Cycling is not for the timid!

I had a wonderful weekend with great weather and awesome workouts minus one little setback.  On Sunday when it was time for my bike workout I found myself procrastinating.  I took my time getting out of bed, normally I’m up and at ‘em by at least 7am on the weekends.  I started watching a documentary on the metal music movement in Norway in the 1990s and I even got most of the way through this before I realized what I was doing.  I thought since when do I care about metal music movements in Norway and how is this enlightening me in any way?  I was avoiding going for a solo bike ride even though it was a beautiful day.  I love to ride outdoors but if I don’t have one of my usual crew to accompany me I tend to dread riding by myself. 

So instead I got on the bike trainer.  Which although effective and still accomplished my mileage goal for that week is quite dull compared to a bright sunshiny day.  I am not normally a timid person, I am very outgoing and love to be outside.  Then why is cycling so intimidating to me?  First there are the cars you have to be prepared for.  There are also now cops on the street I frequented giving out warning tickets to cyclist because apparently that road is closed to cyclists.  There is the need to know how to look over your shoulder when you are going to cross a street to get into the turn lane, while at the same time not veering into the car lane in this attempt.  Then there is the water bottle that I dare not drink out of while pedals are moving.  Don’t forget the pedals, that even though I’ve conquered, every once in a while I might still fall if when I reach down to the ground with the unclipped foot I get a sudden painful cramp in my hip that throws me off balance.  Then there are the other cyclists that if I try to ride in a group I’m not familiar with, if they are truly cyclists and not triathletes, are very comfortable riding elbow to elbow with you sharing spit as the yell stories to you.  But for some reason when I ride with one of my two riding buddies (my dad that only visits on occasion or my ex co-worker) I take the lead and all that intimidation goes away.



Oh and btw that screen is so old I have to hit if I want it to stop scrambling so I can read the outputs...



 So I ask why is it I can’t be that confident on my own?  I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now (with some sabbaticals in between) so I’m not exactly a newbie either.  Silly I know.  I have decided my action plan for this is to join a local women’s only cycling group that claims to be friendly to all levels and abilities.  I need to put myself out there.  I find that a lot of times finding training partners can be a lot like dating.  You have to make sure you are compatible, live near to each other, are ready to commit, No? ok maybe I’m going a little over board.  How do you ride, solo or in a group?  What things do you find intimidating about cycling or if nothing how did you overcome it? 

I comforted myself after this by shoe shopping.  Excited to try my new all terrain running shoes that I got at a killer deal ($29), the trick is buying last years model.

Spring is in the air!

Internet is back and running at home, yay!  My precious little monster of a dog decided I needed to take a break from internet and television.  As I sat there one afternoon watching a show I noticed the TV started shaking then I realized she was on the outside tugging as hard as possible on the cable.  She had also chewed through a big chunk of it!  Luckily the cable guy was nice enough to write it up as a damaged cable.  Anyway, so it has been a great week for my training and I feel really good and hope to keep the momentum going.  Spring is in the air!!! 

First things first I had a blast with family and friends at the running clubs Green Dress Run this last weekend.  My brother is mainly a cyclist and commutes everywhere on his bike and an introvert so it is amazing when I convince him to go to these with me.  My dad hasn’t run in years and mainly rides his bike also.  I am so proud of him for getting out there with us and for taking steps to a healthier lifestyle.  He is the one that first introduced my brother and I to the triathlon world when he started doing them in the 80’s and I will always appreciate that!  After a bad knee and toe he has struggled to stay on top of it but I have faith and confidence in him!  I never realized how much of an impact triathlons would have on my life.  As a 13 year old running in the Ironkids nationals I only new it was hard work and why couldn’t I just be doing something else.  They have this picture of me running grabbing my neck and stomach, I was always a drama queenJ.  Now I thank my family every day for introducing me to the world of sports and an active lifestyle!  Saturday was a 4 mile run with 2 very HARD hills but I loved the feeling of pushing myself.  I was in anaerobic mode most of the run, even the downhill I only got back down to zone 4.  Sunday my dad and I went for a fairly flat 34 mile bike ride averaging about 20 mph which I felt really good for my first ride of the season on the road.  Monday I used as my day off.  Today I will be going to lift weights then to my first day of swim class through the university (kind of like a master’s swim group).  I’m pretty excited for all this! 

