Cleaning is Exercise, Right?

I have yet to get to the gym this week. Sunday was just a crazy kind of run-around day.. followed by a kick off week of snow. Well, the anticipation of snow- and I'm totally kicking myself for being so dumb. Monday all during the day they kept calling for it snow snow snow its coming! its coming! Like Revere warning of the redcoats. So, panicked I decide its probably best I head straight home because I don't want to get caught in this oncoming blizzard. Of course, it didnt even start until the overnight hours. Goodbye Monday workout. Today the "snow event" finally arrived, and we actually were sent home early so that we would't have to sit in hours of rush hour/ snow induced traffic ... and, had I thought about it I could have stopped on my way home since it was in the middle of the day- but it was snowing and we were sent HOME early not sent to go work out.
Strike two. I could have worked on the treadmill, but there was shoveling to do and we have a mattress getting delivered on Friday and between schoolwork and such our bedroom has sort of become the "Oh crap! Company!" dumping ground.

And so there is no way that furniture people are going to be able to maneuver a new king sized mattress around all the crap that is in my room. We have so much "stuff" its insane. I have all of these gift cards from Birthdays, Christmas, etc. that I haven't spent yet- and mainly its because we already have so much STUFF i figure why on earth do I need more stuff? What I really need is to take a week off, hire a professional organizer (if they exist) and have her go through my house with me room by room and make it more organized, functional, and clutter free. Oh Oprah- too bad we're not besties- I'm sure you have someone in your file-o-fax of contacts that could do all this for me.

Anyhow, between lifting laundry baskets back and forth from Laundry room to bedroom over and over again, cleaning, hanging, bending folding etc... surely there has to be some form of legitmate muscle building involved right? :)

Im praying for a snow day tomorrow (not likely) but it would be the answer to all of my woes. I would have time to work out on my treadmill, do my laundry, and finish up on this weeks homework.

One can hope right?

Also I found out that the knee problem I have actually has a name... its called Patellar Dislocation and Patellar Instability- both of which I found knee braces for thanks to some suggestions on BT. I'm planning on buying them tonight which will make me much more confident in my runs (errrr-walks)

That's it for now....

snow day. pretty please, with sugar on top.

~Millie

Friday Night Musings

I dont really have all that much to say today. Now that I am officially out and the reality of the situation is sinking in, I have a laundry list of apprehensions and the reality of the mountain before me is really sinking in. The elated I can do anything feeling of a few weeks ago has become a holy crap what have I gotten myself into. For the first time since I decided to do this crazy thing last September, I am actually certifiably afraid that I will not be able to. I argue with myself constantly. I mean, an 800 swim- please, I tell myself, I swim double that during my previous swim workouts. 14 mile bike- well the last time I worked out on the bike I did 10.89 miles ... but the little voice in my head keeps reminding that riding a stationary bike for 10 miles is nothing like riding an ACTUAL bike for ten miles. And then there is this little old thing called the run. I'm at a mile and half now in thirty minutes.... A mile and a half, and that's WALKING... in thirty sad minutes. People I know run a 7 minute mile... and I can't even walk it in thirty minutes. I have to do double that in thirty minutes in four months. Will I even be able to?

I keep picturing myself after the swim- getting out of the water and telling my husband that I can't go on, I'm too tired. Or doing okay in the swim, getting on the bike and then running out of gas on the bike leg- and seeing all of these people who have pledged their support and having to explain to them that I'm a failure once again. The mental pictures I have of me on the run leg, are laughable. I'm really beginning to second guess the whole tell everyone I signed up thing. Perhaps I should have kept my big mouth shut.

And of course, I'm really worried that I may never make it into this spin class- they seem to be ridiculously popular. The very helpful :sarcasm: woman at the gym informed me that the 11:00 class is usually only half full- gee I wonder why- because people are flipping working at that time, including me. What am I going to do if I dont get in the spin class. And of course, all this damn snow that keeps falling isnt helping me very much. At least if it warms up and the roads clear I can start working outside. Boy I hope it's an early spring, I think the faster I can get outside and start training the more at ease I will feel.

Until then I guess I can only keep on doing what Im doing, and pray that it is enough....

