So I'm training for a half marathon now. It's... interesting.
I'm in a constant battle: treadmill vs. outside running. I prefer treadmill exponentially because I feel like I get a better workout, it doesn't let you slow down. But, come race day, I can't just climb on the beast and press 'go.' There is such a profound difference between the two, it's uncanny. But I like treadmills a lot.. they count everything for you, they pace you, the ones at my new gym even have individual TVs built into each machine (which I'm still getting used to... the screen is almost too close..). I need to figure out a system or a plan that will force me to get outside and run. Now is the best time to do it because the weather is fantastic. All too soon it will be SUB ZERO temps. Boo.
I'm slowly coming back from my prolonged stay in the land of sloth and glutton. Slowly. I'm still trying to figure out a routine or something regular for getting to the gym without making it my only activity in the day. It becomes an event after biking there, working out and biking back.. Ideally, on a day off from work, I'd like to go spin and lift in the morning, and return at night to run. But the commute is still throwing me off. Baby steps. In all honesty I haven't tried the spinning class yet. That might be my goal for this week.
My bike broke again. Riding home from work, I hit a famous Chicago pot-hole and then the ole girl refused to pedal. I got off and pretended to know what I was doing by fiddling with the chain at the back wheel. After five minutes of looking at, pulling the chain onto different... sprockets (?) and getting a thick layer of grease on my hands, I gave up. So for just under a week I was bike-less-- meaning I walked everywhere, including the gym in all it's 3.1 mile away glory. Lordy. However, earlier this year I found a bike guy on CraigsList who goes to where ever the broken bike is! He brings his tool kit and works magic for an insanely affordable price! So I dug up his card and the Iron Horse has risen again! Super embrassing-- when he got here, and tried to pedal it to see what was really wrong (I guess my diagnosis of "...it just won't pedal.." wasn't good enough), it pedaled FINE. He goes 'You're just bored and wanted a reason to hang out with me, I bet.' ...ha! O man, isn't life funny.
I'm moving soon. So my room is bare and it's in that awkward between phase that I'm not fond of. My work schedule exploded and things were... wrong, but I still managed to be scheduled to work Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We'd planned to move Saturday, and the landlord won't let us start moving in until 5pm on Friday, and I'd have to return a UHaul by 7pm on Friday... all that to equal a sucky deal. So, my poor roommates will be moving all their stuff and the big furniture on Saturday, and I'll move my stuff on Tuesday. AWKWARD.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
'If only...'
I suppose this post is pretty overdue.. apologies. I'm not thrilled with my time in the triathlon. With my bike functioning, I'd wanted to finish under three hours (my super secret goal was under 02:45:00) but as you'll see I finished in 03:01:38. Most disappointing of all was the run. I can run 6.2 miles so much faster than that! In practicing bricks when we did the 2 hour bike, and 45 minute run-- I did 6 miles in the 45 minutes after a 2 hour bike that ended up being 25 miles-- essentially the bike-run combo of the race. I did better on the bike (another shoutout to Element Multi Sport) than I'd anticipated, but the run was... awful. I remember it being awful and my grandma time proves it. This will be my focus for the next race, whenever it may be. I don't care that I will have swam, then biked-- I can run better than that. I think its especially harsh since I was only two minutes over my goal. That makes me start thinking "if only..." 'if only I went faster in transition'...'if only I were more aggressive in the swim start'...'if only I'd run faster out of the swim to transition'....'if only I picked up the pace just a little in the run'....'if only I didn't stop to use the restroom'... That's a relentless game to play. Bah!
Athlete Details
Athlete: KRISTIN OURADA
Gender: F
Division: F20-24
Athlete Statistics (*note: I tried to make this more aesthetically pleasing in a three column format, however Blogspot doesn't have the column option, and when I manually put it into columns, Blogspot refused to accept the spacing necessary to make it readable. Lo siento.)
