April Review

The monthly review features stats for work-outs, an up-to-date goals assessment and a fun little meme.  If you missed it, you can read January here and February here.  I was injured and ate a lot in March, so no need for a review there!  And if you don’t care, that is cool too.  I am a Type-A numbers person so this is mostly for my own good. 

The Stats:

Swimming: 3 times a week all month for a total of 5hours and 25minutes.  Swims are a mix of timed 400’s and 800’s and different drills and include a warm-up and cool-down.  I have been progressing nicely and am most proud of my swimming this month!  Grade A+ 

Biking: 24.3 miles.  All on the stationary bike.  I am still not allowed to take spin class and haven’t taken my bike out because every chance I get the weather gets in the way.  Grade B+ 

Running: 7.2 miles.  This is HUGE since there was zero running in March.  I also walked 7.6 miles as well.  I am very happy with this all things considered!  Grade A

Cross-Training:  40 minutes on elliptical.  Honestly, there just wasn’t enough time this month with all my ART and PT appointments.  Had to get in the quality workouts and cross-training just fell to the way-side.  Grade C-

Strength: 5.5 hours which is due in most part to my PT sessions.  30-45 minutes of PT is based soley on strength training and combining that with what I am doing at home adds up.  Woo-hoo!  Grade A+

Goals Grades/Assessment:

• Stretching- Between PT and at home, I am a stretching maniac! Grade A+
• Abs Challenge- Some weeks were better than others but overall I am pleased. Grade B
• Pilates- Not allowed due to injury  N/A
• Up The Mileage- Not possible due to injury N/A
• Two-A-Days- Only a handful, but the more I pick up my running, the more of these I will have. Grade C+
• Eating Consistent- I consistently ate like I was still working out like I was before my injury.  I got back on track this past week but mostly I feel gross. Grade D
• Budgeting Food- Doing very well with this.  Still eating out more than I shoud, but I am food shopping and packing lunch on the regular.  Grade B+
• No Soda- Not a one since Dec 31st!  Woo-hoo!  Grade A+
• No Scale- I weigh myself about once a week.  It is awful but the scale is right there and I cave now and then.  Grade C

Overall Grade B+ ;  Given my limitations, I am very happy with the month of April.  It was both physically and emotionally challenging but I got through it; I have no doubt that I will be back to new in May 🙂

And the meme to make things fun-

Current Read: New RW came in the mail yesterday! 

Current Shame-Inducing Pleasure: Honestly, I don’t think I have one currently

Current Colors: Yellow for the sun 🙂

Current Obsession: Flip-flops…tis the season

Current Drink: Coffee, Iced Tea and Water.  Not a whole lot else.

Current Song: Over by Drake.  I jam out to that like the white girl I am!

Current Wish-List: A place to use my bike trainer…I am starting to think it will be on my front lawn!

Current Need: A nap

Current Triumph:  I’m running again!!!!

Current Goal: A 5k on May 15, would like to finish in 12/minutes miles.  Amazing how goals change given circumstances.

Current Blessing:  Some days, I think everything is a blessing.

Current Indulgence: Mr. Softee

Current Excitement: Phillies game on Cinco De Mayo!!

Perspective

Came across this quote and it really fits for me at this point in my life:

“On days you feel like you are dragging yourself out the door, take a moment to remember how lucky you are that you are actually able to go for a run (bike, swim) at all. And think about those who had to overcome odds beyond our imagination to get back onto their feet.”

When I think of my hip flexor and what a huge deal it was/is, and how hard it has been to work my way back to where I am, I think of all those who have come back from so much more.  It puts everything into perspective and I am able to quickly refocus.  Here are a few people that come to mind:  April Holmes (she is from NJ, her accident happened right down the street my my college), The Hoyts (seeing them run at Shamrock was a life highlight), Scott Rigsby, Jim McLaren (these two guys have the worst luck, and each went through their own personal hell but they came back and they did it with the best attitudes).  Click their names to read about their amazing and inspirational stories.

It’s all about perspective…

-3 miles might be your short run, while to others it is a long run

-the half-marathon is a dream to some and the marathon a dream to others

-you may never walk in a race, but others may depend on it

-your slow at 9 minute miles might be someone else’s fast

It isn’t how you get it done…it is about having done it!

