getting ready for my garage sale tomorrow right now (all proceeds to benefit the AvonWalk Foundation, btw), but I have a couple of more hours of work to do here before I can go out to the garage. I'm most excited about being able to park my car in the garage once we clear out all the schtuff that's been in there. Anything that doesn't sell by 2:00 PM gets loaded into the truck and taken over to the local shelter.
I have to work today since my flight from Newark last night was cancelled. No particular reason, as far as I know, just that Ameri-can't Airlines decided it wasn't going to make that run (that, or wind, I can't say for sure). In any case, I luckily got notified early enough that I could make an alternate flight out of LaGuardia, but I had to boogie from the office a couple of hours early. So here I am, on a GORGEOUS Friday morning, working inside of out enjoying it. Bah!
I did do about 4.5 miles around the park yesterday morning with my buddy. We got drizzled on toward the end, but it was that nice refreshing drizzle with a bit of a breeze, not a torrential downpour that makes it icky to run (that came later, while we were on our to the office!!). It was the first time that I'd run since Sunday, although I did make it out for a 4-mile walk Wednesday evening. I just found that recovering from the half and the ride afterward was tougher than I expected. But, anyhoo, I was glad that we did it.
Gotta run -- I'm on the clock now!!
Friday, May 09, 2008
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
where are they?
so for months now, I've passed about a bajillion vendors on the streets of NYC selling knock-offs of designer handbags and such. Of course, after seeing a coworker get a really cute wallet from one of these guys, I decide that the knock-off wallet would make a pretty good Mother's Day gift for not only my mom, but my mother-in-law, my hubby's grandma, and even my sister (whose birthday is coming up next week). So I figure that I'll do some bargaining and try to strike a deal with them since I'm buying four, right? Except that we didn't see a single vendor from west 57th all the way down to Radio City Music Hall, and then even back up to Broadway. WTF? Dang it!!
Of course, we did find a Chipotle closer to the apartment than the one we usually go to, so SCORE on that. ahem.
I haven't run since Sunday, mostly since I was still sore as all get-out last night and even this morning I was still feeling the effects of a half-marathon followed by a bike ride. And tonight, I had about three week's worth of expenses to catch up on. But, I should be back out to the park tomorrow, if all goes to plan. Gotta boogie -- 5:00 AM comes way too soon most days!!
Of course, we did find a Chipotle closer to the apartment than the one we usually go to, so SCORE on that. ahem.
I haven't run since Sunday, mostly since I was still sore as all get-out last night and even this morning I was still feeling the effects of a half-marathon followed by a bike ride. And tonight, I had about three week's worth of expenses to catch up on. But, I should be back out to the park tomorrow, if all goes to plan. Gotta boogie -- 5:00 AM comes way too soon most days!!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
um, so it's May...
wow, how the heck does that happen? eeep. Lots going on around here, let me tell you. No offers on the house yet, but the showings continue (and we have procured a helpful Saint to bury, just in case -- yes, I know we have to have actual faith in it for it to work).
We drove by the new house Saturday morning on the way to breakfast, and it has a foundation now, with pipes sticking out of it in all the proper places. The house two doors down has full walls and sheathing, so I'm imagining they'll move on to our house next. The building manager tells us the project plan calls for 130 days, but he's been finishing in less than 100. Eeeep!
We've started training for the AvonWalk in earnest. We did 4 miles walking last Saturday, and 5.5 on Saturday morning. We're doing the scheduled walking during the week on our own, except that I've been running until now, since I had one more half-marathon to complete the Love the Half challenge. Now that I'm done with that (more below), I'll switch to plain walking until July to make sure I work the proper muscles and get used to the different gait required for walking 39 miles in two days.
