dual workout

Gmorning!  I slept like a rock last night!  When the alarm went off at 5:30 I debated going back to sleep, but after pushing snooze a few times I managed to pull myself from bed.  I did a "new" workout this morning!  I put on my swimsuit and running clothes, stuffed my goggles, swim cap, and a hand towel in a drawstring backpack, and ran 2 miles to the gym.  It wasn't too hot yet but man, it was humid!!  I swam 1 mile in the pool (which was actually kind of gross - there were hairballs floating in the pool!  Nasty!), then dried off a little, put my running clothes back on, and trotted the 2 miles back.  This was a great combo workout.  The muggy runs were bearable because they were short, and adding swimming in the middle was a great change of pace.  I'll definitely do this again!

It's back in the cube.  I need more coffee.

out with the old

After 3 months it's time to say goodbye to these guys:

These shoes took me through 10 weeks of training, one tough marathon, and a month of recovery/ramping up again for the next race.  I've logged 415 miles on them and my legs and hips are really starting to feel those miles during my runs.  So it's time to retire them and bring out the new guy:

Remember these?  I got them for free.  I think knowing I'm wearing free shoes will make me faster.  Yes?  

Total June runs: 118 miles

Total June swims: 4 miles

I'm bummed my June total is down from normal, but I took a week off to move, which lost me about 40 miles.  Oh well.  All the more reason to go hard after July mileage, right?

need. more. coffee.

I am tired this morning.  Dave and I got to bed late on Sunday night because I was busy making the lentil-white bean salad to take to work for lunches.  Then last night was another late night for me.  I had one cup of coffee this morning but could certainly use another (or four).

After work I decided to swim instead of run, knowing I could get a longer workout in the pool than out in the roasting sun.  They didn't have the dividers up in the pool because it was open for kids to play in.  Not a problem - only a handful of kids were there playing, mostly in the shallow end and at the diving board.  No one else was swimming so I took the farthest lane by the wall and started my laps.  A little while later a woman got in to aqua jog... and despite having ample room (the kids were not very spread out) decided to aqua jog pretty much in the lane with me, or right next to it.  In the beginning I tried to hug the wall to give her room but gave up after awhile and just passed awkwardly close to her each time.  It got annoying.  But other than that it was a great swim!

After swimming there was pizza and birthday cake and Toy Story 3!  I loved the movie - so cute, funny, and sweet.  I even got a little itchy/tight throated at the end, but didn't actually cry.  Definitely worth paying the money to go see!

And this morning I ran a sloppy 7 miles.  I felt pretty tight and tired, but knocked it out nonetheless.  I think it was a combination of 1) tiredness 2) dehydration/excessive salt from popcorn last night 3) my running shoes are just over 400 miles and need to be retired very soon.  My legs are feeling it.  The highlights of the run were a pretty sunrise, cool temps, and a deer spotting - a beautiful doe (or a yet-to-be antlered buck) that I passed within eight or so feet of.  She was gorgeous.

It's back in the cubie now... man, I can't wait to go home!

unexpected workout

Last night after work I was feeling tired, but decided to hit the swimming pool, thinking it would refresh me.  But when I got to the rec center the pool was closed (pool hours for the summer are pretty sparse).  I had accidentally left my running shoes in Goshen, so I wasn't sure what to do.  Answer?  A barefoot run on the grassy field of the track!  It was blazing hot (90 and full sun) and I just had on shorts, my speedo, and a tank top, but it worked all the same.  The field was soggy from all the recent rain, but it felt good to have the cold water splashing on my toes and ankles and calves.  I did 2 miles and then called it quits because 1) it was ridiculously hot 2) there wasn't a drinking fountain (seriously, no drinking fountain at the track??) and 3) my body is used to shoes and pavement and I didn't want to overdo it and cause injury.  Still, I was pretty sweaty after only 20 minutes.

Turns out speedos are pretty good as sports bras.  Good to know.  I guess I'm ready for a triathlon?

I was pretty excited to sleep last night, as it would be on a real bed.  Dave and I haven't had a bed since we moved (we're hoping to get one soon) and have been sleeping either on an air mattress or a pile of quilts.  It's not terrible but it hasn't been great, and while I sleep through the night it's been awhile since I've woken up feeling refreshed and limber.  Last night I only got 6 hours of sleep but I popped awake feeling fantastic.  I can't even explain the difference sleeping on a mattress made, and with less hours than I was logging on the floor.  Getting a mattress has just become my top priority in order to save Dave and I's sanity and bodies.  

Since I woke up feeling so good I decided to hit the pool for a swim (I doublechecked the hours last night to make sure it wouldn't be another vain attempt).  It's been over a month since my last swim!  I definitely could tell that I hadn't swam in awhile, but it still felt so good to be stretched out and waterlogged again.