~Millie

Officially Out

So, I'm not a big "hey look at me, look at what I'm doing" kind of person. I rarely ask for help, in fact as Ive said before it KILLS me to have to ask for assistance of any kind- even emotional support.

But, I decided that the more people I have to keep me on track, the more likely I am to stick to my training and achieve success come race day. So- I did it. I made it official, I posted it on Facebook :) You know that Nothing is official until you have read it on Facebook.

Spin class once again, FULL! This is bogus, might I add. I guess Im just going to have to keep riding the stationary bike until the weather gets nicer and then hookup with a bike riding club or something. Or just hope that some of the New Years Resolvers start dropping off so the gym isnt so packed. Class started at six oclock. I get to the gyn roughly around 5:15 and am changed and upstairs by I'd say 5:25 so a full half hour early and they were already telling people that they had already run out of bikes. Thirty minutes prior. How stinky!

Instead, since today was a run day anyway, I did some treadmill time. I had posted a question on the triathlon site about what times/distances I should be shooting for as goals to be training for. I actually had just wanted to know if 10.89 miles in thirty minutes was too slow. I guess it wasn't because the responses I got were "there is no way if you are doing 10.89 on the bike and 1200 on the swim that you would only be doing a 3.0 on the treadmill"

Well, unfortunately I am a huffy puffy tubby so yes, 3.0 is my comfort speed- 3.5 is heavy breathing, 4.0 is downright huffy puffy territory. And, it must be the way I walk, because even on the super hi tech treadmills they have at the gym, the belt (?) for lack of a better word (the spinny thing you walk on) catches every five or so steps like its folding up under my foot, trips me and causes me to have to check my balance, and today it caught so bad I though my knee was going to give out. Hopefully it will be different when I can actually run (ha, lets be serious- walk ... maybe a brisk walk) on solid ground. I'm hoping for an early spring. I think this is the first time in who knows how long that Im hoping for an early thaw not because I'm sick of scraping snow and ice off my car, but because Im anxious to log some outside time.

~Millie

It's Official!!!

US Women's Triathlon Series - Naperville | Naperville, Illinois 60540 | Sunday, June 13, 2010 @ 7:00 AM

I am officially signed up! There is no turning back now unless I want to eat the cost of joining ($100)
So :) here comes Millie, the Tubby Triathlete

Dear Lord I hope I can do this!

Haters Hate On

So my MB suggested after my previous post that I should get "Haters Hate On" from GLEE through ITunes. I decided to take it one step further than that. I typed "Hater" into the ITUNES search and you would be shocked at how many songs (I use the word loosely) about haters there are. Many of them are rap songs... but a few hours and about twenty dollars later I have a whole new mix to keep me motivated. I call my mix "Haters Hate On". My mix is as follows:

Hate On Haters- GLEE
Haters Everywhere We Go- b.o.b.
Blind To You Haters- collie buddz
Hi Haters- maino
Haters- lil wayne
Haters- young buck
Haters- hillary duff
Haters- young jeezy feat lil jon
I Got me Some Haters- soulja boy
Haters Wish- rich boy
Haters- Jay Z
Haters Hate Me- Kanye West

So needless to say, there is apparenty a whole lot of hating going on in the world :)

And let me say, as much as I can't get "into" the mix- ie the songs really aren't all my cup of tea - it still kept me pretty motvated today.

Spin class was full (twenty five minutes before class!) so I have to try for Thursday's class. So instead I did my usual 30 minute swim 30 minute bike. I am actually really super excited for myself.

My 30 minute swim was 800 Meters my 30 Minute bike was 10.89 miles. I googled how far 22K is and its roughly 13 miles. So I'm just a few miles short of the total bike ride. 800 Meters is just slightly over what will be expected on TRI day (750 meters)

So, in an hour- I managed to almost be right on target for the triathlon. Yes- huffy puffy me! And, I feel great! Tonight's exercise has me feeling fairly confident that come tri day Ill be pretty good in at least 2 of the events. Now we just need to get that running up to snuff.

