Friday night, I went swimming. I love swimming. Adore it. I think it is 100% the bees knees. But I don’t have a pool to swim in anymore. One of the main reasons I joined the Y was access to pools all over the greater Boston area so I could cross train with swimming instead of the dreaded elliptical or riding around on an uncomfortable bike. Still, after 8 weeks, I hadn’t been in the pool. I was a little itimidated. I’m a pretty strong swimmer. But I’m not competitve by any means. And I certainly can’t keep up with anyone who swims regularly. Last Friday, though, I was at a new Y. It’s close to my office so I can go there and then drive home, theoretically missing rush hour traffic.At this Y, the treadmills face windows that look out over the pool. I noticed there were at least 3 lanes that we completely empty. I vowed that the following week I would suck it up and start swimming laps. So this past Friday came around and I was exhausted from a long week. I just wanted to go home and go to bed. Instead I headed for the Y. You can’t become a leaner meaner you and if you never actually work at it, right?

Upon arrival there was no parking in the lot or on the neighboring streets. That meant the Y would be packed. I finally decided traffic wasn’t horrible and I would just head home and do a yoga video or something. My commute takes me by my neighboorhood Y and I can see some parts of the parking lot. It was mostly empty and suddenly my car was turning into the parking lot. I changed, crammed a swim cap on my giant noodle covered in a ridiculous amout of curly hair and headed to the pool. I had done a little reasearch that afternoon about lane sharing and was glad because the lanes all had at least 1 swimmer. I sat on the edge of a lane with a single occupant and asked if I could share the lane. I’m not sure he fully understood me (there was maybe a language barrier) but he nodded yes. I hopped in and immediately started laps. I decided to start slow and even this first time out. To keep track of the laps I assigned each trek across the pool a place, in alphabetical order. So the laps were Albuquerque, Boston,  Canton etc. It’s a trick I read in a magazine about running laps. I figured the same would apply for swimming. While I’m soon my laps the other guy swims across once and then sits at the end of the pool. Then eventually swims across again. I was trying to figure out if I wasn’t sharing well or what. Later he left and another guy showed up. He did almost the same thing. The first time I always swam so the center line was on my left. The second time I swam back and forth on the same side. I don’t know if one is more proper but I certainly prefer the first method. Can someone educate me?

I’m too tired to finish my post about new cross training activities tonight (yay swimming). Instead you get pictures. I take a lot. I’m one of those people that are made fun of by buzzfeed lists like “24 things we didn’t take pictures of when we used film” and “12 ways your phone camera is obnoxious” But scrolling back through pictures I take, I’m immediately brought back to that moment and it’s nice. So here’s the last week.

I rowed a 5k. In a half hour. I’m not breaking any records, but I was happy

Worst blogger of 2013 candidate right here. The truth is I was going through a little personal growth. And that personal growth included hitting a little bit of a rough patch that fully engulfed every aspect of my life. And I just didn’t feel like blogging. Or being funny. Or running. Things are on the up and up though. I started a new job and that has made a world of a difference.

Can I say that life is all butterflies and rainbow sprinkles? No (not jimmies. Those are chocolate only. And if you say chocolate sprinkles, I can’t even talk to you right now). But I’d like to think my mental space is a little better off to deal with all that life entails. I mean for reals. I have to wash my dishes EVERY night? Foo. And bills. They just show up every 30 days. Not cool. Can’t I just go blow my money on candy bars and cigarettes movie tickets like I did when I was in high school working part time. Rent? Pssh. Whatevs. Not.