I've been working on upper body strength, with a focus on high reps and lower weights for bicep curls, tricep curls, lateral arm raises, boxing punches with weights, and chest raises. I've also been working on my (wait for it...) PUSH-UPS!!! I've worked up to 20 girly-style, and this week is when I start mixing in a few real ones (just a few!!). I'm also working on abs at least three times a week, with 50 crunches, 50 bicycle crunches, 50 reverse crunches, and now 20 full sit-ups. I know -- I'm freaking myself out here. And, we found a veggie/fruit stand guy about three blocks from the office, so we've been having fruit smoothies (fruit and protein mix and nothing else) for lunch. This week, I'm going to try the -- GULP -- veggie juice mixes. One of my friends has been having them and hasn't died yet, so I figured it's a good way to get a nice dose of veg into my diet. Of course, my reward scale-wise for this is (wait for it...) MAINTAINING. Sigh. Whatever. I'm going to keep at it and keep tweaking and I know results will be around the corner.
The boy has enjoyed his bicycle tremendously. He's asked for bicycle shorts and shirts for his birthday, and made me go out on a short ride (12 miles in an hour) this afternoon even though I had just finished a half marathon. And I'm glad he did, because we had a great time. He had a convincing argument, too -- he'd done 4.5 hours between hockey skills camp and team practice yesterday, so he said he needed a recovery ride. He said it would keep my legs from locking up, too. And I think he was right. I've been right as rain all afternoon since we got back. We'll see how I fare tomorrow, though!!
OK, so now on to the splits for posterity. SW Episode III is on Spike right now, and TDP DinoBoy is waiting for me to come sit with him, so it will be quick. The race was the Heels 'n' Hills Women's Half, and it was overall a pretty good race. Water stops were a bit too spaced out for my taste, and there were a hella lot more hills than I expected (Note to Self: Read the NAME of the race next time, smarty-pants). But, I finished in 2:21, so it wasn't my fastest, nor was it my slowest, and it was a nice way to wrap up the spring season.
I do want to give a big shout-out to my new friends Marianne and Amy, though. I was doing 10/1 intervals when I noticed I kept leapfrogging the same two folks, as is usual. But they were doing 3/1s, and seemed to be having a much better time than I was. And they were going at the same pace, ultimately, as I was. So I asked them if I could tag along after about mile 5 or 6. They were great company, and the race just flew by in these little short increments. We kept a good pace throughout, but then Amy had to drop back for a bit about mile 10. She insisted Mariane and I kept going, since she'd just been battling a cough and was having trouble breathing so she was walking way more than she was running, and she didn't want to hold us back. Marianne and I kept the same intervals throughout, chatting when we could and just keeping moving together when we couldn't. It was a good way to run the race, with a little company vs. just pounding out the miles on my own.
So, here's the splits:
Mile 1 - 9:38
Mile 2 - 10:24
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 10:23
Mile 5 - 10:23 (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!)
Mile 6 - 10:44
Mile 7 - 10:53
Mile 8 - 10:47
Mile 9 - 10:39
Mile 10 - 13:02 (I hit this one late, and this was when we said good-bye to Amy)
Mile 11 - 10:12 (less than a full mile, sine it had some of Mile 10 in it)
Mile 12 - 11:33 (last big hill/overpass before the finish)
Mile 13 - 11:16
Mile .1 - 1:27
So there you go. Is that pacing on the early miles freaky, or what?! I was cracking myself up when I reviewed it in the car. I'm wondering if i would have been able to maintain it if I hadn't met up with Mariane and Amy, but I doubt it. I was already starting to fade by that time.
Gotta run. I pinky promise I will update more often, if I can. And comment more. Peace out!!
We drove by the new house Saturday morning on the way to breakfast, and it has a foundation now, with pipes sticking out of it in all the proper places. The house two doors down has full walls and sheathing, so I'm imagining they'll move on to our house next. The building manager tells us the project plan calls for 130 days, but he's been finishing in less than 100. Eeeep!
