30 min Bike & 15 min Run

If you are my Mom, STOP READING! There is a birthday spoiler in here!

Yesterday was the official bike/run day. It was tough to get done though. On Monday, my siblings, Greg and I began renovations in my parents home. They are on a week long vacation in New England. So, we've taken it upon ourselves to get some much needed stuff done in and around their house to surprise my Mom on her birthday. Her birthday is also Earth day by the way.

On Monday, we took all the furniture out of 2 rooms to begin swapping them. We painted both rooms, and one ceiling. Yesterday, we moved the furniture into the new rooms. Oh, one is upstairs and the other is downstairs. The first room is my Mom's sewing room. The other was the guest room. The rooms are being swapped so that my niece, Scout, can now have her own room. Last night she helped us move everything back into her room. It looks VERY cute.

Back to the workout though... while Greg was taking a load of stuff to the dump, I went for my bike ride and run. The winds were 20-30kts from the north. It was in the low 60s though, so not too cold. It was fun to ride through my old neighborhood. So many memories on those streets. After the bike, I hit the road for a run. The recovery only took 1 block this time, which makes me feel better about it all. I ran for 30 min, instead of 15. It just felt good.

I still can't believe the improvement from last year. You can see it for yourself. You can look up my April 2008 posts and compare. It's pretty cool!

Swim 30, Run 30

Today was supposed to be another swim day. However, with my pool situation in town, times were limited to 4:30-6pm. Greg was coming home today at 4:30pm, and I needed to pick him up. So, I needed a new plan.

Swimming is the one event that I can do. After Friday's swim, I feel even more comfortable with my swim. I swam better on Friday than I did at any time last year.

So, I decided to replace the swim with the bike... my weakest event. It was 43 degrees and rainy out, so off to the gym I went. They have a bike that has a moving handle bar and a screen that makes you feel like you're really outside. It was a good ride that really made me sweat.

Then, it was upstairs for my 30 min run. The first 1/2 mile was rough! I forgot how hard it is to make that transition. My thighs were screaming, but it eased up. It was a good run in the end.

It was a good workout, that kicked my butt. I'm sure I'll feel it tomorrow though...

Run 30 min

First, the workout. I was exhausted, but I had to go running. I ran a 5K in 35 minutes. For all you runners out there, that's pretty slow. For me, it's a good pace. I think I ran it around 40 minutes last year. Not too shabby. I will get better.

Like I said, I was tired. I didn't want to take Skeeter with me. After 1/2 mile he slows way down and I have to drag him along. I also left him behind on Thursday (while I was looking for a pool). Greg took this picture of Skeeter waiting for me at the end of our driveway. I guess dogs are a girls best friend too :) He's the best dog a girl could ask for. I can only imagine he looked like this during today's run too, or am I too full of myself?

20 min Swim, 25 min Run

So my swim yesterday was a bust. I moved my day off to yesterday, and tried again today. I had to find a new pool to get it done. After an intense internet search, I found one in Faribault.

The Aquatic Center was pretty nice. There were 6 lanes in the 25 yd pool. It was a busy place, so I shared a lane with an older gentleman doing water aerobics. He was a really nice guy.

The swim was great! I swam freestyle the entire 1200 yds! Yeah me!!! I was supposed to swim for 20 min, but I went for 5 extra minutes so I could get in 1200 yds. I had a nice and slow pace, but it was constant. It just felt good.

After the swim, I needed to run. However, the area around the Aquatic Center wasn't great. So, I went back home to get the run done. It was a nice and easy 25 min run.

This weight loss has done amazing things for my training. I'm so glad I finally made the move to loose this weight. It's made a huge difference in my life.

Stupid Pools!!!

I was SOOOO excited to finally go swimming today. I can't remember the last time I went swimming. I think it was last summer. So sad for a water bug like me. It's my FAVORITE part of the triathlon!

I headed out to fair Carleton College, ready to swim in the basement pool. I was greeted with the horrible white board that said the pool was closed for the rest of the term!!! What... what... what!!!

So, I then went to the West Gym Pool, to see if they were open instead. Nope. Ugh! It ruined my day. What was I going to do now? How was my training plan going to pan out. West Gym is open mainly at night, not very good for my training.

Off to the Internet I went. I found the nearest community pool in Faribault, 15 miles away. It's new, and looks really nice.

I moved my rest day to today, so we'll test the new pool out tomorrow. Wish me luck!

45 min Bike

Today is my 8 year anniversary of meeting my wonderful husband Greg! I still can't believe it's been 8 years. I'm so lucky to have him in my life, and I can't imagine life without him. He's amazing!

Greg is taking me out on a date day. We're going to Como Zoo, in St. Paul, then off to a Twins game. Both are very special for us. Since it is date day, I had to make sure I got my ride in early on.

Greg decided to go for a ride too. Now, workouts for us are individual events. We start together, but then move out on our own. So, I went out on my own. Mind you, Greg hasn't ridden on his bike in 2-3 years, so he just wanted to ride for the heck of it. I had 45 minutes to do.

I set out towards our hospital. I would have gone on the highway, like the last ride, but I didn't feel very safe on the highway. The shoulder is crumbling and cars go 10-20 mph over the speed limit. So, I took the long way to the path to the next town.

It was a great ride! I felt good. However, upon completion of my 9.8 miles, the threat of RAGBRAI sank in. This was a good ride, but 7 to 8 times what I did today? What did I get myself into?

No time to think about it now. I have the tri to train for. I start RAGBRAI training in a month. Put that aside for now!

30 min Run

Today's goal: run for 30 minutes. This year, I'm trying to view the training plan as a minimum time frame. My goal is to improve from last year, which means pushing myself. That said, I ran a good 40 minutes today.

For the first mile, I had Skeeter the Wonderdog with me. He also needs to loose weight. He's become a bit of a slug. So, it was slow. I was pulling him along. Luckily, my wonderful husband was up ahead, ready for the hand off.

The next 2.5 miles were great! I really felt like my stride was longer. I was running with my entire leg, not just from below the knees like before. I felt so good! Hills that would beat me down before, felt like nothing this time around. I could really tell the difference in my body today. I'm just happy!