I’m determined, DETERMINED to run a successful half marathon this year. I want it. I really do. For a little while there 18 months ago I was starting to feel fit. And my confidence shot through the roof. My insecurities started to quiet down. It was wonderful. Thankfully as I’ve gotten lazy again and added horrible eating habits, a lot of that confidence has stayed with me. But I’m feeling like I’m at a breaking point. If I keep going the way I am I’m going to start shying away from friends and situations outside of my comfort zone, again. Insecurities will come back. And I don’t want to. I don’t like that knot in my stomach. I’d rather have the not of OMG-I’m-so-uncomfortable-with-this-new-thing-oh-wait-THIS IS SO MUCH FUN WHY DIDN’T I DO IT BEFORE knot. So. It’s time to start getting back to “Smiling to a smaller, fitter me” as my Weight Watchers blog was called. I’m already a week back into WW and running and feeling pretty good. Except today. We had a regulatory audit at work. That sentence seems simple enough. But the process is not. I will not bore you with details but it involves a lot of sitting and waiting and then being ON and answering questions that have serious implications and running around printing and stapling and stamping documents “Copy”. And basically you spend the whole time justifying your existence as a company. Think about it as the most intense final you ever took in college. It’s a lot of work and very draining. But in the middle you get lunch. And you get to chat with the auditor. And build a rapport. Which comes in handy down the road. We had Panera boxed lunches. I opened my healthy smoked turkey to find a bacon turkey bravo. Only the most glorious sandwich on their menu which I proceeded to inhale. Then I ate the GIANT cookie. I had been running around all morning and was craving a little chocolate burst of energy. NBD. I was going to the Y for a run after work. And my dinner is chili which is mostly vegetables with a little beef. But. At the end of the day, my boss’s boss and my boss (new as of 2 weeks ago) said let’s go debrief over a beer in the kitchen. That turned into 2 and I left the office at 8. I fully support this decision because this is 100% what I wanted from a working environment. And those late night conversations are where you get exposed to so much extra insight that help with the job and also opens me to future opportunity. When I left, I still could have gone running. But that would mean dinner at 9:30 and I’m just not into that. Of course it’s 10:25 and I’m just about to eat dinner. But it’s for an entirely different reason (hello 2 hour phone call with my mother). So I can be more on board than if it was self inflicted to take my very tired sore legs through their paces on the dang treadmill. So. Well. That’s it. I’m going to go eat. Happy almost Friday in 90 minutes!

Hearts and half marathons, kittens!

Yesterday it was 52 degrees at lunch time.

I knew this warm up was coming so I bumped my training cycle by a day. Because of the warmth and melting snow we had some insane fog rolling through, so I rocked my reflective vest. I’m so glad I found one that doesn’t bounce around and is definitely visible. Did I feel like a dweeb for wearing it at 11:45 in the morning? Yes. But I felt like a safe dweeb who wasn’t going to be run over by a truck. And that feeling is better than feeling cool. Though just by a smidge. On the recommendation o a coach, I’ve stepped back in my training. This will push off my half marathon, but it’s allowed for running to be fun again, and not a chore with every run. I’m still doing running/walking intervals and as I came to the end of my first running interval, I ran into this guy.

 This turkey routinely chases runners. He did not disappoint and after passing him, he turned abruptly and started trotting towards me gobbling. I crossed my fingers he was just threatened and slowed down giving him a wide berth. He slowed his trot but kept moving towards me. I finally got some distance between us and snapped the picture (it’s what I do, take pictures of everything) Then crossed the 4 lane road I was running along and put a little more distance between us. The rest of the run was fairly uneventful and wrapped up strong. I dashed back into the fitness center to take a quick rinse shower and noticed my legs and newish sneakers for the first time.

This is what you get from mud puddles thanks to a brief warm up that won’t last long enough for true enjoyment and is really a tease as we enter the third phase of winter (phase 1 was “oh, the cold weather is nice. Sweaters! Boots! Christmas snow!” Phase 2 is “Holidays are over. It’s just dark all day. I just want to hibernate. Winter is never going to end”.) Phase 3 now is “There’s more sun in the evenings. But it’s still bleeping cold. And the ground has had ice or snow on it for 8 weeks. I would love to go somewhere and not require 8 layers of clothing”. Phase 4 hits the first week of March. It goes like this “Winter won’t die. We have more sunshine but all it does is highlight how little color there is in my life. This is also when stuff melts during the day and freezes at night so it’s particularly perilous for runners. Then again when you fall your first thought is ow quickly followed by well, at least the blood adds some color to this dreary world“.

Anyways. Back to freezing temps this weekend. Was nice to enjoy some warmth yesterday. Very much looking forward to real spring.

Hearts and warm temps!

