4 posts tagged “fitness”
I spent most of today figuring out how to get some work done while my access was limited and Outlook was giving me many issues. Seems my services were terminated, or so sayeth IT. And no, that doesn't mean I'm fired...just that I'm coming up in their system as term'd. I'm not the only one with issues though. Had a co-worker denied VPN access (which I still have for some reason) on Monday morning and he called in first thing to be told he was terminated on Christmas Eve. Can you say heart attack? Anyway, it all appears to be some sort of automated snafu that no one has been able to identify, but the fix is having two levels of managers reinstate access. Give you 3 guesses how many managers aren't on vacay right now. Alright, true they do work hard, blah, blah, blah, but terribly inconvenient to all be gone right now. They are checking email in the evenings, however, so hopefully all will be fixed manana.
Other than playing dueling laptops today, I also finished the paperwork to refi my mortgage. Always a fun time, and hard to swallow those damn closing costs, the refi will nevertheless make a difference in my monthly cashflow, which in turn means the ability to pay down my credit card debt (owing about half to Evita's med bills) in the next few months while not incurring anymore, and still being able to make my reduced student loan payments. I won't be in the position to save, beyond what already goes to my retirement and health care spending plans, but zero credit card debt will save me the cost of interest and that alone makes me feel hopeful.
Today was day 2 of week 1 of my targeted training for the Austin Half-Marathon. I've modified a first-timer's 10 week start-up from Runners magazine to get me there in 7 weeks. The type-A side of my personality was inclined to go balls-out and modify the experienced marathoner program, but I'm trying to hold that psycho beast at bay. Taking it slow with just 2 mile runs yesterday and today. Despite some soreness, I felt stronger today and pushed my minutes-per-mile to 10.5. I probably could have pushed it to between 9 and 10, but that's not what the program calls for and I'm going to do my best to stick to a set regimen. I don't want to burn out or injure myself like some daffy weekend warrior who doesn't know any better. Besides, every Saturday calls for serious distance--beginning with 8 miles this weekend--albeit with breaks, and I want to save my knees for those hauls.
I'll be in Arlington again this weekend. The boy is going to add me to his gym membership, which is very kind of him and will make my gym dues well below what they would be otherwise, and I'll be able to do that 8 miler at the River Legacy park that I love. (Just pray the unseasonably warm Texas weather continues. I despise running in the cold.) I'm uber excited to see him and celebrate the new year, watch his Huskers battle it out in the Gator Bowl, and generally have another wonderful time. The twist is that this time I'll be bringing the Cheese, also known as Evita/Velveeta with me. She traveled so well to and from El Paso that I'm not too worried about her on such a short trip. I just hope his cats aren't too startled by her. She won't mind them, but I'd hate for them to hide all weekend because of her.
As for actual New Year's Eve, I will be walking over to a neighbor's house to hang out with them, their little boy, and another pair of good friends and their 2 daughters who also live just down the street from me. It will be quiet and laid back, but sure to have good food and laughs and, really, I prefer that to just about anything else--especially the club scene. Blech! [Side note: my sister was groped repeatedly at a 'nice' club back home and finally had to make a scene to get one drunken a-hole to back off. If I were her, well, let me just say that I can take care of myself. And if I had been with her...well, that's another story. She's much too 'nice' in my opinion, at least to strangers.] Then I shall wake early, refreshed and rested, to pack the car, pick up some menudo, and hit the road.
All for now I suppose. I'm going to do some quick ab work, then make dinner and try to write. Hoping to get back on schedule soon. Oh, one more thing--a major milestone was reached today when I did my first unaided pull-up since high school. True it was with a close-in, underhand grip, and from a standing position and not a dead-hang, but it shows progress since I started with my over the door pull-up bar. I know it probably doesn't sound like much, but it's a big deal to me. I dislike feeling weak. And it's not about size, either. I don't mind body weight as long as I can carry it, as long as it's useful. It's much more a mental/physical sense of being capable...being able to run if I need to, lift if I have to, knock the wind out of some douche-bag at a club if he dares touch my little sister...you get the point.
Up later tonight than I wanted to be, but should be in bed and asleep within the hour or maybe even the half hour. Have been trying to consciously follow the rules of rest, hydration, and nutrition prior to the tri on Monday. Finally got the rest down on Wednesday night...been taking calcium and magnesium about an hour before bed, followed by some chamomile/valerian root tea. (I love that stuff...valerian has such a unique taste, not just sweet, but kind, of minty...or perhaps like eucalyptus...its taste comes with a physical sensation. Kinda' cool.) Unfortunately, I haven't been as good about a smooth tapering off of the activities...it's been more of a stutter step, but it couldn't really be helped.
It was a hectic work week and I wasn't able to get in any workouts on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Not ideal, but had to put in the time on various projects. Volume in my work-queue is high right now (as it is for my whole team), projects little and big, and I've been letting a few of the smaller balls drop, but with my supervisor's blessing. At least that was the verdict as of last week. Next week, who knows. I know I'm in a good place and folks are generally happy with me, but one of my co-workers, who was kind of a buddy, got canned on Thursday. That shit always makes me nervous, so it's asses and elbows for the foreseeable future.
I ran a boatload of errands today, but did manage to get to the gym in the early evening. The proverbial THEY say that you're not supposed to be entirely sedentary before a tri, but just get your heartrate up for a brief while in the few days preceding. So, I kept it nice and easy. I had planned to hit the treadmill, but my competitive ass couldn't keep my pace down with others around me busting sprint speeds, so I went to the elliptical instead, found an episode of Law and Order (guilty TV pleasure), and built up to an even heartrate for about 40 minutes.