After delicious oats with pears and blueberries I'm in the office, coffee beside me.  I have high hopes for the day, cubicle and all!

a plan for the week

This morning's swim got cut short because I just wasn't feeling it.  I got to bed late last night and the whole swim felt uncoordinated and slow and I was tired and grumpy.  So instead of an hour I called it quits at 30 minutes.  It was nice to have a little extra pre-work time and I'm glad I didn't force it.  Even after a huge mug of coffee this morning I still feel sleepy.

Dave and I have had some crazy weeks lately - lots of busyness, late nights, trips, etc.  I've definitely been feeling out of whack from our disrupted routines and am glad for a week to return to normalcy.  This should also include some grocery shopping (we're down to bare bare bones, people) and some actual cooking!  It's been so long since I have made a full meal at home.  Weird!!!

A couple recipes I'm excited to try (or have again): black bean and rice burgers, salmon with an avocado sauce, roasted broccoli, and maybe some minestrone soup or chili.

What are you cooking this week?

swimsuit review

I got my new swimsuit last week and was able to swim in it last night and this morning.  Thoughts:

• Love the pretty purple
• Love the skinny straps - they didn't move.
• Fit was great.  I ordered 1 size up (or 2, depending on the brand) from my normal dress size.  The suit is tight, but not sausage casing, and doesn't move when I swim.
• Because my old suit was big, I didn't really notice the leg opening rise very much.  This new suit seemed higher cut.  It's not skanky, but it takes a little getting used to.

Overall, very happy and will keep it!  And the best news: NO red marks after swimming!

Brooks has yet to respond to my email.  The auto-generated reply said it would be 1-2 days.  This is day 2.  You're due, Brooks.

This morning Dave sent me a picture of his breakfast.  I was impressed!

Spinach, tomato, cheese, and red pepper hummus scrambled eggs with strawberry toast!

I have a packed lunch date with a friend today, so I'll get to enjoy a little bit of the sun outside of the cube and the car.  Hooray!

swimsuit!

I found a swimsuit!  I looked at swimoutlet.com (thanks, Kristi, for suggesting this!) but ultimately couldn't find a suit I liked in the right color/size combo.  Then I hit up Speedo and found a suit on sale!  The big plus is that you can return suits to Speedo after you wear them, if you decide it doesn't fit right.  So if I do a couple swims in the the new suit and find it rubs me or fits weird, I can still return it!  Big perk!

Ta-da!

And the back (which will also be in purple):

I'm super excited about it!  I love the fun color and I'm hoping the thin straps mean I'll have less neck chafing issues (also size will probably help).  Let's cross our fingers it comes soon!

Had a delicious veggie dinner tonight - asparagus, onion, kidney beans, brussel sprouts, red pepper, and zucchini with some barley, garlic, and nutritional yeast.  I ate it before I took a picture.  Whoops!

office oats

Now that is a good office morning.  Unpictured: coffee.

I was going to run after work yesterday but it was cold, rainy, and windy.  I hadn't packed the right clothes and thought I would probably be really cold while I was running.  I didn't want to go to the gym because I didn't want to have a foot flare-up from switching back and forth again.  So instead I swam!  I got a good hour of laps in.  Unfortunately, my swimsuit is causing me some pain.  I've had this suit for over a year (maybe two?) and I really like it (Speedo Endurance... which has somehow not fallen apart even though they tend to over-chemical the pool here.).  But it's too big now and it tends to rub all along the seam that runs from my shoulder down under my arm.  So last night when I got out of the pool I had a nice red line.  This morning I swam again.  I put a healthy glob of Vaseline all along the line in hopes to minimize the friction, but I've got some serious angry red burn marks under my arm.  Fantastic.  They feel really good, too.

So.  Priority for today: find new swimsuit.  If ordering, make sure it will be here by next Tuesday.  Anyone know where to find good swimsuits at a decent price?  I'll be sure to share what I end up getting!

swimmer kimmer

I got back in touch with my inner fish today:

(I love love love this new swim cap - it has an elastic band on the bottom and is SO much easier to put on than the stupid latex ones that snag your hair and are hard to wrangle.  And these new goggles are amazing - they don't fog or leak at all!)

I used to swim laps at the university every morning, but that ended in December '08 when I moved 2 hours north.  Since I still come down for work (I drive down on Monday morning, work, stay the night, work Tuesday, then go back home Tuesday evening), I decided to try swimming again on Tuesday mornings.  I should have started this way earlier.  It was so so good to be doing laps again, stretching out, and using my arms instead of my legs.

Yesterday I downloaded the song "United State of Pop 2009", by DJ Earworm.  I love it and can't wait to run to it!  For your own free download, click here!

Thanks for all the feedback about the new layout!  I'm really happy with it, and glad you all are, too!