If you live in the northeast, or have friends that live in the northeast, or are facebook friends with a high school classmate (that you haven’t spoken to in ten years) who lives in the northeast, you are well aware that it’s bleeping cold up in this biz.
Upon waking this morning. (imagine warm sunshine streaming in the window, birds chirping, and a gentle shake of the shoulder to wake me. And then get real and enjoy the same hard reality that I experienced of a blaring alarm, weak sunshine, and ice cold hardwood) I discovered it was 8F out. But felt like -8F. AND THIS IS NOT THE COLDEST DAY OF THE WEEK. I would very much like winter to leave and don’t let the door hit it on the way out. That would be swell. Because until we can get a little warmth up in here (at least higher than “feels like -4”) I’m glued to a treadmill. Sigh.
I mean, really. There’s a weather advisory for part of the state about 30 miles west of me that temperatures overnight will range from 4 below zero to 11 above zero. If your high temperature has to be qualified with the word “above zero”, your low temperature is bull poo.
There’s a weather guy on the interwebs that says it’s going to warm up soon. I’m pretty sure I’ll be thawed out sometime around the 4th of July. Until then, I’m entering a committed relationship with the treadmill at the Y. Because, nothing makes you want to be committed more than running 2 miles and not getting any further away from that dude on the bike with the really terrible BO.
And so ends my obligatory I-live-in-Massachusetts-and-it’s-winter-and-its-so-cold-I-want-to-huddle-under-my-blankets-for-the-next-month post. Underarmor is totally pjs, right?

Hearts and hand warmers

Dear middle aged man with the XL spare tire, slightly too small tee shirt and hot pink iPod at the Y,
Go you! This may not be true but while I was sweating it out on the erg machine this is the story I made up in my head as inspiration. It’s January 4th. And your iPod is hot pink. I’m pretty sure you’re a resolutioner. But I think you’re a resolutioner that will stay around much longer than the end of January. I think you will manage to lose weight an stay healthy for years to come.  You look like you found whatever gym clothes you had in the house from 10 years ago. That iPod screams “I borrowed this from my daughter”. Your sneakers look like they walked here from 1998. And. Well. That’s my proof. You didn’t go out and buy all new clothes and equipment. You probably didn’t just spend $200 at Whole Foods buying al fresh and organic food and swear you’re gonna bring a salad to work everyday. You’re just here. At 7:30 on a Friday night. Putting in the time. Putting in the time to make you healthy, to ensure a longer life, to give you more memories with your family and friends. Putting in the time rocking out to a hot pink iPod. That is BA. Just keep doing your thang. I hope I run into you a lot.
Sincerely,
This machine says it’s only been 7 minutes!? You need a longer back story.

Speaking of the Y I finally signed up. I’ve been in my current apartment for a year and a half. The Y is 0.7 miles from my house. I timed it last night. The drive was 2 minutes and 7 seconds. I had resisted because of cost. The “fitness center” in my office park was sufficient. And free. But some new companies moved in and that place got hella crowded including 4 guys who do weight circuits together 2x a week. Don’t get me wrong. Dudes were respectful. And it was nice to see them over and over.  But that room wasn’t big enough for them and my v-ups. Plus competing with other runners for treadmills and warm up an cool down space. Plus they have 1 bike and 4 elliptical a meaning I had to fight for my cross training space too. For a little while last year I tried Planet Fitness. But it was too much what their commercial said they aren’t. It was mostly dudes pumping serious iron. And stick thin women pretending to use the elliptical but never actually breaking a sweat. I had been a member of a Y before. But it had been expensive. Turns out the greater Boston Ys consider me a young adult and my heealth insurance pays for part of it. (Autocorrect change that to wealth insurance. I wish!) So now it’s the same cost for a month as a night out for drinks. Not even dinner. Just drinks! Plus they have two pools, classes, and more equipment that is well maintained than I could ever need. And on top of that all the areas are spacious and clean. And are filled with teenaged sports hopefuls, moms and dads trying to get fit, and people like me, putting in the time for weight loss and running goals. Plus 4 times a week they have group 5ks. For free. I’m excited. Bring on the serious half marathon training!

Hearts and hot pink iPods!