Eating Journey

Entries categorized as ‘exercise’

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

November 10, 2009 · 8 Comments

I have posted about the 7 Tri Lessons I have learned and I came across one of my favourite songs while starting to write this little bloggie.

Work It
Make It
Do It
Makes Us
Harder
Better
Faster
Stronger

Any guesses?

So how am I going to Work It for my next tri in Feb?

TRAIN

training scheduleEAT

Doesn’t that sound obvious? You should eat when you’re training.

However, coming from eight years of dieting and worshiping a scale…I am learning LEARNING to embrace the idea of intuitive eating. I don’t really have much more to write about this, because I am not an expert.

I still struggle fall back into ‘Old Michelle’ ways. However, what I have learned is that I have to FUEL my body. My body is a bit messed up right now and I have to live a damn clean diet because of my health issues. However, I can still overeat on healthy foods–bring on the peanuts :)

I am no longer eating to lose weight, I am eating to fuel.

ENJOY

I am still blown away at times from the comments that I get for you.YOU. and YOU! Thank you for letting me share my journey with you all.

I am here to enjoy it.

I am FINALLY doing exercise for the enjoyment of exercise.

How do you work it harder, better, faster, stronger?

~M

Categories: exercise · food/diet · health · idea · list · thoughts · training
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7 Tri Lessons

November 9, 2009 · 17 Comments

I have posted about how I got into the Tri, how nervous I was to do the Tri and how great it was to FINISH the Tri.

finished

But what have I learned from the tri?

1. You have to properly fuel: On the day of the race I only ate about 1 1/2 pancakes and 1 banana before the race.

foodI was STARVING afterward and ate the same amount right after the race. I came home and had the WORST headache for about five hours after the race. Nothing that food and water and sleep could cure. I need to eat more substantial things when I got home– a green monster and nuts weren’t enough. I am still learning how to properly fuel. Shifting my focus from losing weight–to fueling for my fitness.

2. H2O: I only drank about 2 c. of water before and after the race. I had about 2 squirts of water while I was racing and it was a hot day. WATER. WATER. WATER. I know that is the reason I was so de-hydrated and zapped afterwards. However, when you come from a ‘losing weight’ mentality, water is seen as extra weight in my old mindframe.

3. Kick and Plow through during the swim: I am not someone who likes or takes pride in inflicting pain in other people. However, what really slowed me down was the swim. I wasn’t ready for the swim and I really wasn’t ready for the fact that you just have to plow your way through people.

4. Have a mantra or two up your sleeve: This goes for anything in life..have a negative thoughts ‘fire blanket’. Snuff out those negative thoughts.

grandmaMy legs were tired 1/2 way through the bike ride and it was getting warm. I just kept saying to myself ‘Smash it! Your Grandma survived so can you. You are a strong machine’. I said it out loud to myself…say it to believe it…it makes it much more powerful then just running it through your mind. Give it energy.

5. Lazer Zap People: Focus on someone in front of you that you want to get past. It works every time. I had fun lazer zapping people on the bike ride.

6. Train: I could have never done this race without the training that I did. It may seem like a lot when you first start, but you can’t underpin the value in training.

7. DO IT AGAIN! I have two races, 5km, with my family when I go back to visit in November. I also have my second Tri planned for Feb 2010. It’s a huge one! 750m ocean swim/ 21km bike / 5km run. It’s basically THREE TIMES bigger than what I just did.

These are some of the thing which I have thought about in the past 24 hours. It has been a journey and I am loving every single reflective and awesome flashback moment that I bestow upon myself.

Have you ran a race? Made it through a hard time in life? What have you learned?

~M

Categories: exercise · idea · list · thoughts
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TRI-Star

November 8, 2009 · 40 Comments

I did it..I didn’t stop once..I completed my FIRST TRIATHLON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok, maybe it was a mini-tri.

Do you remember that just THREE WEEKS ago I decided that I was going to do the Pink Tri which I participated in today. Just three weeks ago my friend Madi decided that she was going to do it with me as well.

Three weeks of training, three weeks of wondering what we were doing..to have a GREAT sense of accomplishment.

