In general, our family is relatively healthy. What I mean is, we don't get colds/flu, that kind of stuff too often. So, I guess we were due.
Peanut and J spent last weekend in Indianapolis for a gymnastics meet. Tuesday morning she woke up tired. Of course, I thought it was just from the long weekend (no school on Monday). I dropped her off at practice as usual that night. When J brought her home, he informed me that over half the girls on the team were sick with flu and not at practice. Peanut was really tired and coughing with a sore throat when she went to bed.
I had her sleep in on Wednesday. She woke up later than usual, and did her school work. When I came up from the basement after my ride/workout, she had finished her work and was sound asleep on the couch. OK--the flu has struck!
She had a fever for the next four days, ate very little, slept and rested A LOT! When she's sick, she's a real trouper--no complaining--just rest and watch TV.
I feel very comfortable leaving her alone, but not when she's sick, and definitely not with a fever. So, all my workouts were at home until Sunday when I finally got back to the pool. Four days without swimming for me felt like a life time! Anyway, I actually took a complete day of rest on Thursday, which my body really needed.
Peanut is better, no fever, but still coughing and her throat is still a little sore. She's still asleep, and she's going to try to do some school work today. I doubt she'll make it to practice tomorrow night. This weekend is our team's home meet--the first meet we've sponsored since the coach opened the gym. J has been working like crazy planning the meet. R-man and I are scheduled to do our volunteer rotation when Peanut competes Saturday afternoon. I'm really worried that she might not be able to compete. We'll have to wait and see how the week shapes up.
R-man spent the weekend in Michigan with the high school church group at their winter retreat. Had a great time in the snow and cold with his friends!
Other than feeling totally trapped inside by illness, cold and snow, not being able to run, and being totally sick of this weather, I'm hanging in there. Even in the toughest of times, there's still so much to be thankful for.
Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week. March is less than ten days away! YEAH!
Until next time--God bless!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Update.....General Stuff
I know it's been a while.....here's what I know:
February is probably the worst month of the year for me, both physically and mentally. The change in weather is tough on my body--my RA is in full flare. Things hurt now that I don't even remember in the summer when the weather's warm.
My body is telling me to slow down and take a break. That's hard for me, but I'm trying. I still am not able to run. I think I'm compensating by doing too much other stuff. I now have new aches and pains.
Our family is really struggling financially. J's two part-time jobs have no work now; one of the jobs owes him a bunch of money. Hopefully, things will pick up by April. Until then, he's been looking with no luck for other work. We're trying to hang in there.
Due to finances, I'm not signed up for any races yet. Which is probably a good thing since I haven't run in about six weeks. We'll see how things go.
I'm not optimistic about the "stimulus" plan. I'm not really that optimistic about the new administration and all the hope so many people have placed in it. That's all I'll say on that subject.
I'm SOOOOO tired of baseball, steroids, Alex Rodriguez, and all that big giant mess. Let's just agree that professional athletes, like actors, politicians, and others in our society have their own sets of rules. I don't like the rules, I don't agree with them, but that's just how it is. We live in a democracy, but life is rarely, if ever, fair.
Gymnastics, even at the level my daughter is in, is so totally subjective and unfair. At her last meet, Peanut got the lowest score she ever received on the uneven bars--7.45. At that same meet, she won the floor, finished seventh in the all around, and placed in the top ten or better on the beam and vault. Her team won their level. This past weekend, the team went to Indianapolis to compete. The competition was much tougher than at the last meet. Doing the same routine on the bars, she received a 9.125 and finished third. HUH?! The team finished in second place. Peanut finished 5th in the all around. Can you see how crazy this sport is? The good thing is she's not upset by it and realizes that's how it is. Me, I think it's absolutely INSANE!
I'm still trying to figure out Facebook. I joined a little after I started this blog, but I'm still trying to figure out how it works. It seems a little complicated to me. I would like to master it, because I think it's less work than posting a blog. Anyone out there an expert?
Sometimes it's hard to read blogs of people who are really good triathletes. What they consider success or failure doesn't even register with people like me. I like to enjoy my training and racing, see some improvement, and stay healthy. Sometimes I'm really happy with my performances, other times not so much. But for me it's all about the fun in the journey. I'm never going to be a fast swimmer or runner. I love doing both, but speed will never be the basis of how I judge my enjoyment in this sport. When I read what the 20 and 30-something women write about their triathlon experiences and goals, I wonder where they will be in the sport when they're my age. Interesting, huh?
