Another Sunny Day!

After the snow squall that blew in Sunday, the sun came out in full force yesterday, and melted it all. All the snow/slush/dirt makes this the messiest time of year for dog-walking. Muddy slush gets kicked up onto their bellies, so when they lie down on the floor afterwards, they leave a mud body "footprint." The joys of living with doggies!!

Yesterday, I swam for 70 min: warm up, drills, then for my main set: 3x600 with 60 sec rest. I finished up with some of my do-it-yourself breast stroke! Hey, I must be doing something right, because I get to one end of the pool and back just fine! :) :)

In the afternoon, I went for a 4.72 mile run -- it felt so great!! I think I might be turning into Forest Gump or something -- I just want to run all the time this year. Yesterday was also the first day of my new core routine. I've been following a Runner's World core routine for the last month. The first part of the program calls for 4 weeks of planks, side planks, etc. Now, for the next three weeks I am in the "dynamic phase"! Hell ya baby, I am a regular dynamo now!!! :):) :)

I also have this secret burning desire to do a chin-up -- I have NEVER done a chin-up in my life! SO, yesterday I managed to pull myself so my elbows were bent at a 45 degree angle. hahahaha! Every day I am going to try it -- when I finally do one I am going to throw a party!!! Then of course, the plan will be do to 2 chin-ups.

Today looks like it is going to be another beautiful day. :)

Long Run Sunday

I LOVE my long runs on Sunday. I mean I really, really love them! I get so excited about my weekly long run, I have trouble getting to sleep -- just like pre-race jitters. I lay out my running clothes the night before, and get my water bottles ready and set by the door. I get up every hour (it seems) to pee and I make sure to keep drinking throughout the night. It's so funny -- but I look so forward to my Sunday long run. It's like my treat at the end of the week -- my body gets stronger, I can run further and further!

I am falling in love with running long distances. Today, I ran 17 miles. I was thinking to myself: You know, only 9.2 more miles and I would have run a marathon. What's 9 miles? 6 miles is my regular 10K run, and after that it is only 3 more miles. There are many times when I am running, I just want to keep going! I don't know, the way I am headed, there might be an ultra race in my cards maybe next year or so? Hmmmm.

I do need to update my iPod playlist -- any suggestions? Here are a number of tried and true songs off mine:

1. Hands Clean - Alanis Morisette
2. Ray of Light - Madonna
3. Right Here, Right Now - Jesus Jones
4. Sinnerman - Nina Simone remix
   
5. Soar - Christina Aguilera
6. Stronger - Kanye West
7. Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
8. Sweet Dreams - Tori Amos
9. Closer to Fine- Indigo Girls
10. Bright Lights - Matchbox 20

Easy Saturday

My coach, Greg completed Ironman Malaysia in 10:37:32!!!!!! Seventh in his age group and 35th overall -- WOW!!! Congratulations Greg! The heat and humidity just could not beat him down! (I liberally "lifted" this pic of Greg competing from his good friend, Susi - who was kind enough to post it!) Thanks to Susi for all her hard work in updating his fans!!

Saturday is my free day -- so I tried to sleep in. I always get up around 6:30am anyways though! The day started off fantastic with a phone call from my two best buds in England -- Jason and Cath. Cath is an avid triathlete and I think Jason is going to be someday . . . somewhere in the future. I keep hearing things like he's getting fitted for a bike -- but not too compete; and how he is learning to swim -- but just to keep Cath company; and running now and again -- just to stay in shape. You better watch out, Jase -- you are a prime target for the tri-bug!! Hahahaha! Cath is an amazing swimmer and loves triathlon as much as I do! Can't wait to see you guys in a few weeks!

The sun was brilliant today, but the wind was starting to pick up again. I won't be doing my long run tomorrow outdoors. :( I like to get up at about 5:15am-5:30am to just get out the door and run, and the sun ain't that brilliant that time o' the morning. I can't wait until summer is here. Sigh.


