Pee, etc. Check the gear and napkin supply. 25 minutes later, I'm out the door. And yes, it was REALLY cold. And the roads were really slushy. After a mile or so, I started to loosen up and found a less slushy road with some traction. By mile 3 though, I was back on a messy, slippery road and the mental gymnastics started all over again. Wanting to turn around. Forging onward. Till mile 5 when I could have made my way home and ended at 7 miles for the day. Nope, right turn, forge onward. Just keep moving. Just keep moving. Finished up at 9.77 miles. OK, a little short. Probably should have done one last loop around the block, but by the time I was within sight of the house, I lost the battle with myself and came inside to the warmth and my darling husband waiting to make me homemade waffles for breakfast because he was proud of me going out and doing it on my own when I soooo didn't feel like it. What a lucky girl I am!!!

So, two days in a row, my mantra had to be to Just keep swimming/moving. Tomorrow is Caumsett where it will likely be the same to try to grab a new PR for a 5K. Tall order. But I'm ready to give it my best shot. 28:34 is the current best 5K from two weeks ago on a flat course. This will have hills. Just keep moving, just keep moving....

Holy Frozen Tundra Batman!!!

Very pleased to report that Mindy and I got our run in today...we were lucky and could plan it for the light of day for a change. That may have helped by a few degrees, but it was still only 22 out by the thermometer. And with the substantial wind, who knows?

It's tough to run in the cold, but it is so much more tolerable with a good buddy. I thank God for Mindy at least twice a week!!!

Learned another new stretch at PT today. One that had me making some unattractive noises as Don nudged the arms in a certain direction. This is one of those cases of "No pain, no gain." In order to gain mobility, I have to stretch those shoulders...good grief, I never knew a shoulder was supposed to stretch so much. I've just always been so tight all my life, never knew it could be any different. This whole PT experience could be life-changing!

When working with the kettle bell, I have been counting in Russian. Seems appropriate to me. Funny thought for the day...I can do more than 10 reps since I can only count to 10 in Russian!

I've released myself from PT, for better or worse. When the insurance will only cover 30 visits a year and I have used 6 by the end of January, it is a source of great stress. Since I certainly don't need any more stress in my life, I'm going to give this a whirl on my own. I hope I don't regret it. We shall see.

Ice, Ice Baby!!!!

Today it felt like winter for the first time. Oh I was tempted to bag the run before the sun. But it is Mindy's birthday today....so I couldn't ditch on her birthday! That would be horrible. I didn't put Lola on, some I'm not sure how far I went...probably about 2 miles...and it took 30 minutes, gingerly moving on the ICE that coated the streets. On my return to the house, I was planning on doing more on the treadmill, then doing weights. But I was so painfully cold, I crawled back into bed fully clothed, including my hat. Stayed there for an hour and I'm still cold. Hat hot cereal and hot coffee, and I'm still cold.

Not even my purple sneakers made me feel good about the run today. Only meeting my very dear friend.

But check out these sneakers:
Aren't they fabulous???

Challenge for the day remains....to do my weights and core work AFTER work today. Always a challenge for me. I do much better in the morning.

Finding the Balance

Anyone who has known me has often heard me say that the hardest thing in life is finding a balance. Whether that balance is between work and play, family and friends, selling and servicing (in my particular career), etc. And this holiday weekend, my challenge was to find the balance between fitness and family. Both vitally important to my well-being!

Sometimes you have to alter your goals and plans to accommodate those around you. If the sun would come up a wee bit earlier, it would help immensely. Since I am not able to influence that heavenly body, or any other, there are only so many hours in the day to achieve my plans.

Thus I had to cut my "long" run a "little" short on Saturday and do 8 miles instead of 10. Now, I could have chosen to get to the preserve before my friends and do two extra miles in the dark. This did not seem smart. Or, I could have chosen to ditch my friends and do 10 miles at home on the treadmill. Dear God, that would be beastly. Or I could have chosen to ditch the run altogether and do it on my own on Sunday.

