Weekly Link Love Vacation Edition – May 18, 2012

Posted on 2012/05/18 by Kris

My vacation officially starts today, and I’m celebrating with a 4 hour workout. Yeah, I’m a sucker for punishment. :P So without delay, I’ll share with you my favourite links of the week – hope you enjoy!

So this week I started following a new (to me) blog written by professional triathlete Hillary Biscay. She just placed third at Ironman Australia, and her husband placed second at Ironman St. George! These are some serious athletes, and yet she comes across as someone you’d love to have lunch with in her posts.

TriSaraTops sold her first road bike this month. This is the bike that she rode her first and only Ironman triathlon on. She knew it was the right thing to do, but it was still hard to sell something with so many memories…

The discussion at I will be skinny this week – should he give up sugar? Well, I know for me I do far better staying on point when I go without it, and I tend to binge when I do eat it. Going low carb might be a good option for him.

Over at Workin’ it Out, Dr. Plum Petals (hey, she just defended her thesis – she’s a Dr. now!!) wrote a terrific post to herself (from our assignment to write a letter to ourselves in the RFSC). It was inspirational – Be Fearless. Yes. We should all be fearless, and embrace life’s adventures!

OK, my Google reader is acting up something fierce (SO frustrating!), and my Mac is behaving badly – which it never does. So I’ll close with a final reminder – if you want a chance to win Caitlin’s book, leave a comment on THIS post! Contest closes Sunday…

Goals update: Ugh – ok, I finished two posts and left some comments. I did not work out. I went shopping instead and bought some GREAT clubbing dresses for our trip to Vegas. Maybe this weekend…

Goals for the weekend:

1) 4-6 blog posts
2) Long bike ride
3) Long run
4) Hot yoga
5) Clear Google reader
6) Kijiji photos
7) House repairs
8) 1 more workout

Yes, a busy weekend planned here! What plans do you have?

Posted in Events, Training | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Hot Weather Running Tips

Posted on 2012/05/17 by Kris

I complain a lot. OK, well, Bruce says I do. ;) And I like to make excuses to skip workouts – too cold, too wet, too tired, not enough time. But last Monday it was 28C (82F) – which for central Canada, is hot even for July. For mid-May? Crazy heat! The week prior, I’d run a half marathon in 8C (46F) weather – pretty much perfect running weather. So 28C? And really, really windy? Not my favourite.

But I hadn’t run in 8 days, and I had a workout on the schedule. I was already making excuses – I had a Board meeting to go to, I was running out of time, I had too many other things to do, I would run when I got home (which was a total lie – I knew I wouldn’t).

So I threw on my running clothes, strapped on my Garmin, and off I went. But when you’re running in hot weather (especially unusually hot weather) there are a few things to remember:

  1. Hydrate! Even if you normally don’t carry water for short runs, if it’s extremely hot, take some water with you. I drink a lot at the best of times, but when it’s hot like this, I drink a crazy amount of water.
  2. Slow down. If you wear a heart rate monitor, pay attention to the reading, and slow down. In high heat, your body has to work harder to cool itself, and your heart rate goes up – making you work harder for the same workout you could do easily on a cool day.
  3. Waterproof sunscreen. Sunscreen is recommended any time you run outside (and I normally forget – DUH!), but when it’s hot and you’re sweating lots, a sport specific sunscreen will last longer and stay out of your eyes better.
  4. Wear light, loose clothing. Lighter colours (like white) are cooler than darker colours. Loose, sweat wicking clothing allow airflow around your body as you run.
  5. Wear a hat or visor. This will help keep the sun off your face. A hat is actually a better choice; it will protect your head from sunburn, and you can always put a wet cloth or bit of ice under your cap to help you stay cool.

Five simple tips to make you more comfortable running in hot weather. I refuse to complain – our winters are so cold that we whine all winter about wanting summer. I will enjoy the warm weather as long as it is here, but if I have to run in it, I’m going to do my best to stay cool doing it!

