What a feeling!!!

Doesn't this image just seem wonderful? This morning I woke up again in the dark, only this time to head off to spinning class ... my first time as a part of Y-tri. I had previously taken a few classes at lunch but never enjoyed them, mostly because I never "got" the instructor. She's have you in a fast cadence to slow music, then all of a sudden you'd have fast music and you'd be going slow ... today was completely different, thankfully. Alissa, our instructor, is cheerful, helpful and challenges you constantly to do better than what you think you can do.

So, how do I feel now? Not like butter ... instead I feel as if my body has suddenly sprouted a zillion new nerve endings I never knew existed, along with the aches and soreness to match. On the psych front though, I am still glowing with a fabulous new energy and excitement that I'm doing something that is both fun AND good for me. With the doom and gloom in the economy- and at work, well, I just need a good distraction.

This weekend in addition to some birthday cake I'm saving some calories for as Miss Lily turns 1, I am going to get a massage on Saturday and return to acupuncture on Sunday. By the time Monday rolls around I should be a whole rejuvenated self.

Other notes:

Today- second diet coke free day. Even more difficult than the exercise!
Tomorrow- swim on my own
Saturday- run before the massage
Sunday- recovery day ...

Chill!

Day Two came and went and I am extremely proud to say that I beat down my evil twin who tried to convince me at 5:45 am that it was too cold for me to attempt to run outside, that I didn't have the right clothes, I would be late, I was too out of shape ... you can just imagine the inner dialogue. Nonetheless, I found a pair of long pants, a long sleeve tshirt, a fleece and then a windjacket and I was ready. (And I managed to pack a healthy lunch out of all that fruit I bought ... but decided to forgo for a day the bean burritos and fiber bars as I hope my stomach will be happier!)

When I exited the building the sheer cold of 22 degrees with a stiff wind made it really seem like the 10 degrees that the NPR radio announcer so ominously declared. I opted to take a cab the seven blocks to save a little time and it was only $3. The Y-tri group was in the lobby going over the route so I hurriedly went up to the 6th floor to ditch my bag and switch coats. Unfortunately for me, by the time I made it downstairs they had left the building ... the lady at the check-in counter yelled, go on honey, you can catch them! So off I went in my new cold weather hat with running gloves on and ready to keep me warm. And I saw the group- about 7 blocks south of me on 17th street ... with the way the lights changed- and their faster pace, I never managed to catch up with them. Which, of course, led to more internal discussions ...

On one side, running alone (but seeing people ahead of me and across the reflecting pool) really made me appreciate the sunlight hitting the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol building. How lucky am I to be able to run in such a scenic locale?? And just when I thought it would be ok to walk a little I saw a group of US Marshals running in formation ... didn't want to embarass myself so stepped it up and kept on going. A few of them even made me look gazelle like (yes, I know, a stretch for most people with above average imaginations) as they trudged along with their heavy vests and backpacks. So then the challenge hit me- do I go the extra two blocks east and run up 15th street? Or just go up 17th since that's where I looped back? With the idea that maybe I could see Malia and Sasha heading off for school, I opted for the White House view and went the distance.

No, its not even 10 am, and I've had a full day, energized and excited about the rest of the day ...

Newbie

I SURVIVED! I carefully packed my bag last night before I tucked in early evening in preparation for my first workout as part of the Y-tri team. I was assigned to Group 3 as part of my swim qualification ... not really sure what that means ... there are ten groups of about 6 people. Group 4 swims with us as well so we sorted ourselves into the two reserved lanes and and I was pleasantly surprised to be neither the fastest nor the slowest. I did swim, however, more laps than I have done in a really long time ... if I add it up it was probably about 2000 M as our gest Coach kept on barking out "Let's do 3 more 100s with twenty second intervals of rest b/w each." Not sure about you, but that definitely sounded like a foreign language I never learned.