Diva and Toby did get to go on a nice walk today. I thought I'd post some pics of what February looks like in the Crowsnest Pass. Diva found a stick along the way, and proceeded to carry it for most of the walk. This road winds through the Frank Slide. It is an isolated spot especially in the winter and prime doggy-walking territory.



Here is a picture of Turtle Mountain. It is a mind-boggling spectacle any time of the year. A large chunk of the mountain split apart and literally fell down in the wee hours of the morning on April 29, 1903. 90 million tons of limestone rushed down the mountain and spread out across the valley in 90 seconds. Approximately 70 people were killed. Today, the highway intersects the slide -- it is an awesome sight to drive through and see a blanket of far-flung boulders -- some as big as a Hummer (hee-hee!) on either side of you. I had a friend who worked at the east end tourist hut for a couple of years, and she told me the funniest comment was by a man (I REFUSE to reveal his nationality!) who asked, "How did the slide miss the highway?" HAHAHAHAHA!! Allright -- he was from Texas -- but I have had my share of dumb-dumb moments too! hee-hee!


I never get tired of looking at the mountain -- the best scenes, in my opinion, are to be found during early summer mornings. If you catch the mountain when the light has that special quality of rose-pink -WOW!! The limestone somehow captures and diffuses the light in a special way. I'll step outside my house (in Frank) and look at my hand, and it's pink -- the sidewalks are pink -- everything is pink! It is a surreal experience.

There are still deep cracks and fissures in the mountain. Occasionally you can hear deep rumblings or see a puff of dust as scree tumbles down. The sounds are deeply menacing -- they sound like the mountain is crumbling from within into the depths of the earth with this terrible groaning noise. What is especially disturbing however, is the troubling fact that your eyes can't reconcile with what your ears are hearing. For such a lot of racket you expect to see something!
The few times me and the doggies have been caught on the old road below the mountain when the mountain is talking, have not been very pleasant! Toby just takes off like a bat out of Honolulu, and I'm left thinking . . . is this it?

Turtle Mountain is closely monitored by strange scientific devices that sit atop the mountain, and researchers have assured us that the mountain WILL fall again one day -- not upon the new town of Frank, but into Hillcrest. Just when this will happen is anyone's guess. Still, if you ever get a chance to hike Turtle Mountain - do it! It is a beautiful, non-technical hike, and the deep chasms at the top are magnificent to see. The view of the actual spread of the slide is amazing from up top as well.

This afternoon, I watched the 2007 Ironman World Championships and kept getting all emotional! The stories of the individual athletes get me every time. Have great Saturday everyone! :)

Great workout day

First, I have to say good luck to my coach, Greg, who is racing Ironman Malaysia as I type this. I am continually checking on his and Susi's blog to see how things are going. Susi was kind enough to take and upload a few pics of Greg racing already!!! I am so excited for him -- GO GREG GO!!!

Today I had a fabulous workout day -- the sun was shining and there was little wind again! I swam for 70 min. Main set of 10x25, 10x50, 5x100, 10x50, 10x25. Then I decided to do a reverse brick -- heehee! It was so beautiful outside, I just had to get out there and run. I ended up going for 8.10 miles. After that, I biked ez for 70 min. I quickly headed to the gym to do my core routine and now I am pooped!!!

Keith -- I think I am one of those people who emit some kind of EMP or something! HAHAHA!

Cath -- I hope you had a wonderful 3 hour ride! I am jealous that you get to bike outside already! :) :) Nice to hear your Hamburg certficate finally showed up -- next one . . . Australia World Championships. I have a feeling I am going to be starting a nice collection of British Triathlon fleeces!! Hey -- I should get you some IM merchandise!

Bye all -- gotta eat then crash!

Bring Back the VHS!!!

Oh how I miss the good old days of the VHS. . . when I could simply press pause and the tape would (gasp) pause! Or if you accidentally hit a button on the remote, the worst that could happen would be a stopped tape. Not like now! First of all, do you know how many DVD players I have gone through? I lost count after 5. All of them stopped working for one reason or another. Here is a list of a few of them:

• One only plays certain DVDs -- don't know why, so I bought another one.
• One had to be propped up in a special way, usually with a DVD case underneath it to give it just the right tilt.
  
