Hotter N Hell 2010

This past weekend I attended the Hotter N Hell 100 race in Wichita Falls TX. This was my 7th year in a row to attend and even though I had not trained at all, I was determined to go. And after a few days of thinking about it, I am glad I did. Right afterwards.....not so much.

I did the 50 mile ride which was kind of a stretch since that was just about how many miles I had put on my bike for the entire year. Luckily though, I was still able to get through it and actually had a pretty decent ride time, but it was not an enjoyable ride at all. The wind was a bugger, but the big problem was just my fitness level. Which is non-existent right now. But I fully plan on jumping back in the saddle again and plan on attending another ride in three weeks....this time with more rides under my belt before hand.

In other news, somewhere in the middle of my bachelorette party (most likely between bottle two and three of wine) I thought that signing up for the Houston Half Marathon lottery with one of my bridesmaids was a fantastic idea. We found out last week that we got in so I will now be training for a half marathon at the end of January. Even though I groan a little bit, I am really kind of excited.

Dear Joint Juice

Dear Joint Juice,
Your "new and improved" sucks. Thhbbtt.
Sincerely,
Renee


-I promise to have more content soon. I am going to Hotter N Hell 100 this weekend in Wichita Falls. I am going to attempt the 50 mile ride even though I am completely untrained and unenthusiastic. I figure this will either rekindle my love for all things bike or I will be recovering on the couch for the next 3 days. Or maybe do both!

Disappearing Act Finished

I always think it is so sad when bloggers just disappear and you never hear anything from them again. I am trying very hard to not become one of those people! Luckily, things have slowed down a whole lot since I GOT MARRIED!



I always thought I could plan a wedding, move, and never miss a stide and just keep doing everything I was doing. I am sure lots of people could, but not me! Now that we are back from the honeymoon and our house is unpacked I am ready to jump back into my swimming, biking, and running. I will be going to Hotter N' Hell 100 at the end of the month and have put my entry in for the lottery for the Houston Half Marathon in January. I am excited about getting back into working out, blogging, and especially reading everyone's blogs again and hearing what everyone has accomplished this summer!

A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

We had snow less than two weeks ago and today they are expecting a record high of 92! Tomorrow is supposed to be just as beautiful. I think this may lead to a triathlon for me today....swim, bike, margarita!!

Three Things Thursday

1.The lunges I have been doing while at the copy machine has had two results. The first is that I am sore as heck. The second is that I avoid the copier as much as possible. :)

2.There is a small triathlon April 3 that I hope to do. I am strangely nervous even though it is a pretty short one: 300 meter pool swim, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile run. I am not sure what I am worried about exactly. I am used to being the last of the pack so really I cannot go anywhere but up. Maybe that should be my new mantra. “You can’t really get any slower so anything is an improvement".
I have been doing triathlons for a little over a year and my goal has always just been to finish and survive but this year I would really like to start to see more of an improvement speed wise. It just time to start expecting more from myself than just finishing.

3.I started taking these vitamins again and my hair and nails are growing like crazy and my skin is really clear. I can’t remember what brand they but they come in a box with individual bags that have 6 vitamins in them. I am sure it is overkill and I probably don’t need half of them….but I really like the results!

Unconventional Love

Proof once again that love knows no bounds. I wake up all of the time to these two cuddled up and usually it is the cats' purring that wakes me up. They are a sweet, slightly mismatched couple.

Back and Better!

I ran last night for the first time in weeks. I went on a one minute walk/one minute run plan and did this for 30 minutes. It was not a hard workout by any means, but for my first one back, it was a great one. When I got home, I was energized and excited which was a nice feeling. Now I can’t wait to get back out there tonight which I think is the measure of a really great workout.

After nearly 3 weeks off with the cold from hell, I am now 95% human and only 5% snot factory. It is amazing how the over-production of mucus can make you feel so incredible awful. I can say that the turning of the tides began with the time change. I love it staying light until later even though it is a tiny bit harder to get up in the mornings. It is totally worth it.

With crazy schedules, it is sometimes hard to get workouts in. I have found though, that you can grab small opportunities everywhere. My favorite time to work in a few exercises is at the copier. While I am waiting, I can usually get quite a few sets of lunges or calf raises. It may only be 3 or 4 minutes, but if I do it every time I go to the copier, that really adds up. Again, just little things, but those little things add up and I can see and feel a difference already. The downside to doing these at work is that if you get caught, people might think you are a little nuts. Luckily for me, my co-workers already think that so no harm there!

Do you have odd places you get a fast workout in? What kind of exercises do you squeeze in when you only have a few minutes?

So Lately....

I have not:
-Done my Wednesday Weigh Ins as promised
-Swam
-Run
-Really done much of anything except lay on the couch for the last 4 days

I have:
-Temporarily been chewed up and spit out by wedding planning
-Had a cold/sinus infection from hell
-Run my first fever that I can remember having in years
-Watched more movies this week than the whole rest of year
-Ridden my bike once this week
-Lost at least three pounds due to the fact I have no sense of taste. This is probably been the easiest way to diet I have ever found.

I will be returning to real life and regular posting soon. Assuming of course my head does not actually explode the next time I sneeze. It could be iffy.

A little behind

I am a little behind this week. Weigh in will be tomorrow plus I will do a review of my first p90x workout. Just to give you a hint.....gasp.

Treadmill Blues

This is exactly how I feel about running on the treadmill right now. Sadly this cat makes my treadmill look tiny but really it is just the cat that is oversized. Hope everyone has a great weekend and good workout weather!

