Short swim

My first swim workout of 2012 was 250m.  It was quite cold outside [in the 30s] after work and I had to talk myself into it. Remember, when it’s cold outside, the pool is extra warm. I arrived at the pool, walked into the building and it felt wonderful. The desk crew greeted me with a smile and said good evening. They are such nice people.  This was the right decision. I changed into my new Zoot bathing suit, connected the h2o ipod player, then headed to the water. Easing into the pool, I realized the water was very warm and welcomed me.  On a side note, I've had the old, map swimsuit for years. My daughter teased me about it so much I've decided to retire it.  :-)

new blue Zoot swimsuit; older map swimsuit

My decision was confirmed.

I adjusted my goggles, seated the ear buds and proceeded to swim a pool length. I made it to the end without much struggle. After a brief rest, I turned around and during one of my strokes thought. “I must be out of my mind to have registered for Iron Girl”. The thought of being in the middle of Lake Lanier [well not quite the middle but close enough] came out of nowhere and gave me pause. I then caught my thoughts, made the decision to stop whining and continued to concentrate on finishing the lap.  Afterward, I thought if you would come to the pool on a regular basis, this would become second nature.

I need to decide on a reward for swim training. I know the reward would be finishing Iron Girl but something that could be rewarded in say March and then again in April.  Any suggestions?

Indoor, pre-work, ride

My winter break is over. Today is the first day in the office since 12/16/2011. My alarm sounded at 5:30am. My intention was to get up and cycle 30 minutes before work. Doing this would serve double duty. In addition to being a first step toward a new habit [21 days to form I’ve heard], it would be a good contribution to the Kdub workout challenge.  I don’t want to fall behind.


Changed clothes, washed my face, put on a pot of coffee, turned on the news and proceeded to pedal. I’m wondering how long it will take to find a comfortable position on the seat. It’s been a couple weeks and my butt still hurts depending on how I sit.  But I pressed on, saying to myself, ‘I won’t be able to stop riding a course because of a sore butt’.  After 20 minutes, I realized I was close to done and daydreamed.  If nothing else, I jump started my metabolism before work.

4 Mile Neighborhood Run

New Years Day and what a beautiful morning! I decided to give Paddy an extended walk that included sniffing as long as he wanted. It’s amazing that he would sniff one spot for 5 minutes if I let him. We walked, talked and I sang for 45 minutes. The iPod shuffle comes in handy.

When I returned home, I thought it would be nice to get 4 miles in.  I kissed my now awake hubby and ran upstairs to change. Trying to get used to not wearing too many layers so I put on a skirt, short sleeve top and arm warmers.  I’m really getting used to the warmers although sometimes I wonder if I have them on upside down. Not sure if there is such a thing but it doesn’t hurt to wonder. Swallowed an allergy pill, half a gu and out the door I went.  I wondered if I’d get the itchy body thing since I’d not run in a couple weeks. My question was answered 5 minutes into the run.  I recalled the warm body then gradual itching of my belly, thighs, and knees.  Sheesh, I thought. I’ll never get past this.  Focus, mental focus, you can’t let discomfort stop you, if you were at Irongirl and uncomfortable you wouldn’t stop.  So, I pressed forward and after 15 minutes the itching had stopped.

I Had great music and a nice breeze to finish the run. All I could think was, what a way to start the year. Running the neighborhood