Upcoming races:



5k Will Run for Beer

World’s Toughest 10k



10k Run for the Zoo

5k Will Run for Wine

Jay Benson Sprint Triathlon



She always has to help!



I’m just having fun getting back into shape and am enjoying the people I’m surrounding myself with!  When I lack a little bit of motivation I either call up a friend to join me or have my little Motivation Station I look at every morning now!  Last but not least I’m really excited about a new find in my local area.   I have found a place that delivers weekly baskets of fresh, organic, local produce.  I am very happy with how fresh everything is and there are some new items I’ve never cooked with before.  I look forward to trying new recipes.  I can’t say it enough I am so happy spring is here, even if it means putting up with some wind for the next couple of months.  See you out there!



Framed our 1st Marathon Together.....



Rice Artichoke Salad

This is a recipe I adopted from a packaged rice box that wasn’t originally vegetarian. 

2 cups rice

4 cups vegetable broth

2-3 bottles of marinated artichoke hearts, chopped (reserve the liquid)

25 green olives (chopped)

2-3 celery stalks (chopped)

Garlic Powder or if Fresh about 1-2 cloves crushed

Curry Powder (to taste)

4 stalks green onion (chopped)

½ bell pepper (chopped)

½ -1 cup Vegenaise

Cook the rice following the directions on the package using the vegetable broth, I usually add extra spices to the broth for extra flavor (garlic, allspice, pepper, etc.)  Once the rice has cooled off mix it together with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl, this includes the liquid you reserved from the artichoke hearts.  You can use mayonnaise in place of the Vegenaise if you are not vegan and if you want to use less then what it calls for you can replace ½ of it with plain fat free yogurt or up the spices like curry powder.  This is super easy and always a hit at dinner parties. 

Happy Friday! A joke to start the weekend right!

This one never gets old!  As a personal trainer I remember people's favorite question was "You make me do this so you can laugh at how ridiculous I look right?!"

Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

________________________________
MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!!

Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring!

Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!!

________________________________
TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me.

_______________________________
WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for that early in the morning and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying.

My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair master. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other sh*t too.

_________________________________
THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late - it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny ***** to find me.

Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.
_________________________________
FRIDAY:
I hate that b*tch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.

Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damn barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich.

The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the
drama coach or the choir director?

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SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her voice made me want to smash the machine with my planner; however, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel.

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SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little sh*t) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!!


What is your funniest workout story?  Have you ever tried to encourage a friend to exercise?   I had a guy that when I was doing a squat assessment as I walked around to the back I realized every time he squated his shorts came open along the entire seem along the buttox and he had decided to go commando that day!!! 

Identify Your Barriers to Success.

Those who know me well know I’m not a morning person; I wake up one and a half hours before I have to be at work.  Not because it takes me that long to get ready or because the commute is horrible but because I need a good half hour of just sitting in front of the TV, not listening, not talking to anyone, just veg’ing before I can be expected to communicate in a manner that would be considered appropriate for my chosen profession.  So this morning as I sat there thoroughly enjoying my leftovers from “El Pinto” Mexican restaurant I thought to myself, “Wow, green chile first thing in the morning really helps wake me up!  But man those extra calories in this half of burrito are really going to weigh me down the rest of the day!”  Even though I knew I was going to regret eating that burrito I still did it, why?  So I did a little bit of research and the first article I stumbled upon was from NPR and discussed the similarities between drug addiction and over eating:   http://www.npr.org/2010/12/01/131698228/overeating-like-drug-use-rewards-and-alters-brain

Then I thought to myself ok so then how are we supposed to tackle this because I think by now we all know dieting doesn’t work and if it is a lifestyle change that we make then do we need to attend regular “meetings” to ensure we stick to this lifestyle change?  There has to be an easier solution right?