Goals: Oh such a busy day. I did get a bike ride in. I wrote 1 blog post. I hardly read anything, and commenting just wasn’t happening. Maybe tomorrow? Sigh…

Today’s goals:

1) 1 workout
2) Finish 2 blog posts
3) Comment on 5-10 blogs
4) Read 2 chapters

Posted in Running, Training | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Weight Fluctuations, PMS, Hormones, and Bloating

Posted on 2012/05/16 by Kris

OK, we’re about to get into the realm of TMI here… sorry to any of my male readers. :) First, a little history – in September 2010, I had a hysterectomy. The doctors removed my uterus and one ovary because of a large growth on the ovary and a prior history of a high risk of cervical cancer. They left the other ovary because it appeared healthy (and, I suppose, to prevent premature menopause considering I was only 38).

However, even more relevant to today’s post, for four years prior to my surgery, I had a hormone implant that regulated my hormones (and discontinued my periods) that was implanted in an effort to regulate my extremely irregular cycle (it worked). So for many years, I had no period. No cycle at all, actually. So no PMS, no mood swings, no bloating… you get the idea. It was fantastic.

Since I had my surgery, after I recovered and started running again, things have been ticking along rather smoothly. I’ve been battling that final five pounds I’d like to lose, but in general, things have been pretty good. Then in February I decided to stop weighing myself daily, which was a great decision… until April, when I decided I wanted to try to lose five more pounds before my vacation. Over the past 2.5 weeks, the results were…. weird. I dropped a little, which was great. Then I gained a little. Then I gained a LOT. Almost four pounds. WHAT?? Now, not even a week later? As of Tuesday morning, I was back to 140.3. WTF??

Plus, last week I had a hissy fit on Tuesday night. I don’t remember why I was cranky, but I was. I went to swimming expecting to work my stress out in the pool, and instead wound up even more wound up! As Bruce and I were talking on the way home, I pointed out I had gained 4 pounds, I felt all bloated, was generally bitchy, and if I hadn’t had my hysterectomy I’d think I had PMS!

His comment? Maybe you do. Huh. Well I never thought of that. I suppose, even though I don’t have a period, with one (supposedly) functioning ovary, a little PMS due to hormones would be normal. That might explain the bloating, the weird monthly weight gain, and the mood swings. I could go back and track the last year’s weights to see if there is a pattern, but for now, I’m willing to consider that about once a month, I crave salty, sugary foods, I retain water like a sponge, and it takes about 7 days to go away.

I never thought, after having my “lady bits” removed, I’d still have to deal with this… go figure. :P But it was a bit of a revelation, and at least got me to stop beating myself up for a weight gain that I knew could not be real.

Goals! Blog post? I worked on more than one. Email blog designer? Done! And I’ve actually contracted her to work on my PF blog. 50 posts from Google reader? Yes! Comments? Yes, those too! Swimming lesson? Well… we went. Bruce got in the water – it was FREEZING. So we hit the hot tub and came home… which allowed me to get the rest of my list done. ;)

Wednesday goals:

1. 1 workout
2. Write 2 blog posts
3. Comment on 10 blogs
4. Read 2 chapters
5. Get Google reader below 200 (yes, it’s that high again!)

Posted in Nutrition, Personal, Weight Loss | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

First Outdoor Ride of My Season!

Posted on 2012/05/15 by Kris

On the Saturday before Mother’s Day, I got home from work to find this lovely surprise on my dining room table. :)


We had agreed not to buy presents because we’re going on vacation in a week, and then he went and surprised me anyway. I love him. :)

On Mother’s Day Sunday, I got home from work (yes, I worked on Mother’s Day, I’m used to it), Bruce grilled two lovely steaks, and then we decided to head out for my first outdoor bike ride of the year. The weather was about perfect – 26C, although it was a little windy. We got our bikes ready, aired up the tires, and took them outside.

I was a little wobbly at first – let’s face it, training indoors on a stationary stand means you don’t have to have the best balance all the time! But after a few minutes I was feeling pretty good. We kept the ride short, only 45 minutes. Bruce has been nursing a sore knee, and I’ve been sick, so we didn’t want to push it, but it felt so GOOD! I forgot how much fun it is to ride!

We did just over 11 miles in 45 minutes, which works out to about 15 miles an hour. At that rate, I can finish the 56 mile Half Ironman course in less than four hours – about 3:45. I’m more than happy with that. I finished entering all my training workouts in my Google calendar this week; some of the workouts I have coming up are intimidating – I have an almost four hour ride coming in June, I was supposed to do a three hour one last week. Scary, but fun scary. I look forward to the challenge.