This is what I fueled up on today: 3 gluten free pancakes and 2 bananas–1/2 eaten before and 1/2 eaten after the tri.

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We were so nervous…we got lost on the way there and Madi had to call her mom at 6am–sorry Mom. But we got there and got painted up and ready to go.

P1013313P1013314We then headed over to the pool to scope out the group of participants in the longer race. I know that I said I was going to do the longer race, however, I decided that going the medium amount of 200m swim/7km bike / 2km run was a better start for someone who had never done it before.

It was good for us to check out the scene, know how they swam and transitioned. We then waited and I had to take care of some girlie stuff–why does it always come on race days. The last race that I did this happened as well..my body is out to get me!

We got all kitted up and had to take one last picture before RACE TIME!

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We were ready. We had our tags on our legs and I had to try my shirt on before the race of course.

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The Pink Tri is a series of Mini-Tris around Australia which are for women only and raise money for Breast Cancer. I signed up for the race for my grandmother who faught Breast Cancer and won in the early 1980s. Not only did she win, she healed the shoulder which had limited movement as a post-operative situation which was partially due to the way in which her surgery was done. This wasn’t through more surgery–it was through intensive and painful massage. My grandmother is the strongest woman I know.

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We got into the pool and instead of doing laps, you went from one marker to the next–basically an ‘M’ shaped–equaling 4 laps. I am not a strong swimmer–and have only started swimming in the past three weeks. It was overwhelming starting as a group of 10. I got cut off, kicked in the face, etc. There were much slower people that I had to navigate, my arms were tired and negative thoughts started jumping in my mind.

I quieted them.

Got out of the pool ran–IN MY SWIMMING SUIT–down to my bike. Chucked on lyrca pants, socks, shoes, headband and helmet and my pink shirt from above.

The safety pins popped off…so I had to re-do my number.

I get to the place where I could mount my bike and my damn chain had fallen off. I didn’t panic, because I knew that I could fix it. I just put my hand on the chain and with the help of a organiser I was able to get going. Greasy hands for the whole bike ride and run–this is after I had tried to wash them off. I also got grease on the sweat band that I had on my arm and then rubbed it across my face–AWESOME.

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I bolted. I didn’t want to leave anything behind..I want to pour my energy into the bike. I did. I kept saying to myself ‘Your grandma didn’t give up, so neither or you. Smash It. You are not tired, your legs are only warming up‘.

I got through the bike and started the run. It was hot. By that time it was about 9am and the sun was beating down and we were running on grass. Hot, steamy, grass. And it was TWO LOOPS–anyone find it hard to loop? I rounded the first loop and there the finish line was staring at my face. Grrr.

I just kept running. Repeating that ‘I can, I will, I am. Running across that finish line is gonna feel amazing, so you gotta keep going‘

I saw the finish line and bolted. I didn’t want to leave anything out of my body that I couldn’t give. Crossing the finish line was such an incredible experience. There I was, running a freaking Triathlon. This was FOR ME…for me only. For no one else, but for me :)

Madi was in a different group of starters so she was behind me, I cheered her on and I was so proud of her.

DONE! HAPPY! FEED ME!

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The results:

  • Overall time: 41:24 :) I was really proud of that. I had written on my hand 40…and I told Madi that I wanted to get in the low 40’s for the race today.
    • Swim (200m): 5:24
    • Bike (7km): 23:43
    • Run (2km): 12:16
  • 6th out of 43 in my age group
  • 24th overall out of 233 participants in my run

I am really proud of how things ended up. I say to anyone–go out and give it a TRI!

This has been such a journey for me. I am ok with the journey I am on. Madi said to me today, after we were talking about training for the huge triathlon in February, ‘Michelle, I no longer eat because I want to lose weight. I eat to fuel for my exercise‘. This is where I am focusing the rest of my journey.

What’s one thing in your life that you must get done before you die?