R-man received an excellent report card for his first semester in high school. 4.0 average, ranked 50 out of 1148 freshmen. Except for Algebra, he has all new teachers this semester. He really liked his first Biology teacher, and doesn't like the one he has now so much. However, he just received his progress reports and he's doing great in all his subjects.
Last night was the Bowling teams' award banquet. It was held in the high school cafeteria--very low key, not fancy. Compared to what the football and basketball teams get, I'm sure it was a total joke. But, the teams did well, and R-man is hoping to improve over the summer and make the team next year as a sophomore.
It's raining, supposed to turn to snow later today and tomorrow more snow and colder. My body is already protesting. I'm going to go in my warm basement and ride and strength/core train. Maybe I'll go for a short swim later if I feel like leaving the house--or maybe not!
Caught a glimpse of Moose and Iron Snoopy at the fitness center Saturday. I was on the rowing machine, they were doing some serious weight lifting. Didn't get a chance to say "hey"!
That's it for now. Hoping I'll have some good news to post soon. Until then, hope everyone else is surviving this short but oh so long month of February!
Until next time--God bless!
February is probably the worst month of the year for me, both physically and mentally. The change in weather is tough on my body--my RA is in full flare. Things hurt now that I don't even remember in the summer when the weather's warm.
My body is telling me to slow down and take a break. That's hard for me, but I'm trying. I still am not able to run. I think I'm compensating by doing too much other stuff. I now have new aches and pains.
Our family is really struggling financially. J's two part-time jobs have no work now; one of the jobs owes him a bunch of money. Hopefully, things will pick up by April. Until then, he's been looking with no luck for other work. We're trying to hang in there.
Due to finances, I'm not signed up for any races yet. Which is probably a good thing since I haven't run in about six weeks. We'll see how things go.
I'm not optimistic about the "stimulus" plan. I'm not really that optimistic about the new administration and all the hope so many people have placed in it. That's all I'll say on that subject.
I'm SOOOOO tired of baseball, steroids, Alex Rodriguez, and all that big giant mess. Let's just agree that professional athletes, like actors, politicians, and others in our society have their own sets of rules. I don't like the rules, I don't agree with them, but that's just how it is. We live in a democracy, but life is rarely, if ever, fair.
Gymnastics, even at the level my daughter is in, is so totally subjective and unfair. At her last meet, Peanut got the lowest score she ever received on the uneven bars--7.45. At that same meet, she won the floor, finished seventh in the all around, and placed in the top ten or better on the beam and vault. Her team won their level. This past weekend, the team went to Indianapolis to compete. The competition was much tougher than at the last meet. Doing the same routine on the bars, she received a 9.125 and finished third. HUH?! The team finished in second place. Peanut finished 5th in the all around. Can you see how crazy this sport is? The good thing is she's not upset by it and realizes that's how it is. Me, I think it's absolutely INSANE!
I'm still trying to figure out Facebook. I joined a little after I started this blog, but I'm still trying to figure out how it works. It seems a little complicated to me. I would like to master it, because I think it's less work than posting a blog. Anyone out there an expert?
Sometimes it's hard to read blogs of people who are really good triathletes. What they consider success or failure doesn't even register with people like me. I like to enjoy my training and racing, see some improvement, and stay healthy. Sometimes I'm really happy with my performances, other times not so much. But for me it's all about the fun in the journey. I'm never going to be a fast swimmer or runner. I love doing both, but speed will never be the basis of how I judge my enjoyment in this sport. When I read what the 20 and 30-something women write about their triathlon experiences and goals, I wonder where they will be in the sport when they're my age. Interesting, huh?
R-man received an excellent report card for his first semester in high school. 4.0 average, ranked 50 out of 1148 freshmen. Except for Algebra, he has all new teachers this semester. He really liked his first Biology teacher, and doesn't like the one he has now so much. However, he just received his progress reports and he's doing great in all his subjects.
Last night was the Bowling teams' award banquet. It was held in the high school cafeteria--very low key, not fancy. Compared to what the football and basketball teams get, I'm sure it was a total joke. But, the teams did well, and R-man is hoping to improve over the summer and make the team next year as a sophomore.
It's raining, supposed to turn to snow later today and tomorrow more snow and colder. My body is already protesting. I'm going to go in my warm basement and ride and strength/core train. Maybe I'll go for a short swim later if I feel like leaving the house--or maybe not!
Caught a glimpse of Moose and Iron Snoopy at the fitness center Saturday. I was on the rowing machine, they were doing some serious weight lifting. Didn't get a chance to say "hey"!