We've started training for the AvonWalk in earnest. We did 4 miles walking last Saturday, and 5.5 on Saturday morning. We're doing the scheduled walking during the week on our own, except that I've been running until now, since I had one more half-marathon to complete the Love the Half challenge. Now that I'm done with that (more below), I'll switch to plain walking until July to make sure I work the proper muscles and get used to the different gait required for walking 39 miles in two days.
I've been working on upper body strength, with a focus on high reps and lower weights for bicep curls, tricep curls, lateral arm raises, boxing punches with weights, and chest raises. I've also been working on my (wait for it...) PUSH-UPS!!! I've worked up to 20 girly-style, and this week is when I start mixing in a few real ones (just a few!!). I'm also working on abs at least three times a week, with 50 crunches, 50 bicycle crunches, 50 reverse crunches, and now 20 full sit-ups. I know -- I'm freaking myself out here. And, we found a veggie/fruit stand guy about three blocks from the office, so we've been having fruit smoothies (fruit and protein mix and nothing else) for lunch. This week, I'm going to try the -- GULP -- veggie juice mixes. One of my friends has been having them and hasn't died yet, so I figured it's a good way to get a nice dose of veg into my diet. Of course, my reward scale-wise for this is (wait for it...) MAINTAINING. Sigh. Whatever. I'm going to keep at it and keep tweaking and I know results will be around the corner.
The boy has enjoyed his bicycle tremendously. He's asked for bicycle shorts and shirts for his birthday, and made me go out on a short ride (12 miles in an hour) this afternoon even though I had just finished a half marathon. And I'm glad he did, because we had a great time. He had a convincing argument, too -- he'd done 4.5 hours between hockey skills camp and team practice yesterday, so he said he needed a recovery ride. He said it would keep my legs from locking up, too. And I think he was right. I've been right as rain all afternoon since we got back. We'll see how I fare tomorrow, though!!
OK, so now on to the splits for posterity. SW Episode III is on Spike right now, and TDP DinoBoy is waiting for me to come sit with him, so it will be quick. The race was the Heels 'n' Hills Women's Half, and it was overall a pretty good race. Water stops were a bit too spaced out for my taste, and there were a hella lot more hills than I expected (Note to Self: Read the NAME of the race next time, smarty-pants). But, I finished in 2:21, so it wasn't my fastest, nor was it my slowest, and it was a nice way to wrap up the spring season.
I do want to give a big shout-out to my new friends Marianne and Amy, though. I was doing 10/1 intervals when I noticed I kept leapfrogging the same two folks, as is usual. But they were doing 3/1s, and seemed to be having a much better time than I was. And they were going at the same pace, ultimately, as I was. So I asked them if I could tag along after about mile 5 or 6. They were great company, and the race just flew by in these little short increments. We kept a good pace throughout, but then Amy had to drop back for a bit about mile 10. She insisted Mariane and I kept going, since she'd just been battling a cough and was having trouble breathing so she was walking way more than she was running, and she didn't want to hold us back. Marianne and I kept the same intervals throughout, chatting when we could and just keeping moving together when we couldn't. It was a good way to run the race, with a little company vs. just pounding out the miles on my own.
So, here's the splits:
Mile 1 - 9:38
Mile 2 - 10:24
Mile 3 - 10:23
Mile 4 - 10:23
Mile 5 - 10:23 (I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!)
Mile 6 - 10:44
Mile 7 - 10:53
Mile 8 - 10:47
Mile 9 - 10:39
Mile 10 - 13:02 (I hit this one late, and this was when we said good-bye to Amy)
Mile 11 - 10:12 (less than a full mile, sine it had some of Mile 10 in it)
Mile 12 - 11:33 (last big hill/overpass before the finish)
Mile 13 - 11:16
Mile .1 - 1:27
So there you go. Is that pacing on the early miles freaky, or what?! I was cracking myself up when I reviewed it in the car. I'm wondering if i would have been able to maintain it if I hadn't met up with Mariane and Amy, but I doubt it. I was already starting to fade by that time.