~Thank you for your support, it has meant so much to me. M

You have until 10am Eastern Time to enter into my Giveaway for an awesome charm trio…can’t wait to read your entry. :)

Categories: exercise · health · thoughts
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I Gave it a TRI ~Katy

November 2, 2009 · 9 Comments

I am on my last leg of a crazy weekend (I am sure of it) driving the last few kms in a huge bus full of Americans. I am probably going through massive blogging/twittering/FarmVille withdrawls…it isn’t normal…for most people. Anyways, here’s the last blogger takeover. I love Katy.

Can I just say that I LOVE Katy at SillyTaterTot. I basically love that she’s real and I love that I want to eat her blog title everyday. We don’t have tatertots in Australia, I knew something was missing in my life.

I also look up to her as well, because she’s a TRI star. That’s right, she inspires me when I don’t want to bike/swim/run. She’s here to share her experiences with her journey into Tri training. Even if you haven’t ever ran a Tri (like me) finding a mini-tri (like me) and working up to a huge one (like Katy) is a great goal. I am a little ADD when it comes to exericse and the notion of switching it up throughout a race appeals to me.

~Michelle

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I Gave it a TRI ~Katy

Hi everyone! My name is Katy, and I write about food, fitness, fun and furballs on SillyTaterTot. Like you, I am in AWE of Michelle’s eating journey, and am really excited to be able to share my triathlon story with you!

2006 was one of the best years of my life. I was working at a television station, planning a wedding to my college sweetheart (Lucas), had just bought my first house and was generally fulfilled and happy.

I say generally, because there was one thing holding me back. It was my weight.

And not just my weight, but what it prevented me from doing. I couldn’t run, didn’t have the energy to walk my dogs more than a mile, and even finishing a step class at my gym was tough.

I found myself at a crossroads — or a sizeroads, if you will. I’d outgrown my size 14 pants and the next step was either into a plus size store or Weight Watchers. I chose Weight Watchers, and a year and a half later, I’d dropped 40 pounds and started a much healthier relationship with food.

But guess what? Still couldn’t run. Still couldn’t walk the dogs. And the step class? I’d slink out of the gym halfway through. I was what my dear friend MizFitOnline calls “skinny fat.” I wanted to be skinny fit.

I went to my first triathlon and saw the faces of the people as they crossed the finish line. Despite the heat, the pain and the drama of the competition, they were smiling, crying and had something I didn’t have: pride in an accomplishment.

I signed up for a super-sprint distance triathlon before I even had a bike or had run a mile, and decided then and there that I was going to become a triathlon. Trained and trained, one excruciating mile at a time, and finally crossed my first finish line. The super-sprint is an incredibly short distance event, and I think I finished in 45 minutes. It was the first time in years I’d exercised for such a long time!

(Brave of me to post a bathing suit picture, huh?) It just took one triathlon to become hooked. I started signing up for every event I could find, taking on the slightly longer sprint distance events.

It didn’t always go well — check out this video that my dear husband captured during a race that took me off course, both literally and figuratively:

If you can’t hear what I said at the end, it was “oh my gosh, I ran an extra mile!” I’d gotten lost on the trail and had to double back. I’d had a miserable transition (as you can see, I took my sweet time getting on the bike!), had forgotten my snack and much, much more.

The high I felt after each event — whether I performed well or not — is something I’ll never forget, and I’ll constantly chase. It’s dangerous to search for new competitions in the days immediately following a triathlon, but doing that led me to sign up for my first 5K and two half marathons (which I’m currently training for.) And recently, I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon, which is a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and a 5.6mile run.

My tips for getting started?

  • Just jump in. If you’re not a swimmer, get in the pool once a week and start to build up your stamina. No one cares what your stroke looks like — I’ve seen people do backstroke, float to take a break, doggie paddle and much more, even during events!
  • Don’t buy before you try (tri!) — borrow a road or mountain bike for your first race. The road bike isn’t essential, and if you’re not going to fall in love with the sport, it’s better to find that out before you drop the cash on a bike and gear.
  • Speaking of gear, if you are going to do a lot of cycling, make sure you invest in a good pair of padded bike shorts, a helmet and a bike pump. Learn to change your own tires. And, when you’re ready, consider getting cycling shoes. I did my first three triathlons in sneakers, and I was fine. But now that I have my shoes, I would never go back.
  • If you’re not good at training on your own (my preference), find a group in your area. I guarantee you that there is a club, through your local running equipment or cycling store, or even through your gym.
  • Sign up for a race and tell everyone you know that you’re doing it. Post it on your blog. Put it in your Christmas letter. Don’t keep it to yourself, because then it’s too easy to back out.