That's it for now. Hoping I'll have some good news to post soon. Until then, hope everyone else is surviving this short but oh so long month of February!
Until next time--God bless!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Another Discouraging Week
Another tough week. As you know if you read my last post, I was very discouraged with my one pound weight loss after working very hard and eating very right. So, this week I decided to buckle down even more, work even harder and try to eat even less. Can you say BACKFIRE!?
I spoke with my favorite personal trainer last week and told her about my one pound loss in three weeks. Her response, as usual, was that I need to eat more! I just don't get it. She really believes that I am freaky different (in a good way!?) than NORMAL people. I know that what she (and several other people have told me) is probably right, but I just can't get my head around the fact that I need to eat more and work out less to lose weight. It just doesn't make sense to me.
So, this week I tried to eat a little bit more, but continued to work out hard. So far this week I have: swam four times for 5,700 meters; biked four times for 125 miles; spent 258 minutes doing strength/stretch/core work; rowed on the rowing machine twice for 1:38--17,000 meters; and worked on the Arc trainer for 17 minutes. I still can't run, although my leg feels like it's getting better, and I'm going nuts, so I tried rowing and the ARC trainer. They're fun and good workouts, but not the same as running. Total so far is 17 hours and 19 minutes, and I've burned 6,842 calories during workouts. And oh yeah, I weighed myself this morning: I GAINED 2.8 POUNDS SINCE LAST SATURDAY! How is this even possible? My family watches me eat, exercise and be so disciplined. I don't eat what they eat. I won't go out to eat. I eat only stuff from home that I buy that is 99% healthy. This is insane and so discouraging. Basically, I've gained about 4 pounds since I started this plan. CAN YOU SAY--NOT WORKING?
So I have to decide how to proceed. Obviously what I'm doing is not working. Should I decrease my workouts and increase my calories in relation to the workouts? Hmmmmm? Maybe? I just don't know if I can do it. I go to sleep thinking "tomorrow I'll take it easy". But then my body takes over and I think if I don't work for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, I'll gain weight. But then I think, I'm gaining weight anyway so maybe I should just take it easy. I have this big Catch-22 going on in my head. YIKES! I'm really disciplined--can I discipline myself to take it easy? That's the million dollar question!
Other than that, life is pretty hard right now. We're struggling and trying to keep our heads above water financially. I can't afford to buy new clothes--I have to be able to fit in the ones I have, which I can't do right now.
The mild weather is good for my body, although the change is not. I just wish it was here to stay, but we all know that more of the nasty stuff is on the way.
Well, I hope everyone else has a better story.
Until next time--God bless!
I spoke with my favorite personal trainer last week and told her about my one pound loss in three weeks. Her response, as usual, was that I need to eat more! I just don't get it. She really believes that I am freaky different (in a good way!?) than NORMAL people. I know that what she (and several other people have told me) is probably right, but I just can't get my head around the fact that I need to eat more and work out less to lose weight. It just doesn't make sense to me.
So, this week I tried to eat a little bit more, but continued to work out hard. So far this week I have: swam four times for 5,700 meters; biked four times for 125 miles; spent 258 minutes doing strength/stretch/core work; rowed on the rowing machine twice for 1:38--17,000 meters; and worked on the Arc trainer for 17 minutes. I still can't run, although my leg feels like it's getting better, and I'm going nuts, so I tried rowing and the ARC trainer. They're fun and good workouts, but not the same as running. Total so far is 17 hours and 19 minutes, and I've burned 6,842 calories during workouts. And oh yeah, I weighed myself this morning: I GAINED 2.8 POUNDS SINCE LAST SATURDAY! How is this even possible? My family watches me eat, exercise and be so disciplined. I don't eat what they eat. I won't go out to eat. I eat only stuff from home that I buy that is 99% healthy. This is insane and so discouraging. Basically, I've gained about 4 pounds since I started this plan. CAN YOU SAY--NOT WORKING?
So I have to decide how to proceed. Obviously what I'm doing is not working. Should I decrease my workouts and increase my calories in relation to the workouts? Hmmmmm? Maybe? I just don't know if I can do it. I go to sleep thinking "tomorrow I'll take it easy". But then my body takes over and I think if I don't work for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, I'll gain weight. But then I think, I'm gaining weight anyway so maybe I should just take it easy. I have this big Catch-22 going on in my head. YIKES! I'm really disciplined--can I discipline myself to take it easy? That's the million dollar question!