So then I found this article:  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=19464

With a few helpful tips such as:  Don't do it alone. Get help. If you choose to discuss your goals with others, choose people who want you to succeed.  Plan ahead and set limits for yourself.  But I think one important piece missing from this article for me was Identify Barriers to Success.  For me stress and boredom are usually my biggest barriers to success.  We all know that as soon as we are stressed is starts this vicious cycle where we eat poorly and slack on our exercise at a time when we need it the most.  My two biggest stresses in life are: fights with the bf and when I do something wrong at work.  Now how do I tackle these two things?  First, I need to learn from my mistakes at work and instead of thinking it’s the end of the world just calmly take notes when I’m being told why something was wrong and let it go.  Second, I am convinced if I text less there will be less fights so I will strive to only text the bf 5 times a day which at the current rate of about 30 a day will be a huge improvement.  Also we are both stubborn headed and let’s call it passionate when it comes to arguments.  If I feel myself starting to become irritated or angry I will attempt to put the argument on hold until after that day’s workout.

Now on to brighter topics, today’s workout will consist of a 15 mile flat course on the trainer that will take about 30-40 minutes followed by some ab work and stretching.  I will concentrate on doing 3 miles at a cadence of about 80 and 1 mile at 100. My goals for this week are to get a quality workout in 3 out of the 4 days left in the week.  With a track and swim workout on Saturday and hopefully a nice outdoor bike ride Sunday, it will be my first ride off the trainer for the season! 

How about you what are your Barriers to Success?  What is your goal for the week?

Way to go! How do you motivate others?

Some  people in my life assume it is easy for me to exercise and maintain my goal weight.  No, I work hard to be an “average athlete” and to just be able to finish some events.  Our company recently had sign up sessions for a Spring Into Motion program that is supposed to help motivate people  to become more active.  I was bombarded with questions like “Why are you doing this?”  “I wish I could look like you.”  Well, guess what I’ve gained 12 lbs over the last year and I haven't had a PR in longer than I care to admit.  I could always use motivation and everyone can improve no matter what their fitness level is.  Also try hanging out with a bunch of triathletes and runners, I am at the bottom of the fitness level there J.  It’s all relative right. 

Some of my favorite questions and comments I’ve been subject to and what I wish I could say back:

“Why do you want to torture yourself with all that running?”    Guess what some of us enjoy running!

“I could never do a marathon.  It would take me a month to finish that.”  How do you know if you’ve never tried.  I use to think the same thing until I got off my butt and did it.

“I could never be vegetarian I would pass out from not getting enough protein especially when I workout.”  Well, let’s see lentils, garbanzo beans, nuts, soy beans all have enough protein to make sure you meet your daily requirements.  I did  Ironman training on my vegetarian diet with no negative consequences.

“I lift weights, I do 12 oz curls.”  And you are bragging about it?

“You people are crazy!”  If that’s what you want to call it, then sure I’m crazy!

“All that exercise can’t be good for your body.”  Ok I decided to delete my response to this one I don’t even want to think thoughts that mean….

“I never have time to exercise.”  I don’t either but I make time and I schedule it, make it a priority!

“Why are you vegetarian?”  Why not?  I don’t go around asking people why they are meat eaters and they would probably take offense to it if I did. 

“You always have the back seats of your car down, is that where you hide your cases of power bars?”  Yes, because I live solely on PowerBars and water.  Really!

“Exercise is done against one’s wishes and maintained only because the alternative is worse”  George Sheehan

So even though part of this post may seem to have some negative connotations, the point I wish I could make to some is that we could all use support, motivation, and understanding.  Don’t assume that something is easy for anyone.  I love to exercise it makes me feel good but I wish I was better and I will never stop trying to improve.  I struggle daily with food choices just like everyone else and guess what sometimes you will see me with a slice of pizza in my hand or a bowl of icecream!  My favorite feeling is when I’m in a race and we all yell out words of support as we pass each other, “keep it up, good job!”  The best is when the leader of the pack actually has the breath and time to say it back or when I started walking in the middle of a really steep race and a girl that came up behind me didn’t give up until she convinced me to keep running even if it meant I was just shuffling.  So get out there and motivate each other!  I love my sports and hope I can share that enthusiasm with the next person I run into.  I’m sure those of you out there that exercise even more than me have some outrageous stories.  What are some of your favorite questions?  What are some of your favorite ways to motivate others?