Biking with Eric

I arranged for an early morning babysitter (don't all teenage babysitters love to come over at 7 a.m?!), and Eric and I took off for a 28 mile bike ride this morning. I had been looking forward to our ride all week.

We both keep marveling at ourselves in that we used to be such couch potatoes. Now we get up voluntarily at 6 a.m. on a weekend to exercise! I gotta say, though, riding a bike doesn't feel like exercise. It feels like fun and being a kid.

We took off by 7:30 and rode all the way out to Woodward Park. Getting to the park itself was a little over 11 miles. Then we did an out and back on the trail where I do a lot of my runs. From there we headed back home. The whole ride took 2 hours and 31 minutes, and according to my Garmin, we kept an 11.3 pace. I would have liked to maintain a 12.0 pace, but oh well. It has to do with Weight Watcher points and how much I can earn for minutes spent exercising. Silly, I know.

We took a few photos at our official turn around point.

The bike I am riding doesn't belong to me. It belongs to a lady that Eric works with, and she doesn't use it anymore. I asked if I could borrow it to test it out. This morning was the test run.


Hanging out with my new bike...or new to me. The longer I rode, the more comfortable I felt. Now I need clip shoes. And a jersey. And bike shorts. And and and!!













We had a lot of fun. The best part is that I'm not nearly as tired as I was after the last long ride that I did. Good thing because we have several things to get done this afternoon including signing up for a 6 mile run tomorrow.

I'm already looking forward to my next ride! Could there be a triathlon in my future? It's not out of the realm of possibilities and dreams.

Hives

Distance: 3 miles
Time: 31:21/10:28 avg

I had spaghetti and lasagna for dinner. Then I went out for a 3 mile run. Then I got home and broke into massive amounts of hives from head to toe.

I have pretty severe allergies. I'm on shots and medication. I am allergic to certain foods, but the only ones I really avoid are shellfish because they can kill me.

However, I always forget that if I eat tomato based foods and then exercise, the chances of me breaking out in hives increase significantly. Tonight they were bad.

I've got Benadryl running through my system along with a cool bath. The itching is finally subsiding.

P.S. I also ran 1.3 miles this morning. I meant to do three, but quit. I'm pleased I got the three done tonight, even if I am itchy and uncomfortable. Child #1 and I need to get our allergy shots tomorrow.

Eat...then run

Distance: 4.0 miles
Time: Just under 48 minutes/just under 12 minute miles

I started out fairly strong this morning and managed to run two miles in less than 22 minutes.

Then I turned around to run home and saw stars. I forgot to eat breakfast.

I'm not sure if "forgot" is quite the right word. I chose not to eat breakfast. I woke up at 5:30 and was out the door by 6. I am in no mood to eat that early. However, if I am going to choose to run early to beat the heat, I guess I better choose to fuel myself with food to sustain any sort of run.

Ugh. You'd think after two years of running I'd be a bit more careful with stuff like this.

Oh, and the only reason I ran outside this morning rather than on the treadmill is because Child #1 told me to go outside because he didn't want the treadmill noise interfering with his cartoon watching! Hmmmph.

I'm going to start leaving a granola bar and a banana on my nightstand. That way I can wake up at 5:30, lie in bed and eat, and then get up and be out the door at 6. I have to be back by 7 before Eric leaves for work. It's a finely tuned system we've got going on here!

Maybe I'll just save strength training for the evenings since there's not that much on tv to watch.

And no, I haven't uploaded pictures yet. Apparently walking the 40 steps to my bedroom to get the proper cord to plug into the laptop is too difficult for me to manage.

One of these days I'm going to get my whole life in order! And right now, I need to type up lesson plans for summer school. That starts Monday.

Two Good Runs

Short post:

After not running at all last week, I had two good runs this weekend.

Run#1: A two mile race, and I won first place in my age group! Wow!

Run#2: Five miles at the park today. I kept a pace of 11:03. Yay!

I'll hopefully write more and post pictures tomorrow.

Vacation Run

Distance: 4 miles/10:35 avg. pace

We were in Moorpark (southern CA) this weekend to attend the bridal shower for our nephew's fiance. I was determined to get my "long" run in. We didn't get down there until midnight on Friday night and enjoyed festivities all day Saturday.

After our family dinner, I let my stomach settle, and then Eric rode his bike slowly with me while I ran. I would have gotten lost amidst all those crazy streets!

I had a GREAT run! Love those kind. The kind where you actually feel successful.