Tomorrow is the packet pick-up and bike check-in, etc. downtown at the Hyatt. I haven't done this before--my last tri just had a morning-of check-in--so we'll see how it goes.
On another note, as you all probably know there's another goddam hurricane heading toward the Gulf Coast. I can't imagine anyone is going to try to stay behind in the cities, but I know that some will be stubborn and still others will slip through the cracks. The boy and I have talked about a trip to NOLA, some of his old stomping grounds, and I've even looked into the Habitat for Humanity program they're running nonstop there. It really does seem like an amazing opportunity, for all involved, and I hope they're not set too far behind by whatever's coming. The same goes for the whole city, the whole region really.
Puts my own petty ridiculousness into perspective. See that guilt there? That's the Catholic in me. ;-)
There's this addiction I'm feeding. Every day I'm working out...it's hard to take a break. If I'm outside, my mind clears and I enjoy the beauty or the heat or the rain around me while I push myself...steady, even, breathe, go harder, faster, slow the pace, pick it up...If I'm inside, my mind clears and I look into my reflection in the mirror, or the voice that echoes back against the soundtrack. My time in the gym, on the bike, on the track, in the pool...it feels a little like punishment and pleasure at the same time, an exercise in pushing my body beyond itself and my mind outside itself and somewhere in the middle is where I meet.
I've been researching and putting together a couple of weeks of lifting routines to change it up from what I've already been doing. My interest's been peaked in no small way by the boy's discipline, but I've wanted to go about this on my own. It's my way...not to ask for help. I was already lifting once or twice a week, but now I think I'm going to go intense for a bit while the tri-club is on a 2 week break. I plan to keep up the swimming and let the bike and long runs go for a little while. My left knee is a bit tweaked...something from Hawaii maybe...and I think I need to lay off on the high impact activity. Anyhow, I started tonight, piecing together a 20 minute speed cardio run (I will be switching to elliptical to lay off the knee tomorrow), new movements for the abs using a ball with 2 minutes of jump rope between, and then day 1 of a 6 day split using free weights and various machines. Legs tomorrow. I'm so excited.
Yes, I've managed to take even this to the geek level.
And then, there's that soundtrack I mentioned...the one that gets into my head and lets me use the beat to set the pace, lets me soothe and shove and build up my ego. I love when music does that.
There are a few songs I've kept with me over the years, even as my tastes have changed, to use for motivation. You might laugh, but I swear that almost the entire soundtrack of the original Mortal Kombat movie is perfection. Don't knock it till you try it.
Of course, I'm always adding a few new songs from time to time. The best eventually slip into permanent rotation. For now, there is one relatively new addition that's on its way to becoming a fixture. Since her newest album came out in January, Mary J's been playing in my ear as often as possible. I had to leave the latter half of the album behind--it was too much looking back instead of looking forward--but the first few songs are just perfect beats and crazy sexy cool Mary J. And "Grown Woman" is perfectly paced with lyrics of confidence--in a non-Oprah bullshit kind of way--and a little 'fuck-you-very-much' thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend it. [Note: It's heavy on the hip hop and pretty loud and obnoxious from the beginning--you may not want to play this at volume in the office. Oh and be sure to kick up your bass--the Vox player seems to default to a pathetically low level.]
And here's my favorite bit from Mortal Kombat. I use it with yoga, or for warm up or cool down in general. It just about screams 1990s.
Never got the chance to update after signing off midstream last week. Spent the weekend in El Paso, mostly hanging out with my immediate family and not trying to spread myself thin by seeing all the people I wanted to see--Jackie, Vivi, Tita, Pam, Don--which would have caused much stress. Nope, instead I woke up early, worked out, ate like a champ, played with the awesomeness that is Max the poodle (look for pics later) and slept well. Oh, and I acquired much fodder for writing, which is a good thing too because I'm supposed to be presenting an original piece to my writing group tomorrow. So far it's just notes, but I may try to work it into a draft online tonight. We shall see.
Anyhow, I've much catching-up to do in the neighborhood--both real and vox-ual--and I've a million other things to do, but here's a quick list of things (in no particular order) I'm excited about for the future or pleased that I've accomplished. I just feel like getting them down into black and white to reflect upon later.
- Belterra Super Sprint Tri on June 21
- The Olympic length Austin Triathlon in September
- Going to see George Michael in July in Dallas [Oh GEORGE!]
- Going to see my best girl Arghavan in St. Louis at the end of this month
- Discovering that I am enjoying cycling very much
- Painting parts of my house--or not, I can't decide!
- Coming off a medication I've been on for just over a year--boo to pills (except vitamins and allergy meds, and anti-inflamatories during a certain very short time of the month)
- Writing seriously again -- and turning my attention to an idea for a collection I've been mulling over for months
- Attending my first ACL fest in September--the lineup caught my eye this year AND I was able to snag a discounted ticket through my place o' business
- A little less jiggle in the junk in the trunk--I just noticed it the other day. Don't get me wrong, it's still nice but just, ah, firmer?
- The gun show...my arms are starting to cut in places they never have before, not even during basketball off season in high school
- Shooting hoops right outside my office building where they've just finished the new courts. (Even brought my ball today.)
- Possibly, hopefully, keep your fingers crossed and your novenas on schedule...going to Hawaii with my family in July. This can only happen, however, if my 6 month review--which is about a month late--goes well. I'll find out soon.
Lucky #13 is the big one I'm hoping for, so please send your good juju my way. Oh, and don't forget that this Friday is (DUN DUN DUN) Friday the 13th!
Last, something fun a coworker just pointed me to...oh those internet savvy Weezer folks.