Start Swim: 00:00:00
End Swim: 00:30:35
Total Swim: 00:30:35
Transition: 00:03:09
Start of Bike: 00:33:44
End of Bike: 2:00:58
Total Bike: 1:27: 14
Transition: 00:02:57
Start of Run: 02:03:55
End of Run: 03:01:38
Total Run: 00:57:43
Total Time: 03:01:38
Athlete Details
Athlete: KRISTIN OURADA
Gender: F
Division: F20-24
Athlete Statistics (*note: I tried to make this more aesthetically pleasing in a three column format, however Blogspot doesn't have the column option, and when I manually put it into columns, Blogspot refused to accept the spacing necessary to make it readable. Lo siento.)
Start Swim: 00:00:00
End Swim: 00:30:35
Total Swim: 00:30:35
Transition: 00:03:09
Start of Bike: 00:33:44
End of Bike: 2:00:58
Total Bike: 1:27: 14
Transition: 00:02:57
Start of Run: 02:03:55
End of Run: 03:01:38
Total Run: 00:57:43
Total Time: 03:01:38
After a couple of weeks of half hearted workouts that I've forced myself to do after feeling guilty about my consistent sin of sloth, I have a lot of work to do to get back to any sort of 'in-shape.' Daunting, do doubt. This is the part I hate-- getting in shape. I love being in shape and maintaining it. But getting there.. hurts! I swam on Friday and was SORE the next day... swimming is the workout I choose when I'm already sore because it's low impact and kind of lighter than running or spinning. So when I was sore after that I realized that I'm in for it. I joined a gym yesterday (the 24 hour one), and lifted for the first time since August 27th (the gym I was using all summer-- that of my alma mater-- kicked me out because I'm no longer a student and they can't hire former students to work there, and if I don't work there I can't workOUT there--l-l-laaaaame) and this morning I thought that I must have fallen off my loft in the middle of the night because I hurt ALL OVER. Then came the realization-- 'No Kristin, you're just a weakling.' Boo lactic acid. Whenever I'm sore, though, I always think that my muscles must look super defined. If I can FEEL them that much, then surely others can SEE them. However this is untrue. Haha. Man oh man. I'm excited to start working out for real again, minus the pain and agony. I miss the endorphins that come after a long run. And I think it will be a good activity to fill the idle hours I find myself with on my off days. If it would stop RAINING cats and dogs it'd be even better, because I'd bike to the gym! I need rain clothes-- ones that work. I have a rain coat (thanks to my former addiction to buying North Face products for super cheap off E-Bay) but it doesn't work very well... I still get wet when I wear it. So I guess it doesn't work at all. There's always something.
Goals for the week: hydrate, find moving boxes and get them back to my apartment, gym-it-up.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
...hello?
So it's been awhile. I don't have a good explanation for my absence.
The triathlon is over. Incredibly bittersweet. Not having an event to train for has left me lazy and unmotivated-- two traits I despise. I've been looking for a new gym ever since February, but haven't settled on one quite yet. I will be moving apartments at the end of the month, and a lot of my decision depended on where I'd be moving to. Now that we signed a lease, I have to get more serious. The gym I want is 24 hours and close to where I work, however it's 3.1 miles from where I live. "3.1 miles? So what?" You ask. Your scoffing is understandable. 3.1 miles in a car or even on a mild weathered day is a cakewalk, a good warm up! However, it is almost October. Autumn in this city is awesome, but if you blink, you'll miss it. All too soon the harsh Chicago winter will be upon us. To those who are vehicle-less, winters are brutal to a whole new degree. Walking three feet outside your front door is torture, much less venturing an eternal 3.1 miles to the gym. Biking would speed it up, however it is still no walk in the park-- one's hands FREEZE to death, gripping the handle bars, and the already biting wind intensifies when on a bike. Don't forget the ice or grimy snow slush that takes up 5 month residence on the streets, and crazy drivers that refuse to yield to the slickery conditions... it gets ugly. All this leads to my hesitation regarding the 3.1 mile away gym. I've looked at others, and none are impressive. Surprisingly, my ideal place (24 hours, huge, good equipment, spinning classes, etc) is one of the cheaper month-to-month prices. The initiation fee ($249!!!) is where they get ya. Clowns. The one drawback to this awesome place is that the one closest to me doesn't have a pool. There is another that is SEVEN miles away with a pool. I like to swim in the early morning before work.. but if the only place is 7 miles away, I'd have to get up