Project Wednesday

This morning I was in project-mode. I cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the house. I took out the trash and recycle bin. I even put away all of my cans- the cans I save to get money for animal rescue- in the shed (but that was because Dave threatened to throw them away if I didn't move them because it made our driveway look trashy. He even gave me a deadline. ha ha!).

Some more projects:
I finally put this gem in a frame. I guess the bitterness of our playoff loss has softened. I love our team- Who Dat!

I finally- 2 years later- did something with my Ironman pictures. For 4$, I found this frame- something cheap but creative. So, now I can hang this up right next to the trainer for some motivation.

The dogs LOVE Wednesdays. I am home for most of the day and don't leave for work until later. They helped me on all of my projects.

And I also had my first 13 mile run since March 2009! Yea!!!! It is getting easier and easier. My joints and muscles are starting to catch up to my lungs, and I was surprised and happy to see a good pace + a lower HR today for my run. I really feel that some good things are going to happen with my run this year. ( I just knocked on wood).

It must be the new clothes- I was looking really cute in my new visor and capris. Thank you Hillary Biscay! Yes, I accidentally entered one of her contests as a male. I received a consolation prize due to the hilarity of it all. :)

Okay- gotta go to work! My day will be complete if I can make it home in time to cook Dave dinner. That is my final goal for the evening.

:) xxxxooo0

Pure Fit Radio- Check It Out!

I have some new podcasts for you! Check out Pure Fit Radio for some new listening material.

I am making a personal referral for this site because the new co-host is Kevin Leathers at Can't Stop Endurance! He is a personal friend and teammate, as well as an all-around awesome triathlete and runner. Just call him Kevy- he loves it.

And he replaced Bart Yasso as the co-host on the show. That is pretty crazy. "Yasso 800s"...... Okay Kevin- we are going to need you to come up with your own pre-marathon testing protocol to see if we are ready to go!

So load up your ipod, go on a long run, and enjoy!

EDIT!
Just listened to the last 1 hour segment- awesome. Great podcast with a good mix for runners and triathletes. Kevin...I am proud of you! This is big time.

Couple Day!

What a fantastic Saturday with Dave! We slept in and it was so wonderful. I fixed pancakes and Dave fixed the coffee. We took our time getting up and moving.

Around noon, we headed to the track for 6 x 800. I have been so happy to have Dave join me. (I have been forcing him- it is not voluntary on his part). My workouts are easier when he is there with me. He joined me for the first 2 repeats, and then sat out for the next 3 and took some video of me so we could look at my form. (more on that below). I knew the last 800 would be hard for me to keep the same pace, so I asked Dave to join me again. He was awesome. When I hit the head wind on one side of the track, he noticed I was really laboring and slowing. He jumped in front of me and encouraged me to move it and I finished right where I was supposed to finish. Thank you Dave!

I cannot quite figure out how to upload my video with all of the bells and whistles. I want to put it in slow motion so I can really take a good look at my form, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet. Here is a still shot of me from behind. It is hard to tell in this picture, but what we noticed is I really need some hip abductor/ER strengthening as I tend to have a lot of internal rotation. My hips do not drop a lot, though, so that was good. My upper body is also extremely asymetrical and arm swing and shoulder position varies a great deal from right to left. Without slow motion, I can't really figure out what is going on so I will have to keep playing with the video.

Here is some video I was able to get uploaded from the side. It was weird to see myself run, and I was surprised at how slow I looked when I was doing the repeats. I think over the years I have done a lot of plodding, so seeing myself run has encouraged me to try to pick it up a little bit more next time I am out there and really try to get stronger.

So after a nice day together, Dave and I went to a super fancy dinner. It was our Christmas gift to each other- just spending time together. We even told the waiter to take his time with all of the food. We are usually in-and-out of restaurants, but we forced ourselves to really relax. We went through all courses- cocktails, bread, appetizer, wine, sorbet, main course, after dinner drink, dessert. We talked and talked and talked. We were surprised to find that even after 12 years together, we still could learn new things about each other we didn't know.

When we got home, I wanted a family portrait. We never quite got one, but here are a few of the outtakes.

The dogs aren't interested...

Rooney wants some kisses...

Dave finally gave up and said he didn't want to take anymore pictures.

The end of the night....tired mommy and tired babies :)

Two great things that happened in my life today:

1. As Dave was leaving for work this morning, I heard him tell Rooney in a hushed voice, "Bye Roo- I love you and will miss you." I don't think I was supposed to hear him say that. It was really sweet.

2. When I went into a hole in the wall hardware store in Hollysprings, Mississippi today, the old hardware men gave me a cupcake and a bottle of water. There is nothing like being in the South! I think they were so excited to have a female in the store, they were bending over backwards to spoil me!