Gotta run. I pinky promise I will update more often, if I can. And comment more. Peace out!!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Oh my!
has it really been a whole week? So sad to have a little neglected blog! If there are any of you left, here is a less-than-ten-minutes-because-my-battery-is-about-to-die-and-LaGuardia-has -no-stinking-outlets post:
There is a ton more, I'm sure, but I just can't remember it all. My brain is fried and even though my flight doesn't leave for another 90 minutes, I'm stuck, stuck, stuck here. Dang American Airlines and their jacked up flight schedules - bah!
I hope to catch up on all my blog reading over the weekend -- I'll be a commenting fool. Hang tough folks, and have a great day!!
- Ran in Central Park again this morning -- 65 degrees at 5:15 -- AWESOME! slow but I enjoyed the scenery
- Did weights and situps/crunches yesterday morning, then walked around feeling like I just got punched the rest of the day
- Ran 4 miles Saturday, and interspersed a parcourse fitness thing over the park near my house -- I was SO sore the next day, but it was FUN!!
- Saturday starts the official start of our 12-week AvonWalk mileage buildup!!!
- Got the Elder Child an early birthday present -- a Giant Boulder SE. He'd outgrown his old one after not being able to ride at all last year b/c of his foot surgery, and he was grinning like a fool after taking the test ride. "Mom, it's so SMOOOOOTH!!!" I am wicked jealous!! Can't get my own until after we move into the new house -- wah!!
There is a ton more, I'm sure, but I just can't remember it all. My brain is fried and even though my flight doesn't leave for another 90 minutes, I'm stuck, stuck, stuck here. Dang American Airlines and their jacked up flight schedules - bah!
I hope to catch up on all my blog reading over the weekend -- I'll be a commenting fool. Hang tough folks, and have a great day!!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
back to the Park
weather was gorgeous this morning -- 46 degrees and dry. So what better way to spend a spring morning than with a run around Central Park? Yeah, I thought so. 6 miles in 60:00:11. I was not by myself, though, or I'd have never posted those numbers. I was with my buddy (who just finished his first half-IM tri a couple of weeks ago, BTW) and he was pushing me, pulling me, prodding me along the whole way. Gotta love it. There are some nice inclines that felt like slogging through mud, but I kept up pretty well and felt great at the end. Very nice. I'll have to do that a lot more now that the weather's nice and the sun is coming up earlier and earlier.
gotta run. have a great day!!
gotta run. have a great day!!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
three showings
send me some good Real Estate vibes if you can spare them, before I have to start burying saints in the front yard. The listing has resulted in three showings since Saturday, and the full virtual tour isn't even up yet. Hopefully, we'll get a decent offer somewhat soon, although that opens up a whole new can of worms, like, oh, I don't know --"WHERE WILL WE LIVE???" -- since the construction start meeting on the new house hasn't been held and they haven't even poured slab yet.
Deep breath. One step at a time. I should be used to that by now, no?
In other news, I'm currently enamored with Jillian Michaels, she of Biggest Loser fame. She's awesome (if not a bit scary and tough and intimidating) and no-nonsense and I love her. I've been getting her 20-minute Shred workouts (currently just the first two in the series) on Exercise TV at the apartment. I'm mixing those in with my runs between now and Heels 'n Hills, before we crank up the walking mileage for Avon. I hate doing just straight weights, but I like the approach she takes, mixing cardio, abs and strength moves in a short, intense workout.
I've got so many updates to make, but I must blast, since I've got some heavy-duty editing to do. Peace out, and happy Wednesday!!
Deep breath. One step at a time. I should be used to that by now, no?
In other news, I'm currently enamored with Jillian Michaels, she of Biggest Loser fame. She's awesome (if not a bit scary and tough and intimidating) and no-nonsense and I love her. I've been getting her 20-minute Shred workouts (currently just the first two in the series) on Exercise TV at the apartment. I'm mixing those in with my runs between now and Heels 'n Hills, before we crank up the walking mileage for Avon. I hate doing just straight weights, but I like the approach she takes, mixing cardio, abs and strength moves in a short, intense workout.
