More lessons learned...

Yesterday I attempted to pass the employee fitness test. I had to run/walk (run is the operative word here) 1 1/2 miles in 19:30 -- should be easy enough -- yes?
Well, I missed it by 18 lonnng seconds. Geez... What did i learn?

one: I need to run in the afternoons at least once a week. Much hotter and higher humidity than early mornings.
two: hydrate!!! I failed to do this and suffered. I know it is only a mile and a half but I am a beginner and running is hard for me.
three: I need to run the course used in the test a few times ... it has more inclines than my route near the house. (or find a course even more challenging)

The next testing date is in April -- I WILL PASS the next time!!!

Taking stock...

Let's see, I have been very lax with my entries. I had hoped to use this blog to track my progress. It is difficult to see improvement if my entries are months apart. The Sundancer Adventure race has been postponed until 'Spring 2009' - unsure of even what month this event might happen. We will see...

My running is improving, I can feel it. I may not be the fastest on the planet but I am moving along a bit quicker than in the summer. I can maintain for longer stretches -- 20 minutes is very doable for me now. I am still aiming for 30 minutes continuous. With my gym opening closer to 'work, I can now use my lunch hour with the treadmill or the life fitness equipment for strength training. I am still a bit inconsistent with 30 minutes 5 days a week and maybe 2-3 times a week getting in a second 30 minutes during lunch. I am sure that 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes at lunch could speed up my improvement towards my fitness goals.

I have read somewhere that if you write down your fitness goals - they become more 'real' and you have a better chance of obtaining your goals. So hear it goes... my immediate fitness goals:
1. To run 30 minutes continuously.
2. Lose 15 pounds (down to 130)
3. Run a 5K in under 40 minutes.

Next, my goals in 6 months:
1. To run a 10k
2. To ride my bike in a metric century (March 2009)
3. Wear a size 8.

My goals in one year:
1. To run a half-marathon
2. To ride my bike in full century

Ok - now that I have written it down, I can concentrate on the steps ahead to achieve these goals. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other.

Livestrong.

Lessons Learned...

Two things I learned this morning... number one: I must remember to drink some water before I head out on my morning run. (or at least bring water bottle with me) and number two: starting my run later means much hotter temps! Today is day off from work so I slept in a bit - thus instead of heading out at 5:30 am my feet found the pavement at 7:30 am -- two hours is a HUGE difference in the heat factor. By the end of my run my legs were getting VERY wobbly -- kinda scary actually. When I got back to the house I sat on back porch and got the liquids back in me... Running later also meant more traffic on the streets. I didn't like that so much either. Well, hopefully I have learned my lesson this time. I really, really need to drink some water before I head out and maybe even bring a water bottle too. Was almost 80 degrees by the time I was halfway through my route. I felt very sluggish early on but I didn't put two & two together to see I was pushing it on an empty tank. My legs are starting to come back so I will add my canine partner tomorrow morning (@ 5:30am) and begin kicking it up a notch. Livestrong!

my favorite bike jersey

This is my favorite jersey that i own... so much fun!

I think it is important to have fun on my bike -- not just be commuting to and fro OR training for a race. The sheer joy of riding cannot be overlooked. When I saw curious george jersey I couldn't pass it up. Livestrong!

Against the wind. . .

Makes for a difficult ride to work this morning. I did not realize how much wind was blowing this morning until a mile or so into my ride. At this point I realized I was working very hard and not much speed was happening. The trip into town took 10 minutes longer than normal and I felt every minute! This string of thunderstorms every day is creating havoc on my commute. When I arrived to work I went online & discovered the winds were 10-12mph WSW -- a headwind the whole way -- hopefully, this translates to a tailwind going home. We can hope :-)
I do not mind riding in the rain, thunderstorms are a different matter. We shall see how the afternoon falls, I just might get lucky and enjoy a repreive from the weather on the journey home.

Livestrong.

Good easy run this morning...

Finally pushing myself back into excercise groove. Getting tired of seeing the roll above my waistband. I am still signed up for Sundancer Adventure Race October 4th so it's now or never if I plan to be in shape for this race. Actually, this morning was pretty nice although a warm 80 at 5:30am! I wore a regular t-shirt and sweated something fierce. The "keep dry" shirts work so much better I will try to remember in the morning. (Tomorrow is bike day) I will start the dog running with me again soon but I need to get my 'legs' back a little before I take on the long legs of a labrador. :-) Hopefully in couple weeks I will be ready for my canine running partner again. Livestrong.

My other 2-wheel ride

My other ride is a 2002 Honda Metroplitan Scooter, it is a 49cc load of fun! With nearly 100 miles to the gallon this is definitely one super way to get around town. Today on the way home from work thunderstorm hit with a vengence -- thank goodness for rain gear. I have discovered that I need rain booties or something I was dry except for my feet and my hands. The coming week there are 3 days I have to drive a car :-( -- and the week following also. But then the rest of the summer is open for 2 wheels almost every day!

Vacation is over...

Darn,it was so nice to wake up whenever -- no alarm clocks being rude and disturbing our slumber. This morning everything returned to the world of timeclocks -- oh well. Commuted by bike today after a long absence... $4.00+ per gallon of gas is enough convincing. I don't HAVE to drive a car to work -- so I choose to go by 2 wheels! Actually this morning was not too bad, This Afternoon was HOT!!! (93 degrees) -- There is a hint of rain "out there" and I felt a nice tailwind shortly before arriving home. I took my time as it has been awhile and actually my travel time wasn't too shabby. I finally replaced my helmet mirror as the old one never stayed in postition (I would look and see the sky, my panniers, anything but the traffic behind me -- scary) I also have a new rear light I plan to install on to my rear rack... being visible is soooo important! My legs are feeling it at the moment but I am know the soreness will be ok as long as I drink enough water and stretch it out some. Livestrong!

Training is going along finally

I have finally started training again. This week I have managed to stay with it even with unusually cooler temps in the morning. My motivation is simple, I have signed up for the Sundancer Adventure race which occurs one week before my 50th birthday. (Also, I tried on some clothes I really liked but my fat rolls made them look horrible!) Now the trick is staying with the running. The bicycle training comes with commutes to work (plus one long ride on the weekend) I also need to add 2 weight training sessions a week to build up additional strenght and endurance. The Sundancer is six months away I have enough time to prepare. Now stay injury-free and illness-free. Livestrong!

Time just flies when you let it...

I admit it, I have just not done anything for two months now. I think I have allowed myself to get bummed out and I just stopped doing anything. No running, no riding, nothing. Geez... time to get off the pity pot and get going.

2008 is rolling along already

the year is starting off slowly, I have not ridden very much so far and I have run just a few times. After looking at this year's race schedule I have made my choices. April 5th is the Sunset 5k I will do again and I will try to improve over last year's time. Since this was my first race I really hope I can get it together and find a way to find my stride. For cyclist in me, I bought a new bike jersey for fun -- curious george on a bike how fun is that?
Livestrong!