It’s all about perspective…

Seriously though…Finishing really is Winning!!

Three Things Tuesday

Short and Sweet today!

1.  Thank you ALL so much for your support in regard to my job.  I know that many people have jobs that are in jeopardy and my situation is nothing new.  I also know NJ is only following the footsteps of other states who have already done similar cuts.  But when it hits this close to home…when it is my state, my school, my friends…when it is me, there are no words to describe what that feels like.  The meeting is Thursday.  Hopefully we will know then…otherwise, its two more weeks of waiting.  Fingers crossed…

2.  I have only three more PT sessions before I “graduate” and even though I am so thankful that I had so much help getting better…I cannot wait for it to be over.  PT is an hour from my work, it lasts for an hour and is a half hour from where I live.  I am looking forward to having five hours a week back!

3.  As I said Sunday, I decided not to run/jog/walk Broad Street.  The truth is, I’m just not ready.  The furthest I have ran at one time is 2.5 miles and I just don’t know if I could even walk 10 miles.  The whole reason I was going to participate is because I am so bummed about having already missed two half-marathons but I think it would upset me more to be on the course and have to go so slow.  So no Broad Street for me. 😦

Monday Brain Exchange Week 5- Your Blog

Welcome new players 🙂

Here are the answers from participants in last weeks Brain Exchange:  Kim, Mel, Kitzzy, Darlene, Kandi, Denise, Stephanie, Silvergrl, Whitney, Andrea and Kera   (If I missed you, let me know- sometimes links are funny and don’t work and I don’t want to leave anyone out!)

Here’s how it works:

Every Monday, I will post a question.  The questions will be set up to post for @ 6am E.S.T. to give everyone ample amount of time to post their own answers throughout the day.

Questions will range all over the board as far as topics are concerned; from the sports themselves to nutrition to blogging and so on.  (If you have any topics/questions you think would be good, please feel free to email me!) 

If you want to play along, all you have to do is post the question and your answer on your own blog.  You can play along any day of the week that works best for you.

Link your post to my blog so that I know you have participated, and in the following weeks post, I will link all the participant blogs from the prior week.

 

Topic:  Your blog

Question:  Do your family and friends know about your blog?  If so, what do they think of it?  If not, why haven’t you told them?

When I first started my blog, I only told my mom and a few close friends.  Then, after a while I put the link on my facebook.  Outside of the people I have told and those who use my link, I really don’t know who is reading.  Sometimes I talk about my blog but I don’t really promote my blog outside of that single link.  I know a lot of people lurk my blog, and of course I wish I knew who they were, but if they want to secretly read than I guess I am flattered.

There is something about having my whole life out there that makes me feel a little vulnerable, but my blog truly is who I am so I never had anything to hide.  Of course there are times when I wish I could be totally honest but I am aware of those who read my blog, so at times I do censor myself.  But who I am here, is who I am.  And anyone who knows me in “real life” can back that up. 

Overall, I am happy with my decision to make my blog public because it gives people who know me a chance to perhaps see a different side of me.  Those who I know read my blog have given me good feedback.   A lot of people don’t understand this lifestyle and I think this might give them a glimpse into the life I live. 

 

Week In Review- 4/19-4/25

Week in Review; 4/19-4/25

Training:

Running- 2.3 miles @ 13:03 pace Saturday.  Good run…did more running than walking, a step in the right direction.  Hoping to run 2.5 this week under thirteen minute pace. 

Biking- 8.3 miles on the stationary bike Saturday.  Still not allowed to do any spinning.

 Swimming- 1 hour 45 minutes total.  All morning swims.  Monday 40 minutes and Wednesday 30 minutes both with pull buoy for entire swim.  Friday 35 minutes; warm up with buoy, 800 meters timed and a cool down.  All things considered, I did really well with the timed 800.  It is not a time I would ever be happy with, but give the circumstance, it is a good base for me to work up from.

Strength training- 2 hours PT and an additional 20 minutes on arms.

Abs challenge-  300 or so…another lame week.  When I wasn’t training, I was totally on top of this…I must find a way to fit it back in!!!

Cross training- Does Spring cleaning count???  Cause I found muscles I didn’t even know I had and they are sore!!!

