sew - 24 - train

here's my latest quilt up on the design wall. i'm really diggin' this one. inspiration from here. i still need to add the stripes in between the blocks.


but you see there is a problem with all this sewing i do. i forget to do other things {like fix E's pants that have been sitting around for several weeks}. this morning he wanted to wear them and i hadn't fixed them yet because i get so preoccupied with my projects. sewing pants just isn't as fun as my quilts & blankets.


i ordered the first season of 24. i hear we're in for some non stop watching. not like we have the time for it, but i'm sure it'll be fun. since we don't have cable we have to have something on hand to watch when we're feeling like it. opinions on 24? who's watched it, is it good and will we like it?

E trained me hard yesterday. a challenging hour of yoga and then a 3 mile run. after the yoga i complained about how i didn't want to run because i was tired from the yoga. then E threatened to stop coaching me if i complained about the workouts any more. and i can't risk losing E as my mentor/trainer/coach so i tried to stop complaining. then on the drive over to the run, E gave me the speech, "training is hard and that's what makes you better. it takes doing it even when it's hard". so i went on the run and i felt amazing. coach always knows best.

E just emailed me and swiming is on the schedule for today.

exercising

is hard sometimes.

i have been so unmotivated to run. i have no one to run with and i just can't make myself get out there and get it done. after having some amazing running partners in the past {mindi in UT and jessica in CA} it is hard to go it alone. so i don't.

i've been brainstorming ways i can steal some of E's motivation and energy. you should see this man in action, he's crazy, he gets things done even when it's hard. he has so much energy and motivation, i am sure he has some to spare. i live every sleeping moment and almost every waking moment next to this man, you think some of it would rub off on me. but no, it hasn't and i haven't figured out another way to get some of it into my body and brain. any ideas?

so to switch things up, i've decided to do a tri again. i did my one and only tri in 2007 and it was a good experience. i am excited to embark on this adventure again. training will not be so boring because each day i will be doing something different. plus i get to swim and bike with E... and i only have to do a little running. the best part about doing a tri is that i have a built in coach in E, he's an expert on the sport.

i am motivated again
sheROX tempe sprint triathlon on saturday may 8th
.5 mile swim, 13 mile bike, 3.1 mile run

training

The good thing is, the bag of peanut butter m&ms is gone.
The bad thing is, I ate them all.

I ran 5 miles on Monday evening with Jessica {running partner}. It was hot and I started sweating instantly. We went straight up hill for the first 1.5 miles... it was hard. At about mile 3 I thought, man I am struggling. And then I looked over at Jessica {who was pushing a stroller with her 1 year old daughter in it} and realized that I had it easy. The last part was downhill. Which is easier in some ways but it always seems to kill my knees.

I ran 3 miles on Wednesday evening without my running partner (she's out of town having fun). But I got the chance to run with Eric. This doesn't happen very often because Eric runs so much faster than me. But he was recovering from some bigger runs he did last week so it worked for us to go together. He pushed me and I liked it.

I ran 5 miles on Friday morning. It was hard to convince myself to go. To get myself out of the house, I told myself that I'd only go for 3 or 4 miles. But once I got out there, I actually felt pretty good and ended up going the full distance. Running in the morning is definitely more peaceful than going in the afternoons.

I ran 11 miles on Saturday morning. I ended up leaving later than I wanted to and I paid for it in the end. The first 7 miles were great. I felt really good, the scenery was great and the weather was perfect. But the last 4 miles were brutal, it was so hot and I was running on a busy street. By the end I was so exhausted and so happy to be done {I even shed a few tears}. I took an ice bath for the first time ever and surprisingly it felt really good.

I am training on my own for the next couple weeks and I am a little worried. It makes such a big difference to have someone to run with and talk to, especially on the long ones. I am determined to stick to my training plan even without my training partner.

training

I ran 19 miles last week. Not all at once of course, but I still got in 19 miles for the week. To some, this might seem like nothing... to others it might seem like a lot. To me I think it was great and overall I like this idea of running. Most afternoons I don't really want to go, but afterwards, I am so glad I did. And then at the end of the week when I think about how much I ran, it makes me happy. Which I guess means that I like it more than I thought I did.

Now Eric, on the other hand, ran a total of 32 miles last week. He is a machine. Seriously, sometimes I think he is more machine than man. You should see his thighs, there is not an once of fat on them. They feel like steel and it's ridiculous. He inspires me to do better and push myself harder. But shhh, don't tell him that, he'll start pushing me harder than I want.

After watching the biggest loser last night and seeing those 4 contestants do a marathon, I thought, wow if they can do that I can totally do it. And not to seem too confident, but I also think I could probably do it a little faster too {I mean one guy took 13 hours to complete it, I'm pretty confident I can beat that}. Now I think I'm really going to consider doing a marathon in 2010. Unless that is, I am somehow pregnant, then I wont do it. Because really... being pregnant would be much better than training for and doing a marathon.

The only thing detrimental to my running and training at this point is the huge bag of peanut butter m&m's that sit on my desk and beckon to me all day.

30 Miles and Cafe Rio

One thing we miss about Utah is Cafe Rio. We enjoy it especially after an exhausting activity. On Saturday we went on a 30 mile bike ride. Not too bad for Eric but man, it pushed me to my limits. We jumped in the pool after and then made strawberry banana smoothies. A great Saturday!
On Sunday I made Cafe Rio Pork in the crock pot. We made burritos with it and it was good. Just what we needed. It wasn't Cafe Rio, but by far the closest thing.