It was just so nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather – and it’s supposed to be warm all week. Can’t wait!

Goals update: Good day! I swapped my brick workout for a run, but I got it done. We went shopping, to the dentist, to the doctor, and I went to my board meeting. I wrote several blog posts, and have ideas for more (YAY!). And I commented on lots of blogs.

Today’s goals:

1) Swimming lesson
2) Read 50 posts from Google Reader
3) Write 1 blog post
4) Comment on 5-10 blogs
5) Email blog designer

Posted in Cycling, Training | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ready For Summer Challenge Week 8 & Weekly Update

Posted on 2012/05/14 by Kris

I am participating in the Ready for Summer Challenge put on by Maren and Sarah – check out their blogs, these are two talented, supportive women!

OK, for the Summer Challenge there are 4 categories to set goals for.

1. Weight Loss
2. NSV (Non-Scale Victory)
3. Exercise
4. Nutrition

Weekly Update:

Weight stats as of May 12:

Current:
Weight: 144.2 lbs
Body Fat %: 28.4%
Body Water %: 52.2%
BMI: 24.6

Change from last weigh in:
Weight: +3.4 lbs up
Body Fat: +0.9% up
Body Water: (0.7% down)
BMI: +0.5 up

Change from December 31, 2011:
Weight: 144.7 lbs – (0.5 lbs down)
Body Fat %: 28.7% – (0.3% down)
Body Water: 52.7% – (0.5% down)
BMI: 24.7 – (0.1 down)

Swimming:

2012/05/08 – 1.0 km (50 laps) in 27:22 (swimming lessons)

Running:

2012/05/06 – 13.1 miles in 2:16:13 (WPS Half Marathon)

Cycling:

No cycling this week.

Hot Yoga

2012/05/09 – 90 minutes hot yoga

Weight Training

2012/05/10 – 12 minutes kettle bell weights

So it wasn’t the best week again – I was still recovering from a nasty cold. The WPS Half race was really good, but left me with really tight calves and quads, so other than swimming and yoga, I took the week off. I’m feeling much better now though!

Now, for the Summer Challenge!

Last week, for Week 7, I set these four goals:

1. Get down below 140 pounds. Oh…. there is NO WAY I gained 3.4 pounds for real. I mean, I’ve definitely been eating more than I should, and not working out, but I have NOT eaten 10,000+ extra calories!

2. Outdoor running – well, I only got one run done… But I was happy with my WPS time for my first race of the season. And my longest outdoor run all year!

3. Get my workouts in – MUAH-Haaa-Haaa-Haaa. Such a major fail here. I haven’t been sick much this year so I can’t really complain, but I will anyway – I hate being sick. :P

4. Whole foods, no sugar… well this was a joke too. Again with the chocolate, chips, cravings, and crap. And I’m bloated to pay for it.

So for Week 8, what am I going to do?

1. Weight loss. Blech – I’m so not motivated right now, but Vegas is 10 days away! And I have a bikini to wear… So ideally I’d like to be back down to 140 before we leave. That’s all I’m aiming for now.

2. NSV – Running faster. OK, trying to get back on track – outdoor running is the focus this week. Really, ANY running without hurting my knee or calf will make me happy.

3. Exercise – OK, I have THREE working days left and then I’m on vacation. I want to try to get two long rides in before we leave for Vegas, and at least one long run. I’m taking running gear to Vegas and hope to get in two short runs while I’m there.

4. Nutrition – oh last week sounded so good, and yet I couldn’t make it happen. I have no idea what I’m going to do this week – I really want to avoid the chips and chocolate. Those are the big ones right now.

Daily goals update: Did OK here – wrote several blog posts. Got the last of my training entered in my Google calendar. Did not get the winter clothes moved, but I *did* get for my first outdoor bike ride of the season!

Today’s goals:

1. Brick workout
2. 2-3 blog posts
3. Comment on at least 5 blogs
4. Shopping at Costco
5. Board meeting

Posted in Nutrition, Progress Reports, Training | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment