After all that talk about what a weather wimp I am, Peter tells me he didn't even run on Tuesday evening. Come on Peter - it was only 4 degrees with 20mph winds and snow.
More snow is on the way, but I'll be in sunny San Diego for the next 5 days visiting my adorable little niece. Hooray for me!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Weather Warrior
There is no other way to sum up today's weather than: CRAZY! The day started out a nice balmy 46 degrees. It was lovely - almost spring-like. I didn't even need a jacket. As the day has progressed though the temperature has dropped and the precipitation has changed from rain to ice to snow. The winds are suppose to whip up to a wicked 40mph with 50mph gusts. One to three inches of snow should be hitting the ground as well. All this while the temps fall to a brisk -9 degrees. If you are doing the math and factoring in the wind chill, it's gonna feel like -30 degrees by tomorrow morning. And wouldn't you know it - Peter is gonna go out and run on this lovely January day.
As Peter so nicely pointed out in his blog, I've been missing some of our regularly scheduled Tuesday runs. I did indeed bail last week due to what I perceived as cold. 10 degrees with 15 mph winds feels like -5. I'd say it's ok to hunker down and run on the treadmill for the evening. This week, I was busy. The 'new boy' and I had a variety of errands to run and there was simply no other time to do them together this week. In my defense, I have every right to miss a run or duck inside from time to time. It is after all - January. I have no big races coming up and as I have gotten older and wiser, I have learned when to say 'when'. This is a skill Peter hasn't quite learned yet as he is only a fresh, young 26 years old. I may be older, but am far wiser and in the prime of life.
Would you jump off a bridge just because you can? I don't think so.
As Peter run through the wintry mess yesterday, I relaxed and ran errands with my 'new boy'. I couldn't be happier with him and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Tuesday evening. For the record, next Tuesday I will be returning from sunny San Diego and will miss another Tuesday evening run.
As Peter so nicely pointed out in his blog, I've been missing some of our regularly scheduled Tuesday runs. I did indeed bail last week due to what I perceived as cold. 10 degrees with 15 mph winds feels like -5. I'd say it's ok to hunker down and run on the treadmill for the evening. This week, I was busy. The 'new boy' and I had a variety of errands to run and there was simply no other time to do them together this week. In my defense, I have every right to miss a run or duck inside from time to time. It is after all - January. I have no big races coming up and as I have gotten older and wiser, I have learned when to say 'when'. This is a skill Peter hasn't quite learned yet as he is only a fresh, young 26 years old. I may be older, but am far wiser and in the prime of life.
Would you jump off a bridge just because you can? I don't think so.
As Peter run through the wintry mess yesterday, I relaxed and ran errands with my 'new boy'. I couldn't be happier with him and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Tuesday evening. For the record, next Tuesday I will be returning from sunny San Diego and will miss another Tuesday evening run.
Monday, January 28, 2008
You call that an update?
This one's for you Peter....
I checked your blog today and frankly, I'm disappointed. You added one picture to a pre-existing post and you call that an update? Please. Is that the best you can do? Where's the creativity and the classic Peter Nelson wit that we all know and love? Can I even take this blogging competition seriously anymore? 3-2? Well, after this little ditty make it 4-2. And yes, this is a post. It has thought, humor and it mentions Peter.
I'd continue this, but Happy Hour calls. Be there or Be Square Peter.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
When all else fails, Blog!
I'll be the first to admit I should be working right now and not writing in my blog. But, I can't get my brain wrapped around what I am supposed to be doing. Hopefully a 10 minute distraction can help get my brain back on track. Lately though, I've been told that I'm getting old and this sort of stuff just gets worse as you get older. I'm going to assume this person is correct since he is older and wiser(?) than I am.
Since my last post life has been humming along nicely. I'm training regularly and seeing some nice gains on the bike and in the pool. The running is coming along too, but no improvements that I can see at this time. I'm blaming that on all the cold, snowy weather we have been having here in Madison. With the ground being covered in snow, traction has been an issue. And in the last few days, I have opted to run indoors. I will be the first to say that I hate the treadmill. I despise running in one place, staring at a wall or TV and chugging along. My runs with Peter in the great outdoors are always far more entertaining. With negative temps and some nasty wind chills though, I can suffer through a treadmill run or two (or three or four....).
Speaking of Peter, he got himself a new trainer for his birthday. Kathryn, Petra and I went in on it. Peter was surprised and I don't think he actually realized it was for him until the next day when it was sitting in his house. Maybe Peter will blog about how great his CycleOps Fluid2 Trainer is....and how wonderful the 3 women who bought it are. Then again, maybe not. I'm winning the blogging contest thus far.
Andrea 3, Peter 1.9 (# of posts since Jan 1 2008)
In some non-training related news, I was lucky enough to attend the Packers-Seahawks game on January 12th. It was a magical night at Lambeau field - Brett Favre, falling snow, defeating Mike Holmgren where he once held his own.....Surprisingly the road to the SuperBowl would head back through Lambeau the following week. This time wasn't as magical as I watched from the comfort and warmth of Joe's home in Janesville, WI. Fortunately we had some amazing food and vodka tonics to get us through that game. I hate to say it, but I'll say it anyway - the Packers sucked that night and lacked the magic they brought to the field all season long. Do I think the Giants are a superior team? Not a chance. At least they will get to contribute to the Patriot's perfect season. I'm not sure I'll be watching this game....maybe the commercials though.
I'm off to San Diego in about 1 week. I can't wait to see my cute little niece. She will be almost 6 months old when I see her this time. Stayed tuned for more great photos of the little darling! Another bonus for this trip is that I will be picked up and dropped off by my boyfriend! That's right - I have one of those now. He's absolutely wonderful and I will definitely be looking forward to seeing him after my trip. So, if you've been following along the guest star has become a series regular :)
Now that I have sufficiently wasted 10 minutes, time to move on. There's always another day to blog. And plenty of more work to be done.
My parting thought for the day: Tune in on January 31st! LOST is BACK!!!!
Since my last post life has been humming along nicely. I'm training regularly and seeing some nice gains on the bike and in the pool. The running is coming along too, but no improvements that I can see at this time. I'm blaming that on all the cold, snowy weather we have been having here in Madison. With the ground being covered in snow, traction has been an issue. And in the last few days, I have opted to run indoors. I will be the first to say that I hate the treadmill. I despise running in one place, staring at a wall or TV and chugging along. My runs with Peter in the great outdoors are always far more entertaining. With negative temps and some nasty wind chills though, I can suffer through a treadmill run or two (or three or four....).
Speaking of Peter, he got himself a new trainer for his birthday. Kathryn, Petra and I went in on it. Peter was surprised and I don't think he actually realized it was for him until the next day when it was sitting in his house. Maybe Peter will blog about how great his CycleOps Fluid2 Trainer is....and how wonderful the 3 women who bought it are. Then again, maybe not. I'm winning the blogging contest thus far.
Andrea 3, Peter 1.9 (# of posts since Jan 1 2008)
In some non-training related news, I was lucky enough to attend the Packers-Seahawks game on January 12th. It was a magical night at Lambeau field - Brett Favre, falling snow, defeating Mike Holmgren where he once held his own.....Surprisingly the road to the SuperBowl would head back through Lambeau the following week. This time wasn't as magical as I watched from the comfort and warmth of Joe's home in Janesville, WI. Fortunately we had some amazing food and vodka tonics to get us through that game. I hate to say it, but I'll say it anyway - the Packers sucked that night and lacked the magic they brought to the field all season long. Do I think the Giants are a superior team? Not a chance. At least they will get to contribute to the Patriot's perfect season. I'm not sure I'll be watching this game....maybe the commercials though.
I'm off to San Diego in about 1 week. I can't wait to see my cute little niece. She will be almost 6 months old when I see her this time. Stayed tuned for more great photos of the little darling! Another bonus for this trip is that I will be picked up and dropped off by my boyfriend! That's right - I have one of those now. He's absolutely wonderful and I will definitely be looking forward to seeing him after my trip. So, if you've been following along the guest star has become a series regular :)
Now that I have sufficiently wasted 10 minutes, time to move on. There's always another day to blog. And plenty of more work to be done.