• The same one only responded to Mike's loving touch.
• Our newest one also likes Mike more than me --I will push buttons on the remote and the machine and nothing will happen. Mike waltzes by and it promptly works! He looks at me like I am crazy!!
• One just stopped working -- and it was more expensive than a WalMart special.

But the worst thing about DVD players is the amount of times you hit the wrong button on the remote and it sends you to the main menu where you have to search through the scenes just to get back to where you left off. Or if the disc isn't absolutely clean it just won't play. NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS EXISTED WITH MY OLD RELIABLE VCR!!!!!!

Fortunately, I do have a combo VHS/DVD player -- and guess what? The DVD side doesn't work anymore!!!! I have combed through multiple garage sales and accepted VHS tape donations from my sister who "updated" to a DVD player. I have quite the selection in my VHS library -- I just wish I could update it with newer movies. I've watched all of them many, many times - and you can't buy VHS tapes anymore. :(

For those of you who enjoy the technological superiority of a DVD player -- all the power to ya! However, give me a good old VCR any day!!!! LOL!!!!

Onto the workouts for today: Weights in the morning. Then I had a doctor's appointment . . . with Dr. Oetker that is!! HAHAHAHA!! I made some brownies and they were really, really good! Then I had a brick workout -- 1 hour 40 min. bike: warm up, one legged drills, cadence pyramid work, then more cadence work. Then a 30 min. run of 3 miles.

Good times!

:) :) :) :)

First Run Outside!!!!

Today was absolutely beautiful!! The sun was powerful, the snow and ice were melting, and there was very little wind!!! Can you believe it? Days like this are rare -- so I giddily went for my inaugural 2008 outdoors run. Mind you, the wind was blowing (just not as hard) from the west, so I had my neck warmer pulled up to my sunglasses. I am used to getting strange looks from people -- but the air is just too cold for me poor little lungs.

I actually got used to breathing with my face covered on my Nepal trek. The air is so thin and dry at 18 000 feet -- our guide and our porters covered their faces with bandanas and strongly encouraged anyone who had the slightest cough to do the same. At first, it felt claustrophobic, but it passed -- now I wouldn't dream of running outside with my face exposed (when it is blowing cold!).

Anyways, my workout today called for a 2 x 10min tempo pace after a 15 min. warm up. My legs were really sore and tight after the weights yesterday, so I warmed up for 30 min. instead. It was so beautiful, I just wanted to keep running. I ran sans doggies -- up one side of the highway and back down the other. On the return trip, it was positively blistering with the wind at my back. Neck warmer down, gloves off, and sunglasses firmly on. Ooh I can't wait until summer is here and I can run outside all the time! All in all I ran 7.21 miles.

I went to the gym afterwards (because I don't have a Swiss ball) and did my core routine. Plank is still at 2min 10 sec, but I got up to 45 sec for right and left side planks today!! After the core work, I then did some major stretching.

This morning I swam for 70 min. I like warming up and using the kickboard to strengthen my legs so I am always in the pool a little longer than I have to be. I do like tooling around after the workout too. I recently learned how to do the breast stroke from youtube, and I like to do the breast stroke at the end of a workout. It stretches out my legs and feels so good! My main set was 5 x 400 with 30 sec rest.


Meanwhile, after reading an article about "geriatric" dogs (heh heh!) I have been taking the babies out on two small walks a day. They had a great time outside with the sun shining. This pic illustrates why my Mom calls Diva and Toby, "The Bookends." Our evening walk was amazing with the lunar eclipse. Again, there was very little wind.





I tried taking some pics of the eclipse, but this was the best I could do!

Triathlon Song

I have been meaning to post this video for a while. It encapsulates what it means to be an age group triathlete!! Enjoy!!!