10,000-Meter (6.2-Mile) Swim

Chuck (the Team Ridglea masters swimming coach) sent out an email a few weeks ago advertising 1.2-mile, 2.4-mile, 5K, and 10K swims at 5:30 this morning. I decided to go for it and try the 10,000 even though I haven't been swimming much. I looked through my workout logs and calculated that I had swum 253,000 meters since January 1, 2009. That is not very much (averages a whopping 440 meters a day). I knew that I had the endurance from all of the other training (especially running) that I had been doing, and I figured if I once swam 15 x 1500's in one practice (back in the days when I was actually a swimmer), I could swim a 10,000 now.

I decided to rest yesterday, and I also had a chiropractor appointment. This helped loosen me up quite a bit. I didn't drink last night, and I went to bed at 10:30 (later than I thought, but we watched ALL of Season 2 of "Nurse Jackie" yesterday and I couldn't stop myself). I set the alarm for 4:25 and got a decent night's sleep (although I did dream about the 10K). I ate a banana and a wheat bagel thin with almond butter for breakfast. This is a pretty standard breakfast for me now before long events. I also drank another bottle of water while driving to the pool. I wanted to make sure I was plenty hydrated, because the pool water is very hot from the Texas summer.

The 50-meter pool at the Lockheed Martin Rec Center:


Three of us did the 10K. A lady named Susan shared a lane with me, and Mark was in the lane next to us. Since we started in the dark, I couldn't see very well until the sun came up. I knew Mark was ahead of me, but I didn't know how far ahead (he ended up beating me by 200). It was good having Susan in my lane because I lapped her once pretty early on, and then we went back-and-forth a bit. My original plan was to break the swim up into 4 x 2500's. I did 50 lengths (2500) and stopped for a water break. My lowest mental point was around 4,000-5,000 meters. So I decided to stop at 90 lengths (4500) for a Gu and water. Once we passed the half-way point, I did a better job getting out of my slump. I stopped again at 140 lengths (7,000) for a Gel and some water, and my final stop was at 160 lenghts (8,000 meters) for water. The Gel messed with my tummy just a touch, and I started burping strawberry. Yummmm. I felt really strong the last 2,000 meters, which surprised me. At the half-way point, I doubted my ability to finish because my neck started hurting quite. Fortunately it was just a little down spell, and my spirits perked back up.

I finished in 2:48:18, which is 1:41 per mile. I anticipated a finish closer to 3 hours (1:45 pace), because I knew the water and food breaks would add to my time. So I was pleasantly surprised, given the fact that I am out of swimming shape. It was great to see Papa Chuck (even though I was staring down at the black line for most of the time!).

Did someone say Miller Lite and Clamato???

Back on the Wagon!

I guess last week could be described as “recovery” since I started feeling sick (congestion and sore throat) on Monday night, I went to the Lady Gaga concert on Thursday night, and my brother came to visit Friday evening – Monday morning. I ran a total of 18.76 miles. Even though I wasn’t feeling well, I still got out there and did the 5K course around my neighborhood when I could. At least it was something!

Now it’s time to hop back on the wagon and work on the diet (especially limiting the alcohol) and hit the road and trail. I drove out to Samson Park yesterday at 3:00 and tried navigating the trails by myself for the first time. It went very well. I did 2 loops around the green (the easiest of the three – green, blue, and red – courses), which amounted to 5.40 miles in 1:08:41. I felt like I did a better job carrying my momentum downhill with less hesitation.

With the Rocky Raccoon 50-miler looming on the horizon, I decided to sign up for the 30K trail event at “The Falls” on Saturday night, August 14. It’s in Pedernales Falls State Park, which I assume is somewhere near Austin. This will be my first trail race AND my first night race. Yikes! One of my friends, Derek, also signed up. I need to learn all of the basics, like what to pack. There is another trail run in Grapevine in November, but I want to set my marathon date first. If I do Vegas the first weekend of December, that is going to be too close.

My weekend was fun, and involved a lot of calorie consumption rather than burnage. I picked up my brother at the airport on Friday night and we came home and picked up Cliff. Then the three of us went to Boo Ray’s (Cajun food) for dinner and then the Eagle’s Nest for some drinks. I was pretty impressed with the country band. They played Pat Green, Tom Petty, etc.

Uncle Aaron brought GusGus a new toy:


But Uncle Aaron needs to pick on someone his own size:


My brother and I at the Nest:


My hubby and I at the Nest (we got the memo to wear blue):


On Saturday we had some friends over for a pool party. Gus was excited that in addition to the seven humans, there was also a Dexter Dog!

Gus and Dexter, new FurBFFs:


On Saturday night my brother and I went out in Dallas. We made the smart decision to Priceline a hotel room so that we could take a cab to and from the hotel and then crash over night. We had a great time, and we weren’t even miserable on Sunday morning.