I've got so many updates to make, but I must blast, since I've got some heavy-duty editing to do. Peace out, and happy Wednesday!!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Texas, Texas, Yee-Haw!
with no particular help from a particular airline, I am home. Finally. Possibly the most uncomfortable flight I've been on, in terms of the environment. I know, it's unseemly to bitch about the kid behind me kicking my seat the whole way (to be fair, she didn't kick the WHOLE way -- she interrupted the kicking with some whining) when so many people are still stuck, but Oh. My. God! Her little sister had a squeak toy, I sh!t you not. A SQUEAK toy -- like what you'd give a flippin' DOG. On the PLANE! The two guys in my row and I were all wanting to be the one to ask that to stop. And I'm sorry, but as much as my teenaged, much-beleagured MD-80s have been in the news lately, I have to say, the window seats in them are much more comfortable than whatever I was in on the Continental flight tonight. I just couldn't find a good position. And, to top it all off, I left poor little Owen Meany in the apartment, so I had nothing to read ("I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME BEHIND! DON'T YOU KNOW I WANTED TO GO ON AN AIRPLANE?").
But, hey, I'm home now. And just about de-wired enough for real sleep, in my own bed.
Oh, another thing -- when I pulled up to the house today, there is a "For Sale" sign on the front yard. Holy crap -- this is for real!!
But, hey, I'm home now. And just about de-wired enough for real sleep, in my own bed.
Oh, another thing -- when I pulled up to the house today, there is a "For Sale" sign on the front yard. Holy crap -- this is for real!!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Toothless!
Snaggle-toothed no more! Had to snap this of him when he returned from his godmother's house on Sunday afternoon. It's currently quite fun to hand him an apple (his favorite fruit EVER!) and watch him try to eat it!!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
#5 done
not too fast, but not as slow as Austin. A few hills, nothing major, but definitely hillier than I expected. Total time on my watch was 2:21:33. I averaged closer to 11:00 miles instead of 10:00 early on, which contributed to the slow time overall. But, considering I've not run at all since last weekend, I'll take it.
Splits below, for posterity. I didn't make a chance to write down my splits from last weekend, so those are lost for the ages, sadly. So here are this week's:
Mile 1 - 9:43.26 -- too fast, nice downhill stretch
Mile 2 - 10:13.40 -- starting to warm up
Mile 3 - 10:52.57 -- UGH, getting hot -- had to strip the outer shirt here
Mile 4 - 10:23.88
Mile 5 - 10:53.50
Mile 6 - 10:49.65
Mile 7 - 11:18.78 -- hills
Mile 8 - 11:28.33 -- more hills
Mile 9 - 10:57.24
Mile 10 - 10:45.85
Mile 11 - 10:50.37
Mile 12 - 10:58.29
Mile 13 - 11:01.59 --are we DONE yet?
Mile .1 - 1:15.96
Overall, it was a nice race, well-organized, with well-spaced water stops and a spattering of crowd support. Weather was muggier than you would have expected, especially since it was in the 50s early in. I didn't have a chance to get back to the car after late registration, and I didn't see a bag drop, so I wore my cotton t-shirt over my tank. It got a little hot once I got moving, with three layers on, so I was almost regretting that choice, but when we got around the lake and then headed back toward the finish, we were in pretty strong winds most of the time. So I was glad that I had the extra layer on me at the end. Nice medal, which makes the 4th of the spring (no medal last weekend, but a nice finisher's tee), and a nice blue shirt that I'll wear pretty often, I think.
Gotta run. The big boys are headed to the Stars game this PM, and TDP DinoBoy is still with his godmother, so I have the whole afternoon ahead of me. What to do? What to do? Right now, the couch is calling me for a short rendezvous before I head out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Peace out!!