I hope you’ll see from my story that anyone — anyone! – can compete in triathlon. I’ve met cancer survivors, great-grandmothers, single fathers, teenagers and more at events and during training. I have found an internal drive that I never knew I had, and the best part is that it all adds up to that complete happy and HEALTHY person I always wanted to be.

Now I blog about my (mis)adventures in triathlon training, healthy living and more at SillyTaterTot.com, and I’d love to see you there and on Twitter.

Categories: exercise · health · list · thoughts · weight
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‘Balance: Health, Life, Study’ ~Ali

November 1, 2009 · 3 Comments

I am currently away, driving a bus full of American Study Abroad Students. Why, Why do I sign-up for these things? Anyways, I’ve asked some great bloggers to help me out while I am away in the middle of nowhere entertaining, un-entertainable 20 year olds. jk-kinda.

This is a GREAT from Ali @ Let the Sun Shine In! about balancing out study and healthy lifestyle choices–I NEED THIS–cause I am going back to school next year. What am I thinking? I think this southern hemisphere is making me loopy. Ok…read away. ~M
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Balance: Health, Life, Study ~Ali

Hello Eating Journey readers!

My name is Ali and I hale from Let the Sun Shine In! The lovely Mish asked me to do a guest post for her and of course I said YES! We discussed briefly a few things I could talk about and now, here I am!

I should give you a bit of background before I jump right in. I am currently in my last year of college in Wisconsin. I love my school but I am definitely ready to go see and do things in my life. I don’t know what that may be now, but I have roughly six life plans :)

Anyways, my major is Community Health Education, so I know a lot about health and wellness. My coursework has included nutrition classes, fitness classes, anatomy and physiology, as well as stress management and sexual health promotion. It is so broad but that is why I love it!

I also like to be active and eat well. Some of my favorite activities are running, spinning, lifting weights, nature hikes, and walking for leisure (with a friend especially!). I love all kinds of food; however the one thing I despise is CILANTRO. I can eat it sparingly but I had a bad encounter with it in Costa Rica when I ate some ceviche covered in cilantro. Let’s just say it was not my favorite dish. In any case, I love all other foods and I enjoy the experience of eating and cooking for/with others.

Which leads me to this post.

When you are in college, the demands can be over-the-top. Often you are getting up at the crack of dawn to either study more, workout, get to class, etc. Then you have a day of on-and-off classes, then work, and finally you come home only to continue working on homework until very late at night. It’s exhausting and can be so detrimental to your health.

So how do you balance this stress-filled lifestyle?

Let me give you a few of my tips:

  • Make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep (yes I know that ‘they’ suggest 8, but let’s be real…)

sleep-learning

  • Workout when you can.

exercise

    • If you are an early riser, get up and go!
    • If not, wait and do it between classes- because, honestly, who gives a sh*t if you look sweaty in class- not me and maybe that makes me gross but I’m going to let my freak flag fly then…).
    • If that doesn’t work, go after classes or work, or even late at night (go walk on the treadmill and read some trashy magazines- it’s very therapeutic :) ).
    • If none of this works, recruit a friend to go with on a weekly basis.
    • Eating right and saving money is hard, but you can do it.