Other than that, life is pretty hard right now. We're struggling and trying to keep our heads above water financially. I can't afford to buy new clothes--I have to be able to fit in the ones I have, which I can't do right now.
The mild weather is good for my body, although the change is not. I just wish it was here to stay, but we all know that more of the nasty stuff is on the way.
Well, I hope everyone else has a better story.
Until next time--God bless!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
What Do I Do Now?!
I haven't posted for a while because, well, to be quite frank, there's not been a lot of good things to say.
My leg is still bothering me, so I haven't been able to run in over a month. I started treatment, but to be perfectly honest, it's expensive and we don't have the funds for it right now.
Peanut had a meet last Friday. She did OK, but one of the judges on one of the events was HORRIBLE! All our kids were scored incredibly unfair. Peanut got the lowest score EVER in a meet. She did win the floor event, and finished 7th in the all around, but that's not the point in my minds eye.
I've been working really hard to lose weight. I've been counting every calorie burned, every calorie eaten. I've eaten all the right stuff, and trying to eat it at the right time. I've worked out as hard as ever, haven't taken a day off since I can't remember when. I HAVE LOST EXACTLY ONE POUND IN THREE WEEKS! What the.........?
To give you an example of my workouts...this past week I rode on my trainer 149 miles (and we all know it takes a lot longer to ride on a trainer than out on the road). I swam about 10,000 meters, and spent about four hours doing strength/core training. This really stinks! I don't know what to do. I'm trying to work with the nutritionist who helped me lose 30 lbs. three years ago, but she is really busy now, and as I've stated previously, money is really tight!
I'm thinking of doing a half-iron distance race in June. But to be really honest, I don't want to race until I lose 10-15 lbs. At the rate I'm going, it may never happen. I'm supposed to start training tomorrow, which in my case means I can actually cut way back on my swimming and biking. However, I still don't think I can run yet. I may try later in the week and see how it goes.
So, not that it really matters or makes a difference, but here are my January totals:
Swim: 44,800 meters
Bike: 590 miles on trainer
Strength/Core training: 18 hours
Running: A BIT FAT ZERO!
Total work out time: 63 hours
(I didn't bother to total the calories, because it's a crazy number and it doesn't seem to matter anywho!)
Getting ready to swim and take R-man to church. Both those activities usually improves my mood and mindset. I hope so, because today I really need all the help/encouragement I can get.
Hope everyone has/had a great weekend. It's actually WARM (25 degrees) now!
Until next time--God bless!
My leg is still bothering me, so I haven't been able to run in over a month. I started treatment, but to be perfectly honest, it's expensive and we don't have the funds for it right now.
Peanut had a meet last Friday. She did OK, but one of the judges on one of the events was HORRIBLE! All our kids were scored incredibly unfair. Peanut got the lowest score EVER in a meet. She did win the floor event, and finished 7th in the all around, but that's not the point in my minds eye.
I've been working really hard to lose weight. I've been counting every calorie burned, every calorie eaten. I've eaten all the right stuff, and trying to eat it at the right time. I've worked out as hard as ever, haven't taken a day off since I can't remember when. I HAVE LOST EXACTLY ONE POUND IN THREE WEEKS! What the.........?
To give you an example of my workouts...this past week I rode on my trainer 149 miles (and we all know it takes a lot longer to ride on a trainer than out on the road). I swam about 10,000 meters, and spent about four hours doing strength/core training. This really stinks! I don't know what to do. I'm trying to work with the nutritionist who helped me lose 30 lbs. three years ago, but she is really busy now, and as I've stated previously, money is really tight!
I'm thinking of doing a half-iron distance race in June. But to be really honest, I don't want to race until I lose 10-15 lbs. At the rate I'm going, it may never happen. I'm supposed to start training tomorrow, which in my case means I can actually cut way back on my swimming and biking. However, I still don't think I can run yet. I may try later in the week and see how it goes.
So, not that it really matters or makes a difference, but here are my January totals:
Swim: 44,800 meters
Bike: 590 miles on trainer
Strength/Core training: 18 hours
Running: A BIT FAT ZERO!
Total work out time: 63 hours
(I didn't bother to total the calories, because it's a crazy number and it doesn't seem to matter anywho!)
Getting ready to swim and take R-man to church. Both those activities usually improves my mood and mindset. I hope so, because today I really need all the help/encouragement I can get.
Hope everyone has/had a great weekend. It's actually WARM (25 degrees) now!
Until next time--God bless!
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