Splits below, for posterity. I didn't make a chance to write down my splits from last weekend, so those are lost for the ages, sadly. So here are this week's:
Mile 1 - 9:43.26 -- too fast, nice downhill stretch
Mile 2 - 10:13.40 -- starting to warm up
Mile 3 - 10:52.57 -- UGH, getting hot -- had to strip the outer shirt here
Mile 4 - 10:23.88
Mile 5 - 10:53.50
Mile 6 - 10:49.65
Mile 7 - 11:18.78 -- hills
Mile 8 - 11:28.33 -- more hills
Mile 9 - 10:57.24
Mile 10 - 10:45.85
Mile 11 - 10:50.37
Mile 12 - 10:58.29
Mile 13 - 11:01.59 --are we DONE yet?
Mile .1 - 1:15.96
Overall, it was a nice race, well-organized, with well-spaced water stops and a spattering of crowd support. Weather was muggier than you would have expected, especially since it was in the 50s early in. I didn't have a chance to get back to the car after late registration, and I didn't see a bag drop, so I wore my cotton t-shirt over my tank. It got a little hot once I got moving, with three layers on, so I was almost regretting that choice, but when we got around the lake and then headed back toward the finish, we were in pretty strong winds most of the time. So I was glad that I had the extra layer on me at the end. Nice medal, which makes the 4th of the spring (no medal last weekend, but a nice finisher's tee), and a nice blue shirt that I'll wear pretty often, I think.
Gotta run. The big boys are headed to the Stars game this PM, and TDP DinoBoy is still with his godmother, so I have the whole afternoon ahead of me. What to do? What to do? Right now, the couch is calling me for a short rendezvous before I head out and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Peace out!!
Saturday, April 05, 2008
race tomorrow
#5 of 6. Around that dang lake again. Geez I hate that lake. But the weather should be good, nay, perfect for it. I need a good run -- between recovering from last week's whirlwind of activity and a hellish week at work, I did NOTHING in the way of exercise all week. Walked some, but nothing intentional. I think I needed that.
Not much to do on the homefront this weekend -- amazing how easily the house is maintained once we got rid of 80% of our junk. Landscaping is done, carpets are cleaned, and it's ready for the realtor to come by and stick the sign in the yard.
TDP DinoBoy and I did a scout outing this morning, wherein we collected ridiculous amounts of garbage from a local park. In 40 minutes, the boys gathered a pickup truck full of trash, including a grocery cart, a manhole cover, a pay phone box, a pair of pants (!) and assorted other items. Nobody fell into the creek, although a couple of them tried mightily! It was a good way to spend the morning. Now he's headed to his godmother's for the rest of the weekend, leaving me to finish the 500-piece Star Wars puzzle that's 40% done on the kitchen table. Thanks, dude -- nothing like an unfinished puzzle to make your OCD mom kee-ray-zee.
Gotta go -- Elder Child has more hockey playoffs this weekend, for the league championship, not just the House cup, so he's got at least one (hopefully two) game today. Have a great Saturday.
Not much to do on the homefront this weekend -- amazing how easily the house is maintained once we got rid of 80% of our junk. Landscaping is done, carpets are cleaned, and it's ready for the realtor to come by and stick the sign in the yard.
TDP DinoBoy and I did a scout outing this morning, wherein we collected ridiculous amounts of garbage from a local park. In 40 minutes, the boys gathered a pickup truck full of trash, including a grocery cart, a manhole cover, a pay phone box, a pair of pants (!) and assorted other items. Nobody fell into the creek, although a couple of them tried mightily! It was a good way to spend the morning. Now he's headed to his godmother's for the rest of the weekend, leaving me to finish the 500-piece Star Wars puzzle that's 40% done on the kitchen table. Thanks, dude -- nothing like an unfinished puzzle to make your OCD mom kee-ray-zee.
Gotta go -- Elder Child has more hockey playoffs this weekend, for the league championship, not just the House cup, so he's got at least one (hopefully two) game today. Have a great Saturday.
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