March 30, 2009 (Happy Birthday Beth!)

A treat for me to stay in Virginia on a Monday, and its Beth's 17th Birthday! We had a great celebration last night (family of 5 missing one :( ). Her official party is tonight with her friends, I hope she has a great time.

I reluctantly got up this morning and headed off to Lifetime Fitness and did 5 miles on the elliptical at 6mph or 9:00 miles (about). It was a killer, but now that its done, I'm glad I did it in prep for the 10 miler on Saturday.

March 29, 2009

17 Years Ago today we had a bridal shower for my cousin Kathy and a baby shower for my sister Louise in Bethesda MD. So tonight I head over to Burke VA to celebrate (a day early) the 17th birthday of my niece Elizabeth. Wow! how quickly 17 years go by but what fun I've had with her and her siblings over every single one of those years. Happy Birthday Bette Boop!

I was happy to spend the weekend back in Fairfax, but I do wish the weather would have cooperated a bit more. The sun has finally come out this afternoon. Saturday morning I was with Sue for the CRT class at Lifetime - and this time she went nuts with the weight and our shoulders, biceps and triceps. I should be happy about that as I completed 8 miles indoors today (due to rain again) and my legs are now screaming at me.

Next Saturday is the Charlottesville 10 Miler - my prep run for the 1/2 Marathon at the end of the month. I've reconnected with one of my best college friends who says she will come down to the city to cheer me on (her daughter is in school at NYU). I hope the weather is better for the 2 runs ahead, but I've secured a rain jacket for running just in case.

March 26, 2009

5.5 Miles this morning on the elliptical at Fitness Pointe and it felt pretty good in terms of intensity. Scale is moving in the right direction, just trying to pass through another milestone in the next week or so. Should be a busy day at the office.

March 25, 2009

5 Miles this morning (mostly at 7mph) at Fitness Pointe in Munster, Indiana. If I could only run at that pace -- the the lack of pounding on your body on the elliptical really makes it quite a bit easier. I took a 2 day rest from the 16 mile weekend, but need to get back at it. I've got 3 lbs to get to another milestone and I've been less than stellar in watching what I eat. I'm committed to getting back on program to get those 3 lbs off so I can shoot for a different milestone.

Weather in Indiana is improving as spring arrives. Lets hope it holds.

March 23, 2009

Sunday started off with a 10K around Forest Park in St. Louis -- neither of us realized it was 6 miles around until we saw a marker from a running team. Kate and I did the first 4 miles as intervals of walk (3) and run(2) and if Lili had had her say, we would have run the whole darn thing! It was a pretty morning and there are lots of sites in the park. The zoo looks like a good place to return to if I end back up in St. Louis with time on my hands.

Quick change up and we drove out to Edwardsville, IL and were hosted at a great lunch by Debbie and Jimmy. There full family was in attendance and it was a great deal of fun. Back to the city in the late afternoon, and an early dinner down in the square with Kates friend Natasha. A good relaxing and fun filled weekend!

March 22, 2009

A great Saturday in St. Louis with Kate. The picture above was at the Budweiser Brewery right in town and we took a great tour which ended with a free sample (along with some pretzels). It was our appetizer to lunch where we headed to a great wrap/bowl local place that had one of the best chicken/spinach/pesto wraps I've ever had.

We went to 5PM Mass at the Basilica -- which was an absolutely phenomenal church. After a quick trip home, we headed out to gamble a bit and get some dinner. We had a good time both at dinner and the casino, but overall we left more money there than we came home with. Today I get to see Edwardsville, IL which I have heard about for the past 30+ years.

March 21, 2009

Welcome to St. Louis! The picture above is of Kate and me at the top of the Gateway Arch yesterday afternoon as part of my tour of the city. I'm here with the NCAA Wrestling Championship so there are lots of "guys" in town too. We had a wonderful dinner last night wiht scallops and risotto that was delicious. I crashed early on Kates...