    heart healthy diet-saidaonline

      • We aren’t given a lot of options in terms of eating well on a cheap budget, but for god’s sake stay away from the junk! You will perform better if you eat better.
      • Buy sale produce, look for coupons (because I know you have time. Especially if you just stalked your friends on Facebook for an hour.)
      • Buy canned beans and rinse them before eating them- then season them up and have a hot steamy bowl- they are a complete protein :)
      • If all else fails, just be sure that you are eating portion sizes (I believe there are two servings in one bag of Ramen noodles!) and getting some fruits and veggies in during the day.
      • Prioritize the things you want to do, and the things you need to do. Then for the things you need to do, use the 15 minute rule.
        • Work on your stuff for 15 minutes and then walk away. Do something you want for a bit, then come back and work on it for another 15 minutes. This works especially well for those of us who have no self control when it comes to blogging, twitter, Google searching, youtube-ing, etc.
      • Don’t pressure yourself to do perfectly in school or in your personal life.
        • I always try to do my best, but when something doesn’t always work, or I get a bad grade, I try to remind myself, *“is this going to matter in one year?”- Most often the answer is no.
        • If it is yes, then you must vow to do well the next time.
        • When in doubt, just take the next small step! *My parents always ask me this- thanks for putting things in to perspective guys <3

      So there it is. It might seem like I have it all figured out, but believe me, I don’t. I have days where I can’t do what I’d like to do (note that I am not saying should…its ok, and you don’t have to should anything- get what I mean here?) but I know that in time I will do it.

      Be safe, have fun, and enjoy life. You only get one!

      Categories: exercise · food/diet · health · list · thoughts
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      Half-Way ~Jen

      November 1, 2009 · 3 Comments

      I am currently driving a bus full of American Study Abroad students in the wine region of Western Australia. I have asked some great bloggers to provide guests posts for me.


      I have chosen and eclectic mix of guest posters baby-sitters this weekend, because they all have different stories, passions, loves, JOURNIES. I found Jen through my friend Esther and I LOVE JEN! She is a holistic package of real-ness (is that a word), hilarity, honesty, funniness (is that a word) and creativity. (you must check out her photography site. If When I get married, I am flying her out to take my photos).


      Have fun reading Jen’s post. She is a ball of greatness and I am go thankful she was willing to post up on my site! ~M

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      Half-Way ~Jen, Ex-Hot Girl

      Well, hello everyone! The lovely Michelle has asked me to do a guest post on her blog while she’s out on vacation. I’m flattered!

      So… many of you might not know who I am. My name is Jenn and I am also known as “Ex Hot Girl.” I am a photographer, and a crazy chick who’s losing weight in the Midwest.

      What I’d like to talk about today is being halfway through the weight loss journey. Many of us are just starting out; some of us have only 5 pounds to go. For me, I’ve lost half the weight I need to in order to reach my goal.

      Tracker

      42.4 pounds lost.

      42.6 pounds to go.

      Wow.

      It is both joyous and sort of daunting at the same time. I feel really happy, and also kind of sad that I still have so much further to go. It got me thinking about what happens now that I’ve gotten to that halfway point.

      1. I feel really good about my weight loss thus far.
      2. I fit into clothes I haven’t been able to for two years.
      3. I look back at photos of myself and can really see a difference in my face and body.
      4. I feel more confident in every area of my life.
      5. My relationship with my boyfriend is even better because I have more confidence and feel more comfortable with my body.
      6. My sex life is better. Read: Less wobbly bits!

      All of those things are positive ones! But there are also some things about losing weight, and not being to the goal yet that aren’t necessarily good things.

      1. I tend to loosen up on my diet. I am smaller, and experiencing all the good things that go along with it, so I feel like it’s “okay” to eat a cookie. Or, yeah, I’ll have a piece of pie. Or, my personal vice… cheese and crackers. I could sit down with a box of Ritz and a block of cheddar and go to town for a few hours. Seriously.
      2. I slack off on working out. I’m doing so well, and my body is okay right now, it’s not “crucial” that I get to the gym today…

      I can’t figure out exactly what it is about being halfway there that makes me feel like such a slacker. I reached this point by being dedicated to eating well and controlling what went into my mouth. I had “no thanks,” down to an art form.

      Do you guys find that reaching your mini weight loss goals makes you more motivated, or more slackerish? ‘Cause I struggle with this one.