This last option was certainly tempting when I got up at 6:00 on Saturday...and everything hurt me. This is a common experience that everything hurts when I wake up. And some mornings it is truly discouraging. This past Saturday was one of those mornings. When you have to try three times to bend over to get one shoe on, you know it is going to be tough going. It only took two tries to get the other shoe on. And when I straightened up, already I was feeling better. A tip to any of you who suffer from lower back pain: sitting on the second step to do this grisly task is helpful, especially if you then raise the darn foot to the first step for the insertion and tying of the shoe.

Also psychologically helpful is if you have shoes which you love to look at. My current running shoes are a fantastic, fabulous purple. They make me smile just to look at them. I should take a photo of them and post here, perhaps they will make you smile as well. It is not possible to look at these shoes and want to sit still!!

But I digress. Back to my options Saturday morning. The best option was to see my dear friends and cut the run short to meet my other obligations for the day. I am blessed that they also were willing to cut it short and so I had company for the whole 8 miles instead of just the 4 out and would have had to do the return 4 on my own. A word about these most special women: Dana and Lauren. They are far better women than I am. Most Saturdays, I show up talking smack about paces, distances, negative splits and I'm the task master of sorts. They are pretty happy to just be out there, enjoying the morning, no worries if the second half takes longer than the first or we don't hit a target for the day. And if they are feeling sluggish, I'd leave them in a NY minute. This week, I was struggling to keep up with them, not for a moment did they think about leaving me behind...like I said...better buddies than me. I am lucky!!!

So, I did the 8 instead of the 10. I felt like I was cheating, but I know it was the right thing to do. After that I went about my day with other girlfriends, returning just in time to decide I was too exhausted to make dinner. So I really didn't see my family all day. Which is why I chose not to run the Sunken Meadow race on Sunday. I had really been looking forward to it. But it would have been another large time commitment to get all the way there and back. So again, finding the balance, I ran 4 miles at home to be true to my training, but not be gone forever to be true to my daughter.

After all, there were Junior Banquet dresses to be shopped for!!!

Today was the best of the three days as far as my training goes. Naturally, you should be expecting it to be a swim story. I love the swim. I love everything about the swim. The feel of the water as I glide through it. The sound of the bubbles. The sight of the tiles on the bottom of the pool and the flags above the pool. I even love the smell of the chlorine. Not so much the taste of the chlorine, so we will leave that sense out of the discussion.

After taking 3 months off from swimming, I have just returned recently. The shoulder is not 100% and I have been using fins as an aid to stress the shoulder less. Today I went without fins for quite a while. I was tired, that's for sure, but it didn't feel too bad. So I think I might just be able to return to my previous level of performance in due time. This was tremendously encouraging. Careful not to overdo it, I got out when they were ready to start the fast swimming sets...that would have been too much for sure...but ohhhhh, how I love to race....soon, I hope soon I will be able to swim harder.

Patience is not a virtue I have been blessed with. Maybe I'll write about that some day... :)

All Fired Up!

After my rest day yesterday, I figured I'd be all fired up to run intervals at 5:00 this morning. Well, I was sadly mistaken. I promptly turned that alarm off and went back to sleep for an hour. Started the day with shoulder PT instead. That is going well and we decided to cancel my shot for next Monday, which I am very happy about.

But all this means I had to run later in the day. Not my specialty. Finally got it in around 6:00 which kept poor Natasha from eating dinner until 7:00. Ran hard. Found out why the purple shirt was only $8.00 at JCPenney's...it simply did not breathe at all. I thought I would pass out. Or get sick. Or both.

I like the treadmill sometimes. Most people hate it. Many of my dear friends do vehemently. But for me, it serves a purpose. It keeps me at a steady pace. When I am running on the track or the street, I lose my focus and I naturally slow down. The mill forces me to keep pushing. Did my best time for 3 miles in a workout tonight. Nice. Another 8 seconds and I will reach a new milestone.