Chillin’ with Cher in Dallas:


Sunday was a lazy day with lots of eating. My brother, Cliff, and I went to Cracker Barrel for brunch. I hadn’t eaten in almost 24 hours, and I was starving! I stuffed my face with 2 biscuits, a cornbread roll, homestyle chicken (two huge pieces of boneless fried chicken), hash brown casserole, and dumplings. Yikes! I took a nap in the afternoon and ate even more bad food (3 cookies and some crackers with spinach dip) when I woke up from my slumber. Then my brother and I went to Taste of Italy (the Italian restaurant up the street) for dinner. At that point, my stomach was begging me to stop the madness!

Weekend Recap

Friday
We took a dip in the pool for an hour or two and then did some grilling. Cliff grilled some sirloins and corn on the cob while I sautéed vegetables (green beans, squash, zucchini, onions, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms) and roasted some red potatoes (with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and rosemary). Dinner was mighty tasty. I went to bed early since it was a long day for me (after traveling home on Thursday, I got up at 4:45 on Friday, ran 5 miles around the neighborhood, went into the office for a full day, and then did the grocery shopping) and I wanted to get up on Saturday and run.

Saturday
I got up at a decent hour and started my run shortly before 8:00. I needed to do 5.80 miles to hit 40 miles for the week. I managed 5.82 miles around our hilly Lake Country neighborhood. My, that was a workout. I squeezed in a little nap in the afternoon and also got some CPE studying done before we took a dip in the pool. In the evening we went to dinner at Patrizio, a new restaurant in the booming 7th Street area of Fort Worth. I called in the afternoon to make a reservation, but the hostess told me it was first-come/first-serve, and the wait didn’t pick up until 6:45 or 7. We got there at 6:35 and ended up waiting for exactly an hour. The wait wasn’t too bad because we discovered the $1 baby bellinis, but we had to stand next to two annoying TCU girls whose voices sounded like nails on a chalkboard. We ordered the calamari appetizer (fairly good, but it’s hard to screw up calamari) and a bottle of the house Pinot Grigio.


I ordered the vegetable lasagna, but apparently I confused the waiter. He brought me the chicken mushroom lasagna, which was what Cliff and Leslie had ordered. It looked amazing though (much better than this mess of a picture), so I went with it. The sauce was just right – a perfect amount of cream and marinara. The lasagna was loaded with chicken (which reminded me of smoked turkey lunch meat) and mushrooms and cooked just to the right temperature (sometimes lasagna is overcooked and has those horrible rubbery edges). The menu prices were very affordable, about $12 for an entrée. The side salads were a little overpriced though ($4.55ish for a house salad), so we didn’t order any. The $1 baby bellinis were a fabulous deal, and that promotion is going on through July.


Sunday
I met Dee and Fran for a trail run at 8 am at Samson Park. There was a random older guy there named Charlie, and he asked to run with us. Fran and Charlie ran out in front, and Dee and I were the caboose. We did 4.21 miles in just under an hour, which was barely breaking 14-minute miles. It was great to be back on the trails though. The time goes by so fast since you have to constantly pay attention to the terrain.

View of Samson Park from my parking spot:


After the run, I took care of the grocery shopping and did some more studying before Cliff and I relaxed on the couch and watched the first half of Season 7 of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We also watched Big Brother, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out before the annoying redhead drives me insane.

This morning I got up at 5:10 and walked Gus before Cliff and I headed to work. I got my run done early (6:15) with Kit. We did 5.25 miles (headed down Taylor to the Trinity Trail, and then came back up on 7th). It was a good start to the day, before the temperature climbs up to a ridiculous number!

The Big Four-OHHH!

I'm not sure if I've ever run 40 miles in a week before, so I thought I would post the evidence!

Flo-Rida

Well the trip started out a little rough. Our checked bag was about 4 pounds over the limit, and Cliff was ready to send me to timeout for overpacking. Then when we took a taxi from the Orlando airport to the Mariott hotel, the cab driver chased us down in the lobby and said that Cliff's government credit card was declined (when it was fine). In the midst of dealing with that fiasco, I thought I lost my iPhone. I figured I had either left it in the van or dropped it while I was paying the cab driver in cash and then writing down his license plate number. Cliff and I each looked through my purse multiple times. I decided to blow off some steam at the gym, and I ran for 10 miles on the treadmill. When I returned to the room and started getting ready, I got my makeup bag out of my purse and my iPhone was sitting right on top! I was so relieved, even though I felt pretty stupid that the inside of my purse camouflaged my phone (foiled by the hot pink!). So once that discovery was made, I felt WAY better. We headed downstairs to an expo (where the vendors were set up like the day before a marathon) and enjoyed free appetizers and drinks. Then there was another party with even more free appetizers and drinks. The second party had an open bar, so we splurged with Crown and Diet Coke.

