Screw it!

Even though my blogging has been sporadic at best, I have been getting to the gym and on the mill slightly more than sporadically. I've been a good girl, took it slow, did lots of ellipticaling, and still my knees hurt daily! So I'm done, screw it, it's time to just kick it up a notch. That half mary is not going to run itself, and neither will I if my legs don't start moving faster soon! I am going to chalk it up to bad joints like my shoulders and just hope they don't completely give out. Solid plan I think!
So, my inaugural run was Monday night, and I still started slow ( I am super out of shape) and did 3 min running/ 2 min walking for 30 min. It was a little tough, a good Whitney helped me out, but despite a little pain I felt great! Now I am like a really fast snail! Tonight I'll go again and let biggest loser be my distraction. The girls are getting close to my weight, which is my cue to put down the cookie and get losing!

Thanks for all the support during my lazy blogging. Hope you are all doing fan- freakin- tastic!

Here is a pic of Riles to keep you all happy!

I Can't Breath!

Saturday, I finally did something that was a long time coming for a girl who wants to do triathlons. I got in the pool! This was something I only did once before my one and only tri. It struck me that if I want to do better than a certain someone at Chelan Man, I better improve my stroke.

Since Jesse is a Master swimmer now (ok since he swims with the masters) he helped me out in the pool. Task number one was to get me to put my head under water. I tend to feel claustrophobic if I can't easily get air or see a way out. The impaired vision and lack of breathable moments makes swimming a deadly combo for me. Anyone else have this problem? I practiced breathing out under water just like the little kids next to us, and I was finally given the go ahead to swim!

Task two was figuring out what stroke to do. My bad wing makes it hard to do freestyle, and even when he had me play around with a modified stroke, it still hurt too much. So, on to plan B, breaststroke. Now I have to work on perfecting this stroke, but it is easier for me to breath this way, which will hopefully encourage me to get in the pool more. I know with this stroke, I will never be the fastest swimmer, but since my life will mostly consist of sprints, I should only lose a few minutes at most. And if I can get really good at it, maybe less.

Now our Saturday plan is to hit the pool, help me, then while Jesse swims with the Masters, I do some water running. I did the running Saturday, too, and it felt great to go faster than a walk, but my feet were getting beat up by the bottom of the pool. Has anyone done a lot of pool running? Did you wear those water shoes? I may need to invest.

Have a Great Day!

Focus

As good as I fancy myself to be at multi-tasking, I am equally bad at focusing on more than one big project or event. During the holidays, I get consumed with all things Christmas or Halloween and a few summers ago, it was Blogging and training. Now I find myself totally wrapped up in starting this new business. Really, it is just supposed to be a side hobby; sell a few things on Etsy, do a few craft fairs, maybe put it in a store, but I am finding my brain constantly on craft mode. This has been hurting my training in a big way! Working out hasn't become a daily part of my routine yet, I still find it takes focus and real determination to get it done. I love the way I feel when I am training and involved in this workout web-world, but I can't seem to find space in my brain for both things.
Does anyone else have this problem? How do you deal with these big distractions? It is becoming more painfully aware that I have a HALF MARATHON to hopefully run in just a few months, and I haven't even started running again yet! My other tri disciplines are suffering just as much. I don't know if making a schedule is the answer, or setting goals, maybe even rewarding myself with crafting if I finish that days workout. I just find it so tempting to get my work done once the kids go to bed or while Jesse takes them to the gym instead of working up a sweat! I may not be able to fully immerse myself in more than one world at a time, but hopefully I will find that balance and focus soon!

What the...?

My Mom ran across this pictures when cleaning her room and my little sister thought I must share. Since I want to prove I can be as self-deprecating as anyone else, here you go. We can't figure out what they were from, or what the heck I am doing, but there are balloons! Enjoy.

Three Things Thursday (Grand Opening)

Apparently, I am back to once a week posting on Thursday, oops!

1. I am loving the 30 min circuit at the gym more and more. I feel like I am getting overall toning (which I desperately need) while also working up a good sweat. The only thing bugging me is our low tech gym doesn't have any type of timing system in there, so I am forced to keep track on my phone. If I try counting in my head, I end up counting the reps or losing track (hey, 60 is really HIGH!)

2. Coach has his first swim meet on Saturday. He has been loving his master's swim class and is ready to test his chops. Actually, he is pretty sure he is going to get creamed, but wants to do it for fun. The plan is to do the mile freestyle swim and the 100 IM. Last Saturday he actually swam for an hour straight with a friend and went almost two miles. Suddenly, the distances of the bigger tri's aren't scaring him, which he never thought would happen!  Riley and I will be going to cheer him on and hopefully, capture some pics.

3. In unrelated news, we officially have a sitting baby in the house. Riley is a champion sitter now (has been for a few weeks) which seems a bit behind the boys, but she might crawl before them!

Please ignore the crazy hair, it can't be tamed!

Now I am off to take care of my sick boys!

Oh, and in even more unrelated news, we are having a Grand Opening Sale for our crafting business 'I Want That! Crafts'. 15% off your entire order! If you are local, we can do delivery or pickup and you can visit our site here to order. Or if you need it shipped, just visit our Etsy shop here and enter code NEWSHOP. Thanks for the love and support!

Three Things Thursday (Just Keep Walking)

1. It's true what they say, you don't regret the workouts you do, only the ones you don't. On my checklist for today was a walk or wii dance, some kind of cardio, but by 9:30 I still hadn't fit it in. It was a go,go, go type day and I was feeling it. The bed was soft, Riley was almost asleep and I wanted to join her. But one glare from the hubs let me know I was getting on the treadmill. By 10 minutes in, I was so glad I had. It always feel better to get your sweat on than not.

2. One of the reasons it was such a good walk (besides watching Bobs team lose on BL) was that Jesse gave me some help with my form to make running and my knee better. I am a puller not a pusher. Normally, I stride out really far in front and then pull my self forward, which I am sure you all know is a no no. With some work, I think I can get better at landing underneath my body and then pushing off. Already I was able to get up to 3.2 with no pain! Yay!

3. So do you ever bribe yourself to run? Last night I felt like I needed one to get on the mill, so I told myself earlier in the day, if I walked for 30 min I could have either a PB Choc. protein drink or a bowl of ice cream. Yes, it was between those two things, I love the protein drink! By the time I finished the walk, though, 10:30, it felt too late to eat either, so I didn't get my bribe. I woke up this morning feeling like I still earned it, so I should still get it. Guess what I had for breakfast...

It was a close call between this and the ice cream, but it was BREAKFAST after all. But it was still close!

So now, I feel run down, short of breath, and have a headache, not the best start to a day. Suppose that means it is going to be an easy day! No big projects, just watching the Nadal/Federer match and trying to get some sleep! Hope your Thursday goes well.

Wordless Wednesday Winter Wonders