This morning I woke up to do my long run -- was targeting for 10 miles and actually went 10.4 in 2 hours or a little under 12:00 per mile. Makes me pretty confident that I can finish the 1/2 in less than 3 hours if I push myself for the last 3.2 miles. I ran through St. Louis and down to the Arch and back and then 4 times around Lafayette Square which is right near Kates house. I think we'll go back again with Lili in the afternoon, so I might log a 1/2 today in distance.

March 19, 2009

A couple of good things have happened in the past couple of days:

• I completed 6 miles on the elliptical machine this morning in about 50 minutes. Thats the farthest I have gone in my morning workouts ever. I hope it helps me get to 2:30 for the 1/2 marathon in April.
• My work colleague commented on a new suit I was wearing yesterday by saying "It fits you" which I implied that she noticed my older clothes were getting bigger.
• In the health club this morning I listened to woman say that she was working to loose 5 pounds BEFORE she went on vacation -- a real key to how people maintain better, versus going crazy on vacation and then coming back and having to loose. Pay first sounds like a better way to go.
• I signed up for the Marine Core Historic Half Marathon in May in Fredericksburg, VA. Its the day after I get back from St. Louis, so hopefully it will work out.

These are all good signs when I was personally sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Wanted to reflect on them to get back onto the path to goodness. Stress still sends me to food, I continue to need to work on that!

March 12, 2009

New Shoes Today! I went to Fleet Feet yesterday in Schereville, Indiana and had a gait analysis and foot analysis to pick out the right shoe (Misty was awesome). I think I tried on 8 pairs of shoes till I settled with the Saucony's. I test drove them this morning on the elliptical for 5 miles and no signs of blisters coming back. If I like them after road wear this weekend, I'll probably go back and get another pair for Indiana and leave the new ones in Virginia! Not to mention that the prices seemed more reasonable than Northern Virginia too. There is a TREK Bike store next door, I may go by there tomorrow night to do some exploratory searching on bikes.

I could have gone to a Brooks brand (I now wear Brooks Arial), but it was like buying the same car in a different color, so I tried a new brand.

Snow showers today but no accumulation. Another night in Indiana before heading back to Virginia.

March 11, 2009

It sure is easy to get out of practice of blogging. Its been a good month in terms of fun and fitness. This past weekend I clocked 8 miles on the W&O Trail from Vienna to Falls Church at 12:00 per mile which was a PR for me. This week I'm back in Indiana and have used the elliptical at 5.0MPH for 2 hours logging 10 miles over the past two days.

We had two great weekends of Cornell Softball down at George Mason for tournaments. They've started out the season 6-0 with hot bats as they head down to Florida.

February 18, 2009

Wednesday morning - back on the "normal" path of 5AM CDT at Fitness Pointe. 4.8 Miles in the 65 minutes -- a little soreness in my knee today on the last 3 minute run so I pulled it back and walked. Took a couple advils and we'll see how the day goes. Lots of rain here in Indiana today, and I have to say I don't mind it a bit ~ thinking that it could be snow instead. I'm looking forward to a couple days on the SE coast of Florida at the end of the week.

February 17, 2009

An evening workout. For some reason, I was awake at 2:30AM CDT today and I got up and worked for a couple of hours and then tried to go back to sleep around 4:00AM CDT..As a result I missed my morning workout and told myself I had to go tonight. I do not like evening workouts. I really struggled on the treadmill tonight - was trying for walk 2, run 3 and managed that for 35 minutes and then went down to walk 3 , run 2...total of 4.8Miles which was good, but I really felt it. The Fitness Pointe site was much more crowded and there was certainly more activity to watch. I'll be back at it tomorrow morning at my normal 5AM workout time.

February 16, 2009

9 Miles within 12 Hours :) I procrastinated my Sunday workout until 8PM EDT and did the 65 minutes while watching the kickoff of the Amazing Race at the Fairfax Lifetime Fitness. Back on the treadmill at 5:45 am this morning in Chantilly to squeeze in my Monday workout before the flight to Chicago. I'm hopeful our new President stays put this morning so that the air traffic in Chicago doesn't get messed up.

Great party Saturday night hosted by Nancy in NW DC.

