Through the Cold and Ice - Day 19

Here's a story to tuck you in at night ...

Once upon a time there was a girl named Fatty who decided she wanted to go for a walk. Fatty took the time to look outside, after all she had been out earlier in the day and it wasn't that bad, and decided to bundle up.

Skip ahead a few minutes and you see Fatty with tights, long johns and jeans to cover the bottom; long johns, t-shirt and warm jacket to cover the top. Fatty also took precautions of wearing a scarf, covered her ears and her fingers and covered her toes with boots. Her buddy Apple McMac was laughing all to himself, for he knew the true nature of the outdoors. He knew that while it said it was 12 outside, it was really one 1 because of the gusty winds. He also knew that the snow was still coming down and was going to start coming down even harder within the next hour. But, Apple McMac knew that Fatty was determined and kept his jest all to himself.

Skip ahead an hour and Fatty comes walking back in the door. Pause for a moment and picture this. Her hair is frozen with snow gleaming off of every visible area. Her scarf is covered with snow. Her face looks like it has just had an encounter with an ice truck. Her pants are frozen from mid-calf down, and as she bends to take off her boots, chunks of snow/ice fall out from under her jeans. Her laces are nearly frozen, but her toes are nice and warm. Fatty manages to get the boots and jeans off and slowly allows the warm air from indoors to melt her haircicles.

Apple McMac had to speak up at this point - so, what was it like out there. Fatty just gave him a look and the look said it all. The winds picked up on the way back, so what was pushing her along on the walk was blasting into her face on the way back. She only made it 4 of her 6 miles because it was just getting too chilly. She checked the temperature while she was out there and it had dropped to -4. Lovely evening for a walk, don't ya think??

What's the moral of this story? Well, while you may be determined as all hell to get the work in, sometimes it is better just to take a short trip down the hill to the gym where you're a member (and have never gone) and save yourself from looking like you stepped out of a snowball. Plus, going to the gym would've been more productive - you could've gotten your heart rate up instead of trying to stay on your feet in the snow and ice. Fair warning, sidewalks can be mighty treacherous when their hidden traps are obscured by several inches of white loveliness.

Ok, so my story-telling ability needs a little bit of work, but I will say this ... I had to jump into Jillian when I got home to defrost my legs and arms. My hands and feet stayed wonderfully warm during my wintery adventure, but my legs and arms cannot say the same. My poor heart was just trying to keep my core from freezing, so the extremities didn't get as much attention as they otherwise would've. Anyway, that is another day done and over with. I think I'm going to have to change some things up again after the New Year -- Jillian is getting a little stale.

Miles and Miles - Day 18

Channeling "The Who" . . .

I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles
I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles

So, today more miles are etched into the belt and more Bob and Jillian are putting my limbs through the ultimate tests. I should be feeling pretty darn good about everything that I've accomplished since Janet and I started this, but there is something missing. I am not sure what it is, but I hope to heck I find it before February. After all, the last few miles of the marathon is all heart, and if you don't have that, there is no chance on finishing ... or so I tell myself.

I know the New Year is coming up and I should be stoked --- let's just say, if things turn out in January then I can be stoked. Until then, I'm going to keep plugging away at this, trying not to hate Jillian, soaking up Bob's stretches (getting pretty darn good at the tree pose) and cranking up my "GuitarHero" playlist on my ipod during my walks. Yeah, I did create a playlist totally out of what I play on that game.

Blah - Day 17

Ok, so the blah still stands. I was hoping the endorphins rushing after NMTZ would nip it in the bum, but apparently that was just wishful thinking.

It is starting to get colder this week - will be down into the single digits over the weekend, so I will be bundling up like you wouldn't believe ... I need to get the miles in to keep my endurance level elevated. I'm thinking of increasing my gym membership to a super club that isn't too far away - they have an indoor track (and that may prove very useful over the next month of training). We shall see how everything else goes.

Here's to another day being over and done with ... now back to Stargate.

It's a Monday - Day 16

Well, today I wasn't feeling like doing much of anything (as you can tell I'm posting this Tuesday morning). I got home from work, felt blah, rattled out level two and then just went right back to my SG-1 ... I have two episodes to go, something I'm sure I will finish up tonight.

I don't why I'm feeling this blah, but looking back, I felt like this around the same time the first time around. Perhaps, it is just the day 14-17 blues?

I'm hoping that the mix up tonight of NMTZ will help me snap out of it. Stay tuned for tonight's posting to find out if the "blah" has been destroyed.

Day 15- Dehydration

Yesterday and today I decided to take advantage of the long stretches of clear road in Rockport, Texas and do some road runs. I did 6 miles yesterday and another 6 today. The weather has been good and each 6 mile run felt good, though it's noticeable that I haven't worked on my cardio much because I was huffing and puffing throughout. One mistake I've made with my longer stints of cardio is not hydrating enough. Today was the second time this year that I did not drink enough water before or after running and came home feeling nauseous and crappy. I didn't feel good again until several hours later after chugging water and eating some soup. I will start wearing my belt and maybe bringing some of those electrolyte packets.

Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may do another run or just do the BFBM DVD I brought with me.

I'm looking forward to next week when we finish the move, get settled into the new place, and I can get in a routine again.

Stargate SG-1 Marathon - Day 15

Well, I didn't get in 10 today ... I wanted to give my hip a break. It's feeling much better. Today was the substitute day of BFBM, and its been a week since I got through it, but I felt the moves today. Easier, um, no, but doable. My hip was feeling better today so I didn't have to cut any moves out, but I definitely had to work to get them done.

I've spent most of my day watching season 9 of SG-1 and when I'm done I'll likely move to season 10 ... but hey, I deserve a little break of sci-fi - will get me ready to tackle tomorrow.

Bob was back in the mix today, hard workout, but it was only 20 minutes and I dug in to get through it. His mix today was a "bootcamp" style workout - so it was really like Jillian times two today. The positive thing I can say, at least my body is getting used to this stuff on a daily basis.

Improvement - Day 14

Ok, so yesterday's 10 miles was completed in 2:33 - a full 10 minutes faster than last time. Today I finished it in 2:24. The times are getting better and I'm able to sustain faster paces for longer periods of time. This just may actually be doable come February.

My left hip is a little achy though, and I don't know if it's from the miles or sleeping on a chair last night. We shall see - I'm taking it easy today though because I don't want to aggravate it any more than necessary. Bob took another break today and I did a very modified level 2 ... any movements that had my hips moving to the left or too much into a squat were cut for the sake of keeping me on track. I don't need to get hurt - so I did what I had to do.