My parting thought for the day: Tune in on January 31st! LOST is BACK!!!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Kicking off 2008 the 'tri' way
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Well folks, that's it. The days of blowing off workouts and making it up as I go along are over. It's back to structure, plans and goals - just what my Type A personality ordered. With the much needed guidance of my trusty coach Jason, I am going to rock the 2008 Triathlon season.
Post-Ironman I resolved to do more of the things I had neglected all year long - travel, more time with friends and family, projects on the home front, sleeping in.....I worked hard at the 'go with the flow' type approach to my training and fitness. Of course, I tried to maintain some structure. I've never been a student of chaos. At the very least I needed something to work off of. So I swam 2-3 days a week and ran 2-3 days a week and biked 2-3 days a week. Ok - so I didn't cut back as much as many people did. But, I got to decide when, for how long and how hard I would go on any given day. The mandatory 6 hour training days were over, the tri-top/bike short tan lines were fading and the glory of the Ironman became one of those experiences you can't believe you had. Just as all those other parts of my life have settled back in, the time for training has once again begun.
2008 is the year of the half Ironman for me. I plan to race as often as my coach and pocketbook allow me with a few key races in there. The top 2 races of the summer include Ironman Kansas 70.3 and Steelhead 70.3. I'll also do the Door County Half Ironman in July. There will be other races mixed in here and there. Stay tuned for the full schedule. So why the half this year and why not another Ironman?
I really thought hard about doing another Ironman this year. My first experience was amazing - why not do another one right away?
1) It's a year-in-advance commitment - of my time and money. I wasn't willing to lay down the money up front or lock down the next year of my life. Training for an Ironman is demanding and there are other things I want to do with my life in the coming year.
2) It's only been 2 years since I started doing Tris. There is a ton of room for improvement yet. I want to focus on improved technique, building endurance, increasing my speed and becoming stronger mentally as well. An Ironman is so emotional that I needed to line up a series of shorter goals that would not demand as much emotional energy as an Ironman.
3) The first experience was damn near perfect. I'm not ready for a less than perfect Ironman experience and I know the longer I keep doing these races, the more likely it is that I will have the less than perfect days.
The first month of the new season is going to be spent on building up training volume, working on technique and just getting back into the groove. The ultimate goal for the season is to see some pretty large improvements on the bike. I'd be very happy to just maintain my swim and run from last year, although I'll take any speed improvements I can manage.
This is also the year where USAT ages me up an age group. Yes folks, the big 30 is approaching later this year. In fact, I won't actually be 30 until after my big races. Unfortunately USAT puts you in the age group you would be in as of Dec, 31 2008. So, 30 it is. Look out ladies :)
Stay tuned for more updates no the 2008 training season and my racing schedule. 2008 is gonna be a good year, I can feel it.
Friday, January 4, 2008
It's been awhile. . .
It's been awhile since I last wrote. I've been neglecting my 5 blog fans. I know you have all been checking my blog at least twice a day hoping for an account of my latest adventure run with Peter, but I've failed you. Sorry.
New Year's Resolution #1: Blog at least once
week
The last 3 weeks have been filled with numerous activities - a 3 day bout with the flu, holiday dinners, more snow 'fun' runs with Peter, goodbye to some dear friends and even some exciting new beginnings.
The week before Christmas I was struck with a round of the flu. I missed 3 days of work, swim practice, indoor cycling class, a holiday party and dinner with friends. Of course, I had to call my parents for sympathy and the first words out of my mom's mouth are 'Are you taking a multi-vitamin?' I wasn't and it's not because I'm lazy. Honestly, I hate having to swallow those big vitamin horse pills. Why can't they make Flinstones' vitamins for adults? Is that so hard? Turns out, Centrum makes some orange-flavored chewable multi-vitamins.