at like 2am (or 2pm when I start on nights... boo) in order to get there, workout, get ready for work, and get to work by 6:53am/pm when I can swipe in. Call me a pansy, but I'm not that hardcore. So I'm just at a standstill! I don't know where to choose. My next choice would be a place that's significantly closer to home, but doesn't have a pool at all... and the hours leave much to be desired. During the week their hours would be acceptable, but on weekends it's open from 8am-7pm. If I'm working from 7am-730pm, I'd be SOL. No thank you. OH DECISIONS! Honestly? I'll probably end up at the 24 hour place. I don't know how I will force myself to go when the temps are subzero and everything, but I can take as long as I want to work up the will power-- it'll be open all day everyday... 24/7/365. That is phenomenal. One other cause of hesitation is that when I went to tour the place, they ripped me apart. I am the first to tell you that I definitely have room to grow in my athleticism, but at the same time I don't think I'm in the depths of despair in this arena, either. The people at my ideal gym, however beg to differ. As we were walking around, Mr. Schmooze goes 'so, you're ready to workout?' I looked at him like a deer in headlights and he goes 'good, stretch out for a couple of SECONDS and I'll get the assessment set up.' Ummm... so I self consciously stretched my quads and calves... I had no idea what was going on. He then ran me through a bunch of circuits. I don't doubt the legitimacy of circuit training and think that theory behind it is awesome. Woo-hoo circuits! However, I haven't ever done circuit training. Ever. So... needless to say it was awful... and his assessment of my physical fitness was 'needs improvement.' There was one thing where he wanted to see how balanced my strength was (which I told him up front, it's unbalanced... don't know why I had to prove it to him, shoot), so I stood on one leg with my arms in front of me, then lowered to a sitting position to sit on a jumping-box. Then I had to stand up only using that one leg, six times each leg. No big deal right? Well, with my right leg it wasn't pretty, but I did it. I switched to my left and I gracefully sat on the box then not so gracefully tried to stand. I couldn't. Brief background: I have screwy knees. They've been screwy for years and they'll be screwy for always. Getting doored earlier this year helped NOTHING, and ever since my left knee has had issues, and I don't doubt it's affected the strength of my left leg. While my motto is 'no excuse is a good excuse' that is my explanation.. haha. Anyways so I failed my assessment miserably. After hell and the tour were done, we went to talk to a personal trainer (why? I don't know-- I never said I wanted personal training services... although I obviously needed them). From there it only got worse. They did all their measuring.. height, weight, body fat percentage, diet assessment, blah blah blah. The personal trainer reminded me of GI Jane except she had a long ponytail. Scared the living day lights out of me. She continued to let me know how much improvement I needed to make in every way possible. Mr. Schmooze was sitting and listening to all this jazz, I should have charged him because it was quite a show. After the lady told me how much weight she wanted me to lose, he goes "Yea, that will help with your knee problems that are probably from the extra weight you're carrying." Imagine if your internal organs all turned to lead and just dropped like dead weight in your body. It was almost like an internal atonic seizure. That was brutal. When I informed them that I cannot afford their $50/session personal training services, they shook their heads with pity and said "well, get started with the membership, and maybe in a bit you'll decide to take advantage of this opportunity to get fit." Man alive, what a humbling day. Honestly, I really don't think I am a prime specimen of super fit-ness-- at all. I am grateful to be able to do activities in my life that I want to do. But I had no idea that I was that 'out of control.' Holy toledo. I want to take into consideration the things they said, as they made some valid points: it doesn't matter if I can run for a long time, there is more to being healthy and fit than endurance, I'm not playing soccer anymore, so my strengthening exercises don't have to mirror soccer strengthening... I need more protein-- boca burgers and almonds won't cut it, etc. At the same time, I need to keep it all in perspective and not let their conclusions get to me. My goals are to be healthy long term and to be physically able to do what I want. Right now I'm there, and I could improve definitely, but strides toward getting better have to be made in the right mindset.
What does this have to do with the triathlon... at all? Not sure-- it's just where my mind has been for the past couple of weeks. I also am training for a half marathon that will be on November 1st in Indianapolis. AND (yes, there's more!) I really want to do a half-ironman next year. Late spring-early summer. I have to find one and figure out how practical it is... I'll need a new bike, do I want to do it with TNT again, if not I need a coach or training buddy who's done it before... etc. If I do something I want to do it right, so I just need to figure out what that looks like. It's undeniable that I've been bitten by the triathlon bug, and if it weren't such an expensive sport, I'd embrace my new found enthusiasm for it with open arms. But all the equipment, traveling costs, and things I never thought about are overwhelming. So we'll see. For now I will focus on the half coming up-- my running skills are honestly back to square one. I'm grateful for four miles at an 8min/mile pace. Last year I did an 8k at just over 7:00/mile, and the half marathon in January was 8min/mi. I'm excited, but nervous. I will be really disappointed in myself if my time sucks. That's why I need to find a gym-- I can't run outside here consistently-- either it's POURING or dark.
Don't know if I'll keep up this blog. Leave a comment.
So it's been awhile. I don't have a good explanation for my absence.
The triathlon is over. Incredibly bittersweet. Not having an event to train for has left me lazy and unmotivated-- two traits I despise. I've been looking for a new gym ever since February, but haven't settled on one quite yet. I will be moving apartments at the end of the month, and a lot of my decision depended on where I'd be moving to. Now that we signed a lease, I have to get more serious. The gym I want is 24 hours and close to where I work, however it's 3.1 miles from where I live. "3.1 miles? So what?" You ask. Your scoffing is understandable. 3.1 miles in a car or even on a mild weathered day is a cakewalk, a good warm up! However, it is almost October. Autumn in this city is awesome, but if you blink, you'll miss it. All too soon the harsh Chicago winter will be upon us. To those who are vehicle-less, winters are brutal to a whole new degree. Walking three feet outside your front door is torture, much less venturing an eternal 3.1 miles to the gym. Biking would speed it up, however it is still no walk in the park-- one's hands FREEZE to death, gripping the handle bars, and the already biting wind intensifies when on a bike. Don't forget the ice or grimy snow slush that takes up 5 month residence on the streets, and crazy drivers that refuse to yield to the slickery conditions... it gets ugly. All this leads to my hesitation regarding the 3.1 mile away gym. I've looked at others, and none are impressive. Surprisingly, my ideal place (24 hours, huge, good equipment, spinning classes, etc) is one of the cheaper month-to-month prices. The initiation fee ($249!!!) is where they get ya. Clowns. The one drawback to this awesome place is that the one closest to me doesn't have a pool. There is another that is SEVEN miles away with a pool. I like to swim in the early morning before work.. but if the only place is 7 miles away, I'd have to get up at like 2am (or 2pm when I start on nights... boo) in order to get there, workout, get ready for work, and get to work by 6:53am/pm when I can swipe in. Call me a pansy, but I'm not that hardcore. So I'm just at a standstill! I don't know where to choose. My next choice would be a place that's significantly closer to home, but doesn't have a pool at all... and the hours leave much to be desired. During the week their hours would be acceptable, but on weekends it's open from 8am-7pm. If I'm working from 7am-730pm, I'd be SOL. No thank you. OH DECISIONS! Honestly? I'll probably end up at the 24 hour place. I don't know how I will force myself to go when the temps are subzero and everything, but I can take as long as I want to work up the will power-- it'll be open all day everyday... 