The time is coming down quickly right now. For years I was at the same place. Now, I've taken over a minute off of where I was in just a couple of months. This is a great feeling. I'm all fired up now and actually looking forward to what I can do on Sunday in Sunken Meadow. I've never run that course, and I know it has hills. But for a pleasant change, I'm not all worried about them. I think the interval training is making a big difference. Bring it!!

A Day of Rest

Much needed. Much appreciated.

But what to focus on??

Nutrition and Hydration of course. So, I've been a good girl all day. I did have a handful of potato chips at lunch...that wasn't so good. But nothing sweet. And I'm going to float away with all this water. But it is good to be drinking more again. I had gotten very sloppy after running the 26.2 and stopped paying attention to my hydration.

How much do you drink a day? And, what is your hydration choice?

Practice Makes Permanent!

Oh yes, this is what was told me today by my fantastic physical therapist, Don Rourke. (He really is terrific if you happen to need a PT recommendation.)

I made a point about when swimming with good form my shoulder and back hurt less. (OK, perhaps "good form" is a little strong. Perhaps "less crappy form" would be a better phrase.) And he got all kinds of animated. He says to me, "Right, practice makes..." Like a damn fool I say, "Perfect." I was wrong.

(walked right into that one!)

This is where I got my education for the day. Practicing with bad form makes the bad form permanent. Better to swim 300 meters well and get out, than swim 1000 meters but reinforce bad form. Bad form puts stress in places where it should not be. Bad form leads to injury. Bad form keeps injuries from healing. Bad form will not help you get faster.

Okay, Okay. I get it. Less is more if it is good quality. A good philosophy all around!

It takes discipline.

Ah, but this may not be what you think. Right away, you are probably thinking, "Oh, she didn't want to get out of bed this morning." Well, that is true of course. But that is not the discipline I am referring to.

Today was a swim day. And I'm so happy to be finally getting back to swimming, that getting up before the sun was not too bad. I ate my oatmeal, answered emails that came in overnight, (doesn't anyone sleep anymore?), took Natasha to school, and arrived at the pool at 7:00 eager to get started.

Lane one was open by 7:20 and I wanted to get right at it. However, I know I am not supposed to overdo it with this poor shoulder of mine, so I forced myself to wait until 7:30. We were scheduled to do a lot of kicking today, and that meant I could participate longer since that doesn't involve the shoulder. Bonus!

Using discipline comes when you are feeling pretty good, loving what you are doing, but knowing you must stop for the health of your body parts. The internal conversation goes something like this:

Wow, I'm feeling pretty good.
Maybe I could stay in for a couple hundred more meters.
No one will know.
It's not like anyone is counting the meters but me.
Ow.
I'm not supposed to do more than 1000 meters.
Well, let's see how the next pull feels. Then I'll decide.
Feels OK again. See. I can stay in.
How many did I swim so far again?
Ow.
OK, watch the form. It's all about good form.
Amazing, when the form is good, the shoulder doesn't hurt.
Form: steep entry, relaxed hand, pinky first, bend the elbow, ROTATE, pull, pinky first, brush the hip, keep the head down, high elbow, squeeze the abs, and for the love of God...KICK!!!!

Yup, I'm mentally exhausted even if not physically exhausted. Did 50 meters more than last time. That's fine I'm sure. Time to get out, using the damn ladder, which I loathe. It makes me look lame. Which I suppose I still am. So, out I go, even though I want to stay! Bye bye bubbles. See you Friday!

Runners Take Your Mark!!!

First race of the new year was today. And it was my first race in a long while without my beloved Joe there with me to run. He was home sick and I was so disappointed not have him waiting for me at the finish line. Funny how a little thing like that makes a difference. Certainly I'm fine to run a 5K by myself. But it is so much more fun when someone you love is there waiting for you at the end!