Weekly High: I am really proud of the time I spent in the pool!  And my workout Saturday was awesome…I love days at the gym when I don’t feel rushed by the clock and I can just workout!

Weekly Low: My job situation. 

Notes:

• I officially decided against Broad Street.  Done deal.  Another race…another DNS.  That total is now three. 😦
• The truth is, I am not even ready for a 5k at this point.  I am looking towards a 5k  in the middle of May and a 5-miler the first week in June.  Then come July, I will begin training for the September half.

Life: Don’t even get me started. It was a bad week!

Three things I am grateful for this week:

1. Co-workers who are also friends.  ♥
2. Healthy lungs.  Tomorrow will be 15 months without a single cigarette!!!
3. Time to heal…met up last week with a friend who I had a falling out with a few years ago; we made up a while ago but it was ackward a little.  This time it was nice to hang out like old times again.

Quote of the week: “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!”

Not A Fan Of This Kind Of Rice…

I have made serious efforts not to become political on my blog.  And I hardly, if ever, talk about work.  Today both of those things are going to change (but don’t worry, only for this post) because yesterday…

…I got my RICE letter.

RICE letter:  A letter informing employees that their names and positions within the school will be discussed for demotion or termination.

As of February 2007, the statute requires that the public be notified in advance of and be allowed the right to attend meetings of public bodies, and that all discussions and official actions, unless specifically exempted, take place in public.  The intent of the Legislature, in enacting this law, was to eliminate secrecy in public affairs which would undermine the faith of the public in government. The statute allows the public to witness the deliberation, policy formation, and decision-making of public bodies.

So basically, all I know right now is that my name is in the hat.  Along with many others at my work (eleven in my building) who are teachers.  We have already cut five employees (which is low in comparison to many schools) and now we have to cut more.  The BOE meeting is next Thursday but they don’t have to give us answers until May 15th.  Normally our administration is really good about not making us sweat things out, so hopefully we will know by next Friday or the following Monday at the latest. 

And get this…in my district, we presented a zero tax increase.  ZERO!!!  And the voters still said no.  And you know why they said no???  Because Chris Christie told people that if their districts weren’t taking a pay freeze, do not pass the budget.  And without bothering to educate themselves or even READ the notice that went home talking about their zero tax increase they came and voted no.  Because they are convinced that by voting no, they are helping Chris Christie stick it to the man.  What they do not realize, is that the wrong people are being punished.  Bigger class sizes, lack of individual attention, no after school activities or sports and music & arts all taken away.  You know who gets punished?  The kids.

This is happening all over NJ.  In every school.

I would like to send a big F.U. to Chris Christie!

I really do not want this to be an open forum for any political battles.  I respect both sides of the political spectrum when parties are informed and educated (this does not mean regurgitating FoxsNews) but this is not the place for those arguments. 

 

  

All I ask is that you keep your fingers crossed for me, my co-workers and the hundreds of others who are up against this same wall.

Oh, and if you can read this…thank a teacher.

More Swimming 101- Water Etiquette

Welcome to Part 2 of Swimming 101:  Water Etiquette

This was not originally part of my series but after an incident yesterday I decided it had to be included.  I swim early in the morning, usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  The pool is generally packed.  And more often than not, lanes need to be shared.  Of course, like most people, sharing a lane is not my favorite way to swim but I also know that it is inevitable if I choose to swim at a popular time.  Normally everything is smooth sailing regardless of how crowded it is because it is usually the same people and we have all gotten to know each other by face.  Yesterday though, was a different story, with a swimmer I hadn’t seen at the pool before:

 I came into the pool and all lanes were taken.  There was only one lane with only one person so I stood at the end of the lane to give the heads up to the swimmer that I would be jumping in; he would not make eye contact so I put my feet to make him aware that I was going to get in the lane.  And when the guy got the the wall he looked at me like I had ten heads so I said, “hey I am going to share” and he rolled his eyes.  Yeah, we were off to a good start.  For the first ten minutes, I had to basically swim around him because clearly he never learned how to share in kindergarten. I was sucking it up until he smacked me in the head with his hand weight.  At that point I stopped him and we had this conversation:

Me: Whoa…I thought we were sharing a lane.

Douchebag in Pool: I was here first.