24/7/365. That is phenomenal. One other cause of hesitation is that when I went to tour the place, they ripped me apart. I am the first to tell you that I definitely have room to grow in my athleticism, but at the same time I don't think I'm in the depths of despair in this arena, either. The people at my ideal gym, however beg to differ. As we were walking around, Mr. Schmooze goes 'so, you're ready to workout?' I looked at him like a deer in headlights and he goes 'good, stretch out for a couple of SECONDS and I'll get the assessment set up.' Ummm... so I self consciously stretched my quads and calves... I had no idea what was going on. He then ran me through a bunch of circuits. I don't doubt the legitimacy of circuit training and think that theory behind it is awesome. Woo-hoo circuits! However, I haven't ever done circuit training. Ever. So... needless to say it was awful... and his assessment of my physical fitness was 'needs improvement.' There was one thing where he wanted to see how balanced my strength was (which I told him up front, it's unbalanced... don't know why I had to prove it to him, shoot), so I stood on one leg with my arms in front of me, then lowered to a sitting position to sit on a jumping-box. Then I had to stand up only using that one leg, six times each leg. No big deal right? Well, with my right leg it wasn't pretty, but I did it. I switched to my left and I gracefully sat on the box then not so gracefully tried to stand. I couldn't. Brief background: I have screwy knees. They've been screwy for years and they'll be screwy for always. Getting doored earlier this year helped NOTHING, and ever since my left knee has had issues, and I don't doubt it's affected the strength of my left leg. While my motto is 'no excuse is a good excuse' that is my explanation.. haha. Anyways so I failed my assessment miserably. After hell and the tour were done, we went to talk to a personal trainer (why? I don't know-- I never said I wanted personal training services... although I obviously needed them). From there it only got worse. They did all their measuring.. height, weight, body fat percentage, diet assessment, blah blah blah. The personal trainer reminded me of GI Jane except she had a long ponytail. Scared the living day lights out of me. She continued to let me know how much improvement I needed to make in every way possible. Mr. Schmooze was sitting and listening to all this jazz, I should have charged him because it was quite a show. After the lady told me how much weight she wanted me to lose, he goes "Yea, that will help with your knee problems that are probably from the extra weight you're carrying." Imagine if your internal organs all turned to lead and just dropped like dead weight in your body. It was almost like an internal atonic seizure. That was brutal. When I informed them that I cannot afford their $50/session personal training services, they shook their heads with pity and said "well, get started with the membership, and maybe in a bit you'll decide to take advantage of this opportunity to get fit." Man alive, what a humbling day. Honestly, I really don't think I am a prime specimen of super fit-ness-- at all. I am grateful to be able to do activities in my life that I want to do. But I had no idea that I was that 'out of control.' Holy toledo. I want to take into consideration the things they said, as they made some valid points: it doesn't matter if I can run for a long time, there is more to being healthy and fit than endurance, I'm not playing soccer anymore, so my strengthening exercises don't have to mirror soccer strengthening... I need more protein-- boca burgers and almonds won't cut it, etc. At the same time, I need to keep it all in perspective and not let their conclusions get to me. My goals are to be healthy long term and to be physically able to do what I want. Right now I'm there, and I could improve definitely, but strides toward getting better have to be made in the right mindset.
What does this have to do with the triathlon... at all? Not sure-- it's just where my mind has been for the past couple of weeks. I also am training for a half marathon that will be on November 1st in Indianapolis. AND (yes, there's more!) I really want to do a half-ironman next year. Late spring-early summer. I have to find one and figure out how practical it is... I'll need a new bike, do I want to do it with TNT again, if not I need a coach or training buddy who's done it before... etc. If I do something I want to do it right, so I just need to figure out what that looks like. It's undeniable that I've been bitten by the triathlon bug, and if it weren't such an expensive sport, I'd embrace my new found enthusiasm for it with open arms. But all the equipment, traveling costs, and things I never thought about are overwhelming. So we'll see. For now I will focus on the half coming up-- my running skills are honestly back to square one. I'm grateful for four miles at an 8min/mile pace. Last year I did an 8k at just over 7:00/mile, and the half marathon in January was 8min/mi. I'm excited, but nervous. I will be really disappointed in myself if my time sucks. That's why I need to find a gym-- I can't run outside here consistently-- either it's POURING or dark.
Don't know if I'll keep up this blog. Leave a comment.
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