There were hills (at least they felt like hills to me!), but I powered through them. I also ran sans music. I figured since Eric was kind enough to poke along on his bike with me, I might as well talk to him.

I've got to get a running buddy, because the miles fly by so much faster when there is someone to talk to. The few times I've run races with my friend Elaine and now this weekend proves to me I run well with others!

I've got three miles scheduled for tonight. I am toying with the idea of making Monday my "speed" workout day. I put it in quotes, because speed for me is anything around the 10 minute pace mark. But maybe I might push myself. Who knows?

It's the last week of school. Yay! Child #1 was supposed to go on a field trip to a local fun park, but due to the chance of thunderstorms, it was cancelled. That was a bummer. Instead Eric picked the two of us up and took us to lunch. Then he and Evan hung out for the afternoon getting ice cream and playing catch. I went back to work, finished report cards, organized awards, added up CJSF scores, and figured out honor roll! Fun stuff.

Crabby and Busy

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 44 minutes
Run: 3 miles/5.3 speed

I'm feeling crabby, tired, sad and a bit overwhelmed. The second to last week of school is always hell for me because I'm the 7th grade teacher. So what you ask? Well, the 7th grade class puts on a fancy shmancy luncheon farewell for the outgoing 8th grade class on the Friday before the last week of school. The party is in two days. I'm stressing. I'm not looking for pity or sympathy - just looking to vent.

And my throat hurts.

And academic awards have to be finished.

And grades have to be finished and entered...after I score a few more papers.

And we have a graduation to attend tomorrow night.

And we are leaving out of town right after the 8th grade graduation on Friday night.

And I need to dye my hair. Okay, that one is a vanity issue, but still, I've been meaning to do this for over a week.

Yesterday I was feeling fairly okay.

See?


Post bicycle trainer workout.

Today I'm not so perky. See?


Feeling down.

Today was weigh in day at Weight Watchers. I worked out several times this past week, and I tracked what I ate and stayed within my points. I didn't gain or lose. I stayed exactly the same at 153 pounds. Grrrr. It's frustrating to do it "right" and not see results.

I know there can be many reasons for this. It's still irritating.

Now that I've griped and complained, I'll try to think of a few bright sides.

-I ran my full three miles tonight without stopping at a 5.3 speed.
-I did 10 minutes of leg strength training.
-I have great parents helping me out with the farewell party.
-I didn't gain weight.
-I am blessed to work at a school where I can go on field trips with my first grader like we did today.
-I have a husband who helps me tremendously and finished all the place cards for the farewell party.

Lastly, this is something I don't talk about too often, but I'm missing my dad. Next Wednesday will be two years since he died. It feels like the last week of school is always going to be hard for me. Dad died on the Monday of the last week of school. Even though the actual date is Wednesday, June 8 this year, I'm dreading Monday.

I just think of all that has happened in two years that he won't see. He isn't going to ever meet my sister's new husband or meet her new baby. He didn't see me finish my half marathon. He doesn't know that Evan lost his first tooth. He didn't see my mom retire.

I'm just getting myself worked up, so I'll stop. It's just a bittersweet time of year for me.

Tonight more than ever, this headband was needed:



Here's to a happier day tomorrow.

Day One Complete

Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 44:30ish
Run: 3 miles/5.2 speed

I officially started training for my second half marathon on Monday. I had a pretty good run on the treadmill at a 5.2 speed. "Pretty good" is defined as not having to stop to take a break! And the fact that I was going over a 5.0 speed is a bonus as well!

I also did 10 minutes of ab work after I ran. I am declaring Day One a success.

Now here's my question. Why is three miles still so hard? I knew I'd finish the run, but Jiminy Cricket, it is still an effort.

Last night I had Eric put my bike on his trainer so I could "ride" through the living room. At first I didn't feel like I was getting a workout, but sticking with it for 30 minutes, I started to feel a burn. If I pedaled faster, I got a better workout. Go figure! In any case, being on the bike at any speed was better for me than sitting on the couch at zero speed!

I enjoyed the different option for exercise, but I don't like the fact that I have no idea how fast or far I am going. I don't do well with the whole rate of perceived exertion. I ALWAYS overestimate how hard I am working.

After biking, I spent 10 minutes working on my arm strength. Strength training is my goal for this ten week training session.

I also signed up for the Salinas Half Marathon yesterday. It's official. I'll be running the half on Saturday, Aug. 6. That will keep me motivated all summer. Yay!