Who would have thought?

Who would have thought that my local grocery store follows my blog? I mean, how else can I explain that everything that I wanted was on sale this week. They surely heard my complaints last week and promptly resolved the issue, right?

It seemed that all produce was $.88 cents (each or per pound, didn't matter). Chicken breasts were $1.99 per pound and 99% lean ground turkey was Buy One Get One. Roma tomatoes are slow roasting in the oven (where they will be for the next 6 hours) in prep for a couple of menu items this week. Avocados are ripening on the counter for sandwiches. Joy has returned to my kitchen.

Since Pete worked late a few days this week, I hate cooking for just one, and we had massive amounts of turkey chili left over, some of last weeks items were moved to this week. So while it may not have changed much over last, I feel more inspired with what I have to work with.

Same goes for my work out this week.

Though I'm sure it was sitting back in my subconscious already, I was reminded by Andrea during our swim yesterday, the Pigman is just over three months away. And while I have been better about getting to the gym, I've let my running program go a little lax. Part of it was the lingering cold that I fought for two weeks, true. Part of it has just been my struggle to fit it all in.

So I have decided that I need to start pushing myself even harder. I'm going to start sacrificing the warmth of my bed in the early morning hours to get to the track to run. Sure, I could just do the treadmill, but having been through four 5k runs now, it doesn't seems to be enough to aptly condition my body. The track still offers more shock absorption that the concrete roads that surround my house, and, quite frankly, it's still too cold to start running outside in the dark hours of the morning.

It also seems that the weather has heard my pleas for mercy. The current 10 day forecast shows temperatures at or just above freezing with some sunshine to go with it. At the moment, next Saturday is showing a low of 31 and a high of 42. If that sticks, I may have to bike to the Y for my usual Saturday swim.

And now, in the world of biking and extreme goals for this year....

It has been decided that Pete and I will be participating in the annual Tour of the Scioto River Valley bike ride in May. I'm optioning only the half ride: 50 miles one way. It'll be good prep for both the triathlon and for our planned vacation. I need to get over my dislike of hills and being stuck in the middle of nowhere will force me to complete the ride.

Sign me up, pay the fee, announce it to the world so I can't back out.

"Things that hurt, instruct." ~ Ben Franklin

Training Schedule: Week of February 21st

Since I create the Board on Sundays, it just made more sense to shift the week to Sunday - Saturday. Maybe it'll help me actually make my Sunday work out too.

The menu this week feels uninspired. Maybe it's my irritation with my local grocery store for having nothing even remotely healthy on sale aside from grapes.

I joined a Biggest Loser competition at work a couple of weeks ago. Of course I was sick during the first two weeks of the competition and hadn't really been able to work out. My loss stands at a whopping 1.25 pounds.

Now in the fourth week of competition, my cold is mostly gone and I've decided it's time to light a fire under my motivation. The pot is at $415 for the Biggest Loser to take away with 8 more weeks to go.

And now that I'm getting the energy back to both work out and cook, the sale selection just seems to be blah.

Or maybe my irritation stems from the weather forecast and the additional 2"-5" of snow that will fall by noon tomorrow. Global Warming my ass!!

New swim suits are on their way.

I balked at the $45 price tag of my swim suit when I started on this journey. I figured that I was simply paying for the Speedo name, but with limited resources for swimsuit buying in November in Iowa, I concluded that it was the best deal to be found.

Last spring I came across the website Swimoutlet.com and found fitness suits for as little as $19, so I ordered myself a pretty red one.

It started to shred three months later, and that was with switching back and forth between the pretty new red one and my basic black number.

The original $45 suit has held up for over a year now but is now on its last leg. There's a little more drag in the bottom and I continuously have to pull up the top at the end of each lap. A seam in the back is getting a little threadbare and is making me start to worry that it will soon come undone mid-stroke.

I bit the bullet and ordered the same suit again. Hopefully it'll hold up as well as my original.

Going with the flow

So I'm not a big fan of winter.

I've never tried to keep my dislike of the cold slush a secret.

Winter does have its advantages: It hosts holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, which in turn means days away from the office and time spent visiting family.

And sure, it's pretty....

Until you can start driving again and the pure whiteness that blankets everything turns into mucky, grey slush.

I feel that despite the complaints unleashed mostly on my poor husband, I'm pretty good at going with the flow. I knew that Iowa was by no means tropical when we discussed moving here thee and a half years ago.

But this winter, though not necessarily colder, has brought with it the longest stretch of days with snow on the ground. (as shown in the photo of my driveway below)

I feel the anxiety rising, a sense of dread that I will never see green grass on my lawn. I want to get out and feel the wind on my face and the sense of panic in my stomach as I fly on my bike down the hill next to my house.

Please, please, please Spring arrive soon.

I'm getting back up

Nike once said, "Just so it."

So I did.

Sitting on the couch today, still nursing this stupid cold and watching the Olympics, a new Nike commercial came on and asked, "When will you get back up?"

I realized that it's my own fault that I'm still sick. I've been babying this cold when instead, I should have been telling it who's boss.

My biggest mistake was not keeping up with the Board.

"The Board?" you ask.

Yes, The Board:

This week's training schedule

Each week I post my training plan to a dry erase board in my kitchen. It's partially to keep me on track and partially helps my husband keep track of me.

I neglected to write it out last week. It's a mistake I won't make again. I'm taking a firmer hand with the stuffy nose and coughing.

It's time for me to get back up.

~ Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. - John Maxwell

Being sick sucks

It was a valiant fight, I think.

For a week and a half I held at bay the cold that had reduced my husband to coughs and sneezes.

I would come home from the Y to the wistful sighs, "I wish I could have worked out today...", happy that I hadn't yet been brought down.

Yet.

The three hour nap that I took after Saturday's swim really should have been my first clue. Sure, it had been a long week with a couple of late nights, but not enough to knock me for such a loop.

Sunday morning I could feel it building in my chest. I woke in the middle of the night Sunday and knew that it was all over. I was going down for the count.

Now I can only hope that I'm well enough to make it to the pool for the last swim of the session on Saturday.

Here's to hoping...


~ "I had to pick myself up and get on with it, do it all over again, only even better this time." Sam Walton

American Cancer Society

I promised I would do it again.

I would have even if I hadn't promised.

It's a big part of what holds me accountable.

The link to my American Cancer Society's donation page is up and running again. Click here to make a donation or use the link on the right hand side of this page.

I'm dedicating this season to my mom, who battled cervical cancer over the summer.

And to Lori Michael, a friend of the family, who recently lost her fight.

Help me Tri for more success stories and fewer good-byes.

Training diary

So I got this fabulous new phone that will let me post remotely. So I'm gonna give it a test drive.

Tonight is Body Pump and I'm not excited.

I am but I'm not. I think I'm just dreading the soreness that I'm sure is inevitable at this point in training.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to run and then go to a Body Flow class.

Really hoping to keep to my schedule this week despite having a business dinner and needing to get my house (not to mention samples) in order for at least 2 wedding cakes tastings this weekend.

Well here goes.

I'm off to lift.