      SO! I’ve decided to come up with a little motivation plan to keep me on track through the remainder of my weight loss journey. Whether you’ve lost five pounds, fifteen, or fifty… if you have further to go, maybe this will help you too! And if you have any other tips or tricks to add to this, please share them. I’d love to hear your advice. :)

      1. Keeping photos of myself at my goal weight on the fridge, on my phone, on my computer desktop. If you haven’t been at your goal weight yet, find a photo of someone around that weight/size and it might motivate you more.
      2. Keeping my skinny jeans in plain view. I have them on my dresser, and I look at them almost every day. Every few weeks I’ll try them on just to remind myself that while I fit loosely into my size 14’s and can squeeze into a 12… I still can’t zip up those 8’s, so I’m not there yet and it’s not time to eat carrot cake.
      3. Watching shows like The Biggest Loser, Diet Tribe and You Are What You Eat (BBC) – it reminds me that physical activity helps to make you stronger and it will increase the effectiveness of your diet plan in losing weight. The success stories are motivational!
      4. Keeping active in the weight loss blogging community. Blogging about my journey, reading other people’s blogs and participating in challenges helps to keep me on track.
      5. Along with that, participating in the Bloggerhood of the Traveling Not So Fat Pants. This one is a huge motivator because I’ve got a pair of 14 jeans that are going out to another woman in a month. I need to be in my size 12’s by then so I can follow through on my commitment to her. On that same note, she’s working hard on her weight loss plan so she can fit into those 14’s I send her by the time they get to her.

      So there you have it! My little motivational tips. I’d love to hear what else you guys do to keep you motivated on your weight loss journey!

      Thanks for having me, and I hope you all have a kick-ass Halloween. :)

      ~Jenn (Ex Hot Girl)

      Categories: exercise · food/diet · health · list · thoughts · weight
      Tagged: , , , ,

      Before I go…I have to tell you this

      October 30, 2009 · 10 Comments

      I have had such a great day!!!!

      One: Halloween Party for kids

      P1013221P1013222P1013224That is Lochlain, My Date with an Astronaut. He came as a superhero. The little girl is so cute. I looked at the picture and thought to myself ‘is this foreshadowing my future?’…Then I panicked.

      TWO: I RAN A mock TRI TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      As I wrote previously, I decided 2 weeks ago to run a triathlon for women here in Perth. Anyways, I have been training, bought every gadget for swimming and got on my bike. I am LOVING IT. Madi and I decided to do a test run today of the medium distance for the tri. 200m swim/ 7km bike/ 2km run.

      Pre-pictures:

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      We biked and ran into the wind. But to be totally honest I felt really well. We finished the whole thing–DIDN’T STOP ONCE!

      I have decided that I am going to go for the long run!!! I AM GOING TO DO THE LONG RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP! 300m swim/9km bike ride/3km run.

      I just want to say that I am REALLY proud of Madi. She biked 7km last night, ran 3km and did BodyPump and then did this for the Tri. I can’t believe her. She’s amazing.

      Post-Tri pictures. excuse me: I look like a moron.

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      THREE: Beautiful Sunset on the way home from the tri test. This is where I live. I am blessed.

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      Ok, as I wrote earlier (my morning) I am driving a bus down south with 20 American study abroad students. Starting after this post, the HOSTAGE situation of my blog is in full swing. Please come back throughout this weekend to see these awesome bloggers post away!

      • Joanna (because she listened to my advice and cooked mexican food)
      • Jack Sh*t, Gettin Fit (cause he kills me–in a good way)
      • Ali (cause she is a college student and I need to kick back into that)
      • Jen (she is the best damn photographer ever, and she’s losing weight)
      • Katy (one of my fav bloggers)
      • Amanda (she’s real, diverse and I down to earth)

      I am sad that I am not going to be here to see them up. I WILL respond to all comments when I get back.

      Gonna miss ya!

      Have you watched a sunset lately?

      ~M

      Categories: exercise · list · thoughts · travel
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      Rub Me Down

      October 27, 2009 · 3 Comments

      I am sitting here praying that the clock moves just a bit QUICKER.

      why?

      Cause I have a massage scheduled at 3pm today. I can’t WAIT. My triceps are so sore..they’re aching. Like it’s hard to pick-up a coffee cup.

      Since I went running last night, I am taking tonight off. I have to finish decorating a cake for my co-worker and then baby-sit (birth control) a cute little 3 month old tyke. I love kids, I love babies. But I am NOT ready to have any yet.