Wednesday Weigh In

Today I was down another .4lbs. Not a big number, but I really need to start tracking my measurements as well because more importantly than seeing progress on the scale, I can feel it in my clothes! That is the best motivator ever.

Tuesday nights have now become my Biggest Loser/Last chance workout. I do swimming and then come home to watch the show while riding my trainer. Watching the transformation of these people is so cool and inspiring. It also gets me ready for my own weigh in the next day!

I hope everyone is having a great week and are staying warm! We actually have a tiny chance of sun in our forecast this weekend!! Hooray!

Sad Puppy

Mom, why on earth are you on that trainer when you could be walking with me?

Dear Sun

Dear Sun,

It feels like it has been months since I have seen you. I am so sorry for not appreciating you more when you were around and even at times complaining about your heat. I would really appreciate you coming to see me soon, even if it is just for a short visit. I promise we will do all sorts of fun things together and I will never take you for granted again.

Love,
Renee

Wednesday Weigh In

Today I knew I was not going to make it across town to weigh in at Weight Watchers so I weighed in this morning at home on my scale which oddly is not nearly as kind to me as the WW scale. I only lost .6lbs this week.

Oddly enough, I was grateful even for that small amount. I did not even deserve that after this last week. The snow and ice hit here this week and instead of taking an opportunity to work out at home, I reverted to slug status and spent several days with my nose buried in books.

AFter I emerged from my self imposed hibernation, I did my best to regain my lost motivation. It was easier than I thought because I realized that after just a few days of eating crap and being a slug, I felt like slug crap. Shock right? I had a tennis coach who always said "If you eat like crap, you play like crap". As a teenager, I rolled my eyes at this but it is so true. Our bodies crave good healthy food and reward us when we give it to them.

Today the snow and ice hit again but I am reacting in a different way. A long, somewhat slippery walk with the dog, a bike rde on the trainer, and a balanced dinner. Now, I can stick my nose back into my books for the night!

First Tri of the year on April 3!!!

Wednesday Weigh-In

Today I am going to take about some weighty matters. (I am so punny!) I have decided to start a Wednesday Weigh-In on my blog. I am not brave enough to actually post my weight yet, but I think I will get there. On Wednesday’s I weigh in at Weight Watchers and so afterwards, I will be sharing my victories (darn well better be victories) with you.

I have about 40-50 lbs to lose. The thing about being fat and active is that it freaking HURTS. If I was just going home everyday and sitting on the couch, I am sure I would be fine, however when you have athletic goals, it makes for a lot more pain. Your feet hurt, your knees hurt, and you just do not feel great about yourself no matter the distances you cover with your aching feet. Basically, what it comes down to is that even though this is a triathlon blog, my weight is holding me back and therefore should be part of this blog. I know that there are several others that share weight loss goals and if you care to share about your journey or provide tips, please do.

The reason I am going with Weight Watchers is that it is easy for me to do. I can go online, enter my foods and have a point range to stay within. My problem with losing weight is that I am a binger, especially after working out. WW is a great way for me to track my foods and exercise and make sure I am not out eating my workouts.

Anyways, with that all said, I just got back from my weigh in and am DOWN 2.2lbs! Perfectly on track for my goals!

Ouch

You know all that crap I wrote earlier about being ready fo anything my swim instructor dished out? Well she obviously could see my cockiness from a mile away and put me in my place.

Ouch.

Ready to Take It

Last week I started back to swimming after taking off since before Christmas. I won’t lie, it was painful and awful. I was kicking myself for taking off that long and so two days later, I was back. The second time was so much better and I really pushed it and even added 500 yards to what I had planned on doing and really felt solid about it.

300 yd warm up
300 yd kick
100 fast, 50 slow X4
300 yd kick
300 cool down


Then I got out of the pool and melted into a pool of mush. I was feeling so great and then just collapsed in the locker room in an exhausted heap. I kept turning to my swim partner and whining, “But WHY am I so tired??”. Well, big duh there.

I have to say, it was a nice exhausted. Nothing really hurt, but I knew I had worked. Those are some of the best workouts. I go back today for a swim lesson and I feel much more prepared to take whatever beating my instructor dishes out.

A Bright and Shiny New Year

I love the beginning of a new year. There is so much hope and promise with resolutions and everything just starting fresh. Every year starts this way, but this year....I am just really feeling it. It is going to be MY YEAR! The absolute best ever. Why am I so certain of this? For starters....

1) I am turning 30. I suppose I should be moaning the loss of my 20's, but while they were great, I am so ready to see what my 30's bring. I have not decided what I am going to do to make the actual day of incredible, but I have thoughts going through my head for sure.

2) I am getting married! Seriously, what can be better than that? Ok, so the reality of it is that the planning of a wedding is not so fantastic, but the marriage itself is going to be incredible. :) I had actually thought about scheduling my wedding the weekend of one of my triathlons and doing the tri in the morning and getting married late that afternoon. It was a sprint so really should not be a huge deal, but I decided to be rational and schedule the wedding the week before. Then the tri can be at the end of our honeymoon! Still maybe a little over ambitious, but it is still worth a try.

3) I am going to be fit. Period. My whole goal is not to be skinny for my wedding, but fit and happy. I have about 40 lbs I would like to shed and have already started to put a dent in that thanks to my new bike trainer. I usually am pretty bad about not touching my bike until March or so, but this year I have a huge head start on my training and it feels great. I have to say that riding on the trainer is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am not 100% sure why that is, but I really feel it when I get off of the trainer.

Why do you think 2010 is going to be fantastic for you?