On Tuesday morning I ran a little less (4.1 miles) and did some weights and abs (26 minutes). I enjoyed an hour at the pool before it rained. So I took a nap in my room and then headed downstairs for a second workout (an hour on the upright stationary bike while I read my awesome Wally Lamb book). In the evening we went to another (free) function at the Hard Rock. Once again we got free drinks (my good friends, Jack and Jim) and appetizers, plus we got to listen to a great cover band and hit the dance floor.

On Wednesday morning I ran 6.1 miles and then lounged out by the pool for an hour or so before eating lunch in my room and taking a 3+ (YIKES) hour nap. I must've needed the sleep! Cliff and I hit the gym in the late afternoon and I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine with the arms and a little over 10 minutes of weights. Yesterday evening Deloitte hosted a function at Sea World. I enjoyed a few Bud Light Limes and even more appetizers (at this point, I am craving a healthy sit-down dinner) and we listened to the Sea World CFO say "UHHH" about 3 times every sentence during his presentation. After that, we were free to roam the park. Cliff and I went to the Dolphin Nursery and then saw the "Shamu Rocks" show (which was amazingly cute). We were ready to leave, but first we walked about five circles around the park trying to find the elusive exit.

This morning I ran 9 miles on the treadmill. My goal was 6 so I would have an Orlando treadmill marathon of 26.2 miles in 4 days, but I decided to push myself a bit more. I am going to grab some lunch and enjoy a bit more pool time. I have been trying to squeeze in some CFE studying, but it hasn't been high on my list of vacation priorities. Tonight there is some sort of reception (with more free drinks and free apps). It's a "Grease" theme, which I had originally confused with Greece the country. My bad. Our flight leaves at 11-ish tomorrow. It has been a great trip, but we are ready to see our Baby GutthhhGutthhh!

Thursday Thirteen

1. I’m in the mood to do an organized race, and I’m thinking about “The Falls,” part of the Capt’n Karl race series. There is a 30K race at 7 pm on Saturday, August 14. I definitely need a list of equipment to bring, because I have no clue. I’ve never run with a Camelback or any of those accessories.

2. I’ve been detoxing after five days of gluttony in Mexico. The pounds have been melting off. It’s amazing what healthy food, no alcohol, and daily runs can do.

3. Cliff and I have been on a Netflix craze lately. We finished Season 1 of Nurse Jackie (my favorite), and we’re also watching Season 1 of Sons of Anarchy (Cliff likes that a bit more than I do, kind of like Breaking Bad) and Season 2 of True Blood (Sooooooookie).

4. I’m going to have to buy the Sookie Stackhouse books. Melissa got me a B&N gc for my birthday, so that should work out perfectly.

5. On Friday night we’re heading to Key’s Lounge for some James Hinkle and Wendy Colonna. Good times!

6. 24 Hour Fitness is doing a promotion where members can bring a friend for free on Saturdays in the summer. I keep telling Cliff we should go together, but I think this Saturday we are actually going to do it! Or so I say… until Saturday morning rolls around and we sleep in ;)

7. Cliff asked me what I wanted for my birthday (thinking I would want the new iPhone), and I couldn’t really think of anything. So I settled on a couples massage. So we have a champagne couples massage set up for Saturday afternoon.

8. We’re leaving for the AGA Conference in Orlando on Sunday. I’ll miss four days of work (Monday-Thursday) and lounge around the hotel while Cliff attends training classes. Hopefully we’ll get to do a few fun things. I’m rooting for Epcot Center.

9. I’ve fallen a little behind on my CFE studying. I read the whole Financial Transactions section (one whole binder of two) and I am finishing up one of the three smaller sections. I hope to get another small section done in Orlando, and then I’ll have one more section to read when I get home. Then I plan on reviewing everything, taking the practice exams, and taking the tests. I have 30 days to pass all four parts. Hopefully I will get started with the exam in early August.

10. I think we’re giving GusGus separation anxiety. It was so hard to leave him at Auntie Shawna’s last week and watch him paw at the fence as I was leaving. Now I have to leave him again when we go to Orlando. He seemed out of sorts the day I brought him home, but then I brought his bed and favorite toy home the following day, and he went bonkers. I think he is very possessive of his bed and his nylabones.

11. I keep stubbing my toes. Last night, I stubbed my hurt toe on the coffee table. This morning, I stubbed my toe on the bedroom door. I must have horrible spatial perception.

12. I’ve been sleeping like crud these last four nights since we’ve returned from Mexico. I’m hot at night, I itch from mosquito bites, and I toss and turn and have crazy dreams. Maybe I need two sets of sheets and a big, fluffy comforter like our awesome bed in Mexico.