New Year's Resolution #2: Take a Multi-Vitamin on a daily basis
I was so anxious for Christmas this year. As our family has gotten older, we have started a Christmas Eve tradition that I've grown to love. Our immediate family gathers at my parent's house around 3pm on Xmas eve. My dad has a fire going in the fireplace and my mom lights a bunch of candles. We have every kind of holiday food imaginable and we just spend time together. This year was something else, let me tell you. I didn't know my parents owned as much wine as they did! I think our family of 5 plus a few others managed to polish off close to 14 bottles of wine. That's a lot of vino. Nothing like being slightly hammered with your parents, siblings, aunt and uncle. I think I passed out on the couch around midnight while the rest of the family was still celebrating the holiday.
The following morning was particularly hard on my brother. It's a good thing we do presents on Xmas Eve, because my brother couldn't manage to drag himself out of bed until 11am on Xmas Day. I won't say I wasn't feeling it and vowing that next year I would drink far less wine on Xmas Eve.
Christmas Day festivities took place at my grandparent's home. There was the usual dinner and gift opening. Typically we do family pictures prior to food and gifts, but this year my grandma waited until the bitter end. I was cranky and just wanted to go home. It wasn't pretty, but I managed to get out of there at reasonable hour and head home.
Once I got home, I had a great surprise in store for me. Let's just say the best presents are the ones that don't come in packages and cost just $34.99.
New Year's Resolution #3: Graduate from the 'Kid' picture by next Christmas.
Training has been tough. It's been crazy busy around here in December between work, holiday parties, getting sick, hanging out with friends and family, teaching indoor cycling....Somewhere in that chaos, I have to try to fit training in. I haven't gotten in as much as I wanted, but it's been enough to ward off all the holiday food I've ingested. I did decide to take this week off of swim altogether. We are between sessions and I really needed a good solid week where I didn't have to get up at 515am on a daily basis. Its been awesome and I'm even looking forward to getting back to working hard in the pool again.
Peter and I have been doing our usual runs, but I can honestly say we haven't had too many of our usual antics during the runs. The snow/ice have hung around and have made the runs somewhat treacherous, but we are getting used to it. On a somewhat related note, I have done a MUCH better job at doing my gait exercises regularly. Turns out, my inner thigh muscle and butt muscles are kinda weak, which causes me to run funny and have arch pain. I'm gonna try and fix that.
New Year's Resolution #4: Ride and Run faster with stronger butt muscles. (In other words, do my damn exercises!)
On December 13th, Jess finally came back to Madison. After being away in Santa Cruz for 4 months it was great to have her smiling face back in this part of the country. The visit would be short though. Both she and Sean were moving to Santa Cruz permanently around December 29th. It is truly the end of an era for one of my circles of friends here in Madison. I've known Sean since 1999 when we took economics classes together at UW Madison. Jess, the love of Sean's life, came into the picture in 2003. They have been amazing friends through it all. We shared some good times while they were here this last month: Celebrating Jess' Graduation, watching the Packers lose, enjoying wine and chex mix and gathering for one last meal at the Pancake Cafe. It was sad to drive away from them, but now I have one more place to visit. Santa Cruz here I come!
New Year's Resolution #5: Stay in better touch with those who are near and dear.
New Year's Resolution #6: Travel More.
I typically don't like to write in this blog regarding my 'love' life and I'm not going to announce many details...but I've been lucky enough to meet a very sweet guy that I enjoy spending time with. Currently, he's a guest star that is auditioning for a leading role. If he makes the cut and enjoys the show, I'm sure you'll see more of him on here.
New Year's Resolution #7: Don't overanalyze life so much. You may miss out on something.
I don't really believe in the idea of New Year's Resolutions. I believe you can change your life on any given day. The New Year just happened to coincide with some changes I want to make in my life. So I guess those changes become New Year's Resolutions.
Happy New Year!
New Year's Resolution #1: Blog at least once
week
The last 3 weeks have been filled with numerous activities - a 3 day bout with the flu, holiday dinners, more snow 'fun' runs with Peter, goodbye to some dear friends and even some exciting new beginnings.
The week before Christmas I was struck with a round of the flu. I missed 3 days of work, swim practice, indoor cycling class, a holiday party and dinner with friends. Of course, I had to call my parents for sympathy and the first words out of my mom's mouth are 'Are you taking a multi-vitamin?' I wasn't and it's not because I'm lazy. Honestly, I hate having to swallow those big vitamin horse pills. Why can't they make Flinstones' vitamins for adults? Is that so hard? Turns out, Centrum makes some orange-flavored chewable multi-vitamins.