I am also perplexed because yesterday I took a trip to Costco courtesy of Chris and spent no less than $200 on fruit. (And enough toilet paper to last a year). Is it possible to leave Costco spending any less than that? My goal was to buy healthy food for lunch and snacking so that I'm fueling my new athletic endeavors correctly. Here's what $200 will buy you:

Strawberries
Blueberries
Apples
Clementimes
Hummus (with jalapeno!)
Fiber One bars
Soup (low sodium and approved by the AHA)
Mozzarella cheese sticks
Baby spinach
Peppers (green, yellow, orange and red)
Perrier (two cases)
Toilet paper (36 rolls)

OK, the Perrier is kind of an extravagance ... but a strategic one as I am eager to decaffeinate and eliminate Diet Coke from my life once and forever. DC is the vice that leads me down the road to destruction I believe and my addiction is as strong as any nicotine substance could possible provide.

At the moment it is only 9:30 and I feel like my day has been great and productive thus far- isn't that a fabulous feeling?

14 degrees ...

OK, yesterday I had the best of intentions ... came to work early amidst a snow shower but with my bathing suit, goggles and sneakers so that I could get both a swim and cardio workout in before the end of the day.

End result? Sat in a conference room all day and then attended not one but two cocktail hours. The first was a toast to the day's meetings and an Amstel light was EARNED I believe! The second was meeting with our potential JV partners including none other than Fergie, Duchess of York. She was quite charming and made an effort to say hello to each of us, learn our names (we were a group of 10 tops) and our roles at NG. In less than thirty minutes, she was able to tell stories that described her charity work, her role as a "foghorn for children's voices" and also her media forays from a new movie "Young Victoria" to children's books inspired initially by the bombings in Oklahoma City. WOW! What a whirlwind of topics, yet it did seem cohesive nonetheless.

So, as there were some Irish and British there, I opted for another Amstel light to toast the evening. When I wandered home (no workout) there was no thought of a workout ... the temperature had continued to plummet. I was bundled up in my snowgear, including my double hat from Lands End. As I wiped my tears (brought on by the winds) crossing 15th street, the hat blew off ... this forced me to stand on the corner and wait for some cars to go by until I ran out and rescued my lost piece of apparel. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself until I passed by two homeless people hunkered down for the evening, sleeping on the street and not complaining.

Now its early AM and I have been at the office for an hour ... I've booked two events tonight after work as well as a possible houseguest- and so don't know how I'm going to work out today. Makes me depressed. At least when we get to NC tomorrow afternoon, I will obligate myself to workout at Rosina's as she has both an indoor gym and great outdoors.

My new schedule ... and harbinger of early bedtime

OK- here it is:

Mondays- 7:10 AM Swim (part of Group 3- eight of us who must have all swum the same 7 minute pace)
Tuesdays- 6:30 AM- 7:30 AM Run and 7:30-8:00 AM Core Strength
Wednesday- Free day to get in my own workout and/or participate in 75 minute spin class at 6:30 am
Thursday- 6:00 AM Bike
Friday- Free day to get in my own workout

Of course, free days aren't really free ... they are just supposed to be self designed workouts. Apparently Wednesday everyone who isn't swimming also does the spin class. We'll see! Great to see everyone today and hear what their fears were (or were not). A lot of people had NEVER done a tri before, or perhaps thought they could swim maybe on a good day the length of the pool. I luckily found that there were a few people who also are deplorable runners, so maybe there will be strength in numbers. Team BUTR, right?

Actually quite reassuring to see that there are always to run coaches- one to kind of be at the lead- and the other to bring up the rear. The mantra is to never leave anyone behind ... but have they ever had anyone as slow as me? I have two skant weeks to try to make up for lost time ... uh-oh!

After an initial four week base building we will add additional Saturday long rides and/or runs as well as some other events like bike clinics. Already there are clinics offered on bio mechanics and with physical therapy experts to ensure that we are all training appropriately. I think the one common thread running among the newbies and the veterans was that we all felt it was better to be part of a group than just an individual. We each have enough drive as individuals to get us out there- but only by being part of something bigger can we grown and push beyond our self-imposed limitations. Very exciting!

Chris is officially going to join me in Philly, only doing the Sprint triathlon. So, if you don't have plans, please come join us and cheer us on!! June 27-28