      This morning, cause I don’t have any rice flakes left and/or rice milk I had a fruit salad w/ 10 almonds and 1 tsp. flax seed.

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      Lunch was Potato Leek Carrot Soup. This stuff is amazing. It’s soul-food and healthy.

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      I also had one carrot w/ 1 TB peanut butter and 1 orange. Another scant TB of peanut butter may have snuck it’s way in today as well.

      Ok..post to come tonight of our baking adventure. It’s gonna involve multiple kinds of chocolate and maybe, fingers crossed, cut out chocolate shapes.

      How do you un-wind?

      ~M

      Categories: Breakfast · exercise · lunch · thoughts
      Tagged: , , ,

      Unexpected

      October 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment

      Tonight, even though I had posted that I was going to rest today, I went for a hot sweaty run. It was 7pm…it’s getting hot here..let me tell ya.

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      It felt good to move. It felt really good. The run was unexpected, but more so what came back into my life.

      Unexpectedly someone from my past entered my life tonight who I did not expect to hear from again.

      They have caused me great pain, great sorrow, great joy, great love, great growth.

      What I had wash over me was an unexpected sense of peace, forgiveness, and perspective.

      Sometimes in our lives, there are unexpected events, moments, clarity, frustration which help us grow.

      Unexpected forgiveness–I’ll take that any day.

      Has anything unexpected happened to you which has impacted you?

      ~M

      Categories: exercise · thoughts
      Tagged: , , ,

      Coach Annie…I’m gonna need a massage

      October 26, 2009 · 14 Comments

      Today has been a bit slow..but I guess that’s how it goes on a humid/rainy day in the middle of spring.

      I ate an orange and about 2 tsp. of organic/natural peanut butter, before heading out to have one of my favourite lunches at Cafe 55. Chan Chua.

      P1013165

      It’s a homemade sweet and sour broth w/ fresh veggies, TONS of chili and rice noodles. My tummy loves it.

      I snacked on 1/2 c. apple sauce w/ 1 TB peanut butter and 1 carrot w/ 1/4. c. skinny hummus. I have been snacky all afternoon–I think it’s avoiding work..really. Opps. I may have bought a Pepsi Max.

      I gave my original triathlon training program to my co-worker Annie to look at. Did I mention that she has ran an Iron(Wo)Man. She’s amazing. A great resource.

      My original training program now w/ modifications

      • Monday: Run REST
        • 15 min run, 1 min walk, 10 min run, 5 min walk
      • Tuesday: Run: 15 run, 1 walk, 10 run, 5 walk
        • Swim and Bike
        • 1.2 km swim (4 x 300m w/ 1 min rests)
        • Bike (10 min steady, 20 minutes of intervals: 2 min hard, 30 sec easy, 5 minute cool down)
      • Wednesday: Swim and Bike
        • Swim: 1.2km 300 warm-up (50swim/50drill/50sw/50pull boyou/50sw/50kickboard) 2×200m w/ 40 sec rest, 4×100m w/ 20 sec rest, 2×50 cool down
        • Bike: 10 min steady, 20 min intervals (40 sec hard, 20 sec recovery), 5 min cool down
        • Swim
        • 1.4 km swim (4x 350m w/ 1 min rests)
      • Thursday: Bike and Run together
        • Bike 30 minutes and 5km run–gonna do them together
      • Friday: TEST RUN
        • 200m swim, 6km bike ride and 2km run–all in spandex baby
      • Saturday: REST
        • Run 20 min run, 1 min walk, 6 min run, 5 min walk
      • Sunday: Run
        • 25 min run, 1 min walk, 10 min run, 5 min walk

      Today I was supposed to go running, but my body is SCREAMING at me to stretch out. You know the soreness where you can’t sit on the toliet..yeah that kind. Also my triceps..hurt to the touch.

      I just booked a massage..YES.

      I am off to the store to buy some yummy stuff for a friend’s engagement afternoon tea on wednesday. I will post the recipe for the most amazing and SIMPLE cake ever! If you like chocolate..you better stick around.

      Do you get massages? What are your thoughts?

      ~M

      Categories: exercise · food/diet · thoughts
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