Me: Right, and if there was another lane in which I could swim, I would.  But there isn’t.

(I thought it was over at that point, but no…)

DIP: You know, some of us in here are training for triathlon (with a huge emphasis on triathlon) and need the pool.

Me: Yes, I understand.  I am one of those people.

And then I swam off.  And go figure, he got out of the pool about five minutes later.  I would have…but some of us are training for triathlon!!!

So there you have it, my motivation for this post. 

5 proper swim etiqette tips

1. Know how to share a lane.  You can either “split” a lane…each swimmer on their own side, or if there are more than two swimmers, you can use the circle format.  This means everyone swims counter-clockwise on the right side of the lane.  And don’t hog the lane like the moron in the aformentioned story.
2. Know your ability.  When determining which lane to enter when all lanes are full, look for swimmers who are at or about at your same ability.  Don’t kid yourself about your skills.
3. Be pass friendly.  If you need to pass someone in the lane, simply tap their foot to let them know and then go around them on the left.  If your foot is tapped to be passed, DO NOT speed up in an attempt to stay ahead.  Swallow your pride and let them swimmer pass.
4. Stop appropriately.  Unless you are having an emergency, there is no reason to stop in the middle of a swim lap.  All stopping should take place at the end of the lane and the stopped swimmer should tuck themselves into the corner of the lane so they do not get in the way of a turning swimmer.
5. Do not aqua jog when sharing a lane.  Nuff Said.

And five pool pet peeves:

1. Don’t pee in the pool.  Do I even need to elaborate on this???
2. Shower first.  The pool is not your personal bathtub.
3. Don’t bring all your toys to every swim.  Decide what you will work on for that swim and bring what you need.  No reason to bring your whole toy box.
4. Don’t be a drafter.  If you are sharing a lane, don’t be the rude swimmer who constantly taps the swimmers foot but then doesn’t pass. 
5. Recognize that the gym pool is not a hang-out.  It is not cute to wear your bikini to the gym pool and hang out on the steps.  You look ridiculous.

Do you have any tips or pet peeves to add? 

 

Stay tuned for Swimming 101 Part 3; pool toys and how to use them!

Three Things Tuesday

In keeping with the Boston theme…

1.  Congrats to all the Boston runners yesterday!!!  I watched on free live stream!  I had no idea until that morning that universalsports was going to charge and personally I think that was rude.  The marathon brings in a crapload of money as it is and they did not need to charge.  Luckily, I found a link to CBS that was streaming it and was able to watch!  I also obsessively tracked a bunch of runners and it was so much fun!  I cannot wait for all the race reports!

2.  I know it is 353 days away but I am already excited for my trip to Boston next year to watch the marathon in person!!!  And I am going to run the 5k!  I know some of you are already registered for 2011 and more of you are going for the goal this year.  I already have plans to meet up with some people and again, even though it is a year away, I am so excited!  

3.  Because I was in Boston hype mode all day yesterday, I started googling all things Boston Marathon.  Here are some fun facts:     

• Wheelchair athletes Ernst Van Dyk and Jean Driscoll hold the most Boston Marathon victories.
• There were only 15 runners to start the first Boston Marathon in 1897
• The Boston Marathon began awarding prize money in 1986 and through the 2010 race more than $13.2 million has been awarded in prize and bonus money.
• The all-time record for the world’s largest marathon was established at the centennial race in 1996, when 35,868 finishers out of 36,748 official starters participated in the 100th running of the Boston Marathon. The Centennial Boston Marathon had 38,708 entrants and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records.
• In terms of on-site media coverage, the Boston Marathon ranks behind only the Super Bowl as the largest single day sporting event in the world. More than 1,100 media members, representing more than 250 outlets, receive credentials annually.
  

Monday Brain Exchange Week 4- All About Boston!

Here are the answers from participants in last weeks Brain Exchange:  Kittzy, Darlene, Andrea, Kandi, Suzy, Jill, Whitney, Kera and Kim (If I missed you, let me know- sometimes links are funny and don’t work and I don’t want to leave anyone out!)

Here’s how it works:

Every Monday, I will post a question.  The questions will be set up to post for @ 6am E.S.T. to give everyone ample amount of time to post their own answers throughout the day.

