What a Difference a Weekend Makes!

Wow, what a great weekend, in every possible way. The weather was fantastic here--felt like summer all over again. And after the torrential downpour of last weekend, it was a very welcome sight.

I already miss summer: Cycling, running and swimming outside, racing, no school for the kids, great weather, etc. Yeah, I really need to live somewhere warm. It would be great for my joints (and the rest of my body, too)!

I've been having really bad headaches for the last three weeks. Don't know if they're from the RA, allergies, hormones, stress, weather change, etc. Could be all combined. Friday night I went to bed late with a terrible headache. I stayed up until midnight reading a book my son is reading for school. One of those books that you can't put down and have to finish ASAP.

I slept in on Saturday until 7:30. My daughter wasn't feeling well, and skipped practice Friday night and Saturday afternoon, so I was pretty flexible with my workout schedule. When I put my bike in the car, I really wasn't sure what I was going to do. About 9:00 I decided to drive to Lifetime and ride from there. I ended up having a really good 50 mile ride. The roads weren't too crowded, the weather was perfect, and I ran into a couple rest stops for a ride being sponsored by a local church to raise money for a food pantry. If I had know about it, I would have participated. I was running out of water with 13 miles to go (I know, I DO make this a habit), and the lady at the stop was very nice and filled my bottle with cold water. There are really nice people in this world!

When I got back to the fitness center, I did some stretching and core work, and a very easy 1000 meter swim. As usual, I didn't bring enough food, and I was really hungry. By the time I got home, it was almost 3:00. Of course, by this time I wasn't hungry. But I did eat later, hopefully it was enough.

I've worked really hard the last 10 days on my eating. Writing everything down, tracking calories in and calories burned during my workouts. But, as usual, I still can't lose a pound. I have decided that my main goal over the off season is to get rid of the 10 pounds I've gained while training over the last two years. I've tried almost everything, and I don't have the money to pay anyone else for help. I've invested a lot of money and time and no one has been able to help.

So, today was a great day. I woke up feeling rested and relaxed. Decided to go to Waterfall Glen for a run, after dropping my son off at church. I had four hours to get everything done. When I started, I wasn't sure how far I would run. I found a new parking lot, and it was crowded but I did get a spot. The main lot is always packed on the weekends, and I always end up parking outside on the street somewhere.

After I started running, I decided I would do the full loop (9.5) miles. I felt really good, and added an extra half mile to make it an even ten. There were lots of people on the trail, many doing their long runs for the Chicago Marathon. I spoke to a man on a bike who was riding while his girlfriend was running. She was doing a 20 mile run, and her goal is to qualify for Boston. She looked really strong with only 2 miles to go. I complemented him on his support--he said he'll run the last seven miles of the race with her. What a guy!

I love running on the path, but now that I run on the weekend, there are soooo many more people, and some of them think that they own the path. I almost got run down by bikes on more than one occasion. The trail is pretty hilly, and when they're coming down a hill I'm running up--well, it gets pretty scary. They forget that they need to stay on the right side of the road. On more than one occasion I had to run off the path to avoid being hit. It also happens with runners. You know, those really young, really fast, really fit guys who only wear shorts, no tops, and are all young enough to be my kids. They run four or five abreast, and I guess they expect me to move because I'm going the other way, am slower, and older! Hey, wait a minute, shouldn't us older runners get some respect out here!

No worries. I didn't let that stuff bother me. The weather was perfect and I had a great run. Makes me think more about running a half marathon. If anyone knows of one close to home, please let me know. I can only find one in Mattoon, IL which is a three hour drive. Too far!

After my run I drove to Lifetime, did some stretching, strengh, core work and a short 500 meter swim. Was short on time! Four hourse goes so fast when you're doing something you really love!

One more thing I'd like to share: When I workout, I SWEAT. I mean, I really sweat, big time. Even when it's not hot, like today, I sweat ALOT! When I run on a treadmill, it is really gross. I have to clean the machines on either side of me because I manage to get them as wet as mine. My shoes AND socks are soaked if I run for more than an hour. I tell you this, because we all know that when we sweat, we chafe. Yes--big time, mega chafing going on here. I've used a lot of stuff--body glide, vaseline, aquaphor, chamois butt'r to name a few. They all work for a little while, but eventually my sweat wins and I get terrible chafing.

Well, I think I found a product that really works for me. It's called "Mission Anti-Friction Cream". It feels different from anything I've ever used. It's a bit pricey, but I think it's really worth it. I put it everywhere today, and I'm chafe free! If anyone's looking for an answer to the chafing problem, I would definitely recommend this! (I also used it in Louisville, and found I had very little chafing, even in that horrible heat and for such a long time!)

I sent my heart rate monitor to Polar after Louisville and got it back last week. They fixed it up really nice--new battery, I think they replaced the face (it was really scratched up and now it looks good as new), as well as the big red button. It was great having it back this week.

The weekly numbers look like this:

Swim: 6X = 10,000 meters

Bike: 1x trainer = 24 miles
1x road = 50 miles

Run: 3x = 22.5 miles

Strength/Core: 4x = 225 minutes

Total time: 17:22

Calories burned: 7,350

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Have a great week.

Until next time--God bless!