Two challenges I face right now:

1. Now that I have changed jobs, I have the added responsibility of making sure I make enough money. This requires me to really work on building my caseload as well as working some PRN night shifts at my old job to make sure our income does not take a huge hit. It is a different type of work responsibility- I am now in more control of what I make....or don't make. Because I am no longer "8 to 5", I have to be disciplined enough to work when it is advantageous rather than sleeping in or deciding to lounge around the house.

2. I was super stoked about having Gil Stovall as my new master's swim coach. Workouts were a killer. He taught me how to fix my right arm recovery. Things were on the up. Unfortunately he has moved on. So, no master's coach...and increased worries that my swimming will continue to stay sub par. Actually, this worries me a lot (well, in as much as you should be worried about sports). It is not a good feeling to spend time working on something and not see improvement.

This weekend looks good- got some 800s in the morning (Dave is already trying to back out), Earling Jensen's tomorrow night for super special date night, a few moments with the trainer, and many moments of relaxation. Happy weekend is here!

Trainerish...

My new rule as of this year is under 40- no riding. 41-44...maybe no riding. I know that sounds pitiful to all the northern folks, but winter time in Memphis = windy + humidity and suddenly 35 feels like 20. And, well yes, I have a lot of excuses. But I have a trainer so I can just get on it and roll. And so far my new rule is working out for me. (as long as the trainer ride is not over 3 hours. It seems anything over 2 hours and I am prone to cry, and 3 hours is my mortal limit).

I don't have a computrainer, so I have to be creative to make the time pass. Here are some things that have worked for me if you have a computer set up in front of your trainer.

1. ITU races. These will get you through 90-120 minutes workouts. And, I have really increased my knowledge of ITU athletes, which is an added bonus. ITU video link

2. Old Hawaii Ironman videos. This site has them from a decade ago! So, if you are tired of watching the same 2008 program, check this out. Hawaii videos click on this link and then look at the scroll bar to the right. I have found several old videos that go 60-120 minutes. My favorite was watching Dave Scott push a volunteer out of his way. WTF? Ha ha!

If anyone else knows of a site with some good, longer video, - or any good, free trainer material for that matter- send it my way!

I was going to spice up this post with some funny trainer pictures- like Cayenne bringing me presents while I am on the trainer. Yesterday it was Dave's remote control (I think she wanted me to hide it so he would play with her more) and a 10$ bill. The 10$ bill was bribe money to get off of the trainer- what a smart dog! Alas, my pre-paid phone will not let me upload pictures to the computer, so I can't share the cuteness.

PS. Yes, yesterday was a sad night for the Roberts' home when the Saints lost. While our Seahawks friends have told us to bust out the 2010 Superbowl DVD and reminisce, all we can say to them is...at least we have a DVD- you would be so lucky to earn one this year but I doubt it.

:)

1/1/11

2010 was wonderful. 2011 will be even better. I really do think life just keeps getting better as I get older. Each year just seems to build on the last as I deepen current friendships and make more as time goes on. Here are a few snapshots from the New Year's weekend.

12/31/10- New Year's Eve. Joy was in town! Yea!!!! Here we are with Paul Sax, local running coach. I am surprised he recognized us, as Joy and I have avoided the local group track workouts like the plague. He probably thought we were telling a big fat lie when we explained that we still run quite a bit and love to run! (okay, that was a small white lie. We mostly love to run, except on the days it hurts/sucks/too cold/ knees or hamstrings hurt/run too slow/etc....)

Our New Year's crew kept growing as the minutes ticked on to 2011.

Damie, Joy, and Kathy enjoying the last few hours of 2010. What did we do in 2010? Joy married Jeremy in April 2010 and Kathy married Justin in April 2010. I was a spectator in 2010 :)

Hello 2011! Dave surprised me by joining me at the track today for some 400s to kick off our 1/1/11. (that earned him HUGE husband bonus points!). He ran with me for the first 400 while talking my ear off, pulled ahead for the next few when he realized I wasn't going to be talking, and then took off on the last one and finished almost 100 meters in front of me. Sandbagger! The crazy thing is he is so out of shape too, but can just bust out speed. That is what years of middle/high school track and xx + a million years of soccer will get you.

Jen, Laura, and Damie
And 1/1/11- attending my first wedding of the new year! Laura and Nick invited me to their gorgeous and fun wedding (groomsman riding his skateboard down the aisle type of fun!). I always feel so lucky and honored to be invited to weddings- to know that friends want me to share in their special day.

Jen and Damie! Jen was one of my great PT school buddies. Friends like her helped me get through the tough days. Now that we are done with school, she is diligently working on her 50 marathons in 50 states :)!

Here it is- another great year ahead of us! Go get it and make it happen!!!!