13. I started a “budget” on January 1 to track how we spend our money. I have about 20 categories. It is depressing. I haven’t even been shopping much. So now I’m really making a better effort to save… until we go to Orlando… and then the Bahamas.

Mexico Pics

Getting my run on

I've started following (creeping?) some new blogs from runners (veering away from triathletes), and they have been pretty darn inspiring. If you don't already follow them, check out Runner's Rambles and One Run at a Time. I especially liked this entry. Is it weird that I like reading about people I don't even know? Well I really want to branch out and try some new running races, so maybe I can make human (instead of creepy virtual) contact. Haha.

A running recap (the last week and a half or so):
Sunday, June 27 - 6 miles, 1:00:00, 10:00 pace (Trinity Trail with Stacy and Shawna)
Monday, June 28 - 6.02 miles, 1:00:13, 10:00 pace (Downtown/Trinity Trail at lunch)
Tuesday, June 29 - 5.03 miles, 47:33, 9:27 pace (my 'hood)
Wednesday, June 30 - 3.10 miles, 29:34, 9:32 pace (my 'hood)
Thursday, July 1 - ~2.12 miles, 22:16, guessing 10:30 pace (Maroma Beach in Mexico)
Monday, July 5 - 4.21 miles, 40:55, 9:43 pace (my 'hood)
Tuesday, July 6 - 5.55 miles, 54:59, 9:54 pace (Downtown/Trinity Trail at lunch)
Wednesday, July 7 - 3.38 miles, 33:03, 9:46 pace (my 'hood - BIG HILLS)

Family Vacay in Mexico

Cliff, Leslie (Cliff's daughter/my bonus daughter), Jordan (Cliff's son/my bonus son), and I went to the El Dorado Maroma (about 15 miles from Playa del Carmen) June 30 - July 4 to celebrate Jordan's high school graduation (and my birthday happened to land in there too). We booked the "El Dorado Fun for Less" trip through FunJet, which meant we would stay at one of the El Dorado resorts (Royale, Maroma, or Seaside). We found out about 5 days before the trip that we would be staying at the Maroma, which Cliff was rooting for because it only has 72 rooms and it is the most expensive of the resorts. I was rooting for the Royale (where Cliff and I stayed in January) because it is bigger, and I figured there would be more to do.

We ended up staying "on campus" at the resort for all five days. We had talked about driving into Playa, but each day someone didn't feel well, and there was also a timing problem with the elections (apparently they don't serve alcohol 48 hours before the elections). It was really nice to just relax on the beach and in the pools, spend time together, and eat and drink (two of my favorite hobbies). The best parts about this resort were the amazing customer service and the beach (the Travel Channel voted Maroma Beach one of the top 10 beaches in the world). The staff did an amazing job, and we joked about how they never said "no" to anything. The downside was the food. I was a little disappointed, especially since we had such a great dining experience at the Royale. The food options were more limited because of the size of the resort, and everything was very rich. The gourmet (sit-down restaurants) all-inclusive was still much better than the standard buffet-type all-inclusive though.

We ate breakfast every morning in the restaurant. Cliff and I ordered a lot of room service at the Royale, but it was easier to meet at the restaurant since there were 4 of us. We usually ate at the standard restaurant for lunch, although the restaurant by the ocean had some specialty foods (some amazing tacos the first day and a wide variety of fish the second day) that were good. We tried the Japanese restaurant the first night, and that was my favorite. Jordan even liked the sushi. The second night we did the Italian-themed dinner, the third night we did the actual Italian restaurant, and the fourth night we did the Mexican-themed dinner.

After dinner, we headed to Rick's bar. I was a lot more fun the first and last night because I had my afternoon nap. The bar was pretty empty since the resort was so small, but we still had a good time. One night there was a Michael Jackson show, and the last night we played casino games. When we were the only ones left in the bar, we played Jenga with the bartender. That was a lot of fun. The loser had to take a shot of tequila, and Cliff graciously took mine for me. I think he was cursing me the next day though.

Our travels went pretty smoothly. When we arrived in Mexico, there was no line in Immigration or Customs, and we sailed through. Our flight was delayed returning home, but it actually worked out for the best. We got to stay at the resort for 2 extra hours (until 5:25 pm), and we didn't have to wait at the airport at all. We saw some fireworks from the plane as we were descending into DFW. That was pretty neat.

I did okay with my vacation workouts. I got up super early (4-something) on Wednesday morning to run the 5K course around my neighborhood before we left for the airport. Cliff and I hit the gym at the resort on Thursday morning, and I lifted weights for 22 minutes and then ran on the beach (amazing!) for 22 minutes. On Friday morning we walked on the beach for just under an hour. Somehow I managed to lose 3+ pounds on the trip. I'm not sure how that happened, considering my vast intake of gorgonzola cheese and alcohol.

My home computer won't let me paste in Blogger (very odd), so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to post some pictures.