I bought some new running shoes over the weekend, on my rest day. I actually went to a running store and asked them for suggestions on what I should use as a begining runner with a problem ankle, problem knees and over pronation. THe lady gave me a look like "and you're doing this to yourself because...." anyhow- I had it narrowed down to 2 contenders. A Nike Shoe and a New Balance shoe. I really wanted it to be the New Balance shoe- but as supportive as the "cage" (?) was around my foot, it just ddn't have any cush to it. The nike shoes felt supportive around the ankle and like I am walking on clouds. And- it has this neato feature that syncs with my IPOD ( I broke down and spent the extra 30 bucks on the software)

I'm sure in a few months I'm going to need another pair of shoes again before the TRI, who knows maybe by then the New Balance will work then. So Ive attached a picture of my pretty new shoes (the stock photo is pink, but mine are purple :) )





They are the Nike Pegasus and they are super comfy! Once I finish posting here, I am going to head over to the Triathlon site and sign up. It will be no turning back then! :)

Tomorrow is run day- I get to try out the new shoes.

~Millie :)

Greek Yogurt, Gossip Girls. Rest Days and Sore Legs

Ok, first- before I forget. I've never eaten Greek Yogurt before. I bought one at Trader Joe's last weekend (yes, just one- because I didn't want to me mad I'd wasted my money if i bought a whole mess of them and then ended up not liking them) We grocery shop on Saturday's so that sad little Greek Yogurt has been patiently waiting it's turn every morning, getting passed over time and time again. The pitiful bridesmaid yogurt to the Dannon Light & Fit bride yogurt that was chosen every day before it.
Finally, this morning, deplete of any other choice But the greek yogurt, I broke down and tried it.

I must say, the consistency threw me off for a second or two. But it actually isn't bad. And for 14 grams of Protein per serving (I know, I was blown away too!) it's totally worth it to me to try it. Ive been so good this week with preplanning and making sure that all of my food choices were wise, and healthy. I have had no processed sugar at ALL this week. (yay me) and with the execption of one Diet Dr Pepper with lunch, everything else was thumbs up food wise. :)

So, I heard through the grapevine, that there are some people that I went to school with (whom I haven't talked to SINCE high school save the brief Facebook exchange when they friended me to scope my profile). I have heard that some of these people- who were never even friends with me to begin with- seem to have taken a vested interest in my training. And, not in a good way. Apparently this group of pitifully catty "mean girls" have decided to make repeated jokes regarding my efforts. It's like, seriously- have I time warped back to 1994 again? I didnt realize we're suddenly 16 and back in high school again. I mean my god- most of you are married, with kids, living in houses three times the size of mine, driving cars worth double my annual salary (ok double is a bit melo dramatic but seriously more than I would ever want to spend on a car), they run their marathons and post their pictures on facebook and all pat eachother on the back, and yet they feel the need to use me as fodder for their gossip? Who am I to any of them?

In the grand scheme of things- these people do not even register on my radar. I couldn't care less what they do day to day- so why in the world do they care what I do? What do they gain from tearing me down?

The old me, would be crushed by crap like this. I would spend days, even weeks, wondering why they didnt like me, or what I did to suddenly make myself the focus of their ridicule. But honestly, I'm SO over it. Apparently some people never leave high school- they hold tightly to their "Glory Days" when they were actually somebody. I think its more the size of the school than the school itself. I mean when you go to a small school the people you talk to talk to other people who are friends with said haters.... Im sure people who go to big huge schools where there are hundreds in their class have people who gossip about them and they never even know about it.

Let them talk- haters are always gonna hate- I guess I should be honored that they feel so threatened by what Im trying to accomplish for myself that they feel the need to make fun of it.

That's fine. Bring it I say- all your BS is only more motivation for me to swim that extra 100 when I feel like there is lead in my arms.... or spend an extra ten on the treadmill when I don't think I have anytthing left..... and these bitches have lit the fire fully under my rear end- and I will not walk sheepishly into Spin Class on monday, but rather charge in there and make myself the best I can.

And... next fall- when the alumni magazine comes out... there will be a picture of me crossing the finish line wearing a Tshirt that says "Suck It" with me giving them the double finger.

Ok- maybe not the last part (mainly because its a Catholic school- I doubt they'd publish a picture of me flipping the bird with a Tshirt that read "Suck It") but it would be cool wouldn't it ? :)

Tomorrow is a rest day- thank goodness because I am so sore. I feel great otherwise, but I'm glad that these couch to sprint programs have rest days programmed in- and they are so right I really super need it.