February 14, 2009 -- 10K

George Washington 10K in Alexandria VA today. A personal best completing the 10K in 74:49 minutes (11:42 per mile)! I did it by walking for 3 minutes and running for 2 the whole way out. I came in 630 out of 659 runners, and 60 of 66 in my female age group. Its amazing how folks on intervals tend to pass each other but really stay together the whole race. It was a chilly 35 degrees when we started but my body heated up pretty quickly.

Great progress for me from a year ago, and I felt pretty confident that I could do the course again (maybe not at the same interval) so that I can get through the 1/2 marathon. Right now, I'm thinking I can complete the 1/2 in 3 hours (which would be about 40 minutes quicker than last June). Time will tell.

A great workout and a great race course (pretty flat)!

February 12, 2009

A good workout at Fitness Point..4.8 miles, I trimmed back on the running and split it with walking (30/30). Will most probably take tomorrow off to get ready for Saturday. Looks like it will be cold on Saturday morning for the 10K.

Found a mall in Illinois last night - what a trip back to the retro 50's mall. I felt at home in Macy's but when I went into the mall it was like going into the twilight zone. I didn't stay there long at all.

The scale appears to be working in the right direction for this uptick in training!

February 11, 2009

Wednesday Morning at Fitness Pointe, IN

A good 65 minutes with 33 of running (5.5) and the rest walking (4.0). For some reason its getting harder (versus easier)...might be because I need a break. I'm thinking I will take Friday off before the race on Saturday to give my legs a day to rest.

Found a Red Lobster restaurant here in Munster Indiana which was excellent. I had their new "fired" tilapia, broccoli and a baked potato. I did manage to eat only 1/2 of those delicious cheese rolls and called it a night.

February 9, 2009

5 Miles Interval!

Early morning at Lifetime Fitness, and this time I cranked up my run time to walk for 2 minutes (4MPH) and then run for 3 minutes (5.5MPH). I was ready to quit at 36 minutes, but I pushed through and when I finished my 5 minute cooldown I had clocked 5 miles! That gives me some confidence for getting through 6.2 miles next Saturday in an hour and a half in celebration of Washington's Birthday. We'll see how the rest of the week goes, but it looks like my quads survived the spin class.

Nice Sunday dinner last night in Burke with a crowd of 5..some discussion of the upcoming softball season and the end of February visit by Big Red to play at Mason.

February 8, 2009

Spin Class
Okay so I bit the bullet and tried the "Spin Class" this morning. OMGosh! it was quite a workout and a great deal of fun. I was very upfront that it was my first class so everyone was watching out for me. I was able to complete the 60 minutes without my quads falling off, but they are still screaming a bit right now :) I will absolutely do it again, but not probably until the end of the month due to scheduling.

Did 30 Minutes run/walk afterwards in prep for next Saturday's 10K in celebration of Washingtons Birthday. My goal will be to complete it in less than 1.5 hours (its 6.2Miles in distance). It will be a good guage for how I'm getting ready for the 1/2 marathon.

Pretty sure a nap is in my plan for today and I'm thinking about taking an Aleve just to be preventative. It is a gorgeous day here in DC today - should be up to 60. Could still be a walk around Burke Lake in my future today.

February 7, 2009

Chocolate Festival in downtown Fairfax today and I resisted the temptation!

I went to my favorite CRT class today and it was quite a workout. Increased the weights to 5lb when we were doing weight exercises and I can feel it in my arms now. Finished with 35 minutes on the treadmill (3 Miles) with 20 minutes of running at 5.5 (4 minutes of running to just test it out)

Great time last night at GGN in DC, a small crowd, but we had a good time catching up. The new food choices were excellent. Its a gorgeous day here in the DC Area -- might get up to 50.

February 5, 2009

Fitness Pointe -- Munster, Indiana, a pretty nice fitness facility. I found out mid week that it comes along with the HI since their workout facility is so terrible, so this morning I decided to try it out.

Same drill as the past couple days 65 minutes on the treadmill. I'll have to be ready to walk in the door at 5AM if I want a treadmill with a personalized TV set, but for this morning I caught up on last week's NPR Wait Wait which was good.

I'm counting on the huge boost in activity to make an impact on the scale too! Back to Fairfax tonight.