And especially today...I wanted a PR in this race. I knew the course was to be flat and straight. The only unknown was the dreaded wind. At Heckscher it can be devilish indeed. Today it was not windy at all. And the temperature was a nice 44 degrees. I got there in time to warm up, I was set to do my best. And then....

The bathroom line! New runners beware...you must leave a lot of time to hit the potty before the race begins. And this morning, I had to go. Drats. (What was I thinking having cream cheese on my bagel??)

Soooooo, I wasn't warmed up as planned. I jogged to the start, and just kept going through the dense pack of runners at the start. It took maybe a half mile before I got some breathing room. Not too bad, but still. Not what I had planned.

Lola was set to keep me between a 9:00 and 9:15 pace. (Lola is the announcer in my iPhone app.) My previous best time for a 5K was 29:00. So happy to report that I came in at 28:41 by my watch. (I've yet to log in to see the official results since it has been a busy day.)

What a way to start the year, with a new PR! Now the pressure is on for sure. It is time to get back on track. Less eating. Less wine. More strength training. More discipline all around.  I was so good leading up to the marathon. I kind of fell apart for two months after it was done. No fooling around. Woe to you those 7 pounds that have reappeared.

Reward for a 5K personal record? I think a pedicure is in order....let's see how long it takes me to get around to it though....anyone want to come with me? If I make a date, it will happen!

Fitness, Friends & Fun

Happy New Year! With the new year come lots of resolutions, lots of goals. I know I have made mine. I'm always so ambitious when starting fresh. And I guess a little overconfident as well you might say if you saw my list. Ah, but it will make 2013 so interesting!

Yesterday I renewed my commitment to run the NYC Marathon. This year it will take place on November 3rd if there are no natural disasters. And so today began my journey toward that end. Several friends have suggested I keep a fitness blog because they found my journey inspiring this past year. And so I will share my new journey for any who are interested.

It's odd to think of myself as inspirational to anyone. I've never been particularly athletic. And in fact, my Dad STILL laughs about my days on the Holy Name Track Team in 1980 for one season. In addition, my children find it amusing that they can run circles around me on the track. Yes, many people can lap me on the track and in the pool. And on the bike, forget about it! But perhaps that is the very reason that my story is fun to follow...I'm just an average person doing my best and occasionally surprising myself (and those who love me) with what my determination can accomplish.

It's not easy. And today's 10 mile run is a great example of how the toughest part of a fitness program is sometimes not physical at all, but psychological. Dana and Lauren and I set out at 7:00 on our usual path agreed on a distance and not worried about the pace. The weather was not as dry as we would have liked, but it was plenty warm for January, so we didn't complain. After the first mile, we fell into a comfortable pace and chatted freely about all the things that working Moms chat about.

By mile 3.5, I was ready to turn around....seriously not feeling like doing 6.5 more. Outloud, I made this point. In my head, I was cursing myself for sharing my commitment with the world. When will I ever learn that this gets me in trouble?? But you see, I am a classic extrovert. I process outside of myself. To me, something is not real until I have spoken the thought to someone else. And the scarier the thought, the more people I must share with. It's just the way I'm built.

Now, these women know me pretty well after all this time...so they just let me complain and we agreed that we would re-evaluate at 4.5 miles. Before we knew it, we were at 4.0. And then 4.5 was just one short story further. At which point, I was determined to go the 5.0 before turning around. Somewhere in that 1.5 miles, I got my head screwed on straight.

At the turn-around, we checked our watches and picked up the pace for home. Even with a quick potty stop in the woods, we still managed a negative split overall. And were sprinting for the (imaginary) tape the last half mile. (Naturally, Lauren won...she is the fastest among us.) We finished feeling great and so glad we had done the entire 10 miles.

So my thought for the day is this: It is worth toughing it out. Train the brain and the body will follow! Don't give up!!