OH- on a side note. So there was this discussion on the Beginner Triathlete site today regarding swimming and "improving swim times" Being a swimmer, I felt I could contribute to the discussion with my experience. The question was regarding getting faster and whether or not taking less recovery time (ie breaks in between sets of laps) and swimming full effort repeatedly would help to improve splits. I told him that the better thing to do would be to extend the length of sets- ie swimming a 150 instead of a 100 or doing 10 sets of 100's instead of 8 sets of 100's ... and extend the amount of laps he did and once the stamina was built the speed would follow.

Everyone else was under the impression and all agreed with each other that it would be better for him to reduce his recovery time and swim full out for a length of time to improve his speed.

I personally don't agree with this sentiment- as the key to speed in any sport is stamina and not necessarily repeatedly drilling yourself over and over again in short bursts. That would be like if a runner trained only in 40's . Maybe that is the difference between seasoned swimmer and a triathlete. Triathletes are just trying to get by ( I mean I too am guilty with this on the run leg- I'm sure a seasoned runner would have better ways for me to better my run as opposed to the couch to 5k plan)

But everyone loudly disagreed with me. So- whatev. I just wanted someone to know that I still think I'm right.

Anyhow a nice relaxing non exercise day is ahead of me tomorrow. Yay!

Have a great weekend!
~Millie

Millie- The Silver Streaker

Yesterday was a swim/bike day, but it snowed (again) so I went straight home
and worked out on the Treadmill. Gustav was NOT happy about it, let me tell you.
So unhappy in fact, he stayed silent all through my workout.
So, it was just me on my own. In my defense, there is a reason that it becomes
ridiculously difficult to get to the gym on days when the roads are bad.
The lovely city in which I work, though the boast an enormous population of
McMansions, apparently doesn't deem it necessary to spend its abundance of tax dollarson it's streets. They are rarely ever plowed or salted when it snows, and don't even get me started on the potholes large enough to swallow a small tribe of nomads (not that nomands frequent these parts, but trust me, the potholes are huge)
Anyhow, to get to my gym, one would need to make an unprotected left hand turn
across a four lane divided highway. This is not the easiest task to complete on a good weather day, throw in slippery roads and bad conditions and it's suicide.
So, when the weather is like this, I find it better/ safer to just make my right hand turn head home and work on my treadmill instead.

I'm actually quite proud of myself, I did an entire treadmill workout without holding onto the handlebars once. Grandted- I was walking at a 2.5 with no incline, but to be able to keep my balance and not "slip" on the treadmill is a really big deal for me. I actually found that if you keep your arms up by your chest, it really does help keep you centered.
Which, is ironic to me, because those are usually the people I am watching and wondering if they realize how silly they look. So I guess I will now be one of those "silly" people

At this pace, which I call my "fist pumping speed walk", I'm good to go with the "Silver Streakers. Just get me one of those "Nana's Angels" Tshirts decorated with Puffy Paints, a sweatband for my forehead,and an old school radio head set.


So, my days are all screwed up. I know. But they're going to have to shuffle a bit anyway. There have been a handful of people, from friends who are personal trainers, to friends who have competed in Tri's previous, to people on the Beginner Triathlete site who keep touting the benefits of a Spin Class for Triathlon trainers. So Im going to sign up for a Spin Class :eep!- super huge, enormous, EEP! with a capital E and an exclamation point: I hate more than anything looking like a schmuck. I am petrified of taking a spin class.
But, I'm going to do it- even if I look horrible. Even if all people can stare at through the whole class is the jiggle when I wiggle. I'm told it can be as intense or as moderate as you choose so hopefully I can hack this. I have known for sometime I would have to eventually overcome my fear of spin class. I am way too easy on myself when it comes to bike riding
on my own. And I know in order to really get the most out of the bike leg, Im going to have to develop the muscles needed for that leg (not to mention, when I go bike shopping next month, I want to actually be able to get on a bike and cycle around to try them out without looking like a total A hole in front of the sales person) So- Spin class. Next week.
Boy oh Boy am I skeeeered!
~Millie