New Year's Resolution #2: Take a Multi-Vitamin on a daily basis
I was so anxious for Christmas this year. As our family has gotten older, we have started a Christmas Eve tradition that I've grown to love. Our immediate family gathers at my parent's house around 3pm on Xmas eve. My dad has a fire going in the fireplace and my mom lights a bunch of candles. We have every kind of holiday food imaginable and we just spend time together. This year was something else, let me tell you. I didn't know my parents owned as much wine as they did! I think our family of 5 plus a few others managed to polish off close to 14 bottles of wine. That's a lot of vino. Nothing like being slightly hammered with your parents, siblings, aunt and uncle. I think I passed out on the couch around midnight while the rest of the family was still celebrating the holiday.
The following morning was particularly hard on my brother. It's a good thing we do presents on Xmas Eve, because my brother couldn't manage to drag himself out of bed until 11am on Xmas Day. I won't say I wasn't feeling it and vowing that next year I would drink far less wine on Xmas Eve.
Christmas Day festivities took place at my grandparent's home. There was the usual dinner and gift opening. Typically we do family pictures prior to food and gifts, but this year my grandma waited until the bitter end. I was cranky and just wanted to go home. It wasn't pretty, but I managed to get out of there at reasonable hour and head home.
Once I got home, I had a great surprise in store for me. Let's just say the best presents are the ones that don't come in packages and cost just $34.99.
New Year's Resolution #3: Graduate from the 'Kid' picture by next Christmas.
Training has been tough. It's been crazy busy around here in December between work, holiday parties, getting sick, hanging out with friends and family, teaching indoor cycling....Somewhere in that chaos, I have to try to fit training in. I haven't gotten in as much as I wanted, but it's been enough to ward off all the holiday food I've ingested. I did decide to take this week off of swim altogether. We are between sessions and I really needed a good solid week where I didn't have to get up at 515am on a daily basis. Its been awesome and I'm even looking forward to getting back to working hard in the pool again.
Peter and I have been doing our usual runs, but I can honestly say we haven't had too many of our usual antics during the runs. The snow/ice have hung around and have made the runs somewhat treacherous, but we are getting used to it. On a somewhat related note, I have done a MUCH better job at doing my gait exercises regularly. Turns out, my inner thigh muscle and butt muscles are kinda weak, which causes me to run funny and have arch pain. I'm gonna try and fix that.
New Year's Resolution #4: Ride and Run faster with stronger butt muscles. (In other words, do my damn exercises!)
On December 13th, Jess finally came back to Madison. After being away in Santa Cruz for 4 months it was great to have her smiling face back in this part of the country. The visit would be short though. Both she and Sean were moving to Santa Cruz permanently around December 29th. It is truly the end of an era for one of my circles of friends here in Madison. I've known Sean since 1999 when we took economics classes together at UW Madison. Jess, the love of Sean's life, came into the picture in 2003. They have been amazing friends through it all. We shared some good times while they were here this last month: Celebrating Jess' Graduation, watching the Packers lose, enjoying wine and chex mix and gathering for one last meal at the Pancake Cafe. It was sad to drive away from them, but now I have one more place to visit. Santa Cruz here I come!
New Year's Resolution #5: Stay in better touch with those who are near and dear.
New Year's Resolution #6: Travel More.
I typically don't like to write in this blog regarding my 'love' life and I'm not going to announce many details...but I've been lucky enough to meet a very sweet guy that I enjoy spending time with. Currently, he's a guest star that is auditioning for a leading role. If he makes the cut and enjoys the show, I'm sure you'll see more of him on here.
New Year's Resolution #7: Don't overanalyze life so much. You may miss out on something.
I don't really believe in the idea of New Year's Resolutions. I believe you can change your life on any given day. The New Year just happened to coincide with some changes I want to make in my life. So I guess those changes become New Year's Resolutions.
Happy New Year!
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