T.I.T.S.

Time In The Saddle. It is what I need. It is what I crave. And it seems to be something I am having a hard time accomplishing.

Oh, I'm riding my bike. A little. About 43 miles today, 27 last Wednesday. Do the math. That is 60 miles for the week. And, dammit, only 17 miles last weekend (I blame the wind, I am a wind wimp).

The problem is, without more frequent rides, my body is having a tough time with even shorter rides. My bottom hurts, my neck aches, my back is stiff. I feel like a weekend warrior, nothing (well almost nothing) during the week, then trying to crank out a century on Saturday. Oh, sure, I could probably do it, but it wouldn't be pretty.

So, as I always try to do, I have a plan for improvement. I plan to ride my bike at least three times a week, with a longer ride over the weekend. And, not being one to shy away from a challenge, I will start in this coming week. Thanksgiving week. Turkey Trot week. Oh, and a week in which I am working on Saturday.

So here is the plan:

Tomorrow (Sunday), running with the running club. Probably about eight miles, maybe up to the cross. I love that run.

From three weeks ago, with the cross country team.

Monday - Well, I work at 5:30 in the morning, get off at 1:30, see three personal training clients from 2-5:00. So, day off (so to speak).

Tuesday - Running a few miles in the morning. Leaving work a little early (about 2:00), so will probably head to the gym.

Wednesday - This week I work at 5:30, so I plan to ride after work. The thing that may get in my way is that it is the day before Thanksgiving and the Turkey Trot. I will have shopping to do (unless I do as I've threatened and order the whole meal from Native Foods, which means I just have to stop by and pick it up). I am sure we will have last minute things for the race, goody bags to stuff, hauling chairs, tables, etc. down to El Paseo. I will also make last minute phone calls to volunteers, load up my car with everything I will need at 5:00 Thursday morning. And so on. So, as much as I hate to say it, the ride looks iffy. Maybe I can get out for an hour, anyway.

Thursday - Thanksgiving - Turkey Trot. I will need to be at the Gardens on El Paseo by about 5:00 am. Late registration and number pick-up will start at 6:00. The time will go really fast, and I am totally excited because this is the first year we will have a professional timing company, Prime Time, which takes a huge load off my back. Still, I'm in charge of registration and volunteers, so I'll be working. Actually, although it is time consuming and exhausting, I will be finished and home by about 11:00 in the morning. So if I do what I suggested in the above paragraph and order the vegan Native Foods meal, my time will be pretty clear. No big family meal this year, just my youngest son,David, Alan, and myself. So, I will can the Wednesday ride and move it to Thursday. Done.


Friday - Well, I have to work at 7:30, so I plan to run a few miles before work. I will go to the gym after work. If I can get out early enough (depends on how busy we are), I will ride instead.

Saturday - As I mentioned above, I have to work, but I will run before work. I can also get out early, so I might just hit the gym again.

Sunday - Ride my bike. And in spite of all I've been bitching about here, I plan to ride 100 miles. There. I've said it. It won't be pretty. But it will get me some time in the saddle.

Getting Back on Track. Again

This week started my post-cross country, after-summer Fitness push. The combination of the time spent coaching and the summer heat always seems to result in lack of workout dedication from yours truly. Not that I've been a couch potato. By most people's standards, I maintain a pretty active lifestyle. I ride my bike and run a couple days a week (each). I teach several times a week, including a couple weight training classes and a stretch class. So I haven't been a slug.

But, I am the woman who rode her bike 6,000 miles in 2007 and managed more than 4,000 in 2008 in spite of being sidelined by a hysterectomy and recovery. I am also the woman who has run more than 35 marathons and ridden about 20 centuries. I am a personal trainer who spends her life teaching people the importance of strength training, and when in top shape I will spend three or four days a week in the gym lifting weights.

I haven't been doing any of that lately. And I find myself feeling, well, sluggish.

So, I am re-dedicating myself to my fitness. I began by making a workout schedule that I can stick to. If I work too early to run or ride, I will go to the gym in the afternoon, hit the elliptical and the weights. Monday I did just that. Tuesday too. Today I took the dogs for a one mile run before my bike ride. I rode 30 miles this morning before work. I plan to run with our track club tonight. Tomorrow I get to take a day off (I'm tough, not crazy). I am also sore as all heck from my workouts the last two days, but I'll survive. I have to work on Saturday, but I should be able to run a few miles beforehand. And hit the gym after. On Sunday I hope to ride my November century.

Of course the key is really next week. And the week after. Keeping it up. I know I will though. Being fit feels too damn good. I don't ever want to lose that.

In a Nutshell

Okay, it's been a couple weeks since I've posted. I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Really. I'm not going to swear it won't happen again. I'm just going to recap the last two weeks and move on. Really. Alright, I'm going to try to post more often. And I do feel bad when I don't write. But, I'm just TOO. DAMN. BUSY.

In a nutshell:

Cross Country season is finally over. I always have mixed emotions, because I love coaching, I love the kids, I really love everything about the whole experience. But, I am also happy to have my life back, say so long to the kids for a while, and, um, clean my house, ride my bike, run my own runs, have some free time. So, yes, I'm happy it's over. But, next July, I will be excited that it is starting all over again, with some new kids and new experiences.
The team did pretty well. The girls finished fourth in the last meet and fifth overall for the season (even though they finished fourth in the previous meet, go figure, but I guess it's the way the points add up). I was very proud of the team, especially a couple of girls who pulled out all the stops, finished strong, and had their best performance ever. The boys, who were plagued with injuries and illness most of the season, finished sixth. Every member of our team has heart, though, and each one gave it their all. I'm proud of each and every one of them.

Oh, I had a birthday last week. 52. Enough said.

Well, maybe I'll say a little more than that. My husband took me out to a lovely restaurant that will always prepare a nice veggie dish for our pleasure. We sat out on the patio, where it is designed to look like a desert hillside, with waterfalls flowing. It was really pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice, but you can kind of see the full moon in the background, which was pretty cool.


Lily and Olivia are doing great, as you can see in the picture. Fully integrated into our pack. They are such sweet dogs and so full of fun and life that they energize the older, bigger dogs. Yes, it tends to be a little hectic around our house, but we love it.

I did complete my October century. I had hoped to ride two in October and two in November, so that even though I won't have a real Century a Month, I would at least have 12 centuries for the year (assuming I rode one in December). Well, it didn't happen, but I'm not sweating it. I just want to get back to having time to ride (more time now, hopefully, since cross country is over), keep up my endurance, and, most of all, enjoy my time riding. So, if I ride a couple centuries over the next couple months, that is fine. Great even. But if I don't, that's okay too.

I am starting to think about goals for 2010, but that will be for another post. (hint: I'm thinking to double my effort.)

Of course, I'm full of talk about how much time I will have now. That's all it really is, talk, because here in the desert, we've entered what we call "the season." What that means to me as the fitness director of a country club fitness center, is that I am going to be really busy for the next six months. Did I say really busy? On top of that, I still see a few private clients after my regular work hours, and guess what? They're back! So, a couple 12-hour days a week.

The difference, though is that I have a little control over my schedule, so I really can plan to have time to run and ride. Most weekends off, too (during cross country season most Saturdays are spent at an invitational meet somewhere in Southern California).

So, we'll see. In spite of my best intentions, you may not hear from me for a while and my next post may be titled "In a Nutshell, part 2."