Questions will range all over the board as far as topics are concerned; from the sports themselves to nutrition to blogging and so on.  (If you have any topics/questions you think would be good, please feel free to email me!) 

If you want to play along, all you have to do is post the question and your answer on your own blog.  You can play along any day of the week that works best for you.

Link your post to my blog so that I know you have participated, and in the following weeks post, I will link all the participant blogs from the prior week.

 

Topic:  BOSTON!

Question:  Do you get excited about the Boston Marathon?  Have you ever ran or do you hope to one day run in the race?  Will you watch today and if so will it be watching in person, on TV, on the computer?  Do you have anyone special running this year?  Any great Boston stories to tell?

 

Let’s this out of the way right now:  I will never run the Boston Marathon!  And I am okay with that.

However, my plans are to go next year to spectate and run the 5k that takes place over the weekend!  I really wish I was there this year but I am already getting excited about next year.  Even before I was a runner or cared about running, I loved watching running events.  But since having gotten into it myself, I get even more excited!  The past two years I have watched on my computer at work and that is my plan for this year as well. 

A few of my teammates are running as well as some runners I know from being a part of the community, so I am looking forward to tracking them.  I am also looking forward to tracking you guys, my bloggies!  Here’s who I will be watching: Joe #7929, Jill #18646, Meghan #11318, Carolyn #16811, Emily #15694, Emily #15523   I would have loved to follow you all (cough Katie, Jenn and Lindsay cough) but I didn’t know your #’s! 

Can’t wait to read all the race reports!!!

Week In Review- 4/12-4/18

Week in Review; 4/12-4/18

Training:

Running- 2 miles on Tuesday.  First outside run (walk/jog more like it) since the half in February.  Going to take some getting used to again, going from treadmill to outside, but it feels great to be back!  Wanted to go for a jog tonight but my stomach and I are not getting along so I have spent most of the evening in bed!

Biking- 3 miles on stationary bike for warm-up.  Planned a bike ride today but see above about my stomach!

 Swimming- 1 hour total.  Monday– 20 minutes with pull buoy and 15 minutes free swim.  Thursday– all 30 minutes with the buoy.  I am focusing much more on strength and endurance right now and will focus more on speed in the upcoming weeks.

Strength training- nothing outside of my 2 hours PT this week.

Abs challenge- This has been my worst week of abs since I started back in January.  Big time slacker, only did 250 this week!

Cross training- 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I still think it is boring but I know it is helping me stay strong while I recover.

Weekly High: Outside run!  Woo-Hoo

Weekly Low: I missed the RU half today.  It was the race I was most looking forward too.  It was supposed to be my PR race.  I was still going to go watch my teammates but I had so much going on today and was all upset last night about not being able to run it, that I decided it would be better to stay home.  I am seriously bummed.  This injury has only gotten the best of me twice…and this was one of those times.  I am truly sad to have missed it.

Notes:

• I am still going back and forth about Broad Street.  I hate to miss another race, but I feel like I am going to be frustrated the entire time if I walk/jog it.  I know this is lame, but I feel like because people do not know I am recovering from an injury, they will assume I am slow.  I KNOW THIS IS LAME and I do not judge slower people and most people do not judge slower people and that this is all in my head, but still.  Runners…I know you understand!!!

Life: Today was the bridal shower for my soon to be cousin-in-law Nancy.  I love Nancy.  She has been with my cousin for quite a few years and is already part of my family.  Here are some photos:

The venue

The cake

The bride to be!

Three things I am grateful for this week:

1. I don’t love going to Pysical Thereapy, and I don’t love being there, but it is making me stronger.  I have a great team who are working very hard to get me back in shape and safely recovered.  I am thankful, that while I might bitch about it, they work hard with me every time I am there.
2. I feel lucky to have parents, that after 33 years, still love each other. 
3. After watching three consecutive episodes of 16 and Pregnant, I am grateful that I was never a teen mom.

Quote of the week: Within each of us is a hidden store of energy. Energy we can release to compete in the marathon of life. Within each of us is a hidden store of courage. Courage to give us the strength to face any challenge. Within each of us is a hidden store of determination. Determination to keep us in the race when all seems lost.   (Perfect for runners or what?!?  Thought it was good for those running Boston tomorrow too!)